Pope Leo XIV on Sunday expressed his closeness to the people of Madagascar after two cyclones caused flooding and landslides.

“I pray for the victims, their families, and for all who have suffered serious damage,” the pope said after praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 15.

Looking ahead to upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations in East Asia, Leo said: “May this joyful celebration strengthen family ties and friendships, bring peace to homes and society, and provide an opportunity to look to the future together and to build peace and prosperity for all.”

In his reflection before the Marian prayer, the pope focused on the day’s Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:17-37), saying Jesus “reveals the true meaning of the precepts of the Law of Moses.”

“They are not meant to satisfy an external religious need of feeling ‘righteous’ before God but to bring us into a relationship of love with God and with our brothers and sisters,” he said, adding: “The Law is fulfilled precisely by love, which brings its profound meaning and ultimate purpose to completion.”

Leo emphasized that “true righteousness consists in love,” and he warned against reducing faith to the bare minimum: “The Gospel offers us this valuable teaching: Minimal righteousness is not enough; great love is needed.”

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.

Feb. 2 marked a turning point in the life of David Ryan, a 61-year-old Irishman who suffered sexual abuse as a teenager. More than 40 years later, he was able to share his story face-to-face with Pope Leo XIV in the first private meeting the pontiff has held alone with a victim of abuse.

While the Holy Father had already met with other victims of abuse, those meetings were in groups. The meeting with Ryan was different: For almost an hour, he was able to share everything he thought and still thinks about what happened to him and about the reaction of the Catholic Church in Ireland, which he felt did not listen to him.

“He’s a lovely man, and a lovely experience… Wow. I’m so glad I‘ve done it today, I’m really so glad I’ve done it. I didn’t hold back, I told him about the abuse and asked him, ‘Why are these priests still doing this?’” Ryan told reporters in Rome who were waiting for him outside the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

“His sympathy, his empathy toward the survivors, myself and my family, toward my close friends… He felt this, he was sorry, and it was genuine. I knew it was genuine,” he emphasized.

Ryan suffered sexual abuse when he was roughly between the ages of 11 and 17 while attending Blackrock and Willow Park School in Dublin. His brother, Mark, who died at age 62, was also a victim of abuse but never revealed what had happened to him. “It ruined my life. It ruined Mark’s life, and my brother is now gone,” Ryan, who brought a photo of Mark to Rome, told EWTN News.

When Ryan’s story came to light in a documentary titled “Blackrock Boys” on RTÉ radio, it shocked the nation. Following the broadcast, the Irish government commissioned a report that revealed widespread allegations of sexual abuse at hundreds of schools over several decades — a total of 2,400 cases. This was made possible by the courage of Ryan and others like him who shared their stories.

Ryan, who felt he was not being heard by the Church, wrote to Pope Leo XIV and received a reply to meet with him, an appointment he attended with Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One in Four, an Irish charity that advises and supports adults who have suffered sexual abuse.

‘I’m so sorry for you’

EWTN Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn spoke with Ryan after his meeting with the pope. He recounted that he told Leo XIV “that I wanted an apology, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘David, all I can say is that I’m so sorry for your pain and hurt, what your family went through, what Mark and the other survivors went through. I can feel your pain, but I don’t know your pain.’ And he looked me straight in the eyes and just said, ‘I’m so sorry for you.’”

“But I could feel a kind of energy coming down when he told me, because I knew he meant it, and it’s like a whole new experience for me. It’s still going down; I still can’t believe I’ve been there. I thought this day would never come,” he emphasized.

‘I just wanted him to hear my voice, my story’

After explaining that he wanted to express his anger to the pope and get a response from him, Ryan clarified that with the Holy Father, “I wasn’t going to shout and scream; there was no point in doing that. I just wanted him to hear my voice, I wanted him to hear my story, and he heard. He apologized in a way I wasn’t expecting, and his empathy toward me… it was just quiet and surreal.”

“And I didn’t hold back, I told him I had been raped three times. It’s not pleasant, but many men are afraid to talk about it, and a lot of men don’t cry,” he said. However, he shared that in his case, he managed “to talk about it, I have cried.”

Ryan also said the pope “was shocked to hear how many people had been abused and that the Church had hidden it for so long. I asked him why they did that, and he replied, ‘David, I don’t have an answer yet for you, but I will have an answer when I can.’”

‘It wasn’t your fault’

Ryan also told Flynn that he shared his story so that others “would want to come forward and speak out about clerical abuse, because a lot of men don’t talk and keep it quiet.”

“And as I told the pope: It wasn’t my fault. And that took me a long time to admit: It wasn’t my fault. He shook his head and said to me, ‘Yes, it wasn’t your fault, David.’ And that really did hit me. We shook hands afterwards, and I know he understands. It was the best thing I’ve ever done,” he 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.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday will travel outside the Vatican to visit a Roman parish — the Basilica of Santa Maria Regina Pacis — in the seaside community of Ostia, about 17 miles southwest of the city’s center.

A popular summer destination for tourists, Ostia will be the first of five parishes where the pope, as bishop of Rome, will celebrate Mass on Sundays in February and March.

The pastor of the church, Pallottine Father Giovanni Vincenzo Patanè, told EWTN News the area has its challenges, including drug dealing and prostitution, but there are also many positive initiatives worth highlighting.

“The pope’s presence will help to shed light on these somewhat shady areas, but also to show that Ostia is not only what is often reported about crime and Mafia organizations, but that there is also a lot of good,” the priest said.

According to Father Giulio Albanese, director of the Vicariate of Rome’s social communications office, in Ostia, many people are having trouble making ends meet.

The Church in Ostia is helping to look after those who are struggling, including those in need, immigrants, and young people affected by drugs, he told EWTN News. “The Christian community is there to help them, to share with them the love of God.”

Costantino, a homeless man who declined to give his last name, said he frequents the parish and has been a recipient of its charitable activities. “You must have faith. You can’t lose it ... even in difficult moments,” he said.

