Pope Leo XIV gives a blessing during a meeting with participants in the Jubilee of Eastern Churches on May 14, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 17, 2025 / 09:42 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation to embrace Catholic social doctrine as a path beyond polarization on Saturday, May 17, at the Vatican.

Good morning everyone!

Dear brothers and sisters, welcome!

I thank the President and members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, and I greet all of you who are taking part in this annual International Conference and General Assembly.

The theme of this year’s Conference – “Overcoming Polarizations and Rebuilding Global Governance: The Ethical Foundations” – speaks to us of the deepest purpose of the Church’s social doctrine as a contribution to peace and dialogue in the service of building bridges of universal fraternity. Especially in this Easter season, we realize that the Risen Lord always goes before us, even at times when injustice and death seem to prevail. Let us help one another, as I said on the evening of my election, “to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace.” This is not something that happens by chance, but is rather an active and continuous interplay of grace and freedom, one that our meeting today seeks to respect and support.

Pope Leo XIII, who lived in an age of momentous and disruptive change, sought to promote peace by encouraging social dialogue between capital and labour, technology and human intelligence, and different political cultures and nations. Pope Francis spoke of a “polycrisis” in describing the dramatic nature of our own age, marked by wars, climate change, growing inequalities, forced and contested migration, stigmatized poverty, disruptive technological innovations, job insecurity and precarious labour rights (Message to Participants in the General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, 3 March 2025). On such important issues, the Church’s social doctrine is called to provide insights that facilitate dialogue between science and conscience, and thus make an essential contribution to better understanding, hope and peace.

This doctrine helps us to realize that more important than our problems or eventual solutions is the way we approach them, guided by criteria of discernment, sound ethical principles and openness to God’s grace.

You have the opportunity to show that the Church’s social doctrine, with its specific anthropological approach, seeks to encourage genuine engagement with social issues. It does not claim to possess a monopoly on truth, either in its analysis of problems or its proposal of concrete solutions. Where social questions are concerned, knowing how best to approach them is more important than providing immediate responses to why things happen or how to deal with them. The aim is to learn how to confront problems, for these are always different, since every generation is new, and faces new challenges, dreams and questions.

This is a fundamental aspect of our attempts to build a “culture of encounter” through dialogue and social friendship. For many of our contemporaries, the words “dialogue” and “doctrine” can seem incompatible. Perhaps when we hear the word “doctrine,” we tend to think of a set of ideas belonging to a religion. The word itself makes us feel less disposed to reflect, call things into question or seek new alternatives.

In the case of the Church’s social doctrine, we need to make clear that the word “doctrine” has another, more positive meaning, without which dialogue itself would be meaningless. “Doctrine” can be a synonym of “science,” “discipline” and “knowledge.” Understood in this way, doctrine appears as the product of research, and hence of hypotheses, discussions, progress and setbacks, all aimed at conveying a reliable, organized and systematic body of knowledge about a given issue. Consequently, a doctrine is not the same as an opinion, but is rather a common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.

“Indoctrination” is immoral. It stifles critical judgement and undermines the sacred freedom of respect for conscience, even if erroneous. It resists new notions and rejects movement, change or the evolution of ideas in the face of new problems. “Doctrine,” on the other hand, as a serious, serene and rigorous discourse, aims to teach us primarily how to approach problems and, even more importantly, how to approach people. It also helps us to make prudential judgements when confronted with challenges. Seriousness, rigour and serenity are what we must learn from every doctrine, including the Church’s social doctrine.

In the context of the ongoing digital revolution, we must rediscover, emphasize and cultivate our duty to train others in critical thinking, countering temptations to the contrary, which can also be found in ecclesial circles. There is so little dialogue around us; shouting often replaces it, not infrequently in the form of fake news and irrational arguments proposed by a few loud voices. Deeper reflection and study are essential, as well as a commitment to encounter and listen to the poor, who are a treasure for the Church and for humanity. Their viewpoints, though often disregarded, are vital if we are to see the world through God’s eyes. Those born and raised far from the centers of power should not merely be taught the Church’s social doctrine; they should also be recognized as carrying it forward and putting it into practice. Individuals committed to the betterment of society, popular movements and the various Catholic workers’ groups are an expression of those existential peripheries where hope endures and springs anew. I urge you to let the voice of the poor be heard.

