Vatican News

Vatican City, Jul 15, 2025 / 14:58 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass on July 15 in the chapel at the Carabinieri station in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, where he is on vacation. The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy, a form of military police. 

Reflecting in on the day’s Gospel (Matthew 11:20-24), the pontiff emphasized that there is a bond “stronger than blood” that unites every man and woman who is in Christ. 

In this regard, he explained that “we are truly brothers and sisters of Jesus when we do the will of God,” that is, “when we live loving one another, as God has loved us.”

“Every relationship that God lives, in himself and for us,” the pope continued, “thus becomes a gift: when his only Son becomes our brother, his Father becomes our Father, and the Holy Spirit, who unites the Father and the Son, comes to dwell in our hearts.”

The Holy Father thus noted that “God’s love is so great that Jesus does not even keep for himself his mother, giving Mary as our mother at the hour of the cross.”

From the chapel of Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo explained that Mary becomes the mother of Jesus “because she listens to the word of God with love, welcomes it into her heart, and lives it faithfully.”

The pope also emphasized her fidelity to the Word she received from God: “the Word of life that she welcomed, carried in her womb, and offered to the world.”

He then noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the faithful Virgin, the “Virgo fidelis,” as patroness of the Carabinieri, Italy’s national military police force after which the chapel at Castel Gandolfo is named.

He also recalled when, in 1949, Pope Pius XII welcomed this “beautiful proposal” from the Carabinieri’s general command.

“After the tragedy of the war, in a period of moral and material reconstruction, Mary’s fidelity to God thus became a model of fidelity” of the Carabinieri “toward the homeland and the Italian people,” he emphasized.

This virtue, for Pope Leo, “expresses the dedication, purity, and constancy of commitment to the common good, which the Carabinieri safeguard by guaranteeing public safety and defending the rights of all, especially those in danger.”

The pontiff expressed his profound gratitude, especially for the “noble and demanding” service they provide to Italy and the Holy See.

After also recalling the Carabinieri motto, “Nei secoli fedele” (“Faithful throughout the centuries”), which expresses “the sense of duty and self-denial of each member of the armed forces, even to the point of self-sacrifice,” he asked them not to give in “to the temptation of thinking that evil can triumph.”

“Especially in this time of wars and violence, remain faithful to your oath: as servants of the state, respond to crime with the force of law and honesty. This is how the Carabinieri, the ‘Benemerita’ [well-deserving], will always deserve the esteem of the Italian people,” he emphasized.

In conclusion, he remembered the police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty, such as ’, whose beatification process is ongoing.

The Holy Father will remain at the papal summer complex, located about 18 miles from the center of Rome, until July 20 and will return again Aug. 15–17.

After the Mass, Pope Leo XIV visited the monastery of the Poor Clares in Albano, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

Vatican City, Jul 14, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

With less than a month to go before the Jubilee of Youth begins, the pope’s diocese is making final preparations to welcome tens of thousands of young people from around the world who will participate in this event of great spiritual significance. 

“Young people will never experience this in their lives again. I’m sure of it. In practice, it will be like a World Youth Day,” explained Father Alfredo Tedesco, director of youth ministry in Rome, the host diocese.

The Italian priest was 18 when he participated in the Jubilee of 2000 with St. John Paul II: “For our generation, it was an indelible mark. For them, it can be a new beginning.”

The truly great challenge for the Diocese of Rome is accommodations. The parishes of Rome and 10 dioceses in the Lazio region, those closest to the Italian capital, “are already mobilized to welcome young pilgrims into their facilities,” he explained. Furthermore, the religious institutes in Lazio closest to Rome “have also done their part.”

However, adapting these places has been a complex task: “We have had to refurbish these places. We have had to add bathrooms and showers, ensure breakfast service, organize the arrival of groups, distribute pilgrim kits, and coordinate transportation.”

In addition, the Italian Civil Protection Agency has also made 400 schools and state facilities available to meet this need, “especially gymnasiums with equipped restrooms,” Tedesco added.

According to preliminary estimates from the diocese, some 120,000 young people will descend upon Rome for the entire week of the event from July 28 to Aug. 3. Many others will pass through the capital only to participate in some of the planned events.

One of the main highlights of the Jubilee of Youth will be the prayer vigil presided over by Pope Leo XIV at Tor Vergata, which will be preceded by several testimonies and musical concerts. This is a very large area located on the southeastern outskirts of Rome, known primarily as the site of the main universities in the Italian capital.

“Registration is still open, and the number is growing. Some even speak of a million people. But we don’t know if that figure will be reached. The Dicastery for Evangelization, the main organizer of the event, has the official data,” the Italian priest explained.

Since the young people will sleep at the same place as the event that night, the logistics for that event have been simplified for the Diocese of Rome: “We don’t have to worry about having to accommodate them elsewhere for that night.”

The Jubilee of Youth program, promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelization — the body responsible for the overall organization of the Holy Year of Hope — is in the last stages of finalizing various details.

However, according to , several notable activities have already been confirmed. On Tuesday, July 29, at 6 p.m. local time, a welcome Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. In the following days, Rome will host numerous cultural, artistic, and spiritual initiatives throughout the capital under the title “Dialogues with the City.”

On Friday, Aug. 1, a Penitential Day will be held at the Circus Maximus, where young people will be able to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

On Saturday, Aug. 2, all participants will travel to Tor Vergata. Finally, on Sunday, Aug. 3, the pope will celebrate Mass at 9:30 a.m. before bidding farewell to the young pilgrims who will begin their journey back to their home countries.

With registration still open, the final number of participants is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, what is certain is that they will be joined by approximately 4,000 volunteers from parishes in Rome and the Lazio region, who will donate their time and skills to welcome the pilgrims in the best possible way.

Regarding their countries of origin, Tedesco said there is a notable European majority: “France, Spain, Poland, Germany… and many even from Eastern Europe, despite the war. This will also be a sign of peace.”

There will also be a strong presence from the United States and Latin America. “Let’s not forget that we now have an American pope,” he pointed out. “This has also encouraged participation from the United States, where there is great veneration for the two young saints [Carlos Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati] who will be canonized in September,” the priest explained.

Asian participation, although more limited, will be significant. “We will have a significant Korean delegation — 1,000, 2,000, maybe 3,000 young people — which is quite a lot, considering the distance. Furthermore, the next World Youth Day will be in Seoul, so they are very motivated,” he noted.

Regarding Africa, the situation is more delicate: “Some countries haven’t been able to send delegations due to visa or diplomatic issues or armed conflicts. There will be African representation, but not as numerous. The dicastery and the Holy See have made arrangements to facilitate some visas.”

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Jul 13, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV recited the Angelus before a diverse and enthusiastic crowd in Castel Gandolfo on Sunday — the first time in 12 years that a pope has led the Marian prayer from the lakeside town 18 miles southeast of Rome.

The Angelus, prayed on a warm but cloudy July 13, marked the midpoint of Leo’s two-week stay for a summer break on the pontifical estate of Castel Gandolfo, a custom eschewed by Pope Francis. 

Despite sporadic light rain showers, shoulder-to-shoulder pilgrims from around the world — including Brazil, Italy, Poland, and the United States — filled the town’s main square and lined the side streets as the pope greeted them with “Happy Sunday!”

The hope of eternal life, Leo said before leading the Marian prayer, “is described as something to be ‘inherited,’ not something to be gained by force, begged for, or negotiated. Eternal life, which God alone can give, is bestowed on us as an inheritance, as parents do with their children.”

Crowds of laypeople, priests, and religious sisters alternatively opened and closed umbrellas, the sun bursting through raindrops right as Pope Leo appeared in front of the apostolic palace of Castel Gandolfo.

“That is why Jesus tells us that, in order to receive God’s gift, we must do his will,” he continued. “It is written in the law: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

“When we do these two things, we respond to the Father’s love,” the pontiff said.

A married couple from the United States celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary said they came to Castel Gandolfo hoping for the pope‘s blessing. They were happy to have received a wave from Leo when he passed by on his walk from the local parish to the apostolic palace before the Angelus.

While the pontiff spoke, a father of four took turns lifting up each of his children so they could see Pope Leo over the crowd.

Pope Leo will publicly lead the Angelus again on July 20 before returning to the Vatican in time for a slew of events for the Jubilee of Hope, including jubilees of Catholic influencers and of youth.

Leo will also come back to Castel Gandolfo, found on the hills above Lake Albano, for three days over the Italian holiday weekend of “Ferragosto,” Aug. 15–17, which celebrates the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Before the Angelus, Pope Leo celebrated a Mass for local Catholics, religious leaders, and civil authorities at the 17th-century Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo’s Liberty Square.

Reflecting on the parable of the good Samaritan, the pontiff called for a “revolution of love” toward those who have been hurt by life, who are “stripped, robbed, and pillaged, victims of tyrannical political systems, of an economy that forces them into poverty, and of wars that kill their dreams and their very lives.”

“Are we content at times merely to do our duty or to regard as our neighbor only those who are part of our group, who think like us, who share our same nationality or religion?” he said. “Jesus overturns this way of thinking by presenting us with a Samaritan, a foreigner or heretic, who acts as a neighbor to that wounded man. And he asks us to do the same.”

This is why this parable is so challenging for each of us, he underlined: “If Christ shows us the face of a compassionate God, then to believe in him and to be his disciples means allowing ourselves to be changed and to take on his same feelings.”

“Looking without walking by, halting the frantic pace of our lives, allowing the lives of others, whoever they may be, with their needs and troubles, to touch our heart,” the pope added. “That is what makes us neighbors to one another, what generates true fraternity and breaks down walls and barriers.”

Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

“I was on the edge of a precipice, dead inside, at the very bottom of a dark pit.”

With these stark words, Spanish priest Salvador Aguado Miguel shared his testimony following the suicide last week of young , an event that has shaken the Catholic Church, especially in Italy.

In the wake of this tragedy, Aguado shared on something he had not said publicly until now: “Five years ago, I was in the same place, on the edge of that precipice, at the bottom of that dark pit. Thank goodness Manuel, my psychologist, came into my life; he was like an angel who rescued me, sent by God.

"It's very, very hard to be in that situation,” the priest wrote on Instagram.

The pastor of Holy Faith parish in Valencia, Spain, revealed that he went through an extremely difficult period of anxiety, during which he felt “dead inside.” He confessed that the pressure was so intense that he even considered “getting out of the way.” 

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Aguado said he “really identified” with Balzano, because often “we are not aware of those demands we make on ourselves or all the pressures we subject ourselves to.”

“We’re not superheroes…we also go through emotional lows,” the priest explained, emphasizing that seeking professional help, especially a psychologist, “is not a bad thing, but quite the opposite.”

For Aguado, it is urgent to raise greater awareness about mental health and the importance of psychological help “at all levels.”

The priest lamented the criticism or stigmatization of those who have experienced depression or publicly shared their suffering, and expressed his sorrow for the judgment passed on Balzano following his suicide. 

“We have to put ourselves in the shoes of these people. Recognizing something like that is not easy; I know this from experience. In those moments, no matter how much faith or commitment you may have, managing such profound suffering is extremely difficult,” he pointed out.

Aguado added that one of the reasons that leads to the demands and pressure on priests is the “idealization” of the priesthood: “We forget that human side, that fragile side.”

The self-imposed need to always give his best and the false belief that he must be available 24/7 pushed the priest to the limit, to the point of even considering leaving the priesthood. “We too need our space: going to the movies, taking a walk, having coffee with another priest or a parishioner,” he explained.

Regarding his experience with the psychologist, whom he described as “an angel” and a true gift from the Lord, he emphasized the great difference it made that he was a “deeply Catholic” person.

“During the sessions, we also worked with the Bible. He often encouraged me to read what Jesus did in this or that passage,” reflecting on the “more psychological” side of Jesus, the priest recounted.

Addressing priests who may be going through a similar situation, Aguado encouraged them to “allow themselves to be touched by the fragility of the Lord and understand that, in the end, we are not made of iron, but rather flesh and blood.”

He advised them to remove the “mask” that “everything is fine” and learn to “combine human and priestly reality at the same time.” Above all, he recommended “allowing themselves to be accompanied by professionals” and to draw from resources within the parish or pastoral ministry, “which is always very helpful.”

In addition to self-imposed demands, he noted that criticism, from both clergy and laity, also caused him a lot of pain. “I learned to deal with all those critical and angry attacks with the Bible,” he explained.

The Spanish priest, who last winter experienced firsthand the tragedy of the , which caused more than 200 deaths and extensive property damage, emphasized that “the Lord always draws a lesson from every evil.”

In his case, he says, he found his passion for digital evangelization, something that has helped him "discover that unique gift that the Lord has placed in my life." Now, he enthusiastically evangelizes through social media, where he has more than 50,000 followers.

To anticipate these situations, Aguado suggested more mental health formation in seminaries: "We receive a lot of formation in spirituality and theology, but we don't have any formation in mental health," he said.

According to the priest, they also lack a place to turn when they are in a bad way such as a team of psychologists in the diocese who can help them through the most difficult moments. "I believe it is essential, in addition to the seminary, which is the place of formation par excellence, to have follow-up support."

Aguado concluded with hope, emphasizing that the important thing is to recognize the problem, "realize that there is something to change in your life," and take the steps to get help.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an emotional crisis or having suicidal thoughts, remember that the Catholic Church offers spiritual guidance, prayer, and listening spaces, and encourages seeking professional help. You can contact helplines, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline , or go to your parish, where you will find pastoral support and resources. The Catholic Church teaches that life is a gift from God and compassionately accompanies those who suffer, without judging, and offers hope, prayer, and comfort to affected families.

Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday said developers and users of artificial intelligence (AI) are jointly responsible for ensuring innovations uphold human dignity and the common good in his message to participants of the 2025 taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

"Although responsibility for the ethical use of AI systems begins with those who develop, manage and oversee them, those who use them also share in this responsibility,” the Holy Father said in a message to participants at the July 8-11 global meeting. 

The , signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressed the pope’s call for “regulatory frameworks centered on the human person” and “proper ethical management” of AI technologies on local and global levels.

“Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by artificial intelligence,” the pope said. “The impact of this revolution is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, healthcare, governance, the military, and communication.”

In spite of these global advancements, Leo commented that approximately 2.6 billion persons living in rural and low-income areas do not even have access to basic communication technologies.

“This epochal transformation requires responsibility and discernment to ensure that AI is developed and utilized for the common good, building bridges of dialogue and fostering fraternity, and ensuring it serves the interests of humanity as a whole,” he said.

While AI can perform specific tasks, “simulate” human reasoning, or technically enhance global cooperation with speed and efficiency, Leo said it “cannot replicate moral discernment or the ability to form genuine relationships.   

“Ultimately, we must never lose sight of the common goal of contributing to that ‘— the tranquility of order,’ as St. Augustine called it,” he said, “and fostering a more humane order of social relations, and peaceful and just societies in the service of integral human development and the good of the human family.” 

Just days into his pontificate, at his on May 10, Pope Leo identified AI as “another industrial revolution” that can “pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labor.”

Vatican City, Jul 10, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The specter of schism has hovered in recent years over the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly of the Syro-Malabar Church in India—one of the 24 Eastern Churches in full communion with the Catholic Church.

Part of the clergy and faithful of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the largest Indian episcopal see in terms of the number of priests as well as the see presided over by the bishop in charge of the entire Syro-Malabar Church, did not accept the 1999 reform of the liturgical rite, which was later confirmed at the 2021 Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church.

Pope Leo XIV appears to have resolved the controversy by terminating the 2023 appointment of Archbishop Cyril Vasil' as papal delegate to the Syro-Malabar Church to mediate the dispute.

According to , the official Vatican website, this decision by the pope "concludes the Holy See's mediation work among the Syro-Malabars."

Martin Bräuer, an expert at the Ecumenical Research Institute in Bensheim, Germany, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that "Rome now considers the conflict over and therefore no longer needs a papal representative. Secondly, the agreement reached within the [Syro-Malabar] Church without the direct mediation of Archbishop Vasil' is recognized."

Indeed, after new measures to implement the liturgical reform approved by the 2021 Synod came into effect on July 3, the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle—patron saint of the Syro-Malabar Church.

The compromise now reached allows the parishes of Ernakulam-Angamaly to celebrate the liturgy with the priest facing the faithful (), adhering to the practice of the Roman Rite, provided that at least one Sunday or feast day Mass is celebrated according to the traditional form, that is, with the priest facing the altar () during the consecration.

According to the 2021 reform of the rite, during Mass the priest was required to address the people during the first part of the celebration, but the liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated facing the altar.

Prior to the reform that sparked the dispute, all solemnities had to be celebrated in line with the directives issued by the Syro-Malabar Synod four years ago. Now, however, the Syro-Malabar Church accepts as sufficient that all churches celebrate just one of their Masses on Sundays and feast days according to those directives.

“This rule also applies to parishes with ongoing civil proceedings, provided they do not contravene the decisions of state courts,” the academic explained.

Furthermore, he said, it is made explicit that the synod will only address future liturgical changes “if they are discussed in a spirit of synodality with the canonical bodies of the archeparchy.”

Other points include “the use of the sanctuary in accordance with liturgical norms, the possibility of outside bishops celebrating the unified form in all churches, and that any internal conflicts be resolved in an atmosphere of respect and friendship,” Bräuer emphasized.

While the 2021 synod promoted a return to the liturgy facing the altar as the traditional form of the Syro-Oriental rite, many priests and faithful in Ernakulam-Angamaly defended the practice of facing the people that had become widespread after the Second Vatican Council.

The Vatican then asked the 35 dioceses of the Syro-Malabar Church to eliminate elements of the Roman rite and return to their original traditions, in this case the pure Chaldean rite, present today especially in Iraq.

For Bräuer, what is remarkable is that "this agreement was reached by means of synodality, that is, through dialogue and mutual listening," which gives legitimacy and hope to its practical application.

