Vatican News

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 28, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday encouraged Catholic politicians to live coherently as Christians and follow the Gospel, even when performing their public duties in a secular polity. 

During an Aug. 28 meeting with a delegation of political representatives and civic leaders from the Diocese of Créteil, France, accompanied by Bishop Dominique Blanchet, the Holy Father stated that “a more just, more human, more fraternal world” can only be “a world more imbued with the Gospel.”

Thus, he added, “in the face of the various deviations present in our Western societies, we can do nothing better, as Christians, than to turn to Christ and ask for his help in carrying out our responsibilities.”

For this reason, the pope highlighted the importance of political and social leaders being committed to acting in coherence with their faith, because “beyond mere personal enrichment, it carries great importance and usefulness for the men and women they serve.” 

In this regard, he underlined that such determination “is all the more praiseworthy considering that, in France, due to a sometimes-misunderstood secularism, it is not easy for an elected representative to act and decide consistently with their faith.” 

Because the Christian message embraces every dimension of the human person, Leo XIV stressed that “Christianity cannot be reduced to a mere private devotion, since it entails a way of living in society infused with love for God and neighbor, who in Christ is no longer an enemy but a brother.” 

To face social challenges, the Holy Father said Catholic politicians must rely “on the virtue of charity that dwells within them since baptism,” a gift of God that, as he cited from the , constitutes a “force capable of inspiring new paths to address today’s problems and to renew profoundly from within structures, social organizations, and legal norms,” bringing charity from the personal realm into the social and political one because “it makes us love the common good and leads us to effectively seek the good of all.” 

Pope Leo XIV also noted that the Christian politician “is better prepared to face the challenges of today’s world, provided, of course, that he lives and bears witness to his faith in him, to his personal relationship with Christ.” 

In this sense, he warned against the temptation to promote values “however evangelical they may be, but ‘emptied’ of Christ, their author,” since they will be “incapable of changing the world.” 

Responding to Blanchet’s request for advice to Catholic politicians, Leo XIV replied: “The first and only one I will give you is to unite yourselves more and more to Jesus, to live and bear witness to him.” 

“There is no split in the personality of a public figure: There is not, on one side, the politician and, on the other, the Christian. Rather, there is a politician who, under God’s gaze and before his conscience, lives his commitments and responsibilities as a Christian!” he added.

To achieve such coherence of life, the pope recalled the call for Catholic politicians “to strengthen themselves in faith, to deepen their knowledge of doctrine — especially social doctrine — that Jesus taught the world, and to put it into practice in carrying out their duties and in drafting laws.” 

He also affirmed the enduring validity of natural law, a norm “that all can recognize, even non-Christians. Therefore, we should not fear proposing it and defending it with conviction: It is a doctrine of salvation that seeks the good of every human being, the building of peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and reconciled societies.”

At the end of his address, the pope acknowledged that “an openly Christian commitment by a public official is not easy, especially in certain Western societies where Christ and his Church are marginalized, often ignored, and at times ridiculed.” 

Such a commitment also means facing political pressures, including that of “ideological colonization,” Leo said, using a term coined by his predecessor Pope Francis to refer to campaigns by wealthy countries and organizations to influence the values of developing nations.  Leo said that Christian public officials “need courage: the courage sometimes to say ‘no, I cannot,’ when the truth is at stake.” 

“Only union with Jesus — Jesus crucified! — will give you that courage to suffer for his name,” the pontiff declared, recalling Christ’s words: “In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage: I have overcome the world.” 

In conclusion, the pope expressed his support for Catholic politicians and encouraged them not to lose hope in a better world: “Remain certain that, united to Christ, your efforts will bear fruit and receive their reward.”

CNA Staff, Aug 27, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said he was offering prayers for the victims of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, one he described as an “extremely difficult” and “terrible” tragedy.

Two children were killed in in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, with the gunman taking his own life after the deadly attack during the parochial school Mass.

Law enforcement were still working to determine a motive to the shooting on Wednesday afternoon. In his telegram to Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda, meanwhile, Leo said he was “profoundly saddened” at the news of the killings.

The pope “sends his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness” to the victims of the shooting, said the telegram, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. 

Leo “sends his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child,” the message said. 

“While commending the souls of the deceased children to the love of Almighty God, His Holiness prays for the wounded as well as the first responders, medical personnel, and clergy who are caring for them and their loved ones,” the message continued. 

The pope offered an apostolic blessing to the archdiocese “as a pledge of peace, fortitude, and consolation in the Lord Jesus.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement lamenting the loss of life in the deadly shooting. 

“Whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children,” USCCB Vice President Archbishop William Lori

“Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”

The remarks from the pope and the U.S. bishops come amid an outpouring of grief and support from around the U.S. and the world.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning said the White House was monitoring the situation. “Please join me in praying for everyone involved!” he wrote. The president subsequently ordered the U.S. flags at the White House to be lowered to half staff in honor of the victims of the shooting.

Numerous other U.S. bishops responded to the tragedy as well. “Please join me in praying for all those who were injured or lost their lives — along with their families,” Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron said. “Let us also pray for the students, faculty, and entire parish community.”

The New York State Catholic Conference, meanwhile, wrote that the state’s bishops were “devastated” by the shooting.

Rome Newsroom, Aug 27, 2025 / 13:40 pm (CNA).

Since the fourth century, Christians have revered St. Monica, the mother of Church Father St. Augustine, as a woman of unwavering faith in God.

In an interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato, two Augustinian priests living in Rome explain why the woman they refer to as their “grandmother” continues to be a source of hope and inspiration, especially for Catholic wives and mothers.

Father Angelo Di Berardino, OSA, who has worked and lived at the Augustinian International College of Santa Monica in Rome for 50 years, said St. Monica had a great interior strength that influenced all members of her family.

“Respecting her husband, she was able to convert him,” Di Berardino told EWTN News. “Then, she was a strong woman to educate her three children, especially Augustine.”

“I think she was so strong in her life, in her prayer, that she had a great influence on the great theologian Augustine,” he added.

According to Order of St. Augustine procurator general Father Edward Daleng Daniang, OSA, St. Monica is the saint to turn to for spouses who feel alone in their desire to create a Christian family home.

“St. Monica did not have it easy with her husband Patrick,” he said. “She tried to win him with her love, with her patience and endurance and tolerance and, above all, bringing her husband to God through prayer.”

Describing the ancient saint as a “living example” of a mother who does not give up on her children, Daniang said those struggling with their children can have hope that their prayers, and tears, are never wasted.

“St. Monica was struggling with her son St. Augustine who wandered away from home,” he said. “He left Monica, his mother, to come to Italy in those days and Monica did not give up.”

“He left the faith which she tried to transmit to him but she did not give up,” he emphasized.

Following her son to Italy, Daniang said her main intention of leaving Africa was not to bring her son back home but to lead her son to Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul.

“St. Monica stands as someone who led her husband to God, to Christ, and also brought her son St. Augustine to Christ,” he said.

“That’s bringing the unity of family together,” he added.

Vatican City, Aug 27, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

We find true hope when we give of ourselves freely and with love — encountering suffering, not running away from it, Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly audience with the public on Wednesday.

Addressing thousands of pilgrims in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the pope emphasized Jesus’ embrace of suffering, when he gave himself up to be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion.

Jesus “is not the victim of an arrest but the giver of a gift,” Leo said on Aug. 27. “In this gesture, he embodies a hope of salvation for our humanity: to know that, even in the darkest hour, one can remain free to love to the end.”

The pontiff said Jesus’ actions show us what it is to be free.

“In life, it is not necessary to have everything under control. It is enough to choose to love freely every day,” he underlined.

Leo’s general audience message centered on the scene that begins Jesus’ passion: his arrest. Despite knowing what is going to happen to him, the Lord does not retreat but “gives himself up” out of love to the soldiers who have come to arrest him.

“In the middle of the night, when everything seems to be falling apart, Jesus shows that Christian hope is not evasion, but decision,” the pope said.

Speaking to a packed hall, he recalled that Jesus prepared every day of his life for the moment of his arrest and subsequent passion and death. “For this reason, when it arrives, he has the strength not to seek a way of escape. His heart knows well that to lose life for love is not a failure.”

“Jesus too is troubled when faced with a path that seems to lead only to death and to the end,” Leo continued. “But he is equally persuaded that only a life lost for love, at the end, is ultimately found.”

“This,” the pontiff said, “is what true hope consists of: not in trying to avoid pain but in believing that even in the heart of the most unjust suffering, the seed of new life is hidden.”

He asked those listening to reflect on their lives and to think about how often they defend themselves and their own plans, without realizing that it leaves them, ultimately, alone.

“The logic of the Gospel is different: Only what is given flourishes; only the love that becomes free can restore trust even where everything seems lost,” he said, adding that “this is true hope: knowing that, even in the darkness of trial, God’s love sustains us and ripens the fruit of eternal life in us.”

During his greeting to Spanish-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo recalled the Church’s Aug. 27 celebration of the feast of St. Monica and the Aug. 28 feast of St. Augustine, Monica’s son.

“Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of these beloved saints, that we may know — following the logic of the Gospel — how to love and give our lives freely and generously, as Christ, our hope, did,” he said.

At the end of the Wednesday audience, the pope added an appeal for the end of wars, especially the conflict in the Holy Land.

“I implore that all hostages be released, that a permanent ceasefire be reached, that safe access for humanitarian aid be facilitated, and that humanitarian rights be fully respected: in particular, the obligation to protect all civilian areas and the prohibition of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force, and forced displacement of the population,” he said.

“We implore Mary, Queen of Peace, source of consolation and hope, to intercede for reconciliation and peace in that land so dear to us all,” Leo added.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 26, 2025 / 15:27 pm (CNA).

On Aug. 27 the Vatican will publish a compilation of Pope Leo’s discourses from the first months of his pontificate in a book signed by the pontiff titled “Let There Be Peace! Words to the Church and the World.”

According to the Vatican publishing house, the 160-page volume, which will be published in Italian, English, and Spanish, “is a valuable book: It collects the first discourses of Pope Leo XIV, through which we can better understand the pontiff through his own words.”

The book’s title underscores the Holy Father’s emphasis on calling for peace, which began from the very moment of his election on May 8, ’:

“Peace be with you all! Dear brothers and sisters, these are the first words spoken by the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for God’s flock. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you! It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.”

According to information provided by the Vatican, the ideas that stand out in the first discourses of Leo XIV’s pontificate include “the primacy of God, communion in the Church, the search for peace.”

The pontiff has also emphasized the fundamental importance of “an irrevocable commitment for anyone who exercises a ministry of authority in the Church: to disappear so that Christ may remain, to become small so that he may be known and glorified.”

Also notable in the book’s first pages are his calls to strive for “a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which may become leaven for a reconciled world.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 26, 2025 / 12:53 pm (CNA).

“Peace Be With You All: Towards an Unarmed and Disarming Peace” will be the theme for the 2026 World Day of Peace, the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced Aug. 26.

This theme, according to a statement from the Vatican Press Office, “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, to embrace an authentic peace, based on love and justice.”

The statement continues: “It is a peace that is unarmed — that is, not based on fear, threats, or weapons; and disarming, because it is capable of dissolving conflicts, opening hearts, and generating trust, empathy, and hope. It is not enough to invoke peace; it must be embodied in a lifestyle that rejects all forms of violence, visible or structural.”

“The greeting of the risen Christ, ‘Peace be with you’ (cf. Jn 20:19), is an invitation to all — believers, nonbelievers, political leaders, and citizens — to build the kingdom of God and to construct together a humane and peaceful future,” the statement concludes.

The World Day of Peace was instituted by Pope Paul VI, who proposed it on Dec. 8, 1967, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Church first celebrated it on Jan. 1, 1968, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

The observance came amid the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and other conflicts.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to inaugurate on Sept. 5 Borgo Laudato Si’, a development dedicated to the care of creation inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 . Located in Castel Gandolfo, the area will be open to the public. 

According to , Borgo Laudato Si’ consists of “135 acres of gardens, villas, archeological sites, and farmland, [and] the project integrates history with a forward-looking commitment to education, sustainability, and community life.”

The site, which has been a summer retreat for popes for centuries, has been dedicated to Pope Francis’ initiative since 2023 to show “how care for creation and respect for human dignity can be made concrete and harmonious according to the principles of faith, through formation, work, and collaboration,” according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.

The center will be inaugurated in the year marking the first decade since the encyclical’s publication with a simple ceremony consisting of the Liturgy of the Word and a rite of blessing.

According to the information released by the Vatican, representatives of the Roman Curia, institutions, and those who have collaborated in launching the project will be present.

Singer Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo will join in the prayer with their artistic gift.

Beforehand, Leo XIV will visit the site, “touring its main spaces and meeting with employees, collaborators, their families, and all the people who, in different ways, animate the life of Borgo Laudato Si’: religious, educators, students, local communities, partners, and benefactors.”

The Vatican presents the event as “the fruit of a journey that intertwines spirituality, education, and sustainability with the aim of offering an open, accessible, and inclusive place for formation, reflection, and the experience of a more conscious and respectful relationship with creation.”

In May, a few days after the 10th anniversary of the publication of , Leo XIV made his first visit to the site. The pontiff subsequently spent a good part of his summer break at Castel Gandolfo, resuming the tradition broken by Pope Francis, who stayed at the Vatican. 

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 25, 2025 / 16:57 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said during an with French altar servers in Rome on Aug. 25, the feast day of St. Louis IX, king of France, that the shortage of priests is “a great misfortune” for the Catholic Church, encouraging them to “persevere faithfully” in their service at the altar.

“I also wish you to be attentive to the call that Jesus might make to you to follow him more closely in the priesthood. I am speaking to your consciences as enthusiastic and generous young people, and I am going to tell you something that you must listen to, even if it worries you a little: the shortage of priests in France is a great misfortune! A misfortune for the Church, a misfortune for your country!” the pontiff said.

Leo XIV began his address by reminding the young people that the jubilee celebrated by the Church every 25 years is “an exceptional occasion” and that, as we pass through the Holy Door, Jesus “helps us to ‘convert,’ that is, to turn toward him, to grow in faith and in his love so that we may become better disciples, and that our lives may be made beautiful and good in his sight, in view of eternal life.”

He therefore invited the altar servers to take advantage of the opportunity to come to Rome, above all by “spending time speaking to Jesus in the depths of your hearts and loving him more and more,” because he desires only “to become your best friend, your most faithful one.”

In the face of the world’s challenges, the pontiff asked: “Who will come to our aid?” He explained that “the answer is perfectly clear and has echoed throughout history for 2,000 years: Only Jesus comes to save us, and no one else: because only he has the power — he is almighty God in person — and because he loves us.”

The “sure proof” that this is so, he went on to explain to the young altar servers, is that “Jesus loves us and saves us: He gave his life for us by offering it on the cross.”

“This is the most wonderful thing about our Catholic faith, something no one could have imagined or expected: God, the creator of heaven and earth, wanted to suffer and die for us, who are creatures. God has loved us to the point of death!” he said.

Regarding the Eucharist, Leo XIV emphasized that it is “the treasure of the Church, the treasure of treasures,” which he described as “the most important event in the life of a Christian and in the life of the Church, because it is the encounter in which God gives himself to us out of love, again and again.”

“Christians do not go to Mass out of obligation but because they absolutely need it; the need for the life of God that is given without return,” the Holy Father emphasized.

After expressing his gratitude for the “very great and generous” service that altar servers provide in their parishes, Leo XIV invited them to “persevere faithfully,” keeping in mind as they approach the altar “the greatness and holiness of what is being celebrated.”

