Catholic News
- Foster peace and evangelize, Pope tells leaders of Salesian order (CWN)
In a meeting with the leaders of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of peace and the centrality of missionary work. - Foster missionary attitude, Pope urges Roman Curia [news analysis] (Vatican Press Office)
In a December 22 address to the leaders of the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV insisted that the work of the Vatican should be characterized by a missionary attitude and a spirit of communion. The Pope’s annual exchange of Christmas greetings with the Roman Curia has an opportunity for the Pontiff—especially, as in this case, a new Pontiff—to set priorities for the Vatican leadership. Pope Leo stressed the need for “the missionary transformation of the Church,” while adding that this transformation must be closely linked to a spirit of communion among the Church’s leaders, and between the leaders and the people. Under Pope Francis, the papal address to the Curia had blunt criticism, even outright scolding of prevailing attitudes at the Vatican. Pope Leo’s tone was much gentler, but his message did include cautions against the rivalries and turf battles that can arise among Church leaders. Mission and communion Pope Leo praised his predecessor at the start of the speech, saying of Pope Francis: “His prophetic voice, pastoral style and rich magisterium have marked the Church’s journey in recent years.” He also sounded some of the themes that prevailed especially at the start of the last pontificate. “By her very nature, the Church is outward-looking, turned toward the world, missionary,” Pope Leo said. He said that the Curia should always seek to “make progress in the missionary transformation of the Church, who draws her inexhaustible strength from the mandate of the Risen Christ.” Toward that end, the Pope said, the Vatican should work to advance the cause of evangelization, in a spirit of “pastoral solicitude in service to the particular churches and their pastors.” He concluded by again saying, “We need an ever more missionary Roman Curia.” To be missionary, however, requires a spirit of communion, Pope Leo said. He urged Curial officials to work cooperatively, guarding against competition and rivalry and inter-office conflicts, working toward “genuine fraternal friendship” among Vatican officials. Quoting St. Augustine, as he so frequently does, the Pope said: “In all human affairs, nothing is truly cherished without a friend.” “Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia?” asked the Pontiff—who, during his months as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, saw the effects of bureaucratic conflicts. He said: Thus, in interpersonal relationships, in internal office dynamics, or in addressing questions of faith, liturgy, morality and more besides, there is a risk of falling into rigidity or ideology, with their consequent conflicts. To guard against such friction, the Pope encouraged the Curial leaders to bear in mind that “we are not mere gardeners tending our own plot, but disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God.” He concluded with an insistent reassurance that “mission and communion are possible if we place Christ at the center.” - Pope praises Brother Lawrence's Practice of the Presence of God (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has written an introduction to the Vatican publishing house’s new edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, a spiritual classic written by the Carmelite friar Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691). “Together with the writings of Saint Augustine and other books, this is one of the texts that have most shaped my spiritual life and have formed me in what the path can be for knowing and loving the Lord,” Pope Leo wrote. “The path Brother Lawrence points out to us is simple and arduous at the same time,” Pope Leo continued. “Through the path that Brother Lawrence proposes to us, little by little, as the presence of God becomes familiar and occupies our inner space, the joy of being with Him grows, graces and spiritual riches blossom, and even daily tasks become easy and light.” Earlier this month, during his December 2 press conference on the flight from Lebanon to Rome, the Pope spoke about the influence Brother Lawrence’s work has had upon his life. - Priestly formation is key, Pope writes in new apostolic letter (Vatican News)
