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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayers for wildfire victims

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

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

Beatification of Elias Hoayek

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

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

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

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

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

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

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

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

The kingdom of God enlarges life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A just and lasting peace

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zuppi’s humanitarian mission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife, mother to a large family, lady-in-waiting to a queen, and founder of a religious order that still exists today.

1. St. Bridget experienced her first vision at age 10.

Bridget, or “Birgitta,” was born to wealthy, devout parents in Sweden in the year 1303. Her mother died early in her life, and she and her siblings were raised by their aunt. At 10 years old, Bridget had a vision of Christ on the cross in his agonizing suffering. In her vision, Bridget saw Christ with his wounds from Good Friday, with the wounds of “The Man of Sorrows” in Isaiah 53. She asked Jesus who hurt him, and he responded: “Those who despise me and refuse my love for them.” She would go on to write about these revelations; her works were published posthumously.

2. Bridget served in the royal court of Sweden.

Bridget was married in 1316 at the young age of 13 to 18-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, the Swedish prince of Nericia. The two joined the Third Order of St. Francis and dedicated their resources to building a hospital and caring for the needs of the poor. Ulf served on the council of the king of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson, and the king asked Bridget to be a lady-in-waiting for his wife, Queen Blanche of Namur.

3. Bridget was a mother to eight children, and one of them became a saint.

Bridget and Ulf raised a large family together while also serving the poor and managing their duties in court. Of Bridget’s eight children, two died in infancy, and another two died in the Crusades. Two of their surviving children were married, and another two joined religious life. One of those two became a saint and was canonized — St. Catherine of Sweden.

4. Bridget founded a religious order, the Bridgettines, after her husband died.

Bridget and Ulf made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain between 1341 and 1343, but on their return trip, Ulf became ill. The couple stopped in France until Ulf regained his health, but soon after they returned to Sweden, in 1344, he passed away.

After his death, Bridget donated her belongings to the poor and devoted her life to Christ, following a call from God to start a new religious order.

She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, now known as the Brigittines, in 1346, and her congregation was approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. The Brigittines were to be led by an abbess and constitute both nuns and priests. The priests, who lived in a separate section, served as chaplains and confessors for the nuns.

King Magnus helped Bridget make the Abbey of Vadstena the home of the Brigittines. He donated a small palace and land for the new monastery.

But Bridget would never see her work come to fruition. She had a vision from Christ calling her to return to Rome and await the pope’s return from France during the Avignon Papacy. She never became a nun herself, and she never saw the monastery in Vadstena. She died several years before the pope’s permanent return to Rome.

But her order spread through Europe and still exists today in both contemplative monasteries and apostolic convents, with branches in 19 countries including Sweden, Norway, Poland, Italy, Israel, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States.

5. St. Bridget is the co-patroness of Europe.

After Bridget died in Rome on July 23, 1373, her children brought her remains back to the headquarters of her religious order. Less than 20 years later, in 1391, Pope Boniface IX proclaimed her a saint. Her revelations and writings on the sufferings of Christ were published after her death. In 1999, St. John Paul II chose her as one of the three female co-patronesses of Europe, along with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.

This story was first published on July 23, 2024, and has been updated.

In response to a question about summer advice, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of remembering those most in need during the holidays.

The question and answer were both published in the July/August 2026 issue of Piazza San Pietro, the official magazine of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

As reported by Vatican News on July 22, Maurizio from Rome asked the pontiff how best to deepen his spiritual life during the summer amid the distractions of daily life. Leo XIV responded that one ought to think of those unable to enjoy the summer, particularly the sick, victims of war, and migrants who do not feel welcomed.

“Holidays should also be for everyone a space of respite from occupations and worries,” Leo wrote.

“Let us think of the sick, of people who have lost faith in life, of those who are overwhelmed by grief over the loss of loved ones, of the victims of wars, of hatred, of terrorism and of violence, of those persecuted for their faith and for justice, of prisoners, of those who have been left without work, without a home, of migrants who have not been humanely welcomed.”

The pope also reminded Maurizio and families of the importance of the elderly, encouraging them to support them during the summer.

“To families I say: Do not leave your elderly alone.”

“Here is the advice I can give to increase our faith. Use the summer time as well to live the gospel of peace and mercy. Let us think of the privilege we have when we support the poor and bear witness to evangelical poverty,” the pope said.

The prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, explained the fundamental qualities sought when selecting candidates for the episcopate.

In a recent interview with the Croatian Catholic weekly Glas Koncila (Voice of the Council), Iannone elaborated on the role of the Dicastery for Bishops and its interface with the other dicasteries that make up the Roman Curia.

He explained that “the pope meets daily with bishops, both individually and in groups. In those meetings, he highlights the Church’s current priorities: evangelization, care for creation, and other pastoral challenges.”

The pope “reiterates the fundamental characteristics of a bishopʼs life: nurturing oneʼs inner life, prayer, openness to others, a willingness to collaborate, and attentiveness to the marginalized.”

However, “the essential model for every bishop remains Christ, the Good Shepherd.”

Bishops need ‘support’

Iannone visited Zagreb, Croatia, on May 31, the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to celebrate a solemn Mass in honor of Our Lady of the Stone Gate, the patroness of the Croatian capital, and to lead the traditional procession through the city center.