The town of Ostia also has an important connection to Pope Leo’s order, the Augustinians, as the site of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica’s, shared a mystical experience of eternal life. St. Monica died soon afterward and was buried in Ostia, though her tomb was later moved to Rome.

Pallottine Father Thomas Rzempoluch, assistant pastor of Santa Maria Regina Pacis, explained to EWTN News that the parish was first entrusted to the Augustinian order, which laid its foundation. But when they were unable to finish building the church, the Pallottine Fathers were asked to complete it.

“Our [rector general] at that time sent the Irish Pallottines all over America to take up collections to finish the church. So there’s also an American connection here,” he said.

Leo will be the third pope to visit the parish — Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis also celebrated Mass there during their pontificates.

“The community of Ostia is really so excited, not just our parish,” parishioner Daniele Libertini said.

In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others — and to “disarm” their language by fasting from words that wound.

The Lenten season begins Feb. 18 with Ash Wednesday.

In the message, released Feb. 13, the pope offers a simple definition of Lent as a time when the Church “invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.”

He encourages Catholics to allow the word of God to touch their hearts with docility so that Lent may become “a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ.”

Listening to God and the cry of the poor

The Holy Father first highlights the importance of listening.

“The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone,” he writes.

Listening to sacred Scripture, he says, teaches believers to recognize and respond to suffering in the world.

Quoting his own apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, he adds that Catholics must recognize that “the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church.”

Entering into this interior openness means allowing God to teach us to listen as he does, he writes, so that faith shapes both personal conversion and social responsibility.

Fasting, including from harmful speech

Turning to the traditional Lenten practice of fasting, the pope describes abstaining from food as “an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion.”

“Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we ‘hunger’ for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance,” he writes. It helps believers to “identify and order our ‘appetites,’ keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency.”

Quoting St. Augustine, he notes that the human heart expands through desire for God. “Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good.”

However, he stresses that fasting must be lived “in faith and humility” and grounded in communion with the Lord.

In this context, the pope proposes a specific Lenten resolution: “a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

“Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves,” he writes. “Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.”

“In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace,” he adds.

A shared journey toward conversion

Finally, Pope Leo XIV emphasizes the communal dimension of Lent, recalling that Scripture frequently presents fasting and listening to the word of God as shared acts of repentance and renewal.

“Our parishes, families, ecclesial groups, and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent,” he writes, where listening to the word of God and to “the cry of the poor and of the earth” becomes part of community life.

He underscores that conversion concerns not only individual conscience but also relationships and dialogue. It means “allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation.”

Concluding, the pope invites the faithful to ask for grace and strength during the penitential season.

“Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us,” he writes. “Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others.”

“Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”

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 Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced Thursday that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country’s grave situation, which is generating “so much instability and uncertainty.”

The bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 20 as part of their periodic ad limina visit, which was set to begin Monday, Feb. 16. During such visits, bishops also customarily pray at the four major papal basilicas and meet with various Vatican dicasteries.

However, in a statement on Feb. 12, the bishops’ conference said that “given the worsening socio-economic situation in the country, which is generating so much instability and uncertainty, the Catholic bishops have asked the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the ad limina visit be postponed to a later date than originally planned.”

“We continue praying for our homeland, and we renew our affection and communion with the pope and with the Apostolic See,” the statement added.

Cuba’s prolonged economic and social crisis has intensified in recent days, particularly after the United States government announced on Jan. 29 the imposition of tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean nation, as a way of pressuring the communist regime.

In response, the Cuban government has introduced further restrictions beyond those already faced by the population. Last Sunday, the regime also reported that it no longer had fuel for commercial aircraft, a development that is affecting tourism, one of the government’s principal sources of revenue.

At the same time, the Trump administration began sending containers of humanitarian aid in January for the Catholic Church to distribute to those affected by Hurricane Melissa. The assistance is being coordinated directly with Caritas Cuba, without the participation of the regime.

On Jan. 31, the Cuban bishops warned in a separate statement that the country risks falling into social chaos and violence if the structural changes it urgently needs are not implemented.

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 doctrinal office said Thursday it is willing to begin a structured theological dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), but warned that any plan by the traditionalist group to consecrate bishops without a papal mandate would constitute a break in communion and would immediately halt the talks.

In a statement following a Feb. 12 meeting between Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Father Davide Pagliarani, the SSPX’s superior general, the dicastery said the two sides agreed on a “specifically theological” process with a defined methodology to address questions it said have not yet received sufficient clarification.

The dicastery also warned that if the SSPX proceeds with episcopal consecrations it has announced for July 1 without authorization from the Holy See, the move would “imply a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism),” carrying “grave consequences” for the fraternity as a whole, and would bring the dialogue to an immediate end.

The statement did not explicitly mention excommunication, which canon law prescribes for all bishops involved in episcopal consecrations with a papal mandate.

The dicastery said Pagliarani told Vatican officials he would present the proposal to the fraternity’s council and later communicate a response. If the response is positive, the statement said, both sides would jointly establish the steps, stages, and procedures to follow.

What the Vatican says the talks would cover

According to the dicastery, the theological dialogue would address contested questions tied to the interpretation of post–Second Vatican Council teaching, including God’s will regarding the plurality of religions; the distinction between an act of faith and “religious submission of mind and will”; and the differing levels of assent required by various Vatican II texts and their interpretation.

The underlying issue is whether the SSPX must accept Vatican II as doctrinally binding, or whether it can treat it as primarily pastoral and therefore open to critique.

The dicastery also said the discussions would seek to identify “minimum conditions” required for full communion with the Catholic Church and, consequently, for outlining a canonical status for the SSPX, alongside other questions to be studied further.

Why the meeting happened now

The meeting followed Pagliarani’s Feb. 2 announcement that the SSPX intends to consecrate new bishops on July 1, arguing the move is needed to preserve continuity.

