During today’s audience in St Peter's, the pontiff spoke about his upcoming visit to Turkey and Lebanon (27 November-2 December). In his address, he called on the faithful to “accompany me with prayers.” Yesterday in Castel Gandolfo, he said that his trip will be “an exceptional opportunity to promote unity”. Speaking about Israeli raids in Beirut, he called for "the pursuit of peace." In his Jubilee catechesis, he said that “the lack of confidence in life” is “a widespread sickness”.
Presented by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, it proposes a positive vision of the exclusive union between a man and a woman. Generated by a request from African bishops, it draws on Scripture, history, philosophy, and poetry. Released today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it states that true love “stops before the sacred dimension of the other”.
Published yesterday, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, the text is the result of a synodal process involving bishops, young people, religious and laity. Inspired by the theme ‘Be courageous: I have conquered the world!’, it recalls Christ's victory, the origins of the Korean Church and the action of the Holy Spirit. It will accompany young people and the universal Church towards the 2027 meeting.
Ahead of the Pope's visit to Turkey, Monsignor Antuan Ilgıt, the first native to lead the Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia, speaks: ‘I feel close to young people because of my life experience,’ he says. ‘Our Church? It is a seed for the world.’
From the steps of St Peter's Basilica, the pontiff greeted the faithful from Ukraine, telling them to “Bring home the embrace and prayer of this square”. The apostolic letter ‘In unitate fidei’ is published to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, before the papal trip to Turkey. “Christians have been called to walk in harmony,” Leo explained. He also said that he was “deeply saddened” by abductions in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Leo XIV authorised the promulgation of the decree recognising the Australian missionary as venerable, the first step toward beatification. In 1920, she obtained a special papal dispensation to overcome a canonical rule that prevented nuns from practising medicine. She also founded the Catholic Health Association of India in 1947, which now serves 21 million patients annually in its facilities.
The Umbrian city welcomed Pope Leo XIV on the first Italian visit of his pontificate to celebrate this great, humble, and poor saint at a time when the world seeks signs of hope. The pontiff will return in 2026 to mark the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. Speaking to the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Italy gathered at Santa Maria degli Angeli, he urged them “to listen to and harmonize tensions, developing a culture of encounter”.
If we are not “the custodian of the garden,” we become its “destroyer”, the pope said in his Jubilee catechesis in St Peter's Square. He described the contemplative life, as a “silent, fruitful, and irreplaceable apostolate”. The second World Children's Day is scheduled for September 2026; a young boy from Gaza presented the logo to the pontiff. Last night in Castel Gandolfo, he called for a “ceasefire and then dialogue” in Ukraine.
In a video message sent to Church representatives gathered in Belem for a meeting on the sidelines of COP30 - the annual UN conference on the fight against global warming - the pontiff harshly rebuked world leaders: 'Be true leaders. Strong climate actions and policies are an investment in a more just and stable world.‘
Today, World Day of the Poor, Prevost had lunch with 1,300 poor and marginalised people. Homily in St Peter's Basilica: “There can be no peace without justice”. After the Angelus, sorrow for the attacks in “tormented Ukraine”: “Victims and wounded, including children”. On Christians discriminated against around the world: “Called to bear witness to the truth”.
Leo XIV received more than 160 professionals on the 130th anniversary of the birth of cinema. He described it as an "act of love" that "must not shy away from the mystery of fragility". Its creators are "pilgrims of imagination", capable of "recognizing beauty even in the folds of pain". Drawing on the words of director David W. Griffith, he called on them to make it "an art of the Spirit”.
At the start of the university’s academic year, the pontiff addressed the "pope's University”, which has students from around the world and associated institutes in Asia. In his speech, he called for training peace workers and justice advocates. He stressed the value of scientific studies to counter the idea that they are useless for pastoral work. In fact, the Church needs lay people and priests who are “prepared and competent”.
The expectations of the people of Beirut two weeks before the Pope's arrival. Sadness over a brief and heavily guarded visit: ‘Will he really be able to see the country as it is, or will they give him the false impression that everything is fine?’ But also the certainty that ‘his presence will be a message in any case’. Prevost will arrive immediately after the National Day on 22 November and exactly one year after the ceasefire that still does not spare the Lebanese from Israeli incursions.
Through a chirograph, the pope gave a new legal form to the network of port chaplaincies to continue this service with "enthusiasm and generosity." Meanwhile, Cardinal Czerny, in his message for World Fisheries Day, laments that “many fishermen face storms far beyond the seas: low income, job insecurity, poor working conditions, being far from their families.”
In his catechesis dedicated to the perspective on others conveyed by Easter spirituality, Leo said that humanity “is best fulfilled when we are and live together.” Hence, everyone should heed Saint Francis’s greeting: “Tutti Fratelli”. The pontiff also paid tribute to Mother Eliswa Vakayil, the new blessed from Kerala, who inspired people working for the dignity of women. In his address to Polish pilgrims marking the end of the Great War, he stressed that nothing is better than peace.
This morning Pope Leo XVI described Rome’s cathedral, as a “living Church" with "Jesus, the cornerstone”. The National Catholic Register is reporting that the first extraordinary consistory has been convened for January. At the Angelus, the pontiff expressed his closeness to the Philippines, hit by Typhoon Fung-wo. He also lamented the loss of “civilians, children, the elderly, or sick people" killed in wars. To end them, it is time to “put all of our efforts into negotiations.”
Leo XIV spoke to the pilgrims who came to Rome for the Jubilee of Work, postponed in May due to the death of Francis. The pope expressed hope for more work that allows “the expression of individual creativity and capacity for good”. He also referred to John Paul II’s teachings in Poland and the testimony of Blessed Isidore Bakanja, a young African apprentice.
In a video message to a conference sponsored by the Italian government, Leo XIV warns of the growth of obsessive Internet use, which is increasingly accompanying drug abuse. For the pontiff, “human and spiritual proposals” must counteract emptiness.
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.
