"When we are overtaken by lukewarmness, by this attitude of spiritual tepidness, we transform our life into a cemetery: there is no life. There is only closure to keep out problems, like those people that says ‘yes, yes, we are in ruins but we are not at risk: it is better this way. We are already used to living like this."

The pontiff met with the delegates of the worldwide network of consecrated life dedicated to the fight against human trafficking who have gathered for the organisation’s first general assembly. In his address, Francis appealed to other religious congregations, both female and male, to join its missionary work.

The speaker of Lebanon’s parliament proposes legalisation, stressing that cannabis can be used for medical purposes. In the Beqaa, the plant was grown in Ottoman times. Production costs are low, and the local variety is among the best in the world. Farmers today are facing a collapse in prices and difficulties in trade with neighbouring Syria.

Sr Martha Mondal is the founder of the Helper of Jesus Sisters and the Sneha Sagar (Ocean of Love) Society, which takes in street children, HIV-positive children, and women with mental disorders. Novices "read and meditate on the Word of God, moulding themselves to be followers of Jesus.”

The patrimonial transition in the religious organisation sparked controversy in Protestant community and civil society. With some 100,000 members, the Myungsung Church is one of the largest Presbyterian Churches in the world. The founder's son will now be able to take over the congregation in 2021.

The US Congress is set to vote on the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 shortly after 14 October. The laww would impose sanctions against the Hong Kong government and Chinese officials who undermine human rights in the territory. For China, those in Hong Kong who support the law are "traitors".