The pope’s representative in Great Britain is hopeful that Pope Leo XIV will visit England and “awaken the conscience of the West.”

A papal visit to England is “likely, desirable, and I would even say unavoidable,” Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain since 2023, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

A visit to Great Britain is “likely, because King Charles III paid a state visit to the Vatican last year, and it is logical that the United Kingdom would now invite Pope Leo XIV to return the visit,” he added.

The last pope to make an official visit to the United Kingdom was Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Maury said that, as the first English-speaking pope in more than eight centuries, the welcome for Pope Leo would be “extraordinary and his message amplified throughout the English-speaking world.”

“The bishops of England and Scotland also hope that a papal visit will reinvigorate the proclamation of the faith in one of Europe’s most secularized societies — one which, I would say, is currently experiencing a time of grace,” the papal representative said.

“The spiritual vacuum of recent decades is giving way to a quiet Christian revival among younger generations,” the archbishop continued. “Religious practice is increasing among Catholics, thanks in part to the thousands of immigrants and children of immigrants who are revitalizing parish life and contributing to the growth of Catholic communities.”

“Everything suggests that the pontificate of Leo XIV is called to awaken the conscience of the West just as that of St. John Paul II once stirred the conscience of the East, so that the Church may once again breathe fully with both of its lungs,” he said.

Born in 1955 in Spain, Maury was ordained a priest in 1980. He never imagined he would become an apostolic nuncio. Nevertheless, in obedience to one of his superiors, he entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1987, beginning a career that would lead him to represent the pope in various countries around the world for more than 39 years.

The book “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” published in Spanish and Italian, reflects on Maury’s nearly four decades of diplomatic service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Romania, and Moldova.

The following is an edited version of the nuncio’s full interview with ACI Prensa:

ACI Prensa: You have published “Faith, Life, Diplomacy,” a book about your service in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, where Catholics are a minority. What did you learn there, and what left a lasting mark on you?

Maury: I discovered the great humanity of those peoples and the devastating effects on their souls of 70 years of communist and atheist rule. The Muslim majority and millions of Russian Orthodox believers abandoned their faith, while the Catholic minority preserved it — despite being deprived of priests for at least 20 years — thanks to the daily family rosary.

Another thing that impressed me positively was the desire of the younger generations to learn and to serve society, now free from the terror under which their parents lived. This contrasts sharply with the apathy and selfishness present among much of Western youth.

When Pope Benedict XVI sent me as his representative to those countries, I asked him for advice. “Go,” he told me, “to the remote places where none of your predecessors has gone, and bring them the pope’s blessing.”

I did so, just as I have continued to do in the countries to which Pope Francis later sent me.

Beyond the joy such — sometimes uncomfortable and risky — journeys bring to people, they provide an unfiltered view of realities on the ground, free from assumptions and prejudices, that can help enlighten officials in the Roman Curia.

You began your diplomatic service in Rwanda. You arrived at a difficult time, amid the massacres in Burundi, and remained there when the genocide erupted. What do you remember most? Were you afraid of dying?

I began my diplomatic service in Kigali at age 31, and I truly feared that a stray bullet might hit me. In fact, I still have one that came through my bedroom in the middle of the night.

Certainly, no one intended to kill us, but the combatants’ lack of training was evident. As far as I know, apart from a few Europeans who had married Tutsi women and were specifically sought out during the genocide, only one elderly French religious sister and an Italian volunteer fell victim to stray bullets.

We should not forget that most of the victims on both sides were killed with machetes. In other words, people knew exactly whom they were eliminating.

Civil wars are the most horrific because they are driven by hatred, even though they are often provoked and fueled by outside interests.

A nuncio’s mission is not the same as that of a typical ambassador. What are the methods and goals of the pope’s diplomacy?

I never tire of repeating that the Holy See has no oranges to sell and no oil to buy.

The very purpose of Vatican City State is different from that of other states, whose primary responsibility is to ensure the well-being of their citizens. The Vatican exists to guarantee the pope’s independence. He is the only global religious leader who is not subject to any political authority and is therefore free to proclaim the Gospel.

The Holy See’s diplomacy gives priority to the spiritual dimension of the human person, raising awareness among the various actors in the international community of the need and benefit of respecting and promoting human rights at both the individual and social level.

Every country’s embassies and consulates seek to protect the rights of their citizens abroad. The Holy See’s situation is different because Catholics living in different countries are generally citizens of those same states, so there is, at least in theory, a convergence of interests.

The pope has just traveled to Spain. I believe you worked on preparations for Pope Francis’ visit to Romania. How are these visits prepared so that the pope’s message has a lasting impact?

I followed the trip on Spanish television and saw that the enthusiasm of the Spanish people for the pope remains undiminished despite social changes.

I had the honor of helping prepare five apostolic journeys of St. John Paul II — to Rwanda, Uganda, Nicaragua, Egypt, and Slovenia — and I did indeed welcome Pope Francis to Romania.

When preparing papal trips, one must distinguish among different levels: program, logistics, message, and so on.

Lately, excessive emphasis on security concerns has unfortunately had the effect of distancing the pontiff from the faithful.

As for the lasting impact of his message, much depends on whether it responds to the expectations and historical circumstances of the countries he visits. Normally, it is the local Church that proposes the motto and themes of the trip, although the pope naturally has the final word.

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 will launch a contemporary art exhibit focused on water at the Vatican Apostolic Library on Sept. 14.

The exhibit “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will include artwork highlighting a “reflection on water as both a threat and a resource,” according to a July 12 press release from the library.

Notably, the pope will inaugurate the exhibition on his 71st birthday, which is Sept. 14.

“AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will include the works of French artist JR, American typographer Bill Moran, and Italian chef Fulvio Pierangelini.

According to Archbishop Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi, the Holy See’s librarian and archivist, the exhibit will reflect the pontiff’s desire to bridge the past and the present.

“These exhibitions are intended to foster dialogue between contemporary art and the library’s centuries-old heritage,” Pagazzi said in the press release. “On several occasions, the pope has emphasized fidelity to the past and fidelity to the future. The present — including the present of this exhibition — can become a home where past and future meet as friends.”

The Vatican Apostolic Library is both the national library of Vatican City State and the library of the Holy See. It was established in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV, making it one of the oldest in continuous existence. Beyond its extensive collection of important texts and manuscripts, it hosts an elaborate art collection, featuring frescoes and sculptures from the High Renaissance.

The display “AQVA Catastrophe and Wonder” will be open to visitors from Sept. 25, 2026, to May 14, 2027.

The Vatican’s recent emphasis on contemporary art

The Vatican Library’s latest exhibit reflects a recent focus by the Vatican on promoting contemporary art.

In 2025, the library held the “En Route” exhibition from Feb. 15 to Dec. 20, connecting historical journeys to modern pilgrimages through a collection of rare 19th-century travel documents and contemporary artistic interpretations. It marked the sixth installment in the library’s ongoing dialogue between its historical patrimony and contemporary art, which began in 2021.

During the 2025 Jubilee Year, the Dicastery for Culture and Education introduced Conciliazione 5, a one-room gallery space with a large window onto the main thoroughfare leading to St. Peter’s Basilica, Via della Conciliazione. Beyond the jubilee, the space continues to feature the works of different contemporary artists, making them visible to the tourists and pilgrims who pass the window every day on their way to the Vatican.

The Holy See has also participated in the Venice Biennale — an international artistic and cultural festival held annually in the northern Italian city — since 2013.

From the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where he moved on July 5 to enjoy a period of rest, Pope Leo XIV has invited the faithful to make time for “meaningful moments of silence and prayer” during the summer.

The pontiff’s remarks were made during his Sunday Angelus address on July 12 at Castel Gandolfo, where he will remain until July 27.

Reviving a summer papal tradition

This summer, Leo XIV decided to spend part of it on vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, becoming the first pope to do so since 2012. The residence has been used by the popes as a countryside retreat for over 400 years, and was a preferred vacation spot of Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II.

Pope Francis, however, never left the Vatican during the summer of his 12-year papacy, choosing instead to remain at the Casa Santa Marta and repurpose the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo as a museum.

The palace itself is a 17th-century building on the shores of Lake Albano. Although it will be closed to the public during the pope’s vacation, the nearby papal gardens will remain open to visitors.

During Leo’s vacation, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended. His only public audiences will be the Sunday Angelus, with the only exception so far being his lunch with the poor in the gardens on July 11.

The parable of the sower

Commenting on the Sunday Gospel for the day, which contains the parable of the sower, Leo XIV highlighted “the generosity and trust” with which God puts his word and power in the hearts of believers.

“Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, who gave his life for our salvation, is the seed that the Father continues to sow throughout the world so that, by dying, he may bear much fruit,” Leo said in his address.

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowds after his Sunday Angelus on July 12, 2026, at the Piazza della Libertà at Castel Gandolfo. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News

The pope also explained that, just as in the parable where the seed is planted in different soils, the faithful do not each receive this gift in the same way.

“It is true that sometimes [God] finds in us hard and unresponsive soil, at other times distracted soil, like the beaten path, the rocky ground, or the thorny bushes. Yet there are also moments when he finds receptive and fertile ground, and then miracles of love are set in motion that have the power to transform everything — as we ourselves have no doubt experienced in our own lives.”

Leo also reminded the faithful present that God’s love “is stronger than our weakness” and that he never stops sowing and believing in them. He also invited them to take advantage of the summer holidays to experience God through silence and prayer.

“Let us therefore resolve, especially during these summer days of vacation, to make room for listening to, reading, and meditating on the Word of God, thereby fostering — together with rest and wholesome recreation— meaningful moments of silence and prayer,”  Leo said.

A renewed appeal for peace

After praying the Angelus, Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in war-torn regions, lamenting that “the winds of war are blowing once again in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world, sowing violence, terror and death.”

The pope also urged political leaders to resume dialogue and opt for diplomatic means to stop the escalation of conflicts.

Leoʼs words come at a time of rising international tension, after the United States and Iran once again became embroiled in a dangerous spiral of attacks. The United States launched new airstrikes against Iranian territory following the Revolutionary Guardʼs attack on a Cypriot-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Finally, the pope, recalling that July 12 is “Sea Sunday,” gave a special greeting to sailors, fishermen, and port workers. He praised them for their work despite being “marked by separation from their loved ones and sometimes by fear of the conflicts [that] occur on the seas.”

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.

Marriage is one of the Catholic Churchʼs greatest paths to holiness. From the first Christian missionaries to modern-day martyrs, married couples have shown that a shared life rooted in faith, sacrifice, and love can become a powerful witness to the Gospel.

Throughout the month of July, the Church celebrates the feast days of several holy husbands and wives whose lives continue to inspire Catholic families today.

Here are four of those couples:

Blessed Joseph and Wiktoria Ulma (Feast day: July 7)

Blessed Joseph and Wiktoria Ulma were a young married couple living in the small Polish village of Markowa during the Second World War. Devout Catholics, they were raising six young children and were expecting a seventh when they made the decision to shelter eight Jewish people in their home after Nazi Germany occupied Poland. They knew the penalty for helping Jews was death, but their Christian faith compelled them to protect their neighbors despite the grave risk.

On March 24, 1944, German police discovered those they were hiding. Joseph and Wiktoria, along with the eight Jews they had sheltered, were executed. The soldiers then murdered each of the Ulmas' six children. During Wiktoriaʼs execution, she went into labor with her seventh child, who also died, making the entire family martyrs.

While they are not saints yet, the Ulmas were beatified together on Sept. 10 2023, becoming the first entire family — including an unborn child — to be beatified as martyrs. Today, they are honored as patrons of families and unborn children.

Sts. Priscilla and Aquila (Feast day: July 8)

Priscilla and Aquila, close collaborators of St. Paul, were among the earliest Christian married couples. Jewish converts to Christianity, they were forced to leave Rome after Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city around A.D. 49. The couple settled in Corinth, where they met Paul, who shared their trade of tent-making. They welcomed him into their home, and together they worked while spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.

The New Testament frequently mentions the couple together, highlighting the strength of their marriage and shared mission. They traveled with Paul to Ephesus, where they hosted a church in their home, which is also referred to as a “house church.” Paul also writes that the couple “risked their necks” for his life — however there is no biblical record of the occasion.

The couple is perhaps best known for mentoring the gifted preacher Apollos, gently explaining the fullness of the Christian faith so that he could become an even more effective evangelist.

Priscilla and Aquila are the patron saints of marriage, love, and strong Christian families.

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin (Feast day: July 12)

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin are best known as the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, but their own path to holiness began long before the birth of their famous daughter.

Both initially considered religious life before discerning that God was instead calling them to marriage. They were wed on July 12, 1858, in Alençon, France — the date that would become their feast day.

The Martins endured both profound joy and deep suffering. Of their nine children, four died in infancy or early childhood, while the remaining five daughters all entered religious life. Throughout these trials, Louis and Zélie remained steadfast in prayer, trusting Godʼs providence and making the practice of their Catholic faith the center of family life.

Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the time of their beatification in Lisieux in 2008, said in his homily: “Louis and Zélie understood that they could sanctify themselves not despite marriage but through, in, and by marriage, and that their nuptials would be considered as the starting point for a mutual rise.”

Canonized together on Oct. 18, 2015, by Pope Francis, Louis and Zélie became the first married couple in Church history to be declared saints together.

Sts. Joachim and Anne (Feast day: July 26)

Sts. Joachim and Anne are honored by the Church as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ. Although they are not mentioned in the canonical Gospels, their story has been preserved through ancient Christian tradition, particularly through the second-century “Protoevangelium of James.” According to tradition, the couple was advanced in age and had long suffered the sorrow of childlessness before God answered their prayers with the miraculous conception of Mary.

Today, Joachim and Anne are the patron saints of grandparents, married couples, and families. Their feast is a reminder of the indispensable role parents and grandparents play in passing on the faith to future generations.

Pope Leo XIV on July 11 expressed a “hunger for justice [and] authentic charity” while attending a lunch with poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.

“[I have] a hunger for a Church that truly knows how to open its doors and receive everyone — where there is love for all and no one is an enemy, where we all know how to live out reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace,” the pope told the crowd at the lunch, hosted in the gardens of the Borgo Laudato Si’.

Pope Leo XIV dines with guests during a lunch for poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch the pope has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Leo pointed out that the historic papal title of “pontiff” means “a builder of bridges.”

“Today, we too wish to build a bridge with all of you, with your families, and with the society in which we want to live — but to live with justice, to live where the causes of poverty can be eliminated, where the causes of the injustices that still exist in our world can be removed,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV and guests sit for lunch at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch the pope has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“This is the Church we want to be,” he said while thanking the organizers of the lunch, the second such event the pope has hosted since his pontificate began.

“When we gather together, when we experience this spirit of encounter around the table — the very table where Jesus is present with us — we are truly building a different world, a world of hope. Let us strive always to embody this experience of a Church of justice, peace, and love,” he said.

Before the pope spoke, Cardinal Fabio Baggio — the incoming pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development — had addressed the gathering.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio speaks during a lunch for poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome, July 11, 2026. The event was the second lunch Pope Leo XIV has hosted with those facing poverty since the beginning of his pontificate. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“At a time when the ‘throwaway culture’ risks relegating many people to the margins, this place seeks to be a small sign of hope,” the cardinal said. “Here, we wish to remind everyone — through our lives rather than just our words — that no one is superfluous in the eyes of God and that every person is a gift to the entire community.”

About 200 people facing social vulnerability from the Diocese of Rome attended the lunch with the pope.

On Aug. 17, 2025 the pope hosted a similar lunch with people living in poverty from the Diocese of Albano; he held another such luncheon on Nov. 16 of that year.

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. 

Consecrated women and women religious who have suffered abuse face a significant legal loophole: Canon law and specialized commissions focus primarily on minors and adults with disabilities, leaving these women outside their scope of protection.

In practice, this means that if the victim is an adult who has received formation, it is assumed she can defend herself or that she consented. However, signs of change are beginning to emerge from the Vatican.

In addressing this issue, “it cannot simply be a label of ‘vulnerable adult,’” said Claudia Giampietro, an Italian canon lawyer working at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM).

“We must understand that there are situations of imbalances of power … and situations involving abuse, and so it is these situations of vulnerability that we need to examine more deeply,” she told EWTN News on July 1.

Claudia Giampietro, an Italian canon lawyer working at the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), during an interview on July 1, 2026. | Credit: EWTN News

One of the functions of the PCPM is to collaborate with the various dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the conferences and unions of religious men and women, and the institutes of consecrated life.

This enables them to gain firsthand knowledge of a complex reality: “There are a great many circumstances, situations, and people that can also affect women religious, including older ones, and so it is necessary to understand the contexts in which they work and carry out their ministry, both within their communities and also outside them,” Giampietro said.