Dear friends, as the Second Vatican Council states, “in every age, the Church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if she is to carry out her task. In language intelligible to every generation, she should be able to answer the ever-recurring questions which people ask about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come, and how one is related to the other” (Gaudium et Spes, 4).

I invite you, then, to participate actively and creatively in this discernment process, and thus contribute, with all of God’s people, to the development of the Church’s social doctrine in this age of significant social changes, listening to everyone and engaging in dialogue with all. In our day, there is a widespread thirst for justice, a desire for authentic fatherhood and motherhood, a profound longing for spirituality, especially among young people and the marginalized, who do not always find effective means of making their needs known. There is a growing demand for the Church’s social doctrine, to which we need to respond.

I thank all of you for your commitment and for your prayers for my ministry, and I cordially bless you and your families, and all that you do. Thank you!

A view of the baldacchino underneath the central dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, May 17, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The Mass for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate will be celebrated on Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. Rome time in St. Peter’s Square, a liturgical event that will mark the official beginning of his ministry as successor of Peter and bishop of Rome.

The following is a review of the most important moments of this ceremony, rich in symbols and highlights, which will be marked by several significant changes compared with the Mass for the inauguration of Pope Francis’ pontificate in 2013. For example, it will not be the cardinals who will pledge obedience to the new pope after the presentation of the pallium and the fisherman’s ring but rather a group of “representatives of the people of God.”

Prayer at the tomb of St. Peter

From the Altar of Confession, located in the center of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s baldachin stands, Pope Leo XIV will descend the stairs with the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches to the tomb of St. Peter. There he will pause in prayer for a few minutes.

The Holy Father will place incense in the thurible and incense the “Trophæum Apostolicum,” the venerated monument that marks the tomb of the Apostle Peter, the first pope and the rock upon which Christ built his Church. This ritual emphasizes the pontiff’s connection with the Apostle Peter and his martyrdom.

Solemn procession 

The deacons then take the pallium, the fisherman’s ring, and the Book of the Gospels and carry them together in procession. These symbols of the Petrine ministry precede the pope, carried with solemnity, as a visible expression of the service, spiritual authority, and proclamation of the Gospel that the successor of Peter is called to exercise in the universal Church.

The procession heads toward St. Peter’s Square from within the basilica. During this journey, the solemn hymn of “Lauds Regiae” is intoned, a particular form of the Litany of the Saints in which their intercession for the pope’s holiness is requested.

Sign of the cross in Latin

Pope Leo XIV then makes the sign of the cross in Latin: ”In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.” This is the traditional way in which the pope begins the Eucharistic celebration during the Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate. The pope then sprinkles the people with holy water.

Gospel will be read in Greek and Latin 

One of the most significant moments of the Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate is the proclamation of the Gospel in two languages: Greek and Latin. This expresses the unity of the Church and underscores that the successor of Peter is the pope of both Latin Catholics and Eastern Catholics.

Greek, the language of the Christian East and the New Testament, represents the ancient traditions of the Eastern Churches, while Latin, the language of the Roman rite, evokes the heritage of the Western Church.

By proclaiming the Gospel in both languages, it is evident that Christ’s message is intended for all peoples and that the ministry of the bishop of Rome encompasses the entire universal Church, in communion with its diverse liturgical and spiritual traditions. The Holy Father will then silently bless the Book of the Gospels.

Pallium and ring

During the days leading up to the Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate, Leo XIV has worn his episcopal ring as a cardinal. However, on Sunday he will not wear that ring but receive the fisherman’s ring in the rite of initiation of his Petrine ministry.

This ring, on which his name is engraved, symbolizes his mission as successor of the Apostle Peter. It was formerly used as a seal to authenticate papal documents.

During the same ceremony, the pontiff will also receive the pallium, the liturgical insignia of metropolitan archbishops and, in the case of the pope, a symbol of his universal pastoral authority.

The pallium is a narrow band of white wool draped over the shoulders, with two dangling black ends — one in front and one in back — evoking the shape of the letter Y. It is decorated with six black silk crosses and three pins representing the nails of Christ’s cross. Receiving the pallium recalls Peter’s commission to guide Christ’s flock and his uninterrupted succession to the See of Rome.

Fidelity and obedience

After the proclamation of the Gospel, the celebration of the Mass for the inauguration of the Petrine ministry includes a particularly significant gesture: the act of obedience and fidelity of the universal Church to the new pope.

