Spanish bishops: ‘We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink’
Just weeks before Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Spain, the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) released a document that establishes seven pastoral priorities for the 2026–2030 period in which they embrace a bracing challenge: “We cannot just stand by and watch the ship sink.”
The document, titled “Set Out on the Journey,” was approved during the plenary assembly in November 2025 but was not published until after the conferenceʼs meeting in April.
Following an exercise in “conversation in the Spirit” — the same method used during the Synod on Synodality — the Spanish prelates established the following seven priority pastoral goals:
1. Proclaiming the Gospel and initiation into the Christian life
The prelates observed that “in Spain, the era — firmly established for centuries — in which we would say, ‘I am Catholic because I was born in Spain,’ has passed. We can no longer take Christian conversion for granted.”
Consequently, the catechumenate is an “indispensable” reality in the dioceses, serving to ensure the continued growth of impactful experiences following the initial proclamation of the Gospel. “Today, Christian initiation along with the creation of communities that accompany individuals through this process and welcome the newly initiated constitute a fundamental priority,” they stated.
The bishops further emphasized that “in secularized Spanish society, the Church’s challenge is not so much atheism as it is the hunger for God, which manifests itself in very diverse ways,” such that all pastoral actions “should assess their impact on the initial proclamation.”
2. Celebrating Sunday
Added to the challenge of Christian initiation is “another great challenge of ecclesial life: the celebration of the Lord’s Day” — that is, participation in Sunday Mass, which, as the prelates underscored, “is not a mere act of private devotion or fulfilling an obligation but rather the experience of being an assembly of the called — those who, summoned by the Word, are gathered together as a people taking the form of the body of Christ, in order to be sent forth on mission.”
In Spain, only about 8 million of the country’s 45 million inhabitants attend Mass regularly on Sundays.
3. A Church with fewer people but a lot of parishes
The bishops' third pastoral concern stems from the realization that the Catholic Church in Spain has more than 22,000 parishes distributed across over 11,000 municipalities and smaller local entities, many of which have fewer than 100 inhabitants.
This distribution reveals “a great asymmetry.” As the prelates expressed with concern, “many baptismal fonts ‘hold no water’ — that is to say, there is no Christian community that, under the action of the Spirit, possesses the capacity to bring forth new Christians.”
On the other hand, in areas with larger populations, the parish community “possesses a very weak awareness of the responsibility entailed by the baptismal font.”
Beyond the diocesan parochial structure, Spain is home to 1,400 monasteries and shrines as well as hundreds of non-parochial churches where the Sunday Eucharist is celebrated, institutions that are typically under the care of religious communities.
In this regard, the prelates declared: “We cannot simply stand by and watch the ship sink.”
4. Promoting formative communities
Given that “one has never been able to be a Christian alone,” the prelates consider it necessary to “offer a visible communal face” and to foster the creation of communities “where the integral formation of the heart may be lived out.”
The bishops acknowledged that, despite experiences of initial proclamation, “at times there exists the difficulty of transforming emotion into virtue,” as noted in the recently published document “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart Speaks to Heart”).
In this regard, they consider the integration of Catholic immigrants to be a “great opportunity to revive and rejuvenate” the communities.
5. Living the faith in a pluralistic society
The Spanish prelates focused their attention on the pluralistic social reality in which “people of diverse ethnic origins, with diverse ideological, ethical, and religious worldviews” coexist — and not always “in a proper spirit of coexistence, but rather they fall into confrontation.”
Given that “the religious map of Spain is changing” and there are “increasingly more adherents of other religions who do not come ‘from abroad,’” this poses “a new challenge for the Church, which must establish channels for coexistence based on mutual respect and the fundamental right to religious freedom.”
6. Welcome, protect, promote, and integrate migrants
The bishops’ conference also takes into account the need to address the reality of increasing migration, in a twofold sense.
“Catholics must be incorporated into the Christian community”; therefore, the CEE called for an effort to welcome them by “offering the possibility of a space of their own that does not break off communion with the whole.”
With regard to those of other faiths, the prelates highlighted the “opportunity for interreligious dialogue and collaboration in the service of the common good,” while acknowledging that this constitutes “a challenge for Catholics, who must be formed in order to engage in dialogue based on mutual respect.”
7. Bringing the love of the heart of Christ to the world
Beyond matters more specific to the Spanish context, the prelates, in their latest pastoral guidance, aim to make the love of God present beyond the confines of the Church: “It is essential to practice political charity in schools, in neighborhoods, in hospitals, and in our relationships with one another — fostering a presence, where possible, within institutional politics, the life of political parties, or other channels of institutional action.”
In the charitable sphere, the bishops also warned that “we run the risk that our organizations — so dependent on the welfare state, its regulations, and its subsidies for the third sector — may offer the novelty of Christian love in a weak manner and be easily confused with NGOs [nongovernmental organizations]. The same could happen to us in our educational institutions or our media outlets.”
