Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 14 visited his former cathedral in Peru, participated in a Marian crowning ceremony, celebrated Mass in the Santa Cruz province, and met with local Catholics during a packed Saturday in his adopted country.

The pope held a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba and later returned to Chiclayo to participate in a prayer vigil marking the closing of the jubilee year of the canonization of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo.

Here are photos of the pope’s activities on Nov. 14:

Pope Leo XIV takes part in a Marian crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Francis Rocca/EWTN News Crowds gather to witness a Marian crowning ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Francis Rocca/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stands before a Marian statue during a crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A Marian crown stands before Pope Leo XIV at a crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV crowns a statue of the Blessed Mother at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV greets Catholics ahead of a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Catholics gather ahead of a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV waves while arriving for a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV greets a baby while arriving for a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV delivers the homily during Holy Mass at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV elevates the chalice during Mass at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A family attends the papal Mass given by Pope Leo XIV at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Two of the faithful display an image of Pope Leo XIV during the papal Mass at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Faithful from the Afro-Peruvian communities of the Diocese of Chiclayo attend the prayer meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Zaña, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Faithful from the Afro-Peruvian communities of the Diocese of Chiclayo attend the prayer meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Zaña, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A woman listens intently at the prayer meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Zaña, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

SANTA CRUZ DE SUCCHABAMBA, Peru — Pope Leo XIV, who served for two decades as a missionary in Peru, traveled on Saturday to a remote mountain corner of his former diocese and paid tribute to the missionaries who had evangelized the land for centuries. 

“Time and again, they came without provisions or letters of recommendation, to proclaim the name of Jesus and spread devotion to the Lord of Miracles of Andabamba and his Immaculate Mother,” the pope said in his homily at an open-air Mass, referring to the two parishes in Santa Cruz, a town in the Andean highlands.

Pope Leo XIV delivers the homily during Holy Mass at Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Leo arrived on Saturday by military helicopter, but he acknowledged that much of the congregation had made a more difficult trip.

“Many of you have traveled long distances to be here. Some have come from rural communities, leaving behind your families, farms and daily occupations. The journey you made is not only a passage along difficult roads, but also a pilgrimage of faith,” the pope said.

More than 20,000 people attended the Mass on the town’s esplanade, according to local authorities. 

Pope Leo XIV waves while arriving for a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Leo praised the popular piety of the high Andes, where he said faith “has grown simply and genuinely, founded on the daily living of Gospel values and expressed in traditions and festivals that bring peoples and generations together.”

Speaking to a largely poor congregation, the pope stressed “how important it is to pray without ever losing heart,” but he said that did not preclude taking action to relieve hardship and injustice. He specifically mentioned the problems of economically driven emigration from rural areas and inequities in the distribution of natural resources.

“In the face of so many difficulties, we may be tempted to give in to discouragement, resentment or even violence. Yet this will never lead to progress and peace,” Leo said.

“Selfishness, injustice and evil are not overcome by brutality, but by prayer, patience and perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, by making our pleas with determination and working diligently to bring about the necessary changes, while never losing trust in God.”

During his time as a missionary in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, the future pope witnessed and protested against both left-wing terrorism and right-wing counterterrorism, a conflict whose legacy the country is still reckoning with today.

Pope Leo XIV greets a baby while arriving for a papal Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“There is a close relationship between faith, prayer and action. Where there is faith, there is prayer; and where there is prayer, there is the capacity to commit oneself to others,” Leo said.

In particular, he commended “those who, with ingenuity and an entrepreneurial spirit, strive to provide people with dignified jobs: farmers, shopkeepers, small business owners and so many others who, here day after day, put their God-given talents at the service of their communities.”

Later in the day, Leo was scheduled to address a prayer meeting near Chiclayo at the shrine of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, a Spanish missionary who served as archbishop of Lima from 1581 until his death in 1606.

Pope Leo XIV returned to his former cathedral in Peru on Nov. 14 to take part in the crowning of a Marian statue while urging Catholics to pursue “a world marked by love and compassion.”

“I give thanks to God for being here with you today to celebrate
our faith as we have so often done, and in the same cathedral in which I began my episcopal ministry,” the pope told Catholics at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo.

Pope Leo XIV takes part in a Marian crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Francis Rocca/EWTN News

In crowning the statue of the Blessed Mother, the Holy Father said the gesture “is intended to symbolize the tribute of gratitude and filial love offered to her by the pope, together with you and the whole Church.”

Addressing the Chiclayo Diocese — which Leo led as Bishop Robert Prevost for years before being appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome — the pope described devotion to the Immaculate Virgin as “part of the Christian roots that shape your identity and strengthen your faith.”

Pope Leo XIV stands before a Marian statue during a crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“With loving care, the Mother of God has accompanied this people for generations and continues to accompany you today,” he said. “Trusting in her intercession and protection, I invite you to keep walking forward together, as one family of God.”

‘Still the same Father Prevost we’ve always known’

The streets around the cathedral were filled with Catholics who turned out to witness the ceremony, which was richly significant as the return of a former bishop, now the Vicar of Christ, to his onetime cathedral.

Crowds gather to witness a Marian crowning ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Francis Rocca/EWTN News

The cathedral itself has a rich history: It was built over the course of roughly 70 years, starting in 1869 before halting in 1871. Construction resumed in 1928 and was finished in 1939. It was notably designed by Gustave Eiffel, the namesake of the world-famous tower in Paris.

One attendee, Rosa Valdivia, told EWTN News that she knew Pope Leo XIV when he served as bishop of the diocese.

“He was a mentor to my son, who is also part of the church community here at the Chiclayo Cathedral,” she said.

“They had a good relationship; I knew him personally. He was very kind and very sensitive — I had the chance to get to know him.”

She said witnessing her former bishop become pope was “truly moving.” She described him as “one of our own from Chiclayo.”

