VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday that the Church cannot be understood solely from a human perspective, but rather as the fruit of God’s plan of love for humanity realized in Christ. He also emphasized that this does not imply the spiritual superiority of the Church’s members.

“An ideal and pure Church, separated from the earth, does not exist; only the one Church of Christ, embodied in history,” the Holy Father affirmed at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 4.

The pope continued his catechesis on the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium, one of the pillars of the Second Vatican Council, in which the Church is described as “a complex reality.”

However, he clarified that this complexity does not mean the Church is “complicated” or difficult to explain. Rather, the Latin meaning of the word “complex” refers to “the orderly union of different aspects or dimensions within the same reality.”

The pope noted that the Church is “a well-organized body, in which the human and divine dimensions coexist without separation and without confusion.”

‘Both human and divine’

Leo pointed out that the Church’s human dimension is immediately perceptible, since it is “a community of men and women who share the joy and struggle of being Christians, with their strengths and weaknesses, proclaiming the Gospel and becoming a sign of the presence of Christ who accompanies us on our journey through life.”

Yet this aspect, even together with its institutional organization, is not sufficient to describe the Church’s true nature, because it also has a divine dimension. This, he explained, “does not consist in an ideal perfection or spiritual superiority of its members, but in the fact that the Church is generated by God’s plan for humanity, realized in Christ.”

Therefore, the Church is “at the same time an earthly community and the mystical body of Christ, a visible assembly and a spiritual mystery, a reality present in history and a people journeying towards heaven.”

He added that the human and divine dimensions “integrate harmoniously, without one overshadowing the other,” forming a fruitful paradox: “She is a reality that is both human and divine, which welcomes the sinful man and leads him to God.”

To illustrate this condition, the pope referred to the life of Jesus. Those who met Christ along the roads of Palestine experienced “his humanity, his eyes, his hands, the sound of his voice.” Yet through this visible humanity they encountered God, since “Christ’s flesh, his face, his gestures and his words visibly manifest the invisible God.”

In the light of Christ’s reality, the pope said, the Church can be understood more clearly: “When we look at her closely, we discover a human dimension made up of real people, who sometimes manifest the beauty of the Gospel and other times struggle and make mistakes like everyone else.”

Yet “it is precisely through her members and her limited earthly aspects that Christ’s presence and his saving action are manifested,” he added.

No opposition between the Gospel and the Church

Pope Leo recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who stated that there is no opposition between the Gospel and the institution of the Church. Rather, the structures of the Church serve the “realization and concretization of the Gospel in our time.”

The holiness of the Church, he explained, lies in the fact that Christ dwells within her and continues to give himself through the smallness and fragility of her members.

Reflecting on this “perennial miracle,” one can understand what the pope called “God’s method:” God “makes himself visible through the weakness of creatures.”

He also recalled the words of Pope Francis in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium, which invites Christians “to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3:5).”

The Church is built not only by organizing visible structures but by building “that spiritual edifice which is the body of Christ, through communion and charity among ourselves,” Leo said.

He quoted St. Augustine, who emphasized that charity is the heart of ecclesial life: “If only we could all just let our thoughts dwell on the one thing, charity! It’s the only thing, you see, which both surpasses all things, and without which all things worth nothing, and which draws all things to itself, wherever it may be.”

This report was originally published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV told EWTN News he “cannot comment” on Jimmy Lai, the Catholic founder and publisher of the outspoken pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, who was sentenced Feb. 9 on charges Chinese authorities say violate national security laws.

The sentence to 20 years in prison came after his conviction in December, a case his supporters have denounced as a politically driven show trial.

Pope Leo XIV met with Lai’s wife and daughter in October 2025. The pope has not talked about Lai directly but has spoken about imprisoned journalists and the importance of press freedom.

“The Church recognizes in these witnesses — I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives — the courage of those who defend dignity, justice, and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said. “The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.”

The Vatican maintains a delicate relationship with the government of the People’s Republic of China including a provisional agreement regarding the appointment of bishops.

Jimmy Lai. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bradley Foundation

Last year U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to do “everything” to “save” Lai.

Call for peace

The pope also renewed a call for peace and disarmament in remarks Tuesday outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome, before returning to the Vatican.

“Let’s pray for less hatred and more peace. And work for authentic dialogue,” he told reporters.

The pope did not take any questions other than the one regarding Laiʼs imprisonment.

Leo has made it his custom to spend Tuesdays at the country residence and has occasionally taken questions from reporters at the end of his stay. This was the Leo’s first such exchange with the press since Dec. 23, 2025.

A final report from the Synod on Synodality study group on “mission in the digital environment” proposes the possible creation of a dedicated Vatican body to accompany and oversee the theological, pastoral, and canonical challenges that arise online.

The digital mission group is one of 10 study groups established by Pope Francis in 2024 at the conclusion of the first session of the Synod on Synodality, tasked with further examining issues seen as important to the Church’s mission through a synodal lens.

Among its recommendations, the report suggests forming a “Pontifical Commission for Digital Culture and New Technologies” — or an equivalent office or department — that would monitor emerging questions in the digital world; prepare documents, guidelines, and practical handbooks; develop tailored formation strategies for bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople; and support bishops’ conferences as they incorporate digital mission into pastoral planning.

The report emphasizes that these are proposals still subject to further study and discernment, not decisions already taken.

Ethical risks and polarization

The group also highlights ethical risks associated with digital platforms. The report says many participants in an international consultation pointed to the misuse of online platforms for polarization, manipulation, or the spread of false information as a significant challenge for ecclesial life and evangelization.

It specifically urges bishops’ conferences and diocesan digital teams to recognize ethical risks and the potential for polarization — a dynamic the report says often appears to be embedded in social media platforms themselves.

Abuse, doctrinal drift, and algorithmic pressures

The report cautions that those engaged in digital evangelization should be alert to possible abuses of authority, doctrinal drift, sensationalism, and manipulation. It notes that online environments can intensify ideological postures, oversimplify complex debates, and encourage confrontations that weaken ecclesial communion.

It also argues that major platforms “are not neutral,” because algorithm-driven systems can hinder the spread of positive messages while amplifying controversial or divisive content.

Rethinking jurisdiction in a digital culture

A central question raised by the report is how the Church should live its mission in a culture increasingly shaped by digital life. Drawing on a broad consultation involving pastoral workers, experts, and Church realities from across continents, the group gathered experiences, analyzed challenges, and proposed practical recommendations.

One key theme is the need to integrate digital mission into the Church’s ordinary structures rather than treating it as a marginal or parallel activity. The report also calls for deeper reflection on territorial jurisdiction in light of online communities and for stronger formation of pastors and pastoral workers in digital culture.

Possible canonical adaptations

One of the report’s most significant areas of reflection concerns whether the traditional concept of ecclesial jurisdiction — typically tied to geographic territory — may require adaptation to address “supraterritorial” digital realities.