The situation in Latin America

The Vatican helped break the taboo surrounding abuse against women religious by dedicating an extensive report to it in January 2020, published in “Donne, Chiesa, Mondo” (“Women, Church, World”), the monthly women’s supplement to L’Osservatore Romano. Issues covered include abuse of power, sexual abuse, and the difficulties faced by many nuns both within and outside consecrated life.

In subsequent years, there has been a proliferation of studies aimed at gauging the scale of a phenomenon that was traditionally hidden. Notable among them is the research published in 2022 in the Spanish-language book “Vulnerability, Abuse, and Care in Womenʼs Religious Life,” edited by Sister María Rosaura González Casas, who at the time was coordinator of the Commission for the Care and Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons for the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious.

Based on a survey of 1,417 women religious, the study revealed that 19.8% reported having suffered sexual abuse, and more than half stated they had experienced some form of abuse of power at the hands of superiors, priests, formators, or bishops. Additionally, 14.3% of respondents indicated having been harassed by a priest, 9.7% by laypeople, and 8% by other religious women, figures that highlight the scope and complexity of an issue that remained largely silenced for decades.

González Casas, dean of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, explained that since the study was published four years ago, “greater awareness of what abuse entails has grown at all levels” in the region.

Sister María Rosaura González Casas of the Company of St. Teresa of Jesus is dean of the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. | Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

“The sisters are more aware, and bishops and priests are also more alert to it. When we conducted the survey, many women religious did not want to respond, even though it was anonymous. There was fear of speaking out. Now there is greater awareness, although clear codes of conduct are still lacking. Unconscious and internalized machismo persists in society and has permeated religious and priestly life,” she explained in comments to EWTN News.

A conference in Rome on abuse prevention

In order to promote dialogue to prevent abuse against women religious, the PCPM will organize the second annual Meeting on Abuse Prevention, focusing on consecrated life. It will be held in Rome on Dec. 9–11, centering on the theme “Communion, Care, and Justice: Mutual Relationships for a Shared Mission.”

This is not an academic conference but a synodal “learning lab” geared toward concrete results. Over the course of three days, bishops, representatives from institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, conferences and unions of major superiors, officials from Roman Curia dicasteries, and experts in abuse prevention will collaborate through roundtables, sessions on canon law, and working groups.

“The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has already taken up this issue, and with their involvement, superiors and women religious will take it more seriously,” said Sister Jacinta Ondeng of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Kenya, who has been invited to participate in the forum.

“Safeguarding must be an essential part of community life,” emphasized the religious sister, director of the Safeguarding Initiative for Catholic Sisters, a project based at Tangaza University in Nairobi that provides training on abuse prevention across various African countries.

Many situations are covered up due to a lack of oversight

Ondeng emphasized the need for effective case follow-up. “It’s important for the relevant Vatican offices to oversee these situations because cases from Africa, and perhaps other parts of the world, are often covered up precisely due to a lack of oversight. If the relevant bodies of the Holy See intervene and evaluate cases when congregations fail to resolve them, that will help.”

Sister Jacinta Ondeng, of the School Sisters of Notre Dame congregation in Kenya, will participate in a Vatican-organized conference on abuse. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Jacinta Ondeng

She also proposes developing clear guidelines for handling abuse cases within consecrated life — similar to those established by Pope Francis in Vos Estis Lux Mundi for allegations of abuse against minors — which require bishops and superiors to take action when faced with complaints or concerning indications.

“Once it becomes clear that the Vatican is involved in matters affecting members of consecrated life, there will be changes. Human nature responds to clear rules: when they exist, people tend to act with greater prudence,” she observed.

The sister also led a revealing, as-yet-unpublished study in Africa that brought to light harrowing testimonies from consecrated women, such as:

• “Sisters leave not because they lack a vocation, but because of abuse; superiors are abusing their authority.”
• “Sisters suffer in silence rather than reporting it because they love the Church and fear damaging the reputation of a priest, bishop, or superior.”
• “I told my superior what was happening, and since the sister in question was her friend, she did nothing.”

The study’s results were presented at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome during the 2026 International Safeguarding Conference, held June 16–19 under the theme “One Commitment, Many Contexts: Safeguarding Across Cultures.” The study was based on an anonymous online survey conducted between February and March in which more than 140 religious sisters from various African countries participated.

Fear of stigma and self-blame

The findings are revealing: 35.5% of congregations lack a formal safeguarding policy; 67.4% of those surveyed identify fear of stigma and self-blame as the main obstacles to reporting abuse; and 60.3% point to the absence of confidential reporting channels.

Personal factors such as “shame, guilt, and self-reproach are very prevalent among many women religious who wish to take the step of reporting abuse,” explained Ondeng, who dedicates her ministry to conducting workshops and training on safeguarding in Africa, with a particular focus on Catholic women religious.

Her goal is to raise awareness about abuse and its consequences, empower consecrated women to break the culture of silence, and promote safe environments for all. She also emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability as fundamental pillars for the success of safeguarding policies within the Church.

The religious also warned of the tendency toward cover-ups that can arise in certain ecclesial contexts.

“As numerous studies on abuse and the abuse of authority have shown, the Church hierarchy commands immense respect in many African societies,” she noted. While this is a positive cultural value, it also helps explain why individuals in positions of authority are rarely reported when involved in abusive behavior.

This phenomenon is reflected in several of the testimonies gathered during the investigation:

• “Many sisters do not want to air dirty laundry. They do not wish to publicly expose these problems, in order to protect the institute’s reputation.”
• “Some fear that if they speak out, they will be expelled from religious life, and they do not want to leave,” Ondeng added.

Lack of training in abuse prevention

Ondeng’s study also reveals that, when faced with situations of injustice or abuse, some women religious choose to leave consecrated life. Abuse can take many forms — sexual, spiritual, physical, emotional, or institutional — and, in certain cases, becomes unbearable.

However, the majority of victims remain in their communities, often out of fear of the social stigma or rejection they might suffer if they returned to their families.

Others are aware that leaving the convent could entail serious financial difficulties, as they lack employment or the means to support themselves, the religious explained.

Of the 141 women religious surveyed, more than 95% stated they had received some form of training on the prevention of sexual abuse. However, in many cases, this preparation proves insufficient.

“Most have taken short courses, but we cannot say that this 95% has received comprehensive training in safeguarding. At most, some have participated in one- or two-day sessions. That is very little, and it poses a problem,” the Kenyan religious sister noted in a statement to EWTN News.

For this reason, she insists on the need to strengthen safeguarding training as a true ministry within the Church.

“Much more preparation is needed for Catholic women religious to have the courage to speak about their experiences in their communities. Currently, training is very limited and must be ramped up to empower consecrated women,” she stated.

Added to this challenge is a significant cultural component. “People do not want to make their problems public. It is something deeply rooted in African culture, although it also occurs in European and American contexts,” she stated.

For its part, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life does not publish aggregate figures on apostolic visitations conducted worldwide, as these are carried out on an occasional rather than a systematic basis.

The only large-scale investigation for which detailed data exist was the one conducted in the United States from 2008 to 2014, which involved 341 institutes of consecrated life and about 50,000 religious women.

“The entire Church must understand that safeguarding is a Gospel value. It’s not something imposed from the outside. The Gospel calls us to promote the dignity of every person, support those who suffer, and care for those who are hurting,” Ondeng pointed out.

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 Holy Seeʼs declaration this month that formally recognizes the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to be in a state of schism has prompted numerous questions among the faithful. One of the most frequently asked questions is why the Catholic Church recognizes the validity of marriages performed in Orthodox churches while marriages now performed by priests of the society are considered invalid.

Father Davide Cito, professor of canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, emphasized that the answer has to do with profoundly different juridical and ecclesial realities.

As he explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, although the Orthodox churches are not in full communion with Rome, they are not currently in a state of formal schism comparable to that of the Society of St. Pius X.

“These are two different situations. The Orthodox are not in full communion with the Catholic Church, but they are not excommunicated. In contrast, the fraternity has committed a formal act of breaking ecclesial communion,” he explained.

The canon lawyer noted that, prior to the recent declaration of schism, the situation of the SSPX was different. Although there were serious doctrinal and disciplinary tensions with Rome, it was not juridically in its current situation.

“The society could perform valid marriages because it was not in a state of formal schism,” he noted.

In fact, during the pontificate of Pope Francis, the society’s priests received faculties to validly hear confessions and, under certain circumstances, to witness marriages with the authorization of the competent ecclesiastical authority.

However, following the formal declaration of schism, the Vatican has made it clear that those faculties can no longer be exercised.