Though he has risen to the Chair of Saint Peter, “he still has that same simplicity and sensitivity,” Valdivia said.

“He’s still the same Father Robert Prevost we’ve always known,” she said.

Another attendee, Esperanza de Rellido Solano, was serving as a volunteer doctor for the event. She said people in Chiclayo were “very happy” with the pope’s visit.

“We are looking forward to all the upcoming events with great joy and faith, and we hope that everything continues to go as smoothly as it has so far,” she said.

Echoing Valdivia’s remarks, Solano said Leo “is still the same person we once knew — very compassionate and very humble.”

“Just seeing him inspires a sense of love for humanity and for our neighbors,” she said.

Addressing Mary at the ceremony, Leo told the Blessed Mother: “I lift my gaze and my heart today with filial affection.”

A Marian crown stands before Pope Leo XIV at a crowning ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 14, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“At your side I learned to be the shepherd of Chiclayo,” he said. “You accompanied me through its towns and cities. You taught me to meet its people and to be attentive to their needs, as you did at the Wedding Feast of Cana.”

“To your Immaculate Heart I entrust today my life and my ministry as Successor of Peter,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV returned to Chiclayo, Peru, on Nov. 13, visiting the South American diocese he led for nearly a decade and celebrating Mass there as pope for the first time.

The Holy Father led the Chiclayo Diocese from 2015 to 2023 before then-Pope Francis appointed him as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. The pope has referred to Peru as his “homeland”; prior to leading the Diocese of Chiclayo he served as a missionary there for years.

Here are photos of Pope Leo in Chiclayo on Nov. 13:

Peruvian dancers perform for Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Peruvian dancers perform for Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV greets Catholics upon his arrival in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds while arriving for Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV waves while processing into Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV processes into Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV prays during Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A woman smiles while attending Pope Leo XIV’s papal Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV visits a chapel dedicated to St. Óscar Romero in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV visits a chapel dedicated to St. Óscar Romero in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians, synodal teams, and pastoral councils at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Crowds gather as Pope Leo XIV speaks to bishops, priests, religious men and women, seminarians, synodal teams, and pastoral councils at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV smiles during a visit to St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV listens during a visit to St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University in Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

On Nov. 15, the Dicastery for Evangelization will celebrate the 10th World Day of the Poor with Mass for people in need in St. Peter’s Basilica. Lunch with Pope Leo XIV will follow a week later on Nov. 22, after his trip in South America.

According to the Vatican, lunch will include ice cream donated by Guttilla Gelateria and will be accompanied by music from the National Fanfare of the Italian Red Cross. At the end, participants will leave with a personal hygiene kit donated by Procter & Gamble.

With Pope Leo completing his tour of South America, he has designated Archbishop Luis Marin de San Martin, OSA, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, to celebrate the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 15.

Free healthcare at the heart of the Vatican Pope Leo XIV visits a new outpatient clinic for people in need in St. Peter’s Square on Nov. 14, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media

Founded in 2015 under Pope Francis, the Madre di Misericordia Clinic, and, since 2025, the San Martino Clinic, continue to offer free medical consultations and medication to the poor and homeless in Rome. During the week of the World Day of the Poor, the clinics will be open for longer hours to provide general and specialist medical visits, cancer screenings, flu vaccines, and blood exams.

Dr. Massimo Ralli, undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, noted that an additional examination room has been added to one of the Vatican health clinics, which are designed for people who “do not have documents and cannot access the Italian healthcare system.”

These two clinics are run by 120 volunteers, including doctors, pharmacists, technicians, and nurses covering 26 specialties. Other volunteers give their time welcoming and talking to those who come to use the services, providing comfort in a nonmedical capacity.

“These people don’t know where to go so they come here and can access specialists in cardiology, ophthalmology, or gastroenterologists,” Ralli explained to EWTN News. The clinics also cover dental problems, because everyone struggles with this, he said, but especially if they do not have the wherewithal to manage the pain, “those who wish to go for job interviews [will struggle getting hired].”

To tackle this, Ralli explained that “if they need new teeth we also help them by covering the cost of new dentures.” Another area the clinics cover is eyesight, because people who cannot see struggle to live a full life “so in this place they can get a visit, and we can also get the glasses.”

On this 10th World Day of the Poor, the Church remembers what St. John Paul II said: “The poor are not a problem to be solved but a people to be welcomed and loved.”

This statement rings true today as the Vatican prepares to welcome around 1,300 of those living on the street to a lunch with the pontiff on Nov. 22. In welcoming those living on the margins as honored guests rather than strangers, the Vatican seeks to embody the spirit of St. Francis and bear witness to the truth that the Lord remains the refuge of the poor.

CHICLAYO, Peru — Pope Leo XIV returned on Friday to his former diocese, where he received an ecstatic welcome and seemed equally moved to be back.

“What a joy it is to return to Chiclayo! It is a blessing for me to be with you once again,” Leo said at the start of his homily at an open-air Mass in an arid plain outside the city.

Then he added a poignant reminder that, despite the hectic pace of his 12-day trip to South America — which has left him seemingly unfazed a week into the journey — he had cancer surgery only a month ago.

“Thank you for your affection, support, and prayers, especially for my health during this time of trial which, with God’s help, I am overcoming,” the pope said. 

Approximately 1 million people lined the pope’s route to the Mass site on the Pampas de Pimentel, and another 500,000 attended the liturgy, according to the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds while arriving for Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Leo served as bishop of Chiclayo for eight years out of two decades in total as a missionary in Peru. He is the first foreign missionary in at least centuries to have been elected to the papacy.

But in his homily, he reminded his congregation that they were all called to evangelize.

“All Christians, whether ordained ministers or lay faithful — regardless of the degree of formation we have received in the faith — are missionary disciples,” the pope said.

For most laity, he said, the task of evangelization takes the form of “the witness of an authentically Christian and coherent life.” 

