Pope Leo XIV this week emphasized that sports are important for spiritual growth and human development.

In a private audience with members of the Italian Swimming Federation on June 25, the pontiff highlighted the value of competitive sport as a means of instilling important values and fostering the growth of the body and mind.

Pope Leo XIV greets members of the Italian Swimming Federation during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on June 25, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

“Sport, when practiced well, is medicine for both body and spirit,” Leo said in his remarks. “It integrates the different dimensions of the human person and directs them toward very important values such as commitment, solidarity, and honesty.”

To the swimmers present in the audience, the pope also highlighted the environmental and theological significance of water.

“[Swimming] symbolically recalls an aspect that has been part of us since our motherʼs womb: to live means learning to move in harmony with others and with the environment around us. For us Christians, moreover, water is a symbol of Baptism and of new life in Christ,” Leo said.

Leo has frequently emphasized the value of sport since the beginning of his pontificate.

On the eve of the Milano-Cortona Winter Olympic Games in February, the pope published the letter Life in Abundance on the importance of sports in personal formation.

He also declared his prayer intention for the month of June to be for the value of sports and for sports to promote peace.

Representatives of Christianity and Dharmic religions present in Europe gathered in Rome this week to reflect on fraternity and promote interreligious dialogue and cooperation across the continent.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue organized the June 23–24 meeting at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, under the theme: “Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in Europe: Building Fraternity through Dialogue and Collaboration.”

According to a June 24 Vatican statement, “some prominent religious leaders, academics, scholars and representatives of Christianity and the Dharmic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism)” took part in the conference.

The meeting, promoted by the dicastery “in continuity with its previous initiatives,” brought together people committed to “strengthening human fraternity through interreligious dialogue and cooperation in Europe.”

The Vatican said the conference was “conducted in a cordial atmosphere and in a spirit of respect and openness” and offered participants “an opportunity for mutual listening, learning and enrichment.”

Participants reflected on the challenges facing contemporary societies and “reaffirmed the importance of dialogue and collaboration as means of fostering understanding, solidarity and hope,” the statement said.

Fraternity should not be a utopia

In his welcoming address, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, lamented that fraternity is often viewed as “a utopian idea,” particularly in a context marked by war and division.

Looking to Europe, he recalled the continent’s “cultural and religious heritage” and its history of diverse groups living together amid migration, globalization, and demographic change.

The cardinal described Europe as a “rich melting pot” of ethnic groups, languages, and religious traditions — a heritage he said should be valued in order to build “an inclusive, cohesive and harmonious society” that respects human dignity and human rights, including the right “to profess and practice one’s own religion.”

In this context, the Vatican statement said participants “acknowledged the foundational role of fraternity for building cohesive and peaceful communities.”

They also stressed that believers, “while serving as credible witnesses of their morals and faith convictions, must never shy away from contributing to the flourishing of fraternity through concrete actions that promote peace, harmony and the wellbeing of all.”

The participants also “highlighted the importance of strengthening mutual respect, cooperation and engagement today, while remaining rooted in their respective religious traditions.”

The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment “to nurturing a culture of encounter and collaboration for the common good,” according to the Vatican.

Participants also expressed hope that “such collaboration will continue to inspire the wider society and contribute to the building of fraternity and peace.”

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

Pope Leo XIV’s early writings as a friar and prior general of the Augustinians are set to be released in September 2026, the Vatican announced this week.

According to Vatican News, the writings will be published in the volume Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me. The volume will include homilies, speeches, and letters from then-Father Robert Prevost.

It was originally published in Italian on May 6 by the Vatican Publishing House under the title Liberi sotto la Grazia. The English edition will be published by Image Books, a division of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.

Freedom Under Grace offers insights into Leo’s Augustinian spirituality and his preoccupation with themes such as unity, servant leadership, social justice, and constant spiritual renewal. Many of these addresses were delivered during his extensive travels to support Augustinian communities around the world.

At a press conference for the publication of the Italian edition on May 6, Father Joseph Farrell, O.S.A., prior general of the Augustinians and a former colleague of Prevost, spoke to EWTN News about his hopes for the book.

“It is a great opportunity to share a person who led the order of Saint Augustine for 12 years, who now serves as the Successor of Saint Peter,” Farrell told EWTN News.

“I hope that what we are able to discover in his writings is the foundation he has in the teachings of St. Augustine — his own formation, which he shared with us Augustinians and is now ready to share with the world.”

The traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) issued an open letter and a declaration of faith to Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals on June 24.

Ahead of the extraordinary consistory of the cardinals at the Vatican on June 26-27 and the SSPX’s upcoming episcopal consecrations on July 1 without papal approval, the group issued the letter as well as the declaration reaffirming their attachment to Church tradition.

“We are convinced that Tradition contains all the remedies for the deepest ills afflicting the Church and the world, for which solutions are sought in vain outside of it,” the SSPX stated in their open letter.

The accompanying declaration contains 154 statements defending traditional Church teachings, including on the sacraments, divine revelation, the Virgin Mary, the rejection of ecumenism, and fidelity to the Traditional Latin Mass.

These documents from the SSPX mark the latest development in a series of public disagreements with the Holy See over the SSPX’s planned episcopal consecrations without papal approval.

The Vatican stated on May 13 that the consecrations would be a schismatic act, resulting in automatic excommunication for the consecrating bishops and those consecrated.

On June 16, Pope Leo warned the SSPX that their planned episcopal conscrations risk schism.

“We have invited them, and I am still considering making another appeal, to say: ‘Do not do this. Let us try to live in communion in the Church.’ But it is their choice. They must understand what it means for them and for the Church,” the pope said, responding to journalists’ questions outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on June 16.

The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.

The Holy See Press Office did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

The Vatican has published, for the first time in English, a collection of Pope Benedict XVI’s private homilies from 2005-2017.

According to Vatican News, the Vatican Publishing House has published “The Lord Holds Us By the Hand,” previously released in Italian in 2025 under the title “Il Signore Ci Tiene per Mano.”

The book contains Benedict’s homilies delivered during private Masses both during his time as pope and after his resignation from the papacy in 2013.

The volume includes homilies from the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, given at either the private chapel in the Apostolic Palace or the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, and focused on developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The book offers an example of the continuity of the late pope’s theological work since his time as Joseph Ratzinger, both as an acclaimed theologian and as head of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The book also highlights his focus on the person of Christ as an accompanying figure for today’s Christians.

