Vatican News

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.

Vatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

Just steps away from the exuberant crowds of Gen Z pilgrims chanting and taking selfies in St. Peter’s Square, religious sisters in white saris with blue stripes kneel barefoot in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

More than 50 sisters of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity are in Rome this week for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Youth offering a striking contrast to the vibrant festival atmosphere filling the Vatican’s streets. Their mission: “To give them Jesus,” said one 25-year-old sister from Spain, who declined to be quoted by name in accordance with the congregation’s rules.

The sisters, known for their vow of extreme poverty and life of service to “the poorest of the poor,” are praying for the souls and intentions of the thousands of young people gathered in the Eternal City. But they’re not stopping there.

In their no-frills style, the sisters are also taking to the streets, approaching young people one by one along the Via della Conciliazione — the broad avenue leading to St. Peter’s Basilica — inviting them to spend time with Christ in all-day Eucharistic adoration and to learn about the mission and message of their founder, St. Teresa of Calcutta.

They press Miraculous Medals into open palms and quietly teach short prayers beloved by Mother Teresa, including: “Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.”

Jubilee pilgrims in Rome can visit the sisters near the Vatican at the Pius IX Pontifical School at Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro, 1, where the Missionaries of Charity have set up a welcome center with a small exhibit featuring Mother Teresa’s sari, sandals, and other personal belongings.

Mother Teresa’s blood, preserved on a piece of cotton, is exposed for veneration as a first-class relic, and visitors are encouraged to leave handwritten prayer intentions in a shoebox. The sisters gather these daily and place them near the altar during Mass.

also includes a video presentation of Mother Teresa’s life, with images and excerpts from her speeches, playing in an adjacent room. For some young visitors, this is their first encounter with the saint. One sister recalled a moment when a young pilgrim asked her: “Mother Teresa? Who is that?” — a question that underscored the importance of their presence at the youth jubilee.

The sisters — who usually avoid being photographed or quoted — have made an exception for this special outreach to young people. Still, the young Spanish sister, born after Mother Teresa’s death, said she prays that any photo taken of her would lead people not to her but to Christ.

She pointed to a favorite line from a — whom Pope Leo XIV will soon declare a doctor of the Church — that the Missionaries of Charity recite daily after Communion: “Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!”

Together with the sisters at the jubilee is Father Sebastian Vazhakala, the co-founder of the contemplative branch of the order with Mother Teresa, who gave talks for some of the young pilgrims.

Vazhakala told CNA that he thinks the encounters taking place between the sisters and the young pilgrims could help more young people to discover their vocations, not only with the Missionaries of Charity but also with other congregations.

“Definitely God is the one that does the calling,” he said. “But we have to create an atmosphere for it … inspiring and instilling in the hearts of people the desire for God and the desire for commitment.”

“Not everybody can have the same vocation, but at least they can come to know God better, come to love God better, and so come to know the meaning of their life.”

Vazhakala also shared some of his favorite memories from working alongside Mother Teresa for more than 30 years.

He recalled one instance during their work together on the streets of Calcutta in the 1960s when a man, sick and homeless, was brought in for help — not for the first time. 

Vazhakala, then a young priest, told Mother Teresa: “There is no sense of taking this man. … This man has been here at least 10 times. Now when he gets well, he will go out to the street, and then they will bring him back again.” 

He remembers that Mother Teresa replied: “Are you living tomorrow and yesterday? Because it doesn’t matter whether he came yesterday or will come back tomorrow. But this man is in need of your help now. If he needs your help now, don’t ask questions. Do it.”

Vazhakala said Mother Teresa taught him to live in the present moment, which she saw as a gift from God. He remembered a time when after receiving the Nobel Prize she was asked by a journalist what she considered to be the most significant day of her life.

“Today,” was Mother Teresa’s reply.

“‘I can do something today. I can love people. I can help others. I can pray.’”

At this year’s Jubilee of Youth, the Missionaries of Charity quietly echo that message — in their prayers, their presence, and their patient invitation to pause and encounter the living Christ today.

Vatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

With more than a million followers across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other platforms, Father Cosimo Schena has become one of the most recognizable faces of the so-called “digital missionary” phenomenon in Italy.

“The illness of this century is loneliness, and we listen to each other very little. I try to convey a simple message, because the Lord is simple,” Schena explained.

It was four years ago that the priest, philosopher, psychologist, and psychotherapy specialist decided to create a social media profile to proclaim the Gospel in a friendly, positive, and accessible way.

“I earned a doctorate in philosophy, then studied psychology and specialized in psychotherapy. And that’s precisely where the need to convey a beautiful message, a positive message, on social media arose. Because when I go online, when I turn on the television, everything is negative, everything is bad… The bad news is news, and the good news is relegated. So I said to myself, ‘Why not give it a try?’”, he explained in conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, just before participating in an event this week with other Catholic influencers at the Via della Conciliazione auditorium, a few steps from the Vatican.

Little by little, he began posting inspirational quotes and then motivational and spiritual videos. The response he found online was surprising: “I’ve gained more than a million followers across different platforms, and the ages vary, from the youngest to the oldest.”

Not everyone who follows him is Catholic. “There are many people who don’t believe in God and follow me, and they say, ‘Look, even though I don’t believe, I like you as a priest because of what you say.’ What makes me smile in a positive way is that, after all, Jesus is for everyone,” he explained.

He felt the call to the priesthood in the parish, inspired by the credible witness of his pastor, “which made me wonder if I too could make that decision,” Schena related.

After years of discernment, he left his studies in computer engineering to enter the seminary. He was ordained a priest at 30, and at 40, he discovered that there is a mission to fulfill not only in the sacristy but also in the digital world.

The key, he insisted, is to not complicate the message: “I truly hope that this — experiencing the digital world — will be cleaner, more beautiful, conveying a simple message, without complicating it, because the Lord is simple.”

He is now a priest at St. Francis Parish in the Diocese of Brindisi in southern Italy and has noticed that his online work has had a direct impact: “The number of people coming to my church has doubled. Not only thanks to the local faithful, but above all because of those who come specifically from other cities in Italy to hear the homily or confess.”

This phenomenon of digital missionaries has gained such strength that the Vatican celebrated July 28–29 the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, an official recognition — the first — of this new form of evangelization. “Until a few years ago, the higher-ups looked at us with suspicion,” Schena acknowledged.

Beyond likes and algorithms, Schena perceives a profound need in those who follow him: “Now I receive, some days, even a thousand messages a day, between private messages and emails. Many people write me super-long emails, and at the end they say: ‘You don’t need to reply. The important thing is that someone has listened to me.’ That makes me feel good, because the illness of this century is truly loneliness. And we listen to each other very little.”

For Schena, behind all this lies a spiritual emptiness: “Unfortunately, this society has imposed individualism on us, and we have welcomed it with open arms. In this sense, the message of Jesus, of Christ, reaches these people and makes them feel better, even if they are not believers.”

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

The Vatican announced Thursday that St. John Henry Newman will be declared a doctor of the Church. The 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — will join 37 other saints who have been given the same honor.

Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879.

As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel. His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.

The title “doctor of the Church” recognizes those canonized men and women who possessed profound knowledge, were superb teachers, and contributed significantly to the Church’s theology.

Traditionally, the title has been granted on the basis of three requirements: the manifest holiness of a candidate affirmed by his or her canonization as a saint; the person’s eminence in doctrine demonstrated by the leaving behind of a body of teachings that made significant and lasting contributions to the life of the Church; and a formal declaration by the Church, usually by a pope.

While their teachings are not considered infallible, being declared a “doctor” means that they contributed to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one significant area and this teaching has impacted later generations. 

Not quite half of the saints revered as doctors in the Catholic Church are also honored in the Orthodox church since they lived before the Great Schism in 1054.

The most recent doctor of the Church to be named was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, with the title “doctor unitatis” (“doctor of unity”), Pope Francis had previously in 2015 named as a doctor of the Church a 10th-century priest, monk, mystic, and poet beloved among Armenian Christians.

Other notable saints who are doctors of the Church include St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales, among others.

The Vatican has not yet confirmed the date of Newman’s formal proclamation as a doctor of the Church.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 31, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

Bishop Robert Barron in Rome this week urged young people to follow God and reject worldly goods, calling on youth to “find their mission” and pursue the Lord “into the depths.”

“God has an idea of the saint you were meant to be,” Barron said during the keynote address at the Jubilee of Youth’s National U.S. Pilgrim Gathering on July 30.

Barron, the bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and founder of the Word on Fire ministry, emphasized that modern culture promotes individualism at the expense of God’s journey with us.

Throughout his speech, Barron referenced biblical figures — including Peter, Abraham, Jacob, and Jonah — to highlight the challenges and rewards of answering God’s call.

There’s nothing more important in our lives than discerning our mission, Barron told the crowd.

He suggested that anyone discerning their mission should start by asking the questions “Whom do you worship? What voice do you listen to? And what’s the mission that voice is giving to you?”

A true mission, Barron said, leads a person to greater self-gift. “Listen to the voice … and accept the mission,” he told the crowd of young people.

Struggling with a small podium and his prepared speech, Barron opted to ad lib about his journey in Rome.

Juxtaposing the ruins of Rome with the present Catholic Church, Barron said: “Don’t believe them when they tell you religion’s in decline. … What’s in us is greater than anything in the world.” 

“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.” 

“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. 

Barron warned against living in “the little shallows” of material desires and urged attendees to pursue a higher calling.

He paraphrased Abraham’s journey as our own: “Leave the country of who you are now. Leave that boring space of the old self, preoccupied with its own freedom, and go to the land I will show you. What’s the land? It’s the saint you’re meant to be.”

Diving into the etymology of the word worship — which descends from an older English word, worth ship — Barron said that what we hold the highest is what’s worshipped. 

He warned the assembly not to worship money, status, or family. “If I make them my central preoccupation, I will fall apart on the inside — I will disintegrate and I will sow disintegration around me.”

“You become what you worship,” Barron said.

He also suggested that those struggling with mental health might reflect on what they worship.

Jacob also wrestled with an angel, embodying the fortitude of God’s desire to be with us. “We can’t fathom the meaning of our suffering. Don’t give up. Wrestle,” Barron said.

“We know the call to radical love,” Barron said. “But we tend to go the other way.” Ignoring that call, he warned, leads to internal and external storms. “Refusing your mission is bad for you and the people around you.”

Barron posed and answered the question “What happens when we accept the mission?” He replied with a quote from the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar: “You don’t know who you are until you find your mission.”

He concluded by linking the lives of Peter, Paul, and Jesus, each of whom embraced self-sacrifice for the good of others. 

“That’s the same call they’re giving to all of you,” Barron said.

Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 12:11 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday appointed astronomer Father Richard Anthony D’Souza, SJ, as the new director of the Vatican Observatory.

D’Souza, who has worked at the Vatican’s astronomical research and educational institution since 2016, will start his new position on Sept. 19, according to the Holy See Press Office statement.

The Indian priest succeeds Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ, whose 10-year mandate ends next month, as head of the observatory. Consolmagno will remain at the scientific institution as a staff astronomer.

Born in Goa in 1978, D’Souza joined the Society of Jesus in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2011 after completing studies at the Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosophy and Theology in India.

He obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Xavier’s College, University of Mumbai, India, in 2002 and was awarded a master’s degree in physics by the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 2005.

In 2016, he completed his doctorate in astronomy at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, before moving to Italy to work with the Vatican Observatory in the same year. 

According to the Vatican Observatory website, D’Souza, whose area of specialized research is the formation and evolution of galaxies, is also the superior of the Jesuit community attached to the observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. 

In 1891, Leo XIII issued the motu proprio (“As Mystical”) authorizing the construction of a new modernized observatory in Castel Gandolfo, approximately 15 miles southeast of Rome. 

The Church’s first observatory was founded in 1579 by Pope Gregory XIII, who entrusted the institution to the Society of Jesus.

Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 10:41 am (CNA).

The Vatican has seen a boom in requests for blessings from the new pope, with at least a 30% increase during Leo XIV’s first month reflecting enthusiasm over the start of a new pontificate — and highlighting a traditional practice that combines devotion with fundraising for charitable works.

In June, the Vatican granted 20,000 papal blessing requests — up from the 12,000 to 15,000 parchments distributed in a typical month — something that “has never happened in history,” Cardinal Konrad Krajewski told CNA in an interview this week.

The Polish cardinal, who is responsible for the Vatican’s charitable activities and the granting of blessing certificates, said when the office reopened its doors in May after the papal interregnum and Leo’s election, a line formed a 10th of a mile long, winding out the building, down the street, and almost beyond the Vatican’s Sant’Anna Gate.

The papal charities office had to close online orders for around two weeks in June because they couldn’t keep up with requests, he noted. “Everyone wanted the blessing of the new pope.”

He added that the start of the new pontificate coincided with a popular time of year to receive sacraments, including confirmation, first holy Communion, and priestly ordination, contributing to the rise in demand.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, blessings — of people, meals, objects, and places — praise God and pray for his gifts.

“In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father ‘with every spiritual blessing.’ This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ,” .

For Catholics, Krajewski said, the blessing of the pope can hold a special significance, since he is their spiritual father.

“We want to ask for the blessing of the pope, which we hang in our home and which helps us to live through difficult times,” he said. It helps us to know “that there is someone who bears the name of Jesus, who comes under my roof and blesses me; this is something normal, something very human.”

People can receive the pope’s blessing during an in-person encounter or now, even through social media or the television. But having his apostolic blessing on paper, hanging in their home, helps people to feel “strongly united with the pontiff, who represents Our Lord,” the cardinal said.

He likened a blessing to a mother’s kiss on her child’s hurt knee: It does not necessarily take away the pain of suffering, but the expression of the pope’s closeness can give a lot of comfort as people are trying to live the Christian life.

Since the late 19th century, the Vatican has granted signed and stamped certificates bestowing apostolic blessings on Catholics, usually for a special occasion such as a baptism, marriage, wedding anniversary, first holy Communion, or milestone birthday.

For a period, the Vatican authorized some souvenir and bookstores close to St. Peter’s Basilica to also sell the blessings, but that practice ended in 2014, and now, to request the apostolic blessing parchment at the papal charities office in Vatican City.

While online orders of blessings must fall under one of a limited set of categories and require only a personal declaration of eligibility, Krajewski explained that people can also make in-person requests for blessings for other reasons, such as illness. In these cases, the papal charities office requires a parish priest or an apostolic nuncio (the pope’s ambassador to a country) to pronounce on the suitability of granting the blessing.