The consecrations would reportedly be carried out by Bishop Bernard Fellay, Pagliarani’s predecessor as superior general, with Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta as co-consecrator. Pagliarani has said an exchange of letters with the Holy See did not produce the response the fraternity sought.

The shadow of 1988

The Vatican warning recalls the 1988 rupture, when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without a pontifical mandate after negotiations with Rome collapsed, triggering a formal declaration of excommunication and a long-running break in full communion.

In 1988, a solution had appeared within reach after an agreement would have given the fraternity a recognized place in the Church and permission to celebrate exclusively the traditional Latin Mass, in exchange for acceptance of Vatican II and recognition of the validity of the reformed rites. Lefebvre ultimately proceeded with the consecrations anyway.

Benedict XVI later lifted the excommunications of the bishops consecrated in 1988 in 2009. Under Pope Francis, the Holy See extended certain pastoral faculties to SSPX priests, while also restricting broader use of the traditional Latin Mass through the motu proprio "Traditionis Custodes."

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.

The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, announced the launch of two new equity benchmarks developed in partnership with Morningstar Indexes.

The two indexes, the Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles, are designed to serve as global reference points for investments that adhere to Catholic teaching, according to a Feb. 10 IOR press release.

Each index includes 50 medium- and large-cap companies selected in accordance with the IOR’s Investment Policy, which is guided by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, according to the press release.

The indexes exclude companies involved in activities inconsistent with Catholic teachings, the IOR said.

According to the press release, the initiative will strengthen the IOR’s commitment to responsible and ethical finance, allowing Catholic institutions, dioceses, religious orders, and other faith-aligned investors worldwide to benchmark and evaluate performance in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching, particularly on issues related to life, social responsibility, and environmental protection.

Robert Edwards, managing director for EMEA at Morningstar Indexes, stated: “Investors increasingly seek benchmarks that reflect specific values-based or policy-driven criteria. Morningstar’s transparent, rules-based approach ensures client-defined standards are applied consistently and objectively.”

Giovanni Boscia, deputy director general, CFO, and head of asset management at the IOR, added: “With the launch of these two new equity indexes, the IOR takes a further step forward in the process that has seen it adopt international best financial practices for years, in strict compliance with the principles of the social doctrine of the Church.”

“Having benchmarks built in accordance with recognized Catholic ethical criteria allows us to make our performance assessment and reporting processes even more rigorous and transparent,” Boscia continued. “This initiative reaffirms our commitment as a financial institution serving the Church, further strengthening the role of the IOR as a reference point for the Catholic world.”

In 2022, the Vatican issued Mensuram Bonam, which means “a good measure.” It is a document intended to guide Catholics to think and act according to the teachings of the Church in their investment decisions, including considering how their economic actions affect the poor.

Last year, in its annual report, the IOR showed a net profit of 32.8 million euros in 2024, representing a 7% increase compared with 2023, attributing its positive financial performance with “numerous improvements” made, including adding specialized personnel and making strategic investments in digital and technological infrastructure.

Pope Leo XIV wants to travel to Jerusalem in 2033 to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. The Jubilee of Redemption is an event that is shaping up to be a historic opportunity to advance toward the full and visible unity of Christians.

However, the main obstacle to this goal remains the rift between the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, an expert told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Father Frans Bouwen, a missionary of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, has been in Jerusalem for more than 40 years. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Frans Bouwen

Father Frans Bouwen, a missionary of the Society of Missionaries of Africa — known as the White Fathers — and an expert in ecumenical dialogue, explained the complexity of the situation: “Moscow currently refuses to participate in ecumenical meetings where Constantinople is present, which also conditions its participation and that of the local churches aligned with it.”

The future ecumenical event, framed within the bimillennial Jubilee of the Redemption, was announced by the Vatican after the ecumenical meeting in which the pontiff participated during his trip to Turkey held at Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul.

That meeting was also attended by representatives of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and other Christian communions and ecumenical organizations. Among the participants were also envoys from the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the Baptist World Alliance, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the World Council of Churches.

However, the Russian Orthodox were absent. As revealed by Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, in an interview with Crux, the patriarchate of Constantinople did not invite the Russian Orthodox Church.

The decision, he explained, was to invite the oldest Orthodox churches, which include the patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

“Catholics invite Catholics, and Orthodox invite Orthodox,” he said. “The decision not to invite the largest Orthodox church in the world was theirs to make, and I respect the decision of the Orthodox.”

There are still seven years until 2033, and many things can change, both in the ecumenical and geopolitical spheres. In any case, for Bouwen, for the 2033 pilgrimage to fulfill its objective and leave no one behind, the authentic participation of all the churches will be essential.

Pope Leo XIV greets Bartholomew I in Iznik during his trip to Turkey in November 2025. Credit: Vatican Media

“The specific paths of preparation must be studied and decided together, ecumenically, following a synodal approach, seeking to actively involve as many churches as possible. It is essential that contacts be established between the churches as soon as possible, creating working groups at both the local and global levels. Perhaps a preparation in different stages, as the Catholic Church did for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, would be advisable,” explained the priest, who has been in Jerusalem for over 40 years.

Ecumenical dialogue with Rome has progressed in recent years, but the situation within Orthodoxy is complicated.

New rift over Ukraine

The turning point came in 2018 when Bartholomew I granted autocephaly (self-governance) to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, separating it from being under the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Kirill considered the move meddling and broke off Eucharistic communion with Constantinople, opening a rift that persists to this day.

The conflict has intensified, in part, due to Kirill’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prompting Russian warnings of potentially even more drastic measures.

For Bouwen, this rupture is not theological in nature but rather canonical and geopolitical, linked above all to the status of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. “Russia considers Kyiv to be the place of its baptism and its birthplace, [with the baptism of Vladimir, Grand Prince of Kyivan Rus’ and his subjects in 988] and does not accept that it should come under another jurisdiction without its consent. Moreover, the Russian position reflects a more general distrust of the West and its values, and a growing reluctance toward ecumenism itself,” he noted.

