HOW PONTIFF LEO CELEBRATES 100 DAYS; DIGITAL ENCOUNTERS WITH YOUNG CATHOLICS; ... (541 hits)
For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
In Pontiff Leo XIV’s First 100 Days, A Calm Papacy That Avoids Controversy Comes Into Focus
VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pontiff Leo XIV surprised tens of thousands of young people at a recent Holy Year celebration with an impromptu Pontiffmobile romp around St. Peter’s Square, it almost seemed as if some of the informal spontaneity that characterized Pontiff Francis’ 12-year papacy had returned to the Vatican.
But the message Leo delivered that night was all his own: In seamless English, Spanish and Italian, Leo told the young people that they were the “salt of the Earth, the light of the world.” He urged them to spread their hope, faith in Christ and their cries of peace wherever they go.
As Robert Prevost marks his 100th day as Pontiff Leo this weekend, the contours of his pontificate have begun to come into relief, primarily where he shows continuity with Francis and where he signals change. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that after 12 sometimes turbulent years under Francis, a certain calm and reserve have returned to the papacy.
Leo seems eager above all to avoid polemics or making the papacy about himself, and wants instead to focus on Christ and peace.
That seems exactly what many Catholic faithful want, and may respond to what today’s church needs.
“He’s been very direct and forthright … but he’s not doing spontaneous press hits,” said Kevin Hughes, chair of theology and religious studies at Leo’s alma mater, Villanova University. Leo has a different style than Francis, and that has brought relief to many, Hughes said in a telephone interview.
“Even those who really loved Pontiff Francis always kind of held their breath a little bit: You didn’t know what was going to come out next or what he was going to do,” Hughes said.
An Effort To Avoid Polemics
Leo has certainly gone out of his way in his first 100 days to try to heal divisions that deepened during Francis’ pontificate, offering messages of unity and avoiding controversy at almost every turn. Even his signature issue — confronting the promise and peril posed by artificial intelligence — is something that conservatives and progressives alike agree is important. Francis’ emphasis on caring for the environment and migrants often alienated conservatives.
Closer to home, Leo offered the Holy See bureaucracy a reassuring, conciliatory message after Francis’ occasionally authoritarian style rubbed some in the Vatican the wrong way.
“Pontiffs come and go, but the Curia remains,” Leo told Vatican officials soon after his May 8 election.
Continuity With Francis Is Still Undeniable
Leo, though, has cemented Francis’ environmental legacy by celebrating the first-ever ecologically inspired Mass. He has furthered that legacy by giving the go-ahead for the Vatican to turn a 430-hectare (1,000-acre) field north of Rome into a vast solar farm that should generate enough electricity to meet Vatican City’s needs and turn it into the world’s first carbon-neutral state.
He has fine-tuned financial transparency regulations that Francis initiated, tweaked some other decrees to give them consistency and logic, and confirmed Francis in deciding to declare one of the 19th century’s most influential saints, John Henry Newman, a “doctor” of the church.
But he hasn’t granted any sit-down, tell-all interviews or made headline-grabbing, off-the-cuff comments like his predecessor did. He hasn’t made any major appointments, including to fill his old job, or taken any big trips.
In marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki last week, he had a chance to match Francis’ novel declaration that the mere possession of nuclear weapons was “immoral.” But he didn’t.
Pontiff Expands Rights For Parents Working In The Vatican
The Vatican has published a new Rescript, signed by the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy and approved by the Holy Father, that introduces several new measures regarding paternity leave, the rights of parents with children who are incapacitated or have a severe disability, and the granting of family allowances. By Vatican News
Five days paid leave for Vatican employees on the birth of a child; three paid days each month for parents of disabled children: These are two of the new provisions contained in the Rescript published Monday, 11 August, which expands the protections and rights of employees of the Vatican City State in various areas.
The document, signed by the Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Maximino Caballero Ledo, was approved by Pontiff Leo XIV, who received Mr. Caballero in audience on 28 July.