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.
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV visits Pompei and Naples in Italy
Pope Leo XIV on May 8 visited the historic Italian cities of Pompei and Naples, meeting with local citizens and clergy and celebrating Mass on the first anniversary of his election to the papacy.
The Holy Father visited the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei and met with the public before concelebrating the Eucharist in the Piazza Bartolo Longo.
Later, in Naples, he met with clergy and visited the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary.
Here is a look in photos of Pope Leo XIVʼs activities in Pompei and Naples as he marked one year as pope:
Leo XIV makes Marian pilgrimage on 1-year anniversary as pope
POMPEI, Italy — Pope Leo XIV placed his pontificate under the protection of Mary during a visit to two cities in southern Italy on Friday — the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025.
Leo celebrated Mass for an estimated 20,000 people outside the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, whose feast day is May 8, during the day trip to Pompei and Naples.
“Exactly one year ago,” the pope said in his homily, amid thunderous applause from the assembled faithful, “when the ministry of successor of Peter was entrusted to me, it was precisely the day of the Supplication to the Virgin, this beautiful day of the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary of Pompei! I therefore had to come here, to place my service under the protection of the Holy Virgin.”
“Having then chosen the name Leo places me in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who, among his many merits, also developed a rich magisterium on the holy rosary. Added to all of this is the recent canonization of St. Bartolo Longo, apostle of the rosary,” Leo added.
Before Mass, the pope — who flew about 150 miles from Rome to Pompei by helicopter early on May 8 — visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei. Despite forecasts of rain, thousands of people filled Bartolo Longo Square from the first light of dawn.
At the shrine, the Holy Father met the “Temple of Charity,” an organization that welcomes and assists people coming from situations of hardship.
“Good morning, Pompei! Our Mother Mary — our mom — is always with us,” the pope said, informally greeting the faithful who were waiting for Mass. Before the Eucharistic celebration, Leo also greeted the sick and people with disabilities inside the shrine.
The pope’s homily at the outdoor Mass focused on the power of the rosary.
“The Hail Mary repeated in the holy rosary is an act of love,” he said. “Generations of believers have been shaped and safeguarded by this prayer — simple and popular, yet at the same time capable of mystical heights and a treasure chest of the most essential Christian theology.”
He also called the Hail Mary prayer “an invitation to joy.”
“It tells Mary, and in her all of us, that upon the ruins of our humanity, tried by sin and therefore always inclined to abuses, oppression, and war, the caress of God has come — the caress of mercy, which in Jesus takes on a human face. Mary thus becomes the mother of mercy.”
“When St. John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Rosary [2002–2003], he wished to place it in a special way under the gaze of the Virgin of Pompei,” Leo XIV continued. “Times have not improved since then. The wars still being fought in so many regions of the world call for renewed commitment, not only economic and political, but also spiritual and religious.”
“Peace is born within the heart,” he added. “We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day. St. Bartolo Longo, reflecting on Mary’s faith, called her ‘omnipotent by grace.’ Through her intercession, may an abundant outpouring of mercy come from the God of peace — touching hearts, calming resentments and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance. No earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Pope Leo prayed together with the faithful the traditional Supplication to Our Lady of Pompei.
The Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary of Pompei was written in 1883 by St. Bartolo Longo. It is solemnly recited twice a year, at noon on May 8 and on the first Sunday of October. The supplication was composed in response to the invitation that Pope Leo XIII addressed to Catholics in his first encyclical on the rosary, Supremi Apostolatus Officio, calling for a spiritual commitment to confront the evils of society.
Visit to Naples
After lunch in private, Pope Leo took a helicopter about 16 miles northwest to Naples, the capital city of the Campania region of Italy, where he met with priests and religious brothers and sisters in the Naples cathedral.
During his visit to the cathedral, Leo stopped in the Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, where the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius had taken place on May 3. The pope kissed the relic and with it blessed those in the packed cathedral.
After some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the pope addressed the Catholic community: “What I therefore ask of you is this: Listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral ministry of maintenance to a missionary pastoral ministry, capable of engaging with the concrete lives of people.”
“In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropout rates, and fragile family situations, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves everyone — priests, religious, and laypeople alike,” he added.
Pope Leo XIV then arrived in the popemobile to Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Naples, where authorities estimate about 50,000 people were present.
The pope’s address focused on peace and justice: a peace that “begins in the human heart, passes through relationships, takes root in neighborhoods and on the outskirts, and expands to embrace the entire city and the world.” A peace that needs justice “to be authentic” and that “can never be separated from charity.”
Leo also spoke about the “Neapolitan paradox:” on the one hand, the significant increase in tourism, which however struggles to correspond to “economic dynamism capable of truly involving the entire social community.” He described a city “marked by a social divide that no longer separates the center from the outskirts but is even evident within every area, with existential peripheries nested even in the heart of the historic center.” Faced with these disparities, Pope Leo XIV recalled the presence of the state as “more necessary than ever, to provide security and confidence to citizens and to take space away from organized crime.”