Specifically, sources in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) emphasized to ACI Prensa “the invalidity of those two sacraments" (referring to confession and marriage), which Pope Francis had previously granted them permission to administer in 2019 as a gesture of pastoral outreach.

The DDF source went on to confirm that the dicastery’s July 2 explanatory note on the matter “was published with the pope’s approval. The pontiff himself formally warned that this would happen if they ordained bishops in the letter he sent to [SSPX Superior General Father Davide] Pagliarani just hours before the episcopal ordinations took place without a papal mandate. There is no doubt whatsoever regarding his will. That is the decision of the Holy See.”

The DDF, led by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, also clarified that, in declaring the schism, it did not get into considering the SSPXʼs past situation following the lifting of the excommunications by Benedict XVI in 2009 and the concessions subsequently made by Francis. Instead, it focused “on the fact that the new ordinations — a schismatic act — have undoubtedly created a situation of excommunication and schism, and that what they were clearly warned about is now being applied.”

Regarding this point, Cito explained that “a schismatic cannot validly hear confessions or validly witness a marriage, because since the Council of Trent, these sacraments require a canonical faculty or authorization.”

Why are Orthodox sacraments recognized?

Relations between Catholics and the Orthodox underwent a decisive shift during the Second Vatican Council and the pontificate of St. Paul VI. In December 1965, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I signed a joint declaration lifting the mutual excommunications pronounced in 1054, events traditionally regarded as the beginning of the Great Schism between East and West.

Although that gesture did not restore full communion, it put an end to centuries of mutual condemnations and excommunications and opened a new chapter of ecumenical dialogue.

“We are in communion, though not in full communion,” Cito summarized. “That is why there are areas where it is possible to share sacramental life, something unthinkable in a situation of formal rupture caused by a schism, such as the situation of the fraternity,” he observed.

The Catholic Church recognizes the validity of Orthodox sacraments because it maintains that the Eastern churches have preserved apostolic succession and a valid priesthood. For this reason, Cito explained, there is the possibility of a certain “communicatio in sacris” — participation in certain sacraments among the faithful of different churches as provided for by canon law.

“Canon 844 allows Catholics and Orthodox, in certain cases, to receive some sacraments from one another. I myself have seen this in pastoral practice. This is possible because there is authentic sacramental communion, even if it is not full,” he stated.

The expert pointed out that the situation is very different for those affected by excommunication or who knowingly participate in a schismatic group.

Excommunication is a canonical penalty that prohibits the administration and reception of certain sacraments. Schism, on the other hand, entails the rejection of communion with the Church and the authority of the Roman pontiff — in other words, a formal separation from the Catholic Church.

In the case of the Society of St. Pius X, the Holy See considers that there is now a formal rupture of that communion, which entails juridical and sacramental consequences.

“When someone rejects an ecumenical council or denies essential elements of communion with the pope and the college of bishops, the situation becomes very complex from a canonical standpoint,” Cito said.

The professor pointed out that some traditionalist communities that emerged from the SSPX, such as the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), have remained in full communion with Rome and continue to celebrate the traditional liturgy without any difficulty.

“The problem has never been simply the liturgy. The issue touches upon fundamental doctrinal aspects related to the Second Vatican Council and ecclesial communion,” he stated.

How those who leave the SSPX might return to Catholic unity

New regulations issued by the Holy See establish that the faithful and priests who decide to leave the SSPX and return to full communion with the Church will no longer depend on a specific structure like the Ecclesia Dei Commission, created by St. John Paul II in 1988.

Going forward, they may turn directly to diocesan bishops or to the heads of traditionalist institutes that are fully integrated into the Church. The new protocol from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith aims to facilitate this return.

"The procedures for doing so are very simple because, ultimately, these are people who want to be Catholic and desire to be in communion with the Church," Cito added.

The Vatican document warns that those wishing to fully rejoin the Catholic Church may not continue to regularly attend activities of an institution now considered schismatic.

“The explanatory note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, attached to the decree of excommunication, is very clear on this point: The sacred ministers administer the sacraments illicitly and, regarding penance and matrimony, also invalidly. Therefore, dioceses and their pastors are urged to be vigilant and to exhort the faithful to remain steadfast in ecclesial communion and not to participate in celebrations or activities promoted by the SSPX,” noted Father Pierpaolo dal Corso, who teaches at the St. Pius X department of penal canon law in Venice, Italy.

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.

Fiat will donate 30 electric vehicles to Vatican City State to support the daily operations of employees of the governorate as part of efforts to advance more sustainable mobility and reduce the environmental impact of its fleet.

The Italian automaker said the vehicles will be used for internal operations and will help improve transportation within the Vatican through low-emissions mobility.

The initiative is part of the Ecological Conversion 2030 program launched by the Governorate of Vatican City State in 2023. The plan calls for the gradual decarbonization of the Vatican’s official fleet, with the goal of reaching zero emissions by the end of the decade.

The first phase of the project took place June 30 with the delivery of 20 Fiat Topolino vehicles. The handover was held on the esplanade in front of the Governorate Palace and was attended by Archbishop Emilio Nappa and lawyer Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, secretaries-general of the governorate, as well as Olivier François, CEO of Fiat and chief marketing officer of Stellantis.

The fleet will be completed with the addition of 10 Fiat TRIS vehicles, also fully electric.

The Ecological Conversion 2030 plan goes beyond the renewal of the Vatican’s vehicle fleet. The project includes a range of measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the Holy See’s activities, including the responsible use of natural resources, improved energy efficiency, and the modernization of technological infrastructure.

The initiative also seeks to promote cleaner energy sources for transportation, strengthen waste management policies, and support future reforestation projects as Vatican City State works toward climate neutrality.

After launching the program in 2023, the Governorate of Vatican City State said it intended to place itself among the leading states in sustainability by adopting innovative solutions that contribute both to care for the environment and to the transformation of its work and management practices.

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 urged Iraqi Christians to be the light of Christ amid worsening persecution and insecurity.

In a video message published by the Vatican on July 8 for the Ankawa Youth Meeting in Ankawa, Iraq, the pope greeted the young Christians present and encouraged them to trust in God during these challenging times for the country.

“Dear young people, never doubt the goodness of God, and do not be afraid of the plan the Lord has for each of your lives,” Leo said in the video message. “The prophet Jeremiah also had to face difficult moments, and he
bears witness that the Lord’s plans are ‘for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope’ (Jer 29:11).”

Prolonged Christian persecution and emigration from Iraq

Iraq continues to experience sectarian violence and terrorist attacks, forcing waves of Christians to emigrate. As reported by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and the Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Baghdad, two-thirds of Christians have left the country, with most fleeing to the United States and Australia.

The report also states that since the Iraq War in 2003, the Christian population has declined from 1.5 million to approximately half a million. The patriarchate attributed this to the number of Christians who were kidnapped and killed by the Islamist militant organization al-Qaida.

Encouragement from Pope Leo

Leo XIV encouraged the Iraqi Christians gathered in Ankawa to persevere in faith, assuring them of his closeness and that of the Church in these times.

“I am with you; the Church is with you. Place your trust in Jesus; listen to him in prayer and through the guidance of others, and allow him to lead you,” Leo said.

The pope also called on them to radiate the light of Christ and to work for peace at a time of conflict.

“Rooted in charity, you are particularly called to be peacemakers, to unite those around you, and to instill in others the hope of a future marked by lasting peace.”

“It is not always easy to be a light in the world (cf. Mt 5:13). Indeed, at the present time, you are called to radiate this light in a situation that has often been marked by war and instability. The Lord has placed great trust in you in bestowing upon you this mission, and I too have great confidence in all of you,” the pope said.

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday named Rome priest Father Pier Luigi Stolfi the first moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Rome, as the pontiff continues to reform the diocese’s central organization in the wake of administrative upheaval.

Recent changes by Leo restore autonomy to his appointed leaders of the diocese after Pope Francis had centralized much of the power at the Vatican.

Born in Rome, Stolfi, 55, has previously held an array of administrative positions in the diocese’s hierarchy — including vice rector of both the minor and major seminaries, director of the Office for Religious Buildings, and head of the Section for Sacred Art and Cultural Heritage — before serving as pastor of St. Linus Parish in west Rome since 2020.

Adding the position of moderator of the curia was one of several changes Leo made last week to the constitution In Ecclesiarum Communione of the vicariate, or hierarchy, of the Diocese of Rome — of which he is the head.

