St. Patrick Catholic Church

ISTANBUL (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV, like his two immediate predecessors, visited the so-called Blue Mosque in Turkey's capital; he spent about 20 minutes inside but did not appear to pause for prayer as Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis had done.

Instead, he listened to Askin Musa Tunca, the mosque's muezzin who calls people to prayer five times a day, explain the building, its construction and how Muslims pray. And the pope asked questions. 

Tunca told reporters afterward that the mosque is "the house of Allah -- it's not my house; it's not your house," and so he told Pope Leo he could pray if he wanted. "'That's OK,' he said, he wanted to see the mosque."

Reporters pressed Tunca, asking again if the pope prayed. "Maybe to himself, I don't know," he responded.

The Vatican press office said afterward that Pope Leo visited the mosque "in a spirit of reflection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer."

As is customary, Pope Leo removed his shoes in the courtyard before entering the mosque in white socks. 

Formally called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Muslim house of prayer was complete in 1617 and is known as the Blue Mosque because of the more than 21,000 blue tiles that decorate its walls, arches and domes. The tiles come from Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, which Pope Leo had visited the day before.

Leaving the mosque, Pope Leo noted to Tunca that they were going through a doorway with a sign that said, "No exit." The muezzin replied that the sign was for tourists but, if the pope preferred, "you do not have to go out. You can stay here."

Pope Benedict XVI had visited the Blue Mosque in 2006, and Pope Francis toured it in 2015. Both had paused for a moment of silence facing the mihrab, which indicates the direction of the Islamic holy city of Mecca. St. John Paul II was the first pontiff to visit a mosque when he went to the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria, in 2001. 

In late October Pope Leo had led Vatican celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's document on relations with other world religions. The bishops at Vatican II said Catholics have esteem for their Muslim brothers and sisters, who "adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth," and "they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees."
 

IZNIK, Turkey (CNS) -- Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical prayer service and the common recitation of the Creed Nov. 28 at Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, about 80 miles southeast of Istanbul.

With the Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem or their representatives and with representatives of other Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, Pope Leo marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea -- the primary motive for his first foreign trip as pope. 

The joint recitation of the Creed did not include the phrase known as the "filioque" -- the statement that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son" -- since the phrase is not used by the Orthodox because it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have omitted the phrase at ecumenical prayer services.

Standing on a platform overlooking the remains of the Basilica of St. Neophytos, now partially submerged in Lake Iznik, the church leaders took turns leading the prayers -- in English, Greek and Arabic -- and lighting candles as a Catholic choir, singing in Latin, and an Orthodox choir, singing in Greek, alternated. 

Patriarch Bartholomew, welcoming the pope and other guests, noted that "despite so many intervening centuries and all the upheavals, difficulties and divisions they have brought, we nevertheless approach this sacred commemoration with shared reverence and a common feeling of hope."

"The power of this place does not reside in what passes away, but in what endures forever," he said.

Speaking after the patriarch, Pope Leo told his fellow Christian leaders that at a time when humanity is "afflicted by violence and conflict," the world "is crying out for reconciliation."

"The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings," he said. "In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith 'in one God, the Father.' Yet, it would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God." 

Though united by faith, the Russian Orthodox Church -- the largest of the world's Eastern Orthodox churches -- was not represented at the service. The Russian church broke relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the recognition in 2018 of the autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 

Belief in God the father, Pope Leo said in Iznik, means "there is a universal fraternity of men and women regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion or personal perspectives."

With many of the Christian leaders, especially the Oriental Orthodox, coming from nations that recently faced or are facing war and persecution, Pope Leo said Christians must give concrete witness to their belief that all people are children of one God and therefore brothers and sisters to each other.

"Furthermore, we must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism," he said. "Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation."

The pope also repeated a concern he had mentioned during a meeting with Catholic leaders earlier in the day: the risk that many Christians have departed from the Nicene Creed's firm belief in the divinity of Jesus.

"This question is especially important for Christians, who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion," he said.

At the time of the Council of Nicaea, the pope said, Arius -- a priest from Alexandra in Egypt -- had denied the divinity of Christ, reducing him to "a mere intermediary between God and humanity, ignoring the reality of the Incarnation such that the divine and the human remained irremediably separated."

"But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?" Pope Leo asked.

