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Today is ash wednesday. the official start to lent. if you are catholic what would you give up? >> id try chocolate. id try. >> i like mine. mincing words. not going to do it. >> i dont think thats so hard for you to give up mika. >> i love the concept of lent. i really do. >> nbc news correspondent janet shamlian at the vatican with more on pope francis global effect. >> reporter: st. peters square filled with visitors from across the globe gathered to begin the season of lent with the pontiff ...

And your doctor can take the next step towards a cure. because the answers you need may be closer than they appear. ♪ ♪ >> axe >> axelrod: we saw an historic shift at the vatican today. pope francis appointed 20 new cardinals. for the first time now, non- europeans outnumber europeans with this group of clergy that elects popes. on hand today, pope francis

Shooting and he testified that routh could tell the difference between right and wrong. we also learned routh had an antipsychotic drug after he spent time in a mental institution a week before the shooting. then late yesterday, we heard from a police officer who said he heard routh comment months after the shooting inside of a jail and evidently he said that routh said the reason that he shot both men is because they did not talk to him on the ride to the range. that was the last thing that the...

Investigating what caused it. 20 new cardinals are being welcomed into the college of cardinals at the vatican. during the ceremony, pope francis told them to put aside pride, jealousy and self-interest and to exercise charity. and an unmanned space ship was detached from the international space station today. it was one of several ships used to carry supplies to the space station last year. >> very nice. congressman paul ryan is warning fellow republicans not to get caught off guard. what...

The rich soil feeds vast fields of corn and acres of soybeans. the biggest landowners in town were the grabbe family. fred and charlotte grabbe were very prosperous. both worked the farm with their daughter, son, and daughter-in-law. >> the grabbes had a lot going for them. i mean, they had substantial resources, inheritance on charlotte grabbes part, you know, and well into the six figures, so these were not poor small dirt farmers. >> fred grabbe was easy to spot. at 64" and close to 300 pound...

A transgender man in spain is making a surprising claim. he says he had a personal meeting with pope francis after making an appeal for acceptance. heres al goodman with the story from spain. >> has pope francis taken another step to push for tolerance in the catholic church? yes, says diego, a transgender man who says he had a private audience with the pope in late january. he was born as a girl in spain and raised as a devout catholic. but after his sex change operation eight years ago, many p...

Medicine prescribed by rheumatologists, can help you stop joint damage. the saudi press agency is reporting that king an did you meana has died. hes been in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia. it is believed the king was in his early 90s. the king of saudi arabia has died. he was put into the hospital was admitted to the hospital suffering from pneumonia in december. and the king has succumbed to that pneumonia by officials in riyadh. the king took power in 2005 after the death of his hal...

>> reporter: king abdullah was the sixth monarch of saudi arabia. as king he also held the title of custodian of the two holy mosques and as such, wielded great influence over the entire muslim world. born in 1924 in riyadh to the founder of saudi arabia king abdullah aziz, he was one of 42 sons and only ascended to the throne at the age of 81. even at that advanced age, king abdullah was keen the modern ties deemly conservative kingdom but reform in a country with conservative and hard line car...

The pontiffs itineray is still, worked out. this is his first trip to the united states as pope. a terror threat from isis warning they will kill hostages if their demands are not met. we are live after the break. so youre looking for a loan? hows your credit? i know i have an 810 fico score, thanks to the tools and help on experian.com. and your big idea is hot dogs shaped like hamburgers? nope. hamburgers shaped like hot dogs. thats not really in our wheelhouse... you dont put it in a wheelh...

♪ >> reporter: its been 20 years since a pope visited the philippines. home to the third largest catholic population in the world. the last was pope john paul ii in 1995 when five million parishioners attended mass. and while authorities believed that record would be surpassed, the wet weather may have dampened numbers but not spirits. ♪ >> reporter: continuing his message of helping the poor and preserving the family the 78-year-old pontiff delivered his homily in english. this time focusin...