The pope devoted today’s general audience to mark the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Church's Relations with non-Christian Religions, which is “called to rekindle [. . .] hope in our world, devastated by war”. The pontiff urged religious leaders and representatives gathered in front of St Peter's to “act together” since the “world needs our unity." The "martyrs of dialogue" were remembered last night in the Paul VI Hall.
On the 60th anniversary of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, the pontiff joined other religious leaders in the meeting in the "spirit of Assisi" promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. “Those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing,” Leo said. Instead, “with hands raised to heaven and open to others, we must ensure that this period of history, marked by war and the arrogance of power, soon comes to an end”.
The text signed last night in St Peter's Basilica was released on the 60th anniversary of the conciliar declaration Gravissimum Educationis. In it Leo XIV describes education as a "task of love," and “one of the highest expressions of Christian charity”. He calls for putting people at the centre, against "functional training." Catholic education must be "choral" and "human," capable of generating peace and “environmental responsibility”.
The population is “honoured” to have been chosen as the first destination of the pontiff's apostolic journey abroad, but it is also “exhausted”. From two years of war to attacks in southern Israel, many issues remain unresolved. Ortagus' mission for direct negotiations between the Jewish state and the Land of Cedars. The rift widens between Christians, Druze and Sunnis and the Shiite Hezbollah-Amal tandem.
The schedule and logos of the pope’s first international apostolic journey have been made public. In Iznik, a prayer will be held at the site of the ancient Basilica of Nicaea, where archaeological work is currently underway; in Istanbul, the pope will visit the Blue Mosque, but not Hagia Sophia (which Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI visited). In Lebanon, the pontiff will join an interfaith meeting in Martyrs' Square and stop at the port devastated by the 2020 explosion.
Let us “make our own the suffering and the hope of the [. . .] victims of war,” said Leo XIV after the Angelus. Hopefully, “many gestures of evangelical charity, concrete closeness, and solidarity” will emerge. The “truth is not possessed, but sought together,” he said in the homily of the Jubilee Mass for the synodal teams and the participatory bodies.
Following Pope Francis's outreach with popular movements, his successor spoke about the new poverty of the digital age. The creativity generated by artificial intelligence and robotics has brought "great progress in many areas,” but “it has failed to reverse the tragic exclusion of millions of people." He warned against the "void" left by weakened unions, ineffective laws, and enfeebled international organisations. People are “more vulnerable than before”.
Delivered by the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Monsignor Andrews Thazhath. No Pope has visited the subcontinent since John Paul II's last visit in 1999. In 2024, Prime Minister Modi renewed the government's invitation to Pope Francis. Meanwhile, in Seoul, the Minister of Unification hopes that the pontiff's presence at World Youth Day 2027 will be a step towards ‘de facto unity’ between the Koreas.
At the general audience, during his Jubilee catechesis, Leo XIV offered his thoughts about the Gospel of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. “The gesture of breaking bread reopens the eyes of the heart,” he said. At the end, he invited the faithful to renew their “active cooperation in the Church's mission." He also remembered Saint John Paul II on his liturgical feast day, saying that “47 years ago, in this square, he urged the world to open itself to Christ.”
Aid to the Church in Need released its 2025 report in Rome. China, India, and North Korea are among the worst offenders. Cardinal Parolin cites Dignitatis Humanae, 60 years after the Second Vatican Council, noting that religious freedom should “be enshrined as a fundamental civil right in constitutions”. Those persecuted “should not be forgotten” whether in Pakistan, Syria or elsewhere.
Today, World Mission Day, Leo XIV canonised seven blessed individuals, including the Armenian Ignatius Maloyan, martyr of the genocide, and Peter To Rot, the first saint of Papua New Guinea. At the Angelus on Myanmar: “Immediate and effective ceasefire”. Prayer for the Holy Land and Ukraine: “Just and lasting peace”.
Prevsot celebrated the Jubilee of the Gypsy communities, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the first meeting with St Paul VI. He praised the “exemplary faith in works and words” of the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti. Often marginalised by “advanced” societies. To operators and dioceses: “Adequate pastoral care for integral human growth”.
Tomorrow the Armenian Catholic archbishop, martyr of the 1915 genocide, will be raised to the altar of the saints in a ceremony in St Peter's. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Patriarch Minassian will be present, along with hundreds of faithful from the diaspora. For many Armenians, ‘this historic day is also a day of justice’.
This morning Leo XIV received at the Apostolic Palace a group of Russian Catholics in Rome for their Jubilee pilgrimage. He invited them to light “the fire of Christian love" and warm the “most hardened hearts” in a world brutalised by war. With charity and hope, a "new world" can be built from the “ruins”. The icon of the Salus Populi Romani is "the sign of the Holy Year”.
During the canonisations on 19 October, Pope Leo XIV will proclaim the first saint of this Oceanic country: a lay catechist, husband and father, who died a martyr for defending Christian marriage. Vice-postulator Fr Ravaioli reflects on the relevance of this figure today: ‘He fought against corruption. He tells us what it really means to proclaim oneself a Christian.’