The cardinal said this was to avoid any possibility that someone might try to acquire a blessing certificate for a scandalous purpose, such as for display in a hospital where abortions are performed. The doctors at that hospital need blessings and prayers, Krajewski underlined, but an apostolic blessing on the wall, with a photo of the pope, could falsely give an impression of papal approbation.

After a request for a blessing is received, it takes between two and three weeks to process the order, to create the “parchment” (actually thick paper), and to prepare it either to be picked up or to be mailed.

Part of the preparation includes hand-lettering the certificates — for which the office employs 11 calligraphers.

Krajewski said a few of the blessing parchments are still made by request entirely in calligraphy but that most people today desire the more legible print produced by a computer. But all of the papers contain some hand-drawn elements, such as the ornate first letter of certain words.

The Vatican charges around $23 to $35 for each blessing certificate it distributes — but clearly states that the cost is a suggested donation, and every cent of the proceeds goes directly to aid people struggling from poverty, war, or disaster.

“We say that the real blessing is the alms,” Krajewski said. “Because every [donation] obtained from the blessings goes to the poor.”

Krajewski, who was appointed papal almoner by Pope Francis in 2013, emphasized the enormous help donations for blessings make to the charitable works his office carries out. He declined to provide exact figures, but said in 2024, most of the $8 million that his office spent on aid around the world came from the blessings.

“We are Pope Leo’s first aid,” he said. “When something happens in the world [we are the] first aid … the ambulance that runs to help.”

A recent project financed by the donations, he said, was support for those affected by the typhoon in Taiwan. Through the apostolic nuncio the Vatican is able to send money to a country in need sometimes in a matter of hours.

“The Holy Father reminds us that it is not enough to say ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I’m united with you,’ but [we need to also] send concrete aid.”

Another recent gift from the Vatican’s charitable arm was a bread oven for the war-torn city of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Throughout the war, the Vatican has given food, medical aid, and even cash to people struggling in Ukraine, often delivered in a truck driven by the 61-year-old Krajewski himself.

“Pope Francis once told me if this money does not go to the poor, I will end up in hell,” the cardinal said. “Pope Francis was very, very direct. And then, he would always ask if our bank account was empty, because if our bank account was empty, it meant that we had helped a lot of people.”

“But the blessings help us to be sure of having resources to help and this is a beautiful thing,” he added.

Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 09:36 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday approved the decision to declare St. John Henry Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church.

The decision to confer the title upon the 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — was confirmed during the pope’s morning meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. 

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father accepted the “affirmative opinion” of dicastery members and the plenary session of cardinals and bishops regarding the founder of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England.  

In the Church’s 2,000-year history, only 37 other saints, including four women, have been given the title of doctor. 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.   

The Vatican has not yet confirmed the date of Newman’s formal proclamation as a doctor of the Church.

Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism.

In 1845, Newman asked his friend Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian Passionist priest living in England, to receive him into the Catholic Church.

He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. He chose the motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”) as an expression of his conversion in his own heart, through the heart of God.    

As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel.

His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters.

Newman died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.

Vatican City, Jul 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Mikhail Ajjan fled war-torn Syria and the terrors of ISIS with his family when he was 10. Now a university student in Sweden, the 21-year-old Catholic faces a vastly different challenge of living his faith in a secular environment and is honing his media skills to help spread the Gospel.

Ajjan is one of more than 40 young Catholics from 23 countries who have come together to train in the 2025 EWTN Summer Academy in Rome, an intensive program in religious journalism and digital storytelling, which coincides this year with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Youth.

Several of the academy participants come from places where Catholics live their faith amid severe adversity — from war zones to countries where cartel violence or religious persecution threaten Christian communities.

Among them is Nicolawos Hazboun, a multimedia officer from Bethlehem who works closely with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa documenting life in the Holy Land for the Latin Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On a recent afternoon, Hazboun, 26, paused to reflect on the current situation facing Palestinian Catholics in Bethlehem.

“It’s a blessing for us to be in the same place where Jesus was born,” he said. “My family is one of the biggest Christian families in Bethlehem. … We are in Bethlehem for more than 500 years … And we want to stay.”

But staying isn’t easy. “Nowadays we have a bad situation because of the war,” Hazboun said. “We don’t have any pilgrimage … groups from outside. The people of Bethlehem … depend on the tourists. We don’t have any income.”

Many Christian families in Bethlehem, he added, are leaving for Europe or North America. “We want the Christians of Bethlehem to grow and to increase in numbers, but unfortunately, the numbers of Christians in Bethlehem are getting low because of the situation.”

Hazboun hopes to bring the skills he learns at the EWTN Summer Academy back to Bethlehem and Jerusalem to help him better communicate the experience of Christians in the Holy Land. 

“People are always surprised that there are … Palestinian Christians,” Hazboun said. “I want them to know that we are a strong community.”

“There are still Christians in Bethlehem. … Not all Palestinians are Muslim.”

The EWTN Summer Academy, organized by the global Catholic media network EWTN, CNA’s parent company, is now in its fourth year of training aspiring communicators in skills ranging from video editing to narrative reporting. The academy is held at the Pontifical Urban University’s CIAM center with a panoramic view of Rome and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica and is offered at no cost to participants.

“I feel close to heaven,” said Sister Mary Iyadunni Adeniyi, 27, a Nigerian member of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Michael the Archangel making her first pilgrimage to Rome to take part in the academy.

She recalls vividly the 2022 Pentecost massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Nigeria, where dozens of Catholics were killed.

“It feels bad that you just go out and you could get killed,” she said. “We pray that God will help our faith and God could restore peace in our country.”

Even so, Sister Mary remains committed to building a hopeful future. “The charism of my congregation is evangelization through inculturation,” she explained.

“Now, it’s a digital world … so we also have to use that for evangelization.” She edits videos, designs graphics, and believes strongly in the potential of online platforms to reach young hearts.  

“Where can you find the young people in the 21st century? In the media,” the sister said. 

In Vietnam, Tâm Nguyên Bùi, 31, works with the Vietnamese bishops’ conference and also volunteers for the local archdiocese in Saigon.

“Even though we are a minority in the population — about 7% of 100 million people in the country — we have profound experiences in family life… and devotion in the churches,” Nguyên said. 

“In the EWTN Summer Academy 2025, we are alongside 43 communicators from 23 countries. We come from different backgrounds, different experiences of faith also. I really learn when I speak with others about how they live their faith in their country. For some, it is freely and it’s very enjoyable, but sometimes with difficulties,” he said. 

Nguyên has translated some of the writings of St. John Paul II into Vietnamese and is a veteran of Catholic youth gatherings across Asia. He said that Catholics in Vietnam are hoping that Pope Leo XIV will visit Vietnam soon. “We try to pray that the relationship between Vietnam and the Holy See is better and gets better.”

For Ajjan, the Jubilee of Youth will be a continuation of the rewarding experience that he had at the last World Youth Day.

“I’ve been to the World Youth Days in Portugal and I got hooked. So I was like, ‘I’m going to the jubilee. I’m going to South Korea,” he said referring to the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. 

Ajjan has also found a way to serve his local Catholic community. With EWTN Sweden, he helps a young priest to produce a weekly homily video series.  

“In our city, we have a very good youth pastor,” he explained. “And we started to film a Sunday homily series with him. So each Wednesday we filmed the series, edited it, and then put it out on Sunday morning. … It was really, really fun.”

From Lebanon, Marguerita Kallassyis a trilingual journalist for ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, also owned by EWTN. She has covered everything from street protests to massive religious processions. But her heart lies in telling Catholic stories.

“It was so magical to bring that part of the East that still believes … that still has a place for Jesus in their lives,” she said.

She wants to correct the common misperception that Christianity is all but vanished from the Middle East. 

“People never realize the scale [of Christianity] in the East. … They thought we have only Muslim community in Lebanon so I really need to tell people that this is the birthplace of Jesus. I mean — Jesus is not from New Jersey, you know?” she joked.

“My work with the EWTN inspired me so that I applied to the Sorbonne … in media studies,” she said. Kallassy will start her graduate studies in Paris in the fall.

Daniela Sánchez y Sánchez, 21, grew up in Puebla, Mexico, and is now studying journalism in Spain.

“Since I was a little kid, I always wanted to know … everything about everything,” she said. She began working with Radio María and the Archdiocese of Puebla to report the news of the local Church and bring a message of faith to a country torn by drug violence. 

The Church’s response, she said, has always been prayer — even for those committing violence. “[We] pray for all the victims, for all the priests who have been affected by this, and pray for those people … who are bad and want to do bad to our community,” she said. “We all need to have mercy and pray for them.”

Seated in view of St. Peter’s, Sánchez marveled at the experience. “If you’re into spreading God’s message throughout the world and journalism, this is the best opportunity God has given us.”

Vatican City, Jul 30, 2025 / 17:09 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations of the Holy See, noted that universities are not Catholic “because of the number of crucifixes” but because they strive to seek truth that is “in harmony with the certainty of faith.”

“Far from being just another institution in the global marketplace of ideas, and much less Catholic just because of the number of crucifixes on its walls or chapel services, a truly Catholic university is a place where the search for truth is in harmony with the certainty of faith,” he noted.

As reported by Vatican News, Gallagher gave his reflections during the inaugural conference of the 28th general assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), held July 28 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

During his visit to Mexico, the prelate emphasized that Catholic universities are called to play a “central role” in building peace through knowledge, dialogue, and the formation of ethical leaders.

In his address, the archbishop strongly argued that, in a context marked by armed conflict, ideological divisions, and growing polarization, Catholic universities must reaffirm their original vocation: to be beacons of humanity and understanding.

“Catholic universities — and also papal representatives — have always been beacons of knowledge, faith, and service to humanity,” he said.

The prelate thus emphasized their potential as active agents in the international arena: “In these turbulent times marked by conflict and war, division and mistrust, [universities] are called to reaffirm their vocation as builders of peace, collaborators in building bridges of understanding between cultures, religions, and disciplines.”

From this perspective, Gallagher defended the concept of “academic diplomacy,” which he defined as an essential instrument for dialogue between peoples and fields of knowledge. “They can uniquely develop academic diplomacy as a means to promote peace through thoughtful engagement, ethical reflection, and respectful dialogue,” he explained, insisting that the university vocation goes far beyond the transmission of technical knowledge.

Gallagher also proposed rediscovering the universal value of a deep-rooted Catholic identity, capable of dialogue with everyone without losing its center.

“A truly Catholic education is not isolated but extroverted and committed to the universal search for truth,” he affirmed. “In a world awash in relativism and polarization, this deeply rooted — and therefore universal — Catholic identity constitutes a powerful resource.”

In this regard, he recalled that the Christian conception of the human being is a solid foundation for peace: “The anthropological conception that sees every person, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or condition, in the image and likeness of God, endowed with reason and conscience, and destined for communion, is a solid foundation upon which to build peace through dialogue.”

The archbishop also recalled his experience as a student at the Pontifical Gregorian University to illustrate how the university environment can foster authentic bonds. Along these lines, he affirmed that universities are “seeds of peace that are sown in classrooms, laboratories, residences, and libraries.”

He therefore said that the entire university can be an authentic diplomatic mission: “not an ivory tower disconnected from reality, but an active participant in building a culture of peace.”

This mission, he clarified, requires an interdisciplinary and collaborative structure: “This is intrinsically interdisciplinary, because only mutual exchange enriches all parties and contributes to the development of leaders capable of guiding their societies with wisdom and compassion.”

Regarding the content that should occupy a prominent place in this academic diplomacy, the Vatican official emphasized that many of the challenges of war and peace “in today’s world can only be addressed in a sustained manner by returning to these principles and applying them.”

“If they are ignored, already difficult situations can deteriorate rapidly and with terrible consequences,” he explained.

He also emphasized that diplomacy requires specialists but also “needs generalists who seek a broad and nuanced vision.”

Finally, the archbishop reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to a diplomacy that does not surrender to pragmatism but remains anchored in principles and humanity.

“In our efforts, we promote peace, defend human dignity, and give a voice to those without one, especially the poor, the displaced, and the marginalized,” he concluded.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 15:39 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening to greet the thousands of participants at the for the Jubilee of Youth.

After touring the square, the Holy Father addressed the youth in Italian, Spanish, and English from the main altar. “‘Buona sera, buenas tardes,’ good evening,” Leo XIV said, causing the crowd to roar.

In English, the pope recalled Jesus’ words: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13:16).

“And today, your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries; are all for Jesus Christ, and you will be heard until the ends of the earth,” he proceeded, switching to Spanish. “Today begins a few days, a journey: the Jubilee of Hope, and the world needs messages of hope. You are this message, and you must continue to give hope to everyone,” he added.

“Let us hope that all of you will always be a sign of hope for the whole world,” said the Holy Father, this time speaking in Italian.

“Today we are beginning, and in the coming days we will have the opportunity to be a force that will give God’s grace, that will be [a source of] hope, and that will give light to the city of Rome and to the entire world,” he stated in his extemporaneous remarks.

Leo XIV then asked the young people to walk together “with our faith in Jesus Christ.” From St. Peter’s Square, he also prayed for peace for the entire world: “Our cry must also be for peace in the world. Let us all say: We want peace in the world! We want peace in the world! Let us pray for peace.”

“May we be a witness to the peace of Jesus Christ, of reconciliation, of this light of the world that we are all seeking,” the Holy Father added, again in Spanish. Finally, he prayed together with the thousands of young people and imparted his blessing.

“We’ll see you! We’ll meet at Have a good week!” the pope said in parting, referring to the prayer vigil he will hold with young people on the evening of Aug. 2 and the final Mass for the Jubilee of Youth, which he will celebrate Aug. 3.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 15:09 pm (CNA).

Before a packed St. Peter’s Square filled with young people who had come from all over the world for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday gave his after his vacation in Castel Gandolfo.

Aboard the popemobile, the pontiff toured the colorful esplanade, warmly and enthusiastically greeting the hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims waving the flags of numerous countries.

At the beginning of his July 30 catechesis, the last in a series dedicated to the public life of Jesus, the Holy Father lamented the climate of violence and hatred that marks our time, a reality that, he affirmed, “deeply wounds human dignity.” Against this backdrop, he firmly emphasized: “Our world needs healing.”

