Pope Francis urged the future pastors of “empty Spain,” the Spanish regions known for their historical richness but currently facing depopulation and economic challenges, to remember that “Jesus wants me in these empty lands to fill them with God.”

Catholic groups in Peru have been planning their reaction to two cases involving judicial authorizations for euthanasia in the South American nation. They argue the country’s law doesn’t allow such procedures and hope to halt what they see as a surreptitious process to advance a pro-death agenda.

Catholic agencies, along with other Christian charities in Sudan, have intensified their food distribution campaign across the country to save hundreds of thousands of suffering Sudanese people from extreme hunger as the civil war entered its second year.

Pope Francis will celebrate the vigil of Pentecost in Verona, Italy, the setting for Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

Parishioners in several Midwestern states are coming together to bring help and healing after tornadoes ravaged the area April 26-28, killing at least four.