He then encouraged moving forward with the projects of hope taking shape in the city: “Gather your strength, work together, walk united — institutions, Church, and civil society — to connect the city, protect your children from the snares of hardship and evil, and restore to Naples its vocation to be a capital of humanity and hope.”
This story was first published in multiple parts by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Bransfield, ex-Wheeling-Charleston bishop accused of misconduct, dies at 82
Bishop Michael Bransfield, who was accused of a pattern of sexual harassment and financial impropriety while leading the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, died on May 7 at 82 years old.
The Wheeling-Charleston Diocese said in a statement that Bransfield “passed away peacefully.” It urged the faithful to pray for his family and friends.
“As it is the tradition in our Church to pray for the dead as well as for the living, we pray for the repose of his soul, asking God’s mercy upon him,” the diocese said.
A native of Philadelphia, Bransfield was ordained in that archdiocese in 1971. He served as the first rector at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., after it was named a basilica in 1990.
Pope John Paul II appointed him to lead Wheeling-Charleston in 2004. He served there until 2018 when he reached the customary retirement age of 75.
After Bransfield retired, Pope Francis ordered Baltimore Archbishop William Lori to investigate claims that Bransfield had engaged in sexual harassment of adults. The investigation ultimately uncovered a wide-ranging series of scandals, including a “consistent pattern” of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Bransfield bestowed financial gifts on several bishops, Lori said, adding he received $7,500 worth of gifts from Bransfield and subsequently returned the funds.
The inquiry also found instances of financial mismanagement and impropriety, including what were reportedly huge amounts of money spent on alcohol and millions of dollars spent on a home renovation.
The bishop “adopted an extravagant and lavish lifestyle that was in stark contrast to the faithful he served and was for his own personal benefit,” the report found.
Pope Francis subsequently banned Bransfield from participating in public celebration of the Mass, while Bransfieldʼs successor, Bishop Mark Brennan, ordered him to pay nearly $800,000 in restitution to the diocese.
Brennan also barred Bransfield from being buried in the diocesan cemetery. The diocese said on May 7 that his funeral and burial would “not take place in West Virginia.”
‘Their very existence is at stake’: Catholic organizations mobilize for Lebanon’s Christians
Caught in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Christians in southern Lebanon have been paying a heavy price. Churches and monasteries have been destroyed, Christian symbols desecrated, and many families have lost loved ones, including a parish priest.
Yet despite the violence and destruction, they have refused to abandon their homes and villages. Much of this resilience has been sustained through the support of Catholic organizations and initiatives, which continue to help families, churches, and communities endure the crisis.
A French Catholic ally in Lebanon
L’Œuvre d’Orient is one of the Catholic organizations that has supported Christian communities in Lebanon long before the war. Its work includes supporting Christian schools, churches, pastoral initiatives, and agricultural projects, as many of these southern communities are largely rural and farming-based.
In a conversation with ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, Vincent Gelot, director of L’Œuvre d’Orient in Lebanon, said the French organization has delivered in 2026 seven humanitarian aid convoys and carried out several visits to villages in southern Lebanon.
“We are extremely close to the local communities. We have known them for a long time, we love them, and we try to remain as present as possible by their side,” Gelot said.
Explaining his approach to humanitarian work, he added: “As far as L’Œuvre d’Orient is concerned, I make it a point to accompany every one of our trucks. I want to be certain the aid reaches its destination and the right people. It is important to be physically present, because when we come, we meet our partners and the villagers and remind them how courageous and important they are. We are trying to maintain this human bond. It is not only about sending trucks and aid but also about being there with them on the ground.”
Gelot described the difficult reality facing Christians in southern Lebanon as being “caught in a vice” between Hezbollah militants attempting to use their villages to launch attacks across the border and Israeli military operations that have left homes, schools, and convents destroyed or occupied. “It is their very existence that is at stake,” he said.
Gelot stressed that many of these villages date back to the time of Christ.
“This is a region visited by Christ, the apostles, and the Virgin Mary. The people are profoundly attached to their land and their villages. It is therefore essential to help them remain on their native land.”
He also praised what he described as the communities’ “peaceful courage and resistance,” saying it is vital to stand beside them and show them the affection, admiration, and support of L’Œuvre d’Orient, its donors, and the Church in France.
However, for him, the stakes go beyond the survival of one community. “It is the very existence of Lebanon that is at stake,” he said, describing the country as a rare model in the Middle East for religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and freedom of the press. He added that Christians in Lebanon continue to hold a unique political, cultural, and historical role that remains vital to preserve.
He also highlighted the close coordination between L’Œuvre d’Orient; the apostolic nuncio, Paolo Borgia; and other Catholic organizations, including Caritas Lebanon.