“We live in a society,” he explained, “that is becoming ill due to a kind of ‘bulimia’ of social media connections: We are hyperconnected, bombarded by images, sometimes false or distorted.”

Faced with these messages that provoke “contradictory emotions,” the pontiff warned that there is often an impulse “to turn everything off” and even to prefer not to feel anything anymore,” thus running the risk of losing the ability “to say to one another the most simple and profound things.”

In this context, Pope Leo XIV suggested meditating on the passage from the Gospel of St. Mark that presents a man who neither speaks nor hears (cf. Mk 7:31-37). He emphasized that “it is not he who comes to Jesus to be healed, but others bring him.”

“The Christian community, however, has also seen in these people an image of the Church, which accompanies each person to Jesus so that they may listen to his word,” he explained.

He noted that Jesus “takes this person aside,” which seems to “emphasize his isolation.” However, the pontiff pointed out that this gesture helps us understand “what lies behind the silence and closure of this man, as if Jesus had perceived his need for intimacy and closeness.”

“Jesus offers him silent closeness, through gestures that speak of a profound encounter: He touches this man’s ears and tongue,” he added.

He also emphasized that Jesus doesn’t use many words but rather says “only what is necessary in that moment: ‘Be opened!’” For the Holy Father, with this “simple and beautiful” word, Jesus invites him to open himself to this world that frightens him and to the relationships that have disappointed him.

Pope Leo pointed out that the attitude of the man in the Gospel could reflect the experience of someone who feels “inadequate” or is afraid to express themselves for fear of making a mistake. “All of us experience what it means to be misunderstood,” he noted.

He therefore emphasized the need to ask the Lord to heal our way of communicating, “not only so that we may be more effective, but also so that we may avoid wounding others with our words.”

In light of the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV recalled: “To truly know Jesus, one must complete a journey; one must remain with him and also pass through his Passion.”

“When we have seen him humiliated and suffering, when we have experienced the saving power of his cross, then we can say that we have truly come to know him. There are no shortcuts to becoming disciples of Jesus,” he emphasized.

At the end of his catechesis, the pope encouraged the faithful to ask the Lord “that we may learn to communicate with honesty and prudence. Let us pray for all those who have been wounded by the words of others.”

“Let us pray for the Church, that she may never fail in her mission to lead people to Jesus, so that they may hear his word, be healed by it, and in turn become bearers of his message of salvation,” he concluded.

During his greetings to the pilgrims, the pope addressed in particular all the young people participating in the Jubilee of Youth, encouraging them to open their hearts “to God’s healing love, so that you can become even brighter beacons of hope in the world.”

“May this encounter with Jesus in fraternal communion strengthen your faith and your hope, fill your hearts with peace, and unite you in his love. Receive these gifts from Christ and share them with your contemporaries and compatriots in your homeland,” he added.

In his message to the Spanish-speaking faithful, the Holy Father urged them to pray “so that these days of faith, reflection, and friendship may bear fruit.” His words sparked a roaring ovation, and the square vibrated with loud applause, with the youth shouting: “[We are] the pope’s young people!”

The pope renewed his “deep sorrow” for the brutal terrorist attack that took place on the night of July 26-27 in Komanda in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than in a church during a prayer vigil and also in their own homes.

“As I entrust the victims to God’s loving mercy, I pray for the wounded and for Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution. I urge those with local and international responsibility to work together in order to prevent such tragedies,” he stated.

Finally, the Holy Father recalled that Aug. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, an agreement between 35 countries to guarantee security in the context of the Cold War.

This event, the pontiff stated, “renewed interest in human rights, with special emphasis on religious freedom.” He also recalled that the Holy See’s active participation “helped to promote political and moral commitment to peace.”

“Today, more than ever, it is essential to safeguard the spirit of Helsinki: to persevere in dialogue, strengthen cooperation, and make diplomacy the preferred path to prevent and resolve conflicts,” the Holy Father emphasized.

Vatican City, Jul 30, 2025 / 13:39 pm (CNA).

President of Caritas Internationalis Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD, praised the Church’s young humanitarians this week for their generous dedication to the world’s poor, saying they are bearers of hope who have overcome the world’s “biggest problem” of selfishness.

“You see, there are many problems right now,” Kikuchi told CNA in an interview. “But the biggest problem is that people are becoming very, very selfish — to think about themselves only and forget about the cry of those people in need.”

“Young people are living in difficult situations now in many countries,” he said. “The social situation, the economic situation, jobs, and education are not satisfactory and so young people are really only interested in themselves.”

“Caritas wants to tell people that opportunities are not only for them — God created everybody and everybody are brothers and sisters,” he continued.

“We are equal,” he said. “So we have to think about other people.”

In Rome to support the multinational Caritas Youth delegation participating in the July 28 to Aug. 3 Jubilee of Youth, the Japanese cardinal expressed great pride in the young men and women who have chosen to commit themselves to Caritas’ mission to serve the poor. 

“These young people are the real present of this world today,” the cardinal told CNA during his brief visit Tuesday with Caritas Youth delegates stationed near St. Peter’s Basilica to raise awareness of the Church’s humanitarian work with passersby and other jubilee pilgrims.

Kikuchi, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024 and has worked for Caritas since 1995, presides over the Church’s global humanitarian network — comprising 162 national member organizations — operating in thousands of dioceses and parishes in over 200 countries. 

Since the opening of the jubilee dedicated to youth, Pope Leo XIV has reiterated the need for the Church to be witnesses of hope, telling young people to “shout” for peace. This week, he also released his August prayer intention for “mutual coexistence.”

“And today your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries — which are all for Jesus Christ — will be heard to the ends of the earth,” Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening.

“And our cry must also be for world peace,” he insisted. “Let us all say: ‘We want world peace!’”

According to Kikuchi, a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word, “Pope Leo is also saying the same thing [as Pope Francis] — that we have to be attentive to the cry of the people.”

For Caritas Korea youth delegate Maria Mi Kyong Kim, the pope’s continuous calls for peace have brought profound meaning to her work with the world’s second-largest humanitarian aid and development network.

“His first words out, ‘peace be with you,’ was very strong and powerful to many,” Kim told CNA, reflecting on the pope’s first address given from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square in May. “Peace is perhaps the essence of everything.” 

“At this moment, there are so many protracted crises and so many countries that are facing economic failures,” she said. “If you look deep down there is always that issue of ‘peace’ within the country and also with neighboring countries, and there are always constant conflicts.”

Caritas Asia youth coordinator Sam Ratha Lay said the Church needs “the hands of young people” to support the vast region’s activities aimed at helping families affected by natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

“We need them to join together to build communities and even prevent [future] disasters,” he said. 

Concerned by the social problems within her own country, Caritas Egypt youth delegate Engy Zaher coordinates a 90-day residential drug rehabilitation program in her home country. 

“Many younger people and families are facing challenges such as addiction, lack of economic empowerment and youth empowerment, poverty, and lack of access to mental health support,” she told CNA.

“Our professional services and our presence gives people hope and the real chance of rebuilding their lives with dignity,” she said.

Looking forward to reading Pope Leo’s highly-anticipated first encyclical once it is released, Edward Marshall, who volunteers with Caritas’ England-Wales branch known as the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), said the role of advocacy is just as important as fundraising or emergency response coordination.

“About 40% of our work is in advocacy in London,” he shared with CNA. “So, campaigning in Westminster for U.K. politicians on global issues like the debt crisis, the migration crisis, and climate change.”

Speaking about the world’s future leaders who will, one day, hold positions of authority and influence in the secular world, Marshall said youth today “have a lot of energy and a lot of wisdom.”

“Younger people have a much greater understanding than people think on the issues that they care about,” he said. “If they have, or are given, a platform, they’ll use it to the best of their abilities.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

This week, Pope Leo XIV welcomed journalism students to Rome who have traveled from across the globe to take part in the fourth annual EWTN Summer Academy.

The 40 students joined thousands of others gathered for the and the Jubilee of Youth. On Sunday, Pope Leo said to the young crowds: “I greet the faithful from Kearny, New Jersey; the Catholic Music Award group; and the EWTN Summer Academy.”

The Summer Academy attendees will collaborate on stories and work in teams to produce, shoot, and edit videos over the 10-day course. The goal is that after the training, networking, and prayer, the students will have the skills to go out and be digital missionaries in an age where so much of what people learn and consume is online.

While the students are from 20 different countries and come from various backgrounds in journalism, they are united by the same mission.

One student told “EWTN News Nightly” in Rome: “I was very amazed that we’re all here for the same reason, to work for God and do what we can in this world to spread the truth … It’s very humbling to know that we’re all here connected together, fighting for what is right.”

“We do everything for the Church and ultimately for the evangelization to bring people closer to God,” another student added. “So when you step outside of yourself and you say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about God,’ you can do almost anything.”

Other young journalists taking part in the July 21–31 summer course are , Lebanese twin brothers who have been creating content on social media about Christianity in the Eastern region.

The brothers have built their Christian platform in just one year, expanding across multiple social media outlets to reach global audiences. The success of their digital work earned them acceptance into the academy.

In Rome, Charbel told EWTN that Generation Z is “coming to Christ in big numbers, and that’s very beautiful to see. And people miss tradition. They miss a sense of belonging, a sense of not scrolling all day.”

Giovanni added: “And I think that people, when they see the faith in the East, they get excited and motivated. ‘If they have that strong faith in the East, I want to have it here too.’ So it’s like connecting the entire world … in our faith.”

While working with the 40 students from a number of different nations, Giovanni said: “It was the first time in my life I saw how global our Church is. And I saw that no matter where you are on earth, if you have good Christian values, we’re the same … This is how we change the world; 40 people or 12 disciples, change the world.”

During the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries, Pope Leo said to the digital creators: “It is not simply a matter of generating content but of creating an encounter of hearts. This will entail seeking out those who suffer, those who need to know the Lord, so that they may heal their wounds, get back on their feet, and find meaning in their lives.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 29, 2025 / 16:29 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday participated in the Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on the occasion of the , encouraging them to create encounters “between hearts” regardless of the number of followers they have.

The Holy Father arrived at the Vatican basilica at the end of the Mass, which was celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

More than a thousand Catholics from different countries participated in the event, which also coincided with the , filling the basilica with young and enthusiastic faces.

In his — delivered in Italian, English, and Spanish — Pope Leo XIV shared three missions or challenges when it comes to evangelizing online:

For Pope Leo, peace “needs to be sought, proclaimed, and shared everywhere; both in places where we see the tragedy of war and in the empty hearts of those who have lost any meaning of life and the desire for introspection and the spiritual life.”

Leo emphasized that “today more than ever, we need missionary disciples who convey the gift of the risen Lord to the world” and who give voice to the hope that the living Jesus gives us “to the ends of the earth” and to “the farthest reaches, where there is no hope.” 

The Holy Father asked Catholic influencers to always seek “the suffering flesh of Christ” in every brother or sister they encounter online.

In the context of a new culture shaped by technology, he appealed to the responsibility of digital missionaries to ensure that culture “remains human.”

“Nothing that comes from man and his creativity should be used to undermine the dignity of others. Our mission — your mission — is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism and to do so together. This is the beauty of the ‘internet’ for all of us,” the pope stated.

Faced with cultural changes throughout history, the pope emphasized that “the Church has never remained passive; she has always sought to illuminate every age with the light and hope of Christ by discerning good from evil and what was good from what needed to be changed, transformed, and purified.”

Given the challenge of artificial intelligence, the Holy Father emphasized that we must reflect on the authenticity of our witness, “on our ability to listen and speak, and on our capacity to understand and to be understood.  We have a duty to work together to develop a way of thinking, to develop a language, of our time, that gives voice to love,” he noted.

“It is not simply a matter of generating content but of creating an encounter of hearts. This will entail seeking out those who suffer, those who need to know the Lord, so that they may heal their wounds, get back on their feet, and find meaning in their lives,” the pontiff added.

To achieve this, he advised “accepting our own poverty, letting go of all pretense and recognizing our own inherent need for the Gospel. And this process is a communal endeavor.”

Just as Jesus called his first apostles while they were mending their fishing nets, Pope Leo XIV said that “he also asks this of us.”

The pope noted that “he asks the same of us today. Indeed, he asks us to weave other nets: networks of relationships, of love, of gratuitous sharing where friendship is profound and authentic.”

“Networks where we can mend what has been broken, heal from loneliness, not focus on the number of followers but experience the greatness of infinite love in every encounter,” he counseled.

In short, the pontiff encouraged the missionaries and influencers to create “networks that give space to others more than to ourselves, where no ‘bubble’ can silence the voices of the weakest; networks that liberate and save; networks that help us rediscover the beauty of looking into each other’s eyes; networks of truth. In this way, every story of shared goodness will be a knot in a single, immense network: the network of networks, the network of God.”

He also invited them to be “agents of communion” and to avoid individualism. Finally, he thanked them for their commitment and for the help they offer to those suffering, and “for your journey along the virtual highways.”

ACI MENA, Jul 29, 2025 / 14:23 pm (CNA).

For the first time in its history, the Church is celebrating a jubilee dedicated to digital missionaries, recognizing the vital role they play in spreading the Gospel in today’s digital world.

Among them are Catholics influencers from the Middle East, from lands where evangelization first began, shaped by persecution yet marked by deep resilience, and carrying with them a witness born from both suffering and unshakable hope.

Among the participants is Father Simon Esaki, a Chaldean Catholic priest from California with Iraqi roots. He currently serves as pastor of St. Michael Chaldean Catholic Church in El Cajon. With over 100,000 followers on , he began focusing on digital evangelization during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I was on social media before that, but during that time is when I really started to focus on spreading the Gospel using social media because of the closure of many churches. People were not going to church, and so I felt the need to go where the people were, which is on social media. I saw that people were using it a lot, and so I decided to start making videos to share the Gospel and to encourage people about their faith, to teach them, and to help them love Jesus more.”

For Esaki, this work is part of his vocation: “I see my social media work as an extension of my priestly mission, because my priestly mission is to help people know and love Jesus more. I do that at my church, but I also do that on social media.”

He said he was moved to take part in the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries because of the source of the invitation itself.

“I was drawn to participate in this jubilee because it’s a very special thing to receive an invitation from a dicastery of the Catholic Church itself, and so I really felt called to come here because of that. I think it’s a very special and beautiful thing that the Church has initiated this… It’s the Church gathering her children who are in the mission field, this very special mission field of the digital world, and it’s the Church encouraging us, giving us tools, and uniting us to fulfill this great and beautiful mission.”