The pontiff, as bishop of Rome, does not manage the diocese like a typical diocesan bishop. A cardinal vicar general, vice regent (deputy), and auxiliary bishops are responsible for the ordinary running of the diocese.

Last year, Leo brought back the central sector, one of five total sectors, of the diocese, which had been eliminated by Pope Francis, and in February of this year, the pontiff appointed four new auxiliary bishops — filling yearslong vacancies in the vicariate’s top administration.

On Feb. 25, the pope also announced the creation of a working group to revise In Ecclesiarum Communione, introduced by Pope Francis in January 2023.

“After carefully considering the guidance I have received, I believe it is appropriate to make some amendments,” Leo wrote on June 30, “so that the Vicariate of Rome may respond ever more effectively to the needs of the evangelizing mission, foster a deeper ecclesial communion, and support the pastoral ministry of the Church in Rome.”

The letter motu proprio, Confirma Fratres Tuos (“Strengthen Your Brothers”), takes its title from Jesus’ direction to his disciples in Luke Chapter 22, that he has “prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”

Pope Francis’ reform of the Diocese of Rome

Pope Francis’ reform of the vicariate centralized everything, at least formally, under the control of the pontiff.

When In Ecclesiarum Communione was first promulgated in 2023, it was the first major change in 25 years and launched a series of organizational shifts for the ecclesiastical territory, many involving personnel. For some priests of the diocese, who spoke to EWTN News last year, the changes and instability in the diocesan curia were challenging.

The constitution also deeply diminished the role of the cardinal vicar general and made the pope the formal presider over the episcopal council, a new body established as an “expression of synodality,” expected to meet at least three times a month and to report all meeting minutes to the pope. If the cardinal vicar wanted to take a different decision from the unanimous opinion of the council, he needed to discuss it first with the pope.

With the 2026 modifications introduced by Leo, the episcopal council becomes an “advisory body” convoked by the cardinal vicar and presided over by him.

Moderator of the curia

The moderator of the curia, appointed by the pope for a five-year renewable term, oversees the performance of the duties of the diocesan staff.

According to universal Church law, the moderator of the curia is a priest “who, under the authority of the bishop, is to coordinate those things which pertain to the treatment of administrative affairs and to take care that the other members of the curia properly fulfill the office entrusted to them.”

In many dioceses, the vicar general, or one of them if there are more than one, is also the moderator of the curia.

In Rome, Leo decided to add the moderator as a separate figure, giving him the responsibility over the administrative functions formerly carried out by the vice regent, whose position will now be more closely tied to the cardinal vicar, assisting him in his duties and exercising his powers in his absence when necessary.

An additional change: An Independent Supervisory Commission established by Pope Francis, in the new version of the constitution, removes the detailed requirements for members and the requirement to report to the pope once a year after monthly meetings, simply stating that the regulations of the internal oversight body are to be approved by the pope.

Pope Leo XIV will spend his vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo in Italy until July 27, but he also plans to devote part of that time to sharing lunch with about 200 people experiencing poverty and social vulnerability in the Diocese of Rome.

The meeting will take place Saturday, July 11, as part of a day of welcome, prayer, and fraternity organized at Borgo Laudato Si’, the ecological project promoted by the Holy See in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, a town on Lake Albano about 18 miles south of Rome.

The initiative, titled in Italian “A pranzo con il Papa” (“Lunch with the Pope”), is intended to offer a space of closeness and fellowship for people facing economic or social hardship in an atmosphere inspired by fraternity, care for creation, and solidarity.

The day will bring together homeless people and others assisted by parishes, Caritas, and various Church organizations that work with people facing poverty, exclusion, forced migration, or social fragility.

The gathering will begin with the celebration of Mass using the “Missa pro custodia creationis,” or “Mass for the Care of Creation,” an official addition to the Roman Missal made by Pope Leo XIV that includes new readings and prayers focused on integral ecology.

Afterward, participants will take part in a time of fellowship and a guided visit to Borgo Laudato Si’ before the most anticipated moment of the day: lunch with the Holy Father.

More than a shared meal, the organizers said, the event is intended to become a concrete sign of the pastoral style Leo has sought to give his pontificate: a Church close to those living on the human and social peripheries.

The initiative is rooted in an experience that marked the first months of Leo’s pontificate. On Aug. 17, 2025, Leo shared a meal with people living in poverty from the Diocese of Albano. That experience led to the decision to make the gathering an annual event promoted by the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, which is responsible for the development of Borgo Laudato Si’.

Each year, a different diocese will be invited to bring vulnerable people for a day of contact with nature, fraternity, and encounter with the pope, the organizers said in a statement.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, said the project seeks to show that “care for creation and attention to the human person are part of one mission.”

“After Lampedusa, this day represents a new stage on Pope Leo XIV’s path toward the social peripheries of our time,” Baggio said. “At Borgo Laudato Si’, the Holy Father meets people living in situations of vulnerability, reaffirming that the Church is called to be present wherever human dignity calls for listening, closeness, and hope.”

Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, said the pope’s gesture recalls that “charity consists of closeness, encounter, and sharing.”

“When the Church places the most vulnerable people at the center, it makes the Gospel visible and bears witness that no one is on the margins of God’s heart,” he said.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the pope’s vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, said the main participants in the day will be people who are accompanied each day by the Christian communities of the Italian capital.

“The meeting with the Holy Father restores a leading role to those who too often remain on the margins and reminds the entire Christian community of its responsibility to welcome,” Reina said.

Among the organizations collaborating in the initiative are the diocesan Caritas of Rome, the Community of Sant’Egidio, Centro Astalli, ACLI Rome, the Vincentian Family, and numerous parishes and associations dedicated to accompanying vulnerable people.

With the event, Borgo Laudato Si’ again presents itself as a living laboratory where the integral ecology promoted by the Church is translated into concrete acts of inclusion, encounter, and human development. Once again, Leo seeks to place at the center those who often remain outside the spotlight, recalling that attention to the most fragile is not a secondary activity of the Church but an essential expression of the Gospel.

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

Pope Leo XIV, drawing on his recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, has again called for dialogue on artificial intelligence (AI) while acknowledging the serious concerns that remain.

His remarks were delivered in a July 8 message sent through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to the participants in the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The annual summit is the primary platform for AI at the United Nations (U.N.), taking place this year from July 7–10.

In the message, the pontiff assured participants of the Holy See’s continued openness to dialogue with secular organizations on AI.

The letter, in explaining the aims of Magnifica Humanitas, stated that the pope had written this document as a result of conversations on AI with scientists, political leaders, and parents.

The letter also explained that the encyclical was born out of persistent concerns over AI misuse.

Magnifica Humanitas “was also impelled by troubling accounts of the potential misuses of algorithms and by the loss of human agency in critical areas,” the message stated.

The AI for Good Global Summit is an annual U.N. conference on artificial intelligence gathering academics, civil leaders, and industry leaders to discuss how to safely govern AI systems while maximizing its positive impact on humanity.

The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the U.N. in Geneva has also participated in the summit, publishing a statement on the need to increase human oversight over AI autonomous systems.

Inspired by its mission, EWTN News held its fifth annual EWTN Summer Academy in Rome to train future generations of Catholic journalists.

From June 22 to July 1, the EWTN Vatican Bureau hosted 43 young journalists and media professionals from 26 countries, training them in journalism, video editing, and storytelling to support the Church’s mission of evangelization.

The program took place at the Centro Internazionale di Animazione Missionaria (CIAM) on the campus of the Pontifical Urban University, where participants enjoyed a scenic view of St. Peter’s Basilica and Square from above.

Training journalists to be peacemakers

Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly highlighted the importance of the media for the Church and the world. In several of his public speeches to journalists, he challenged them to work for peace in a world marked by polarization, war, and fake news.

“In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Mt 5:9). This is a beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you [journalists],” Leo said in a speech to journalists after the 2025 conclave.

Anthony Johnson, a co-founder and program director of the EWTN Summer Academy, emphasized the importance of training young journalists at the academy to respond to the pope’s call.

“We as journalists need to be peacemakers first, because the truth is what is ultimately going to set us free,” Johnson told EWTN News.

Johnson also explained the academy’s aims and its connection to the vision of Mother Angelica, who founded the EWTN Global Catholic Network in 1981.

Anthony Johnson, a co-founder and program director of the EWTN Summer Academy, speaks at the academy in Rome on June 23, 2026. | Credit: Lemmy Ogbonnaya Ijioma/EWTN Summer Academy

“In the academy here, we’re bringing in people from all around the world — 43 people from 26 countries more or less — and we put them in small groups from all different continents, and we put them through these exercises with the goal of finishing a final project at the very end of the academy.”

