During the Regina Caeli, Leo XIV spoke about the 1986 nuclear disaster, which “left a lasting mark on the conscience of humanity,” and serves “as a warning regarding the inherent risks of using increasingly powerful technologies.” In his comment on the Gospel, he noted that "thieves" are those who pillage “the earth’s resources” and wage " blood-thirsty wars”.
In Mongomo, Leo XIV marked 170 years of evangelisation, inviting all the baptised to be "witnesses to a new humanity." He quoted Paul VI's appeal to Africans to be “missionaries to yourselves.” May "natural riches" be "a blessing for all." He slammed “the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged." In the afternoon, he visited Bata prison.
Leo XIV told Equatoguinean authorities to “dismantle the obstacles to integral human development.” Citing Pope Francis a year after his death, he reiterated the Church’s opposition to “an economy of exclusion and inequality.” God “must never be invoked to justify choices and actions of death.” In a letter to the pontiff, Equatorial Guinea’s exiled political opposition laments that, "The country has been captured by the president’s family."
On his third day in Angola, Leo XIV spoke in the diamond-rich city where people’s “hope” is "exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich.” The pontiff slammed the injustice that makes bread "the possession of a few." Violence and exploitation deny "the resurrection,” while the faithful are urged to embrace "the meaning" of Christ's words, and reject “superstitious practices”.
Leo XIV in Kilamba with 100,000 faithful in the aftermath of the civil war: ‘The Lord is with us’. The call to “be vigilant regarding forms of traditional religiosity”. The need for pastors and missionaries with “a desire to break their own lives and give them away”. Yesterday in Luanda to the authorities: “true joy” free from the “logic of extractivisim”. At the Regina Caeli: the truce in Lebanon “a seed of relief for the people”.
Leo XIV spoke at the Japoma Stadium in Cameroon's economic capital, before a crowd of 120,000. He urged young people to "Reject every form of abuse or violence”, calling on them to be the first to bring "the bread of life” to others. Sharing is the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Proclaiming Jesus means "leaving signs of justice in a suffering and oppressed land.”
The pope visited today Cameroon’s English-speaking region in the western of the country, scene of a forgotten war that has caused thousands of deaths, destruction, and more than a million refugees in this part of Africa. During his peace meeting with the local community, the pontiff encouraged those working for reconciliation, contrasting their action with what the masters of war do, to “look into each other’s eyes: we are this immense people!”
Leo XIV arrived in Cameroon, the second stop in his trip to Africa. Speaking to the authorities of a country governed for more than 40 years by the same president, who is now 92, he called for “renewal” and some soul-searching. He also said to “love your neighbor as yourself”, a commandment that is “equally applicable to international relations!” Before leaving Algiers, he visited a local Church-run orphanage.
The pontiff leaves Algeria today to travel to Cameroon, the second stop on his apostolic journey to Africa. The testimony of a young woman who grew up in Italy and chose to be present in Algiers to experience this historic event alongside her people. “In the crowd, everyone was saying: it’s a sign of unity between Christians and Muslims. We’ve seen that change happens in a subtle but real way.”
The Augustinian pope is the first pontiff to visit the birthplace of the Bishop of Hippo. This morning, he visited the home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, saying that God's heart is with the "humble," not the "arrogant”. In the Basilica of St Augustine, he said that the Christians of Algeria bring “joy and comfort to so many brothers and sisters.” The Church is a “welcoming bosom for all peoples.” Jesus’s call is “to be born again from above, that is, from God.”
Leo XIV arrived in Algeria, the first time a pontiff has visited the Muslim country, a bridge between Africa and the Mediterranean. In his address, he said that, “peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity.” About Algeria he said that, “A nation that loves God possesses true wealth”. For the pontiff, “fundamentalism and secularization” are “absurd polarizations”. Asked about Trump's insults, he said that he would continue “speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel”
The President of the National Assembly in Hanoi presented the Pope with a letter from the President, who is now firmly at the helm of power in Vietnam. It was precisely internal disagreements over the local political balance of power that had slowed down the preparations for the visit, which is so eagerly awaited by the Catholic community. Cardinal Parolin is due to visit soon to establish full diplomatic relations. The possibility of 2027, when the Pope is already expected in Seoul for World Youth Day.
At the Regina Caeli, Leo XIV invoked the "principle of humanity" to "protect the civilian population" from war. He mentioned the peoples of Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. Yesterday, at the vigil in St Peter's, he appealed to political leaders to “Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned”. He stressed that praying is a “transformative response to death”.
In a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the eve of the prayer vigil for peace called for tomorrow by the Pope – which coincides with the anticipated start of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan – the cardinal recalls that peace is not an “external matter”, but “arises from within” and becomes “word, gesture and way of life”. If conscience “is silenced, aggression grows”. The cross “shows that true power is not that which crushes, but that which remains faithful to the truth”.
Speaking at the end of the general audience, Leo XIV said that, “Only through negotiations can we reach an end to the war." He called for "dialogue" to become a tool for conflict resolution around the world. He also renewed his invitation to join a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter's next Saturday at 6 pm. In his catechesis on holiness, he described the latter as a gift that binds every baptised person.