During the audience, Mr. Caballero presented to the Pontiff the resolutions of the ULSA Council—an organization composed of representatives of various entities of the Holy See and the Governorate, together with their respective employees.
Among the new measures in the Rescript—which amends certain paragraphs of the Consolidated Text of Benefits in Favour of the Family and the Rules for the Granting of the Family Allowance—is first of all that regarding paternity leave.
“The employee is entitled to five days of paid leave on the occasion of the birth of a child,” the document states. “The five days of leave, understood as working days, may be taken consecutively and/or in full-day increments, not in hours, within no more than thirty days from the event, under penalty of forfeiture of the right.”
For the five days of leave, the working father is entitled to “full pay, counted in all respects related to length of service.”
Families With Children With Disabilities
For families with children “in a situation of certified severity,” it is established that “the parents, alternately, are entitled each month to three days of paid leave, which may also be taken consecutively, provided that the child is not fully hospitalized in specialized institutions.”
“With a view to enabling greater availability of time for the care of the disabled family member,” the granting of leave—except in cases authorized by the competent authority—entails for the employee “the impossibility of carrying out other work activity,” and any authorization that may have been granted must be revoked.
The Rescript specifies that the clinical assessment of disability and the determination of its severity are carried out by a Medical Board, based on evaluation tables issued by the Higher Authority upon proposal of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Governorate. The judgment of this Board is “not subject to appeal.”
A family in which a person has been recognized by the Medical Board as severely disabled or incapacitated is entitled to the family allowance. This right also extends to holders of direct, indirect, or survivor Vatican pensions who have been recognized as severely disabled or incapacitated by the Medical Board.
Family Allowances
With regard to family allowances, the Rescript clarifies that beneficiaries include families with “legitimate or legitimated children or their equivalent, over the age of 18”; if they are students, “during the period of secondary studies up to the maximum age of 20 years,” or “for the entire duration of university studies or studies recognized as equivalent by the Holy See, up to the maximum age of 26 years.” Such studies must be documented by a certificate of enrollment issued by the university.
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Pontiff Leo XIV To Hold His First Digital Encounter With Young US Catholics
Pontiff Leo XIV will hold his first digital encounter with some 15,000 young people during the National Catholic Youth Conference, who hail from Catholic youth movements across the United States, and engage directly with them during a 45-minute live dialogue. By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pontiff Leo XIV is expected to address the up to 15,000 registered young people ages 14-18 from Catholic youth movements across the United States during a 45-minute live dialogue.
The Holy See Press Office and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) made the announcement on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as to "entrust the event to the Blessed Mother."
The event marks the Holy Father's first-ever digital encounter with young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), which will take place on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 10:15 AM Eastern Time.
Engaging Directly With Young Catholics About The Faith
The 2025 NCYC will gather thousands of Catholic young people, ministry leaders, clergy, and volunteers from across the country for three days of prayer, formation, community, and celebration in Indianapolis.
The Holy Father will engage directly with several young people, who will be chosen to converse with Pontiff Leo during the session, which will be broadcast by EWTN.
The live dialogue is expected to further reflect the Church's care and concern for their voices, experiences, and hopes.
Pontiff Leo XIV's Closeness To Catholic Youth
The event, the press release noted, will build on the hope-filled encounters with millions of young people both online through the first-ever Digital Influencers Jubilee, and in person at the recent Jubilee for Youth in Rome.
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, who serves as both Episcopal Advisor and board member for NFCYM, expressed his joy for the event.
"The Holy Father's choice to encounter the American youth in this way is an expression of his closeness to Catholic youth," he said.
Executive Director of NFCYM, Christina Lamas, said, "We are humbled and thrilled to welcome the Holy Father to NCYC," adding that "his presence is a profound reminder that young people are at the heart of the Church and that their voices matter."
