Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been elected dean of the College of Cardinals, succeeding Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who has held the position since 2020. The Filipino prelate is the first Asian to serve as dean.

The Vatican announced Tagle’s appointment on Oct. 9. In the same announcement, Pope Leo XIV approved Tagle’s election one day earlier, on Oct. 8, and accepted Re’s resignation that day.

According to canon law, the cardinal dean is elected from among the cardinal bishops (12 cardinal-bishops as of October 2026). Among the dean’s responsibilities is to summon the cardinals to Rome on the pope’s behalf, particularly for a papal conclave. However, he has no governing authority over them.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, preaches at Mass for the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome on April 21, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

After Leo XIV’s election to the papacy, all curial officials automatically lost their positions. However, Leo confirmed Re as dean and Argentine cardinal Leonardo Sandri as vice-dean, a position Sandri still holds.

Pope Francis approved Re in 2020 as dean of the college while setting a new five-year term of service for deans with the possibility of renewal. Previously, the position of dean, considered “first among equals,” was a lifetime appointment.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle speaks at a Vatican press conference presenting the 2021 World Mission Day, Oct. 21, 2021. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Re, 92, was made a cardinal by St. John Paul II in 2001 and has worked in the Roman Curia since 1963. He officiated the 2013 conclave, which elected Pope Francis, as the most senior cardinal-bishop.

Tagle, 69, has served as the pro-prefect for the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization since 2019. Before his appointment to the Roman Curia, he served as archbishop of Manila from 2011–2020.

Cardinal Luis Tagle serves the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Sept. 24, 2026, in St. Louis. | Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Tagle has also been appointed as papal legate to several milestone Church events, including in the United States. He was appointed legate to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024 and to the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen in St. Louis in September 2026.

Before being elected pope in 2025, Leo XIV, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, was chosen by Francis as the titular cardinal-bishop of Albano. Soon after his election, the pontiff assigned his former cardinal title to Tagle, and Tagle formally took possession of the see in October of the same year.

The sainthood of John Henry Newman, who was declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, 2025, rested on two inexplicable healings that the Catholic Church officially recognized as miracles that paved the way for his beatification in 2010 and his canonization in 2019.

The second and most recent of these miracles was lifesaving. During her fifth pregnancy, Melissa Villalobos, a lawyer from Chicago, suffered severe internal bleeding caused by a partial placental abruption — a condition that seriously endangered both her life and that of her unborn child.

The day it happened, Villalobos, alone at home and without the strength to call for help, turned to prayer. “Please, Cardinal Newman, stop the bleeding,” she said with difficulty. As she later recounted: “Just as I finished those words, the bleeding stopped, and I noticed in the bathroom the strongest scent of roses in my life. When it stopped, I asked, ‘Cardinal Newman, did you do this?’ and the scent returned a second time. I knew it was him.”

St. John Henry Newman is very present in the daily life of the Villalobos family. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Villalobos family

That same afternoon, the doctors confirmed what they could not explain: The tear in the placenta had disappeared. Months later, Villalobos gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl, whom she named Gemma.

Five years later, Gemma and her entire family participated in the canonization ceremony for Newman officiated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 13, 2019.

For Sister Kathleen Dietz, FSO, a renowned specialist on St. John Henry Newman, the healing of the pregnant woman should be seen as a “sign of the times” when “the culture of death permeates everything.”

“He performed this miracle for the sake of life, not only the life of the young mother but also that of her child. It’s very significant,” she told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Unexplained healing of a debilitating spinal disorder

The first miracle attributed to Newman’s intercession was on behalf of American deacon Jack Sullivan, who was suffering from a severe degenerative spinal cord disease that had left him almost paralyzed.

In great pain and with little hope of recovery, he prayed for Newman’s intercession. According to his own testimony, on Aug. 15, 2001, he experienced a sudden and complete recovery, which allowed him to walk unaided and shortly afterward to be ordained a permanent deacon.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially recognized the healing as scientifically inexplicable, and on July 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced that it constituted a genuine miracle. It led to Newman’s beatification on Sept. 19, 2010, in Birmingham, England, the city where the saint lived for much of his ministry.

Deacon Jack Sullivan was cured of a debilitating spinal disorder after praying for the intercession of Cardinal John Henry Newman. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Deacon Jack Sullivan

Sullivan served as deacon and read the Gospel at the Mass celebrated by Benedict in Rednal, England, very near Newman’s burial site.

Sullivan, who has the only first-class relic of Newman outside the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, has given numerous presentations with it and has held healing prayer services.

Dietz — who has collaborated on various studies on the spirituality and legacy of St. John Henry Newman — emphasized that miracles authenticate Newman’s holiness and reflect his ongoing mission within the Church.

“Miracles show that Newman continues to have a role as an example and intercessor. He will soon be named a doctor of the Church and thus will also be a teacher of truth,” she noted at the time.

Inspiration for daily life

For the religious, Newman can inspire the faithful in their daily lives with a faith “lived in everyday circumstances.”

Dietz cited Newman’s 1856 work “A Short Road to Perfection” in which he points out that to be saints, “we need nothing more than to fulfill the ordinary duties of the day well.”

“It’s not a matter of heroic or extraordinary feats but of performing the actions of each day with rectitude and consistency: getting up on time, dedicating one’s first thoughts to God, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Angelus and the rosary, keeping one’s thoughts in order, examining oneself daily, and going to bed at a reasonable hour. If this is done consistently, one is already on the path to perfection,” the saint counseled.

Joy: An essential Christian virtue

Dietz emphasized that Newman saw joy as an essential Christian virtue, even in the midst of sadness, and that his example can guide believers to live their faith in a “practical, tangible, and consistent” way in daily life.

For Dietz, Newman’s life and miracles remind us that holiness is not an unattainable ideal but a “reality accessible to all” through faithfulness to small daily acts and trust in God’s providence.

“His teaching combines theological depth with pastoral application, showing how a saint can be a model and guide for the contemporary Church and for every believer in their daily life,” she explained.

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 conference in Rome reflected on the legacy of Mexico’s Cristero movement, marking the 100th anniversary of the Catholic uprising against the country’s secular government.

The “Viva Cristo Rey! Centenary of the Cristero Epic” began Oct. 7 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and continues through Oct. 9. The Cristero War began in 1926, and scholars examined its martyrs' legacy and church-state relations across Latin America.

Among those present were the Mexican ambassador to the Holy See, Alberto Medardo Barranco Chavarría; Rodrigo Guerra Lopez, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; and Italian Catholic politician and intellectual Rocco Buttiglione.

La Cristiada: A just war?

