Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of August is for evangelization in the city.

“Roughly half of us live in cities. Jesus himself walked city streets, in Cana, in Jericho, in Jerusalem, and just as in those cities Christ is present in ours — teaching, praying, celebrating, but also suffering among the poor, the forgotten, the imprisoned," the Holy Father said in a video released July 31 on X.

He added: “This month, let us pray for the courage to recognize him [Jesus] there and through our work and witness to bring the Gospel to the streets and homes of our metropolises.”

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:

“Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,

You walk through our streets and squares,

enter tall buildings and humble neighborhoods,

and silently accompany millions

who seek meaning amid noise and haste.

You know, Lord, the heart of the city:

its lights and shadows, its noise and loneliness.

We know that cities are called to be places of freedom and opportunity,

but they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation.

That’s why today we ask you for a renewed gaze,

able to discover in urban life

fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel.

Give us a creative and deep faith,

that doesn’t remain in words,

but becomes flesh through simple and loving gestures.

Make us a Church that goes forth,

able to reach out to the peripheries,

to console those who are lonely,

and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference.

Lord, may our urban communities

be open and welcoming homes,

places where hope is shared,

where no one feels invisible,

and where the joy of your Gospel shines

in the hidden lives of so many brothers and sisters.

Make us your witnesses in the city,

bold and creative missionaries,

who proclaim your love with their lives—

a love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity.

Amen.”

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

The Vatican’s financial investments and assets rose to a net worth of approximately $3 billion (2.686 billion euros) in 2025.

According to the annual report released on July 31 by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the profit increased by $102 million (89 million euros) compared with 2024. The profit was also mainly due to the revaluation of physical gold, the increase in the value of real estate, and the positive valuation of financial securities.

Speaking to Vatican Media, APSA President Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti said that comparing profits in 2024 and 2025 should be done with caution, as 2025 was marked by extraordinary income from the reorganization of financial flows, a situation he described as unrepeatable.

“APSA’s purpose is not to generate an annual profit, but rather to preserve and strengthen the patrimony entrusted to it,” he stated.

A profit driven by real estate

According to the 2025 report, real estate management was APSA’s main economic driver that year, with a profit of $51 million (44.5 million euros), an improvement of $10.8 million (9.4 million euros) over the $40.3 million (35.1 million euros) recorded in 2024.

This growth was driven by higher income from properties directly managed by APSA in Italy. APSA also manages approximately 1,200 properties abroad, including residential and commercial units, primarily in London, Paris, Geneva, and Lausanne, Switzerland.

APSA also made profits from its stakeholdings in several companies, including the Société Sopridex in France, the British Grolux Investments in the United Kingdom, and Profima S.A. in Switzerland.

Cardinal Becciu and the London property sale

For investments, APSA reported that it continues the financial and legal procedures for the divestment of the Luxembourg fund U.K. Opportunities (Sloane & Cadogan), in compliance with a 2020 motu proprio issued by Pope Francis to strengthen transparency and control of Vatican investments.

The fund is linked to the controversial real estate deal involving the Sloane Avenue building in London, which led to one of the Vatican’s biggest financial scandals in recent years. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was at the center of this scandal, and the Vatican sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.

Since his conviction in 2023, Becciu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.

The Vatican court ordered a retrial of Becciu’s case on March 17 after the initial sentence was overturned due to a “relative nullity” caused by violations of the right to defense. On Sept. 30, the appeal process against Becciu and other defendants will resume.

Growth by gold, money in reserves, and supporting Roman Curia

The growth in assets was mainly driven by the revaluation of physical gold in the portfolio, which contributed $46.9 million (40.8 million euros), as well as by the increase in the value of real estate by $45.1 million (39.2 million euros) and the appreciation of financial securities by $18.8 million (16.3 million euros).

Financial management showed a negative accounting result of $4.3 million (3.7 million euros) in 2025, compared with a positive $43.8 million (38.1 million euros) in 2024. However, APSA explained that this figure is mainly due to the application of the new Holy See accounting standards, the Vatican Financial Management Policy.

In 2025, APSA allocated a total of $26.1 million (22.7 million euros) to cover the financial needs of the Roman Curia, fully complying with the contribution requested by the Holy See.

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 Vatican’s financial investments and assets rose to a net worth of approximately $3 billion (2.686 billion euros) in 2025.

According to the annual report released on July 31 by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the profit increased by $102 million (89 million euros) compared with 2024. The profit was also mainly due to the revaluation of physical gold, the increase in the value of real estate, and the positive valuation of financial securities.

Speaking to Vatican Media, APSA President Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti said that comparing profits in 2024 and 2025 should be done with caution, as 2025 was marked by extraordinary income from the reorganization of financial flows, a situation he described as unrepeatable.

“APSA’s purpose is not to generate an annual profit, but rather to preserve and strengthen the patrimony entrusted to it,” he stated.

A profit driven by real estate

According to the 2025 report, real estate management was APSA’s main economic driver that year, with a profit of $51 million (44.5 million euros), an improvement of $10.8 million (9.4 million euros) over the $40.3 million (35.1 million euros) recorded in 2024.

This growth was driven by higher income from properties directly managed by APSA in Italy. APSA also manages approximately 1,200 properties abroad, including residential and commercial units, primarily in London, Paris, Geneva, and Lausanne, Switzerland.

APSA also made profits from its stakeholdings in several companies, including the Société Sopridex in France, the British Grolux Investments in the United Kingdom, and Profima S.A. in Switzerland.

Cardinal Becciu and the London property sale

For investments, APSA reported that it continues the financial and legal procedures for the divestment of the Luxembourg fund U.K. Opportunities (Sloane & Cadogan), in compliance with a 2020 motu proprio issued by Pope Francis to strengthen transparency and control of Vatican investments.

The fund is linked to the controversial real estate deal involving the Sloane Avenue building in London, which led to one of the Vatican’s biggest financial scandals in recent years. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was at the center of this scandal, and the Vatican sentenced him to five years and six months in prison.