“We expect people to be 100% bought into the mission [of proclaiming Jesus Christ]. Mother Angelica knew it. I think people today know it, and our audience can tell from a mile away,” Johnson said.

In service of the truth

The academy participants were taught by Vatican journalists, clergy, producers, and art historians about the fundamentals of Catholic journalism.

Several of those participants reflected on this experience as a service to truth. One of those was Jonél Roos from South Africa, a religious educator and a convert to Catholicism.

Jacob Stein, founder of social media apostolate Crux Stationalis and a digital media analyst for EWTN News, gives a lesson on social media to the EWTN Summer Academy in Rome on June 23, 2026. | Credit: Lemmy Ogbonnaya Ijioma/EWTN Summer Academy

“I think [this program] is of the utmost importance because it gives people the tools necessary to grow in their faith and also in order to grow within their professions,” Roos told EWTN News. “The whole point of all of this is to convey truth to people and to allow people to be guided towards the truth.”

George Cuesta, a filmmaker based in Austin, Texas, added: “I think forming young Catholic creators in [the journalistic] realm is extremely important because thatʼs really the language that the faithful are using to communicate with each other, to consume media, whether entertainment or education.”

An experience in the Eternal City through the eyes of faith

Several participants reflected on the importance of learning about Catholic journalism in Rome.

Ana Belén Hurtado, a communications professional from Ecuador, described her time in Rome as faith-filled.

“Being here in the heart of the Church makes it a whole new level for us. Having the amazing view [of St. Peter’s Square] every day definitely makes you aware of the history and the whole legacy that we have received through the gift of faith,” Hurtado said.

EWTN Summer Academy 2026 participants and guests at the academy’s opening reception at the Centro Internazionale di Animazione Missionaria (CIAM) on the campus of the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on June 22, 2026. | Credit: Lemmy Ogbonnaya Ijioma/EWTN Summer Academy

Lemmy Ogbonnaya Ijioma, a Nigerian photographer, videographer, and tutor at the academy, also highlighted Rome’s importance to one’s formation in Catholic journalism.

“I would say Rome renews my faith and allows me to experience the Catholic faith up close and personal — things I would ordinarily experience from a distance,” Ijioma told EWTN News.

Kevin Mario, a communications professional from India, added: “Returning to India, I carried with me not only new skills but also a renewed love for the Church. Walking through the basilicas of Rome and contemplating the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael, and countless other artists reminded me that beauty has always been one of the Churchʼs greatest evangelists.”

Pope Leo XIV still has a Peruvian credit card, wakes in the middle of the night and checks soccer results, follows the Chicago White Sox, and uses a cellphone.

He is also, according to Brian Burch, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, a pope keenly aware of his role as pastor of the universal Church, careful not to give the impression of being merely an American pope and frustrated that his actions are sometimes interpreted as anti-Trump or anti-U.S. gestures.

Burch offered that personal portrait of the Holy Father in a conversation with a small group of Italian journalists about the historic July 4 dinner he hosted for Leo at Villa Richardson, the U.S. ambassador’s residence to the Holy See.

The pope came in person to the residence, prayed with Burch’s family, and shared a meal that included American charcuterie, watermelon salad, Chicago-style hot dogs, apple pie, and gelato. According to Burch, Leo approved of the menu. The evening was informal rather than bilateral: The pope arrived without secretaries, accompanied only by two Vatican gendarmes.

Burch said he had wanted to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States by inviting the first U.S.-born pope in history to dinner. The invitation was sent about two months ago, and confirmation came about one month ago, the ambassador said.

The dinner took place on the same day Leo made a brief visit to Lampedusa, a trip that some had interpreted as a symbolic gesture aimed against the Trump administration. Burch said the pope rejected that interpretation in their conversation.

The ambassador said the idea was to create an occasion to celebrate July 4. He noted that when Vice President JD Vance visited the pope for the Mass inaugurating his pontificate, Vance also invited Leo to visit the United States. While awaiting such a visit, Burch said, the embassy wanted to create a moment of celebration, and the pope’s acceptance of the invitation was received with gratitude and joy.

Burch stressed that the dinner at his residence should not be understood as an effort to resolve major political questions. Rather, he said, it was an extraordinary sign of the pope’s affinity with and warm closeness to the United States.

The pope arrived at about 7:30 p.m., according to the ambassador. He posed for a photo with Burch’s family, gave them his blessing, and joined them for an aperitif. Burch said he and Leo, both from Chicago, spoke about the city and the many friends they have in common.

After dinner, Burch also had time to speak privately with the pope in the garden. The ambassador said they discussed a wide range of subjects. Before leaving the embassy at about 10 p.m., the pope sang the patriotic song “God Bless America” and signed several baseballs, marking each one with the date.

Burch said Leo was relaxed and that the two laughed about many things. He added that people in the Church and in the world sometimes hold only an image of the pope and forget that the pope is also a man like everyone else.

The pope told Burch he had recently spent a sleepless night and ended up watching the Argentina-Cape Verde match. He also spoke about the White Sox and about his vocation, including why he chose to become a missionary priest.

Burch said Leo told him that he loves the United States, where he was born, and has great affection for the country, but he also wants to be careful not to appear too favorable or too close to the United States. The ambassador said the pope made the same point when Burch presented his credentials.

The Church in the United States is vibrant and growing, Burch said, but it is not the only place where the Church is present, and Leo is aware of the need not to appear too American.

Burch said there is also some hesitation regarding a possible papal trip to the United States. That hesitation, he said, is not because of hostility toward the president but because of the need to choose the right moment and to situate such a visit after a number of trips that demonstrate the pope’s apostolic commitment.

The ambassador said Leo also spoke about his frustration with the way every papal gesture can be attacked or interpreted through the lens of the United States. Burch said the pope’s July 4 visit to Lampedusa was not intended as an attack on the United States.

According to Burch, the pope’s role is to be pastor of the world and to point to the global challenges of migration, which is not only a U.S. issue. Through the Lampedusa visit, Burch said, Leo appealed to humanity and asked leaders to focus on migrants during a difficult moment.

The ambassador said relations between the Holy See and the United States are marked by a strong desire for cooperation. He added that his conversation with the pope did not delve deeply into areas of disagreement.

Burch noted that the Holy See supports nuclear nonproliferation, is attentive to the situation in Cuba, wants peace between Russia and Ukraine, and has opposed the exploitation of the Venezuelan people. On migration, he said, there is generally a broad sense of the need for processes through which nations can manage migration in a safe, orderly, and legal way.

The pope respects that balance, Burch said, because he understands that when tension arises, resolving that tension is the responsibility of nations.

According to the ambassador, the main differences concern how to reach shared goals: how to build peace in the Middle East, how to fight narco-trafficking in Central America, and how to protect people facing the challenges of mass migration. Burch characterized these as prudential differences.

Burch acknowledged that Leo and President Donald Trump have not yet spoken. He said Trump has not spoken with many leaders and that, when a conversation is necessary, he expects they will speak. He added that the pope does not simply pick up the phone to discuss politics with world leaders.

Migration remains one area of difference. Burch said the pope’s message in Lampedusa is not inconsistent with the U.S. view of migration. The United States, he said, has always set rules and removed people who did not respect them, while the Trump administration is responding to a situation in which millions of people have entered outside the legal framework.

Burch said the pope does not argue that rules should be set aside in order to welcome migrants. Rather, he said, Leo asks people to look toward an ideal in which they are as welcoming as possible. The pope, Burch said, speaks as universal pastor of the Church and not as someone proposing a specific political implementation.

For Burch, differences of opinion over migration are not a serious problem. He said it is normal for leaders to have disagreements and that there will always be differences over how to reconcile U.S. policy with Catholic social teaching. Such differences, he said, do not mean relations must be difficult.

On the contrary, Burch said, there is much work the Holy See and the United States continue to do together, including on Cuba and peace in the Middle East. Looking at the past year and a half, he pointed to what he described as peace between Israel and Hamas, the removal of narco-terrorists, talks between Israel and Lebanon, cooperation among Arab states, conditions for real cooperation, the removal of the nuclear threat in Iran, and the removal of financing for terrorists. He also said there is much the two sides can do together for persecuted Christians.

In short, Burch said, the issue is not whether the pope and the president can become friends but whether there is a chance to achieve results together.

Asked what he took away from the dinner and what struck him most, Burch said there is great respect for the pope, whether one is Catholic or not. But then, he said, one meets a gentleman who is a human person like everyone else, someone who enjoys himself.