Reflecting on the impact of the jubilee, Esaki added: “I think that one of the fruits of this digital jubilee is that we are all being united in Christ in a very special way, because there’s a real unity that comes with being physically connected to one another. Yes, we are all digitally connected over these years, but this is a real special physical unity, which is the goal of our life in Christ. It’s to be united to him. And that’s what I hope is the ultimate fruit of this: that we are able to unite with one another, and we are able to help others be more united to Jesus Christ in his Church.”

Also taking part in the jubilee are , Maronite Catholic twin brothers who manage some of the most prominent Christian social media accounts in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Through their platform, which has over 615,000 followers on , they aim to amplify the voice and presence of Eastern Christian communities in the digital space. 

Giovanni told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, that he hopes their participation in this jubilee can offer encouragement to those just beginning their digital mission. He emphasized the need for the Eastern Christian world to be more visible and engaged.

Charbel highlighted the value of learning from the experiences of other brothers and sisters in Christ and deepening his understanding of how the Church views the digital world. 

Together, the twins also carried an ecumenical message, underscoring the importance of unity between Catholics and Orthodox, especially in regions where Christians face persecution. They also issued a heartfelt call for prayer for peace across the Middle East and North Africa.

Another participant from Lebanon is Michel Hayek, founder of , a popular platform dedicated to prayer and spiritual reflections. With over 85,000 followers on Instagram and 290,000 on Facebook, Yasou3ouna has become a space where thousands turn daily for comfort, encouragement, and faith. 

“I chose to take part in the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries because I believe the Christian message must reach everyone, and today’s digital platforms have become the new pulpit for bearing witness and proclaiming the faith,” he said. “I feel a spiritual responsibility to use these tools in service of God’s word, spreading hope and love in a world often overwhelmed by noise and superficiality.”

This experience, Hayek said, also deepened his awareness of what it means to be a Christian from the Middle East. “I carry a rich spiritual heritage rooted in the land of Christ, a land that, despite pain and trials, has witnessed the Resurrection. It teaches us to remain steadfast and hopeful in the face of suffering.”

As a Lebanese influencer from Akkar, a marginalized region in northern Lebanon often overlooked and heavily affected by poverty and instability, Hayek sees his mission as giving voice to a Church that remains alive against the odds.

“I offer a testimony of a Church that is still vibrant, despite all the political and economic challenges. I bring a spirit of openness and dialogue, and a sincere commitment to peace and love. Through the content I share, I try to express the Eastern Christian faith in a modern, accessible way, one that speaks to hearts across the world.”

Vatican City, Jul 29, 2025 / 13:52 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle urged Catholic content creators gathered in Rome for the first-ever Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers to “be discerning” in how they use their platforms, warning against the spiritual dangers of misinformation and manipulation online. 

“You are not only influencers, you are also missionaries,” Tagle said during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on July 29, addressing more than 1,700 Catholic creators from 75 countries who came to the Vatican for the two-day event coinciding with the Jubilee of Youth.

“Dear digital missionaries and Catholic influencers: Jesus loves you. Do not doubt him. Accept him as the greatest influence on your life. And through you, may the person of Jesus influence many people, human and digital spaces, so that God’s truth, justice, love, and peace may flow to the ends of the earth,” he said.

Organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Communication, the jubilee marked a historic first for the Catholic Church: a large-scale Vatican initiative aimed at those proclaiming the Gospel in the digital age.

Clergy and laypeople alike, many of them young and active on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, gathered to reflect on evangelization in the digital sphere. Pilgrims could be seen taking selfies under the dome of St. Peter’s and exchanging social media handles in the colonnade. 

“I’ve been meeting a lot of people who have content I follow and people who follow me,” 24-year-old American Sophie Chamblee from Indiana told CNA.

Chamblee has more than 59,000 followers for her Instagram page, Playground Saints, where she shares cartoon stickers of the saints and posts humorous videos about imaginary conversations between the saints in heaven.

“Everybody here is after the same thing … so we all understand each other in ways that other people can’t,” she said.

In his homily, Tagle, pro-prefect for the Section for First Evangelization, shared a personal warning about the risks of digital manipulation: a deepfake video of him advertising arthritis medication recently circulated online.

“To influence consumers so that monetary profit may increase, some manufacturers resort to false advertising, even using famous personalities,” he said. “I discovered videos generated by I don’t know who, of me advertising medicine for arthritis.”

Tagle, who was considered a papabile in the 2013 and 2025 conclaves, drew criticism ahead of the most recent papal election when a viral video showed him singing karaoke to John Lennon’s “Imagine.” His comments during the homily reflected on the moral complexities of navigating digital fame.

“I pose this question: Will we let the water and blood of Jesus poured for love of us to be the true fluid of influence that will wash away all iniquity, falsehood, injustice, prejudice, manipulation, and violence?” Tagle asked the congregation.

“Let the love of God in Jesus and the Holy Spirit prevent various poisonous influences from flowing into human hearts.”

Tagle also cautioned against mistaking technological connection for true Christian witness.

“God did not send to us a text message or an email, or a file document. Rather, God sent his Son,” he said.

“Love cannot be generated by an algorithm. Only a divine person with a human heart can love divinely and humanly, effecting profound and enduring change,” he added. 

As the Mass concluded, the pilgrims received a surprise visit from Pope Leo XIV, who entered St. Peter’s to a sea of raised smartphones. Switching seamlessly between Italian, English, and Spanish, the pope emphasized the importance of authenticity and human dignity in digital evangelization.

“Science and technology influence the way we live in the world, even affecting how we understand ourselves and how we relate to God, how we relate to one another,” the pope said.  

“But nothing that comes from man and his creativity should be used to undermine the dignity of others. Our mission — your mission — is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do so together. This is the beauty of the ‘network’ for all of us.” 

With artificial intelligence playing an increasingly dominant role in global communication, Pope Leo challenged influencers to examine their witness.

“This is a challenge that we must face: reflecting on the authenticity of our witness, on our ability to listen and speak, and on our capacity to understand and to be understood,” he said. “We have a duty to work together to develop a way of thinking, to develop a language, of our time, that gives voice to love.” 

“It is not simply a matter of generating content but of creating an encounter of hearts,” the pope said.

Vatican City, Jul 29, 2025 / 10:47 am (CNA).

The Vatican’s doctrinal office has expressed reservations about an alleged Marian apparition site in southern Italy, permitting only private devotion and warning that claims that a deceased woman has communicated messages through a guardian angel “require further study.”

Sant’Onofrio is a mountain in the southern Italian region of Molise, close to the town of Agnone. Since 2009, a resident  of the area, Michelino Marcovecchio, has claimed to receive visions of the Virgin Mary and messages from her.

He has also claimed to hear the voice of his deceased mother-in-law, Livia Casciano, through his guardian angel.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) gave the alleged supernatural experiences at Mount Sant’Onofrio a judgment of “prae oculis habeatur” (“let it be held before the eyes”), meaning there are “important positive signs” but “some aspects of confusion or potential risk are also perceived,” and “doctrinal clarification might be necessary.”

The DDF said “private worship is permitted,” including personal visits in pairs or small groups to the cross or Stations of the Cross erected on Mount Sant’Onofrio.

Acts of public worship, however, are not allowed, including pilgrimages, pastoral events, and the celebration of Mass in places linked to the alleged spiritual experiences. Information about the phenomenon and its alleged messages may also not be disseminated without approval from Church authorities.

to Bishop Camillo Cibotti of Isernia-Venafro and Trivento, DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández wrote that there is value to the content of some of the messages received by Marcovecchio and “signs of the action of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this alleged supernatural phenomenon.”

However, he added, “some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience.

The cardinal also drew attention to two aspects of the alleged manifestations requiring particular care on the part of the bishop. 

First, some members of the local clergy had failed to observe the previous bishop’s decision to prohibit any form of public or private worship related to the alleged apparitions and even appeared to urge disobedience.

The second potential issue was the “unusual fact that some souls of the deceased are said to manifest themselves to the alleged visionary through the work of his guardian angel.”

Fernández said the alleged apparitions experienced on Mount Sant’Onofrio follow the Church’s teaching on the relationship between the living and the dead but “in a manner that shows its originality with respect to spiritual tradition and which would therefore require further study.”

The prefect invited the bishop to ensure those who follow and promote the spiritual experiences at Mount Sant’Onofrio keep in mind “that the line between lawful and risky practices is rather thin.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 29, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

As 500,000 people gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, the crowds are also joined by pilgrims on a mission to evangelize with the help of social media and the internet.

Jonathan Strate, the president and CEO of Catholic media and publishing company Ascension, said the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries is “an exciting moment for the Church.” He added: “This is the first time that they’ve done something like this.”

Speaking to “EWTN News Nightly” on July 28, Strate said the digital jubilee, held July 28–29, is “expecting about 1,000 people from maybe 40 to 50 different countries, all who feel called to digital evangelization,” which is important for the Catholic mission, as “the Church exists to evangelize.”

Ascension, which is known for the “Bible in a Year” podcast among numerous other digital offerings, became involved in the two-day event to bring its nearly 25 years of digital media experience to the table. The organization is “very familiar with using the digital world to reach everyone,” Strate said.

The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries was not necessarily intended to coincide with the Jubilee of Youth, but since the young generation is so active online, Strate said it “makes a lot of sense.”

In Rome, the digital missionaries “will get together to share best practices and just really spur the conversation and be influenced by each other.” Strate shared that a number of Ascension contributors, including podcaster Katie McGrady, will attend to discuss the matter and then share the key takeaways.

It is “so important” to have these discussions because “digital evangelization” helps us to “meet people where they are, and where they are is existing online,” Strate said. “That’s where they’re doing their own searching.”

“So if the Church isn’t there, then the Church doesn’t have a voice in all of that. So you really want to use this to reach people where they are in as personal of a means as you can.”

“When this started, maybe 20-plus years ago with the advent of the internet, it was easy to start to bring things that were traditionally in print and put them online. You can make infinite copies, in effect, and have that all available and reach people that you never were able to reach.”

“But 20 years later … it’s switched, I’d say probably to a more personalized kind of faith formation. So something where ... it feels like somebody’s speaking with me. The content is coming out on a daily, many-times-a-day basis and so you can really feel more connected with somebody.”

The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries is only the start of the evangelizing mission, Strate said.

“In the future, getting to bring … AI into the picture, starting to think about, ‘Well, how can that really help deliver the right message to the right person at the right time?’ It’s really a lot to look forward to.”

CNA Staff, Jul 29, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Musicians from around the world came together for the first-ever Catholic Music Awards on July 27 at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome. Nicknamed the “Grammys of Catholic Music,” the international event aims to promote, encourage, and recognize the talent of Catholic singers by not only celebrating the Catholic faith but also honoring artists who evangelize through music.

Finalists were evaluated based on content, artistic value, and technical professionalism, with the final decision made by an international jury of more than 60 experts. Winners were chosen across 19 categories in four languages: Spanish, English, Italian, and Portuguese.

Among the winners was Nathali Paredes Lozano, singer-songwriter and anchor for “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, who won Best Praise-Worship Song in the Spanish category.

Lozano won for her song titled “Te Pertenezco,” which translates to “I Belong to You.”

She explained at the event that the song was “composed to the heart of Jesus, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is my greatest devotion. It is that heart that reaches out to take our hearts,” according to , CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. 

“It is a song of Eucharistic worship, he who is present in the Eucharist, so I am very happy about it too. It’s a song that I love very much and that, I tell you and confess, every time I sing it I also break down,“ she added.

When speaking about the award show she said: “This is the first event of its kind held at a global level, and it’s so important because it values, rewards, and above all highlights the music of so many, many Catholic musicians around the world who offer their voices, who offer the gifts the Lord has given us to praise him, to praise God, our beloved Jesus. What could be better than valuing and supporting this kind of music, which is sometimes lacking?“

Opera singer Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, won for Best Male Singer in the English category. He won for the song “The Song of Saint Pio,” which was written in honor of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) as a gesture of gratitude for the saint’s intercession for the birth of Lamonarca’s son Sebastián.

In 2010, Lamonarca and his wife, Valentina, were expecting their first child — a daughter whom they named Alma. Suddenly, their whole life changed when Alma was delivered stillborn and Valentina had to undergo additional surgeries due to complications from the delivery. Due to those surgeries, it was unlikely that Valentina would ever be able to conceive again.

In their despair, the couple spent their first wedding anniversary in San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of Padre Pio. It was here that they were blessed with an opportunity to pray with a first-class relic — a handkerchief with blood stains from Padre Pio. The couple grew closer to the beloved saint and turned to him for his intercession.

Despite suffering multiple more miscarriages, they continued praying and on Dec. 25, 2014, Valentina discovered she was pregnant. Their son Sebastian was born in September 2015.

“When you sing, expressing faith, the emotions you give is much more than anything else. You don’t do this because you have been paid. You don’t do this because you have been rewarded by some things. You do this because you feel a connection with God, with those who love, you feel the faith expand,” Lamonarca said.  “So this is the best music that everybody will ever experience.”

Francesco Lorenzi, lead singer of the Italian band The Sun, accepted the award won by his group for Best Italian Catholic Band.

“Never would I have thought 20 years ago that today we would be here near St. Peter’s, awarded as the best Italian Catholic band. And this is something extraordinary: how the Lord can truly guide our lives, heal them, and lead us to where we are called to be, because each of us has a mission,” the Italian singer told the crowd. 

Lorenzi is known for his powerful conversion story and was in 2016 by Pope Francis “for the contribution given to Christian humanism in the world.”

CNA Staff, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:34 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication reiterated its long-standing call for recognition of Palestine statehood amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict after France announced last week it would recognize the region’s statehood.

The editorial manager for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, called for a “two-state solution” and recognition of Palestine as a state in a July 27 . 

In the editorial, Tornielli cited France’s recent movement toward recognition. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron that France would recognize Palestine as a state — a plan that was quickly rejected by various Western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Australia. 

In addition to affirming Palestine as a state, Macron called for the demilitarization of the terrorist group Hamas that . He demanded the release of the hostages, called for humanitarian aid for Gaza, and said that Palestine must accept demilitarization and fully recognize Israel.

In 2015, the Vatican .” Tornielli recalled the “comprehensive agreement” between the two parties, noting that the treaty affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to an “independent, sovereign, democratic, and viable” state.