“The interruption of communion has caused a major schism within the Orthodox communion and has repercussions for ecumenical relations worldwide,” he explained when addressing the complications arising from the break in communion between Moscow and Constantinople, which currently condition the potential participation of Russian Orthodox Christians in the Jubilee of 2033.

‘Let us have faith in the Spirit‘

The missionary clarified that, from a Catholic perspective, the path is one of hope and patience. “Let us have faith in the Spirit who will accompany this pilgrimage and help us discern what is possible at each stage,” he added.

“Perhaps opportunities will arise to collaborate in teaching, pastoral work, or even in the shared participation in certain sacraments. That in itself would constitute a powerful shared witness,” he noted.

Furthermore, he said that given that the final destination of this pilgrimage is Jerusalem, “it is important to establish contact with the patriarchs and heads of the Churches there without delay.” In this regard, he maintained that since the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem is generally recognized as first among his brethren, “he must be involved from the very beginning.”

Bouwen situated the significance of the 2033 Jubilee not only in the anniversary itself — 2,000 years since the Redemption — but also in the context in which it was announced: the ecumenical celebrations of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325), held first in Iznik and then in Istanbul.

“While we celebrate in the Nicene Creed, the foundations of the Christian faith common to all the churches, the call to a shared pilgrimage toward 2033 turns our gaze toward the saving events at the heart of this faith: the incarnation, life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” he noted.

From this perspective, Jerusalem emerges as the natural destination of this shared journey. “Jerusalem is the place where these events took place,” the missionary reminded, insisting that the jubilee can only bear fruit if it is lived as a genuine ecumenical process.

Bouwen also linked this perspective to a key historical precedent: the pilgrimage of St. Paul VI to Jerusalem in January 1964. “His ardent desire was to firmly root the Second Vatican Council, and the Church itself, in the mysteries that lie at the origin of its foundation and mission,” he explained.

During that journey, the historic meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras took place, sealed with a kiss of peace that, in the words of this priest, “became an icon and a promise of the shared rediscovery and joint journey of our churches toward full communion.”

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 accepted the resignation of Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Wednesday, paving the way for coadjutor Archbishop James Checchio to assume the leadership of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Leo appointed Checchio, 59, coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in September 2025 to automatically succeed Aymond upon his retirement. After Checchio arrived in mid-November 2025, he has assisted Aymond at the archdiocese of over half a million Catholics in southeastern Louisiana for three months.

Checchio previously served, since 2016, as bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey. He was rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2006 to 2016 and has a doctorate in canon law.

He said in a Feb. 11 statement from the archdiocese his first three months in New Orleans “have gone by very quickly as I learn more about our local Church.”

Checchio will celebrate his first Mass as archbishop at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.

He takes the helm in New Orleans as the archdiocese moves to resolve yearslong bankruptcy negotiations with a settlement for over 600 clergy sexual abuse claimants. In September 2025, the archdiocese announced a $230 million settlement offer to clergy sexual abuse claimants, up from a previous offer of $180 million.

The settlement offer follows five years of negotiations in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where the nation’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2020.

Aymond, a New Orleans native, led the archdiocese since 2009. He turned 75, the age when bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope, in November 2024.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1975. His priestly ministry focused on education — including serving as the president-rector of Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans from 1986 to 2000 — and missionary work in Mexico and Nicaragua.

In 1996, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese and given oversight over its Catholic schools.

Aymond came under fire in the late 1990s for allowing the coach at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Norco, Brian Matherne, to remain in his role for several months after Aymond received information about alleged abuse of a minor boy by Matherne.

Matherne was later arrested and is now serving a 30-year sentence after pleading guilty to the molestation of 17 children over a 15-year period ending in 1999.

Aymond later admitted his mistake in keeping Matherne in his post and called the case a “painful experience — I will never forget it. It helped me to understand the complexity of pedophilia better.”

He was appointed coadjutor bishop of Austin, Texas, in June 2000 and succeeded Bishop John E. McCarthy as bishop of Austin in January 2021.

In that position, Aymond strengthened the diocese’s sex abuse policies, though clerical abuse activists from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) have criticized the archbishop’s record, claiming he only “postures as someone who takes clergy sex crimes seriously.”

Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that Sacred Scripture has been entrusted to the Catholic Church — that she preserves and explains it, and supports its purpose of making Christ known to the world.

“The Church is the rightful home of Sacred Scripture,” the pope said during the general audience on Feb. 11.

“With its efficacy and power [Sacred Scripture] sustains and invigorates the Christian community. All the faithful are called to drink from this wellspring, first and foremost in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments,” he added.

Addressing thousands of pilgrims in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Leo said, Scripture “finds the sphere in which to carry out its particular task and achieve its purpose: to make Christ known and to open dialogue with God” in the Church community.

The pontiff pointed to the 2008 Synod of Bishops on “The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church” as one of the Church’s recent important reflections on Scripture.

He quoted from Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synodal exhortation Verbum Domini. In that document, Pope Benedict affirmed that “The intrinsic link between the word and faith makes clear that authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church, which has its paradigm in Mary’s fiat… the primary setting for scriptural interpretation is the life of the Church.”

The Purpose of Scripture

Pope Leo recalled the well-known phrase from St. Jerome that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

The expression reminds us, he said, “of the ultimate purpose of reading and meditating on the Scriptures: to get to know Christ and, through him, to enter into a relationship with God, a relationship that can be understood as a conversation, a dialogue.”

“We live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are empty!” the pontiff said.

“On the contrary, the Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning, for the truth about our life. It is the only Word that is always new: revealing the mystery of God to us, it is inexhaustible, it never ceases to offer its riches.”

Leo said those who carry out the ministry of the Word — bishops, priests, deacons, and catechists — should be guided by love for the Sacred Scriptures and familiarity with them.