“The Lord Holds Us by the Hand” includes a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s former personal secretary, and an introduction by Father Federico Lombardi S.J., president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.

A second volume, dedicated to Benedict’s homilies given during Ordinary Time, is forthcoming.

Next year, 2027, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Leo XIV this week emphasized the importance of writing, describing it as a human expression of truth that ultimately leads to God.

In an audience with a group of authors on June 24, Leo discussed the enduring value of literature amid rapid digitalization. In his remarks, he urged authors to inspire readers to seek truth through their work.

The encounter between the pope and writers marked the 100th anniversary of the Vatican Publishing House, also known as Libreria Editrice Vaticana, shortened to LEV, in Italian.

“Writing, as you know, is an act of truth, of revelation, for it reveals who we are, what we believe and hope for, the world we strive toward and the future of which we dream,” Leo said. “We are never masters of the truth; if anything, it is the truth that ‘conquers’ us. That is why I hope you will inspire others to be drawn to the truth, because you yourselves are drawn to it.”

Pope Leo XIV poses for a photo during an audience with 28 writers from around the world, including Americans Marilynne Robinson, Elizabeth Strout, Phil Klay, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Paul Elie, at the Vatican on June 24, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Leo also explained that writing, as a human exercise, ultimately leads to God.

“When we delve into the very depths of our humanity, we are not far from God; for there, in the midst of very human stories, God reveals himself,” Leo said.

His speech to writers follows a similar address delivered to the Vatican Publishing House employees on May 7, also held to mark its 100th anniversary.

The Vatican Publishing House was founded in 1926 as the official publisher of all texts by the pope and the Holy See.

Encounter through literature in the age of AI

Several of the authors reflected on the pope’s speech in comments to journalists following their audience.

Jonathan Safran Foer, a critically acclaimed Jewish-American author, described the encounter as revealing the power of writing to foster empathy for others’ suffering.

“Writing is good at opening us up empathically and being aware of the suffering in the world,” Foer told EWTN News. “It is very easy to ignore somebody you don’t see. It’s very hard to ignore somebody who is in front of you. And at its best, art brings the other in front of you. It creates those encounters.”

Paul Elie, an American author and senior fellow at Georgetown University, holds up his New Yorker article on Pope Leo XIV in a sacristy of Saint Peterʼs Basilica in the Vatican on June 24, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

Other authors discussed the challenges faced by writers in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Paul Elie, an American author and a senior fellow at Georgetown University, praised Pope Leo for highlighting the need for writers in today’s world.

“Artificial intelligence — thereʼs no question itʼs a threat to literature and writing, and the pope addressed that today. ‘We need you,’ he said. One reason the world needs writers is that we still write as a free act, not as something created by an algorithm,” Elie told EWTN News.

Colum McCann, an Irish writer of literary fiction, added: “The Holy Father has been talking about stories and storytelling, language, disarming language, and how AI has penetrated the world of storytelling. If you get to the heart of the human mystery, you get to the heart of proper storytelling and engagement. We would then hope, somehow, to bring [humanity] back together in these divided times.”

Pope Leo XIV on June 24 appointed Puerto Rican priest Father Geraldo Ramírez Torres as the new bishop of the Diocese of Ponce in the Caribbean territory.

The pontiff also accepted the resignation of Bishop Rubén Antonio González Medina, C.M.F., who has led the diocese since 2015.

According to a Vatican press release, Ramírez was born in Villalba, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 17, 1967. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Ponce on Nov. 19, 1991.

His academic training included a bachelor’s degree in theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

He served as a parish priest and chaplain for several parishes in the Ponce diocese before his appointment as bishop. He served as vicar general of the diocese since 2021 and as parish priest of the dioceseʼs Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe since 2004.

Known as “Father Jerry,” Ramírez told El Visitante de Puerto Rico in 2016 that he owed his priestly vocation to “a devout family and the example and dedication of the Marianist priests and brothers.”

“I accepted the call aware that I wasnʼt the best clay, but with the conviction that he is indeed the greatest and best potter,” the priest told the Catholic newspaper on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of priestly ordination.

The diocese of Ponce is one of six Roman Catholic dioceses in Puerto Rico and is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico, all of which are a part of the Catholic Church in the United States.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday that the Eucharist is a “powerful antidote” to division in the world, calling on Catholics to “draw with faith from this source of divine life” and to allow themselves “to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”

“Thus, by incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very style of life of the Lord Jesus, which was marked by the free gift of Himself,” the pope said during his June 24 general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“This gift draws us into the dynamic of unity, offering a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts,” he said.

The pope continued his catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, focusing on the Constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium” on the sacred liturgy.

Leo highlighted the liturgical reform called for by the council fathers, especially the creation of the Lectionary, the book containing the biblical readings for liturgical celebrations.

“The liturgical reform translated this request into the treasure that is the Lectionary, the book that gathers all the biblical readings for liturgical celebrations,” he said.

“This richness has been drawn from the purest source of the living Tradition, which combines fidelity with tradition; with openness to legitimate progress,” the pope added, citing “Sacrosanctum Concilium.”

Reflecting on the Mass, Leo said the faithful are invited “to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished at the Lord’s table, where He offers Himself to the Father.”

The two parts of the Mass — the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist — “are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship,” he said.

“The Eucharist opens us to an understanding of Scripture, just as Scripture for its part illumines and explains the mystery of the Eucharist,” the pope said, quoting Benedict XVI’s apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini.”

Leo also drew on the teaching of St. Augustine, who explained the mystery of the Body of Christ to the newly baptized by citing St. Paul’s words: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.”

“It is your own mystery that you receive,” Augustine wrote, according to the pope. “To what you are, you respond: Amen, and your response is like your signature. You are told, ‘The Body of Christ,’ and you reply, ‘Amen.’ Be therefore members of the Body of Christ, so that your Amen may be true.”

The pope said that through the Eucharist, Christians become what they receive: the Body of Christ.

“Thus, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Kingdom that is to come,” Leo said. “It is the Bread for the journey that leads us to our heavenly homeland, until that blessed day when ‘God will be all in all.’”

He also stressed that the faithful are not passive spectators at Mass but join in offering the sacrifice “not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him.”

“By participating in it, they learn ‘to offer themselves; through Christ the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other,’” he said.

The pope concluded by quoting “Sacrosanctum Concilium” on the Eucharist as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.”

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he said, “let us draw with faith from this source of divine life and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”

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.

As Pope Leo XIV carries out his global mission, the Vatican is calling on the faithful worldwide to support him through the traditional Peter’s Pence collection this Sunday, June 28, the day before the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. 