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Pontiff At Lunch With The Poor: We Are God’s Most Beautiful Creation
Before sharing a lunch with the poor supported by Caritas Albano in the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas, the Pontiff explained that each one of us is made in the image of God, and that “we can find God’s presence in everyone.” By Alessandro Di Bussolo
Amid the beauty of nature and creation in the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandolfo and beneath the large gazebo set up for the lunch with the poor, Pontiff Leo XIV, speaking off the cuff, invited everyone to reflect on the fact that “the most beautiful of all creation is that which was made in God’s image—that is, each one of us.”
Each person, he said, reflects that image of God. It is essential that we always remember this truth: we can encounter God’s presence in every individual. And so, even this afternoon’s gathering for lunch—organized by the Borgo Laudato Si’ and the Diocese of Albano Laziale—is an experience of communion, of fraternity, of being together with God.
Breaking Bread And Sharing The Lord’s Gifts
Looking out at the more than one hundred guests—poor and vulnerable people supported by the diocesan Caritas of Albano, including residents of shelters and group homes, the homeless, and those supported by listening centers—the Pontiff spoke of the deep meaning behind “breaking bread together, a gesture that for us all is deeply significant: the act through which we recognize Jesus Christ present among us.”
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Pontiff At Angelus: Mary Is An Icon Of Hope
During the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, Pontiff Leo XIV urges everyone as pilgrims on the journey of life to turn their gaze to Mary, the Mother of God. By Kielce Gussie
After presiding over Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary in Castel Gandolfo, Pontiff Leo XIV began his Angelus reflection by citing a document from the Second Vatican Council, which speaks about the Assumption of Mary. He highlighted that Mary “shines as an icon of hope for her pilgrim children throughout history.”
The Pontiff turned to Dante’s famous poem Paradiso and the prayer recited in the last canto. It praises the Virgin as “the living fountain-head of hope”. Pontiff Leo described Mary as a symbol of hope, which ties into the theme of this Jubilee Year—Pilgrims of hope.
He stressed that pilgrims need a goal to guide their journey, “a beautiful and attractive goal that guides their steps and revives them when they are tired, that always rekindles in their heart a desire and hope.”
The goal of this journey of life, the Pontiff reminded, is God and the human heart is drawn to the beauty of God.
Just as it is a mystery that Jesus became man, died, and rose again, the Pontiff reflected on the mystery of Mary as the mother of the Son of God. “It concerns a unique mystery of love, and thus of freedom.” Both Jesus and Mary, he recalled, said yes to their call in life. Mary’s entire life was a pilgrimage of hope with her son from birth to the heavenly homeland.
It is for this reason, Pontiff Leo said, when we face difficult times “as individuals, families and communities…let us lift our gaze, let us look at her, our Mother, and we will rediscover the hope that does not disappoint.”
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Pontiff: We Must Not Resign Ourselves To Conflict And Weapons
Following the Angelus on the feast of the Assumption, Pontiff Leo reflects on Mary’s role in providing hope to people throughout the centuries and urges everyone to avoid losing hope in the midst of violence. By Kielce Gussie
Following the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Pontiff Leo marked the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary by entrusting his prayer for peace to her intercession. He pointed out that Mary “suffers for the evils that afflict her children, especially the little ones and the weak.” Throughout the centuries, the Pontiff explained, she has revealed her closeness to those in need through messages and apparitions.
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Pontiff: Social Justice Cannot Depart From Gospel Or Turn To Violence
In a message to participants in the Peruvian Church’s Social Week, Pontiff Leo XIV recalls the love the saints bore for the image of God in all people, and urges those who work for social justice to avoid turning to violence or sinning against charity. By Devin Watkins
The Church in Peru holds its Social Week in Lima on August 14-16, which brings together Catholics to dialogue in search of responses to the country’s complex social issues.
Pontiff Leo XIV sent a message to participants, which was read out in Spanish on Thursday evening.
The Pontiff recalled that his own pastoral ministry has been marked by the Church in Peru, noting that God’s Providence has always accompanied Peruvians.