The pope told the Christian leaders that sharing the same faith in Jesus and being able to recite the Creed together means there "is a profound bond already uniting all Christians."

"We are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life," the pope said. "The more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all."

Patriarch Bartholomew told the leaders that with "the fervor of the faith of Nicaea burning in our hearts," they must "run the course" of Christian unity in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer for the unity of his disciples.

"And, finally," the patriarch said, "let us love one another that with one mind we may confess: Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- Trinity consubstantial and undivided."
 

ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV began his first papal trip speaking of dialogue, peace and thanksgiving -- referring to both the holiday and his own gratitude.

On the plane to Turkey Nov. 27, he wished a Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans among the 80 journalists traveling with him and told them, "It's a wonderful day to celebrate."

He also received from reporters two pumpkin pies and a pecan pie; he said he would share "part of it."

Pope Leo also was given a baseball bat that had belonged to 1950s White Sox player Nellie Fox.

After expressing his appreciation, the pope asked, "How did you get that through security?" 

During the flight, speaking to the reporters from the front of the economy section of the ITA Airways plane, Pope Leo said, "I want to begin by saying thank you to each and every one of you for the service that you offer to the Vatican, to the Holy See, to my person, but to the whole world. It's so important today that the message be transmitted in a way that really reveals the truth and the harmony that the world needs."

Landing in Ankara after the flight of almost three hours, Pope Leo fulfilled the dictates of protocol as a visiting head of state, meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Safi Arpagus, the head of the national religious affairs office, known as the Diyanet.

Later, addressing the president, other government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and civic leaders, Pope Leo told them, "Today, more than ever, we need people who will promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient resolve." 

After World War II, he said, the world came together and formed the United Nations and other international and regional organizations committed to dialogue, cooperation and conflict resolution.

"We are now experiencing a phase marked by a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fueled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power," Pope Leo said. "This is enabling what Pope Francis called 'a third world war fought piecemeal.'"

"We must in no way give in to this," the pope insisted. "The future of humanity is at stake. The energies and resources absorbed by this destructive dynamic are being diverted from the real challenges that the human family should instead be facing together today, namely peace, the fight against hunger and poverty, health and education, and the protection of creation."

In a land where most people are Muslim, but the constitution officially proclaims the nation secular, Pope Leo praised both the tolerance of religious diversity and the encouragement given to people of all religions to practice their faith.

"In a society like the one here in Turkey, where religion plays a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God's children, both men and women, fellow nationals and foreigners, poor and rich," he said.

"We are all children of God, and this has personal, social and political implications," he said, including working for the common good and respecting all people.

Pope Francis, who visited Turkey in 2014, urged all believers in God "to feel the pain of others and to listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth," the pope said. "He thus encouraged us to compassionate action, which is a reflection of the one God who is merciful and compassionate" -- as Muslims frequently repeat -- and "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love," as the Psalms say.

Pope Leo encouraged all people in Turkey and all people of good will to defend social bonds, beginning with the family. 

"People do not obtain greater opportunities or happiness from an individualistic culture, nor by showing contempt for marriage or shunning openness to life," he said.

"Those who scorn fundamental human ties and fail to learn how to bear even their limitations and fragility," he said, "more easily become intolerant and incapable of interacting with our complex world."

Pope Leo asked the people of Turkey to value their diversity, both cultural and religious. And he assured them that the nation's Catholic community -- about 35,000 people or less than 1% of the population -- wants to contribute.

"Uniformity would be an impoverishment," the pope said. "Indeed, a society is alive if it has a plurality, for what makes it a civil society are the bridges that link its people together."

Unfortunately, he said, today "communities are increasingly polarized and torn apart by extreme positions that fragment them."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanksgiving is a "beautiful feast" that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Say thank you to someone," the pope suggested two days before the U.S. holiday when he met reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo before returning to the Vatican after a day off.

Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was scheduled to spend his Thanksgiving Nov. 27 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey, the first stops on his first foreign trip as pope.

A reporter asked the pope what he was thankful for this year.

"Many things I'm thankful for," he responded.

He described Thanksgiving as "this beautiful feast that we have in the United States, which unites all people, people of different faiths, people who perhaps do not have the gift of faith."

The holiday is an opportunity "to say thank you to someone, to recognize that we all have received so many gifts -- first and foremost, the gift of life, the gift of faith, the gift of unity, to encourage all people to try and promote peace and harmony and to give thanks to God for the many gifts we have been given." 