No contribution is too small; every gift counts: It doesn’t matter whether you can offer a grain of sand or a mountain; what truly matters is participating and giving what is within your means, according to Peter’s Pence Office.

To support this initiative, the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and the Dicastery for Communication have prepared a series of informational and multimedia materials.

What is Peterʼs Pence?

The Peterʼs Pence website explains that it is an offering “which may be small in amount, but holds great symbolic value,” as it “demonstrates a sense of belonging to the Church and of love and trust in the Holy Father.”

It is also “a concrete sign of communion with him as the successor of Peter, and of concern for the most needy, whom the pope always cares for.”

Peter’s Pence has two purposes. The first is “to support the mission of the Holy Father, which extends to the entire world through the proclamation of the Gospel, the promotion of integral human development, education, peace, and fraternity among peoples.”

A second purpose is “to support numerous charitable works benefiting individuals, families in difficulty, and populations affected by natural disasters and wars, or those in need of assistance or development aid.”

How did Peterʼs Pence originate?

Peterʼs Pence, as a donation to the pope, began to take place on a regular basis in the 7th century with the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Over time, more European peoples joined the practice. In the Middle Ages, the term was used to designate the annual contribution made by states to the Holy See, a custom that eventually fell out of use.

In modern times, specifically around 1870, following the end of the Papal States, the practice of making material contributions to the Vatican picked up again across Europe. The pope was able to provide aid to the needy, such as those affected by an earthquake in Croatia in 1881.

How is the money used now?

The website presents reports on the use of the funds raised. In 2024, for example, donations totaled 58.5 million euros ($66.5 million) of which 13.3 million euros ($15.1 million) were used to help those most in need, funding 239 charitable projects across 66 countries.

The remaining funds — the majority of the collection — supported the broader apostolic mission of the Holy Father and the Holy See. Specifically, 61.2 million euros helped cover essential activities carried out by Vatican dicasteries and offices, including evangelization efforts, support for local churches in difficulty, formation of priests and seminarians, diplomatic work through apostolic nunciatures, education, and the promotion of integral human development and peace.

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.

St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is one of only three people in history — after Jesus and Mary — whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgy.

In fact, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 is a solemnity, meaning it is the highest form of Catholic feast day. And because it falls exactly six months before the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, it is sometimes known as “Summer Christmas.”

“The Church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred; and you will not find any other of the great men of old whose birth we celebrate officially. We celebrate John’s, as we celebrate Christ’s,” St. Augustine of Hippo said in his sermon 293.

In the Mass for the solemnity, the priest prays to God in the preface that in Christ’s precursor, “St. John the Baptist, we praise your great glory, for you consecrated him for a singular honor among those born of women.”

“His birth brought great rejoicing; even in the womb he leapt for joy at the coming of human salvation. He alone of all the prophets pointed out the Lamb of redemption,” the prayer continues. “And to make holy the flowing waters, he baptized the very author of baptism and was privileged to bear him supreme witness by the shedding of his blood.”

St. Augustine explained that “John, it seems, has been inserted as a kind of boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New. That he is somehow or other a boundary is something that the Lord himself indicates when he says, ‘The Law and the prophets were until John.’ So he represents the old and heralds the new. Because he represents the old, he is born of an elderly couple; because he represents the new, he is revealed as a prophet in his mother’s womb.”

John’s connection to Christ

Father Mauro Gagliardi, a theologian and liturgist who teaches in Rome, wrote in a 2009 article on Zenit that it is important to emphasize John the Baptist’s role as “indicator.” John is “a prophet who refers back to Christ.”

The liturgy, Gagliardi said, does the same thing, and thus the June 24 solemnity “reminds us of this: The Christian liturgy is a powerful indicator of Christ to the peoples, like [John] the Baptist.”

John the Baptist’s feast day also has cosmic connections, the theologian pointed out. The fact that June 24 is close to the summer solstice demonstrates the fulfillment of the prophecy in John 3:30 that “he must increase; I must decrease,” since after John’s birthday the days get shorter, or “decrease,” while after Jesus’ birthday on Dec. 25, the days get longer, or “increase.”

“This interweaving between a figure from the history of salvation — John — and the cosmic rhythms (both guided by the same God) has found a fruitful development in the devotion and liturgy of the Church,” Gagliardi said.

Popular customs of ‘summer Christmas’

The Church’s liturgical commemoration of St. John the Baptist dates back to the fourth century.

Acknowledgement of the saint’s importance can also be noted in his shared patronage, together with St. John the Apostle, of Rome’s Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which is also the seat of the bishop of Rome — that is, the pope.

The night of June 23 is known in some countries, including Italy, as “St. John’s Eve.” Due to the solemnity’s timing, shortly after the summer solstice, some of the practices connected to the feast have a pagan character, including that some refer to it as “the Night of the Witches.”

Modern-day secular festivities may include concerts and theatrical performances, while Catholics usually celebrate Mass and hold religious processions.

One of the most typical customs related to St. John’s Eve, both secular and religious, is the bonfire, called in some countries “St. John’s Fires,” which are lit in honor of the saint who “was not the light, but came to testify to the light (Jn 1:8).” Fireworks or candle-lit processions can also take the place of bonfires.

In an Angelus message on June 25, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said the feast of St. John the Baptist “reminds us that our life is entirely and always ‘relative’ to Christ and is fulfilled by accepting him, the Word, the Light, and the Bridegroom, whose voices, lamps, and friends we are.”

“‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (Jn 3:30): The Baptist’s words are a program for every Christian,” Benedict said.

This story was first published on June 24, 2024, and has been updated.

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has rejected a request by the German Bishops’ Conference to allow lay faithful, in exceptional circumstances, to preach the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments communicated the decision in a letter dated June 17 addressed to Bishop Heiner Wilmer, president of the German Bishops’ Conference.

In the letter, released by the Vatican on June 23, the dicastery said it is “not possible to grant the indult requested” made on March 30 which would have allowed a duly designated layperson to preach in place of the homily.

Although the dicastery — which oversees most matters related to the Catholic Church’s liturgy and the ritual of the sacraments — expressed appreciation for the pastoral motivations behind the request, it emphasized that current norms do not allow for exceptions on this point.

“The reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm, but derives from the very nature of the liturgy,” the dicastery said.

The letter noted that the homily “constitutes an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word,” is “intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel,” and “represents an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the sacrament of holy orders.”

