HOW PONTIFF LEO ASKS FOR PRAYING ROSARY MONTH OF OCTOBER, COMMITMENT TO THE POOR, .... (342 hits)
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For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
(A 15-Minute Read)
Pope Leo XIV: Pray the Rosary daily for peace in our world This month of October, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to pray the Rosary daily for peace in our world and to be faithful instruments of reconciliation in their daily lives. By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"As we begin October, the month dedicated to the holy Rosary, I invite you to pray the Rosary every day for peace in our world."
Pope Leo XIV made this exhortation on Wednesday morning while addressing various language groups during his General Audience in the Vatican.
Amid the conflicts and wars worldwide, the Pope urged the faithful to promote peace in their regular lives.
"May you be faithful instruments of reconciliation in your daily lives," he said.
With the same sentiment, he reminded the Arabic-speaking pilgrims present that Christians are called "to witness that love and pardon are greater than every wound and stronger than every injustice."
Meanwhile, the Holy Father asked Portuguese-speaking faithful to become "missionaries of peace and mercy," and French-speaking faithful to become "witnesses of peace and love greater than our failures or divisions."
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Pope hails glimmers of hope for peace in Holy Land and prays for Ukraine Following the Mass for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, Pope Leo XIV turns his thoughts and prayers to the suffering people of the Holy Land, of Ukraine, and of Peru, where political turmoil has brought instability to the nation. By Francesca Merlo
At the conclusion of the Mass for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV turned his thoughts to those suffering the consequences of conflict, political instability, and other forms of injustice around the world.
Peace in the Holy Land
His thoughts and prayers, first, turned to the Holy Land, and especially to the human cost of the violence.
“Two years of conflict have left death and destruction everywhere,” the Pope said. “Especially in the hearts of those who have brutally lost their children, their parents, their friends - everything.”
Assuring those affected that the Church stands beside them, Pope Leo reminded them of God’s unwavering presence, even in the darkest of moments and in doing so quoted: “Dilexi te – I have loved you."
These words of the Pope's followed a message of hope in which he encouraged the recent agreement between Israel and Hamas. Pope Leo urged all parties involved to continue, with courage, along the path toward “a just, lasting peace” that honours the legitimate aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
Pope Leo prayed that humanity might rediscover the ability to see the other “not as an enemy, but as a brother,” capable of forgiveness and worthy of reconciliation.
Peace in Ukraine
Then turning his thoughts to Ukraine, Pope Leo addressed the new waves of violence and destruction that have struck cities and civilian infrastructure, killing many civilians, including children, and depriving families of basic necessities like electricity and heating.
“My heart is united with the suffering of the population,” said the Pope, before renewing his appeals, once again, for an end to the violence and for dialogue to prevail.
Holy See Renews Calls For Abolition Of Death Penalty
The Holy See calls for universal abolition of the death penalty, noting that the unchallengeable, God-given dignity of every human person is immutable from conception to natural death. By Sr. Christine Masivo, CPS
The Holy See addressed the 2025 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference during the plenary session on the rule of law, and reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to defending the inalienable dignity of every human person.
Truth for Human Dignity
Msgr. Lucas Marabese, Deputy Head of Mission of the Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), issued a statement at the conference.
He emphasized that human dignity, given by God, is inviolable from conception until natural death. It has also condemned any form of mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, and attempts to coerce the will itself.
The Delegation reiterated the Church’s consistent rejection of torture and all forms of inhumane treatment, citing international human rights instruments that preserve the absolute exclusion of torture as a non-negotiable principle.
Institutions entrusted with establishing criminal responsibility should diligently pursue the truth, he said, while ensuring that their proceedings are conducted in full respect for the dignity and rights of the human person, underscoring the necessity of just and humane procedures in criminal investigations.
Safeguarding The Common Good
Addressing the issue of capital punishment, the Holy See's representative recalled its historical context but highlighted the growing global recognition of its incompatibility with human dignity.
He noted the increasing awareness that even those guilty of grave crimes do not lose their inherent dignity, alongside the development of penal systems that protect society without depriving offenders of the possibility of redemption.
“Bearing this in mind, the Holy See considers the death penalty excluded because it is an attack on the sacredness and dignity of the person,” Msgr. Marabese declared. “Therefore, it will continue to press with determination for its abolition worldwide.”
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No life is beyond redemption: Renewed efforts to end death penalty in Respect Life Month
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, the national Catholic nonprofit working to end the death penalty in the United States, shares personal stories illuminating the humanity of individuals sentenced to death during Respect Life Month. By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Catholic Mobilizing Network*
October 1 marks the first day of Respect Life Month.