While Pope Francis was the first of the popes to use the term “State of Palestine” upon his 2014 visit to the Holy land, Tornielli pointed out that Pope Benedict XVI affirmed both that “the State of Israel has the right to exist and enjoy peace and security” and that “the Palestinian people have the right to an independent and sovereign homeland.”

Before Benedict, in the early 1990s, Pope John Paul II established relationships with both the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to Tornielli. 

“It is to be hoped that the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the implementation of the two-state solution, grasping the urgency of a common response to the Palestinian drama, will decisively pursue a solution to finally guarantee this people a state with secure, respected, and recognized borders,” Tornielli wrote in the editorial.

Notably, the Vatican’s support of the “two-state solution” runs counter to the stances of many Western countries. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Australia outright, while President Donald Trump , telling reporters at the White House: “What he says doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything.” 

Macron said in his post that he plans to announce the recognition at the United Nations General Assembly in September. 

While U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected the plan, he explained in a statement he supported the “two-state solution” but said it must ensure “lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis.”

On a local level, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France the decision a moral failure and said it risks security for Jews worldwide, while top American Jewish groups declined to attend a meeting with the French government after his statement. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly” saying the move “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.” 

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it,” Netanyahu . “Let’s be clear: The Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel. They seek a state instead of Israel.”

Vatican City, Jul 28, 2025 / 17:33 pm (CNA).

The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See — the body responsible for managing the properties and investments of the small city state — presented on July 28 its financial statement for the 2024 fiscal year, with net profits of 62.2 million euros ($72.1 million), one of the highest figures recorded since these reports began being published.

In addition, it contributed 46.1 million euros ($53.4 million) to cover the Holy See’s deficit, 8 million euros ($9.27 million) more than in 2023.

“This is one of the best financial statements in recent years,” emphasized the president of APSA, Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, in a statement to . He explained that these results not only reflect effective management but also a growing commitment to the Church’s mission, a strategic vision of patrimony, and a working model based on transparency, collaboration, and the common good.

“APSA is not limited to offering operational services,” Piccinotti explained in the report’s introduction, “but is configured as an organization at the service of the mission of the Catholic Church.”

The report reflects the fruits of a strategy focused on three guiding principles. The first is an ecclesial vision of patrimony: understanding that the assets managed are not ends in themselves but rather instruments to serve ecclesial communion and promote a sense of belonging to the Church. The second principle is collaboration and transparency: investments have been made in inter-institutional relations, in strengthening internal competencies, and in clear and traceable processes with defined responsibilities. The third is the common good as a guiding criterion: Management has been oriented toward decisions that respond to ethical and pastoral criteria, seeking to build synergies with other entities of the Holy See.

The 2024 result represents a surplus of 16 million euros ($18.5 million) higher than that of 2023, when the profit was 45.9 million euros ($53.2 million).

Part of the profit was allocated to the Vatican budget (known as “fabbisogno”) of the Roman Curia, which totaled 170.4 million euros ($197.5 million). APSA’s contribution was divided between a fixed portion of 30 million euros ($34.7 million) and a variable portion equivalent to 50% of the residual net profit, thus reaching 46.1 million euros ($53.4 million).

Piccinotti explained that the increase is due to better management and valuation of assets. “We are doing our duty: We provide significant coverage for the Curia’s financial deficit. It’s not just about renting out empty properties. We have restructured property management, allowing rentals at market prices, which generates additional resources.”

Regarding financial investments, in 2024 the APSA adopted the guidelines of the Holy See’s Investment Committee, using separate management accounts (SMAs) similar to private investment funds. This allowed for sales at high points and strategic reinvestment, achieving a return of 8.51%, representing 10 million euros ($11.6 million) more than in 2023.

Real estate management — which represents a fundamental part of the Holy See’s assets—generated stable revenues of 35.1 million euros ($40.7 million). This result was possible thanks to a “combined effect”: an increase in rental income (+3.2 million euros [$3.7 million] in Italy and +0.8 million euros abroad [$.92 million]) and an increase in expenses, especially in maintenance (-3.9 million [-$4.5 million], of which 3.8 million euros [$4.4 million] was allocated to upkeep).

APSA currently manages 4,234 real estate units in Italy, of which 2,866 are its own. It also owns assets abroad through affiliated companies in England, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

The 2024 financial report is the fifth to be published publicly since this transparency practice began in 2020, following the economic reforms promoted by Pope Francis. APSA was created by Pope Paul VI in 1967.

In 2024, the organization paid 6 million euros ($6.9 million) in municipal property tax (IMU) and 3.19 million euros ($3.69 million) in corporate income tax (IRES), thus refuting rumors of widespread tax exemptions.

Furthermore, nearly 40% of APSA’s staff work in services provided to other Vatican entities, such as accounting or maintenance of apostolic nunciatures. “We not only contribute profits but also essential services for the mission of the Church,” Piccinotti explained.

Among the notable projects is Fratello Sole (Brother Sun, an allusion to St. Francis of Assisi’s “”), an initiative to install an in the Santa Maria di Galeria area, geared toward the Vatican’s energy transition. The site was visited by Pope Leo XIV on June 19 as a sign of his support for integral ecology.

“The goal is to continue improving deficit coverage in 2025 as well,” Piccinotti said, summing up with a phrase inherited from his grandfather: “You can’t get more than 15 kilos [33 pounds] of cherries from a cherry tree. We are close to the limit, but there is still room for improvement. Management is already good, but we are not standing still,” he concluded.

CNA Staff, Jul 28, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his portrayal of Jesus in the hit series “The Chosen,” sent a video message on Monday to those gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers in which he called their work “incredibly important.”

The , which is taking place July 28–29, seeks to unite the Church’s efforts “to celebrate, train, and inspire those called to evangelize on digital platforms.” The two days will consist of prayer services, workshops, and talks from Church leaders. The event, with the participation of over a thousand popular Catholic social media users from around the world, will culminate in a music festival. Pope Leo XIV is also expected to make an appearance.

“As someone who’s been blessed to portray Jesus in ‘The Chosen,’ I’ve seen firsthand how a story shared online can touch a heart, soften a soul, even change a life. You’re doing the same,” Roumie said. “Whether it’s through a post, a reel, a comment thread, or a livestream, you’re showing up in these digital spaces with the heart of Christ — not to preach at people but to meet them, to listen, to engage, to start conversations that actually matter.”

He urged the attendees to not “grow weary” and to never “underestimate the power of what you’re doing … your presence online — authentic, prayerful, joyful — that’s part of God’s plan to keep us talking about Jesus.”

The actor explained that this work in digital media is what “evangelization looks like today — it’s not just pulpits and church walls — it’s Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, blogs, all of it. And you’re stepping into that world with love, creativity, and authenticity.”

“What you’re doing is mission. Period. You’re reaching people wherever they are, no matter what they believe or don’t believe, no matter how much they understand or don’t understand. And that openness, that willingness to connect without judgment creates space for real dialogue, for moments of grace, for Christ to move in surprising ways,” he said. 

Roumie encouraged the participants to “keep going. Keep showing up. Keep being that light in the feed.”

“You never know who’s watching or listening or scrolling, and whose life might be changed just because you shared a little hope,” he added. “God bless you. I’m praying for you all. I love you and seriously, thank you for being out there.”

The popular Catholic actor also takes to social media to share inspiring messages about the faith with those who follow him. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Roumie frequently prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet with his followers via livestreams. On Instagram alone, he has over 2.5 million followers. 

Pope Leo XIV is also an active social media user. He started a Twitter (now X) account back in August 2011, over a year before Benedict XVI earned the moniker of the “tweeting pope” with the launch of the official papal account on Dec. 3, 2012. 

Before becoming pope, then-Father Robert Prevost also frequently discussed social media’s potential for evangelization.

In a in Rome, Prevost said: “I think the Church needs to be sophisticated, if you will, also in terms of the use of the social networks that are available to us.”

Vatican City, Jul 28, 2025 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Monday expressed his concern over the on a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which killed at least 31 members of the Eucharistic Crusade, a prayer movement and an apostolate for children and young people focused on devotion to the Eucharist and personal sanctification.

“This is a dangerous sign,” Parolin declared, pointing to the growing threat from forces identified as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

For the Italian prelate, this group is a force “that in practice represents Islamic jihad and that imposes itself through force and violence.”

The attack has once again raised the alarm about the insecurity of Christians in the region: “This represents an additional problem in a region that already suffers from many conflicts of an ethnic, cultural, and sociopolitical nature. The addition of a religious aspect now further aggravates the situation,” Parolin told the media during a break at an event with Catholic influencers at the Via della Conciliazione auditorium a short distance from the Vatican.

According to initial reports, the terrorists stormed a Catholic church in northwestern DRC while they were participating in a prayer vigil.

According to the , members of the ADF stormed a church in the town of Komanda, where they shot dead Catholic worshippers and then looted and burned nearby businesses.

Komanda is in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a mineral-rich area contested by several armed groups.

The Vatican cardinal was also asked about earlier this month on Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, which left three people dead, including two refugee women, and said that it is up to Israel to prevent such attacks.

“It’s up to Israel to find a way to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated. I believe that, if they want to, they can find a way,” he stated. 

Asked about the war between Israel and Hamas, he stated that “the solution lies in direct dialogue between the two parties, with a view to establishing two autonomous states.” 

The Holy See’s secretary of state acknowledged that “this is becoming increasingly difficult, also because of the situation that has been created and is being created in the West Bank.”

In his analysis, Parolin emphasized that “even in these months, Israeli settlements do not, from a practical point of view, favor the creation of the State of Palestine.”

The cardinal also referred to an upcoming attempt to revive the peace process: “Now it appears there will be a conference in New York — I don’t know if this week or exactly when — sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia to find the practical terms for the implementation of the State [of Palestine].” He added cautiously: “We hope it will bring something positive.”

Regarding communication between the Holy See and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Parolin said: “Of course, we are in constant contact. He [the patriarch] informs us of all the steps being taken; he also seeks our advice, and therefore there is very strong collaboration.”

Vatican City, Jul 28, 2025 / 13:09 pm (CNA).

The Vatican welcomes more than a thousand social media influencers to Rome this week for an event intended to shape a new generation of Catholic missionaries — those sharing Christ on the internet. An active social media user, Pope Leo XIV is ready to help the Church navigate the fraught world of internet evangelization.

Before becoming pope, then-Father Robert Prevost identified social media’s potential for evangelization, but he warned about the anti-Christian messages dominating Western media and the tendency to exalt exhibition over the mystical.

“I think the Church needs to be sophisticated, if you will, also in terms of the use of the social networks that are available to us,” Prevost said in Rome.

The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers July 28–29 is two days of prayer services, workshops, and talks from Church leaders. The event, with the participation of over a thousand popular Catholic social media users from around the world, will culminate in a music festival. Pope Leo is also expected to make an appearance.

Father Lucio Ruiz, No. 2 at the Vatican’s communication department, told EWTN News that since 2018, the Vatican has recognized the activity of what they now brand “digital missionaries … people who loved Jesus and the Church and who dedicated themselves to seeking out suffering and spreading the Word [online].”

“They were alone, they had no training. The Church didn’t know or recognize them. And everywhere they asked for the Church’s accompaniment,” he said.

So the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication started organizing online prayer meetings with thousands of these so-called digital missionaries, Catholics with large social media followings, called “The Church Listens to You.”

And now, they are meeting in person for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers for spiritual and academic preparation — what the Church calls formation — something Leo identified as an important need for the new evangelization.

In the 2012 interview with CNS, Prevost said he did not think “turning away from the media would be the answer.”

“I think our real challenge is in formation. Our challenge is in preparing people to become critical thinkers,” he said following the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, a gathering in which hundreds of Catholic bishops and others gathered to discuss how to share the good news of Jesus Christ in the modern era.

Prevost, who took part in the synod as the then-prior general of the Augustinian order, told CNS thinking about how the Church should evangelize in a media-saturated environment “is a complex question with a more complex answer.”

“Most people in the Church recognize today the need for the media,” he said. “So this isn’t meant as sort of a blanket elimination of the media in terms of the usefulness that the instruments of modern communication can have for the Church and for announcing the message. But one thing that was repeated numerous times in the synod was that the whole concept of the new evangelization needs to begin with a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”

In his to bishops at the synod, Prevost called out “mass media-produced distortions of religious and ethical reality,” including the normalization of “beliefs and practices at odds with the Gospel, for example: abortion, the homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia.” 

If the Catholic Church is going to successfully counter these messages, he said in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall, “pastors, preachers, teachers, and catechists are going to have to become far more informed about the context of evangelizing in a world dominated by mass media.”

“Evangelization in the modern world,” he concluded, “must find the appropriate means for redirecting public attention away from spectacle and into mystery.”

Almost 13 years later, the popularity of social media has skyrocketed — giving almost anyone a public platform — and priests, religious, and laypeople talking about Catholicism on the digital stage are wrestling with some of the same issues identified by the future Pope Leo.

Father Heriberto García Arias, a young priest from Mexico with 2 million followers on TikTok, told EWTN News that social media is self-referential, because “that’s how social media works. If you want your message to get across, you have to do the same.”

But he said he tries to keep Jesus the focus of his content, even if it is a temptation to do otherwise: “It’s not something you overcome all the time,” he acknowledged. “It’s a struggle.”

García pointed out another potential stumbling block for online influencers, faith-focused or otherwise: the algorithm.

“If you say no, I’m not going to do this, I’m just going to do it differently, without filters, without music, without that, it won’t get through” to reach viewers, he said.

Ruiz, who has become the Vatican’s point person for digital evangelization, acknowledged social media’s limitations too: “The timing, the speed, the simplicity of the language.”

That’s why, the Argentinian priest said, it’s only a “first proclamation” — what St. Paul VI called “pre-evangelization,” or evangelization “at its initial and still incomplete stage.”

In the 1975 apostolic exhortation , Paul VI already identified that the 20th century was “characterized by the mass media or means of social communication, and the first proclamation, catechesis, or the further deepening of faith cannot do without these means.”

The Church’s use of modern means of social communication is not new; it has embraced novel technologies from the printing press to the radio.

Likewise, Ruiz insisted that online evangelization is just the traditional missionary activity of the Church, only now, on the digital continent.

He cited a 2023 report from the Synod on Synodality that said: “It is up to us to reach today’s culture in all spaces where people seek meaning and love, including the spaces they enter through their cellphones and tablets.”