In this sense, he added: “The Mass is a moment of celebration and joy. How can we fail to have a joyful heart in the presence of Jesus? But the Mass is, at the same time, a serious, solemn moment, imbued with gravity. May your attitude, your silence, the dignity of your service, the liturgical beauty, the order and majesty of your gestures, draw the faithful into the sacred grandeur of the mystery.”

It was at this point that the pontiff appealed to the conscience of the altar servers, “enthusiastic and generous young people,” inviting them to heed the possible call to the ordained ministry.

“May you,” the pope added, “little by little, from Sunday to Sunday, discover the beauty, the happiness and the necessity of such a vocation. What a wonderful life is that of the priest who, in the heart of each of his days, encounters Jesus in such an exceptional way and gives him to the world!”

Before imparting his blessing, Leo XIV dismissed those present with words of encouragement: “Your number and the faith that animates you are a great consolation, a sign of hope. Persevere with courage and bear witness to those around you of the pride and joy that comes from serving at Mass.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 25, 2025 / 15:09 pm (CNA).

Over the weekend, Pope Leo XIV received the exiled president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference, Bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez, who was from the Central American country by the Daniel Ortega dictatorship in November 2024.

On Aug. 23, the Vatican press office said that “this morning the Holy Father received in audience His Eminence Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez, OFM, bishop of Jinotega (Nicaragua)."

As is customary with these types of audiences, the Vatican did not offer further details about the meeting.

Herrera has been president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference since 2022. In 2024, under intense persecution by the dictatorship of Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo, Herrera was expelled from the country after criticizing a pro-Ortega mayor who interfered with a Mass by blasting loud music in front of the cathedral.

ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, confirmed that after the bishop’s expulsion, he was taken in by a Franciscan community in Guatemala.

Nicaragua has nine bishops, four of whom live in exile. In addition to Herrera, those forced to leave the country are , auxiliary bishop of Managua; , bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí; and , bishop of Siuna.

Before being deported, Álvarez spent 17 months in detention, first under house arrest and then in prison, and was stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship.

Among the many attacks on the Church perpetrated by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship, the then-apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, from Nicaragua in March 2022. This led to the severance of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

In March 2023, Pope Francis harshly criticized Ortega, stating that he must be suffering from some personal “imbalance” and comparing his regime to the “crude dictatorships” of the early 20th century.

“I believe that Pope Leo XIV will be , a defender and champion of the faith of the Nicaraguan people, with the strength of a lion and the humility of a lamb,” Arturo McFields Yescas, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States, who is in exile for denouncing the dictatorship’s excesses, told ACI Prensa in May.

Although Pope Leo XIV has not yet spoken publicly about Nicaragua, McFields Yescas commented that currently “there is much hope” because despite the dictatorship’s relentless attacks, “the faith remains free and remains strengthened in the midst of persecution.”

One of the regime’s latest attacks has been the of the iconic St. Joseph School in Jinotepe, an event described by Martha Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer and researcher in exile, as “an outrage against religious freedom.”

Molina is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which in its latest edition reports by the dictatorship against the Church.

Vatican City, Aug 24, 2025 / 10:10 am (CNA).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked his country’s Independence Day on Sunday by posting a letter from Pope Leo XIV in which the pope assured him of prayers for Ukrainians suffering in the war and urged that “the clamor of arms may fall silent and give way to dialogue.”

“With a heart wounded by the violence that ravages your land, I address you on this day of your national feast,” the pope wrote in the letter, which Zelenskyy shared on the social media platform X on Aug. 24. The Vatican’s official media outlet, Vatican News, published an article attributing the message to Pope Leo XIV.

“I wish to assure you of my prayer for the people of Ukraine who suffer from war — especially for all those wounded in body, for those bereaved by the death of a loved one, and for those deprived of their homes,” the pope said. “May God himself console them; may he strengthen the injured and grant eternal rest to the departed.”

The pope said he was entrusting Ukraine “to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace,” and prayed that “the path to peace for the good of all” would be opened.

Zelenskyy, in his X post, thanked the pope: “I am sincerely grateful to His Holiness for his thoughtful words, prayer, and attention to the people of Ukraine amid devastating war. All of our hopes and efforts are for our nation to achieve the long-awaited peace. For good, trust, and justice to prevail. We appreciate @pontifex’s moral leadership and apostolic support.”

The papal message was one of a flurry of Independence Day letters Zelenskyy posted online from world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Charles III of Britain, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, French President Emmanuel Macron, and King Felipe VI of Spain.

Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated annually on Aug. 24, commemorates the country’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

The pope’s message came two days after he for peace, coinciding with the Aug. 22 feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In July, Zelenskyy , the pope’s summer residence, in their second encounter since the pope’s inauguration Mass in May. According to the Vatican, they discussed “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace,” and Pope Leo reaffirmed his willingness to host representatives of Russia and Ukraine for possible negotiations.

Vatican City, Aug 24, 2025 / 08:20 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that Jesus calls Christians to enter through the narrow gate and challenges the presumption of those who assume they are already saved.

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Aug. 24, the pope reflected on in which Jesus says: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able” (Lk 13:22-30).

Jesus, the pope said, “did not choose the easy path of success or power; instead, in order to save us, he loved us to the point of walking through the ‘narrow gate’ of the cross.”

There are times when following the Lord, he added, will require “making difficult and unpopular decisions, resisting our selfish inclinations, placing ourselves at the service of others, and persevering in doing what is right when the logic of evil seems to prevail.”

In his , Pope Leo said that Jesus calls into question what he described as “the security of believers” and added that the Lord’s words about the “narrow gate” are “meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts and feel that is all that is needed.”

“Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our decisions, when it makes us women and men committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did,” he said.

“Jesus is the true measure of our faith; he is the gate through which we must pass in order to be saved (cf. Jn 10:9) by experiencing his love and by working, in our daily lives, to promote justice and peace,” Leo added.

“Let us ask the Virgin Mary to help us find the courage to pass through the ‘narrow gate’ of the Gospel, so that we may open ourselves with joy to the wide embrace of God our loving Father.”

After leading the crowd in the Angelus prayer in Latin, the pope turned his thoughts to Christians suffering violence in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.

“I express my closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, who have become victims of an unsecure and violent situation that continues to cause death and displacement. In asking you not to forget these brothers and sisters of ours, I invite you to pray for them, and I express my hope that the efforts of the country’s leaders will succeed in restoring security and peace in that territory,” he said.

He also renewed prayers for Ukraine, days after calling for a worldwide day of prayer and fasting for peace. “Today, we join our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who, with the spiritual initiative ‘World Prayer for Ukraine,’ are asking the Lord to grant peace to their tormented country,” he said.

Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X a letter from the pope in which Leo assured him of his prayer for the people suffering in Ukraine and that a path to peace for the good of all will be opened. 

Vatican City, Aug 23, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic lawmakers to draw inspiration from St. Augustine’s “City of God” as they navigate shifting global politics, warning against reducing the idea of human flourishing to mere wealth or consumer comfort.

Speaking to the International Catholic Legislators Network in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the pope called on parliamentarians to ensure that “power is tamed by conscience and law is at the service of human dignity.”

“Authentic human flourishing is seen when individuals live virtuously, when they live in healthy communities, enjoying not only what they have, what they possess, but also who they are as children of God,” he .

“It ensures the freedom to seek truth, to worship God, and to raise families in peace. It also includes a harmony with creation and a sense of solidarity across social classes and nations.”

The , founded in 2010 by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and British peer David Alton, gathers Catholic parliamentarians annually in Rome to discuss religious liberty, Church-state relations, the protection of life, and the role of Catholic thought in politics.

This year’s four-day meeting in Rome took up the theme “The New World Order: Major Power Politics, Corporate Dominions, and the Future of Human Flourishing.”

In his speech, Pope Leo pointed to St. Augustine of Hippo, who wrote “The City of God” during the collapse of the Roman Empire.

“To find our footing in the present circumstances — especially you as Catholic legislators and political leaders — I suggest that we might look to the past, to that towering figure of St. Augustine of Hippo,” he said.

“As a leading voice of the Church in the late Roman era, he witnessed immense upheavals and social disintegration. In response, he penned ‘The City of God,’ a work that offers a vision of hope, a vision of meaning that can still speak to us today.”

The pope shared how Augustine taught that there are two “cities” intertwined in human history that signify two orientations of the human heart: “The City of Man, built on pride and love of oneself, is marked by the pursuit of power, prestige, and pleasure; the City of God, built on love of God unto selflessness, is characterized by justice, charity, and humility.”

Leo said that lawmakers are called to act as “bridge-builders between the City of God and the City of Man.”

“Augustine encouraged Christians to infuse the earthly society with the values of God’s kingdom, thereby directing history toward its ultimate fulfillment in God, while also allowing for authentic human flourishing in this life,” he said.

“The future of human flourishing depends on which ‘love’ we choose to organize our society around — a selfish love, the love of self, or the love of God and neighbor.”

Pope Leo also challenged prevailing cultural notions of progress and development. “We must clarify the meaning of human flourishing. Today, a flourishing life is often confused with a materially wealthy life or a life of unrestricted individual autonomy and pleasure,” he said.

“The so-called ideal future presented to us is often one of technological convenience and consumer satisfaction. Yet we know that this is not enough. We see this in affluent societies where many people struggle with loneliness, with despair and a sense of meaninglessness.”

Instead, he insisted, true flourishing stems from what the Church calls “integral human development,” or “the full development of a person in all dimensions: physical, social, cultural, moral, and spiritual.”

“This vision for the human person is rooted in natural law, the moral order that God has written on the human heart, whose deeper truths are illuminated by the Gospel of Christ,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the Order of St. Augustine, also known as the Augustinians, an ancient religious order with thousands of members worldwide. Leo served as the head of the order from 2001 to 2013.

In the first months of his pontificate, Pope Leo has cited his spiritual father, St. Augustine, on multiple occasions, establishing a pastoral approach deeply rooted in the Augustinian tradition.

Before greeting the lawmakers one by one, the pope thanked them for “bringing the Gospel message into the public arena.”

“Be assured of my prayers for you, your loved ones, your families, your friends, and especially today for those whom you serve,” he said. “May the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, bless and guide your efforts for the true flourishing of the human family.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 22, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has issued an ecumenical appeal to all Christians to be architects of reconciliation and peace throughout the world on the occasion of Ecumenical Week, which is being celebrated in Stockholm Aug. 18–24.

In a published Aug. 22 by the Vatican press office, the pontiff recalled that this initiative, in which Christians of different denominations participate, coincides with the centenary of the Christian Conference on Life and Work held in Stockholm in 1925 and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Regarding the council held in 325, Leo XIV explained that with the formulation of the Creed, the Council Fathers “articulated the faith that continues to bind Christians together,” making that occasion “a courageous sign of unity amid difference — an early witness to the conviction that our shared confession can overcome division and foster communion.”

Regarding the meeting convened in Stockholm 100 years ago, the pope emphasized that its proponent “the pioneer of the early ecumenical movement, Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, Lutheran archbishop of Uppsala,” held the conviction that “service unites” and proposed joining forces in “‘practical Christianity’ — to serve the world together in the pursuit of peace, justice, and human dignity.”

Leo XIV noted that, although the Catholic Church was not present at that first meeting, “we stand with you today as fellow disciples of Christ, recognizing that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.”

He emphasized that since the Second Vatican Council, “the Catholic Church has wholeheartedly embraced the ecumenical path,” reflected in the decree , which called “dialogue in humble and loving fraternity, grounded in our common baptism and our shared mission in the world.”

“We believe that the unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible and that such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible, and shared witness in the face of humanity’s suffering,” the pontiff said in his message.

Leo XIV also highlighted the theme of this year’s meeting, “Time for God’s Peace,” as a message that “could not be more timely” as we contemplate “the deep scars of conflict, inequality, environmental degradation, and a growing sense of spiritual disconnection.”

Peace, the Holy Father emphasized, “is not merely a human achievement but a sign of the Lord’s presence with us. This is both a promise and a task, for the followers of Christ are summoned to become artisans of reconciliation: to confront division with courage, indifference with compassion, and to bring healing where there has been hurt.”

In reference to the ecumenical work carried out by his predecessors, Leo XIV said he is pleased that during the ecumenical meeting “my delegation is able to be present as a sign of the Catholic Church’s commitment to continuing the journey of praying and working together, wherever we can, for peace, justice, and the good of all.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 21, 2025 / 12:42 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has called for a day of fasting and prayer for peace on Friday, Aug. 22, coinciding with the liturgical feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Holy Father made the announcement Aug. 20 during his greeting to Italian-speaking pilgrims at the conclusion of the catechesis for the, recalling that Our Lady, in addition to being queen, is “also invoked as Queen of Peace.”

“While our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world, I invite all the faithful to devote the day of Aug. 22 to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts,” the pontiff said.

“Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace,” he prayed.

On Tuesday evening at Castel Gandolfo, Leo XIV expressed his hope for a solution to the crisis of the war in Ukraine but emphasized the need to continue to “work hard, pray hard” for peace. 

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Speaking to reporters at Castel Gandolfo on Aug. 19, Pope Leo XIV expressed hope for an end to the war in Ukraine but noted that hard work and prayer are needed so that the peace negotiations may bear fruit. 

According to , before returning to the Vatican after to the shrine of Our Lady of Mentorella, Mother of Graces, the pontiff spoke with journalists waiting outside the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo about the conflict in the heart of Europe: “There is hope, but we still need to work hard, pray hard, and truly seek the way forward to find peace.” 

Leo XIV made these comments just after 9 p.m. local time after greeting hundreds of pilgrims gathered in the street, some of whom were able to speak briefly with the pontiff.

Asked about his first 100 days as bishop of Rome and successor to St. Peter, the pontiff simply said that they have been “a blessing from God.”

“I receive so much, I believe deeply in the Lord’s grace, and I am very grateful for the welcome I have received. I thank you all,” he said before leaving for the Vatican. 

Before that, Pope Leo XIV did not miss the opportunity to express his gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy Castel Gandolfo, where he hopes to return soon: “Being here is a blessing; I am very happy with the welcome I have received from the people.”

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday invited participants attending the 17th International Congress of Moral Theology in Colombia to reflect on the world’s challenges and conflicts in light of divine revelation revealed through Jesus Christ.

The theme of the two-day congress, held at the San Alfonso University Foundation in the country’s capital, Bogotá, from Aug. 20–21, is “Ethics of the 21st Century: Changes and Conflicts in Society, Gender, AI, and Integral Ecology.”

In an Aug. 20 telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Leo expressed his hope that the international congress will give theologians an opportunity to “find a balanced synthesis” between “the laws of God” and the “dynamics of man’s conscience and freedom” in the spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori.

According to the Holy Father, the Italian saint and Church doctor was a “visible sign of God’s infinite mercy” who assumed a “charitable, understanding, and patient attitude” toward others. 

At the end of the short telegram, Pope Leo invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Seat of Wisdom,” to protect the men and women from various countries participating in the conference.

The 16th edition of the Redemptorist university’s moral theology congress took place in 2023 and focused on the topic of ethical and bioethical challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday continued his catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope” and invited Catholics around the world to dedicate the Aug. 22 feast of the Queenship of Mary to a day of prayer and fasting for world peace.

After delivering his Aug. 20 catechesis to approximately 6,000 international pilgrims gathered inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father urged his listeners to ask the Mother of God and “Queen of Peace” to intercede for those suffering due to war and violence.

“As our world continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world, I invite all the faithful to live the day of Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts,” he said.

“May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace,” he prayed.

In his Wednesday catechesis, the Holy Father emphasized the power of forgiveness shown through the example of Jesus Christ when faced with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of his 12 disciples.

“Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass ... he loved them to the end,” the pope said, citing Chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel.

“To love until the end: Here is the key to understanding Christ’s heart,” he said. “A love that does not cease in the face of rejection, disappointment, even ingratitude.”

Speaking about the link between love and freedom, the Holy Father said Jesus was not blindsided by Judas’ decision but chose to reach out to him even though “his love must pass through the most painful wound” of betrayal.

“Instead of withdrawing, accusing, defending himself ... he continues to love: He washes the feet, dips the bread and offers it,” the pope said during the catechesis.

“He knows that true forgiveness does not await repentance but offers itself first, as a free gift, even before it is accepted,” he added.

According to Leo, the gift of forgiveness is not a sign of “weakness” or “forgetfulness” but a manifestation of “the true face of hope” and salvation.

“It is the ability to set the other free, while loving him to the end,” he said. “Jesus’ love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word.” 

“This is the mystery Jesus accomplishes for us, in which we too, at times, are called to participate,” he said.

Pope Leo spent more than one hour greeting groups of pilgrims who came to the Vatican to see him on Wednesday. 

After the catechesis, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing to those gathered inside the Paul VI Audience Hall, then walked to Piazza del Sant’Uffizio and St. Peter’s Basilica to meet with pilgrims and share a condensed version of his catechesis in Italian, Spanish, and English.

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV could visit Lebanon before the end of the year, the leader of the country’s Maronite Catholics said Tuesday.

In an interview with the Saudi-based television station Al Arabiya, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, said Pope Leo XIV “will come to visit Lebanon sometime between now and December,” adding that he was not sure when the trip would be. 

“The visit will happen after a decision from the Vatican about when it will take place, so until now it’s not yet determined. But preparations for the visit are underway, though the exact timing is still unknown, waiting for the Vatican to announce it,” Raï said. 

The Vatican has not yet announced any official international trips for the new pontiff, but speculation has swirled for months about where his first journeys abroad may take him.

According to veteran Middle East expert and EWTN News contributor Alberto Fernández, the expected visit will likely be connected to a papal trip to Nicaea — located in modern-day İznik in northwestern Turkey — to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The most likely date is , when a Catholic delegation traditionally visits Turkey. 

Reports have also suggested that Pope Leo XIV could add other stops to a Turkey visit. The , CNA’s sister news partner, reported last month that a papal visit to Algeria — following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, who was bishop of Hippo in what is now Annaba — was among itineraries under consideration. Lebanon has now emerged as another possible destination.

A papal trip to Lebanon was long discussed under Pope Francis, but the Francis publicly expressed his desire to visit Lebanon during an in-flight press conference returning from Iraq in March 2021. A few months later, Vatican officials said a visit would

In April 2022, then-President Michel Aoun that Francis would travel to Lebanon that June, but the trip never materialized. Lebanon was also floated as a potential meeting place between Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after the start of the Ukraine war, an encounter that never happened.

Lebanon endured a prolonged political vacuum after Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. The country remained without a head of state until on Jan. 9, 2025.

The last papal visit to Lebanon was in September 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI visited Beirut and other parts of the country. Since then, Lebanon has been battered by the Syrian civil war, which brought in more than 1.5 million refugees, a financial collapse that saw the Lebanese pound lose 97% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019, and the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020. Electricity outages left citizens with power for only hours a day during the worst of the crisis.

Tensions also remain high along Lebanon’s southern border. During the Gaza war, ’s southern suburbs in September and October 2024. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024, heightening fears of a broader conflict with Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s population of nearly 6 million is about 68% Muslim, divided between Sunnis and Shiites, and about 28% Christian, most of whom are Maronite Catholics, according to 2020 statistics from the Pew Research Center.

While the Vatican has not responded to a request for comment on Raï’s remarks, speculation continues about where Pope Leo XIV may travel in coming years. Spanish Catholics have expressed hope that Leo could visit Barcelona, Spain, next year for the completion of the Sagrada Família. Trips to Peru and the United States have also been discussed for 2026 — a year that will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

National Catholic Register, Aug 19, 2025 / 18:43 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a private visit Tuesday to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mentorella, Mother of Graces, near Rome, underscoring his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A favorite pilgrimage site of St. John Paul II and close to the picturesque mountain town of Capranica Prenestina, it is the fourth Marian shrine the Holy Father has visited since his election on May 8.

The Vatican said in a short statement that after visiting and praying at the shrine, Leo XIV spent some time with members of the Polish Resurrectionist congregation who run the shrine before returning to Castel Gandolfo.

Perched on the top of a small mountain overlooking a vast valley below with breathtaking views, the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella is said to have been founded in the fourth century by Constantine, who wanted to commemorate the site of St. Eustachius’ conversion. Pope Sylvester I had it consecrated around 335, and in the sixth century the land was given to the Benedictine monks at nearby Subiaco.

The shrine’s small church, with its gable façade and ogival windows, dates to the 13th century; behind it is a mystical grotto where St. Benedict is alleged to have lived for two years. During his visit on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV lit a candle and prayed there.

The shrine as it is seen today was developed by Jesuit scholar Father Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century, believing it to be one of the 12 abbeys St. Benedict founded. The pope at that time, Innocent XIII, asked for his heart to be buried there.

The Polish Resurrectionist congregation has looked after the shrine since 1857.

The shrine was the first Marian shrine Pope John Paul II visited after his election in 1978. He made several pilgrimages to Our Lady of Mentorella throughout his pontificate, using it as a place for personal prayer and reflection. During his visits, he used to cherish a hiking path leading to the shrine, now known as the Wojtyla Trail, which makes its way through a captivating landscape of small waterfalls surrounded by red rock.

Benedict XVI also visited the holy site soon after his election in 2005, celebrating Mass there exactly 27 years to the day of John Paul II’s first visit.

Pope Leo has so far visited three other Marian shrines, the first being the Augustinian-run about an hour’s drive from Rome, on May 10, two days after his election. While in Genazzano he left a for Our Lady expressing his devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel and asking for her help in his new mission.

He has also prayed before the “Salus Populi Romani” icon in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome soon after his election — a special place of devotion also for Pope Francis, who is buried there — and on Aug. 17 he celebrated Mass at the near his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.

This week’s visit is therefore just the latest example of Pope Leo’s very apparent Marian devotion. Mariologists such as professor Mark Miravalle of Franciscan University of Steubenville have noted so far — in common with Leo XIII — as well as possibly providential indications such as his papal election on the previous feast of the Mediatrix of All Graces. 

The pope has repeatedly referred to the Blessed Virgin in his addresses and homilies as a source of consolation, hope, and help, particularly for those facing illness and suffering, and encouraging the faithful to to Our Lady. 

This week, the Vatican disclosed that he had in a magazine to a letter from a mother who shared some of her struggles with faith, inviting her to keep the Virgin Mary as a firm point of reference amid difficulties.

In an during a 1978 pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mentorella, Pope John Paul II said the holy site, “hidden among the mountains, particularly fascinated me.”

Noting that the “Mother of Christ went to the hills to say her ‘Magnificat,’” he said that “this is a place in which man opens to God in a special way: [A] place where, far from everything, but also at the same time close to nature, one can speak confidentially to God himself. One feels within one what is man’s personal call.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 14:33 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to the bishops of the Amazon region participating in a meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, this week, reminding them of the importance of caring for nature without becoming slaves or worshippers of it.

In , addressed to Cardinal Pedro Barreto Jimeno, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, the Holy Father thanked the prelates for their “efforts made to promote the greater good of the Church in favor of the faithful of the beloved Amazonian territory.”

Recalling what was learned during the Synod on the Amazon in 2019, the pontiff urged the bishops to seek, based on the unity and collegiality proper to an “episcopal body,” ways to help “diocesan bishops and apostolic vicars concretely and effectively carry out their mission.”

To achieve this, Pope Leo XIV proposed three dimensions: the Church’s mission to proclaim the Gospel to all people, the just treatment of the peoples who live there, and the care of our common home.

“It is necessary that Jesus Christ, in whom all things are encompassed, be announced with clarity and immense charity among the inhabitants of the Amazon,” the pope affirmed, emphasizing the need to “give them the fresh and pure bread of the good news and the heavenly food of the Eucharist, the only means to truly be the people of God and the body of Christ.”

He also emphasized that “wherever the name of Christ is preached, injustice recedes proportionally, for, as the Apostle Paul asserts, all exploitation of man by man disappears if we are able to receive one another as brothers and sisters.”

Within this “perennial doctrine,” the Holy Father emphasized the importance of caring for the “home” that God the Father “has entrusted to us as diligent stewards, so that no one irresponsibly destroys the natural goods that speak of the goodness and beauty of the Creator.”

“Nor, much less, subjects oneself to them as a slave or worshipper of nature, since things have been given to us to attain our end of praising God and thus obtaining the salvation of our souls,” the Holy Father stated, citing St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. 

Vatican City, Aug 19, 2025 / 11:04 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV shared advice with a devout wife and mother in a letter published in the Italian monthly magazine Piazza San Pietro, saying Mary is a guide for all families in times of doubt and uncertainty. 

The Italian magazine — an editorial project initiated by Pope Francis — features a column of letters exchanged between Catholic faithful and the Holy Father. Pope Leo’s letter and a letter from a woman named Laura were published in the magazine’s August edition.

In her letter, Laura shared with the Holy Father that she is blessed with a loving husband but, at times, faces difficulties as a Catholic mother trying to raise children in the faith.  

“I am the mother of three wonderful daughters whom I try to nourish with prayer and the word of the Gospel every day, words that, at times, I fail to translate into action,” she wrote in her letter to the pope.

“The chaotic life and the hectic pace don’t help me appreciate the grace I have around me,” she continued. “I pray every day that the Lord will enlighten me so that I may be a guide for my daughters, and I wonder how the Virgin Mary raised the Lord.”

Describing her faith as “stronger than ever,” Laura said she feared “temptations are taking control” and shared doubts her faith is solid enough to overcome problems affecting her family.

In response, Pope Leo praised the Italian mother’s “enthusiasm for the faith” and “sincerity of heart,” saying that they are a blessing for her and her family.

“Take care of this spiritual treasure, which will always be guarded by the love of God,” he wrote in his letter. “If your point of reference, dear Laura, is Mary, you will be able to face any uncertainty.” 

“When you turn to her, the Virgin leads you to Christ,” he continued. “Mary’s strength is always new and surprising, because she entrusts herself completely to the Son, the Word incarnate through love.”

“And in him, with Mary, we are all one,” he said.

Emphasizing that she is not alone in her struggles to raise a Catholic family, the Holy Father encouraged Laura to share her experiences with others in the Church.

“It can be very important for your journey to share your family’s faith and mission with other families, especially in the parish community, in diocesan settings, with movements or associations,” he said.

“Sharing projects of Christian love,” he continued, “is fundamental to spiritual progress and collaborating with God’s grace and will.

“I bless you and your family; thank you for your kind words,” he wrote at the end of his letter.

Rome Newsroom, Aug 17, 2025 / 07:16 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Sunday Mass at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda together with the poor and Caritas workers, saying Christ’s “fire of love” is what can create peace in society.

During his Aug. 17 homily, the Holy Father said the Church of Jesus is a “Church of the poor,” whose faithful should not seek their own comfort and security at the expense of those most in need.

“The world accustoms us to exchange peace for comfort, goodness for tranquility,” he said. “Some will advise us not to take risks, to spare ourselves, because it is important to be at peace and others do not deserve to be loved.”

”Jesus, on the other hand, immersed himself courageously in our humanity,” he said. 

Expressing gratitude to Caritas staff and volunteers working in the Diocese of Albano, Leo encouraged them to imitate Jesus Christ in his boundless love for the poor.

“I encourage you not to distinguish between those who assist and those who are assisted, between those who seem to give and those who seem to receive, between those who appear poor and those who feel they have time, skills, and help to offer,” he said.

In order to live with a greater sense of unity and communion within the Church, the Holy Father also said genuine love “humbles itself” and lets go of prejudices that cause division and misunderstanding among people.

“The Mass nourishes this decision,” he said. “It is the decision to no longer live for ourselves, to bring fire into the world.”

“Only together, only by becoming one body in which even the most fragile participate with full dignity, are we the body of Christ, the Church of God,” he added.

According to Leo, the “poverty of Christ” enables Christians to reflect deeper on its value in their own lives and communities.

“Let us allow him to enter into the poor, and then we will also make peace with our own poverty, the poverty we fear and deny when we seek tranquility and security at all costs,” he said.

At noon, Pope Leo returned to his summer residence to pray the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in Piazza della Liberta.

Reiterating his Sunday message on self-giving love, the Holy Father encouraged his listeners to continue doing good though it may not always receive a “positive response” from others.   

“Acting in truth has its cost, because there are those in the world who choose lies, and the devil, who takes advantage of the situation, often seeks to block the actions of good people,” he said.

“Jesus, however, invites us with his help not to give in and conform ourselves to this mentality, but to continue to act for our good and the good of all, even those who make us suffer,” he said. 

Asking his listeners to remain faithful to the truth in love, Leo said Christians should not “respond to insolence with vengeance” but live the Gospel message and teachings on charity in spite of opposition.

“Brothers and sisters, let us together ask Mary, Queen of Martyrs, to help us be faithful and courageous witnesses of her Son in every circumstance, and to sustain our brothers and sisters who suffer for the faith today,” he prayed.

At the end of his Angelus address, Pope Leo asked people to pray for the people of Pakistan, India, and Nepal affected by severe flooding in parts of the Asian region. 

“I pray for the victims, for their families, and for all those who suffer because of this calamity,” he said. 

“Let us pray that efforts to bring wars to an end and to promote peace may bear fruit, and that in negotiations the common good of peoples may always be placed first,” he added.

CNA Staff, Aug 16, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has officially reached the 100-day mark of his pontificate. Elected as the 267th pope on May 8, the Holy Father has already participated in several historic moments — including speaking to over a million young people at the Jubilee of Youth — and has had beautiful encounters with the faithful from all over the world.

Here are some of the best moments of Pope Leo meeting pilgrims, visitors, and dignataries during his first 100 days.

In his as pope, the Holy Father appealed for an end to hostilities in Gaza and for the entrance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of decent humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is paid by children, the elderly, and the sick,” he said.

One month to the day since Pope Francis’ April 21 death, Pope Leo also recalled with gratitude the “beloved Pope Francis, who just a month ago returned to the house of the Father.”

One pilgrim in attendance was husband and father Chuma Asuzu. He traveled from Canada with his family to attend the pope’s first general audience.

“He made the point to drive around a lot because it was his first audience, and he looked emotional at the beginning,” he said referring to the pope’s first popemobile ride.

During his first 100 days, Pope Leo has welcomed several notable figures to the Vatican ranging from professional athletes to actors to politicians. Some of these individuals include U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina President Javier Milei, professional tennis player Jannik Sinner, actor Jonathan Roumie, professional soccer team SSC Napoli, and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, among others.

In an interview with EWTN News Correspondent Colm Flynn, Roumie, known for his role portraying Jesus in the series “The Chosen,” called his meeting with the pope “fantastic.”

“He was so kind and so gracious and generous with his time,” he added.

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

In a heartfelt moment, Pope Leo offered 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.

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

“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,” Anna Stevens said.

A Chicago family vacationing in Rome made headlines after a video of their encounter with Pope Leo XIV went viral.

Marcel and Ann Muñoz, along with their three children, met the pope after Mass on July 20 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano, a town about 16 miles south of Rome, and gifted him a T-shirt that reads “Da Pope” — a reference to “Da Bears,” which stems from the old “Superfans” sketches on “Saturday Night Live.”

