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.”
Announced by Cardinal Pizzaballa and CEI Secretary General Monsignor Baturi. A long-term project to respond to the devastating crisis in the Strip. A pilgrimage by Italian bishops is also being considered. Ten years of Christian contribution to healthcare, from hospitals to the distribution of free medicines and treatment.
Prevost continued the cycle of Jubilee catechesis at the audience. Last night in Castel Gandolfo, dialogue with the press. On Trump's plan for Gaza: “A realistic proposal. I hope Hamas accepts it”. On the Global Sumud Flotilla: “May people be respected”. US “vocabulary” on war shows “increased tensions”: “Always work for peace”.
After the Angelus, the pope expressed his closeness to the communities affected by Typhoon Ragasa offering his “prayers for the victims, the missing, [and] the many displaced families”. In his homily at the Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists, he lamented that, “At the doorstep of today’s opulence stands the misery of entire peoples, ravaged by war”. Some 39 new catechists were commissioned, some from India, South Korea, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.
At the audience, speaking to 35,000 people standing in the rain, Leo XIV called on the faithful to pray the rosary for peace every day in October. To this end, a meeting is set for Saturday, 11 October in St. Peter's Square. “I invite you to nourish yourselves with science for a peaceful future,” he said to Arabic-speaking students who start the school year. “The Lord descends where man has hidden out of fear,” and “brings him back to the light,” Leo said during the catechesis.
The pontiff met with a delegation from the community today at the Vatican, mentioning Francis’s 2024 visit, the Istiqlal “Message of Hope”, and 75 years of diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Leo expressed gratitude for the "strong ties" between “Christian and non-Christian neighbors alike,” noting that welcoming migrants is an example of a "culture of encounter”.
After the Angelus, the Pope addressed Catholic associations engaged in solidarity with the people of Gaza. ‘Peoples need peace! Those who truly love them work for peace.’ Mass this morning at St Anne's Church, Vatican. In his homily, he offered an invitation to hope in the midst of war: ‘Peoples crushed by shameless indifference.’
Over 15,000 people gathered in St Peter's Square for the Jubilee of Justice Workers. Provost recalled that “evil must not only be punished, but repaired”. He recalled the “unjust and inhuman” conditions of peoples who “hunger and thirst for justice”.
From St Peter's Square, Leo XIV spoke about the emptying of Gaza City under “unacceptable conditions”, stressing that “every person always has an inviolable dignity,” and that “international humanitarian law” must be upheld. The pontiff also issued a message for religious leaders gathered in Kazakhstan. “The future we envision” is one “of peace, fraternity and solidarity,” he said. Yesterday, he met with Karekin II, Catholicos of the Armenian Church. In his Jubilee catechesis, Leo explained that, “God works in depth, in the slow time of trust.”
During the ecumenical celebration at St Paul's Outside the Walls in honour of the 1,624 Christians of all denominations who gave their lives for the Gospel in the first 25 years of this century, Pope Leo XIV quoted the words of a child who died at the age of 10 among the victims of the Youhanabad massacre on 15 March 2025. ‘Although they were killed in body, no one can silence their voices or erase the love they gave.’
On his birthday, his first as pope, Leo led the Angelus. “I give thanks to the Lord and to my parents,” he said. On the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, he said that Jesus offered “himself as our companion, teacher, doctor, friend”. In the afternoon, in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the commemoration of the Martyrs and Witnesses to the Faith of the 21st century was held.
Two ceremonies were held today in Hebei’s “new” diocese established by Leo XIV, in which the authorities officially recognised two underground bishops. For the Holy See, this is “an important step in the journey of communion”, but Beijing is falsely attributing statements to them that pander to the usual claims about patriotism and the independence of the Church in China, sowing discord among the faithful in the communities that the move is supposed to unite.
With the approval of Leo XIV, Wang Zhengui was ordained this morning bishop of Zhangjiakou, a "new" diocese that replaces the sees of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi. Of the two underground prelates, one becomes auxiliary bishop, while the other (repeatedly subjected to restrictive measures) will retire. Meanwhile, in the name of patriotism, the Diocese in Shanghai held a “group viewing” of Xi Jinping's parade.
From St Peter's, in front of 35,000 faithful in the rain, Pope Leo reflected on Christ's cry on the cross: “Not despair, but sincerity, truth taken to the limit”. When it is not held back, it is “hope that does not give up”. It replaces words: “threshold of new light” even in the final hour.
Leo XIV sent a message to the Interreligious Conference on the "Culture of Harmony" held in Dhaka under the auspices of the country’s Bishops’ Conference. He writes: “Where others have sown distrust, we choose trust; where others might foster fear, we strive for understanding; where others view differences as barriers, we recognize them as avenues of mutual enrichment”.
Pope Leo XIV will lead the ecumenical celebration in the Vatican next Sunday for the witnesses to the faith of the last 25 years. One of a kind during Jubilee, the event will mark the work of the Commission established by Pope Francis in 2023. The list of martyrs includes 357 from Asia and Oceania, who died since 2000 to the present. For Archbishop Fabene, this is “a sign of hope”. At least 24 delegates from Churches and Christian Communions will be present.
The Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue visited Bangladesh for a week to meet with religious leaders, government officials and members of the community. The President of the Supreme Court called for overcoming religious, gender and racial divisions in order to achieve a peaceful and inclusive society. The cardinal's homily focused on humility and the dangers of pride.
A “beautiful celebration” in St Peter's Square for the canonisation of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. Two young lay people from different eras and contexts, but both “in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for Him”. Prevost to the 80,000 present: “All of you, all of us, are called to be saints!”. At the Angelus, peace was invoked in the Holy Land and Ukraine: “To the rulers: listen to the voice of conscience”.
The canonisation of the young man who lived between 1991 and 2006 and used the internet to spread the faith will take place tomorrow in St Peter's, together with Piergiorgio Frassati. Some of his relics are also travelling to Asian countries, where his peers are getting to know him. A ‘great message of hope’ for young Koreans preparing for the next World Youth Day. In Bangkok, young people say: ‘He is one of us.’ A new seminary named after him in Laos.
Strongly backed by Francis, the project has been inaugurated in Castel Gandolfo covering 55 hectares of the Pontifical Villas to give substance to the principles of the eponymous encyclical, 10 years after its publication. Farming and higher education go hand in hand in the name of social inclusion, integral ecology, and sustainability. Some 2,000 students and 250,000 visitors are expected each year. For Leo XIV, it is “tangible model”.