It encourages competent Vatican offices to study and discern possible canonical adaptations, suggesting that the Church’s engagement in digital culture could eventually require some form of non-territorial organization shaped by pastoral relationships rooted in accompaniment.

Formation and spiritual accompaniment

The report proposes differentiated formation strategies based on ecclesial roles, with comprehensive preparation grounded in theology, pastoral ministry, communication, and digital culture — including “training of trainers” models.

It also recommends strengthening spiritual accompaniment and formation for so-called “digital missionaries,” emphasizing discernment and mission, and developing stable structures for spiritual direction and pastoral support. The report adds that digital safety and well-being, along with media literacy, should be more structurally integrated into Catholic education and seminary formation.

The proposals, the report reiterates, are intended as open-ended orientations for further study and discernment, as the Church continues to ask what changes digital culture may require of pastoral approaches historically shaped by territorial boundaries.

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

ROME — United States Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch has defended President Donald Trump’s deportation policies amid criticism from Pope Leo XIV and the U.S. bishops.

“The larger question of immigration is something that will constantly be a source of debate and conversation between the U.S. and the Holy See,” the ambassador acknowledged in an interview with EWTN News’ Colm Flynn and Hannah Brockhaus.

He added that Trump “had the courage to do something very difficult. I think people sometimes underestimate the difficulty of unwinding the chaos that had occurred” in the U.S. immigration system.

Leo has called for migrants to be treated with dignity, using the word “inhuman” to refer to the immigration crackdown in the U.S. He has also supported the U.S. Catholic bishops in their statements opposing the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants who lack legal status.

Burch pushed back on widespread criticism in the U.S. of immigration enforcement, especially following violence in Minneapolis, including the killings of two U.S. citizens.

“The thing that frustrated me is there was a lot of accusations that somehow this was born out of some xenophobia or hate when I know this administration, this president, is deeply committed to protecting the safety and security of our country,” Burch said.

From advocacy to diplomacy

Burch, 50, presented his credentials to Pope Leo on Sept. 13, 2025, beginning his term as ambassador after he was nominated by Trump in December 2024.

From 2005 to early 2025, Burch was president of CatholicVote Civic Action and the CatholicVote Education Fund, organizations dedicated to promoting Catholic engagement in political life.

During his time with CatholicVote, he became a nationally recognized figure in Catholic political advocacy.

When asked about being a so-called MAGA Catholic, he said: “I’m proud of it.”

“I’m proud to have worked to elect this president. I’m proud to have represented [Trump during] what I think was a very important inflection point in our country,” Burch said.

Asked if it was difficult to transition from political advocacy to diplomacy, Burch said while being a diplomat does mean restraining his long-held love for debate, it “doesn’t mean you check your beliefs or your principles at the door.”

“I always liked political debates. I was probably more of a troublemaker sometimes, getting involved in debates and clubs at school … Now I’m a provocateur of a different sense, hopefully in a better way. But I always enjoy the public debate around politics and issues,” he said.

Noting that the Holy See and the U.S. have had full diplomatic relations since 1984, he added that he was stepping “into a position that was bigger than me.”

“Part of my job here is to build consensus, to help the Holy See to understand the policies and aims of the administration, and to build bridges between the two sovereign states,” he said.

He acknowledged the controversy surrounding some of Trump’s foreign policy efforts as well as his immigration policies. But he denied that his job as ambassador is “explaining Trump” to the Vatican. 

“For me, it’s about a set of ideas. It’s about a set of priorities that this president is advancing,” he said.

“It’s explaining why what we’re doing is necessary, is right, is good for the United States, is good for the world. I don’t see a conflict there. I think people want to make it into a personality fight between the pope and the president. That’s not what it’s about,” Burch added.

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch speaks with EWTN News at his residence in Rome on Feb. 26, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News The U.S. and the Catholic Church

Burch rejected the notion that the Vatican is anti-American. “The Holy See and United States share this common bond about truth and justice and human dignity and fundamental understanding of freedom. These are perennial things that transcend politics.”

On the other hand, the ambassador noted that there are “areas of prudential judgment where we may agree on the end but disagree on the means.”

“That’s the case in a lot of different political questions. But I think on the fundamental questions, certainly the protection of life, the importance of the family, the right of parents to direct the education of their children, the need to advance peace and justice around the world, there’s no disagreement between the Vatican and the United States,” he said.

Burch dismissed the suggestion that the pope’s decision not to visit the U.S. this year reflects any friction between the U.S. and the Vatican. The ambassador said he believes one factor was Leo’s desire to avoid the appearance of “attempting to influence the midterm elections.”

The ambassador said he thinks the pontiff will travel to his birth country the following year — “it will undoubtedly be one of the biggest trips he makes as the pope.”

He said it is not just the U.S. that wants to collaborate with the Holy See; the Vatican also seeks out information from the U.S.

“Depending on the conflict, often the United States is at the forefront of trying to drive towards a solution,” he said, explaining that when he meets with representatives of the Holy See, they want to know the latest news about negotiations and terms in countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, and Ukraine.

According to Burch, the Holy See wants to know “how can we help, how can the Holy Father help, can he speak into this, or what role can the Church play in that local conflict?”

How the local Church can help in conflict zones or areas of persecution is “a frequent topic of conversation,” he added. 

“Venezuela is 70% Catholic; the bishops in Cuba are one of the most important voices for the people there. Certainly, the Church in Europe [is important], the Church in the Holy Land sits right between two populations that have been in conflict for centuries,” he elaborated.

“The U.S. really does see the Church as this global actor that has such an important role to play and how we go about trying to solve some of the problems,” he said.

Defending a civilizational idea

According to the ambassador, the current U.S. administration’s project is about asking “What are we fighting for? What are we trying to defend?” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined in his Feb. 14 speech at the Munich Security Conference.

“I think [Rubio] made very clear that we’re defending a heritage, a Western civilizational idea that has informed both the United States and Europe,” Burch said, adding that the Church has guided this idea through its intellectual tradition, history, and moral teaching. 

“We are defending a way of life, a way of life informed by faith and formed by deep principles of human dignity and freedom, without which the world would be chaos,” he opined.

“The Holy See and the U.S. are both aligned — in a larger historical sense — to both defend and recover this heritage that I think has made the world what it is today.”

Pope Leo XIV promulgated new statutes for the Pontifical Academy for Life, recalling that its objective is “the defense and promotion of the value of human life and the dignity of the person.”

The new statutes, which introduce the role of “supporters,” according to Vatican News, the Vatican’s official media outlet, were signed by the Holy Father on Feb. 27 and were released in Italian by the Vatican Press Office on Feb. 28.

“Supporters, subject to approval from the Secretariat of State, are appointed by the board of directors for a three-year term and may be confirmed, upon resolution of the same body, for a maximum of two further consecutive terms,” the new statutes state.

Supporters “are individuals who, identifying with the academy’s institutional purposes, contribute to the advancement of its academic activities. They are persons who do not possess an academic profile but who wish to sustain the objectives promoted by the academy,” the new statutes explain.

