Speaking at a conference in Geneva on March 3, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations since 2023, decried the fact that Christians are the most persecuted community in the world.

His address was titled “Standing with Persecuted Christians: Defending the Faith and Christian Values.”

Balestrero, who is also the Holy See’s representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stated that during 2025 “almost 5,000 faithful were killed for their faith,” the equivalent of 13 people a day.

“Almost 400 million Christians worldwide face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world,” the prelate told Vatican News.

Balestrero stated that the victims “are martyrs in the etymological sense of the term,” because they are witnesses “to their creed who embody values that challenge the logic of power.”

From the perspective of international law, the Italian prelate emphasized that Christians are also victims of “outrageous human rights violations” and insisted that their witness should not distract from the responsibility of states, whose duty it is to provide protection.

“It is the state’s duty to protect freedom of religion or belief, which includes preventing third parties from violating this right. This protection has to safeguard believers who are targeted, before, during, and after an attack,” he stated.

The problem of impunity

Balestrero drew attention to the issue of impunity for those who take the lives of Christians, which he referred to as “one of the most serious issues in the global landscape of religious persecution.”

After expressing his concern for the millions of persecuted Christians, he noted that this “scourge” to which they are subjected “affects countries across the world” and continents, including Europe. In this context, he cited the recent report on hate crimes by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which recorded more than 760 hate crimes against Christians in Europe in 2024 alone.

Beyond the crimes, the Holy See’s representative in Geneva denounced other forms of persecution that are “more subtle and often silent forms of persecution,” such as gradual marginalization or exclusion from social and professional life “even in traditionally Christian lands.”

He also specified that this persecution takes the form of more discreet restrictions and limitations, “through which legal norms and administrative practices restrict or, in fact, nullify the legally recognized rights of the predominantly Christian population, even in some parts of Europe.”

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’s prayer intention for the month of March is for disarmament and peace.

In a video released on X, the Holy Father posed a question to the faithful: “Would you imagine what a world without wars would be like? A world without the terror of approaching explosions? Without rocket alarms shattering the silence of the night?”

“Please join me in prayer this month for disarmament and peace,” he said.

In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention.

Here is the pope’s full prayer:

Lord of Life,

you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.

We believe you created us for communion, not for war,

for fraternity, not for destruction.

You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,”

grant us the gift of your peace

and the strength to make it a reality in history.

Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,

asking that nations renounce weapons

and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,

so we may become instruments of reconciliation.

Help us understand that true security

does not come from control fueled by fear,

but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.

Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations,

so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,

halt the arms race,

and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.

May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.

Holy Spirit,

make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:

in our hearts, our families,

our communities, and our cities.

May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,

and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.

Amen.

“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.

ROME — A new exhibition in Rome is spotlighting the pivotal moment Pope Urban VIII entrusted a 25-year-old Gian Lorenzo Bernini with one of the most ambitious artistic commissions in Church history: creating the massive bronze canopy over the tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The show — hosted by the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica at Palazzo Barberini and running through June 14 — explores the close relationship between Bernini and the pope born Maffeo Barberini, the artist’s first major patron, according to exhibition curator Maurizia Cicconi. The initiative also forms part of celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the new St. Peter’s Basilica in 1626 and is supported by the Fabric of St. Peter.

Bernini, who would later shape the visual identity of Baroque Rome — including the sweeping colonnade of St. Peter’s Square — was still considered too inexperienced for such a monumental undertaking. Cicconi said Urban VIII pushed ahead anyway, despite resistance from the body of cardinals overseeing the basilica’s building works.

Bernini’s canopy is nearly 100 feet tall. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Excavations for the canopy’s foundations began in June 1623, only months after Urban VIII’s election and even before the basilica’s solemn consecration in November. At the time, the apostle’s tomb beneath the altar was covered by a modest structure of wood and fabric. Urban VIII, Cicconi noted, wanted a stable, monumental work that would proclaim the grandeur of the new basilica and emphasize the centrality of the site.

‘Fear of profaning’ St. Peter’s remains

The excavation stirred anxiety among cardinals who worried that disturbing the soil could profane relics connected to the tomb of St. Peter. The solution, the curator explained, reflected the era’s intense religious sensibility: Every portion of earth removed was carefully preserved.

The exhibition includes a stone marker documenting that decision, Cicconi said, underscoring how the excavated soil itself came to be treated “in a certain way” as a relic. Urban VIII even donated some of that soil to monastic orders — including Carmelites — for the founding of convents in Naples and Rome.

The exhibition can be visited through mid-June in Rome. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News A decade-long construction, and a key design problem

Bernini’s canopy — formally known as the Baldachin of St. Peter’s — stands nearly 100 feet (about 92 feet, as the exhibit notes) tall and took a decade to complete, from 1624 to 1633. The exhibition traces the complex process through drawings, coins, printed books, and manuscripts, including studies in red chalk for the crown of the structure.

The exhibition displays documents detailing the construction of the canopy. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

One major technical issue documented in the show: an early concept featuring arches topped by a triumphant Christ proved structurally unworkable. Cicconi said the final solution likely came from Francesco Borromini, whose system of large volutes now supports the globe crowned by a cross.

