Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile during a surprise ride around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican following the Jubilee of Youth welcome Mass on July 29, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 15:39 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV made a surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening to greet the thousands of participants at the welcoming Mass for the Jubilee of Youth.

After touring the square, the Holy Father addressed the youth in Italian, Spanish, and English from the main altar. “‘Buona sera, buenas tardes,’ good evening,” Leo XIV said, causing the crowd to roar.

In English, the pope recalled Jesus’ words: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13:16).

“And today, your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries; are all for Jesus Christ, and you will be heard until the ends of the earth,” he proceeded, switching to Spanish. “Today begins a few days, a journey: the Jubilee of Hope, and the world needs messages of hope. You are this message, and you must continue to give hope to everyone,” he added.

“Let us hope that all of you will always be a sign of hope for the whole world,” said the Holy Father, this time speaking in Italian.

“Today we are beginning, and in the coming days we will have the opportunity to be a force that will give God’s grace, that will be [a source of] hope, and that will give light to the city of Rome and to the entire world,” he stated in his extemporaneous remarks.

Leo XIV then asked the young people to walk together “with our faith in Jesus Christ.” From St. Peter’s Square, he also prayed for peace for the entire world: “Our cry must also be for peace in the world. Let us all say: We want peace in the world! We want peace in the world! Let us pray for peace.”

“May we be a witness to the peace of Jesus Christ, of reconciliation, of this light of the world that we are all seeking,” the Holy Father added, again in Spanish. Finally, he prayed together with the thousands of young people and imparted his blessing.

“We’ll see you! We’ll meet at Tor Vergata! Have a good week!” the pope said in parting, referring to the prayer vigil he will hold with young people on the evening of Aug. 2 and the final Mass for the Jubilee of Youth, which he will celebrate Aug. 3.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CN

Pope Leo XIV signs a portrait of himself for a pilgrim at his general audience on July 30, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 15:09 pm (CNA).

Before a packed St. Peter’s Square filled with young people who had come from all over the world for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday gave his first general audience after his vacation in Castel Gandolfo.

Aboard the popemobile, the pontiff toured the colorful esplanade, warmly and enthusiastically greeting the hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims waving the flags of numerous countries.

At the beginning of his July 30 catechesis, the last in a series dedicated to the public life of Jesus, the Holy Father lamented the climate of violence and hatred that marks our time, a reality that, he affirmed, “deeply wounds human dignity.” Against this backdrop, he firmly emphasized: “Our world needs healing.”

“We live in a society,” he explained, “that is becoming ill due to a kind of ‘bulimia’ of social media connections: We are hyperconnected, bombarded by images, sometimes false or distorted.”

The silent proximity of Jesus

Faced with these messages that provoke “contradictory emotions,” the pontiff warned that there is often an impulse “to turn everything off” and even to prefer not to feel anything anymore,” thus running the risk of losing the ability “to say to one another the most simple and profound things.”

In this context, Pope Leo XIV suggested meditating on the passage from the Gospel of St. Mark that presents a man who neither speaks nor hears (cf. Mk 7:31-37). He emphasized that “it is not he who comes to Jesus to be healed, but others bring him.”

“The Christian community, however, has also seen in these people an image of the Church, which accompanies each person to Jesus so that they may listen to his word,” he explained.

He noted that Jesus “takes this person aside,” which seems to “emphasize his isolation.” However, the pontiff pointed out that this gesture helps us understand “what lies behind the silence and closure of this man, as if Jesus had perceived his need for intimacy and closeness.”

“Jesus offers him silent closeness, through gestures that speak of a profound encounter: He touches this man’s ears and tongue,” he added.

He also emphasized that Jesus doesn’t use many words but rather says “only what is necessary in that moment: ‘Be opened!’” For the Holy Father, with this “simple and beautiful” word, Jesus invites him to open himself to this world that frightens him and to the relationships that have disappointed him.

