There always will be martyrs among Christians in the world, Pope Francis said. Martyrdom “is the sign that we are on Jesus’ path; it’s a blessing from the Lord that within the people of God there is someone who gives this witness of martyrdom,” he said Dec. 11 during his weekly general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall, which was decorated with a large Christmas tree and Nativity scene.

Pope Francis scolded people who consider themselves practicing Christians, but who turn to fortune-telling, psychic readings and tarot cards.

Pope Francis led prayers for the people of Albania after the country was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. “I would like to send my greetings and my closeness to the dear people of Albania who have suffered so much in these days,” the pope said Nov. 27 before concluding his weekly general audience.

Calling migration “one of the principal moral issues” facing humanity today, Pope Francis thanked the government and people of Thailand for the way they’ve welcomed migrants and refugees, but he urged greater efforts to protect migrants and poor Thais from human trafficking.

Pope Francis warned that violence against Jewish people, which reached a state of horror during World War II, is on the rise again. During his weekly general audience Nov. 13, the pope reflected on the lives of Priscilla and Aquila, a first-century married couple who accompanied St. Paul in his ministry and were among the Jews expelled from Rome by Claudius Caesar.

Christians who preach the Gospel must see people who do not know Christ as children of God and not as nonbelievers worthy of hostility and contempt, Pope Francis said.

The Holy Spirit guides the Catholic Church’s mission, pointing the way to evangelize new lands and opening people’s hearts to be transformed by Christ, Pope Francis said. Pray to the Holy Spirit “for a heart that is open, sensitive to God and welcoming” toward others, the pope encouraged Catholics Oct. 30 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

The church resolves conflicts and discerns God’s will by patiently listening, discussing and deciding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said. “It is the Spirit, in fact, who helps overcome narrow-mindedness and tensions, and works within hearts” to build unity “in the truth and the good,” he said Oct. 23 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

God wants everyone to be saved, which is why those who evangelize must avoid letting their prejudices get in the way of God’s plan, Pope Francis said.

When Catholics attack other members of the church, they are hurting Christ, Pope Francis said. “Even those who are ideologists, because they want the ‘purity’ of the church, strike at Christ,” he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 9.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A hashtag mix-up caused a papal tweet meant to give thanks for the Catholic Church’s newest saints to be read as Pope Francis showing support for the New Orleans Saints’ football team.

A person who claims to preach the Gospel by convincing people of their beliefs in Jesus is not evangelizing, but proselytizing, Pope Francis said.

The act of bearing false witness to destroy someone is an attack against the body of the church, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church will endure, despite the frailty and sins of its members, because it is God’s project, Pope Francis said. Continuing his series of audience talks about the Acts of the Apostles and the early Christian community Sept. 18, Pope Francis looked at the story of Gamaliel, a Pharisee who tried to teach members of the Sanhedrin a key aspect of “discernment,” which is not to rush to judgment, but rather to allow time for something to show itself as worthy or not.

Pope Francis said the challenges facing humanity and the Earth are so urgent and important that he has invited world leaders, educators and young people to come to the Vatican next spring to launch a global alliance for building a new, more humane future.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (CNS) – Standing where the phrase “by the sweat of their brow” is a daily reality for hundreds of Madagascar’s poor, Pope Francis prayed for those whose daily bread is earned by hard physical labor and for the unemployed longing to earn a living for their families.

MAPUTO, Mozambique (CNS) – Greeted with full military honors, traditional dances and huge crowds lining the streets, Pope Francis arrived in Mozambique Sept. 4 at the start of a weeklong trip to Africa.

Christians who focus more on being superficially close to the church rather than care for their fellow brothers and sisters are like tourists who wander around aimlessly, Pope Francis said.

Mary’s assumption into heaven calls people to put aside all those insignificant, mundane and petty concerns competing for their attention and instead be drawn to God and his greatness, Pope Francis said.

Like the apostles who brought spiritual and physical healing to those in need, Christians are called to tend to the wounds of the suffering and the downtrodden, Pope Francis said.