The Cristero War in Mexico lasted from 1926-1929, during which armed Catholics, known as the Cristeros, resisted the government’s fierce anticlerical laws. According to estimates from the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, more than 200,000 people were killed for defending the faith against persecution, producing martyrs such as St. José Sánchez del Río and Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro.

Reproductions of posters from the Cristero War are part of the exhibition “When Faith Challenged Power,” presented at the UPAEP Museum in Puebla, Mexico. | Credit: David Ramos/EWTN News

Amid these figures, debates have arisen about the movement’s legacy in light of the violence committed by members of the Cristeros in retaliation against anticlerical laws.

Buttiglione, who withdrew as Italyʼs nominee to the European Commission in 2004 after lawmakers objected to comments rooted in his Catholic beliefs about marriage, defended their actions as courageous despite their mistakes.

Italian Catholic politician Rocco Buttiglione, center, delivers remarks at the conference “Viva Cristo Rey! Centenary of the Cristero Epic” held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome on Oct. 8, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Diego Amado Vazquez Arreola/Cátedra Anacleto González Flores

“We honor the courage of a people who fought and shed their blood for the freedom to live their faith,” Buttiglione said in his speech. “We are not afraid to acknowledge the mistakes and even the culpability of Catholics who lived through this immense tragedy. But they cannot condemn a people rebelling to defend the right to religious freedom.”

Conversely, Guerra described the Cristero movement to EWTN News as “complex” and cited Pope Leo XIV’s teaching on a “disarmed and disarming peace.”

Rodrigo Guerra Lopez, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, delivers remarks at the “Viva Cristo Rey! Centenary of the Cristero Epic” conference at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome on Oct. 7, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Diego Amado Vazquez Arreola/Cátedra Anacleto González Flores

“I believe that the Cristero movement was a complex movement,” Guerra told EWTN News. “It was neither entirely white nor entirely black. Those who lived Christianity and the faith, guided by Pope Leo XIV’s conviction for a disarmed and disarming peace, even if they did not use that language, are today recognized as martyrs and blesseds, and let’s hope many saints in the future.”

Church and state in Latin America

During the conference, scholars also examined the relationship between the Church and secular governments before and after the Cristero War.

In 1929, the war ended with the so-called “Agreements” between the Mexican bishops and President Emilio Portes Gil. The Cristeros laid down their arms after the agreements, but many, according to Franco-Mexican historian Jean Meyer, were still martyred afterward.

Barranco Chavarría told EWTN News that the characterization of the state’s stance against the Church is false.

“There is an interpretation that no longer corresponds to the current government of Mexico. It was always said that the government was trying to silence the Cristeros issue, that it was trying to minimize it. The truth is that no,” Barranco Chavarría told EWTN News.

Guerra added that their relationship was shaped by laicism, the doctrine of separation between church and state.

“Laicism has been very harmful in the history of Mexico,” Guerra told EWTN News. “We continue fighting against that disease, but we need to learn every day how the right to religious liberty is promoted joyfully.”

A potential visit from Pope Leo to Mexico?

The last pontiff to visit Mexico was Pope Francis in 2016.

Barranco Chavarría expressed hope for a future visit from Pope Leo XIV, also noting the visit of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in August, during which he said the pope is “very eager to come to Mexico.”

Mexican ambassador to the Holy See Alberto Medardo Barranco Chavarría speaks to journalists at the “Viva Cristo Rey! Centenary of the Cristero Epic” conference at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome on Oct. 7, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Diego Amado Vazquez Arreola/Cátedra Anacleto González Flores

“The pope received an official invitation on the day of his inauguration,” Barranco Chavarría told EWTN News. “During a phone call with the Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, the pope said he was strongly interested in visiting Mexico for the 500th anniversary of the Virgin of Guadalupe’s apparitions in 2031. We hope that next year, around October or November, this dream of the Mexicans can finally become a reality.”

Guerra added about his visit: “We hope that the pope will reinvigorate a new presence of Christian inspiration in public life, which we need so much in our Latin American countries, especially at times when extreme ideologies of the left or the right seem to tear the fabric of our societies.”

Pope Leo XIV urged students and faculty at Rome’s pontifical universities to “guard your hearts” and warned against reducing intellectual activity to the collection of data during a Mass Thursday marking the opening of the academic year.

Celebrating the Eucharist in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope emphasized the mission of pontifical universities, the importance of critical thinking in the life of faith, and the need to connect academic study with the experiences of ordinary people, especially the poor.

Reflecting on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, Leo said that intellectual inquiry is essential to both faith and mission.

The apostle’s words, he explained, are “an appeal to reason, memory, and critical thinking.”

“In every age, there is no shortage of false teachers who exploit the religious sentiments of many believers for their own interests, often pushing them to radicalize certain aspects of the teaching they have received at the expense of the whole — the whole, which is Christ and his Gospel,” the pope warned.

He encouraged students and professors to regard their academic work as a service to the Church and to the search for truth.

“Dear friends, consider study as a service to faith and truth: for your own good and for the good of so many brothers and sisters for whom the Lord gave his life,” he said.

Reason and the willingness to ask questions, guided by Scripture and Church tradition, are indispensable to Christian faith, Leo continued.

The Church, he said, has “both the desire and the responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the treasure of revelation and to develop, within diverse contexts, a prayerful understanding of it, scholarly reflection, cultural mediation, and practical application.”

The pope also addressed the relationship between human intelligence and technology, drawing a distinction between the accumulation of information and the deeper understanding that comes from personal experience.

“The mind must not simply compile data — as an algorithm now does more quickly than we can — but recall lived experiences, which contain depths of meaning that only the human soul can recognize, and connect more deeply with the goodness of these experiences,” he said.

Academic routines, ambition, and rivalries can distract people from the spiritual foundations of their work, leaving them exhausted, divided, and unhappy, Leo cautioned.

“We must therefore return to the heart. That is where it all began; the beginning to which we can always return,” he said.

“Dearest friends, guard your hearts. Whether you are students, researchers, or teachers, guard your hearts, so that every stage of life and every responsibility may be lived ‘with the Spirit.’”

The pope also emphasized the importance of friendships formed during university studies, particularly those grounded in a common search for truth in Christ.

He urged the academic community to remain connected to the wider Church and attentive to the concerns of ordinary believers.

“Remain rooted in the people of God, value its ’sensus fidei,’ and be open to its questions. And do not forget the poor, who are sometimes that persistent friend who comes knocking during the night,” he said.

The relationship between scholarship and everyday life, Leo explained, is fundamental to the Christian understanding of the Incarnation.