Caritas on the front lines
Peter Mahfouz, commander and head of the emergency response unit at Caritas Lebanon, has been on the ground assisting communities across southern Lebanon.
Speaking to ACI MENA, he said Caritas teams have been delivering emergency food parcels, hygiene and shelter kits, mattresses, and blankets while also operating mobile clinics that bring medical consultations and essential medication directly to villages cut off from hospitals.
According to Mahfouz, the most urgent needs today include shelter capacity, continuity of medical care for chronic patients, food assistance for families who have lost their income, and mental health support — particularly for children and the elderly. He also stressed the urgent need to maintain humanitarian corridors allowing aid to reach southern Lebanon.
Mahfouz said one of the organization’s biggest challenges is that “the needs are growing faster than the funding.” Access to some villages also remains difficult and at times dangerous, forcing teams to constantly adapt routes and delaying aid distributions.
Furthermore, he stressed that Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis has not paused during the war: “Fuel, electricity, and the cost of basic food continue to weigh on every family we serve and on our own operations.”
Explaining how Caritas coordinates its work, Mahfouz said local parishes are often the organization’s first point of contact within affected communities.
“They know the families, they know who is most vulnerable, and they open their halls and centers as shelters when needed,” he added.
Caritas works closely with dioceses, religious congregations operating schools and clinics, and other Catholic organizations. “It is a network built on trust that existed long before this war, and that is exactly why it works in an emergency,” he concluded.
Asked what keeps him going despite the exhaustion and risks, Mahfouz pointed to the people themselves.
“The way they welcome us, the way their faces change when they see us arrive, and the prayers they send with us when we leave. You arrive expecting to give something, and you leave realizing they have given you more. That is what carries us through the long days,” he said.
A Polish initiative
The Lebanese Christian diaspora has also played an active role in supporting communities affected by the war, with numerous initiatives mobilizing aid from abroad.
European partners have also stepped up. One example is “Lebanon in Need,” a volunteer crisis committee founded by the Maronite Missionary Foundation in Poland in partnership with 4fund.com as part of the international “Europe for Lebanon” fundraising campaign.
The initiative emphasizes transparency and accountability in humanitarian assistance. All donations are processed through 4fund.com, a payment institution licensed by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and authorized to operate across the European Economic Area, meaning transactions are subject to anti-money-laundering controls, regulatory oversight, and full traceability.
Organizers also stress that 100% of donations reach the field thanks to the commission-free structure of the partnership. Aid is distributed through trusted local channels, including Caritas Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross, and local parishes.
The initiative further relies on continuous coordination between partners to avoid duplication of aid efforts, while regular financial and narrative reports are prepared to ensure transparency with donors.
The Vaticanʼs ongoing support
This week, a screenshot from a video call between parish priests in southern Lebanon went viral after Pope Leo XIV surprised them with a call to express his solidarity and prayers. The Vatican has repeatedly shown support for Lebanon’s Christians throughout the war, not only through words but also through concrete assistance.
The call was organized by the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Borgia, who has become a deeply respected and loved figure in these communities. Viewed by many locals as a hero, he has consistently visited front-line villages, even during periods of heightened danger. Beyond diplomacy, he has taken a direct role in relief efforts, helping distribute aid alongside volunteers, carrying boxes from trucks, speaking with residents, and listening to their concerns. He works closely with Catholic organizations and initiatives supporting affected Christian communities in the south.
New release seeks to revive St. Bartolo Longo’s ‘Fifteen Saturdays’ devotion
When Pope Leo XIV visits Pompeii, Italy, on May 8, the one-day trip will highlight the legacy of St. Bartolo Longo, whose dramatic conversion, influential writings, and promotion of the Fifteen Saturdays of the Most Holy Rosary devotion left a lasting mark on the city.
Ahead of the papal visit, Seek What Is Above, an initiative encouraging “people to lift their minds and hearts to God,” has released a new version of the Fifteen Saturdays with the hopes of reintroducing “the forgotten Marian devotion."
The devotion is a series of 15 meditations on the mysteries of the rosary derived from the writings of Longo, who promoted the prayer by publishing a book with the same title in the late 1800s.
Longo, canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 19, 2025, developed a powerful devotion to the Blessed Mother after he was brought back to the Catholic faith following many years as a Satanic “priest.”
Following his intense conversion, Longo devoted his life to spreading the fruits of the rosary and played an instrumental role in establishing the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii.
“Bartolo really popularized the Fifteen Saturdays devotion through the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii,” Dominican Father Joseph-Anthony Kress told EWTN News. “It started when he met a noblewoman who had a … pamphlet translated from French that discussed the Fifteen Saturdays.”
Using the mysteries of the rosary, the devotion encourages “a 15-week spiritual journey,” Kress, the promoter of the holy rosary for the Province of St. Joseph, explained. “Every Saturday you dedicate to one of the 15 mysteries of the rosary, and you meditate on that mystery for the rest of the week.”
Inspired by it, Longo then expanded on the original pamphlet in his book.