In 2013, during the Mass for the inauguration of Francis’ pontificate, this gesture was limited to the College of Cardinals. A delegation of cardinals approached the Argentine pontiff to express their reverence, obedience, and ecclesial communion.

However, at the Mass for the inauguration of Leo XIV’s pontificate, it will not be the cardinals who will pledge obedience to the new pope after the presentation of the pallium and the fisherman’s ring but rather a group of ”representatives of the people of God.”

Homily

The pope will then deliver his homily. This will be his first major liturgical address, which can be interpreted as a roadmap for the beginning of his Petrine ministry. The Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate officially marks the beginning of Leo XIV’s service as bishop of Rome and successor to St. Peter.

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

Pope Leo XIV smiles as a jubilant crowd joins in prayer on Sunday, May 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, May 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Mass for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate will be celebrated on Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. Rome time in St. Peter’s Square. The liturgy will mark the official beginning of his ministry as successor of Peter and bishop of Rome. On May 25, he will take canonical possession of St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome.

The Mass on May 18 will be celebrated as established in the “Order of Rites of the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry as Bishop of Rome,” a liturgical book approved by Benedict XVI in 2005 and reformed by him in 2013.

“The beginning of the Petrine ministry is what the celebration of the coronation of the pope used to be. Now, popes are no longer crowned with the three-tiered tiara, worn until Paul VI, but rather begin their ministry as the successor of Peter,” Father Juan José Silvestre explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. Silvestre is a professor of liturgy in the University of Navarra’s theology department.

In addition, during this ceremony, Leo XIV will receive the pallium and the fisherman’s ring, two elements with profound theological and pastoral significance that mark the start of his pontificate.

The beginning of the pontificate also includes taking canonical possession of the other three papal basilicas, including St. John Lateran Basilica, the cathedral of Rome and thus of the pope.

The taking possession of St. John Lateran Basilica will take place on May 25 and has a distinctive character. “It defines the Holy Father as such, or rather, it is a reminder that he is the bishop of Rome,” Silvestre noted.

“Just as a bishop, once appointed, has a period of two months to take possession of his cathedral, his seat, so the pope, as bishop, will also be received by the cathedral chapter and once seated in his cathedra [bishop’s throne or chair] in St. John Lateran of the Diocese of Rome, he will receive the expression of obedience and respect from a representative group from the Diocese of Rome,” he noted.

Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate

According to the program, the solemn ceremony on May 18 will begin inside St. Peter’s Basilica, before the Altar of Confession. “Pope Leo XIV will go before the tomb of the Apostle Peter to pray there in silence, moments before the solemn Mass for the initiation of his Petrine ministry as bishop of Rome,” Silvestre explained.

The patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome will also participate in this moment of recollection and prayer. Afterward, the liturgical procession to St. Peter’s Square will begin, led by the pope from inside the basilica to the outdoor altar where Mass will be celebrated.

During the procession, the “Laudes Regiae” (“Royal Praises”), a solemn litany of the saints appropriate for this occasion, is intoned. “It is a particular form of the Litany of the Saints in which the intercession of the saints is sought, grouped in distinct groups, to pray for the holiness of the pope,” the liturgical expert said.

This ancient liturgical chant accompanied Roman imperial victories in the distant past. It was revived by Emperor Charlemagne on Christmas Day in the year 800 during his coronation as emperor and has since become a solemn hymn for monarchical rites.

Also sung for the kings of France and the sovereigns of England until the Reformation, the “Laudes Regiae” evoke a central theological truth: All earthly power comes from God and must be exercised with humility and responsibility.

The pallium and the fisherman’s ring

One of the central moments of the rite is the presentation of the signs of the Petrine ministry, “the two elements that mark the beginning of the pontificate. Previously, the tiara was placed on the pope, but now the important elements are the papal pallium and the fisherman’s ring,” Silvestre related.

Both elements have profound theological and pastoral significance. “The pallium, which is a kind of stole or scarf, is made of sheep’s wool and represents the pope as a shepherd who carries the flock, that is, the Church, on his shoulders,” the liturgy expert explained.

Regarding the fisherman’s ring, the priest said that “it’s a kind of gold ring on which a representation of St. Peter in his boat and the pope's name are engraved.” This ring also has a practical function because “it is used to seal documents.” 

Until this Sunday’s Mass, the pontiff has been wearing his usual episcopal ring. After the rite of presentation of both elements, the College of Cardinals’ act of fidelity to the new pope will take place.