“Bring life into your studies and your studies into life, following the logic of the Incarnation, apart from which revelation falls silent,” he said.

“Indeed, the further we stray from the complete reality that the Son of God took on and lived with infinite love, the less we will have to say and the fewer opportunities we will have to understand.”

The pope reminded his listeners that many people lack the educational opportunities available to students at Rome’s pontifical universities.

“Let us open the door; let us not shut ourselves off,” he said.

Referring to his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Leo called for cooperation in building a society in which God can dwell with humanity in peace.

He noted that the fragmentation of knowledge and the impact of new technologies on the human mind present challenges requiring careful reflection.

Quoting the encyclical, he said that “a genuinely healthy attitude is needed, requiring rhythms that incorporate silence, in-depth study, reading, and judicious analysis, for without these elements inner freedom may be compromised.”

Theology, he added, has an important contribution to make in addressing those challenges and bringing different fields of knowledge into dialogue.

Rome’s ecclesiastical institutions have a particular responsibility in this regard because of their service to the universal Church and their role as meeting places for students and scholars from different cultures and traditions.

The pope concluded by encouraging students to take full advantage of the international character of the pontifical universities and to form lasting relationships across cultural and geographic boundaries.

“Look around you at university: The world is seated in your classrooms. Studying alongside you are people from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania,” he said.

“Do not limit yourselves to simply sitting next to one another: Get to know one another, talk to one another, listen to one another, share your experiences of the Church, pray together, share moments of leisure, and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Leo ended his homily by entrusting the new academic year to the intercession of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, and invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

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 has appointed Sister Mary Teresa Barron as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, while also entrusting her with leadership of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Irish religious sister will assume her new responsibilities on Jan. 4, 2027.

Barron, superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, will take on one of the most significant leadership positions in the Church’s missionary activity. As president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, she will coordinate and promote missionary cooperation among local Churches throughout the world, particularly in regions where the Church is growing and facing significant pastoral challenges.

In 2024, during a press conference following Synod on Synodality discussions, Barron, then president of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), which represents approximately 600,000 religious sisters in 80 countries, addressed the question of women who experience “a call to priesthood.”

While discussion of women deacons is often framed in terms of whether women can be ordained in the Church today, Barron argued that the issue should also be approached from another perspective.

“I think we have to look at the question very much from … the Spirit. ‘Is the Spirit calling women?’ Because some women do sense a call to priesthood or diaconate,” she said on Oct. 7, 2024.

Barron also said that, “even if at the moment we may not be looking at ordained ministry” for women, discussion on the issue should continue.

The Irish religious sister further emphasized that opportunities for women to assume positions of governance in the Church continue to depend in large part on cultural factors. She said women are able to take on broader leadership roles in some societies, while doing so remains more difficult in others because of cultural realities.

“I think we have to look at broader than just can or can we not from a theological or a canonical point of view, but in terms of the spirit calling to ministry today and in terms … of the needs of mission today,” she said.

Barron concluded by calling for continued reflection on the issue: “Are those calls there and can we continue the discussion? I think thatʼs what we would be asking at this point in time. Can we continue the discussion in relation to that?”

ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, attempted to contact Barron for clarification regarding her views but did not receive a response by publication time.

Missionary work in Africa

Born in Donegal, Ireland, on Nov. 7, 1968, Barron has academic training in public administration and international development. She earned a masterʼs degree in health administration from Dublinʼs Institute of Public Administration and a masterʼs degree in international development from the Kimmage Development Studies Centre.

Since 2018, she has served as superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, a congregation dedicated to evangelization and missionary service, especially in several African countries.

Her leadership experience also includes prominent roles in international organizations connected to consecrated life and missionary activity. From 2022 to 2025, she served as president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission (SEDOS), and from 2023 to 2025 she led the UISG, the international organization representing superiors general of womenʼs religious congregations worldwide.

Growing presence of women in Vatican leadership

Barron becomes one of the highest-ranking women in the Roman Curia and the first woman to lead the pontifical missionary network operating in more than 120 countries.

Her appointment is part of a series of appointments by Pope Leo XIV that have strengthened the trend of placing women in senior Vatican leadership positions.

The popeʼs first major appointment of a woman came on May 22, 2025, when he named Sister Tiziana Merletti secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The presence of women in leadership roles continued to expand on April 1, 2026, when Paola Fanelli was appointed director of human resources for the Holy See.

Another significant appointment came on June 2, 2026, when Leo XIV named María Montserrat Alvarado, currently president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. The Mexican-American journalist and scholar is scheduled to become, on Nov. 1, the first woman to lead the department responsible for coordinating the Holy Seeʼs communications system, including Vatican News, Vatican Radio, LʼOsservatore Romano, and Vatican digital platforms.

On June 30, the pope also appointed Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli, 51, as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Smerilli, a professor of political economy, had served as secretary of the dicastery since 2021 and was already the first woman to reach that level within the department.

Pope Leo XIV received representatives of the Association of Vatican Lay Workers and the Women in the Vatican Association on Monday. During the meeting, he said that “the presence of women” in the Vatican “is a valuable asset that must be increasingly recognized and appreciated.”

The pope added that women “bring not only a special sensitivity toward people and relationships but also the full range of human, professional, and intellectual talents inherent in the female experience and perspective.”

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.

VATICAN CITY — “Being a Christian ... is a life in union with Christ,” and true evangelization stems directly from this spiritual bond, Pope Leo XIV said in a special message for the 100th anniversary of World Mission Day, Oct. 18.

"The more united we are in Christ, the better able we will be to carry out together the mission that he entrusts to us," the pope wrote. “This spirituality constitutes the daily expression of missionary discipleship."

Leo himself served for years in Peru as an Augustinian missionary priest and bishop, and has often called on Catholics “to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries.”

Pope Pius XI established World Mission Day in 1926, following the publication of his landmark encyclical Rerum Ecclesiae, which promoted the idea that supporting missions was the responsibility of all Catholics.

The centennial observance will be marked by Masses all over the world, with the pontiff celebrating the canonization of seven blesseds on Oct. 19 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In his message, the pope highlighted historical figures of faith, including Blessed Pauline Marie Jaricot, who established the Association of the Living Rosary 200 years ago to mobilize prayer and support for missionaries.

The pope urged the faithful to draw inspiration from the zeal of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Until death and beyond, she declared that she would continue her mission: “I shall desire in heaven the same thing as I do now on earth: to love Jesus and to make him loved.”

“If unity is the condition of mission, love is its essence,” the pope wrote. “Let us commit to contributing to the great mission of evangelization — which is a work of love.”

