A look at the spiritual works of mercy through the eyes of Mother Angelica
When Catholics hear about the works of mercy, they may think first of feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, or clothing the naked. These corporal works of mercy address the physical needs of others, but the Church also teaches that people have spiritual needs that also must be addressed.
The seven spiritual works of mercy include: admonish the sinner, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, bear wrongs patiently, forgive injuries, and pray for the living and the dead.
Few modern Catholic voices spoke about these realities as plainly — and as humorously — as Mother Angelica, the foundress of EWTN. Through her long-running television program “Mother Angelica Live,” she encouraged Catholics to live the Gospel in ordinary life.
Her words offer practical insight into how we can live these works of mercy today:
1. Admonish the sinner
To admonish the sinner means to help someone recognize sin and turn back to God. This work of mercy must always be done with humility and charity, never with condemnation.
Mother Angelica often reminded viewers that conversion is rooted in God’s mercy: “God always forgives when you are totally repentant and you desire to change. He forgives… and he never gets tired of forgiving. Never.”
Because of God’s endless mercy, we should never hesitate to encourage someone to return to him and help them encounter God’s love, which leads to repentance.
2. Instruct the ignorant
To instruct the ignorant is to teach the truths of the faith to those who do not know them. This can happen in classrooms, parishes, homes, and everyday conversations.
Mother Angelica frequently reminded her audience that every person has a deep spiritual hunger: “Everyone hungers for God. Everyone needs the Lord. A tremendous amount of people don’t know they need God — they go every direction possible, and everywhere they go, they still feel that vacuum, that hunger for God.”
Teaching the faith — whether to children, friends, or fellow parishioners — is therefore an act of mercy. It helps fill the spiritual hunger that only God can satisfy.
Mother Angelica also emphasized that instruction begins in the home.
“I cannot bring Christ to my neighbor and to the world if I have not first given him to my family,” she said.
3. Counsel the doubtful
Many people struggle with doubt — about faith, about moral decisions, or about their place in God’s plan. To counsel the doubtful means offering guidance, wisdom, and encouragement.
When we counsel someone who is uncertain or searching, we remind them that God has a purpose for his or her life and desires that person’s holiness.
Mother Angelica often spoke about the unique vocation and plan God gives to every person.
“God has designed for each one of us a certain degree of holiness. Each one. It’s as if no one else existed,” she said.
4. Comfort the sorrowful
Suffering touches every human life — through grief, illness, disappointment, or loneliness. Comforting the sorrowful means being present to those who suffer and reminding them that Christ is with them.
Mother Angelica spoke openly about suffering from her own experience of illness and hardship.
She once said: “Sometimes my worst day — one filled with pain and suffering — in the eyes of God is my best day if I’ve borne it cheerfully and with love.”
By helping others unite their suffering with Christ, we offer a consolation deeper than words. Sometimes the greatest comfort we can give is simply our presence and our prayer.
5. Bear wrongs patiently
This spiritual work of mercy calls us to endure offenses, inconveniences, and injustices without bitterness.
Mother Angelica once explained that our trials can become opportunities for holiness: “Jesus is giving you such an opportunity to be holy, holier than all the saints that have ever been, because the world is in such need of shining lives, beacons to see by,” she said.
Responding to difficulties with patience rather than anger allows Christ’s light to shine through us.
6. Forgive injuries
Forgiveness is perhaps the most challenging spiritual work of mercy. When someone hurts us deeply, resentment can take root in our hearts, but the Gospel calls us to forgive as God forgives us.
Mother Angelica spoke frequently about the need to forgive others.
“We have to forgive instantly. That’s what the Lord did,” she once said.
On another occasion she said: “You can’t go to heaven hating somebody. Forgive now. Be compassionate now. Be grateful now. Love Jesus and Mary now. Accept God’s will now.”
When we forgive others — even when it is difficult — we imitate the mercy of Christ.
7. Pray for the living and the dead
The final spiritual work of mercy is praying for the living and the dead. Interceding for others puts their needs before God and entrusts them to his mercy.
Mother Angelica often reminded viewers that prayer is not about trying to manipulate God but about giving ourselves to him: “God is not a slot machine. We don’t go to God to get something; we go to give something.”