“He compiled all of the Scripture quotations and citations pertaining to each of the mysteries so that they would be collected in one place for … the individual praying, so itʼd be easier for them to enter into the mysteries in their totality,” Kress said.
Seek What Is Above’s new edition provides both written and image-based meditations with a series of paintings from St. Paul’s Church, a historic Dominican church in Antwerp, Belgium.
The 15-week-long devotion “encourages us to approach the rosary focused on the mysteries themselves,” Kress said. It also “encourages the reception of the Eucharist on each Saturday as well as confession as a part of the structure to make sure that youʼre spiritually prepared.”
St. Bartolo: ‘Apostle of the Rosary’
On the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii, Pope Leo will visit the Shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary and the Chapel of Blessed Bartolo Longo, which houses Longo’s relics and remains. The Holy Father will also celebrate Mass in the city’s central square — Piazza Bartolo Longo.
While there is now a lasting presence of the saint in Pompeii, Longo was not always a strong example of the Catholic faith. He lived during the late 19th century when the Church was fighting to combat the growing popularity of the occult.
Born into a devout Catholic family, Longo fell away from the faith while studying law in Naples. He began to visit some of the cityʼs infamous mediums who introduced him into the occult. His interest in the supernatural led him into Satanism and he began to preside over Satanic services, preaching blasphemously against God and the Church.
Simultaneously, Longo was struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. A university professor, Vincenzo Pepe, urged him to abandon Satanism and introduced him to his future confessor, Dominican Father Alberto Radente.
With guidance from Radente and others, Longo repented and returned to the Church but still couldn’t forgive himself or see how God could ever forgive him.
One day in Pompeii Longo despaired over his past with Satanism, but God helped him to see how he could be saved and how he could save others.
“I heard an echo in my ear of the voice of Friar Alberto repeating the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary: ‘One who propagates my rosary shall be saved,’” Longo wrote.
“Falling to my knees, I exclaimed: ‘If your words are true that he who propagates your rosary will be saved, I shall reach salvation because I shall not leave this earth without propagating your rosary,'” he wrote.
From then on he helped others “not just in their physical poverty but also in deep spiritual poverty” by “promoting the rosary,” Kress said.
“He extended himself to care for the most vulnerable in his own city, and he put his professional skill set to work for the good of the poor — being a lawyer by trade and offering free legal services to the poor who were being taken advantage of.”
Longo devoted himself to works of charity by starting orphanages and institutions for children of prisoners.
“His conversion from the spiritualisms of the day in which he lived in the occult to rejecting all of that to follow Christ and being devoted to the mother of Christ is such a moving conversion,” Kress said.
“It really speaks to the hope that we as Christians cling to, that thereʼs never a situation, never a particular life circumstance, that eliminates the hope of a conversion and union with Christ,” Kress said.
Longo became a Third Order Dominican and would return to the exact places he once participated in occult activities. There, with a rosary in his hand, he would encourage those present to reject their ways and turn to the Blessed Mother for protection.
His love for the rosary and the Blessed Mother not only led to the establishment of Marian shrines and lasting devotions but also served as inspiration for Pope John Paul II’s addition of the luminous mysteries to the rosary.
“As a true apostle of the rosary, Blessed Bartolo Longo had a special charism,” St. John Paul wrote in his 2002 apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae proposing the new mysteries.
“By his whole lifeʼs work and especially by the practice of the ‘15 Saturdays,’ Bartolo Longo promoted the Christocentric and contemplative heart of the rosary, and received great encouragement and support from Leo XIII, the ‘Pope of the Rosary.’”
Why pray the Fifteen Saturdays devotion?
The Fifteen Saturdays is a unique devotion to pray and meditate on, as it is both devotional and sacramental.
“Committing to a Fifteen Saturdays devotion may seem like a large chunk of time — itʼs a few months,” Kress said. “But it shows us that the rosary itself is, in a small sense, the summary of the Gospel thatʼs lived out over a time.”
“Itʼs treated as a presentation of the mysteries of the life of Christ and the Gospels, but … it also incorporates a sacramental life, as it incorporates the reception of the Eucharist, incorporates confession, alongside mental prayer,” Kress said.
It portrays “that our life with Christ isnʼt just this private secluded thing that we do in these interiors, but we join together in the public worship of the Church in the sacraments,” he said.
“The greater sacramental life that we live fuels our mental prayer and our contemplation” and “disposes us to a more worthy reception of the sacraments,” Kress said.
“Then on a human level, I think it helps us to live in the gift of perseverance.”
“This isnʼt just a quick fix. It takes a little bit of a commitment,” Kress continued. “But it slowly unfolds and allows the grace of God to nourish and nurture our souls over the course of time.”