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged bishops from around the world gathered at the Vatican for a meeting on the family to face with “courage” the challenge of learning from and responding to families marked by hardship and “apparent failure.”

“The wisdom of the people of God reaches us through our common faith, which enlightens all families, including situations marked by difficulties, loneliness, and at times even apparent failure,” the pope said in his opening address to the gathering, being held in the Paul VI Audience Hall and scheduled to conclude Oct. 14.

The closed-door assembly, which is not open to journalists, is expected to produce a synthesis document without doctrinal authority that will later be presented to the pope.

The meeting is part of the synodal evaluation assemblies proposed at the conclusion of the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality process.

Ten years after the two synods on the family and the widespread debate sparked by Amoris Laetitia, 154 bishops and cardinals, 53 priests and lay faithful, and 11 invited families began a series of meetings Wednesday aimed at assessing the current situation and evaluating the reception of Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation on the family.

The document generated significant debate after its publication because it opened the possibility, in certain cases, for some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist.

The pope made no direct reference to that issue during his address, which he delivered in English following a time of prayer.

Leo XIV said the lives of families pose to the Church “questions that deserve to be faced with courage” and highlighted several situations that concern him.

“In many contexts, a growing distance has emerged between the ways in which sex and intimacy are lived and the Christian vision of marriage,” he said.

“Young people continue to long for love, fidelity, and belonging, yet many find it difficult to embrace how such a vision of love can take shape in their own lives or to believe that a lifelong commitment is the condition for reaching what they desire,” he continued.

“Economic insecurity, migration, violence, loneliness, and other forms of emotional fragility also shape the choices people make and the possibilities they can imagine for their future,” he added.

‘What are people truly seeking?’

Focusing on contemporary challenges, the pope encouraged bishops to listen to families and stressed that the Church still has much to learn from them.

In that context, he posed a series of questions that he said should accompany the meetingʼs work, which is being conducted according to the synodal method and conceived as a space for listening and discernment.

“What are people truly seeking beneath these cultural changes? What do their joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties reveal to us? Where do our pastoral language and practices succeed in opening a path, and where do they fail to touch people’s hearts or assist their efforts to do what is good? What is the lived experience of families teaching us — an experience from which we have not yet fully learned? What can we offer as formation for healthy and holy family life? In particular, what can we learn from parents as they seek to accompany their children and young people in such contexts?”

‘Fragility deserves special attention’

The Holy Father also emphasized that “fragility deserves special attention” because it can “profoundly shape the way people see themselves, their future, and even their relationship with God and with the Church.”

“We all know the gap between the good we desire and what we are able to live. We need grace, forgiveness, and new beginnings to accomplish God’s will, and we learn that fidelity is itself a grace to be received and a path to be gradually renewed, often through trial,” he said.

He added that recognizing this “shared challenge” should shape the way members of the Church accompany families. He then posed additional questions to participants.

“What kind of Church, then, do people encounter precisely when they are most fragile? Do our communities help them discover that they still have a place, a responsibility, and gifts to offer? Can the truth we proclaim be encountered through the patience, closeness, and mercy of our pastoral presence? How can we announce to them the fullness of the Gospel’s teaching about the family?”

The pope urged participants to give these questions the attention they deserve.

“The Holy Spirit often speaks through the very situations that challenge us and enlightens us that we may discover how God’s mercy and the salvific grace of Christ can reach our families today, particularly in their weakness and resilience, in their hopes and disappointments, in their longing for communion and their search for meaning,” he said.

In the final portion of his address, Leo XIV called for the meeting’s work to unfold in a spirit of authentic “evangelical freedom” and encouraged participants to share honestly both the joys and challenges experienced in their local Churches.

Confidentiality requested

The pope also underscored the importance of prayer during the gathering and expressed hope that the meeting would help develop a shared assessment of the past decade of family ministry in the Church.

Finally, he asked all participants to exercise “discretion” and preserve “the confidentiality that this time of listening and discernment requires.”

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.

VATICAN CITY — Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation on the family, is consistent with the Church teaching and practice that came before it, Sister Helen Alford, OP, said at the opening of a Vatican meeting about the papal document on Wednesday.

Like an earlier document on the family by St. John Paul II, Amoris Laetitia was an innovative response to the challenge of following the moral law “when social situations are turbulent and changing quickly,” Alford said.

Amoris Laetitia sparked intense debate following its publication in 2016, especially after the bishops of the Buenos Aires Pastoral Region interpreted it as allowing, following a process of accompanied pastoral discernment, access to the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist for some Catholics who are divorced and civilly remarried “when a person judges that he or she would fall into a further fault by harming the children of the new union.”

In 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed that this interpretation forms part of the authentic magisterium after being incorporated into the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the Holy See’s official bulletin.

Earlier this year, Pope Leo called the presidents of bishops’ conferences and heads of Eastern Churches, together with some married couples and theological experts, to spend a week at the Vatican in “synodal discernment” on families and the challenges they face today, including “abandonment, separation, and divorce,” in the light of Amoris Laetitia.

The ‘law of gradualness’

Alford’s address on the first day of the Oct. 7–14 meeting of bishops followed an opening prayer and a speech by Pope Leo XIV, who also said there is continuity in the teaching on marriage from Pope John Paul I through Pope Francis.

Like Leo, Alford, too, connected the two recent apostolic exhortations on the family: St. John Paul II’s Familiaris Consortio and Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia.

They both, she said, include the idea of the “law of gradualness.” In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis said John Paul II proposed it “in the knowledge that the human being ‘knows, loves, and accomplishes moral good by different stages of growth.’”

Sister Helen Alford, OP, delivers a meditation during the opening session of a weeklong meeting on Amoris Laetitia on Oct. 7, 2026, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. | Credit: Vatican Media screenshot

Alford, quoting Pope Francis, said that “this is not a ‘gradualness of law’ but rather a gradualness in the prudential exercise of free acts on the part of subjects who are not in a position to understand, appreciate, or fully carry out the objective demands of the law. For the law is itself a gift of God which points out the way, a gift for everyone without exception; it can be followed with the help of grace.”

Both popes, the sister said, “are concerned to maintain the ideal, ‘law [which] is a gift of God which points out the way,’ as well as to recognize that many are not able to fully ‘understand, appreciate, or … carry out the objective demands of the law.”

She pointed out that 35 years separates Familiaris Consortio and Amoris Laetitia, during which time the lived situation of Christian families has seen many developments.

“As in other cases, such as in the social teaching of the Church, when social situations are turbulent and changing quickly, it can be necessary to find new ways of putting together both the ‘objective demands of the law’ (AL, 295) and the ‘law of gradualness’ (FC, 34) that many experience in trying to enter into it. Both Familiaris Consortio and Amoris Laetitia try to do this in their different historical contexts,” she said.