The Pontifical Academy for Life was established by Pope John Paul II in 1994 with his motu proprio Vitae Mysterium. In that document, the Polish saint emphasized that “the mystery of life, and of human life in particular, is attracting the increased attention of experts who are drawn by the extraordinary opportunities for investigation that scientific and technological advances offer their research today.”

“This new situation opens up fascinating horizons for intervention at the sources of life itself; it also gives rise to a variety of new moral questions that man cannot ignore without the risk of taking steps that could prove irreversible,” John Paul II warned.

The work on drafting the new document, which updates the statutes approved by Pope Francis in 2016, began “more than a year ago,” the Vatican news outlet added.

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

Pope Leo XIV spent Sunday afternoon with parishioners in Rome’s Quarticciolo neighborhood, meeting young people and families touched by addiction before celebrating Mass and urging Catholics to embrace what he called “the logic of unconditional love.”

The pope arrived shortly before 4 p.m. at the Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ and was welcomed by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, along with the parish pastor and faithful gathered in the courtyard of the oratory.

Leo began by greeting parishioners one by one and then sat down with young people involved in a local initiative known as “Magis.” A message painted on a wall captured the tone of the visit: “Those who love go forward.” One young person described the group’s identity as “fraternity” as the pope exchanged gifts and embraced members of the community.

In remarks during the encounter, Leo spoke of his concern about the conflict in the Middle East, mentioning children killed in the war in Gaza. He also pointed to a local crisis closer to home: drug abuse that, he said, continues to wound the Quarticciolo area. The visit included time with the sick and elderly, as well as mothers of people struggling with addiction, reflecting the neighborhood’s hardships and hopes.

During Mass, the pontiff’s homily turned to the Transfiguration and to Abraham, whom he held up as a model for believers learning to trust God on an uncertain path.

“With Abraham, each of us can recognize ourselves on a journey,” he said, describing life as a road that requires confidence in God’s word — and sometimes the courage to “leave everything.” The temptation, he warned, is to treat uncertainty as something to escape, instead of a place where God’s promise can be discovered.

“It happens every day — because the world thinks this way — that we measure everything, we strain to keep everything under control,” Leo said. “But in this way we lose the chance to discover the true treasure, the precious pearl … which God has hidden in our field as a surprise.”

Reflecting on the disciples and the road to Jerusalem, the pope said their lesson was that true blessing comes only by moving beyond self-protection and accepting what Jesus reveals in the Eucharist: the willingness to offer one’s life for others.

Sunday worship, he added, is not an interruption of that mission but a rest stop that re-centers the journey. The Lord gathers his people, he said, to strengthen them “not to stop and not to change direction.”

Leo also returned to St. Peter’s impulse to “stop” and “control” events — a way of thinking he said can resemble clinging to a dream. The Transfiguration, he said, points instead to the destination: “a new world” filled with light, with the human and divine face of Christ.

For that reason, he told parishioners, the essential task is to listen to Jesus.

“He travels with us, even today, to teach us in this city the logic of unconditional love,” the pope said, calling believers to lay down the defensive posture that can become “an offense.” “Let us listen to him … to become light of the world — beginning with the neighborhood where we live.”

The pope said the Gospel also entrusts the parish with a concrete mission in a place facing “numerous and complex problems”: to cultivate a gaze of faith that “transfigures everything with hope,” and to put “passion, sharing, and creativity” into circulation as a way of tending the neighborhood’s wounds.

He cited the parish’s motto, “Let’s build community,” urging an open-armed welcome “to everyone, truly everyone.” He also highlighted the “Magis” program, linking it to St. Ignatius of Loyola’s call to seek the “more” — a challenge to young people to reject mediocrity and choose a courageous, authentic life rooted in Jesus Christ.

“When we realize that so many things around us are not right, sometimes we start to ask: Does what we’re doing even make sense?” Leo said, warning against discouragement. “It is precisely in the face of the mystery of evil that we must bear witness to our identity as Christians,” he said, by making God’s kingdom visible in the places and times where believers live.

Father Daniele Canali, the parish priest, said the visit was the third by a pope to the community: St. John XXIII came on March 3, 1963, and St. John Paul II visited on Feb. 3, 1980.

Quarticciolo, on Rome’s eastern outskirts, developed as a public housing project between 1939 and 1940 and later became a center of Resistance activity during World War II. The parish was established in 1948, the church completed in 1954, and today it is entrusted to the Dehonians, the Priests of the Sacred Heart founded by Léon Dehon.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV voiced concern on Sunday about developments in the Middle East and Iran, urging the parties involved to stop what he called a “spiral of violence” before it becomes an “unbridgeable chasm.”

“Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” the pope said March 1. He appealed for diplomacy to “regain its proper role,” and for the “well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice,” to be upheld.

The pontiff added: “And let us continue to pray for peace.”

Leo also appealed for peace in the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling for an urgent return to dialogue. He asked Catholics to pray that concord may prevail in conflicts around the world, saying: “Only peace, a gift of God, can heal the wounds between peoples.”

The pope also said he was close to the people of Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais following severe flooding, offering prayers for victims, families who have lost their homes, and those engaged in rescue operations.

Earlier, before reciting the Angelus, the pope reflected on Sunday’s Gospel account of the Transfiguration, describing Christ as the living wisdom who fulfills the Law and the Prophets. He said the Transfiguration foreshadows the light of Easter—an event of death and resurrection, of darkness and new light that Christ radiates on all bodies scourged by violence, crucified by pain, or abandoned in misery.nd resurrection, darkness and new light—shining, he said, upon bodies “scourged by violence,” “crucified by suffering,” and “abandoned in misery.”

Pope Leo said the Lord “transfigures the wounds of history,” illuminating minds and hearts with a surprising revelation of salvation. He added that grasping this mystery requires time: time of silence to listen to the Word, and time of conversion to savor the Lord’s companionship.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV closed the Vatican’s weeklong Lenten spiritual exercises Friday by thanking retreat preacher Bishop Erik Varden and urging those gathered to live out St. Paul’s exhortation to “behave in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”

Speaking at the conclusion of the retreat in the Pauline Chapel on Feb. 27, the pope said Varden’s preaching helped the pope and members of the Roman Curia live “a profound, spiritual” experience at the beginning of Lent, starting Sunday with reflections on “the temptations” and moving through themes including St. Bernard and monastic life.

Leo said he found himself “particularly invited to reflect” at certain moments, including Varden’s recounting of St. Bernard’s reaction to the election of Pope Eugene III: “What have you done? May God have mercy on you.”

The pope also recalled celebrating Mass in the same chapel last May 8 — the day of his election as pope — pointing to an inscription from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, “For to me life is Christ and death is gain,” and said that gathering for prayer during the retreat was an important moment amid the many issues facing the Church.

Leo noted several themes from the week, including a reference to St. John Henry Newman and “The Dream of Gerontius,” which he said uses death and judgment as a prism for confronting fear of death and unworthiness before God. Returning to Philippians after Varden’s final reflection on hope, the pope quoted Paul’s call to live “in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ,” describing it as the Word of God’s invitation at the end of the retreat.

