VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Many Christians "need to go back and re-read the Gospel" because they have forgotten that faith and love for the poor go hand in hand, Pope Leo XIV said in his first major papal document.

"Love for the poor -- whatever the form their poverty may take -- is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God," the pope wrote in "Dilexi Te" ("I Have Loved You"), an apostolic exhortation "to all Christians on love for the poor."

Pope Leo signed the document Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Vatican released the text Oct. 9.

The document was begun by Pope Francis, Pope Leo said, but he added to it and wanted to issue it near the beginning of his papacy "since I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ's love and his summons to care for the poor." 

The connection is not new or modern and was not a Pope Francis invention, he said. In fact, throughout the Hebrew Scriptures "God's love is vividly demonstrated by his protection of the weak and the poor, to the extent that he can be said to have a particular fondness for them."

"I am convinced that the preferential choice for the poor is a source of extraordinary renewal both for the Church and for society," Pope Leo wrote, "if we can only set ourselves free of our self-centeredness and open our ears to their cry."

As he has done from the beginning of his papacy in May, the pope decried the increasing gap between the world's wealthiest and poorest citizens and noted how women often are "doubly poor," struggling to feed their children and doing so with few rights or possibilities.

Pope Leo also affirmed church teaching since at least the 1960s that there are "structures of sin" that keep the poor in poverty and lead those who have sufficient resources to ignore the poor or think they are better than them.

When the church speaks of God's preferential option for the poor, he said, it does not exclude or discriminate against others, something "which would be impossible for God."

But the phrase is "meant to emphasize God's actions, which are moved by compassion toward the poverty and weakness of all humanity," he wrote. 

"Wanting to inaugurate a kingdom of justice, fraternity and solidarity," Pope Leo said, "God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his Church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest."

That choice, he said, must include pastoral and spiritual care as well as education, health care, jobs training and charity -- all of which the church has provided for centuries.

The document includes a separate section on migrants with the pope writing, "The Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: 'I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.'"

The quotation is from the Gospel of Matthew 25:35, which is part of the "Judgment of the Nations" in which Jesus clearly states that his followers will be judged on how they care for the poor, the sick, the imprisoned and the foreigner. 

"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking" in search of a better, safer life for themselves and their families, Pope Leo wrote.

"Where the world sees threats, she (the church) sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges," he continued. "She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome."

The church knows, he said, "that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community."

In his exhortation, Pope Leo went through biblical references to the obligation to love and care for the poor and cited saints and religious orders throughout history that have dedicated themselves to living with the poor and assisting them.

A section of the document focuses on the "fathers of the church," the early theologians, who, he said, "recognized in the poor a privileged way to reach God, a special way to meet him. Charity shown to those in need was not only seen as a moral virtue, but a concrete expression of faith in the incarnate Word," Jesus.

Of course, for Pope Leo, an Augustinian, St. Augustine of Hippo was included in the document. The saint, "The Doctor of Grace, saw caring for the poor as concrete proof of the sincerity of faith," the pope wrote. For Augustine, "anyone who says they love God and has no compassion for the needy is lying." 

And while the pope wrote that "the most important way to help the disadvantaged is to assist them in finding a good job," he insisted that when that is not possible, giving alms to a person asking for money is still a compassionate thing to do.

"It is always better at least to do something rather than nothing," Pope Leo wrote.

Still, the pope said, Christians cannot stand idly by while the global economic system penalizes the poor and makes some people exceedingly wealthy. "We must continue, then, to denounce the 'dictatorship of an economy that kills,'" he said, quoting a phrase Pope Francis used.

"Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity, or we fall into a cesspool," he wrote.

"A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love," Pope Leo said, "is the Church that the world needs today."
 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 8, 2025 / 17:13 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV became “visibly emotional” upon receiving messages on Oct. 8 from immigrants fearing deportation in the United States, a member of a U.S. delegation said.

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino, and Dylan Corbett of Hope Border Institute gave the pope a collection of handwritten letters from migrant families expressing fear and faith. They showed the pope a video with immigrants’ voices saying mass deportations in the United States are breaking family bonds and stripping children of safety.