This case has been, according to the expert, an acid test of the delicate balance between papal authority and the autonomy of the Eastern Churches. It was St. John Paul II who, in 1998, gave the Syro-Malabar bishops authority to resolve liturgical conflicts.

According to Bräuer, “the Syro-Malabar Church first attempted to resolve the conflict internally. When that failed, Rome intervened, but that too was unsuccessful.”

The papal delegate, Archbishop Vasil’, who belongs to the Byzantine rite and had worked in the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, was widely criticized for his authoritarian style. “He didn’t know how to find the right tone with the parties in conflict,” Bräuer commented.

However, it was not an easy task. When traveled to India on Aug. 4, 2023, at the beginning of his mission, some priests publicly burned photos of him and he was greeted with a shower of eggs.

In this regard, it was the metropolitan vicar, Archbishop Joseph Pamplany, successor to the apostolic administrator Bishop Bosco Puthur, who managed to move toward a solution thanks to a strategy of open communication and active listening.

Finally, the consensus—which relaxed the norms that the communities of this rite in the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly were required to adopt a year ago, following an ultimatum from Pope Francis—was forged in a meeting between Archbishop Pamplany and the Major Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archdiocese, Raphael Thattil.

Another new rule that has softened positions is that deacons may be ordained without having to commit in writing not to celebrate according to the previous form of the rite.

Although the threat of schism has been dispelled for now, there is still work to be done. According to Bräuer, even priests who opposed the unified liturgy have accepted the agreement, although not without reservations.

Their spokesman, Father Kuriakose Mundadan, expressed in a letter his willingness to support the agreement, although he harshly criticized both the way in which the liturgical reform was adopted and the repressive attitude of some of those previously in authority. 

“In addition to criticizing the way the synod imposed the liturgical reform, he also criticized the treatment of those opposed to the reform. He also felt that the papal delegate exacerbated the situation,” Bräuer noted.

 “Pope Francis constantly called for unity, but ultimately did not succeed in resolving the conflict. It became clear that the problem could not be resolved solely by means of authority and discipline. Now a synodal solution has been found, which we hope will be lasting,” the expert added.

Bräuer emphasized that how the agreement is implemented in the coming months will be decisive: “Only then will we see if the agreement is stable and lasting.”

For priests currently facing disciplinary proceedings, amicable solutions will be sought, and the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly will also undertake to resolve disputes in civil courts.

Those who prefer the Roman Rite practice of facing the people to the traditional one are a minority: they represent only about 450,000 people, or 10% of Syro-Malabar believers, who total about five million. However, they are quite vocal. of attacks on bishops and clashes between groups of Catholics circulate online.

The special tribunal created to resolve these types of liturgical disputes will not be dissolved, at least for now.

Asked about the value of this experience for other liturgical conflicts in the Church, Bräuer said that the liturgy is “prayed dogma,” that is, an “expression of the Church’s faith” that can take many forms, as seen in the Catholic Church: for example, “in the West, with the ancient Mozarabic rite, and also with inculturated forms of the Mass in the Congo, Australia, or Mexico.”

“Liturgical diversity enriches the Church, but fidelity to tradition does not mean stubbornly clinging to the past, but rather accepting change with discernment,” he stated.

Rome Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has tapped Father Thomas Hennen, vicar general of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, to be the next bishop of Baker, a mission diocese in eastern Oregon.

The bishop-elect, who celebrates 21 years as a priest on July 10, is a former vocations director. He has also been rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport since 2021. 

A moral theologian, Hennen has over 10 years of experience in pastoral outreach to people with same-sex attraction, as diocesan coordinator and chaplain for the local chapter of the Catholic organization Courage International, which offers support to men and women who experience same-sex attraction and have chosen to live a chaste life.

The 47-year-old priest, who goes by “Fr. Thom,” also has experience as a parochial vicar, university and high school chaplain, campus minister, and theology teacher.

For the last almost four years, he has also been the Davenport diocese’s leader for the Synod on Synodality, which he described in as “about how we go about listening to each other, how we go about our mission as the Church, the Body of Christ, in our present age, to better communicate and better embody the Kingdom of God on earth.”

Born on July 4, 1978, in Ottumwa, a town in southeast Iowa, Hennen’s hobbies include strategy board games, reading, and playing the tin whistle and the violin, according to . He has also said he first felt a call to the priesthood in the fourth grade.

He completed his studies for the priesthood at Saint Ambrose University in Davenport and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning a bachelor’s in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. A year after his 2004 ordination to the priesthood, he also earned a licentiate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome.

The bishop-elect speaks Spanish and Italian in addition to his native English.

The Diocese of Baker covers 66,800 square miles in eastern Oregon. Considered a mission territory, the diocese’s landscape includes mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, lakes, and plains, and has a population of approximately 12,500 Catholic households across 57 parishes and missions.

In 1987, the Baker diocesan offices were moved to Bend, in central Oregon, while the Cathedral Church of St. Francis de Sales is over 200 miles east in Baker City.

Hennen succeeds Bishop Liam Cary, who has led the Baker diocese since 2012. Cary will turn 78 in August, making him nearly three years past the usual age of retirement for Catholic bishops.

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted a “nihil obstat” — that is, nothing stands in the way — of Marian devotion surrounding the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir near the village of Litmanová in northwestern Slovakia from 1990 to 1995 — without recognizing their supernatural character.

The , signed by the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, and addressed to Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, hierarch of the Archeparchy of Prešov for Byzantine-rite Catholics, recognizes the pastoral value of the phenomenon and authorizes public worship without commenting on the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions.

The cardinal stated in the letter, published by the Vatican dicastery, that the discernment has taken into account “the many spiritual fruits” borne from this phenomenon.

The decision responds to the formal request by Maxim, who in letters sent to the Vatican in February and May highlighted “the countless sincere and heartfelt confessions and conversions experienced by pilgrims, which continue to take place at the shrine, despite the alleged apparitions ending three decades ago. The Slovak prelate also highlighted the constant flow of pilgrims who have continued to come to the site, manifesting an ongoing experience of faith.

Fernández noted several messages attributed to the Virgin that offer invitations to conversion, joy, and inner freedom. One of the most cited texts exhorts: “Let Jesus set you free. Let Jesus set you free. And do not allow your enemy to limit your freedom, for which Jesus shed so much blood. A soul that is free is the soul of a child” (Dec. 5, 1993).

On several occasions, the Marian figure presents herself as “happy” and repeats expressions of unconditional love: “I love you, just as you are. I love you. I love you! I want you to be happy, but this world will never make you happy” (Aug. 7, 1994). The faithful are also invited to live a simple and profound spirituality: “Begin to live simply, to think simply, and to act simply. Seek out silence so that the Spirit of Christ may be born anew within you” (June 5, 1994).

However, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recognized that “some messages contain ambiguities or unclear formulations,” such as one that suggests that that nearly all people in one part of the world are condemned or one that states that “the cause of all illness is sin.”

These messages have not been deemed acceptable by the Vatican for publication. However, the Argentine cardinal recalled in the letter that, as early as 2011, a doctrinal commission dedicated to investigating these apparitions explained that the alleged visionaries did not hear messages in human language but rather had inner experiences that they then attempted to translate, which explains certain inaccuracies or personal interpretations.

For this reason, the cardinal of the Roman Curia asked the archbishop of Prešov to publish a compilation of these messages, excluding any statements that could lead to confusion or disturb the faith of ordinary people.

The Vatican made it clear that the “nihil obstat” does not equate to the recognition of supernatural intervention, but it does permit public worship and that the faithful can “safely approach this spiritual offering,” whose contents can help them live the Gospel of Christ more deeply.

Mount Zvir, less than two miles from the village of Litmanová, has been a place of pilgrimage for years, especially for those of the Byzantine rite. Three children were present at the alleged apparitions, which began on Aug. 5, 1990: Ivetka Korcáková, Katka Ceselková, and Mitko Ceselka.

This step by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is possible thanks to the new norms on supernatural phenomena, , which provide for varying degrees of discernment, from “nihil obstat” to negative judgments, allowing for a more flexible assessment of the spiritual experiences of communities.

Since they came into force just over a year ago, it is the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and not the local bishop that pronounces on these events, and the Catholic Church’s discernment process no longer ends “with a declaration of ‘supernaturalitate’ [supernaturalness]” of the events.

The objective of the reform of the regulations, approved by Pope Francis, was to prevent fraud and scams that take advantage of the goodwill of the faithful.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 9, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

On Wednesday Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the second time the two have met after exchanging greetings at the Vatican on May 18 in the context of the Mass inaugurating Pope Leo’s pontificate.

According to an official statement from the Holy See, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

During the meeting, held behind closed doors, the importance of dialogue was reiterated “as the best avenue for ending hostilities.”

The pope expressed his profound sorrow for the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war and renewed his spiritual closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging all efforts aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions.

Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to receive representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican with a view to possible peace negotiations. The audience lasted approximately 30 minutes.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on for the meeting and for “a very substantive conversation” with the Holy Father. “We value all the support and every prayer for peace in Ukraine,” he added.

Regarding the proposal for meetings between leaders from both sides of the conflict to be held at the Vatican, he confirmed that “it remains open and entirely possible, with the goal of stopping Russian aggression and achieving a stable, lasting, and genuine peace.”

However, he lamented that, currently, “only Moscow continues to reject this proposal, as it has turned down all other peace initiatives.”

“We will continue to strengthen global solidarity so that diplomacy can still succeed,” he added.

He also noted that he especially thanked Pope Leo for his support for Ukrainian children, “particularly those returned from Russian captivity.”

“Ukrainian children now have the opportunity for rehabilitation and rest in Italy, and such hospitality and sincerity are extremely important. Today, we also discussed the Vatican’s continued efforts to help return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he noted.

He also explained that he spoke with the pontiff about the “the deep respect that Ukrainian society holds for Andrey Sheptytskyy — his actions, including the rescue of Jews during the Second World War and his defense of the Christian faith.”

Archbishop Andrey Sheptysky was a leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1900 to 1944, who, at the risk of his own life, saved hundreds of Jews during the Nazi occupation and worked for Christian unity.

“We hope that Metropolitan Sheptytsky’s contribution and merits will receive the recognition they deserve,” the president said.

Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome is part of the Fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in the Italian capital July 10–11.

This is a series of international conferences aimed at mobilizing diplomatic, financial, strategic, and political support for the country’s recovery following the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.

The meeting will be opened tomorrow by Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The event brings together heads of state and government from 77 countries and a total of 1,800 attendees, including representatives of 500 companies.

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).

It was a mix of liturgical old and new in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday as Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a special Mass for the Care of Creation — with key portions in the ancient language of Latin.

Against a backdrop of green foliage and a large sculpture of Mary at the pope’s traditional summer residence, the pontiff prayed July 9 for more people to be converted from “the excesses of the human being, with his style of life,” which he said was a major cause of the many natural disasters taking place around the world.

“We should pray for the conversion of many people, in and outside of the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for creation, for our common home,” he said, adding that the world is burning both because of global warming and armed conflicts.

The pope also emphasized “the indestructible alliance between Creator and creatures,” which he said “mobilizes our intelligence and our efforts, so that evil may be turned into good, injustice into justice, greed into communion.”

The open-air celebration was likely the first use of the prayers and scriptural readings specified for the new Mass formulary. Inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical , the was presented at the Vatican on July 3.

The Mass, attended by around 50 people involved in the Castel Gandolfo-based environmental center Borgo Laudato Si’, was celebrated in Italian but with Leo reciting certain prayers, including the collect and prayer over the offerings, in Latin.

The Borgo Laudato Si’ is an initiative to put into practice the principles for integral development outlined in Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical .

Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, told CNA by phone after the Mass that Pope Leo recited the prayers in Latin because that is how they appear in the “typical edition,” meaning the approved original, while official translations have not yet been created.

“Pope Leo is absolutely familiar with Latin; it’s certainly not a problem,” the No. 2 at the Vatican’s liturgy office added.

Pope Leo gave some insight into his personal experience with the Latin language during a meeting with hundreds of children on July 3, when he explained that he was exposed to the universal language of the Church as an altar server from around age 6, when he would serve at 6:30 a.m. Mass every day before school.

“Then it was in Latin; we still had to learn Latin for Mass, and then it changed to English,” he said. “But it wasn’t so much the language [the Mass] was celebrated in, but rather having that experience of meeting other young people who served Mass together, the friendship always, and then this closeness to Jesus in the Church.”

The pope celebrated the Mass of Care for Creation July 9 during a planned two-week stay at the pontifical estate, located in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles southeast of Rome. The period of limited private and public engagements, which comes just two months into his pontificate, will end July 20.

Pope Leo has revived the of papal vacationing at Castel Gandolfo, a practice eschewed by Pope Francis.

Starting his homily for the July 9 Mass on the estate’s gardens with a few improvised comments, the pontiff invited “everyone, beginning with myself, to experience that which we are celebrating in the beauty of what you could say is a ‘natural’ cathedral, with the plants and many elements of creation which they have brought here for us to celebrate the Eucharist, which means, render thanks to the Lord.”

He pointed to a reflection pool in front of the altar and recalled a practice in the first centuries of Christianity of having the faithful enter a church by passing through a baptismal font.

Leo joked that he would not want to be baptized in that specific water, which featured waterlilies and appeared to be green with algae, but he said the “symbol of passing through the water to all be washed of our sins, of our weaknesses, and so be able to enter into the great mystery of the Church is something that we experience even today.”

Viola, who was present at Leo’s Mass, noted the significance of the location, immersed in the beautiful gardens at a site of prayer for some of Leo’s predecessors.

“The place where [the Mass] was celebrated was not chosen by chance, because it is the place where several pontiffs stopped to pray during their periods of rest in Castel Gandolfo, before that image of the Virgin Mary,” he explained.

Viola called it “a place that has always preserved a dimension of prayer and the prayer of the popes. And so gathering in that place was significant, as if to preserve the heart of [Borgo Laudato Si’] that is being built on the indications of , which is a heart of spirituality.”

Pope Leo, reflecting on the Gospel passage read at Mass — Jesus’ calming of the storm at sea — said the Lord’s disciples, “at the mercy of the storm, gripped by fear,” could not yet profess knowledge of Jesus as heard in the first reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, that “he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth.”

“We today,” the pontiff added, “in the faith that has been passed on to us, can instead continue: ‘He is also the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have preeminence.’”

“These are words that commit us throughout history, that make us a living body, the body of which Christ is the head. Our mission to protect creation, to bring it peace and reconciliation, is his own mission: the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us,” he said.

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has written a warm and detailed letter to Cardinal Raymond Burke, thanking the American cardinal for 50 years of priestly ministry, in a gesture that marks a shift in tone following years of tension between Burke and Pope Francis.

The cardinal was one of the most prominent critics in the hierarchy of the late pope, under whom he fell conspicuously out of favor.

Leo’s letter, written in Latin and signed by the pope on June 17, was posted Tuesday by Burke on his official X account. In it, the pope praised Burke “for the prompt service he has zealously carried out and the earnest care he has demonstrated most especially for the law, which has also been of good service to the dicasteries of the Apostolic See.”

The pope went on to commend Burke’s pastoral witness, writing: “He has preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the heart of Christ and has recounted His treasures, diligently offering his devoted service to the Church universal.”

In his post accompanying the papal letter, Burke wrote that he was “very humbled” by it and appealed to his followers to pray for the pope. “May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years. Viva il Papa!” Burke wrote.

The exchange represents a striking departure from the contentious relationship between Burke and Pope Francis, under whose pontificate Burke was increasingly sidelined.

Francis removed Burke in 2013 from the Vatican Congregation for Bishops — the curial body that recommends episcopal candidates — and reassigned him the following year from the Church’s supreme court to a largely ceremonial position with the Order of Malta, later taking away many of those responsibilities and eventually removing him altogether.

A vocal critic of Pope Francis’ approach to pastoral theology, Burke twice joined other cardinals in submitting “dubia” — formal requests for clarification — regarding the pope’s teachings on Communion for divorced-and-remarried Catholics and blessings for same-sex couples.  

He has also been a staunch proponent of the Traditional Latin Mass, which Francis severely restricted in 2021 through his motu proprio . Last month, Burke made an to Pope Leo to lift the restrictions on the Latin Mass.

Late in his pontificate, Pope Francis told a meeting of Vatican officials in late 2023 that he was taking away Burke’s stipend and rent-free apartment in Rome. In response to an inquiry from CNA on Wednesday about his current situation in regard to the stipend and the apartment, Burke declined through his secretary to comment.

Burke, 77, was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome while studying at the Pontifical North American College.

He celebrated his golden jubilee with a Novus Ordo Mass of thanksgiving on Saturday at his titular church in Rome, Sant’Agata dei Goti. Among the concelebrants were Cardinals Dominique Mamberti and James Harvey, the latter of whom delivered the homily.

The cardinal’s decades-long service includes posts as bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin (1995–2004), archbishop of St. Louis (2004–2008), and prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (2008–2014). He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and served as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023.

Burke participated in the May conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 8, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

With the arrival of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, many people take a vacation, a period of rest away from their routine but also a unique opportunity to reconnect with their faith.

A bishop, a mother, and a priest shared some tips from their own experiences for “sanctifying vacations” and evangelizing at vacation spots.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the bishop of Matamoros-Reynosa in Mexico, Eugenio Lira, emphasized that summer is a time of rest to “recreate” ourselves, that is, to “completely renew ourselves.”

The prelate thus advised “dedicating time to prayer and contemplation” to “connect” with God and “better see the great gifts he gives us,” being aware “that we are unconditionally and infinitely loved.”

In this context, the Mexican bishop invited the faithful to value more and be aware that “we must responsibly care for our lives.” He also advised dedicating time to reading good books, “talking with family and friends, and doing something for others, such as evangelizing, going on a mission trip, visiting the sick, prisoners, a retirement home or a nursing home.”