Pope Leo XIV processes in to Mass near Chiclayo, Peru, Nov. 13, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

The pope said achieving that life “is not merely the fruit of our own will, but it is also a grace for which we must implore the Lord and with which we are called to cooperate through our personal commitment and effort.”

Leo said that good works are a necessary concomitant to evangelization, “because the proclamation of the faith is linked to charity and the care of those most in need.”

He also stressed that the welcome of the evangelist does not mean suspension of moral rigor, since Jesus “invites us to conform our lives to his in faithful obedience to his commandments.”

“Without truth, love degenerates into mere sentimentality, while truth without love becomes rigid and cold,” the pope said.

Pope Leo XIV spent his first full day in Peru on Nov. 12 meeting with Church leaders and Peruvian citizens, marking an emotional return to the country he called home for years prior to his papacy.

The Holy Father first began serving in Peru in 1985 as Father Robert Prevost. He would remain in the country for years in various roles, eventually being named as the bishop of Chiclayo in 2015.

Leo will spend several days in Peru, concluding his historic South American papal trip there before returning to Rome. He previously visited Uruguay and Argentina as part of the journey.

Here are photos of Pope Leo’s activities in Peru:

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowds gathered outside the archbishop’s palace in Lima, Peru, before meeting with Peruvian bishops on Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Pool Pope Leo XIV meets with Peruvian bishops on Nov. 12, 2026, at the archbishop’s palace in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets with Peruvian bishops on Nov. 12, 2026, at the archbishop’s palace in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Pool Pope Leo XIV meets with Peruvian bishops on Nov. 12, 2026, at the archbishop’s palace in Lima, Peru. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Pool Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during the midday prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV takes part in a midday prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV listens during a public meeting with leaders and citizens on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV greets a woman during a public meeting with leaders and citizens on the challenges and hopes of the Peruvian people in Lima, Peru, Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV arrives at National Stadium in Lima, Peru for a prayer vigil with youth on Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV waves to Catholics at National Stadium in Lima, Peru during a prayer vigil with youth on Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV grows emotional during a prayer vigil with youth at National Stadium in Lima, Peru on Nov. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

Grammy- and Academy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson will usher in the Christmas season at the Vatican with a concert for the poor.

The R&B artist will perform on Dec. 5 at the seventh edition of the Concert with the Poor in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. As in 2025, Pope Leo XIV will attend the concert, which will support approximately 3,000 people in need served by volunteer organizations around Rome.

Hudson will become the first American vocalist to perform at the Christmas concert, singing alongside the renowned priest and composer Monsignor Marco Frisina, Italian actress and singer Serena Autieri, and the choir of the Diocese of Rome. It will also mark Hudson’s second performance at the Vatican, following her 2025 appearance with others at “Grace for the World,” in tribute to Pope Francis, who died earlier that year.

Illuminated drones reproduce Michelangelo’s “Pietà” over St. Peter’s Basilica during the “Grace for the World” concert at the Vatican on Sept. 14, 2025. | Credit: Courtney Mares/EWTN News

The 2025 edition, which hosted a pope for the first time in its history, featured Canadian singer Michael Bublé, who described the experience as an encouragement to others to discuss their Christian faith openly.

“My hope is that there’s a young person who might listen to me today who might be afraid to share their faith or to be open about it, and they look at me and they say, ‘Wow, look at Bublé. He’s not afraid to share it,’ and maybe it will give them the strength to do the same,” Bublé told EWTN News.

Andrea Bocelli during his performance at the “Canticle of Peace” before Pope Leo XIV and the young people gathered at the Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo on July 29, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV has attended at least eight musical events since his election in 2025; his most recent was the “Canticle of Peace” musical prayer service at Castel Gandolfo in July, performed by Andrea Bocelli.

Tickets for the Dec. 5 concert are free, with registration opening on Nov. 19 through the website.

Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to Argentina on Nov. 11 and departed for Peru, his adopted country where he spent years as a bishop and where he will finish his historic South American papal voyage.

The Holy Father spent his last hours in Argentina visiting prisoners at a federal prison complex and holding a public Mass before flying to the Peruvian city of Callao, where he took part in welcoming ceremonies and met with civil authorities.

Here are photos of Pope Leo’s activities in Argentina and Peru on Nov. 11:

Pope Leo XIV walks through the federal prison complex in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV greets an assembly of prisoners at the federal prison complex in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN A prisoner embraces Pope Leo XIV at the federal prison complex in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds outside of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV processes in to Mass in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina, on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with Argentine President Javier Milei as the Holy Father departs after a three-day trip to the country on Nov. 11, 2026, before heading for Peru. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves as he prepares to board a plane for Peru after a three-day trip to Argentina on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV greets the crowds as he steps off the airplane after arriving in Peru on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV is greeted by Peru President Keiko Fujimori upon his arrival in Peru on Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV participates in a welcome ceremony at the Palacio de Gobierno in Lima, Peru, Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV participates in a welcome ceremony at the Palacio de Gobierno in Lima, Peru, Nov. 11, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

Inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, tech leaders, clergy, and educators gathered in Rome for a hackathon to reimagine parish life in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The event “From Roadmap to Practice” was held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross on Nov. 7. Following the annual Builders AI Forum that week, the hackathon focused on developing practical prototypes to address parish needs, including liturgical calendars, accessible Church teaching, and digital evangelization.

The hackathon is also set to expand to the United States. Organized by the Catholic Digital Commons Foundation (CDCF) and the Evangelization Lab, the Virtual-to-Sacramental (V2S) hackathon will be held in 4 U.S. dioceses in early 2027.

Where coding meets faith

According to a Nov. 9 press release, more than 60 people gathered for the hackathon, which focused on both building software and organizing ways to support Catholics in the AI era.

More than 15 digital projects were created during the conference, from a digitized Roman martyrology to a database for religious orders.

Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, promoter general for Social Communication of the Order of Preachers, was part of a team that created a database that lets him access documents from his order dating back centuries.