Celebrated each October in the U.S. Catholic Church, Respect Life Month is an invitation to reflect more deeply on the God-given dignity of all human life. During this month, Catholics across the United States recommit themselves to uplifting this core tenet of our faith: the belief that every life is sacred.
The death penalty falls squarely on the continuum of life issues. Taking the life of any person—innocent or guilty—is an affront to the sanctity of life. Such valuing of life is especially challenged this month, when eight men are scheduled to be executed in seven states:
- Roy Ward, Indiana, scheduled for execution on October 10 - Lance Shockley, Missouri, scheduled for execution on October 14 - Samuel Smithers, Florida, scheduled for execution on October 14 - Charles Crawford, Mississippi, scheduled for execution on October 15 - Robert Roberson, Texas, scheduled for execution on October 16 - Richard Djerf, Arizona, scheduled for execution on October 17 - Anthony Boyd, Alabama, scheduled for execution on October 23 - Norman Grim, Florida, scheduled for execution on October 28
Even in the face of grave harm, our Catholic faith teaches that every person is created by God with an inalienable dignity. No matter the harm one has caused or suffered, no life is beyond redemption. As Pope Leo XIV recently said during a General Audience:
"There is no past so ruined, no history so compromised that it cannot be touched by God's mercy... No place is too far away, no heart is too closed, no tomb too tightly sealed for His love."
Facing imminent execution On October 14, Lance Shockley is scheduled for execution in the state of Missouri.
Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, Catholic Mobilizing Network’s Director of Death Penalty Abolition, first met Lance when his execution date had not yet been scheduled. Now, barring any last-minute action from the Governor of Missouri or the United States Supreme Court, Lance has only two weeks to live.
Emmjolee was invited to meet Lance alongside his legal team. Beyond the gates, the locked doors, security check points, and long hallways, the two met at a table in a visiting room.
Lance brought photos of his family and shared stories: about his daughters, his family, baptisms he had helped organize inside the prison. She tells me, “His voice filled with pride.”
With an execution now scheduled, Lance’s abilities to move around the prison and visit with others are much more restricted. He continues to communicate with Emmjolee over the phone.
“Meeting him made the work more personal, more real, and deepened both the hope and the sorrow I carry into it,” she says.
Archbishop Mark Rivituso, Archbishop of Mobile, in Alabama, also met Lance Shockley while serving as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
“In my interactions with him on these occasions, we developed a good friendship,” he said. “I am inspired by his goodness and being very devout in his faith. He is a role model for others in the faith community.”
“I pray that the Governor of Missouri will grant him clemency and alter his sentence from the death penalty to life without parole,” Archbishop Rivituso continued.
As an auxiliary bishop in Missouri, Archbishop Rivituso consistently advocated on behalf of the individuals on the state’s death row, writing clemency letters to the Governor urging action to commute their sentences.
Now in Alabama, there are more than 100 men on death row in his state. He said, “I have assured them they are not alone or forgotten. The Church is there for them.”
Bishops of Ghana Renew Call For Urgent Action As Illegal Mining Crisis Deepens
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a fresh and urgent appeal to the government, pressing for “decisive and transparent action” against the destructive scourge of illegal mining, locally known as, Galamsey. Gabriel Asempa Antwi - Accra.
In a statement delivered after a high-level engagement with President John Dramani Mahama and Civil Society Organisations, recently, the Bishops described the situation as nothing less than “a public health and human rights emergency.”
Health and Human Rights Emergency
They cited findings from the recent Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment conducted by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Agency, together with the testimony of the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances, which, they said, presents “an alarming and irrefutable picture: Ghana is poisoning its own life-support systems.”
“The evidence is stark: mercury and arsenic levels in some communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Rivers, soils, and crops are contaminated; over half a million farmers have been displaced; and children are already bearing the scars of toxic exposure. Our water, our food security, and the very future of our nation are at stake,” the Bishops declared.
Need For Clear Benchmarks
The Bishops emphasised that credibility is as vital as policy in the fight against galamsey. They urged the President to ensure “clear benchmarks that will trigger a state of emergency; visible prosecution of kingpins, including those named in official reports; the establishment of promised fast-track courts; measurable performance indicators for local authorities and security services; and protection for communities and traditional leaders who resist galamsey, alongside accountability for those complicit.”