“We live in a state of constant anxiety, never knowing if tomorrow will bring separation,” an immigrant says in the video.

Corbett posted on X that Leo told the delegation, which included immigrants: “The Church cannot stay silent before injustice. You stand with me, and I stand with you.” 

One letter writer expressed fear of leaving the house, even to see a doctor, and asked for prayers for President Donald Trump that his heart may be filled with love, compassion, and empathy. The Trump administration is undertaking a massive expansion of enforcement, detention, and border control efforts.

‘You could see tears in his eyes’

Corbett, founding executive director of Hope Border Institute, described the 25-minute encounter with Pope Leo to CNA.

“Bishop Seitz spoke about the Church in the United States’ commitment to walking alongside immigrants and refugees in our country,” Corbett recalled, noting Seitz’s remarks had been unscripted. “And the Holy Father quickly said he wanted the Church in the United States to be more united and forceful on this issue, and that what’s happening right now is an injustice.” 

“We were then able to share from our perspective some of what we’re seeing across the United States right now in terms of the campaign of mass deportations,” he continued, adding: “The Holy Father grew visibly emotional about that.”

The group presented Leo with “over 100 letters from immigrants across the country who are at risk of deportation or who are in mixed families.” The delegation also presented the Holy Father with a video featuring “voices drawn from those letters that tell the story of the anxieties and fears, and also the hopes, right now of the immigrant community.” 

At this point, Corbett said Leo “became emotional and you could see tears in his eyes.” 

“He was very supportive and encouraging,” Corbett said, noting several representatives from the immigrant community were also present for the meeting and offered their testimonies. 

Fernie Ceniceros, a spokesperson for the El Paso Diocese, told CNA: “The Diocese of El Paso is thrilled to know that the Holy Father was able to meet with Bishop Mark Seitz and our Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino and a small delegation of local immigration advocates that included clergy from with the diocese.”

“We are blessed to know that the Holy Father expressed his support of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border along with migrants all over the world,” he added. 

Ceniceros shared several images of the letters given to Leo, including one in English and one in Spanish. 

One of the letters sent by an El Paso priest on loan from the Srikakulam Diocese in Andhra Pradesh, India, described “feeling a sort of insecurity … due to the immigration situation” and noted that many are “scared to move comfortably even with legal documentation.” 

The letter further appealed to the Holy Father for papal support in being “a voice for the voiceless” while also “uphold[ing]  the right of nations to regulate borders and the right of people to seek a better life.”

Another letter from an anonymous immigrant lacking legal status in California told Leo: “These days we are living with a lot of fear, confusion, and sadness.” The letter appealed to the Holy Father to “continue petitioning our God and to continue listening to the voice of the needy immigrant community, raising his voice alongside our brothers and sisters from separated families.” 

“Thank you for listening to us,” it concluded. 

Messages from migrants

One letter said:

“Dear Pope Leo, there are two members of my family without documents. I feel afraid to go out to work and that I could be separated from my family. I think that there should be demand for the immigration agents not to be allowed to get close to parishes, and the raids should stop, because they only create pain and fear. I think the pope should be openly against the raids, and the unjust treatment that’s affecting the community. Speaking clearly and concisely about the situation that we are in and condemning the way in which so-called Christians in power are acting.”

Another letter said:

“We are a mixed family. I am very sad, with a lot of pain and fear. I have not gone out for two weeks and when I do go out, I’m afraid, even when I have to go to the doctor. I think that the Church could help us in getting immigration lawyers to support us and all of those who have been detained. The Church could also give protection to families that remain here. Pope Leo, you know the whole situation that the world is living in, that there is a lot of pain and that we don’t have peace. We ask for your prayers and that you would speak to those who you should speak to. I also ask for prayers for Donald Trump for his heart to be filled with love, compassion, and empathy.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 8, 2025 / 17:13 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV became “visibly emotional” upon receiving messages on Oct. 8 from immigrants fearing deportation in the United States, a member of a U.S. delegation said.