Lira even encouraged people to use social media to “share a Gospel message that conveys faith, love, and hope. We can always do something to improve and help make the lives of others better.”

Leticia Sánchez de León lives in Rome with her husband and four children. Although she studied law in Madrid, she has been working in strategic communications since 2016. She currently has a blog on family communication and education and moderates family counseling courses.

Sánchez de León shared several tips for “living a Christian summer, healthy, joyful, generous with others, where God is found in the small details and where all family members can recharge to return to their daily routine in September.

For the mother, by putting these small things into practice, “we will go deeper into what it means for the family to be a domestic church in the midst of the society of our time and from which the individual can set out to build a more just, more welcoming, more peaceful, more convivial, and more deeply human humanity.”

First, she advised strengthening family ties and rediscovering “harmony” among family members: “During vacation, we have more time to relate face-to-face with our spouse and our children and to listen more closely,” she said.

To this end, Sánchez de León emphasized, it can be very helpful to “pray for them before the vacation begins.” She also encouraged spouses to maintain good communication and maintain harmony between them, since “on vacation people often get upset.” 

She also encouraged them to enjoy simple family plans: “Those memories will remain firmly fixed in their hearts, and tomorrow, what they will remember about what it is to be a family will be those plans together, where everyone had a voice, where everyone could choose, where everyone did things for each other.”

Sánchez de León also noted that sometimes we have a “distorted idea of ​​vacation.” She consequently reminded everyone that vacation is a time “to instill some values ​​that we struggle to transmit during the year, due to the lack of downtime.”

In this sense, she highlighted two family values: detachment and generosity. Although during vacation “rules and schedules are relaxed,” she advised parents to say “no” from time to time, so that their children appreciate things more. “The virtues of detachment and austerity are not very fashionable these days and therefore attract a lot of attention when seen in other people,” she noted.

“In families,” she added, “everyone has to pitch in and collaborate, always assigning small tasks appropriate to their age and helping them if we see they aren’t capable or need a push: taking out the trash, unloading the dishwasher, setting the table, watering the plants, emptying the beach bag, hanging up swimsuits, etc.”

All of these ideas, Sánchez de León clarified, “really stem from the intention to live out our vacation with a Christian sense of purpose,” since “everything is deeply connected to our life with God.”

“How are we going to give meaning to vacation, plans, and moments of connection if we are distracted from the ultimate meaning of our lives? How can we bring Jesus to others during vacation if we don’t have him within us and within our summer home, between the beach towels and bags of potato chips?” she asked.

“God also wants to be with us in the summer. He wants us to enjoy ourselves, and he wants to see us enjoying ourselves with him. God wants to be in our family plans and in the ice cream drippings on our children’s T-shirts; we can share everything with him,” she pointed out.

To achieve this, she advised “not forgetting the small spiritual or devotional practices” that are usually practiced during the academic year, such as praying the rosary, some spiritual reading, the Angelus at noon, or saying grace before meals.

“By practicing these things, we elevate our souls to God and can give thanks for what we are receiving this summer. Vacation is also a great opportunity to pray more serenely, dive into reading, and deepen our relationship with God,” she affirmed.

Finally, the mother of four noted that, “if we maintain this harmony, we will also be more able to look upon others better, help them, serve them, overcome friction, and have more patience. Putting God into our daily lives will help us live a more Christian summer that will give us rest and deeply fill our souls. We will also be creating unforgettable memories for ourselves to continue building upon in the years to come.”

Father Héctor Razo, an Opus Dei Mexican priest, pointed out in a conversation with ACI Prensa that evangelization during vacation “can be done through one’s own life and one’s own example of a life lived united with Jesus.”

“Sometimes we Christians can think that changing the world in which we live — this world that is increasingly secularized — is a feat that would take years, or perhaps centuries, when in reality that is not the case,” he explained.

He thus invited the faithful to reflect on the early Christians: “They had everything against them, and yet they managed to convert an entire society from pagan to Christian. How did they do it? By their example, because they belonged to Christ and that person had changed their hearts.”

In this regard, he recalled St. Josemaría Escrivá, “the saint who would preach the universal call to holiness through ordinary life,” who summed it up in one sentence: Know Jesus Christ, make him known, take him everywhere. That is, “be so in love with Christ that it becomes so natural for us to speak about him to those around us.”

To achieve this, he encouraged Catholics to “live our own faith wherever we are, without shame. If we say grace at home, we should also do so when we are on vacation with our friends and relatives.”

“Teach your children that God deserves a place even during vacations, by going to Sunday Mass and perhaps one more day during the week. By praying the rosary as a family a couple of days a week, with the intention of praying for something special and involving everyone in that prayer; that is, by having each child lead a mystery,” Razo suggested.

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has been given two electric vehicles that can be transported by air and will accompany him on his international travels.

According to a statement from the Governorate of Vatican City State, the delivery took place during a July 3 private meeting held at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, with the participation of a delegation from the company and the Club Car Group, responsible for the vehicle design project.

The two vehicles are the result of collaboration between the Italian company Exelentia — founded by Domenico and Giovanni Zappia and specializing in the design, customization, and distribution of electric commuter vehicles for individuals, businesses, and public entities — and the Vatican Gendarmerie, which supervised and validated every stage of development.

The cars, based on electric models from the company (part of the Club Car Group), have been completely customized by hand with high-precision technical and artisanal craftsmanship.

Designed with total sustainability criteria, the vehicles produce no environmental emissions or noise pollution. One of their main advantages is the ability to be transported by plane without having to be disassembled, which represents a logistical benefit for the pope’s travels.

According to the Vatican Governorate, the Italian airline ITA Airways also actively collaborated on the project, providing technical data on the vehicles’ dimensions and the means to secure them in place required for transport on intercontinental flights. 

With a compact design and great maneuverability, the two vehicles are designed to move agilely in tight spaces or with high pedestrian density, such as squares, shrines, or urban centers. Furthermore, according to the Vatican, elements such as a front handlebar and side supports under the armrests have been incorporated, ensuring greater comfort and stability for the pope inside the vehicle.

The project responds to the need to provide the Holy Father with sustainable, practical, and safe means of transportation that adapt to the demands of his pastoral trips. Its use will extend to both private trips and the public appearances that Leo XIV will make in various cities around the world.

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

The coffin holding the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be in Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth July 26 through Aug. 4.

According to the Vatican’s jubilee office, the coffin will be transferred from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, in the Italian region of Piedmont, to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome.

Frassati, originally scheduled to be canonized on Aug. 3 during the Jubilee of Youth, will now be declared a saint by Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, Sept. 7, together with Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Frassati’s remains will be displayed in the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome until Aug. 4 so that they can be venerated by young people attending jubilee events July 28 through Aug. 3, when Pope Leo will celebrate the youth jubilee’s closing Mass at the Tor Vergata University campus on the southeastern outskirts of Rome.

The young blessed’s relics were also present at , in 2008, at the request of Cardinal George Pell.

Frassati was born to a prominent family in Turin in 1901. He balanced a deep life of faith with active engagement in politics and service to the poor. He joined the Dominican Third Order, climbed Alpine peaks, and distributed food and medicine to the needy in the poorest parts of Turin.

This weekend, towns in northern Italy since Pier Giorgio Frassati’s death on July 4, 1925, from polio.

When Frassati’s coffin was opened during his beatification process in 1981, his body was found to be incorrupt, or preserved from the natural process of decay after death. According to Catholic tradition, give witness to the truth of the resurrection of the body and the life that is to come.

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2025 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s synod office has said that final reports from Synod on Synodality study groups — including opinions on women deacons and controversial doctrinal issues such as LGBT inclusion — have been postponed until the end of the year.

The study groups, formed by Pope Francis to examine topics he took off the table for discussion at the second session of the Synod on Synodality, held in October 2024, will have until Dec. 31 to submit their final results — a six-month extension of the original mandate of June 30, according to the Secretariat of the Synod. 

In the meantime, synod leadership will publish brief interim reports from the study groups in July.

A spokesman for the synod secretariat told CNA that most of the 10 commissions had requested more time to complete their reports following delays due to Pope Francis’ death and the “sede vacante.” In June, they received a green light from Pope Leo XIV to proceed.

The study commissions are made up of from both in and outside of the Vatican.

The 10 study groups were formed in February 2024 on themes discussed in October 2023 during the first session of the Synod on Synodality. In his letter requesting the study groups, the pope said these issues “require in-depth study,” for which there would not be time during the second session in 2024.

Francis’ decision effectively moved discussion of the synodal assembly’s most controversial topics — such as women deacons and LGBT inclusion — from the 200-plus synod participants and to small expert panels.

One of the most highly-watched study groups is on ministries in the Church, specifically the question of a female diaconate. This group, whose members have not been published, is under the direction of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

According to the Secretariat of the Synod last year, this “is the context in which the question on the possible access of women to the diaconate can be appropriately posed.”

Another group was tasked with addressing pastoral approaches to ethical and anthropological topics that were not publicly specified.

The role of the groups is consultative. Pope Leo may use the final reports to make decisions for the Church about the topics addressed.

The synod secretariat, which is responsible for coordinating the work of the study groups, on Monday published the text, “.”

The booklet, addressed to diocesan bishops and local synod teams, said Pope Leo has added study groups on two topics — “the liturgy in a synodal perspective” and “the statute of episcopal conferences, ecclesial assemblies, and particular councils” — to the existing groups.

The document did not say if the two additional study groups will need to produce reports and by when, and a spokesman for the secretariat said he did not think they would be providing reports by the same Dec. 31 deadline.

“It is also the secretariat’s responsibility to ensure that the pope’s decisions, developed also on the basis of the findings of these groups, will then be harmoniously integrated into the ongoing synodal journey,” the document says.

The document, intended as guidelines for bishops to implement synodality in their dioceses, also outlines what can be expected during the synod’s next phase, which will culminate with a Church assembly in October 2028.

According to synod leaders, the period from June 2025 to December 2026 will be dedicated to “implementation paths” of synodality in local Churches and groupings of Churches.

In 2027, the synod secretariat will organize diocesan-based and then national-based evaluation assemblies before holding continental evaluations in the first part of 2028.

“It is useful to reiterate that evaluation is not a form of judgment or control, rather an opportunity to ask ourselves what point we have reached in the process of implementation and conversion, highlighting the progress made and identifying areas for improvement,” the guiding document says.

Cardinal Mario Grech, synod secretary-general, that “the intention is to ensure that the process moves forward with a deep concern for the unity of the Church.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 7, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Office for Liturgical Celebrations at the Vatican has announced Pope Leo XIV’s public Mass schedule for August and September, following his current stay through July 20 at Castel Gandolfo, the summer retreat of the pontiffs.

On Aug. 3, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Mass for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time at Tor Vergata University in Rome as part of the Jubilee of Youth.

Although he will be in the Vatican in August, he is also scheduled to celebrate Mass at the pontifical parish of Castel Gandolfo on Friday, Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to pray the Angelus in the city’s Liberty Square. 

On Sunday, Sept. 7, the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, he will celebrate the eagerly awaited Mass for the canonization of Blesseds Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, which will take place in St. Peter’s Square at 10 a.m. local time.

A week later, on Sunday, Sept. 14, he will participate in the ecumenical commemoration of the new martyrs, witnesses to the faith, in St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica at 5 p.m. local time.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, he will celebrate the Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists in St. Peter’s Square at 10 a.m. local time.

Rome Newsroom, Jul 6, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV was welcomed by well-wishers upon his arrival to his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on Sunday.

Crowds of people standing behind barriers greeted the Holy Father, taking photos and shouting “Viva Papa!” as he walked toward the papal palace located southeast of Rome.

The pope will reside in Castel Gandolfo’s Villa Barberini during his taking place from July 6–20, continuing a centuries-old papal tradition of rest at the 135-acre estate.

According to the New York Times, the property’s swimming pool has been refreshed and a new tennis court installed for the pope, who is known for his appreciation of physical fitness and training.

Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all spent at least part of the summers in Castel Gandolfo, following the Lateran Pact of 1929.

Pope Francis chose to not use the property as a summer residence during his 12-year pontificate. The late pontiff instead chose to open the estate’s gardens to the general public in 2014 and, in 2016, converted the papal palace into a museum.

The palace and gardens will remain open to the public during Leo’s stay, since he will be living in the Villa Barberini, a different palazzo on the grounds.

Castel Gandolfo Mayor Alberto de Angelis told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, last month that Pope Leo’s stay “will give back to the city its daily connection with the pope.”

“The Angelus, the visits, the contact with the people. We want to experience all of that again,” de Angelis said.

Pope Leo will continue to deliver his weekly Angelus addresses in Liberty Square (Piazza della Libertà) in front of the pontifical palace on July 13 and on July 20.

Vatican City, Jul 6, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed for the victims and families affected by the recent flood disaster in Texas.

The Holy Father, speaking in English, expressed his “sincere condolences” to “families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters, who were at the summer camp, in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States” after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

More than 20 children attending the all-girls summer camp are currently missing after flash floods struck Texas Hill Country in the early hours of July 4, reported on Sunday. 

Aid organizations, including the Catholic Charities Mobile Relief Unit, have since to provide food, shelter, and water to flood victims forced to evacuate their homes. 

The death toll continues to rise as rescue and recovery efforts enter into its third day. At least 50 people have been confirmed dead, according to CNN.

Pope Leo also asked his listeners on Sunday to pray for peace and for those who live in a state of war: “Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts and inspire the minds of governments, so that the violence of weapons is replaced by the search for dialogue.”

Reflecting on the Gospel scene when Jesus sent out 72 disciples into towns to prepare for his coming, the Holy Father said there are few people who “perceive” Jesus’ call to share the Christian faith with others.

“Dear brothers and sisters, the Church and the world do not need people who fulfill their religious duties as if the faith were merely an external label,” he said.

“We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the kingdom of God in all places.”

The Holy Father emphasized that the places of mission can be found “in the particular situations in which the Lord has placed us,” such as in the family home, places of work and study, and other social settings.

“Perhaps there is no shortage of ‘intermittent Christians’ who occasionally act upon some religious feeling or participate in sporadic events,” the pope said. “But there are few who are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts.”

To become a disciple of Jesus and a laborer in the “mission field,” the Holy Father said priority must be placed on cultivating a “relationship with the Lord” through dialogue.

“We do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans,” he said. “Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest.”

Pope Leo concluded his address asking the Blessed Virgin Mary “to intercede for us and accompany us on the path of following the Lord” to “become joyful laborers in God’s kingdom.”

On Sunday, the pope departed for Castel Gandolfo where he will stay for a during the summer.

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday said pilgrimages play an essential role in the life of faith as they help a Christian to be better united to Jesus Christ and discern God’s purpose for us in life.

The Holy Father invited a large group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to the Vatican on Saturday and encouraged them to come closer to God during their summer pilgrimage in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

During the meeting, the pope said: “A pilgrimage has a vital part to play in our life of faith for it removes us from our homes and our daily routines and gives us time and space to encounter God more deeply.”  

“Such moments always help us to grow, for through them the Holy Spirit gently fashions us to be ever more closely conformed to the mind and the heart of Jesus Christ,” he continued.

Continuing the theme of his “for formation in discernment,” the pope told the group of teachers and students that God “has created each one of you with a purpose and a mission in this life.” He encouraged them to visit the many holy sites in the Eternal City during their jubilee pilgrimage.

“Use this opportunity for listening, for prayer, so that you may hear more clearly God’s voice calling you deep within your hearts,” he said. “Today, so often, we lose the ability to listen, to really listen.”

“We listen to music, we have our ears flooded constantly with all kinds of digital input, but sometimes we forget to listen to our own hearts and it’s in our hearts that God speaks to us,” he continued. 

By fostering a personal relationship with Jesus, the pope said God “calls us and invites us to know him better and to live in his love” and to share that gift of faith with others, just like the countless saints and martyrs had over the centuries.

Addressing the teachers of the group, Leo said they have an “important role in the formation of today’s youth” and are role models for them. 

“I hope that, each day, you will nurture your relationship with Christ, who gives us the pattern of all authentic teaching, so that, in turn, you may guide and encourage those entrusted to your care to follow Christ in their own lives,” he said.

The Holy Father challenged his listeners on Saturday to continue their “pilgrimage of discipleship” when they return to their home countries, relying always on God’s mercy and the intercession of the saints.

“Dear friends, with these few words, and entrusting you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, I gladly impart to each of you my heartfelt blessing,” he said at the meeting’s conclusion.    

According to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, more than 10 million pilgrims have come to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope since Pope Francis opened the Church’s holy year on Christmas Eve 2024.

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry in France as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The prelate succeeds U.S.-born Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the founding president of the safeguarding commission established by Pope Francis in 2014.  

“I thank the Holy Father for my appointment as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors,” Verny said in a statement released July 5. 

“I am honored by the trust he has placed in me, fully aware of the grave and sacred task entrusted to the commission: to help the Church become ever more vigilant, accountable, and compassionate in her mission to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

The new president praised his predecessor, saying O’Malley has been “a moral compass” for the faithful and for people of goodwill: “His legacy is one of courageous fidelity to the Gospel and to the dignity of every human person.”

Under O’Malley’s leadership, the Vatican released its on the Church’s safeguarding efforts worldwide in October 2024. 

Verny was made a member of the pontifical commission by Pope Francis in 2022 and has since been active in the Vatican’s international safeguarding efforts in different countries, including the Central African Republic and the Ivory Coast.

In his first statement as president of the pontifical commission, the French archbishop said the Church cannot “impose” safeguarding models nor “avoid hard conversations” about taboo topics in local traditions.

“Our work must begin by listening — with humility, with respect, and with cultural intelligence,” the archbishop said on Saturday.

Since 2022, Verny has also chaired the French Bishops’ Conference’s council for preventing and combating child abuse while being a member of the Vatican commission.

