NATION/WORLD

A week before Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in Iraq, the Vatican nuncio in Baghdad and several members of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 and began self-isolating.

Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon called for patience and tolerance on a day when at least 18 anti-coup protesters were shot dead by Myanmar security forces.

Pope Francis said he believes he will die in Rome, either in office or retired, and will not be buried in his native Argentina.

Although it took obvious effort to pronounce each word and sometimes his secretary repeated what he said to make it clear, retired Pope Benedict XVI spoke to an Italian newspaper about his retirement and about Pope Francis' planned trip to Iraq.

People should fast from gossiping and spreading hearsay as part of their Lenten journey, Pope Francis said.

The 1,200 Chaldean Catholic families who live in Arizona are thousands of miles from the land of their birth. And on March 5, their hearts will turn toward their native Iraq.

If it becomes law, the Equality Act, which has been described as a one of President Joe Biden's top legislative priorities, will be an overreaching use of federal power to shut down religious liberties and traditional views on gender, according to attorneys tracking the measure.

Conversion means believing that God became flesh to make all things new and offer his kingdom to everyone, said Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, offering the first meditation of Lent for leaders of the Roman Curia and Vatican employees.

President Joe Biden announced Feb. 24 a reversal of a 2020 proclamation by the Trump administration that sought to keep those applying for permanent residency cards, popularly known as green cards, out of the country because of the pandemic.

As the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation this past year, hospital chaplains -- already accustomed to helping people cope with sickness and death -- found their ministries took on added significance.