Pope Leo was asked about his upcoming trip, particularly about relations with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who will host the pope for several prayer services in addition to having a private meeting and lunch with him.

"This trip was born precisely to celebrate 1,700 years of the Creed of Nicaea, the Council of Nicaea" and what it affirmed about Jesus, the pope said.

In his apostolic letter, "In Unitate Fidei" ("In the Unity of Faith"), published Nov. 23, Pope Leo highlighted the importance of the anniversary and of the Creed that all mainline Christians still share.

"Unity in the faith," he told the reporters, "can also be a source of peace for the whole world." 

Pope Leo also was asked if he was concerned about going to Lebanon when Israel continues to strike what it says are Hezbollah and Hamas positions in Lebanon. Israel said it killed Hezbollah's top military leader Nov. 23 in a suburb of Beirut; Lebanon said the strike killed five other people as well and wounded 28 more.

"It's always a concern," the pope said. "Again, I would invite all people to look for ways to abandon the use of arms as a way of solving problems and to come together, to respect one another, to sit down together at the table, to dialogue and to work together for solutions for the problems that affect us."

"I am very happy to be able to visit Lebanon," the pope said. "The message will be a word of peace, a word of hope, especially this year of the Jubilee of hope."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The foundation of sacramental marriage is the unity of the spouses, a bond so intense and grace-filled that it is exclusive and indissoluble, said a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The document, "'Una Caro' (One Flesh): In Praise of Monogamy. Doctrinal Note on the Value of Marriage as an Exclusive Union and Mutual Belonging," was released only in Italian by the Vatican Nov. 25. Pope Leo XIV approved its contents Nov. 21 and authorized its publication.

"Although each marital union is a unique reality, embodied within human limitations, every authentic marriage is a unity composed of two individuals, requiring a relationship so intimate and all-encompassing that it cannot be shared with others," the document said. 

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the doctrinal dicastery, wrote in the document's introduction that the dicastery wanted to draw from Scripture, theology, philosophy and "even poetry" to explain why it is best to choose "a unique and exclusive union of love, a reciprocal belonging that is rich and all-embracing."

The poets quoted included Walt Whitman, Pablo Neruda, Emily Dickinson and Rabindranath Tagore.

The dicastery said it issued the note in response to requests from the bishops of Africa where polygamy is still practiced as well as because "various public forms of non-monogamous unions -- sometimes called 'polyamory' -- are growing in the West."

"Polygamy, adultery or polyamory are based on the illusion that the intensity of a relationship can be found in the succession of faces," the document said. But "as the myth of Don Juan illustrates, numbers dissolve the names; they disperse the unity of the loving impulse."

While the church, its theologians, pastors and canon lawyers have written much about the indissolubility of the marriage bond, the note said, there has been less official reflection "on the unity of marriage -- meaning marriage understood as a unique and exclusive union between one man and one woman." 

The doctrinal dicastery insisted that sacramental marriage is forever and that openness to procreation is an essential part of marriage, but it also said the purpose of the doctrinal note was to focus primarily on the unitive aspect of marriage.

While there are examples of polygamy in the Old Testament, many other passages celebrate the love found in an exclusive, monogamous relationship, it said. And the Song of Songs uses the language of a lover and beloved allegorically to refer to the relationship of God with his people -- a relationship that is unique and exclusive.

In the Gospels, it said, Jesus exalts faithful, lifelong monogamy, pointing back to God's "original plan" that a man and a woman would become "one flesh."

The document has a long section on what popes and Christian theologians -- from the early church to modern times -- have said and written about marriage.

Unlike other early theologians, it said, St. John Chrysostom did not emphasize procreation as a primary purpose for marriage but wrote that "the unity of marriage, through the choice of a single person to whom one is joined, serves to free people from an unrestrained sexual outlet devoid of love or fidelity, and properly directs sexuality."

Until Pope Leo XIII wrote an encyclical on marriage in 1880, the popes did not write much about matrimony, the document said. 

In that encyclical, it said, the pope's defense of monogamy was in part "a defense of the dignity of women, which cannot be denied or dishonored even for the sake of procreation. The unity of marriage therefore implies a free choice on the part of the woman, who has the right to demand exclusive reciprocity."