“A fidelity that generates the future is what priests are called to today,” Pope Leo XIV says, in the opening line of a new apostolic letter on priestly formation. The papal document, entitled Una Fedelta che Genera Future, was released on December 22, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Vatican II documents on priestly formation and priestly ministry. In it the Pontiff challenges priests to be conscious of the call from God that drew them to the priesthood. He assures them that their fidelity to priestly ministry will be strengthened “when we passionately remember the sound of the voice of the Lord who loves, chooses and calls us.” The need for that fidelity has been dramatized in recent years by the crises that have rocked the Catholic world, “caused by abuses committed by members of the clergy,” the Pope observes. He adds notes the unfortunate increase in the number of priests leaving the ministry. The Pope writes: Only priests and consecrated persons who are humanly mature and spiritually solid – in other words, those in whom the human and spiritual dimensions are well integrated and who are therefore capable of authentic relationships with everyone – can take on the commitment of celibacy and credibly proclaim the Gospel of the Risen One. Pope Leo calls for greater attention to a spirit of fraternity among priests, and suggests exploring “possible forms of community life” to strengthen those bonds. He also encourages priests to recognize that they are not called to “dominate or take on all tasks themselves,” but should work humbly in cooperation with the laity. - Salesians poised to overtake Jesuits as largest male religious institute (CWN)
The Salesians of Don Bosco are poised to surpass the Society of Jesus as the Church’s largest male religious institute, according to the newly released online edition of the Annuario Pontificio. - Phoenix surpasses New York, Chicago to become nation's 2nd-largest diocese (CWN)
The Diocese of Phoenix has surpassed the Archdiocese of New York and the Archdiocese of Chicago to become the nation’s second-largest diocese, according to statistics published in the recently released 2025 edition of The Official Catholic Directory. - Vatican, Muslim leaders host roundtable on religion and diplomacy (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
“The dialogue between religion and diplomacy is not optional, but indispensable in a context characterized by great global challenges, armed conflicts, forced displacement, environmental crises, and a worrying erosion of trust marked by fundamentalism and fanaticism,” Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue said at a recent roundtable discussion on religion and diplomacy. “Religion is not destined to be a source of conflict, but can be a powerful resource for reconciliation, peacebuilding, humanitarian action and ethical discernment,” he continued. “Religious leaders are not only spiritual authorities, but also essential diplomatic actors.” The discussion was organized by the dicastery, the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), and the Council of European Muslim Leaders. The chief rabbi of Basel, Switzerland, represented the Conference of European Rabbis at the discussion. - Statue of Our Lady of Hope brought to St. Peter's Basilica for Christmas (Vatican News)
A wooden statue of Our Lady of Hope has been brought from the southern Italian town of San Marco to St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will be venerated during the Christmas season. The 2025 jubilee year, whose theme is hope, concludes in the world’s dioceses on December 28, and in St. Peter’s Basilica on January 6. - Pontiff approves new statute for Labor Office of the Apostolic See (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV, in a rescript, approved a new statute for the Labor Office of the Apostolic See (ULSA). Vatican News reported that the new statute has several innovations: These include a broader Council, with representation for the first time from the Secretariat of State, the Vicariate of Rome, the Vatican’s healthcare services (FAS, Fondo Assistenza Sanitaria), and the Pension Fund; a greater, more “synodal” involvement of the various represented entities; taking on a consultative role to assist Dicasteries, the Governorate, and other bodies in drafting specific regulations and other normative acts; and the requirement of expertise in labor law and Vatican law for lawyers involved in disputes brought by employees and former employees. Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, states that “everything that concerns the performance of the personnel of the Roman Curia and other related issues falls within the competence of the Labor Office of the Apostolic See, whose duty it is to protect and promote the rights of collaborators, according to the principles of the social doctrine of the Church” (Art. 11). - Holy Land custos issues Christmas message (Custody of the Holy Land)
Father Francesco Ielpo, OFM, the custos (Franciscan provincial) of the Holy Land, has issued a Christmas message, “Fragility in Light.” “The holiest liturgy is celebrated on straw, with the sharp smell of manure, in the caresses of a mother and in the cry of a child,” he said. “Once again, Jesus is not afraid to descend to the lowest point of our humanity, made of violence, sin, pain, tears, and hardship. Once again, He is born and asks us, just as we are, to be a cradle for Him, with the poor straw of our fragility.” In the 14th century, the Holy See entrusted the care of the holy sites in the Holy Land, including the sites in Bethlehem, to the care of the Franciscan order. - Cardinal Kasper reflects on Vatican II and its legacy (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the 92-year-old president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has commemorated the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council with a lengthy essay in the Vatican newspaper. “Conservative and