Above all, Burch said, the pope is highly informed. Leo had deep knowledge of everything they discussed, the ambassador said. When Burch asked how he manages that, the pope mentioned X, formerly Twitter, and a daily briefing he receives. Burch said he told Leo that surely those were not his only sources of information. The ambassador described the pope as a serious reader, very bright, and very well informed.

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’s prayer intention for the month of July is for respect for human life in all circumstances.

“Both you and I have received the most beautiful gift of life — your breath, your heartbeat, your smile, all that you are is God’s work of love,” Pope Leo said in a video shared on Instagram.

The Holy Father asked the faithful: “Will you help me protect this precious gift?”

“This month I invite you to pray for our commitment to respecting and protecting human life in all circumstances,” he said.

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

“Lord of life,

You created us in love and called us to live in fullness.

Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face,

from the first instant of existence

to the final breath of their journey on earth.

Today we ask for the grace to recognize and protect

the unique and unrepeatable value of every human being.

May we learn to welcome life unconditionally,

to tenderly care for fragility,

to accompany each stage with respect,

and to bravely defend those who have no voice.

Forgive us, Lord,

when we fall into indifference or the culture of discard,

when we fail to see in others a being worthy of love.

Give us a new heart, always ready to choose life,

and generous hands that protect it through concrete actions.

Make your Church a living witness of the Gospel of life,

an open home where every life is celebrated,

where no one feels unwanted,

and where dignity is always honored and protected.

Lord Jesus,

may we love life as you love it:

with tenderness, fidelity, and self-giving.

May we proclaim, in words and actions,

that every human life is worth the total gift of ourselves.

Amen.”

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

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican meeting of bishops in October will focus on divorce and separation, among other family-related issues, according to the preparatory document published Monday.

The gathering of presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences will be a forum to discuss the application today of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ controversial 2016 apostolic exhortation on marriage and the family.

The Vatican announced July 6 that the Oct. 7–14 meeting will center on five themes, including accompanying and supporting families “in the difficulties of life.”

The gathering will include a discussion about “walking with families in complex situations,” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce,” so that they can feel listened to and involved in the Church, according to a press release from the Secretariat General of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

It will also discuss cohabiting couples, openness to welcoming children, the decline in marriage among young people, and the transmission of the faith to new generations.

Pope Leo announced at the end of his second consistory of cardinals on June 27 that several families will also take part in the meeting with the Roman and Eastern Catholic bishops.

The presence of families “is essential,” he said. “At the same time, I hope that all those who come will prepare by listening closely to, and bringing with them, the experience of the families in their own Churches.” The pope also explained that the purpose of the event will be “to assess the progress made since Amoris Laetitia.”

In Amoris Laetitia, Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis sparked controversy when he wrote that even people in an “objective state of sin” could be eligible to receive the “help of the sacraments.” He later authorized an interpretation of that language that made it possible for some people in irregular unions to receive Communion after a process of discernment with a priest.

Previous popes had said divorced and civilly remarried Catholics could not receive Communion unless they lived as brother and sister.

According to a July 6 press release, the October gathering, while not a synodal assembly, will be carried out in a synodal style “because it shares the spirit of the Synod’s implementation process, marked by listening, prayer, and discernment.”

While organizers of the meeting did not specify, by a “synodal style” they likely meant a methodology used at the Vatican during the Synod on Synodality, and at the pope’s two consistories of cardinals this year, of breaking participants into small groups for highly moderated discussions at round tables.

Released the same day, the meeting’s “thematic framework” is intended to prepare and guide the discussions at the Vatican in October.

“The aim is to discern the direction in which the Holy Spirit is leading us today, so as to recognize, support, and foster what He is already accomplishing within families and to appreciate their contribution to the mission of the Church,” the framework document states.

The rapid changes of our era, the document continues, call “for attentive listening to the concrete lives of families and to the experience of those who accompany them, recognizing together both the beauty of love as it takes shape in daily life and the fragilities that often affect it, including precarious employment and housing, illness, the challenges of raising children, emotional loneliness, and the care of family members with disabilities, the elderly, or those who are not self-sufficient.”

“Failure, fragility, the gap between the ideal and reality, and the complexity of life situations also become places in which the work of God’s grace may be recognized and where persons can be accompanied with respect, patience, and hope,” the preparatory document says.

The full titles of the five themes of the meeting, as found in the text, are:

1. Families today: reality, beauty, and challenges — Discerning the signs of the times through the experience of families and the Church’s pastoral commitment today

2. Young people and the discovery of the vocation to marriage — Listening to young people and accompanying them in discovering the value of marriage

3. Married life. The first years of marriage: a decisive time — Listening to and accompanying couples in the early years of married life and at every stage of life

4. In the difficulties of life: accompanying and supporting — Walking with families in complex situations

5. Christian families as subjects of the Church’s mission — Embracing conjugal and family love as an impetus for mission

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV had dinner July 4 at the private residence of U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See said.

The dinner took place at the ambassador’s residence on the Janiculum Hill in Rome on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

“I am deeply honored to celebrate this special day with a fellow American and the Bishop of Rome,” Burch said.

The pope’s visit came after a day trip to Lampedusa, where he addressed migration and prayed for those who have died crossing the Mediterranean. Images of Pope Leo XIV standing on the island’s rocks and looking out over the sea circulated widely after the visit.

After returning to the Vatican, the pope went to the ambassador’s residence for the evening meal. Photos released by the embassy showed Pope Leo XIV with Burch and members of his family.

Burch, a Catholic and father of nine, is co-founder of CatholicVote, an organization that says its mission is to encourage Catholics in the United States to live their faith in public life through education, advocacy, and civic engagement.

Burch presented his credentials to Pope Leo XIV as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See in September 2025.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday said Christ remains the Church’s hope amid war, slavery, sin, and the wounds of history, urging Christians to learn from Jesus a “school of freedom” rooted in the cross.

Speaking at the July 5 Angelus in a sunny and hot St. Peter’s Square, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel, Matthew 11:25–30, in which Jesus praises the Father, “Lord of heaven and earth.”

“The Son of God made man reveals his love by including all creatures in this act of thanksgiving,” Pope Leo XIV said.

The pope said the Gospel reveals God’s preference for the humble and the small.

“The simplicity of such a spontaneous and joyful gesture reflects God’s way of acting: he delights in revealing himself ‘to infants,’ while remaining hidden ‘from the wise and the intelligent,’” he said.

Those who are “filled” with their own ideas, the pope said, fail to recognize Christ.

“Human wisdom thus becomes arrogance, and doctrine degenerates into pride,” he said. “By contrast, God’s true wisdom is revealed in the humility of the Incarnation, and his teaching is addressed above all to those who struggle: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,’ says the Lord.”

Pope Leo XIV said going to Jesus “means responding to his love and sharing in his life, even to the cross.”

“How can the weight of the cross be ‘easy’ and ‘light’?” the pope asked. “For one reason alone: because the Lord himself carries it with us, never leaving us alone in what burdens us.”

The pope said Christ takes upon himself “humanity wounded by evil in order to heal and care for it.”

“For this reason, our journey of following Christ is not an asceticism that mortifies,” he continued. “Rather, it is a school of freedom that takes seriously the drama of history and continually sheds light on its meaning, especially in its darkest moments.”

“Indeed, only in the cross of Jesus is evil overcome; only in his passion does our mortal weariness find consolation and redemption,” he said.

The pope then pointed to Christ as the answer to the world’s deepest suffering.

“In slavery, Christ is liberation. Amid the scourge of war, Christ is hope. In the hour of sin, Christ is forgiveness,” Pope Leo XIV said. “This is true wisdom and the path that we wish to walk together, united as disciples in his name.”

After the Angelus, the pope recalled the July 2 beatification of Father Francis Xavier Tru’o’ng Bǚu Diêp at the Shrine of Tac Say in Vietnam. The Vietnamese diocesan priest was killed in 1946 in hatred of the faith.

“Amid oppression and violence, he defended the rights of the people and did not abandon his parishioners,” the pope said. “May his intercession and prayers strengthen all those who proclaim the Gospel in situations of persecution today.”

Pope Leo XIV also greeted pilgrims from Brazil and the Choir of the University of Mérida in Venezuela, and renewed his prayers for the Venezuelan people.

“I continue to remember in my prayers the victims of the earthquake and all the Venezuelan people,” he said. “May the Lord sustain them in this time of great hardship.”