The following day, he delivered a “lectio magistralis” (a formal academic lecture) at the Catholic University of Croatia, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. During his stay in Zagreb, he gave the interview, in which he urged people to pray “with greater conviction” for bishops and priests.

Bishops, he noted, “need spiritual and human support.”

“Criticism may be legitimate, but it is not enough: We must also help and pray for them,” he emphasized, noting that “sometimes we forget that bishops are human beings too, with limitations, difficulties, and moments of discouragement.”

Synodality is not a demand for rights

Iannone underscored that synodality “is not a demand for rights.”

“It’s not simply a matter of claiming the right to express oneself. It means feeling part of a whole and assuming responsibility for it. The more a person lives out his faith and participates in the life of the community, the more valuable his voice becomes, because he (or she) speaks from within the Church rather than from a distance,” he stated.

Addressing the subject of synodality, he warned that applying purely political categories to the Church can be misleading, given its distinct nature.

However, he recalled that the Second Vatican Council taught that all the baptized are responsible for the life and mission of the Church. In this regard, he noted that the faithful must assume responsibilities and that those who govern by virtue of the sacrament of holy orders must allow them to exercise them.

He highlighted the existence of bodies established for this purpose, such as pastoral and finance councils. Likewise, he recalled that canon law recognizes the right and, in some cases, even the duty of the faithful to express their concerns and opinions to their pastors.

The prefect made it clear that the bishop should not bear the burden of governing the diocese alone; rather, “all the faithful must share in that responsibility.”

Growing reluctance among priests to become bishops

Iannone also addressed the phenomenon of priests declining appointments as bishops. “I had heard of this phenomenon before; now I am experiencing it firsthand,” he acknowledged.

“I don’t believe it is solely due to the abuse crisis. Today, a bishop’s responsibilities are far greater, and some priests do not feel prepared to take them on. Diocesan life has become more complex, there are fewer vocations, and the demands of the ministry are constantly increasing,” he explained.

The role of the Dicastery for Bishops

Iannone heads the Dicastery for Bishops, the body responsible for all matters concerning the establishment, life, and activity of dioceses, as well as the identification of candidates for the episcopate who are subsequently presented to the pope for appointment. It also supports bishops in the exercise of their ministry within their respective dioceses.

As Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium emphasizes, one of the fundamental characteristics of the Roman Curia is collaboration among the dicasteries.

For this reason, the Dicastery for Bishops works closely with other bodies, such as the Dicastery for the Clergy and the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Each dicastery has a basic structure composed of a plenary assembly made up of all its members, who are appointed by the pope.

“The authority of the dicastery resides in this plenary assembly, presided over by a prefect who directs its day-to-day operations with the assistance of a secretary. The most important decisions are made by the plenary assembly, whose members come from various parts of the world,” he explained.

One of the changes introduced by Pope Francis is that members of the dicasteries need not be exclusively bishops. Priests, religious, and laypeople, both men and women, may also serve on them.

The Dicastery for Bishops, like other bodies of the Curia, “relies on the collaboration of apostolic nuncios, who are well acquainted with the reality of the local Churches,” he noted.

Before assuming his current role, Iannone served as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. In the interview, he highlighted that the Roman Curia “exists to assist the pope in the exercise of his Petrine ministry.”

“As the successor of Peter and the Vicar of Christ, the pope has the responsibility of governing the universal Church, a task he could not perform alone. That is why he needs collaborators, who constitute the Roman Curia,” he stated. Over time, he added, the Curia “has become increasingly internationalized and specialized.”

“Each body places its specific expertise at the service of the pope to assist him in making decisions. Furthermore, any member of the faithful may express his concerns to the pope or a dicastery,” he explained.

The faithful’s access to the dicastery

“I receive many letters from the faithful around the world pointing out problems in the life of their dioceses. We assess whether those concerns are well founded or the result of misunderstandings. When they are well-founded, we try to intervene to restore serenity to the community. That is why, although the dicasteries may seem distant from the outside, in reality, they are at the service of the pope and the particular Churches,” he noted.

Iannone also highlighted that diversity constitutes “a richness when united with communion,” but warned that when it “turns in on itself, it harms the Church.”

“Today, there is great sensitivity toward local traditions. In this context, the principle attributed to St. Augustine remains valid: ‘In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.’ There must be unity regarding the essential elements of the faith, discipline, and the sacraments. Diversity may exist in other pastoral and practical aspects.”

“The bishop has the responsibility to foster relationships among the various groups and to correct any deviations. He must be a father to the entire community,” he stated.

Addressing the balance between local sensibilities and ecclesial unity, he explained that “the Second Vatican Council taught that the universal Church is present in and arises from particular Churches. This means that a particular Church is fully Church insofar as it remains in communion with the other Churches and with the pope.”

The contribution of women to episcopal discernment

Currently, the women serving on the Dicastery for Bishops are Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State; and the Argentine laywoman María Lía Zervino, former president of the World Union of Catholic Womenʼs Organizations.

Iannone views this positively: “Although I have been heading the dicastery for only a few months, I have been able to see the valuable contribution of these women — two religious sisters and a laywoman. They offer distinct perspectives and specific sensitivities that enrich discernment, especially regarding the selection of candidates for the episcopate.”

However, he noted that consulting women is not a completely new practice. “For some time, apostolic nuncios have consulted various members of the People of God, including women, during the investigations preceding episcopal appointments,” he explained.

