The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia. The letter modified canons 106 and 126 of the Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium.

The pope in the letter said the “mutual concord” between the head of an Eastern Church and the church’s bishops “is the soul of communion of the Eastern ecclesiastical hierarchy.”

If the “sacred bond” between the two “were to be irreparably compromised, this would constitute a grave wound requiring a remedy,” the pope said. In such situations, the bishops in question “must be able to exercise canonical authority” to remedy the crisis.

Synods will thus have the power to “[remove] their own Patriarch from office for a grave cause,” the pope said. Such a procedure would still guarantee the patriarch in question “a full defense before the synod,” the pope noted.

The pope, however, will retain “the sole concession of consent to the synodal decision,” Leo wrote. That provision will ensure “that the full freedom of the Fathers in expressing their choice is guaranteed, sheltered from any possible internal or external undue pressure.”

The order comes into effect “immediately,” Leo wrote in the letter.

In June Leo emphasized the “great gift” the Eastern Catholic Churches offer to the Universal Church, which he said is “often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”

“The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church,” the pope told the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches at the time.

“One of the serious problems today is the fact that decisions concerning human life are being entrusted to machines,” Pope Leo XIV said Aug. 28 during an audience with members of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences.

“The speed at which innovations in AI, in artificial intelligence, are developing prompts us to ask whether, in the future, we will be able to control these machines and whether humanity runs the risk of becoming victim of its own inventions,” he said.

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences, of which the Holy See is a member, was founded in 1930 in the aftermath of the Great Depression. It works to help public authorities adapt governance to the changing needs of society.

Pius XII addressed the institute in 1950, highlighting the responsibility of public administration to serve society in accordance with the Creatorʼs wisdom.

Pope Leo XIV said the theme of the instituteʼs conference represented “a powerful appeal to our world in the digital age” to maintain a proper balance in the use of digital technologies.

He said the appeal echoed his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.

The pope said the rapid development of digital technology is a reality that directly affects peopleʼs way of life and “permeates every level of social life.”

Against that backdrop, he praised the instituteʼs effort to reaffirm “the irreplaceable nature of human intelligence in the face of these technological tools” and to help public authorities make decisions “for the good of humanity.”

Pope Leo XIV also called for an ethical framework to guide the use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools, noting that such technologies are increasingly concentrated in the hands of major economic and technological actors while governments struggle to exercise effective oversight.

“We must ensure that the good of the human family is not sacrificed to private interests,” he said.

The pope encouraged the instituteʼs members to continue studying ways public administration can help keep technology centered on the human person.

“I encourage you to continue your research in order to find the ways and means of contributing to public administration in the humanization of digital technologies, so that they may serve life and peace,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV also recalled Pope Francis' 2024 World Day of Peace message, in which Francis called for scientific and technological research to be directed toward peace and the common good and placed at the service of the integral development of individuals and communities.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The flooding disaster was driven by what the U.S. Geological Survey said was a glacial collapse near the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, one that displaced huge volumes of water and generated catastrophic flooding downstream.

Videos circulating on social media from closed-circuit camera footage showed massive waves of water rushing across the landscape and overtaking entire structures as local residents ran for their lives.

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In an Aug. 27 telegram sent on behalf of the Holy Father, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope was “saddened to learn of the loss of life and devastation” caused by the floods.

“Commending the souls of the deceased to the clemency of the Almighty, His Holiness sends heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved, together with the assurance of his spiritual closeness to those affected by this tragedy,” the telegram said.

“Likewise offering prayers for the emergency personnel engaged in the ongoing rescue efforts, [the pope] invokes upon all divine assistance and protection,” the message continued.

The tragedy has resulted in a global outpouring of support, with governments and humanitarian organizations mobilizing to respond to the catastrophe with resources and assistance.

The U.S. Department of State said it was deploying a “disaster response advisor” to the region to help manage rescue and cleanup efforts. The government said it would also distribute $500,000 in assistance via Catholic Relief Services.

The United Nations, meanwhile, said it had released $2 million from its Global Emergency Fund to provide emergency medical care, water, and shelter to those affected by the flooding.

Workers with the U.N. World Food Programme and the U.N. Children’s Fund were also being deployed to the region with supply trucks.

The convocation for “Nurturing Unity Through Communication” will be hosted by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from Feb. 2–4, 2027. Typically held every two years, it will be the 15th edition of the Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices.

The event is being organized in collaboration with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication and is expected to draw over 500 participants, including Catholic communications professionals from dioceses, religious orders, and episcopal conferences.

Conference sponsors also include EWTN News, Rome Reports, and the Pontifical Mission Societies.

According to the event website, the gathering will invite participants to reflect “on the role of institutional communication as a path toward fostering unity and concord both within and beyond the Church.”

The seminar is also inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call for Catholic media professionals to strive for peace in their work.

“Addressing communicators in his first public audience as pope, Leo XIV reminded them: ‘Peace begins with each one of us: with the way we look at others, listen to others, speak about others; and, in this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images; we must reject the paradigm of war.’”

The conference will include plenary and parallel sessions covering topics ranging from social media to encouraging diversity rather than promoting division in the Church through media.

EWTN Chairman and CEO Michael Warsaw will speak on the topic “Leading Through Digital Disruption: Building Community in a Changing Media Landscape.” EWTN Vice President and Chief Global Officer Andreas Thonhauser, meanwhile, will moderate a discussion of “AI and Magnifica Humanitas: Reflections One Year On.”

Registration for the conference is open until Dec. 1 and can be made through the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross by clicking here.

The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience on Aug. 27 with participants in a conference on drug abuse, promoted by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (CAL). According to Vatican News, the conference is being held from Aug. 25–27 and focuses on preventing drug addiction and the criminal recruitment of young people in Central and South America.

Leo will make his first apostolic journey to South America from Nov. 6–17, visiting 10 cities across Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. He previously served as a missionary and bishop in Peru.

Families can help those suffering from drug addiction

In his address, Leo discussed the challenge of drug addiction in young people and its consequences for the family.

“Today, we bear witness to the pain of many broken families, whether due to drug use, violence, the criminal recruitment of a child, poverty, or the lack of opportunities that push people to the margins of society,” Leo explained.

To solve this, the pope said, would require reemphasizing the family as the “domestic church.”

“St. John Paul II asked us to make the Church ‘the home and school of communion.’”

“The family, which the Second Vatican Council rightly called the ‘domestic church,‘ is the place where life is nurtured, cared for, and planned. There is no better defense against drugs than a good family,” Leo said.

Inspiration by Pope Francis

According to Vatican News, the conference drew inspiration from the actions of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis. As the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he supported the project “Familia Grande del Hogar de Cristo,” a network of community centers that supports people battling drug addiction and social vulnerability.

Shortly after being elected pope in 2013, Francis traveled to Brazil for that year’s World Youth Day. During a visit to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, he sharply criticized drug traffickers as “dealers of death.”

“How many ‘dealers of death’ there are that follow the logic of power and money at any cost,” Francis lamented in his address. He would echo those sentiments again in a general audience in June 2024, calling drug traffickers “murderers.”

Leo cited Francis in his address, reminding those present that Jesus wants the Church “to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others.”

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

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

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

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

According to Augustinian Father Edward Daleng Daniang, vice regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household and former general counsellor and procurator general of the Order of St. Augustine, St. Monica is the saint to turn to for spouses who feel alone in their desire to create a Christian family home.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This story was first published on Aug. 27, 2025, and has been updated.

In December 2025, the pope was named one of Vogue magazine’s 55 best dressed people of 2025.

Style correspondent José Criales Unzueta told The New York Post: “The reality is that everyone has a personal style, and this list celebrates people whose style we find most compelling, inspiring, idiosyncratic or a combination of those traits.”

“In the case of Pope Leo, we are drawn to his innate Americanness — the way he will pair a baseball cap or a pair of Nikes with his vestments, which speaks to the great tradition of American sportswear,” he said.

When Leo first appeared on the balcony of St. Peterʼs Basilica to the thousands of faithful gathered in the square after his election, many noticed the return of several papal vestments that were not used during Pope Francis’ pontificate.

So what are some of the papal garments Pope Leo has been wearing and what do they symbolize?

The papal mozzetta

One of the most obvious vestments that Pope Leo has brought back into use is the red papal mozzetta, reviving a long-established tradition.

The mozzetta is a nonliturgical garment worn by the pope, cardinals, bishops, abbots, and certain priests, including canons of a cathedral chapter. It is normally worn over the cassock.

The history of this garment dates back to at least the 14th century, shortly after the papacy returned to Rome from Avignon, France. Initially, it was worn by the popes in Avignon to adapt to the colder French climate. Eventually, it became part of the popeʼs ceremonial dress around 1400, initially reserved for the pope but later extended to all cardinals and bishops.

The mozzetta, in the case of a prelate, symbolizes his spiritual authority and rank within the Church hierarchy. For a pope, it is normally worn with the papal stole as a sign of his universal jurisdiction over all Catholics.

The mozzetta a pope wears is different from those worn by cardinals and other clerics. While the mozzetta for cardinals is red and for bishops purple, the pope has five versions of the mozzetta. The most commonly worn by the pontiffs is the red satin mozzetta, usually with an embroidered stole.

The white cassock

The white cassock is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of papal attire. It’s a long-sleeved, ankle-length garment and is tailor-made from 100% wool or a wool blend. White has a long Christian association with purity, innocence, holiness, and the glory of Christ.

Cassocks, which have historical links to the Roman robe known as the “caracalla,” are traditionally made with 33 buttons to represent the 33 years of Jesus’ life before his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

The white cassock became part of the papal vestments during the pontificate of Pope Pius V (1566-1572), who was a Dominican friar and continued wearing the white habit of his religious order after becoming pope.

A white sash

The white sash around the popeʼs waist, another traditional piece of papal attire, is called the fascia. It is essentially a wide, ceremonial band worn with the cassock and is made of linen or silk. It represents the pope’s devotion, dedication, and submission to Jesus Christ’s call to serve and look after his Church. The fascia is a symbol of readiness to minister to the people of God.

A red stole

The stole is a liturgical vestment worn by priests and bishops as a sign of their ordained ministry. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains that a priest wears the stole around his neck, while a deacon wears it over his left shoulder and across the chest.

Pope Leo has made consistent use of the stole since his election in 2025. He typically wears a deep burgundy or scarlet silk stole with ornate gold embroidery during public and formal duties. However, he has also been seen wearing other stoles including a white one with gold embroidery.

Some instances in which the Holy Father has worn a stole include during his apostolic journeys, diplomatic audiences, state visits, major liturgical feasts, and ecumenical meetings, among others.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains that the stole symbolizes the authority and responsibility to serve in imitation of Christ, connecting it with Jesus' words: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The tradition of red leather shoes

Red leather shoes have been used by several popes over the centuries and have their origins in the early Church and the ancient Roman Empire.

In the Catholic faith, red symbolizes martyrdom and the passion of Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI’s red shoes became a bit of a trademark during his pontificate, with ABC News calling him a “fashionista” and Esquire naming him “accessorizer of the year.”

At another point, his loafers sparked controversy after false rumors claimed they were crafted by the high-end Italian fashion house Prada.

Benedict’s choice of shoes stands out because his predecessor and successor — St. John Paul II and Pope Francis — opted for alternatives. But popes have walked in red for centuries.

While Pope Leo has not yet been seen in red shoes, the Holy Father has made headlines for photoshares of him sporting a pair of white Nike sneakers around the Vatican grounds before he became pope.

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The archbishop made the remarks during a press conference following his Aug. 25 meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

As the Vatican Secretariat of State reported Tuesday on X, the men discussed “topics of mutual interest and current international issues, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine and prospects for peace.”

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During the event, Gallagher stated that “the Holy Seeʼs position is clear: The conflict cannot be resolved by military means,” adding that “it is essential to create the conditions for a political and diplomatic process.”

“To be clear: This war must end,” he said, noting that “it is urgent and necessary to end the hostilities and plan future relations so as not to remain prisoners of the wrongs of the past.”

He stated that “any concrete result in the humanitarian sphere will contribute to alleviating suffering and help restore a minimum level of trust between the parties to the conflict.”

Lavrov expressed appreciation for the Holy Seeʼs openness to dialogue with Russia and its commitment to peace, Vatican media reported. He also agreed with his Vatican counterpart on the need to step up cooperation on humanitarian issues.

On Aug. 26, Gallagher was scheduled to meet with Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Vatican representative will return to the Vatican on Aug. 28.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

From warning against virtual participation in Sunday Mass to calling for a rediscovery of the symbols of the liturgy, here’s an overview of what the pope taught about the liturgy in this series:

Vatican II’s reform did not change only ‘the rites’ of the liturgy

Leo began his catechesis on the liturgy during his general audience at the Vatican on May 20. He explained that the liturgical reforms were not the only changes in the Church that came from the Second Vatican Council.

“In drafting this constitution, the council fathers sought not only to undertake a reform of the rites but to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ,” Leo said in his remarks.

Leo also highlighted the missionary and universal dimensions of the liturgy, and, quoting Pope Francis, recalled that “the world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb.”

Priests must respect ‘norms of the liturgy’ to avoid confusion at Mass

During his general audience on May 27, Leo urged priests not to alter the celebration of Mass on their own, to avoid confusing the faithful.

“I encourage all priests to respect the texts and norms of the liturgy with openness, humility, trust in God’s greatness, and with sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion.”

Leo also explained that liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council are not a departure from tradition but a development. To emphasize this, he quoted Pope Benedict XVI, who said that the council fathers’ “reform program” sought “a balance between the great liturgical tradition of the past and that of the future.”

We must rediscover signs and symbols of the sacred liturgy

In his audience on June 3, Leo called on Catholics to rediscover the meaning of the various gestures associated with the liturgy, such as the sign of peace and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. He explained that these symbols and signs are not arbitrary gestures but help Catholics experience “the presence of God through Jesus Christ.”