The hackathon “From Roadmap to Practice” was held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross on Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father John D’Orazio

“Typical PDF searches are complex, inefficient, and often incomplete,” Briscoe said. “I teamed up with a developer who, in a few hours, allowed me to tap into hundreds of years of documents to get access to our own resources for formation, content creation, and governance.”

Other projects built included AI-governance tools for parishes, a lunch sign-up sheet for a Roman seminary, and a digitized version of the Roman martyrology.

Keeping the human at the center of American parish life

A central focus of the hackathon was how to implement AI and other technologies into parish life, including in the U.S. in 2027.

Taylor Black, executive director of the Leonum Institute at The Catholic University of America, emphasized that the Church under Pope Leo XIV needed to embrace its vocation to build in the digital age.

“Pope Leo emphasizes the builder’s vocation in the Church, and it starts with sitting down with the people who do the work and creating something they can try together,” Black said.

Participants in the hackathon “From Roadmap to Practice” pictured at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father John D’Orazio

José Manuel De Urquidi, founder of the Evangelization Lab, expressed his hope that bishops in the U.S. would support the initiative, which he believes will address the challenge of encountering Christ online but not within Catholic communities.

“[The bishops] not only have to bless it but also support it, because the Church as an institution can be slow and risk-averse,” Urquidi said. “A hackathon brings a few involved Catholics and a coder to the same table for a whole day, and by evening they have something they can actually try in real life.”

Sister Nancy Usselmann, FSP, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, said the hackathon, her first ever, revealed the potential for collaboration between Church and tech leaders to spread the Gospel.

“This was my first hackathon — a phenomenal learning experience of profound collaboration between pastoral leaders and builders,” Usselmann told EWTN News. “It helped all of us to imagine possibilities, develop opportunities, and create collaborative relationships for the Gospel.”

Amid the ongoing armed conflict in the Holy Land, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, will make a pastoral visit to the region on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

The Italian cardinal will visit Israel and Palestine from Nov. 16–21. According to a press release from his dicastery, Gugerotti will visit the Catholic communities in these regions to bring them “the expression of the Holy Fatherʼs closeness” as they continue to navigate ongoing casualties from the war and a diminished Christian population.

According to the press release, Israel’s overall Christian communities remain low in terms of population, with approximately 185,000 citizens, equal to 1.9% of the country’s population. Catholics, most of whom belong to the Greek Melkite Church, comprise a majority of these citizens.

The ongoing war in Gaza has also influenced Christian emigration from these lands, particularly from Palestine. In the West Bank, according to the release, Catholics number 35,000 out of 3.5 million people, and there are only 500 Christians in the entire Gaza Strip.

During Gugerotti’s visit, he will meet with the Israeli and Palestinian Catholic communities and celebrate Mass at major Christian sites in the Holy Land, including those in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Galilee.

The cardinal will also visit the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, and the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian. In the press release, the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches said that these pastoral and ecumenical visits would “represent the Holy Fatherʼs solidarity and the concrete support of the entire Church for the brothers and sisters of the Holy Land.”

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Octavi Vilà Mayo of Girona, Spain, as the new archbishop of Barcelona, succeeding Cardinal Juan José Omella, who turned 80 in April.

This is the first in what is expected to be a long list of pending episcopal appointments in the Catholic Church in Spain. With Barcelona now filled, attention turns again to Girona — a diocese in eastern Spain — which was without a bishop for more than two years before Vilà’s arrival and is now once again awaiting a new shepherd.

The bishop who entered a monastery at age 45

Born in 1961, Vilà entered the Spanish Monastery of Santa Maria of Poblet in 2005 and made his solemn profession on Aug. 15, 2010. Five years later, he was elected abbot, a position to which he was reelected until 2021, when he reached the canonical age limit.

Holding a degree in geography and history and a diploma in library and information science from the University of Barcelona, he was appointed bishop of Girona by Pope Francis in February 2024 and was ordained bishop in Girona Cathedral on April 21, 2024.

Within the Spanish bishops’ conference, he serves as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life. His episcopal motto, “Lead in Order to Serve,” comes from an expression of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

In a letter to his new diocese, Vilà said he had been called by Pope Leo XIV “to share with you a part of the journey toward the Kingdom of God” and expressed his intentions: “I come to Barcelona ready to work courageously for the future of our Church and to do so together with each and every one of you.”

He also underscored the need to “live the faith in communion,” praised the richness of charisms in the Archdiocese of Barcelona, encouraged Catholics never to “give up evangelizing” and to do so “through our lives, through our words, and by living the faith consistently.”

Drawing on his monastic experience, he encouraged his new flock to keep Christ as their “center, model, and goal” and to cultivate intimacy with the Lord.

Before concluding, Vilà entrusted himself “to the many saints our archdiocese has produced throughout the centuries and especially to the martyrs who, both in ancient times and in the 20th century, are a source of inspiration for all of us.”

An Aragon native who arrived in Barcelona by way of Zaire Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop emeritus of Barcelona, photographed in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 28, 2017. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

With this appointment, the long pastoral ministry of Omella comes to an end. Born in the Aragonese town of Cretas in 1946, he studied at the Seminary of Zaragoza and at the formation centers of the White Fathers in Leuven and Jerusalem before being ordained a priest in 1970.

He served in various pastoral roles in the Archdiocese of Zaragoza during his early years as a priest, including a year as a missionary in Zaire. In 1996 he was named auxiliary bishop of Zaragoza and three years later was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón.

Between 2001 and 2003, he also served as apostolic administrator of the dioceses of Huesca and Jaca. In 2004 he was appointed bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño, where he remained until the end of 2015, when he was named archbishop of Barcelona.

A trusted collaborator of Pope Francis

Following Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and the election of Pope Francis, Omella’s presence in Roman institutions steadily increased. In 2014 he joined the Congregation, now Dicastery, for Bishops, where he served until June 2026. He has also been a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.

