LIVE UPDATES: Leo XIV to celebrate Mass in Buenos Aires after warm welcome in Argentina
Spain’s Toledo Cathedral at 800: A tour of its Marian and Eucharistic heart
The Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain is in the midst of celebrating a jubilee on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the laying of the first stone of its cathedral in August 1226.
On Oct. 25, Primatial Archbishop Francisco Cerro opened the holy door in a ceremony without precedent. EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, asked the cathedral dean, Father Juan Pedro Sánchez Gamero, for a tour of some of the most significant elements that, in his opinion, showcase the deep Marian and Eucharistic heart of the church.
Inside, the cathedral houses an immense wealth of heritage accumulated over the centuries featuring works by artists such as Goya, Titian, Berruguete, Luca Giordano, Caravaggio, and El Greco, all in the service of evangelization.
“Everything here is made for him — specifically so that by contemplating it, everyone may come to Jesus Christ and get to know him much better,” explained the dean as he began the tour at the Chapel of the Descent.
The site of this chapel is located where tradition places the high altar of the Visigothic church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first church on the present site of the cathedral, and where the people of Toledo come to touch the stone associated with a remarkable event according to tradition: “The Virgin Mary descended from the heavens to bestow a chasuble upon St. Ildefonso, in recognition of his fervent defense of Mary’s virginity,” the dean explained.
After admiring the small original chapel, the tour continued along the left aisle of the central nave to admire the monstrance crafted by Enrique de Arfe (Custodia de Arfe), built from the one used by the Servant of God Queen Isabella (1451–1504) for her private devotion. “When she died, it was Cardinal [Francisco Jiménez de] Cisneros [1436–1517] who purchased it from Queen Isabella’s estate for the cathedral” and ordered it to be made of new pieces that highlight the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
“Above is the Holy Spirit beneath the cross. Then there is a child holding an orb, [as if] saying: God is man, Jesus is man, and he is here. And further down, there is a magnificent figure of the risen Christ, which declares: He is God. Jesus is not only man; he is also God,” the priest explained.
The third area the dean highlighted is the main chapel. Its layout is credited to Cisneros and it serves as the liturgical heart of the church. Sánchez drew attention to the imposing gilded and polychromed Baroque altarpiece, specifically noting the central placement of the tabernacle, which was moved there from a side chapel.
This tabernacle is also at the origin of the “Transparente,” another expression of devotion to the Eucharist within the cathedral, which, in the view of the dean, represents an architectural “bold stroke” in the service of the liturgy; it involves an opening made in the vault above to allow light to stream down toward the tabernacle, creating “an explosion of joy directed toward the Eucharist.”
At this point, the dean took the tour back to the center of the cathedral, where the choir is located. Upon passing through the gate, an image of the “White Virgin” holding the child Jesus in her arms greets the visitor.
“It is the most beautiful Gothic-era Virgin I have ever beheld. Observe the tenderness, the motherhood of Mary, her smile, and the pleasure she takes in having her chin caressed by her Son, as well as the way she holds him close to her breast. They express to each other mutual delight, joy, tenderness, and her motherhood that is truly worth contemplating,” Sánchez remarked.
The dean next takes the tour to the chapter house, the upper reaches of which are adorned with numerous motifs alluding to the Virgin Mary, while, just below, one can see portraits of all the bishops of the primatial see of Spain, from St. Eugenius to Braulio Rodríguez, the archbishop emeritus of Toledo.
The tour concludes at the Chapel of the Rosary, where a jubilee Mass is celebrated daily under the patronage of the patroness of Toledo who last year received a silver lily (a papal distinction) to commemorate the centenary of her canonical coronation.
This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
In Argentina, Pope Leo XIV highlights social problems
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Leo XIV spoke about crime, economic inequality, and political polarization, among other topics, in a wide-ranging speech to President Javier Milei and other dignitaries Nov. 8, the pope’s first day in Argentina.
Milei is a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” whose policies of austerity have drawn criticism from Argentina’s Catholic bishops. Though Leo did not directly criticize the president, his speech was the most political he has given so far on his tour of South America, which began Nov. 6 in Uruguay and will conclude Nov. 16 in Peru.
The pope opened by stating that he had come to Argentina “as a pastor” but that the Church wishes “to propose to those who hold public office a message inspired by the Gospel and aimed at safeguarding the dignity of every person, civic concord, and the common good.”
Leo highlighted several widespread social problems, including public safety. “Organized crime, human trafficking networks, arms, and drug trafficking together with corruption all undermine social cohesion, fuel violence, and divert resources necessary for the common good,” the pope said.