Since his conviction in 2023, Becciu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.

The Vatican court ordered a retrial of Becciu’s case on March 17 after the initial sentence was overturned due to a “relative nullity” caused by violations of the right to defense. On Sept. 30, the appeal process against Becciu and other defendants will resume.

Growth by gold, money in reserves, and supporting Roman Curia

The growth in assets was mainly driven by the revaluation of physical gold in the portfolio, which contributed $46.9 million (40.8 million euros), as well as by the increase in the value of real estate by $45.1 million (39.2 million euros) and the appreciation of financial securities by $18.8 million (16.3 million euros).

Financial management showed a negative accounting result of $4.3 million (3.7 million euros) in 2025, compared with a positive $43.8 million (38.1 million euros) in 2024. However, APSA explained that this figure is mainly due to the application of the new Holy See accounting standards, the Vatican Financial Management Policy.

In 2025, APSA allocated a total of $26.1 million (22.7 million euros) to cover the financial needs of the Roman Curia, fully complying with the contribution requested by the Holy See.

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 received American singer, poet, and artist Patti Smith in a private audience at the Vatican on Friday, July 31.

The meeting lasted about 40 minutes at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, according to Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, who shared details of the encounter on Instagram.

Smith wore a Tau cross, a symbol closely associated with the Franciscan order, during the audience.

The meeting also had a personal connection: Both the pontiff and the artist were born in Chicago, a detail highlighted by the Vatican when it reported on the encounter.

Known as the “godmother of punk,” the 79-year-old Smith has been a prominent figure in music, poetry, and the visual arts for five decades.

Her debut album, “Horses,” released in 1975, helped transform New York’s music scene by combining rock and poetry. Her best-known songs include “Because the Night,” which she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen.

The audience took place amid the Holy See’s continuing dialogue with the cultural world.

On May 8, the first anniversary of Leo XIV’s election, Smith inaugurated the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which is scheduled to continue through Nov. 22.

For the exhibition, Smith and the artistic group Soundwalk Collective presented what organizers described as a “sound prayer.” The collective is a central collaborator in the project promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Smith’s relationship with the Vatican extends across several pontificates. She met Pope Francis during his general audience on April 10, 2013, and performed for him at the Vatican the following year.

The Vatican did not disclose what Leo XIV and Smith discussed during their private conversation. Photographs released by Vatican Media showed the artist appearing visibly moved during the meeting.

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 has approved a new constitution for the Vatican, formally allowing non-cardinals to serve as its president.

The new laws, making up the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, were published on July 31. They replace the 2023 constitution by Pope Francis, which emphasized papal authority over the sovereign state.

In an explanatory note, the Vatican said the new law responded to government and regulatory changes in recent years.

Vatican presidency now legally open to non-cardinals

The most direct change in the 2026 law concerned the presidency and composition of the Vatican’s pontifical commission and governorate.

In an effort to increase female leadership in the Roman Curia, Francis appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, as the first female president of both the commission and the governorate in 2025. She was also the first non-cardinal to hold that position, as commission membership had previously been restricted to cardinals.

Since this change had not yet been reflected in Vatican law, it was considered legally irregular.

Sister Raffaella Petrini. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

In 2025, Leo XIV issued a motu proprio (a decree by the pope’s own initiative) to legally allow non-cardinals to serve on the commission of Vatican City State. With his 2026 constitution, that change is now codified into the state’s law.

Other changes

Other changes in Leo’s 2026 constitution included changes in the role of the general councilor. It allows for the general councilor to participate in commission meetings and provide consultation.

The 2026 law also specified the role of the secretary-general, who will implement the policies of the president.

Leo XIV’s new constitution is the fourth since the creation of Vatican City State in 1929. Following its Lateran Treaty with Italy that year, the first constitution was established and remained the law of the sovereign state until St. John Paul II replaced it in 2000.

Father Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun was ordained Wednesday as coadjutor bishop of Bameng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after being appointed by Pope Leo XIV on June 15 under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.

Duan’s episcopal ordination was the second connected to appointments made public by the Vatican within the space of a week.

The pope also appointed Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng as the new bishop of Chifeng, another diocese in Inner Mongolia, on June 15. Chang was also ordained a bishop Wednesday, although the Vatican announced his appointment on July 22, while Duan’s appointment was made public this week.

The Holy See Press Office said Duan, 45, was appointed coadjutor bishop of Bameng after the Holy Father approved his candidacy through the procedures established by the Vatican-Beijing agreement governing the appointment of bishops in China.

Biography

Duan was born Dec. 6, 1980, in Hangjin Houqi, Inner Mongolia. He studied at the Hebei theological seminary from 2000 to 2007.

He later continued his academic studies at Peking University and Beijing Foreign Studies University between 2008 and 2013.

Duan was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bameng on Jan. 1, 2011. He subsequently studied at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan from 2013 to 2016.

After returning to his diocese, he served as director of the local formation center from 2016 to 2020. He was later appointed vicar general of the Diocese of Bameng and pastor of the diocesan cathedral, positions he held until his episcopal appointment.

Duan’s ordination represents another step in cooperation between the Holy See and Chinese authorities over the filling of episcopal sees.

The bilateral agreement, first signed in 2018, regulates the process for selecting and recognizing Catholic bishops in China.

The Holy See and China have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1951, following the rise to power of Mao Zedong’s communist government. Chinese Catholics subsequently became divided between the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and an underground Catholic community that remained loyal to Rome.

The full text of the 2018 agreement has never been made public. It was renewed every two years until 2024, when the two sides extended it for four years, through 2028.

Under the publicly understood terms of the agreement, the pope retains the final decision on episcopal appointments in China and may reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, for its part, agreed not to appoint bishops without the prior approval of the Chinese government.

Tensions during papal interregnum

During the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, Chinese authorities unilaterally selected two bishops, including one for a diocese already led by a prelate recognized by the Vatican.