That same year, he was created a cardinal by Pope Francis, and in October 2018 he joined the Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops. In March 2023 he was appointed to the Council of Cardinals, the advisory body established by Pope Francis.

In Spain, he was elected president of the Spanish bishops’ conference from 2020 to 2024, years marked by the parliamentary investigation into abuse committed within the Catholic Church. Earlier, he had served as a member of its executive committee, on various commissions, and as national ecclesiastical adviser to Manos Unidas — a nongovernmental organization of the Catholic Church in Spain for development cooperation — from 1999 to 2005.

In a letter addressed to the faithful of Barcelona, the cardinal said that “the arrival of a new bishop is always a moment of grace for a diocese. People change, new stages begin, but the one Shepherd of the Church, Jesus Christ, remains.”

He also emphasized that welcoming the new prelate “also means being ready to walk with him” and therefore urged the faithful to offer their fullest cooperation.

‘In love with this land and its people’

“I feel that I leave deeply in love with this land and its people,” Omella said after the appointment of his successor was announced. During a public appearance, he revealed that he will not remain in Barcelona but will retire to a priests’ residence in Zaragoza: “I am not staying in Barcelona because I do not want to cast a shadow.”

Asked by journalists to assess his years in Barcelona, which were marked by strong political and religious tensions in society, the cardinal declined to offer a personal evaluation. However, he said that in the face of these difficulties he had sought “to bring opposing sides together, that is, to build bridges and foster dialogue.”

Of his successor, he said he is “a simple man with a solid intellectual formation. ... A man of prayer, a man who loves this land and its people, and who wants to evangelize.”

‘I neither confirm nor deny it’

Asked whether he had played any role in promoting Vilà’s appointment, the cardinal replied that if he answered, “it might seem that I am revealing secrets. I neither confirm nor deny it.”

“Who was the person I had in mind and proposed as my successor? I cannot say. Who was the person I had in mind as pope when I entered the conclave? I cannot say that either. But I had a second choice, and it was the same person who was ultimately elected,” he said, referring to Pope Leo XIV.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV marked two full days in Argentina with several Masses and meetings with Catholic leadership along with a youth vigil and a celebration of vespers.

The pope will finish his Argentinian visit on Nov. 11 and fly to Peru, his adopted country where he spent years as a bishop and where he will finish out his historic South American trip. The Holy Father already visited Uruguay at the outset of his journey.

Here are some photos of Pope Leo’s activities in Argentina.

Javier Milei, president of Argentina, welcomes Pope Leo XIV at airport in Buenos Aires on Nov. 8, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV visits on Nov. 9, 2026 the staff and residents of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, a residential institution in Argentina inspired by St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV visits on Nov. 9, 2026 the staff and residents of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, a residential institution in Argentina inspired by St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV visits on Nov. 9, 2026 the staff and residents of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole, a residential institution in Argentina inspired by St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, an Italian priest from Turin who founded a network of charitable institutions dedicated to caring for people whom society often neglected, especially people with disabilities, the poor, and chronically ill. | Credit: Vatican Media About 2.5 million faithful gather for Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at the Monument de los Españoles in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 9, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during the celebration of vespers with the Argentine bishops on Nov. 9, 2026, at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Buenos Aires, Argentina. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV arrives in Córdoba, Argentina, Nov. 10, 2026. The Holy Father came to Argentina as part of his whirlwind 12-day papal trip to South America. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV is greeted by youth after arriving in Córdoba, Argentina, Nov. 10, 2026. The Holy Father came to Argentina as part of his whirlwind 12-day papal trip to South America. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds in Córdoba, Argentina, Nov. 10, 2026. The Holy Father came to Argentina as part of his whirlwind 12-day papal trip to South America. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowds as he processes in for Mass in Córdoba, Argentina, on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba, Argentina, on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba, Argentina, on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba, Argentina, on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds in Córdoba, Argentina, on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets with bishops, clergy, religious, seminarians, and pastoral workers outside Córdoba’s cathedral in Argentina on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV meets with bishops, clergy, religious, seminarians, and pastoral workers outside Córdoba’s cathedral in Argentina on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV greets a Catholic woman while meeting with bishops, clergy, religious, seminarians, and pastoral workers outside Córdoba’s cathedral in Argentina on Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV holds a candle during a youth vigil at the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV participates in a youth vigil at the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 10, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

Throughout the last two millennia, the Catholic Church has only granted the title “doctor of the Church” to 38 saints, one of whom we celebrate today on Nov. 10: St. Leo the Great, the 45th bishop of Rome.

Pope Leo I, who was the first pope to be remembered posthumously as “the Great,” began his papacy in 440 and served until his death in 461. During his pontificate, he worked to clarify doctrines related to Christ’s human and divine natures.

The pontiff was a “pope-theologian, but he’s also known as a remarkable bishop,” Thomas Clemmons, a professor of Church history at The Catholic University of America, told EWTN News, adding that “theologian popes are rare.”

St. Leo’s papacy began nine years after the Council of Ephesus, which condemned Nestorius and the heresy of Nestorianism, leading many of Nestorius’ followers to schism. The heresy rejected the close union of Christ’s human and divine natures and rejected the Marian title of “Theotokos,” or God-bearer, claiming that Mary only gave birth to Christ’s human nature.

Rising out of the Nestorian schism were more Christological conflicts over the relationship between Christ’s humanity and divinity. Eutyches, an opponent of Nestorius, went too far in the opposite direction, claiming that Christ’s human and divine natures were fused into one single nature. His human nature, Eutyches claimed, was “dissolved like a drop of honey in the sea.”

This heretical understanding, according to Clemmons, turned Christ into a “third thing” or a “kind of monster” rather than the Catholic understanding of Christ as “one Person” with “complete and true humanity and complete and true divinity.”