Between 2016 and 2023, he served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Paris, where he was tasked with upholding the agreement between the archdiocese and local authorities to facilitate the reporting of abuse allegations to the civil courts.

In 2023, Verny was appointed archbishop of Chambéry in southeast France.

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).

Two months into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV will leave Rome to spend two weeks on a pontifical estate in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles south of the city and sometimes known as the “second Vatican City.”

The pontiff will stay on the hilltop Vatican property “for a period of rest” from the afternoon of July 6 to the afternoon of July 20, the Vatican announced last month. Leo is scheduled to make public appearances from Castel Gandolfo on two Sundays, but otherwise, his public audiences and private audiences will be suspended during that time.

Leo will also spend three days in Castel Gandolfo over the holiday weekend for the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Aug. 15–17.

Pope Leo’s stay on the 135-acre pontifical estate, which includes multiple properties, extensive gardens, and a working farm, marks the continuation of a centuries-old papal tradition of summer rest.

While Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, opted not to use the triangle-shaped territory as a summer retreat, Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II famously escaped Rome’s intense heat by spending several months in recreation, study, and work in the hilltop town.

According to Vatican News, Pope Leo made a quick visit to Castel Gandolfo on the afternoon of July 3 to check up on the renovations to Villa Barberini, where he will be staying.

A tennis court has also been newly installed on the property for the tennis-loving pope, the New York Times reported. The pool is also reportedly receiving a refresh in anticipation of Leo’s arrival.

Previous popes lived during their retreats in the pontifical palace of the estate, which is situated on the border of the town of Castel Gandolfo and the gardens, opening up onto Liberty Square.

But in 2016, Pope Francis converted the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo into a museum. Two years prior he had opened the gardens to visitors.

The palace and gardens will remain open to the public during Leo’s stay, since he will be living in a different palazzo on the grounds — the Villa Barberini.

The papal ties to Castel Gandolfo date back to 1596; it became an official papal residence 30 years later. The Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini later added on to the property’s historic villa, first built by Emperor Domitian in the first century.

The territory was conceded to the Holy See as an extraterritorial possession under the Lateran Pact of 1929. 

Since that time, Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all spent at least part of the summers there, where they would pray the Sunday Angelus and mingle with the townspeople.

The popes would also occasionally receive important visitors. And the quiet atmosphere and scenic gardens provided a restorative space for reading, writing, and taking walks — or in John Paul II’s case, a lap in the property’s swimming pool.

For Benedict XVI, the villa was a favorite summer getaway during his pontificate. He also chose to spend some time there after resigning the papacy.

“Since 1628, the popes have lived in Castel Gandolfo. Some more, some less, but their presence has been constant. This is a city accustomed to the daily life of the pope,” Mayor Alberto de Angelis told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, last month.

Part of the papal presence in Castel Gandolfo is the opportunity to pray the Sunday Angelus with Leo. The public can see Pope Leo in Castel Gandolfo during the Angelus messages on July 13 and on July 20, which he will deliver from Liberty Square (Piazza della Libertà) in front of the pontifical palace.

After nearly four weeks back at the Vatican, the pontiff will then return for three days to Castel Gandolfo, where he will recite the Angelus on Aug. 15 and Aug. 17.

Tickets to visit the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo or its gardens (Borgo Laudato Si’) can be booked on the official website of the Vatican Museums for a weekend or weekday.

The town of Castel Gandolfo, which sits above the volcanic Lake Albano, is also a pleasant spot for a stroll. The town is part of the area south of Rome known as the Castelli Romani.

Pope Francis “did a lot for the city, opening the doors of the papal residence and the gardens... But now, Leo XIV will give back to the city its daily connection with the pope: the Angelus, the visits, the contact with the people. We want to experience all of that again,” de Angelis said.

From Rome, Castel Gandolfo can be reached by train or car.

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein says displaced families and communities who daily face threats of violence in Nigeria are in great need of spiritual and material support.

Since being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wukari, located in Nigeria’s Taraba state, by Pope Francis in 2022, Nzukwein has seen the destruction of at least by Islamic extremists.

“Christians here are really suffering,” the bishop told CNA in an interview. “The first thing we need from people is their prayerful support.”

“Secondly, definitely we need material support to help rehabilitate some of our people who are traumatized from the violence that has been very recurrent,” he added.

Reports released this year by the organizations and have shown that violent attacks against unarmed victims, many of whom are Christians, are on the rise in the African nation.

According to the bishop of Wukari, the sense of fear and helplessness is a great suffering that impacts the physical and spiritual well-being of those to whom he ministers. 

“Over 300,000 people are displaced,” Nzukwein told CNA. “I go around to celebrate Mass for some of these communities who are staying in schools.”

“But on the other hand, we’re still happy that we are experiencing growth even in those IDP [internally displaced people] camps,” he said. 

“People are experiencing the joy of their faith,” he continued. “They know they are suffering but they know that God is also present and they know this will not last forever.”

In light of the ongoing multilayered crisis in Nigeria, Father George Ehusani from Kogi state collaborated with the country’s National Universities Commission to establish a new to educate Christian leaders and laypeople in trauma counseling.

“These things are very much needed, but we find it very difficult to raise funds to run those workshops and training,” he told CNA. 

Across the country’s Middle Belt region, an area often described as the “food basket” of the nation, several Christian families have witnessed their homes and farms being taken by force.   

Elizabeth, a member of the Church of Christ in Nations whose family is living in Jos, Taraba state, told CNA in a phone interview that international organizations should focus efforts to assist farmers whose “sources of livelihood” have been destroyed.

“A lot of Nigeria’s food comes from the north — from places like Plateau and Benue — and, due to the rising frequency of attacks, people are not able to go to the farms as usual,” she said. “Food is becoming really expensive [and] so this trickles down to everyone.”

Elizabeth told CNA many people have now become “accustomed” to violent attacks targeting Christian communities. 

Recalling when St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church in Jos was bombed in 2012, she said she was attending a Sunday service nearby at the time when she suddenly felt a “vibration in the ground” beneath her.

“You hear the sound of the blast, you know what is going on, and you just stay in church — I mean we are Christians, right?” she said. “You’re just thinking, ‘Well if my church is next it just means that I get to be with the Lord.’”

“This is the reality of Christians every day in the north [of Nigeria].”

Vatican City, Jul 4, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Beneath a canopy of Roman pines, Americans in Rome celebrated the Fourth of July this year with something more than barbecue and fireworks: the historic election of the first pope born and raised in the United States.

“Let us celebrate the milestone of an American pope on the Fourth of July, in the spirit of friendship, freedom, and shared purpose,” said Laura Hochla, chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, addressing the crowd at Villa Richardson, the U.S. ambassador’s residence.

The embassy’s annual Independence Day celebration, held June 30, commemorated not only the 249th anniversary of the United States but also the 41st anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and the Holy See — ties that now find new resonance in the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, said the election of Pope Leo XIV brought the contribution of the U.S. to the Church “to another level” as he gave an overview of the history of U.S.-Vatican relations in his speech at the party.  

“I have normally as an Englishman approached the celebration of the Fourth of July and American independence with a certain degree of liberty in humor rather than in independence,” Gallagher, a Liverpool native, said. “But now that we have an American pope, I have to recalculate my remarks.”

Tracing relations back to the earliest days of the republic, Gallagher noted that the Catholic Church’s presence in America began with humble missionaries and immigrants. “Catholics were sometimes viewed with suspicion in their adopted homeland. However, as their numbers grew, so did their contribution to American society,” he said.

“The first diplomatic contact [between the United States and the papacy] dates back to 1788, when Benjamin Franklin sent to Pope Pius VI a message from George Washington. In it he said that the newly independent state saw no need to be involved in the appointment of bishops, as the American Revolution brought not only freedom for the colonies but also religious liberty,” Gallagher recounted.

The United States maintained consular relations with the Papal States beginning in 1797 and diplomatic relations with the pope from 1848 to 1867, though not at an ambassadorial level.

Diplomatic ties lapsed in 1867 when Congress passed a ban on funding relations with the Holy See — a move fueled in part by anti-Catholic sentiment in the U.S. From then on, the Vatican and U.S. relied on personal envoys for over a century, including during World War II.

It wasn’t until 1984 that President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II established full diplomatic ties.

Gallagher emphasized how far the American Catholic Church has come, citing the rise of Catholics to high office — from John F. Kennedy to the current vice president — and the growing intellectual contributions of U.S. theologians including Father John Courtney Murray, whose ideas on religious liberty shaped Vatican II.

The Vatican diplomat described the new pope’s diverse family tree as “quintessentially American.” 

For many Americans gathered at Villa Richardson, the symbolism of Leo XIV’s election was deeply felt.

“The election of the first pope from the USA represents a coming of age for the American Catholic Church,” Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the embassy party, told CNA.

“A self-consciously immigrant Catholic community struggling with assimilation suddenly exploded with priestly vocations and prominent converts during the John Paul II revival. It was a fireworks display of confidence in the truth of the faith and its power to address the problems of modernity,” added Hanssen, who is currently teaching in the summer program for the University of Dallas, a Catholic university that has a Rome campus near Castel Gandolfo, the site of the pope’s summer residence.

“Pope Leo, with his embrace of Leo XIII as his patron, represents this moment of maturity,” she said.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, and a Marine color guard added American flavor to the evening. Despite the celebration, the embassy remains without a Senate-confirmed ambassador to the Holy See. President Donald Trump’s nominee, Brian Burch, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May but faces a procedural roadblock in the full Senate after Democrats placed a hold on several State Department nominees over concerns about foreign aid funding. 

Until the Senate acts, the embassy continues under the leadership of Hochla, who took over as chargé d’affaires in July 2024. 

CNA Staff, Jul 3, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of July is for formation in discernment.

“Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel,” the pope said in a video released July 3.

The Holy Father offered the faithful a prayer to guide them in learning how to discern. In the prayer he also encourages Catholics to call upon the Holy Spirit to help inform their decisions.

According to a , this month’s video was made in collaboration with the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and DeSales Media, a diocesan organization that specializes in communication and media.

“In the rush of daily life, we must learn to pause and create sacred moments for prayer,” said Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn in the press release. “It is in these quiet spaces of attentive listening that we discover which paths truly matter and find the discernment to choose what truly leads to joy that comes only from God.”

Here is Pope Leo’s full prayer for discernment:

Holy Spirit, you, light of our understanding,
gentle breath that guides our decisions,
grant me the grace to listen attentively to your voice
and to discern the hidden paths of my heart,
so that I may grasp what truly matters to you,
and free my heart from its troubles.

I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause,
to become aware of the way I act,
of the feelings that dwell within me,
and of the thoughts that overwhelm me
which, so often, I fail to notice.

I long for my choices
to lead me to the joy of the Gospel.
Even if I must go through moments of doubt and fatigue,
even if I must struggle, reflect, search, and begin again…
Because, at the end of the journey,
your consolation is the fruit of the right decision.

Grant me a deeper understanding of what moves me,
so that I may reject what draws me away from Christ,

and love him and serve him more fully.

Amen.

The video prayer intention is promoted by the , which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 3, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV visited the Paul VI Hall on Thursday to meet with about 310 children and adolescents participating in the “Estate Ragazzi in Vaticano” (summer camp for kids at the Vatican).

In addition, another 300 children and adolescents from Ukraine, hosted by Caritas Italy during the summer, participated in the encounter with Pope Leo XIV.

This is the sixth edition of this summer camp for the children of employees of the Holy See. The theme this year is “When the Other Person Is Everything.”

On July 3, shortly before noon, at the end of the audiences, the Holy Father continued with the tradition of visiting these little ones. He was received by the summer camp volunteers and later he spoke with the children, responding to some questions.

As he spoke with them, the pope shared some memories from his childhood, such as attending Mass, where he met other children and friends, but above all “the best friend of all, Jesus,” the Holy See said in a statement.

The pontiff also spoke about diversity and acceptance, and offered a few words of welcome in English to the Ukrainian children, emphasizing that “it’s important to respect one another, look beyond differences, to build bridges, create friendship; we can all be friends, brothers, sisters.”

Responding to a question about war, he explained that even from a young age, it is necessary to learn to be builders of peace and friendship, to not get into wars or conflicts, and to never promote hatred or envy.

He noted that “Jesus calls us all to be friends” and advised the children to “learn from a young age to have mutual respect, to see the other person as someone like myself.”

The children and adolescents offered the Holy Father some gifts they had made during the summer camp as well as drawings and artwork made by the Ukrainian children and adolescents.

At the end of the encounter, after taking group photos with them, Pope Leo XIV invited them to pray the Hail Mary together and gave his blessing to all those present.

Vatican City, Jul 3, 2025 / 13:02 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Thursday that judges have been selected to hear the trial of Father Marko Rupnik, a former Jesuit accused of sexual abuse against women.

The cardinal told journalists that the judges chosen are “independent and external” to the dicastery but did not indicate when the Slovenian priest’s trial is set to take place in the Vatican.

“The idea was, if possible, to eliminate the idea that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith or the Holy See had any interest or were subjected to pressure,” he said.

Rupnik, whose can be found in shrines and churches around the world, has been accused by at least a dozen women, mostly former nuns, of sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse that reportedly occurred over the past three decades.

In May 2019, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith launched a criminal administrative process against Rupnik after the Society of Jesus reported credible complaints of abuse by the priest to the Vatican.

One year later, the congregation declared Rupnik to be in a state of “latae sententiae” excommunication in May 2020. His excommunication lasted only two weeks.

The Society of Jesus subsequently expelled Rupnik from the religious congregation in June 2023 for his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”

Since allegations of abuse against Rupnik first became public in 2018, several Church leaders and Catholic groups around the world have increasingly called for the removal of sacred art created by the former Jesuit.

On March 31, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France announced its found at the entrances to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.   

The Dicastery for Communication, meanwhile, from its Vatican News website on June 9. 

The changes came days after Pope Leo met with members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on June 5.

The Holy Father also met with Cardinal Seán O’Malley, president of the Vatican body commissioned with safeguarding vulnerable adults and children, within the first week of his pontificate on May 14.

In June 2024, O’Malley sent a of the Roman Curia expressing hope that “pastoral prudence would prevent displaying artwork in a way that could imply either exoneration or a subtle defense” of those accused of abuse.

“We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological distress that so many are suffering,” O’Malley wrote in a letter to Curia leaders last year.

Vatican City, Jul 3, 2025 / 12:18 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on Thursday presented new Mass prayers and biblical readings to be used to support the Church’s appreciation for God’s creation.

The “Mass for the Care of Creation,” inspired by Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical , has prayers and Mass readings designed “to ask God for the ability to care for creation,” Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, said at a .

“With this Mass, the Church is offering liturgical, spiritual, and communal support for the care we all need to exercise of nature, our common home. Such service is indeed a great act of faith, hope, and charity,” the cardinal added.

The “Mass for the Care of Creation” is part of the Catholic Church’s Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions. It can be celebrated on a weekday when other liturgical celebrations do not take precedence.

The Vatican published the “formulary” of the Mass, which includes options for biblical readings and the formulas of prayers recited by the priest: the entrance antiphon, collect, prayer over the offerings, Communion antiphon, and prayer after Communion.

Czerny said Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a private Mass using the new prayer formulas in Castel Gandolfo on July 9. The Mass will be for employees of the , which aims to put into practice the principles for integral development outlined in Francis’ encyclical .

The formulary of the “Mass of Care for Creation” is part of a group of Masses that can be said for various civil needs, such as for the country, for the blessing of human labor, for planting and for harvest time, in time of war, and after a natural disaster.

According to Bishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, OFM, secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, bishops’ conferences can indicate a day for the Mass to be celebrated if they wish.

Viola also noted that “the theme of creation is already present in the liturgy,” but the Mass for the Care of Creation helps emphasize what Pope Francis wrote in paragraph 66 of , that “human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth itself.”

The Vatican’s liturgy dicastery was responsible for the new Mass formulary, requested by Francis and approved by Leo, but Czerny said the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity were also happy to collaborate on the project.

“Sacred Scripture exhorts humankind to contemplate the mystery of creation and to give endless thanks to the Holy Trinity for this sign of his benevolence, which, like a precious treasure, is to be loved, cherished, and simultaneously advanced as well as handed down from generation to generation,” the divine worship dicastery’s .

“At this time it is evident that the work of creation is seriously threatened because of the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has endowed to our care,” it continues. “This is why it is considered appropriate to add a Mass formulary ‘pro custodia creationis’” to the Roman Missal.

Vatican City, Jul 3, 2025 / 09:15 am (CNA).

A Vatican spokesman has played down the significance of recently leaked Vatican documents that appear to cast doubt on Pope Francis’ rationale for restricting the Latin Mass, calling the documents “partial and incomplete.”

The documents appear to show that bishops had a more favorable outlook on the Traditional Latin Mass than Pope Francis suggested when he issued controversial restrictions on its celebration in 2021.

Vatican journalist Diane Montagna published two excerpts from an internal Vatican report on a global consultation of bishops . The publication of the texts has sparked renewed controversy over Francis’ decision to restrict the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass at a time when some liturgical traditionalists are voicing hopes that Pope Leo will reverse or moderate his predecessor’s action.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said July 3 the leaked information “presumably concerns part of one of the documents on which the decision [to restrict the Latin Mass] is based.”

Answering a question from CNA during a press conference on another topic, Bruni called published reports “a very partial and incomplete reconstruction of the decision-making process.” At the same time, he refused to confirm the documents’ authenticity.

The spokesman added that “other documentation, other reports, also the result of further consultations” were also taken into consideration with regard to restrictions on the Latin Mass.

An official at the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the department responsible for the application of , Pope Francis’ July 2021 decree restricting the Mass, told CNA on July 3 that the dicastery “has nothing further to add” to Bruni’s response.