On April 28, 2025, Father Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by Church organizations controlled by the Chinese state. The following day, Father Li Jianlin was selected as bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province.

Li’s selection caused controversy because the Holy See already recognized Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese.

Although the selections may have been planned before Francis’ death, their timing attracted the attention of observers.

AsiaNews reported that the decisions conveyed a clear message from the Chinese Communist Party: A vacant papal see would not affect the operation of the Catholic Church in China.

With Duan’s appointment and episcopal ordination, 16 Chinese Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the provisional agreement signed by China and the Holy See during the pontificate of Francis.

Chinese episcopal appointments under Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV has closely followed the appointment and ordination of Chinese bishops. Drawing on his years of missionary and pastoral service, the pope has shown particular concern that Catholics in China be able to practice their faith in peace, proclaim the Gospel, and help heal divisions that remain within the local Church.

He has also emphasized the importance of safeguarding ecclesial communion and unity with the successor of Peter as the visible guarantee of communion between the bishops and the universal Church.

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Leo has advanced several episcopal appointments in China and entrusted new responsibilities to bishops who had already been ordained.

On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province. Pope Leo XIV had made the appointment on June 5. Lin welcomed the decision and expressed his willingness to cooperate in the diocese’s pastoral mission.

On July 8, 2025, Leo suppressed the Dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which Pope Pius XII had established in 1946, and created the new Diocese of Zhangjiakou as a suffragan see of Beijing.

Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, received episcopal ordination.

Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on Oct. 15, 2025, after Leo appointed him to the position on Aug. 11.

Father Francis Li Jianlin was ordained bishop of Xinxiang in Henan province on Dec. 5, 2025, after being appointed by the pope on Aug. 11.

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.

A potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine could make a significant contribution to international efforts to end the war and achieve a lasting peace, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See said.

“We are absolutely sure that his possible visit would be a great input into the process of reaching peace there,” Ambassador Andrii Yurash said in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.

He said the presence on Ukrainian soil of “probably the most respectable spiritual leader of the world,” carrying “a message of peace” and “a message of justice,” would be “the greatest input into this process.”

Yurash spoke after Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, said the Vatican was seriously considering the possibility of a papal visit to Ukraine.

Gallagher spent six days in the country last week. On July 20, he met in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who thanked the Holy See for its continued support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

“We continuously express our wish to have His Holiness as quick as possible in Ukraine,” Yurash said.

The diplomat said expectations among the Ukrainian population for a papal visit were extremely high.

“The pope is the most wanted foreign representative in Ukraine,” he said, adding that Ukrainians would like to receive and embrace him and “listen to his messages expressed directly on the Ukrainian land.”

Yurash said he was confident the pope understood those expectations.

“I hope he is thinking very seriously about that, and I hope he is looking for some really appropriate moment when it can be realized,” he said.

Repeated invitations

Pope Leo XIV has received several official invitations to visit Ukraine.

Yurash said the invitations had been extended at every level since Zelenskyy first met the pope on the day of his inauguration. The Ukrainian president and the pontiff have since held two other meetings, according to the ambassador.

The latest invitation came on Good Friday, when Zelenskyy formally asked Pope Leo XIV to make an apostolic visit to the country.

During the conversation, the pope expressed his closeness to Ukrainians suffering because of the war and emphasized the urgent need to guarantee humanitarian assistance. He also expressed his hope for an end to hostilities and a just and lasting peace with Russia.

Gallagher’s visit was preceded by a second mission to Ukraine by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the pope’s special envoy.

The archbishop of Bologna recently completed a four-day visit to Lviv and Kyiv, during which he emphasized the exchange of prisoners, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Yurash said the missions demonstrated the Holy See’s commitment to Ukraine.

“I think the message is very obvious,” he said.

“The message is that His Holiness understands realities of the war in Ukraine, and in this way of sending two very high representatives of the Holy See, he is trying to show that he is supporting Ukraine in general and any attempts to reach, to achieve just peace for Ukraine, as he expressed many, many times,” Yurash said. “So I think the message is absolutely clear.”

Ukraine is not alone

The ambassador also highlighted the moral and spiritual support that he said the Holy See continues to offer Ukraine.

“The Holy See shows that Ukraine is not alone, that the Holy See is trying to do everything possible to support spiritually Ukrainian people, to give some hope, to inspire people to be strong,” he said.

Yurash said that support was also rooted in the defense of international law and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

“The value of international law is recognized by everybody, and the Holy See always repeatedly speaks that the Holy See supports territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said.

“The Holy See, the whole civilized world, is against the violation of international law,” Yurash continued. “And in this spiritual, Church way, the Holy See expressed one more time this very concrete message for us.”

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.

Leo XIV, the first pope born in the United States, has emphasized his continued love for his native country, even as head of the global Catholic Church.

The pontiff made these remarks in an interview with Tom Llamas of NBC News on July 29 at Castel Gandolfo. The interview followed the “Canticle of Peace” music prayer service for peace at the Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Gardens at Castel Gandolfo, featuring music by the renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Leo, in discussing his love for America, clarified that his identity is now of a universal pastor.

“I have great love for America,” Leo told NBC News. “But I understand my mission as having a very important dimension, which is precisely being pastor of a universal church.”

“I think of myself more as the Pope who happens to be American.”

The pope also acknowledged the historic significance of being the first U.S.-born Bishop of Rome.

“I will acknowledge that for myself, as well as for the people of the United States… that there is great significance in being the first American Pope,” Leo said.

He also outlined his favorite aspects of the U.S., including a sense of freedom and opportunity for generations of migrants, including his ancestors, some of whom were enslaved.

“We have people who were both slaves and slave owners.”

“I come from a family [where] my grandparents were immigrants on my motherʼs side,” the pope said. “There’s a history, if you will, of growing up in the kind of experience that helps me recognize myself, one of the greatest wealths of the United States.”

Addressing the likelihood of a future visit to the U.S., Leo explained that the Vatican was considering the timing of such a visit.

“Today we were looking at the calendar for the next couple of years. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I certainly hope to be there soon,” Leo said.