Because marriage is a union between a man and a woman "who possess exactly the same dignity and the same rights," the document said, "it demands that exclusivity which prevents the other from being relativized in their unique value or being used merely as a means among others to satisfy needs."

In the Latin-rite sacrament of matrimony, it noted, "consent is expressed by saying: 'I take you as my wife,' and 'I take you as my husband.' In this regard, following the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, it must be said that consent is a 'human act by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another.'"

"This act, 'which binds the spouses to each other,' is a giving and a receiving: it is the dynamism that gives rise to mutual belonging, called to deepen, to mature and to become ever more solid," the doctrinal note said. 

How that belonging to one another in an exclusive way is lived out may change over time, "when physical attraction and the possibility of sexual relations weaken," the document said, but it does not end.

"Naturally, various intimate expressions of affection will not be lacking, and these are also considered exclusive," it said. "Precisely because the experience of reciprocal and exclusive belonging has deepened and strengthened over time, there are expressions that are reserved only for that person with whom one has chosen to share one's heart in a unique way."

"The mutual belonging proper to exclusive, reciprocal love implies a delicate care, a holy fear of profaning the freedom of the other, who has the same dignity and therefore the same rights," the note said.

The unique friendship of spouses, it said, is "full of mutual knowledge, appreciation of the other, complicity, intimacy, understanding and patience, concern for the good of the other and sensitive gestures."

That friendship " transcends sexuality," but "at the same time embraces it and gives it its most beautiful, profound, unifying and fruitful meaning," the document said.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Christians recite the Creed, it should prompt an examination of conscience about what they truly believe and what kind of example of faith in God they give to others, Pope Leo XIV wrote.

"Wars have been fought, and people have been killed, persecuted and discriminated against in the name of God," he wrote. "Instead of proclaiming a merciful God, a vengeful God has been presented who instills terror and punishes."

Publishing "In Unitate Fidei" ("In the Unity of Faith") Nov. 23, Pope Leo marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and its Creed. He said he wanted it released in anticipation of his visit to Turkey Nov. 27-30 to celebrate with Orthodox and Protestant leaders the anniversary of the Creed Christians share. 

The bishops who had gathered in Nicaea in 325 had survived anti-Christian persecution, the pope said, but were facing the fracturing of their communities over disputes regarding "the essence of the Christian faith, namely the answer to the decisive question that Jesus had asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi: 'Who do you say that I am?'"

"Arius, a priest from Alexandria in Egypt, taught that Jesus was not truly the Son of God," the pope explained. Arius taught that "though more than a mere creature," Jesus was "an intermediate being between the inaccessible God and humanity. Moreover, there would have been a time when the Son 'did not exist.'"

The challenge facing the bishops, he said, was to affirm their faith in one God while making it clear that, as the creed now says, Jesus is "the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages ... true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father."

The bishops, he said, knew "no mortal being can, in fact, defeat death and save us; only God can do so. He has freed us through his Son made man, so that we might be free." 

In affirming monotheism and the true humanity and divinity of Christ, the pope said, "they wanted to reaffirm that the one true God is not inaccessibly distant from us, but on the contrary has drawn near and has come to encounter us in Jesus Christ."

"This is the heart of our Christian life," Pope Leo wrote. "For this reason, we commit to follow Jesus as our master, companion, brother and friend."

The version of the Creed recited by most Catholics at Mass each Sunday and shared with other mainline Christians is formally called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, because it includes an article of faith inserted by the bishops at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 about the Holy Spirit.

Western Christians say: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets." 

A footnote in the pope's letter said that the phrase known as the "filioque" -- and proceeds from the Father and the Son -- "is not found in the text of Constantinople; it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014 and is a subject of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue."

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have omitted the phrase at ecumenical prayer services.

In his letter, Pope Leo affirmed the Catholic Church's commitment to the search for Christian unity and said, "The Nicene Creed can be the basis and reference point for this journey."

And he prayed that the Holy Spirit would come to all Christians "to revive our faith, to enkindle us with hope, to inflame us with charity."

"The Nicene Creed does not depict a distant, inaccessible and immovable God who rests in himself, but a God who is close to us and accompanies us on our journey in the world, even in the darkest places on earth," Pope Leo wrote.

Reciting the Creed, he said, should prompt Christians to "examine our conscience." 