“The despair of death is swept away forever,” Leo XIV said on Easter Monday. Although “fake news” shroud Christian witness, "the truth does not remain hidden”. Proclaiming Easter is giving voice to hope “stifled by the hands of the violent.” Remembering Pope Francis, Leo said that the pontiff who passed away on 21 April 2025 bore “profound witness of faith and love”.
The Pope’s Urbi et Orbi message on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Against a backdrop where war is felt everywhere this year, the Pope did not mention specific places but invited people to reflect on the ‘true strength’ that reconciles humanity by overcoming indifference. A special prayer vigil for peace has been called, which the Pope will preside over on 11 April in St Peter’s Basilica.
The Pope presided over the traditional Good Friday service, personally carrying the crucifix through all 14 stations. At the end, he recited only the words of a prayer by St Francis, the 800th anniversary of whose death falls this year. The former Custos of the Holy Land, Father Patton, recalled in his meditations that “even those who start a war will have to answer for it before God”.
With the bishops and priests of Rome, the pontiff presided for the first time at the Mass with the blessing of the sacred oils. He reflected upon the "Christian mission," the "very same as Jesus',” characterised by detachment, encounter, and trial. Leo urged priests to feel like "guests," like the "great missionaries” who use “unobtrusive approaches” to reach out to others. He also remembered Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero, assassinated in 1980 while celebrating the Eucharist.
Leo XIV spoke yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, stressing that Holy Week is a "time of peace," yet today there is “so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.” He urged world leaders to “Come back to the table, to dialogue”, to find solutions. On Good Friday, he will carry the cross in the Via Crucis. In today’s audience, he spoke about the role of the laity, saying that, “we are all called to be missionary disciples”.
In a message released today, the Buddhist leader endorses the pope's appeal on Palm Sunday for nonviolence and disarmament, emphasising the values common to all religions – “love, compassion, tolerance” as the basis for conflict resolution, from the Middle East to Ukraine.
In his homily in St Peter's Square, the pope spoke of “Jesus, King of Peace," who "always rejects violence”. “In his wounds, we see the hurts of so many women and men today,” especially the “victims of war." In the Angelus, the pontiff expressed closeness to the “Christians of the Middle East” who, “in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies” during Holy Week. “Let us also pray for all the migrants who have died at sea,” he said.
Leo XIV travelled to the world's second-smallest state on his first trip outside of Italy in 2026. He called for the 'gift of smallness' to serve justice and peace, reminding the rich city-state that great wealth has an intrinsic need to be redistributed. He encouraged the local Church to advocate for the “forgotten and marginalized.” To young people, he said love “gives stability to life,” urging them “not [to] be afraid to give everything”.
The agreement was signed at the Indonesian embassy to the Holy See in Rome, making Indonesia’s official language the 57th language of the Vatican News portal. The result of persistent diplomatic work, revitalised by Pope Francis's visit in 2024, it represents a new opportunity to bring Indonesian traditions to the world.
A conference in Rome looked at the 1,001 messages the cardinal wrote while imprisoned in Vietnam. They were brought to his family, who had found refuge in Australia, hand-copied by people who later escaped by boat. Declared venerable by Francis in 2017, the cardinal was an extraordinary example of meekness and love for Christ. For Cardinal Tagle: "There was no trace of bitterness or hatred in him." His sister Élisabeth was present; she co-authored a new biography that was published recently.
Leo XIV at the audience: the hierarchical structure – with the episcopate at its highest level – is a “sacred order” founded on the Apostles, “authoritative witnesses of the Resurrection”. To the Polish faithful: “Defend life from conception to its natural end”. Yesterday, at Castel Gandolfo: “Work for peace, not with weapons”.
Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus: ‘dismay’ for regions ‘torn apart by war and violence’. ‘So many defenceless victims: what wounds them wounds the whole of humanity’. To children, in a message to Avvenire: “Cherish the courage to ask for forgiveness, the beauty of making peace”. Commentary on the Gospel: “Jesus calls out to us too, ‘Come out’, to walk in the light of love”.
The Vatican has issued an appeal against investments in activities that harm the environment and people, especially Indigenous peoples. The initiative, supported by 45 organisations, calls on religious institutions to review their use of financial instruments in light of the notion of “integral ecology" proposed by the encyclical Laudato Si'. For Cardinal Fabio Baggio, this is “An act of coherence with our faith, with the defence of human dignity.”
The bishops will meet between 9 and 15 April to choose a new patriarch. The former head will not participate nor vote so as not to "influence" the decision. This ancient Eastern Church, rooted in Mesopotamia, is currently experiencing a period of difficulty due to the exodus and war. The challenges of the last decade include the Islamic State group and the revocation of the presidential decree.
The announcement was made in a message released today on the tenth anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Francis's apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The initiative calls for synodal discernment in light of what is being accomplished in local Churches. Let us “learn to evoke the beauty of the vocation to marriage” while acknowledging its fragility. Without families, the Church cannot become “the salt of the earth”.