The pontiff briefly returned to Castel Gandolfo on July 29 for the “Canticle of Peace” after recently concluding his vacation there from July 5-27 and returning to the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV stated Wednesday that “the beauty of music invites us to encounter the One who is beauty itself,” during the “Canticle of Peace” prayer and fraternal gathering held at Castel Gandolfo’s Borgo Laudato Si’ gardens.

Leo XIV also prayed for peace to reign “in all those places in the world that continue to suffer from violence

The gathering, organized by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF), took place as part of the celebrations marking the eighth centenary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi.

Addressing the young members of the ABF Voices choir who came from Uganda, the Holy Land, and Italy, Leo XIV assured them: “Know also that the Holy Father loves you and prays for you, for your families, and for your countries.”

After listening to the performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli and the choir, the pope thanked them for the effort put into preparing the recital and congratulated their conductors, noting that “music has the extraordinary capacity to bring different voices together in unison, where each contributes something unique to the whole.”

“In this sense, the choir becomes an ideal symbol of harmony and cooperation,” he added.

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

In his message, Leo XIV noted the significance of the fact that Sacred Scripture and the Church’s liturgy speak of “choirs of angels and saints” when describing the joy of heaven.

This does not mean, he explained, that they are “literally singing all the time,” but rather that, “united in love, they contemplate God together and find the fullness of happiness in him.”

The Holy Father then invited the young people to reflect on what had taken place during their performance: “As you sang, did you notice how music drew all of us into a new experience — something greater than anything any one of us could have created alone?”

“This is the experience of beauty. It opens up a new horizon before us and awakens within us the desire to move towards it,” he continued.

The pope explained that “when we journey toward that horizon, we do not simply discover something, but Someone. We encounter God, our Creator.”

Pope Leo XIV speaking to the young participants in the “Canticle of Peace,” held at the Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo on July 29, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Leo XIV encouraged the young people to continue cultivating the gifts God has bestowed upon them and to allow those talents to lead them to him, for “He is all we seek in life, the only one who can calm our restless hearts.”

The pontiff also reminded them that “you were made for great things and that the whole world is not enough to satisfy your thirst for meaning and happiness.”

Before concluding, Leo XIV thanked the Andrea Bocelli Foundation for its work on behalf of young people facing educational and social disadvantages, and highlighted that “through the power of music, you are contributing to the Church’s mission of promoting the integral development of every human person in service of the common good. May God bless your efforts.”

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.

A Catholic anti-trafficking network, led by nuns, assisted 1.2 million people worldwide in 2025 through its outreach against human exploitation.

The annual report for Talitha Kum, the international network of consecrated life against human trafficking, founded by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), was published on July 29. The initiative is led by Catholic nuns, and the report details their efforts to prevent trafficking, protect and care for survivors, and build international partnerships.

An accompanying press release from the UISG stated that, according to the International Labour Organization, about 50 million people are living in situations of human trafficking, and exploitation generates over $236 million every year.

Against this exploitation, Talitha Kum reached 1.21 million people through various programs, including prevention activities and survivor protection. This represents a 29.6% increase in the number of people reached compared with 2024.

Talitha Kum also expanded its outreach in other areas, including global partnerships, access to justice, networking, and engagement with young people.

Its efforts with young people are particularly noteworthy. Of the 928,972 people reached through its prevention efforts in 2025, 303,359 were women and girls, and 262,621 were children under the age of 18.

Sister Abby Avelino, MM, international coordinator of Talitha Kum, spoke of the growth of the network as necessary to confront new forms of exploitation, particularly online.

“Human trafficking continues to evolve in increasingly complex ways,” Avelino said in the press release. “Thousands of young people from Africa, Asia, and other regions have been deceived by false promises of employment, trafficked across borders, and forced into cyber-enabled criminal activities through violence and coercion.”

The Talitha Kum network, founded by the UISG in 2009, has expanded its anti-trafficking efforts across 113 countries. Pope Leo XIV addressed them and others in a message sent for the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking in February.

On July 15, several UISG representatives met with Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom to share with her the impact of Talitha Kum’s work in 2025.

The Vatican has urged the United Nations (U.N.) to include the homeless in efforts to create sustainable cities, stating that the “persistence of homelessness should trouble the conscience of the international community.”

The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the U.N. made these remarks in a message for the 2026 High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the New Urban Agenda, which took place in New York from July 16–17. The message also marked the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the New Urban Agenda at the U.N.

As reported by Vatican News on July 29, the Holy See stated that adequate housing is not merely a commodity but a fundamental part of a society committed to the common good.

“Everybody deserves a place to call home, where they can build relationships, nurture family life, and participate fully in their community,” the message wrote. “Housing should therefore be viewed not just as a commodity or financial asset, but as a cornerstone of society at the service of the common good.”

The Holy See also referenced Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, emphasizing that “development is truly human when it places people at the center.” It also explained that homelessness, beyond merely lacking a home, prevents people from exercising their fundamental human rights.

“Not having a home means more than just lacking shelter; it means being deprived of security, stability, privacy, and a sense of belonging,” the message said. “Homelessness undermines the ability to exercise many fundamental human rights and often traps individuals and families in cycles of exclusion and poverty.”

The message concluded by noting that a city’s development cannot be evaluated by its buildings or economy but by its ability to enable individuals to flourish.

The homelessness epidemic, however, is not only a concern for the Holy See; politicians are voicing similar concerns. United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the first to publicly identify as a Catholic, has made addressing homelessness a key part of his agenda.

The Vatican will launch its first conference of Christians and Confucians to expand the Catholic Church’s outreach to the Asian ethical tradition.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue will hold the colloquium “Dialogue on the Contribution of Christianity and Confucianism to an Ideal Society: New Heaven, New Earth, and Great Unity” in South Korea from Aug. 4–5. As reported by Union of Catholic Asian News, it will convene clergy and scholars at Sogang University in Seoul to discuss universal fraternity, virtuous leadership, and ecological responsibility.