The leaked texts, which summarize consultation results and selected quotations from bishops, have been hailed by critics of as evidence that Pope Francis was misleading when stating his reasons for placing strict restrictions on the celebration of the Latin Mass.

Francis’ decree revoked the permissions granted by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2007 decree .

“The claim that a majority of bishops around the world wanted restrictions on the ancient Mass [Traditional Latin Mass] was always dubious, but this document shows for all to see that it is completely false,” Joseph Shaw, president of the Latin Mass federation Una Voce International, wrote in a newsletter on July 2.

Shaw said the leaked documents show “only the views of the minority of bishops who really disliked the TLM were being acted upon. The majority view was ignored.”

placed significant restrictions on the celebration of the Mass according to missals from before the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. In the decree, Pope Francis said he had taken into consideration “the wishes expressed by the episcopate” and “the opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”

Pope Francis explained in that in 2020 he had asked the now-Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to carry out a survey of bishops around the world about the results of the implementation of the 2007 norms on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

“The responses reveal a situation that preoccupies and saddens me, and persuades me of the need to intervene,” Francis wrote in the letter. He added that the intention of his predecessors, to foster unity among Catholics with diverse liturgical sensibilities, “has often been seriously disregarded” and the opportunity “exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division.”

According to one of the leaked documents, a five-page “overall assessment” that according to Montagna was part of a never-published report more than 200 pages long on the results of the 2020 questionnaire, the consultation found “the majority of bishops who responded … and who have generously and intelligently implemented the MP [motu proprio] , ultimately express satisfaction with it." But “some bishops state that the MP has failed in its aim of fostering reconciliation and therefore request its suppression.”

The leaked assessment said some bishops stated they would prefer to return to the pre-2007 rules for the Traditional Latin Mass, when its celebration required permission from the local bishop, “in order to have greater control and management of the situation.”

“However,” the text continued, “the majority of bishops who responded to the questionnaire state that making legislative changes to the MP would cause more harm than good.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

Following last week’s meeting from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday received the bishops who are members of the Ukrainian church’s synod.

Noting that the encounter is taking place in the context of the jubilee year, in the July 2 meeting Leo recalled the words of Pope Francis, who said that “hope does not disappoint, because it is founded on the love of God in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.”

In the context of the bloody war in Ukraine, the Holy Father acknowledged that “it is not easy to talk about hope to you.”

“It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war,” he said.

Addressing the Ukrainian bishops, he noted that they are “in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.” Despite these wounds, the pope said he has received “many testimonies of faith and hope on the part of men and women of your people.”

For the pontiff, this is a sign of the power of God, “which manifests itself in the midst of the rubble of destruction.”

“I am aware that you have many needs to meet, in both the ecclesial and humanitarian spheres. You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help,” he noted.

In this context, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the prelates of the region and to all the faithful of the Church and encouraged them to remain “united in the one faith and the one hope.”

“Our communion is a great mystery: It is also a real communion with all our brothers and sisters whose lives have been taken from this earth but are accepted in God. In him everything lives and finds fullness of meaning,” he emphasized.

Finally, he emphasized that “we are always comforted by the certainty that the holy Mother of God is with us, aids us, and guides us toward her Son, who is our peace.” Before concluding the audience, the pontiff invited those present to sing the Lord’s Prayer in Ukrainian.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 2, 2025 / 16:47 pm (CNA).

A project conceived as a true “” was presented at the Vatican on July 2, promoted by young Christians from all over Europe who, in their search for meaning, aspire to place Christ at the center of their lives and, with hope, restore the soul of the Old Continent.

The initiative began to take shape two years ago when, acting on an inspiration, Bishop Mikel Garciandía — bishop of Palencia, Spain, and former rector of St. Michael Shrine in Navarre — saw the possibility of coordinating the participation of young people in a project through the Network of St. Michael Shrines in Europe.

However, what initially appeared would end with the Jubilee of Hope in 2025 has taken on an international dimension and a broader horizon, with its sights now set on the Jubilee of Redemption in 2033, to be celebrated in Jerusalem. “Things are happening that seemed impossible a month ago,” Garciandía commented during the July 2 presentation.

With the support of the Bishops’ Subcommission for Youth and Children of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference as well as the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, the Church in Jerusalem, and, more recently, the Vatican, a new proposal has taken shape, inviting young Christians across the continent to open up a pathway to faith and hope for a new European generation.

As a result, “Rome ‘25, the Way of James ‘27, Jerusalem ‘33” is underway. It’s a project created by young people for young people, including those who do not believe but who nonetheless seek meaning in their lives. Specifically, the initiative invites Christians to encounter the Lord through pilgrimage, healing, and evangelization.

In June, the project’s promoters to Pope Leo XIV. “We are convinced that he supports the project,” Garciandía stated Wednesday, adding that this conviction is what led them to officially present it today at the Vatican.

Foundational to the project has been the development of a manifesto, discerned and written by thousands of young Europeans: a “living voice” of a generation “that doesn’t give up, that believes, that dreams, and above all, that loves,” as stated in the document’s presentation.

“This text didn’t originate in an office or from an institutional strategy. It is born from the wound of a generation that has suffered, that is looking for meaning, and that, even so, believes. We believe that Christ is alive, that the Church remains a home, and that Europe can rediscover its soul if it dares to listen to it,” explained Fernando Moscardó, a spokesman and one of the project’s coordinators.

Speaking before the media gathered at the Holy See Press Office, the young Spaniard emphasized that “we’re not coming to engage in politics” but to “proclaim the Gospel, to joyfully raise a banner that is not ideological but profoundly spiritual and ecclesial.”

“This manifesto is an act of faith and a call to hope. It’s the voice of young people who do not want to stay on the sidelines, who do not have to say forcefully, ‘We want more’; we want Christ at the center... The revolution has begun, the Spirit is blowing,” he said.

The document will be published on the project’s , and all those “who feel part of it” are encouraged to sign it. In addition, all information, updates, and progress on the initiative will be shared through social media under the name J2R2033 (Journey to Redemption 2033).

Also participating in the press conference was Father Antonio Ammirati, secretary-general of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, who reiterated his support for the initiative to accompany young people in their “search for meaning.”

The presentation included a video address by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, where the project will conclude. The cardinal said that the young people of the Church in the Holy Land “also want to be part of this beautiful project.”

After lamenting that due to the political situation and the war ravaging the region, many young people are unable to make the pilgrimage to Rome, he assured them of his prayers that “in 2033 the world will be different and there will be peace.”

Monsignor Graziano Borgonovo, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, explained the meaning of the word “pilgrim” and emphasized that following Christ does not mean standing still but rather “setting out on a journey” to “proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, present and alive.”

Archbishop Paolo Giulietti of Lucca, Italy, representing the Italian Bishops’ Conference, emphasized the need to restore to pilgrimage sites and routes their “religious dimension,” sometimes obscured by consumerism and tourism.

“These places were established for spiritual quests and the celebration of faith,” the Italian prelate said.

Also participating in the extensive briefing — via remote connection — was the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Francisco José Prieto Fernández, who recalled the invitation St. John Paul II extended to Europe to return to its roots: “Europe, be yourself,” the sainted pope exhorted in 1982.

The prelate highlighted the path toward the “horizon of transcendence” that this initiative presents, a “beautiful metaphor for following Christ” throughout life.

Finally, Monsignor Marco Gnavi, parish priest at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and host of the upcoming Aug. 1 event, where the manifesto will be presented in the context of the July 28 to Aug. 3 Jubilee of Youth, said he was “surprised by the enthusiasm of young people,” especially in a time of “painful changes.”

“In a desperate world, full of conflict, it is important to be oriented toward the horizon,” remarked the prelate, who envisions this event as “a waystation of prayer and joy” for young people, who will return home “having received something more,” a special grace.

Vatican City, Jul 2, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV declared that nature should not be a “bargaining chip” in his message announcing the theme “Seeds of Peace and Hope” for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, set for Sept. 1.

Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’ encyclical , released 10 years ago, the Holy Father said the “Bible provides no justification for us to exercise ‘tyranny over creation’” and should therefore not be exploited.

“Nature itself is reduced at times to a bargaining chip, a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain,” Leo said. “As a result, God’s creation turns into a battleground for the control of vital resources.”

The pope said poor nations, marginalized societies, and Indigenous communities are destabilized and penalized as a result of conflicts over water and natural resources as well as the destruction of forests and agricultural areas.

“These various wounds are the effect of sin,” he added. “This is surely not what God had in mind when he entrusted the earth to the men and women whom he created in his image.”

In his , the pope said three things are necessary for genuine environmental justice: prayer, determination, and concrete actions.

Leo invited Catholics to prayerfully consider the significance of seeds as a metaphor of coming of the kingdom of God in Scripture, saying: “Jesus often used the image of the seed.”

“In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed, ‘seeds of peace and hope,’” he said. “The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of God can make an arid and parched desert into a garden, a place of rest and serenity.”

Insisting that environmental justice is not an “abstract concept” or a “distant goal,” the Holy Father said “now is the time to follow words with deeds” in his message dedicated to the care of creation.

“By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope,” he said.  

This year, Pope Leo has twice visited sites linked to the Holy See’s integral ecology projects outside of Rome. In addition to visiting the at Castel Gandolfo in May, he toured the in Santa Maria di Galeria in June.

The Holy Father praised these initiatives, which serve as examples of “how people can live, work, and build community by applying the principles of the encyclical .”

“I pray that Almighty God will send us in abundance his ‘Spirit from on high,’ so that these seeds, and others like them, may bring forth an abundant harvest of peace and hope,” the pope said.

Vatican City, Jul 2, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV recently offered marriage advice to a young American couple days after their wedding, sharing how he was blessed by the example of his own parents who prayed the rosary together every day.

Newlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens received Pope Leo’s personal blessing for their marriage during one of the pope’s first general audiences under the hot Roman summer sun on June 11, just four days after their wedding at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama.

The moment, captured on video, became an unexpectedly intimate exchange with the American pope, who responded warmly to their question of how best to pray together as a married couple.

“First of all, it is very important to go slowly and to find the style of prayer that works for you, we’re all different, many spiritualities,” Pope Leo replied in English.

“My parents prayed the rosary together their whole lives every day,” the pope said. “And I found that I was always blessed I’m sure because of it, their love for one another.”

"They put their faith in God and in the intercession through Mary," he continued. "It's a wonderful thing."

The Stevenses, who now live in Pensacola, Florida, approached the crowded general audience in their wedding attire unsure if they would even get the chance to meet the pope. They were one of about 65 newlywed couples in St. Peter’s Square that day to receive an opportunity that the Vatican offers each week to Catholics within six months of their wedding.

“We prayed a rosary while we were waiting for the audience [to begin] because we were in the square at 8 a.m.,” Cole said. “And the question that really came to my heart while we were praying the rosary [was] how can we deepen our faith, our prayer life inside of our marriage?” 

Anna recalled how Pope Leo responded to Cole’s question as if there was no one else in the crowd at that moment.

“There was no rush in his voice. There was no looking around… He was solely focused on the question that Cole asked and then how could he answer it to the best of his abilities,” she said.

After the exchange, the couple gave the pope a prayer card from their wedding. “Then we asked for his personal blessing, which he gave to us … laying hands on us and blessing us.”

“He just entrusted us to the Holy Family,” Anna added, “and prayed over us that the Holy Family would watch over us, protect us, guide us, and lead us.”

Unbeknownst to Pope Leo, Cole had been holding a relic of the Holy Family — cloth that had touched St. Joseph’s staff, Our Lady’s veil, and Jesus’ manger — when he blessed them.

Cole, 24, originally from Colorado, and Anna, 25, a schoolteacher from Birmingham, Alabama, met on a blind date when Cole was pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Alabama. 

“My good high school friend had met Cole and was asking Cole what kind of girl he was interested in,” Anna said. “And Cole threw out there ‘a Catholic volleyball player’ and she said, ‘Well, I have one girl for you.’ And that was me.”

“I played volleyball in college and I was her one Catholic friend. And so that was how we started off.”

Their relationship grew through long-distance calls and visits between cities in Alabama. “He took me to the [adoration] chapel on our third date,” Anna remembered. “And that’s where he ended up proposing two years later.”

They prayed novenas together for 90 days leading up to their wedding — to St. Joseph, Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Holy Family.

Their honeymoon, originally planned for the Amalfi coast, took a surprising turn when they realized the Vatican offered special blessings for newlyweds. “We were looking at Sorrento and we’re like two hours away,” Anna said. “Why would we skip out on the jubilee year and the Holy Doors? And then when we heard about the ‘sposi novelli,’ we were like, we have to go.”

It was Cole’s first time out of the country. “There’s no other experience in my life that I can look back on and say it was truly life-changing and just awe-striking at the same,” he said on meeting Pope Leo.

Back in Pensacola, Florida, Pope Leo’s advice has already shaped the young couple’s routine. “It’s funny,” Anna said. “At the end of the night we’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, we haven’t said the rosary. We have to say the rosary; Pope Leo told us to pray the rosary.’ And so we’ve built it in.” 

Their solution? Rosary walks after dinner. 

“Our new goal now is after dinner we go on rosary walks every night and that has been one of our favorite parts of the night,” Anna said. “It has been so peaceful. It is usually right around sunset.” 

“We use it as a chance to pray for individual intentions throughout the week,” Cole added. 

Anna, reflecting on the papal advice, said it’s important to work at “finding, like Pope Leo said, a way that works for you. So for us right now with our stage of life, it’s been rosary walks. And every couple will have a different stage and life and how they can pray the rosary together.” 

What struck Cole most about the pope’s advice was its applicability. “I was surprised at how real it was… It was very practical in the sense of, here’s what my parents did, and find out what works for you. … I can actually use this advice.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 15:47 pm (CNA).

The Peruvian bishops have officially invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Peru, assuring him that “his presence will renew the hope of our people.”

According to a statement from the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference (CEP, by its Spanish acronym), a delegation of bishops, including the conference president, Bishop Carlos García Camader of Lurín, met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on June 30.

During the audience, “the bishops extended an official invitation to him to make a pastoral visit to Peru,” the CEP stated.

Leo XIV, born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost in 1955, lived in Peru for nearly 20 years, serving at different times in various capacities from parochial vicar of Chulucanas in the Piura region to bishop of Chiclayo. He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015.

Greeting the crowd in St. Peter’s Square after he was elected on May 8, Pope Leo XIV addressed a few words to his beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, “where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith, and gave so, so much, to continue being the faithful Church of Jesus Christ.”

His missionary work in Peru was featured in the documentary recently released by the Vatican titled “.”

According to the CEP, García Camader delivered a letter to the pope on June 30, expressing “on behalf of all the bishops and the Peruvian people, our profound affection for and closeness to the Holy Father” while thanking him for holding a special place in his heart for Peru.

The Peruvian delegation consisted of Bishop Luis Alberto Barrera, Bishop Antonio Santarsiero, Cardinal Pedro Barreto, Archbishop Alfredo Vizcarra, Bishop Pedro Bustamante, Bishop Marco Cortez, Bishop César Huerta, Bishop Ricardo García, Bishop Lizardo Estrada, Bishop Raúl Chau, Bishop Juan Asqui, and Father Guillermo Inca.

In an excerpt from the letter, the president of the CEP assured Leo XIV that “your presence will renew the hope of our people, strengthen the faith of our communities, and be a beautiful sign of communion with the universal Church.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 15:17 pm (CNA).

During on Monday of religious sisters belonging to several orders, Pope Leo XIV told the group that rootedness in Christ allows them to “do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve.”

The Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Daughters of Divine Charity, the Augustinian Sisters of the Shelter, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts came to the Vatican on June 30 for their general chapters and the Jubilee of Hope.

After praising the diversity of charisms and recalling the “great historical witnesses to the spiritual life” that inspired their foundation — such as St. Augustine, St. Basil, and St. Francis — the pontiff thanked the religious sisters for their service, especially to the weakest members of society.

He also emphasized that “the challenges of the past and the vitality of your present make clear that fidelity to the ancient wisdom of the Gospel is the best way forward for those who, led by the Holy Spirit, undertake new paths of self-giving, dedicated to loving God and neighbor and listening attentively to the signs of the times.”

The pope then recalled the words of St. Augustine: “God is your everything. If you are hungry, God is your bread; if you are thirsty, God is your water; if you are in darkness, God is your light that never fades; if you are naked, God is your everlasting garment.”

He then addressed the following questions to the religious: “To what extent are these words true for me? How much does the Lord satisfy my thirst for life, love, or light?”

For the Holy Father, this “rootedness in Christ” is what has led those who have gone before us “to do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve. This rootedness enabled them to sow seeds of goodness that, enduring throughout the centuries and across continents, have now reached practically the entire world, as your presence here demonstrates.”

The pontiff recalled the words of St. Paul to the Christians of Ephesus, praying that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19).

Vatican City, Jul 1, 2025 / 14:47 pm (CNA).

The leader of Africa’s Catholic bishops pushed back Tuesday on the narrative that it was only Africans who objected to a 2023 Vatican declaration permitting blessings for same-sex couples.

“The position taken by Africa [on the declaration] was also the position of so many bishops here in Europe. It’s not just an African exception,” Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap, told EWTN News on July 1.

The 65-year-old cardinal added that homosexuality is fundamentally a “doctrinal, theological problem,” and Church moral teaching on the subject has not changed.

Ambongo is archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and heads the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

After the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) published on Dec. 18, 2023, Ambongo flew to Rome, where he met with Pope Francis to convey the dismayed reactions of the bishops in Africa to the declaration, which permitted nonliturgical blessings of same-sex couples.

, he worked with the head of the DDF, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, and with Pope Francis to produce a statement that the permission for same-sex blessings did not apply in Africa. The Jan. 11, 2024, statement from SECAM quoted the Bible’s prohibitions of homosexual acts and called same-sex unions “intrinsically corrupt.”