Through prayer we offer our love, our trust, and our concern for others. The Church especially encourages prayers for the dead, asking God to bring them into the fullness of eternal life.
Aid to the Church in Need warns escalating violence threatens survival of Middle East Christians
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has expressed deep concern over the security and humanitarian challenges posed by renewed violence in the Middle East, warning that the spiral of conflict could threaten the region’s already fragile Christian communities and even bring an end to the Christian presence in the Middle East if the pressures exceed their capacity to endure.
Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN, told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that the desire to preserve the historic Christian presence in the Middle East and prevent its disappearance is self-evident. She said any new war would come at a heavy cost, one borne first and foremost by civilians, especially Christians, who are often among the weakest and least able to defend themselves.
A growing challenge in Lebanon
Lynch said the greatest concern at present is focused on Lebanon, where the challenge is worsening as thousands of people are already being displaced, according to ACN teams working on the ground.
“The Lebanese, like all peoples, long for peace and hope for a chance to help their country recover from the many challenges it faces. But once again, they find themselves the victims of renewed conflict,” she said.
A catastrophic situation in Gaza
In the Holy Land, Lynch described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as still catastrophic. She warned that any further obstruction of aid deliveries would place the resilient Catholic parish there, along with thousands of people who depend on its assistance, at grave risk.
In the West Bank, where many Christian families rely on tourism as a main source of income, Lynch said renewed instability threatens their livelihoods at a time when they had been hoping for an increase in pilgrims and visitors during the Easter season.
Prayer, solidarity, and hope
For decades, Aid to the Church in Need has supported Christian communities in the Middle East. Lynch affirmed that the foundation will continue its work, while calling for prayer and solidarity.
“Despite the difficult circumstances, parishes and religious communities continue distributing food, running schools, sheltering displaced families, and promoting reconciliation as much as possible,” she said.
Lynch also highlighted the strength of faith and perseverance shown by Middle Eastern Christians despite centuries of persecution and discrimination. She added: “It is true that many have left, but others remain. We know many of them. Their faith is firm and alive. Their presence in these countries is a wonderful and steadfast seed of faith, and indeed a challenge to our own faith.”
Most important investment
According to the latest statistics issued by ACN, funding allocated to the Middle East accounted for 17.5% of the foundation’s total aid. In this regard, Lynch stressed that ACN’s investments are not limited to buildings and projects. Rather, the human person remains its priority and most important investment.
Lynch said that as Christians, the ACN workers’ hope does not fail, especially because they have learned so much from their experience with Middle Eastern Christians, who offer a living example of perseverance and endurance amid hardship without losing hope.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo tackles topic of domestic abuse on International Women’s Day
In the context of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a reader of Piazza San Pietro magazine who asked what can be done about femicides, and the pope shared that violence against women causes him “great suffering.”
Femicide is defined as a man killing a girl or a woman for the very reason that she is female.
Pope Leo replied to a woman named Giovanna, who said she is “fortunate” to be married to a man who loves and respects her. The letter appeared in the latest issue of the publication, which this March is dedicated to women.
In her letter, the woman confessed to having “tears in her eyes” because of the “death trap” that married life becomes when a man kills a woman due to a “culture of possession.”
Giovanna then proposed an alliance between the Catholic Church and schools to educate young people in love and respect. “Who else, if not schools and the Church, can help new generations by spreading a culture of respect, love, and above all, freedom?” she asked.
Pope Leo XIV’s response to violence against women
“You raise a major issue that for me is always a source of great suffering: violence in relationships, and in particular violence against women,” the Holy Father responded to Giovanna.
“In a world often dominated by violent thinking, we must further support the feminine genius, as St. John Paul II said, the ‘genius of women,’ protagonists and creators of a culture of care and fraternity indispensable for giving a future and dignity to all humanity,” he emphasized.
Leo XIV added that “perhaps this is also why women are beaten and murdered, because they are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain, and violent society, because they point to values of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity, and justice.”
“These are great values, which are nevertheless attacked by a dangerous mentality that infests relationships and only produces selfishness, prejudice, discrimination, and a will to dominate,” he added.
