BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s foreign minister said Iraqis were eager to welcome Francis’ ‘message of peace and tolerance’ and described the visit as a historic meeting between the ‘minaret and the bells.’

(RNS) — The public health message a papal trip to Iraq sends amid a global pandemic is not advisable, health experts say.

ROME (AP) — The pope’s decree sparked heated debate, since its provisions go beyond the voluntary nature of COVID-19 vaccinations in Italy and much of the rest of the world.

(AP) — Sister Nathalie Becquart in all likelihood will have a right to vote in the next synod of bishops, scheduled for 2022, given her new rank.

ROME (AP) — Francis has spent years trying to improve Christian relations with Muslims, and his meeting with Ali al-Sistani will mark one of his most important encounters with a Shiite leader.

(RNS) — The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, provided the first details of Francis’ March 5-8 itinerary during a virtual news conference hosted by the French bishops’ conference.

(RNS) —The scam allegedly involved the suspects selling 29 different properties in Rome and elsewhere to offshore companies that then resold them at market rates, with the suspects pocketing the difference.

(RNS) — Francis amended the law to formalize and institutionalize what is common practice in many parts of the world.

Rome (AP) — “Prison Journal,” an account of Pell’s months in solitary lockup, also provides personal insights into one of the most divisive figures in the Catholic hierarchy today.

ROME (AP) — Cardinal Becciu claims his ruined reputation has eliminated his chances of becoming pope and will undermine the legitimacy of any future papal election.

ROME (AP) — Francis has faced sharp criticism even from his most ardent supporters and incredulousness from some within the Vatican for refusing to wear a mask.

(AP) — A long-awaited manual on sex-abuse investigations goes beyond current Vatican policy about cooperating with law enforcement agencies.

ROME (AP) — Vatican prosecutors have ordered the seizure of documents and computers from the administrative offices of St. Peter’s Basilica.

ROME (AP) — The 10-member commission, the second of Francis’ pontificate to study the fraught issue, includes equal numbers of men and women representing the United States and six European countries.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass as planned, but elsewhere in Italy services were canceled over fears of the new coronavirus.