The smiles, curiosity and boldness of several children with rare diseases who did not know about protocol at papal audiences and simply went up to Pope Francis and reached out for rosaries gave the grownups present a lesson, the pope said.

Just days after Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Pope Francis expressed concern over his condition.

The road to joy may be the path of suffering. Endo’s “Silence” is a brilliant account of that paradox, and perfect Lenten reading.

The Feb. 12 Super Bowl, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m., “sadly serves as a danger zone for sex trafficking, labor trafficking and domestic violence,” said the executive director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, based in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring.

The training, discipline and motivation needed even by amateur athletes are also tools for spiritual growth, Pope Francis said.