After recalling that he had already denounced the violence of femicides in June 2025, the pope stressed that “violence, any violence, is the boundary that separates civilization from barbarism.”
Leo XIV then advised that “we must never underestimate an act of violence and we must not be afraid to denounce violence, including that climate of justification or that downplays or denies responsibility.”
“Walking together in mutual respect for our humanity is not a dream, but the only possible reality for building a world of light for all.”
A task for the Church
The pope thanked Giovanna for her suggestions for an “ever stronger educational alliance” and stated that “the Church, together with families, schools, parishes, movements and associations, religious congregations, and public institutions, can share the urgency of carrying out specific projects to prevent and stop violence against women.”
The pope also recalled that on Nov. 25, 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, he emphasized that “to stop violence, we must begin with the education of young people.”
“We must begin by opening everyone’s hearts to the fact that every person is a human being who deserves respect, that dignity for men and women, for everyone.”
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.
NBC poll: Pope Leo XIV held in highest esteem among public personalities
A March NBC poll found that U.S. voters hold Pope Leo XIV in highest esteem among other public personalities.
The NBC News Survey by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies surveyed 1,000 registered voters about public figures and various topics, including the first U.S. pope.
When asked how they felt about Leo, 42% of respondents were “very positive” or “somewhat positive,” while 8% felt “somewhat negative” or “very negative.”
With a favorability rating that outpaced unfavorability by 34 points, Leo ranked ahead of other U.S. figures including comedian Stephen Colbert, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (listed in order of their net rating).
Leo’s total positive score beat out Trump’s by 1 percentage point and JD Vance’s by 4 percentage points. The American pope’s total negative score was markedly lower than that of other U.S. public figures as the only one in the single digits. Colbert was the only other public figure who had a net-positive rating.
The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 1,000 respondents is plus or minus 3.10 percentage points.
Comparison with previous popes
In comparison with previous popes in similar polls, Leo’s total positive rating is somewhere in between. Pope Francis peaked at a 57% approval rating in December 2013, according to NBC. Pope Benedict XVI had a 30% positive rating in February 2013, while Pope John Paul II’s favorability in January 1998 hit 65%.
Born on the South Side of Chicago, Leo is the first pope to hold U.S. citizenship as well as the first to hold Peruvian citizenship and the first Augustinian pope. Following Pope Francis, he is the second pope from the Americas.
Pope Leo expresses sorrow over death of Maronite priest in Israeli bombing
Pope Leo XIV has expressed his sorrow over the death of a priest in southern Lebanon, a victim of an Israeli bombing on Monday, March 9.
“Pope Leo XIV expresses his profound sorrow for all the victims of the bombings in the Middle East these past few days, for the many innocent people, including numerous children, and for those who were helping them, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi, a Maronite priest killed this afternoon in Qlayaa,” reads a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
The pope, the Vatican message added, “is following the events with concern and prays for a swift end to all hostilities.”
El Raii, a Maronite parish priest in southern Lebanon, was killed in a bombing while going to the aid of a parishioner wounded in a earlier attack, according to Father Toufic Bou Merhi, a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land, who spoke with Vatican media.
The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) confirmed the tragic news.
“Deeply disturbing reports indicate that a parish priest in southern Lebanon was killed in an Israeli attack. Father Pierre Al Rahi was ministering to his grieving parishioners in the village of Qlayaa when it was attacked,” the organization said in a statement.
The French Catholic organization L’Œuvre d’Orient (The Work of the Orient) strongly condemned the attack and warned of the growing risk to the civilian population.
“L’Œuvre d’Orient condemns in the strongest terms these acts of war, which aim to destabilize all of Lebanon and kill innocent civilians. The death of a priest who refused to abandon his parish is a further escalation of senseless violence,” it said.
The attack occurred around 2 p.m. local Beirut time, exactly one week after the start of the intensification of Israeli bombing in the south of the country.
“There was an initial attack that hit a house near his parish, wounding one of the parishioners. Father Pierre rushed to his aid with dozens of young people. It was then that another bombing occurred at the same house. The priest was wounded,” recounted Bou Merhi, parish priest of the Latin communities of Tiro and Deirmimas.