‘To truly know Jesus, one must complete a journey’

Pope Leo pointed out that the attitude of the man in the Gospel could reflect the experience of someone who feels “inadequate” or is afraid to express themselves for fear of making a mistake. “All of us experience what it means to be misunderstood,” he noted.

He therefore emphasized the need to ask the Lord to heal our way of communicating, “not only so that we may be more effective, but also so that we may avoid wounding others with our words.”

In light of the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV recalled: “To truly know Jesus, one must complete a journey; one must remain with him and also pass through his Passion.”

“When we have seen him humiliated and suffering, when we have experienced the saving power of his cross, then we can say that we have truly come to know him. There are no shortcuts to becoming disciples of Jesus,” he emphasized.

At the end of his catechesis, the pope encouraged the faithful to ask the Lord “that we may learn to communicate with honesty and prudence. Let us pray for all those who have been wounded by the words of others.”

“Let us pray for the Church, that she may never fail in her mission to lead people to Jesus, so that they may hear his word, be healed by it, and in turn become bearers of his message of salvation,” he concluded.

Bright beacons of hope in the world

During his greetings to the pilgrims, the pope addressed in particular all the young people participating in the Jubilee of Youth, encouraging them to open their hearts “to God’s healing love, so that you can become even brighter beacons of hope in the world.”

“May this encounter with Jesus in fraternal communion strengthen your faith and your hope, fill your hearts with peace, and unite you in his love. Receive these gifts from Christ and share them with your contemporaries and compatriots in your homeland,” he added.

In his message to the Spanish-speaking faithful, the Holy Father urged them to pray “so that these days of faith, reflection, and friendship may bear fruit.” His words sparked a roaring ovation, and the square vibrated with loud applause, with the youth shouting: “[We are] the pope’s young people!”

Sorrow over church attack in Democratic Republic of Congo

The pope renewed his “deep sorrow” for the brutal terrorist attack that took place on the night of July 26-27 in Komanda in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 40 Christians were murdered in a church during a prayer vigil and also in their own homes.

“As I entrust the victims to God’s loving mercy, I pray for the wounded and for Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution. I urge those with local and international responsibility to work together in order to prevent such tragedies,” he stated.

Finally, the Holy Father recalled that Aug. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, an agreement between 35 countries to guarantee security in the context of the Cold War.

This event, the pontiff stated, “renewed interest in human rights, with special emphasis on religious freedom.” He also recalled that the Holy See’s active participation “helped to promote political and moral commitment to peace.”

“Today, more than ever, it is essential to safeguard the spirit of Helsinki: to persevere in dialogue, strengthen cooperation, and make diplomacy the preferred path to prevent and resolve conflicts,” the Holy Father emphasized.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi (second from left) with Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Alistair Dutton (second from right) and Caritas Youth delegates during the Jubilee of Youth in Rome on July 29, 2025. / Credit: Kristina Millare/CNA

Vatican City, Jul 30, 2025 / 13:39 pm (CNA).

President of Caritas Internationalis Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD, praised the Church’s young humanitarians this week for their generous dedication to the world’s poor, saying they are bearers of hope who have overcome the world’s “biggest problem” of selfishness.

“You see, there are many problems right now,” Kikuchi told CNA in an interview. “But the biggest problem is that people are becoming very, very selfish — to think about themselves only and forget about the cry of those people in need.”

“Young people are living in difficult situations now in many countries,” he said. “The social situation, the economic situation, jobs, and education are not satisfactory and so young people are really only interested in themselves.”

“Caritas wants to tell people that opportunities are not only for them — God created everybody and everybody are brothers and sisters,” he continued.

“We are equal,” he said. “So we have to think about other people.”

In Rome to support the multinational Caritas Youth delegation participating in the July 28 to Aug. 3 Jubilee of Youth, the Japanese cardinal expressed great pride in the young men and women who have chosen to commit themselves to Caritas’ mission to serve the poor. 

“These young people are the real present of this world today,” the cardinal told CNA during his brief visit Tuesday with Caritas Youth delegates stationed near St. Peter’s Basilica to raise awareness of the Church’s humanitarian work with passersby and other jubilee pilgrims.