Among the most evocative artifacts is a medal discovered last year inside the sarcophagus of Urban VIII’s tomb — also a Bernini work — bearing the pope’s portrait on one side and the canopy on the other. Cicconi said evidence suggests it had been worn on a cord around the neck before someone placed it in the tomb in a spontaneous gesture of devotion. While it is tempting to imagine Bernini himself left it there, she cautioned that such a claim goes beyond what the documentation can prove.

More than engineering: Power, politics, and the Barberini image

The exhibit extends beyond the canopy to show how Urban VIII’s artistic program helped define St. Peter’s during a volatile European moment. Cicconi pointed to the backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War, when religion and dynastic power were intertwined and the papacy faced major monarchies such as France and Spain. In that context, she said, the Church sought to assert its spiritual primacy — and its temporal influence — through art.

Visitors will also find materials tied to other Bernini projects in St. Peter’s, including pieces linked to the tomb of Matilda of Canossa, terracotta models for the virtue of charity intended for the pope’s funerary monument, and the valuable sketch connected to St. Longinus, one of the last ideas for the colossal statue that now rises in the basilica’s crossing.

The exhibition includes a sketch for Bernini’s marble statue of St. Longinus (1638). | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

Another section focuses on Bernini’s role in shaping the public identity of the Barberini family, including works associated with the “gallery of ancestors” promoted by Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the pope’s nephew. Among the featured works are some of Bernini’s early pieces, already regarded as true works of art.

The “Bernini and the Barberini” exhibition. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

Bernini “truly shaped the official image of the Barberini,” Cicconi said. The show includes extraordinary works such as a bust of Monsignor Francesco Barberini — on loan from Washington and displayed in Italy for the first time in many years — set beside busts of Camilla Barbadori, the pope’s mother, and Antonio Barberini Sr., made by Bernini with the help of one of his leading disciples.

The aim, Cicconi said, was clear: to move the bust-portrait — until then largely reserved for funerary monuments and family chapels — into palatial settings, giving it a dynastic and political dimension.

Bust of Pope Urban VIII. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

An entire wall is dedicated to Urban VIII’s image. Cicconi said the display of several seemingly similar busts — yet in fact profoundly different — helps visitors see how Bernini constructed and modulated the pope’s official image.

The exhibition. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

There are busts in marble, bronze, and even ancient red porphyry. Some were made directly by Bernini, others with the help of assistants, but always based on his model.

The show also highlights a lesser-known side of Bernini: painting. “It may be the least known aspect for the general public and yet extremely interesting,” Cicconi said.

Urban VIII even dreamed of making him the new Michelangelo of his pontificate and wanted him to decorate the Loggia of Blessings, echoing the ambition of the Sistine Chapel commissioned by Pope Julius II. Bernini, however, refused.

The exhibition. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

“The freedom of Gian Lorenzo Bernini is seen precisely in the possibility — or not — of freely accepting commissions,” Cicconi said.

Though Bernini would outlive his patron and serve other popes, the exhibition intentionally concentrates on the decisive years of Urban VIII’s pontificate, from 1623 to 1644, when the Barberini pope’s support helped propel the young Bernini into the heart of St. Peter’s — and into the center of Catholic artistic history.

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.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, is warning that U.S. and Israeli bombings against Iran — and Tehran’s ensuing military response — could trigger a global spiral of violence with unpredictable consequences.

In an interview with Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news outlet, on March 4, Parolin lamented what he described as a troubling weakening of international law. “Might has replaced justice; the force of law has been replaced by the law of force,” he said.

Parolin said he is concerned the world is drifting toward what he called a dangerous form of multi-polarism marked by the primacy of power and political self-reference.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he launched the offensive after receiving indications Iran was about to carry out an attack and that action was needed to prevent retaliation against U.S. bases. Asked about the justification, Parolin said it can be difficult to determine who is right or wrong when analyzing the causes of a war, but he stressed that conflict “will always produce victims and destruction,” with devastating effects on civilians.

Warning against ‘preventive war’

The Vatican secretary of state was particularly critical of the logic of preventive war, warning that if every state claimed a right to launch a “preventive war” according to its own criteria and without a supranational legal framework, the entire world would risk going up in flames.

Parolin said he is living through the current moment “with great sorrow,” noting that the peoples of the Middle East — including Christian communities — “have once again fallen into the horror of war,” which destroys human life, causes devastation, and pulls entire nations into spirals of violence with uncertain outcomes.

He also pointed to Pope Leo XIV’s remarks during Sunday’s Angelus, when the pope spoke of a “tragedy of enormous proportions” and the risk of an “irreparable maelstrom,” language Parolin said accurately captures the gravity of the moment.

Diplomacy over weapons

Addressing the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, Parolin said peace and security must be pursued through diplomacy, especially within multilateral bodies such as the United Nations.

He recalled that the United Nations’ founders, in the wake of World War II, sought to prevent new horrors by establishing rules for managing conflicts. Today, he said, diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks broad consensus is increasingly being replaced by a “diplomacy of force,” rooted in the belief that peace can be achieved “through weapons.”

