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.

LOURDES, France — One of the most moving moments of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France was his meeting Sept. 27 with 5,000 sick people and their caregivers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

There, after defending the inalienable dignity of those who are suffering from illness or infirmity, he strongly criticized a trend toward the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide under the guise of “false compassion.”

“It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral,” he said to loud applause from those listening.

Immediately following his speech, Leo broke from his schedule to go into the crowd and greet the sick and disabled, many of whom had waited hours in the hot sun to take part in the meeting.

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He also took time to bless a few people as he approached the Accueil Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame Home), a residential accommodation classified as a healthcare facility that hosts sick, disabled, and frail pilgrims to Lourdes.

Olivia Hamelin, a girl with the rare genetic neurological condition CDKL5 deficiency disorder, was among those Leo blessed.

“Seeing the pope bless Olivia was truly a moment of grace,” Olivia’s father, Alexandre Hamelin, told EWTN News afterward.

After Leo blessed Olivia, her father embraced her with a look of pure joy and happiness.

“The fact that he blessed Olivia, in a special way gives us so much strength and hope for her future. This pope radiates kindness and grace. I am certain he will leave a lasting mark on the history of the Church,” Hamelin said.

The Hamelin family. From left to right, Alexandre, 3-year-old Olivia, 5-year-old Alba, Bérénice, and 6-month-old Raphaël. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Hamelin family

It was 3-year-old Olivia’s first time in Lourdes, alongside her parents, Alexandre and Bérénice, and her siblings, 5-year-old Alba and 6-month-old Raphaël.

Raphaël was also blessed by Pope Leo in Lourdes.

The family traveled almost four hours by car from their home in Périgueux, a town in southwestern France, to Lourdes for Leo’s visit.

“For us, it was important to come to Lourdes to see the pope and hear his message of peace. It is a true sign of hope for our children,” Hamelin said.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder affects brain development and causes severe epilepsy. Those with this condition can have difficulty with movement and speech, alongside other challenges.

Hamelin said when they learned Olivia’s condition is not degenerative, it brought him and his family “enormous relief.”

“Since then, our sole goal has been for Olivia to have the most beautiful and happiest life possible. Of course, we live with her disability, but we try not to let it limit us, especially in everything we do as a family,” he said.

While his family had faith before the trial of Olivia’s illness, now, he said, it has “an even more important place in our lives.”

“It helps us keep moving forward, maintain trust, and not lose hope, even in the more difficult moments,” he said. “Above all, we are convinced that Olivia is a blessing in our lives. We believe that the Lord entrusted her to us and that, through her, he also brings us an abundance of beautiful gifts.”

The father noted how Olivia is teaching many people around her, even beyond their family.

For their oldest daughter, Alba, growing up with Olivia teaches her consideration for others, patience, kindness, and acceptance of differences, he said.

“These are beautiful values that Olivia passes on to her simply through her presence,” Hamelin noted.

“Olivia profoundly touches the people around her. She creates deep connections and brings a very special joy wherever she goes,” he said. “In the end, where some might see only the difficulties associated with her disability, we also see all the beauty she brings into our lives and into the lives of others. That, too, is what nourishes our hope and our faith.”

Pope Leo XIV has convened a gathering on the family at the Vatican from Oct. 7–14, during which bishops will listen to the testimony of 11 married couples from five continents.

These families will present to more than 150 bishops the challenges they encounter in passing on the faith in increasingly secularized societies.

The meeting is being organized on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, the postsynodal apostolic exhortation published by Pope Francis in 2016.

The document sparked intense debate, 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.

According to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, participants in the meeting will include the heads of the 15 Eastern Catholic Churches “sui iuris” (14 represented by their patriarchs or highest authorities and one by a delegate), the presidents of the world’s 115 bishops’ conferences (those of Peru, Paraguay, Turkey, and Ethiopia will send delegates), two representatives of bishops from territories without a bishops’ conference, and 22 participants specially chosen by the Holy Father.

In addition, 67 other people will attend, including members of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the General Secretariat of the Synod, and 26 experts and 16 facilitators.

Not an evaluation of Amoris Laetitia

During a presentation of the gathering at the Vatican, Gabriella Gambino, undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life since 2017, a laywoman, mother of five, and doctor of bioethics, emphasized that “this is not about evaluating a text but about deepening our understanding of the family and pastoral realities that have received and interpreted this document in different ways, just as the life of the Church is diverse in the various places around the world where it is present and rooted in the one Gospel.”

“The central point on which we must focus our attention is that the Church’s goal is not to see texts applied mechanically and uniformly in every reality, because each one has characteristics that are very different from the others,” she said.

She stated that the central question of the meeting is: “How is the faith transmitted today? How is faith passed on in families today, and how do families contribute to building up the Church?”

“Without families, the Church cannot renew its Christian roots. It is in families that children are born, where faith and values are transmitted, for better or worse, and where vocations arise,” she explained.

To illustrate the scale of the ongoing religious changes, Gambino offered several statistics. In Poland, religious marriages celebrated over the last five years have declined by 45%. In Australia, they have fallen from 88% in 1970 to 16% in 2024. In her view, these are signs that, in different contexts, highlight the urgency of better accompanying couples in their decision to marry and providing stronger support for the transmission of faith within the family.

Orietta Rachele Grazioli, a tenured professor of canon law and comparative family law at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, and vice coordinator of the expert group, explained that the “methodology chosen by the Holy Father for this gathering is centered on two key words that complement one another: listening and discernment.”