The dicastery also stressed that the “proclamation of the Word within the liturgical celebration is inseparable from the mission received sacramentally and from the unity that links the Word and the Sacrament in the eucharistic celebration.”

The letter underlined the need to strengthen the formation of clergy, pointing to “the importance of promoting the ongoing formation of ordained ministers, so that the homily may fully express its pastoral and spiritual efficacy.”

Finally, the dicastery recalled that the Church’s current discipline already provides other possibilities for lay faithful to preach.

“There are numerous forms of proclamation of the Word and preaching that can be entrusted to the lay faithful outside the homily and outside the celebration of the Eucharist,” the dicastery said, noting that such preaching must always be carried out in accordance with canon law and the proper nature of those forms of announcing the Gospel.

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.

Widows have a place of privilege and special care in the Judeo-Christian tradition, according to biblical texts. On International Widows’ Day, annually observed on June 23, the Church has the opportunity to honor these women who, throughout the ages, have meaningfully supported their families and communities after the loss of their spouses.

Widows in Scripture

In St. Lukeʼs Gospel, Jesus’ encounters with widows began in his infancy, when he was presented in the Temple of Jerusalem, and continued into the years of his public ministry as a teacher and healer.

These various meetings recorded in the Gospel highlighted the strength of a widow’s faith and prayer before God, as well as Jesus’ particular compassion for her needs and well-being.

Anna, the 87-year-old widow who “worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer,” recognized the divinity of Jesus when Mary and Joseph brought him into the Temple.

According to Luke, Anna was a prophetess and one of the first women to praise Jesus as the Messiah. She “spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”

When Jesus saw the widow of Naim mourning the death of her only son, accompanied by others, during the funeral procession, the Gospel said Our Lord was “moved with pity” when he saw her tears.

Without being asked to perform a miracle, Jesus approached the widow without hesitation, raised her only son back to life from the dead and “gave him to his mother.”

Before dying on the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of his own widowed mother, Mary, to the "disciple whom he loved.”

“He said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son,’” St. John wrote. “Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

In the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist Luke also sheds light on how certain ministries were formed to support widows in the early Church.

The ministry of deacons was established by the Twelve Apostles to resolve the dispute among their Hebrew and Greek disciples regarding the care of widows, as outlined in Acts 6.

St. Luke also mentions how these women supported the various spiritual and material needs of the first Christian communities.

In Acts 9, Peter promptly visited the widows of Joppa who mourned the death of their friend Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, who was “completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.”

“When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them,” the evangelist wrote.

After kneeling down and praying beside her, Peter “raised her up” and “presented her alive” to her Church community.

St. Augustine’s letter to a Roman widow

According to Augustinian Father Kolawole Chabi, the Church’s concern and reverence for widows continued over the centuries, exemplified in St. Augustine’s letter to Proba written in A.D. 412.

The Roman noblewoman’s supplication to St. Augustine led him to write an ancient treatise on Christian prayer that remains relevant today, the professor at Rome’s Patristic Institute Augustinianum told EWTN News.

“The letter to Proba spoke of continuous praying,” Chabi said in an April 27 interview. “Augustine said that inasmuch as you continue desiring God, you are praying. Your prayer stops when your desire for God stops.”

In the bishop of Hippo’s written response to the Roman noblewoman, he praised the widows mentioned in the Gospel whose ceaseless prayers were heard and heeded by God and encouraged her to continue living a pious life for the benefit of her family and community.

“[Proba] became, also, a leading figure in the Christianization of the Roman aristocracy,” Chabi told EWTN News.

Before becoming a prominent Church leader, Augustine owed his own widowed mother St. Monica for his conversion. Through her persistent prayers and example of holiness, he was baptized by St. Ambrose during the Easter Vigil in A.D. 387 at the age of 32.

St. Monica continues to be a popular Catholic patron for married women, mothers, and widows.

Widows’ ministries in the Church today

From ancient times to the present day, widows continue to have a significant apostolic role and place of care in Catholic archdioceses around the world.

Among several widows’ groups formed within the Church, the Order of Widows (Ordo Viduarum) has seen a recent revival in parts of the U.S.

Carlotta Stricker, assistant servant leader for the Widows of Prayer, spoke to EWTN News about the unique vocation and how women who have lost their husbands are keeping the faith.

“As a Widow of Prayer, we live our lives with God as our focus,” she explained. “Responsibilities include daily Mass, Eucharist, rosary, adoration, Liturgy of the Hours (morning and evening), and Divine Mercy Chaplet. All other forms of prayers and spiritual reading are encouraged.”

“In spite of our promise and vows, we are still mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers and still have an active role in our families lives,” she said.

Pope Leo XIV defended the dignity of human life at every stage and warned about the risks of a medicine subordinated to technical or utilitarian criteria at the Vatican on Monday.

“No doctor should ever allow himself, on the basis of laboratory algorithms, to decide on the life of an embryo or of an elderly person,” the pope said June 22 during an audience with members of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation.

“Medicine must never become a servant of programmed death!” he emphasized.

The foundation began its work in France in 1995, following the death of geneticist Jérôme Lejeune, considered the father of modern genetics for discovering in 1958 the genetic cause of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).

According to its website, the organization allocates between four and five million euros (approximately $4.5-5.7 million) annually to research, maintains a biobank in Paris with more than 20,000 samples, and operates medical centers in Paris and Nantes, France, in Madrid, Spain, and in Córdoba, Argentina).

“I wish to express my encouragement for your commitment in favor of life and human dignity,” Leo XIV told foundation members.

Pope Leo XIV embraces a participant in his audience with members of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on June 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

In his address, the pontiff also recalled the figure of Lejeune, a French scientist whose cause for beatification advanced when Pope Francis in 2021 signed the decree recognizing his heroic virtues.

Despite the international recognition Lejeune’s discovery brought him, it was later used by the abortion industry to identify unborn children with Down syndrome — something Lejeune firmly rejected.

The French geneticist, declared venerable, publicly defended the lives of the most vulnerable despite the rejection he faced in certain scientific circles.

During the June 22 meeting, held on the occasion of the centenary of Lejeune’s birth, the pope emphasized that the professor dedicated his life to children with disabilities: “Moved by the difficult situation of children with disabilities, Professor Lejeune devoted his life to them as a scientific researcher.”

Leo also recalled that the discovery of the chromosomal anomaly responsible for trisomy 21 made Lejeune a “pioneer of modern genetics.”