“The rites of the Christian liturgy are not an outward covering of the sacramental mystery or a set of arbitrary ceremonies,” Leo said. “Rather, they are the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us.”

The Eucharist is a powerful antidote to division

Pope Leo dedicated his June 24 general audience to the mystery of the Eucharist, calling on Catholics to “draw with faith from this source of divine life” and to allow themselves “to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”

“Thus, by incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very style of life of the Lord Jesus, which was marked by the free gift of himself,” the pope said.

He also drew on the teaching of St. Augustine, who explained the mystery of the Eucharist to the newly baptized.

“It is your own mystery that you receive,” Augustine wrote, according to the pope. “To what you are, you respond: ‘Amen,’ and your response is like your signature. You are told, ‘The Body of Christ,’ and you reply, ‘Amen.’ Be therefore members of the Body of Christ, so that your ‘Amen’ may be true.”

The tradition of prayer is disappearing from families

Leo resumed his catechesis at the Aug. 5 general audience following a few weeks of rest at Castel Gandolfo. He lamented that many Christian families no longer pass on prayer and urged the faithful to rediscover it as a fundamental dimension of human life.

“Furthermore, even in many Christian families, the tradition of prayer is no longer passed on, whilst many people risk confusing it with just another technique, of a psychological nature aimed at personal well-being,” the pope said.

Leo proposed the Liturgy of the Hours — the Church’s official public prayer — as a remedy.

“To the many people who wish to learn to pray, especially catechumens, it can offer the path and the school of Christian prayer.”

Attendance at Sunday Mass cannot be replaced by virtual participation

In his audience on Aug. 12, Leo reflected on the importance of the liturgical year. He also urged Catholics to prioritize attending Sunday Mass and warned that virtual gatherings cannot replace in-person Mass attendance.

“To sanctify Sunday, it is essential to celebrate the Eucharist,” Leo said. “This
assembly cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence, nor can it be reduced to a merely passive gathering.”

On the liturgical year, he explained that it should be understood “as a constant renewal of the work of salvation which Christ accomplishes in history.”

“As she journeys through this temporal cycle, the Church remains in contact with the Lord’s redemptive action, so that all the faithful may be filled with his grace.”

The musical heritage of the Church must be preserved

Pope Leo called for the Church’s musical heritage to be preserved during his general audience on Aug. 19. He also said that inculturation can take place in Church music to accommodate different cultures.

“A theme close to the council’s reform is that of inculturation, including in the field of sacred music. In particular, with regard to the musical traditions of different cultures, the council emphasizes the importance of taking them seriously into consideration, as they form part of people’s religious and social life.”

Vatican II reformed the liturgy to promote active participation

Leo concluded his catechesis on the liturgy on Aug. 26, reflecting on the reasons for the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council.

He described those reforms as necessary to encourage active participation by the faithful and urged them not to be mere spectators during the celebration of the liturgy.

“Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive,” Leo said. “The liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council is thus firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church.”

“Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive,” Leo said. “The liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council is thus firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church.”

During his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 26, the pontiff concluded his summer catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. The audience was held in St. Peter’s Basilica because of Rome’s high summer temperatures.

The faithful cannot be passive during the liturgy

Leo defended the council fathers’ decision at the Second Vatican Council to reform the liturgy, citing a letter St. Paul VI wrote as archbishop of Milan to encourage the faithful’s participation.

“Motivated by these convictions, the future Pope St. Paul VI affirmed that the faithful ‘cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive. Their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence,’” Leo said.

The pope also explained that the liturgy has divine aspects that cannot change and human elements that can change to promote the faithful’s participation.

“When the Church carries out a reform of the liturgy — a constant process of development across the centuries — there is an important distinction to be made between the divine, immutable elements, and the human elements, which may undergo various modifications.”

“The need arose for the faithful to celebrate the liturgies more consciously and actively, not ‘as strangers and silent spectators’ but participating fully in the salvific mystery,” Leo added.

Liturgical reform began long before Vatican II

The Church’s present liturgy was established in 1969 following the Second Vatican Council. It replaced the older Tridentine liturgy, standardized since the Council of Trent in 1570.

The Tridentine liturgy, also called the Traditional Latin Mass, was largely replaced after the council. Pope Benedict XVI allowed greater access to it in 2007, but Pope Francis restricted access in 2021.

The pope also explained that the liturgical reform began long before the Second Vatican Council, under several popes.

“The assertion that the faithful should not attend celebrations ’as strangers or silent spectators’ had already been raised in Pius XI’s apostolic constitution Divini Cultus.”

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Leo also recalled Pope Pius XII’s reform of the Tridentine Holy Week liturgy in 1955, in which he “rescheduled to the hours corresponding to the events of Easter, after they had for centuries been brought forward to the morning hours.”

The pope also recalled the interventions of St. John XXIII, who called for the Second Vatican Council in 1959. Leo explained that John XXIII contributed to the Church’s liturgical reform by simplifying “the rubrics of the breviary and the missal … in which he referred the proposal of fundamental principles for a reform of the liturgy.”

“Indeed, since the liturgy is a living entity, throughout the centuries it has always been subject to developments and changes,” Leo added.

The Vatican Secretariat of State announced the meeting on its X account the same day, describing it as a meeting where “topics of common interest and current international issues” were discussed between the two parties.

“During the course of the meeting, topics of common interest and current international issues were addressed, with particular attention to the war in Ukraine and the prospects for peace,” the statement on X said.

The meeting took place on the first day of Gallagher’s trip to Russia, Aug. 25–27. Vatican News, the official news outlet of the Holy See, described Gallagher’s trip as “a mission of dialogue and peace.” It is his first trip to Russia since 2021.

According to the schedule published on X by the Vatican Secretariat of State, Gallagher’s meeting with Lavrov on Aug. 25 will be followed by a meeting with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

On Aug. 26, Gallagher will meet with Yuri Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and on Aug. 27, Gallagher will meet with Catholic clergy, religious, and bishops. He will also celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow.

Vatican News noted that Gallagher’s schedule “confirms the Holy See’s determination to continue along the path of dialogue, even at one of the most difficult moments in international relations at the global level.”

The dicastery was created by Pope Francis in 2016 to promote, as stated in its statutes, “the apostolate of the lay faithful, the pastoral care of the family and its mission according to God’s plan and for the safeguard and support of human life.” The dicastery is also the Vatican office responsible for organizing the international World Youth Day (WYD).

Its members are not full-time staff and do not need to relocate to Rome. Rather, they attend plenary sessions in Rome and vote on decrees.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell has served as its prefect since 2016, the year it was founded.

Kelly first joined the Knights of Columbus in 1983 while a student at Marquette University in Wisconsin. After studying law at Marquette University Law School and theology at The Catholic University of America, where he earned a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, he served 24 years in the United States Navy, earning several military honors.

Before joining the leadership of the Knights of Columbus, Kelly served as an adviser to several U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of State. As senior adviser to the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at the U.S. Department of State, he served as a liaison between the U.S. government and other countries, including the Holy See, on religious freedom issues.

In 2006, Kelly was named vice president for public policy of the Knights of Columbus. He became deputy Supreme Knight in 2017 before being elected Supreme Knight in 2021.

The announcement was made by the Vatican Secretariat of State on its X account and was described by Vatican News as “a mission of dialogue and peace.”

According to the schedule, the first meeting will take place Aug. 25 with Lavrov. Subsequently, Gallagher will meet with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Gallagher will meet with Ushakov, the foreign policy adviser to Putin. Vatican News noted that “the schedule confirms the Holy See’s determination to continue along the path of dialogue, even at one of the most difficult moments in international relations at the global level.”

The Vatican representative will visit the Catholic community on Aug. 27. Gallagher will first meet with clergy and religious and then celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary in Moscow. Finally, he will meet with the bishops.

Gallagher is scheduled to return to the Holy See on Aug. 28. His previous visit to Russia took place in November 2021, when he met with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Lavrov, and the then-head of the Moscow Patriarchateʼs Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The pontiff held a private audience on Aug. 24 at the Vatican with a delegation from the Military Ordinariate of Portugal, which celebrated 60 years since its establishment in 1966. The delegation included members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, National Republican Guard, and Public Security Police.

Leo, in his remarks, remembered two Portuguese soldiers who were killed on Aug. 21 in a car accident while helping a truck driver with a flat tire.

‘Remain firm in defending your homeland’

The pope also urged the Christian soldiers present to remain steadfast in their mission to protect their citizens, citing the Roman centurion at Capernaum, who asked Jesus for a miracle for his servant.

“Every day, each of you has the noble mission of defending the sovereignty of your homeland and the rule of law, safeguarding the security of your fellow citizens and protecting them from injustice,” Leo said. “Be strong in the Lord like the centurion who, in Capernaum, approached Jesus. He knew well the values by which you shape your lives: obedience, discipline, self-denial, loyalty, camaraderie, dedication, responsibility, and courage.”

The pope also highlighted the need for military personnel to remain humble, as the Roman centurion was.

“If, on the one hand, this soldier was aware of his authority, on the other hand, he showed before the Son of God the strength of faith and the courage of humility,” Leo said.

Past addresses to the military

Leo has held other private audiences with military personnel, most recently meeting with the Military Ordinariate of Italy in March, during which he declared that soldiers must work to promote peace.

The pope and the Holy See have also criticized certain military actions as unjust, including those by the United States in its war with Iran. In his Palm Sunday homily in March, he sharply condemned war and the use of religion to justify violence, saying that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”

“In my prayers, I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in light of the spread of the Ebola epidemic, which is sadly claiming many lives. I encourage on the part of the international community a response that also involves local communities in efforts of prevention, so that many human lives may be saved,” Leo said.

The recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was first declared in May, claiming the lives of close to 2,500 people, according to an Aug. 21 BBC report. The country is currently distributing a vaccine against the virus, and public health officials have declared it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history.

On Aug. 18, a landslide at a gold mine near Zamboyé in western Central African Republic buried and killed more than 100 workers, according to an Aug. 19 BBC report. Rescue efforts are ongoing for potential survivors, and Pope Leo prayed for all those who lost their lives in the disaster.

“I am also close to the people of the Central African Republic, who are mourning the victims of the collapse at a mine in Zamboyé. May the Lord receive those who have lost their lives and sustain efforts to ensure safety and respect for the law at mining sites,” the pope said.

‘Who is Jesus for me?’

During his Angelus, Leo also preached on the Gospel of the day, in which Jesus asks his disciples about his identity and Peter’s confesses his faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

The pope noted that the question of Jesus’ identity is decisive for one’s everyday experience of discipleship.

“The question that is put to us each day — Who is Jesus for me, and what does his presence mean in my life? — emerges especially in prayer and when we meditate on the Gospel,” Leo explained.

“In our daily lives, in short, we can discover whether the Lord Jesus is for us merely a great figure of history … or the Christ of God, the One sent to bring us into the love of the Father and to transform our lives and the world in which we live,” the pope added.

The pope then encouraged the faithful not to be content with their own convictions about Christ but to “remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ.”

“Yet Jesus calls us to give a personal response, to know him more closely and to allow ourselves to be shaped by friendship with him through an ever new encounter. This may also ask us to follow unfamiliar paths and to make choices different from those we had imagined.”

The meeting came at the end of a whirlwind day of travel for the pope, who visited the tiny landlocked country of San Marino before making an appearance at the 47th Meeting for Friendship Among the Peoples in Rimini.

In his meeting with those suffering from illness and disabilities, which took place at Rimini Cathedral, the pope said the ancient church signified to the sick and poor: “You are home.”

Jesus, the Holy Father said, worked to “heal [sick people] and restore to them a life worthy of their dignity.”

He urged the assembly to take part in Church life “in the parish, in associations, and in places of welcome and service.”

The pope subsequently said Mass at the Port of Rimini, where in his homily he told the faithful that “everything we are and have is a gift from God.”

He said every baptized Christian is oriented toward “embracing, gathering, welcoming, liberating, forgiving, [and] emancipating anyone who is a prisoner of sin and its consequence.”

Referring to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the pope said: “God is simple, because he is pure charity, and calls us also to love with a heart similar to his, conforming our ways to his ways and our thoughts to his thoughts.”

Upon arrival after a brief visit to the country of San Marino, Leo addressed a spontaneous greeting to the people gathered in the auditorium, expressing his joy and pointing out that “the loudest applause should be for Jesus Christ.”

“Our hearts, so big and capable of loving, should never be closed. Letʼs find the way together to build a world of peace and love,” he said.

In his speech to the gathering, Pope Leo recounted the teachings of his immediate predecessors on social friendship, fraternity, and union, highlighting the value of Riminiʼs meeting to achieve these ideals. The annual event is hosted by the international organization Communion and Liberation.

He assured the assembly that “in recognizing our dignity as children of God, we come into contact with what originally unites human beings, beyond all diversity, separation, or conflict.”

“We can identify with each other, listen to each other, and establish friendship, between individuals and, therefore, also between peoples. Before borders, definitions, and institutions, there are always people,” he added.

Reflecting on the pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo did not hesitate to affirm that “it is a time of responsibility” among men and that it is love that is the foundation of a fraternal society.

“Following Jesus Christ after the tragedies and the new beginnings of the 20th century implies, in fact, a clear awareness: Evil is not fought with evil. As in heaven, as on earth, love is the law of life, the method of redemption of the crucified Messiah,” he said.

“Faced with the false realism that rearms minds, words, and nations, the current Catholic culture must counteract the realism of mercy, which maintains that enemies cannot exist and that everyone, even adversaries, are brothers to whom they look into the eyes and receive with sincerity,” he added.

Addressing especially young people, Leo told them that they “are a sign that the future is a promise, not a threat” and witnesses of a love that “continues to inspire hope.”

“Love moves, drives, awakens from lethargy, inspires new vocations and calls us to take risks. Get involved! Open up to true universality, expanding your ties beyond any too close affiliation,” he said.

“In every corner of the world, especially in the margins and among those who suffer, you will find those willing to build the civilization of love. Do not allow anyone to belittle this word, which is the very name of God: ‘God is love,’” the Holy Father said.