“He turned left, and he just kind of beelined towards us, so whatever it is, it’s like everyone else is, you know, very nicely dressed for a summer Mass except us — so we did kind of stick out,” Marcel Muñoz said, . “But you know, it’s one of those things where it’s like: ‘Hey, you’re going to be here once. Hopefully, you can catch his attention.’”

“How many people get this opportunity to be in front of the pope, to have his attention, to hold his hand? I kissed his ring, and you know, it’s such — you feel blessed,” Ann Muñoz said.

After Pope Francis in 2013 broke with the papal practice of escaping the Roman heat in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo continued the tradition — spending two weeks in July in the papal summer residence.

The faithful in the small, Italian town welcomed him eagerly. During his time there, the pope visited St. Martha Home for the Elderly. After spending time praying in the chapel, the Holy Father personally greeted approximately 20 elderly people, all between the ages of 80 and 101.

He also greeted a young nurse and after prayer along with some songs, the pope addressed everyone, highlighting some themes from the songs and referring to that Sunday’s Gospel reading from Luke.

In a heartfelt moment, a group of Augustinian Sisters Servant of Jesus and Mary sang for the Holy Father during a meeting in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The pope, an Augustinian himself, was visibly moved by the encounter with the religious sisters.

In one of his first major feast day celebrations as pope, the Holy Father addressed roughly 70,000 pilgrims for the solemnity of Pentecost in which he urged them to embrace the Holy Spirit as a source of freedom and grace and called on the faithful to adopt “the way of the Beatitudes” to spread the Gospel message.

“Let us invoke the Spirit of love and peace, that he may open borders, break down walls, dispel hatred, and help us to live as children of our one Father who is in heaven,” the pope said.

“Brothers and sisters, Pentecost renews the Church and the world!” he added. “May the strong wind of the Spirit come upon us and within us, open the borders of our hearts, grant us the grace of encounter with God, enlarge the horizons of our love, and sustain our efforts to build a world in which peace reigns.”

In what was his largest address of his pontificate thus far, Pope Leo told an estimated 1 million young adults to “study, work, and love according to the example of Jesus” and to pray: “Stay with us, Lord.”

The Jubilee of Youth took place in Rome from July 28 to Aug. 3. The pope took part in an evening prayer vigil and celebrated Mass with the young people at Tor Vergata — the same location where Pope John Paul II celebrated the jubilee in 2000.

One pilgrim who traveled from Omaha, Nebraska, to Rome for the jubilee was 29-year-old Clare Fletcher. She called the question-and-answers with Pope Leo during the Saturday prayer vigil “poignant and so relevant! Each spoke for us. Each spoke to our hearts.”

“This is a pope who knows the youth. His response was savvy, beautiful, and worth remembering, not to mention worth praying with for some time,” she said.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 16, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has made numerous memorable remarks during the first 100 days of his pontificate (May 8 to Aug. 16). Below are some of the most notable.

1. “It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally” .

2. “In a divided and troubled world, the Holy Spirit teaches us to walk together in unity” .

3. “Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace. This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict” .

4. “These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised, or at best tolerated and pitied. Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed. A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society” .

5. “Take courage! Without fear! Many times in the Gospel Jesus says: ‘Do not be afraid.’ We need to be courageous in the witness we give, with the world and above all with life: giving life, serving, sometimes with great sacrifices in order to live out this very mission” (.

6. “Evangelization, dear brothers and sisters, is not our attempt to conquer the world but the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the kingdom of God” .

7. “This dimension of our Christian life and mission is close to my heart and is reflected in the words of St. Augustine that I chose for my episcopal service and now for my papal ministry: ‘In Illo uno unum.’ Christ is our savior and in him we are one, a family of God, beyond the rich variety of our languages, cultures, and experiences” ().

8. “God loves us, God loves all, and evil will not prevail. We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united, holding hands with God and with each other, let us move forward” ().

9. “For if we remain in his love, he comes to dwell in us and our life will become a temple of God. His love enlightens us, influences the way we think and act, spreads outwards to others and embraces every situation in our lives” ().

10. “God’s joy is not loud, but it truly changes history and brings us closer to one another” ().

11. “The risen Jesus shows us his wounds and, although they are a sign of humanity’s rejection, he forgives us and sends us on our way” ().

12. “The Father does not love us any less than he loves his only-begotten Son. In other words, with an infinite love. God does not love less, because he loves first, from the very beginning!” ().

13. “To believe in him and to be his disciples means allowing ourselves to be changed and to take on his same feelings. It means learning to have a heart that is moved, eyes that see and do not look away, hands that help others and soothe their wounds, shoulders that bear the burden of those in need” ().

14. “Brothers and sisters, today we need this ‘revolution of love’” ().

15.  “God’s love is so great that Jesus does not keep even his mother for himself, giving Mary to us as our mother, in the hour of the cross” ().

16. “If we deny the love that has generated us, if by betraying we become unfaithful to ourselves, then we truly lose the meaning of our coming into the world, and we exclude ourselves from salvation. And yet, precisely there, at the darkest point, the light is not extinguished. On the contrary, it starts to shine. Because if we recognize our limit, if we let ourselves be touched by the pain of Christ, then we can finally be born again” ().

17.  “Faith does not spare us from the possibility of sin, but it always offers us a way out of it: that of mercy” ().

18. “Jesus is not scandalized by our fragility. He knows well that no friendship is immune from the risk of betrayal. But Jesus continues to trust. He continues to sit at the table with his followers. He does not give up breaking bread, even for those who will betray him. This is the silent power of God: He never abandons the table of love, even when he knows he will be left alone” ().

19. “One of the most wonderful expressions of the love of God is the love that is poured out by mothers, especially to their children and grandchildren” ().

20. “And you, dear children, show gratitude to your parents: Saying ‘thank you’ each day for the gift of life and for all that comes with it is the first way to honor your father and your mother” ().

21. “In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires our good, always” ().

22. “Our affection for our loved ones — for the wife or husband with whom we have spent so much of our lives, for our children, for our grandchildren who brighten our days — does not fade when our strength wanes. Indeed, their own affection often revives our energy and brings us hope and comfort” ().

23. “It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies. This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman” ().

24. “The Holy Spirit comes to challenge us, to make us confront the possibility that our lives are shriveling up, trapped in the vortex of individualism” ().

25. “The Spirit of God allows us to find a new way of approaching and experiencing life. He puts us in touch with our inmost self, beneath all the masks we wear. He leads us to an encounter with the Lord by teaching us to experience the joy that is his gift” ().

26. “All the fruitfulness of the Church and of the Holy See depends on the cross of Christ. Otherwise, it is only appearance, if not worse” ().

27. “Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you!” ().

28. “When we partake of Jesus, the living and true bread, we live for him. By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God” ().

29. “The life of the Church and of the world, indeed, can only be understood in the succession of generations, and embracing an elderly person helps us understand that history is not exhausted in the present, nor is it consummated amid fleeting encounters and fragmentary relationships, but rather opens the way toward the future” ().

30. “Unity in the Church and among the Churches, dear sisters and brothers, is fostered by forgiveness and mutual trust” ().

31. “The priestly ministry is one of sanctification and reconciliation for the building up of the body of Christ in unity” ().

32. “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! 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. Keep their memory alive by your own example of fidelity” ().

33. “Let us 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” ().

34. “We should pray for the conversion of the many people, inside and outside the Church, who do not yet recognize the urgent need to care for our common home” (Mass for the Care of Creation).

35. “While it is important that we live our faith in concrete actions and fidelity to our duties, according to each individual’s state and vocation, it is also essential that we do so by starting from meditation on the word of God and by paying attention to what the Spirit suggests to our hearts, reserving, for this purpose, moments of silence, moments of prayer, times in which, silencing noise and distractions, we place ourselves before him and achieve unity within ourselves” (o).

36. “Dear young people, Jesus is our hope ... Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you” ().

37. “And to young people, I say: ‘Do not be afraid! Accept the invitation of the Church and of Christ the Lord!’” ().

38. “You are the salt of the earth … You are the lightof the world. And today your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries — which are all for Jesus Christ — will be heard to the ends of the earth” ().

39. “Amid life’s trials, our hope is inspired by the firm and reassuring certainty of God’s love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That hope does not disappoint” ().

40. “By recognizing that God is our first and only hope, we too pass from fleeting to a lasting . Once we desire that God accompany us on the journey of life, material wealth becomes relativized, for we discover the real treasure that we need” ().

41. “In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees stand as messengers of hope. Their courage and tenacity bear heroic testimony to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migration routes” ().

42. “The practice of worship does not automatically lead to being compassionate” (Catechesis at the general audience).

43. “Let us ask the Lord for the gift of understanding where our life is stuck. Let us try to give voice to our desire to be healed” ().

44. “Every gesture of willingness, every gratuitous act, every forgiveness given in advance, every effort patiently accepted, is a way to prepare a place where God can dwell” ().

45. “Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and egocentrism. Center yourselves on Christ, so as to overcome the logic of the world, of fake news, of frivolity, with the beauty and light of truth” ().

46. “A very widespread ailment of our time is the fatigue of living: Reality seems to us to be too complex, burdensome, difficult to face. And so we switch off, we fall asleep, in the delusion that, upon waking, things will be different. But reality has to be faced, and together with Jesus, we can do it well” ().

47. “It is very important to listen to the voice of the Lord, to listen to it, in this dialogue, and to see where the Lord is calling us towards” (Homily in the Crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica).

48. “At the root of every vocation, God is present, in his mercy and his goodness, as generous as that of a mother” ().

49. “The fullness of our existence does not depend on what we store up or, as we heard in the Gospel, on what we possess. Rather, fullness has to do with what we joyfully welcome and share” ().

50. “I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who once said: ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’ In this sense, all of us can journey together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us” ().

Rome Newsroom, Aug 16, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Saturday, Aug. 16, marks Pope Leo XIV’s 100th day as pope. Since his May 8 election as the first pope born and raised in the United States, the 69-year-old Chicago native has already left his mark on a jubilee year filled with papal liturgies and a surge in pilgrim enthusiasm.

Here are some of the highlights of the first 100 days of the new Holy Father:

Pope Leo XIV began his papacy in the heart of the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, and he made the most of this opportunity to interact with Catholic pilgrims from across the globe by offering many Masses with the public.

Leo XIV offered 16 large public Masses in just 14 weeks — an average of more than one per week — including seven Masses in June alone. The pace marks a significant shift from the final years of Pope Francis’ pontificate when the aging pope was unable to offer Mass himself at the altar. Francis was present at only four Masses with the public in the same time period last year.

The papal Masses have drawn large crowds and significant attention, beginning with his first inaugural Mass, which brought 200 foreign delegations — including heads of state and royalty — to the Vatican. Since then, Leo has celebrated liturgies for the jubilees of Families, Priests, and Youth as well as on major solemnities and feasts including Pentecost, Corpus Christi, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, Sts. Peter and Paul, and Mary, Mother of the Church.

Leo XIV is the first pope elected during a jubilee year since 1700.

One of Pope Leo’s most unexpected moments came during his first Regina Caeli address, when he stunned a crowd of 200,000 in St. Peter’s Square by singing the Marian hymn rather than reciting it in Latin like his recent predecessors. Since then, he has continued chanting during liturgies and leading crowds in sung versions of the Our Father in Latin.

The move inspired the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music to launch “,” an online series aimed at making Gregorian chant more accessible.

In June, the first pope born and raised in the United States appeared on the jumbotron at a gathering of American Catholics at Chicago’s Rate Field — home of his beloved White Sox. In a video message delivered entirely in English, Pope Leo urged young people to be “beacons of hope” and invited all to see that “God is reaching out to you, calling you, inviting you to know his son, Jesus Christ.”

It was the pope’s first direct address to his hometown since his election and one of the earliest papal speeches given entirely in English.

The new pope’s love of sports has led to some memorable moments. He blessed 159 cyclists as they passed through Vatican City in the final leg of the Giro d’Italia.  

A self-described “amateur tennis player,” Pope Leo XIV joked with tennis star Jannik Sinner, ranked the world’s No. 1, whether his white cassock would meet Wimbledon’s requirement for all white attire.

The pope has also been gifted White Sox and Bears jerseys and has signed baseballs for enthusiastic pilgrims. 

Pope Leo XIV’s first words were “Peace be with you all,” recalling the first greeting of the risen Christ recorded in Scripture. As wars continued and at times intensified during Pope Leo’s first months, the pope has continued to be a voice for peace.

In June, after U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Pope Leo urged world leaders “to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.” Following an Israeli strike that killed three people at Gaza’s only Catholic church in July, he appealed for “a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and full respect for humanitarian law.”

“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” the pope said during an Angelus from the window of the Apostolic Palace.

Leo also met with bishops and pilgrims from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Castel Gandolfo in July, where the two discussed the urgency of “just and lasting paths of peace,” according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo personally carried the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Rome during a Corpus Christi procession from the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.  

“Together, as shepherds and flock, we will feed on the Blessed Sacrament, adore him, and carry him through the streets,” he said. “In doing so, we will present him before the eyes, the consciences, and the hearts of the people.”

More than 20,000 people turned out for Leo XIV’s first Eucharistic procession as pope.

Pope Leo revived the papal tradition of spending summer days at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. During his two-week stay in July, he led public Masses in local parishes, greeted pilgrims as he led the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square, and received visiting dignitaries. His stay marks the first papal summer retreat in the lakeside town since the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

A member of the Augustinian order, Pope Leo has quoted St. Augustine in nearly every one of his homilies as pope. In his first public words on May 8, he said: “I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’” 

Addressing 1 million young people at the Jubilee of Youth in August, he quoted Augustine’s “Confessions”: “You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness… I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.” 

Pope Leo has frequently spoken about artificial intelligence (AI), which is already shaping up to be a topic of interest in his pontificate with many hoping that he will address it in an encyclical.

Early on in his pontificate, Leo drew parallels between his namesake Pope Leo XIII, who responded to the industrial revolution with , and today’s digital revolution, explaining that the rise of AI poses “new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.”

“Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by artificial intelligence,” he warned in a message to the Geneva-based AI for Good Summit. “The impact of this revolution is far-reaching, transforming areas such as education, work, art, health care, governance, the military, and communication.”

The Vatican website received a revamp shortly after Leo’s election, and insiders noted Leo’s relatively tech-savvy background, including a personal Twitter account prior to his papacy. 

The pope also expressed concern in a speech to another AI conference about the negative effects that AI can have on the “intellectual and neurological development” of rising generations and the “loss of the sense of the human” that societies are experiencing. 

In one of his most significant theological gestures, Pope Leo named St. John Henry Newman, a 19th-century English convert from Anglicanism, a doctor of the Church — a rare title given to just 37 other saints. The title is granted in recognition of an already canonized saint’s significant contribution to advancing the Church’s knowledge of doctrine, theology, or spirituality. 

Leo also approved the upcoming canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati in September as the first saints of his pontificate. He greenlit seven additional causes for canonization, including that of Blessed Bartolo Longo, a former satanist turned founder of the Marian shrine in Pompeii.

Pope Leo addressed the largest crowd of his papacy to date at the Jubilee of Youth, where an estimated 1 million young adults camped out in fields in Tor Vergata, southeast of Rome. 

He surprised them by walking through the crowd to the stage, personally carrying the jubilee cross. During the evening vigil, he answered youth questions in English, Italian, and Spanish, offering reflections on loneliness, discernment, and friendship with Christ.

After Eucharistic adoration, chants of “Papa Leone!” echoed long into the night. Leo stayed past 10 p.m. — well beyond the scheduled end. 

