A rescue team has released from a barge in the North Sea a humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said. Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts were made to coax it toward deeper seas. The environment minister for Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state gave the green light for the attempt to save the whale, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it may be too much for the animal.

Pope Leo XIV is encouraging some of the wealthiest U.S. Catholics to keep on giving to support his charitable works. The Chicago-born Leo met with members of The Papal Foundation. The organization is a major funder of papal development projects in the developing world. Leo thanked the members for their generosity.  Over the past four decades, foundation grants have totaled more than $270 million. The audience confirmed how the election of the first U.S.-born pope has invigorated American Catholics and their donations.

U.S. President Donald Trump is giving mixed messages on the path ahead for the U.S. war with Iran. In a series of media interviews and social media posts Monday, Trump insisted he’s in no rush to end the war while also expressing confidence that peace negotiations with Tehran will soon resume in Pakistan. A two-week ceasefire between the two countries is set to expire Wednesday. Trump said he expects the negotiation team lead by Vice President JD Vance to return to Pakistan for more talks. Tehran said there were no plans yet to attend the talks with the U.S.

Pope Leo XIV has denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace. Saturday's remarks were his strongest condemnation yet. Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica on the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held. History’s first U.S.-born pope didn’t mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the talks were announced. But Leo’s tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.