The priest was taken to a local hospital but died shortly afterward.
El Raii was 50 years old and considered a leading figure for the Christians in the area. According to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), armed militants had entered the Qlayaa-Marjayoun area, as well as the nearby villages of Rmeish, Debel, and Ain Ebel, endangering previously safe communities.
Grief and fear in Christian community
The priest’s death has deeply affected the local Catholic community, which was already living under increasing pressure from the conflict.
“They are weeping over the tragedy and, at the same time, are very afraid. Until now, people didn’t want to leave their homes in Christian villages, but in this situation, everything has changed,” Bou Merhi said.
The priest explained that for many, leaving their homes practically means “living on the street or trying to rent a house, but people can’t afford it.”
Humanitarian crisis: Thousands of displaced persons
The conflict has also caused a serious humanitarian crisis. Bou Merhi reported that the Franciscan convent in Tyre is currently sheltering some 200 displaced people, all of them Muslims.
“We are taking them in. Where else can those in need find refuge in this situation?” he asked.
He explained that in Beirut alone there are nearly 500,000 displaced people, while almost 300,000 have fled the south of the country and thousands more have left the Bekaa Valley.
“People know what they are leaving behind: their homes, their belongings, their history. But they don’t know where to go. Many are sleeping in their cars or on the streets. We were not prepared to take in almost a quarter of the population,” he said.
Despite the circumstances, the Franciscan friar affirmed that the Christian communities are striving to maintain hope. “We say, and we repeat, that the last thing that must not die within us is hope in the Lord, who always gives us the strength to continue,” he stated.
“As the pope has said, weapons do not bring peace; they bring massacres and hatred. All we ask is to live with a little dignity,” he concluded.
Walter Sánchez Silva and Victoria Cardiel contributed to this report.
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.
Ford CEO gifts Pope Leo XIV custom Chicago-inspired car
The CEO of Ford Motor Co. gifted Pope Leo XIV a custom-made 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum hybrid embellished with small tributes to both Chicago and the Vatican.
“Pope Leo XIV has deep roots on Chicago’s South Side — just like Ford,” Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “And we thought it would be especially fitting for him to drive an Explorer built at our Chicago Assembly Plant, which has been in continuous operation for more than a century.”
After Farley and his wife, Lia, decided to launch the project for the Chicago-born pope, Ford, one of the largest American car companies, reached out to the Vatican before putting together a team to create the one-of-a-kind vehicle for the first American pontiff.
“Lia and I made the donation personally, but it only became possible because a group of Ford employees helped bring this special vehicle to life,” he said.
The car features many nods to both Chicago and the Vatican. The scuff plates feature engravings of the Chicago skyline and St. Peter’s Basilica to represent Pope Leo’s journey to the Vatican.
The seat tags are also designed as Chicago flags, and the car’s license plates read “DA POPE” and “LEO XIV.”
Employees were told they were building a vehicle for “a VIP,” but because of confidentiality, they didn’t originally know it was for the pope. Many only learned recently they helped build a car that is being driven on Vatican grounds.
“As soon as I could, I told my family,” Jennifer Barilovich, lead electrical systems integration engineer for the project, said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “I come from a huge Catholic family, so everyone was thrilled and just thought it was the coolest project.”
Adolphus Harper, a pre-delivery specialist for Ford, said: “I graduated from St. Rita in 1986, so knowing that the pope who once taught me is now driving something I helped assemble — it’s unbelievable.”
“Knowing a vehicle built here in Chicago is going to the pope, it’s hard not to feel proud. As someone with deep faith, it feels like an even greater honor,” said Danny Golubovic, a pre-delivery specialist.
“After 30 years at Chicago Assembly, the pride never fades,” said Valerie Hernandez, a pre-delivery specialist for Ford. “Knowing that something we built is out there being enjoyed by the pope makes me incredibly proud. It’s a privilege to be part of something bigger than yourself.”
From the Chicago Assembly Plant to the Chicago-born pope
The car was gifted to Pope Leo in person by Farley and his wife on Feb. 28 during a private audience at the Vatican.