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is expected to attend along with other dicastery officials.

The event is also organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has participated in similar conferences, including the 2025 workshop “Christians Fostering Dialogue with Confucians: Guidelines and Prospects” in Taiwan and the 2024 study group that developed guidelines for Confucian-Catholic dialogue.

Confucianism developed from the ethical teachings of the Chinese philosopher Kong Qiu, known in the West as Confucius. He emphasized filial piety, ancestor veneration, moral self-cultivation, and harmonious social relationships rather than devotion to a creator god.

According to 2025 estimates from the World Religion Database, approximately 8.75 million Confucianists live worldwide. The largest populations are in South Korea, with 5,616,520 people; China, with 1,737,191; Myanmar, with 813,322; Thailand, with 261,330; and Japan, with 162,179.

According to Vatican News, at the 2025 workshop, Father Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, explained that certain Confucian teachings are already consistent with Christianity.

“Christianity and Confucianism are wisdom traditions,” Kubuya said. “Confucian ethics is very strong on how people should comport themselves, how to be good citizens, and how to organize their lives. We find that these aspects correspond to Christianity.”

Kubaya also expressed his hope that the future of Confucian-Christian dialogue would help Christians “look at our Confucian neighbors, look at how we can develop a better way of living together, [and] how we can enrich one another.”

The Vatican is participating in the international art exhibition “La Biennale di Venezia” in Italy for the fourth consecutive year. A senior Vatican official explained the Vatican’s support for the exhibition and its recent focus on contemporary art.

Irish Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Culture Section at the Dicastery for Culture and Education, told EWTN News that contemporary artists can reach people in ways that the Church cannot.

“Contemporary artists have their fingers on the pulse of humanity,” Tighe told EWTN News. “We want to honor their lives, encourage them, and show them we are listening.”

“They use different idioms — sometimes strange, sometimes difficult — to communicate and alert us to profound realities. We want artists to know the Church’s engagement with art isnʼt just in the historical past tense; it’s an ongoing dialogue today.”

Why the Vatican is turning to contemporary artists

The Holy See, through the Dicastery for Culture and Education, has a pavilion at the Venice Biennale — which runs through Nov. 22 — featuring the work of American punk-rock singer Patti Smith and soft brutalist Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao.

This initiative is among several in recent years that reflect the Vatican’s focus on promoting contemporary art. On Sept. 14, Pope Leo XIV will inaugurate an exhibit on water at the Vatican Apostolic Library. In 2025, the Vatican hosted contemporary art exhibits during the jubilee year, including a gallery space on the main road leading to St. Peter’s Basilica, which still features works by contemporary artists.

The exhibition “En Route” at the Vatican Apostolic Library features historical artifacts and contemporary artistic interpretations. | Credit: Iacopo Scaramuzzi

Tighe defended the Vatican’s partnership with contemporary artists, saying that the Church has learned from them since its beginning.

“The Church has been both inspiring artists and encouraging artists, but also learning from artists,” Tighe said.

“If you think of something like the Biennale, there are lots of younger people from the worlds of the arts. Many of them are probably not overly engaged with religion or with faith. There is the kind of art that speaks the language of today because of the concepts the artists of today are using. We need to engage with them.”

In describing the Vatican’s focus on contemporary art, Tighe likened its appeal to that of sports, encouraging Catholics to use it to open conversations about faith.

“We have given a lot of attention and emphasis to sport because, in reality, there are more people on any given Sunday engaged with sport than are engaged with faith. [We Catholics] could lament that, or we can say, ‘Well, letʼs try and speak to them,’” he said.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged young people to use social media and artificial intelligence (AI) prudently because “they can immerse us in an unreal world.”

In a video message to participants at the 2026 Halleluya Festival in Fortaleza, Brazil, the pontiff proposed St. Carlo Acutis, known for using digital technologies to evangelize, as a model for new generations.

“He shows how to keep Christ always at the center, even when using technology,” he noted.

Taking that example as a reference, Leo XIV, who published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on AI in May, advised young people to use both social media and artificial intelligence appropriately.

“I advise you to use social media and artificial intelligence well, employing these tools in a moderate and disciplined manner, because they can immerse us in an unreal world where the ephemeral, mere appearance, and deception end up taking the place of true values ​​and what really matters,” he warned.

Addressing the participants at the youth evangelization event, which combines music, praise, and worship, the pontiff highlighted the spiritual fruits the initiative has yielded over the years, mentioning “confessions, conversions, and priestly and religious vocations.”

“Today, I would like to say once again how good it is to be with young people. Your enthusiasm is contagious and awakens a renewed apostolic zeal in all of us,” the Holy Father stated.

He also noted that young Catholics possess “a missionary vigor indispensable for transforming this world, which is in such need of the Gospel.”

He thus strongly urged them: “Never lose this missionary zeal!”

The pope emphasized that there are still many people who need to discover that Christ answers the deepest aspirations of the human heart. In this context, he invited young people to proclaim the Christian faith without fear.

“Proclaim with courage that a life without Christ is a life without grace. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” he declared, quoting the Gospel of St. John.

León XIV drew upon one of St. John Paul II’s most well-known expressions to invite young people to place their full trust in the Lord.

“Do not be afraid of Christ. He takes nothing away; he gives everything,” he affirmed, noting that whoever gives himself to the Savior “receives a hundredfold” and “always emerges victorious.”

The pope asked the Holy Spirit to rekindle in young people a love capable of transforming their youth into an evangelizing force and to turn them into “living stones” for the building of a “city of peace.”

Pope Leo XIV imparted his apostolic blessing to all the participants and organizers of the Halleluya Festival: “May God always be with you.”

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 peace proposed by Pope Leo XIV is “not abstract, ideological, or naive” but one that “passes through the pain, contradictions, and wounds of the world,” according to Alessandro Banfi, communications director of the Oasis Foundation and coordinator of a new book collecting the pope’s teachings on peace.

“Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift” is the first anthology to bring together the pontiff’s principal texts on peace since his election May 8, 2025.

Published last week in Italian by the Vatican Publishing House, the volume contains speeches, messages, and other interventions on one of the central themes of Leo’s pontificate. It also includes a previously unpublished foreword written by the pope.

An English-language edition is expected soon.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Banfi said the project was intended to provide “an agile volume, accessible to everyone, that would bring together the great teaching of the first year of this pope’s pontificate on the subject of peace.”

Banfi said the book’s introduction offers one of the principal keys to understanding Leo’s thought.

Christ’s peace passes through suffering

“When we carefully reread the opening lines of his introduction, we see something very significant,” Banfi said. “He says that he began his ministry by proclaiming to the world the risen Christ, the Prince of Peace. But he immediately recalls that the peace of Christ passes through suffering, through the Passion and through the cross.”

That statement, Banfi said, reveals the depth and scope of the pontiff’s proposal.

“The peace proposed by the pope is not the abstract, naive, or ideological concept of the hippies,” he said. “It is a peace that passes through the pain, contradictions, and wounds of the world.”

Responding to those who dismiss pacifism as unrealistic or merely idealistic, Banfi said the Christian vision of peace is grounded in a concrete experience.

“Pacifism is often ridiculed because it is considered utopian or unrealistic, incapable of confronting the complexity of reality,” he said. “But the peace proposed by the Church is born of a concrete experience. Before anything else, it is the proclamation of a gift that precedes us. Peace is a gift.”

Building peace therefore requires both personal and collective responsibility, he said.

“We have the responsibility to build it, to pray for it, to promote interreligious dialogue and to ask the powerful of the earth to work for it,” Banfi said. “We must act concretely to influence societies and states. But it is equally important not to forget interior peace.”

Banfi said Leo’s positions on peace did not begin with his election as pope but form part of a personal journey shaped by Augustinian spirituality and his missionary experience in Peru.

A pope shaped by St. Augustine

Banfi situated Leo’s thinking within the Augustinian tradition, pointing in particular to the pope’s reference to “The City of God” in his address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

St. Augustine contrasts the earthly city, directed toward power, wealth, and pleasure, with the city of God, made up of those who live in hope, Banfi explained.

“Leo XIV bears witness to a man of great interior freedom in the face of the pressures of the world, the problems of the Church and even its internal divisions,” he said. “Amid the noise of the Church and the world, this pope conveys extraordinary serenity and interior freedom.”

Banfi also recalled that during the years of terrorism by Peru’s Shining Path guerrilla movement, the then-missionary priest Robert Prevost refused to go into hiding or accept a security escort despite threats against members of the clergy.

“I think we often assume that a commitment to peace is limited to opposition to war, but he was also a great witness in the face of terrorism,” Banfi said.

He also cited a photograph from the 1980s showing the young Augustinian taking part in a peace demonstration in Comiso, Sicily, against the deployment of NATO missiles. Prevost appears alongside other priests holding a banner reading “Young Augustinians for Peace.”

Banfi cautioned, however, against confusing the Church’s mission with the promotion of a merely pacifist movement.

The Church, he said, is “the bearer of a proposal for peace that is born of faith in Christ.”

A message for an age marked by war

Banfi said Leo’s message has particular relevance amid a global increase in armed conflicts.

“Today, more than 100 countries are involved in some way in wars or conflicts,” he said. “It gives the impression that the pope is almost the only voice that continues to call for peace, that still believes in the possibility of peace.”

In the book’s unpublished introduction, Leo refers to the Global Peace Index 2026, an annual assessment of peace levels around the world produced by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace.

Banfi said the pontiff is challenging the growing conviction that war is inevitable and that rearmament is the only way to guarantee security.

“What is happening today is that the idea seems to have taken hold that war is inevitable, even necessary, and that rearmament is indispensable,” he said. “The pope is fighting precisely against this dominant mentality.”

Banfi also highlighted the pope’s reference in the introduction to a Bob Dylan song against nuclear war, written in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis.

“It was a moment of enormous risk for humanity, but it was also a time when there was a widespread sense that peace could be built, nuclear arsenals could be reduced, and negotiated disarmament could advance even in the midst of the Cold War,” Banfi said.

Against today’s backdrop of prolonged conflicts and growing international tensions, Leo takes up Pope Francis’ warning about “a third world war fought piecemeal” and points to the increasing difficulty of bringing contemporary wars to an end.

The conscience that can change history

One passage that particularly struck Banfi was the pope’s reference to Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov, who in 1983 helped prevent a possible nuclear war after suspecting that a warning of an American attack was a false alarm.

The pope writes that “the conscience of one man can be worth as much as the entire world,” Banfi noted.

For Banfi, the statement expresses “a truth that applies to all of us.”

“Society is mistaken when it stops believing that,” he said.

Banfi linked that idea to another major theme of the papal text: a radical confidence in the human person’s capacity to choose what is good.

“It is the same message as his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: an irreducible optimism about humanity,” he said. “It is like when he asks in another passage of the introduction: ‘Is humanity really seriously considering destroying itself?’ It is a profoundly prophetic question.”

The book also addresses disarmament, the importance of dialogue, international law, and the role of multilateralism.

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.

Ahead of the 2028 ecclesial assembly for the Synod on Synodality, the Vatican has called on dioceses to provide an assessment of their implementation of synodality.

The General Secretariat of the Synod published the document “Recollecting” on July 27, providing diocesan synodal teams with a resource to draft their reflections on their progress since the diocesan phase began in October 2021.

In the accompanying press release, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, explained that the notes are intended to help local Churches “recollect” their synodal journey with gratitude.

“Evaluation is not a technical exercise but an experience of gratitude and truth,” Grech said. “Recollecting means recognizing what the Lord has brought to maturity in the journey of our communities and allowing ourselves to be guided towards the next steps.”