5 major themes

The gathering will be structured around five major themes related to marriage, family life, and the transmission of the faith. Reflection will begin with “Families Today: Reality, Beauty, and Challenges,” dedicated to analyzing the current situation of the family, and will continue with “Young People and the Discovery of the Vocation to Marriage,” “Married Life: The First Years of Marriage, a Decisive Time,” and “In Life’s Difficulties: Accompanying and Supporting,” which will address the accompaniment of engaged and married couples at different stages of their journey.

The meeting will conclude with the theme “Christian Families as Subjects of the Church’s Mission,” focused on the evangelizing role of families and their contribution to ecclesial life.

Father Giacomo Costa, a consultant to the General Secretariat of the Synod, said that “the question is not what Amoris Laetitia says but what we have learned by trying to live it.”

He also recalled that the goal identified by Pope Leo XIV, who will be present at both the opening and closing of the gathering, is “to advance in mutual listening toward a synodal discernment about the steps we must take today to proclaim the Gospel with families. The composition of the assembly itself reflects this objective.”

Before the start of the proceedings, an introductory meditation will be given by Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Each morning will be structured around three types of speeches: family testimonies, contributions from bishops, and reflections from experts.

‘The goal is not to eliminate differences’

“The goal is not to eliminate differences. We do not want to arrive at an artificial consensus,” Costa said. Each day will include a report summarizing the discussions, which will serve as the basis for extensive dialogue and debate sessions in the afternoon. He made clear, however, that “this is not a new synod on the family but a process guided by the synodal method, one that consciously draws upon the experience of the synods and other forums of the Church.”

Regarding the expected outcomes of the gathering, Costa insisted that “nothing has been predetermined.” A final summary will be prepared at the conclusion of the assembly, but no concluding document will be published. The text will be reviewed by a commission tasked with verifying that it faithfully reflects what emerged during the working sessions.

Afterward, the presidents of bishops’ conferences will be invited to promote initiatives in their local Churches aimed at opening new pastoral paths and further developing the proposals that emerge from the gathering.

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 — There is a fundamental difference between the art humans create and what artificial intelligence can make based on the work of others, Pope Leo XIV told a group of artists on Friday.

“The Church needs you,” the pontiff said at the Oct. 2 encounter at the Vatican. “This is especially true in this age of artificial intelligence, in which we urgently need to distinguish human art from what is produced by machines.”

“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.

The pope said this is the reason why the Catholic Church wishes to renew its alliance with artists and cultural institutions.

Leo’s address to artists and curators in the Apostolic Palace was part of a meeting on “The Art of Possibility: Weaving Together,” organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

The pope pointed to St. Augustine and his testimony of the “restlessness of the human heart in search of truth.”

“Art, when it is authentic, is also animated by this restlessness. For this reason, the Church has never considered art to be merely decorative. Instead, for the Church, art nurtures the fundamental posture of listening, through which we can learn about humanity’s aspirations and wounds, our thirst for beauty, justice and peace, and our search for meaning,” he said.

In the age of search engines and their endless, instantaneous answers that only “give us what we already want,” art is different, he noted.

Art “does not proceed by indexing but by inquiry,” the pontiff said. “Indeed, its inquiry is a focused attention that is not satisfied with the mere sum of facts, for it never ceases to dig deeper, seeking the thread that unites them. Your art, when it resists homogenization, when it draws our gaze, when it compels us to pause before that which cannot be consumed, is a form of cultural and spiritual regeneration.”

Leo cited the homily of his predecessor St. Paul VI from a Mass with artists in 1964.

“St. Paul VI spoke words that remain a landmark for the Church’s relationship with artists: ‘We need you,’ he said. ‘Our ministry needs your collaboration. For, as you know, our ministry is to preach and to make the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of the ineffable, of God, accessible and understandable — indeed, inspiring. And in this task, which translates the invisible world into accessible, intelligible forms, you are masters,’” Pope Leo quoted.

VATICAN CITY — Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, ordained 18 men from the North American College in Rome as transitional deacons in St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday.

The Oct. 1 celebration came after approximately seven years of rigorous spiritual, academic, and pastoral formation, marking a pivotal step for the men in the journey toward becoming fully ordained Catholic priests.

Transitional deacons are in their final stage of ministry as seminarians before their priestly ordination. For each candidate, the milestone signifies a lifelong commitment to humble service, preaching the Gospel, and assisting at the altar as they step into their ultimate calling as shepherds of the faith.

Reflecting on the weight and grace of the moment, candidate Nicholas Vande Hey of Green Bay, Wisconsin, told EWTN News that he “feels humbled and I feel hungry at the same time ... for what [the Lord is] going to do in the future.” Vande Hey is joined by peers representing dioceses across the United States, all of whom have spent years preparing in the heart of the Church.

In his homily, Barron, founder of the Catholic ministry Word on Fire, reminded the candidates of their fundamental and seminal role as preachers of the word.

Friends and family join a Mass for the ordination to the transitional diaconate of 18 men from the North American College in Rome on Oct. 1, 2026, in St. Peter’s Basilica. | Credit: Fabio Gonnella/EWTN News

Drawing on sacred tradition, he emphasized that the young deacons must bear Christ’s mission in mind as they complete their studies in Rome and prepare to take what they learned back home to their local parishes.

Christ himself said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church,” Barron said.

The bishop went on to say that “when Christ’s words resonate through you to his people, things change. Hearts are set on fire.”

Graham Fassero of the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, on the eve of his ordination, said: “Rome has been able to give me this habit of thinking as a pilgrim, and I would love to bring some glimmer of that to the people back home too.”