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

The Vatican on July 22 denied reports circulating on blogs and social media that Father Marko Rupnik, the former Jesuit accused by several women religious of sexual abuse, had been acquitted.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, described reports that the judges overseeing the case had reached a final decision as “absolutely unfounded.”

Bruni said the canonical proceedings remain underway and that the tribunal “is examining documentation received from the dioceses involved, the Society of Jesus, the interested parties, and information published by the media.”

Proceedings remain confidential

The Vatican spokesman stressed that no information about the case can be made public while the trial is underway. He said the confidentiality is intended both to protect due process and to prevent further harm to those affected by the case.

“During the trial, as in any judicial proceeding, information regarding the proceedings underway cannot be shared in any way,” Bruni said in the statement.

He added that the tribunal itself will take any necessary steps to obtain additional information should the judges determine that further evidence is required.

Bruni also noted that the investigation into Rupnik is a canonical criminal proceeding that was made possible after the statute of limitations for the alleged offenses was waived.

The tribunal will therefore be able to reach a determination regarding Rupnik’s possible guilt or innocence in accordance with canon law.

Allegations of psychological and sexual abuse

Rupnik is accused of psychological and sexual abuse during the 1990s in a religious community in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The community was founded by a religious sister for whom Rupnik served as a friend and spiritual adviser.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith received a complaint in 2021. The dicastery, now headed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, asked the Society of Jesus to investigate the allegations using an external investigator, who was a Dominican religious.

The Jesuits submitted the findings to the dicastery, which determined in October 2022 that the allegations were barred by the statute of limitations. Pope Francis ordered the case reopened the following year.

After the allegations became public, the Jesuits acknowledged that Rupnik had been excommunicated in 2020 for absolving a woman with whom he had engaged in sexual activity. The Jesuits said he repented and that the penalty was lifted shortly afterward.

In 2021, nine women accused Rupnik of sexually, psychologically, and spiritually abusing them.

The Vatican statement also emphasized that the jurisdiction of Church courts is limited to the Church’s internal legal system. Any potential criminal liability under civil law would depend on the authorities in the countries where the alleged offenses may have occurred and on the applicable statutes of limitations.

Rupnik “remains subject to the laws of the countries in which the alleged crimes may have been committed, and the statute of limitations for those crimes is governed by the law of each country, independently of ecclesiastical authority,” Bruni said.

Frustration over pace of case

The Vatican’s response came after Laura Sgrò, an attorney representing five of Rupnik’s accusers, publicly expressed frustration over the pace of the proceedings and the lack of information about the canonical trial.

Sgrò told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that she had written Tuesday to Fernández, saying her clients felt “deeply discouraged and distressed” by the lack of transparency surrounding the case.

In November 2025, Pope Leo XIV asked Rupnik’s accusers for patience and said that “the Church must respect the rights of all people.”

Sgrò declined to comment in detail on the Vatican’s response, describing it only as “necessary.”

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

Pope Leo XIV has appointed another Chinese bishop under the agreement on episcopal appointments reached between the Holy See and authorities in Beijing during the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng was ordained Wednesday as the new bishop of Chifeng in China’s Inner Mongolia region, the Vatican announced. Pope Leo approved the appointment June 15.

The Holy See said the appointment was made within the framework of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, under which the pope approved the candidate presented for the diocese.

Chang had overseen the local Church since October 2021, when he was appointed diocesan administrator.

Formation in China and South Korea

The new bishop was born April 4, 1984, in Beizhen in China’s Liaoning province. He studied at the Shenyang Theological Seminary from 2000 to 2006.

After a period of pastoral work at Lindong Parish, he continued his academic formation at the Catholic University of Daejeon in South Korea, where he earned a degree in biblical theology.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Chifeng on Nov. 18, 2010.

During the early years of his ministry, he held several positions in the diocesan curia and served in a number of parishes. He was pastor of Chifeng Cathedral from 2013 to 2019 and later served at Lindong Parish from 2019 to 2021.

He was appointed diocesan administrator of Chifeng on Oct. 15, 2021, a responsibility he held until his episcopal appointment.

Dialogue between Rome and Beijing

The appointment was made through the continuing dialogue over the implementation of the Holy See-China agreement, signed in 2018 to establish a mutually accepted process for selecting bishops.

The appointment of bishops belongs to the pope, while Beijing had for decades regarded papal appointments as interference in China’s internal affairs.

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

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

Under the terms that have become publicly known, the pope retains final authority over episcopal appointments in China and can reject candidates proposed by Beijing. The Holy See, for its part, has agreed not to make episcopal appointments without first obtaining the Chinese government’s approval.

Tensions during the papal interregnum

During the interregnum between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, Chinese authorities proceeded unilaterally with the selection of two bishops, including one for a jurisdiction already led by a prelate recognized by the Vatican.

On April 28, 2025, Father Ignatius Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by state-controlled Church bodies. The following day, Father Francis Li Jianlin was selected to lead Xinxiang in Henan province.

The latter decision caused controversy because the Holy See already recognized Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of that local Church.

Although the selections may have been planned before Francis’ death, their timing attracted attention. AsiaNews reported that the decisions conveyed the Chinese Communist Party’s position that a vacancy in the Apostolic See would not interrupt the operation of the Catholic Church in China.