Kikuchi, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024 and has worked for Caritas since 1995, presides over the Church’s global humanitarian network — comprising 162 national member organizations — operating in thousands of dioceses and parishes in over 200 countries. 

Since the opening of the jubilee dedicated to youth, Pope Leo XIV has reiterated the need for the Church to be witnesses of hope, telling young people to “shout” for peace. This week, he also released his August prayer intention for “mutual coexistence.”

“And today your voices, your enthusiasm, your cries — which are all for Jesus Christ — will be heard to the ends of the earth,” Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday evening.

“And our cry must also be for world peace,” he insisted. “Let us all say: ‘We want world peace!’”

According to Kikuchi, a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word, “Pope Leo is also saying the same thing [as Pope Francis] — that we have to be attentive to the cry of the people.”

Turning Pope Leo’s calls for peace into action 

For Caritas Korea youth delegate Maria Mi Kyong Kim, the pope’s continuous calls for peace have brought profound meaning to her work with the world’s second-largest humanitarian aid and development network.

“His first words out, ‘peace be with you,’ was very strong and powerful to many,” Kim told CNA, reflecting on the pope’s first address given from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square in May. “Peace is perhaps the essence of everything.” 

“At this moment, there are so many protracted crises and so many countries that are facing economic failures,” she said. “If you look deep down there is always that issue of ‘peace’ within the country and also with neighboring countries, and there are always constant conflicts.”

Building community, solidarity among people within regions 

Caritas Asia youth coordinator Sam Ratha Lay said the Church needs “the hands of young people” to support the vast region’s activities aimed at helping families affected by natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

“We need them to join together to build communities and even prevent [future] disasters,” he said. 

Supporting the poor, vulnerable in one’s own country   

Concerned by the social problems within her own country, Caritas Egypt youth delegate Engy Zaher coordinates a 90-day residential drug rehabilitation program in her home country. 

“Many younger people and families are facing challenges such as addiction, lack of economic empowerment and youth empowerment, poverty, and lack of access to mental health support,” she told CNA.

“Our professional services and our presence gives people hope and the real chance of rebuilding their lives with dignity,” she said.

Raising the voices of the poor to world leaders

Looking forward to reading Pope Leo’s highly-anticipated first encyclical once it is released, Edward Marshall, who volunteers with Caritas’ England-Wales branch known as the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), said the role of advocacy is just as important as fundraising or emergency response coordination.

“About 40% of our work is in advocacy in London,” he shared with CNA. “So, campaigning in Westminster for U.K. politicians on global issues like the debt crisis, the migration crisis, and climate change.”

Speaking about the world’s future leaders who will, one day, hold positions of authority and influence in the secular world, Marshall said youth today “have a lot of energy and a lot of wisdom.”

“Younger people have a much greater understanding than people think on the issues that they care about,” he said. “If they have, or are given, a platform, they’ll use it to the best of their abilities.”

Ryan Bethea (left) and Father Carlos Martins (right), co-hosts of “The Exorcist Files” podcast. / Credit: The Exorcist Files

CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 13:09 pm (CNA).

The popular podcasting priest Father Carlos Martins is no longer facing criminal charges after an incident at an Illinois parish last year led to misdemeanor allegations. 

The Burke Law Group said in a Wednesday press release that the priest, who hosts “The Exorcist Files” podcast, had been “fully cleared of all charges” stemming from a Nov. 21, 2024, event held at Queen of Apostles Parish in Joliet, Illinois.

Attorney Marcella Burke told CNA in November that the disputed incident occurred when Martins touched a young girl’s hair while telling a joke about his own baldness. The joke occurred publicly “in a classroom setting with teachers, clergy, parish staff, and volunteers present.”

The incident led to Will County prosecutors filing a criminal complaint against Martins in January, one that alleged that Martins went so far as to place the girl’s hair in his mouth.