For new deacon Brendan Finnegan of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, this ordination is “a fulfillment” as he continues to “learn to be a man in service,” leaning on his experiences in Rome to effectively govern and sanctify the people of his parish.

As the 18 men complete their final year of preparation, they carry with them the unique grace of having been ordained in the spiritual center of the universal Church.

Barron closed his homily with this phrase: “Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you preach.”

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a new document on the transmission of the faith, titled Venite ad Me, in mid-October.

According to a source from the dicastery with direct knowledge of its content, who confirmed the information to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the text “addresses various paths and different possibilities to encourage reflection within each diocese on the difficulties and new opportunities we have for transmitting faith in Jesus Christ to our brothers and sisters.”

Venite ad Me, which means “Come to Me” in Latin, responds to a request made by Pope Francis and embraced by Leo XIV, aimed at stimulating debate and reflection within the Catholic community.

“Given that in many parts of the world the faith is transmitted with increasing difficulty, the question is how we can successfully pass on the faith to others in the world in which we live,” the same source added.

In preparing the document, the Vatican consulted bishops’ conferences from around the world. According to the Vatican source, 70% of them responded.

“This gives the text a strongly universal character that reflects a wide variety of concerns and contexts regarding the transmission of the faith,” the source noted.

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

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of October is for the mental health ministry.

“Melancholy, bad character, confusion of senses — today, we understand that behind these old labels lies a deep, silent suffering not only of those affected by mental disorders but also of their loved ones and their communities,” Pope Leo said in a video released Oct. 1 on X.

He added: “We live in a world full of tensions, and even as solutions grow so does the number of people in crisis. This October, let us pray for the mental health ministry — an urgent and ever more needed service in our Church and in the world.”

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

“God of life,

You know the innermost depths of our hearts —

the light and shadows within us,

the silent wounds that sometimes no one sees.

Today we bring before you our brothers and sisters

who struggle with challenges to their mental health,

who suffer in solitude with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness.

You call them by name, with tenderness,

and in you they find dignity and hope.

Forgive us for the times we have looked the other way,

feeding the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses.

May your Church be an open house,

a safe space where everyone has a place —

a community that accompanies and never excludes,

that listens without judging and draws near without fear.

We pray to you, Lord, for those who care:

professionals, family members, volunteers —

men and women who, with patience and love,

build bridges of understanding and comfort.

Give them strength and compassion to sustain others.

Send your Spirit upon us,

that we may learn to welcome and integrate care for mental health

into the life and ministry of our communities and of the whole Church,

and thus become a living sign of your mercy,

which never abandons and always restores.

Amen.”

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

VATICAN CITY — More than 700 children from schools and parishes in Rome joined Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens on Thursday to pray the rosary for peace in the world.

The Oct. 1 event marked the beginning of a week of prayer for the initiative “One Million Children Praying the Rosary,” promoted by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

The Holy Father greeted the children at the beginning. He thanked them and encouraged them to be good at home, in their families, at school, in catechism classes, and in sports, because peace also grows in this way.

“I am truly happy to be with you! And you, children, tell me: Are you happy to have come? Good, that makes me happy too. Above all, because this evening we have gathered together to be with the two people who love us more than anyone else. Who are they? The Lord Jesus and his mother, Mary, who never leave us alone and who are always close to us,” Pope Leo said in his address before the rosary.

An estimated more than 700 children join in praying the rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 1, 2026, in the Vatican Gardens. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

“We love them too, don’t we?” he added. “Shall we tell them? Let’s try. Let us repeat together: ‘I love you, Jesus. I love you, Mary.’ Yes, we love you, Jesus and Mary, and this evening we ask you for a special gift: peace for all the children of the world, especially those who live where there is war, in so many countries across the earth.”

“We do this through the prayer of the holy rosary, which is a simple prayer that everyone can pray,” the pope affectionately emphasized to the children.

He noted that “in a little while we will light candles, and we will reflect on Jesus in some important moments of his life … These are moments in which he gave us wonderful gifts that we must never forget, and for this we want to thank him.

Calling on the children to repeat with him, he said: “Let us do that together as well, once again. Let us all say: ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ And let us ask him with confidence, all united: ‘Give us peace!’”

For the pope, the children’s rosary initiative represents “50 million Hail Marys rising to heaven from every corner of the world and in every language on earth, asking for peace, and joining together like one immense rosary garland, embracing and drawing together all the continents, races, and nations of the planet.”

Pope Leo XIV brings flowers to Mary at a replica of the grotto of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes during a rosary prayed with children in the Vatican Gardens on Oct. 1, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

Upon his arrival for the rosary, the pope also presented a small bouquet of flowers to Our Lady. It was a simple gesture carried out together with a child at the replica grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens.

For the first time this year, the prayer campaign will take place over the course of an entire week, from Oct. 1–7, allowing dioceses, parishes, schools, communities, and families across different continents to participate in the prayer for peace and unity.

Similar initiatives are already being prepared in other countries, such as Bolivia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and many other places marked by war, poverty, or instability.

The 2026 campaign is inspired by the message of Fátima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

The rosary was led by the children through readings, songs, and brief reflections on countries affected by war. The Hail Mary was also recited in several languages.

In this year’s invitation to participants, Cardinal Kurt Koch, international president of Aid to the Church in Need and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, recalled that Mary’s Immaculate Heart represents a life completely open to the Holy Spirit and presents Mary as a model of faith, love, and prayer.