“In love, there is never coercion or indoctrination; there is never seduction, deception, or manipulation. Love resides only in freedom, in sincere exchange, in generous self-giving.”

Finally, he invited young people to remain devoted to Christ to testify, without boasting, in the midst of todayʼs world.

"May the Holy Spirit instruct us in the practice of communion. That gives us pleasure for [the Holy Spirit], appreciation for him and hope in him. May he continue to guide us, dear brothers and sisters, with that love 'that moves the sun and the other stars,'" he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

After his arrival in San Marino, one of the smallest and oldest republics in the world, and following a meeting with the country’s captains regent, the pope went to the Basilica of San Marino. There, together with priests and the faithful, he worshipped the Blessed Sacrament and venerated the relics of St. Marinus.

“Iʼm glad to meet you in this basilica,” the pope said in a speech after the moment of prayer. “I would like us to live this moment together as a pause in our common path in the footsteps of Christ.”

Addressing especially young people, the Holy Father recalled the words spoken by his predecessor Benedict XVI when visiting San Marino in 2011: “Do not stay in the partial, immediate answers ..., easier at first and more comfortable, which can give some moments of happiness, of exaltation, of drunkenness, but that do not lead you to the true joy of living.”

Benedict XVI had told pilgrims at the time: “Your heart is an open window to infinity!” Addressing the faithful on Aug. 22, Pope Leo said: “Well, dear young people: Keep that window open!”

“Follow with the gaze of the soul the paths that trace in you the great longings for beauty, goodness, and life that you carry in your heart," the pope said.

“If you carefully observe their journey and listen to your voice, they will lead you to the top, to meet God, where he seeks and waits for you; and, with his help, your dreams will have the necessary strength to leave a mark on history and improve it,” he added.

As a “second call,” the pope said to young people: “Enthusiastically embrace your mission in the world! Do it, first of all, trying to understand what the call is for you, unique for each one, and value its greatness.”

“Then, give yourself to him and invest without reservation all the richness of the gifts that God has granted you,” he continued, encouraging them not to have “fear of making demanding decisions, such as marriage, consecration, orderly ministry, professional life, or social and political commitment.”

The Holy Father also expressed his “sincere gratitude to the priests, catechists, and educators,” who “work for the human and Christian growth of young people,” and highlighted their “hidden but very important” work of helping parents, who are “first responsible for the education of their children in faith.”

“The family, in fact, is the first place of formation in the faith, the natural bosom in which the Gospel is learned from childhood and breathed on a daily basis," he said.

He encouraged the faithful to establish “an educational pact, so that parents feel involved, rediscover the faith themselves in a new way, and have the joy of transmitting to their children the Christian values of which they are custodians.”

While warning that “we live in a world wounded by numerous conflicts,” the pope assured the assembly that, in the face of “these disturbing tendencies,” the response of believers “can be no other than to travel the path of the Gospel with an even greater conviction.”

Toward the end of his address inside the basilica, the pope encouraged the faithful to live in communion, giving “testimony of unity in our communities: among the parishes and, within them, between pastors and faithful, among the different charisms and ministries.”

After concluding the meeting inside the basilica, the Holy Father addressed a greeting to the faithful who were outside and spoke again in a special way to the young people present: “Open the door of your heart; always listen to Jesus Christ and never be afraid to listen to what Jesus wants to say to each of you.”

“Recognize in yourselves the value of life. The value of your life, of you, who were created by God and are loved by God: Your life has a great value for us, for the Church, for your family and for the whole world,” the pope said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The Holy Father was also scheduled to visit the Italian city of Rimini, where the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples takes place.

The pope left Rome by helicopter around 8 a.m. and arrived 45 minutes later at the Torraccia airfield in San Marino. There he was received by the Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva, who were accompanied by various local officials.

Also present in the welcome delegation was the apostolic nuncio in Italy and the Republic of San Marino, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, as well as Bishop Domenico Beneventi of San Marino-Montefeltro.

In a telegram addressed to Italian President Sergio Mattarella — sent by custom as the pope was leaving Italian territory — Leo expressed his greetings, accompanied “with fervent wishes for the spiritual, civil, and social progress of my beloved Italy.”

Upon his arrival, military honors were given to the pope, after which a private conversation was held between the pontiff and the captains regent in the Palazzo Publico. The Holy Father also met with local authorities and representatives of civil society.

Later, the captains regent addressed a few words to the pope, who in turn gave a speech in which he said he was enormously pleased to visit San Marino, which has the honor of being “the oldest republic in the world.”

The pope thanked the captains regents for their invitation and for the warm welcome they gave him. He stressed the importance of the 100 years of relations between the Vatican and San Marino.

“This connection is old due to its long historical coexistence, but at the same time recent if we consider that just a century ago, in April 1926, diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the serene Republic of San Marino were formalized,” he said.

The pope then reflected on the value of freedom in personal life and in the events of a nation, pointing out that “there is no true civil freedom without personal freedom.”

“This freedom is granted and guaranteed, ultimately, by God, whose voice resonates in the consciousness of every human being,” he said.

“Promoting freedom means defending the space of consciousness. And here our thoughts are addressed to the many men and women who, in all times and places, are martyrs of freedom because they testify to the primacy of conscience,” he added.

The pope highlighted the value of figures such as St. Thomas More, patron saint of rulers and politicians, who inspire those who exercise power to remain faithful to their consciences “even in times of great adversity, witnesses of true freedom, the freedom that comes from being sons and daughters of God.”

At the same time, Pope Leo remarked that freedom is realized “in giving, in communion, in encounter, and in dialogue,” being lived according to the Gospel. In addition, he continued, freedom is also “a constant commitment to active and positive participation in peace-building.”

Finally, the Holy Father pointed out that San Marino can be a “laboratory” of good policies, highlighting the “human care” that is expressed in “the protection of every life, at every stage, from conception to natural death.”

“This concern for others has been a distinctive feature of the history of San Marino since its beginnings,” he said.

“This sensitivity is also the result of the Christian tradition of this country and the constant and positive collaboration between the political authorities and the bishop in the pursuit of the common good,” he said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The pontiff delivered his remarks on Aug. 21 in an audience at the Vatican with participants of the 17th annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN), taking place in Rome from Aug. 20–23.

Cardinals Christoph Schönborn, Béchara Boutros Raï, and Charles Maung Bo were also present at the audience as patrons of the network.

AI must not be allowed to weaken families

In his address, Leo reflected on the theme chosen for the meeting, “Human Dignity and Artificial Intelligence: Challenges, Chances, and Control.”

“Artificial intelligence must never be allowed to erode this primary cell of society — whether by reducing persons and relationships to data and simulations, by flooding young minds with content that distorts desire, or by economic models that make family life economically precarious,” Leo explained.

“For this reason, I encourage you to promote policies that strengthen marriage and families, support parents in their educational mission, and enable young people to look to the future with confidence.”

The pope then reminded those present that their responsibility is not to hinder development but to promote the common good.

“Responsible for providing policies for the administration of technology for the common good, your task is not to hinder innovation but to guide it wisely,” Leo said. “[Sound legislation] should protect users from exploitation, preserve personal privacy, ensure transparency in the use of emerging technologies, and guarantee that they strengthen democratic institutions.”

The ICLN was founded in 2010 in Austria to serve as a network for Catholic legislators worldwide. Since then, its annual meetings have been held in Rome. During their 2025 meeting, Pope Leo urged members to look to St. Augustine’s “City of God” for inspiration.

After its 17th annual meeting concludes, the ICLN will host a peace summit in Assisi on Aug. 24, themed “The Urgent Call for Christian Leaders to Be Effective Peacemakers.” The summit will feature Mass, keynote addresses, and fraternal visits as the city continues to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Augustine himself and his mother, St. Monica, are honored just one day apart at the end of August, but mystics, missionaries, and martyrs who lived out the Augustinian call to seek God through prayer, community, and charity also enjoy feast days this month.

Here are the Augustinian saints — and a blessed — the Church celebrates in August:

Blessed John of Rieti — Aug. 2

Blessed John of Rieti was an Italian Augustinian friar whose short life became a remarkable example of holiness lived through simplicity, charity, and joy.

Born around 1318 in Castel Porchiano, near Amelia, Italy, John entered the Augustinian order as a teenager and was sent to the friary in Rieti. Though he died at just 18 years old in 1336, those who knew him remembered him for his humility, friendliness, and deep love for his fellow friars.

John was particularly attentive to the sick and to visitors, treating everyone with kindness and reverence. According to the Augustinian tradition, he never did or said anything contrary to fraternal charity.

His remains can be found at the St. Augustine Church in Rieti, and he was declared blessed by Pope Gregory XVI in 1832.

St. Clare of Montefalco — Aug. 17

St. Clare of Montefalco was an Italian Augustinian nun, abbess, and mystic who developed a profound devotion to the passion of Christ.

Born around 1268 in Montefalco, Italy, Clare joined an order of Franciscan tertiaries at a young age. Her sister, Giovanna, was the abbess and their small community eventually became a formal convent of nuns following the Rule of St. Augustine in 1290. After Giovanna’s death, Clare became abbess at just 23 years old.

Clare was especially known for her contemplation of Christʼs passion and for mystical experiences connected to the cross. Due to this, she is sometimes called “Clare of the Cross.”

During her final illness, she told her sisters that she carried Christʼs cross in her heart. After her death in 1308, her heart was examined and the sisters reported finding symbols associated with Christʼs passion formed within it. Clare was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.

St. Ezekiel Moreno — Aug. 19

St. Ezekiel Moreno was an Augustinian Recollect friar, missionary, and bishop who spent much of his priestly life serving Catholics in the Philippines and Colombia.

Born in Alfaro, Spain, in 1848, he joined the Augustinian Recollects as a teenager and professed his religious vows in 1865. After being ordained a priest in Manila in 1871, he spent 15 years working in the Philippines before returning to Spain and eventually being sent to Colombia, where he devoted himself to missionary work and the renewal of religious life.

In Colombia, Ezekiel became the first vicar apostolic of Casanare and later served as bishop of Pasto. His episcopacy took place amid civil war, anti-Catholic persecution, and significant challenges for the Church.

Despite these difficulties, he remained committed to his people and strongly defended the Churchʼs rights. Diagnosed with cancer, he returned to Spain for treatment and died on Aug. 19, 1906. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

Sts. Liberatus, Boniface, and Companions — Aug. 26

Sts. Liberatus, Boniface, and their five companions were seven monks who were martyred in North Africa in 484 during the persecution of Catholics under King Hunneric.

The monks belonged to a monastery at Gafsa, in present-day Tunisia, that had been founded under Augustinian inspiration. The group included Liberatus, their abbot; Boniface, a deacon; Servus and Rusticus, subdeacons; and three lay monks named Rogatus, Septimus, and Maximus.

The monks were taken prisoner and pressured to abandon their Catholic faith, but they refused. The youngest of the group, Maximus, was only 15 and was especially urged to separate himself from the others, but he remained steadfast. The authorities attempted to burn the monks alive, but when the fire would not ignite, they were ultimately beaten to death.

Pope Clement X granted the Order of St. Augustine the right to celebrate their collective liturgical memorial in 1671.

St. Monica — Aug. 27

St. Monica is best known as the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, but her own life offers a powerful example of perseverance in prayer and trust in God.

Born around 331 in Tagaste, North Africa, Monica was raised in a Christian family and married Patricius, a pagan. She became the mother of three children, including Augustine, and patiently worked to guide her family toward the Catholic faith. Her example and persistent prayers eventually helped lead her husband to conversion.

Monica is especially remembered for the years she spent praying and shedding tears over Augustine, who pursued a very different path from the faith in which she had raised him. Her perseverance was eventually rewarded when Augustine converted to Christianity and was baptized by St. Ambrose in Milan in 387.

Monica died shortly afterward at Ostia while preparing to return to Africa with her son. The Church celebrates her feast on Aug. 27, one day before the feast of St. Augustine. She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.

St. Augustine of Hippo — Aug. 28

St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity and is honored as a bishop, doctor of the Church, theologian, and spiritual father of the Augustinian order. Born in Tagaste, North Africa, in 354, Augustine spent much of his youth searching for truth and happiness outside the Catholic faith. Through the prayers of his mother, Monica, and his own long spiritual journey, he eventually experienced a profound conversion and was baptized by St. Ambrose in Milan in 387.

After returning to North Africa, Augustine established a monastic community and was later ordained a priest and named bishop of Hippo. He became a prolific writer and preacher, producing works that would profoundly influence Christian theology and spirituality.

Augustine died on Aug. 28, 430, as the Vandals were invading North Africa. His feast day follows immediately after that of his mother, St. Monica. Pope Boniface VIII later named him a doctor of the Church in 1298.

According to the Lebanese Presidency, Aoun renewed his thanks to the pope for his efforts to support Lebanon in addressing its concerns, including ending the Israeli occupation and attacks. He also asked the Holy Father to continue urging Israel to implement the provisions of the Trilateral Framework, an agreement signed between Beirut and Tel Aviv under U.S. auspices on June 26 linking phased Israeli withdrawals to Lebanon disarming the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.

Aoun also asked for the pope’s support to immediately halt attacks on villages, infrastructure, and civilians in southern Lebanon, as well as withdraw from the areas it occupies.

The Lebanese president presented the Holy Father with a wooden reliquary depicting the face of Patriarch Elias Hoyek alongside a cedar tree. Hoyek was beatified in July at the Maronite Patriarchate’s summer residence in Diman, northern Lebanon. He is considered one of the most prominent figures in the establishment of the modern Lebanese state.

Previous Pope Leo-Aoun meetings

Aoun has met with Pope Leo XIV several times prior to the Aug. 20 audience. He attended the pope’s inauguration Mass in May 2025, held a private Vatican audience with him in June 2025, and met him again during the pope’s historic visit to Lebanon in late November and early December 2025.