To combat Eutyches’ error, Pope Leo wrote a letter to Flavian I, the archbishop of Constantinople, which clarified the hypostatic union of Christ’s distinct human nature and distinct divine nature. The letter, which became known as “Leo’s Tome,” is the pontiff’s most famous work and set the stage for defining Christological doctrines at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

“Both natures retain their own proper character without loss: and as the form of God did not do away with the form of a slave, so the form of a slave did not impair the form of God,” Pope Leo wrote in the letter.

“From the mother of the Lord was received nature, not faultiness: nor in the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin’s womb, does the wonderfulness of his birth make his nature unlike ours,” the letter continued. “For he who is true God is also true man: and in this union there is no lie, since the humility of manhood and the loftiness of the Godhead both meet there.”

In emphasizing the fullness of Christ’s human nature in the letter, Leo cites the genealogy of Christ listed in the Scripture, along with his human experiences, particularly suffering and death on the cross: “Let [Eutyches] not disbelieve [Christ is a] man with a body like ours, since he acknowledges [Christ] to have been able to suffer: seeing that the denial of his true flesh is also the denial of his bodily suffering.”

Leo emphasized the words of the Creed when emphasizing the fullness of Christ’s divine nature, stating: “Not only is God believed to be both Almighty and the Father, but the Son is shown to be co-eternal with him, differing in nothing from the Father because he is God from God, Almighty from Almighty, and being born from the Eternal One is co-eternal with him.”

The pontiff bolstered his argument with citations from Scripture that point to the fullness of Christ’s divine nature and the fullness of his human nature.

“To be hungry and thirsty, to be weary, and to sleep, is clearly human,” Leo said. “But to satisfy 5,000 men with five loaves, and to bestow on the woman of Samaria living water, droughts of which can secure the drinker from thirsting any more, to walk upon the surface of the sea with feet that do not sink, and to quell the risings of the waves by rebuking the winds, is, without any doubt, divine.”

Clemmons praised Leo’s Tome as a “simple and clear text” that is “very readable and very instructional now,” even more than 1,500 years later.

At the time, however, the letter was met with hostility from supporters of Eutyches’ position in Constantinople: “[It was] sent there, read aloud, and they rejected it,” Clemmons said. Emperor Theodosius II convened the faux Second Council of Ephesus in 449, which rejected St. Leo’s letter and defended Eutyches. The supporters of Eutyches brutally assaulted Archbishop Flavian I for defending St. Leo’s position, deposed him, and sent him into exile. He died from his injuries.

St. Leo referred to the council as the “Latrocinium,” the “robber council,” and in 451 the Church convoked the Council of Chalcedon, which defined clearly the hypostatic union of Christ’s human and divine natures and rejected the Second Council of Ephesus.

Chalcedon Council documents cite Leo’s letter and affirm his teachings on the two natures of Christ, stating that Christ “must be confessed to be in two natures, unconfusedly, immutably, indivisibly, inseparably [united] … without the distinction of natures being taken away by such union.”

When speaking to a general audience in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI referred to St. Leo the Great as one of the greatest popes in the history of the Church.

“As the nickname soon attributed to him by tradition suggests, he was truly one of the greatest pontiffs to have honored the Roman See and made a very important contribution to strengthening its authority and prestige,” Benedict said.

This story was first published on Nov. 10, 2023, and was updated on Nov. 10, 2026.

The Catholic Church’s highest appeals court has strongly condemned the practice of publishing online lists of priests “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors in a judicial decision published in a law journal last month.

The June 2025 decision — on an action for defamation — was made available in English in October through the canon law journal of St. Paul University in Ottawa and first reported by Catholic World Report.

It has become increasingly common for Catholic dioceses and religious orders, especially in the United States, to publish lists of clerics accused of the abuse of minors, apart from judicial processes to determine guilt. In some cases, the names of deceased clerics have also been included.

The Tribunal of the Roman Rota criticized this practice in a June 26, 2025, decision on a defamation suit.

We “cannot believe … that there is nothing illegitimate in a powerful institution announcing to the whole world that a determined private person has committed a grave delict of which that person has never been convicted nor even accused in a trial,” the Roman Rota wrote.

“For if such an act were not illegitimate,” the court continued, “the good name of all persons would be simply deprived of every protection of law and all would lie open to the snares of extortionists of every kind.”

In the sentence, the Roman Rota found a Catholic religious congregation in the United States guilty of the defamation of a person, identified as Mr. X, for having made public on its website in 2015 that it “deemed credible” allegations by two people that Mr. X had sexually abused them when he was their formator in the 1980s. The religious order also published a press release stating that Mr. X had “abused” students and that the accusations were “substantiated.” (The head of the religious order, when interrogated by the court, said the accusations had been deemed substantiated after they were investigated by a private investigation firm decades after their alleged occurrence.)

Mr. X has never been convicted or charged of a delict (crime) by the Church or by the state, according to the religious congregation. And at the time the religious congregation published the accusations against Mr. X, he was no longer under its jurisdiction, since in 2002, he received permission from the Holy See to return to the lay state and be dispensed from religious vows. He later married and worked in a secular career.

The man, who has insisted on his innocence, asked repeatedly for the notice to be taken down, but the religious congregation refused, and Mr. X subsequently lost his job and his marriage ended. He brought an action against his former religious order within the Church’s legal system claiming that the religious order’s decision to publish his name in connection with the serious crime of abuse caused him unjustifiable harm. He also sought repair for damages.

The Roman Rota in its decision quoted canon 220 of the Code of Canon Law: “No one is permitted to harm illegitimately the good reputation which a person possesses nor to injure the right of any person to protect his or her own privacy.”

“The right to good reputation, because it is ordered to protecting each one’s friendly intercourse in society, is founded upon the natural law itself and is explained in moral theology under the rubric of the eighth precept of the Decalogue. For the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches under No. 2477: ‘Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and every word which may cause unjust harm to them,’” the decision said.