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 on Thursday warned of the urgency of the current ecological crisis during an audience at the Vatican with a delegation from the Hera Group, an Italian conglomerate specializing in environmental services, waste management, integrated water systems, and energy.

“The ecological challenge of our time is, in fact, more urgent than ever. On the one hand, we are witnessing the uncontrolled consumption of resources; on the other, the management and disposal of enormous quantities of waste are becoming increasingly problematic,” he cautioned on Oct. 1.

Leo XIV also recalled that, for Christians, care for creation is part of a moral responsibility.

“As Christians, we cannot resign ourselves to accepting the throwaway culture; rather, we are called to make wise use of creation,” he stressed.

“To avoid considering every used object as mere waste, it is necessary to change our behavior and commit ourselves to taking a different path. In essence, this means overcoming the consumerist model and moving toward a productive system capable of preserving the limited goods of our planet,” the pontiff said.

Leo XIV praised the company’s work in the field of recycling, an activity that, in his view, “demonstrates that it is possible to commit ourselves in this direction.”

As part of its collaboration on environmental sustainability and the circular economy, the Hera Group donated to Vatican City State in April a fully electric truck with a range of 60 kilometers (about 37 miles), which is used to collect waste within Vatican territory.

“The work you carry out, including here in the Vatican, bears witness to the fact that the culture of waste can be successfully opposed by a culture of care. This culture is not limited simply to objects and products but extends from them to human labor, and from labor to persons. For it is we who inhabit the world and who, through our decisions and behavior, live in it as a gift from God,” he said from the Apostolic Palace.

The Holy Father also thanked the company for its commitment to environmental protection: “I am grateful for the work you do in seeking to contribute to the care of our common home, and I encourage you to continue in this commitment.”

The pope also cited Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, which states that “the model of recycling and circular production is a good path for ensuring a sustainable environment for future generations.”

“It is important to set an example of consistency: The Church must be the first to put into practice what she herself proclaims,” he added.

“Through our synergy, we will be able to make the home we all share ever more beautiful and welcoming,” Leo concluded.

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

The General Secretariat of the Synod published on Wednesday the final report of the Canonical Commission, which explicitly endorses several proposals to amend the Code of Canon Law related to the participation of laymen and laywomen in the life and governance of the Church.

Specifically, the document supports changes to canons concerning the ability of lay faithful to exercise “offices, roles, and ministries within the Church for which they are qualified and competent, including in the realm of ecclesiastical governance.”

The text, originally drafted in Italian and also available in English, is not binding and must now be examined by Pope Leo XIV. It is one of the reports prepared by the 10 study groups created by Pope Francis in 2024 as part of the Synod on Synodality. These groups are dissolved once their work has been completed and published.

The commission tasked with studying the reforms was coordinated by Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and included prominent experts in canon law.

Its members included Jesuit Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda; Dutch canon lawyer Myriam Wijlens; Monsignor Matteo Visioli, referendary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; Monsignor Giacomo Incitti, professor at the Pontifical Urbaniana University; Hungarian canonist Péter Szabó; Father Alphonse Borras; Professor José San José Prisco, dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Salamanca; Father Benedict Ndubueze Ejeh, dean of the St. Pius X Faculty of Canon Law in Venice, Italy; and Italian Father Gianluca Merlini, secretary of the commission.

A limited but significant reform

The commission considers that a “profound reform of the canonical legal system” is not necessary in order to implement the ideas that emerged from the synodal process.

According to the report, “the Church’s current legal system already provides adequate provisions for greater recognition and designation of lay persons to assume roles and functions of ecclesial co-responsibility together with the pastors.” Nevertheless, it acknowledges that these provisions are “often overlooked” and, in some cases, “require greater normative affirmation to be more practical and effective.”

For this reason, the proposals seek to adapt certain aspects of canon law to the conclusions of the synod, especially regarding the participation of laypeople in the Church’s mission.

The document also insists that the synodal process “does not diminish the decision-making authority of the bishop, the college of bishops, or the pope, but integrates the contribution of the People of God, giving the synodal act a truly communal character.”

Among the canons examined are Canons 204, 208, and 212, which affirm the equal dignity of all the baptized and their right to participate in the life of the Church; Canons 228 and 230, which regulate the possibility of laypeople exercising ecclesiastical offices and ministries; Canon 145, concerning ecclesiastical offices; and Canon 275, which promotes collaboration between clergy and laity.

Papal infallibility under review

Also studied were Canons 476 and 483, related to certain functions of governance and administration in dioceses; Canon 1112, which under specific circumstances allows a layperson to validly assist at the celebration of marriages; Canons 1421 and 1425, concerning lay participation in ecclesiastical tribunals; and Canon 749, which regulates the exercise of the infallible magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Should the proposals advance, it would not be the first time the Vatican has examined reformulating the understanding of papal infallibility. In June 2024, a study by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, titled “The Bishop of Rome,” collected suggestions for adapting the exercise of Petrine primacy in light of the fruits of decades of ecumenical dialogue.

Greater weight for laity and religious

Among the most significant proposals is the revision of several canons to strengthen the synodal dimension of particular councils, diocesan synods, and pastoral councils.

One of the most notable changes would affect Canon 443, with the goal of making possible “the participation of all members of the People of God ... in a proportion equal to that of the ‘ex officio’ members” in particular councils.

The proposal goes beyond expanding the presence of lay faithful and men and women religious. It also calls for removing the Latin word “tantum” (“only”), which currently limits their participation to “a consultative vote” in various ecclesial bodies.