Today’s audience with the pope comes at a critical moment for the Land of Cedars, following several rounds of direct negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli governments in Washington, D.C., and Rome. These talks were initiated after Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon and issued a fervent call for peace in the country. The negotiations have addressed key issues including a ceasefire, an Israeli withdrawal, border arrangements, prisoners, and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Restricting the decision of war and peace

Aoun also met on Thursday with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

According to the Vatican, their discussions focused primarily on the Trilateral Agreement. The Holy See welcomed the signing of the agreement while expressing deep concern over the difficulties surrounding its implementation and reaffirming its support for efforts to advance the process.

The Lebanese president outlined the political, economic, and living conditions his country has experienced in recent years and called for continued Vatican diplomatic efforts at international forums to support the countryʼs demands. He stressed that these efforts must be accompanied by extending the authority of the Lebanese state over its entire territory and placing the decision of war and peace solely in its hands.

Deteriorated security situation in southern Lebanon

The security situation in southern Lebanon has deteriorated sharply in recent days. With Hezbollah having rejected the U.S.-brokered framework agreement and active fighting against Israel continuing, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that Israeli airstrikes killed 11 people and wounded 19 others on Aug. 15 in one of the deadliest incidents since a truce reached between the fighting parts last June.

Additionally, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon reported a marked increase in military activity across southern Lebanon, recording an average of 137 projectiles per day between Aug. 5 and 16.

Despite these challenges, Aoun continues to pursue a diplomatic path toward peace, seeking Vatican and international support. On Friday he is expected to discuss Italyʼs potential involvement in international verification arrangements for southern Lebanon, a crucial component of the security framework designed to ensure Hezbollahʼs disarmament. His meeting with Italian leadership will take place on the sidelines of his participation in the opening ceremony of the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games, a major sporting event hosted in Italy.

“The wounds of war and the degradation of the earth … are profoundly linked to the condition of the human heart,” Leo said in his message published on Aug. 20.

“When the heart is distorted, relationships suffer, and the structures we build begin to reflect that disorder,” he added.

Pope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in 2015 as an ecumenical initiative to encourage Christians to pray for the protection of creation.

Leo chose the theme for this year to be "They Shall Beat Their Swords Into Plowshares and Their Spears Into Pruning Hooks,” drawn from Isaiah 2:4.

Healing requires conversion

Leo explained in his message that war’s consequences extend far beyond the loss of human life.

“War leaves wounds that extend far beyond the battlefield. It claims lives, tears families apart and forces millions to flee their homes, thereby deepening fear, injustice and division,” Leo said.

The pope then said that healing after the devastation of war requires a conversion of heart and renewed fidelity to God.

“In fact, the human heart is the place where the deepest struggles unfold and our fallen condition reveals itself.”

“The prophetic call to ‘beat swords into plowshares’ is therefore not only a vision for nations, but a call to each person. It invites us to transform harm into life. Yet this transformation cannot be achieved through external change alone. It requires, through cooperating with God’s grace, a deeper personal and collective conversion — a returning to God, who will reorder our desires, heal our wounds and help us grow in virtue,” Leo said.

In July 2025, Pope Leo approved new Mass prayers to support the Church’s appreciation for God’s creation. The “Mass for the Care of Creation” was inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’.

“For this reason, the composer of sacred music is called to know and preserve the musical heritage of the Church, allowing it to inspire new compositions at the service of the liturgy, while respecting contemporary sensibilities and the different cultural traditions,” Leo said.

In his address during his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 19, the pontiff continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

The general audience was his third of the month to be held inside St. Peter’s Basilica due to Rome’s high summer temperatures.

Sacred music — an integral part of the liturgy

Leo discussed the Second Vatican Councilʼs emphasis on the role of sacred music in the liturgy.

“The document states that ‘The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art,’” Leo explained.

He also explained that sacred music fosters both prayer and communion among the faithful.

“Music, indeed, is part of the liturgical action and is not merely a decorative part of the celebration,” Leo said. “In particular, music expresses the affective dimension of prayer, as St. Augustine says: ‘Cantare amantis est,‘ that is, ‘singing belongs to those who love.’”

“Singing also fosters communion. It contributes to the unity of hearts, overcoming differences between people and bringing everyone together in praise of God through the symphony of voices,” he added.

Tradition, inculturation, and active participation

The pope went on to explain that, because sacred music is so important, the liturgy should be celebrated with dignity, with music that is both noble and simple. He also highlighted the role of Gregorian chant and the pipe organ in fostering devotion during the liturgy.

“The Council then attributes great value to Gregorian chant, without excluding other genres of sacred music from the celebration. Particular attention is also given to the pipe organ, while the use of other instruments is permitted ‘on condition that the instruments are suitable, or can be made suitable, for sacred use, accord with the dignity of the temple, and truly contribute to the edification of the faithful,’” Leo said.

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Leo also discussed inculturation in Church music to incorporate diverse cultures.

“A theme close to the Council’s reform is that of inculturation, including in the field of sacred music. In particular, with regard to the musical traditions of different cultures, the Council emphasizes the importance of taking them seriously into consideration, as they form part of people’s religious and social life.”

The pope also encouraged the faithful to participate in singing parts of the Mass to reflect the sacred mysteries being celebrated.

“Sacrosanctum Concilium devotes considerable attention to the theme of the active participation of the faithful,” Leo said. “As for the concrete way in which this can be achieved through the specific role of sacred music, the Constitution offers a clear answer: ‘the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs’ and ‘reverent silence’ should be fostered.”

Pope Francis established the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in 2016. It promotes the Church’s efforts in the areas of peace, migration, health, and ecology. Consultors are called on to periodically meet with dicastery members to provide expert advice.

Pope Leo XIV renewed the leadership of the dicastery at the end of June with the appointment of Italian economist Sister Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, to succeed Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, as prefect.

He also appointed Italian Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS, who has been the dicastery’s undersecretary since 2022, to serve as pro-prefect alongside Smerilli. Father Jozef Barlaš was promoted from the dicastery’s undersecretary to secretary. They begin their roles on Sept. 1.

2 Notre Dame professors appointed

Among the new consultors are Father Emmanuel Katongole, a priest from the Archdiocese of Kampala in Uganda and a professor of theology and peace studies at Notre Dame.

Before joining Notre Dame’s faculty, as stated in his biography, Katongole served as associate professor of theology and world Christianity at Duke University and as a founding co-director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation. He is also the founder and president of Bethany Land Institute, an education center in Rwanda inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.

Clemens Sedmak is the other Notre Dame faculty member among the newly appointed consultors. Sedmak is a professor of social ethics and director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

A native of Austria, Sedmak previously served as the FD Maurice Professor for Moral Theology and Social Theology at King’s College in London. He has also served on the faculty of the University of Salzburg and holds degrees in philosophy, theology, and social theory.

Other appointees

The other new consultors to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development are:

• Kathryn A. Koch, president and chief executive officer of Trust Company of the West in Los Angeles
• Monsignor Peter Klasvogt, rector of the Pontifical Teutonic College of Santa Maria in Camposanto in Rome
• Father Francesco Coluccia, director of the Office of Healthcare Ministry of the Archdiocese of Otranto, Italy
• Father Joseph Jeyaraj Swaminathan, SDB, associate professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome
• Omer S. Combary, professor in the Department of Economics at Thomas Sankara University in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
• Lucy Afandi Esipila, regional executive secretary of Caritas Africa
• Paolo Foglizzo, editor of Aggiornamenti Sociali — San Fedele Cultural Foundation in Milan, Italy
• Peter G. Kirchschläger, director of the Institute of Social Ethics at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland
• Jacqueline Remond, adjunct lecturer at the School of Theology of Australian Catholic University in Sydney
• Caren Rodrigues, associate professor at St. Joseph’s Institute of Management in Bangalore, India

In a telegram dated Aug. 18 and signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed sadness upon learning that a ferry had sunk in Lake Kariba. According to an Aug. 12 BBC news report, at least 44 people died in the incident.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the fatal ferry accident on Lake Kariba. Entrusting the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, he sends heartfelt condolences to those who mourn their loss,” the telegram said.

The pope also offered prayers for civil authorities and first responders in their ongoing rescue efforts following the tragedy.

According to the BBC, the ferry had a capacity of 90 people on board, but it was reported that 120 boarded, including 12 children.

The vessel capsized and sank after being struck by strong waves. Rescue efforts continue to intensify, with 77 people rescued at the time of the BBC report.

Leo’s recent telegram is the third sent in August to express condolences after disasters. In an Aug. 11 telegram, he expressed closeness to the victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, which killed at least 281 people and injured 3,971, according to Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella on Aug. 13.

In an Aug. 17 message, he offered condolences to the victims of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia on Aug. 15, which, according to an Aug. 17 BBC news report, killed at least 53 people and left over 5,000 displaced.

In a telegram dated Aug. 17 and signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed his sadness on learning of the earthquake, which, according to an Aug. 17 BBC news report, has killed at least 53 people and left over 5,000 displaced.

According to the same report, the earthquake has also caused severe structural damage to hundreds of buildings, particularly on Indonesia’s Flores Island and in North Sumatra. Authorities continue to assess the number of injuries.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the devastation caused by the earthquake in the region of East Nusa Tenggara, and he offers the assurance of his spiritual solidarity and closeness to those suffering the continuing effects of this disaster, particularly for the many displaced and injured,” the telegram said.

In the message, addressed to the archbishop of Ende, Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, the pope also encouraged authorities to continue their humanitarian efforts and commended “the dead to the loving mercy of Almighty God.”

Leo’s recent telegram follows that of Aug. 11, in which he expressed closeness to the victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, which killed at least 281 people and injured 3,971, according to Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella on Aug. 13.

“I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank, and I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace,“ Leo said in his address.

The pope delivered his Angelus address once more from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo after traveling there from the Vatican to celebrate the feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, for which he also delivered an Angelus address. He will remain there from Aug. 12–18.

The Vatican’s longtime support for a 2-state solution

The pope and the Holy See have consistently called for a two-state solution to the conflict in the Holy Land.

In 2025, Leo met separately with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents and discussed the solution with both heads of state.

During a Sept. 23 press briefing with reporters at Castel Gandolfo, the pope highlighted the Vatican’s long-standing support for the two-state solution.

“The Holy See has supported the two-state solution for many years,” the pope recalled, pointing out that the Vatican formally recognized Palestine in 2015 with the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement. “The Holy See recognized the two-state solution some time ago. That is clear: We must seek a path that respects all peoples.”

Despite challenges, each person has own place with the Father

During his Angelus, Leo also preached on the Gospel of the day, recounting Jesus healing the daughter of a Canaanite woman. The pope noted the woman’s persistence and faith in seeking a miracle, despite Jesus and his disciples initially refusing her.

“The disciples see her as a nuisance, and Jesus himself resists her pleas,” the pope said. “Reflecting upon this, we can understand Jesus’ obedience in fulfilling his mission by allowing himself to be moved by what he sees and hears. Finally, he says to her: ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’”

From her persistence, Leo explained, the faithful can learn “humility and determination” and that “each person has his or her own place with the Father.”

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The Holy Father delivered the homily during Mass at the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, directly adjacent to the papal summer residence there. The small chapel was full for the 10 a.m. liturgy of the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In his homily reflecting on Mary’s assumption into heaven, Leo noted that “many works of art depict her as a beautiful young woman physically rising from the earth toward the heavens at the end of her earthly life.”

These depictions of a youthful Mary at the end of her life offer a contrast with “our experience of what the passing of years does to us,” the pope said. He asked rhetorically: “What do we have in common with the beautiful young woman depicted on the altarpieces of our churches?”

Mary’s glorification, the pope said, “teaches us that our true beauty does not lie in hiding the signs of aging but in revealing the signs of love that never end, and are even impressed on our flesh.”

The pope said this sign of faith invites Catholics to “reexamine many of the aesthetic standards, predominantly hedonistic and consumerist in nature, that the world imposes on us.”

He contrasted those who look aged but who radiate “serenity, kindness, and peace” with those who “are perhaps outwardly attractive but hard and cold at heart.”

“It is easy to see where true beauty lies and where, on the other hand, there is still a need for conversion, forgiveness, and healing,” he said.

Love “is humanity’s most beautiful adornment,” the pope said. He urged Catholics to “follow the light of the risen Lord” in part by “looking to Mary, whom God has crowned with glory in body and soul.”

In remarks during his midday Angelus after the Mass, Leo said viewing a depiction of Mary being assumed into heaven “allows us to contemplate our ultimate destiny” as followers of Christ.

He described the Blessed Mother as “a sign of hope and consolation” for the faithful, and he invoked her blessing on “those communities that are particularly in need of consolation,” including the faithful in Ukraine and Russia, as well as those suffering from the recent earthquake in Colombia.

Mary’s assumption into heaven is a dogma of faith for Catholics.

Church dogmas encompass truths concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Church, the sacraments, and the ultimate destiny of human beings. With regard to Mary, the Church has defined four dogmas.

Below is a review of the dogmas proclaimed regarding Mary, a helpful reminder of the role she plays in God’s plan of salvation for us.

1. The Immaculate Conception

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception states that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved by a singular grace of God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ from all stain of original sin from the very first moment of her conception.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) summarizes it thus: The Virgin was “preserved immune from all stain of original sin” such that her “entirely unique holiness” was enriched “from the first instant of her conception,” which God granted her to prepare within her a dwelling place for the Incarnate Word.

This dogma was defined by Pope Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1854, through the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. Church teaching emphasizes that this grace comes from Jesus Christ, not apart from him: Mary was redeemed in a “prevenient” (or “preceding”) and perfect manner in virtue of her Sonʼs merits.

2. Divine motherhood

Mary’s divine motherhood means that the Virgin is truly the mother of God, because Jesus Christ, her son, is one divine person with two natures, the human and the divine. Therefore, the child born of Mary according to the flesh is the eternal Son of God made man; in this sense, Mary is truly Theotokos, the Mother of God (cf. CCC, 495).