“He noticed and appreciated all the personal touches,” Farley said. “We even took a quick drive, and I can confirm the Holy Father enjoys driving a sporty ride.”
“But more than anything, what stays with me is the feeling of gratitude and joy we experienced meeting him and sharing this small gesture,” he said.
The team also gave Pope Leo some other personal gifts including a picture of the Chicago Assembly Plant team, handwritten letters from employees, and a pizza box from Chicago’s Aurelio’s Pizza restaurant.
“I wrote a letter to the pope to tell him how much it meant to me,” Barilovich said. “I hope my letter gave the pope a sense of how proud I am. This is the highlight of my professional life so far.”
Archbishop Coakley extends ‘warmest welcome’ to new papal nuncio
Archbishop Paul Coakley is celebrating the appointment of Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia as papal nuncio to the U.S.
“It is with joy that I welcome the news that our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed as his personal representative and nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Caccia,” he said in a March 7 statement. “On behalf of my brother bishops, I wish to extend our warmest welcome and our prayerful support to him as he carries out his responsibilities across the United States, and we look forward to working with him.”
The Holy See announced Caccia’s appointment on March 7.
Caccia has served as the Holy See’s permanent observer at the United Nations in New York since 2019. The Italian diplomat previously served as nuncio, the pope’s diplomatic representative, to Lebanon and the Philippines.
Caccia was born in Milan, Italy, in February 1958 and ordained a priest in 1983. He joined the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See in 1991 and served his first post at the apostolic nunciature in Tanzania.
He was appointed apostolic nuncio to Lebanon and titular archbishop of Sepino in 2009 and later as apostolic nuncio to the Philippines by Pope Francis in 2017.
Coakley also expressed his “sincere and prayerful appreciation” to Caccia’s predecessor, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who retired after turning 80 in January.
“I have had many opportunities to work with Cardinal Pierre over the years, particularly over the last four months through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,” he said. “Thank you, Your Eminence, for your tireless service to the Church in the United States, and on behalf of my brother bishops, I offer our heartfelt prayers and best wishes in your retirement.”
The French-born Pierre served as apostolic nuncio to the U.S. for nearly 10 years — spanning three U.S. presidential terms and two pontificates. Pierre’s retirement marks the end of an ecclesiastical diplomatic career that began in 1977 with his first role in New Zealand and included stints in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Brazil, and the United Nations in Geneva.
‘House of David,’ ‘The Chosen’ win big at the Movieguide Awards
“The Chosen” and “House of David” were among the many winners at the 33rd annual Movieguide Awards, which aired March 5.
The annual Movieguide Awards celebrates TV shows and movies that, according to its website, “reflect Christian values, biblical truth, and messages of redemption, hope, and faith” and “stories that uplift families, strengthen believers, and point hearts toward Christ.”
“House of David” and the star of the show, Michael Iskander, took two awards home. The new hit series won the Faith and Freedom Award for Television — which honors programs that “celebrate independence, faith in midst of oppression, individual dignity, and freedom” — for its Season 2 episode titled “The Truth Revealed.”
Jon Erwin, creator, writer, and producer of the series, said in his acceptance speech that being at the awards show reminded him of Psalm 34: “Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.”
“This really does feel like something that we’re all doing together and have been doing it for a long time,” he said to the faith-based creators in attendance. “I do feel like there’s something in the air in L.A.”
He explained that the show uses an old sound stage in Culver City, California, that was first used for Cecil B. DeMille’s — the filmmaker best known for “The Ten Commandments” — 1927 movie “King of Kings.”
“So, I feel like there’s a bit of a reclaiming of ground going on in our industry and I think we’re back in a big way,” Erwin said.
Iskander, who portrays King David in the series, won the Grace Award for Television for an actor, which is given to an actor whose performance is exceptional and “best contribute to the world’s understanding of God’s love.”
In his acceptance speech, Iskander thanked his family, especially his mother, “for sticking by my side … but most importantly I want to thank God, who’s been my anchor and my sail and my light in the darkness. He’s been everything to me and I owe it all to him. He’s brought me out of so much and wherever he takes me, I want to go.”