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino, and Dylan Corbett of Hope Border Institute gave the pope a collection of handwritten letters from migrant families expressing fear and faith. They showed the pope a video with immigrants’ voices saying mass deportations in the United States are breaking family bonds and stripping children of safety.

“We live in a state of constant anxiety, never knowing if tomorrow will bring separation,” an immigrant says in the video.

Corbett posted on X that Leo told the delegation, which included immigrants: “The Church cannot stay silent before injustice. You stand with me, and I stand with you.” 

One letter writer expressed fear of leaving the house, even to see a doctor, and asked for prayers for President Donald Trump that his heart may be filled with love, compassion, and empathy. The Trump administration is undertaking a massive expansion of enforcement, detention, and border control efforts.

‘You could see tears in his eyes’

Corbett, founding executive director of Hope Border Institute, described the 25-minute encounter with Pope Leo to CNA.

“Bishop Seitz spoke about the Church in the United States’ commitment to walking alongside immigrants and refugees in our country,” Corbett recalled, noting Seitz’s remarks had been unscripted. “And the Holy Father quickly said he wanted the Church in the United States to be more united and forceful on this issue, and that what’s happening right now is an injustice.” 

“We were then able to share from our perspective some of what we’re seeing across the United States right now in terms of the campaign of mass deportations,” he continued, adding: “The Holy Father grew visibly emotional about that.”

The group presented Leo with “over 100 letters from immigrants across the country who are at risk of deportation or who are in mixed families.” The delegation also presented the Holy Father with a video featuring “voices drawn from those letters that tell the story of the anxieties and fears, and also the hopes, right now of the immigrant community.” 

At this point, Corbett said Leo “became emotional and you could see tears in his eyes.” 

“He was very supportive and encouraging,” Corbett said, noting several representatives from the immigrant community were also present for the meeting and offered their testimonies. 

Fernie Ceniceros, a spokesperson for the El Paso Diocese, told CNA: “The Diocese of El Paso is thrilled to know that the Holy Father was able to meet with Bishop Mark Seitz and our Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino and a small delegation of local immigration advocates that included clergy from with the diocese.”

“We are blessed to know that the Holy Father expressed his support of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border along with migrants all over the world,” he added. 

Ceniceros shared several images of the letters given to Leo, including one in English and one in Spanish. 

One of the letters sent by an El Paso priest on loan from the Srikakulam Diocese in Andhra Pradesh, India, described “feeling a sort of insecurity … due to the immigration situation” and noted that many are “scared to move comfortably even with legal documentation.” 

The letter further appealed to the Holy Father for papal support in being “a voice for the voiceless” while also “uphold[ing]  the right of nations to regulate borders and the right of people to seek a better life.”

Another letter from an anonymous immigrant lacking legal status in California told Leo: “These days we are living with a lot of fear, confusion, and sadness.” The letter appealed to the Holy Father to “continue petitioning our God and to continue listening to the voice of the needy immigrant community, raising his voice alongside our brothers and sisters from separated families.” 

“Thank you for listening to us,” it concluded. 

Messages from migrants

One letter said:

“Dear Pope Leo, there are two members of my family without documents. I feel afraid to go out to work and that I could be separated from my family. I think that there should be demand for the immigration agents not to be allowed to get close to parishes, and the raids should stop, because they only create pain and fear. I think the pope should be openly against the raids, and the unjust treatment that’s affecting the community. Speaking clearly and concisely about the situation that we are in and condemning the way in which so-called Christians in power are acting.”

Another letter said:

“We are a mixed family. I am very sad, with a lot of pain and fear. I have not gone out for two weeks and when I do go out, I’m afraid, even when I have to go to the doctor. I think that the Church could help us in getting immigration lawyers to support us and all of those who have been detained. The Church could also give protection to families that remain here. Pope Leo, you know the whole situation that the world is living in, that there is a lot of pain and that we don’t have peace. We ask for your prayers and that you would speak to those who you should speak to. I also ask for prayers for Donald Trump for his heart to be filled with love, compassion, and empathy.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 8, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).

The Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union reiterated its call for the bloc to reinstate the position of special envoy for religious freedom.

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 8, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).

The representatives of the Catholic bishops to the European Union reiterated their call for the bloc to act firmly against anti-Christian persecution around the world by reinstating the position of the special envoy for religious freedom.

At the conclusion of its autumn assembly, the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE, by its acronym) noted that “freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is an inalienable human right enshrined in Article 10 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights” that continues to be “seriously threatened in many regions of the world.”

In a statement, the bishops expressed their “growing dismay” at “the discrimination and persecution suffered by individuals, religious minorities, and faith communities — mostly Christian — who are “targeted for their beliefs.”

At the same time, COMECE recognized that the EU “has consistently affirmed its commitment to human rights as a central pillar of its external action.” However, it noted that “existing mechanisms are in themselves very valuable but lack the authority and visibility necessary to address this crisis with the necessary vigor and coherence.”

“The gravity of the situation demands a more firm, dedicated, and institutionalized response,” the bishops continued, maintaining that the EU “has a particular responsibility to defend these values ​​beyond its borders.”

In this regard, they emphasized that “the position of EU special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU was created in 2016 and has been instrumental in promoting this cause on the world stage.” They also emphasized that “having someone in this position improves the EU’s ability to monitor, report on, and respond effectively to violations of religious freedom around the world.”

Therefore, they warn: “We are deeply concerned that this important position has remained vacant for a prolonged period, which sends a worrying signal to persecuted communities around the world and to those who violate religious freedom with impunity.”

The prelates representing the Catholic Church in the countries of the European Union denounced that keeping the position vacant “suggests a diminishing priority of this fundamental right within EU foreign policy precisely at a time when its defense has become more urgent than ever.”

Consequently, the COMECE bishops urged the European Commission “to appoint a new EU special envoy without further delay, strengthening their mandate and allocating adequate human and financial resources to fulfill their mission.”

This is not the first time the position has become vacant since its creation in 2016. The first to fill the post was Slovakian Ján Figel, who served until 2019.

The position remained vacant for a year and a half until May 2021, when Cypriot Christos Stylianides was appointed. However, Stylianides left the post just six months later. Italian Mario Mauro was then proposed but did not receive sufficient support.

It wasn’t until December 2022 that the European Commission appointed Belgian Frans van Daele, whose term has now expired without the European Commission having proposed a replacement to date.

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

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 8, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Police said the man arrested outside of a Washington, D.C., cathedral Oct. 5 had hundreds of explosives and papers suggesting he planned to target Catholics and Supreme Court justices. 

Louis Geri was arrested outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle before the annual “Red Mass” that welcomes Supreme Court justices and lawmakers. Police reported Geri had potential explosives on his person and in his tent set up near the church’s entrance.

When police approached him in the tent, he told police: “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives/bombs,” court documents show.

Police officers and the bomb squad conducted a further search and said they found Geri had paperwork that “revealed his significant animosity towards the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, members of SCOTUS, and ICE/ICE facilities.” The search also “revealed a large cache of handmade destructive devices recovered from [his] tent,” police said. 

Geri also threatened to throw an explosive into the street and said he had “a hundred plus of them,” police said.

Papers found in Geri’s tent were titled: “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives,” police said. The suspect confirmed to police they were his papers. 

A business manager for St. Matthew’s provided police with paperwork showing the Metropolitan Police Department barred him from the location and that Geri had earlier been at the cathedral Sept. 26 when he had set up his tent on the steps and refused to leave.

Police said Geri told them: “Several of your people are gonna die from one of these,” referring to the explosives. 

Geri was charged with unlawful entry; manufacture, transfer, use, possession, or transportation of molotov cocktails or other explosives for unlawful purposes; threats to kidnap or injure a person; assault on police officer; possession of destructive device; manufacture or possession of weapon of mass destruction (hate crime); and resisting arrest. He is being held in jail without bond.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 8, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Police said the man arrested outside of a Washington, D.C., cathedral Oct. 5 had hundreds of explosives and papers suggesting he planned to target Catholics and Supreme Court justices. 