“The Church ardently desires that the Word of God may reach every one of her members and nurture their journey of faith. But the Word of God also propels the Church beyond herself; it opens her continually tothe mission towards everyone,” he said.

Vatican II’s Dei Verbum

The pope’s catechesis at the general audience was part of a series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

The Holy Father explained that the sixth chapter of Dei Verbum, Vatican II’s constitution on Divine Revelation, expresses a “profound and vital link that exists between the Word of God and the Church.”

The document “presented the Revelation to us precisely as a dialogue, in which God speaks to humans as though to friends,” he said.

Quoting the constitution, Pope Leo said “the Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord, since especially in the sacred liturgy, she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life from the table both of God’s word and of Christ’s body.”

Pope Leo XIV lights a candle in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes during the general audience in the Paul VI Hall on Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News. Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

Before the audience began, Pope Leo lit a candle in front of a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes present in the audience hall in honor of her Feb. 11 feast day.

He asked our Lady of Lourdes to accompany young people, newlyweds, and the sick, and to “intercede for before God, and obtain for you the graces that sustain you on your journey.”

After the catechesis, the pope planned to visit the Vatican Gardens, where there is a replica of the grotto where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, in 1858.

At the grotto, Leo said he would light a candle in prayer for the sick. The World Day of the Sick, commemorated on Feb. 11, was instituted by St. Pope John Paul II in 1992, one year after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

“I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.

According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father “is meant to emphasize how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age.”

Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be “a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly,” especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.

The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them “a precious presence and a blessing.”

World Grandparents’ Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.

This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.

The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the “revolution” of care for the elderly.

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 strengthened his support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war by sending new humanitarian aid to areas hardest hit by winter bombings, including 80 electricity generators, along with food and medicine.

According to the official Vatican News outlet, the assistance was sent at the pope’s request through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. Three trucks carrying the generators departed Rome to help communities facing severe cold after repeated attacks on energy infrastructure.

Nighttime temperatures in Ukraine have fallen as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius, forcing many families to leave their homes in search of warmth in shelters, often the only places where they can receive a hot meal. The generators are intended to ensure electricity and heating in these shelters during the harsh winter months.

Along with the generators, the pope also sent food and large quantities of medicine, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, supplements, and melatonin, which has been especially sought after to help people sleep amid constant fear and stress caused by ongoing attacks.

The vehicles departed from the Basilica of St. Sophia in Rome, the church of Ukrainians in Italy, and have already reached Fastiv and Kyiv, two areas particularly affected by recent bombings. Once in Ukraine, the aid is distributed through parish networks in the dioceses.

This is not the first time Pope Leo XIV’s repeated appeals for peace have been accompanied by concrete action. On Dec. 28, 2025, he sent three other trucks with special food supplies designed to meet the most urgent needs of civilians in wartime conditions. At that time, the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, explained that the food dissolves in small amounts of water to become high-energy chicken and vegetable soups.

Pope Leo XIV has consistently condemned the war in Ukraine. Following the Angelus on Jan. 11, he lamented the impact of recent Russian attacks that left more than a million households without water or heating in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

“New attacks, particularly serious ones, directed above all at energy infrastructure, precisely while the cold becomes harsher, are striking the civilian population heavily,” the pope said.

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

Pope Leo XIV approved the new statutes of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, an organization founded 80 years ago to promote and coordinate Mariological and Marian studies worldwide.

According to the Vatican Press Office, the Holy Father approved the new statutes during an audience with Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State.

The updating of the statutes is intended to adapt the academy’s organization to the development of its mission and to the current structure of the institutions of the Roman Curia.

The Pontifical International Marian Academy was founded in 1946 by the Order of Friars Minor together with the Franciscan Marian Commission, institutions entrusted to the direction of the priest who inspired them, Father Charles Balić, then-rector magnificus (highest official) of the Pontifical Antonianum University and holder of the chair of Mariology.

Since 1950, the Holy See has entrusted the Marian Academy with the organization of the International Mariological-Marian Congresses.

In 1959, Pope John XXIII, recognizing that the academy, through its activities, had contributed to the progress of Marian doctrine and piety, added the title of “Pontifical.”

Originally dependent on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it now falls under the Dicastery for Culture and Education, following the reform implemented by Pope Francis with the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

The new statutes consist of a preamble and 22 articles. Article 4 specifies that the academy “has the task of promoting and supporting Mariological-Marian research at all levels and of coordinating its studies within the context of an ever-renewed evangelization, taking into account the language of different cultures and the Marian manifestations specific to each people,” with a view to fostering “sound popular piety and avoiding any form of maximalism or minimalism.”

The academy’s ordinary members cannot exceed 90 in number and may include nonbelievers and representatives of other religions and other Christian communities.

The academy is headed by the president, appointed by the pope, assisted by the council, which in turn is composed of the secretary, the treasurer — these two appointed by the minister general of the Order of Friars Minor — the director of the office of promotion and development, and seven members elected from among the ordinary members.

The appointment of ordinary members requires authorization from the Secretariat of State. Upon reaching the age of 75, they become emeritus members.

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

Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow and prayerful closeness for victims of recent violent attacks in Nigeria on Sunday, calling on authorities to ensure the protection of every citizen.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 8, the pope said: “It is with sorrow and concern that I learned of the recent attacks against various communities in Nigeria leading to a heavy loss of life. I express my prayerful closeness to all the victims of violence and terrorism.”

According to reports cited by the Vatican agency Fides, armed groups had carried out a series of attacks in recent days in several Nigerian states, including Kaduna and Niger. The assaults included killings, kidnappings, the burning of police stations, attacks on churches and diocesan structures, and the vandalism of a Catholic clinic, forcing many residents to flee. Among those kidnapped was Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, parish priest of Holy Trinity Parish in Karku. The Diocese of Kafanchan confirmed the abduction and entrusted the captives “to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for their safe return.”