In the 2012 CNS interview, Prevost pointed to St. Augustine, one of his sources of spiritual inspiration for advice on spreading the good news. “One of the reasons the ‘Confessions’ [of St. Augustine] continues to be one of the widest-read books in the history of the world is precisely because of Augustine’s insight into human experience,” he said.

“Human experience, [Augustine] says, is precisely where you can find God. And the humanity of Augustine is not something which leads into a kind of personalized, egoistic, it’s-all-about-me-and-only-me world, but quite the opposite.”

Sharing bits of humanity on the internet is what another digital influencer coming to the jubilee event said she tries to do in her work. 

Author, speaker, and radio host Katie Prejean McGrady shares snippets of her life as a wife and mom with over 40,000 followers on Instagram.

Catholic influencers get to be like the great missionaries of the Church “in the places and spaces where people are often trying to just dull their senses and be distracted,” she said in an interview with EWTN News.

In an email ahead of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, McGrady told CNA she hopes “Pope Leo, who isn’t unaware of the digital landscape, strikes an encouraging and hopeful tone in talking about how we go ‘on mission’ into these digital spaces.”

“A pope who is aware of how well (or poorly) these spaces can be used is one, I think, that will be encouraging to those missionaries who are willing to go onto the digital continent and share the Gospel there,” she added.

Leo has plenty of personal experience with social media. He opened a Twitter (now X) account in August 2011, over a year before Benedict XVI earned the moniker of the “tweeting pope” with the launch of the official papal account on Dec. 3, 2012.

Leo XIV’s account, with the handle @drprevost, within a week of his election to the papacy, but not before other X users had noted and screenshotted a number of the new pope’s replies and reposts, including a criticism of an interpretation of St. Augustine by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

As a prior general, and later bishop and cardinal, Leo’s over (saved on a webpage) included many reshares of articles from Catholic news accounts, especially with pro-immigrant and pro-life content, information from the Peruvian bishops’ conference, and posts from the Augustinian order.

In fact, the now-pope seemed to have identified social media’s potential early on: One of his first tweets after opening the account was a reply to another user that “the news can be communicated very well here!”

“In this culture where new generations come with a different way of thinking, where the digital world is real for them… these new places require testimony, witnesses, digital missionaries who are witnesses to the Gospel,” García said.

The priest underlined that the youngest generations are all on social media, so future priests, cardinals — even a future pope — are likely logging on to those platforms too. 

That is why, he added, it is important for Pope Leo to be informed: so he can guide the Church in this new challenge.

“I mean, a pope doesn’t come from Mars, and I’ve said it before … the next pope is watching TikTok right now.”

Vatican City, Jul 28, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Twenty-five years have gone by since St. John Paul II transformed the Tor Vergata esplanade in the south of Rome into the beating heart of the young Church for the World Youth Day celebration in 2000. Now, that same area, over 200 acres and best known for being the site of one of Italy’s leading public universities, is preparing to welcome a new generation.

A vigil and Mass with Pope Leo XIV will take place there Aug. 2–3. These two events will be the epicenter of the , over which the pope will preside from July 28 to Aug. 3 and during which thousands of young people are expected to spend the night in tents at the site.

The celebration inevitably recalls the moment a quarter of a century ago when 2 million hopeful young people, unconcerned with the heat and the discomfort of sleeping outdoors, flooded the outskirts of Rome with their radiant faith. As the Polish pope said at the time: “They made a noise in Rome that will never be forgotten.”

On those days in August 2000, St. John Paul II was physically weak, but he created a lasting bond with the young people, visible in every gesture he made and every word he spoke. Tor Vergata became an open-air sanctuary, where the pain of the wars of the 20th century and the hope of the third millennium came together.

During the and , the pontiff spoke words that still resonate strongly: “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!”

But the most powerful aspect was not the content of the pope’s message but the source: Christ himself.

“It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness,” proclaimed St. John Paul II, outlining a spiritual journey that transformed World Youth Day into much more than an event. It became a vocational, communal, and missionary journey that has been etched in the memories of many young people who have since directed their lives toward God.

The pope is calling on young people to return to Tor Vergata with renewed vigor. The imposing 15,000-square-foot stage for Leo XIV will stand in the same location as it did in 2000 as a symbol of continuity. 

As then, a massive number of pilgrims is expected — 1 million, by the organizers’ estimates — many on foot, others by bus, but all with one shared desire: to experience a moment with the successor of Peter that will transform their lives forever.

Organizing the event has been a monumental: There are 355 giant tents, 179 audio and video towers, 2,000 speakers, nearly 26,000 square feet of giant screens, 110 generators, and 122 surveillance cameras. There will be a 4,300-square-foot control room and guaranteed internet access thanks to 12 miles of fiber optic cable and nine miles of electrical wiring.

“We want to guarantee not only security but also a spiritual and community experience of the highest level,” explained Agostino Miozzo, head of logistics for the city of Rome, at a press conference.

Although the world has changed profoundly since 2000, the core of the message remains. At that time, St. John Paul II denounced the 20th century as an era of hatred and fratricidal wars. Today, Leo XIV inherits a much more fractured world with new social divides: digital loneliness, forgotten wars, climate crises, economic injustices, and growing distrust of institutions, including of the Catholic Church.

Faced with this landscape, the Jubilee of Youth will not be a simple festive gathering but a renewed “missionary mandate” in continuity with the one that occurred 25 years ago. Young people today, just as those back then, are called to go against the flow, to not resign themselves or anesthetize their desire for God. 

As John Paul II said: “It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to make something great of your lives.”

Vatican City, Jul 27, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV called for peace negotiations and respect for humanitarian law in Gaza, 10 days after an Israeli strike caused the death of three people at the only Catholic church in the enclave.

“I renew my heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire, for the release of hostages, and for the full respect for humanitarian law,” the pope said, speaking of the nearly two-year-old war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Speaking as is customary at midday on Sunday from a window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, Leo emphasized “the very grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is crushed by hunger and remains exposed to violence and death.”

Leo called on the parties in all conflicts around the world to recognize the God-given dignity of every person and “put an end to all actions contrary to it.”

The pope specifically voiced his concern over the escalation of violence in southern Syria and over the situation on the border between Cambodia and Thailand, where violent clashes have broken out in a territorial dispute.

He made his remarks after leading a crowd in St. Peter’s Square in a recitation of the Angelus. Before the prayer, he offered a short catechesis on the Our Father.

“We cannot pray to God as ‘Father’ and then be harsh and insensitive towards others. Instead, it is important to let ourselves be transformed by his goodness, his patience, his mercy, so that his face may be reflected in ours as in a mirror,” he said.

The pope reflected on the day’s Gospel in which Jesus teaches his disciples the Our Father and explained that this passage “invites us, through prayer and charity, to feel loved and to love as God loves us: with openness, discretion, mutual concern, and without deceit.”

Leo also said that this part of the Gospel shows “the characteristics of God’s fatherhood” through evocative images such as “that of a man who gets up in the middle of the night to assist a friend in welcoming an unexpected visitor”; and also “that of a parent who is concerned about giving good things to his children.”

The pope explained that these images remind us that God “never turns his back on us when we come to him, even if we arrive late to knock at his door, perhaps after mistakes, missed opportunities, or failures.”

In the great family of the Church, “the Father does not hesitate to make us all participants in each of his loving gestures,” Leo said.

He added: “The Lord always listens to us when we pray to him. If he sometimes responds in ways or at times that are difficult to understand, it is because he acts with wisdom and providence, which are beyond our understanding.”

Following the prayer, the pope greeted, among other groups, participants in the EWTN Summer Academy, an intensive training program in Catholic communication organized by EWTN News and aimed at young people between 21 and 35 years old with prior experience in digital content creation.

Leo also recalled that this Sunday marks the fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly under the theme “Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Lost Hope.”

“Let us look to grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope, capable of illuminating the path of new generations. Let us not leave them alone but join them in an alliance of love and prayer,” he said.

Finally, the pope spoke in Spanish to greet the thousands of young people who will participate in the Jubilee of Youth from July 28 to Aug. 3, one of the biggest events of the current holy year.

“I hope it will be for everyone an occasion to encounter Christ and to be strengthened in faith and in the commitment to follow him with consistency,” the pope said.

Vatican City, Jul 25, 2025 / 16:23 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV in a message released Friday pointed out that Catholic migrants and refugees “can become missionaries of hope today in the countries that welcome them.”

“With their spiritual enthusiasm and vitality, they can help revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and weighed down, where spiritual desertification is advancing at an alarming rate,” the pope noted July 25 in for the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated Oct. 4–5, coinciding with the and the .

The pontiff focused his reflection on the link between Christian hope and migration and praised the faith with which immigrants “defy death on the various contemporary migration routes.”

“Many migrants, refugees, and displaced persons are privileged witnesses of hope. Indeed, they demonstrate this daily through their resilience and trust in God, as they face adversity while seeking a future in which they glimpse that integral human development,” the pope noted in the statement.

He emphasized that their presence “should be recognized and appreciated as a true divine blessing, an opportunity to open oneself to the grace of God, who gives new energy and hope to his Church.”

The Holy Father pointed out that “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.”

“Migrants and refugees remind the Church of her pilgrim dimension, perpetually journeying toward her final homeland, sustained by a hope that is a theological virtue,” he added.

Thus, the pope called for hope for “a future of peace and of respect for the dignity of all” despite the “frightening scenarios” of “wars, violence, injustice, and extreme weather events.” 

“The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the lack of consideration for the harmful effects of the ongoing climate crisis, and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future increasingly demanding,” the pontiff noted in the message.

Pope Leo warned the Catholic Church against the temptation of “sedentarization” and, therefore, of ceasing to be a “civitas peregrine,” since as St. Augustine points out in “The City of God,” the people of God are “journeying toward the heavenly homeland,” because otherwise she ceases to be “in the world” and becomes “of the world.”

“This temptation was already present in the early Christian communities, so much so that the Apostle Paul had to remind the Church of Philippi that ‘our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself’ (Phil 3:20-21),” Leo XIV emphasized.

He also called for a move beyond individualism, which he defined as a “serious threat” to the “sharing of responsibilities, multilateral cooperation,” and “the pursuit of the common good.”

In this regard, he criticized the “widespread tendency to look after the interests of limited communities” and pointed out that there is “a clear analogy” between immigrants and “the experience of the people of Israel wandering in the desert, who faced every danger while trusting in the Lord’s protection.”

Finally, Pope Leo expressed his desire to entrust every migrant, and those who accompany them with generosity and compassion, “to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, comfort of migrants.”

Vatican City, Jul 25, 2025 / 14:53 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV offered three brief suggestions to two groups of priests he met at the Vatican on Friday morning, saying a “solid and integral formation” is essential for all Catholic faithful but especially for those who give Christian formation.

In his July 25 address to priests belonging to the Society of St. Xavier and participants of a monthlong seminary formators course at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, the Holy Father said the main purpose of formation is to have “the same mind” as Jesus Christ and “reflect the Gospel.”

“Indeed, it is necessary that the ‘house’ of our life and vocational journey, whether priestly or lay, be founded on ‘rock,’” the pope said Friday.

The formation of priests, laypeople, and consecrated men and women, Leo said, is not “limited to specialized knowledge” but involves “a continuous journey of conversion.” 

The Holy Father’s first suggestion to build a rock-solid formation was to cultivate a “friendship with Jesus.”

“This is the foundation of the house, which must lie at the heart of every vocation and apostolic mission,” he said. “We need personally to experience the closeness of the Master; to know that we have been seen, loved, and chosen by the Lord by pure grace and without merit on our part.”

The Augustinian pope’s second suggestion for Catholic formators was to live an “effective and affective fraternity” with others.

“It is necessary to learn to live as brothers within the presbyterate as well as in religious communities and with our bishops and superiors,” he said.

“We must work hard on ourselves in order to overcome individualism and the desire to overtake others, which makes us competitors, so that we learn gradually to build human and spiritual relationships that are both healthy and fraternal,” he continued.

Before concluding his Friday meeting with the group of priests, the Holy Father gave his third and final suggestion: “to share the mission with all the baptized.”     

The pope said priests should not view themselves as “lone leaders” or live their ordained ministry with a “sense of superiority” but to be pastors who are “immersed in the reality of the people of God.”

“During the first centuries of the Church, it was usual for all the faithful to be like missionary disciples and to commit themselves personally to evangelization,” Leo explained. “The ordained ministry was at the service of this mission shared by all.” 

“Today, we feel strongly that we must return to this participation of all the baptized in witnessing to and proclaiming the Gospel,” he said.

Vatican City, Jul 25, 2025 / 14:23 pm (CNA).

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

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

The official opening of the veneration will take place on July 26 with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina, who will also impart a blessing to the volunteers working during the Jubilee.

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

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

The relic will return to Turin after a Mass celebrated by Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher on Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. concludes.

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

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

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

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

Vatican City, Jul 24, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

Thousands of young people are heading to the Eternal City next week for the Jubilee of Youth, where they will have the opportunity to pray with the incorrupt body of Pier Giorgio Frassati and a first-class relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart.  

From July 28 to Aug. 3, Rome will be buzzing with musical performances, prayer vigils, and special events for young pilgrims from across the globe. One of the highlights will be the opportunity to venerate the relics of these two holy young men who are set to be canonized together by Pope Leo XIV in September.

The veneration of relics — physical objects associated with saints or Christ himself — has been part of Christian practice since the earliest days of Christianity, during the Apostolic age. First-class relics, such as bones or pieces of a saint’s body, are venerated as a tangible link to the saints who intercede from heaven.

Frassati’s incorrupt body will be available for public veneration beginning July 26 at the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, located near the Pantheon. His tomb will be open to visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the morning of Aug. 4.

Youth volunteers from the , a U.S.-based Catholic nonprofit, will be on hand to accompany pilgrims in prayer at the basilica, where several Masses are scheduled. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney will celebrate Mass there at 11 a.m. on Aug. 4.

A separate event, “Night of Adoration with Pier Giorgio Frassati,” will take place from 8:30 to 10 p.m. on July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Church of Piazza Farnese.

Organized by the JP2 Project, the evening adoration aims to foster reflection on Frassati’s spiritual legacy. His remains will be returned to his hometown of Turin, Italy, on Aug. 5.