On Wednesday the Burke Law Group said that prosecutors “withdrew those charges and dismissed the case” without any finding of any wrongdoing or criminal liability on the part of the priest.

Burke on Wednesday told CNA the charge carried a maximum penalty of 365 days in jail and a $2,500 fine.

In the press release the attorney said the dismissal of the charges was “exactly the result we were expecting.”

“What he was charged with was simply absurd,” Burke said. “This was a case that never should have been brought forward. The court’s ruling is a full vindication of Father Martins’ innocence from the beginning of any and all criminal wrongdoing.”

Martins, meanwhile, said in the release that he was “deeply grateful to all who offered their prayers and support during this time.” 

“I am thankful for the truth coming to light and look forward to resuming my ministry and continuing to preach the Gospel,” the priest said. 

Martins is a priest of the Companions of the Cross order. The order had not yet released a statement on the case by Wednesday afternoon. 

Martins was visiting the Illinois parish as part of his national touring exhibit of a relic of the arm of St. Jude the Apostle via the ministry Treasures of the Church. 

The priest told EWTN News in 2023 that it was “the first time the arm of the saint … [had] left Italy.”

On its website Treasures of the Church says the 16-month-long tour was attended by “almost 2 million pilgrims” while visiting numerous dioceses and locations.

While browsing a folder of religious iconography, I came across an unusual sight: the image of a saint with a swan at his side: St. Hugh of Lincoln, the Carthusian monk-turned-bishop who forged a profound friendship with a swan. Swans have a reputation for being unfriendly (despite their serene beauty). Yet as legend has it, Hugh […]

The post What can we learn when we look to the birds? appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, speaks with “EWTN News Nightly” on March 4, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot

CNA Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

The defense came as Barron received the Josef Pieper Prize in Münster on July 27 amid fierce protests from Catholic groups and political organizations.

Listen on: Apple | Spotify This week on Just Politics, hosts Eilis and Colin welcome Laurie Carafone, NETWORK’s new executive director. She comes to the world of Catholic social justice advocacy from Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she worked to protect unaccompanied children and advocate for their asylum. Carafone’s path began with a formative year working […]

The post Laurie Carafone inaugurates a new chapter for NETWORK Lobby appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Journalism students have traveled from across the globe to Rome to take part in the fourth annual EWTN Summer Academy from July 21–31, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

This week, Pope Leo XIV welcomed journalism students to Rome who have traveled from across the globe to take part in the fourth annual EWTN Summer Academy.

The 40 students joined thousands of others gathered for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and the Jubilee of Youth. On Sunday, Pope Leo said to the young crowds: “I greet the faithful from Kearny, New Jersey; the Catholic Music Award group; and the EWTN Summer Academy.”

The Summer Academy attendees will collaborate on stories and work in teams to produce, shoot, and edit videos over the 10-day course. The goal is that after the training, networking, and prayer, the students will have the skills to go out and be digital missionaries in an age where so much of what people learn and consume is online.

While the students are from 20 different countries and come from various backgrounds in journalism, they are united by the same mission.

One student told “EWTN News Nightly” in Rome: “I was very amazed that we’re all here for the same reason, to work for God and do what we can in this world to spread the truth … It’s very humbling to know that we’re all here connected together, fighting for what is right.”

“We do everything for the Church and ultimately for the evangelization to bring people closer to God,” another student added. “So when you step outside of yourself and you say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about God,’ you can do almost anything.”

Other young journalists taking part in the July 21–31 summer course are Charbel and Giovanni Lteif, Lebanese twin brothers who have been creating content on social media about Christianity in the Eastern region.

The brothers have built their Christian platform in just one year, expanding across multiple social media outlets to reach global audiences. The success of their digital work earned them acceptance into the academy.

In Rome, Charbel told EWTN that Generation Z is “coming to Christ in big numbers, and that’s very beautiful to see. And people miss tradition. They miss a sense of belonging, a sense of not scrolling all day.”