“Your Excellency, credibility is now as important as policy. Our people must see that no one is above the law, and that economic expediency cannot outweigh the sacred right to clean water, safe food, and a healthy environment. To delay is to risk complicity in what is fast becoming an ecocidal tragedy of monumental proportions,” they added.
Pope To Young People: Go Beyond Your Comfort Zones And Build Peace
In a message for the 40th World Youth Day Pope Leo XIV reminds young people that as Christians they have a responsibility to stand alongside those who suffer and become active artisans of peace.
The text, begun by Pope Francis and now completed by Pope Leo, was presented on Thursday at a conference in the Holy See Press Office.
Among the presenters was the Franciscan Fr. Frédéric-Marie le Méhauté, a professor of theology in Paris, and Provincial Vicar of the Province of France and Belgium for the Order of Friars Minor. He spoke to Vatican News about the apostolic exhortation. By Linda Bordoni
In his message for the 40th World Youth Day, Pope Leo XIV encouraged young people not to “follow those who use the words of faith to divide” but to work for reconciliation, "becoming active artisans of peace.”
The annual World Youth Day, celebrated by churches at the diocesan level, takes place on 23 November in preparation for the global gathering in Seoul in 2027.
Remarking on the theme of this observance - “You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me”, the Pope said as pilgrims of hope and by power of the Holy Spirit we prepare ourselves to become courageous witnesses of Christ, and he focused on two aspects of witness: “our friendship with Jesus, which we receive from God as a gift, and our commitment to be builders of peace in society.”
Friends, Therefore Witnesses
Explaining that Christian witness arises from friendship with the Lord, who was crucified and rose for the salvation of all, the Pope said, “This witness is not to be confused with ideological propaganda, for it is an authentic principle of interior transformation and social awareness.”
Jesus, he continued, fully knows who we are, our hearts and our indignation in the face of discrimination and injustice.
“He does not want us to be servants, nor ‘activists’ of a political party; he calls us to be with him as friends, so that our lives may be renewed.”
He added that “His example reminds us that true witnesses do not seek to occupy the centre stage, nor to bind their followers to themselves. True witnesses are humble and inwardly free, above all from themselves, that is, from the pretence of being the centre of attention. Therefore, they are free to listen, to understand, and also to speak the truth to everyone, even in the presence of those who are powerful.”
“True Christian Witnesses Are Humble And Free.”
Thus, he added, true Christian witness is recognising and pointing to Jesus when he appears, as he is the only one who saves us.
To that end, Pope Leo said, “Pope Francis insisted so often that if we do not go beyond ourselves and our comfort zones, if we do not go to the poor and those who feel excluded from the Kingdom of God, we cannot encounter Christ and bear witness to him.”
Witnesses, Therefore Missionaries
The Holy Father then reminded young people to never forget that many of their peers “are exposed to violence, forced to use weapons, separated from their loved ones, and compelled to migrate or flee. Many lack education and other essential goods.”
Pope Leo Meets With Faculty And Students From Villanova University, His Alma Mater
Pope Leo welcomes a group of students and faculty from Villanova University in the United States where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 1977. By Thaddeus Jones
On Friday 10 October Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience with a group of 19 students and faculty Villanova University, just outside Philadelphia in the United States. The University is Pope Leo's alma mater where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 1977.
Professors Daniel Joyce, Chair of the Department of Computing Sciences, together with his colleague Dr. Frank Klassner of the same Department and Dr. Tom Ksiazek, Chair of the Communication Department, led the Villanova group consisting of students studying in Rome for the semester.
Dr. Joyce recounted how he arrived in the mathematics department, as it was previously known, the same year the Pope graduated. Regarding the study of mathematics, he explained how this background is particularly helpful in understanding and studying the technical realities of today, especially in the field of artificial intellience, or AI.
Professor Klassner said the Pope's mathematical background "gives him an advantage in facing the challenges that technology is presenting these days" since it underlies so much of the technology we are using, such as AI and computer security systems. And this knowledge can help him in better analyzing the ethical problems in these areas, while also approaching the questions from other disciplines such as metaphysics, ethics, philosphy, and theology to gain a wider understanding of complex realities and desired outcomes that respect the dignity of the human person.
Both academics also appreciated Pope Leo XIV taking the name "Leo" in memory of his predecessor Pope Leo XIII who grappled with the immense challenges of the Industrial Revolution, while today we face similar epocal change with the rise and implementation of AI. Dr. Joyce acknowledged "we have to learn how to deal with the side effects of new technology and the effects on the population, the effects on the economy" and how if we move too quickly without thinking through these areas we may later regret it, as we are seeing with the challenges presented now with generative machine learning.