He thanked Varden for his “wisdom” and witness, as well as the Office for Liturgical Celebrations and the choir, saying music aids prayer in a way words cannot.

Earlier Friday, Varden delivered the retreat’s final two talks — the 10th and 11th meditations — focusing on the cross, hope, and the Church’s task of proclaiming Christ in the modern world.

In the morning meditation, Varden drew on St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s treatise “On Consideration,” written for a fellow monk who later became Pope Eugene III. Bernard’s “consideration,” Varden said, involves seeking truth in contingent human affairs. Rather than proposing institutional fixes, Bernard urged the pope to surround himself with good collaborators marked by “proven sanctity, ready obedience, and quiet patience,” people “inclined towards peace and desirous of unity” and “farsighted in counsel.”

Varden said Bernard saw these qualities as perennial for Church leadership, adding that a prelate must be principled, holy, and austere — but also “the Bridegroom’s friend,” delighting to share that friendship with others.

Varden also quoted St. Augustine’s image of episcopal office as a burden: It is fearful, he said, only “if we fail to notice who puts the burden on our shoulders,” because it is a share in Christ’s “sweet yoke,” enabling pastors to discover that the cross entrusted to them “is luminous and light,” and that sharing it can be joyful.

In the afternoon meditation, Varden turned to the Second Vatican Council and St. John XXIII’s opening address, saying the council set the Church the task of proclaiming Christ “clearly and compellingly” as the answer to the age’s urgent questions “without compromising for a moment the sacred deposit of doctrine.”

From there, he argued that Christian hope is not the same as optimism. “To have Christian hope is not necessarily to be an optimist,” he said, describing hope as a determined choice for reality rather than wishful thinking. He pointed to the Passion as the place where God is “at his most active” and said the hope entrusted to Christians is ultimately rooted in resurrection and “a new heaven” and “a new earth.”

Varden warned against the temptation to market “a happier Gospel” in a culture that, he said, repurposes sacred spaces for entertainment while many young people voice a deep sense of being wounded. He said Christ’s passion “lets us lament without rage,” opening the way to compassion and to a recognition that wounds are not final.

“The symbol of Christ’s passion is not one we engender,” he said. “It has been given us. It interprets us, not we it.”

Varden concluded by returning to St. Bernard’s preaching on the eve of Easter, presenting Christian life as a “continuous Lent” oriented toward Christ’s victory over death — and toward a hope of glory that is already hidden within present trials.

A Vatican statement said Varden’s retreat conferences are expected to be published at the end of March as a book.

This story was first published in two parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

A new Vatican stamp issue honoring Ukrainian Catholics marks three major milestones for the Catholic Church in Ukraine, even as the country continues to endure the ongoing war.

The stamp features the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, depicted rising amid the darkness of blackouts caused by Russian bombardments — an image meant to reflect the harsh reality Ukrainians have faced since 2022.

According to the Vatican City State’s Office of Postal and Philately, the special issue commemorates three events “of great spiritual relevance” for Ukraine: the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the Catholic Diocese of Kyiv after the fall of the Soviet Union; the 20th anniversary of the return of the seat of the father and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to Kyiv; and the 12th anniversary of the cathedral’s construction.

The first stamps were issued Thursday, Feb. 26, and presented at an event at the Vatican Museums attended by Archbishop Emilio Nappa, secretary-general of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, father and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Representatives of 20 diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See also attended, along with clergy and members of ecclesial and civil organizations.

Shevchuk said the stamp recalls “the history of martyrdom of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,” which survived persecution and was later reborn, according to a statement from his archbishopric’s secretariat.

Father Felice Bruno, head of the Vatican’s postal and philately service, said the issue is meant to “express closeness and affection” toward a Church that “for centuries has suffered persecutions and trials” and that in the last four years has endured “the very grave consequences of a cruel and dehumanizing war.”

Calling the presentation “a great moment of consolation” for his Church, Shevchuk said: “We feel truly embraced by the Holy See with this particular attention to our history and to our life in this tragic moment of war.”

“It is divine providence that this event takes place in the context of the painful remembrance of the fourth year since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine,” he said.

Reflecting on the Church’s revival after Ukraine’s independence and its return to Kyiv, Shevchuk noted that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church “did not recover any of its old temples but built a new patriarchal cathedral,” which since its consecration on Aug. 18, 2013, has become “a home and refuge for thousands of people,” both during the Revolution of Dignity and throughout the war.

He also pointed to the stamp’s contrast of darkness and evening sky as a sign of hope: “The cathedral dedicated to the Resurrection carries within itself the light that never goes out, the light of the risen Christ.”

“We in Ukraine have hope precisely because we believe in the Resurrection,” Shevchuk said. “That is the message our cathedral — and also this stamp presented today — must convey to a humanity torn by so many conflicts and wars.”

Nappa said the stamp issue is “a sign of recognition for the bond that unites us in faith in God and in sharing the universal human values of peace and fraternity.” He added that the cathedral depicted on the stamp is a symbol of strength and hope, a sign of the light of Christian faith “that never goes out.”

After the remarks, Shevchuk and Nappa unveiled the stamp and carried out its first-day cancellation. Organizers noted it is the first joint philatelic initiative between the Vatican City Governorate and the secretariat of the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Rome.

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

Bishop Erik Varden continued leading the Vatican’s Lenten spiritual exercises on Feb. 26 with meditations on angels, trust in God, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s path from lofty ideals to what Varden described as a realism grounded in mercy.

In his eighth meditation of the retreat, Varden recalled Christ’s temptation in the desert, when the devil cited Psalm 90 while urging Jesus to throw himself from the Temple. “The devil,” Varden said, “took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the Temple,” challenging Christ to prove he is the Son of God by casting himself down, “for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

“God alone may invite us to jump from a pinnacle,” Varden said. “His call, however, will be, ‘Jump into my arms,’ not, ‘Throw yourself down.’”

Angels, he added, are not sent to indulge human whims. “Angelic interventions are not always reassuring,” he said. “The angels are not there to humor us in our caprices.”

Pointing to a traditional prayer to the guardian angel, Varden highlighted what he called “hefty verbs” describing the angel’s mission: to “enlighten, keep, govern, and guide.” He described an angel as a “guardian of holiness.”

Varden linked that angelic mission to monastic life, long understood as “angelic,” he said, because of its orientation toward praise and because the monk is called to be “aflame with God’s love” and to bring that love to others.

He also connected the angels to the Church’s liturgy, saying Christ’s “canticle of praise” resounds through “a pulsating chain of mediation” that rises from the earth to heaven, echoed in the prefaces of the Mass, where the Church joins the angels’ worship.

Citing St. Bernard, Varden emphasized angels as mediators of God’s providence — while noting that God can act directly but also “delights” in letting his creatures become “channels of grace” for one another.