On Jan. 4, 2024, the DDF had acknowledging that pastoral contexts in different countries could require a slower reception of the declaration.

Later in January 2024, Pope Francis defended the declaration and called the Church in Africa “a separate case.” In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Francis said: “For [Africans], homosexuality is something ‘ugly’ from a cultural point of view; they do not tolerate it.”

Ambongo, who spoke to EWTN News after a Vatican press conference to present a document on climate justice and ecological conversion, said that Africa “experienced [] as something that was being imposed from outside on a people that has other priorities.”

“The pastoral priority for us is not a problem of gay people, it’s not a problem of homosexuality. For us, the pastoral priority is life: How to live, how to survive,” he added. Themes such as homosexuality “are for you here in Europe, not for us in Africa.”

The cardinal, who was a member of Pope Francis’ advisory Council of Cardinals — sometimes referred to as the “C9” because for most of its history it consisted of nine cardinals — said he does not know if Pope Leo XIV will form a similar group to advise the pope.

Ambongo said during pre-conclave meetings, cardinals expressed a desire for the pope to value the input of the entire College of Cardinals, possibly even holding annual meetings. “But this small group that could also help the pope, that depends on him,” he said.

Vatican City, Jul 1, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Hilario González García, the bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, since 2021, recently made the pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee of Seminarians, Bishops, and Priests held June 23–27. The prelate shared the highlights of his visit to the Eternal CIty and in particular the reasons why, despite the risks, it’s worthwhile to be a priest in his country.

During the last 30 years, at least in Mexico, making the nation one of the most dangerous in the world for exercising priestly ministry. Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, González responded with hope to this painful reality.

“Mexico is the country where good priests are happy giving their lives for Christ and for his Church,” González said.

He also emphasized that the priestly vocation, even in difficult contexts, allows a priest to offer the best of himself: “This is much more valuable than any human, economic, or sociopolitical project, because it opens horizons of fulfillment and overcomes the selfish and arrogant tendency that the world proposes today.”

In this context, he encouraged those who feel called to the priesthood to respond with generosity: “I invite those who feel called to be honest and transparent in their aspirations, and, trusting in the grace and mercy of the Lord, to take the first step of their vocational journey by saying ‘yes’ to the invitation of Jesus.”

“You shouldn’t be afraid of giving your life for Christ nor be afraid of offering it in priestly service,” he emphasized.

The prelate recounted to ACI Prensa the details of his “edifying” experience in Rome, which served to “strengthen and encourage the spiritual bond” as well as an opportunity to give thanks for the “gift of life, of the priestly vocation, and of the episcopal ministry.”

Coinciding with his 60th birthday, the 30th anniversary of his priestly ordination, and the 10th anniversary of his episcopal ministry, the Mexican bishop traveled “as a pilgrim” to the Eternal City.

Throughout the week, González was able to hear Pope Leo XIV on four occasions. The first was during the meeting with the seminarians, which reminded him of his service as a formator and the “great responsibility involved in accompanying candidates in their initial formation process.”

He also participated in the . He was particularly moved by the Holy Father’s address, which included “the invitation to be men of theological life” and to “remain firm in the faith, convinced of God’s help so as not to lose hope and thus encourage others in times of trial,” González told ACI Prensa.

Regarding the International Vocational Meeting, he emphasized the importance of the pope’s call “to be more purposeful, with the witness of a life happily given over” to the Lord. Regarding the Mass that Leo XIV celebrated on the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 27, during which he, the bishop of Saltillo emphasized Pope Leo’s invitation to “fulfill the promises we made on the day of our ordination.”

Commenting on Pope Leo’s words on celibacy, which during his address to the bishops the pontiff said is more than living a celibate life, González emphasized that it is not merely “a discipline or rule” or “a superhuman effort” but rather “a supernatural gift to pray for, accept, and cultivate, and a response that frees us to serve with the joy that springs from a heart that knows it is deeply loved.”

“For me, this means that I have to ‘put more effort’ into my consecration to the Lord, be more humble and transparent in my interpersonal relationships, and continue to bind myself with ever greater dedication and joy to the heart of Jesus,” he added.

During the meeting with the bishops, Pope Leo XIV also encouraged them to be “firm and decisive” in addressing abuse. The Mexican prelate stated that the bishops in his country are faithfully carrying out these instructions “to protect minors and to prevent such behavior from occurring.”

Each diocese in Mexico, according to the bishop of Saltillo, provides “human and institutional resources to ensure safe environments in our communities.”

He also highlighted the importance of the proper formation of seminarians and priests as well as those in consecrated life and communities, “to respond honestly and seek to purify attitudes that go against the righteous living of Christian life in all areas.”

The bishop noted that, in the Diocese of Saltillo, they are “trying to respond to the challenge of selfish individualism” that prevents people’s hearts “from loving and serving generously, which withers interpersonal relationships, thus weakening the fabric of community and society.”

He also emphasized that they are “in tune with the synodal experience” and are working to “recover the identity and joy of the filial experience with God.”

“We see the social consequences of individualism in the disintegration of people (through abandonment, vices, addictions, loss of personal and family life), in violence and cruelty in interpersonal relationships, and in indifference and selfishness in helping those in need. We try to take up these challenges with simplicity of heart and with God’s grace to help build his kingdom in our society,” he said.

CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

When Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” heard the news of the election of an American-born pope, he said he wept “because I just never thought I would ever live to see the day.” 

Two months later, on June 25, Roumie had the opportunity to meet the new Holy Father during a papal general audience while the actor was in Italy filming the crucifixion scenes for Season 6 of the popular show.

Roumie sat down with EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn for an interview just hours after meeting Pope Leo XIV to talk about playing Jesus in “The Chosen” as well as what is was like to meet the pope for the first time.

“It was fantastic,” Roumie told Flynn. “He was so kind and so gracious and generous with his time.”

Despite the meeting being a bit of a “blur,” Roumie recalled telling the Holy Father that he was “humbled to be there and it was great to meet him.”

Pope Leo told Roumie that while one of his brothers is a fan of the show, he himself hasn’t seen it yet, to which Roumie replied: “Well, we brought some DVDs to help remedy that.”

Roumie met the late Pope Francis on two separate occasions during his pontificate. In each of those meetings, Roumie had prepared a message in Spanish to share with the pope but in this meeting, he was able to communicate in his own language. 

“When you know you can communicate with somebody in your own language, it makes all the difference,” he said, adding: “For instance, I mentioned — because Pope Leo is from Chicago — I said, you know it’s nice being able to throw out references like ‘Da Bulls’ and ‘Da Bears’ and him understand what I’m referencing.”

“There was just a kindness on his face and just a charity about him that just moved me,” Roumie said.

Speaking about his time filming the Crucifixion scenes in the historic town of Matera in northern Italy, Roumie said: “I’ve never done anything harder than that.”

He added: “The impact that it’s going to have on people — it’s going to be so huge and so life-changing for so many people … I think it’s just going to propagate the name of Jesus at a breakneck speed.”

Despite the many “beautiful moments,” Roumie also said he believes it will be “extremely hard for people” to watch.

“By that point we will have had five and a half seasons of knowing Jesus as our friend, as a miracle worker, as an intimate companion, a colleague, and a teacher, and a rabbi, and having spent 45 hours of story with him healthy and OK and then to see that rapidly decline in a singular season — it’s just going to be devastating.”

Roumie also shared with Flynn his story of surrender to Christ amid a career of instability.

The actor first began his career in New York, where he did voice-over work and commercials. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he had a plethora of jobs while trying to make into the entertainment industry, including driving ride share, food delivery, catering, and painting houses, just to be able to pay the bills. At one point, he found himself with only $20 and didn’t know where his next paycheck would be coming from. It was at this low point that he fully submitted his life and career over to God. 

“Once I committed my career to him and in doing so the entirety of my life, that’s when my life changed,” he shared. 

Three months later, he received the call from Dallas Jenkins, creator and director of “The Chosen,” asking him if he’d like to take part in a crowdfunded series about the life of Jesus and his disciples.

After filming the first four episodes of Season 1, the actor recalled feeling like they were creating something that was “uniquely special” but had no idea just how much success it was going to have.

Now having portrayed Jesus for more than five years, Roumie said he feels there is “always this striving to be more like him in order to be able to play him and being falteringly human — that can feel impossible at times, but I know that I’m here doing this for a reason and I’m just going to continue to give him everything that I have.”

“I’m going to do the best I can and make sure I’m exercising the sacraments and going to confession and receiving the Eucharist,” he added.

During the interview with Flynn, Roumie also discussed the challenge of having people view him as Jesus. 

“So many people say to me, ‘You’re exactly what I would have pictured if I met Jesus,’” he said, “and so they impose or project that relationship that they have or those ideas or those expectations on a subconscious level, or maybe an even semiconscious level, onto me to an extent.”

When fans of the show start to call Roumie “Jesus,” he explained that he makes sure to say his own name to them “to remind them that there is a line of demarcation.”

He said these experiences also make him much more aware of “an implied level of accountability.”

“If I’m being held to the standards of Jesus, or being seen as somebody that is at least trying to live out those standards in their life, well, that’s great because it’s just better for me spiritually to be living in that manner,” he said.

However, it does make him think how fans might react to roles he takes beyond “The Chosen.” He did point out, however, that he wouldn’t do anything “that goes against my beliefs or anything like that or a character that just doesn’t sit right with me or that I don’t discern with the Lord before I commit to a project.”

Speaking to what has made him the most proud of being a part of “The Chosen,” the actor highlighted the “impact of the show and the reality of what it’s doing for people — the reality of how God is using it to encounter people.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 30, 2025 / 14:12 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV received members of a delegation from the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in a June 28 audience held at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican in the context of the June 29 celebration of the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered “primus inter pares” (“first among equals”) among the patriarchs of the other churches of the Eastern Orthodox communion. 

The delegation was headed by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, president of the Synodal Commission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Relations with the Catholic Church, accompanied by the Most Reverend Fathers Aetios and Ieronymos.

Bartholomew has been the current archbishop of Constantinople and ecumenical patriarch since Nov. 2, 1991. Traditionally, a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate visits the Vatican on the occasion of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Similarly, a Vatican delegation usually visits Istanbul, the capital of present-day Turkey, every Nov. 30 on the occasion of the celebration of the feast day of St. Andrew, the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s patron saint.

The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that in 1054, “the most deplorable quarrel,” known as the, occurred, separating the vast majority of Eastern Christians from communion with the Catholic Church, thus giving rise to the Orthodox Church.

Leo XIV stated that his intention is to “persevere in the effort to reestablish full visible communion between our Churches,” a goal that, he said, can only be achieved “with God’s help, through a continued commitment to respectful listening and fraternal dialogue.”

“For this reason, I am open to any suggestions that you may offer in this regard, always in consultation with my brother bishops of the Catholic Church who, each in his own way, share with me the responsibility for the complete and visible unity of the Church,” the Holy Father said during the .

He also recalled that “after centuries of disagreements and misunderstanding,” authentic dialogue between the two Churches was only possible thanks to “the courageous and farsighted steps taken by Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.”

“Their venerable successors to the sees of Rome and Constantinople have pursued with conviction the same path of reconciliation, thus further strengthening our close relations,” the pope added.

Leo XIV highlighted the “witness of sincere closeness” that Patriarch Bartholomew has always expressed to the Catholic Church, demonstrated especially by participating in the funeral of Pope Francis and later in the inaugural Mass of the new bishop of Rome.

The Holy Father said the traditional exchange of delegations “is a sign of the profound communion already existing between us, and a reflection of the fraternal bond that united the Apostles Peter and Andrew.”

Leo XIV expressed his profound gratitude for their presence in Rome “on this solemn occasion.” He asked them to convey his cordial greetings to Patriarch Bartholomew and the members of the Holy Synod, along with his gratitude for having sent the delegation again this year.

“May Sts. Peter and Paul, St. Andrew and the holy Mother of God, who live eternally in the perfect communion of the saints, accompany and sustain us in our efforts in the service of the Gospel. Thank you!” Pope Leo said. 

Vatican City, Jun 30, 2025 / 12:24 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV deplored the use of hunger as a “weapon of war” in his message to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is currently holding its 44th conference session in Rome from June 28 to July 4. 

The Holy Father said the U.N. is far from reaching its 2030 goal of “zero hunger” in spite of “significant steps” taken by the intergovernmental organization to ensure food security, particularly for the world’s poor.

“We are currently witnessing with despair the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war,” Leo said in his . “Starving people to death is a very cheap way of waging war.”

The pope criticized the actions of armed civilians who “greedily hoard” food, burn land, steal livestock, and block humanitarian aid to those suffering and in need.  

“Farmers are unable to sell their produce in environments threatened by violence, and inflation soars,” he said. “This leads to huge numbers of people succumbing to the scourge of starvation and perishing.”

“While civilians languish in misery, political leaders grow fat on the profits of the conflict,” he remarked.

Highlighting the complex relationship between war, poverty, and hunger, the pope said the Holy See supports all initiatives aimed at bringing international leaders together to collaborate for “the common good of the family of nations.” 

“Without peace and stability, it will not be possible to guarantee resilient agricultural and food systems, nor to ensure a healthy, accessible, and sustainable food supply for all,” he added.

Continuing his calls for peace in war-torn areas since his May election as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo extended his call to the leadership and staff of FAO to become peacemakers in times of “huge polarization in international relations.”

“To ensure peace and development, understood as the improvement of the living conditions of populations suffering from hunger, war, and poverty, concrete actions are needed, rooted in serious and far-sighted approaches,” he continued. 

“I pray to almighty God that your work may bear fruit and be of benefit to the underprivileged and to humanity as a whole,” he said at the conclusion of his message.

In an, Pope Leo highlighted the plight of rural Christian communities in Nigeria enduring violence and hunger. 

Approximately 200 displaced people were massacred at a Catholic mission there in June. 

Bishop Mark Nzukwein of the Diocese of Wukari, Nigeria, said more than 300,000 people are currently displaced in the northern part of the country, many of whom have lost their farms and livelihoods because of the violent attacks. 

“I’ve never had problems with food ever until recently,” Nzukwein told CNA in a June 27 interview. 

“[Men] will invade farms and kill … and make the place insecure,” he said. “This is the source of the food insecurity we’re experiencing in Nigeria.”

Vatican City, Jun 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

After a decade of painstaking restoration, the imposing in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which houses Raphael’s masterpiece depicting Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, has been returned to its original splendor.

This space, the largest of the well-known Raphael Rooms, was partially closed to the public in 2015 due to delicate conservation work that ultimately culminated in a result described as “exemplary” by Vatican Museums.

“In a way, we have rewritten the history of art,” explained Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, during a June 26 presentation to the press held at the Vatican Museums. She was joined by Fabrizio Biferali, supervisor of the art department for the 15th and 16th centuries; Fabio Piacentini and Francesca Persegati from the Painting and Wooden Materials Restoration Laboratory; and Fabio Morresi, head of the Scientific Research Office, who emphasized the scientific, technical, and symbolic value of a project that has brought to light revolutionary discoveries about the techniques and methods of the Renaissance master.

The restoration, which began in March 2015 and was completed in December 2024, has not only restored the brilliance of the frescoes that Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael Sanzio (1483–1520) to paint but also revealed important technical and artistic innovations concerning one of the great workshops of the Renaissance.

The process, carried out in eight phases, began with the wall of “The Vision of the Cross” and concluded with the vault decorated by Tommaso Laureti. The planning of the scaffolding followed the same sequence as the original execution of the paintings, allowing for a diachronic interpretation of the evolution of the complex.

One of the project’s greatest revelations has been the confirmation that two female figures — Comitas and Iustitia — were executed directly by Raphael in oil, an extremely unusual technique for murals at the time. “We knew from sources that Raphael did experiments, but we didn’t know which ones,” Jatta explained.

Thanks to scientific analyses such as infrared refractography at 1,900 nanometers, false-color ultraviolet light, and chemical studies of the paint layer, a special preparation of rosin, a natural resin heated and applied to the wall, was identified. This technique would have allowed Raphael to make retouchings and achieve a visual unity not possible with traditional fresco.

“This was his last major decorative undertaking and represents a true technical revolution,” said Piacentini, who was responsible for the restoration project from the outset. The presence of nails in the wall indicates that Raphael intended to paint the entire room in oils, a project interrupted by his untimely death in 1520 when he was only 37 years old.

The work was continued by his disciples Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco Penni, who painted the remaining fresco scenes. “It was a work of years, comparable to that of a team from the Renaissance: Restorers, chemists, engineers, and heritage experts worked as if in a true workshop,” emphasized Jatta, who also praised Persegati’s coordination in the Vatican’s oldest laboratory.

The Hall of Constantine, designed for official receptions and named after the emperor who granted freedom of worship and thus brought Christianity out from the underground with the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313), constitutes a kind of artistic palimpsest (an ancient tablet on which writing could be erased and rewritten). It was decorated over more than 60 years under five pontificates — from Leo X to Sixtus V — with work done by different artists and workshops, making it an exceptional synthesis of 16th-century Roman painting.

Its walls depict four key episodes: “The Vision of the Cross,” “The Battle of the Milvian Bridge,” “The Baptism of Constantine,” and “The Donation of Rome.” All of them symbolize the transition from pagan Rome to Christian Rome and constitute, according to Jatta, “the most politically and programmatically important room in the complex.”

Another highlight of the project is the restoration of the vault painted with an allegorical scene of the triumph of Christianity over paganism by Tommaso Laureti during the pontificate of Sixtus V. Among the discoveries is the visual illusion of a carpet in the center of the vault, simulating a sumptuous fabric painted directly onto the ceiling’s surface.

Replacing the old wooden ceiling, Laureti created an impressive marvel of illusionistic perspective with plays of light and shadow that can now be admired in all its beauty after having been cleaned.