Among the Villanova students present for the papal audience were Morgan Bolesta and Sophie Cossio, both communication majors in their third year of study on a study program in Rome with internships at the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). They expressed their joy in meeting Pope Leo, also as an alumnus, recalling how the church bells rang out for hours on the home campus following the announcement of his election. Accompanying them, Professor Ksiazek expressed his gratitude for the Pope taking time to greet them, underscoring the importance of building bridges in our fractured world and building on the Augustinian commitment to the ideals of truth, unity and love.
Villanova University is an Augustinian Catholic community of higher education founded and sponsored by the Order of St. Augustine to which Pope Leo belongs. As the University states, "inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the University seeks to advance a deeper understanding of the relationship between faith and reason—preparing students to think critically, act compassionately, and succeed while serving others."
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Pope to Consecrated Persons: 'Your Often-Hidden Daily Actions Give Privileged Witness'
In an audience for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, Pope Leo XIV praises the centuries of service that consecrated people have offered the Church, and thanks them for their hidden daily gestures to sustain the Church worldwide. By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"United with Him, and in Him with one another, your small lights become like the path of a luminous trail in the great plan of peace and salvation that God has for humanity."
Pope Leo XIV gave this comforting reminder to consecrated individuals on Friday morning in the Vatican who have been participating in the Jubilee of Consecrated Life.
During the audience, the Holy Father urged them to stay rooted in Christ and to keep bringing the Lord to others through their witness and faith.
The Pope said he was pleased to be with them, observing they represent all consecrated men and women around the world. He said he welcomed them with an embrace from the heart, one that, he noted, wishes to reach "even the most remote corners of the earth—because I know that is where many of you can be found."
Wonderful Adventure Of Following Jesus
The Pope reiterated that the Church needs them and the full diversity and richness of the forms of consecrated life and ministry that you represent.
"With your vitality and the witness of a life where Christ is the center and the Lord, you can help to “wake up the world.”
Pope: Religious Freedom An ‘Essential Element To Seek And Live Truth’
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical foundation, and praises their work to uphold religious freedom as an essential element of human life. By Devin Watkins
Ahead of the publication of the Religious Freedom in the World Report on October 21, Pope Leo XIV held an audience on Friday with members of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN).
In his address, the Pope said their visit to Rome comes at a time of rising hostilities and violence “against those who hold different convictions, including Christians.”
The mission of ACN, he added, stands in contrast to that violence, proclaiming that the Church can never abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Every person’s right to religious freedom is “not optional but essential,” he said, noting that everyone carries within their heart a “profound longing for truth, for meaning, and for communion with others and with God.”
“Rooted in the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image and endowed with reason and free will, religious freedom allows individuals and communities to seek the truth, to live it freely, and to bear witness to it openly,” he said.
Religious freedom is therefore the cornerstone of society, since it safeguards the moral space in which we may form and exercise our conscience.
“Religious freedom, therefore, is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments,” he said. “It is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible.”
Dilexi te: Commitment to poor is prerequisite of faith, not a consequence Frédéric-Marie le Méhauté, OFM, speaks to Vatican News about Pope Leo XIV's new apostolic exhortation "Dilexi te," on love for the poor. By Joseph Tulloch
Pope Leo XIV has published his first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi te (‘I have loved you’), on love for the poor.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about this new encyclical? What are some of its main themes?
The main theme is, as the subtitle explains, love for the poor. But not only loving them – how we love them, how we work with them. How do we read the Gospel with them? How do we build society not only for them, but with them? How do we make it clear that poor people are central to the Church?
Q: These are topics which were very dear to the late Pope Francis, and as we know, the new exhortation was a collaborative effort, written by both him and Pope Leo. What in this document continues the magisterium of Pope Francis, and what’s new?
I would say it's very difficult, almost impossible, to say whether a sentence in the Exhortation is from Pope Francis or from Pope Leo. One of the great things about this text is that it's very consistent—there’s a great continuity between the two popes.
We cannot say that this is the final text of Francis’ pontificate. It's a joint text, and in my opinion, it's also a kind of programme for Leo’s pontificate.
Q: What are some of the highlights of the document?
I think the theological analysis of our commitment to the poor is very important. We sometimes think: OK, I go to church, I like Jesus, I go to Mass, and, in order to be a good person, I need to help the poor. In other words, we see the commitment to the poor as a consequence of our faith.