‘No first- and second-class victims’

Parolin insisted that the use of force must remain an “ultimate and most grave” recourse, after exhausting every tool of dialogue and within a multilateral framework of governance. Otherwise, he said, the “law of force” takes the place of the force of law — and peace is treated as something that comes only after the annihilation of an enemy.

The cardinal also condemned what he described as the selective application of international law.

“There are no first- and second-class dead, nor people who have more right to live than others,” he said, rejecting the idea that civilian casualties can be reduced to “collateral damage.”

Parolin reiterated the importance of international humanitarian law, stressing that respect for it cannot depend on circumstances or military or strategic interests. He underlined the duty to protect civilians and infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship.

A fragile international order

Parolin argued that the current decline reflects a loss of awareness of the common good: “The awareness has weakened that the good of the other is also a good for me,” he said. That erosion, he added, has fueled a deep crisis in the multilateral system and weakened principles such as peoples’ self-determination and territorial sovereignty.

He concluded by expressing hope that the pope’s appeal will be heard and that “the noise of weapons will soon cease” and negotiations resume.

“Our peoples are asking for peace,” Parolin said, adding that the pope’s call “should shake leaders … and prompt them to multiply their efforts in favor of peace.”

This article was originally published by ACI Prensa, EWTN News’ Spanish-language partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.

The General Secretariat of the Synod has published a preliminary report urging that women’s “views and assessments” be given due weight in the discernment of candidates for priesthood and warning against seminary models that separate future priests from the ordinary life of the people of God.

The text gathers conclusions from a synod study group tasked with examining priestly formation in a synodal key. The proposals are not definitive and have been forwarded to Pope Leo XIV for review.

One central concern in the report is the need to rethink seminary formation so it does not foster a culture of separation from parish life. “The formation itinerary must not create artificial environments detached from the ordinary life of the faithful,” the document says, calling instead for formation in “close contact with the daily life of the people of God.”

The report says the seminary “should not be a prolonged experience far from the people of God” and proposes “other formative modules along the way, not alternative but complementary to the ‘place/time’ of the seminary.” Those modules could include residence in parish communities or other ecclesial settings, while avoiding any further extension of overall formation time.

Such isolation, it warns, can become fertile ground for unhealthy dynamics. The report says this approach “will avoid the condition of separation where irresponsibility, dissimulation, and clerical infantilism are more easily bred.”

The document also stresses the importance of a “real experience of the life of faith and commitment in the Christian community” before entering specific vocational paths, describing it as an indispensable condition for initial discernment.

On selection for ordination, the report says the people of God should be “truly listened to” in the process “in view of the conferral of holy orders,” including consultation with the candidate’s pastor and those who have known his pastoral service — “giving due importance also to the views and assessments of women.”

The publication is part of a broader move toward transparency as the synod releases the work of its study groups, with additional reports expected in the coming weeks, including texts on liturgy in a synodal perspective and on the status of episcopal conferences, ecclesial assemblies, and particular councils.

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.

The International Theological Commission has released a new document arguing that “the life of the human being is vocation,” while warning that unprecedented scientific and technological developments must be matched by a corresponding growth in responsibility so that progress is directed toward the good of the person.

The text, titled “Quo vadis, humanitas? Thinking Christian anthropology in the face of some scenarios concerning the future of the human,” was published Wednesday and was drafted by the International Theological Commission, which is chaired by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document was approved by Pope Leo XIV. The document was originally released in Italian, with other languages expected to be added.

“In this moment of the 21st century, the human family finds itself facing questions so radical that they even threaten its existence as we have known it up to now,” the document says, adding that human beings today are exposed to risks “never imagined before.”

Artificial intelligence and the human person

Addressing AI, the commission cautions that forms of knowledge and calculation detached from embodied, situated human intelligence — and from relational knowledge passed down through generations via education — can become a threat to the true good of humanity.

Social media, polarization, and ‘digital religions’

On social media, the document says online platforms can intensify “strong polarizations” among groups and can “tribalize” social exchange, fragmenting society into like-minded opinion blocs shaped by likes. The commission also warns that social platforms can become “territory of loneliness, manipulation, exploitation, and violence.”

The document raises concerns about what it describes as a “gigantic religious marketplace” online, where a variety of “digital religions” could offer an à la carte spirituality driven by individual interests rather than real bonds or community belonging. It also questions the genuinely ecclesial character of some Christian communication on social networks, particularly when used to inflame polemics, foster division, or damage the reputations of others.

‘The human being is vocation’

The commission reiterates that vocation is not only a theme for particular states of life in the Church but also is rooted in what a human person is. It adds that in the West a “culture of non-vocation” is often encouraged, shaping contemporary anthropological challenges — especially in the education of the young.

The text says many young people are taught to view their future primarily through the lens of career choice, economic stability, or the satisfaction of certain needs, without openness to an ultimate meaning and the foundational relationships that shape identity and destiny.

A warning about animals and humans

In a final caution, the commission says societies — especially in the West — should avoid treating some animals, particularly pets, “almost like persons,” while also resisting the opposite temptation: reducing human beings to animals.

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

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.