‘Medicine is the hatred of disease and the love of the patient’

The Holy Father likewise highlighted Lejeune’s medical vocation and his commitment to patients, whom he called “the poorest of the poor,” and cited one of his best-known expressions: “Medicine is the hatred of disease and the love of the patient.”

The pope also recalled the scientist’s influence in the Church, noting that St. Paul VI appointed him a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and that his closeness to St. John Paul II contributed to the creation of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

In his remarks, Leo XIV warned about the ethically questionable use of scientific advances. “A man of science and wisdom, Jérôme Lejeune quickly understood that his scientific discovery would be used to eradicate people with trisomy 21 before their birth,” he said. The pontiff added that the geneticist denounced this phenomenon as “chromosomal racism.”

“Be, like him, committed witnesses in society, at the service of the constant pursuit of the common good,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV takes a photo with members of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on June 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

The pope reiterated that technology cannot replace medicine or be separated from an ethical framework: “The value of the human person does not depend on what he or she accomplishes or produces.”

Finally, he expressed gratitude for the work of the Lejeune Foundation, addressing its members, children of Venerable Lejeune present in the audience, and “dear friends with trisomy 21” and their parents.

“I am pleased by the place you occupy on the global level in research on intellectual disabilities of genetic origin,” he said.

The pontiff concluded by encouraging its members to continue promoting a culture of life and the common good, and he imparted his apostolic blessing, extending it to their families and to the patients served by the institution.

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

After a meeting at the Vatican in October last year, Pope Leo XIV and a network for victims of clergy sexual abuse and continue to build collaboration through conversations with the Vatican’s safeguarding commission.

The pope “is interested in dialogue and in seeing what can be done in his new role. I think the fact that he received us was a sign of trust on his part, because in the past the relationship between survivors’ groups and the Vatican has not been easy, so we took a step forward,” Matthias Katsch, a member of the advocacy organization Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) told EWTN News in Rome.

Katsch, who is from Germany, is a member of ECA’s board of directors and one of the members most critical of policies adopted to prevent abuse within the Church.

Matthias Katsch, member of the board of directors of Ending Clergy Abuse, speaks to EWTN News in Rome on June 18, 2026. | Crédito: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Almost eight months after the initial step of meeting with Pope Leo, the relationship between the Vatican and ECA has been formalized.

On June 15-16, the board of directors of ECA — which is present in 14 countries across five continents — held a meeting with top officials of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) at Palazzo Maffei, a Vatican-owned property in the center of Rome. The PCPM is responsible for promoting safeguarding policies in the Church.

The pope, though not present, proposed the meeting, which will have a second part later this year.

The private meetings — which included, among others, the commission’s secretary, Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera — were “very positive,” according to Katsch.

The role of the organization Katsch represents, in his words, is “to engage in dialogue with survivors” of abuse and then to press the appropriate Church authorities so that “the changes that are needed can be carried out step by step.”

“We have common ground: on both sides we have the same interest. We want to prevent this from continuing to happen,” said Katsch, who has spoken publicly about the abuse he suffered at a Jesuit school in Berlin.

The meeting coincided with the recent approval of the PCPM’s statutes by Leo, a measure which, according to the body itself, strengthens the Church’s commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable persons worldwide.

For ECA representatives, the meeting with the commission was an opportunity “to learn firsthand what this means for the policy they are going to pursue.”

“There is now more clarity about roles in this process and, from what I understand, the idea is that it is not only the commission or any other body that is responsible for the protection of minors and accountability … but that the entire Church, in particular the entire Curia, is responsible,” Katsch stressed.

In the opening session, the president of the pontifical commission, Archbishop Thibault Verny, insisted that the obligation to listen to victims “must be an active exercise with concrete results in order to be credible.”

During the working sessions, ECA representatives called on the Catholic Church to adopt globally the accountability standards in force in the United States, which provide for permanent removal from ministry when abuse is admitted or proven in a legal process.

“We are calling for zero tolerance; that it become law, and this basically means that a priest who has abused a minor [is removed from ministry] within the Church … that he no longer has a leadership role within the Church. We are not talking about expelling someone from the Church, nor from the priesthood, because that is not within our competence,” he explained.

This is a specific norm for the United States, approved in 2002 after a historic meeting of priests from that country at the Vatican, following the Boston Globe’s January 2002 exposure of the case of Father John Geoghan, who had abused more than 130 children for over 30 years.

After the meeting in the Vatican, all U.S. bishops gathered in Dallas and signed a document titled the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which included these measures and was ultimately approved in December 2002.

In June, this document was revised, but it maintained the original text’s central aim of “addressing, with transparency and accountability, allegations of abuse committed by members of the clergy,” as Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, and chair of the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, explained during the session.

“After 25 years, we have seen that it has worked. Hundreds of priests in the United States have been removed from ministry for having abused children. So why cannot that clarity be applied in other parts of the world? That is our question,” Katsch said, noting that PCPM is not the Holy See’s legislative body but is responsible for guiding safeguarding strategies alongside other dicasteries of the Roman Curia.

The Vatican will hold a plenary session in September to evaluate the impact of abuse prevention policies and procedures, with the aim of identifying both the progress made and the system’s shortcomings.

ECA plans to present a proposal for a universal law that includes, among other measures, the creation of an independent agency with investigative authority, the obligation to issue recommendations and public reports, and a guarantee of transparency throughout the process.

The Code of Canon Law establishes that bishops must open a preliminary investigation as soon as they become aware of a possible crime in their dioceses. After completing the proceedings, they must send the acts to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, along with their assessment.

However, a lack of resources in this body remains one of the main obstacles. “What is needed for justice to be effectively carried out in individual cases is that the team of those who investigate cases from Rome, cases that arrive in Rome, has a number of people proportionate to the number of cases worldwide. I understand that there are now around 20 prosecutors for the whole world, and that does not work,” Katsch said.

Another request is the obligation to share information with civil authorities. Katsch emphasized the importance of “cooperating with and reporting to the ordinary courts the cases that come to their attention,” while acknowledging the complexity of this issue depending on different legal systems.

“There are countries that do not have the legal standards that allow this, [so] one cannot be certain that the laws are applied fairly,” he explained, without specifying particular cases.

The PCPM confirmed to EWTN News that it agreed to continue dialogue with ECA beyond the first meeting at the group’s request.

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

Pope Leo XIV called on the United Nations (U.N.) to prioritize people in combating world hunger and said feeding the hungry is an essential part of peacemaking.