The Angelus came shortly before the Prefecture of the Papal Household announced that Pope Leo XIV would transfer Sunday afternoon to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest until Monday, July 27.

During that period, all general, private, and special audiences will be suspended. General audiences will resume Wednesday, Aug. 5.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household also said the Sunday Angelus prayers during July will be prayed in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo.

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 celebrated Mass Saturday on the island of Lampedusa, warning that migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean are “victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made.”

In his homily at the Arena sports field July 4, the pope cited the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, saying residents of Lampedusa had seen “thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them, beat them brutally and walked away, leaving them half-dead.”

“The sea has claimed the lives of others — those who did not manage to reach their hoped-for destination,” he said. “Yet we feel their presence, which challenges us no less than that of those who have landed in need of attention and aid.”

The pope arrived at the sports field in a Fiat Nuova Campagnola convertible, the same vehicle Pope Francis used during his July 8, 2013, visit to Lampedusa. The crowd greeted him with songs, waving arms, and yellow-and-white caps against the backdrop of the island’s sea and sky.

Before the liturgy, Lampedusa’s mayor presented the pope with a model of the island’s lighthouse. Pope Leo recalled Pope Francis’ closeness to the people of Lampedusa and said he had come not primarily to give speeches but to celebrate the Eucharist, the supreme sign of Christ’s presence.

The pope’s homily repeatedly returned to the theme of love — a love made concrete in compassion, hospitality, and the willingness to draw near to those in need.

“The Gospel resounds where peoples meet, people welcome one another, their lives intertwine and different cultures engage in dialogue,” he said. “It falls silent, however, when each person makes him or herself an island, avoiding contact and cutting off exchange.”

Citing the parable of the Good Samaritan, the pope said the encounter with those stripped of everything calls Christians “to be close to them.”

“This is the heart of the Gospel parable: we become neighbors by acting as neighbors,” he said.

Pope Leo thanked the people of Lampedusa for what he called the “miracle of compassion,” including the volunteers, organizations in Forum Lampedusa Solidale, civil authorities, the Coast Guard, local administrations, deacons, priests, religious sisters, doctors, psychologists, educators, security forces, and all those who serve migrants on the island.

“I greet the migrants who are here,” he added. “They themselves have not only received solidarity but have often shown it on their journey, as the poor helping the poorest.”

But the pope also warned against indifference, corruption, fear, prejudice, and policies that fail to respond to the scale of the crisis.

“Indifference to the common good and corruption in their countries of origin; a global economic system that generates poverty and exclusion; fear that fuels prejudice and contempt; the belief that such problems do not concern us; the criminal calculations of those who profit from the suffering of others; the slow and difficult transition from mere emergency management to the development of comprehensive and shared policies — all are present-day echoes of the haste to ‘pass by’ in the Gospel narrative,” he said.

Pope Leo also said religious belonging must never be used to exclude or discriminate.

“It is time to recognize and affirm that religious affiliation must never become a reason for discrimination, as if faith had boundaries rather than being a universal call to salvation,” he said. “There is no love of God without love of neighbor, and there is no neighbor if I do not draw near.”

From Lampedusa, which lies between Sicily and North Africa and has become a symbol of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, the pope turned his attention to Europe.

“From this far-flung corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, one can more clearly perceive the momentous challenge that the phenomenon of migration poses to European societies,” he said.

Europe, he continued, has “a unique potential” and therefore “a corresponding responsibility” to address migration in a comprehensive way — integrating immediate relief into “a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants,” while also assisting developing countries so that “no one is forced to emigrate.”

The pope said the task belongs not only to public institutions but also to civil society and the Church.

Speaking directly to the people of Lampedusa, he also noted that tourism on the island can risk creating an “invisible wall” between vacationers and migrants who have survived shipwrecks.

“Have the courage to think differently,” he said, urging residents to help visitors become “more humane” through contact with the island’s charity and history.

“There is authentic rest when the meaning of life is rediscovered, and true well-being when the economy is just and fraternal,” the pope said. “In such an economy, care for creation and social friendship come together in a synthesis that humanity is seeking today.”

At the close of his homily, Pope Leo referred to the image of Our Lady of Safe Harbor, patroness of Lampedusa, placed near the altar.

“In God we all have a safe haven, and every Christian community is called to be a reflection of it on earth,” he said. He ended with the traditional local greeting: “O’scià!”

Before the Mass, the pope visited the cemetery of Lampedusa, where he placed flowers on the graves of migrants, pausing especially at the graves of children. The moment was marked by silence and strong wind.

He then went to the Porta d’Europa, the “Gateway to Europe” monument, where he briefly met a migrant family. A child gave him a soccer ball and read him a note.

“Dear pope, I am super excited to meet you. Ten years ago my story began here in Lampedusa. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mother,” the child wrote.

The child said he had stopped crying only after someone gave him a ball made of paper.

“From that day, the ball has remained in my heart, and I have never stopped playing,” he wrote. “Now I hope that this ball I am giving you can reach another child and make him happy, just like me.”

The pope then moved toward the sea to pray alone. The wind swept away his white zucchetto, which fell into the water as he prayed near the sea.

Before heading to the Arena sports field, Pope Leo visited Molo Favaloro, where he blessed a plaque dedicating the dock to Pope Francis. There he greeted migrants accompanied by the Red Cross, as well as religious sisters who are among the first to welcome migrants arriving on the island.

The visit came a day after the U.S.-born Pope Leo, accepting the Liberty Medal awarded by the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia, recalled how his native land had opened its doors to waves of immigrants, allowing them and their children to help build the nation’s future.

The pope has been critical of Trump administration policies on immigration, and the coincidence of his visit to Lampedusa with America’s 250th anniversary has been widely noted in the U.S.

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

Sources used: ACI Stampa Mass report and official English homily text .

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), whose members are known as “Lefebvrians,” rejected the recent excommunications decreed by the Vatican after consecrating four bishops without papal authorization on July 1 and asserted that the sanctions imposed are “objectively unjust and invalid.”

In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree declaring the group to be in schism as “an extreme measure to save souls, amid the doctrinal and moral confusion in which the Church finds itself.”

“We in no way intend to replace the Church, and our sole purpose is to remain faithful to her,” wrote Pagliarani, who leads the group founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991.

The group founded by Lefebvre aims to preserve the traditional liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council while maintaining its opposition to aspects of the council’s teachings on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.

Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining, without the permission of Pope John Paul II, four bishops: Alfonso de Galarreta of Spain, Bernard Fellay of Switzerland, Richard Williamson of England, and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais of France.

Amid attempts to build bridges of dialogue with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 against the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.

Tissier de Mallerais and Williamson died in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Galarreta and Fellay, on the other hand, participated in the recent consecration of four new bishops on July 1, for which they were excommunicated once again.

‘We had asked for bread’

Using as the central theme of his argument the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:11–13), in which Jesus reminds his disciples that “if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” Pagliarani asserted that “we had asked for bread — that is, a little understanding in the face of a sincere case of conscience, a gesture of fatherly compassion.”

“Unfortunately, we have received a stone,” he continued, noting that, instead of “fish” — that is, “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests ... unfortunately, we have received a snake.”

“We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible,” he added. He affirmed that “the holy tradition we preserve in our souls belongs to the Church, our Mother” but “unfortunately, we have received a scorpion.”

The superior of the SSPX assured Leo XIV that the society does not accept the Vatican’s sanctions “in a spirit of bitterness or rebellion” but rather feel encouraged “to love the holy Church even more and to attend to her needs more than ever with all our strength.”

“We are certain that one day you yourself or one of your successors will wish to embrace the program of St. Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” he said, noting that “on that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and deep consolation, authentically Catholic souls — souls whose bond with the Church was never founded on the shifting sands of ambiguous dialogue but on the rock of Peter’s faith.”

‘Turn back!’: Leo XIV’s plea the SSPX ignored

In his letter, Pagliarani makes no mention of the Catholic Church’s repeated calls for dialogue, which date back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II with the creation of the Ecclesia Dei Commission and which reached one of their highest points in Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.

Pope Francis also reached out to the SSPX with decisions such as allowing sacramental confessions with its priests to be valid and lawful during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 — a decision he later extended beyond that year.

Pagliarani also did not address Pope Leo XIV’s direct plea to the Society of St. Pius X, asking the group not to commit “a schismatic act.”

“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I implore and ask you with all my heart: Turn back!” the Holy Father wrote to them on June 30.

“I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would carry out would deprive them of the lawful — and in some cases, even valid — reception of the sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification,” the pope stated.

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.