Violent crime is an urgent concern across the region. According to a U.N. report, the homicide rate for Latin America and the Caribbean was the world’s highest in 2023, and nearly four times the world average.
Addressing the question of inequality, the pope said that efforts should be made to ensure “that economic growth also benefits those who are disadvantaged. Here I think of families facing an uncertain future, the unemployed, the elderly who for years contributed to society, and all those who, despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.”
Leo pointed to the plight of young people driven to emigrate in search of opportunities. “A nation must seriously ask itself where it has failed when its young people have to leave their homeland in order to make their dreams come true,” he said.
He also addressed what he described as a threat to democracy from political polarization, a widely noted trend in Latin America and beyond.
The pope said democracy is strengthened “through willingness to listen, through careful use of words, through the patient search for agreement, and through the ability to see those who think differently as fellow citizens with whom we share a common future. In this way, a spirit of trust is created, one that enables a society to deal with its differences without losing sight of the things that keep it united,” Leo said.
Milei campaigned for president as a firebrand, wielding a chainsaw to show what he would do to government budgets and deriding his fellow Argentine Pope Francis as, among other things, a “filthy leftist,” though he later said he apologized personally to Francis. On Sunday, speaking right before the current pope, the president lauded the late pontiff as “an exceptional figure who inspired us all with his humanity, regardless of our creed. A person of immense generosity, whom I had the honor of knowing personally.”
Leo opened his own speech by recalling his predecessor, saying the universal Church had “listened to the voice of an Argentinian pope” for years. The pope also urged the countryʼs leaders to make room for the unborn.
The audience of foreign diplomats and Argentine civil and political leaders frequently interrupted Leo’s speech with vigorous applause and cheering reminiscent of a parliament or a political convention.
Earlier on Sunday, Milei met Leo’s plane at the airport and met with him privately at the seat of government, the Casa Rosada, before he and the pope gave their speeches.
Built to flex, made to last: Inside New Zealand's first new cathedral in a century
The architects of Christchurchʼs new cathedral have revealed new details about the building that they will last for generations
Warren and Mahoney, the Christchurch firm responsible for the master plan, architecture and landscape design, has released new details of New Zealandʼs first new Catholic cathedral in more than 120 years.
“Some projects carry a different responsibility. They ask us to think beyond our own lifetime and consider what stewardship looks like 50, 100, or even 200 years from now,” said Joseph Hampton, the firmʼs principal and lead architect.
The church will have seating for 800 people and go up on Barbadoes Street, a mere 20 meters (65 feet) from where its 1905 predecessor stood until it was demolished in 2020, nine years after the Canterbury earthquakes left it beyond repair.
The walls will be of local brick and stone, with glass-fiber reinforced concrete. The structure is designed to bend rather than break in a quake. To keep costs down, much of the building will be made off-site in building modules, which the firm said still allows “a sense of monumentality within a constrained budget.”
While the old cathedral faced the street, the new edifice will face north, toward a planned Catholic campus. Behind it will be a perpetual adoration chapel, which Bishop Michael Gielen said will be open day and night, along with the Te Rangimarie community center.
The diocese unveiled the design in July and appealed to Catholics to help pay for it. The project will cost 80 million New Zealand dollars (about $46 million). Insurance proceeds and asset sales cover 45 million New Zealand dollars.
Construction can start once the total reaches 72 million New Zealand dollars.
To save money, the diocese will put electronic bells in the two towers instead of real ones, saving about 7 million New Zealand dollars. Students from Catholic schools will design the side windows until the diocese can afford stained glass.
Gielen told “EWTN News Nightly” in September that the rebuild is “a metaphor.”
“Itʼs not only the cathedral weʼre rebuilding. We lost 30 or 35 of our churches — damaged or demolished — in the last 15 years,” he said.
Hampton said the cathedral is meant to reach beyond its walls.
“It is a home for the Catholic community, but it is also part of Christchurch,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV’s appeal to mothers: ‘Never tire of passing on the faith!’
FLORIDA, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at Uruguay’s most prominent Marian shrine on Sunday, where he paid tribute to women’s role in transmitting the Catholic faith and urged them to continue doing so despite secular trends.
“Mothers and grandmothers: Never tire of passing on the faith!” Leo told a congregation in the square outside the cathedral of Florida, a city in south-central Uruguay. “Even if your loved ones seem far from God, continue to place them before him. Do not stop blessing them, accompanying them, and simply reminding them of what they once received.”
Uruguay is one of Latin America’s most secular countries, where the majority of people are not affiliated with any organized religion and 28% identity as atheist or agnostic.