Earlier in the week, he made a surprise appearance at the opening Mass, joyfully proclaiming in English: “Jesus tells us: You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world!” and the crowd erupted in cheers.

CNA Staff, Aug 15, 2025 / 15:59 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has included a pilgrimage by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on its official calendar for the 2025 Jubilee Year, despite the traditionalist Catholic group’s historically fraught relationship with the Holy See. 

The SSPX, founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in Ecône, Switzerland, to preserve traditional Catholic practices amid the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), . 

In preparation for the pilgrimage to Rome, the SSPX to the Immaculate Conception from Aug. 11–19.

The SSPX, led by Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani, views the pilgrimage as an act of fidelity to “Eternal Rome,” emphasizing its commitment to traditional liturgy, as stated in .

“Our main focus is the priesthood and its greatest treasure: the holy sacrifice of the Mass,” the states.

The group’s inclusion during a jubilee year of celebration and forgiveness held every 25 years reflects efforts of the Church over the years to reconcile with the group amid the .

The SSPX’s troubled history with the Vatican began with Lefebvre’s dissent from Vatican II’s changes, particularly in ecumenism and collegiality, “which insisted that the Church be ruled primarily by the democratic process and bishops’ conferences, limiting the power of the pope as sole head of the universal Church as well as each individual bishop’s autonomy within his own diocese,” according to the group’s website.  

Lefebvre’s 1988 consecration of four bishops without papal approval led to his excommunication and that of the bishops, deemed a “schismatic act” by Pope John Paul II, rendering the SSPX canonically illegitimate.

Although Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009, the group remains outside full communion with the Church.

However, recent Vatican concessions signal openness to dialogue. Pope Francis granted SSPX priests the faculty to hear confessions validly in 2015 (extended indefinitely post-2016) and authorized diocesan oversight for valid SSPX marriages in 2017.

The inclusion of the stops short of full regularization. However, Jimmy Akin of Catholic Answers told CNA in 2024 that the lifting of excommunications implies the SSPX is not in formal schism.

But the priests of the society are “celebrating Mass without the proper permissions, creating a canonically irregular situation,” Akin said.

that Catholics should avoid SSPX Masses unless no alternatives exist due to the group’s “schismatic mentality.”

Akin pointed out, however, that the Code of Canon Law stipulates that Catholics “can participate in the Eucharistic sacrifice and receive holy Communion in any Catholic rite.” Since SSPX is using the approved 1962 rite of the Mass, “the faithful can attend it and receive holy Communion.”

“The fact it is being celebrated in a canonically irregular situation does not change this,” Akin said. 

He pointed out that “every time a priest commits a liturgical abuse, it creates a canonically irregular situation” but that the Church “does not want the laity to have to judge which canonically irregular situations involve ‘too much’ of a departure from the law.” 

Thus the faithful’s “right to attend and receive holy Communion in any Catholic rite is protected.”

The SSPX claims it now numbers 720 priests and close to half a million faithful spread throughout the world. It hosts a number of growing ministries, including retreats and summer camps for children.

Rome Newsroom, Aug 15, 2025 / 10:43 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday presided over the Mass of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Church of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, encouraging Catholics to renew the Mother of God’s song of praise — known as the Magnificat — in their own lives.

Approximately 200 people, including Castel Gandolfo Mayor Alberto de Angelis, attended the pope’s solemn Mass held at the pontifical parish to commemorate the Church’s dogma of faith that Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.

In his Aug. 15 homily, the Holy Father described Mary’s encounter with her cousin Elizabeth as a “crowning moment of her life” on earth.  

“The Magnificat, which the Gospel places on the lips of the young Mary, now radiates the light of all her days,” he said in his homily.

“One single day,” he continued, “contains the seed of every other day, of every other season.”

Highlighting the enduring significance of Mary in the life of the Church, the pope said her Magnificat, recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel, “continues to be sung in the Church ‘from generation to generation,’ at the close of every day” in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Encouraging Catholic faithful to reflect deeper on Mary’s song of praise expressed at a “decisive moment” in her vocation, the Holy Father encouraged Catholic faithful today to also give their “yes” to God.

“The surprising fruitfulness of barren Elizabeth confirmed Mary in her trust,” he said in his homily. “It anticipated the fruitfulness of her ‘yes,’ which extends to the fruitfulness of the Church and of all humanity whenever God’s renewing Word is welcomed.”

According to Pope Leo, Mary’s Magnificat “strengthens the hope of the humble, the hungry, the faithful servants of God” and is renewed in the Church through the witness of its members.

“Even in our own day, the poor and persecuted Christian communities, the witnesses of tenderness and forgiveness in places of conflict, and the peacemakers and bridge-builders in a broken world, are the joy of the Church,” he said.

“They are her enduring fruitfulness, the firstfruits of the kingdom to come,” he added. “Let us be converted by their witness!”

After praying the midday Angelus prayer with crowds of people gathered in Piazza della Libertà, Pope Leo spoke of the importance to believe, with Mary, that God continues to come to the aid of people in the world.

“Mary, whom the risen Christ carried body and soul into the glory, shines as an icon of hope for her pilgrim children throughout history,” he said.

Calling people to be pilgrims of hope in the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Holy Father spoke of the need for Christians to realize that life on earth is oriented toward God.

“On the path of life, our goal is God, infinite and eternal love, fullness of life, peace, joy, and every good thing,” he said. “The human heart is drawn to such beauty and it is not happy until it finds it.”

Entrusting the Church’s prayer for peace to the intercession of Mary, Leo told the crowds that Pope Pius XII declared the Marian dogma of the Assumption in 1950, five years after World War II ended.

“Even today, sadly, we feel powerless before the spread of violence in the world — a violence increasingly deaf and insensitive to any stirring of humanity,” he said. “Yet we must not cease to hope: God is greater than the sin of human beings.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).

The Vatican issued an update to its public procurement regulations to streamline steps in the Holy See’s contracting processes while maintaining integrity and transparency. 

The new general executive decree was signed on Aug. 5 by the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Maximino Caballero Ledo, and took effect on Aug. 10. 

The decree contains the implementing regulation from Pope Francis’ 2020 apostolic letter in the form of motu proprio regarding “.” The apostolic letter was later amended by the subsequent 2024 motu proprio titled which updated the Holy See’s code of contracts.

Composed of eight sections and 52 articles, the decree applies the provisions of “To Better Harmonize” to outline specific rules that must be followed in the procurement process to ensure contracts are awarded fairly.

The document involves collaboration between various Vatican departments to foster greater trust among Vatican internal offices and its external contractors.

The decree reaffirms the Vatican’s mission to provide equal treatment to operators and to prevent discrimination among bidders. It also aims to promote cost effectiveness and to simplify bureaucratic steps to avoid delays.

In line with Pope Francis’ 2022 apostolic constitution Church teachings, and Church law, the regulations draw from past experiences to emphasize transparency and responsible use of resources and ethical business practices in the execution of financial decisions and transactions.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 13, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 13, returned to Castel Gandolfo, where he had resided during his summer vacation in July.

The pontiff left the Vatican around 4:30 p.m. local time and traveled by car to the papal summer home where he stayed July 6–22.

Castel Gandolfo, located 15 miles from Rome on the shores of Lake Albano, has historically been the site of the papal residence during the summer. While Pope Francis decided to stay at the Vatican during the summer, Pope Leo XIV has revived the tradition.

After a day of rest, on Friday, Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the pontifical parish in Castel Gandolfo.

On Sunday, Aug. 17, at 9:30 a.m. local time, the Holy Father will arrive at the shrine in Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano, an Italian town bordering Castel Gandolfo, to celebrate Mass with a group of poor people receiving assistance from Caritas.

After Mass, he will head to Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus at noon in Liberty Plaza.

In addition, according to the Diocese of Albano, he will later share lunch with 100 low-income people at , an ecological and social project inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 . On Sunday afternoon, Aug. 17, the Holy Father will return to the Vatican.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 13, 2025 / 12:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has decided that the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day should be incorporated within the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, whose prefect is Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

A published by the Holy See Press Office on Aug. 13 announced the Holy Father’s recent decision, which he made after a meeting on Aug. 6 with Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

On Dec. 8, 2023, Pope Francis , organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, saying it would be celebrated worldwide May 25–26, 2024.

On May 25 last year, thousands of children from 77 countries around the world at Rome’s Olympic Stadium. Together, they heard various testimonies and the youngest children also had the opportunity to ask the Holy Father questions.

In November 2024, Francis established the and appointed as its president Father Enzo Fortunato, who is also director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica and head of the press office of St. Francis of Assisi Basilica.

The next World Children’s Day will be celebrated in Rome in September 2026.

Vatican City, Aug 13, 2025 / 11:12 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV during his Wednesday general audience on Aug. 13 said the Gospel does not teach people to deny evil but to recognize its reality as an opportunity for conversion.

Continuing his jubilee catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope,” the Holy Father continued his reflection on the Last Supper recorded in the Gospel of St. Mark.

Though Jesus did not “raise his voice” nor “point his finger” at Judas, Pope Leo said he used “strong words” to reveal the gravity of his betrayal.

“Jesus does not denounce in order to humiliate,” he said. “He speaks the truth because he desires to save.”

Due to the heat, the audience was held in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. The pope also greeted pilgrims who were not able to fit inside the hall and were gathered in other locations to stay out of the extreme temperatures, according to Vatican News.

The Holy Father said Jesus did not speak the truth to “condemn” but to help his disciples be aware that conversion and the “journey of salvation” begins with a sincere acceptance of the truth of one’s own weaknesses and fragility.

“In order to be saved it is necessary to feel that one is involved, to feel that one is beloved despite everything, to feel that evil is real but it does not have the last word,” he said.

“The Gospel does not teach us to deny evil but to recognize it as a painful opportunity for rebirth,” he added.

Exhorting his listeners to not “exclude” themselves from God’s love and salvation, Pope Leo said Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection are reasons to hold on to hope even when faced with one’s own sins and weaknesses.

“Precisely there, at the darkest point, the light is not extinguished,” he said. “On the contrary, it begins to shine.”

“If we recognize our limits, if we let ourselves be touched by the pain of Christ, then we can be finally born again,” he continued.

Toward the end of the Wednesday catechesis, the Holy Father encouraged Christians to “open up a space for truth in our hearts” and to trust Jesus, who never abandoned any of his disciples, even when he knew he would “be left alone” after the Last Supper to endure his passion. 

“Salvation begins here: with the awareness that we may be the ones who break our trust in God but that we can also be the ones who gather it, protect it, and renew it,” Leo said.

“Ultimately, this is hope: knowing that even if we fail, God will never fail us. Even if we betray him, he never stops loving us,” he said.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 11, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has approved a series of measures that benefit Vatican employees, expanding paternity leave, the rights of parents with disabled children, and granting family subsidies.

A document published Aug. 11 and signed by Maximino Caballero, prefect of the secretariat for financial affairs of the Holy See, lists the “Provisions for the Family” approved by the Holy Father following an audience on July 28.

These resolutions were previously unanimously accepted by the council of the Labor Office of the Holy See (ULSA, by its Italian acronym), a body composed of representatives from various entities of the Holy See and the Vatican Governorate as well as their respective employees.

Regarding paternity leave, the pontiff established that a father is entitled to five days of 100% paid leave after the birth of a child. 

The text specifies that the days off are “understood as working days and may be taken sequentially or one at a time in full days and not by hours, and not beyond 30 days from the birth of the child, under penalty of forfeiture of the right.”

In January, Pope Francis extended paternity leave from three to five days, a measure already modified in 2022, when it was increased from one to three days.

Parents of children with proven severe disabilities will be entitled to three days of paid leave per month, which may be taken in a row as long as the child is not hospitalized full time.

In addition, a monthly subsidy was introduced for families with severely disabled or incapacitated members as well as for pensioners in the same situation.

The document also redefines the concepts of disability and incapacity, specifying that the assessment will be carried out by a Vatican Medical Association, whose decision will be “without appeal.”

Finally, to facilitate assistance to family members with disabilities, it is stipulated that the time off granted for this purpose cannot be used to work another job. 

Regarding the family subsidy, Pope Leo XIV has expanded the right for adult children who are students. They may receive this aid until the age of 20 for secondary school studies and until the age of 26 for university studies or equivalent studies recognized by the Holy See. 

The provisions, approved by the pope, will go into effect upon their official publication in the (Acts of the Apostolic See).

CNA Newsroom, Aug 10, 2025 / 08:20 am (CNA).

In his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to reflect on how they invest the “treasure” that is their life, challenging Catholics to share not only material possessions but also their skills, time, and compassion for the good of others.

Drawing on the Gospel reading from the pope emphasized that generosity and love are the keys to fulfillment, reminding the crowd that these gifts must be cultivated and put at the service of others rather than hoarded or misused.

“Sell your possessions and give alms,” Jesus exhorts in the passage. Pope Leo made clear that this invitation extends beyond charitable donations, pressing his audience to offer their presence, love, and talents to those most in need.

“Everything in God’s plan that makes each of us a priceless and unrepeatable good must be cultivated and invested in order to grow. Otherwise, these gifts dry up and diminish in value,” he warned.

The pontiff’s echoed the teachings of St. Augustine, whom Leo quoted verbatim: “What you give will certainly be transformed ... it isn’t gold, it isn’t silver, but eternal life that will come your way.”

Drawing on St. John Paul II, Leo also emphasized the spiritual transformation that results from acts of mercy. Highlighting the example of the poor widow from Mark’s Gospel, Leo XIV called works of mercy “the most secure and profitable bank” where believers can place their lives’ treasures.

The pope also underscored the importance of vigilance in daily life — at home, parish, school, or workplace — encouraging all “to grow in the habit of being attentive, ready, and sensitive to one another.” He invoked Mary, the Morning Star, as a guide for the Church’s mission of mercy and peace in a world “marked by many divisions.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 8, 2025 / 15:53 pm (CNA).

Today marks three months since Pope Leo XIV first appeared on the central balcony of the Vatican basilica after being elected the successor of St. Peter.

In that first message, delivered on May 8, the Holy Father expressed the words that would mark the beginning of his pontificate: “I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’ In this sense, all of us can journey together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us.”

Over the last three months, Pope Leo has cited his spiritual father, , on multiple occasions, establishing a pastoral approach deeply rooted in the Augustinian tradition.

In messages about artificial intelligence and in speeches addressed to young people or pilgrims, Pope Leo XIV has taken every opportunity — through his speeches, audiences, and homilies — to offer valuable teachings inspired by St. Augustine of Hippo.

In most of his discourses, he has quoted one of the saint’s best-known works: “Confessions.” He did so in his during the Mass for the inauguration of his Petrine ministry, celebrated on May 18. He has also referred to other fundamental works by the bishop of Hippo, such as the “Commentary on the Psalms” and “The City of God.”

One of the recurring themes in Pope Leo XIV’s teaching during these first months has been the importance of unity in Christ. It is no coincidence that the Holy Father chose the motto “” (“In the One — that is Christ — we are one”), taken from St. Augustine, for his episcopal ministry.

During an audience with , the pope recalled that unity “has always been a constant concern of mine, as witnessed by the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry.”

“Our communion is realized to the extent that we meet in the Lord Jesus. The more faithful and obedient we are to him, the more united we are among ourselves. We Christians, then, are all called to pray and work together to reach this goal, step by step, which is and remains the work of the Holy Spirit,” the pope said on that occasion.

He has also made this call to unity in other contexts, such as in to the Pontifical Mission Societies, in which he recalled that “it is in the Trinity that all things find their unity. This dimension of our Christian life and mission is close to my heart,” noting that “Christ is our savior and in him we are one, a family of God, beyond the rich variety of our languages, cultures, and experiences.”