A few blocks away, the Church of San Marcello al Corso will host the Acutis, a 15-year-old computer coder who died of cancer in 2006, is known for his devotion to the Eucharist and his efforts to catalog Eucharistic miracles. 

A first-class relic of Acutis’ heart will be available for veneration at the church, where visitors may also submit prayer intentions to be brought to his tomb in Assisi. The center opens at 10 a.m. on July 29 and closes at 9:30 p.m. on July 31. Daily Eucharistic adoration with the relic is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Evening events at the church on July 30 and 31 will include music, testimonies, and prayer. On July 29 at 11 a.m., young artist Johnny Vrba will present his 1,000-piece mosaic portrait of Acutis. An exhibit on Eucharistic miracles created by Acutis before his death will also be on display.

In addition to Acutis and Frassati, the jubilee will highlight other young people recognized for their sanctity.

On July 30, Jesus Youth International will host the at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, featuring relic veneration, confession, youth talks, and an evening of Eucharistic adoration.

Merz, a Croatian intellectual and former soldier who promoted Catholic youth movements, died in 1928 at the age of 31. Also on July 30, the Basilica di San Crisogono in Trastevere will host a talk at 11:20 a.m. on Merz’s life.

At the , a youth center near St. Peter’s Basilica, pilgrims can learn about the Pier Giorgio Homeless Ministry and attend a gathering with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, the religious community of — a young Irish nun whose cause for canonization is underway.

That event, featuring prayer, adoration, and fellowship, will take place Wednesday afternoon, July 30.

The jubilee will also feature a self-guided encouraging pilgrims to visit churches throughout Rome that house the relics of young saints.

Stops include St. Agnes, martyred at age 12; St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who died while caring for plague victims at 23; as well as St. Philip Neri and St. John Paul II, both remembered for their commitment to youth. The full walking route is available

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on July 22 around 9 p.m. local time after spending more than two weeks at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. The Holy See Press Office officially confirmed the news to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, on July 23.

The pontiff spent a period of rest — July 6–22 — in the Italian town about 15 miles from Rome on the shores of Lake Albano. In addition to resting, the Holy Father also fulfilled several apostolic commitments.

One of the most significant events was the private meeting held on July 9 with Ukrainian President , who made a special trip to Castel Gandolfo to meet with the pope. During the meeting — which took place within the context of the fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in the Italian capital July 10–11 — they discussed the humanitarian situation in the country and the role of the Holy See as possible mediator in the conflict. It was the first time a foreign president was received by a pope at this residence since the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

That same day, the pope using the to promote global ecological awareness “for the care of creation.”

Pope Leo XIV also took the opportunity to rest, pray, and work on some personal texts.

The pontiff’s return to Rome coincides with the final preparations for the , which will begin on July 28 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A longtime Vatican diplomat now dedicated to aiding Christians in the Holy Land recently offered reflections on the Church’s mission in conflict zones and its roots in the Middle East. 

In a wide‑ranging interview with “EWTN News Nightly” on July 22, Cardinal Fernando Filoni underscored that the Middle East is not just part of Christianity’s past but remains an area of vital importance.

“Being there means not letting this vast region be considered only historically as the beginning of the Church, without living Christian communities,” he said. A portion of the interview was broadcast on Tuesday evening.

Despite waves of emigration and violence, Filoni insisted, the Church cannot forget her roots. “Jerusalem is the Mother Church. No one should forget their mother’s and father’s home,” he said.

Filoni recalled vividly his service as apostolic nuncio in Baghdad during the first Gulf War. Even as bombs fell and many left the country, he and the bishops agreed: “We remain. The people remain, we remain.”

At that time travel was perilous and telephones were quickly knocked out, but Filoni and an auxiliary bishop made parish visits to check on priests and laity. “We needed to show our faithful, even though we were a minority in a largely Islamic reality: We are with you,” Filoni said. 

Reminded of his own statement that “if a shepherd flees in difficult moments, the sheep scatter,” the cardinal described it as a biblically inspired call to action.

“Jesus himself, speaking of the good shepherd, recommended that those entrusted with the Gospel face difficulties with the same dignity that Christ himself showed,” the cardinal said.

“This remains a fundamental heritage of the Church,” he added.

As grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Filoni now leads a chivalric order that supports the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, headed by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and assists Christians throughout the Holy Land.

The order provides financial aid, funds schools and parishes, and supports humanitarian efforts that allow Christians to remain in their ancestral homeland.

“We are not the main actors,” Filoni said, “but we are those who, behind the scenes, support the patriarchate and all its actions. This is the Church’s communion in action.”’

Filoni, a former prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, stressed the Church’s role as peacemaker in the region.

“Peace is not a secondary option but a primary one,” he said. “We cannot live always thinking of past injustices. The Church is there to remind everyone that a normal, serene life is what children, men, and women truly desire.”

The cardinal pointed to past Vatican efforts — such as an informal, indirect role in encouraging prisoner exchanges during the Iran-Iraq war — as examples of how even small gestures can open doors.

Today, amid the war in Ukraine, the Church is working to trace missing children, advocate for prisoners and the wounded, and deliver aid. “These actions create a platform for dialogue, starting from the concrete suffering caused by war,” he said.

Filoni warned, however, that such efforts are ultimately futile if warring powers don’t seek peace. “You can even offer a golden platform [for negotiations], but it won’t work because it’s the will of the people involved in the war who must accept or reject the possibility of dialogue, of discussion,” he said.

The cardinal praised Pope Leo XIV’s early reaffirmation of , the foundational document on Vatican diplomacy issued by St. Paul VI, and observed how St. John Paul II expanded this mission through his extensive travels.  

“There is a centripetal and a centrifugal dynamic — one that brings in and one that reaches out,” Filoni explained. “In this exchange, the life of the Church is created.” 

Asked what could distinguish Pope Leo XIV’s approach, Filoni replied that a new pope “does not follow his predecessor — he follows Peter.”

“There is continuity, but also something new,” he said. He noted that the world has changed rapidly, with the revolution of artificial intelligence emerging in just the past decade. Leo XIV’s unusually varied background as a missionary bishop, head of his religious order, and superior of the Roman Curia has prepared him well for such challenges, the cardinal said.

Turning to Gaza, Filoni struck a somber note. “Sadly, there is no place in Gaza untouched by the violence of weapons, war, revenge, and killings. To keep kidnapped people in captivity is unacceptable. And to attack those searching for water or food is terrible,” he said.

“There is no justification,” the prelate added. He called for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to indiscriminate bombings. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, under Pizzaballa’s leadership, he said, works tirelessly to provide aid and remain present, supported by the Holy See and by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

The cardinal shared an image of the Church’s resilience he witnessed in Mosul, Iraq: After a bombing, a priest showed him a wall where the image of the pope remained intact amid the rubble. “Here, the cross did not fall,” the priest told him.

Filoni reflected: “That is the message. The cross is stronger than violence, because it is the instrument through which God made peace between heaven and earth.”

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In the context of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which will be held in Rome July 28–29, Mexican priest Father Heriberto García Arias, author of “Digital Missionaries: Influencers or Witnesses of Christ Today?”, offered a reflection on the role of evangelizers on social media and the importance of their presence in the digital environment.

With more than 2 million followers on his TikTok account @heribertogarciaar and more than 200,000 on Instagram, the young priest gave an interview to the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, “EWTN Noticias,” from the Eternal City emphasizing that the Catholic Church “is taking very important steps to be present throughout the digital context.”

Drawing on his experience and the recent publication of his book, García explained the difference between a Catholic influencer and a digital missionary, whose “purpose is different.” Although “both use media,” the influencer can offer and sell products in line with their values, while the digital missionary’s purpose is to bring his or her experience of Christ to social media.

He pointed to the amount of time younger generations spend on social media: “There are people who are searching for God, and so we have to be present there, being witnesses, but not with the goal of stopping there, but rather to move [the viewer] from the screen to the altar.” 

“So,” he added, “that’s only the path, not the destination.”

The Mexican priest pointed out that the Church “has always adapted to different cultures” to bring the message of Jesus Christ and affirmed that “now it’s our turn, in this culture where new generations come with a different way of thinking, where the digital world is real for them.”

For the priest, the celebration of the — which also coincides with the — represents “official recognition from the Church of all these missionaries.”

“Just three years ago, the term ‘digital missionary’ didn’t even exist,” he noted, adding that today there are more than 3,500 digital missionaries worldwide. Although he acknowledged that this new reality can elicit a certain “fear,” he assured that “the fruits are already being seen.”

According to the priest from Jalisco state in Mexico, being present on social media “is urgent and necessary,” since many young people “watch TikTok” but “aren’t going to cross the threshold of a church.” He therefore emphasized the importance of creating content that sparks their interest and helps them “come over to the Church.”

Regarding the risk of trivializing the message, he pointed out that the Church is experienced in different ways in each culture while emphasizing the need to form and accompany digital missionaries so that they are “united in the same truth.”

Explaining the origin of his social media presence, García stated that it responds to “a pastoral urgency to address the needs of the young people who are there.”

“We have a very beautiful message, an incomparable philosophy, a transcendental proposal. But sometimes we don’t know how to convey it, we don’t know how to speak their language. I believe we need to convey this message that we have experienced, adapted to the new generations.”

The priest, who received his call to the priesthood when he was 15, confessed that as he began his vocation, he suffered from “stage fright.” However, his formation in the Church’s institutional communications helped him understand that “God has shown me that I’m not the one who’s speaking, it’s him.”

The young priest takes up his work on social media as a great responsibility, and faced with the temptation of becoming “self-referential,” he pointed out: “If you want the message to get across, you also have to deal with that temptation, because in the end, they’re following you, because they empathize with you and they like you.”

“But you do have to be vigilant. It’s not about being the center of attention and talking about Christ; he has to be the center of attention,” he added.

The priest acknowledged that his formation allowed him to understand that he is a “spokesman” for the Church: “You are not the protagonist; it’s about the Church, it’s about Christ, and you have to always keep that in mind, because the great risk is that the Church will not only lose its reputation but also lose its authority in the world. And that is in our hands.”

García shared that he has received numerous testimonies from people whose lives were transformed by his messages. 

“People who were about to have an abortion and ended up not having it, people who were perhaps a bit at odds with God because they had a child in the hospital and [then] received the message they needed to encourage them to carry on. Or even someone who wanted to commit suicide and a message stopped him and motivated him to persevere.”

“The Holy Spirit is acting through algorithms, reaching hearts that need his word, that need hope,” he emphasized.

Finally, he assured that his work has the support of the Church and his bishop, something that gives him peace and strength to move forward in this increasingly necessary evangelizing mission.

Vatican City, Jul 21, 2025 / 12:44 pm (CNA).

Bishop Robert Barron will deliver a keynote address to more than 3,500 young American pilgrims at a special event in Rome on July 30, part of the global Jubilee of Youth celebrations expected to draw more than 100,000 young people to the Eternal City.

The at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is being organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and will include Eucharistic adoration, catechesis, and a procession with relics of 12 saints and blesseds significant to the American Church and Catholic youth.

Barron, the bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, will speak on what it means to be a missionary witness in today’s world.

Pilgrims will have the opportunity to walk through the basilica’s Holy Door, opened as part of the Catholic Church’s jubilee year observances, and to pray before the tomb of St. Paul.

Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas, who is the committee’s chairman-elect, will lead a Eucharistic Holy Hour during the three-hour evening event, which begins at 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). EWTN will broadcast the event and a livestream will also be available on the USCCB’s YouTube channel. U.S. dioceses are encouraging parishes to tune in with youth groups back home.

Barron, known for digital evangelization efforts through his Word on Fire media ministry, rose to prominence by leveraging online platforms like YouTube and Reddit to reach young Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated.

His keynote comes just one day after the close of the , a parallel event in Rome featuring Jesuit Fathers David McCallum and Antonio Spadaro as speakers. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will also offer a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on July 29 for the young digital missionaries.

The Jubilee of Youth, running from July 28 to Aug. 3, includes a . Among them: a penitential day at Circus Maximus on Aug. 1, a massive prayer vigil at Tor Vergata on Aug. 2 led by Pope Leo XIV, and a closing Mass celebrated by the pope on Aug. 3.

Pilgrims will also be invited to participate in to sites linked to young saints, aided by digital maps on the . Stops include the tombs of St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, and St. Philip Neri, as well as relics that have been brought to the Eternal City for the jubilee, including the , , and

Other national groups are also marking the week with their own events. More than 1,000 South Korean pilgrims will gather for Mass at the Basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere on July 31, celebrated by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the archbishop emeritus of Seoul, with Auxiliary Bishop Paul Kyung-sang Lee of Seoul preaching the homily. The Archdiocese of Seoul will host the next World Youth Day with the pope in 2027.

The will take place on July 29 at the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle.

Rome Newsroom, Jul 21, 2025 / 06:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV marked the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a video call to U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a visit to the Vatican Observatory, located on the papal estate of Castel Gandolfo, where he has been staying for two weeks.

According to the Vatican, the pontiff’s July 20 call with the 95-year-old Aldrin, the last surviving Apollo 11 crew member, included reminiscing on the historic 1969 landing and meditating together on the “mystery, greatness, and fragility” of God’s creation as described in Psalm 8.

Earlier in the day, Leo visited the Vatican’s internationally-recognized observatory, called the Specola Vaticana, where he was able to look through the astronomical center’s historic telescopes.

The Vatican Observatory has been located on the papal estate of Castel Gandolfo, around 18 miles southeast of Rome, since the 1930s, but the history of the institution dates to the 18th century. After several years of closure in the late 1800s, Leo’s predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, re-founded the observatory in 1891.

In 1993, the Vatican Observatory Research Group, which opened a second research center at the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1981, completed construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope in Mount Graham, Arizona.

Pope Leo has been taking a break from the heat of Rome with a sojourn at the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, a revival of a tradition last observed by Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff’s stay was originally expected to end July 20, but the Vatican announced Sunday that Leo had extended the two-week stay an additional two days, through July 22.

On June 16, Pope Leo XIV, who holds a degree in mathematics from Villanova University, expressed his appreciation for astronomy when he received the participants of this year’s Vatican Observatory Summer School.

On that occasion, he asked the young scientists to never forget “that what they do is meant to benefit everyone.”

“Be generous in sharing what you learn and what you experience, to the best of your ability and in any way possible,” he added.

The pope also urged them not to hesitate to share “the joy and wonder born of your contemplation of the ‘seeds’ which, in the words of St. Augustine, God has sown in the harmony of the universe.”

