The Albanian cardinal who endured decades of imprisonment, torture and forced labor during his country’s crackdown against religion is a “living martyr” who continues to serve Christ at 95 years old, Pope Francis said.

The Senate passed an approximately $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, following months of a stalemate amid growing divisions within the Republican Party over the role of the United States on the global stage.

Monsignor Kieran Harrington, a priest of the Brooklyn Diocese, has resigned from his post as the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States after an allegation against him of “inappropriate conduct with an adult” was substantiated, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced.

Soon after the aerial images recorded the devastation caused by wildfires in the province of Valparaíso and other regions of south-central Chile since Feb. 2, local authorities and international agencies have multiplied their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the communities where fatalities, missing persons and material losses increase with each passing day.

Whatever this Lenten season brings for us, may we trust that God is longing to be closer to each of us, surrounding us with his love, and inviting us into the comfort and joy of a deeper relationship with him.