With Chang’s appointment and episcopal ordination, 15 Catholic bishops have now been ordained under the provisional agreement signed by China and the Holy See during the pontificate of Francis.

Chinese appointments under Pope Leo XIV

The process leading to Chang’s appointment and ordination took place entirely during the pontificate of Leo XIV, providing another indication that the pope intends to continue the path of dialogue between Rome and Beijing.

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

On June 11, 2025, the Vatican announced the civil recognition and installation of Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as auxiliary bishop of Fuzhou in Fujian province. Leo had appointed him June 5.

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

Two months later, on Sept. 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui, whom the pope had appointed to lead the new diocese, was ordained a bishop.

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

Father Francis Li Jianlin was ordained to lead the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang on Dec. 5, 2025, following his appointment by the pope on Aug. 11.

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

Pope Leo XIV visited two major pilgrimage sites in Italy while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo, Italy, stopping at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra and the St. Benedict Monastery in Subiaco.

As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff traveled to the two pilgrimage sites on July 22. He first went to Vallepietra, where he visited the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity. While there, he prayed before a famous fresco of the Holy Trinity and afterward greeted the faithful present.

Pope Leo XIV stands before a fresco of the Trinity at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra in Italy on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Vallepietra is a medieval mountainside village about 37 miles east of Rome, and its Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the Lazio region. The exact dates of its construction are unknown.

There are two main legends associated with the sanctuary’s construction. One tells of a farmer searching for his oxen who found them kneeling before a fresco of the Trinity, prompting the sanctuary’s construction. Another recounts how two men fleeing Emperor Nero’s persecution encountered Sts. Peter and John, were then visited by an angel, and saw a vision of the Trinity.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful present at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity at Vallepietra in Italy on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

After visiting Vallepietra, Leo went to the St. Benedict Monastery in Subiaco. During his visit, he prayed before a 13th-century fresco of St. Francis of Assisi, widely regarded as the earliest known depiction of the Italian saint. The pope also visited the Holy Cave (Sacro Speco) in Subiaco, where he recited the Lord’s Prayer and kissed the knee of a statue of St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded the first Benedictine hermitage there in the sixth century.

Pope Leo XIV kisses the knee of a statue of St. Benedict of Nursia at the St. Benedict Abbey in Subiaco, Italy, on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

The pope then went to the Monastery of St. Scholastica, St. Benedict’s sister, where he had lunch with the Benedictine community and visited the convent afterward.

Leo’s visit to Vallepietra and Subiaco follows his July 20 visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino, where he prayed before the tombs of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica.

The day also marked his fourth day of public appearances (outside his weekly Sunday Angelus) during his Castel Gandolfo vacation, to last from July 5–27. He also held a lunch with the poor on July 11 and attended a summer concert on July 18. Except for his Sunday Angelus, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended during his vacation.

Pope Leo XIV stands before the oldest-known fresco of St. Francis of Assisi at St. Benedict Abbey in Subiaco, Italy, on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV has made another visit to a pilgrimage site while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo in Italy, stopping at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra.

As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff traveled to the mountainside town on the morning of July 22. There, according to the announcement, he stopped to pray before a famous fresco of the Holy Trinity and afterward greeted the faithful present.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful present at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity at Vallepietra in Italy on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Vallepietra is about 37 miles east of Rome, and its Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the Lazio region. The exact dates of its construction are unknown.

Leo’s visit to Vallepietra follows his visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino on July 20, where he prayed before the tomb of St. Benedict of Nursia.

Pope Leo XIV stands before a reliquary of St. John Paul II at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity at Vallepietra in Italy on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

It was also his fourth public appearance (outside his weekly Sunday Angelus) during his Castel Gandolfo vacation, to last from July 5–27. He also held a lunch with the poor on July 11 and attended a summer concert on July 18. Except for his Sunday Angelus, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended during his vacation.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful present at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity at Vallepietra in Italy on July 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV this week urged U.S. religious superiors to prioritize community life, describing it as a place of “witness and strength.”

The Vatican published the letter on July 22 addressed to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in the United States being held in Phoenix from July 20–23. The letter also marks the 70th anniversary of the conference.

The pontiff himself was a former religious superior, serving as the prior general of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013.

In his letter, Leo congratulated the participants on their milestone and offered reflections on fostering community life, the theme of this year’s conference. Citing an address he delivered to religious institutes in 2025, he encouraged them to view their communities as places of sanctification.

“In reflecting on the theme for this year’s gathering, ‘One in Christ: Communal Life Today,’ I would encourage you to consider community life ‘as a place of sanctification and a source of inspiration, witness and strength in your apostolate,’” the pope wrote.

Leo also praised their efforts to promote religious life in the United States and reminded them that a healthy community life makes their Christian witness more credible.

“Indeed, it is precisely through sharing everything in common, including material goods, spiritual experiences, apostolic ideals and charitable service that the hidden presence of the risen Lord is made manifest among you,” Leo wrote.

Pope Leo XIV has written a foreword to a new book, calling for peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Originally published by Vatican News, the pontiff’s text is part of the new book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” published by the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana) in Italian on July 21. Edited by Alessandro Banfi, the book is a collection of Leo XIV’s addresses and reflections on peace since his election to the papacy in 2025.

The pope also invoked in his foreword American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan as well as Servants of God Dorothy Day, Floribert Bwana Chui, and Giorgio La Pira.