“So we grow in the virtue of hope and grow in the grace of perseverance by pursuing such a devotion like the Fifteen Saturdays,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV’s first year: 10 powerful moments
On May 8, 2025, white smoke billowed from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new pope had been chosen. On that day, the world was introduced to Pope Leo XIV, known just hours before as Cardinal Robert Prevost, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops.
One year later, Pope Leo has captured the hearts of the faithful through his papal trips, events like canonizations and special liturgies, as well as through his spoken and printed words, including an apostolic letter, and much more.
Here are 10 of the most significant events and moments of Leo XIV’s first year as pope:
The new pontiffʼs inaugural Mass
On May 18, 2025, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated his pontificate with a Mass in St. Peter’s Square calling for a united Church. Addressing approximately 150,000 attendees, he emphasized fraternal communion, servant leadership, and reconciliation, marking the official start of his ministry as the 266th successor of St. Peter.
At the Mass, concelebrated with the members of the College of Cardinals, Leo expressed his intention to “come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.”
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Visit to Pope Francis’ tomb
Less than 48 hours after his election, Pope Leo made his first visit outside of the Vatican visiting the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, located about an hour east of Rome and run by the religious of the Order of St. Augustine.
On his way back to the Vatican, the new pontiff stopped at the Basilica of St. Mary Major where he prayed before the tomb of Pope Francis and the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary there, “Salus Populi Romani.”
Pope Leo left a white rose, which is said to have been Pope Francis’ favorite flower.
Impactful addresses to youth
Throughout his first year as pope, the Holy Father has had powerful experiences with young people. Two in particular that stand out are his addresses to roughly 1 million young adults during the Jubilee of Youth and his live talk with young people gathered at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
During the Jubilee of Youth, which took place July 28–Aug. 3 and was part of the yearlong Jubilee of Hope, young adults from around the world filled the streets of Rome. Each day was filled with different opportunities and events for the young people to experience the richness of the Catholic faith.
On Aug. 2, Pope Leo was greeted by the largest crowd he had addressed during his pontificate so far for the evening vigil at Tor Vergata, an outdoor venue 10 miles east of Rome. An estimated 1 million people were in attendance. The Holy Father arrived by helicopter and then drove through the grounds on the popemobile, waving to the cheering young people before the prayer service began.
The Jubilee of Youth concluded on Aug. 3 with a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo on the 237-acre grounds of Tor Vergata, where more than a million young pilgrims had spent the night following a prayer vigil and Eucharistic adoration.
In his homily, Pope Leo invited the pilgrims to open their hearts to God and venture with him “towards eternity.”
NCYC took place in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium from Nov. 20–22. On Nov. 21, Pope Leo held a historic digital encounter with American teenagers.
During this live conversation, five teenagers asked the pope questions regarding using technology, recovering from mistakes, giving worries to Jesus, avoiding distractions, and preparing for the future of the Church. The pope gave guidance to the young crowd with words applicable to both teenagers and the universal Church.
Canonizations of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis
On Sept. 7, 2025, Pope Leo canonized Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis in his first canonization ceremony before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square.
“Today we look to St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis: a young man from the early 20th century and a teenager from our own day, both in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for him,” he said during his homily.
He added: “Dear friends, Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
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Release of his first apostolic letter
Pope Leo XIV released his first apostolic letter, Dilexi Te, on Oct. 9, 2025. The document emphasizes the idea that the poor are not simply objects of charity but also evangelists who can prompt us to conversion through their example of weakness and reliance on God.
“The poor can act as silent teachers for us, making us conscious of our presumption and instilling within us a rightful spirit of humility,” Leo writes in Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”). “The elderly, for example, by their physical frailty, remind us of our own fragility, even as we attempt to conceal it behind our apparent prosperity and outward appearance. The poor ... remind us how uncertain and empty our seemingly safe and secure lives may be.”
The pontiff quotes his predecessor throughout the document, which was first drafted during Pope Francis' pontificate and draws heavily on the late popeʼs first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, on the joy of the Gospel.
First major international trip: Turkey and Lebanon
Pope Leo made his first international papal trip to Turkey and Lebanon Nov. 27–Dec. 2, 2025. The wide-ranging international visit included historic ecumenical encounters, deeply symbolic gestures of prayer, and pastoral visits to Christian communities under pressure. Pope Leo highlighted the importance of unity, peace, and fraternity, and brought encouragement to a region marked by ancient faith and present suffering.
One highlight from his time in Turkey included the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea alongside Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople in the Turkish city of Iznik, the site of the Council of Nicaea, historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed.
In Lebanon, Pope Leo became the first pope in history to visit the tomb of St. Charbel Makhlouf when he arrived at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya.
An extraordinary consistory
In his opening address at an extraordinary consistory — which convened from Jan. 7–8 — Pope Leo assured the cardinals from around the world gathered at the Vatican that “I am here to listen.”
This extraordinary consistory — different from the ordinary ones, which are more limited and frequent — was scheduled to take place immediately after the Jubilee of Hope to “offer support and advice to the Holy Father in the exercise of his high and arduous responsibility of governing the Church,” according to a statement from the Holy See.