The pontiff visited the headquarters the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome on Monday. In his remarks, Leo emphasized the seriousness of world hunger, explaining that it often fuels other social challenges, particularly migration.

“More than merely a humanitarian concern, hunger erodes social cohesion, heightens the risk of conflict, and fuels forced migration,” Leo said. “In effect, conflicts are ‘fed’ more readily than people are nourished. This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.”

The pope also stressed the importance of multilateral collaboration, stating that each state shares co-responsibility to “recognize the inherent God-given dignity of every person.” He also encouraged secular governments to be open to collaborating with the Catholic Church to assist the most vulnerable, recognizing their fundamental human right to adequate food.

“Access to adequate food is a fundamental human right grounded in the dignity of every person,” Leo remarked.

“The Catholic Church — through parishes, dioceses, Caritas agencies, and other faith-based initiatives — often reaches vulnerable populations in areas inaccessible to international actors. I therefore encourage the World Food Programme and its partners to continue supporting these efforts.”

The U.N. World Food Programme was established in 1961 in response to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and food shortages worldwide. In his address, Leo XIV praised the progress of the organization’s mission while warning the U.N. about the dangers of a bureaucracy that slows the delivery of food assistance to disadvantaged populations.

“Implementing this appeal [to fight hunger] effectively requires reducing unnecessary bureaucracy so that transparency and accountability serve people rather than impede assistance,” the pope said.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that contemplation is not reserved for saints, monks, or hermits but is a necessary part of Christian life that helps make believers credible witnesses to the Gospel.

“We must not think that contemplation is an exclusive experience, reserved only for a few saints or for monks and hermits,” the pope said June 21 before leading the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew, Leo said Jesus’ sending of the disciples on mission shows that proclaiming the Gospel is “first and foremost a sharing of a personal encounter with him, which is unique to each of us.”

“The strength of any apostolate, in fact — beyond techniques and tools — comes from the work of the Holy Spirit within us and from the authenticity of our response,” the pope said.

Citing St. Thomas Aquinas, Leo described preaching as “passing on to others what we have contemplated,” using the Latin phrase “contemplata aliis tradere.”

“We can all do it,” he said, “by striving to set aside, amidst the commitments of our daily lives, quiet moments in which to enter into silence before God, to listen to his voice, to entrust our joys and concerns to him and to review our lives with him.”

This, the pope continued, “helps us to have a more firm and conscious faith, and consequently to be credible and free disciples, men and women capable of reflecting the light of the Gospel in every setting and every situation of life, and of bearing witness to it even where its value is not understood or accepted.”

Pope Leo recalled that St. Matthew wrote for communities facing hostility and persecution, “as so many Christians still do today in various parts of the world.” In such circumstances, he said, “the temptation to become discouraged and to let weariness or fear get the better of them was great.”

“Now, just as then, it is a challenge to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings and to proclaim his word: to respond to hatred with love, to arrogance with meekness, and to discouragement with perseverance,” he said.

“For this reason, we must deepen the roots of our faith and our mission in an intimate relationship with him,” the pope added. “This gives us the strength not to despair, but to continue to share with everyone, in every circumstance, his message of hope, love and peace. The world greatly needs it!”

After the Marian prayer, Pope Leo turned his attention to refugees, noting that World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations, was celebrated the previous day on the 75th anniversary of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

The convention, the pope said, “was adopted to protect those who are persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, homes and families.”

“I hope that the spirit that inspired the drafting of this important international instrument may also continue to enlighten the consciences of national leaders today,” he said. “No one can turn a blind eye to those who are seeking protection and safety.”

“I also urge everyone to welcome those who are victims of persecution so that they may live in peace, with dignity, and look to the future with hope,” Leo added.

The pope also greeted members of the Catholic Pentecostal International Dialogue.

“The Church believes as she prays,” he said, “and reflecting together on the principle ‘lex orandi, lex credendi’ is particularly relevant nowadays.”

Turning to Brazil, Pope Leo assured pilgrims from the country of his prayers “for the young people who died a few days ago in a road accident in the State of Ceará.”

He also greeted confirmation candidates from two parishes in Ozieri, Sardinia, and wished all those gathered a happy Sunday.

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.

SANT’ANGELO LODIGIANO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV paid tribute Saturday to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen ever canonized as a Catholic saint, holding her up as a model for how the Church should respond to migrants today.

Before returning to the Vatican after a daylong visit to the northern Italian city of Pavia, the pope traveled to Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, in the Diocese of Lodi, the birthplace of Cabrini, the Italian-born missionary who became a tireless defender of migrants in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.

Cabrini died in Chicago in 1917 — the same city where Pope Leo was born. She was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1938 and canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

Welcomed by about 5,000 faithful, Pope Leo visited the Parish of Santi Antonio Abate e Francesca Cabrini for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to venerate the heart of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

“When I learned that Sant’Angelo Lodigiano is only a few kilometers from Pavia,” Pope Leo said, “I thought I would take the opportunity, and here I am.”

The pope said Mother Cabrini, following the guidance of Pope Leo XIII and St. John Baptist Scalabrini, “interpreted the signs of the times” and understood that her dream of going to China, in imitation of St. Francis Xavier, had to be fulfilled where the need was greatest.

“Today that sign, that is, the phenomenon of migration, has entered a different phase, certainly more complex, yet no less capable of challenging the Church,” he said.

Pope Leo asked what Cabrini’s missionary soul would say if she were alive today.

“For my part, I inherited and carried forward the magisterium of Pope Francis with the apostolic exhortation Dilexi te on love for the poor,” he said. “And there, where it speaks of charity in the form of accompanying migrants, the figure of St. Frances Cabrini appears right alongside St. John Baptist Scalabrini. What could be more timely than a missionary charism placed at the service of migrants?”

The pope also urged young people to learn more about Mother Cabrini, saying that those who come to know her “are captivated by her.”

“Her soul was at once contemplative and active,” Pope Leo said. “She was immersed in the love of the heart of Christ, and this gave her an extraordinary capacity for work and strength of spirit.”

In his greeting to the pope, Bishop Maurizio Malvestiti of Lodi praised what he called Mother Cabrini’s “original and highly fruitful” union of contemplation and social charity.

Both dimensions, he said, were “overwhelming and farsighted in an evangelical reading of the times and of new realities,” marked by “ecumenical and interreligious intuitions” that testify that “no one is a stranger in history: We are all called to fraternity in justice and peace.”

The stop in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano was the final leg of Pope Leo’s brief but intense visit to Lombardy.

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.

