Pope Francis said the aim of the decree is to “reduce in a significant way the danger of corruption” in the awarding of contracts.

On Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis proclaimed the unity guaranteed by the Holy Spirit: “we are not bits of confetti blown about by the wind, rather we are irreplaceable fragments in his mosaic.” Gerard O’Connell reports.

Pope Francis led the recitation of rosary and asked Mary to intercede to save the world from the pandemic in the Vatican Gardens at a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France.

Writing to priests in Rome and across the world, Pope Francis offered encouragement but warned against the ‘temptation’ to ignore the wounds of the pandemic. America correspondent Gerry O’Connell reports from the Vatican.

The pope also announced plans to canonize Charles de Foucauld, César de Bus and Maria Domenica Mantovani.

“One thing is certain,” Pope Francis writes. “Unity is not chiefly the result of our activity, but a gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet, unity will not come about as a miracle at the very end. Rather, unity comes about in journeying.”