Earlier, in his reflection before the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV focused on the Gospel passage in which Jesus called his disciples “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world,” linking it to the theme of authentic Christian joy.

“Indeed, it is genuine joy that gives flavor to life and brings to light something that was not there before,” the pope said. “This joy springs from a way of life, a way of inhabiting the earth and of living together that must be desired and chosen. It is the life that shines in Jesus, the new flavor of his words and deeds.”

After encountering Christ, he explained, “those who would distance themselves from all this seem bland and dull,” referring to Jesus’ poverty of spirit, meekness and simplicity of heart, and hunger and thirst for justice that unlock mercy and peace as forces of transformation and reconciliation.

Acknowledging human frailty, Pope Leo XIV said: “Indeed, it is painful to lose flavor and give up joy; yet it is possible to have this wound in one’s heart.” Yet Jesus, he noted, warned believers not to surrender to discouragement, reminding them that God never discards anyone. “Every wound, even the deepest, will be healed by welcoming the word of the Beatitudes and setting us back on the path of the Gospel.”

The pope emphasized that concrete acts of charity and attention to others rekindled joy, while remaining rooted in the Eucharist. The “true flavor,” he said, was found “every Sunday in the Bread that is broken, which is a life given and a silent love.”

After the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV also recalled the beatification of Father Salvatore Valera Parra in Huércal-Overa, Spain, praising him as “a parish priest completely devoted to his people, humble and generous in pastoral charity.” His example, the pope said, could inspire today’s priests “to be faithful in living each day with simplicity and asceticism.”

Marking the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita, the pope noted that the Church also celebrated the World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Human Trafficking. “I thank the religious and all those who are committed to combating and eliminating current forms of slavery,” he said. “Together with them, I say: Peace begins with dignity!”

Pope Leo XIV also assured prayers for communities affected by floods and landslides in Portugal, Morocco, Spain — especially Grazalema in Andalusia — and southern Italy, particularly Niscemi in Sicily, encouraging them to remain united and supportive under the protection of the Virgin Mary.

Concluding his remarks, the pope urged continued prayer for peace: “History teaches us that strategies of economic and military power do not give humanity a future. The future lies in respect and fraternity among peoples.”

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.

Pope Leo XIV will not travel to the United States in 2026, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said Sunday, denying circulating reports that the pontiff might make an apostolic trip to his native country.

A U.S. visit had been anticipated by some American Catholics ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary of independence on July 4, 2026.

At the same time, papal travel elsewhere is taking shape. Local church authorities in Africa have said Leo will visit several countries on the continent — with Angola and Equatorial Guinea among the destinations publicly confirmed by local authorities, and Cameroon also widely anticipated as part of the itinerary — with timing broadly described as after Easter.

In South America, Peruvian bishops have said the pope will visit the country — where he previously served as a bishop — later this year, with local church leaders pointing to a timeframe in November or early December.

A visit to Spain is also expected this summer, with Spanish church authorities indicating stops including Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

Popes have visited the United States multiple times, beginning with Pope Paul VI’s October 1965 trip, which included a visit to the United Nations.

St. John Paul II traveled to the U.S. on several occasions, first visiting in October 1979 with stops in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Des Moines, Chicago, and Washington, where he met then-President Jimmy Carter. Among his later visits, he returned in 1995 for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and made his final U.S. trip to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999.

Pope Benedict XVI also visited the United States, traveling in April 2008. During that trip, he marked his 81st birthday on April 16 at the White House with President George W. Bush, and he later visited New York, including a time of prayer at Ground Zero in remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The most recent pope to visit the United States was Pope Francis, who traveled there from Sept. 22–27, 2015. During the visit, he went to Washington, D.C., where he canonized Junípero Serra and addressed the U.S. Congress. He then traveled to New York, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, before concluding the trip in Philadelphia, where he presided over events marking the close of the Eighth World Meeting of Families.

Cuba’s bishops are scheduled to travel to Rome later this month to meet with Vatican dicasteries and present Pope Leo XIV with a report on the state of the dioceses on the island.

In a message that will be read at Masses this weekend, the bishops will announce that they have been “called to Rome during Feb. 16–20 to pray in the four major basilicas, to meet for the first time with the Holy Father Leo XIV, and to share with him and with the heads of the Holy See’s dicasteries the vicissitudes, sorrows, joys, and hopes of the Church in Cuba.”

The Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops (COCC, by its Spanish acronym) states that the trip is part of the ad limina visit that bishops must make every five years to the See of St. Peter.

“Every five years, the diocesan bishop must have a personal meeting with the Holy Father, present him with a report on the state of his diocese, and make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul,” the announcement states, citing the Code of Canon Law.

The COCC reports that the meeting with Leo XIV will take place on the morning of Friday, Feb. 20. “We are filled with anticipation to listen to and converse with someone who, in a way, knows us, since he visited our country twice when he was the superior general of the Augustinian Fathers,” the announcement notes.

The trip comes as the Catholic Church is the sole distributor of humanitarian aid sent by the United States government to people affected by Hurricane Melissa — a distribution that is taking place without the intervention of the Cuban government.

This is in addition to the meetings that some bishops have held in recent days with the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer.

On Sunday, Feb. 1, Pope Leo XIV expressed his concern over “reports of increased tensions between Cuba and the United States of America.”

The pontiff expressed his support for the bishops’ message of Jan. 31 and urged “all those responsible to promote a sincere and effective dialogue, to avoid violence and any action that could increase the sufferings of the dear Cuban people.”

Prayer for their ad limina visit

On the occasion of their trip to the Vatican, the bishops have asked the faithful to accompany them with their prayers and have published the following prayer on their website:

Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,

who guide your Church along the paths of history,

we pray for our bishops,

who are making a pilgrimage to Rome

to participate in the Ad Limina Apostolorum visit:

May this visit be for them a time of grace and renewal in faith,

of strengthening in communion with the successor of the Apostle Peter, Pope Leo XIV.