The pontiff addressed the FAO General Assembly, marking the 80th anniversary of the UN agency. "Slogans do not lift people out of poverty,” Leo said. Action is needed to overcome a policy that “replaces the person with profit.” Above all, “Those who suffer from hunger are not strangers. They are my brothers and sisters, and I must help them without delay.”
A local Catholic offers their thoughts about yesterday's ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin. The unresolved situation of Bishop Ma Daqin, who is still barred from exercising his ministry, is a source of sorrow that encourages “those members of the clergy who seek only to please the government”.
As AsiaNews reported, the ceremony for the prelate chosen by Bishop Shen Bin during the Vatican's Sede Vacante took place this morning. Leo XIV approved the appointment in August in accordance with the Agreement. Although confined to the Sheshan Seminary since 2012, the other auxiliary bishop, Ma Daqin, sent a message of unity to the Church of Shanghai via social media, quoting the great ‘patriarch’ Xu Guangqi.
At the audience in St Peter's Square, the pontiff continued the jubilee cycle of catechesis with the last segment on the Resurrection and “the challenges of today's world”. “We would like to be happy, yet it is very difficult to achieve it,” he said. The Risen Jesus is “the source that satisfies our thirst”. He is our “companion” on the journey and “the destination of our journey”.
Today the pontiff visited the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the former papal palace, now the residence of the President of the Italian Republic. It was a symbolic visit centred on the relationship between the Church and politics. The pontiff called for life to be protected at every stage, from conception to old age. He urged the faithful not to let themselves be captivated by uniform and fluid cultural models.
Ambassador Ho's speech at the celebrations held in Rome for the anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China in the presence of Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi. ‘Taiwan will continue to promote universal values and defend human dignity.’
At the Angelus, Leo XIV encouraged people to nourish the "spark of hope” ignited by the Gaza agreement. His also turned his thoughts to those who have lost loved ones. “We ask God, who is the true Peace of humanity, to heal all wounds” with the power of forgiveness. He expressed closeness to the people of Ukraine, still under Russian attacks, and to the people of Peru. On the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, the pope urges the faithful to “share in the joy of the Magnificat” and warns against “forms of worship” that “do not foster communion with others” but “can num our hearts”.
At the Urbaniana University, the academic year opened with the presentation of the proceedings of the conference marking the centennial of the Concilium Sinense of 1924. The first apostolic delegate to China, Card Celso Costantini, convened this historic event, which Pope Leo XIV described as a "milestone in the history of the Church in China”. For Card Parolin, “being good Catholics in no way contradicts loyalty to one's homeland”. The Council was a “moment of purification of missionary work and intention,” said Card Tagle.
Receiving in audience the Aid to the Church in Need International, the pontiff cited Pope Francis who, in his last message to the world, stressed the link between this fundamental right and peace. For Leo, “we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.” Even small and vulnerable communities can be bearers of brotherhood, showing “that a different world is possible”.
The diocese has sent official notice for Fr Wu Jianlin’s ordination ceremony, calling on all priests and nuns to be present without exception. Ordinary Bishop Shen Bin reportedly supported the choice, stressing that Wu is a member of the Party Conference, and must be a bishop. In the case of the other auxiliary bishop, Mgr Ma Daqin, he has been unable to exercise his ministry since 2012 after he refused to be part of the Patriotic Association.
Signed on 4 October and released today, the document continues the work begun by Pope Francis. In five chapters and 121 points, it addresses the many "faces" of poverty – material, moral, and spiritual – calling for a “change in mentality”. When the Church bends towards the poor, “she assumes her highest posture.” The document cites Mother Teresa, “who dedicated her life to the dying abandoned on the streets of India” working “with the tenderness of prayer.”
Choosing a country that wants to return to being a model of pluralism is a “significant” step said Marwan Sehnaoui, president of the Order of Malta in Lebanon, speaking to AsiaNews. The visit will also include a meeting on Muslim-Christian dialogue. All leading government officials, including President Aoun, a Christian, and Parliamentary Speaker Nabib Berri, welcome the announcement of the visit, which will fulfil the late pope Francis’s wish to visit Lebanon.
Prevost at the general audience renewed his invitation to pray the Holy Rosary “for peace in the world”. Last night to the press: “Reduce hatred, return to the capacity for dialogue”. The trip to Turkey is “to look ahead”; to Lebanon to ‘proclaim a message of peace in the Middle East’. Catechesis on the Resurrection: ‘No night is eternal’.
Prevost presided over Mass in St Peter's Square for the Jubilee of the Missions and Migrants. “Today, the frontiers of mission are no longer geographical”. At the Angelus: remembrance of the Palestinian people who are suffering “immense suffering”; “significant steps forward in peace negotiations”. Closeness to the Philippines affected by the earthquake.
Leo XIV met the congregation today, gathered for the 12th General Chapter. Sister Mari Lucia Kim, 60, a former provincial superior in South Korea, will lead the Pauline Sisters until 2031. She brings the vitality of their presence in the Far East to the institute founded by Blessed Giacomo Alberione for the apostolate through the media. Pope Leo calls on the Sisters “to look up and immerse yourselves.”