This truth was solemnly proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431 under the pontificate of Pope Celestine I. In the 20th century, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed this doctrine by noting that “from the most ancient times, the Blessed Virgin is honored with the title of Mother of God” (Lumen Gentium, 66).

3. Her perpetual virginity

The dogma of perpetual virginity affirms that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. This truth has been part of the Catholic faith since the early centuries.

It is not merely a matter of noting that Mary remained a virgin up to a certain point but of professing that her virginity was perpetual. St. John Paul II recalled that the Church has consistently regarded this truth as part of the faith received and deepened throughout its history.

Unlike the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, this dogma was not defined in a single papal bull. Maryʼs perpetual virginity was formally defined through the Second Council of Constantinople (553) and the Lateran Synod (649).

4. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary states that the Blessed Virgin, having completed the course of her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory. The Church does not define the exact manner in which her earthly life ended, but it does proclaim with certainty that she was fully glorified by God (cf. CCC, 966).

This dogma was solemnly proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on Nov. 1, 1950, through the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. That document reaffirms that the Immaculate Mother of God was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

Important to remember

Marian dogmas do not detract in any way from Jesus Christ; on the contrary, they reveal the greatness of God’s saving work in the Virgin Mary. Therefore, authentic Marian devotion never separates Mary from Jesus Christ but rather contemplates her as the Lord’s first and most perfect disciple.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

In a message published by the Vatican on Aug. 14, the pope reflected on the theme for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Even Just One of These Children,” drawn from Matthew 18:5. The initiative is organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Leo highlighted the growing challenges faced by minors forced to migrate from their home countries, including human trafficking, loss of parents, and sexual violence.

“Sadly, migrant children are more easily ignored, because they lack adults capable of protecting and supporting them,” Leo said in his message.

“To this already appalling situation are added further tragedies: deaths along migration routes, trafficking and exploitation, the recruitment of minors for use in armed conflicts, sexual violence, forced marriages, and the atrocities they have suffered or witnessed during their travels.”

He also noted the contributions of families, civil society, and Church communities in helping child migrants.

“We think of the families who open the doors of their homes in order to restore to these children the warmth of a family hearth; the educators who serve in reception centers; the volunteers and aid workers who each day devote themselves to healing the invisible wounds of these little ones along migration routes and in our cities,” Leo said.

The pope then appealed to civil institutions to work to improve protections for migrant children to uphold the dignity of every child.

“Even just one of these children, in the context of civil institutions, calls us to reaffirm the principle of the best interests of the child. Public and private institutions are bound to prioritize the protection and dignity of every single child and adolescent,” he said.

“I have called attention to the respect that all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, and priests in particular, must show toward the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II,” the pontiff wrote in a letter addressed to Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, published Aug. 14.

“It is vital that this respect ‘springs from an inner attitude of openness and trust in God, manifesting humility before his greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion,’" Leo added.

Roche is participating in a conference on liturgical formation organized by his dicastery at the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel in Oregon from Aug. 14–19. Other participants include cardinals, bishops, and laypeople with diverse Church experiences.

According to the dicastery, the meeting is intended to be “a joint reflection with the aim of defining shared, concrete, and practical proposals.”

“The choice of a monastic community signifies the intention to engage in dialogue within a prayerful setting,” the press release states. “Rather than a scholarly conference, it will be a time of spiritual discernment on the theme of liturgical formation, to continue along the path charted by Sacrosanctum Concilium.”

In Leo’s letter, he stressed the need for clergy and laity to receive ongoing liturgical formation, citing Pope Francis’ apostolic letter on the liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi.

“In his Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi … Pope Francis emphasized the need for an attentive and ongoing formation of clergy and laity alike in revitalizing the liturgical life of the universal Church,” Leo said. “I would therefore encourage you to explore concrete paths for liturgical formation at every level in the Body of Christ.”

One practical opportunity for liturgical formation, he said, is in the regular gathering for Mass on Sundays.

“These celebrations are anchored in the annual rhythm of the liturgical year, with the Paschal Mystery at its center. For this reason, it is essential that they also be profoundly formative, promoting an ever deeper understanding of the ars celebrandi, expressed not only by the celebrant of the liturgy, but also by the entire assembly,” the pope said. “In this way, through proper education and reverent worship, Catholics will be formed both for the liturgy and by the liturgy.”

As the pontiff also noted in his letter, his remarks follow his recent addresses on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, during Wednesday general audiences.

In his Aug. 12 audience, Leo encouraged the faithful to attend Sunday Mass and warned that virtual gatherings cannot replace in-person attendance.

As reported by Vatican News, the donation was confirmed on the website of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference (CEC, by its Spanish acronym). The aid was made possible through the coordination of the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, with the apostolic nunciature in the country and the president of the CEC, Archbishop Javier Múnera.

The CEC announced that the funds will be sent to the National Secretariat for Social Pastoral Care-Caritas Colombia, the entity acting “as a coordination center for the collection and distribution of aid, with the aim of helping to address the most urgent needs of the affected communities.”

“The €100,000 in aid constitutes an initial response to address the most urgent emergencies. According to information provided by the Holy See, additional assistance will be made available as new needs are identified and promptly communicated to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity,” the CEC reported.

Given the extent of the damage in various dioceses such as Pereira, Cali, and Quibdó, among others, the CEC said that “in the coming days, work will continue on compiling a report regarding the priority needs of the affected communities, with the aim of directing aid to those who need it most.”

During his Aug. 12 general audience, Pope Leo XIV once again expressed his closeness “to our brothers and sisters in Colombia who have suffered the consequences of the recent earthquake, which has caused many deaths and injuries, as well as extensive material damage.”

“As I pray to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I assure you of my prayers for their families and all those affected by this tragedy. I express my gratitude to all those working on rescue and relief efforts for the victims,” the pope said.

Meanwhile, the Colombian government declared three days of national mourning “in memory of the people who lost their lives as a result of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Aug. 10.”

The Ministry of the Interior noted in a statement that Mondayʼs earthquake “is the greatest-magnitude quake recorded in Colombia during the 21st century, causing damage in various departments [administrative districts] and giving rise to a profound sense of solidarity throughout the country.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

He is also the first pontiff in nearly 50 years to have studied and worked as a canon lawyer, holding a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome.

During his papacy, canon law has featured in some of the most important events of his reign. From the excommunication of four bishops consecrated for the SSPX to his recent appointments as Vatican judges, to the Marko Rupnik trial to his curial appointments, canon law has become a key aspect of understanding Leo’s pontificate.

However, for many Catholics, canon law is more than merely a feature of Vatican administration. It is important to Catholics' relationship with the Church, especially in upholding justice — the very purpose of canon law.

Marriages, eligibility to receive the sacraments, and the allocation of Church property are among the most basic, often overlooked, uses of canon law.

Here are some important things to know about canon law and how it applies to Catholics.

What is canon law?

Canon law is the collection of all the laws that regulate the life of the Church. The word canon itself comes from the Greek word “kanōn,” which means to measure. Unlike civil law, however, canon law exists to uphold spiritual discipline, maintain relationships between the laity and the Church hierarchy, and protect rights. Ultimately, as stated in the 1983 code, the purpose of all Church laws is the salvation of souls.

Among the oldest legal systems

The Catholic Church’s canon law system is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the West. The Church’s earliest laws were issued as decrees, or canons, by ecumenical councils, regulating the Church’s daily life. After Christianity became more established in the Roman Empire, the popes also issued decrees influenced by Roman legal theory and traditions. By the 12th century, it had developed into a fully functioning legal system and has governed the Church ever since.

How does canon law affect Catholics?

Primarily, canon law contains rules about who can receive the sacraments. For example, the requirement to say “I baptize you” instead of “We baptize you” during baptism, the prohibition against using grape juice for holy Communion, and the seal of confession are all regulated by canon law.

Marriage annulments — the determination of whether a marriage is valid — are among its most common applications.

The 1983 code — a Catholic ‘Bill of Rights’

Before the 20th century, the Church did not have a single legal code governing all Catholics. That changed when St. Pius X ordered a compilation of all Church laws into a single code, completed in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV. In 1983, St. John Paul II revised the code to incorporate the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. The 1983 Code of Canon Law — the current code in use — heavily emphasizes the rights and duties of laity and clergy, stating that “there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality regarding dignity and action.”

‘Civil law punishes; canon law heals’

The quote “Civil law punishes; canon law heals” from 12th-century Byzantine canonist Theodore Balsamon highlights the distinct purposes of civil and canon law. Whereas civil law exists to maintain social order, canon law exists to facilitate salvation.

Officials are elected to uphold society’s rules, while the pope — as the Church’s supreme legislator — appoints bishops to dioceses to not only uphold Church law but also to teach, govern, and sanctify, as stated in paragraph 21 of Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution on the Church.

Moreover, a diocesan bishop, according to canon 391 of the 1983 code, has “legislative, executive, and judicial power” over his diocese, meaning he can establish diocesan laws. Daily judicial matters of the diocese are usually handled by its tribunal, especially cases involving marriage, parish property, and abusive clergy.

The Church sometimes defers to civil law in nonreligious matters, such as contracts, labor laws, and certain criminal cases. For cases of clerical sexual abuse, however, the Church may conduct a separate internal canonical investigation, which could lead to restrictions on ministry or even dismissal from the clerical state.

How to become a canon lawyer

Clergy and laity worldwide study each year to practice canon law in the Church. To become a canon lawyer, usually one must first earn a licentiate of canon law (JCL). Before 1979, canonical studies were largely limited to clergy. Now, with adequate philosophical and theological education, any priest or layperson can be admitted to the licentiate program. Some of the most renowned schools for canon law are The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, both in Rome.

The role of the Vatican

The Holy See supervises all Church tribunals primarily through the Apostolic Signatura — the Church’s highest court. Every diocese has a tribunal (court), and the Signatura oversees them on behalf of the pope, who is the Church’s supreme judge. There are two other Vatican courts: the Roman Rota, which mainly handles appeals in marriage cases, and the Apostolic Penitentiary, which deals with indulgences and certain absolutions from sin reserved to the Holy See.

The Eastern churches have their own code

A separate code of canon law governs the more than 20 Eastern Churches in communion with Rome, including the Maronite, Ukrainian Greek Catholic, and Chaldean Catholic Churches. The Second Vatican Council affirmed the right of the Eastern churches to preserve their own traditions, including their legal traditions. St. John Paul II issued a code for those churches in 1990, reflecting the diversity of the Church’s legal customs. Its full title is the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

Leo’s experience as a canon lawyer

Before becoming pope, Leo spent more than a decade studying and practicing as a canon lawyer. The then-Father Robert Prevost studied canon law at the Angelicum in Rome, earning a license in 1984 and a doctorate in 1987. During his missionary work in Peru, he taught canon law at the seminary level and served as a judge. His experience would serve him during his leadership of the Augustinians and as the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops.

During his papacy so far, Leo has chosen some of his collaborators within the Roman Curia for their legal experience, highlighting the importance of canon law for protecting the rights of the faithful and assisting them toward salvation.

“I urge everyone to seek the best possible conditions so that even those who are unable to take time off work on Sundays may take part in holy Mass,” Leo said.

In his address during his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 12, the pontiff continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

As on Aug. 5, his general audience was held inside St. Peter’s Basilica due to Rome’s high summer temperatures.

The liturgical year according to Pius XII and Prosper Guéranger

Leo explained the importance of the liturgical year, referencing his predecessor Venerable Pope Pius XII as well as Servant of God Abbot Prosper Guéranger, OSB, the first abbot of Solesmes Abbey in France and a key figure in the liturgical movement.

It is “important to note that this way of referring to the cycle of Christian feasts as the ‘liturgical year’ became widespread in ecclesiastical language thanks to the work of the Servant of God Abbot Prosper Guéranger,” Leo said in his remarks.

The pope also stressed that the liturgical year is not merely a remembrance of past events but, as Pius XII wrote in his encyclical Mediator Dei, “Christ himself, who is ever living in his Church.”

“The liturgical year should thus be understood as a constant renewal of the work of salvation which Christ accomplishes in history,” the pope said. “As she journeys through this temporal cycle, the Church remains in contact with the Lord’s redemptive action, so that all the faithful may be filled with his grace.”

The importance of Sunday Mass

Leo also explained that the Church has always regarded Sunday as a weekly celebration of Christ’s resurrection: the “dies Domini” (“the Lord’s day”).

He urged Catholics to attend Sunday Mass and warned against using virtual gatherings to substitute for in-person attendance.

“To sanctify Sunday, it is essential to celebrate the Eucharist,” Leo said. “This
assembly cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence, nor can it be reduced to a merely passive gathering.”

“The liturgical assembly is in fact fulfilled through the active participation of brothers and sisters,” Leo added.

Leo’s continued closeness to Colombia amid earthquake

The pope again expressed his spiritual closeness to the victims of a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, which has killed at least 250 people, according to reports.

“As I pray to the Lord for the eternal rest of those who have died, I assure their families and those affected by this tragedy of my prayers. I express my gratitude to all those working in rescue and assistance efforts for those affected,” Leo said in Spanish.

The previous day, Aug. 11, the pope sent a telegram through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressing his sorrow upon learning of the earthquake.

The theme will be part of the celebrations for the 60th World Day of Peace, observed on Jan. 1, 2027, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced on Aug. 11.

The announcement referenced Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, highlighting his appeal to civil leaders to prioritize humanitarian principles and shared responsibility.

Quoting from Magnifica Humanitas, the Vatican said that Pope Leo, “recalling that ‘no algorithm can make war morally acceptable’ and warning of the risks involved in entrusting military decisions to artificial intelligence … makes a fervent appeal to the international community to foster shared agreements capable of safeguarding human responsibility and humanitarian principles in situations in which human life and peaceful coexistence among peoples are at stake.”

The Aug. 11 statement also explained that the pontiff had chosen this theme to “draw attention to the moral responsibility of those called to serve in the public sphere.”