The consistory was a closed-door meeting to which no media were admitted, and cardinals were asked to keep the proceedings confidential. However, the cardinals were expected to offer the new pontiff their views on two specific topics: the Synod and synodality, and the mission of evangelization and the missionary character of the Church.
First Holy Week and Easter celebrations as pope
During Holy Week and Easter 2026, Pope Leo presided over the Church’s most solemn liturgies in Rome, beginning with Palm Sunday and continuing through the chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday Passion celebration, the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, the Easter Vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, and finally Easter Sunday Mass with the “urbi et orbi” blessing from St. Peter’s Square.
This was the first time in several years that a pope participated in all the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter. Due to Pope Francis’ declining health toward the end of his papacy, he had to scale back his participation in many of these events.
Pope Leo was also the first pope since John Paul II in 1994 to carry the wooden cross to all 14 stations during the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday.
Historic 11-day trip to Africa
Pope Leo spent 11 days in Africa — from April 13–23 — and visited four countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea. During this trip, he traveled more than 11,000 miles on 18 separate flights. With stops in 11 cities across those countries, the Holy Father met with the youth, political leaders, prisoners, families, and many more to share the Gospel message.
Throughout his journey, he emphasized themes of peace, reconciliation, and economic justice, meeting with local leaders, clergy, and lay faithful. Large crowds gathered for outdoor Masses, reflecting the vibrancy and rapid growth of Catholicism in many African communities.
One of the highlights of the trip was Pope Leo’s visit to Annaba — ancient Hippo — in what for the Augustinian pontiff amounted to a return to the roots of his faith and vocation. Despite pouring rain, the pope walked through the ruins and, at the end of the route, laid a wreath of flowers and stopped for a moment of prayer, visibly moved.
The pope also paid a visit to the Bata penitentiary in Equatorial Guinea and told inmates that “no one is excluded from God’s love” and urged them to see that even behind bars, there remains the possibility of change, reconciliation, and hope. This prison is one of the country’s harshest, known for its difficult conditions.
Strong messaging on war and peace
The Holy Father has made peace a defining theme of his pontificate from the very beginning, opening his first public remarks with the words “Peace be with you.” That simple greeting set the tone for a broader vision — one rooted in the Gospel but directed squarely at a world marked by conflict and division.
In homilies and international addresses, he has consistently framed peace not as the absence of war but as an active, daily commitment grounded in justice, reconciliation, and respect for human dignity.
The pope has urged world leaders to reject cycles of violence and instead foster what he has called a “culture of peace.” Speaking in the context of ongoing global tensions, he has warned against the normalization of war as a tool of policy, insisting that lasting solutions can only come through dialogue and mutual understanding.
The pope has also addressed the dangers of modern warfare, including the threat of nuclear escalation. He has called for renewed international efforts toward disarmament and de-escalation, emphasizing that the destructive power of nuclear weapons demands a moral as well as political response.
Reiterating the Church’s long-standing teaching, Pope Leo has encouraged nations to pursue diplomacy over aggression, presenting dialogue not as weakness but as the strongest and most enduring path to peace.
U.S. bishops recount year since Pope Leo XIV’s election
U.S. bishops marked the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s election by recalling the moment they learned he had been chosen, describing their reactions in a video message.
“When we were watching the white smoke come out of the chimney at the Vatican, the last thing that any of us were thinking of as we were watching on TV back in Chicago was that there would be a native of Chicago who was elected the Holy Father,” Auxiliary Bishop Robert Lombardo of Chicago said in a May 7 video message marking Pope Leo XIV’s first anniversary as pope.
Instagram post
The message also included testimonies from Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois; Bishop Ronald Hicks of New York; Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago; Bishop Paul Etienne of Seattle; Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis; Auxiliary Bishop Christopher Cooke of Philadelphia; Bishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse, New York; Bishop Robert McClory of Gary, Indiana; and Bishop Michael Barber, SJ, of Oakland, California.
Several bishops recalled their shock at learning the new pope was an American.
“When I heard of Pope Leoʼs election, I couldnʼt believe it. I really had to do a double take because conventional wisdom has been that there will never be a pope from the United States,” Rozanski said.
“I remember my reaction to his election being one of surprise because everybody said, ‘Well, it could never be an American,’” Lucia said. “So when his name was announced, I was actually in a diocesan admin meeting and everybody said, ‘Whoʼs that?’ And I go, ‘Itʼs an American.’”
McClory described his reaction as “a tremendous kind of excitement and joy” and echoed his brother bishops, saying: “Never in my lifetime did I think we would have a pope from the United States. I just didn’t think it was a possibility.”
Bishop William Byrne of Springfield, Massachusetts, recalled “flying home” from the grocery store when he heard the news that a new pope had been elected, and that he “was so excited” when he made it to his computer to watch the results.