He quoted Bernard’s counsel to imitate an angel’s movement between charity and contemplation: “Descend, and show mercy to your neighbor; next, in a second movement, letting the same angel elevate your desires, use all the cupiditas of your soul to rise towards the most high and eternal truth.” Varden said Bernard’s language suggests that human yearnings — including embodied desires — are drawn toward fulfillment in God and must be guided toward him.

Varden said the angels’ “last, most decisive act of charity” will come at the hour of death, when they will bear the faithful “through this world’s veil into eternity.” In that moment, he said, “all pretense will fall … Rhetoric will fail. Only truth will stand and sound, attuned to mercy.”

In his ninth meditation, Varden turned again to Bernard, describing how the Cistercian movement was forged between “the ideal and the concrete” and how Bernard’s early intransigence was “sweetened over time,” turning “the idealist into a realist.”

Quoting psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, Varden noted that “‘the real’ is what we butt against” but said Bernard’s realism was not simply acceptance of facts. “He learnt above all that the deepest reality of all human affairs is a cry for mercy,” Varden said.

He tied that realism to Bernard’s devotion to the holy name of Jesus, quoting Bernard’s words to his monks: “Every food of the mind … is dry if it is not dipped in that oil; it is tasteless if not seasoned by that salt. Write what you will, I shall not relish it unless it tells of Jesus. Talk or argue about what you will, I shall not relish it if you exclude the name of Jesus. Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart.”

Varden concluded by quoting Bernard’s early biography, the “Vita Prima”: “He was … at freedom with himself,” adding that a man or woman who is truly free is “glorious to behold.”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Falls can humble people when they are “puffed up,” showing God’s power to save, and can become “milestones on a personal journey of salvation, to be recalled gratefully,” Bishop Erik Varden said during this week’s Lenten retreat for Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia.

Yet, he warned, “we cannot afford to be gullible.”

“Not every fall ends in exhilaration,” Varden said in the sixth meditation of the retreat, delivered in the Pauline Chapel at the Vatican. “There are falls that reek hellishly, bringing destruction to the guilty and carrying ruin in their wake. That wake is often broad and long, pulling in many innocents.”

Varden pointed to the grave harm caused by wrongdoing within the Church itself.

“Nothing has done the Church more tragic harm, and compromised our witness more, than corruption arisen within our own house,” he said. “The worst crisis of the Church has been brought on, not by secular opposition, but by ecclesiastical corruption. The wounds inflicted will take time to heal. They call out for justice and for tears.”

Facing corruption — “especially when we confront abuse” — Varden said it can be tempting to search for a single “diseased root” and presume there were early warning signs that were ignored.

“Sometimes these trails exist and we are right to blame ourselves for not having spotted them in time,” he said. “We do not, however, find them always.”

At the same time, he noted that real good can often be recognized in the beginnings of communities later linked with scandal — meaning it is not always accurate to assume “structural hypocrisy from the start.”

“A secular mindset will simplify: When it meets calamity, it designates monsters and victims,” he said. “Happily the Church possesses, when she remembers to use them, more delicate and more effective tools.”

Citing St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Varden said that “where people pursue noble endeavors, enemy attacks will be fierce” and that casualties can be especially numerous where spiritual aspirations are strongest.

Progress in the spiritual life, he continued, “requires a configuring of our physical and affective self attuned to contemplative maturing, else there is danger that spiritual exposure will seek physical or affective release; and that such instances of release are rationalized as if they were, somehow, ‘spiritual’ themselves, more elevated than the misdemeanors of ordinary mortals.”

“The spiritual life is not adjunct to the remainder of existence,” Varden said. “It is its soul. We must beware of all dualism, always remembering that the Word became flesh so that our flesh might be imbued with Logos.”

‘Hidden glory’ even now

In the seventh meditation of the retreat, Varden turned to the theme of glory, reflecting on how many disciples “drew back and no longer went about with” Jesus when his teaching became demanding — including “discourses about sacramental realism, the indissolubility of marriage, the necessity of the cross.”

When Christ was crucified, Varden said, the group that had walked with him “was no more,” and only two followers remained at the foot of the cross: Mary and John. Yet, he added, John’s Gospel insists that “this scene of dereliction manifests Christ’s glory.”

Quoting St. Bernard, Varden said: “‘Glorification’ … ‘happens in the presence of God’s face’ when, our earthly voyage done, we shall at last behold what in this life we have firmly hoped for, putting our trust in Jesus’ name.”

“Our hope is in the name of the Lord; the reality hoped for will be revealed face to face,” he said.

Still, Varden emphasized, a “hidden glory” can be perceived even now. He recalled St. Augustine’s teaching that the image of glory is carried in an “obscure form” in this life, to be revealed “explicit and ‘luminous’” in the next — and that while the glory of that image can never be lost, it can be “buried under accumulating layers of darkness.”

“The Church reminds women and men of the glory secretly alive in them,” Varden said. “She shows us that present mediocrity and despair … need not be final; that God’s plan for us is infinitely lovely; and that God, through Christ’s mystical body, will give us grace and strength, if only we ask.”

He added that the Church manifests the radiance of “hidden glory” in the saints and channels it through the sacraments.

“Any Catholic knows what light can break forth in the confessional, in an anointing, at an ordination or a wedding,” Varden said. “Most splendid, and in some ways most veiled, is the glory of the holy Eucharist.”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV responded to an atheist who paradoxically described himself as someone who “loves God,” explaining to him that “the real problem of faith” isn’t believing or not believing in him but seeking him.

In the February issue of the magazine Piazza San Pietro, the pope answered a man named Rocco from Reggio Calabria, Italy, who asked for help with some questions he had: “How is it possible to consider oneself an atheist and love God? I feel the need to love God, but I consider myself an atheist, or perhaps I think I am, and deep down, am I seeking God?”

To better express what he was going through, Rocco sent the pope the following poem: “I observe nature, spying on every development: the sunrise or its setting on the horizon; the starry sky and the mystery of harmony. I believe that I don’t believe, absolutely certain of nothingness, yet I still yearn for God. My drama is God! My restlessness is God! An atheist who loves God!”

Pope Leo XIV’s response

The Holy Father thanked Rocco for his “beautiful poetry” and shared that it reminded him of a line from St. Augustine’s “Confessions,” his most famous book: “You were within me, and I was outside. And there I sought you.”

In this regard, Pope Leo emphasized that this is enough “to tell you that one cannot be an atheist who loves God, who seeks him with a sincere heart.”

“Recently, several theologians have helped us reflect on how what is important in life is seeking God. Yes, because the real problem of faith isn’t believing or not believing in God, but seeking or not seeking him!” the pope continued.

God, Leo continued, “allows himself to be found by the heart that seeks him, and perhaps the correct distinction to make is not so much between believers and nonbelievers but between those who seek God and those who do not.”

In conclusion, Leo XIV said that “one can believe that one believes and not seek the face of God, not love him; one can believe that one does not believe and be ardent seekers of his face, loving him as you do. So, Rocco, we are all longing for Love, we are all seekers of God. And therein lies the dignity and beauty of our lives.”