“Let us not forget,” the sister added, “that St. Thomas Aquinas and all the tradition that goes back to him would say that the law of God reaches its greatest expression in the new law, the law of the Gospel: the grace of Jesus.”

The purpose of the meeting

“In this meeting … we are called to proclaim the Gospel both of and to families,” the Dominican sister said. “It implies that the family is integral to the proclamation of the Gospel. The family both actively proclaims the Gospel and is in need of receiving the proclamation of the Gospel.”

Alford said the stress and brokenness often present in family life and marriage are an opportunity for greater holiness and trust in God. In order to unite their suffering with Christ’s, families need to hear the good news of the Gospel.

“Many families in situations of suffering and need could derive great help in facing their trials from hearing the good news proclaimed to them, receiving the new perspective the Gospel gives us on life and, thereby, the grace of the sacraments,” she said. “The very stresses, tensions, and brokenness in family life can be borne with more fortitude and with the hope that they can be worked through by uniting them to the sufferings of Christ.”

“As Pope Francis says, ‘In the darkest hours of a family’s life, union with Jesus in his abandonment can help avoid a breakup,’” she said, quoting from Amoris Laetitia No. 317.

“The beauty of the vocation to marriage is to be found through and with and in its fragility, not least because weakness can reawaken trust in God, and trust in God awakens the desire for holiness,” Alford said. “This, in a nutshell, is the Gospel of and to the family that we are talking about.”

Helping young people choose marriage

Alford’s talk also touched on the relational gaze of Jesus and its importance for recognizing and “seeing” the relationships that make up our lives, which are not visible like physical objects, yet, like the air we breathe, are really there.

She also spoke about the importance of helping young people enter into marriage with the proper outlook and tools to confront its difficulties.

“In the highly unstable world we live in today, if we are going to help young people have the courage to enter into marriage, and to give them the capacity to cope with the stresses they are going to meet, they will need to ‘see’ their relationships and think about their marriage and family life in a relational way,” she said.

“Social love, as a reflection of the Trinity, is what truly unifies the spiritual meaning of the family and its mission to others, for it makes present the kerygma in all its communal imperatives,” she added, quoting from Amoris Laetitia No. 324.

She encouraged the meeting’s participants to “search for ways to encourage young people to take up the great challenge of marriage and family life, embracing it in the full knowledge that they will experience great fragility as part of the process of realizing its beauty, and that in that fragility, they will find new and unexpected sources of God’s grace and experience a desire for holiness that is their very own.”

“Let us join Jesus in calling them to rise to the challenge, like Jesus called the Samaritan woman, of proclaiming the Gospel to others, precisely in the recognition of their fragility, so as to call others to join them in trusting in God’s grace and in experiencing the Christian desire for holiness,” Alford said.

Pope Leo XIV received a relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen from leaders of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, this month, marking a poignant moment involving the Catholic Church’s first American-born pope and one of the nation’s most iconic modern evangelists.

Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, accompanied by Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, met with the Holy Father in a private audience Oct. 5.

The audience followed the long-awaited beatification of Sheen, a pioneer of Catholic radio and television whose cause for sainthood was championed by his home diocese in central Illinois. The encounter carried added significance given that both Pope Leo XIV and Blessed Fulton Sheen trace their roots to the state of Illinois.

Following the audience, Tylka highlighted the deep spiritual connection and Church tradition tied to the gift.

Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, and Monsignor Jason Gray, the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Oct. 5, 2026, while presenting the Holy Father with a relic of Sheen. | Credit: Vatican Media

“It was a profound joy and privilege to meet with our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and to present him with a relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen on behalf of the Diocese of Peoria and all those who have prayed for and supported Archbishop Sheen’s cause,” Tylka said.

“There is a beautiful tradition in the Catholic Church of presenting the Holy Father with the relics of the saints and blesseds, and this particular moment carried special meaning for me. Pope Leo XIV has spoken of Archbishop Sheen on several occasions and has expressed his appreciation for Archbishop Sheen’s extraordinary witness of faith, his ability to proclaim the Gospel through the means of communication available in his time, and his missionary heart. In the days surrounding the beatification, the Holy Father again pointed to Archbishop Sheen as an example of finding new ways to spread the Gospel.”

Gray underscored the historic resonance of placing the relic of the Illinois-born preacher into the hands of an American pope.

Pope Leo XIV shakes Monsignor Jason Gray’s hand while Bishop Louis Tylka looks on during a private audience at the Vatican on Oct. 5, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

“I am deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s interest in Blessed Fulton Sheen and for his support that allowed us to celebrate this long-awaited beatification,” Gray said.

“To place a relic of this son of the Diocese of Peoria into the hands of the first American pope, both of whom are from Illinois, was an especially moving moment. My hope is that this relic will serve as a reminder of who Fulton Sheen was and of the mission he embraced so completely: to bring Jesus Christ to the world. The Holy Father’s own interest in Archbishop Sheen reminds us that his witness continues to speak to the Church today and challenges all of us to proclaim the Gospel with the same conviction and joy.”

The presentation of the relic stands as a lasting symbol of Blessed Fulton Sheen’s legacy as a master communicator, whose impact continues to resonate across the universal Church from his native Illinois to the Vatican.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged patrons of the Vatican Museums to rediscover beauty in an era dominated by technology.

The pontiff held a private audience on Oct. 7 at the Vatican with the Louisiana chapter of the patrons during their pilgrimage to Rome. The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, founded in 1983, is an international group of benefactors who fund the conservation and restoration of the Vatican’s art collections.

Leo, in his remarks, thanked them for their collaboration and support for the Vatican Museums and invited them to create spaces of beauty in a world where technology is often preferred.

“In an age dominated by technology, in which efficiency and profit often take precedence, it is so important that we continue to cultivate a spirit of contemplation and allow time and space for beauty,” Leo said.

He also added that fostering this attitude would “greatly help humanity, especially young people, not only to discover the ability of art to uplift and reveal the depths of the human spirit.”

“Ultimately,” Leo added, “contemplation presents a marvelous opportunity to encounter the God who is beauty, whom St. Augustine described as ever-ancient and ever-new.”

Leo’s recent comments on classical art

Leo’s remarks followed his address during a private audience with artists on Oct. 2 in which he explained the difference between authentic art and art created by artificial intelligence (AI).