progressive [interpretations of Vatican II] are not opposites, since, correctly understood, they are part of the same whole,” he wrote. “The hope is that the new Pope, Leo XIV, has recognized the absurdity of this dispute and will say that we must disarm our language: we should not polarize and speak against each other, but dialogue in a conciliatory way. One can only hope that Pope Leo will succeed in this reconciliation.” “The Second Vatican Council showed that the Church is not a rigid and immobile entity,” he concluded. “The Council set many things in motion. This dynamism is also needed in the new century. The streams of pilgrims who came to Rome in the last months of the Holy Year—more than 30 million people and so many young people from all over the world—showed that the Church, despite all the controversies after the Second Vatican Council and despite the increase in persecution against Christians in the world, has remained alive and young.” - Vietnamese refugee, a former Vatican official, named Arizona bishop (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV has named Msgr. Peter Dai Bui, a Vietnamese refugee to the United States and a former Vatican official, as auxiliary bishop of Phoenix, one of the nation’s largest dioceses. - Archbishop Coakley defends immigration stance in TV interview (Politico)
Archbishop Paul Coakley, the president of the US bishops’ conference, defended the American bishops’ focus on immigration in a Sunday television interview, saying that the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has caused “fear in a rather widespread manner.” The archbishop acknowledged the nation’s right to control its own borders. But he said that the Trump approach has created “a lot of anxiety,” and the US bishops wanted worried immigrants to know: “We hear you, we’re aware of your suffering of your fears, and we fully intend to accompany you during this difficult time.” Archbishop Coakley said that he had not yet met President Trump but looked forward to speaking with him soon. - Pope, in final Saturday jubilee audience, says that 'to hope is to generate' (CWN)
In the eleventh and final special Saturday audience of the jubilee year, Pope Leo XIV said that to hope is to generate, as the Blessed Virgin Mary did (video). - Pope Leo hails St. Joseph's example of 'piety and charity, mercy and abandonment' (CWN)
In his Angelus address on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Pope Leo XIV upheld St. Joseph as a model of “piety and charity, mercy and abandonment” that Christians should imitate as Christmas approaches (video). - Peacemaking is the 'quintessential Catholic action,' Pope tells children of Catholic Action (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received young people of the Italian Catholic Action movement on December 19 and told them that “to make peace is the quintessential ‘Catholic action,’ because it is the gesture that makes us witnesses of Jesus, the Redeemer of the world.” - Pontiff prays that young people understand importance of sacramental marriage, be open to life (CWN)
At the conclusion of his December 20 jubilee audience, Pope Leo XIV told Polish-speaking pilgrims: - Jerusalem cardinal visits Gaza, vows to rebuild (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem concluded a three-day pastoral visit yesterday and vowed to rebuild. “We will rebuild—our schools, our houses, and our life,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, said at Gaza’s sole Catholic parish on the first day of his visit. Later during the visit, he celebrated Mass and preached: We are in a very difficult situation, like many others throughout Gaza. But now we are in a new phase. We are called not only to survive, but to rebuild life. We must bring the spirit of Christmas—the spirit of light, tenderness, and love. It may seem impossible, but after two years of terrible war, we are still here. - Papal preacher devotes final Advent sermon to the universality of salvation (Vatican News)
The Preacher of the Papal Household preached his third and final weekly Advent sermon in Paul VI Audience Hall on December 19, in the presence of Pope Leo, the Roman Curia, and staff of the Vatican City State and of the Vicariate of Rome. The title of Father Roberto Pasolini’s sermon was “The Universality of Salvation: An Unconditional Hope.” The sermon had five sections, entitled “The true light,” “Those who seek, find,” “Remaining seated,” “Arise and shine,” and “Finding oneself.” The overall theme of the Capuchin Franciscan’s series of Advent sermons was “Awaiting and hastening the coming of the day of God: Jubilee hope between waiting for the Lord and the universality of salvation.” The theme of the first sermon was “The Parousia of the Lord: An expectation without hesitation”; the theme of the second, “Rebuilding the Lord’s house: A Church without contrapositions.” - New Florida bishop's parish has perpetual adoration, 68 hours of weekly Confession (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV has named Father Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez, the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Corona, New York, as the new bishop of Palm Beach, Florida. - More...