The court said it considered the harm caused by online publications of lists of alleged crimes “infinitely” greater than publication in a book or physical document “since this publication is made to the whole world at once, namely to all human beings dwelling everywhere in all regions of the world.”

The Rota said such a practice is “not in conformity with the principles and norms of the Church’s juridic order” and that some Church institutions have already been informed of this but have “persisted despite the warnings.”

It also disagreed with the argument that such lists are necessary to counter the harm done by years of improper responses to the sexual abuse of children by Church members.

“Reparation for evil deeds cannot be had by doing evil to others,” the court wrote. “Past injustice towards little ones cannot be repaired by committing injustice towards adults, the elderly, the deceased,” who have never been convicted or had charges brought against them in a Church or civil court.

“The Tribunal of the Roman Rota ordinarily acts as an appellate court of higher instance at the Apostolic See, with the purpose of safeguarding rights within the Church; it fosters unity of jurisprudence and, by virtue of its decisions, provides assistance to lower tribunals,” according to the Vatican website.

Ahead of World Fisheries Day, observed annually on Nov. 21, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has released a message calling the global community to look past commercial statistics and recognize the profound human dignity, deep-seated faith, and daily hardships of the world’s fishers and their families.

Rooted in a tradition established globally in 1997, this yearʼs Vatican message connects the historical struggles of maritime workers with timeless spiritual truths. Issued by the dicastery’s new prefect, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, the text reflects on the Gospel account of the risen Lord waiting on the shores of Lake Tiberias, offering weary fishermen and women the invitation to “Come and have breakfast.”

Smerilli uses this biblical imagery to remind the faithful that Christ is not indifferent to human toil but actively waits on the shores of everyday life, attentive to the exhaustion, anxieties, and concrete needs of those who labor upon the waters.

In the message, Smerilli stresses that the Church must cultivate a culture of encounter that translates spiritual closeness into tangible action.

First, she urges society to truly see the person behind the profession. Fishers are frequently reduced to mere cogs in the global commercial food industry, yet their lives involve immense sacrifice, isolation, and risk. This vision must explicitly encompass often-overlooked members of the fishing community, including the women who labor behind the scenes to process and market the catch, young people navigating an uncertain professional future in maritime trades, and migrant fishers who often face systemic exploitation far away from their homelands and support systems.

Building upon Christ’s gesture of lighting a fire on the shore to comfort his disciples, in the message, the Vatican issues a passionate plea to protect life at sea and on the coast. This defense of human dignity requires practical safeguards: ensuring vessels are safe and seaworthy, guaranteeing fair wages and legal contracts, providing adequate times for proper rest, and maintaining a constant remembrance of those who have lost their lives or gone missing while harvesting the bounty of the sea.

Finally, the Vatican calls upon local Christian communities and the global Church to remain close to fishers through every phase of their lives — from the initial recruitment and departure to the eventual homecoming. No worker should be left to face isolation, workplace injury, psychological trauma, or the vulnerabilities tied to changing economic conditions alone, it says.

Concluding her message with a heartfelt prayer to Mary, Star of the Sea, Smerilli invokes divine protection and guidance, praying that humanity may learn to embrace one another with the same proactive, restorative love that Christ showed his disciples on the shores of Galilee.

The Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome will begin restoration of its Pauline Chapel, a significant work of early Baroque architecture.

The basilica announced plans to restore the chapel’s artwork in a press release on Nov. 6. The project, set to begin on Nov. 16, is one of several in an extensive conservation campaign. During work, the chapel will be closed to the public for 90 days.

Ceiling of the Pauline Chapel at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major

As one of Rome’s four major basilicas, the basilica is reputed to be the oldest shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Western Hemisphere, built shortly after the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431, which defined the doctrine of Mary as Mother of God.

The project will also be carried out in collaboration with the Governorate of Vatican City State and will focus on the chapel dome and its surrounding frescoes.

Papal devotion and the ‘Salus Populi Romani’ icon

The Pauline Chapel also houses the ancient Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” (“Salvation of the Roman People”), depicting Mary and the Christ child.

Tradition holds that St. Luke the Evangelist made the icon. Since its creation, popes have venerated it with liturgical processions and ornate decorations, including St. Gregory the Great and Venerable Pius XII. In 1615, Pope Paul V built an ornate chapel in St. Mary Major to house the icon and solemnly transferred it there.

Pope Francis kneels in prayer before the revered Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani” at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, April 12, 2025. | Credit: Holy See Press Office

Pope Francis was noted for venerating the icon before and after every apostolic journey, visiting it 126 times in his 12-year pontificate. His tomb, placed near the chapel, was made at the pope’s express request to be buried near the icon.

A project to restore Baroque architecture

According to the basilica’s press release, Paul V, after whom the basilica is named, commissioned notable artists in 17th-century Rome to decorate the chapel.

A pictorial cycle surrounding the “Salus Populi Romani” icon centers on the Virgin Mary as mother of the Church. Created from 1610–1612, it involved artists Giovanni Baglione, Lodovico Cardi, Guido Reni, and Giuseppe Cesari.

A prominent feature of the cycle is Cardi’s “Assumption of the Virgin.” Here, the Virgin stands atop a naturalistic moon, inspired by telescopic images by renowned astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610.

“The Assumption of the Virgin,” created by Lodovico Cardi, is on the ceiling of the Pauline Chapel at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major

The basilica is also undergoing restoration of the “Confessio” chapel beneath the high altar. As a result, the reliquary of the Holy Crib — containing pieces of wood reputed to come from the manger where Christ was born — has been moved to a side chapel in the right aisle for veneration from Oct. 15 to Dec. 24.

Chapel of the Confessio, which houses a reliquary of the Holy Crib, under the high altar of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged practicing Catholics in a secular society, and especially young people, to keep their faith strong and to live in virtuous ways that can attract people to the Church.

The pope made his remarks at an evening prayer vigil in a stadium in Uruguay’s capital, with about 70,000 people in attendance. Local authorities estimated that another 30,000 people were following the event nearby.

