As tens of thousands of Palestinians were fleeing their homes as Israel launched a major new ground offensive in Gaza City, Pope Leo XIV expressed his "profound closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza."
Pain must never give rise to violence, and every Catholic needs to learn to safeguard with tenderness those who are vulnerable, Pope Leo XIV said during a prayer vigil dedicated to people experiencing pain and affliction due to illness, bereavement, violence or abuse.
The fossil fuel, weapons and financial industries thrive on instability and cronyism, and they obstruct efforts toward climate justice and peace, top leaders of three Catholic networks said.
Crying out to God during moments of extreme trial does not mark a crisis of faith but can reflect an act of total surrender to and enduring trust in God, Pope Leo XIV said.
With their courage and tenacity in the pursuit of happiness, migrants and refugees are "messengers of hope," Pope Leo XIV said in his message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, upcoming in October.
The message was read aloud by Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, at the AI for Good Summit 2025 being held July 8-11 in Geneva.
Pope Leo XIV's appointment of the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors shows that safeguarding remains a top priority, its former president said.
Following Pope Francis' teachings on integral ecology must be accepted as "the right path to follow," the pope said in his message for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for Creation.
"The history of Peter and Paul shows us that the communion to which the Lord calls us is a unison of voices and personalities that does not eliminate anyone's freedom," Leo said.
Renewing an appeal for peace, Leo underlined the importance of trying "at all costs to avoid the use of weapons and seek dialogue through diplomatic means" during a brief interview with the Italian state television station, RAI Uno.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed Leo would be staying in the Villa Barberini, the former summer residence of the Vatican secretaries of state; Francis turned the former papal palace on the town's main square into a museum, which opened in 2016.
St. Peter's Basilica and some of its surrounding buildings are working to reduce their environmental impact by becoming more energy efficient and promoting sustainability, based on findings by a scientific committee.
During the Holy Year, the Vatican is calling for those involved in tourism to make Christian hope concrete by investing in just and sustainable practices.
Dated May 24, the solemnity of Pentecost in 2015, the document, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," presented the core of his teachings on integral ecology, its principles and practical applications.
The papal prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was dedicated to St. Paul, entrusting "the beginning of this new pontificate to the intercession of the apostle," Pope Leo XIV said.