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The change follows sweeping reform of the Catholic Church’s penal sanctions.
Knee pain has forced the 85-year-old pope to curtail his activities in recent weeks.
The pope commissioned the first Missionaries of Mercy in 2016.
It was the first Wednesday audience in St. Peter's Square since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Brothers and sisters, let us allow the peace of Christ to enter our lives, our homes, our countries,” Pope Francis said.
An estimated 50,000 people were in St. Peter's Square for the pope's Easter Sunday Mass.
Pope Francis did not preside over the Easter Vigil Mass, but he delivered the homily and baptized seven people.
‘War is everywhere,’ he told interviewer Lorena Bianchetti.
‘The priest with a functionalist mindset has his own nourishment, which is his ego,’ he said.
The pope will visit the prison of Civitavecchia, outside Rome.
The two men prayed together ‘after a brief and affectionate conversation.’
The pope described war as ‘a blasphemous betrayal of the Lord of Passover.’
Pope Francis reflected on Jesus’ words: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
“Let the weapons be put down. Let the Easter truce begin,” Pope Francis urged.
The pope pointed to the example of Bl. Rosario Livatino, a Catholic judge killed by the mafia.
The planned Apostolic journey of Pope Francis to South Sudan later this year is an opportunity for the local Church to engage in the process of reconciliation, a Catholic Bishop in the East-Central African nation has said.
The pope held up a blue and yellow flag which he said was brought to him from “the martyred city” of Bucha, Ukraine.
The pope made the comments during a reflection on his recent trip to Malta at his weekly general audience.
Healthcare workers “have given their lives during this pandemic to help so many sick people recover,” Pope Francis said.
The pope accepted Turkson’s resignation as head of Vatican’s social development office in December.