Uruguay is one of Latin Americaʼs most secular societies, where a majority of people have no affiliation with organized religion and the official state calendar has renamed Catholic holidays with secular terms, such as substituting Tourism Week for Holy Week.

Leo said the experience of faithful Uruguayan Catholics “can help brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who are beginning to discover, in different ways, what it means to be a minority.”

The pope consoled Uruguayan Catholics for their small numbers, noting that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was proverbially small and that, in the Eucharist, “the Lord of the universe is present under the humble appearances of bread and wine.”

Yet he said that Christians can draw others into their ranks by behaving in exemplary ways.

“Perhaps there are people who would never open a Bible on their own, who have not set foot in a church in years, or who cannot even say whether they believe in God. But when they see you, the desire for God may be awakened in them; they may even discover that it is worth risking their lives to find him,” the pope said.

“Christ did not call us to mediocrity,” Leo said. He urged his listeners to pursue excellence in the pursuit of holiness.

“When being just and honest comes at a price, pay it. When forgiving seems like a defeat, forgive. When everyone tells you to think of yourselves first, do not be afraid to put yourselves in the last place,” he said.

“Be willing to give up time, money, comfort and plans to serve others. May those who see you find themselves asking: ‘Why do they live in this way? Where do they get this freedom? Why do they love one another so much?’”

The vigil ended with a spectacular fireworks display.

Earlier, the pope spoke at the Catholic University of Uruguay, where he shared thoughts on the intellectual formation of young people in the Church.

“Our Catholic education cannot be confined to a closed circle. Rather, it must learn to listen to families, civil society, political and administrative authorities, as well as representatives of the various economic sectors and professional groups,” Leo concluded.

But he warned that “generations are changing far more rapidly than in the past and that keeping pace with the times — without abandoning sound tradition — is a real challenge.”

The pope was scheduled to leave Uruguay on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.

Pope Leo XIV held a papal Mass, visited with several Catholic groups and communities, and presided over a prayer vigil in Uruguay on Nov. 7, the first full day of his historic trip to South America.

The pope arrived in Uruguay on Nov. 6 and was scheduled to leave the country on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.

Here are photos of Pope Leo’s activities in Uruguay:

Pope Leo XIV boards the papal plane en route to Uruguay for the first leg of his 12-day trip to South America, Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves as he boards the papal plane en route to Uruguay for the first leg of his trip to South America, Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists aboard the papal plane from Rome to Montevideo, Uruguay, alongside Montse Alvarado (left), prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, and Matteo Bruni (right), director of the Holy See Press Office, at the start of his papal journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, on Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV waves as he exits the plane after landing in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV addresses Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi and other dignitaries in the country’s capital in Montevideo on Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV participates in vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Sts. Philip and James in Montevideo, Uruguay, Nov. 6, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Catholics gather for Mass as part of Pope Leo XIVʼs official visit to Uruguay at Parque Paris Londres on Nov. 07, 2026 in Paysandú, Uruguay. Pope Leo XIV is on his first trip to South America as pope, where he is visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on a 10-day trip. | Credit: Sandro Pereyra/Getty Images Pope Leo XIV waves to crowds as he arrives for the papal Mass at Parque París Londres, Paysandú, Uruguay, Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images Pope Leo XIV opens Mass at Paris Londres Park in Paysandu, on Nov. 7, 2026. Pope Leo XIV arrived in Uruguay on November 6, to start an ambitious 11-day tour of South America, which will continue with visits to Argentina and Peru, just a few weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. | Credit: Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images Pope Leo XIV holds a crozier aloft at the papal Mass at Parque París Londres, Paysandú, Uruguay, Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV delivers the homily at the papal Mass in Paysandú, Uruguay, Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV walks alongside Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo, during a visit to the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Casavalle neighborhood of Montevideo on Nov. 7, 2026. | Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images Pope Leo XIV greets faithful during a visit to the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Casavalle neighborhood of Montevideo on Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images Pope Leo XIV arrives for a prayer vigil for young people at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Pope Leo XIV appears on giant screens as he leads a prayer vigil for young people at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Leonardo Carreño/AFP via Getty Images Pope Leo XIV speaks while leading a prayer vigil for young people at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 7, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV, speaking to residents of a disadvantaged neighborhood in Uruguay’s capital on Nov. 7, drew attention to one of Latin America’s most urgent social problems: violent crime.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there are children in Uruguay who do not go to school for fear of never returning home,” the pope said.

“In a country as rich in resources as this, children should never have to go to bed hungry or be denied the chance of a decent education and a dignified future because of the insecurity that reigns in the streets. Much less should they have to suffer violence to the point of losing their lives.”

Leo made his remarks in a speech to members of a Catholic parish in Casavalle, a lower-income neighborhood in northern Montevideo.

Violent crime is a pressing problem across Latin America, much of it driven by the drug trade and other organized crime. UN figures put the homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean at roughly four times the global level, the highest of any world region.

In his brief talk, Leo cited Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), emphasizing that the man helped by the Samaritan was a victim of violent crime, since he “fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead.”

The pope lamented that “this story is repeated today in the widespread insecurity and violence that unfortunately threaten the peace of our neighborhoods and even the lives of our loved ones, and all too often society responds with indifference,” like those who passed by the beaten man before the Samaritan helped him.

“Yet we can see another side: the actions of many institutions and people of goodwill who foster peace and offer practical assistance to those in need,” Leo said.

He pointed to the testimonies of hardship and hope recounted by parish members just before he made his own remarks. The pope also acknowledged the U.S.-based Papal Foundation for its financial support for building houses for needy members of the parish.

“We must work together: the Church, civil society and the State. We need to shake off our apathy and advocate for the common good,” the pope said. “Let us therefore unite our efforts and respond generously to the call to build together a homeland of brothers and sisters.”

The pope was scheduled to leave Uruguay on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.