The questions they should ask, he wrote, include: "What does God mean to me and how do I bear witness to my faith in him? Is the one and only God truly the Lord of my life, or do I have idols that I place before God and his commandments? Is God for me the living God, close to me in every situation, the Father to whom I turn with filial trust?"

And, he continued with more questions: "Is he the Creator to whom I owe everything I am and have, whose mark I can find in every creature? Am I willing to share the goods of the earth, which belong to everyone, in a just and equitable manner? How do I treat creation, the work of his hands? Do I exploit and destroy it, or do I use it with reverence and gratitude, caring for and cultivating it as the common home of humanity?"

Believing that God became human in Jesus means "that we now encounter the Lord in our brothers and sisters in need," the pope said. That is why Jesus said, "As you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me."

The Creed "does not formulate a philosophical theory," Pope Leo wrote. "It professes faith in the God who redeemed us through Jesus Christ. It is about the living God who wants us to have life and to have it in abundance."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV urged U.S. high school students to be "intentional" with their screen time, their prayer time and their involvement in a local parish.

"One of my own personal heroes, one of my favorite saints, is St. Augustine of Hippo," the pope told 16,000 young Catholics meeting in Indianapolis. "He searched everywhere for happiness, but nothing satisfied him until he opened his heart to God. That is why he wrote, 'You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

With a livestream connection, Pope Leo spoke for close to an hour Nov. 21 with participants at the National Catholic Youth Conference meeting at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The pope responded to questions from five high school students: Mia Smothers from the Archdiocese of Baltimore; Ezequiel Ponce from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Christopher Pantelakis from the Archdiocese of Las Vegas; Micah Alcisto from the Diocese of Honolulu; and Elise Wing from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa.

The questions were developed in meetings with other students and adults and were sent to the pope in advance. 

Pope Leo did respond to a question and comment posed by Katie Prejean McGrady, who was moderating the event. She mentioned that she had given the pope a pair of socks some time ago and said she wanted to know what he used as an opening word when he played Wordle each day.

"I just want to say I only wear white socks, and I use a different word for Wordle every day, so there's no set starting word," the pope said, before turning to the young people's questions.

Pantelakis asked for the pope's advice on balancing the use of smartphones and social media with "making faith connections outside of technology."

Pope Leo, using technology to address the students, listed many good things technology does. For example, "it lets us stay connected with people who are far away," he said, and there are "amazing tools for prayer, for reading the Bible, for learning more about what we believe, and it allows us to share the Gospel with people we may never meet in person."

"But even with all that, technology can never replace real, in-person relationships; simple things (like) a hug, a handshake, a smile -- all those things are essential to being human and to have those things in a real way, not through a screen," is important.

Pope Leo encouraged the students to follow the example of St. Carlo Acutis, who used technology to spread devotion to the Eucharistic but limited his time online and made sure he went to Mass, spent time in Eucharistic adoration and served the poor.

"Be intentional with your screen time," the pope told the young people. "Make sure technology serves your life and not the other way around."

Alciso asked for advice about using ChatGPT and other forms of artificial intelligence. 

While Pope Leo has continued to push AI developers and governments to formulate ethical guidelines and include controls to protect young people, he told the high school students that "safety is not only about rules; it is about education, and it is about personal responsibility. Filters and guidelines can help you, but they cannot make choices for you; only you can do that."

"Using AI responsibly means using it in ways that help you grow, never in ways that distract you from your dignity or your call to holiness," the pope said. "AI can process information quickly, but it cannot replace human intelligence -- and don't ask it to do your homework for you."

AI, he said, "will not judge between what is truly right and wrong. And it won't stand in wonder, in authentic wonder, before the beauty, the beauty of God's creation. So be prudent. Be wise. Be careful that your use of AI does not limit your true human growth."

"Use it in such a way that if it disappeared tomorrow, you would still know how to think how to create, how to act on your own, how to form authentic friendships," the pope said. And "remember, AI can never replace the unique gift that you are to the world."

Responding to Wing, who asked about the future of the church, Pope Leo told the young people they are an important part of its present. "Your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now, and the church needs you," he said.

But, looking ahead, he asked them to ask themselves: "What can I offer the church for the future? How can I help others come to know Christ? How can I build peace and friendship around me?"

Smothers asked the pope if he ever finds it difficult to accept God's mercy.