The recollecting phase is part of the 2028 preparation for synodal teams and will culminate in a broader reflection during the first half of 2027. Each diocese is to prepare two documents around that time: a narrative report and a letter to the other Churches.

The document “Recollecting” called for discussions about the challenges facing synodality at the local level, including resistance.

“Particular attention should be given to the difficulties encountered, resistance to renewal, obstacles that have hindered the journey, unsuccessful attempts and questions that remain open,” the document stated.

The recollecting phase of the synod’s implementation path is one of four preparatory stages before the ecclesial assembly in 2028. The other three are “Interpreting” in the second half of 2027, “Orienting” in the first four months of 2028, and “Celebrating” in October 2028.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bishop Edward M. Lohse among seven new members of the Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church’s highest court.

Cordileone has led the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 2012. Previously an auxiliary bishop of San Diego and bishop of Oakland, California, he is known for his public defense of contested Catholic teachings, including the Church’s teaching on marriage. In 2025, he was appointed to the advisory board of the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission.

Lohse, the bishop of Kalamazoo and apostolic administrator of Steubenville, Ohio, previously worked at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy from 2010 to 2015. He holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The pope also appointed Spanish Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, the former secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, where he served for nearly 20 years, from 2007 until June 2026.

Arrieta, a priest of Opus Dei who was ordained in 1977, has also served as coordinator of the commission that reformed the Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank, and as a consultant to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He holds doctorates in canon law and civil law from the University of Navarra in Spain.

Another Spanish appointee, Father Eduardo Baura de la Peña, is an Opus Dei priest and professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He also holds doctorates in canon law and civil law.

The three other new members are German Jesuit Father Ulrich Rhode, a professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University; Bishop Krzysztof Nitkiewicz of Sandomierz, Poland; and Italian Father Gianpaolo Montini, also a professor in the Gregorian’s Faculty of Canon Law.

The Apostolic Signatura serves as the Church’s supreme tribunal and oversees the proper administration of justice throughout the Catholic Church.

Its members, who include cardinals, bishops, and priests, are appointed by the pope for five-year terms. The court is led by its prefect, French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who, as cardinal protodeacon, announced the election of Pope Leo XIV on May 8, 2025.

Among its responsibilities, the Signatura hears challenges to certain decisions of the Roman Rota, including petitions for nullity and requests for the complete restoration of a case. It also considers appeals in cases concerning the juridical status of persons.

The tribunal judges administrative disputes referred to it by the pope as well as jurisdictional conflicts between Vatican dicasteries and between dicasteries and the Secretariat of State.

It also supervises the proper administration of justice in ecclesiastical tribunals and may take action concerning ministers, advocates, or procurators when necessary.

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, having just concluded his vacation at Castel Gandolfo in Italy, will return there on July 29 for a musical prayer service featuring the renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

As announced on July 27 by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff will lead a moment of prayer at the “Canticle of Peace,” sponsored by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) and hosted by the Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Gardens at Castel Gandolfo. The pontiff will have recently concluded his vacation there, having stayed from July 5–27.

The music will feature Bocelli and the ABF Voices Of choir, comprising 164 children and young people from war-torn regions, in an effort to promote peace through song.

The event also marks the 15th anniversary of the foundation and the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The pope’s reflection and prayer during the event will draw inspiration from St. Francis’ famous “Canticle of the Creatures.”

In a separate July 22 press release by the ABF, Bocelli described the initiative as an opportunity to transform differences into a harmonious peace-building effort.

“Music has this gift. It does not erase differences but transforms them into harmony,” Bocelli said.

The “Canticle of Peace” will be Leo XIV’s second summer concert at Castel Gandolfo, the other being a July 18 concert in his honor offered by the nearby Diocese of Albano. It will also be Bocelli’s second performance for the pope, having sung at the inauguration of the Borgo Laudato Si’ in 2025.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged parties across the Middle East to suspend their attacks and reopen diplomatic negotiations, warning that escalating military operations were endangering civilians and worsening shortages of drinking water and electricity.

“I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land, where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim,” the pope said July 26 after leading the Angelus from the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo.

His remarks followed one of the most tense days in the West Bank in recent months. A shooting in Tell, southwest of Nablus, reportedly killed at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers and was followed by attacks by Israeli settlers against several Palestinian communities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently announced that military operations would be intensified in areas Israel considers centers of terrorism.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person,” Pope Leo said.

“At the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.”

The pope also renewed his appeal concerning the wider Middle East, where he said intensified military operations had “again wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating the shortages of drinking water and electricity.”

“From the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen paths of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the longed-for peace for the entire region may be achieved without delay,” he said.

Pope Leo invited the faithful to continue praying for people throughout the world who are suffering because of war.

“May the Lord touch the hearts and enlighten the minds of those in power, so that reconciliation and peace may soon prevail,” he said.

Prayers for wildfire victims

The pope also expressed his closeness to people affected by devastating wildfires in France and Spain and called for prayers for both the victims and emergency workers involved in relief efforts.

The fires have forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, while forecasts of temperatures reaching approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit were expected to increase the danger in the affected areas.

Beatification of Elias Hoayek

Pope Leo recalled the July 25 beatification in Lebanon of Elias Hoayek, who served as Maronite patriarch of Antioch from 1899 to 1931 and founded the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family.

“For more than thirty years, he led the Maronite Church with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity,” the pope said.

“A man of dialogue and hope, he was an outstanding ecclesial, social and political leader, so much so that he came to be known as the ‘Father of Greater Lebanon.’”

The pope prayed that the new blessed’s intercession would accompany Maronite Catholics throughout the world and obtain peace for Lebanon, “a country dear to my heart.”

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Pope Leo also marked the sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, whose theme was drawn from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I will never forget you.”

“Together, let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift that the elderly are to the Church and society,” he said.

“Let us also commit ourselves to respecting and valuing the precious role they play, and to ensuring that they always receive the care, attention and assistance they deserve.”

The kingdom of God enlarges life

During his Angelus reflection, Pope Leo focused on the Gospel’s images of the kingdom of God as a hidden treasure and a pearl of great price.