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

Until about six decades ago, the Catholic Church relied heavily on Latin in its official and liturgical communication. But as a universal Church embracing many peoples, it recognized the importance of languages and their role in carrying the Gospel message to everyone.

Today, the Vatican website offers content in more than 60 languages, reflecting a clear commitment to reach people: The Church must understand them and speak to them in their mother tongues.

With International Mother Language Day observed a few days ago, it is an opportunity to look at the languages spoken by recent popes, an ability that has often helped them connect more directly with Catholics around the world.

Pope John XXIII

He spoke six languages fluently: Latin, Italian, French, Greek, Turkish, and Bulgarian.

Pope Paul VI

He mastered Italian, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and German.

Pope John Paul II

He spoke more than 10 languages: Polish, Italian, Latin, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, and Russian.

Pope Benedict XVI

He spoke German, Italian, Latin, French, English, Spanish, ancient Greek, and Hebrew.

Pope Francis

He spoke Spanish, Italian, German, English, French, Portuguese, and Latin.

Pope Leo XIV

He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and French fluently. He also reads and understands Latin and German well, although he is still developing his conversational ability in both.

Building bridges of trust

These popes strengthened the Vatican’s ability to communicate with the world, not only through translation or official statements but also by addressing people directly in their mother tongues.

Words spoken in a people’s own language are often closer to the heart, more sincere in expression, and more powerful in building understanding and trust. Although Pope Leo XIV does not speak Arabic, the brief Arabic greeting he offered in Lebanon, “Peace be with you,” was enough to bring joy to an entire people.

Sometimes what matters is not perfect fluency but a sincere word spoken at the right moment, one that leaves a lasting impact.

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

Pope Leo XIV warns in a new essay that “bitter nationalism tramples on the rights of the weakest” and says peace is first “defeated in the human heart” when people give in to selfishness, greed, and partisan interests.

The pope’s words come from a new introduction to the English-language edition of the book “Peace Be with You!”, published by HarperCollins, which is otherwise a collection of previously published papal texts.

“We live in a world wounded by too many conflicts and struck by bloody hostilities,” Leo writes. “Bitter nationalism tramples on the rights of the weakest.”

Calling peace “one of the great issues of our time,” the pontiff describes it as having a “dual dimension,” both vertical and horizontal: “a gift from God built by men and women throughout the ages” and also “a commitment and responsibility for each one of us.”

Leo says peace is a gift given through Christ’s birth in Bethlehem and through the risen Lord’s greeting to the disciples. Citing St. Augustine, he notes that the divine gift “calls into action the responsibility of our answer, of our ‘good will.’”

At the same time, he stresses that peace must be lived concretely. “Peace means teaching children to respect others and not to bully others when they play,” he writes. “Peace means overcoming our personal pride and making room for the other, in our family, at work, in sports.”

He adds: “Peace is when our heart and our life are inhabited by silence, meditation and listening to God; because God never blesses violence, he never approves of taking advantage of others, or of the frenzied abuse of the one Earth that is disfiguring creation, a caress of the Creator.”

The pope also addresses what he has called the “globalization of powerlessness,” encouraging believers to respond above all with prayer. “Prayer is an ‘unarmed’ force that that seeks only the common good, without exclusions,” he writes. “By praying, we disarm our ego and become capable of gratuitousness and sincerity.”

Leo insists that the struggle for peace does not begin on battlefields but within each person. “Moreover, our heart is the most important battlefield,” he writes. “It is there that we must learn the bloodless but necessary victory over the impulses of death and the tendencies toward domination: Only peaceful hearts can build a world of peace.”

He urges the cultivation of reconciliation in daily life, including “nonviolent workshops, places where suspicion of others can become an opportunity for encounter,” adding: “The heart is the source of peace: There we must learn to meet rather than clash with each other, to trust and not of mistrust, to listen and understand instead of closing ourselves to others.”

Finally, Leo says responsibility for peace extends beyond personal conversion to political and international leaders as well. “Finally, politics and the international community are responsible for facilitating the mediation of conflicts, utilizing the arts of dialogue and diplomacy,” he writes.

The pope concludes by turning again to St. Augustine and praying that God grant “the blessing grace of a just and lasting peace,” especially for “those who are most forgotten and who suffer the most.”

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

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed on Wednesday that Pope Leo XIV would visit several foreign countries over the next few months, including Monaco and Spain.

Bruni said the pope would travel to the Principality of Monaco on March 28, becoming the first pontiff to visit the country.

The pope was also scheduled to travel to Spain June 6–12, 15 years after Pope Benedict XVI visited Madrid in the summer of 2011 for World Youth Day. The Vatican said it would announce further details about the trips in the coming weeks.

The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV will undertake his first pastoral visit to Africa as pontiff April 13–23.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the Holy See confirmed that the Holy Father’s 11-day apostolic journey will take him to four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.

According to Vatican officials, the pope is to visit Algiers and Annaba in Algeria April 13–15; Yaoundé, Bamenda, and Douala in Cameroon April 15–18; Luanda, Muxima, and Saurimo in Angola April 18–21; and Malabo, Mongomo, and Bata in Equatorial Guinea April 21–23.

The pastoral visit is in response to “invitations of the respective heads of state and ecclesiastical authorities,” Vatican officials said, adding that “the program of the journey will be published at a later date.”

Angolan and Equatorial Guinean authorities had publicly confirmed plans for the papal visit in official communications weeks before the Vatican’s  announcement.

At the time of the Holy See’s statement, neither Cameroon nor Algeria had issued their own formal confirmation of the scheduled trip.

Angola confirmed Pope Leo’s maiden visit to the continent on Jan. 13. Addressing journalists, the apostolic nuncio in the Southern African nation confirmed that the Holy Father had accepted invitations from both the Catholic bishops of Angola and the country’s president, João Lourenço.

Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel invited all Angolan citizens to prepare for the papal visit and added: “I hope that the Holy Father’s visit will be an opportunity to rediscover the values that have shaped the Angolan people and to share these values with the diverse communities that live and work around the world.”

Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST), called upon Angolans to participate in the committees that will be established to prepare for the pope’s visit.

“Each of these committees should give their best in the preparation, promotion, and realization of all tasks assigned,” said Imbamba, the archbishop of Angola’s Saurimo Archdiocese.

In January, Equatorial Guinea joined Angola in confirming the anticipated  journey. According to a report published on Jan. 23 by the press department of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), the official announcement of the papal visit followed a high-level meeting between Equatorial Guinea’s president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and the country’s Catholic bishops, signaling the beginning of coordinated preparations between the Church and the government for what was described as “a historic occasion.”

The report indicated that Equatorial Guinea’s head of state had met with members of the Episcopal Conference of Equatorial Guinea (CEGE) to “coordinate preparations for a historic occasion: the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.”

Led by the CEGE president, Bishop Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang of Mongono Diocese, the Catholic Church leaders discussed logistical and organizational arrangements with the country’s head of state.