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

The observance has often been an occasion for popes to highlight the relevance of Catholic social teaching to global challenges, including war, the right to life, and international diplomacy.

In a telegram dated Aug. 11 and signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed his sorrow upon learning of the earthquake, which, according to an Aug. 11 BBC news report, has killed at least 132 people and injured 570.

It has also severely damaged several buildings, including the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Manizales Cathedral.

“The Holy Father,” according to the telegram, is “deeply saddened to learn of the sorrowful news of the earthquake that has severely affected several areas of Colombia, causing casualties and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches.”

The telegram added that the pontiff “offers prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased and raises his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy.”

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The message, addressed to the archbishop of Cartagena and president of the bishops’ conference of Colombia, Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa, ICM, asks him “to convey the heartfelt condolences of His Holiness Leo XIV to the families who, in this hour of profound sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones.”

Local and national authorities continue to assess the casualties and damage from the earthquake, concentrated in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast.

On its social media, the Archdiocese of Manizales shared a video showing cracks in the facade and the partial collapse of one of the side towers of the Manizales Cathedral, which stands 390 feet tall, making it the tallest cathedral in Colombia and the tallest neo-Gothic church in the Americas.

The council also approves the annual budget and the consolidated financial statements of the Holy See and submits them to the pope.

Members are appointed by the pope for a five-year term and, according to the constitution of the Roman Curia, are always divided between eight cardinals or bishops and seven expert laypeople chosen from diverse nationalities.

The new cardinals appointed to the council Aug. 11 are Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Krakow, Poland; Ladislav Nemet, SVD, archbishop of Belgrade, Serbia; Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, archbishop of Algiers, Algeria; and Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin, Italy.

Among the laypeople, Pope Leo appointed HSH Gisela Bergmann, princess of Liechtenstein and the daughter of HSH Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. The 36-year-old holds a degree in engineering and has worked in various positions in investment banking and engineering in England, Canada, Singapore, and Switzerland.

Since 2022, Bergmann has been CEO of Industrie-Und Finanzkontor, a financial company founded by the princely family of Liechtenstein.

Leo also appointed French businessman and philanthropist Denis Duverne, who has been chair of the board of directors of the French multinational insurance corporation AXA since 2016. He has a background in regulatory affairs in France and abroad.

The pope also appointed two Italians to the council. Elena Principato-Wettstein, an Italian currently based in Switzerland, is executive director and head of sales management WM Europe International at UBS, the Swiss multinational investment bank and financial services firm.

Paolo Nusiner, meanwhile, has had a long career managing Catholic institutions in Italy, including holding the top positions at the Catholic newspaper Avvenire and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.

He has been director for general affairs at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication since 2015 and president of the Isola Tiberina-Gemelli Isola Hospital in Rome since 2022.

Leo confirmed the following people, originally appointed by Pope Francis, for additional five-year terms: Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil; Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, ISPX, archbishop of Québec, Canada, and primate of Canada; Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, CSSR, archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; Leslie Jane Ferrar, trustee of the Archdiocese of Westminster, Great Britain; Alberto Minali, chief executive officer of REVO Insurance; and Father Brian Edwin Ferme, a canon lawyer and secretary of the council.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has led the council since it was established by Pope Francis in 2014, will also continue in his position, as will the council’s vice coordinator, the German legal scholar Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof.

According to the constitution of the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, the council “carries out its functions in the light of the social doctrine of the Church, following the best practices recognized internationally in the field of public administration and striving for an administrative and financial management that is both ethical and efficient.”

Here are seven things to know about the woman whose witness continues to inspire Catholics more than 800 years later:

1. She came from a wealthy noble family — but left everything behind.

Clare was born in Assisi, Italy, on July 16, 1194, into one of the cityʼs most prominent noble families. As a young woman, she enjoyed a privileged upbringing and was expected to marry into another wealthy household.

Instead, after hearing Francis — who is now known as St. Francis of Assisi — preach about living the Gospel with radical simplicity, Clare felt called to dedicate her life entirely to Christ. At age 18, she secretly left her family home on Palm Sunday night in 1212 to begin a new life of poverty.

Her family attempted to bring her home by force, but Clare firmly refused and cut off her hair as a sign that she belonged to God alone.

2. She founded the Poor Clares.

With Francis' guidance, Clare established a community of women at the Church of San Damiano outside Assisi that would become known as the Poor Clares. She eventually became abbess and led the monastery for more than 40 years.

Despite their similarities, Franciscans and Poor Clares have distinctive differences.

The Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209, include men who are called to live the Gospel through poverty, fraternity, and service, often ministering in parishes, schools, missions, and charitable works around the world. The Poor Clares, founded by St. Clare of Assisi in 1212 with the guidance of St. Francis, are a contemplative order of women who live a cloistered life centered on prayer, the Eucharist, and community life.

While both embrace the Franciscan ideals of simplicity and poverty, the Franciscans are primarily active in apostolic ministry, whereas the Poor Clares dedicate their lives to supporting the Church through prayer and contemplation.

3. She was the first woman to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.

One of St. Clareʼs most significant contributions to the Church was authoring the Rule for the Poor Clares. While many womenʼs religious communities of the time followed rules adapted from existing monastic traditions, Clare aimed to preserve the distinctive charism she had embraced alongside St. Francis.

For decades, Clare resisted pressure from Church authorities to modify her communityʼs way of life by accepting property or financial endowments. Instead, she carefully composed a rule that reflected the Franciscan ideal while providing practical guidance for the sisters' communal life, prayer, governance, and observance of enclosure.

On Aug. 9, 1253, just two days before Clareʼs death, Pope Innocent IV formally approved her rule, making her the first woman in the history of the Church to write a rule for a religious order that received papal approval.

The rule remains the foundation of Poor Clare communities throughout the world and stands as a lasting testament to Clareʼs spiritual leadership and unwavering commitment to the Franciscan vision.

4. She had an extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist.

Perhaps no aspect of Clareʼs spirituality stands out more than her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. She spent countless hours in prayer before the Eucharist and encouraged her sisters to center their lives on Christʼs real presence.

This Eucharistic devotion became especially evident during one of the most famous events of her life.

One of the best-known stories about Clare occurred when invading Saracen mercenaries threatened the convent of San Damiano. Although seriously ill, Clare asked that the Blessed Sacrament be brought to her. Holding the monstrance before the attackers, she prayed for Godʼs protection, and the invaders fled.

5. She is the patron saint of television.

Near the end of Clare’s life, illness prevented her from attending Mass. According to tradition, she was miraculously able to see and hear the Christmas midnight Mass in 1252 being celebrated on the wall of her room in the convent. Because of this extraordinary supernatural event, Pope Pius XII declared her the patron saint of television in 1958.

6. She and St. Francis shared one of the Churchʼs most remarkable friendships.

The friendship between St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most enduring examples of holy companionship in Church history. Although Francis played a pivotal role in Clareʼs discernment and inspired her embrace of a life of poverty, their relationship was marked by mutual respect and a shared desire to follow Christ above all else. Francis entrusted Clare with establishing and leading the community at San Damiano, while Clare remained a steadfast guardian of the Franciscan charism, especially after Francis' death in 1226.

Despite living separate vocations, the two maintained a deep spiritual bond rooted in prayer, humility, and service to the Gospel. More than eight centuries later, their example continues to inspire men and women to support one another in faithfully responding to Godʼs call.

7. Her influence continues more than 800 years later.

On Aug. 11, 1253, Clare died at the age of 59. She was canonized by Pope Alexander IV on Sept. 26, 1255.

More than 800 years after she left her family home to follow Christ, St. Clareʼs witness continues to resonate with Catholics across the globe. Her unwavering trust in Godʼs providence, profound love for the Eucharist, and commitment to a life of simplicity remain as relevant today as they were in the 13th century.

Through the monasteries of the Poor Clares, her spirit of contemplative prayer and poverty lives on, with thousands of religious sisters dedicating their lives to praying for the needs of the Church and the world.

Today, there are approximately 20,000 Poor Clare nuns worldwide. They live in more than 500 monasteries in over 70 countries.

So what do these multiple roles mean in the context of a pope’s day-to-day work as the visible leader of the world’s Catholics?

Andreas Widmer, a former Pontifical Swiss Guard who served St. John Paul II and who now teaches at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told EWTN News that the papal states once formed a substantial territorial kingdom in central Italy with the pope as its temporal ruler.

Following Italian unification in the 19th century and the loss of most of those lands in 1870, the Church further developed the concept of the Holy See as an enduring international presence independent of extensive territory.

The 1929 Lateran Treaty formalized the creation of Vatican City State — a tiny sovereign territory of approximately 109 acres centered on Vatican Hill — providing the pope with just enough independence to exercise his universal ministry free from external coercion.

“From then on, the pope filled two distinct roles,” Widmer said. “He’s the spiritual head of the Catholic Church, and he’s the head of state of Vatican City — the only absolute sovereign in Europe.”

In principle, the Church could lose the territory of Vatican City and still retain its international juridical personality and diplomatic relations through the Holy See — much as a sovereign could continue to exist and maintain diplomatic relations even without a fixed territorial capital.

“The Church could give up the Vatican and still have the ambassadors, because it’s the Holy See,” Widmer noted. “Anywhere the pope is, there the Holy See is.” This arrangement ensures the “libertas Ecclesiae” — the freedom of the Church.

In addition, the pope’s status as a recognized foreign head of state confers immunities under international law that place him outside ordinary civil obligations of his country of origin, such as the obligation to vote or the payment of taxes.

The pope may still retain citizenship of his home country, in addition to the Vatican citizenship he automatically acquires upon his election as pope.

Andrea Gagliarducci, a Vatican expert and EWTN News contributor, said that this unique position also explains why attempts to treat the pope as a corporate executive in civil lawsuits ultimately fail: As both a sovereign head of state and the institutional embodiment of the Holy See, all relevant immunities apply to him.

The personal immunity of foreign heads of state is a customary principle of international law that guarantees full exemption from criminal, civil, and administrative jurisdiction in another state and covers both official and private acts.

The small territory of Vatican City, in the words of Pope Pius XI, provides “just enough body to keep the soul united,” allowing the successor of Peter the freedom necessary to shepherd the universal Church without being bound by any single nation’s interests.

In practice, the Holy Father focuses primarily on his pastoral and moral leadership. When he addresses questions of war, peace, or human dignity, he does so first and foremost as vicar of Christ.

As Andrea Tornielli of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication has pointed out, the pope in his leadership of the Church invites the world to higher principles of justice and fraternity, while the practical diplomatic machinery of the Holy See operates in service of that mission.

“I continue to follow with concern the tragic situation in Sudan, especially in the city of el-Obeid,” Leo said in English after praying the Angelus. “In expressing my spiritual closeness to all the people of the nation, I renew my appeal to those in authority to guarantee humanitarian corridors for the civilian population.”

His remarks follow the worsening situation in Sudan, marked by drone warfare, sexual violence, and starvation, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who control the city of el-Obeid.

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Continued appeals for peace between Ukraine and Russia

The pope also addressed the war between Ukraine and Russia, lamenting the escalation of violence as casualties continue to rise.

“These incidents are occurring one after another; indeed, they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing numbers of civilian victims, including children,” he said.

In light of the rise in attacks, Leo renewed his call for respect for international humanitarian law.

“In the face of so much anguish, I renew my heartfelt appeal for humanitarian law to be respected and for both sides to cease attacks on civilian targets,” Leo said.

“War only begets more war and causes immense suffering,” he said.

Jesus never abandons us

In his preaching during his Angelus address, Leo encouraged the faithful to welcome God humbly into their hearts through prayer and the sacraments.

The pope also discussed the Gospel, which recounts Jesus walking on the water toward his disciples. He explained that the disciples were transformed by Christ’s presence and that miracles like this can teach the faithful not to despair in difficult times.

“Whatever the circumstances,” Leo said, “Jesus does not abandon us, and if we humbly welcome him into the boat of our lives — through prayer, the sacraments, and listening to his word — in him, we will find peace, light, and strength for our journey.”

This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated, combined, and adapted by EWTN News English.

Surprisingly, though, the Dominicans don’t usually do much to celebrate the saint’s Aug. 8 feast day.

While the August feast “is for us certainly always a feast,” Dominican Father Angelo Giuseppe Urru told EWTN News in 2018, it’s not the primary one.

Instead, the order celebrates “more solemnly” May 24, which is the solemnity of the Translation of St. Dominic.

This unusual feast day commemorates the day St. Dominic’s remains were moved, or “translated,” from their original burial spot behind an altar of the church of San Nicolo della Vigne in Bologna, Italy, to a more prominent place in the church in 1233.

For many Dominican provinces, this day is the big celebration, Urru said.

The move of St. Dominic’s body was carried out at the request of Pope Gregory IX about one year before the saint’s canonization on July 13, 1234, only 13 years after his death.

As recorded in a letter by Blessed Jordan of Saxony, one of the first leaders of the Dominicans, the brothers were very anxious before the move of the body, because they were worried that when the wooden coffin was un-interred from the stone sepulcher, the body would give off a foul odor, since it had been buried in a poorly constructed tomb, exposed to water and heat.

But they received a great surprise, because when the tomb was opened, a wonderful and sweet perfume emanated from the coffin instead.

“Its sweetness astonished those present, and they were filled with wonder at this strange occurrence. Everyone shed tears of joy, and fear and hope rose in all hearts,” Blessed Jordan wrote.

He reported that the odor remained and if anyone touched a hand or some object to the body, the odor immediately attached itself and lingered for a long time.

“The body was carried to the marble sepulcher where it would rest — it and the perfume that it poured forth. This marvelous aroma which the holy body emitted was evidence to all how much the saint had truly been the good odor of Christ,” he wrote.

By 1240, the church containing St. Dominic’s remains had been expanded into a basilica and renamed for the saint.

Now, every year Dominican friars, sisters, and laity all over the world celebrate St. Dominic on May 24.

Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, the mother church of the Dominicans in Rome, for this feast.

