catholic church

Francis has repeatedly deplored the death and destruction in the Gaza war.

"We should never forget that war is always a defeat," Pope Francis said.

"I have asked that studies be carried out into this ugly ideology of our times, which cancels out the differences and makes everything the same," the pope said.

According to Christian tradition, Jesus was crowned with thorns on the day of his crucifixion. The thorns were meant to mock him for claiming to be the "king of the Jews."

He also stressed that such blessings do not amount to formal Church approval for same-sex unions.

Blessings were allowed last month in a document called Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which has caused widespread debate in the Catholic Church.

In previous guidance from 2016, the Vatican said the ashes must be kept in "sacred places", and therefore neither at home, divided among family members nor scattered to the wind.

The Church had until now refused to compensate victims in cases where the abuser had died, a frequent occurrence.

Allegations against Rupnik began surfacing in Italian media late last year, after which the Jesuit headquarters acknowledged that he had been banned in 2019 from hearing confessions.

WJC said its “Kishreinu” initiative was a response to Nostra Aetate, the landmark 1965 document that modernized the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism and other religions.