War is an adventure with no return

Leo began the foreword with what had been his first words as pontiff, proclaimed from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Peace be with you.” He explained the theological significance of those words, spoken by Christ after his resurrection, and decried the modern tendency for war.

“This was also the first gift the risen Christ offered to his friends and to the whole world: peace,” Leo wrote. “That gift, however, did not come ‘cheap.’”

“Today, a good 103 states are involved in some way in a war on Earth. Weapons boom and kill in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Sudan, in Myanmar, in Yemen, in Congo, and in many other situations.”

He also referred to his predecessors Pope Francis and Sts. Paul VI and John Paul II, who also called for peace and nuclear disarmament:

“Especially after the terrible consequences of the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the recourse to war is ever more an ‘adventure with no return,’ as St. John Paul II stressed.”

Invoking Bob Dylan: ‘Man-owned an’ man-handled’

In his foreword, the pope referenced American singer Bob Dylan, who criticized the manufacture of nuclear bombs during the Cold War in his 1963 song “Go Away You Bomb.”

“As singer-songwriter and poet Bob Dylan wrote, figuratively addressing the atomic bomb, in one of his poetic compositions: ‘I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned an’ man-handled,‘” Leo said.

The pope also explained that the threat of nuclear catastrophe looms large unless action is taken.

“History has already seen us come close to nuclear catastrophe.”

“A world in which machines, albeit sophisticated and faster than us, are the ones to decide to bomb defenseless people would be truly frightening,” Leo wrote.

Criticism of the U.S.-Iran war

Leo’s new foreword is emblematic of his stance on peace and nuclear disarmament, including with regard to the U.S.-Iran war.

Pope Leo and other Church officials have criticized the U.S. government under President Donald Trump for attacking Iran. In response, Trump claimed on May 4 that the pope “would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Leo denied Trump’s accusation that he supported nuclear weapons, stating to journalists at Castel Gandolfo on May 6 that “the Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons.”

An English edition of the book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift” will be published in the coming months.

Pope Leo XIV made a private visit on July 20 to the Abbey of Montecassino, where St. Benedict of Nursia is buried.

As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff made the trip while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo, where he will remain from July 5-27. At Montecassino, he prayed at the tomb of St. Benedict, considered the father of Western monasticism, “entrusting him with his plea for peace in those regions of the world marked by bloodshed and conflict.”

Pope Leo XIV lights a candle at the tomb of St. Benedict of Nursia at the Abbey of Montecassino on July 20, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

The pope also enjoyed lunch with the Benedictine community at the abbey.

Leo’s surprise visit to Montecassino was his first since his election to the papacy in 2025. While on vacation that year, he also made a surprise visit to the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie della Mentorella in Guadagnolo, where he also prayed for peace.

The Abbey of Montecassino, founded by St. Benedict in 529 AD, will celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of its founding in 2029.

Leo’s visit to Montecassino was also his third public appearance (outside his Sunday Angelus) during his Castel Gandolfo vacation, following his lunch with the poor on July 11 and a summer concert on July 18. Except for his Sunday Angelus, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended during his vacation.

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A new medal named after Pope Leo XIV to recognize individuals who have worked toward ecological sustainability will be introduced in October 2026.

The pontiff will personally present the “Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal” at the International Sustainability Conference, to be held at the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome from Oct. 12–15. The award ceremony will take place on Oct. 13 in the Borgo Laudato Si’ garden, part of the Pontifical Gardens in Castel Gandolfo.

The award and conference were established by Villanova University, a Catholic liberal arts university in Pennsylvania. This is where Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1977 and an honorary doctorate in 2014. The Dicastery for Integral Human Development will also sponsor the event.

The inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal is a permanent award that will be presented by the university every two years.

An award to reflect the care for our common home

In a July 20 press release, Villanova University’s president, Father Peter Donohue, OSA, explained that the medal will recognize individuals who embody the university’s core belief in ecological stewardship and the common good.

“The Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal reflects a deeply held belief at Villanova University: that care for our common home and care for one another are inseparable,” Donohue said. “By recognizing leaders whose work advances both environmental stewardship and the common good, we hope to inspire meaningful and lasting impact in communities around the world.”

Villanova University, where Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, studied from 1973-77. | Credit: Amy Lutz/Shutterstock

The conference, themed “Responding to the Cries of the Earth and the Poor,” will gather more than 300 academics, church officials, and stakeholders for discussions on integral ecology.

The recipient of the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal may come from any field and will be evaluated based on their efforts to advance sustainability and equity.

Another Villanova initiative to honor Leo XIV

The medal is not the only recent initiative by Villanova University to honor its most famous alumnus.

In July 2026, the university co-sponsored the 38th Annual Liberty Medal ceremony in Philadelphia, which awarded the pope the Liberty Medal ahead of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

On Nov. 1, the university’s basketball team will open its NCAA season in Rome with a men’s and women’s doubleheader against Notre Dame. The initiative was also inspired by Leo XIV, who will meet both teams in an audience ahead of the games.

Pope Leo XIV warned Sunday against imagining God as “a powerful figure who imposes himself by force, who takes over and dominates, or who arrives triumphantly,” and urged Christians to embrace a Gospel-centered approach marked by humility and trust.

Speaking before the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square at Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending several weeks of rest through Monday, July 27, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading.