Lord, assist our bishops with your grace,

make this visit for them

a moment of attentive listening and sincere conversion,

of profound encounter with you and with their brothers

with Pope Leo and all his closest collaborators,

so that upon their return, they may continue to inspire our life of faith

and accompany the daily lives of our communities and people.

May they, as they kneel before the tombs of the holy apostles,

carry in their hearts the joys and sorrows,

the hopes and wounds of this Church on pilgrimage in Cuba,

and of all the Cuban people,

especially the weakest and most weary,

those who live in despair and poverty,

violence or loneliness.

Holy Mary, Virgin of charity,

Mother of the Church and queen of the apostles,

receive our bishops under your mantle

and accompany them on this pilgrimage to Rome,

so that, strengthened by the faith of Peter,

they may return to our Church with renewed apostolic and missionary zeal.

Amen.

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

As the Church marks the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, Pope Leo XIV renewed what he called the Church’s “urgent call” to end a crime that “gravely wounds human dignity” and undermines authentic peace.

The annual day of prayer is observed on Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave whose life has become a universal symbol of the Church’s commitment to combating human trafficking. Events in Rome this year span several days and culminate Sunday with the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

In his message for the occasion, titled “Peace Begins with Dignity: A Global Call to End Human Trafficking,” the pope reflects on Christ’s greeting after the Resurrection: “Peace be with you.”

“These words are more than a salutation; they offer a path toward a renewed humanity,” the pope writes. “True peace begins with the recognition and protection of the God-given dignity of every person.”

He warns that contemporary conflicts often erode this vision of peace, noting that “in situations of conflict, the loss of human life is too often dismissed by warmongers as ‘collateral damage,’ sacrificed in the pursuit of political or economic interests.”

According to the pope, the same logic fuels human trafficking worldwide. “Geopolitical instability and armed conflicts create fertile ground for traffickers to exploit the most vulnerable, especially displaced persons, migrants, and refugees,” he writes, adding that “within this broken paradigm, women and children are the most impacted by this heinous trade.”

The pope also draws attention to newer forms of exploitation, including what he calls “cyber slavery,” in which victims are coerced into criminal activities such as online fraud or drug smuggling.

“In such cases, the victim is coerced into assuming the role of perpetrator, exacerbating their spiritual wounds,” he writes. “These forms of violence are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a culture that has forgotten how to love as Christ loves.”

Faced with these realities, Pope Leo XIV urges prayer and concrete awareness. “Prayer is the ‘small flame’ that we must guard amidst the storm, as it gives us the strength to resist indifference to injustice,” he writes, while awareness helps uncover “the hidden mechanisms of exploitation in our neighborhoods and in digital spaces.”

The pope also expresses gratitude to those working on the front lines to assist victims of trafficking, including international Catholic networks such as Talitha Kum, and acknowledges survivors who now advocate for others.

In Rome, events marking the World Day include an online global pilgrimage of prayer, a youth formation day, and public awareness initiatives. The observances conclude Sunday, Feb. 8, with the Angelus prayer with Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square, followed by a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols in collaboration with the Santa Marta Group.

Entrusting the initiative to the intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita, the pope calls Catholics to work for a peace that is more than the absence of war — a peace, he writes, that is “unarmed and disarming,” rooted in full respect for the dignity of every person.

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 and the founder of the Sant’Egidio Community, Andrea Riccardi, met at the Vatican this week and discussed the role Christians and the Church are called to play in promoting peace in the midst of various conflicts around the world.

According to a statement, the Feb. 5 meeting took place on the eve of the 58th anniversary of the ecclesial community, which was founded in Rome and has been committed for decades to peace, dialogue, and caring for the poorest.

In particular, the value of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue was emphasized as a fundamental resource, promoted by the so-called “spirit of Assisi”: the movement of interreligious dialogue and communal prayer for world peace initiated by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 27, 1986, in that Italian city to reject the use of violence in the name of religion and to foster encounter, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence among peoples.

The Sant’Egidio Community is a lay Catholic movement founded in 1968 by Riccardi in Rome that focuses on prayer, solidarity with the poor (especially homeless people and the elderly), and peace, operating in more than 70 countries.

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 met with members of Courage International on Feb. 6 in what the ministry called a “historic” and “momentous” event that took place in Vatican City.

The Connecticut-based ministry, which for nearly half a century has ministered to Catholics dealing with same-sex attraction, said in a press statement that leaders associated with the group, including Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano and group Executive Director Father Brian Gannon, met with the Holy Father in a private audience.

“The opportunity to share with the Holy Father the works of the apostolate, to provide pastoral accompaniment to persons who experience same-sex attraction but who strive to live chaste lives or to accompany family members who have a loved one who identifies as LGBTQ, was a momentous occasion,” the group said.

Officially founded in 1980, Courage International marked 45 years in 2025 of helping individuals struggling with sexuality to “live a chaste life” in line with Church teaching. Originally founded in Manhattan, the group’s headquarters is based in Bridgeport.

Pope Leo “is very, very supportive of everything that Courage is doing.”

Father Brian Gannon

Executive Director, Courage International

Gannon, who came into the leadership role at the organization in 2024, told EWTN News on Feb. 6 that the meeting — the group's first with a pope — was an “extraordinary gift” from the Holy Father.

“The pope was very gracious, a very good listener,” he said. “We talked about the importance of chastity, how it heals and strengthens and restores the person. The pope was obviously very encouraging.”

The Holy Father in turn “talked about freedom, about what real freedom is —not the unbridled freedom that the world offers, but rather mastering our passions and being in complete surrender to the will of God.”

Gannon said the meeting with Leo constitutes a “huge morale booster” for the group, which has chapters in over a dozen countries and numbers more than 200 chaplains, including through its family support ministry, EnCourage.

“All the members of Courage throughout the whole world will see that the pope extended an audience and listened and is very, very supportive of everything that Courage is doing,” Gannon said, calling the encounter “a huge blessing.”