The project was made possible thanks to the patronage of the New York chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums and the Carlson Foundation, along with the institutional support of the presidency of the Governorate of Vatican City State and its general secretariat.

The work was fully documented through laser scans and 3D models, becoming an international reference for the restoration of large mural decorations. Furthermore, a detailed study of the plaster layers made it possible to reconstruct the exact chronology of the steps in making the frescoes.

Morresi of the Vatican Museums’ Scientific Research Office summed up the spirit of the project with words that evoke both science and poetry: “The most exciting thing is how artists of the past managed to transform matter and chemistry into something so marvelous.”

The reopening of the Hall of Constantine not only restores a key space in the Vatican museum but also returns to humanity a Renaissance masterpiece, a testament to Raphael’s genius.

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

The Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue leading to St. Peter’s Square, was transformed on Sunday, June 29, into a vibrant tapestry of color laid over the asphalt, with dozens of floral artworks created by master artisans and volunteers from across Italy.

These floral works, rich in religious symbolism, decorated the spiritual heart of Rome as part of a new edition of the Infiorata Storica (Historic Flower Festival).

This year’s 12th edition centered on the theme of the Jubilee of Hope, expressed through floral arrangements, each covering more than 500 square feet. The artworks were made using dried flower petals, wood shavings, colored sand, salt, sugar, and natural pigments.

Beginning on Saturday evening, June 28, teams of floral artists and volunteers worked overnight in an intense effort that concluded at 9 a.m. Sunday — just in time for thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul to admire the floral carpets in their full splendor.

This creative and spiritual gathering aims not only to beautify the city but also to preserve a deeply rooted tradition dating back to 1625, when Benedetto Drei, head of the papal florist’s office, first decorated the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica with flowers.

Though the custom faded in the 17th century, it was revived in 2013. Today, the Infiorata has become an iconic event that combines art, faith, and culture.

Within the context of the liturgical celebrations led by Pope Leo XIV, the floral exhibition offered a symbolic path of prayer and hope, linking Rome with believers from around the world.

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 10:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV warned new archbishops on Sunday against following “the same old pastoral plans without experiencing interior renewal and a willingness to respond to new challenges.”  

Speaking on the June 29 solemnity of Peter and Paul — saints recognized by the Catholic Church as pillars of the faith and venerated as patrons of the city of Rome — the pope also called for maintaining ecclesial unity while respecting diversity. 

“Our patron saints followed different paths, had different ideas, and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet this did not prevent them from ... a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity,” the pope said. 

During Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, where he bestowed the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops, including , Leo urged them to “find new paths and new approaches to preaching the Gospel” rooted in the “problems and difficulties” arising from their communities of faith.

“The two apostles... inspire us by the example of their openness to change, to new events, encounters, and concrete situations in the life of their communities, and by their readiness to consider new approaches to evangelization in response to the problems and difficulties raised by our brothers and sisters in the faith.”

After the homily, deacons descended to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, located beneath the Altar of the Chair, to retrieve the palliums the pope had blessed.

In his homily, the pope praised the example of Sts. Peter and Paul, highlighting their “ecclesial communion and the vitality of faith.” He stressed the importance of learning to live communion as “unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel.”

For Pope Leo, the path of ecclesial communion “is awakened by the inspiration of the Spirit, unites differences, and builds bridges of unity thanks to the rich variety of charisms, gifts, and ministries.”

The pope called for fostering “fraternity” and urged his listeners to “make an effort, then, to turn our differences into a workshop of unity and communion, of fraternity and reconciliation, so that everyone in the Church, each with his or her personal history, may learn to walk side by side.”

“The whole Church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between laypeople and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the pope. Fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue, and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world,” the pope said.

He also invited reflection on whether the journey of our faith “retains its energy and vitality, and whether the flame of our relationship with the Lord still burns bright.” 

“If we want to keep our identity as Christians from being reduced to a relic of the past, as Pope Francis often reminded us, it is important to move beyond a tired and stagnant faith. We need to ask ourselves: Who is Jesus Christ for us today? What place does he occupy in our lives and in the life of the Church?”

Leo thus encouraged a process of discernment that arises from these questions, allowing faith and the Church “to be constantly renewed and to find new paths and new approaches to preaching the Gospel.”

“This, together with communion, must be our greatest desire.”

At the end of the celebration, the pontiff descended the stairs to the tomb of the Apostle Peter and prayed for a few moments before it, accompanied by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, head of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul is especially important for ecumenism because the two saints are honored by all apostolic traditions, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate has sent a delegation to Rome for the feast annually since the 1960s.

During the celebration, Pope Leo XIV revived the ancient tradition of personally imposing the pallium on new metropolitan archbishops.

This symbolic rite had been modified by Pope Francis in 2015, when he decided to present the pallium — a white wool band resembling a stole with six black silk crosses — to archbishops at the Vatican, while leaving it to the nuncio in each archbishop’s country to impose the pallium in a local ceremony.

At the time, Pope Francis explained that this change was meant to give greater prominence to local churches, to make the ceremony more pastoral and participatory, and to strengthen the bond between archbishops and their people, without weakening communion with Rome.

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said unity in the Catholic Church “is nourished by forgiveness and mutual trust” after bestowing the pallium on 54 new metropolitan archbishops on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, patrons of the city of Rome. 

“If Jesus trusts us, then we too can trust one another, in his name,” the pontiff said, extending his call to unity to all Christian denominations. 

Speaking before he led those gathered in St. Peter’s Square in praying the Angelus on June 29, the pope also recalled the witness of the apostles who were martyred. 

“Today is the great feast of the Church of Rome, born from the witness of the Apostles Peter and Paul and made fruitful by their blood and that of many other martyrs,” he said, emphasizing that even today, “throughout the world there are Christians whom the Gospel makes generous and bold, even at the cost of their lives.”

In an ecumenical appeal, the pope emphasized that this shared sacrifice creates a “profound and invisible unity among Christian churches,” which he called, echoing Pope Francis, an “ecumenism of blood.”

Present during the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning was Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, heading the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate sent to Rome by Bartholomew I for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul — a celebration rich with ecumenical significance. 

In his remarks prior to the Marian prayer, the pope reaffirmed: “My episcopal service is a service to unity, and the Church of Rome is committed, by the blood of Sts. Peter and Paul, to serving communion among all Churches.”

Quoting the Gospel, the pope reminded that “the stone from which Peter also receives his name is Christ. A stone rejected by men that God has made the cornerstone.” The basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, he pointed out, are located “outside the walls,” signifying that “what seems to us great and glorious was once rejected and cast out for being in conflict with worldly thinking.”

Leo invited all to walk “the path of the Beatitudes,” where poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, and the thirst for justice often meet with “opposition and even persecution.” Yet, he affirmed, “the glory of God shines in his friends and along the way he shapes them, from conversion to conversion.”

At the tombs of the apostles, “a millennial destination for pilgrimage,” the pope encouraged everyone to discover that “we too can live from conversion to conversion.” The New Testament, he recalled, does not hide the apostles’ faults and sins, “because their greatness was shaped by forgiveness.” Jesus, he said, “never calls only once. That’s why we can always have hope, as the jubilee also reminds us.”

After the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness with Barthélémy Boganda high school in Bangui, Central African Republic, “in mourning after the tragic accident that caused many deaths and injuries among students.” Twenty-nine students died and more than 250 were injured in a stampede on Wednesday prompted by an accidental electrical explosion. 

The pope also expressed “a heartfelt thought for the parish priests and all the priests working in Roman parishes, with gratitude and encouragement for their service.” 

Leo recalled that the day’s feast marks the annual Peter’s Pence Collection, “a sign of communion with the pope and of participation in his apostolic ministry,” and thanked “those who, through their contributions, support my first steps as the successor of Peter.” 

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 28, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The last three popes — Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV — have on more than one occasion recommended reading “,” the dystopian science fiction novel written by Robert Hugh Benson in 1907.

This apocalyptic novel depicts the consequences of a society that turned its back on God and presents a social critique of the customs of the West, which has succumbed to capitalism and socialism.

Benson, an Anglican cleric who eventually converted to Catholicism and was ordained a priest in 1904, proposes a reality in which “the forces of secularist materialism, relativism, and state control triumph everywhere.”

This work, praised by the last three popes, also describes the arrival of the Antichrist as a charismatic personality but who also promotes ideals destructive to society.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, cited this work during a lecture he gave at the Catholic University of Milan in February 1992, stating that the work “gives much food for thought.”

It was also one of Pope Francis’ favorite books. During his meeting with the academic and cultural world as part of his apostolic journey to Budapest, Hungary, in April 2023, Francis explained that this work “shows that mechanical complexity is not synonymous with true greatness and that in the most ostentatious exteriority is hidden the most subtle insidiousness.”

For the Argentine pope, the book was “in a certain sense prophetic.” Although it was written more than a century ago, “it describes a future dominated by technology and in which everything, in the name of progress, is standardized; everywhere a new ‘humanism’ is preached that suppresses differences, nullifying the life of peoples and abolishing religions,” he said. 

Specifically, he emphasized that in the society described in the book, all differences are eradicated, as opposing ideologies merge in a homogenization resulting in “ideological colonization — as humanity, in a world run by machines, is gradually diminished and life in society becomes sad and rarefied.”

Francis noted that in the novel, “everyone seems listless and passive, it seems obvious that the sick should be gotten rid of and euthanasia practiced, as well as national languages ​​and cultures be abolished in order to achieve a universal peace.”

This idea of ​​peace, however, “is transformed into an oppression based on the imposition of consensus, to the point of making one of the protagonists state that the world seems at the mercy of a perverse vitality, which corrupts and confuses everything,” Francis said in his address in the Hungarian capital.

Also, while criticizing ideological colonization, Pope Francis during a press conference he on his flight back to the Vatican after his Apostolic Journey to Manila, Philippines, in 2015 recommended reading the book.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, before being elected Pope Leo XIV, also recommended the book in given to the Augustinians from Rome. “It speaks about what could happen in the world if we lose faith,” Prevost explained.

He emphasized that Benson’s work contains passages that give a lot of food for thought “in terms of the world we are living in,” presenting challenges about the importance of “continuing to live with faith but also to continue to live with a deep appreciation of who we are as human beings, brothers and sisters, but understanding the relationship of ourselves with God and the love of God in our lives.”

Furthermore, the cardinal, who became Leo XIV on May 8, noted that his two predecessors had also cited this book on more than one occasion.

Vatican City, Jun 27, 2025 / 09:26 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV ordained 32 men to the priesthood Friday on the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, calling on them to draw inspiration from the many examples of priestly holiness in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history and to share God’s love with the world.

Thousands of priests filled St. Peter’s Basilica for the June 27 Mass, the high point of this week’s Jubilee of Priests. The diverse group of men ordained hailed from more than 20 countries, including South Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Ukraine, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Romania — most from beyond Western Europe.

“Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously,” Pope Leo in his homily told the men about to be ordained, moments before the ordination.  

“Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry. Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do.”

In front of the altar built on the tomb of St. Peter, the men being ordained lay prostrate on the marble floor of the basilica as thousands chanted the Litany of the Saints.

St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, was almost completely filled with rows and rows of priests in white vestments kneeling. Pope Leo XIV placed his hands on the heads of each of the young men whom he personally ordained to the priesthood.

Pope Leo highlighted the centuries of priestly witnesses in the Church who “have been martyrs, tireless apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity,” urging the new priests to “cherish this treasure: learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal, and invoke their intercession often and insistently.” 

The pope also warned against the lure of superficial worldly success. “All too often, today’s world offers models of success and prestige that are dubious and short-lived. Do not let yourselves be taken in by them!” he said. “Look rather to the solid example and apostolic fruitfulness, frequently hidden and unassuming, of those who, with faith and dedication, have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters.” 

The ordinations held special meaning for many of the young men, some of whom were stepping foot in Rome for the first time. 

“I received the news with tears in my eyes, but with joy. I would never have expected it. For me it is the proof of how God acts in one’s life. He has a perfect plan. You just have to trust,” said Jiergue Stanley, a 35-year-old from Haiti who traveled to the Eternal City for the first time to be ordained.

Gilbert Tika from Ghana told “EWTN News Nightly” ahead of his ordination: “It’s something wonderful to be ordained by the pope, Pope Leo. I think it’s a special gift that God is giving me and the other brothers that will also be ordained.”

“Being a priest for me means I have to be a sign of hope for the people with whom I live, with whom I will minister,” he added. “Practicing the habit of looking at things with the eyes of Jesus Christ. And helping others to look at the world through the eyes of Christ and let the people feel they are still loved by God.”

Another newly ordained priest from Mexico, 27-year-old Jorge Antonio Escobedo Rosales, said: “I accepted this gift with great joy after 13 years of priestly formation.”

Pope Leo XIV was visibly emotional as he greeted each of the new priests after the ordination rites, embracing each of them under Bernini’s baldacchino.

“Our hope is grounded in the knowledge that the Lord never abandons us: He is always at our side,” the pope said. “At the same time, we are called to cooperate with him, above all by putting the Eucharist at the center of our lives, inasmuch as it is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’”

He quoted a line from a homily St. Augustine gave on the anniversary of his episcopal ordination “For you I am a bishop, with you I am a Christian” — emphasizing the joyful fruit of the communion that unites the faithful, priests, and bishops in the recognition that all are saved by the same mercy of God.

On the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which focuses on Christ’s love poured out for humanity, Pope Leo reaffirmed his commitment to ecclesial unity and peace. “The priestly ministry is one of sanctification and reconciliation for the building up of the body of Christ in unity,” he said.

“In the solemn Mass inaugurating my pontificate [on May 18], I voiced before the people of God my great desire for ‘a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.’ Today, I share this desire once more with all of you,” he continued. 

The solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated each year on the Friday after Corpus Christi, originated in 17th-century France through the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. It was officially instituted by Pope Pius IX in 1856 and has become an important Catholic solemnity day emphasizing Christ’s love and the call to compassion and reparation.

Pope Francis’ final encyclical, meaning “He Loved Us,”was about devotion tothe Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

“Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps,” Pope Leo XIV said. 

“Let us bring the peace of the risen Lord to our world, with the freedom born of the knowledge that we have  been loved, chosen, and sent by the Father.”

Vatican City, Jun 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday will bless and bestow the “pallium” — a white woolen vestment symbolizing pastoral authority and unity with the pope — on 48 new metropolitan archbishops, including eight from the United States, in a return to a custom changed by Pope Francis in 2015.

Leo will impose the pallia at a Mass for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 29.

The U.S. archbishops who will be in Rome to receive the pallium on June 29 are Richard Henning of Boston, Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee, Joe Steve Vásquez of Galveston-Houston, Edward Weisenburger of Detroit, Robert Casey of Cincinnati, Michael McGovern of Omaha, W. Shawn McKnight of Kansas City in Kansas, and Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington.

Archbishop Ryan Pagente Jimenez of Agaña, Guam (a U.S. territory), is also expected to be imposed with the pallium.

The pallium is a narrow, circular band of white wool with pendants hanging down the front and the back. It is adorned with six small black crosses and three pins (called spinulae), which resemble both thorns and the nails used to crucify Jesus.

It is bestowed on the Latin-rite patriarch of Jerusalem and metropolitan archbishops — the diocesan archbishop of the primary city of an ecclesiastical province or region — as a symbol of communion, authority, and unity with the pope and his pastoral mission to be a shepherd for the people of God. The pope also wears the pallium over his chasuble when he is celebrating Mass.

Until Pope Francis changed the policy in 2015, it had been the custom for centuries for the pope to impose the pallium on the shoulders of each new metropolitan archbishop created in the past year.

Ten years ago, Pope Francis opted to only bless the pallia and then give them to each of the new archbishops as a sign of the archbishop’s relationship with the local Church.

According to the master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Pope Leo will be both blessing and personally imposing the pallia on the archbishops.

Before the vestments are bestowed on the metropolitan archbishops, they are placed for a time in a spot near the tomb of St. Peter, under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, to reinforce the bishop’s connection to Peter through apostolic succession.

The tradition of the pope giving a pallium to select bishops began as early as the sixth century, though some historians believe a cloak-like version of pallium existed and was worn by Christians in the first century. By the ninth century, all metropolitan bishops were expected to wear the pallium in their territory.

Another tradition tied to the pallia and believed to date back in various forms to the sixth century is the blessing of the lambs from which the woolen stole, or at least a part of it, is made.

For centuries, every year on Jan. 21, the feast of St. Agnes, two young lambs were brought to the Basilica of St. Agnes to be blessed by the pope. They would then be entrusted to the Benedictine nuns of the Basilica of St. Cecilia to be sheared and their wool woven into the new pallia. While today the pallia are still created from lamb’s wool, the papal blessing of the lambs was discontinued by Pope Francis a few years into his pontificate.

At Pope Benedict XVI’s inaugural Mass on April 24, 2005, he explained the symbolism of the pallium and the lamb’s wool as “meant to represent the lost, the sick, or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders to carry to the waters of life.”

Rome Newsroom, Jun 27, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis’ 2024 encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus is packed with testimonies from the saints of prayer and devotion to the heart of Christ throughout the centuries.

, meaning “He Loved Us,” describes how devotion to the heart of Christ “reappears in the spiritual journey of many saints” and how in each one the devotion takes on new hues. The most frequently quoted saints in the encyclical are St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. John Paul II, but more than two dozen saints are quoted in all.

The encyclical explains how the Church Fathers’ descriptions of the wounded side of Christ as the wellspring of the life of grace later began to be associated with his heart, especially in monastic life.

It adds that “devotion to the heart of Christ slowly passed beyond the walls of the monasteries to enrich the spirituality of saintly teachers, preachers, and founders of religious congregations, who then spread it to the farthest reaches of the earth.”