Following the parable of the sower, Jesus addresses the crowds through the images of the good wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed and the yeast in the dough, the pope noted.

“These three short parables recall the coming of the Kingdom of God in history, its action in human lives, and the way it grows, expands and transforms the world from within,” Pope Leo said.

Through these images, he continued, Jesus warns against thinking of God principally in terms of power, domination and triumph.

“Instead, God favors smallness, a sign of his discreet love, by which he leaves us free to accept or reject him,” the pope said. “His love makes its presence felt even among the weeds, acts in a hidden and invisible way like the smallest of all seeds, and leavens the dough without making a sound.”

God favors smallness

Pope Leo said believers sometimes expect God to act in dramatic and immediately visible ways.

“We sometimes expect God to do something spectacular; we want him to intervene from on high, immediately uprooting the weeds of evil,” he said.

“We imagine a strong and powerful God, and, unfortunately, we also model our way of being Christians and way of being the Church on this image.”

The Kingdom of God, however, continues to grow quietly even amid evil, the pope said.

“However, the Kingdom of God spreads even amidst the weeds, requiring us to train our vision so we can discern the good that sprouts despite the darkness of evil, and avoiding rash judgments,” he said.

The image of the smallest seed, Pope Leo explained, teaches Christians to be patient as God works through ordinary events and gradual processes.

“It comes like the smallest of seeds and thus calls for patience in accompanying these processes, so that we can recognize it in the little things of daily life and in the simplicity of ordinary existence,” he said.

The kingdom also “grows invisibly like yeast in flour,” the pope continued, freeing believers from discouragement and inviting them to maintain faith even when God appears absent.

“In fact, he is always with us, and his love is always ready to help us,” he said.

Pope Leo then urged Catholics to apply this divine way of acting to both their personal lives and the life of the Church.

“God’s way of acting must also become the way in which we live, both as individuals and as the Church, amidst the reality that surrounds us,” he said.

“We are called to adopt a Gospel-centered approach, without hastily opposing others through arrogant judgments, without imposing ourselves through power and force, and without losing trust in God’s work.”

The pope cited a reflection given by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, during the Jubilee of Catechists and Religion Teachers in the Holy Year 2000.

“As the then-Cardinal Ratzinger said, it is a matter of submitting ourselves to the logic of the seed — which is not that of success and greatness, but that of making ourselves small and serving others,” Pope Leo said.

By embracing this approach, he concluded, Christians can become instruments through which the Gospel quietly transforms the world.

“In this way, we will become like small seeds of the Gospel that sprout, and leavens of love that transform the dough of the world.”

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, who has restored the papal tradition of spending part of the summer at Castel Gandolfo, is set to attend a classical concert there on July 18.

The “Concert in Honor of the Holy Father Leo XIV” will take place in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where he is staying from July 5–27. The nearby Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano will offer the event as a gift to the pontiff to mark the renewal of the papal presence at the lakeside town, which is part of the diocese.

Leo XIV, as Cardinal Robert Prevost, was the titular cardinal-bishop of the Diocese of Albano before his election to the papacy in 2025.

Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano, in a July 16 press release from the diocese, described the concert as an expression of the diocese’s joy and closeness to the pope.

“The renewed presence of the Holy Father in our diocesan territory has filled our local Church and its inhabitants with joy,” Viva said in the statement. “We wish to offer this symphonic concert as a gesture of affection and communion, and the program we have designed reveals pages of rare splendor.”

The concert will feature classical repertoire by Niccolò Paganini and Vincenzo Bellini. It will be performed by the orchestra I Musici di Parma of Parma, Italy.

Pope Leo XIV decided to spend part of this summer on vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo after Pope Francis opted not to spend his summers there for his entire 12-year pontificate. The complex also includes the Pontifical Gardens, including the Borgo Laudato Si’ garden.

The July 18 concert will be Leo’s second public appearance (outside his Sunday Angelus) at Castel Gandolfo so far, following his lunch with the poor in the Borgo Laudato Si’ garden on July 11. With the exception of his Sunday Angelus, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended during his vacation.

Inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, more than 200 leading academics, innovators, and Nobel laureates signed a declaration in Rome on July 16 calling for responsible AI development and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.

“We must disarm the next arms race, both AI and nuclear, before they define the next century as well,” the declaration stated.

According to Vatican News, the signing of the declaration for “an unarmed and disarming peace in the age of artificial intelligence, nuclear and autonomous weapons, new digital protocols, and emerging models of digital development” took place in the Giulio Cesare Hall at the Palazzo Senatorio, Rome’s city hall atop the Capitoline Hill.

The signing also concluded the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, held July 14–16 at Borgo Laudato Si’, part of the Pontifical Gardens at Castel Gandolfo, where Pope Leo XIV is staying from July 5–27.

Among those present at the signing were the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina; the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri; and Hollywood actress Sharon Stone.

For an unarmed and disarming peace

The declaration called on governments and corporations to slow AI development, halt the expansion of nuclear arms, and work toward their total elimination.

“We call on governments, corporations, and international organizations to enable coordinated slowdown of frontier AI development,” the declaration stated. “We call for urgent, sustained, and good-faith negotiations leading, within an agreed and time-bound framework, to the verifiable and irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons.”

According to a July 16 press release, the declaration and summit were inspired by Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.