The cathedral in Florida houses the Virgin of Thirty-Three, a small wooden sculpture of Mary named for the number of early 19th-century patriots who entrusted their efforts for Uruguay’s independence to her intercession.
Leo noted the history to underscore, as he has done throughout his visit, that Catholicism has deep roots in the country.
The patriots’ “gesture reminds us that the history of peoples, too, cannot be fully understood without reference to God. Thus, from the earliest days of the nation’s founding, Uruguay has been intimately linked to a Mother,” the pope said.
He linked the figure of Mary to the tradition of mothers and grandmothers teaching children how to pray and “live out Christian charity.”
Thanking such women for their efforts, the pope commiserated with them over a widespread decline in religious practice.
“I know that many of you carry a very specific sorrow. You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so. You used to attend Mass together, and it has been years since they entered a church. You spoke to your grandchildren about God, and now you do not know if those words left a mark. Sometimes you wonder if you did something wrong or if it was all futile,” Leo said.
He encouraged them with the example of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, the inspiration for Leo’s religious order, who never despaired of her son’s eventual conversion and sanctity.
The pope also urged fathers and grandfathers to foster faith in the young. “Children learn a great deal by seeing that their father can kneel before God without feeling that he is any less of a man doing it,” he said.
Leo concluded by urging all Uruguayan Catholics to evangelize in their daily lives.
“You must enter people’s homes once more, draw near to them, listen to their questions, and bring them to Christ! Each of you knows a person toward whom you need to take that step: perhaps a child, a friend, a neighbor, someone who stopped believing long ago or who has never had anyone close to them to speak to them about God,” the pope said.
At the end of the Mass, Leo placed a golden rose before the image of the Virgin, a traditional papal devotion. But his homily contained a note of caution about veneration of Mary, recalling the Vatican’s decision last year to reject the title of “co-redemptrix” for her as potentially confusing.
There is “one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus,” the pope said, quoting St. Paul. The he added: “All of Mary’s greatness is based on her relationship with Christ: She welcomes him, lives by him, and leads others to him. An encounter with the Master is the goal of all evangelization and of all authentic Marian devotion.”
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Silvia, from Uruguay, shared her excitement about serving as a Eucharistic minister at the Mass.
“It truly is a beautiful moment, very, very moving. I’m eager to help people and to be part of this celebration, which belongs to all of us. It is also a privilege to be able to distribute the Eucharist,” she said.
She said being from the city hosting the Holy Father is “a tremendous gift from God,” especially on the feast day of its patroness, Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, celebrated on Nov. 8.
Reflecting on the three days the Holy Father has spent in her country, she recalled the pope’s homily during Mass in Paysandú, in which he encouraged the faithful to be bridges, build communities, and accompany others.
“I think it is a challenge and an invitation that we need in Uruguay,” she said.
Later in the afternoon, the pope is scheduled to depart for Argentina, where he is set to visit the Monument to General San Martín and meet with President Javier Milei.
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Chaldean monks return historic manuscripts to Iraqi archdiocese after more than 50 years
After safeguarding them for more than half a century, the Chaldean Antonian Order of St. Hormizd has returned a collection of historic manuscripts belonging to the former Chaldean Diocese of Akra in northern Iraq to its ecclesiastical authorities.
The formal handover ceremony took place at the Monastery of the Servant of God and Martyr Gabriel Danbo in Ankawa, Iraq, a predominantly Christian district of Erbil. It was attended by Archbishop Najeeb Michaeel of Mosul and Akra; Abbot Samer Soreshow, superior general of the Chaldean Antonian Order of St. Hormizd; and several monks.
The manuscripts were entrusted to the order in the 1960s amid the difficult circumstances and widespread displacement affecting the region, Soreshow explained in an interview with ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News.
According to Soreshow, Abdul-Ahad Rabban, a member of the order who served as its superior general and later became bishop of Akra, sought to protect the ecclesiastical heritage from being lost. The manuscripts were placed in the order’s care until circumstances would allow their safe return to the diocese.
Soreshow emphasized that throughout the decades, the order regarded the manuscripts not only as priceless treasures but also as an essential part of the Chaldean Church’s historical and spiritual memory and a legacy preserving its identity.
He explained that changing conditions over the years forced the order’s manuscript collections, including those belonging to the Diocese of Akra, to be moved repeatedly in search of safety.
The manuscripts were transferred from the Monastery of Our Lady of the Seeds in Alqosh to St. George Monastery in Mosul and later to St. Anthony Monastery in Baghdad. Their journey eventually brought them to the order’s general headquarters in Ankawa in 2021, which houses the Scriptorium Syriacum, a cultural center dedicated to preserving Syriac manuscripts.