Here are 20 saints devoted to the Sacred Heart found in

St. Francis de Sales was deeply moved by Jesus’ words “Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Mt 11:29). He writes in the “Introduction to the Devout Life” that the ordinary trials of life — such as “the tiresome peculiarities of a husband or wife” or a headache or toothache — when accepted lovingly, “are most pleasing to God’s goodness.” In his letters, Francis wrote about Christ’s open heart, seeing it as an invitation to dwell within and trust completely in God’s grace, describing it as “a heart on which all our names are written.”

“Surely it is a source of profound consolation to know that we are loved so deeply by Our Lord, who constantly carries us in his heart,” he said in a Lenten homily on Feb. 20, 1622.

St. John Henry Newman chose “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”) as his motto, a phrase drawn from a letter by St. Francis de Sales. He experienced Christ’s Sacred Heart most powerfully in the Eucharist, where he sensed Jesus’ heart “beat[ing] for us still” and prayed: “O make my heart beat with thy heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with thee, that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it, but that in thy love and thy fear it may have peace.”

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque is perhaps the saint most associated with the Sacred Heart of Jesus because of a series of apparitions of Christ in Paray-le-Monial, France. In the first message Alacoque received, she described how the Lord “asked for my heart, which I asked him to take, which he did and then placed myself in his own adorable heart, from which he made me see mine like a little atom consumed in the fiery furnace of his own.” In subsequent messages, “he revealed to me the ineffable wonders of his pure love and to what extremes it had led him to love mankind” and how “his pure love, with which he loves men to the utmost” is met with “only ingratitude and indifference.”

Alacoque wrote in one of her letters: “It is necessary that the divine heart of Jesus in some way replace our own; that he alone live and work in us and for us; that his will … work absolutely and without any resistance on our part; and finally that its affections, thoughts, and desires take the place of our own, especially his love, so that he is loved in himself and for our sakes. And so, this lovable heart being our all in all, we can say with St. Paul that we no longer live our own lives, but it is he who lives within us.”

St. Claude de La Colombière was a French Jesuit priest and confessor of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. He helped develop devotion to the Sacred Heart, combining the experiences of St. Margaret Mary with the contemplative approach of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Claude meditated on the attitude of Christ toward those who sought to arrest and put him to death: “His heart is full of bitter sorrow; every violent passion is unleashed against him and all nature is in turmoil, yet amid all this confusion, all these temptations, his heart remains firmly directed to God.”

St. Gertrude of Helfta, a Cistercian mystic, writes of a time in prayer in which she leaned her head on the heart of Christ and heard his heart beating. She reflected that the “sweet sound of those heartbeats has been reserved for modern times, so that hearing them, our aging and lukewarm world may be renewed in the love of God.”

St. Mechtilde, another Cistercian mystic, shared St. Gertrude’s intimate devotion to the heart of Jesus. The encyclical lists her as among “a number of holy women, [who] in recounting their experiences of encounter with Christ, have spoken of resting in the heart of the Lord as the source of life and interior peace.”

St. Vincent de Paul emphasized that “God asks primarily for our heart,” teaching that the poor can have more merit by giving with “greater love” than those with wealth who can give more. He urged his confreres to “find in the heart of Our Lord a word of consolation for the poor sick person.” The constitutions of his congregation underline that “by gentleness we inherit the earth. If we act on this, we will win people over so that they will turn to the Lord. That will not happen if we treat people harshly or sharply.” For him, embodying the “heart of the Son of God” meant going everywhere in mission and bringing the warmth of Christ’s love to the suffering and poor.

St. Catherine of Siena wrote that the Lord’s sufferings are impossible for us to comprehend, but the open heart of Christ enables us to have a lively personal encounter with his boundless love. Catherine’s “Dialogue on Divine Providence” records a conversation she had with God in which he said to her: “I wished to reveal to you the secret of my heart, allowing you to see it open, so that you can understand that I have loved you so much more than I could have proved to you by the suffering that I once endured.”

St. John Paul II described Christ’s heart as “the Holy Spirit’s masterpiece” and saw it as foundational for building a “civilization of love.” In a general audience in the first year of his papacy, John Paul II spoke about “the mystery of the heart of Christ” and shared that “it has spoken to me ever since my youth.” Throughout his pontificate, he taught that “the Savior’s heart invites us to return to the Father’s love, which is the source of every authentic love.”

“The men and women of the third millennium need the heart of Christ in order to know God and to know themselves; they need it to build the civilization of love,” John Paul II said in 1994.

St. Bernard preached on the importance of loving Jesus with “the full and deep affection of all your heart.” He described Christ’s pierced side as a revelation of the outpouring of the Lord’s love from his compassionate heart. In the year 1072, he preached: “Those who crucified him pierced his hands and feet … A lance passed through his soul even to the region of his heart. No longer is he unable to take pity on my weakness. The wounds inflicted on his body have disclosed to us the secrets of his heart; they enable us to contemplate the great mystery of his compassion.”

St. Bonaventure presents the heart of Christ as the source of the sacraments and of grace. In his treatise “Lignum Vitae,” Bonaventure that in the blood and water flowing from the wounded side of Christ, the price of our salvation flows “from the hidden wellspring of his heart, enabling the Church’s sacraments to confer the life of grace and thus to be, for those who live in Christ, like a cup filled from the living fount springing up to life eternal.”

St. John Eudes wrote the propers for the Mass of the Sacred Heart and was an ardent proponent of the devotion. describes how St. John Eudes convinced the bishop of the Rennes Diocese in France to approve the celebration of the feast of the “Adorable Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” the first time that such a feast was officially authorized in the Church. The following year, five more bishops in France authorized the celebration of the feast in their dioceses.

St. Charles de Foucauld made it his mission to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus, adopting an image of the cross planted in the heart of Christ as his emblem. He consecrated himself to Christ’s heart, believing that he must “embrace all men and women” like the heart of Jesus. He made a promise in 1906 to “let the heart of Jesus live in me, so that it is no longer I who live, but the heart of Jesus that lives in me, as he lived in Nazareth.”

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that the phrase “heart of Christ” can refer to sacred Scripture, “which makes known his heart.” The encyclical quotes St. Thomas Aquinas’ theological exposition of the Gospel of St. John in which he wrote that whenever someone “hastens to share various gifts of grace received from God, living water flows from his heart.”

St. Thérèse of Lisieux felt an intimate bond with Jesus’ heart. At age 15, she could speak of Jesus as the one “whose heart beats in unison with my own.” One of her sisters took as her religious name “Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart,” and the monastery that Thérèse entered was dedicated to the Sacred Heart. She wrote in a letter to a priest: “Ever since I have been given the grace to understand also the love of the heart of Jesus, I admit that it has expelled all fear from my heart. The remembrance of my faults humbles me, draws me never to depend on my strength, which is only weakness, but this remembrance speaks to me of mercy and love even more.”

St. John of the Cross viewed the image of Christ’s pierced side as an invitation to full union with the Lord. In his poetry, he portrayed Christ as a wounded stag, comforted by the soul that turns to him. John sought to explain that in mystical experience, the infinite love of the risen Christ “condescends” to enable us, through the open heart of Christ, to experience an encounter of truly reciprocal love. 

The encyclical repeatedly quotes St. Ambrose, who offered a reflection on Jesus as the source of “living water.” He wrote: “Drink of Christ, for he is the rock that pours forth a flood of water. Drink of Christ, for he is the source of life. Drink of Christ, for he is the river whose streams gladden the city of God. Drink of Christ, for he is our peace. Drink of Christ, for from his side flows living water.”

St. Augustine “opened the way to devotion to the Sacred Heart as the locus of our personal encounter with the Lord,” according to . “For Augustine, Christ’s wounded side is not only the source of grace and the sacraments but also the symbol of our intimate union with Christ, the setting of an encounter of love.” In his “Tractates on the Gospel of John,” Augustine reflects on how when John, the beloved disciple, reclined on Jesus’ bosom at the Last Supper, he drew near to the secret place of wisdom.

In his “Spiritual Exercises,” St. Ignatius encourages retreatants to contemplate the wounded side of the crucified Lord to enter into the heart of Christ. Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, which has promoted devotion to Jesus’ divine heart for more than a century. The society was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1871.

St. Daniel Comboni saw the heart of Jesus as the source of strength for his missionary work in Africa. He founded the Sons of the Sacred Heart Jesus, which today are known as the Comboni Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as the Comboni Missionary Sisters. The saintly missionary once said: “This divine heart, which let itself be pierced by an enemy’s lance in order to pour forth through that sacred wound the sacraments by which the Church was formed, has never ceased to love.”

Vatican City, Jun 26, 2025 / 16:32 pm (CNA).

As part of the Jubilee of Seminarians, Bishops, and Priests, Pope Leo XIV met June 26 in the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome with the “joyful priests” responsible for vocations ministry and seminary formation.

The event was organized by the Vatican Dicastery for the Clergy with the theme taken from St. John’s Gospel: “I have called you friends.” Also present was Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the dicastery, whom the pontiff thanked for his “extensive and beautiful” work, which is often carried out “in silence and discretion.”

At the beginning of his address, the Holy Father encouraged the priests to cultivate “creativity, co-responsibility, and communion in the Church, so that what is sown with dedication and generosity in so many communities may become light and encouragement for all.”

Referring to Jesus’ words “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15), the pope explained that this is “an authentic key to understanding the priestly ministry.” 

“The priest, in fact, is a friend of the Lord, called to live with him a personal and trusting relationship, nourished by the Word, the celebration of the sacraments, and daily prayer.”

For Pope Leo XIV, this friendship with Christ “is the spiritual foundation of the ordained ministry, the meaning of our celibacy, and the energy of the ecclesial service to which we dedicate our lives.” This friendship, he emphasized, “sustains us in times of trial and allows us to renew each day the ‘yes’ pronounced at the beginning of our vocation.”

The pontiff then clarified that becoming a friend of Christ “means being formed in relationships, not just in abilities.” He therefore emphasized that “priestly formation cannot be reduced to the acquisition of concepts but is a journey of familiarity with the Lord that engages the whole person — heart, intelligence, freedom — and transforms him into the image of the Good Shepherd.”

“Only those who live in friendship with Christ and are imbued with his Spirit can proclaim with authenticity, console with compassion, and guide with wisdom. This requires attentive listening, meditation, and a rich and orderly interior life,” he added.

The pope also emphasized that fraternity is “an essential aspect of priestly life,” since becoming a friend of Christ “involves living as brothers among priests and among bishops, not as competitors or isolated individuals.”

He thus urged forging strong bonds among priests “as an expression of a synodal Church, in which we grow together by sharing the joys and the painful moments of the ministry.”

For Leo XIV, forming priests who are friends of Christ means “forming men capable of loving, listening, praying, and serving as a community.” He thus reiterated that “it is necessary to pay great attention to the preparation of the formators, since the effectiveness of their work depends above all on the example of life and the communion among them.”

“The very existence of seminaries reminds us that the formation of future ordained ministers cannot happen in isolation,” he emphasized.

Referring to vocations, the pontiff noted that, despite the signs of crisis affecting the life and mission of priests, “God continues to call and remains faithful to his promises,” and Leo therefore called for the creation of appropriate conditions “to hear his voice.”

In this regard, he expressed the importance of creating “environments and forms of youth ministry imbued with the Gospel, where vocations to the total gift of self can emerge and mature. Have the courage to offer powerful and liberating proposals!” he exclaimed.

He also pointed to the challenges of our time: “Many seem to have strayed from the faith, yet deep within many people, especially young people, there is a thirst for the infinite and for salvation. Many feel an absence of God, even though every human being is made for him, and the Father’s plan is to make Christ the heart of the world.”

Given this longing, he encouraged priests to rediscover together “the missionary impetus” to be credible witnesses of the vocation they have received. “When one believes, it shows: The happiness of the minister reflects his encounter with Christ, sustaining him in mission and service.”

He also thanked the priests for their daily dedication, especially in formation centers, on the existential peripheries, and in difficult, sometimes dangerous, places. 

“Remembering the priests who have given their lives, even shedding their blood, we renew today our readiness to live, without reservations, an apostolate of compassion and joy,” he said.

“Thank you for what you are. Because you remind us all that being a priest is beautiful, and that every call from the Lord is, above all, a call to his joy. We are not perfect, but we are friends of Christ, brothers and sisters among ourselves, and children of his tender mother, Mary, and that is enough for us,” the Holy Father added.

Vatican City, Jun 26, 2025 / 15:29 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday denounced violations of international and humanitarian law in Gaza and Ukraine, lamenting the “diabolical intensity” of the violent conflicts and criticizing rearmament policies.

In to the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO by its Italian acronym) — the operational arm of the Holy See that provides assistance to the Eastern Churches — the pope lamented the imposition “of the principle of ‘might makes right’” in these territories “all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest.”

“It is troubling to see that the force of international law and humanitarian law seems no longer to be binding, replaced by the alleged right to coerce others. This is unworthy of our humanity, shameful for all mankind and for the leaders of nations,” the pontiff emphasized.

Pope Leo called on the international community to examine the causes of these conflicts. Specifically, he urged them to “identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them. But also to reject those that are false, the result of emotional manipulation and rhetoric, and to make every effort to bring them to light.”

“People must not die from fake news,” he insisted, without elaborating on what type of information he was referring to.

He then asked: “How can we continue to betray the desire of the world’s peoples for peace with propaganda about weapons buildup, as if military supremacy will resolve problems instead of fueling even greater hatred and desire for revenge?”

Two days after the 32 member states of NATO committed to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) over 10 years, the pope insisted that spending on defense weapons is not the solution to curbing conflicts.

“People are beginning to realize the amount of money that ends up in the pockets of merchants of death; money that could be used to build new hospitals and schools is instead being used to destroy those that already exist!” he exclaimed.

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches and president of ROACO, as well as representatives of the Catholic agencies that are part of ROACO, participated in the Vatican audience, which followed the aid organization’s 98th assembly held June 24–25. At their assembly they analyzed the situation in the Holy Land (especially in Gaza), Armenia, Syria, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and other areas where the Holy See’s diplomatic action is focused. 

In this regard, Leo XIV lamented “the physical absence of those who were to have come from the Holy Land but proved unable to make the journey” because of flight restrictions due to the conflict.

He thanked all of them for the work of hope that ROACO does in these countries, which are “are devastated by wars, plundered by special interests, and covered by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic.” The Holy Father criticized the violence of war that is raging “with a diabolical intensity previously unknown.”

He noted that the history of the Eastern Catholic Churches has also been marked by “oppression and misunderstanding within the Catholic community itself, which at times failed to acknowledge and appreciate the value of traditions other than those of the West.”

Leo XIV noted that — in addition to being peacemakers and promoting dialogue — Christians “first and foremost really need to pray” and bear witness.

“It is up to us to make every tragic news story, every newsreel that we see, a cry of intercession before God,” he exhorted.

He also asked Christians to remain faithful to Jesus “without allowing ourselves to end up in the clutches of power.”

The pontiff praised the beauty of Eastern traditions but lamented that in the Catholic Church they are “still largely unknown.”

“Their sense of the sacred, their deep faith, confirmed by suffering, and their spirituality, redolent of the divine mysteries, can benefit the thirst for God, latent yet present in the West,” he added.

The pope therefore said it is necessary to “organize basic courses on the Eastern Churches in seminaries, theological faculties, and Catholic universities.”

“Eastern Catholics today are no longer our distant cousins who celebrate unfamiliar rites but our brothers and sisters who, due to forced migration, are our next-door neighbors,” he said.

Vatican City, Jun 26, 2025 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis’ biggest legacy regarding synodality is “as a style, an attitude that helps us to be Church,” Pope Leo XIV said Thursday in a meeting with synod leaders.

The pope addressed the synod’s 16th ordinary council at its offices just outside the Vatican, where members are meeting June 26–27.

While time did not permit Leo to stay for the entire afternoon session, he briefly addressed the bishop and three non-bishop participants before making himself available to answer questions.

“Pope Francis has given a new impetus to the Synod of Bishops, referring, as he has repeatedly stated, to St. Paul VI,” the current pontiff said. “And the legacy he has left us seems to me to be above all this: that synodality is a style, an attitude that helps us to be Church, promoting authentic experiences of participation and communion.”

Leo added that Francis promoted this concept in the various synodal assemblies that took place during his pontificate, “especially those on the family, and then he has made it flow into the latest path, dedicated precisely to synodality.”

The 2014 and 2015 synods on the family were marked by controversy over proposals to allow divorced Catholics who remarry without an annulment to receive Communion. Pope Francis later made it possible for some people in such irregular unions to receive Communion after a process of discernment with a priest.

In his speech on Thursday, Leo encouraged the Synod of Bishops, which he said “naturally retains its institutional physiognomy,” to gather the fruits that have matured during Francis’ pontificate “and to make a forward-looking reflection.”

The ordinary council of the General Secretariat of the Synod is “responsible for the preparation and realization of the Ordinary General Assembly” of the Synod of Bishops.

The members of the 16th ordinary council are all bishops, except for two women, who were appointed by Pope Francis in December 2024: consecrated woman María Lía Zervino, former president of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, and , prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Pope Francis’ other appointees to the council are Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, the archbishop of Luxembourg and relator general of the Synod on Synodality, and Cardinal Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin, Italy.

The were elected to the council last October, including Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas. The pope is considered the council’s chairman.

Council meetings are also attended by the synod secretariat’s permanent leaders, secretary general Cardinal Mario Grech and undersecretaries Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, and Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ.

Introducing the gathering June 26, Grech said: “I am convinced that it is the task of the General Secretariat of the Synod to accompany the synodal process with initiatives that, without overlapping with the protagonism of the local Churches and their groupings, help to develop the synodal and missionary dimension of the Church.”

“Let us invoke the Holy Spirit to guide us and enlighten us in discerning the paths that he suggests to the Church, in fidelity to the risen Lord,” the cardinal said. “We have all participated in the synodal process. Indeed, you are here because the assembly has recognized you as credible interpreters of synodality.”