The summer program, held every two years, brings together young astronomers from different countries. The most recent edition hosted 24 students from 22 nations under the theme “Exploring the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope,” an instrument that has revolutionized astronomical observation since 2022.

During his meeting with astronomy students, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of the advances made by the telescope: “For the first time we can deeply observe the atmosphere of exoplanets where life may be developing and study the nebulae where the planetary systems themselves are forming” as well as trace “the ancient light of distant galaxies, which speaks of the very beginning of our universe.”

Rome Newsroom, Jul 20, 2025 / 08:46 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed by name for the victims of a deadly Israeli strike on the only Catholic parish in Gaza, decrying the “barbarism of the war” as he renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire.

“I express my profound sadness regarding last Thursday’s attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which as you know killed three Christians and gravely wounded others,” the pope said in his from the papal estate at Castel Gandolfo, about 16 miles southeast of Rome.

He named the dead — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud — and said: “I am especially close to their families and all the parishioners.”

The July 17 strike on the parish compound also wounded nine others, including the local parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. The church had been serving as a shelter for more than 600 people since the conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

“Sadly, this act adds to the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,” Leo said. “I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.” 

“I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of the population.” 

Thursday’s attack drew swift condemnation from Church leaders. On the same day, Pope Leo sent a telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin lamenting the loss of life and injuries caused by the military attack and calling for an immediate ceasefire. The following day, entered Gaza to offer spiritual, moral, and material comfort. 

According to , two of the victims were outside the main parish building — which had been repurposed into a shelter — when the explosion occurred. Salameh, 60, the parish caretaker, was in the courtyard, and Ayyad, 84, was sitting inside a Caritas psychosocial support tent when shrapnel and falling debris struck them. Both later died at Al-Mamadani Hospital due to what Caritas called a “severe shortage of medical resources and blood units in Gaza.” 

Israel Defense Forces , stating that “fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly.”  

Pope Leo XIV also with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the strike, urging the reactivation of peace negotiations. He reiterated his concern for the humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, “whose heartbreaking price is being paid, in particular, by children, the elderly, and the sick,” a statement from the Vatican said. 

After praying for the Gaza victims during his Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV offered a message of solidarity to all Christians in the region.  

“To our beloved Middle Eastern Christians, I say: I deeply sympathize with your feeling that you can do little in the face of this grave situation,” he said. “You are in the heart of the pope and of the whole Church. Thank you for your witness of faith.”

He entrusted them to the Virgin Mary, “woman of the Levant, dawn of the new Sun that has risen in history,” and prayed that she “protect you always and accompany the world towards dawns of peace.”

Sunday marked the second time Pope Leo has led the Angelus prayer from Castel Gandolfo during his two-week summer retreat.

He ended his Angelus address by greeting pilgrims in the courtyard, including students and staff from the nearby and a group of Catholic scouts on a jubilee pilgrimage destined for the tomb of , whom Pope Leo is expected to canonize in September as the first millennial Catholic saint.

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will return to Vatican City on Tuesday.

Rome Newsroom, Jul 20, 2025 / 07:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday encouraged people to embrace the summer season as a time to deepen their relationship with God through silence, reflection, and time spent with others.

“Summer can be a providential time to experience the beauty and importance of our relationship with God and how much it can help us to be more open and welcoming to others,” Pope Leo said during a at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano, a town about 16 miles south of Rome.

The pope, who is spending two weeks on summer holiday at the papal estate in nearby Castel Gandolfo, reflected on the example of Martha and Mary in the Gospel of Luke of how service and listening can be “twin dimensions of hospitality.”

“We should set aside moments of silence, moments of prayer, times in which, quieting noise and distractions, we recollect ourselves before God in simplicity of heart,” he said.

Preaching to a congregation of approximately 300 people — including local priests, seminarians, parishioners, religious sisters, and 60 sick individuals — Pope Leo emphasized the need to “make room for silence” and to step back from the “whirlwind of commitments and worries” that often crowd out opportunities for peace and prayer.

Outside the cathedral, hundreds more gathered in the streets and piazzas. Thirteen mayors from neighboring towns attended the Mass, along with a group of young Catholic scouts who paused to see the pope on their way to summer camp.

As he walked through Albano toward the cathedral, people waved and shouted greetings. The pope stopped to bless children and greet those in wheelchairs who kissed his ring in front of the church.

Pope Leo presided over the Mass, which was concelebrated by 80 priests in the basilica named for St. Pancras, a young Roman martyr from the fourth century.

In his homily, the pope turned to St. Augustine’s reflections on Martha and Mary.

“‘These two women symbolize two lives: the present and the future; a life lived in toil and a life of rest; one troubled and the other blessed; one temporary, the other eternal,’” Pope Leo said, quoting from Augustine’s Sermon 104.

Quoting further, he added: “‘The weariness will pass and rest will come, but rest will only come through the effort made. The ship will sail and reach its homeland; but the homeland will not be reached except by means of the ship.’”

The pope said that Martha and Mary are a reminder that “listening and service are two complementary attitudes that enable us to open ourselves and our lives to the blessings of the Lord.”

He urged Christians to seek a wise balance between “contemplation and action, rest and hard work, silence and the bustle of our daily lives,” guided always by the Lord, taking “Jesus’ charity as our measure, his word as our light, and his grace as our source of strength, which sustains us beyond our own capacity.”

“During the summer, we have more free time in which to gather our thoughts and reflect, and also to travel and spend time with each other. Let us make good use of this, by leaving behind the whirlwind of commitments and worries in order to savor a few moments of peace and reflection, taking time as well to visit other places and share in the joy of seeing others — as I am doing here today,” Leo said.

“Let us make summer an opportunity to care for others, to get to know each other, and to offer advice and a listening ear,” he said. “These are expressions of love, and that is something we all need. Let us do so with courage.”

Pope Leo is nearing the end of his current stay at Castel Gandolfo, the 135-acre papal retreat overlooking Lake Albano, long favored by previous pontiffs including John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Pope Francis, however, opted not to use the summer estate during his pontificate.

During his retreat, Leo has continued to lead public prayers, including the Angelus, and has celebrated Sunday Masses in the local community, including last week at the 17th-century Church of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo’s central square.

In his Angelus address on July 20, Pope Leo returned to the theme of summer as a time of rest and encounter.

“The summer season can help us learn how to slow down and become more like Mary than Martha. Sometimes we too fail to choose the better part. We need to take time to rest and try to learn better the art of hospitality,” he said.

“The holiday industry wants to sell us all sorts of ‘experiences,’ but perhaps not the ones we are really looking for. Every genuine encounter is free; it cannot be bought, whether it is an encounter with God, with others, or with nature. We need only learn the art of hospitality, which includes both welcoming others and allowing ourselves to be welcomed.”

The pope is expected to return briefly to Castel Gandolfo in August for the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, spending time there from Aug. 15–17.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV once again expressed his closeness to the people of Ukraine by sending packages of food destined to families who have suffered from the Russian army’s recent onslaught of attacks.

Thanks to the mediation of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity — the dicastery in charge of the pontiff’s charitable works also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner — and donations from the faithful, the aid will reach the village of Staryi Saltiv and the city of Shevchenkove, both affected by Russian bombing.

With this much-needed aid, which follows the aid sent in June, the Holy Father renews his gesture of solidarity with the victims of the bloody war that began in February 2022.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, told that “charity does not go on vacation” and that Pope Leo XIV asked them to “act as quickly as possible.”

The trucks with the food packages left for Ukraine from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Basilica of Santa Sofia (Holy Wisdom) in Rome, which has become a center of solidarity for all Romans and a point of reference for the Ukrainian community in the Italian capital. In addition to the food, essential items were also donated.

On June 13, the Holy See also sent a truck with humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Food and essential items as well as mattresses, furniture, and children’s supplies also left from the Roman basilica.

On that occasion, Krajewski stated that the Vatican’s mission of solidarity has continued uninterrupted by the invasion of Ukrainian territory by the Russian army.

On the boxes containing the aid delivered directly to families in need, the words “Gift of Pope Leo XIV to the people of Kharkiv” can be read in Ukrainian and Italian.

On July 9, Pope Leo XIV took time out from his summer vacation in Castel Gandolfo to receive the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During their meeting, the two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and “the urgency of pursuing just and lasting paths of peace.”

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

Leo XIV also reaffirmed the Holy See’s willingness to welcome representatives of Russia and Ukraine to the Vatican for possible peace negotiations.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV received a phone call Friday from Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, following yesterday’s Israeli army attack on Holy Family Church in Gaza.

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the pope received the call at Castel Gandolfo, where he is on vacation.

On July 17, the Israeli army struck with a projectile Holy Family Parish, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, which had been used as a shelter for more than 600 people since the beginning of the war in October 2023.

The attack killed three people and left a number of injured, some of them seriously.

During the conversation, the Holy Father renewed his call for the urgent reactivation of the negotiation process in order to establish a ceasefire and end the war.

He again expressed his deep concern for the humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, “whose heartbreaking price is being paid, in particular, by children, the elderly, and the sick.”

Finally, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and, above all, the faithful and all people living in both Palestine and Israel.

Also on Friday, the Holy Father called Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, to whom he of the attack and asserted that “it is time to stop this slaughter.”

Israel Defense Forces stated that “fragments of a projectile fired during a military operation in the area mistakenly hit the church” and that the cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 17, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

Father Yusuf Asad, 49, who has been the assistant parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Gaza for six years, had just celebrated morning Mass when a loud bang sounded. At around 10:20 a.m. local time, a projectile hit the building. 

“It fell directly on the roof. The explosion occurred next to the cross atop the church and soon scattered shrapnel throughout the courtyard,” Anton Asfar, director of Caritas Jerusalem, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. He received a call from Gaza shortly after the attack alerting him to the incident.

“It was later clarified to us that at the time of the explosion, there were some people in the courtyard outside, even though Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor, had warned everyone to stay inside,” he explained.

Still shaken, he added: “Without Father Romanelli’s warnings to stay inside, we could have lost 50 or 60 people. It would have been a massacre.”

The parish compound consists of the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, a school, a convent, a multipurpose center, and a Missionaries of Charity building. At the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, it became a makeshift shelter for more than 500 displaced people.

The majority are Orthodox Christians, Protestants, and Catholics, but there are also more than 50 Muslim children with disabilities living there with their families.

“We are assessing the situation together with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to understand what has happened. People are in shock,” he said.

He explained that the Israeli army issues an evacuation or displacement order every day. “There is a constant threat. Two Sundays ago, there was an evacuation order for the residential neighborhood of al-Zaytun,” where the parish is located in Gaza City, he added.

In fact, the attacks have intensified in recent weeks, and bombs have continuously fallen on the surroundings of this parish.

“It is very difficult to move people. Everyone is determined to stay in the churches and continue taking refuge there. But the truth is that there are no safe areas in Gaza anymore,” he lamented.

So far, the has confirmed three deaths. One of them is Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, 60, who was the parish maintenance manager and was in the courtyard at the time of the explosion.

The other two fatalities are Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman, and Najwa Abu Daoud, 70, who were receiving psychological care at the time inside the tent of the Caritas psycho-social support project.

“People were terrified when the evacuation of the wounded to the hospital began. Father Gabriel [Romanelli] was also taken because he had a minor leg injury, but he is out of danger,” Asfar confirmed.

In addition to the Argentine priest from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, eight other people were injured and rushed to Al Mamadami Hospital, just one kilometer (.62 miles) from the church. But the bombings have also pushed to the limit the capacity of health centers, with no electricity or medical supplies. “There is no medicine, no drinking water. There is a severe shortage of fuel, which is essential for hospitals and medical centers,” he pointed out.

The last significant influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza occurred more than four months ago.

“Nothing has entered since March 2. Only small amounts of aid. The only active operation is the Gaza Interim Foundation, but it’s not enough. Four centers cannot replace the 400 distribution points that existed during the truce,” Asfar noted.

Furthermore, the management of this organization, also known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — created in February and supported by the United States and Israel — has raised growing suspicions that it has turned food distribution into a weapon of war. , more than 400 Gazans have already died at GHF aid distribution points.

The humanitarian situation is dire. Caritas currently has more than 120 staff operating in Gaza, spread across 10 medical centers, but resources are dwindling. The borders remain closed, which has put the population in a desperate situation. “People are dying of hunger. All the children are suffering from malnutrition,” the director of Caritas Jerusalem warned.

Vatican City, Jul 17, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, participated in this week’s “High-Level Political Forum” with two speeches at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The July 13–15 event focused on the U.N.’s sustainable development goals, according to . In particular, Caccia addressed Goal 3, which seeks to guarantee access to health care, and Goal 5, on “gender equality and empowering women.”

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action plan approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. It is structured around (SDGs) and 169 targets to be achieved within a 15-year period.

Among these goals are “no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, gender equality, and reduced inequalities.” While many of these goals enjoy broad Catholic support, some also in aspects that conflict with the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

In his first address, Caccia denounced inequalities in access to medical services and highlighted the need to raise awareness about mental health, the source of many problems that are often hidden.

“These inequalities are evident in the millions of people who still lack access to basic medical care, in the stagnant maternal mortality rates, and in the silent suffering of those suffering from untreated mental illness,” he stated.

He also stressed that health should not be understood solely as “the absence of illness” and reiterated the right to health for all people, proposing the implementation of “integrated policies” that recognize the link between health and other dimensions such as poverty and education.

In this regard, he urged the protection of the most vulnerable, especially children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and victims of war.

During his second address, the permanent observer of the Holy See to the U.N. referred to thedeclaration and recalled that true equality between men and women requires conditions that promote “the integral development of women,” such as health care, decent work, and quality education.

Caccia also rejected ideological agendas and denounced that “too often, the development efforts of the international community treat gender equality primarily as a matter of individual autonomy, divorced from relationships and responsibilities.”

He advocated for a change in perspective that values “the complementarity between men and women,” emphasizing the importance of families as a “space for relationships.”

“In tandem with promoting equality between women and men, measures must be taken to support and protect families, motherhood, and fatherhood,” he emphasized.

The Vatican official also denounced the ecological debt that is suffocating a large portion of the least developed African countries and highlighted that “the persistent and widespread reality of poverty continues to afflict millions of people, denying them material well-being and undermining their God-given dignity, while stifling their integral human development.”

Therefore, he emphasized that poverty must remain “the central and urgent priority of the international community.”