The repeated relocations resulted in the Akra manuscripts becoming mixed with other collections held by the order, requiring extensive efforts to identify and separate them.
Soreshow said the monks relied on earlier manuscript catalogs compiled at different times by Bishop Addai Scher, Belgian Dominican orientalist Jacques-Marie Vosté, and Fathers Yousif Habbi, Boutros Haddad, and Jacques Isaac. These cataloging efforts included work published by the Iraqi Academy in 1988.
However, the order’s work went well beyond identifying and sorting the manuscripts.
Soreshow explained that the restoration and preservation process involved cleaning the manuscripts, gathering their scattered pages, photographing and numbering them, reassembling them into complete volumes, and preparing comprehensive catalogs.
This work was particularly demanding, he noted, “especially since several copies of the same manuscript existed, many of which had been copied at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Seeds.”
The project required considerable time and effort from the Chaldean Antonian monks, who began the work in 2021 through the Scriptorium Syriacum.
The work was carried out under the direction of Father Yousif Ajim, the center’s director, with assistance from other staff members who graduated from the Department of Syriac Language at Salahaddin University in Erbil.
93 manuscripts returned, while 4 remain unaccounted for in the collection
According to Soreshow, the Diocese of Akra’s collection originally comprised 97 manuscripts, of which 93 were handed over to Michaeel.
Of the remaining four, three were identified in the Chaldean Patriarchate’s digitized archives, made available through manuscript digitization efforts and accessible via the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library in Minnesota.
The fourth manuscript remains missing.
Soreshow praised the commitment of both the religious order and the archdiocese to ensuring that the manuscripts remain properly preserved and accessible to researchers, scholars, and clergy, contributing to the study of Church history and the advancement of academic research.
“The smooth transfer of these manuscripts from the custody of our order to that of their diocese reflects the continuity of the Church’s mission to safeguard its historical memory and preserve its heritage for future generations,” he said.
Akra was formerly an independent Chaldean Catholic diocese. However, the unrest and conflicts that affected the region during the 1960s led to the displacement of many of its Christian inhabitants and a decline in the local Church’s presence.
In 2018, the independent Diocese of Akra was merged with the Archdiocese of Mosul, forming the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul and Akra, currently headed by Michaeel.
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.
‘Bless those who wrong you,’ Kenyan bishop urges Christians
BUNGOMA, Kenya — Bishop Mark Kadima Wamukoya of Kenya’s Diocese of Bungoma has urged Christians to pray for those who hurt or mistreat them and to set aside their differences when gathering for worship.
In his homily during the consecration of St. Mark’s Ojamii Catholic Parish church on Nov. 5, Kadima reflected on Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist amid betrayal.
“Jesus Christ instituted the Eucharist at the time he was betrayed. Despite the pain, suffering, and betrayal, he gave us a lasting blessing,” he said.
The Kenyan bishop called on Christians to follow this example in their relationships with others.
“This teaches us that even when someone wrongs us, we should still bless them. Even when we are hurt or mistreated, we should come to church, pray, and ask God to bless others,” he said. “This is a place where we should leave our differences behind and say, ‘May everyone be blessed.’”
Kadima emphasized the importance of the church as a place for prayer and the celebration of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. He encouraged the faithful to participate in worship despite difficulties in their personal and family lives.
“Coming to church does not mean that everything in our lives is perfect. Our families, marriages, and children may be facing challenges, but we still come to church to pray and ask God to bless everyone,” he said.
Turning to promises made before God, Kadima urged Christians to take their commitments seriously, including those made at priestly ordination and in the sacrament of matrimony.
“The Church is a place where we come to make promises and honor them,” he said. “When we say yes at the altar, that yes must mean something.”
Recalling his own ordination, the bishop said: “Even my own priestly ordination involved being brought before the altar, where I was instructed to lie down. Once you make a commitment, you must be ready to fulfill it.”
He added: “We need the Church because we are a people of promises. Our lives as Godʼs people cannot be built without promises and their fulfillment. When we say, ‘I accept’ or ‘I promise,’ we must mean it.”
Kadima also called on Catholics to respect rules and regulations in their daily lives.
“As Catholics, including myself, we are called to be people who respect and obey the law. The Church reminds us that we must live according to rules and regulations,” he said. Kadima linked this responsibility to service, good conduct, and respectful communication.
“When we come to church, we are reminded to become people of service and good conduct. We must cultivate a culture of obedience and respect for rules, whether in the Church, at the table, at the altar, or in the way we communicate with one another,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Polish bishops call for prayer after gunman kills 6 in Kraków's historic square
The archbishop of Kraków called on the city to stand “together” in prayer after a gunman killed six people in its Main Market Square, a few steps from St. Maryʼs Basilica, on Saturday afternoon.