"All of us struggle with this at times," the pope said. "The truth is that none of us is perfect."

But, he added, it also is true that God always forgives.

"We may struggle to forgive, but God's heart is different," Pope Leo told the teens. "God never stops inviting us back. We experience this mercy of God in a special way in the sacrament of reconciliation; in confession, Jesus meets us through the priest. When we honestly confess our sins and accept our penance, the priest gives absolution, and we know with certainty that we are forgiven."

"Do not focus only on your sins. Look to Jesus, trust his mercy and go to him with confidence; he will always welcome you home," the pope said to applause.
 

Pope Leo’s advice for using AI, smartphones

During a livestreamed conversation with young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianaopolis Nov. 21, Pope Leo gave advice for using artificial intelligence and smartphones responsibly.

WASHINGTON - Bishop Daniel E. Garcia has been appointed as the inaugural chairman of the newly established Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, which commenced its work on November 13. His appointment was made by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. The subcommittee’s work falls under the mandate of the domestic justice and human development committee, which includes Catholic social teaching on issues of domestic concern such as poverty, housing, the environment, criminal justice, and other challenges that often have a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

The subcommittee was approved by the USCCB’s Administrative Committee in September and is a new, permanent structure replacing the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, which was formed in 2017 to address the sin of racism in the Church and in society. 

In a recent letter to the faithful, Bishop Garcia reflected on his own experience of racism and the great need in both Church and society to recognize the image of God in all people. He noted, “It is my hope that as chair of this new subcommittee, I can help draw our attention as to what still needs to be done to heal the pain caused by the sin of racism that still exists today.” He also addressed the need for the Church’s witness against racism in his installation Mass in the Diocese of Austin. 

Bishop Joseph N. Perry, who recently concluded his term as chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, welcomed Bishop Garcia’s appointment saying, “On behalf of the bishop members, consultants, and staff of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, I wish to express gratitude to Bishop Garcia for accepting this important role as the ad hoc committee transitions to a standing subcommittee within the Conference. Bishop Garcia is well suited to carry on the work which has begun to convert the hearts of the faithful and the community at large, that the dignity of every person may be recognized.” 

The new subcommittee’s mandate centers on education and evangelization, aiming to deepen understanding of racism and promote healing and reconciliation. 

For additional information about the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation and its work, please visit the USCCB’s racial justice webpage.   

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, bishops are called to be close to the people in their dioceses and peacemakers in a world marked by division and tension, Pope Leo XIV told the bishops of Italy.

Standing in front of the Porziuncola, the small church where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order, Pope Leo said bishops must be "artisans of friendship, fraternity and authentic relationships within our communities, where -- without reluctance or fear -- we must listen to and harmonize tensions, cultivating a culture of encounter and thus becoming a prophecy of peace for the world."

Pope Leo traveled to Assisi by helicopter Nov. 20 to speak at the closing session of the fall meeting of the Italian bishops' conference. The session was closed to the press, but the Vatican released the pope's text and some video clips of his speech a few hours later. 

Before joining the bishops in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, which encloses the Porziuncola, Pope Leo prayed with dozens of friars at the tomb of St. Francis in the basilica named after him.

And after his meeting with the bishops, he flew by helicopter to Montefalco to celebrate Mass and have lunch with the cloistered Augustinian nuns at the Monastery of St. Clare of the Cross.

Pope Leo's talk to the bishops focused on the Italian church's ongoing synod process. But he also spoke of practical matters, including the need to continue combining smaller Italian dioceses and indicating that he would be accepting more bishops' resignations when they reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 than Pope Francis did.

The challenge of evangelization and the falling population of many Italian cities and towns "ask us not to go backward on the matter of merging dioceses," he told them. 

Italy, which has about 57.3 million Catholics, has 224 dioceses; 41 of those have been joined to another diocese "in the person of the bishop," without formally suppressing or uniting the dioceses. By contrast, the 75.5 million Catholics in the United States belong to 194 dioceses, the Archdiocese for the Military Services or the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

"A synodal church that walks along the furrows of history while facing the emerging challenges of evangelization needs constant renewal," the pope told the bishops. "We must avoid allowing inertia -- however well-intentioned -- to slow necessary changes."

As part of that, he said, "we must all cultivate that interior attitude Pope Francis had described as 'learning how to take our leave,' a precious disposition when one must prepare to step down from office." 