PAVIA, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited the Basilica of St. Peter in Ciel d’Oro in Pavia, where the relics of St. Augustine are kept, in what amounted to a kind of homecoming for the Augustinian pope.

The basilica, whose construction began in the eighth century, has housed the mortal remains of St. Augustine since around the year 722, when they arrived in Pavia from Cagliari. The relics had previously been brought to Sardinia from Hippo in 504.

The June 20 stop continued Pope Leo’s Augustinian itinerary. In April, during his apostolic journey to Algeria, the pope visited Annaba, the ancient Hippo, where Augustine served as bishop.

Upon his arrival at the basilica, Pope Leo was welcomed by Father Joseph L. Farrell, prior general of the Order of St. Augustine; Father Gabriele Pedicino, provincial prior; and Father Gianfranco Casagrande, prior of the convent. The pope then met with the Augustinian community and, later in the cloister, with bishops of the Lombardy Episcopal Conference.

The last papal visit to the Basilica of St. Peter in Ciel d’Oro took place in 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI came to Pavia and was welcomed by Father Robert Francis Prevost, then prior general of the Order of St. Augustine.

Greeting those present in the cloister, where about 1,800 faithful were gathered inside and outside the basilica, Pope Leo spoke briefly off the cuff.

“I know many of you,” he said. “St. Augustine teaches us to live and to love God and our brothers and sisters. Fraternal love and charity toward all are important; this is the message of Jesus and of St. Augustine. We are signs of love and charity, and we know how to live forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.”

In his greeting to the Augustinian community, Leo said that “St. Augustine is not ours; he belongs to the Church, and our mission is to make him known in the Church,” because Augustine “has so much to offer in this time.”

The pope said it is necessary “to offer the message of love for Christ and love for the Church,” adding: “May St. Augustine always help us to live this mission.”

In his address in the basilica, Pope Leo praised the Church in Pavia as “a community of ancient tradition that remains alive and present in the city and territory, attentive to the signs of this time and to its challenges, without allowing itself to be discouraged by fatigue, by the secularized context, and by the difficulties in transmitting the faith.”

To avoid discouragement, he said, Christians need “a gaze animated by the spirit of faith” that helps them read reality more deeply and resist “a negative and pessimistic attitude, incapable of generating new life.”

“The gaze that is required of us is instead that of Jesus,” he said.

The pope asked what it means to be “a living Church,” answering that it requires remaining united to Christ, “the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God.”

“Christ is the foundation of the spiritual building,” Leo said. “He is the cornerstone placed as the basis of our ecclesial journey, of pastoral action, and of evangelization.”

Being built in Christ, he said, protects the Church from the risk of becoming scattered or exhausted by “secondary things” that may be good but do not reach what is essential.

“Since the center is Christ, we all draw from this one source and submit our efforts to the discernment that comes from his light and his word,” the pope said. “Then we help grow a Church in which people walk together, capable of renewing itself without division, in which all recognize one another as brothers and sisters and work joyfully in service of the kingdom of God.”

Leo urged Christian communities to be centered on what is essential, “even if this should involve giving up some structures and some securities of the past.”

“The essential thing is to live with Christ, and spreading his Gospel is what must be close to our hearts,” he said.

The pope addressed that appeal first to priests, calling them to “always return to the center” and to unify everything in their relationship with the Lord. He also encouraged men and women religious, who he said often know the fatigue of updating the charism to which they belong, to begin again from Christ and share their gifts with the whole diocesan Church.

In a secularized world, Leo said, Christians are called above all to bring “the joyful and liberating proclamation of Jesus Christ” and to help people discover or rediscover the faith.

The pope then pointed again to Augustine, saying that “his thought, the story of his conversion, and his spirituality remind us of the value and primacy of interiority.”

“As living stones, we are called to be a Church well rooted in the territory,” Pope Leo said, “a Church that walks amid the struggles and hopes of the people, expert in the art of listening and accompanying.”

He emphasized the importance in Pavia of university pastoral ministry and dialogue with culture, saying that study and scientific work challenge believers to offer a faith capable of illuminating the human search for truth, justice, and beauty.

Before the pope’s address, Bishop Corrado Sanguineti of Pavia described the local Church as “a Church on the journey,” marked by growing communion among religious communities, associations, movements, and pastoral efforts to reach people in the concrete circumstances of their lives.

Farrell, the Augustinian prior general and Prevost’s successor, also addressed the pope. He said Pope Leo’s presence among the Augustinians had “inestimable meaning,” because they are “historically and spiritually, sons of the Church and sons of St. Augustine.”

“We have St. Augustine for a father and the Church for a mother,” Farrell said, noting that the words would sound familiar to Leo because they were the same words then-Father Prevost had addressed to Pope Benedict XVI during his 2007 visit to Pavia.

Pope Leo XIV in Pavia, Italy, on June 20, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

After leaving the basilica, Pope Leo went to Piazza Duomo, where he prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and venerated the relics of St. Syrus, the first bishop of Pavia.

On the steps of the cathedral, the pope blessed a heated cradle intended for abandoned newborns and prayed before the image of Our Lady of Colombina. The then-Cardinal Prevost had been expected to visit the shrine of Colombina last year, but his election to the papacy made the visit impossible.

Speaking off the cuff on the cathedral steps, Pope Leo greeted young people and the large Peruvian community present in the city.

“We all want to live in peace,” he said. “It is very important that we never lose hope. But, as St. Augustine told us, if we want to change the times, if we want the world to live in peace, we must begin with ourselves.”

“That means no more words of hatred, no more insults, no more bullying, no more all those things that create war between people, between communities, between countries,” the pope said. “We must all learn to be builders of peace and promoters of reconciliation.”

After the visit to the cathedral, Pope Leo walked despite the intense heat to Piazza Vittoria for a meeting with the city’s residents.

The beauty of Pavia, Leo said, is demanding because it represents “the precious inheritance of a past that becomes a commitment for the present.”

“The city is in fact a gift and a task for those who live there,” he said.

Referring to schools, universities, hospitals, and parishes, the pope said they are “significant places” that testify to welcome, education, and culture. In different ways, he said, they attest to “the same care for the person-in-community, with his dignity and his values,” which unite citizens as one people and also underlie the Italian Constitution.

The city, Pope Leo said, points to “a human condition: The city is one for all; it is singular and plural.”

“To be social means to be solidary, behaving as authentic partners, motivated by the common good and not by partisan interests,” he said. “Citizens are always fellow citizens.”