“There is an ontological difference — even before an aesthetic one — between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of the human, whereas ‘authentic culture and art preserve this spark,’” Leo said, quoting from his encyclical on AI, Magnifica Humanitas.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called on Christians to be capable of “viewing the world in a positive light,” while urging them to be actively committed to transforming society according to the spirit of the Gospel, without watering down the Christian message.

“It is certainly not by watering down the content or softening the demands that Christianity can be made attractive,” he recalled on Wednesday, citing the address he delivered to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section on Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World, on May 28.

During the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 7, the pontiff resumed his catechetical series dedicated to the texts of the Second Vatican Council, following last week’s pause, when he reflected on his apostolic journey to France.

Leo thus continued his catechesis on the conciliar constitution Gaudium et Spes. In particular, he focused his reflection on Chapter 4 of the first part of the document, which is devoted to the Church’s mission in the contemporary world.

“It is the task of the whole people of God, especially pastors and theologians, to discern what in the cultures of our time is worthy of consideration, always taking the word of God and the tradition of the Church as the supreme criteria for discernment. This requires a balanced mind, free from cultural trends, capable of viewing the world in a positive light whilst remaining steadfast in preserving and presenting the Gospel message in its entirety,” he said.

We ‘cannot accept the oppression of the weak’

Before thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Leo XIV reflected on the vocation of the lay faithful in the world and recalled that Vatican II fostered a new awareness of the responsibility of all the baptized in the Church’s mission.

Referring to the concrete demands of the Christian faith, Leo XIV said that, by worshipping Christ, “the believer cannot accept the oppression of the weak and the poor, nor the unjust structures that perpetuate conditions of dependence and injustice.”

“The social doctrine of the Church guides the actions of Christians, who collaborate with all people of goodwill in promoting the common good,” he added.

The principal settings for this evangelizing mission, the Holy Father recalled, are the family and the workplace, though it extends to every sphere of life.

The Church’s purpose is not political

The pontiff also made clear that the Church’s purpose is not political in nature but consists rather in bearing witness to faith and charity.

“The council fathers remind us that the Church’s mission is fulfilled also in contributing to the construction of the earthly city. However, her methods and aims are not primarily of a political order; rather, they consist in bearing witness to faith and charity, together with commitment for justice, peace, and fraternity,” he said.

The Church’s ‘first mission’

Leo XIV further explained that the Second Vatican Council reminds us that the Church is neither “above” nor “beside” the world but is, as it were, grafted into it.

In this sense, he emphasized that the Church “journeys through history in the midst of peoples and cultures,” though its “first mission” remains “to help people be attentive to the profound questions of life: those concerning our origin and our destiny, as well as those concerning the meaning of love and suffering.”

“The logic of profit at all costs and the manipulation of information risk exerting undue pressure on people to conform to a lifestyle centered on the consumption of material goods, but our hearts are made to look upwards,” he said.

Consistency between the ‘faith we profess and our lives’

Leo then recalled that proclaiming the Gospel requires consistency of life on the part of believers. To carry out the Church’s evangelizing mission effectively, the pontiff said, “it is necessary for every baptized person to commit to cooperating with the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that their faith may be living and expressed in consistent behavior.”

In this context, he recalled that the council fathers stated that the discrepancy between professed faith and daily life “deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age.”

The importance of the rosary

During his greetings to Italian-speaking faithful after the catechesis, the pope recalled the Oct. 7 liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary and emphasized the importance of this traditional Marian prayer, noting that it is “greatly cherished in the Church’s tradition.”

The Holy Father stressed that Mary is a “sure refuge amid the difficulties of life.” The memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated each year on Oct. 7, recalls the special protection of the Virgin Mary over the Church and encourages devotion to the holy rosary as a path of contemplation, conversion, and the strengthening of faith.

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 expressed his closeness to those affected in Gaza by the Israel-Palestine conflict amid new attacks.

The pontiff sent a message to Holy Family Church in Gaza, near the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City, where Israeli airstrikes killed five civilians and wounded many others on Oct. 3. Among the victims, now buried, were two Orthodox women: Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Michel Najjar.

According to Vatican News, Leo addressed the message to Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of Holy Family Church. Pope Francis also regularly wrote letters and made phone calls to Romanelli, expressing closeness to the parish and to Gaza victims until his death in 2025.

In his letter, Leo lamented the casualties among those affected by new airstrikes amid the continuation of the war.

“How long, O Lord?” Leo wrote in his letter.

“Since learning the painful news of the deaths of Maysa and Mary, I have been praying to God for them, for their families, and for the entire community of Gaza,” he added. “Thank you for accompanying the parish and so many people who wish to live in peace.”

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, also expressed his closeness to those affected by the recent attacks and his hope that hostilities will eventually end.

A profound relationship with Pope Francis

For approximately 19 months before his death, Francis maintained regular contact with Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip.

Pope Francis reiterates his call for peace for Gaza and the Holy Land in his April 20, 2025, Easter urbi et orbi message. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Romanelli recalled to EWTN News that on April 19, two days before dying on April 21, Francis made a phone call to Romanelli.

“He told us he was praying for us, blessed us, and thanked us for our prayers on his behalf,” Romanelli said to EWTN News.

“We hope that his appeals won’t be ignored: that the bombing will stop, that this war will end, that the hostages will be released, and that humanitarian aid will reach those who are suffering.”

Pope Leo XIV urged members of the Vatican Gendarmerie on Oct. 3 to nurture their faith as they protect others, telling them that their service requires hearts guarded by the Lord.

The pope celebrated Mass at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens in honor of the force’s patron, St. Michael the Archangel.

He described the gendarmes’ work as “a way of being laborers in the Lord’s vineyard,” stressing that their responsibilities extend beyond safeguarding buildings, grounds, and entrances to caring for people.

“One quality that stands out when we meet you is precisely this care: It is beautiful to see how you regard others not as problems to be solved but as people to be respected and protected,” he said.

Reflecting on the parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21:33-43, the pope said the gendarmes should understand that “what we receive is a responsibility to be safeguarded with humility and dedication, to be carried out with discretion and a sense of duty.”

“You know well that authority, in the light of the Gospel, is expressed above all in the ability to protect, listen, and accompany, with balance, firmness, and respect,” he added.

Just as the vineyard owner’s son stands at the center of the parable, Leo urged the gendarmes to place Jesus at the center of their lives.

“Before being gendarmes, you are men called to follow him. From him we learn strength that knows how to become gentleness, vigilance born of trust, authority that walks alongside humility, and the courage to intervene with a merciful heart,” he said.

The pope also reflected on the second reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which urges believers to bring their needs to God in prayer rather than give in to anxiety.

The gendarmes’ work, he said, would bring “quiet days and difficult days,” moments requiring quick decisions, and situations that cause fatigue and worry.

