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Vatican News
Inside Italy’s ‘Land of Fires’ as Pope Leo visits
Vatican News reports from the southern Italian town of Acerra, in the ‘Land of Fires’, as Pope Leo pays a pastoral visit. Michele Pannella and Alessandro Cannavacciuolo, from the association “Volontari antiroghi Acerra” (Acerra Anti-Fires Volunteers), describe the decades of environmental damage in the region.
Pope Leo in Acerra: 'Let us take responsiblity and serve life'
During his pastoral visit to Acerra, Italy, Pope Leo XIV addressed mayors and local residents of the town in the 'Land of Fires,' urging everyone to join together to correct course, and saying the principal meaning of his presence there was 'to confirm and encourage that stirring of dignity and responsibility that every honest heart feels when life springs forth and is immediately threatened by death.'
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference fails to reach agreement
A four-week conference at the United Nations to review the treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons ends without an agreement.
Pope in Acerra: a pastoral embrace for a wounded land seeking renewal
Pope Leo XIV, in the southern Italian town of Acerra, encourages the faithful to make room for prayer that becomes service and for a faith that dares to touch the wounds of society.
Lord’s Day Reflection: Proof that God enjoys a challenge
As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost, Jenny Kraska offers her thoughts on the day's liturgical readings, reflecting on the theme, "Proof that God enjoys a challenge”.
Gaza’s humanitarian emergency drags on
Gaza’s humanitarian emergency is deepening as public health risks surge and critical infrastructure remains in ruins.
Gaza: 22 hospitals attacked since the beginning of the year
Currently, just over half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are functioning, along with around 58% of primary healthcare centres, although none of these facilities is able to operate at full capacity. According to the WHO, more than 43,000 people have suffered injuries requiring long-term rehabilitation, including around 10,000 children.
Pope authorizes beatification of Lebanese 'founding father', 80 Spanish martyrs
Six decrees approved by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints authorise the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek and 80 martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, as well as recognizing four new venerables, including an Italian missionary in India and a young Cameroonian Carmelite.
Pope Leo receives Irish PM Micheál Martin
Pope Leo XIV receives the Taoiseach of Ireland, Mr Micheál Martin, in audience in the Vatican.
Pope: Church must restore ‘trust in technology,’ guide people to Christ
Meeting with participants in a Vatican conference on artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV encourages efforts to educate people about AI while leading them to Christ and a “restored trust in technology.”
Holy See calls for moral commitment to protect civilians in conflict
The Holy See highlights the urgent need to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilians, noting increased attacks on religious sites and healthcare workers. Addressing the UN Security Council, it also raises ethical concerns over emerging wartime technologies and calls for peace built on dialogue.
Ethiopian Bishops appeal for protection of migrants and respect for human dignity
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia issues a pastoral appeal calling for urgent protection of Ethiopian migrants, many of whom face grave risks along migration routes in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Twenty Oblate Bishops renew their call to mission during visit to Rome
As the Oblates of Mary Immaculate celebrate the congregation’s 200th anniversary, 20 missionary Oblate Bishops from 12 countries gather in Rome to renew their call to serve as “Pilgrims of Hope in Communion.”
Think, collaborate, learn: How to preserve our humanity in the time of AI
Key speakers at the afternoon session of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in the Vatican paint a sobering picture of what could be a dystopian future for humanity as AI increasingly shapes our reality. They also convey hope and optimism as men and women of goodwill are called to take action in the service of the common good.
COMECE outlines a vision for Europe’s future against populism and wars
Speaking at a press conference at Vatican Radio headquarters, the presidency of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) reflected on their meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday morning and on presenting him with a proposal for a new edition of “Rethinking Europe” for fall 2027.
Analysing AI's impact on media, communities and inequalities
The conference “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” organized by the Dicastery for Communications and inspired by Pope Leo’s message for the World Day of Social Communication, brings together international academics, tech experts, journalists and more to discuss the impact of AI on relationships, the media, societies and communities.
Nigeria: Bishop Badejo echoes Pope Leo’s call for responsible engagement with digital media
As the International Communication Conference at Rome’s Pontifical Urbaniana University on “Preserving human voices and faces” got underway on Thursday, 21 May, Nigeria’s Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of the Diocese of Oyo has reiterated Pope Leo XIV’s message for communication that does not alienate.
Pope: Church’s lay leaders must foster openness and communion
Pope Leo XIV encourages leaders of ecclesial movements and lay associations to guide those under their care with discernment and transparency, so that they may remain open to the world and grounded in communion.
Pope urges new ambassadors to contribute to 'greatly-needed peace'
Pope Leo XIV addresses a group of non-resident Ambassadors to the Holy See, and expresses his wish that their mission may "strengthen dialogue, deepen mutual understanding, and contribute to the peace so greatly needed in our world."
From Down Under to Vatican City: A ‘small but mighty’ Catholic community
For three pilgrims from a small town in Queensland, Australia, meeting Pope Leo after the General Audience helped close the gap between their “geographically isolated” homeland and the heart of the Catholic Church.