According to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, about 178,500 migrants have come to Europe in the year to date via the Mediterranean, while about 2,500 died or went missing on the way.
The cardinal already visited Kyiv and Moscow in June and traveled to Washington the following month.
The bishops' statement said they told the pope that certain statements and gestures of "the Holy See and Your Holiness are painful and difficult for the Ukrainian people."
In unscripted remarks to young Russian Catholics in a video conference on Aug. 25, Francis spoke of past tsars Peter I and Catherine II - both of whom expanded Russian territory.
Calling nature a "sacred gift from the creator," the pope urged people to take the side of the "victims of environmental and climatic injustice."
In the 10 years since his election, Francis has been criticized by conservative sectors of the US Church who are opposed to the pope's reforms.
The controversial new policy enforces students using their pronouns assigned at birth and their birth names and forbids same-sex relationships.
The billboard was put up on the Almirante Reis avenue - one of Lisbon's longest and busiest streets - and reads: "4,800+ children abused by the Catholic Church in Portugal."
The pope had decided to approve Shen "for the greater good" of the Shanghai diocese and because Shen was an "esteemed pastor."
The new cardinals will come from countries including the United States, Italy, the pope's native Argentina, Hong Kong, and several others.
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