He pointed to several Saints tied to the Latin American nation, including St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres, St. John Macías, and St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, and highlighted their unique examples of care for social justice.
Pontiff Leo recalled Pontiff St. Paul VI’s words at the canonization of St. John Macías, who loved people “because he saw in them the image of God.”
“How much we would like to remind this to those who today work among the poor and marginalized!” he said. “We must not depart from the Gospel, nor break the law of charity in order to seek, by ways of violence, a greater justice.”
With his predecessor, Pontiff Leo invited those who work for social justice to transform people from within, along with their social structures so that they may become more just and more human.
Turning to the 16th-century St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, the Pontiff praised the Spanish-born bishop’s vast expansion of the Church in Peru by creating 100 new parishes, hosting a Pan-American Council, and spending all his strength to care for those who live on the peripheries of society.
“The Peruvian lands saw him not only in the fervor of an apostolic action that still amazes us today,” he said, “but also in the quiet of his serene face and his recollected, devout demeanor, which clearly showed whence that strength came to him: from an intense prayer and union with God.”
Pontiff Leo XIV then reflected on the contemporary situation of Peru, which he said faces multiple challenges regarding economics, politics, and culture.
“The pain,” he said, “caused by the injustice and exclusion suffered by so many of our brothers and sisters urges all the baptized to give a response which, as Church, must correspond to the signs of the times from the very heart of the Gospel.”
The Pontiff upheld the saints as models for our own times which call each person to build a better future.
“Let us understand,” he said, “that all the Church’s social action must have as its center and goal the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, in such a way that, without neglecting what is immediate, we always keep awareness of the proper and ultimate direction of our service.”
In conclusion, Pontiff Leo urged the Church in Peru to express their love for God by sharing both the material bread and the Bread of the Word of God with others, so that their hearts may be awakened with “hunger for the Bread of heaven, which only the Church can give.”
Holy See: Indigenous women should be protagonists of a better future The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States reaffirms the Holy See’s closeness to all indigenous peoples, especially indigenous women, in a statement delivered at a commemoration of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples and the Eighth Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples. By Christopher Wells
Speaking at a special session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Wednesday, Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano reaffirmed the Holy See’s closeness to all indigenous peoples, and especially indigenous women, “in order to promote and safeguard their fundamental rights.”
The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the OAS note that the theme of the special session—“Through the Voice of Indigenous Women: Visibility, Leadership, Rights, and Economic Autonomy”—provides guidance for the debate on the contribution and essential role of women in society.
The Holy See, Msgr Cruz Serrano said, advocates for indigenous women to be seen as “active protagonists in building” a common future, rather than “passive beneficiaries” of policies imposed from without. Such advocacy, he explained, should be seen in the context of the Holy See’s promotion of indigenous cultures, with “appropriate spiritual journeys and attention to the customs and languages of the peoples.”
The Permanent Observer went on to say that that the Church, in its various institutions and in the work it undertakes, “continues to care for Indigenous peoples in many parts of the hemisphere, investing in their education and health, and raising awareness in society, so that the members of these communities can be the protagonists and leaders of their own history.” He noted in particular the “intensive” work of episcopal conferences, dioceses, parishes, and missions, as well as that of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), among others.
Finally, Msgr Cruz Serrano expressed the Holy See’s appreciation for the work of the OAS in reaching out to indigenous peoples and vulnerable peoples, especially women and girls, living in the region; and its renewed support “for initiatives that seek to amplify their voice, protect their rights, and ensure their full participation in the life of society.”
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Patriarch Pizzaballa: Blood of Every Innocent In Gaza And The World Is Not Forgotten
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrates Mass on the feast of the Assumption at the Benedictine monastery of Abu Gosh, saying the Christian's task is to sow life while remaining under God's protective mantle so that evil does not have the final word. By Antonella Palermo
The pain of our times, observed Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, "does not allow us to make sugar-coated and abstract, and therefore unconvincing, speeches about peace, nor to limit ourselves to yet more analysis or denunciations. Rather," he insists, "we are called to stand as believers within this drama, which is not likely to end anytime soon."