Following the meeting, Obiang addressed the press, underscoring both the national significance and the international dimension of the papal visit.

He emphasized that Pope Leo XIV would be received with the highest level of public engagement, stating: “Equatorial Guinea is accustomed to receiving personalities, so it will mobilize the population to give it the apotheosic sense that the Holy Father deserves, to bring a good impression of the population and the name of Equatorial Guinea at the international level.”

Bishop Domingo-Beka described the anticipated visit as “a moment of grace and joy for the people of Ecuato Guinean,” noting that it will be the first time in 44 years that a pontiff sets foot in the country.

He called on the people of God in parishes and other Catholic institutions nationwide to begin immediate spiritual preparation, urging them to unite around three guiding actions: “prepare, receive, and live this pastoral visit of the Holy Father.”

The last papal visit to Equatorial Guinea took place on Feb. 18, 1982, when St. John Paul II arrived in the country, becoming the first and, until now, the only pontiff to do so.

Leo XIV is the first pope in modern history with firsthand knowledge of Africa. Unlike his predecessors, he has already been to Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, and Central Africa in person.

In a world where “the notion of ‘freedom’ has become contentious in public discourse,” Christians must be clear about what freedom means in the light of faith, Bishop Erik Varden told Pope Leo XIV and members of the Roman Curia during the Lenten retreat.

“Freedom is a good to which we all aspire; we rise up against anything which threatens to curtail or confine our freedom. As a result, the vocabulary of freedom is an effective rhetorical tool,” Varden said in the fourth meditation of the retreat, delivered on Feb. 24.

“Suggestions that the freedom of a particular group is at risk will call forth instant responses of outrage on the internet,” he continued, noting that “a variety of political causes in Europe now harness the jargon of freedom. Tensions result. What one segment of society perceives as ‘liberating’ is found oppressive by others.”

“Opposing fronts are raised, with the banner of ‘freedom’ held high on all sides,” Varden said. “Bitter conflicts arise from incompatible agendas of purported liberation. This state of affairs poses a challenge for Christians.”

Varden, a Norwegian Cistercian and bishop-prelate of Trondheim, grounded his reflection in St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s teaching on freedom, insisting that for Christians, true freedom is inseparable from the Son’s loving obedience to the Father.

“Rooting his understanding of freedom in the Son’s ‘Yes!’ to the Father’s will, Bernard works a revolution in our grasp of what it means to be free,” he said. “Christian freedom is not about seizing the world with force; it is about loving the world with a crucified love magnanimous enough to make us freely wish, one with Christ, to give our lives for it, that it may be set free.”

Varden also warned against the way “freedom,” when detached from the person and from truth, can be exploited to justify oppression.

“Caution is called for when freedom, held hostage by force, is manipulated as a means to legitimate the doings of impersonal subjects like ‘the Party,’ ‘the Economy,’ or even ‘History,’” he said. “In a Christian way of thinking, no oppressive policy can be redeemed by invocations of ideological ‘freedom.’ The only meaningful freedom is personal; and one person’s freedom cannot cancel another’s.”

“To subscribe to a Christian idea of freedom is to consent to pain,” Varden added. When Christ says, “Resist not evil,” he explained, “he does not ask us to countenance injustice. He lets us see that justice’s cause is sometimes best served by suffering for it, refusing to meet force with force.”

“Our emblem of freedom remains the Son of God who ‘emptied himself,’” he concluded.

In the fifth meditation, delivered later that day in the Pauline Chapel, Varden turned again to St. Bernard, focusing on ambition as a distortion of the soul’s relationship to truth.

“Ambition represents a particular form of capitulation to untruth,” he said. “Ambition is a not very subtly sublimated form of cupidity.” Citing Bernard, he described ambition as “a subtle ill, a secret virus, an occult pest, an artisan of deceit,” adding that it “springs from an ‘alienation of the mind’.”

“It is a madness that comes about when truth is forgotten,” Varden said. “The fact that ambition is a form of insanity makes it ridiculous in any instantiation, but especially so when it occurs in persons given to a state of selfless service.”

Varden then took up Pilate’s question — “What is truth?” — saying it must not be left unanswered amid today’s confusion and fear.

“People of our time ask this question earnestly, often with remarkable goodwill, notwithstanding their confusion, fear, and the rush they are always in. We cannot let it go unanswered,” he said. “We need our best resources to uphold substantial, essential, freeing truth against more or less plausibly shining, more or less fiendish substitutes.”

“In our predicament, rich in opportunity, it is imperative to see and articulate the world in Christ’s light,” Varden continued. “Christ, who is truth, not only shields us; he renews us, impatient to reveal himself through us to a creation increasingly aware of being subject to futility.”

Pointing to the Second Vatican Council’s emphasis on sanctity, Varden said the Church’s claim to truth convinces most when it is embodied personally.

“Was not the universal call to holiness, the call, that is, to embody truth, the strongest note struck by the Second Vatican Council?” he asked. “It resounded splendidly like a gong throughout its deliberations. The Christian claim to truth becomes compelling when its splendor is made personally evident with sacrificial love in sanctity, cleansed of temptations to temporize.”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

St. Peter’s Basilica has inaugurated new Stations of the Cross — 14 large oil paintings by Swiss painter Manuel Dürr — for Lent as part of celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the church’s 1626 consecration.

The basilica first built at Emperor Constantine’s order in 326 over the tomb of the Apostle Peter stood for 12 centuries. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered its demolition to raise a new church from the ground up.

The St. Peter’s Basilica known today was consecrated on Nov. 18, 1626, by Pope Urban VIII, capping a long project that drew on the genius of artists and architects including Michelangelo Buonarroti, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Carlo Maderno.

Four centuries later, the largest church in Christendom is commemorating the anniversary with a new artistic Stations of the Cross, inaugurated Feb. 20, featuring 14 paintings installed for Lent.

The proposal by Dürr, 36, was selected from more than 1,000 submissions representing 80 countries after an international competition launched in December 2023. A Vatican commission of art historians and liturgists chose the project, awarding it a 120,000-euro ($141,390) prize.

The Stations of the Cross is the work of Swiss painter Manuel Dürr, 36. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

The result is a fresh spiritual perspective on the passion of Christ, depicting Jesus’ final moments from condemnation to burial in 14 oil paintings, each measuring about 51 by 51 inches.

The jury cited the proposal’s “balance and expressive power” and praised its “powerful and immediate” pictorial language, which the Vatican said evokes both the Renaissance and certain elements of the avant-garde.

Manuel Dürr sketches the figures for the Stations of the Cross in his studio. | Credit: manuelandreasduerr.ch A monumental commission completed in 8 months

In an interview during the inauguration, Dürr said that, given the magnitude of the commission, he had to “draw a bit of confidence” from within himself.

“Painting Jesus is very, very difficult,” the artist said, “because he’s not someone I’m presenting for the first time; he’s someone about whom billions of people already have an image and a relationship.”