“The parables convey the surprise of those who find something far beyond what they could have hoped for, so much so that selling or leaving everything behind no longer seems a sacrifice, but a gain,” he said.

The pope said the evangelists present Christ’s call to discipleship as irresistible.

“It is a free choice, yet also urgent and capable of eliciting a ready and wholehearted response,” he said. “Encountering his Kingdom marks a turning point that does not limit life but enlarges it.”

“If anything must change on our part, it is only so that our lives may be opened to greater possibilities, not fewer.”

Pope Leo noted that the figures appearing in Christ’s parables include peasants, merchants, travelers, fishermen, scribes, shepherds, farmers and women carrying out ordinary household tasks.

“In short, the Kingdom of God reveals its inestimable beauty in different ways, but calls everyone — men and women, young and old, rich and poor — to a profound renewal,” he said. “Everyone is capable of understanding it and is drawn to it.”

The pope said that the Church likewise brings together people with different backgrounds, cultures, abilities and responsibilities.

“Yet all are called to recognize themselves as ‘one’ in Jesus Christ: he is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net that gathers those who are scattered,” he said.

“From the beginning, Jesus called and gathered around himself people who would otherwise never have come to know one another. In this way, he demonstrated that God has no favorites, but instead offers his love freely, especially to the little ones or those cast aside.”

Pope Leo concluded by urging Catholics to ask for the wisdom sought by the young King Solomon: the ability to recognize what is truly valuable.

“While the consumer culture influences our tastes, constantly creating new needs only to sell us solutions that never satisfy, and that sometimes even poison the heart, we must learn to grasp what truly matters,” he said.

That treasure, the pope continued, is “a relationship with God that opens us to joy and helps us to live our relationships with one another more fully.”

The July 26 Angelus was Pope Leo’s final Sunday appearance during his summer stay at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. He was scheduled to return to the Vatican on Monday, July 27.

The pope was expected to return to Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 29, to meet young choristers participating in the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s Voices of Global Gathering at the Borgo Laudato Si’. Bocelli was scheduled to perform a musical work titled “Cantico di Pace.”

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

The Vatican will study the conditions needed for a possible trip by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said following a six-day pastoral and diplomatic mission to the war-torn country.

Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, said the possibility of a papal visit was among the questions he heard most frequently during his stay.

“Almost everyone I met asked me that question. My answer is very simple. The Holy Father takes this invitation very seriously,” Gallagher told Vatican Media in Kraków, Poland, before returning to Rome.

“For our part, we will continue to study the conditions necessary to determine the right time and the most appropriate way for such a visit to bear the greatest possible fruit for Ukraine and for peace in the world,” he said.

Gallagher spent six days in Ukraine, which has been at war since 2014 and has endured Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022. He held political, institutional, and Church meetings and took part in several pastoral events.

He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on July 20. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the Holy See’s continuing support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

The principal purpose of Gallagher’s visit was to participate in celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of the restoration of the Latin Catholic Church’s structures at the Marian shrine of Berdychiv. Thousands of faithful attended the celebrations July 19.

Gallagher said Ukrainian authorities had expressed appreciation for the Holy See’s support.

“In our meetings with the authorities, we encountered profound gratitude for the Holy Father’s appeals and his words, and that is a source of encouragement for us,” he said.

“They feel supported by the closeness shown first by Pope Francis and now by Pope Leo. This encourages the Holy See to renew its commitment to dialogue with the international community and with the Russian authorities, and to continue its humanitarian efforts, such as the mission entrusted to Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, who continues working for the return of children, prisoners, and civilians.”

Pope Leo XIV has received several official invitations to visit Ukraine. Zelenskyy renewed the invitation during a conversation with the pope on Good Friday.

During that exchange, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the Ukrainian people amid the suffering caused by the war and emphasized the urgency of ensuring humanitarian assistance. He also expressed his hope for an end to hostilities and a just and lasting peace with Russia.

A just and lasting peace

Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, Gallagher said he had seen a strong willingness on the Ukrainian side to work toward that goal.

“During these days I have seen a strong determination on the Ukrainian side to work towards that goal. It is difficult for me to say whether this can be achieved in the immediate future, but we must continue to work in that direction,” he said.

“At the same time, as we saw at the shrine of Berdychiv — and as the history of this remarkable place of Marian devotion reminds us, renowned for many reported healings — we should never rule out the possibility of a miracle.”

Gallagher also reflected on what he had witnessed during the mission.

“For me, this has been a profoundly positive experience. Beyond the logistical effort and the long journey required to reach Ukraine, it has allowed me to touch the reality of today’s world with my own hands,” he said.

“We must remember that not everyone lives as we do in Italy or in my native England. There is a dark and troubling reality in our world today. We must not give in. In our own way, we too are called to strive, doing our part with the means available to us, in order to build peace.”

Zuppi’s humanitarian mission

Gallagher’s visit followed Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi’s second mission to Ukraine as Pope Leo XIV’s special envoy.

The archbishop of Bologna completed four days of meetings in Lviv and Kyiv focused on prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Zuppi met civil and religious authorities, officials responsible for prisoner exchanges and relatives of military personnel and civilians being held in Russia.

Among his principal meetings was an encounter with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who thanked the Holy See for its humanitarian efforts and requested its support in achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace.

Sybiha also raised Kyiv’s concerns about civilians detained in Russian territory and called for a humanitarian corridor to assist thousands of people in the Russian-occupied communities of Oleshky and Hola Prystan in the Kherson region.

Prisoners were a central focus of the mission. Proposals discussed included a possible comprehensive exchange of prisoners of war, continued efforts to locate missing people, and measures to facilitate the return of civilians.

The parties also discussed the situation of Ukrainian children taken illegally to Russia, an issue in which the Holy See has been involved for years through diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives.

Another topic was the protection of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has recently been damaged amid attacks connected to the war. Ukrainian authorities consider its preservation and restoration a priority.

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.