Pope Francis' brief words at the Sunday Angelus are the Vatican's first public response to the Turkish president's move to turn Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

The Unesco World Heritage site in Istanbul, founded as a Christian church in the 6th century, transformed into a mosque in the 15th century and then into a museum in 1934, will reopen as a mosque on July 24 with Friday prayers.

Pope Francis drew attention to the dramatic situation of refugees in Libya today, “the detention camps, the abuses and violence that migrants are victims of, journeys of hope, rescue operations and push-backs. ‘Whatever you did, you did it for me.’”

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo has appealed to Christians and all people of faith “to pray for Hong Kong” following the imposition by China of a new national security law.

In the letter, Francis reveals that Benedict was the first to inform him of the sad news.

The late-evening statement signaled the Vatican’s wish to let the whole world know that it fundamentally disagrees with any annexation.

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis has appointed a special commissioner to modernize and reorganize those same administrative and technical offices, improve transparency, and update their statutes.

Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of Benedict XVI, died on July 1 at the age of 96.

Vatican officials said the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon aims to be “an effective channel for taking up, from within the territory, many of the proposals that emerged” at the Pan-Amazonian synod.

Peter and Paul, Pope Francis noted, provide valuable role models to encourage us toward unity and prophecy.