The tradition is for a priest of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans, to say the Mass and preach. After Mass, the procession of friars stops at the first side chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept, to sing the “O Lumen,” the Dominican antiphon to St. Dominic.

Besides the tomb with the saint’s body, which is in the basilica in Bologna, there are few relics of St. Dominic in existence.

One relic, a piece of his skull, can be found in Rome. It is at the church of Santa Maria del Rosario, part of a Dominican monastery located on Monte Mario, the tallest hill of Rome.

Urru said he was not sure how it came to be kept in the monastery but that it originated when some students in Bologna stole it to have in their chapel.

“There is also the breviary of St. Dominic, a small breviary,” he said.

In 2016, the Dominicans celebrated the 800th anniversary of their founding with a jubilee year, culminating in an International Congress for the Mission of the Order, which took place Jan. 17–21 in Rome.

Urru voiced gratitude for the blessing of vocations, which allow the order’s work to continue.

Thankfully, though there are some provinces that are very small, many are growing and are very strong, he noted, such as those in Vietnam and Africa. The United States as well has seen a good number of new vocations, he said.

Around the world, “there are many initiatives of the order,” and they are working hard still, just as they have the last 800 years.

Ultimately, though, he said, the future of the order is “in the hands of God.”

This story was first published on Aug. 8, 2017, and has been updated.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met with Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, to begin coordinating preparations for what would be Leo’s first pilgrimage to Poland as pope.

The papal visit would be organized jointly by the Polish government and the Catholic Church.

Formal invitations have already been extended to Pope Leo XIV by both the Polish state and the Church, Vatican News reported. On behalf of the Republic of Poland, invitations have come from Presidents Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The presidium of the Polish Bishops’ Conference has also invited the pope.

Because of the international nature of the visit, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate preparations on the government’s side.

A date for the pilgrimage has not yet been determined. Once it is established, a working group composed of representatives of the relevant Church and state authorities will be created to organize the visit.

Three popes have visited Poland a total of 11 times.

St. John Paul II, a native of Poland, made nine papal visits to the country. Benedict XVI visited in 2006, while Pope Francis traveled to Poland in 2016 for World Youth Day in Kraków.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English

The Vatican also announced that, as he did during his recent journey to Spain, he will meet with victims of clerical sexual abuse during his France trip. The victims themselves will help organize the meeting, with further details to be announced later.

The motto for Leo’s trip, “Pour que le monde ait la vie" (“That the World May Have Life”), is drawn from the Gospel of John 6:51. According to the official Vatican News outlet, the motto “resonates with” the debate over the assisted-dying legislation recently approved by Franceʼs National Assembly.

As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff will begin his journey by departing Rome on Sept. 25 at 7:50 a.m. and arriving at Paris Orly International Airport at 10 a.m.

Paris

At 11 a.m., Leo will pay a courtesy visit to French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, followed by meetings with authorities, where he will deliver his first address. Then, at 3 p.m., he will visit the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

That evening, at 5:15 p.m., the pope will celebrate vespers with clergy and religious at the Notre Dame Cathedral. It will be the first time a pope has visited the cathedral since the 2019 fire. A prayer vigil with young people will follow at the Stade de France at 9 p.m.

The next day, Sept. 26, Leo will visit the Maison Bakhita Center for Social Support and Integration and meet with members of the provincial synod assembly at the Institut Catholique de Paris.

At 3 p.m., Leo will celebrate his first Mass of the trip at Place de la Concorde before traveling to Lourdes at 5:45 p.m.

Lourdes

The pontiff is scheduled to arrive in Lourdes at 7:05 p.m. From there, he will visit the renowned grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes for a prayer service.

The next day, Sept. 27, he will meet with the French bishops at the shrine at 9 a.m. before celebrating there the second Mass of his trip at 11 a.m.

Leo is scheduled that afternoon to meet at the shrine with the staff and sick community of the Accueil Notre Dame. He will then privately meet with Carmelite nuns at their monastery in Lourdes.

At 9 p.m., Leo will lead a rosary and a candlelit procession at the Lourdes grotto.

Metz

For the final day of his trip on Sept. 28, Leo will depart Lourdes at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Metz at 9:20 a.m., becoming the first pope to visit the city since St. John Paul II in 1988.

There, at 10 a.m., he will join an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center and then attend another meeting, “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”

The pope will then celebrate the third and final Mass of his trip at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz. He will then depart Metz at 7 p.m. to arrive in Rome at 8:50 p.m.

Of this event, Benedict XVI noted: “According to the senses, the light of the sun is the most intense ever known in nature.” Despite this fact, Benedict said, “according to the spirit, the disciples saw for a short time a brightness more intense: that of the divine glory of Jesus, which illuminates the whole history of salvation.”

Peter, James, and John experienced an intense beauty, the beauty of an experience of God, a small glimpse of the beatific vision.

The preface for Mass on the Transfiguration explains the significance of the event: “For he revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses ... that the scandal of the cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples.”

Benedict reflected this sentiment at an Angelus address on March 20, 2011, saying: “We recall the Transfiguration of the Lord and how it prepared the apostles for the coming scandal of the cross.”

The apostles’ experience at the Transfiguration gave them courage and hope in the Resurrection. As the Mass preface ends: “that he might show how in the body of the whole Church is to be fulfilled what so wonderfully shone forth first in its head.”

Christ revealed himself in a new way at the Transfiguration.

“Strengthened by our faith in Jesus, true God and true man, may we be inspired, not scandalized, by the cross given to our Savior and to our fellow Christians who suffer with him throughout the world,” Benedict added. Christ’s transfiguration inspired more faith in the apostles, giving them the strength to face the cross.

Ultimately, faith in Christ and his own transfiguration leads the Christian’s life to be transfigured.

“He is the only voice to listen to, the only one to follow,” Benedict said in a February 2010 Angelus address. “He that, going up towards Jerusalem, will give his life and one day ‘will transfigure our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.’”

As Pope Francis said at an Angelus address on March 1, 2015, speaking about the Transfiguration: “The way of Jesus always leads us to happiness; do not forget it!”

On this year’s feast of the Transfiguration, Pope Leo XIV was in Assisi, Italy, with thousands of young people from across Europe who gathered for GO!, the 2026 Franciscan Youth Meeting.

In his homily at Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on Aug. 6, Leo said Jesus was “transfigured precisely in conversation with the Father, with those who preceded him — Moses and Elijah — and with his contemporaries, the disciples.” He went on to say that the Church exists “to draw us into this dynamic of listening and deciding, helping us understand for whom to live and how to live.”

This story was first published on Aug. 6, 2021, and has been updated.

As announced by the Vatican City State Governorate on July 30, these coins are part of a new Vatican euro collector coin set honoring the new pontificate. This also marks the first time since 2014 that the papal image has appeared on the coins, following Pope Francis’ personal request that his face not be used.

Except for the 5-euro coin, the Vatican coins can be used to buy things in the 21 European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency.

A unique design in the history of Vatican coin-making

Although these new coins with Leo are not the first to feature the pope’s face, they are part of an entirely unique design.

Leo’s coat of arms appears on the 1-cent, 2-cent, and 5-cent euro coins, while his face appears on the larger denominations.

The pope’s image has appeared on minted coins since the Middle Ages, when pontiffs held temporal power over the Papal States. Shortly after the establishment of Vatican City in 1929, the sovereign state issued lira coins (the Italian currency before the euro) bearing the papal image. The Vatican stopped making lira coins after it adopted the euro in 2001.

According to the European Central Bank, the first Vatican coins for the euro were issued in 2002 with the face of St. John Paul II. From 2006–2013, another set of coins was issued with the face of Pope Benedict XVI.

The coins featuring Francis in 2014 were the last until Leo to feature the pope’s face.

Francis’ refusal to be depicted on Vatican coins

For the 2017 issue of Vatican coins, Francis personally requested that his face not be used. Instead, they featured his coat of arms.

In a 2017 interview for Radio Vaticana, Mauro Olivieri, the then-director of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office for Vatican City State, explained the difficulties in accommodating his request.

“[Francis] asked that he no longer appear on coins, medals in general — and especially on those issued by his state — and we did everything we could to accommodate him,” Olivieri said. “We succeeded, despite some difficulties with the EU authorities, which were later resolved, and so the 2017 coinage features the popeʼs coat of arms.”

The newest Vatican coins can be purchased for 59 euros through the Vatican’s Philatelic and Numismatic Office, responsible for its coins and stamps.

The new Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, promulgated by Pope Leo and already in effect, represents considerably more than an update to the legal framework approved by Pope Francis in 2023.

Unlike the previous law, the new text makes a significant change to the way the foundation of the pontiff’s authority over the Vatican city-state is understood.

The constitution promulgated by Pope Francis stated that the pope exercised sovereign powers over Vatican City “by virtue of the Petrine office,” an expression referring to his sacred mission as the successor of St. Peter to guide, safeguard, and maintain the unity of the Church.

In practice, the formulation linked the pope’s temporal authority to his status as the successor of the apostle to whom Christ entrusted the keys of the Church.

“Francis introduced an anomaly that asserted that his powers as head of state derived from being the successor of Peter,” historian of Christianity Giovanni Maria Vian told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Vian, a former editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano and a professor of patristic philology at Rome’s Sapienza University, said the formulation represented a completely unprecedented innovation.

“It made his authority over Vatican City State derive directly from his status as Peter’s successor,” he said. “It was a theocratic arrangement without precedent in the very long history of the Apostolic See.”

Vian said Pope Leo, who is trained in both civil and canon law, appears to have decided to correct that innovation and return to the approach followed by the two previous Vatican constitutions, promulgated in 1929 and 2000.

“That assertion was neither adequate, correct, nor precise from a theological and historical point of view. That is why it was removed,” said Father Roberto Regoli, an expert in ecclesiastical history and diplomacy from the 19th to the 21st centuries and president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

“This omission is very important because the concept was unnecessary and, moreover, inappropriate,” he said.

4 constitutions for Vatican City State

The new law, dated July 31, completely replaces the constitution promulgated by Pope Francis on May 13, 2023. It is the fourth Fundamental Law in the history of Vatican City State.

The first was promulgated by Pope Pius XI on June 7, 1929, a few months after the signing of the Lateran Pacts and the creation of the new state. The law was drafted by Jewish jurist Federico Cammeo.

The second was the reform approved by St. John Paul II in 2000. The third was promulgated by Pope Francis in 2023.

Now, just three years later, Pope Leo has approved the Vatican’s fourth constitution.

The most significant change is found in the preamble. The new text recalls that Vatican City State was created through the Lateran Treaty to guarantee the Holy See absolute and visible independence and to ensure its sovereignty in the international sphere.

According to Vian, the difference between the two constitutions is substantial.

“One cannot maintain that Peter possessed temporal power or that his successors received it directly from him,” he said.

The historian noted that the temporal power of the popes emerged centuries after the apostolic era.

“That did not occur until the beginning of the Middle Ages,” he said. “The Papal States began to take shape around the middle of the eighth century.”

From that perspective, Vian said the formulation introduced by Pope Francis was historically difficult to sustain.

“It was probably the result of a mentality connected to his Jesuit background, obedience to the pope, and also the legal advice he received,” he said. “But from a historical and ecclesiological point of view, it was an anomaly.”

Regoli likewise said Pope Leo has restored the traditional formulation.

“Temporal power is at the service of spiritual power, nothing more,” he said. “Temporal power cannot be divinized or placed on the same level as spiritual ministry.”

A more traditional understanding of the Petrine ministry

Both experts said Pope Leo’s decision reflects a more traditional understanding of the Petrine ministry.

“He understands it in continuity with the tradition of his predecessors,” Vian said.

The Italian historian noted that the popes’ temporal power developed between the eighth and 19th centuries, over the course of more than a millennium, without deriving directly from the apostolic primacy of St. Peter.

Vian also said it was necessary to place the creation of Vatican City State in its historical context.

Following the French Revolution, the Papal States were abolished on several occasions: in 1798, with the establishment of the French-backed First Roman Republic; in 1809, during the Napoleonic occupation; in 1849, with the Second Roman Republic; and finally in 1870, when Italian troops took Rome and brought the temporal power of the popes to an end.

The events opened what became known as the “Roman Question.” For nearly 60 years, the pontiffs refused to recognize the new situation created by the Italian state. As a gesture of protest, they ceased appearing at the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to impart public blessings.

The crisis was resolved in 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreements included an international treaty, a financial convention, and a concordat.

The treaty created Vatican City State as a sovereign territory intended to guarantee the independence of the Holy See.

The new constitution preserves the traditional principle that the pope possesses the fullness of power within Vatican City State.

Article 1 states: “The Supreme Pontiff, sovereign of Vatican City State, possesses the fullness of governing authority, which includes legislative, executive, and judicial power.”

The wording is nearly identical to that used by Pope Pius XI in 1929.

A new legal framework

Another significant change introduced by Pope Leo provides a legal basis for a situation that arose during Pope Francis’ pontificate.

The new Fundamental Law incorporates a November 2025 motu proprio allowing the presidency of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State to be held by someone other than a cardinal.

The reform addresses the case of Sister Raffaella Petrini, whom Pope Francis appointed to lead the Governorate of Vatican City State even though the legislation then in force stipulated that the position was to be held by a cardinal.

The appointment prompted criticism because of the discrepancy between the law and the institutional reality.

According to Regoli, the new constitution formalizes a correction Pope Leo had already introduced in 2025.

“The previous constitution established that the president had to be a cardinal; however, the president was Sister Petrini,” he said. “There was therefore an inconsistency between the law and reality. The pope intervened in 2025, and now, with the new 2026 constitution, that change has been fully incorporated into the legislation.”

The legal change means that “in addition to Sister Petrini, any other woman or man, including a layperson, may hold that office,” Regoli said.

“This is because Vatican City State, since it is not directly connected to theological or sacramental matters, does not necessarily require its governor to be a cardinal, bishop, or cleric,” he explained.