“We will see a representation of the cardinals — on behalf of the entire college — approach the Holy Father to express their reverence, obedience, and ecclesial communion,” Silvestre said.

Proclamation of the Gospel in Greek and Latin

Another of the main features of this Mass marking the inauguration of the pontificate is the proclamation of the Gospel in Greek and Latin, because “the successor of Peter is the pope of the Eastern Catholics and the Latin Catholics.”

After the inaugural Mass at St. Peter’s, Leo XIV will take possession of the other three papal basilicas. On Tuesday, May 20, he will take possession of St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica. On Sunday, May 25, his second Regina Caeli will be celebrated, and on that same day he will take possession of the basilicas of St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major.

The visit to St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica on May 20 will focus on the veneration of the tomb of the apostle to the Gentiles: “We will see the pope pray at the tomb of St. Paul.”

Finally, the visit to St. Mary Major Basilica — where Pope Francis used to go and where he is buried — will include Marian devotion. “During his visit to St. Mary Major, Pope Leo XIV will venerate the most famous icon of the city of Rome, the ‘Salus Populi Romani’ [‘Protection of the Roman People’],” Silvestre added.

Universal and diplomatic dimension

In any case, Silvestre emphasized that the Mass for the inauguration of the pontificate will have a clearly universal character because it “emphasizes the Holy Father as the pastor of the universal Church.”

Therefore, in addition to thousands of faithful, heads of state, and diplomatic representatives from various countries will attend. “The Holy See has diplomatic relations with more than 180 countries,” the liturgical expert noted.

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

St. Thérèse of Lisieux. / Credit: Public domain

Paris, France, May 16, 2025 / 17:11 pm (CNA).

The centenary year of St. Thérèse’s canonization began Jan. 4 and will continue until Christmas, with a weekend of celebrations taking place May 16–18 in Lisieux, France.

Alessandro Tamburlani is the president and founder of the gym where Cardinal Robert Prevost worked out before becoming pope. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News

Vatican City, May 16, 2025 / 16:41 pm (CNA).

When he was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost used to take long walks through the Borgo neighborhood in Rome. He lived in a simple apartment on Via di Porta Angelica until less than two months ago, when he moved to another apartment building reserved for high-ranking Vatican officials in the Sant’Uffizio (Holy Office) building where the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is now located.

In this central Roman neighborhood, just steps from St. Peter’s Square, he also frequented the Omega Fitness Club, which since May 8 — when he was elected pope — has become the most famous gym in Rome.

Last week, like all the residents in the area, the gym’s president and founder, Alessandro Tamburlani, ran to St. Peter’s Square as soon as he heard about the white smoke. His joy was even greater when he saw one of the registered members of his fitness center appear on the balcony.

“I won’t hide the fact that I cheered wildly,” Tamburlani said with emotion and pride. “My joy was doubled or tripled. Joy to finally have a new Holy Father after the obligatory period of mourning we went through. And joy also to know that he’s a good person and, moreover, someone we all already knew here at the gym.”

The then-Cardinal Prevost — who, as is well known, is also a tennis player — spent his free time on the cardio machines, his favorite exercise. He sometimes also used the stationary bikes and treadmills designed to improve cardiovascular endurance and burn calories. 

“He was a person like so many other members. He dressed like everyone else, in simple gym clothes. He was often accompanied by his assistant so he could work out,” he related.

An athletic pope

Tamburlani didn’t hide his enthusiasm when he noted that having an athletic pope really showcases the need to lead a healthy life. “He’s a shining light that allows us all to say that, if he can do it, we can all manage to take care of ourselves and exercise,” he pointed out.

He said Leo XIV’s lifestyle can be a model for all: “In the modern life we lead, always in a hurry, too busy for our own good, he invites us to be aware of our bodies and begin to take control of them, guiding them toward an excellent experience that combines spirituality and sports training.”

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

Photograph of Pope Leo XIV released by the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 16, 2025 / 15:11 pm (CNA).

The Holy See press office released a new photograph of Pope Leo XIV on Friday, available for free download at this link.

In the image, the pontiff appears smiling, dressed in the traditional white cassock and the gold pectoral cross he wore during his first greeting from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election as the successor of Peter on May 8.