“You have made us for yourself, [Lord], and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you” (“Confessions,” 1,1.1). This famous quote, which summarizes the core of Augustinian spirituality, has been cited by the Holy Father on more than one occasion, such as in his to the International Federation of Catholic Universities.

Pope Leo XIV thus reminds us that human beings were created for God and that only in him can we find complete happiness.

In his for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he emphasized the “pilgrim dimension” of the Church, “perpetually journeying toward her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue.”

He warned that “each time the Church gives in to the temptation of ‘sedentarization’ and ceases to be a ‘civitas peregrine,’ God’s people journeying toward the heavenly homeland (cf. Augustine, ‘De Civitate Dei,’ Books XIV-XVI), she ceases to be ‘in the world’ and becomes ‘of the world’ (cf. Jn 15:19).”

Addressing young people participating in an , he recalled an idea of St. Augustine, who “does not speak about the house of the Lord as a distant destination but rather announces the joy of a journey experienced together, as a pilgrim people.”

In light of the parable of the good Samaritan, Pope Leo XIV exhorted the faithful in a delivered on July 13 in Castel Gandolfo to look at our neighbor “with the eyes of the heart.”

Quoting St. Augustine, he emphasized that “Jesus wanted to be known as our neighbor. Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ makes us realize that he is the one who cared for the half-dead man beaten by robbers and left on the side of the road (‘De Doctrina Christiana,’ I, 30.33).” 

In a June addressed to the youth of Chicago and the whole world, the Holy Father recalled that the saint of Hippo taught that “if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves, we have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts.”

Also, during the June 25 , he recalled the words of St. Augustine in his work “Sermones,” in which he stated that “the crowd jostles, faith touches.”

“Every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, contact is established with him, and immediately his grace comes out from him. At times we are unaware of it, but in a secret and real way, grace reaches us and gradually transforms our life from within,” the Holy Father said.

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 8, 2025 / 12:08 pm (CNA).

The Prefecture of the Papal Household announced that Pope Leo XIV will travel to Albano, Italy, on Sunday, Aug. 17, to celebrate Mass with the poor.

At 9:30 a.m. local time, the Holy Father will arrive at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano, a municipality located 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) from the Vatican and bordering Castel Gandolfo, to celebrate Mass with a group of people who receive assistance from Caritas.

After Mass, he will head to Castel Gandolfo to preside over the Angelus prayer at noon from Liberty Square.

In addition, according to the Diocese of Albano, he will later share lunch with 100 low-income people at Borgo Laudato Si’, an ecological and social project inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical.

According to Vatican News, the bishop of Albano, Vincenzo Viva, said he was “full of joy” at the return of Pope Leo to the diocese, where he spent his summer vacation from July 7–22.

He also stated that the Holy Father accepted Caritas’ proposal to have lunch with the group. “This is the first time that Leo XIV will meet with the poor during his pontificate, and we are very happy that he is beginning this journey with our diocese,” Viva stated.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the Holy Father will also travel to Castel Gandolfo to preside over Mass for the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova. After Mass, he will also lead the Angelus from the iconic Piazza della Liberdade (Liberty Square).

Vatican City, Aug 7, 2025 / 13:54 pm (CNA).

In a to the participants of the third congress of the Pan-African Catholic Network for Theology and Pastoral Care, Pope Leo XIV recalled the fundamental role of the family, “the first place where we receive the love and support we need.”

The event, titled “Walking Together in Hope as the Church-Family of God in Africa,” is taking place Aug. 5–10 at the Catholic University of West Africa in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The main objective of the meeting is to promote communication within the global south by bringing together theologians, pastoral, lay, and religious leaders to reflect, share experiences, and develop pastoral ministry from an African perspective.

At the beginning of , released Aug. 6, the Holy Father particularly expressed his gratitude for the work of the meeting’s organizers and assured them of his prayers for the participants, who during these days are reflecting on the future of the Church in Africa.

In the context of the Jubilee of Hope, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the vital role that hope plays in our earthly pilgrimage. “Faith and theology provide the basis for knowing God, while charity is the life of love we enjoy with him,” he noted.

However, he explained that “it is by the virtue of hope that we desire to attain the fullness of this happiness in heaven. Thus, it inspires and sustains us to grow closer to God even when confronted by the hardships of life,” he added.

The Holy Father urged the Church to be “a beacon of hope for the nations” facing various difficulties in Africa, while calling for fraternity and appealing to the responsibility to “look after each other.”

“A family is usually the first place where we receive the love and support we need to move forward and overcome the trials we face in life,” he pointed out.

In this context, he encouraged the continued building of “the family of the local Churches” in African countries “so that there are networks of support available to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also to the wider society, especially those on the peripheries.”

At the end of his message, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of “recognizing the unity between theology and pastoral work.”

He pointed out that “we have to live what we believe. Christ told us that he came not simply to give us life but to give it to the full. Hence, it is your task to work together to implement pastoral programs that demonstrate how the teachings of the Church help to open people’s hearts and minds to the truth and love of God.”

Vatican City, Aug 6, 2025 / 10:14 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV during his Wednesday catechesis on the jubilee theme “Jesus Christ Our Hope” said the gift of the Eucharist prepared by God reveals that his great love “always precedes us.”

Speaking to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Aug. 6, the Holy Father said St. Mark’s Gospel shows us that Jesus’ love for his disciples “is not the result of chance but of a conscious choice.”

“It is not a simple reaction but a decision that requires preparation,” he said. “Jesus does not face his passion out of fatalism but out of fidelity to a path freely and carefully accepted and followed.”

Just as God made preparations to show his love for people, the pope said, in turn, people are free to choose God and prepare their own hearts to receive his love.

“He has already thought of everything, arranged everything, decided everything,” Leo said. “However, he asks his friends to do their part.”

“This teaches us something essential for our spiritual life: Grace does not eliminate our freedom but rather awakens it,” he explained. “God’s gift does not eliminate our responsibility but makes it fruitful.”

Noting the significance of the Eucharist for Jesus’ followers, the Holy Father said its celebration should not be “only at the altar” but also lived in “daily life” as a continual offering of love and thanksgiving.

“True love, the Gospel reminds us, is given before it is reciprocated,” he said. “It is an anticipatory gift. It is not based on what is received but on what one wishes to offer.”

In order to make space in the heart to receive God’s love, particularly in the Eucharist, the pope asked his listeners to consider: “What does it mean for me today to ‘prepare’?” 

“Perhaps to renounce a demand, to stop waiting for others to change, to take the first step,” he suggested. “Perhaps to listen more, to act less, or to learn how to trust in what has already been prepared.”

Following his catechesis, Pope Leo asked those gathered to pray for the people of Japan who “suffered ... physical, psychological, and social effects” of the atomic bomb dropped during World War II.  

“Despite the passing of the years, those tragic events constitute a universal warning against the devastation caused by wars and, in particular, by nuclear weapons,” he lamented.

“I hope that in the contemporary world, marked by strong tensions and bloody conflicts, the illusory security based on the threat of mutual destruction may give way to the tools of justice, to the practice of dialogue, and to trust in fraternity,” he said.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In a message on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Pope Leo XIV is calling on the international community to renew its commitment to lasting peace and an end to nuclear weapons. 

“True peace demands the courageous laying down of weapons — especially those with the power to cause an indescribable catastrophe,” Pope Leo said in a letter addressed to Bishop Alexis M. Shirahama of Hiroshima. “Nuclear arms offend our shared humanity and also betray the dignity of creation, whose harmony we are called to safeguard.”

The apostolic nuncio to Japan, Archbishop Francisco Escalante Molina, read the Holy Father’s message during a Mass in Hiroshima, according to .

“Though many years have passed, the two cities [Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bombed on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945] remain living reminders of the profound horrors wrought by nuclear weapons,” the Holy Father reflected. “Their streets, schools, and homes still bear scars — both visible and spiritual — from that fateful August of 1945.”

Referencing the phrase “war is always a defeat for humanity,” coined by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo further stated that “in our time of mounting global tensions and conflicts,” the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should “urge us to reject the illusion of security founded on mutually assured destruction.” 

“It is thus my prayer that this solemn anniversary will serve as a call to the international community to renew its commitment to pursuing lasting peace for our whole human family,” the Holy Father concluded.

In a similar message for the landmark anniversary, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, called on the international community to renew its commitment to lasting global peace.

“As we mark this doleful anniversary, we recognize the ongoing threat of nuclear weapons and their proliferation,” Broglio, who is also head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA 

“We must renew our efforts to work for the conversion of heart required for a global commitment to lasting peace, and thus the elimination of nuclear weapons,” he said, adding: “This week, let us prayerfully remember the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and urge the United States and the international community to work diligently for nuclear disarmament around the world.”

Eighty years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, several U.S. Catholic cardinals and archbishops are visiting Japan as part of a coordinated by the .

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago; Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C.; Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle; and Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, are heading the delegation, which includes staff and students from several U.S. and Japanese universities. 

The five-day visit kicked off Aug. 5 with a panel discussion at the World Peace Memorial Cathedral in Hiroshima. On Aug. 10, the pilgrimage will conclude with an ecumenical dialogue and academic symposium at Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki.

CNA Staff, Aug 5, 2025 / 15:46 pm (CNA).

Roughly 1 million young adults from around the world filled the streets of Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, which took place July 28 to Aug. 3, part of the yearlong Jubilee of Hope. Each day was filled with different opportunities and events for the young people to experience the richness of the Catholic faith.

Here are some of the best moments from the Jubilee of Youth:

On Aug. 2, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by the largest crowd he has addressed during his pontificate so far for the evening vigil at Tor Vergata, an outdoor venue 10 miles east of Rome. An estimated 1 million people were in attendance. The Holy Father arrived by helicopter and then drove through the grounds on the popemobile, waving to the cheering young people before the prayer service began.

After the Holy Father from the popemobile greeted the young people in attendance, he carried the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope on foot from the crowd up to the 15,000-square-foot stage for prayers and Eucharistic adoration.

Despite the sweltering heat, the Holy Father carried the cross with energy — so much so that a video of Pope Leo walking briskly with the cross and the words “Life goals: Climbing the stairs like Pope Leo at age 69” went viral with over a million views.

Some of the comments on the post included: “The American Midwest grind on display,” “imagine having Pope Leo as a workout buddy,” “the stairmaster of holiness,” and “his personal trainer must be proud.”

The evening vigil concluded with Eucharistic adoration led by the Holy Father. Many were moved by the stillness and silence of all those in the presence of Christ.

Pope Leo also imparted on the faithful gathered the Eucharistic Benediction. At the conclusion of the evening, he advised the young people gathered who would be camping for the evening to “take it easy” and “rest a bit. We have a date tomorrow morning here for holy Mass.”

U.S. Bishop Robert Barron urged young people to follow God and reject worldly goods, calling on youth to “find their mission” and pursue the Lord “into the depths” during the at the Jubilee of Youth’s National U.S. Pilgrim Gathering on July 30.

He also gave those in attendance a powerful reminder of how the Catholic Church has outlasted the test of time.

“Where are the mighty signs of Roman power? Think of the Colosseum. Think of the Forum. Think of the Palatine Hill. Think of the Circus Maximus. What are they? They’re ruins,” he said.

“But where’s the great empire that was announced by Peter the Apostle?” he continued. “It’s all over the world, on every continent. It’s alive. And where is the successor of Peter who was put to death in the Circus of Nero and buried away on the Vatican Hill? Where’s his successor?”

“I saw him last night, didn’t you? Riding around St. Peter’s Square,” the bishop said to thunderous applause. 

As the Catholic Church in South Korea prepares to host World Youth Day — scheduled for Aug. 3–8, 2027 — over 1,000 Korean Catholics from the Archdiocese of Seoul were in attendance at the Jubilee of Youth. On Thursday, July 31, the delegation participated in a Mass at the Basilica di San Crisogono presided by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung.

Following Mass there were celebrations, socializing, and ice cream outside the church. The cardinal bought a whole ice cream truck for the Korean youth and volunteers to freshen up in the hot Roman sun.

On Friday, Aug. 1, the Circus Maximus — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — was transformed into an open-air confessional for thousands of young pilgrims to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Two hundred confessionals were set up from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rome time.

While more than a million young people waited for Pope Leo to arrive for the prayer vigil on Aug. 2, an unexpected sign appeared in the sky. Despite there not being a single drop of rain, a rainbow appeared in the sky above the young people gathered as the Holy Father was arriving.

Father Francisco Javier Bronchalo, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain, wrote in an of a video he took showing the rainbow in the sky: “It’s not raining, the sun is shining, but there was a rainbow when the pope arrived ... Then it disappeared. Impressive, God does not break his covenant. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Pope Leo XIV thrilled the young crowds with a surprise ride on the popemobile after the welcome Mass of the Jubilee of Youth. He went beyond St. Peter’s Square and greeted the pilgrims by continuing down Via della Conciliazione, a street that connects St. Peter’s Square to the Castel Sant’Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River.

The Jubilee of Youth concluded on Aug. 3 with a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo on the 237-acre grounds of Tor Vergata, where more than a million young pilgrims had spent the night following a prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration.

In his homily, Pope Leo invited the pilgrims to open their hearts to God and venture with him “towards eternity.”

Evoking St. John Paul II, the founder of World Youth Days, he proclaimed: “Jesus is our hope.”

“It is he, as said, ‘who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives ... to commit … to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal,’” Leo said.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II celebrated World Youth Day at Tor Vergata with over 2 million young people. Despite being physically weak at the time, the beloved Polish pope made a connection with those in attendance. Twenty-five years later, it was Pope Leo who made a connection with the new generation of young Catholics. The similarities between the two events were unmistakable, and many of those who were in attendance in 2000 now watched along as their children attended the Jubilee of Youth.

On an Instagram post made by CNA, one user commented: “I was at Tor Vergata in 2000. Now my son is at the Jubilee of Youth. The Church is alive.”

Another wrote: “Attended WYD in 2000. Life-changing. Emmanuel — the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2025 / 14:16 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit to Ignacio Gonzálvez, a 15-year-old Spanish boy who had been urgently admitted to Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome after collapsing during the Jubilee of Youth.

Upon learning of Ignacio’s situation, Pope Leo XIV asked the thousands of young people gathered for the Aug. 2 vigil at Tor Vergata to join in prayer for him.

“I would like to ask for your prayers for another friend, a young Spaniard, Ignacio Gonzálvez, who has been admitted to the Bambino Gesù Hospital. Let us pray for him, for his health,” the visibly moved pontiff said.

Ignacio’s parents, Pedro Pablo and Carmen Gloria, along with his siblings Pedro Pablo Jr. and Adela, traveled to Rome immediately upon receiving the news.

On the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 4, according to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV personally visited Ignacio in his room in the intensive care unit. The young pilgrim has been diagnosed with lymphoma affecting his respiratory tract.

As reported by , the Holy Father entered silently as the young man’s family prayed at the foot of his bed and simply joined them in prayer. The family had their eyes closed at the time, and a priest accompanying them had to nudge them when he saw the pontiff cross the threshold unannounced.

The youth’s sister, Adela, 17, described Pope Leo XIV as “a simple man” and said the Holy Father was with them for about half an hour before visiting other patients in the hospital’s oncology ward. “I was crying and praying when he entered Ignacio’s room. I went in crying and came out laughing,” she said.

During the time spent with Ignacio’s family, Pope Leo XIV reminded them that “we are made for heaven.” Pedro Pablo, the young man’s father, said they all found solace after the pontiff’s visit.