“Pope Leo XIV, invoking values shared across religious traditions, has called humanity toward an ‘unarmed and disarming peace.’”

A race for human survival

Speaking at the signing of the declaration, Reina explained its significance for humanity’s survival amid the threats of nuclear war and AI misuse.

"The declaration presented today reminds us with great clarity that no machine, no algorithm, and no autonomous system can be placed at the center of decisions upon which the survival of humanity depends,” Reina said.

Professor David Gross, a Nobel Prize laureate in physics and a professor of theoretical physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, emphasized the need for nuclear nations to adopt policies to reduce the risk of nuclear war.

“We are in the middle of an accelerated arms race,” Gross said.

“We ask that nuclear nations promote policies that reduce the risk of war, nuclear war, and annihilation.”

When the pope speaks out on matters of war and peace, is he doing so as a religious authority or a political leader? A U.S. diplomat and a Vatican official recently expressed contrasting views on the question.

According to the New York Times last week, U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch argued that when Pope Leo spoke out against the war in Iran, “he was not doing so as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the vicar of Christ.”

“When the pope acts as the sovereign leader of the Holy See, he is coequal with world leaders,” Burch is quoted as telling the NYT in an interview published online July 9.

A rare op-ed from the editorial director of Vatican communications, Andrea Tornielli, appeared just days later, stating that “even when he speaks about war and peace … the successor of Peter remains, above all, a spiritual leader.”

While the Vatican News editorial did not mention Burch by name, it addressed the ambassador’s argument in the NYT interview.

Pope Leo XIV has dinner with U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch and his family at the ambassador’s residence in Rome on July 4, 2026. | Credit: U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

“Any glorification or exaggeration of the pope’s role as head of state, any emphasis on the importance of this role, is therefore misleading because it comes at the expense of his one true mission as universal shepherd,” Tornielli wrote.

A spokeswoman for Burch declined to comment.

Expert weighs in

Father Roberto Regoli, an expert on papal history and diplomacy from the 19th to 21st centuries, explained that while the pope is the head of a state, “it is just functional to his personal service as a Church leader.”

“Vatican State is an enclave state … it is functional for the spiritual mission of the popes,” Regoli told EWTN News. “The pope normally speaks as a head of the Church.”

In the Vatican News editorial, Tornielli pointed to the 1929 Lateran Pacts, an agreement that resolved the issue of the temporal power of popes and gave the pope a small territory — less than 110 acres — but said that “does not mean that he acts or speaks as a politician when addressing issues concerning the affairs of humanity.”

Tornielli quoted St. Paul VI, who, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in 1965, said, referring to himself, that “he is your brother, and even one of the least among you who represent sovereign states, since he possesses — if you choose to consider us from this point of view — only a tiny and practically symbolic temporal sovereignty: the minimum needed in order to be free to exercise his spiritual mission and to assure those who deal with him that he is independent of any sovereignty of this world. He has no temporal power, no ambition to enter into competition with you.”

Father Roberto Regoli was appointed by the Vatican Secretariat of State in January 2026 as president of the board of directors of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Roberto Regoli

Regoli noted that the political power of popes was different in the past, such as in the time of the Papal States. Being the head of a state today “is just functional to his personal service as a Church leader” to maintain his independence.

As the sovereign of an independent city-state, the pope has interactions with other states and multilateral institutions via apostolic nuncios and other delegates, who represent him to both the local Church and the state, Regoli said.

He added that these “diplomatic structures are in the function of papal politics,” which are “ecclesiastical politics” — that is, about the Church’s internal government.

Pope Leo himself, at the beginning of a speech to members of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid on June 8, explained in what capacity he addressed the politicians and the role of the Holy See on the international stage.

“I come before you,” he said, “as the bishop of Rome and shepherd of the Catholic Church, aware that the mission entrusted to the successor of the apostle Peter, as the principle and foundation of the unity of the bishops and the faithful, places the Holy See, in a special way, in dialogue with peoples and with states.”

The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), also known as the Vatican Bank, has named Giovanni Boscia as its next director general.

He will succeed Gian Franco Mammì, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 and has led the IOR’s day-to-day operations since 2015.

Boscia, 55, will assume his new role on Oct. 1. According to a July 15 press release from the IOR, his appointment “reflects a robust governance structure based on a clear distinction between the supervisory, governing, and management bodies, and designed to ensure transparency and stability.”

The IOR was founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII to manage the Holy See’s assets and centralize the worldwide administration of the Catholic Church’s funds. It is also the central financial institution of Vatican City State.

Personnel changes and a mixed year at the IOR

Boscia’s appointment is the second leadership change at the IOR in 2026, following François Pauly’s appointment as its president. Pauly serves as a nonexecutive member assisting with oversight, whereas Boscia will oversee the bank’s daily operations as director general.

The leadership changes come amid a mixed year for the IOR. In its annual reports published in May, the bank reported a net profit of 51 million euros (about $58.4 million) for 2025, up 55.5% from the 32.8 million euros ($37.5 million) recorded the previous year.

In April, the Vatican detected 78 suspicious activities involving accounts linked to the IOR.

More than 3 decades of experience in finance

Before joining the IOR in 2019, Boscia spent more than 30 years in international financial markets across several firms, including Salomon Brothers, Citigroup, RBS, and Credit Suisse First Boston.

He graduated with honors with a master’s degree in finance from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, and an executive MBA from London Business School.