The Vatican stated that “the image is provided free of charge and may only be reproduced for institutional purposes” and that “any use for commercial or other purposes is expressly prohibited.”

The Office of Liturgical Celebrations on May 10 had already published the official portrait of the Holy Father in which he appears wearing the red mozzetta, embroidered stole, rochet, and golden pectoral cross.

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

Pope Leo XIV addresses more than 100 ambassadors in an audience on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 16, 2025 / 11:59 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday said peaceful societies can be achieved if governments invested in families “founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman” in his first address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

Welcoming more than 100 ambassadors to an audience held inside the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, the Holy Father stated that resolving global inequalities as well as deep divisions between “continents, countries, and individual societies” starts in the home.

“This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman, ‘a small but genuine society, and prior to all civil society,’” he added, citing Rerum Novarum.

“Indeed, the Church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding,” he remarked.

In his May 16 audience with the diplomatic corps, the Holy Father said peace, justice, and truth are the “three essential words” and pillars of the Church’s evangelical mission and outreach and “the aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy” with states and sovereignties.

“The first word is peace,” he said. “All too often we consider it a ‘negative’ word, indicative only of the absence of war and conflict, since opposition is a perennial part of human nature, frequently leading us to live in a constant ‘state of conflict’ at home, at work, and in society.”

Reiterating his message of peace on the day of his May 8 election, the Holy Father told the ambassadors present at the gathering that peace, “the first gift of Christ,” is an “active and demanding gift” necessary for building relationships. 

“I believe that religions and interreligious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace,” he said. “This naturally requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person.” 

On justice, the Holy Father said working for peace first and foremost “requires acting justly.”   

He reminded government leaders about their responsibility to “build harmonious and peaceful civil societies” that uphold the dignity of every person. 

“No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” he continued.

The need for truth in a world faced with several multilayered crises, Pope Leo XIV — who identified himself as a “a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate” — said every person needs and yearns for the truth that “can never be separated from charity.”    

“Truth, then, does not create division but rather enables us to confront all the more resolutely the challenges of our time, such as migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and the protection of our beloved planet Earth,” he added.

Commenting on Pope Leo XIV’s remarks on migration, European Union ambassador to the Holy See Martin Selmayr told EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato that the decision to put “emigration and immigration in the one context” clearly revealed the underlying Christian worldview of the Catholic Church’s “truly global pope” on such issues.

“He spoke about the dignity of everybody in society, in particular the more vulnerable ones,” Selmayr said. I think his name [Leo] and from what we saw today is that this is a pope — it’s my impression — who wants to play a role internationally.”

Toward the end of his speech, the Holy Father particularly expressed his hope for peace, justice, and truth to start in “places that suffer most grievously,” specifically in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

Following the papal audience, Russian ambassador to the Holy See Ivan Soltanovsky told Di Donato that the Vatican is a significant player in world affairs.

“The Vatican is certainly a very important international actor who has moral, political, psychological — I should say — power,” he said. “This is respected everywhere, including Russia.”

“We respect the role of the Holy See in offering its mediation facilities and in resolving humanitarian aspects,” he added.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks to EWTN News in Oslo, Norway, on Jan. 17, 2025. / Credit: Fabio Gonella/EWTN News

Vatican City, May 16, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, has not ruled out the possibility of Pope Leo XIV traveling to Nicaea, located in the present-day Turkish town of Iznik, where the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council will be celebrated later this month.

“It’s an important moment for the Catholic Church and for ecumenism,” the Italian cardinal stated after noting that it could be the new pontiff’s first international destination.

“It was definitely planned that Pope Francis would go. I imagine Pope Leo will follow the same path,” he added, speaking with Vatican media on the sidelines of the event “Toward a Theology of Hope for and from Ukraine,” held at the Gregorian University on May 14–15, organized under the patronage of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The death of Pope Francis on April 21 had dashed the hopes of the Eastern Orthodox ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew, of being able to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with the bishop of Rome around May 24.

The pivotal ecclesial meeting, which took place in A.D. 325 at the initiative of Emperor Constantine, marked a milestone in the history of Christianity as the first ecumenical council of the Church, during which the Nicene Creed, the first official summary of Christian belief, was formulated.

Nonetheless, Patriarch Bartholomew did not rule out the possibility of a visit by Leo XIV. On May 8, during a tribute he received at the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation in Athens, Greece, he proposed an alternative plan to travel to Turkey at the end of November in observance of the feast of the patron saint of the ecuemenical patriarchate, St. Andrew, on Nov. 30.