This restriction appears in several canons of the code, including Canons 443 and 444 concerning particular councils; Canon 466 regarding the diocesan synod; and Canons 500, 514, and 536, which regulate the presbyteral council, diocesan pastoral council, and parish pastoral council, respectively.

If approved, these bodies would no longer be structured solely according to a consultative logic but would move toward stronger forms of power in decision-making.

Greater autonomy for bishops’ conferences

The proposals also seek to strengthen the role of bishops’ conferences and promote greater decentralization. Among the suggested changes is a revision of Canon 440, Paragraph 1, to establish a “ten-year frequency” for the celebration of particular councils. The aim is to encourage their regular convocation and restore a more significant role for them in the life of the Church.

Likewise, the commission proposes modifying Canon 1112 to eliminate the need for intervention by the Holy See when a bishops’ conference authorizes laymen and laywomen to assist at marriages under the circumstances foreseen by law.

The reforms also include adjustments to Canon 403, Paragraph 1, to provide a clearer definition of the nature and mission of auxiliary bishops within the pastoral governance of dioceses.

Similarly, a modification to Canon 450, Paragraph 3, is proposed to allow retired bishops to serve on commissions of bishops’ conferences, thereby making use of their pastoral and governance experience after they have stepped down from leading a diocese.

Accountability in episcopal governance

The third section of the report emphasizes that the “widest possible” participation of the baptized requires institutional mediation, especially within the local Church, and describes participatory bodies as “primary places of participation,” where the faithful contribute according to their “canonical condition, charisms, ministries, and competencies.”

Another of the report’s most significant developments is the addition of a new paragraph to Canon 391 inspired by the synod’s final document. The proposal explicitly introduces the principle of “accountability and evaluation” into the exercise of episcopal governance.

If approved, the change would represent a significant step toward greater transparency in the administration of dioceses by strengthening the obligation to explain and justify pastoral and administrative decisions within the processes of Church governance.

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

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication has unveiled the theme for the 61st World Day of Social Communications: “A New Gaze: Paying Attention in the Age of Clickbait.”

With this theme, the Vatican will invite people “to reflect on Christ’s compassionate gaze as a way of overcoming the superficiality of relationships,” Vatican News reported.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Vatican warned that the so-called “attention economy,” in its struggle “for a few moments of interest amid the rapid and endless flow of content,” is transforming “not only our cognitive abilities but also the depth of our interpersonal communication.”

The reflection comes at a particularly significant moment for communicators, as social media and digital platforms reward speed, immediate emotion, and controversy while listening and thoughtful analysis are often pushed aside. Faced with this reality, the Vatican proposes an authentic “conversion of our gaze.”

“We are called to a conversion of our gaze: to look again, with attention and with love. Only in this way will we be able to see the world, others, and even ourselves, as Christ sees us: called by name and loved,” the message states.

The Vatican’s proposal maintains that “our communication changes when our gaze chooses to encounter others rather than judge them.”

The message also identifies some of the cultural consequences of hyperconnectivity. “The lack of genuine attention, fueled by digital culture, has accustomed us to a routine of rapid reactions, to superficial relationships, and to the ease with which we label and reject others,” the document warns.

As a response, the Vatican proposes recovering the deeper meaning of attention, understood not as a communication technique but as an attitude of openness toward others and toward the truth. “Yet attention is a precious form of generosity: the word ‘attention’ comes from ‘ad-tendere’ — to reach out toward the other and toward the truth.”

For Christian communicators, this attitude finds its model in Christ. The text recalls that “Christian communication can rediscover attention as both a gift and a way of seeing — the gaze of Jesus, who saw and allowed himself to be touched.”

In this way, the message challenges a widely accepted logic within today’s digital ecosystem: the idea that attention is a commodity. The Vatican offers a different perspective. “Communicating is not about capturing attention, nor about selling it, but about safeguarding it as a precious resource for relationships,” the statement says.

Therefore, in an environment marked by clickbait and an overabundance of content, the Vatican encourages the development of a genuine “hygiene of attention,” capable of protecting the human capacity to perceive reality in depth.

“To communicate in the age of ‘clickbait,’ we are called to ‘pay attention’ and to rediscover a genuinely healthy attention (cf. Magnifica Humanitas 146),” the text states.

Finally, the message recalls that authentic communication engages the whole person. It is not limited to words or platforms; it requires an interior disposition to encounter others genuinely.

“Communication is not just about words, it involves the entire person and asks us to look, hear and feel again in order to answer Christ’s call,” the statement concludes.

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.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, argued that Catholic theology is deeply compatible with the founding of the United States as it marks its 250th anniversary.

The evangelist and founder of Word on Fire Ministries delivered the keynote address at the “America at 250” event at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on Sept. 30. The embassy sponsored the event, and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch was present.

Catholicism and America: A shared but tense history

In his speech, Barron praised the relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. while acknowledging tense moments in their shared history.

“I speak to you today as both a proud American and a proud bishop of the Catholic Church,” Barron said. “I stand with those who see no essential or fundamental tension between these two identities. To be sure, Catholicism and America have had a somewhat rocky relationship over the past two and a half centuries, and their rapport has been variously interpreted.”

Burch, speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines, described this tension as indicative of a unique moment in U.S. history, particularly with the first U.S.-born pope, Leo XIV.

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch speaks to EWTN News at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on Sept. 30, 2026. | Credit: Alberto Basile/EWTN News

“You have this extraordinary confluence of circumstances where you have an American pope, and you have a president and an administration filled with many Catholics,” Burch said. “The American experiment itself has a lot of common ground with the Churchʼs teaching and social doctrine.”

