In Kinshasa, the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus carry out a crucial mission: restoring the dignity of people affected by HIV/AIDS. This illness is still a profoundly painful reality that intimately wounds many lives.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, director of a U.S. organization working to end the death penalty, accompanies several Bishops in their exploration of the connections between the legacy of racism in the United States and its impacts on the criminal legal system today.
The Vatican Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF) publishes its 2025 Annual Report, confirming the robustness of the Vatican’s oversight system in preventing and combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The Report also highlights strengthened relations with counterparties and key international bodies.
During a national prayer for peace bringing together Christian leaders in Dubai, the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, Bishop Paolo Martinelli, said, “Peace cannot be simply a human construct; it is a gift from God, to be sought, welcomed, nurtured, and spread in society through our good relationships.”
Meeting with a delegation of the German Archdiocese of Cologne, Pope Leo XIV encourages the Church in all countries to offer mutual support for other dioceses and to bear witness to the truth in charity.
As he accepts the ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers’ award from the Catholic Theological Union, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago warns that “conflicts mediated through screens” risk reducing human lives to “data points rather than persons.”
Pope Leo XIV holds a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, focusing on the situation in the Middle East, with particular attention to the West Bank and the condition of Christians in southern Lebanon, and also reflecting on his recent Apostolic Journey to Africa.
The Dicastery for the Service of Charity is supporting an initiative by the charitable organisation “Cross Catholic Outreach” aimed at assisting children affected by armed conflict. The Pope’s vehicle will travel across the United States to draw attention to the reality faced by war victims, while also offering moments of prayer and reflection.
The statistics are concerning. According to UN agencies, global water resources face significant challenges, including in Africa, where approximately 400 million people—almost a third of the continent’s 1.4 billion population—lack access to basic drinking water services. UNICEF reports that one in three Africans is affected by water scarcity, with the situation being especially severe in rural areas.
Following the launch of an initiative promoted by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity to assist children affected by war, the President of Cross Catholic Outreach reflects on the charitable organization’s 25 years of service to the poor and vulnerable, and on its “Road Trip for Hope” project involving a popemobile donated by the Dicastery itself on behalf of the Pope.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life release a document titled “Integral Ecology in the Life of the Family,” offering guidelines for families related to the care for creation and human life.
Meeting in Cyprus for their Spring Plenary Assembly, the bishops of the European Union call for renewed diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to end violence in the Middle East and beyond, echoing Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for dialogue and reconciliation.
As Colombia’s southwestern region endures an uptick in violent attacks, Pope Leo XIV urges everyone to reject any form of violence and prays for the many victims.
During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV recalls various highlights from his recent Apostolic Journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea from April 13 to 23.
More than five thousand young people and some of Guinea-Bissau’s Catholic faithful from the two dioceses, of the country, participated in the 9th Catholic Youth Interdiocesan Day. The three days-long event, over the weekend coincided with the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Diocese of Bafatá
Following a request from His Beatitude Patriarch Polis III Nona, Pope Leo XIV has agreed to grant ecclesiastical communion, “an expression and bond of full communion with the Apostolic See, in common service to unity in the Church and the building up of the Body of Christ.”
The Holy See’s Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, inspired by the life and work of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, is presented at the Holy See Press Office.
Since the start of the war in Sudan, the United Nations has documented more than 5,700 serious violations against children across Sudan, affecting at least 5,100 children, with over 4,300 killed or maimed.
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, warns that restrictions on girls’ secondary education could affect more than 2 million by 2030, with dire consequences for the country’s health, workforce, and future economic growth.
Visiting the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy on the occasion of its 325th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the figure of the pontifical diplomatic priest: a messenger of peace, called to defend the entire human family, not only the Catholic community.