Speaking before about 3,500 people gathered between the cathedral and Piazza Vittoria, the pope warned against indifference and called for renewed participation in civic life.

“When indifference seems to break apart our community, it is necessary to renew the active participation of all in city life,” he said. “Faced with forms of degradation and civic illiteracy, we are called to share languages of dedication and service, which safeguard squares, parks, and streets as places of encounter par excellence.”

Good citizenship, he said, “knows how to cultivate concord through dialogue and constructive encounter among the people and cultures that animate Pavia.”

“Today I invite each of you to repeat within yourselves: I care about our city,” the pope said. “I care about the health of the person next to me. I care about the beauty of the place where I live. I care about the quality of life in the environments where I work and where I spend my free time.”

Leo also highlighted the University of Pavia, saying its students experience not “an agglomeration of knowledge” but a system capable of forming the person “without speculating on his labor.”

“To promote the sciences, in fact, means to promote man, who must always remain the protagonist of his own research,” the pope said. “To every form of knowledge there corresponds a form of care.”

Returning to Augustine, Leo said “one cannot believe without thinking, nor is it possible to illuminate the highest questions of reason without faith.”

“With this trusting openness, human reason asks and plans,” he said. “It does not close itself within the logic of profit or domination but discovers new ways to care for itself and for the world.”

Faith, he added, reminds people that they are not “subjects of an anonymous fate” but are sustained by the certainty that God is “creator and savior of life.”

“Thanks to your commitment, Pavia is prosperous not only in goods but also in virtues: Always honor the dignity of every human life!” he said.

Earlier in the day, Pope Leo began his brief but intense visit to Pavia at the National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy, known by its Italian acronym CNAO.

The papal helicopter landed in Pavia shortly before 2:40 p.m. on a day of particularly high temperatures. The pope was welcomed by local authorities and Sanguineti.

“Great emotion, an atmosphere of joy, a hot day because of the heat — we think it is a beautiful moment for everyone and an experience of faith for many,” the bishop told accredited journalists gathered in the press room inside the bishop’s residence.

The cancer center, inaugurated Feb. 15, 2010, treats patients with solid tumors that cannot be cured surgically or with traditional radiotherapy, using hadrontherapy: irradiation with beams of protons and carbon ions.

CNAO was the first center dedicated to hadrontherapy in Italy and remains the only one in the country able to offer carbon ion therapy.

Inside the facility, the pope greeted administrators, medical staff, and several children undergoing treatment at the center, together with their parents.

“Help the whole world understand how, when there are difficult moments, if there is not the presence and love of the family, everything is more difficult,” the pope said off the cuff. “God does not want anyone to suffer. What God promises us is that he will always be present, even when we are too weak; he sends us angels.”

The pope thanked CNAO, “which works miracles,” and its staff, saying “God works in our lives also through doctors, nurses, and so many people.”

“When things are difficult,” he said, “let us place all our trust in God.”

After leaving Pavia, Pope Leo was scheduled to stop in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano to venerate the relics of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini before returning to the Vatican.

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

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recognized the martyrdom of Servant of God Juan Torres Torres and 19 companions from the Diocese of Ibiza in Spain who were killed out of hatred for the faith at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

On June 18, the Vatican published the decree regarding these martyrs as well as the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Clara Andreu y Malferit (1596–1628), a nun at the Hieronymite monastery of San Bartolomé in Inca in Mallorca.

The diocesan phase of the beatification process for these Spanish martyrs was opened in 2008 by Vicente Juan Segura, bishop of Ibiza, and concluded in 2015, when the cause was forwarded to the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The process was validated in January 2017, allowing work to proceed on the “positio,” the extensive report that compiles testimonies and details regarding the candidates' lives and virtues and examines their writings.

The report was approved by historical consultants in 2025, and in 2026 it was submitted for review by the dicastery’s theological consultants and member cardinals and bishops.

Born in 1912, Father Juan Torres Torres was martyred at the age of 25; he was the youngest of his companions and the first to die at the hands of his murderers. The eldest was Father José Tur Bennassar, born in 1859, who was a cathedral canon at the time of his death. He died at Ibiza Castle on Sept. 13, 1936, alongside the majority of this group. The Diocese of Ibiza celebrates the feast of these martyrs on that date.

Sister Clara Andreu

Bárbara Andreu Malferit was born on Dec. 4, 1596. Her mother died during childbirth. At the age of 8, she entered the Monastery of San Bartolomé in Inca and took the name Clara, although she did not profess as a novice until she turned 12. She made her religious profession in 1613.

The Royal Academy of History highlights in her biography that “she was notable for the dedication with which she lived out the evangelical counsels and the precepts of the rule and constitutions of the Order of St. Jerome, in every role and wherever obedience placed her.”

She also “engaged in intense activity as an adviser to many people regarding their lives and conscience” and suffered from numerous illnesses. Censured “for the spiritual experiences of a mystical nature she claimed to have and had committed to writing” at the request of Bishop Baltasar de Borja of Mallorca, “she bore it all with exemplary resignation; following a special visit by the Franciscan Father Figuerola, spiritual peace was restored,” according to the biography.

Sister Clara Andreu. | Credit: Unknown (CC BY-SA 4.0)

After she died in 1628, "in light of the favors she performed for those who commended themselves to her,” the biography said her remains were placed in a tomb in the convent church in 1702.” Her body is incorrupt, which has heightened her reputation for holiness.

The diocesan phase of her cause concluded in 2011, where the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome has studied her case for 15 years.

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 on Friday highlighted the role of synodality in promoting the common good and avoiding new divisions.

In his private audience with the participants of the Borgo Dialogues at the Vatican on June 19, Leo praised their work as a commitment to the “ecological, social, and economic transformation of the world.” He also described their work as grounded in the Church’s vision to promote global unity.

“Your dialogues have been structured on the Catholic Church’s vision of synodality, listening from the ground up while fostering global unity,” Leo said.

In his remarks, the pope drew extensively on his recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas. He urged leaders to resist the temptation to prioritize profits over a civilization of love.

“In the face of the temptation to build the ‘Tower of Babel,’ which represents the idolatry of profit at the expense of the most vulnerable and enhances the risk of dehumanization, we are called to contribute to the construction of the New Jerusalem, the civilization of love, in which love is the only guiding principle of economic, political, and cultural life.”

The Borgo Dialogues were held June 17–19 at the Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Villa Gardens in Castel Gandolfo. Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the meetings brought together leaders from academia, culture, and business to focus on global ecological challenges and related topics.