Catholic praise for America’s commitment to human rights

Barron said the U.S. founders drew on a mix of sources and that their ideas shouldn’t be reduced to modern secular philosophy alone. St. John Paul II explained rights differently, he said.

“During his first trip to the U.S. as pope in 1979, John Paul praised our country for its commitments to human rights, defined in a theological rather than Hobbesian way,” Barron said. “Instead of grounding rights in individual desire, John Paul II grounds them in human dignity.”

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, speaks at the event “America at 250” at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in Rome on Sept. 30, 2026. | Credit: Alberto Basile/EWTN News

Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines, Barron also described his involvement with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which is tasked with defending religious freedom, as a Catholic bishop.

“Well, Iʼve just started on that commission. I spent a year with the national commission that President Trump established, but this one was established by Congress many years ago. We just had our first meetings by Zoom because I was here in Rome,” Barron explained.

“Itʼs a watchdog group to keep an eye on violations of religious liberty.”

Barron will ordain 18 deacons for the Pontifical North American College at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 1.

Brian Schumacher contributed to this report.

A Vatican official called for greater scrutiny of Vatican finances after roughly 15 years of reforms.

Monsignor Anthony Ekpo, assessor for general affairs of the Secretariat of State and president of the Financial Security Committee, spoke at a conference at Rome’s Luiss University on Sept. 29. According to Vatican News, the event marked 15 years since Pope Benedict XVI introduced anti-money-laundering legislation at the Vatican in late 2010.

Ekpo, in his remarks, stressed that ongoing financial reform at the Vatican is necessary to confront new technologies used in financial crime that may threaten it.

“The next 15 years will bring risks that would have been difficult to imagine in 2010: increasingly complex financial technologies, instantaneous cross-border transactions, activities involving virtual assets, artificial intelligence, and new forms of financial crime,” Ekpo said.

In 2010, Italian authorities seized 23 million euros from accounts linked to the Vatican bank during an anti-money-laundering investigation and later returned the funds. In response, Pope Benedict established the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF), a Vatican institution to prevent money laundering.

Ekpo highlighted the context in which Benedict implemented anti-money-laundering legislation and noted the progress made by Popes Francis and Leo XIV, who approved a new ASIF statute in June.

“Today, 15 years on, we can recognize significant progress,” Ekpo said.

“A culture of financial integrity has gradually developed through the patient work of legislators, regulatory and supervisory authorities, financial intelligence experts, law enforcement agencies, judges, and institutions.”

Roughly a year after the canonization of Carlo Acutis — the first millennial saint — an authorized documentary about him is set to premiere worldwide.

“Carlo Acutis: The Young Saint” premiered at the Vatican Film Library on Sept. 29. The documentary, featuring never-before-seen footage of Acutis’ life and family, also marks the 20th anniversary of his death from leukemia in 2006.

From home videos to photos of his pilgrimages to sites such as Rome, Milan, and Fátima, the film, according to a press release, will convey the impact of Carlo’s message and his relatable holiness.

The documentary will be shown in Italian theaters from Oct. 15–21 before premiering in Europe and then in North America in February 2027.

‘Carlo still works miracles in a world no longer interested in God’

Among those present at the Vatican for the screening was Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano Acutis. Speaking to EWTN News on the sidelines after the screening, she reflected on the impact of Carlo’s 2025 canonization. Antonia described his legacy as proving that God exists in a world where he is often forgotten.

“In todayʼs world, it almost seems as if faith has become something obsolete: People are distant, technology is idolized to the extreme, as though people no longer care about God,” she told EWTN News. “Carlo, on the other hand, calls us back to eternal life and reminds us of the truth that God exists.”

Antonia Salzano Acutis, the mother of St. Carlo Acutis, speaks at the screening of “Carlo Acutis: The Young Saint” at the Vatican Film Library on Sept. 29, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

She also spoke on the comfort of seeing the impact of her son’s intercession worldwide, particularly after his death 20 years ago.

“Carlo used to say, 'We will all climb Golgotha sooner or later, wonʼt we?’ But he also said that a good life isnʼt necessarily a long life; it is a life where one truly manages to put God first,” she recounted.

The facade of St. Peter’s Basilica during the canonization of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sept. 7, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media

“Many parents unfortunately lose their children, because some go earlier and some go later. But seeing everything happening now is certainly a powerful witness to my own faith, because I can genuinely see how the Lord works through Carlo.”

Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis together with Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sept. 7, 2025.

“I Am With You,” an EWTN special documentary about Carlo’s life, is available to watch online.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged contemplative nuns to uphold their commitment to silence amid a noisy world and aging religious communities.

“[Silence] is particularly important in a world characterized by speed, where everything must be immediately visible and every void must be filled in a hurry,” Leo said.

The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience with a delegation from the International Commission of Dominican Contemplative Nuns on Sept. 30.

In June, Leo declared Sister Maria Petra Giordano venerable. An Italian Dominican nun, Giordano was selected to help revise the constitutions of Dominican nuns after the Second Vatican Council.

‘Silence helps people hear God’s voice’

In his address, Leo encouraged the sisters to remain faithful to their charism of silent contemplation and become more attentive to themselves, the outside world, and God.

“In this regard, your constitutions call for diligent observance of a fundamental value of cloistered life: silence,” Leo said.

“Keeping silence is an act of the will that engages the whole person and helps to cultivate solid relationships, because they are animated by the Word of God,” he added.

He also praised the silent witness as a “precious” service to the Church.