He added: “I’ve been thinking a lot about why David is being highlighted so much in today’s culture. David is a guide for us and he shows us that no matter how far away we may stray from Christ, he is going around and looking for us and he’s calling us by name and all we have to do is just say ‘yes.’ All we have to do is just listen to his voice and say, ‘Yes Lord, I will follow you.’ So, I want you to know that God doesn’t see how weak or small you may look or how grand or strong you may look; he sees into your heart.”
“The Chosen: Last Supper — Part 2” was awarded the Epiphany Award for Inspiring Movies, which recognizes a movie that is “both inspirational and redemptive and can lead us to a closer and personal relationship with a kind, loving, and forgiving God.” Despite being a TV show, “The Chosen: Last Supper — Part 2” was released in theaters as a cinematic event.
Other winners included “Light of the World,” which won for Best Movie for Children; “BAU: Artist at War,” which tells the true story of an artist who survives a World War II concentration camp, won the Faith and Freedom Award for Movies; and “Sarah’s Oil” took home the award for Best Movie for Mature Audiences, among several others.
Pakistani Christians join Muslims for Ramadan meals amid Iran war fallout
LAHORE, Pakistan — White bedsheets for Muslim worshippers were laid on the grassy lawn outside the Dominican Peace Center in Punjab an hour before the annual interfaith iftar — the fast-breaking meal during Ramadan.
The aroma of crispy pakoras (fritters), dried dates, rose-flavored Rooh Afza, and dahi bhallay (lentil dumplings in yogurt) drew guests to the dining tables after they finished reciting their iftar prayers in Lahore, the provincial capital.
Dominican Father James Channan, director of the center, has hosted such interfaith gatherings for 25 years in a country where religious tensions have periodically turned violent.
“Table friendships are very important in our context. People attending such forums highlight them on social media, reaching millions,” he told EWTN News at the sidelines of the program, timed with International Women’s Day on March 8.
“The combined meals and prayer services have helped curb trends of church attacks that followed U.S. wars in Muslim countries.”
Pakistani Christians have faced multiple terrorist attacks since October 2001, after the United States — seen by many Pakistani Muslims as a Christian nation — launched its military campaign in Afghanistan.
“It’s a bitter past. Churches and Christian settlements were considered soft targets. The ongoing conflicts are not crusades; they are wars of interest,” Channan said.
Interfaith meals continue despite unrest
Interfaith gatherings continued this year even as protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left 26 dead in Pakistan.
Church leaders joined clerics in prayers for peace and shared meals at mosques, church premises, and hotels across six dioceses and one apostolic vicariate, as Middle East air travel disruption and rising fuel prices added regional tension.
Many Pakistanis view the United States and Western Europe as Christian nations, and some militant groups target local Christians as linked to these “Christian countries.”
Communal tensions have also erupted locally. In May 2024, a mob attacked 74-year-old Christian Nazir Masih over alleged blasphemy in Sargodha. He later died of his injuries. In August 2023, violence in Jaranwala destroyed 26 churches and 80 Christian homes following allegations of Quran desecration.
In a Feb. 17 message, Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Rawalpindi-Islamabad invited Christians and Muslims to offer special prayers for peace as Lent and Ramadan coincided this year. He encouraged people of both faiths “to visit one another, exchange greetings with respect, and unite in serving vulnerable segments of society.”
Joint events across Pakistan
In Multan, over 82 participants attended a Feb. 28 iftar jointly organized by the Catholic Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism; Saiban-e-Pakistan, a state peace initiative; and the Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism.
A day earlier in Lahore, Channan and four Catholic priests attended the fast-breaking event at the Badshahi Mosque, the country’s second-largest mosque. He presented a framed photo of Abdul Khabeer Azad, the mosque’s “khateeb” (prayer leader), who met Pope Leo XIV in October 2025 at the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Daring Peace” conference in Rome organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Among 120 guests at the Dominican iftar was Muslim speaker Shehzad Qaiser. The event, held in collaboration with groups including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, highlighted ongoing social challenges.
The head of external affairs at Sundas Foundation, which supports patients with blood disorders, agreed that Christians face discrimination in some offices and some Muslims refuse the food prepared by Christians.