In 2019, he went to Rome to serve at the IOR as its head of finance and chief financial officer. He was promoted to head of investments in 2021 and to deputy director general in 2023.

David Willey, a BBC correspondent whose career in Rome spanned more than 50 years and five papacies, died July 11 in Italy at the age of 93.

From being a student taking in the pomp of Pope Pius XII carried in a ceremonial throne to traveling the world with St. John Paul II to writing about the changes brought by Pope Francis, Willey saw “a complete revolution so that people saw the pope much more as a personality rather than in a hierarchical sense,” the journalist told EWTN News at his home in February.

Catholic background

David Douglas Willey was born in High Wycombe, in the county of Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, in December 1932. He grew up Catholic in nearby Marlow.

Willey’s first experience of Rome was a visit as a student, when he witnessed Pope Pius XII being carried through crowds in a gestatorial chair. “For me, the Vatican, St. Peter’s in Rome, was a spectacle, it was almost operatic,” he noted.

After studying law and modern languages at Cambridge, he moved to Rome as a trainee for Reuters.

He then left for stints in Algeria as a freelancer and subsequently East Africa as a correspondent for BBC. He also reported from Asia, including Saigon and Beijing, and then spent some time in London as the BBC’s assistant diplomatic correspondent.

He returned to Italy as BBC’s Rome correspondent in 1972 — and he never left.

David Willey, who died July 11, 2026, served as a BBC correspondent in Rome starting in 1972. He is seen here standing on a street in 1980. | Credit: Photo courtesy of BBC

“I never imagined I would be covering the Vatican [as a] correspondent when I was an altar boy at St. Peter’s Church in Marlow,” he said.

Willey explained that he no longer practiced the Catholic faith of his childhood but that he had “the greatest respect for the Catholic religion.”

His reporting on the Vatican was through this lens. “I always treated reporting for the Vatican as a secular matter rather than a religious one,” he said, adding that he still found “inspiration and pleasure in covering Vatican affairs” because he thought the pope and the Church had an important message in a world “torn by war and discord.”

Lengthy Rome career

During his more than five decades covering Rome and the Vatican, Willey witnessed dramatic technological changes both to journalism and to the Vatican’s own operations and communication.

Two episodes from his early days in Rome illustrate this, including a call to the Vatican switchboard asking to be connected to a cardinal.

He was immediately put through to Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who would later become the pope’s No. 2 as the Vatican secretary of state.

“An important cardinal in the Vatican because he dealt with what was called the Ostpolitik, the Vaticanʼs policy towards Eastern Europe, communist Eastern Europe, during the years of the Cold War,” Willey said, noting that he asked to speak and the cardinal invited him that very afternoon to his “palatial” apartment for what would become a three-and-a-half-hour conversation.

Willey recalled how, while a Reuters apprentice in the 1950s, international news agencies would pay a Vatican official for information. Once, on Easter Sunday, he was sent to wait at a bar close to the Vatican to pick up a text of the pope’s “urbi et orbi” blessing.

“That was how the system worked. The changes wrought by Vatican II were extraordinary in the sense that a whole department was set up in the Vatican dealing with relations with the media,” he noted.

During the pontificate of St. John Paul II, Willey joined the Polish pope on at least 40 of his international trips, nearly half of the jet-setting pope’s total apostolic journeys.

“We went all over the world,” Willey noted. “It added to my knowledge of the world immeasurably, but it also enabled me to see the Catholic Church as an international, worldwide body of believers, which you donʼt always understand when you live here in Europe or in Rome in particular.”

Veering from the prevailing idea that the faithful should come to see the pope in Rome, John Paul II went out “to meet his flock in person. And he did this with great panache,” the British journalist said.

“And by allowing journalists like me to join him on the papal plane; one day, for example, I found him sitting next to me at breakfast on the plane,” Willey recalled. “He used to get bored during his very long journeys across the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans and he mingled with the journalists and sat down and actually talked to them.”

“I remember talking to him once about the usefulness of the United Nations, for example. He had some quite interesting things to say.”

Willey said he also had a memorable encounter with another living saint — Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

One day he rang up the Sisters of Charity in Rome to ask if he could interview Mother Teresa and was told they could arrange a meeting at the airport, in between her landing in Rome from India and before she would immediately depart again for Canada.

“We sat down together, and she was, I must say, great fun,” Willey recalled. “We had a very lively conversation in which she confided all sorts of little secrets to me, such as I said, ‘What do you do when you normally arrive in a new country?’ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I go to the local phone box and call up the head of state and ask him to send a car to meet me. I ring up the pope and he sends me a car.’”

“She was this combination of extreme saintliness and piety — and of course her work among the poor in India was completely a subject of which she was prepared to talk endlessly — but what I found was her sense of fun and her sense that the world was completely open to her,” the journalist said.

In 2003, Willey was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to broadcast journalism.

He wrote several books, including “God’s Politician,” a 1992 biography of John Paul II’s global impact. He also wrote about the start of Pope Francis’ pontificate in “The Promise of Francis: The Man, the Pope, and the Challenge of Change” in 2015.

Willey continued to be active into his 90s — including writing a final reflection on the Vatican following Pope Francis’ death in April 2025. Willey spent his final years in the quiet lakeside town of Trevignano Romano, about 30 miles north of Rome. He died on July 11 from heart failure, the BBC reported.