Yesterday in Rome, the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) signed the new 'Charta Oecumenica' updating the 2001 version. This revision was initiated to "reflect the evolving realities of European society" and assess its effectiveness. Leo XIV attended an audience with CCEE and CEC representatives saying that he will be in Nicaea to tell the peoples of Europe that Jesus is the path to follow.
The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States is in Sri Lanka for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Holy See. During his visit, he has met with President Dissanayake and Prime Minister Amarasuriya. The Sri Lankan government has expressed its gratitude for the Church's work on behalf of the poor. The prelate’s agenda includes visits to the churches involved in the Easter 2019 attacks, a wound that is still open.
At the general audience, the pontiff called for prayers to end armed conflicts, with a particular focus on Myanmar, urging the international community to provide humanitarian assistance. Last night at Castel Gandolfo, he spoke about Gaza, and the second phase, which should guarantee "the rights of all peoples”. The Jubilee catechesis at today's general audience focused on the relevance of the Easter message. For Christians, “every day is Easter.”
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith today released Mater Populi Fidelis, a document approved by Leo XIV on October 7. It addresses questions raised by the Holy See “in recent decades”. It reiterates the principle that “Christ’s exclusive mediation is conclusive.” The title co-redemptrix is always inappropriate. “The various faces of Mary” reflect "the paternal tenderness of God”.
Vatican News remembers the courageous, Hebei-born underground bishop, who died a few days ago at the age of 90. His funeral was carried out under restrictions imposed by the authorities in Jinzhou. As many episcopal sees lay vacant, Fr Dong reappears. Bishop Jia had designated the self-appointed bishop (without Rome's consent) as excommunicated for his disobedience.
Pope remembers the faithfl departed at the Angelus on all Souls Day. In the afternoon, Leo XIV visited the Verano cemetery in Rome: “Spiritually, I will also visit the graves of my loved ones”. Appeal against the massacres in the city of El Fasher in Sudan: ‘Unacceptable suffering for an already exhausted population: ceasefire and relief through humanitarian corridors’.
On All Saints' Day, during the celebration in which he proclaimed St John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church and co-patron of the world of education. 'Let us work together to free humanity from the darkness of nihilism that surrounds us. Let us form people in flesh and blood, especially those who seem to fall short of the parameters of an economy that excludes'.
Sarah Bernstein, executive director of the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue in Jerusalem, spoke at the Vatican. For her, Nostra Aetate, promulgated by the Second Vatican Council 60 years ago, teaches that dialogue must address the burning realities people may seek to avoid. Attacks by Jewish extremists on Christians and Muslims and their places of worship betray the very foundation of being Jewish. Leo XIV said, “The Church cannot tolerate anti-Semitism”.
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”.