In his homily during the Mass celebrated at the Benedictine Abbey of Abu Gosh on the Solemnity of the Assumption, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem offered a meditation on a passage from the Book of Revelation — a text that, he said, has accompanied the Christian community and been a source of reflection many times “throughout these months filled with pain.”
Aware that evil will continue to operate in the world Cardinal Pizzaballa realistically shared what emerges today from reading the text, focusing especially on the power of Satan, depicted as the dragon — "who will never stop asserting himself and unleashing fury upon the world, particularly against 'those who keep God’s commandments and hold fast the testimony of Jesus.'"
"We would all like evil to be defeated as soon as possible," he admitted, "to disappear from our lives. But that’s not how it is. We know this, but we must always learn anew to live with the painful awareness that the power of evil will continue to be present in the life of the world — and in ours."
"With our human strength alone, we cannot defeat the enormous power of that dragon. It is a mystery — as harsh and difficult as it may be — that belongs to our earthly reality. This is not resignation. On the contrary," he clarified, "it is an awareness of the dynamics of life in the world — without fleeing in any way, but also without fear, without endorsing them, yet without hiding them either."
In the Holy Land, the greatest manifestation of Satan? Still, the Cardinal highlighted, in light of today’s Solemnity, that “the dragon cannot prevail over the seed of life, which is the fruit of love.” He points out that in the Bible, the desert is not a place of absence but a place where God provides. "In our current experience — so hard and difficult — God continues to provide for us, first of all by warning us of the strength of evil, of worldly power, which in this land and in this time seems truly to prevail."
Cardinal Pizzaballa is very clear when he stated, "We must not deceive ourselves."
Even the end of the war, he warned, will not mark the end of the hostilities and pain it will leave behind. "From many hearts, a desire for vengeance and anger will continue to emerge. The evil that seems to govern the hearts of many will not stop its activity — it will remain constantly at work, and I would even say, creative. For a long time still, we will have to deal with the consequences of this war in people's lives."
“It seems that this Holy Land of ours — which guards the greatest revelation and manifestation of God — is also the place of the greatest manifestation of the power of Satan. And perhaps precisely because it is the place that holds the heart of the history of salvation, it has also become the place where the ‘Ancient Adversary’ seeks to impose himself more than anywhere else.”
Few, unaligned, "troublesome" — but we will be God’s refuge Faced with a context of death and destruction, the Patriarch encouraged trust, a renewed covenant with those who desire and sow good, and the creation of spaces for healing and life. Bitterly aware that evil will continue to express itself, Cardinal Pizzaballa invites believers to be places of life, so that the dragon will not have the final word.
“We will not, therefore, be the center of the world’s life. We will not follow the logic that guides much of the lives of the powerful. We will probably be few, but always different, never aligned — and perhaps for this reason, even bothersome. We will still be the place where God provides — a refuge protected by God. Or better yet, we are called to become that refuge for those who want to guard the seed of life in all its forms.”
The Blood Of The Innocent Is Not Forgotten
Continuing the biblical metaphor, the Cardinal expressed conviction that the dragon will eventually fall, but that for now, we must endure — and that the blood of the innocent, not only in the Holy Land and in Gaza but anywhere in the world, “is not forgotten.”
That blood “is not thrown away in some corner of history,” he said. It flows beneath the altar, “mingled with the blood of the Lamb, sharing in the work of redemption to which we are all joined. That is where we must remain. That is our place — our refuge in the desert.”
Christian life, he concluded, overturns the criteria of the world. He recalls the witness of Saint Frances of Rome, who was hindered by Satan in her desire to live for God but who, in the end, fulfilled God’s work.
“This is how God works with everyone," the Cardinal noted, saying, "He enters, and He overturns.” Thus, the Cardinal entrusted everyone to the Blessed Mother, suggesting we must look to the mystery of the Assumption of Mary as a foretaste of eternal redemption.