But prayer offers a way to bear those burdens.

“A gendarme does not carry everything alone: He prays, knows how to entrust himself to God, and knows how to find again in God the peace that allows him to act with clarity and a serene heart,” Leo said.

Those who protect others need hearts and minds “formed in goodness,” he said, because they “must first safeguard within themselves truth, justice, goodness, and respect. Protecting others requires a heart guarded by the Lord.”

“Your work certainly requires you to be vigilant, but today’s word invites you to something even deeper: to watch carefully over yourselves as well,” the pope added.

He urged the gendarmes to guard their hearts against becoming hardened, keeping them “always docile to God and attentive to others.”

He also called on them to safeguard their consciences and their bonds of fraternity. A group becomes a community, he said, when “its members care for one another and learn to walk together, supporting one another with simplicity and love.”

Leo concluded by thanking the gendarmes’ families for the sacrifices that make their service possible.

“This year, too, I conclude with a thought of affection and gratitude for your families. To parents, wives, children, and fiancées: Thank you! You know the sacrifices, the absences, the schedules, the worries, and also the burden of a service that is not always seen,” he said.

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.

An upcoming publication titled “The Private Diary of Pope Francis” promises a rare look into the inner spiritual life of the late pontiff. Announced on Monday and scheduled for publication on Nov. 24, the volume compiles intimate reflections, prayers, and personal notes, offering a window into his quiet moments of discernment.

Edited with commentary by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the project gathers material meant to be shared posthumously.

This is not the late pope’s first foray into personal literature; he previously released “Hope,” becoming the first living pope to publish an autobiography.

Known for his accessibility to journalists, Francis gave more than 70 book-length interviews during his pontificate, making this new collection an intriguing counterpart to his public voice.

The cover of the book “The Private Diary of Pope Francis,” to be published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana on Nov. 24, 2026. | Credit: Libreria Editrice Vaticana

The publication follows in the footsteps of St. John XXIII, whose spiritual diary was famously published posthumously as “Journal of a Soul.” Similarly to that classic work, Francis’ diary captures his deeply human side — revealing how he navigated trials, carried the burdens of leadership, and sought God in daily silence.

At a Monday audience celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Korean Pontifical College’s inauguration in Rome, Pope Leo XIV met with Korean clergy and reflected on their remarkable journey of faith.

As preparations gather momentum for World Youth Day in Seoul in 2027, the meeting provided an occasion to celebrate how the Church in Korea has grown into a dynamic land of missionaries.

The pope emphasized that the Korean Church’s vibrant growth rests firmly on the testimony of its martyrs. Through relentless persecution, devastating wars, crippling poverty, and national partition, Korean Catholics have continuously overcome incredible hardship.

"The Korean people have demonstrated throughout history an extraordinary strength of character,” Leo remarked.

The pope said it was a powerful testament to God’s grace that the faithful kept “the ability to go through the ordeal without losing hope and without letting suffering harden the heart.”

Pope Leo XIV receives a gift after his private audience with Korean clergy and religious at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 5, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Drawing pastoral inspiration from history, Leo highlighted the tireless witness of Venerable Thomas Choe Yang-Eop. Known for walking endless miles across Korea to connect remote, hidden villages and bring them the light of the Gospel, Father Choe serves as an enduring model for modern ministry, the pope said.

The pope urged the assembled clergy to imitate Choe’s zeal: “In our time we have much need for men and women who have the courage to do good even when it costs them.”

Pope Leo XIV gives his blessing during a private audience with Korean clergy and religious at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 5, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Recognizing the diverse dioceses and backgrounds represented among the clergy, the pope called for a renewed commitment to synodality. By listening to one another and moving past regional differences, priests embody a unified Church walking together on the same path through Christ, he said.

Finally, looking ahead to hosting the world’s Catholic youth in 2027, the pope reminded the clergy to ground all their preparations in constant prayer, seeking the intercession of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, patron of Korean clergy.

“Young people from all over the world will arrive in a land where the Gospel has grown through the testimony of the martyrs,” Leo said.

Pope Leo XIV affirmed to the Vatican labor associations the irreplaceable nature of human work in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

The pontiff held a private audience on Monday with a delegation of the Vatican Lay Employees Association and the Women in the Vatican Association. The groups are the only two labor associations in Vatican City State, with the Vatican Lay Employees Association having been founded in 1979 and the Women in the Vatican Association in 2016.

‘Keep attention on human work, not AI developments’

In his remarks, Leo emphasized the dignity of human work in an age when AI developments can change how work is valued and performed.

“In the face of todayʼs challenges in the world of work, especially those posed by developments in artificial intelligence, it is more important than ever to keep attention focused on the irreplaceable centrality of the human person and the inalienable dignity of work,” Leo said.

Drawing from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Leo explained that work is not merely a tool but a requirement for personal fulfillment.

“Work is not a simple tool,” Leo said.

“It is a requirement inscribed in the human condition, an ordinary path toward maturity, development, and personal fulfillment,” the pope added.

The pope invited his audience to foster dialogue and noted in particular women’s contributions in this regard.

“The presence of women is a richness that must be increasingly recognized and valued,” the pope said. “Their expertise, discernment, creativity, and practicality enhance the life of institutions and contribute to a broader perspective on reality and the problems encountered.”

Pope Leo XIV met on Monday at the Vatican with several prominent U.S. bishops and the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

From Oct. 1–5, the U.S.-born pontiff held private audiences with five U.S. bishops and is scheduled to meet with three U.S. cardinals in a Vatican conference marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Amoris Laetitia, to be held from Oct. 7–14.

On Oct. 5, Leo met separately with four U.S. bishops, including the USCCB president, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, and the vice president, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas. They will represent the USCCB at the meeting “Ten Years After Amoris Lætitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today.”

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, met with Leo on Oct. 1. The evangelist and founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries also served as a keynote speaker at a conference at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on Sept. 30, where he described Catholicism as deeply aligned with American ideals. He also ordained 18 deacons for the Pontifical North American College at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 1, the same day as his private audience with the pontiff.

Three U.S. cardinals will also join Coakley and Flores on the U.S. delegation. Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, will be present at the meeting as the only three U.S. cardinals who are diocesan bishops.

Leo XIV also met with Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, 11 days after the bishop participated in the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, also of Peoria. Tylka also announced the first-ever parish named after Sheen in Peoria on Sept. 26.

The pope also met with Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami. As required by canon law, Wenski submitted his resignation to the pope upon reaching his 75th birthday in October 2025.