“He told us that the important thing is to do God’s will, that our true place is eternal life in heaven. This comforted us, because we are people who try to live our faith and know that’s the truth. And in times of so much suffering, hearing the pope come and give you such a word is ... the best thing that could have happened to us,” he told Vatican News.

His mother, Carmen Gloria, shared that Pope Leo told her: “If Ignatius had come to Rome [from Spain], that he could come to the hospital to see him. They were simple words, but full of affection.”

“The pope told us that this is a mystery and that, despite many things we don’t understand, we know that God is there and wants the best for everyone. As a mother, I saw that Jesus Christ drew close to me and said, ‘You’re not alone.’ That’s what the pope’s presence in the hospital meant to me, the confirmation that God has not abandoned us,” she added with emotion.

Ignacio’s family said they find comfort and hope despite their pain and are grateful for the gestures of closeness. “It’s the work of the Holy Spirit. We are nothing, a family like many others... And to see so many people praying, so many people concerned, and that the pope himself should come, is a great consolation. We know that God is with us,” Carmen Gloria said.

Ignacio’s brother, Pedro Pablo Jr., emphasized that the pope had helped them accept God’s will: “He listened to us at all times, he was truly concerned, he gave me the feeling of someone who truly understood the situation and the pain we are experiencing. [He has] great empathy.”

Vatican City, Aug 5, 2025 / 11:23 am (CNA).

White rose petals drifted from the gilded ceiling of St. Mary Major Basilica on Tuesday as Romans celebrated the 1,667th anniversary of a fourth-century Marian miracle that inspired the construction of the oldest Marian sanctuary in the West.

According to tradition, the miracle involved a miraculous snowfall in Rome on Aug. 5 in the year 358. The Virgin Mary appeared to both a wealthy Roman nobleman named John and to Pope Liberius (352–366) in a dream foretelling the August snow and asking for a church to be built in her honor on the site of the snowfall.

The basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III (432–440) after the Council of Ephesus in 431 declared Mary to be the mother of God.

Lithuanian Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, 53, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, celebrated the Mass on Aug. 5 to mark the anniversary of the dedication of the Marian basilica.

Appointed to reorganize the basilica’s administration in 2023 as a coadjutor archpriest, Makrickas officially succeeded Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, 80, last month.

As the choir sang the “Gloria” during the liturgy, a gentle cascade of white rose petals fell from the basilica’s ceiling, evoking “the miracle of the snow” said to have taken place nearly 17 centuries ago.

In his homily, the cardinal noted that the snowfall “can be understood as a symbol of grace.”

“It can only be received as a gift,” he said. “Grace also arouses admiration and amazement.” 

Makrickas noted that Pope Francis participated in last year’s commemoration on Aug. 5. “Pope Francis, who rests in this basilica to be watched over, inspired, and comforted [by] our heavenly mother, Salus Populi Romani, deeply experienced this maternal guidance of Mary,” he said, referring to the revered Marian icon housed in the basilica.

“Like him, thousands of pilgrims, in this jubilee year, walk through the Holy Door of this Marian sanctuary to ask for God’s grace to be able, with renewed faith and a burning heart like the snow, to be witnesses of the great works of God in the world,” he added. 

Among the four major papal basilicas in Rome, St. Mary Major is the only one that maintained its original structure. Mosaics dating back to the fifth century can be seen in the central nave of the basilica, which also houses the relic of the Holy Crib from the birth of Christ.

“Dear brothers and sisters, crossing the Holy Door of this basilica means entrusting one’s journey of life and faith to the maternal protection of Mary,” Makrickas said. “And to be inspired by hope is to open oneself to this hope that does not disappoint.” 

Vatican City, Aug 4, 2025 / 16:29 pm (CNA).

Standing before the casket containing the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and the tomb of St. Catherine of Siena in Rome, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney told a packed basilica of young jubilee pilgrims that holy relics are “not just a quirky Catholic thing — they are a quirky God thing.”

The Australian Dominican archbishop delivered the homily at the closing Mass of the weeklong public veneration of Frassati’s body during the Jubilee of Youth, a celebration that drew 1 million Catholic young people to the Eternal City.

“It’s a quirky thing, that Catholics so honor their dead and the remains of the dead,” Fisher said. “I was asked once by a radio host, ‘What’s this thing with Catholics and bones?’ I explained that the relics of saints are sacramentals: Sites where God imparts graces of healing and strength through the intercession of the faithful ones whose relics they are.”

“Through ‘this Catholic thing with bones,’” he added, “we honor the person who was and look forward to the person who will be again — but now purified, restored, glorified.” 

“In reverencing the remains of our loved ones and especially the saints, we proclaim our faith in the holy Catholic Church and the communion of saints, but also in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting!” 

The Mass in the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva on Aug. 4 had standing room only, as young pilgrims crowded in for a chance to pray before the incorrupt body of Frassati, a 20th-century Italian layman whose body was found intact 60 years after his death, which is considered a miracle. 

“When Pier Giorgio’s mortal remains were transferred from Pollone cemetery to Turin Cathedral, they were found to be incorrupt after 60 years,” Fisher explained. “In miraculously preserving his body for so long, God was saying something powerful about the purity of this incorruptible man, about the significance of life in the flesh, and about the promise of resurrection to us all.”

Following the Mass, Dominican friars carried Frassati’s casket in a solemn procession down the basilica’s central aisle. Outside, pilgrims lined the steps, waving as the vehicle carrying Frassati’s body departed for the eight-hour drive back to Turin, where his tomb is located in the city’s cathedral.

Evangeline Jenan, 16, from Arizona, was one of the few who were able to reach out and touch the casket after it was processed outside of the basilica.

“Being able to touch his casket is just an absolutely powerful experience,” she told CNA.

“His love for God is just so inspiring and amazing to me. And I want to be like him.”

Fisher recalled how Frassati’s body was brought to Sydney for World Youth Day in 2008. “To offer Mass again beside his casket is a real privilege,” he said, welcoming Frassati’s niece, Wanda Gawronska, who has played a vital role in sharing her uncle’s story with the world.

The liturgy coincided with the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, and Fisher reminded the youth that sainthood comes in many forms.  

“Male and female, tall and short, young and old, clerical and lay, alive or dead at the moment: Sainthood is not one-size-fits-all,” he said.

Frassati, who died at age 24 in 1925, has long inspired young Catholics with his deep piety, charity for the poor, and love of the outdoors. He famously said: “To live without faith is not living, but merely existing.”

Fisher described Frassati as someone who showed that “faith is fun.”

“Mountain climbing or skiing, study or socializing — all could be apostolate,” he said.

Young pilgrims in attendance said the encounter with Frassati’s relics and Fisher’s message left a deep impression.

Rebecca Calabrese, 27, from Sydney, traveled with 64 young Australians for the jubilee. “It really inspires a lot of young people who are searching for their vocation and looking for a deeper relationship with Christ,” she said, “to see someone so ordinary but also extraordinary… who lived out his faith with such zeal and joy and passion in the normal, everyday aspects of life.”

For Dylan Staub, 21, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the jubilee was a life-changing experience. “I’ve never even been out of the country before,” he said. “It’s just so many people, so many people filled with grace and on fire with their faith.” 

He added that the jubilee really makes one reflect on how “you’re here for a purpose, and you were created and chosen by God and loved by God.” 

In his final exhortation, Fisher urged the youth to ask Frassati’s intercession for courage and clarity in their vocations.  

“Ask Pier Giorgio to intercede for wisdom about your calling, for courage to embrace it, and for the holy joy of flourishing in that vocation in the years ahead,” he said.

CNA Staff, Aug 4, 2025 / 13:22 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August is for mutual coexistence.

In a video released July 29, the Holy Father asked the faithful to pray “that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons.”

According to a , this month’s video was made in collaboration with the Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom).

In the video, Pope Leo recites a prayer composed specifically for this month’s prayer intention.

Jesus, Lord of our history,

Faithful companion and living presence,

You who never tire of coming to meet us,

Here we are, in need of your peace.

We live in times of fear and division.

Sometimes we act as if we were alone,

Building walls that separate us from one another,

Forgetting that we are brothers and sisters.

Send us your Spirit, Lord,

To rekindle within us

The desire to understand one another, to listen,

To live together with respect and compassion.

Give us the courage to seek paths of dialogue,

To respond to conflict with gestures of fraternity,

To open our hearts to others without fear of differences.

Make us builders of bridges,

Able to overcome borders and ideologies,

Able to see others through the eyes of the heart,

Recognizing in every person an inviolable dignity.

Help us create spaces where hope can flourish,

Where diversity is not a threat

But a richness that makes us more human.

Amen.

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

Vatican City, Aug 4, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

The next World Youth Day, scheduled for Aug. 3–8, 2027, will mark a historic milestone for the Catholic Church: the first time the global gathering of Catholic youth will be held in a non-Christian country, South Korea.

Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee, general coordinator of World Youth Day Seoul 2027 and auxiliary bishop of Seoul, emphasized the significance of the event in an interview with CNA during the recent Jubilee of Youth in Rome.

“Korea is the first non-Christian country to host World Youth Day,” Lee said. “At the same time, it’s the only nation that is divided in two. So, the main theme should be peace — peace between religions, peace between two countries.”

“I want to see the young people enjoying the immense love of God,” he added. “So that the next generation won’t send their children to war. … This is my hope.”

South Korea, where approximately 31% of the population is Christian and 51% reports no religious affiliation, has seen a steady growth in conversions to Catholicism. Father Isaac Severo of Seoul’s Myeongdong Cathedral told CNA that about 40 young adults are baptized each month at the cathedral alone.

“They go to the church and they ask, ‘How can I receive the baptism?’” he said.

In 2023, more than 51,000 people in Korea were baptized — 75% of whom were adult converts or people in danger of death.

Catholics make up about 11% of South Korea’s population of 52 million people. More than half of the population lives in Seoul’s metropolitan area, making the city among the largest metropolitan areas in the world.

Pope Leo XIV formally announced the 2027 World Youth Day dates during the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3 in Tor Vergata in Rome in the presence of about 1 million young people.

“After this jubilee, the ‘pilgrimage of hope’ of young people continues and will take us to Asia,” Pope Leo said.

“You, young pilgrims of hope, will be witnesses of this to the ends of the earth! I look forward to seeing you in Seoul: Let us continue to dream together and to hope together.”

The 2027 youth gathering will be the second World Youth Day to take place in Asia. The first was in Manila, Philippines, in 1995, which drew millions. For the Church in Korea, the upcoming event will be a historic moment.

More than 1,000 young Korean Catholics traveled to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth to both participate in and promote the upcoming World Youth Day. Among them was 22-year-old Jiyeon Maeng. “I’m really looking forward to it and looking forward for the people here to come to Korea and enjoy the festival with us,” she said. “We are telling them, ‘Come to Korea, please.’” 

She called it “a big honor” that Pope Leo XIV will travel to Korea in 2027. “It’s a big honor to Korea and a big honor to us all Koreans. And I think many Koreans will be waiting for him.”

The young Korean pilgrims gathered for Mass during the jubilee at the Basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere, a church with ties to Korea as the titular church of Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, who offered Mass for the pilgrims.

Lee, who preached the homily, encouraged the youth to seek “the small daily graces — the ‘little gifts’ that the Lord offers us” and to “fill your hearts with joy, eliminating sadness.”  

The basilica was so crowded that many young people sat on the floor and in the side aisles. After Mass, Yeom surprised the pilgrims by announcing he had bought ice cream for all of them to enjoy in the sweltering Roman heat.

Stephany Sun, the global communications manager for the Archdiocese of Seoul, explained the Korean delegation’s “Project 1004” — a play on the word “angel” in Korean — to bring 1,004 youth to Rome for the jubilee.

“We wanted them to kind of experience World Youth Day in advance since World Youth Day is not that popular yet in Korea,” she said. “They were very surprised by all of the crowds and the different young people who share the same faith … so I would say they’re having a great time here now.” 

Some pilgrims described deep spiritual encounters during their visit. “My group had a very big experience of the Holy Spirit in the Lateran Basilica,” Father Joseph Sung-jae Lee said.  

Severo echoed that sentiment. “We go to the important basilicas, we go to the holy stairs, the catacombs, and we see that Christ is there for the youth,” he said. “Christ looks for the lost. He’s like the shepherd — the young shepherd. And the young are looking for this joy, for this happiness, for this pleasure in the world. But that’s not the truth. The real thing is that Christ … is everything for us.”

As preparations begin for 2027, Sun had a few tips for young pilgrims planning to make the journey to Seoul: Learn a few phrases in Korean, bring a little fan or umbrella to help with the summer heat, and “train your capacity to eat spicy food!” she said. 

Rome Newsroom, Aug 3, 2025 / 07:35 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday announced that the dates of the next World Youth Day, to be held in Seoul, South Korea, will be Aug. 3–8, 2027.

“After this jubilee, the ‘pilgrimage of hope’ of young people continues and will take us to Asia,” the pontiff said in a message before praying the Angelus at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, 10 miles east of Rome, where he had just celebrated Mass for 1 million participants from 146 countries.

“I renew the invitation that Pope Francis extended in Lisbon two years ago,” he added, referring to World Youth Day in Portugal in 2023.

This new edition of World Youth Day, he said, will mark an important stage in the faith journey of the new generations. The theme will be: “Take courage, I have overcome the world.”

Leo XIV concluded his Angelus address with a powerful missionary call: “You, young pilgrims of hope, will be witnesses of this to the ends of the earth! I look forward to seeing you in Seoul: Let us continue to dream together and to hope together.”

The 2027 World Youth Day will be the first to be held in South Korea and the second in Asia, following the historic gathering of young people in Manila, Philippines, in 1995.

The pontiff defined the Jubilee of Youth, held in Rome from July 28 to Aug. 3, as “an outpouring of grace for the Church and for the whole world!” He also thanked the 1 million pilgrims who attended for their witness and enthusiasm.

In English, the pope recalled the teens and young adults who suffer in “every land bloodied by war” and mentioned in particular the young people of Gaza and Ukraine, whose lives are marked by the violence and uncertainty of war.

Leo XIV also spoke in Spanish, telling those present they are “the sign that a different world is possible.” He concluded in Italian with the affirmation that with Christ, faith is possible: “with his love, with his forgiveness, and with the power of his Spirit.”

The pope could not contain his emotion at his second and final grand meeting with young people on the 237-acre grounds of Tor Vergata, where more than 1 million young pilgrims had spent the night following a prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration led by Leo on Aug. 2.

A burst of joy swept through the area upon seeing the pontiff descend from the helicopter on the morning of Aug. 3. After an intense night of vigil, marked by a moving moment of silent Eucharistic adoration, Leo XIV told the young people that they are not made for a life that is “taken for granted and static, but for an existence that is constantly renewed through gift of self in love.”

The Jubilee of Youth, part of the Catholic Church’s yearlong Jubilee of Hope in 2025, has served as a bridge between the American pope and young people, with whom he has been able to strengthen a relationship thanks to his ability to speak three languages.

In his homily, Pope Leo invited the pilgrims to open their hearts to God and venture with him “towards eternity.”

Most of the pontiff’s homily was delivered in Italian, with short paragraphs in English and Spanish.

The pope focused on the human desire for fulfillment and asked the young people not to satisfy the thirst of their hearts with “cheap imitations.”

“There is a burning question in our hearts, a need for truth that we cannot ignore, which leads us to ask ourselves: What is true happiness? What is the true meaning of life? What can free us from being trapped in meaninglessness, boredom, and mediocrity?” he said.

Thus, he invited everyone to turn their desire for more into “a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God. We will then find ourselves before him, who is waiting for us, knocking gently on the window of our soul.”