"It is good that the norm of age 75 for ordinaries concluding their service in dioceses be respected," Pope Leo said, "and only in the case of cardinals may the continuation of their ministry be considered, possibly for another two years."

As bishops and as a church, he said, "Fixing our gaze on the face of Jesus enables us to look into the faces of our brothers and sisters. It is his love that moves us toward them. And faith in him, our peace, calls us to offer everyone the gift of his peace." 

At a time "marked by fractures, both nationally and inter-nationally," the pope said, "messages and language steeped in hostility and violence often spread; the race for efficiency leaves the most vulnerable behind; technological omnipotence compresses freedom; loneliness consumes hope, while numerous uncertainties weigh on our future like unknowns."

Being a "synodal church," he said, means "walking together, walking with everyone," which requires "being a church that lives among the people, welcomes their questions, soothes their sufferings and shares their hopes."

That attitude, Pope Leo told them, must include special attention to the most vulnerable people "so that a culture of prevention of every form of abuse may also develop."

"The welcome and listening offered to victims are the authentic mark of a church which, in communal conversion, knows how to acknowledge wounds and strives to heal them, because 'where pain is deep, even stronger must be the hope that is born of communion,'" the pope said.

Pope Leo also encouraged the bishops to pay special attention to "the challenge posed to us by the digital world."

"Pastoral ministry cannot be limited to 'using' the media," he said, but it must "educate people to inhabit the digital sphere in a human way, without allowing truth to be lost behind the multiplication of connections, so that the internet may truly become a space of freedom, responsibility and fraternity."
 

Pope Leo: Bishops must lead in a divided world

Pope Leo arrived in Assisi by helicopter Nov. 20 for a meeting with members of the Italian bishops’ conference.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If people do not see themselves as "caretakers of the garden of creation, we end up becoming its destroyers," Pope Leo XIV said.

As the U.N. Climate Conference continued in Brazil, the pope dedicated his weekly general audience talk Nov. 19 to explaining how Jesus' death and resurrection should lead Christians to "a spirituality of integral ecology," which seeks the good of the human person and the planet.

Believing in Christ does not isolate Christians from the world and its concerns, the pope said, but rather it motivates them to share with others how faith generates hope and action, including the kind of conversion needed to provide greater care for the poor and for the earth.

Without concrete commitments, he said, "the words of faith have no hold on reality, and the words of science remain outside the heart." 

"If we allow it, Christ's salvific act can transform all our relationships: with God, with other people and with creation," Pope Leo said in his English-language remarks.

Christians "must allow the seed of Christian hope to bear fruit, convert our hearts and influence the ways we respond to the issues that we face," including the pressing issue of climate change and, particularly, its impact on the world's poorest people.

"As followers of Jesus," he said, "we are called to promote lifestyles and policies that focus on the protection of human dignity and of all of creation."

"Christian hope responds to the demands of our time regarding the climate and the environment," he told Portuguese speakers.

The audience began with the reading of the Gospel of John's account of Mary Magdalene weeping near Jesus' tomb, not recognizing the risen Lord, but thinking he was the gardener. 

In some ways, Jesus is the gardener, the pope said. "The lost paradise is rediscovered by Jesus," who, like a seed buried in the ground, rises again and bears fruit.

Belief in the Resurrection and hope for the coming of God's kingdom "are the foundations for an ecological spirituality and conversion that change history and involve public commitment, placing Christians on the same side as so many people -- including many young people -- who have heard and felt resonate in their hearts the divine call to care for the poor and for the earth."

Pope Leo encouraged people at the audience to "invoke the Spirit to help us care, with the same faith, for our common home and for our hearts." 

Before his audience, the pope met privately with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who handed him a formal invitation to visit Chicago and several cans of "Da Pope" beer, produced by Burning Bush Brewery.

"We'll put that in the fridge," the pope is heard saying on a short video released by Vatican Media.

The governor told NBC 5 Chicago television that he and Pope Leo spoke about immigration. "He believes strongly that it is our obligation as human beings to stand up for one another and especially because immigrants often are the most vulnerable," Pritzker said.
 

Governor brings "Da Pope" to the pope

Before his general audience Nov. 19, Pope Leo met with Illinois governor JB Pritzker, who invited the pope to Chicago.