An uncertain future for vocations

Like his audience to a delegation from the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy on Sept. 21, the pope addressed their declining vocations.

“Your experience… also leads you to encounter situations of difficulty: aging communities, deaths outnumbering new vocations, a decline in working capacity with consequent financial problems,” Leo remarked.

Pope Leo XIV addresses a delegation of the International Commission of Dominican Contemplative Nuns during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Sept. 30, 2026. |Credit: Vatican Media

The pope then encouraged the nuns to adapt to current needs by listening to the Spirit rather than merely trying to survive.

“I invite you not to ask yourselves so much how to maintain structures that are becoming empty. Rather, listen to what the Spirit is asking of the Dominican contemplative life today,” the pope said.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday reflected on his recent four-day pastoral visit to France, calling it a “great gift” and saying the trip could be understood through one central image: the reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

“It is precisely Notre-Dame, with the tragedy it has endured, that can symbolically shed light on this entire apostolic journey, offering a perspective that I would summarize in one word: rebirth,” the pope said during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

Leo recalled that the cathedral, devastated by fire seven years ago and once thought to be mortally wounded, has been rebuilt and is now “more splendid than ever.”

He said its restoration demonstrated what can be achieved through collaboration among the Church, the state, public institutions, and civil society.

“This approach made it possible to make the most of both the generosity of benefactors and the expertise of professionals and skilled workers,” he said.

The pope added that such cooperation for the common good should become the norm for institutions, political and social forces, and those with civic and economic responsibilities.

Firm commitment to preventing abuse

The pope also recalled his private meeting during the trip with seven victims of clerical abuse and reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to listening to survivors, accompanying them as they seek healing, and preventing future abuse.

“In this context I met some people who were victims of abuse, and I asked them to help me express to other victims too my own wish, and that of the whole Church, to listen to them and walk alongside them as they seek healing, acknowledging the pain inflicted upon their lives and working to prevent abuse,” he said.

The meeting took place Sunday at the bishop’s residence in Lourdes and lasted about two hours. Leo also spoke privately with each participant.

The Church is made of people, not stones

The Holy Father reflected on the prayer vigil he celebrated with thousands of young people at the Stade de France, describing it as a powerful sign of vitality in the Church.

“The Church, which is not made up of stones or cement but of people who love Jesus Christ because they have been loved by him,” he said.

Leo spoke of a “new French generation,” new not only in terms of age but, as he said, “even more so in spirit, in the freedom of heart and faith.”

“Young people who sang and shouted, but who also remained silent, listening. Attentive and emotional faces, which revealed hearts yearning for truth and love,” he said.

“To them I said with joy: ‘You are the saints of France!’ The vigil was a great sign of hope.”

He also highlighted the remarkable and growing number of young people and adults seeking baptism, calling it a beautiful “surprise” from God and a sign of renewal within the Church.

Lourdes and the ‘civilization of love’

Recalling his visit to Lourdes, the pope emphasized the message of hope offered to pilgrims, especially those suffering physically or spiritually.

“In Lourdes, the Lord, through the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, conveys to everyone, pilgrims and especially those who are sick in body and spirit, a message of hope and rebirth,” he said.

The pope also strongly defended the dignity of every human life, particularly in situations of profound vulnerability.

“Every human life, in whatever condition, even in the most extreme frailty, retains its inviolable dignity and deserves to be cared for, accompanied, and relieved of suffering with human compassion and with the aid of the means offered by science,” he said.

For that reason, he added, Lourdes represents for the entire world “a sanctuary of the civilization of love.”

Europe, dialogue, and peace

The final stage of Leo’s trip took him to Metz, a city in a region ravaged by World War II and closely associated with Robert Schuman, one of the principal architects of European integration.

The pope compared the reconstruction of Notre-Dame with Europe’s rebirth after World War II. He noted that the European project arose from principles of democracy, solidarity, and fraternity among peoples that owe much to the continent’s Christian roots.

He also highlighted his meeting with representatives of various religious traditions, who read and signed the “Metz Appeal” for dialogue and peace in his presence.

‘That the world may have life’

The pope concluded by recalling that the theme of his pastoral visit was “Pour que le monde ait la vie” (“That the World May Have Life”), drawn from John 6:51.

He said the words of Jesus encapsulate Christ’s mission of salvation and expressed the Gospel meaning of every encounter during the journey.

Leo ended by praying that the visit would bear “abundant and lasting fruit.”

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

ROME — The Holy See has confirmed that Argentine priest Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), committed abuse against several individuals.

The Vatican reached this conclusion following a canonical process and has ordered the religious family, which has been under Vatican intervention for more than seven years and without self-governance, to undertake a path of renewal.

The decision was communicated during a meeting in Rome on Sept. 14 involving the pontifical delegates overseeing the menʼs and womenʼs branches of the congregation, provincial superiors of both institutes, and representatives of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The decision was made public Tuesday and had also been posted on the IVEʼs website last week.

According to a Vatican statement, both the Special Criminal Tribunal of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, established by the Churchʼs competent authority, “reached moral certainty regarding the responsibility of Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela, founder of the two institutes, for committing an offense against the Sixth Commandment, perpetrated with violence against several persons,” in accordance with Canon 1395 §2 of the Code of Canon Law.

The Vatican said the clarification seeks “to restore the truth as an act of justice toward those persons who have been harmed by the founderʼs behavior.”

Reexamining the charism and purifying the institution

The statement framed the decision within the broader renewal process currently underway in both the Institute of the Incarnate Word and the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, which remain under Vatican oversight.

