Kasmir Nema, RVA News

Addressing thousands of young pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the evening of July 29, Pope Leo XIV quoted the Gospel of Matthew, “You are the light of the world”, to urge them to shine with the hope and joy of Christ in a world longing for light.

As thousands of young pilgrims continue to gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, a special Mass for Caritas staff and volunteers was held on July 30 at the historic Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere.

On the second and final day of the Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, Pope Leo XIV called on more than 1,000 young evangelizers gathered in Rome to “go and mend the nets, not for catching fish, but for weaving relationships rooted in love, truth, and solidarity.”

The message, “More than Wi-Fi or hashtags, today His Word connects us,” set the tone for the opening day of the Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, as thousands of online evangelizers from around the world gathered in Rome to pray, reflect, and encounter one another as one Church, digitally connected, yet spiritually united.

Pope Leo XIV has delivered a heartfelt video message to Vietnamese catechists, urging them to remain steadfast in faith and joyful in mission as they commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Blessed Andrew Phú Yên.

A coalition of civil society groups on Indonesia’s Flores Island has rejected a recent report by a provincial task force on controversial geothermal energy projects, claiming it misrepresents community sentiment and excludes those most affected.

As tensions rise over geothermal energy development on the island of Flores, the Catholic Church in Indonesia has once again joined hands with local communities and civil society in a united, prayerful stand to protect both people and creation.

Pope Leo XIV has expressed profound sorrow over a deadly Israeli strike on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City, calling for an immediate end to the war’s barbarity and a renewed global commitment to peace.

The suicide of 35-year-old Italian priest Father Matteo Balzano has left a grieving parish and a shaken Church, renewing discussion on the unseen emotional weight many priests carry in silence.

In a moving Angelus address delivered in Piazza della Libertà, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to rediscover the path to eternal life through a life of love, service, and compassion.