VATICAN CITY, Oct. 4, 2026 (EWTN News) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday reflected on the Gospel parable of the tenants and the enduring witness of St. Francis of Assisi, saying that “the charism of Saint Francis continues to bear fruit even today” eight centuries after the saintʼs death.

Introducing the Angelus before pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope noted that the Gospel recounts how Christ came to bring salvation but was rejected by those who should have welcomed him.

“The Son of God sent into the world is rejected by the very people who should have welcomed him with open arms. The One who came to bring salvation is condemned; the One who wishes to give life is put to death,” the pope said.

While such realities lead Christians to reflect on “the many cruelties that plague the world and the history of peoples,” he added, “Christ’s teaching reveals the ever-greater mercy of his Father.”

Despite humanityʼs rejection of God, Leo emphasized that divine providence continues to guide history toward redemption.

“This is how the Almighty guides history, coming to our aid in all our falls: God never discards our lives!” he said.

Drawing on the Gospel image of the vineyard, the pope said the Church is entrusted to Christians' care and can be built up or damaged by their choices.

On the eighth centenary of St. Francis’ death, Leo highlighted the saintʼs role in renewing the Church after Christ called him to “repair” it.

“Inspired by the Crucified One, Francis first and foremost built his own life upon the foundation of Christ, sharing in his poverty, joy and sufferings, even to the point of receiving the mystical sign of the stigmata,” the pope said.

The saint, he continued, “repaired the Church by virtue of his faith in the Lord Jesus, healing the rifts of discord through the witness of fraternal love.”

Leo said the Franciscan spiritual legacy remains alive today.

“The charism of Saint Francis continues to bear fruit even today,” he said. “This is attested to, not only by the great and vibrant Franciscan family but also by the many gifts that his spiritual legacy bestows upon the People of God.”

As Catholics celebrate the Franciscan Jubilee Year, the pope encouraged the faithful to persevere in prayer for peace and to work actively for reconciliation among nations.

After praying the Angelus, Leo renewed his appeal for peace during the month of October, highlighting the “A Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative organized by Aid to the Church in Need from Oct. 1-7.

“I wholeheartedly thank all the boys and girls who are joining in this prayer in so many parts of the world,” he said. “Let us all follow their example, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary so that peoples may be freed from the scourge of war.”

The pope asked in particular for prayers for the Holy Land and for innocent victims of violence.

Leo also announced a Vatican gathering marking the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on marriage and family life. The meeting will bring together the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world.

“It will be a time of synodal discernment for identifying the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel today among families and the younger generations,” he said.

The pope entrusted both the meeting and families worldwide to the prayers of the faithful, describing families as “a sign of hope and an inestimable treasure for the Church and for society.”

He concluded by greeting participants in celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, including commemorations held in Assisi attended by Italy’s highest civil authorities.

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 on Sunday reflected on the Gospel parable of the tenants and the enduring witness of St. Francis of Assisi, saying that “the charism of St. Francis continues to bear fruit even today” eight centuries after the saintʼs death.

Introducing the Angelus before pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope noted that the Gospel recounts how Christ came to bring salvation but was rejected by those who should have welcomed him.

“The Son of God sent into the world is rejected by the very people who should have welcomed him with open arms. The One who came to bring salvation is condemned; the One who wishes to give life is put to death,” the pope said.

While such realities lead Christians to reflect on “the many cruelties that plague the world and the history of peoples,” he added, “Christ’s teaching reveals the ever-greater mercy of his Father.”

Despite humanityʼs rejection of God, Leo emphasized that divine providence continues to guide history toward redemption.

“This is how the Almighty guides history, coming to our aid in all our falls: God never discards our lives!” he said.

Drawing on the Gospel image of the vineyard, the pope said the Church is entrusted to Christians' care and can be built up or damaged by their choices.

On the eighth centenary of St. Francis’ death, Leo highlighted the saintʼs role in renewing the Church after Christ called him to “repair” it.

“Inspired by the Crucified One, Francis first and foremost built his own life upon the foundation of Christ, sharing in his poverty, joy, and sufferings, even to the point of receiving the mystical sign of the stigmata,” the pope said.

The saint, he continued, “repaired the Church by virtue of his faith in the Lord Jesus, healing the rifts of discord through the witness of fraternal love.”

Leo said the Franciscan spiritual legacy remains alive today.

“The charism of St. Francis continues to bear fruit even today,” he said. “This is attested to, not only by the great and vibrant Franciscan family but also by the many gifts that his spiritual legacy bestows upon the people of God.”

As Catholics celebrate the Franciscan Jubilee Year, the pope encouraged the faithful to persevere in prayer for peace and to work actively for reconciliation among nations.

After praying the Angelus, Leo renewed his appeal for peace during the month of October, highlighting the “A Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative organized by Aid to the Church in Need from Oct. 1–7.

“I wholeheartedly thank all the boys and girls who are joining in this prayer in so many parts of the world,” he said. “Let us all follow their example, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary so that peoples may be freed from the scourge of war.”

The pope asked in particular for prayers for the Holy Land and for innocent victims of violence.

Leo also announced a Vatican gathering marking the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on marriage and family life. The meeting will bring together the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world.

“It will be a time of synodal discernment for identifying the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel today among families and the younger generations,” he said.

The pope entrusted both the meeting and families worldwide to the prayers of the faithful, describing families as “a sign of hope and an inestimable treasure for the Church and for society.”

He concluded by greeting participants in celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death, including commemorations held in Assisi attended by Italy’s highest civil authorities.

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.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Italian Cardinal Mauro Gambetti to serve as the archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, the Vatican announced on Oct. 3.

Gambetti will leave his post as the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he has served for the past five years after being appointed by Pope Francis in 2021.

He will take over the position in Chieti-Vasto from current Archbishop Bruno Forte, who has served there since 2004. Forte turned 77 in August, making him two years past the customary retirement age for prelates.

In a statement after the announcement, Forte described Gambetti’s appointment as “a special sign of the Lord’s benevolence.”

“I am certain that [Gambetti] — rich in both academic background and pastoral experience — will give new impetus to the care of the faithful and the work of evangelization, efforts that have been sustained in recent years through the collaboration of so many,” Forte said.

The outgoing archbishop said he would retire to Naples, his hometown, where he would pray for both Gambetti and the Church.

Born in Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy, Gambetti took his final vows with the Order of Friars Minor Conventual in 1998 and was ordained to the priesthood on Jan. 8, 2000.

He has served various leadership roles in his order in Italy and also served as the episcopal vicar of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Umbria.

Pope Francis named him a cardinal in 2020; he was consecrated a bishop the same year. The late Holy Father also named him a member of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State in 2021.