During the Mass, the pope also addressed the experience of the limits and finiteness of things that happen, saying that these topics should not be taboo or topics “to be avoided.”

“The fragility they speak of is, in fact, part of the marvel of creation,” he emphasized, after quoting from the reading from Ecclesiastes. 

“Think of the image of grass: Is not a field of flowers beautiful? Of course, it is delicate, made up of small, vulnerable stems, prone to drying out, to being bent and broken. Yet at the same time these flowers are immediately replaced by others that sprout up after them, generously nourished and fertilized by the first ones as they decay on the ground,” he said.

He emphasized: “We too, dear friends, are made this way, we are made for this.”

Reflecting on the readings at Mass, the Holy Father made it clear that “buying, hoarding, and consuming are not enough.”

And he added: “We need to lift our eyes, to look upwards, to the ‘things that are above’ (Col 3:2), to realize that everything in the world has meaning only insofar as it serves to unite us to God and to our brothers and sisters in charity, helping us to grow in ‘compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience’ (Col 3:12).”

Evoking St. John Paul II, the founder of World Youth Days, he proclaimed: “Jesus is our hope.”

“It is he, as said, ‘who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives ... to commit … to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal,’” Leo said.

Vatican City, Aug 2, 2025 / 18:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV addressed the largest crowd of his pontificate in Rome’s outskirts on Saturday, telling an estimated 1 million young adults to “study, work, and love according to the example of Jesus” and to pray: “Stay with us, Lord.”

The pontiff was greeted Aug. 2 by joyous crowds on the 237-acre grounds of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, 10 miles east of Rome, where teenagers and young adults will stay all night in anticipation of the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth on Sunday morning.

Pope Leo, who arrived at the largest event of his pontificate by helicopter, drove through the grounds before the prayer service waving to cheering young people from the popemobile as the sun set.

He then carried the pilgrim cross of the Jubilee of Hope on foot from the crowd up to the 15,000-square-foot stage for prayers and Eucharistic adoration. The pontiff will return to the outdoor venue to celebrate the jubilee Mass at 9 a.m. on Aug. 3.

Clare Fletcher, 29, from Omaha, Nebraska, told CNA she was so grateful she decided to come to Rome for the Jubilee of Hope during the Jubilee of Youth.

“I’ve never been to World Youth Day, but everyone I’ve talked to is comparing the two,” she said.

She described the crowd as singing along to the hymns and worship music with joy.

Fletcher’s 24-year-old brother, Paul, who attended the prayer vigil with her, said he had “never seen an event of this scale and with this level of reverence.”

During the first part of the prayer service, Leo answered questions from young adults about friendship and loneliness, making good choices, and how to truly encounter Christ.

In his answers to the questions, one in each of the three languages he speaks fluently — Spanish, Italian, and English — Leo encouraged youth to seek good relationships with others and with God.

“And we can say thank you, Jesus, for loving us,” he said in a moment of improvisation in the midst of his prepared remarks. 

“Each time we adore Christ in the Eucharist, our hearts will be united in him,” the pontiff added, and he recommended saying to the Lord: “Stay with us, because without you we cannot do the good we desire.”

Fletcher, who traveled to Rome with a group of young adult friends who work in Catholic schools, called the question-and-answers with Pope Leo “poignant and so relevant! Each spoke for us. Each spoke to our hearts.”

“This is a pope who knows the youth. His response was savvy, beautiful, and worth remembering, not to mention worth praying with for some time,” she said.

Leo’s advice to young people included having Jesus, “who always accompanies us in the formation of our conscience,” as a friend.

“If you truly want to encounter the risen Lord, then listen to his word, which is the Gospel of salvation. Reflect on your way of living, and seek justice in order to build a more humane world. Serve the poor, and so bear witness to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbors,” he recommended.

“Adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the source of eternal life,” he said. “Study, work, and love according to the example of Jesus, the good Teacher who always walks beside us.”

Elodie, from France, told EWTN News at the prayer vigil that the Jubilee of Youth felt like “a huge family.”

“You feel the heart of the Church beating. I think, really, it’s beautiful,” she said.

The Jubilee of Youth, held July 28 through Aug. 3, is the most-attended event during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, with an estimated 1 million young adults, teens, and their chaperones flocking to Rome from 146 countries.

Leo left the vigil after 10 p.m., more than 30 minutes past the scheduled time. After Eucharistic adoration, the crowd broke out in loud chants of “Papa Leone,” Italian for “Pope Leo.”

Young Catholics began arriving at the site of the vigil as early as 3 p.m., where they braved sun, humidity, and temperatures in the upper 80s during an afternoon listening to live performances and the personal stories of young people from different countries.

During his remarks, the pope asked for prayers for two female pilgrims who died this week, a 20-year-old Spaniard, Maria, and an 18-year-old Egyptian, . He also asked the young people to pray for another Spaniard, Ignazio Gonzales, who was hospitalized in Rome.

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

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday offered heartfelt prayers for Pascale Rafic, a Jubilee of Youth pilgrim from Egypt who died in Rome.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the pope privately met with the group of pilgrims traveling with Rafic at the Vatican on Saturday morning to give spiritual comfort to the young people left shaken by the tragic event.

“All of a sudden, we are reminded in a very powerful way that our life is not superficial nor do we have control over our own lives nor do we know as Jesus himself says, neither the day nor the hour when for some reason our earthy life ends,” Leo told the young people from Egypt.

“And so in a certain way, as we celebrate this Jubilee Year of Hope,” he continued, “we are reminded in a very powerful way how much our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be part of who we are, of how we live, of how we appreciate and respect one another, and especially of how we continue to move forward in spite of such painful experiences.”

The Italian religious news service Agensir reported Aug. 2 the young woman died from cardiac arrest. 

Prior to his meeting with the pilgrim group, Pope Leo contacted Greek Melkite religious leader Bishop Jean-Marie Chami of the Patriarchate of Antioch to express his spiritual closeness with Rafic’s family and her community.

“The Holy Father assures all of his heartfelt prayers and invokes the Lord’s comfort and consolation upon Pascale’s family members, friends, and all of those who grieve her loss,” the Vatican statement read.

Speaking to the pilgrims traveling with Rafic, Pope Leo recalled that while it is natural and human to cry at the pain of someone dying — as Catholics, we have hope in the Resurrection.

“Our hope is in Jesus Christ who is risen,” he said. “And he calls all of us to renew our faith, calls all of us to be friends, brothers and sisters to one another, to support one another, and he says you too must be witnesses to that Gospel message. And for all of you it has touched your lives in a very personal and direct way today.”

Bishop Stefano Russo of Velletri-Segni expressed his condolences to Rafic’s family on behalf of the diocesan community who hosted Rafic in the town of Artena during her jubilee pilgrimage.

“A guest in our diocese, along with her group, on their way to Rome, Pascale left us in Christian hope, embraced by the Father’s mercy,” he said. “We are convinced of this, having accompanied her on the final leg of her earthly journey.”

“We pray for Pascale, her family, and her friends,” he said.

Vatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Thousands of Jubilee of Youth pilgrims headed to the Circus Maximus in Rome on Friday to receive the Church’s sacrament of reconciliation.

While patiently waiting in long and winding queues to have their confessions heard at the ancient site — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — pilgrims told CNA why seeking God’s forgiveness is important for them.

Touched by Pope Leo XIV’s reminder to young people that “hope does not disappoint,” Canadian Angie Alvarez Salinas from the Archdiocese of Toronto said she believes “the love of God triumphs” over any sin.

“Confession is that renewal,” she said. “Like how Jesus said, ‘I make all things new’ ... You’re made clean and you’re made a ‘new creation.’”

“It gives you hope knowing that no matter what you have done previously or whatever your path, your struggles, or your sufferings are,” she said, “God knows you at the deepest level and he just wants to shower you with his love.”

Braving the Roman heat to get to the Circus Maximus by midday, Australian Louis Shu, who joined a 70-person international delegation organized by the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, said he was surprised and moved to see so many people lining up to talk one-on-one with a priest.

“Confession is something that young people might shy away from,” he told CNA. “I think especially in the last few years that there’s been a change or something in the air that’s really bringing young people back into the Church.”

“People are searching for meaning, people are searching for God, for Jesus,” he said. “And I think this Jubilee Year of Hope is definitely a way of bringing young people back in.”  

“I think it shows that the Church is alive and that young people still go to Church,” he added.

Iraqi Nicholas Dastafkan told CNA he believes confession is the most important sacrament after baptism as it makes you feel like “a reborn baby without any sins.”

“There is no church in the city I’m living in Turkey,” he said. “But whenever I find a Catholic church or even a Catholic priest on the street I go to confession.”

Grateful for the spiritual advice he has received from priests, Dastafkan said their words are like a “charger” that reenergizes Christians to live their faith in their daily lives.

For Filipino seminarian Vinnize Rey Pilapil, who is accompanying a youth delegation from the Philippines, seeing the “enormous number of people” at the Friday jubilee event dedicated to prayer and penance was a surprise.

Emphasizing that it is Jesus Christ himself — not the priest — who absolves sins, Pilapil said the desire of wanting to go to confession is a sign of grace that someone is being “called by God.”

“You are telling your story and you’re confessing your sins to Jesus himself,” he told CNA. “As we know in the Gospel, he listens, he welcomes you, he embraces you, and, most especially, he pardons all your sins.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.

During a vocation-themed evening in Rome, two young Syrian women, Olga Al-Maati and Christine Saad, moved hearts with their testimony about living faith amid war, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, . 

Representing the Marian youth of Damascus, they told fellow attendees that their presence wasn’t about recounting suffering but spreading hope. They spoke of growing up amid bombs and despair yet clinging to Christ and discovering deep meaning in faith. 

Their testimony, rooted in the Vincentian spirit of charity and perseverance, received a heartfelt response. “Love is stronger than death,” Saad declared, highlighting the role of Syrian youth in helping others find light in darkness through acts of service.

The Diocese of Ubon Ratchathani in northeast Thailand activated its emergency shelters on Tuesday for those fleeing ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, .

Despite a agreement on Monday, tensions between the two countries remain high, the report said, prompting the diocese to open its shelters, which took in roughly 200,000 displaced people. Bishop Stephen Boonlert Phromsena has opened donation sites across the diocese, while Caritas and other local Catholic agencies are providing food, water, clothing, and other basic necessities to refugees of the conflict.

In a moving letter to the South Sudan government Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of the Tombura-Yambio Diocese pleaded for bold action to end the protracted violence occurring within his episcopal see. 

“Our people live under plastic sheeting, drink unsafe water, walk in fear, and bury their loved ones in silence,” he wrote, adding: “This is not a political inconvenience, this is a humanitarian tragedy and a moral failure.”

Ethnically-driven violence between the Azande and Balanda communities has plagued Tombura as conflicts over political representation, traditional authority roles, and land access continue to escalate.

Hundreds of Lebanese youth gathered at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome during the Jubilee of Youth to pray for peace in Lebanon, lifting their country in prayer, asking for strength, reconciliation, and a renewed spirit of responsibility among their fellow citizens.

According to Bishop Jules Boutros, who heads the Syriac Catholic youth committee, urged participants to model their hearts after Christ’s and be beacons of unity and love. Also present, Armenian Catholic priest Father Bedros Haddad invoked prayers for Lebanon’s recovery from its many crises, remembering the victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion and the country’s ongoing political and economic turmoil.

Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe of the Kakamega Diocese called out the Kenyan government’s reported plans to scrap free education in the country, warning that the move would trigger a crisis in the education sector by shifting the financial burden to already struggling parents. 

Speaking to journalists on July 28, Obanyi said that should government capitation in schools in Kenya be removed, most learning institutions in the East African nation will not be able to operate, . “If capitation is removed from schools, there’s going to be a crisis. I’m aware that many of the institutions, even when they were not getting this capitation on time, some of them were taking overdrafts, awaiting the capitation,” he said.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany, has encouraged the people of Bavaria to vote in the next local election in the free state on March 8, 2026, and to run in the elections. 

Marx published the together with the state bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Christian Kopp, on Friday, , CNA’s German-language news partner.

“The two Christian churches in Bavaria encourage all people to run for a local political mandate with a democratic party or association,” the appeal said. Even if federal and state politics often play a more prominent role in the media, Marx and Kopp emphasized the importance of local politics.

“It takes care of services of general interest, [including] water, energy, garbage disposal, or fire protection,” they continued. “It decides on the weighting of the areas of economic development, construction, social affairs, and education, sport, health, and care.” 

Bon Secours Mercy Health, a U.S-based Catholic health care provider, has announced plans to invest up to $500 million to build a major hospital in the Philippines. 

“If realized, it would mark one of the largest private-sector health care investments by a U.S.-based system in the Philippines,” the Philippine government task force that oversees foreign investments said in a statement,. 

According to its , Bon Secours Mercy Health’s mission “is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities.” Commitment to “uphold the sacredness of life,” integrity, compassion, stewardship, and service are also listed as its core values.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Twenty-five years ago at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, youth gathered from around the globe for an all-night vigil during the 15th World Youth Day. Pilgrims stayed overnight on the open field with sleeping bags, with St. John Paul II presiding over the vigil.

Located on the outskirts of Rome, the university served as the historic site for the overnight vigil, chosen for its capacity to hold the massive influx of youth who descended upon Rome in August 2000.

Now, a quarter-century later, young Catholics from around the globe will descend upon Tor Vergata once again for an all-night vigil during the Jubilee of Youth, echoing the powerful spiritual encounter that took place on the same grounds during World Youth Day in 2000.

On the evening of Aug. 2, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Pope Leo XIV will lead a vigil of prayer and reflection, inviting youth to open their hearts under the Roman sky.

“John Paul II encourag[ed] all youth to not be afraid as we were called to be an active part of the Church,” Deacon Luke Oestman told CNA.

The 2000 vigil marked the turn of the millennium and the climax of the Great Jubilee declared by Pope John Paul II.

For many who attended the vigil, it became a defining moment in their faith journey. 

“It was at that all-night vigil that I first heard the oft-quoted ‘It is Jesus that you seek,’” Father Chas Canoy, who attended as a 27-year-old, told CNA. 

“That was an epiphany moment … especially in the context of the Great Jubilee and the new millennium, which highlighted that all of history was ‘His story’ with the humanity he loved and desired to redeem,” he said.

Lisa Wheeler, founder of Carmel Communications, recalled the 2000 World Youth Day in Rome as a spiritual turning point.

“Being at the World Youth Day Mass in Rome in 2000 during the Great Jubilee was a defining moment in my return to the Catholic faith,” Wheeler said. “It was my second World Youth Day since my reversion in 1996, and once again, Pope John Paul II spoke with a clarity and love that pierced my heart.”

CNA recently for their memories of the event ahead of the vigil with Leo.

“I joined the World Youth Day in 2000 in Rome. It was also a jubilee year and [I was] so blessed to be able to hear and see Pope John Paul II and then to enter the jubilee door in St. Peter’s Basilica,” MylaDalle Buena-Marcial said.

The 2000 event was the first of four youth days Buena-Marcial attended, she said.

One attendee of the 2000 celebration, Trina Trusty, that she was overheated from the hike to the vigil site, but it was worthwhile.

“I cried when I first laid eyes on JPII. What a blessing it was to be a part of the prayer vigil and Mass with him and 2 million other people!” she wrote.

Elizabeth Canlas that she attended World Youth Day in 2000 and is now watching her two daughters experience the same event this year.

Tricia Tembreull, meanwhile, said she attended the 2000 WYD and will again. 

“[I] can’t wait to do it again with [Pope Leo XIV] next Saturday and Sunday for the jubilee of young people,” she said.