The result is a fresh spiritual perspective on the Passion of Christ. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Now that the works are installed around Bernini’s baldachin, Dürr said he feels serene: “I’m very happy to see that the context for which these paintings were conceived … I think they work well.”

Over eight months, Dürr produced the 14 canvases that are now incorporated into the basilica’s central nave during Lent.

From the start, he said he understood he was not working for a contemporary gallery but for a liturgical space with a living tradition. The works were meant “to dialogue with a specific context, with an already existing symbolic universe,” he explained.

Technically, he drew inspiration from “the colors that already exist in the floor mosaics” of St. Peter’s; spiritually, he wanted to insert himself humbly into “a very long and very rich tradition of images that have approached this mystery of the Incarnation and the Passion.”

The Vatican held an international competition in December 2023, from which this young painter was selected. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News ‘Theologically quite close to the Catholic faith’

Although Dürr is not Catholic, he described himself as “theologically quite close to the Catholic faith.” He belongs to the Jahu community — about 600 people worldwide — linked to the Swiss Reformed Church and marked by a strongly ecumenical character.

Two of his brothers hold doctorates in theology from Catholic universities, which, he joked, helped him get to know the tradition “from the kitchen table.”

The artist said he hopes this Stations of the Cross can help people find a useful way to delve into this mystery. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Dürr said he hopes the Stations of the Cross can help people find a helpful way to enter more deeply into the mystery they contemplate.

He also recalled how his first visit to St. Peter’s Basilica expanded his horizons and left a mark on his creative process: “My church back home feels very provincial when I see here people of all ages, from all continents and all social classes, gathered around shared expressions of faith.”

He acknowledged the decisive influence of Fra Angelico, especially the frescoes at the Convent of San Marco in Florence where, he said, there is an exemplary synthesis of artistic innovation and spiritual depth.

The Crucifixion as the centerpiece

For Dürr, the Crucifixion became the axis of the entire series: It was the first canvas he began and the last he finished.

“This story has shaped Christian art and European culture — perhaps world culture — like no other,” he reflected.

The station depicting the crucifixion of Jesus was the first and last painting the artist created. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

“The cross, conceived as an instrument of terror to instill fear in the Roman Empire, has been transformed into a symbol of hope that we wear around our neck,” he said.

He expressed hope that the series might offer “a small doorway” into this central mystery of the Christian faith for those who contemplate the new Via Crucis during Lent.

This station depicts the moment when Jesus is being crucified by Roman soldiers. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Even so, the most special station for him, he said, was Veronica.

“She holds a cloth with the image of Christ, and in a way that’s what I’m trying to do: paint on a canvas and offer a trace, a mark that allows something deeper to be experienced,” Dürr said.

He added: “That is the great mystery of the Incarnation. Why would God leave a trace on a cloth?”

The station depicting the moment when Veronica wipes the face of Jesus and his image is imprinted on the cloth is the artist’s favorite. | Credit: Vatican Media

Four centuries after its consecration, St. Peter’s Basilica is thus preparing to commemorate its history not only through architectural memory but with a renewed invitation to contemplate the Passion of Christ.

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

Pope Leo XIV has sent a humanitarian shipment to Ukraine containing urgently needed medicines and more than 1,000 electric radiators to assist people affected by the war.

According to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, the shipment responds to a “desperate request” made by several bishops amid the grave situation caused by the latest Russian airstrikes, especially in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Through the apostolic almonry, the Holy Father arranged for a truckload of essential pharmaceuticals to address what the office led by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski described as a “disastrous humanitarian emergency.”

The dicastery said the commercial value of the shipment exceeds 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and was made possible in large part thanks to the collaboration of the Fondazione Banco Farmaceutico ETS.

A population worn down by attacks

The war, which has shaken Ukraine for four years, continues to leave behind destruction, forced displacement, and families torn apart. In that context, Ukrainian bishops conveyed to the pope the cry of a population exhausted by ongoing attacks and the deterioration of basic infrastructure.

One of the most urgent appeals came from the bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk, who warned that more than 800 families — an entire neighborhood — have been left without heat after strikes on energy infrastructure. The damage cannot be repaired in the short term, according to Vatican News.

With freezing temperatures approaching and resources scarce, Honcharuk asked for direct assistance from the papal almoner, Krajewski.

In response, on Feb. 24 medicines and oil-filled electric radiators purchased in Italy arrived in Zaporizhzhia. The more than 1,000 devices are expected to provide a basic source of heat for affected families, many of whom have been forced into makeshift accommodations or communal spaces warmed by generators.

The Apostolic Almonry said that despite the logistical and operational difficulties caused by the conflict, the material will be distributed shortly in areas hardest hit by bombardments.

Pope renews appeal for ceasefire

The initiative reflects the ongoing closeness the Holy See and the local Church have shown to the Ukrainian people since the beginning of the invasion.

Last Sunday during the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged that a ceasefire in Ukraine be agreed upon “without delay” as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion was marked. He insisted that peace “cannot be postponed” and must be expressed in responsible decisions.

“In my heart there remains the dramatic situation that is before everyone’s eyes. How many victims, how many lives and families shattered, how much destruction, how many indescribable sufferings!” the pope said.

Leo XIV added that “every war is truly a wound inflicted on the whole human family,” leaving behind “death, devastation, and a trail of pain that marks generations.”

He renewed his appeal: “May weapons fall silent, may the bombings end, may a ceasefire be reached without delay, and may dialogue be strengthened to open the way to peace!”

He also invited the faithful to unite in prayer “for the martyred Ukrainian people and for all those who suffer because of this war and of every other conflict in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.”

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

Writing with the distinctive hand of one of the Renaissance’s greatest geniuses is now possible. Marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and Microsoft have introduced “Michelangelus,” a new digital typeface faithfully modeled on the handwriting of Michelangelo Buonarroti.

The font, which will be incorporated into the latest versions of Microsoft Office, is expected to allow millions of users worldwide to draft digital documents in the recognizable handwritten style of the Florentine artist, best known in the Vatican for designing the iconic dome of St. Peter’s.

A tech partnership in service of cultural heritage

The project grew out of an ongoing collaboration between the Fabric of St. Peter — the Vatican body responsible for the basilica’s upkeep and conservation — and the technology company, which has previously participated in other initiatives connected to the basilica.

To develop Michelangelus, Microsoft engineers closely studied documents preserved in the Vatican archives, including letters and personal and technical notes, as well as detailed architectural plans from the period when the basilica was still under construction — many written in Michelangelo’s own hand.

The artist’s harmonious calligraphy, recognizable for its elongated strokes, was reproduced after a lengthy paleographic study of the parchments Michelangelo regularly sent to papal officials to share new ideas, request funding, or report on the progress of the work.

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, said the new font helps “the writing of the Renaissance genius” meet the digital age.

“Beyond the letters, the numbers handwritten by Michelangelo were represented in an impressive way: Each number seemed like a work of art,” the cardinal said during a Vatican presentation of activities planned to commemorate the basilica’s 1626 consecration by Pope Urban VIII.

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