“It is very important to share our common practices, joys, and sorrows. Religious leaders have the duty to raise awareness. Sadly some mistake local Christians as ‘kafir’ (infidels),” Qaiser said.
“During Ramadan, people distribute free meals to everyone without asking their religion. Blood donors don’t discriminate either. This is the real spirit of Ramadan and Lent.”
Pope Leo says parishes should reflect a Church that ‘cares for her children’
Pope Leo XIV continued his pastoral visits to parishes on the outskirts of Rome Sunday, traveling to the Santa Maria della Presentazione parish in the Torrevecchia neighborhood, where he encouraged Catholics to ensure parish activities reflect a Church that “cares for her children.”
The pope arrived at the parish at 4 p.m., when he was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the pastor, Father Paolo Stacchiotti. The warmest welcome, however, came from catechism students, young people, and families from Rome’s 13th municipal district.
It has been more than 40 years since a pope last visited Santa Maria della Presentazione parish. The previous papal visit was made by St. John Paul II in 1982.
The pastor said the neighborhood faces significant challenges but is also marked by strong community bonds.
“This is not an easy neighborhood,” Stacchiotti said. “But the crime reports do not do justice to the good that exists here. This is a united community, full of generous people who do not hold back in helping one another.”
The visit marked Leo XIV’s fourth to a Roman parish since mid-February. Parishioners welcomed him with banners, songs, and warm handshakes.
“We will give the pope an icon made by consecrated women who have lived in Bastogi for 30 years,” the pastor said. “It is a copy of the Madonna Pellegrina that travels around the neighborhood during the month of May. It is not a precious gift, but it is a symbol of our parish.”
Before Mass, the pope stopped on the parish sports field to greet children and families amid banners reading “We give our hearts,” balloons, and a festive atmosphere.
During his visit to the parish complex, Leo XIV also met with people with disabilities and the sick. In the parish hall he greeted about 60 people experiencing various forms of vulnerability before celebrating Mass at 5 p.m.
In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the pope emphasized the connection between God’s closeness and the life of faith.
“In this journey, the closeness of God and our life of faith are deeply intertwined: by renewing in each of us the grace of baptism, the Lord calls us to conversion, even as he purifies our hearts with his love and with the works of charity he invites us to perform,” the pope said.
“The thirst for life and love of the Samaritan woman is our thirst: the thirst of the Church and of all humanity, wounded by sin but even more deeply inhabited by the desire for God,” he continued.
Leo XIV noted that the Gospel narrative shows the woman’s gradual recognition of Jesus — first as a man, then a prophet, the Messiah, and finally the Savior — and how encountering Christ transforms her into a witness to others.
“Standing beside him and enjoying his company, the Samaritan woman becomes in turn a source of truth,” he said. “The new water of God’s gift has begun to spring up in her heart, and she feels immediately driven to return to her village, finally free from shame and eager to make known to everyone her liberator, Jesus.”
The pope also addressed the social difficulties facing the parish’s neighborhood.
“I know well that your parish community lives in an area with many challenges,” he said. “Situations of marginalization are not lacking, nor material and moral poverty.”
“Many are waiting for a home, a job that ensures a dignified life, and safe places where they can meet, play, and build something beautiful together,” he said.
Encouraging the faithful to respond to these realities with pastoral charity, the pope pointed to the Eucharist as the heart of Christian community life.
“Starting from the Eucharist, the beating heart of every Christian community, I encourage you to ensure that parish activities become a sign of a Church that — like a mother — cares for her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them, and supporting them in the face of danger,” Leo XIV said.
Before the Mass, the pope also spoke informally to young people and children gathered on the sports field, many of whom are preparing for their first Communion.
“Jesus will come to your home, into your heart, into your life,” he told them. “We must all be ready to open the door to find Jesus who is waiting for us.”
He also encouraged them to pray regularly and to speak to God about their worries and daily difficulties.
Finally, the pope spoke to the children about the importance of peace and reconciliation.
“Make peace with your friends when there are difficulties or differences of opinion,” he said. “Reject all forms of violence and hatred, things that cause division, and try to be promoters of peace and reconciliation in today’s world.”
At the end of the celebration, the pope met with the parish pastoral council and priests before returning to the Vatican.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.