He also indicated that he would be present at the Mass to inaugurate Leo XIV’s pontificate, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s.

Istanbul, a path to peace in Ukraine

On another note, Parolin also encouraged peace negotiations between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia during the meeting to be held in Turkey with the mediation of the United States.

He expressed his hope that the meeting planned for Istanbul could be “a serious starting point for ending the war.” 

“We always hope there are openings for peace,” Parolin said. “We are pleased that there is finally the possibility of a direct meeting. We hope that the existing issues can be resolved there and that a genuine peace process can begin.”

No immediate plans for a papal trip to Ukraine

Regarding a possible visit by Pope Leo XIV to Kyiv, Ukraine, following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s telephone invitation Monday, the Vatican secretary of state indicated that it is still “premature” to consider such a possibility.

Pope Leo XIV “will continue, as he has done numerous times since the start of his pontificate, to call for an end to the war,” Parolin affirmed.

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

In 1887, during a pilgrimage to Rome, Thérèse Martin — now known around the world as St. Thérèse of Lisieux — visited the chapel of Mater Admirabilis, tucked inside a convent atop the Spanish Steps. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, May 16, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

This year marks the 100th anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s canonization on May 17, 1925.

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Brothers of the Christian Schools on May 15, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 15, 2025 / 18:03 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday lamented that today’s youth must deal with “relativism,” “emotional instability,” and “superficiality,” although he called for transforming these challenges of the contemporary age into “springboards.”

The pontiff received the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle, on May 15 at the Vatican. He reminded them of the importance of experiencing teaching as a “ministry and mission” to help young people give their best according to God’s plan.

In his address, he listed the obstacles facing the younger generations: “Think of the isolation caused by rampant relational models increasingly marked by superficiality, individualism, and emotional instability; the spread of patterns of thought weakened by relativism; and the prevalence of rhythms and lifestyles in which there is not enough room for listening, reflection, and dialogue, at school, in the family, and sometimes among peers themselves, with consequent loneliness.”

These “demanding challenges,” he noted, must become “springboards” to “develop tools and adopt new languages to continue to touch the hearts of pupils, helping them and spurring them on to face every obstacle with courage in order to give the best of themselves in life, according to God’s plan.”

At the meeting, which took place against the backdrop of two special anniversaries: the third centenary of the promulgation of the bull In Apostolicae Dignitatis Solio, with which Benedict XIII approved the order and its rule (Jan. 26, 1725), and the 75th anniversary of Pius XII’s proclamation of St. John Baptist de La Salle as patron saint of educators (1950). 

“Young people of our time, like those of every age, are a volcano of life, energy, sentiments, and ideas. It can be seen from the wonderful things they are able to do, in so many fields. However, they also need help in order for this great wealth to grow in harmony and to overcome what, albeit in a different way to the past, can still hinder their healthy development,” he stated.

The American pontiff praised their presence, which continues to bring “the freshness of a rich and vast educational entity,” and focused in his address on the ministry and missionary dimension of teaching.

He thus quoted St. John Baptist de La Salle, who responded to the plea of ​​a layman, Adrian Nyel, who was struggling to keep his schools for the poor going.

“Your founder recognized in his request for help a sign of God; he accepted the challenge and set to work. Thus, beyond his own intentions and expectations, he brought to life a new teaching system: that of the Christian Schools, free and open to everyone,” the pope stated.

The pontiff also highlighted in his speech La Salle’s ability to respond creatively to the many difficulties of his time, also “venturing onto new and often unexplored paths,” and appreciated that this French saint and educator launched the “pedagogical revolution” of teaching directed at the entire class rather than individual students.

Another innovative element introduced by La Salle was “the adoption of French as the language of instruction; Sunday lessons, in which even young people forced to work on weekdays were able to participate; and the involvement of families in the school curriculum.”

This entire legacy, he emphasized, should serve as a model for today’s educators.

Under this premise, teacher training should be based on that principle so dear to La Salle: “teaching lived as ministry and mission, as [a form of consecrated life] in the Church.” 

Leo XIV also recalled the principle of “evangelizing by educating and educating by evangelizing,” ultimately emphasizing the importance of “synergy” among all the “formative components.”

Finally, he urged that “fruitful paths of holiness” be fostered and promoted among young people.

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