“We do not want to, we cannot, we are unable to be indifferent at such a moment. We want, we need and we must be together,” Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś wrote in a letter to the faithful on Nov. 7.
“I write ‘us’ because in truth any one of us could have been in the Square at that time, passing where the bullets struck random, unsuspecting people,” the Polish prelate wrote.
Ryś invited residents to a Mass for the dead, the wounded and their families at St. Maryʼs Basilica on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. local time, saying that “the last word does not and cannot belong to hatred.”
The cardinal asked the pastors of the victims' parishes to “be there” for them and give every possible help.
Police said the gunman drove onto the square shortly after 3 p.m. and fired at passersby from his car. Four women and two men were killed, among them three Polish women and a British national. Sixteen people were wounded, including the suspect and two police officers, one of whom was shot three times.
Officers shot and detained the attacker, a man in his mid-20s from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a town in southeastern Poland.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect held “very radical views” and that “everything indicates he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” though this had yet to be verified.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the attack terrorism.
Police found three bodies in the suspectʼs flat. President Karol Nawrocki declared national mourning for Nov. 8 and 9.
Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, president of the Polish bishops' conference, said he was “deeply shaken.”
“It is hard even to grasp that in the very heart of Kraków, right by St. Maryʼs Basilica … such dramatic scenes could unfold,” he said.
Archbishop Wojciech Polak, the primate of Poland, said he was praying for the dead and the wounded and expressed solidarity with Ryś. He spoke of “faith that good is stronger than hatred and love always wins.”
Warsawʼs Archbishop Adrian Galbas echoed the Kraków cardinal.
“As Cardinal Grzegorz asked: let us be together!” he wrote on Facebook, echoing the Kraków cardinal.
Pope Leo XIV encourages Uruguay’s Catholic minority to keep — and spread — the faith
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged practicing Catholics in a secular society, and especially young people, to keep their faith strong and to live in virtuous ways that can attract people to the Church.
The pope made his remarks at an evening prayer vigil in a stadium in Uruguay’s capital, with about 70,000 people in attendance. Local authorities estimated that another 30,000 people were following the event nearby.
Uruguay is one of Latin Americaʼs most secular societies, where a majority of people have no affiliation with organized religion and the official state calendar has renamed Catholic holidays with secular terms, such as substituting Tourism Week for Holy Week.
Leo said the experience of faithful Uruguayan Catholics “can help brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who are beginning to discover, in different ways, what it means to be a minority.”
The pope consoled Uruguayan Catholics for their small numbers, noting that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was proverbially small and that, in the Eucharist, “the Lord of the universe is present under the humble appearances of bread and wine.”
Yet he said that Christians can draw others into their ranks by behaving in exemplary ways.
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“Perhaps there are people who would never open a Bible on their own, who have not set foot in a church in years, or who cannot even say whether they believe in God. But when they see you, the desire for God may be awakened in them; they may even discover that it is worth risking their lives to find him,” the pope said.
“Christ did not call us to mediocrity,” Leo said. He urged his listeners to pursue excellence in the pursuit of holiness.
“When being just and honest comes at a price, pay it. When forgiving seems like a defeat, forgive. When everyone tells you to think of yourselves first, do not be afraid to put yourselves in the last place,” he said.
“Be willing to give up time, money, comfort and plans to serve others. May those who see you find themselves asking: ‘Why do they live in this way? Where do they get this freedom? Why do they love one another so much?’”
The vigil ended with a spectacular fireworks display.
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Earlier, the pope spoke at the Catholic University of Uruguay, where he shared thoughts on the intellectual formation of young people in the Church.
“Our Catholic education cannot be confined to a closed circle. Rather, it must learn to listen to families, civil society, political and administrative authorities, as well as representatives of the various economic sectors and professional groups,” Leo concluded.
But he warned that “generations are changing far more rapidly than in the past and that keeping pace with the times — without abandoning sound tradition — is a real challenge.”
The pope was scheduled to leave Uruguay on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV in Uruguay
Pope Leo XIV held a papal Mass, visited with several Catholic groups and communities, and presided over a prayer vigil in Uruguay on Nov. 7, the first full day of his historic trip to South America.
The pope arrived in Uruguay on Nov. 6 and was scheduled to leave the country on Sunday for Argentina, where he will spend three days before moving on to his former home of Peru, where he will spend five days before returning to Rome.
Here are photos of Pope Leo’s activities in Uruguay:
