At the end of today's jubilee audience, Leo XIV spoke of the “deteriorating” situation between Iran and Israel. The commitment to “a safer world free from the nuclear threat” must be pursued through “sincere dialogue” and “respectful encounter” in order to achieve lasting peace. “No one should ever threaten the existence of another”.
The Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins tells AsiaNews of his concern over the escalation in recent hours. The cardinal, who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis, was appointed by the Pope precisely to keep alive the Christian “presence” with the task of “integrating, including and being in contact with the nation at its various levels”.
The Lebanese president is the first head of state from the region to meet the pontiff. Their meeting comes at the very time of Israel’s attack on Iran. In a statement, the Holy See refers to “good bilateral relations” with Lebanon and expresses support for its “stabilization and reform process”. There are concerns in Lebanon for the new war front, but Hezbollah says that it will not undertake “military initiatives”. The fate of UNIFIL is also at stake.
The pope met with about 40,000 people in St Peter's Square. Continuing the Jubilee catechesis on the theme "Jesus Christ our hope", he commented on the episode of the healing of blind Bartimaeus in Jericho, saying that, “we must never give up hope, even when we feel lost.” The pontiff also offered his prayers for the victims of the mass shooting in a school in Graz, Austria. This morning he met with António Guterres, UN Secretary-General.
This morning, Pope Leo XIV met with 98 representatives of the Holy See diplomatic corps in the Clementine Hall. They are a model, "certainly not perfect", of the Church's message in favour of "human fraternity and peace among all peoples, [. . .] serving the dignity of the human person”.
At Pentecost Mass, exhortation to welcome the Holy Spirit who breaks down walls and prejudices between peoples: 'Where there is love there is no room for the exclusion that emerges from political nationalisms. At last night's vigil, message to movements and associations gathered for their Jubilee: "Evangelization is not a human conquest of the world".
On the eve of their Jubilee at Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV met in the Vatican with the leaders of international associations and groups of believers recognised by the Holy See. “God raises up charisms: to awaken in hearts a desire to encounter Christ,” he said, while at the same time, urging them to be “a leaven of unity, communion, and fraternity in our world, so torn by discord and violence.”
At today's audience, before 35,000 faithful in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV continued the Jubilee catechesis on “Jesus Christ our hope". The parable in the Gospel of Matthew is "a story that fosters our hope". Speaking to young people, he urged them “not [to] delay, roll up your sleeves, because the Lord is generous and you will not be disappointed!”
Some 70,000 people – children, grandparents, seniors – gathered in St Peter's Square today for the Jubilee of families. In his homily, Pope Leo XIV said that humanity is "betrayed" when “freedom is invoked not to give life, but to take it away”. During the Regina Caeli, the pontiff turned his thoughts to the families who suffer because of the war in the “Middle East, in Ukraine and in other parts of the world.”
On the day the Church dedicates to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the pontiff presides over the ordination of 11 deacons in St. Peter's Basilica. Among them is a priest of Vietnamese origin. In his homily, he urges them to be ‘not masters, but guardians’ and, recalling a theme dear to Pope Francis, asks them to shun ‘self-referentiality.’ And ‘God has not grown weary of gathering his children.’
Pope Leo XIV spoke to 300 representatives of movements and associations dedicated to peace, telling them to “generate hope”. The pontiff cited his predecessor who promoted the 2024 Arena of Peace, an event marked by the embrace between Maoz Inon, an Israeli, and Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian, who were also present today. The path to peace “involves everyone”, from the top and “from below”. This is possible when differences are “acknowledged, understood and surmounted.”
Some 150 delegates from Asian countries and around the world met in Cambodia’s capital for the Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium organised by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. Maha Ghosananda, a venerable Theravada master close to the victims of the Cambodian genocide, was remembered. Through the “active presence of love, justice, and enduring human solidarity”, a world can be built “where peace is more than the absence of conflict.”
In St Peter's, in his second general audience, Pope Leo XIV spoke about Gaza. “The cry of mothers, of fathers,” he said, “rises ever more intensely to the sky.” On Ukraine, he called for action “to stop the war and to support every initiative of dialogue and peace.” In the parable of the Good Samaritan, he noted that the man was “simply a person.” With respect to others, people can either “take care of them or pretend nothing is wrong.”
Vatican Museums Director Barbara Jatta and Auxiliary Bishop Andrea Lembo of Tokyo explained the symbol of hope lent by the Vatican to the world expo currently underway in Japan. The painting is on display for six months in a dedicated area inside the Italian Pavilion. For the prelate, “Caravaggio does not ask us to believe. He only asks us to look and try to recognise that that body could be ours”.
In his first Regina Caeli, from the window of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV cited the Day of Prayer for the Church in China celebrated yesterday and the tenth anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si', noting Pope Francis's appeal "to listen to the twofold cry of the Earth and of the poor." This afternoon, the new pope will be installed in St John Lateran as the bishop of Rome.
Leo XIV met with participants in the Societies’ annual assembly, who came from over 120 countries. He expressed his gratitude for their “mission of evangelization,” which he shared during his years of pastoral work in Peru. The Societies, he said, promote the “apostolic zeal among the People of God”, while evangelisation “inspires us to transcend the confines of our individual parishes, dioceses and nations, in order to share with every nation and people the surpassing richness of the knowledge of Jesus Christ”.
Hong Kong’s Card Stephen Chow said that the pope told him that he “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality.” This is unprecedented for a pontiff, linked to his long mandate as prior general of an order that, at the behest of Leo XIII (the pontiff whose name the new pope took) sent its own missionaries and bishops in Hunan until the expulsion decreed by Mao. Starting in the 1980s, the order rebuilt ties and presence in the Diocese of Changsha through the province of the Philippines.
40,000 welcome Pope Prevost in St Peter’s Square for his first public audience. Tour in the popemobile amid cheers and flags from Lebanon, Ukraine, and peace movements. Leo XIV continues the catechetical series “Jesus Our Hope”, begun by Francis for the Jubilee. A renewed appeal for “dignified humanitarian aid” to Gaza: “We are called to sow hope and build peace.”
In an interview with AsiaNews, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako reflects on the days of the Conclave spent alongside the new pontiff and their “very important” first meeting after the election. He describes the “complicated situation” facing Christians in the Middle East, who suffer from a “lack of stability” despite some improvements in security. His first words to Pope Prevost: “We are counting on you.”
How will the new Pope manage the relationship between Beijing and the Vatican? The faithful in mainland China hope that the bishops to be appointed and approved under the agreement will truly love the faithful and know their flock. That they will be skilled in pastoral care and enjoy the support of the faithful. Only in this way will a bishop be able to guide the faithful to love both their country and the Church.
Leo XIV met in audience with ecumenical delegations and representatives of other faiths who had come to Rome for the beginning of his ministry. Before the meeting, he held a private audience with the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew. In his address, he noted that his election falls on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. For Christians, “unity can only be unity in faith,” he said. Turning to Jews, he noted that “in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.”
The Archbishop of Goa and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences reflects with AsiaNews on Pope Prevost’s inaugural homily: “Love for all, unity in diversity, closeness to the poor and to cultures – this must be our way of being Church. We await him in our beloved India. And we will invite him to the FABC Assembly scheduled for 2026 in Malaysia.”
In the presence of 156 international delegations, Prevost celebrated the Mass marking the beginning of his Petrine ministry. During the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis was movingly remembered: “He accompanies us from Heaven.” The Pope’s thoughts turned to the “survivors reduced to starvation” in Gaza, the “new innocent lives” lost to airstrikes in Myanmar, and the “tormented Ukraine.” This afternoon, a private audience is scheduled with Volodymyr Zelensky.
The homily from the Mass in which Pope Prevost solemnly inaugurated his pontificate this morning: “In a world wounded by hatred, violence, prejudice, and fear of the other, and by an economic model that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest, we want to be a small leaven of communion and fraternity that says: look to Christ and you will find peace.”
Receiving the Centesimus Annus Foundation in audience, the pope outlined the meaning of the social magisterium in the context of the many challenges in today's world. “Doctrine is not the opposite of dialogue. There is no doctrine without closeness to people and to situations. Indoctrination that prevents critical judgment is immoral. I urge you to give voice to the poor.”
As the parodies of peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and America continue—most recently marked by the failed attempt to bring Putin and Zelenskyy together in Istanbul—Pope Leo XIV has directed an appeal to the Christians of the East: “Who more than you can sing words of hope in the abyss of violence?”
In his first address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, the pontiff outlined the pillars of the Church's missionary action. In the Clementine Hall, he stressed the link between religious freedom and peace. “Give new life to multilateral diplomacy,” he said. He reiterated his opposition to weapons: “halt the production of instruments of destruction and death”. He cited today's challenges, like migration, the environment, and artificial intelligence. Cardinal Parolin notes that the Vatican is ready to facilitate meetings between Ukrainians and Russians.
In the Paul VI Hall, the pontiff met with Eastern Catholics together with their patriarchs and metropolitans, who are in Rome for the Jubilee. "The Church needs you,” he told them. To this end, it is necessary to “preserve and promote the Christian East, especially in the diaspora.” In his address, he mentioned Ephrem the Syrian and Isaac of Nineveh. With respect to the wars ravaging the East, “The Holy See is always ready to help bring enemies together,” Leo said. Jannik Sinner and a tennis delegation, the sport practised by the pontiff, attended a private audience.
A source in mainland China spoke to AsiaNews about the election of a pontiff born in a country that, according to state propaganda, is its archfoe against whom to flaunt China’s superiority. Yet, the open gaze of Chinese Catholics towards Leo XIV shows, once again, that believing is freedom, and that a Chinese does not become Catholic if they have not first accepted, internalised, and then freed themselves from the “international tensions” that this entails.
The Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has issued a message of goodwill to Buddhist faithful around the world on the occasion of Vesak, the celebration that commemorates key events in the life of the Buddha. “In our time, marked by division, conflict and suffering, we recognise the urgent need not to remain with words alone, but to translate them into concrete actions for peace, justice, and the dignity of all.”
