“True peace remains distant” between Israel and Palestine until the two-state solution is implemented, Pope Francis said in an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa published today.

Pope Francis sought to clarify the declaration on blessings of couples in “irregular situations” in his address today to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Francis deplored “the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood” and called on the international community “to prohibit this practice universally.”

“The basic conflict is not between Israel and Hamas. The conflict is between Jewish Israeli nationalism and Palestinian nationalism,” David Neuhaus, S.J., says in this exclusive interview.

“We will all have to become accustomed to accepting the fact that if a priest gives this type of simple blessing, he is not a heretic,” a new press release from the Vatican’s doctrine office states.

Although Francis is now 87 years old and one of the oldest popes in history to lead the Catholic Church, a glance at his agenda for 2024 reveals that he has no intention of slowing down.

Pope Francis opened the new year by highlighting in his homily for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and his Angelus message the same day, the central role women have played in salvation history and that they still have for bringing peace to the world.

Pope Francis urged people to pray and work for peace in no less than ten conflict situations worldwide.

In his annual Christmas address to cardinals and bishops who work at the Vatican, Pope Francis said the real division in the church since Vatican II is “between lovers and those who have lost that initial passion.”

“After this war, I fear there will be no more Christians in Gaza after a continuous presence of more than 18 centuries,” Bishop William Shomali said in an exclusive interview.