The priest told EWTN News last year that the organization is a “needed ministry” that “helps people find peace.”

Group members “come together, read through the goals, discuss their experiences and challenges during the week, and pray,” he said. “Prayer is absolutely central to it.”

On Feb. 6, Gannon said, the pope spoke to the group about “the woundedness of people,” and how “Jesus Christ is always with you and you’re never alone.”

Gannon described the group’s mission as helping people to develop self-control in service to Christ. He offered the example of someone who falls into water and is ”thrashing about,” unable to swim.

“The person who learns how to swim is really free, not the person who’s thrashing about,” he said. “You put the passions to good use for the pursuit of God.”

As the Winter Olympic Games open in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Pope Leo XIV has issued a wide-ranging letter on the value of sport, urging nations to embrace an “Olympic Truce” and warning against corruption, fanaticism, and a “dictatorship of performance” that can distort athletics’ deeper purpose.

The letter, titled “Life in Abundance,” was released by the Vatican on Feb. 6 on the occasion of the XXV Winter Olympic Games (Feb. 6–22) and the XIV Paralympic Games (March 6–15).

The pope describes sport as more than elite competition, calling it “a shared activity, open to all and salutary for both body and spirit, even becoming a universal expression of our humanity.”

A call for an Olympic Truce

Reflecting on sport’s role in peace-building, Leo recalls the ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Truce — “an agreement to suspend hostilities before, during, and after the Olympic Games” — so that travel and competition could proceed safely.

By contrast, he warns that war “results from a radicalization of conflict and a refusal to cooperate with each other,” such that “the adversary is considered a mortal enemy, to be isolated and, if possible, eliminated.”

“In a world thirsting for peace,” he writes, “I wholeheartedly encourage all nations to rediscover and respect this instrument of hope that is the Olympic Truce, a symbol and promise of a reconciled world.”

The human person at the center

Turning to sport’s formative value, the pope anchors his reflection in Christ’s words: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). From a Christian perspective, he writes, “the human person must always remain the focal point of sport in all its expressions, even those aiming for competitive and professional excellence.”

Leo traces the Church’s positive engagement with physical culture through St. Paul’s athletic imagery, medieval theology’s rejection of gnostic and Manichean denials of the body, and the contributions of thinkers such as Hugh of Saint Victor and St. Thomas Aquinas. He also points to major educators including St. Philip Neri and St. John Bosco and notes how the Church’s modern reflection on sport grows through the 20th century and after the Second Vatican Council.

“The Second Vatican Council,” he writes, “placed its positive assessment of sport in the broader context of culture,” encouraging leisure and exercise as part of balanced human development and stronger fraternal relations.

Tennis, teamwork, and the ‘flow experience’

Using tennis as an example, the pope describes “a prolonged rally” as one of the sport’s most enjoyable moments because “each player pushes the other to the limit of his or her skill level. The experience is exhilarating, and the two players challenge each other to improve.”

He also emphasizes how sport can draw people out of egocentricity, especially in team settings. Quoting Pope Francis, Leo recalls the call to athletes: “Be team players … it is an opportunity to encounter and be with others, to help one another, to compete in mutual esteem and to grow in brotherhood.”

When team sports are “not polluted by the worship of profit,” he writes, young people “put themselves on the line” — “a tremendous educational opportunity.”

Corruption, doping, and fanaticism

Leo warns that sporting values are threatened when “business becomes the primary or sole motivation,” because decisions then cease to be rooted in “human dignity” and the true good of athletes and communities.

“When the objective is to maximize profit,” he cautions, “what can be measured or quantified is overvalued to the detriment of the incalculable and important human dimensions: ‘It only counts if it can be counted.’”

He also warns about the “dictatorship of performance,” which “can lead to the use of performance-enhancing substances and other forms of dishonesty,” and he underscores that “rejecting doping and all forms of corruption … is not merely a disciplinary issue but one that touches the very heart of sport.”

The pope similarly cautions against fandom becoming fanaticism, noting it can become “a source of polarization that leads to verbal and physical violence,” turning stadiums into places of confrontation rather than encounter.

Victory, defeat, and a ‘quasi-religious’ temptation

Leo says sport educates in a unique way through the relationship between winning and losing: “Losing… does not entail personal failure but can become a lesson in truth and humility.”

At the same time, he warns that sport can take on a “quasi-religious dimension,” where “stadiums are perceived as secular cathedrals, matches as collective liturgies and athletes as saviors.” Such “sacralization,” he writes, can reveal a real hunger for meaning and communion, but it risks hollowing out both sport and spirituality.

He also cautions against narcissism and the “cult of image and performance,” which can “fragment” the person by “separating body from mind and spirit.”

Saints, politics, and technology

Calling for models of integrated holiness, Leo writes: “We need to rediscover those who have combined passion for sports, sensitivity to social issues and holiness,” pointing to St. Pier Giorgio Frassati as a young man who “perfectly combined faith, prayer, social commitment, and sport.”

He warns, too, against politicizing international competitions: “Major sporting events are meant to be places of encounter and mutual admiration, not stages for the affirmation of political or ideological interests.”

The pope also highlights contemporary challenges from transhumanism and artificial intelligence, cautioning that performance technologies can “transform the athlete into an optimized, controlled product, enhanced beyond natural limits.”

A pastoral approach to sport

Finally, Leo urges local Churches to treat sport as a space for “discernment and accompaniment,” calling for pastoral initiatives that offer “human and spiritual guidance” and help make sport “a welcoming space” for communion.

He concludes by returning to the theme of “life in abundance,” writing: “This is not an accumulation of successes or performances but a fullness of life that integrates our bodies, relationships, and interior lives.” Sport, he adds, can become “a school of life,” teaching that “abundance does not come from victory at any cost but from sharing, from respecting others, and from the joy of walking together.”

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.