Membership in the College of Cardinals is therefore not an indispensable requirement, he said, because the position is not connected to the sacrament of holy orders.

The new Fundamental Law not only returns the Vatican constitution to the legal tradition of 1929 and 2000 but also regularizes several institutional reforms introduced in recent years.

Both experts agreed, however, that the most important change remains the redefinition of the origin of the pope’s temporal authority, an issue they consider essential to understanding the nature of the world’s smallest state.

“Pope Leo XIV has repaired an unprecedented break and returned to the original spirit in which Vatican City State was created,” Vian concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The pope celebrated Mass on Thursday at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels before the Portiuncula, the small chapel closely associated with the life and vocation of St. Francis.

Addressing approximately 2,500 participants in the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting on the feast of the Transfiguration, Pope Leo said Assisi has long drawn pilgrims because “everything whispers that our lives can take on a new form, radiate light, and heal the world.”

“It was here that the transformation of Francis, Clare, and then thousands of other young people began,” he said. “They embraced the Gospel ‘sine glossa’ — we could say, in its simplicity — then the life of Jesus began anew within them.”

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the Transfiguration, the pope said the young pilgrims had come to Assisi in search of direction and meaning.

“We have come here to understand where history is heading and where we ourselves are going,” he said. “In the Gospel, we see that meaning can indeed be found, that a path can be glimpsed. Like Peter, James, and John, we too have been brought a little aside, and Jesus is with us. What matters is his presence.”

“Now, in Jesus’ transfiguration, God himself reveals his glory, which takes the form of a cloud that protects and envelops. He points to his Son and invites us to listen to him. The path of life is discovered by following him together.”

Pope Leo told the young people that their days of prayer, meetings, and conversation in Assisi offered evidence that they were not alone.

“We are not alone! In recent days you have experienced this, since you have met and listened to one another, moving beyond the clamor of overlapping and conflicting voices to the art of conversation,” he said.

“Today, we contemplate Jesus, who is transfigured precisely in conversation with the Father, with those who preceded him — Moses and Elijah — and with his contemporaries, the disciples.”

The Church, the pope continued, exists to draw people into “this dynamic of listening and decision-making,” helping them understand “for whom we are to live and how we are to live.”

He highlighted the Franciscan tradition’s emphasis on restoring relationships damaged by sin, division, and exploitation.

“Franciscan spirituality, in which you have been formed, is among the most attentive to restoring fundamental relationships with God and with all his creatures,” he said. “Today, more than ever, this is a harmony that needs to be safeguarded and cultivated.”

Pope Leo said St. Francis continues to attract people eight centuries after his death because of the profound humanity that led him to abandon familiar paths and follow Christ in a new and radical way.

“Dear friends, the reason why St. Francis still draws us to himself, even 800 years after his death, lies in the grandeur of humanity that led him to abandon familiar ways in order to find a new path that is more consistent with that of Jesus,” he said.

“Even in a town that had been Christian for centuries, such as Assisi, this seemed revolutionary.”

The pope then issued a direct appeal to the young people gathered before the Portiuncula.

“Well then, dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints,” he said. “Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ; embrace Sister Poverty!”

The name of the youth gathering, he said, was itself a missionary command.

“The title of your gathering, GO!, is a mission, a sending forth onto paths for which we have no maps, because they are opened by listening to the heart, obeying the Holy Spirit, and following the Risen One wherever he has chosen to go before us,” Pope Leo said.

“Go! Go! Better yet: Let us go! Let’s go to the margins, where the injustice and arrogance of a few deny the dignity and dreams of many, of far too many sons and daughters of God.”

Following Christ may bring misunderstanding, including from one’s own family or community, the pope cautioned. He insisted, however, that opposing injustice and division does not mean betraying one’s roots.

“We may not be understood, even by those closest to us, as happened to St. Francis,” he said.

“Yet, breaking free from the culture of power, and tearing down the walls that separate human beings from one another, is never a betrayal of our families, towns, or traditions. Instead, it means freeing them from their ghosts, from enemies invented out of fear or ignorance and from the violence with which people seek to impose their own limited order on a reality that surpasses us on every side.”

“To trust in God is to rediscover, like Francis and Clare, a world of brothers and sisters to cherish and serve, not to exploit and dominate,” he continued. “Not a world to defend, but to embrace.”

Concluding his homily, Pope Leo encouraged the young participants to place every aspect of their lives at the service of what he called the “civilization of love.”

“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love, and prayer, so that you can bring St. Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he said.

The pope then recited the prayer commonly attributed to St. Francis, beginning: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, Francesco Varone addressed Pope Leo on behalf of the young participants.

“During these days, we have prayed, listened to testimonies, formed friendships, and allowed ourselves to be challenged by the Gospel and by the witness of St. Francis, who right here at the Portiuncula learned to make his life a total response to God’s love,” Varone said.

“Today, all of this has found fulfillment in your presence. Holy Father, we young people need authentic witnesses, men capable of pointing us to Christ with their lives, not only with words.”

“Your voice encourages us not to be afraid to choose the good and to believe that the Gospel can still change the human heart,” he continued. “Thank you, Holy Father, because today you make us feel that we are Church. Thank you for being here in Assisi, in Mary’s house; thank you for being among your young people.”

Following the celebration, Pope Leo entered the Portiuncula for a period of silent prayer, greeted the faithful, and then departed for the Vatican.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The pope spoke Aug. 6 at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels during the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting 2026, a gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from throughout Europe and from countries including the United States, Vietnam, and South Sudan.

The event formed part of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

In 1221, St. Francis gathered approximately 5,000 friars from across Europe near the Portiuncula for what became known as the Chapter of Mats. With nowhere else to stay, the friars slept on simple mats — an image Pope Leo XIV invoked in his remarks to the young participants, many of whom had spent the gathering sleeping in bags.

The pope arrived by helicopter at approximately 8:28 a.m. near St. Mary of the Angels. He was welcomed by Bishop Felice Accrocca of Assisi and local civil authorities before traveling to the basilica, where he was received by the ministers general of the principal Franciscan orders.

According to Father Alfio Vespoli, Pope Leo XIV personally chose the youth gathering from among the many events planned for the Franciscan centenary year.

Father Marco Vianelli, provincial minister of the Friars Minor of Umbria and Sardinia, welcomed the pope and recalled the importance of the Portiuncula in Franciscan history.

“Your Holiness, here at the Portiuncula St. Francis understood his vocation; here he welcomed his first brothers; here St. Clare consecrated her life to the Lord; here the indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi blossomed, a sign of God’s boundless mercy,” Vianelli said.

“Here, on Oct. 3, 1226, naked on the bare earth, he welcomed Sister Death in song,” the friar continued. “We thank you for accepting our invitation and for wanting to meet these young people.”

Becoming artisans of peace

The first question came from Karolina, a young woman from Zagreb, Croatia, who described the challenge of witnessing to the faith in a rapidly changing society.

“Today, however, we live in a rapidly changing world, where many young people struggle to find points of reference, to build authentic relationships and open their hearts to God,” she said. “We too want to be credible witnesses to the Gospel wherever we live, study, and work, and to bring the light of Christ with the simplicity and fraternal spirit of St. Francis.”

She asked the pope what advice he would give young people formed in the Franciscan spiritual tradition so that they could remain faithful disciples of Christ and bring hope to their peers without losing the joy and simplicity of the Gospel.

Pope Leo XIV noted that Karolina came from a part of Europe that was marked by war only three decades ago and praised the Franciscans’ history of promoting dialogue and peaceful coexistence among Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

“Increasingly, Christians will be called to become artisans of peace within societies that are tempted to place religion at the service of competing identities,” the pope said.

“Being witnesses to Christ, therefore, is both captivating and demanding. It enlarges our minds and hearts, freeing us from artificial boundaries, from the fears created by misinformation, and from walls built by prejudice,” he continued. “Rejecting the culture of power and building a civilization of love are choices that are not immediately understood or accepted.”

The pope encouraged the young people to learn from St. Francis a radical commitment to the Gospel that should never be confused with fundamentalism.

“St. Francis, however, teaches that radicalism of the Gospel is the very opposite of fundamentalism,” he said. “It does not make us blind or violent; instead, it makes us aware, attentive, and always eager to follow Jesus, and therefore humble and welcoming toward everyone. It is not an easy path, but it brings much joy.”

Pope Leo XIV then asked the participants to imagine the site eight centuries earlier, when young friars from across Europe gathered around St. Francis.

Citing “The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi,” the pope described the friars gathered “company by company, here 40, there a hundred, and there 80 together, all employed in speaking of God, in prayers, in tears, and in exercises of charity, behaving themselves with so great silence and with such sobriety that no clamor was heard there.”

“That silence stands in stark contrast to war, with its violence, clamor, and cruelty,” he said. “The simple mats on which those friars slept speak to us of peace — just like your sleeping bags today. This is the Church: an assembly of brothers and sisters to which everyone is invited.”

The pope also encouraged the young people to bear witness through personal encounters at a time when technology is making face-to-face relationships less common.

“More than words, it is this joy that evangelizes, and it cannot be hidden,” he said.

The courage to choose forever

Giovanni, a 27-year-old from Bologna, Italy, asked about discerning and remaining faithful to a vocation in a culture dominated by temporary commitments.

“How can we say a full and courageous ‘yes’ to him, without ‘putting our hand to the plough and looking back,’ by dwelling too much on the hardships and sacrifices that the journey may entail?” he asked. “What helped you most on your own vocational journey?”

Pope Leo XIV said contemporary misunderstandings of freedom can lead people to believe that no decision is truly permanent because both individuals and the world around them are constantly changing.

“In such a context, the courage to make a definitive choice may well be the most revolutionary act of all,” he said.

A permanent choice, the pope continued, “does not imprison us within a cage; rather, it opens us to a greater dynamism.”

“To love is an exodus,” he said. “It is a path to be discovered, a journey that God himself walks with us. This is the meaning of every vocation.”

Faith, trust, and faithfulness are inseparably connected, the pope said, warning that people cannot solve their problems simply by fleeing commitments or moving continually from one experience to another.

“We may multiply our experiences, our acquaintances, and our possessions yet remain in exactly the same place,” he said. “The human cost is immense, and the inner emptiness that follows is profound.”

Reflecting on his own vocation, Pope Leo XIV said God had always accompanied him through the people placed beside him.

“Looking back on my own life, I can say that the Lord has never left me alone,” he said. “He has always accompanied me, often by placing people beside me with whom I could share the journey.”

The pope said the light that guided him as a priest, an Augustinian, and a missionary remained with him when he was called to accept the unique vocation of serving as pope.

Rebuilding a wounded Church

The final question was posed by Luigi, a 22-year-old from Paternò, Sicily, who spoke on behalf of the Franciscan Youth of Sicily.

Luigi recalled that St. Francis remained obedient to the pope and the Roman Church despite the contradictions and difficulties of his time. Rather than attacking or judging the Church, Francis responded through compassion, obedience, and reparative love, he said.

“Today many young people say that they ‘believe, but not in the Church,’” Luigi said. “Even within our own communities we sometimes see a Church marked by contradictions and internal crises.”

“How can we remain faithful to this reparative love?” he asked. “Why is it so difficult today to see the Church as a mother who, despite her wounds, is always ready to welcome us and to love us?”

Pope Leo XIV acknowledged that many people throughout history have struggled to experience the Church as Christ desires her to be.

“This causes deep suffering; it leaves wounds and disappointments, and for some it even becomes an obstacle to faith,” he said.

Yet the Church continues to bring together men and women who otherwise might never have met, the pope said. Whenever people overcome discrimination and inequality by recognizing one another as brothers and sisters, the miracle desired by Christ is renewed.

“The word of God, the sacraments, and the practice of fraternal love are the means by which the image of Christ is formed within us,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“Francis walked this path: not to dominate, but to serve; not to grasp, but to receive; not to withhold, but to give back,” he continued. “This is the very life of God, which continually renews the Church and makes her a free people, a place of refreshment and salvation.”

Each Christian has a role in the continuing work of rebuilding the Church, the pope said, through different vocations and responsibilities undertaken together.

“Then we shall speak of the Church with the affection one has for a mother, because we shall know that we belong to her,” he said.

After the public exchange, the pope greeted representatives of the Franciscan orders, bishops attending the gathering, and members of the national committee responsible for the eighth centenary of St. Francis’ death. He later celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels.

Father Luca De Pasquale, one of the organizers, told ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, that the gathering was not intended to create a temporary spiritual high in which the young people merely enjoyed spending several days together.

Its central objective, he said, was to prepare a “missionary charter” offering concrete guidance to help participants return home and place the Gospel and fraternity at the center of their daily lives.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

As reported by the Vatican on Aug. 5, the pontiff accepted the invitation of the heads of state and ecclesiastical authorities of the three countries to carry out the pastoral visit, which will include several emblematic cities of each nation.

The first stage of the trip will take place in Uruguay, where Leo XIV will stay from Nov. 6–8. During those days he will visit the cities of Montevideo, Paysandú, and Florida.

Subsequently the Holy Father will travel to Argentina, where he will visit from Nov. 8–11. The itinerary includes visits to Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and the Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, one of the main pilgrimage centers in the country.

The last portion of the trip will take place in Peru, from Nov. 11–17. In that country, in which the pope has had citizenship since 2015, he will travel to Lima, Chiclayo, Cuzco, and Pucallpa on an itinerary that will take him both to the coast and to the mountains and the Peruvian Amazon.

The Holy See said it would release a more detailed itinerary in the near future.

The visit will have a special meaning for Peru, a country where Leo XIV did extensive pastoral and missionary work for years.

The pope, then-Father Robert Prevost, lived in Peru for more than two decades in total. He arrived in the country in 1985. His first destination was Chulucanas, but it was in Trujillo and Chiclayo where his pastoral dedication took deep roots.

In 2015, already a nationalized Peruvian, he was appointed bishop of Chiclayo, where he exercised a close and committed leadership. He was there until January 2023 when he was appointed by Pope Francis as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.