Louis Geri was arrested outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle before the annual “Red Mass” that welcomes Supreme Court justices and lawmakers. Police reported Geri had potential explosives on his person and in his tent set up near the church’s entrance.

When police approached him in the tent, he told police: “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives/bombs,” court documents show.

Police officers and the bomb squad conducted a further search and said they found Geri had paperwork that “revealed his significant animosity towards the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, members of SCOTUS, and ICE/ICE facilities.” The search also “revealed a large cache of handmade destructive devices recovered from [his] tent,” police said. 

Geri also threatened to throw an explosive into the street and said he had “a hundred plus of them,” police said.

Papers found in Geri’s tent were titled: “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives,” police said. The suspect confirmed to police they were his papers. 

A business manager for St. Matthew’s provided police with paperwork showing the Metropolitan Police Department barred him from the location and that Geri had earlier been at the cathedral Sept. 26 when he had set up his tent on the steps and refused to leave.

Police said Geri told them: “Several of your people are gonna die from one of these,” referring to the explosives. 

Geri was charged with unlawful entry; manufacture, transfer, use, possession, or transportation of molotov cocktails or other explosives for unlawful purposes; threats to kidnap or injure a person; assault on police officer; possession of destructive device; manufacture or possession of weapon of mass destruction (hate crime); and resisting arrest. He is being held in jail without bond.

Vatican City, Oct 8, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday warned against the claim that true joy “must be without wounds” or “trials,” saying pain is not the denial of God’s promise of love for his people.

During his Oct. 8 general audience at the Vatican, the Holy Father said “there is an obstacle that often prevents us from recognizing Christ’s presence in our daily lives: the assumption that joy must be free from suffering.”

Continuing his catechesis on the resurrection of Christ, the pope emphasized that God does not “impose himself loudly” but “waits patiently for the moment when our eyes will open to see his friendly face” in order to “transform disappointment into confident expectation.”

Before hundreds of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he asked for the grace to be able to notice the “humble and discreet presence” of Christ and to discover that “very pain, if inhabited by love, can become a place of communion.”

The Holy Father began his catechesis on the Resurrection with the image of the disciples of Emmaus, who walked “sadly because they hoped for a different ending” and “for a Messiah who did not know the cross.”

Despite having heard that the tomb is empty, the pope said the two disciples were “unable to smile” because they were unable to recognize God’s close presence. 

“But Jesus walks alongside them and patiently helps them understand that pain is not the denial of the promise, but the way through which God has manifested the measure of his love,” Leo said in his Wednesday catechesis. 

“Brothers and sisters, Christ’s resurrection teaches us that no history is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope,” he added. “No fall is definitive, no night is eternal, no wound is destined to remain open forever.” 

“However distant, lost, or unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God’s love,” he continued.

In times of disappointment, Leo XIV invited people to not give into despair but “to discover that beneath the ashes of disenchantment and weariness there is always a living ember, waiting only to be rekindled.”

“Instead, the Risen One is close to us precisely in the darkest places: in our failures, in our frayed relationships, in the daily struggles that weigh on our shoulders, in the doubts that discourage us. Nothing that we are, no fragment of our existence, is foreign to him,” he said.

“Today, the risen Lord walks alongside each of us as we travel our paths — those of work and commitment, but also those of suffering and loneliness — and with infinite delicacy asks us to let him warm our hearts,” he added. 

Toward the conclusion of his address, the Holy Father asked people to pray for the grace to recognize Christ “as our companion on the road” in daily life. 

“And so, like the disciples of Emmaus, we too return to our homes with hearts burning with joy. A simple joy that does not erase wounds but illuminates them,” he said. “A joy that comes from the certainty that the Lord is alive, walks with us, and gives us the possibility to start again at every moment.”