The Vatican stressed the need to pursue a process of “re-reading the charism and reviewing, renewing and purifying the spirituality, formation and apostolic activity proper to each institute, distinguishing between the gift of the Holy Spirit granted for the building up of the Church and the limitations or personal actions of the founder.”

The goal, the statement said, is to distinguish the charism received for the service of the Church from the personal conduct and shortcomings of Buela, whose legacy has long been overshadowed by allegations of sexual abuse, manipulation, and serious failures in governance.

A step toward renewal

The Vaticanʼs measures amount to what is effectively a process of institutional renewal. The effort bears similarities to the path undertaken by the Holy See with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi after the confirmation of abuses and crimes committed by their founder, Marcial Maciel.

The initiative has the support of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, headed by Sister Simona Brambilla, as well as the two pontifical delegates originally appointed by Pope Francis and later confirmed by Pope Leo XIV: Bishop José Antonio Satué of Teruel and Albarracín, Spain, for the menʼs branch and Sister Clara Echarte for the womenʼs branch.

Presence in 45 countries

The Religious Family of the Incarnate Word is present in 45 countries and includes more than 3,000 members, including priests, religious sisters, and lay members of its Third Secular Order. Founded in Argentina in 1984, it experienced rapid international growth in the decades that followed.

However, just 11 years after its founding, the Holy See began intervening in the congregation amid allegations of sexual abuse against Buela and other concerns involving the exercise of authority and community life. Since then, various pontifical commissioners and delegates have sought to address the situation.

A major milestone came in December 2016, when the Diocese of San Rafael in Argentina publicly announced that the Vatican had found Buela guilty of “improper behavior with adults.” In a statement read at the time during a press conference, the diocese said allegations had emerged involving “sexual actions affecting religious and seminarians of the institute.”

In 2019, Spanish Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló was appointed pontifical commissioner. He imposed restrictions on the congregationʼs expansion and publicly denounced the internal resistance he encountered during his mission.

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

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said that nations have the right to self-defense but urged them not to use it as an excuse for rearmament.

Parolin addressed the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26 at the opening of its 81st session. The U.N. chose “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that delivers for All” as the theme for this year’s assembly.

Parolin quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which he said “emphasized that ‘there is an urgent need to shift from the ‘culture of power’ to a genuine ‘culture of negotiation,’ in which dialogue and diplomacy become the standard means of resolving conflicts.’”

Parolin said that nations have a right to self-defense, but not as a pretext for arming themselves, especially with nuclear or autonomous weapons.

“No true peace is possible without genuine common resolve for disarmament; the legitimate right of every people to provide for its own defense must not degenerate into a race to massive rearmament,” Parolin said.

Parolin’s remarks uphold the stance of the Holy See and of Pope Leo XIV regarding nuclear disarmament. In May, Pope Leo XIV rejected United States President Donald Trump’s claim that he supported nuclear weapons.

In July, Leo wrote a foreword to the book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” citing American singer Bob Dylan, who criticized the manufacture of nuclear bombs during the Cold War.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, has again been appointed as a papal envoy to Russia.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Zuppi to lead a Vatican delegation to Russia from Sept. 28–30 to advocate for the release of Ukrainian prisoners amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

According to Vatican News, this will be Zuppi’s third visit to Russia on behalf of the pope to advance the Vaticanʼs humanitarian peace efforts. Pope Francis appointed him as peace envoy in 2023 and 2024.

The Holy See’s plea for Ukrainian victims of the war

Zuppi explained that his visit to Russia on behalf of the Holy See aims to support efforts regarding prisoners of war and children separated from their families. He also said his mission reflects the concern of Pope Francis and now Pope Leo for those affected by the conflict.

“All of this is part of the humanitarian mission entrusted to me initially by Pope Francis and subsequently confirmed by Pope Leo XIV,” the cardinal said to the Russian news agency Tass. “We are assessing all the requests coming from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides, within the framework of the dialogue already initiated.”

“We wish to develop this dialogue further, aware of the suffering caused by the war, and we seek to contribute to bringing it to an end,” he added.

Recent Vatican efforts for peace in Ukraine

Zuppi’s recent trip to Russia follows that of Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations. Gallagher visited the country from Aug. 25–28 to meet with senior Russian officials to discuss a peaceful resolution to the war.

Zuppi also visited Ukraine in July 2025, during which he visited the Russian prisoners of war held there.

Pope Leo XIV addressed European leaders at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz on the final day of his Sept. 25–28 visit to France. The title of the event was “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”

From there he traveled to the Metz Cathedral — a towering Gothic structure dedicated to St. Stephen and nicknamed “the Good Lord’s lantern” for its large expanse of stained glass — where he celebrated Mass before 35,000 people both inside and outside the cathedral, according to the Vatican. He returned to Rome in the evening.

Here is a look at his day in photos:

Pope Leo XIV greets the cabin crew on the Air France A321 as he departs Lourdes for Metz on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV embraces a child after landing in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV stands with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News A participant takes a video recording of Pope Leo XIV’s participation at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV sits with French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV meets with religious leaders at an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media Young people wait for Pope Leo XIV to arrive outside the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV stops to bless a baby as he makes his way to the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV signs the guest book upon entering the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV prays at the Cathedral of St. Stephen on Sept. 28, 2026, in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV delivers his homily during Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on Sept. 28, 2026, in the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France. | Credit: Vatican Media French President Emmanuel Macro and Pope Leo XIV meet one last time before the pope boards a plane back to Rome on Sept. 28, 2028. | Credit: Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to reporters on his flight from Metz, France, to Rome on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News