“Being from Chicago, we also have a double sense of pride,” Cupich said. “After all, we like to say that Chicago produced a pope, and that we take great pride in.”
Leo was elected as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025.
‘Families fight, but family is forever’: Pope Leo’s brother says the brothers limit political talk
John Prevost, Pope Leo XIV’s older brother, said he, Leo, and Louis, the eldest of the three, talk every week, but “we keep politics to a limit.”
CNN’s Erin Burnett on her show “OutFront” on May 6 asked Prevost to talk about how the brothers, who have differing political views, can still “be brothers and family” and have love.
“Can you just talk about that, because I think so many people want to hear how they, too, can have that in their lives?” she asked.
Prevost told her that when the brothers talk, topics about which they disagree “may come up, but nothing” his brother might say “is going to change my opinion, and nothing I say is going to change his opinion, so why discuss it?”
“Families fight, but family is forever,” Prevost, who said he speaks to Leo every day, told her.
He said the brothers discuss “what we’re doing, what’s new in our lives, what we’re doing next … There is that brother connection. And really, what brothers do not fight? You know?”
“That’s fair,” Burnett said.
The CNN host also asked how Prevost rises above President Donald Trump’s recent accusation that Leo is “endangering a lot of Catholics; [is] terrible for foreign policy,” and asked how his “life has changed because of your brother’s role?”, mentioning the death threats Prevost has received.
“You just keep going,” Prevost said. “There is a matter of what is known as faith, and it deepens our faith, because we do what we’re doing because itʼs a role we’ve been put into, and we just go ahead and do it.”
Prevost told “EWTN News in Depth” in an April interview that faith “starts in the home,“ saying that ”periodically our dad would take the Bible out and read Bible stories. We always prayed before dinner. Our parents always, every evening after dinner, prayed the rosary.”
In April, police in New Lenox, Illinois, responded to a “reported bomb threat at a private residence” that local media said belonged to Prevost. After an investigation, the police determined the threat was “unsubstantiated and that no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present.”
The hoax threat came several days after President Donald Trump praised Pope Leo XIVʼs eldest brother, Louis, in a Truth Social post in which he derided Pope Leo XIV as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after Leo repeatedly criticized the ongoing U.S.-led war in Iran.
Burnett also noted how Trump has talked about Louis, who visited the president at the White House last year, calling him “a supporter, a MAGA all the way.”
“I like [Leoʼs] brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” Trump said in April.
India’s religious liberty on ‘downward trajectory,’ commission says
WASHINGTON — Witnesses called for U.S. intervention to end the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in India, including Christians, at a hearing on Capitol Hill.
“Religious freedom in India is abysmal. Religious minority communities and their places of worship remain particularly vulnerable to discriminatory legislation, surveillance, and harassment,” U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Vice Chair Asif Mahmood said during a May 7 hearing. “Members of the clergy are also routinely arrested and released under accusation of conducting forced conversions.”
USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler also highlighted persecution in India on the national, state, and local level through discriminatory legislation, arbitrary detention of religious leaders, failure to intervene in attacks against religious minorities, anti-conversion laws in 13 out of 28 states, anti-terrorism laws targeting minorities, and citizenship laws. She described religious freedom in India as continuing in “a downward trajectory.”
The hearing comes as the commission warns of escalating attacks against Christians in India, including mob violence and property destruction. The Catholic population in India is about 23 million, about 1.6% of the countryʼs population, according to the Vatican.
Raqib Naik, founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, called for the State Department to designate India as a country of particular concern (CPC).
“I believe that acknowledging the problem is the first step,” Naik said. “I think the U.S. should designate India as a CPC. I think that should be the first step because you cannot have a solution without acknowledging the problem.” Naik further called for sanctions and heightened awareness of transnational repression, which he said poses a “national security threat.”
Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Stephen Rapp called for “methods that have a bite to them” to place pressure on the Indian government to end religious persecution in the country. Rapp encouraged heightened reporting of religious freedom violators to “build cases” against them so that it may be possible to prosecute them internationally in the future.
“Maybe many of the perpetrators may never travel, but basically you send a signal that if you commit crimes like these there will be no rest in this life,” Rapp said. “It’s not enough, but it’s something.”
Religious freedom advocate David Curry called for the State Department to demand that its international partners uphold religious liberty as a preliminary requirement in all negotiations.
“The international religious freedom infrastructure within the State Department should be part of every discussion and negotiation,” Curry said. “Human rights and international religious freedom should be part of these discussions.”
Indian anthropologist Angana Chatterji echoed Curry, urging the U.S. “to examine seriously the impossibility of economic benefit and profit from relations with India under the current extreme conditions.”
Georgetown Law professor Arjun Sethi noted that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was banned under the George W. Bush administration from entering the U.S. from 2005 to 2014. “And now he’s courted by this country,” he said.
“I think we should just have a much deeper understanding of who he is, what he stands for, and what he’s about,” Sethi said.