Giovanni added: “And I think that people, when they see the faith in the East, they get excited and motivated. ‘If they have that strong faith in the East, I want to have it here too.’ So it’s like connecting the entire world … in our faith.”

While working with the 40 students from a number of different nations, Giovanni said: “It was the first time in my life I saw how global our Church is. And I saw that no matter where you are on earth, if you have good Christian values, we’re the same … This is how we change the world; 40 people or 12 disciples, change the world.”

During the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries, Pope Leo said to the digital creators: “It is not simply a matter of generating content but of creating an encounter of hearts. This will entail seeking out those who suffer, those who need to know the Lord, so that they may heal their wounds, get back on their feet, and find meaning in their lives.”

Father Charles-Michel de l’Épée founded the National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris in 1760. / Credit: Public domain

CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris was founded in 1760 by Father Charles-Michel de l’Épée.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The world -- marked by a climate of violence and hatred -- needs healing, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We live in a society that is becoming ill due to a kind of 'bulimia' of social media connections: we are hyperconnected, bombarded by images, sometimes even false or distorted," he told thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his general audience July 30.

By learning to communicate with honesty and prudence, Christians can help avoid wounding others, and by sharing the Gospel, they can lead people to be healed by his word, he said.

It was his first public general audience since taking a brief summer break in July. Tens of thousands of people, many of them pilgrims in Rome for the July 28-Aug. 3 Jubilee of Youth, including many groups from the United States, and some traveling with their bishops.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, for example, was traveling with a delegation of about 40 young people and youth ministers. He had a chance to greet the pope after his main talk, giving him a green ballcap of the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

Visitors in the square also gifted the pope several presents as he rode around in the open popemobile, such as two white cowboy hats and a small takeaway pizza box.

The popemobile stopped near people holding two large handwritten signs saying, "Pope Leo, I brought you (pizza) from Chicago" and "We have Aurelio's pizza," the name of a pizzeria-restaurant based in Homewood, Illinois, south of Chicago and near the suburb where the pope grew up.

The pope took the box, saw what it was, and gave the group a thumbs-up. On its website, the restaurant boasts its own take on a pepperoni pizza with "the Poperoni™ Pizza to honor the pope's most recent visit and love of Aurelio's pizza."

His catechesis, dedicated to the Jubilee theme of "Jesus Christ our Hope," was the last in a series of talks on Jesus' public ministry. He focused on "the healing of a deaf man" in the Gospel of St. Mark (7:31-37).

"This time in which we live also needs healing. Our world is witnessing a climate of violence and hatred that demeans human dignity," the pope said.

"We are overwhelmed by countless messages that stir within us a storm of contradictory emotions," he said. 

In fact, "it is possible that within us arises the desire to turn everything off. We may come to prefer not to feel anything anymore," he said. "Even our words risk being misunderstood, and we may be tempted to close ourselves in silence, into a lack of communication where, despite our closeness, we are no longer able to say to one another the most simple and profound things."

The Gospel account of the deaf man who had a speech impediment shows Jesus' understanding of "what lies behind the silence and closure of this man, as if Jesus had perceived his need for intimacy and closeness."

"Jesus offers him silent closeness," touches him and says, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!" 

"It is as if Jesus were saying to him, 'Be opened to this world that frightens you! Be opened to the relationships that have disappointed you! Be opened to the life you have given up facing!' Closing in on oneself, in fact, is never a solution," he said.

"All of us experience what it means to be misunderstood, to feel that we are not truly heard," he said. "All of us need to ask the Lord to heal our way of communicating, not only so that we may be more effective, but also so that we may avoid wounding others with our words."

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Lord that we may learn to communicate with honesty and prudence," he said.

"Let us pray for all those who have been wounded by the words of others," he said. "Let us pray for the church, that she may never fail in her mission to lead people to Jesus, so that they may hear his Word, be healed by it, and in turn become bearers of his message of salvation."

Pope Leo: Bring others to Jesus!

A look at Pope Leo's general audience July 30, 2025. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)