Saturday, September 26, 2026

Vatican employees demand compensation for years of wage restraint

The Association of Lay Employees of the Vatican (ADLV) has asked Leo XIV to consider financial compensation for the losses incurred during the years when salary containment measures introduced during the pandemic were in effect. 

The workers believe that the recent repeal of the restrictions does not resolve the cumulative effects of the suspension of biennial seniority increments.

The association, which claims to represent about 850 workers out of approximately 5,000 Vatican employees, made the request after Leo XIV repealed the motu proprio A Sustainable Future, promulgated by Francis in 2021.

The new pontifical provision, published on September 14 and effective from the 1st of the same month, ended the salary containment measures adopted during the pandemic. However, the document expressly states that the effects produced while they were in force remain definitively consolidated, including the suspension of biennial seniority increments.

Compensation for lost increments

The ADLV maintains that this point precisely leaves one of the workers’ main demands unresolved. The repeal does not allow for the retroactive recovery of the increments that ceased to accumulate during these years, nor does it provide for specific compensation.

The association has therefore raised the possibility of establishing an extraordinary payment or some compensatory measure if it is not possible to fully restore the amounts not received. It also proposes studying the elimination of the effects that the freeze has had on future pensions and end-of-service indemnities.

According to the employees’ representatives, the accumulated harm could reach several thousand euros per worker in some cases. 

The association also recalls that Vatican salaries have remained substantially unchanged since 2008, so the biennial increments, together with the extraordinary payment and overtime, constituted one of the few avenues for remuneration growth.

The economic issue had already appeared among the main concerns expressed by the workers. 

At the beginning of this year, a survey promoted by the ADLV itself reflected discontent with working conditions, personnel management, and the suspension of salary increments.

Workers demand participation in decisions

The association also used its statement to call for greater dialogue with Vatican authorities. Employees regret not having been consulted before the approval of provisions that directly affect their working conditions, a situation that, they note, already occurred when Francis adopted austerity measures in 2021.

The ADLV acknowledges that the current legal framework does not establish formal mechanisms for worker participation in the drafting of these decisions, but recalls that it has repeatedly expressed its willingness to collaborate with the institutions of the Holy See.

The 2021 motu proprio had established a 10% reduction in the remuneration of cardinals and 8% for certain senior positions, as well as a 3% reduction for some categories of priests and religious. It also temporarily suspended biennial seniority increments for part of the staff.

Leo XIV definitively repealed that regime on September 14, considering that the exceptional circumstances that justified the measures during the pandemic had been overcome. The Pope nevertheless maintained the economic effects already produced during the years the norm was in force.

The ADLV now asks that, once that stage has been overcome, a new phase of dialogue with the workers be opened and some formula be studied to recognize the economic sacrifices made during those years.

Nuncio in Germany questions the synodal obsession with "power": "It seems to me an almost dangerous word"

The apostolic nuncio in Germany, Mons. Hubertus van Megen, has questioned the idea that structural reforms or greater adaptation of the Church to society can halt secularization, and has warned about some of the approaches that have marked the German Synodal Way. 

In an extensive interview given to Katholisch.de, the representative of Leo XIV also addresses the future of the Synodal Conference, the German process’s insistence on the issue of “power,” and the growing difficulties in finding candidates for the episcopate.

Van Megen, who has been in Germany for just over three months after nearly 16 years of diplomatic service in Africa, observes parallels between the current situation of the German Church and the process of secularization experienced decades ago in his native Netherlands. His diagnosis runs throughout the interview: the Church’s problems will not be solved simply by modifying its structures to bring them closer to society’s expectations.

“Adapting to society will not save the Church”

The nuncio acknowledges that German Catholicism is undergoing a profound transformation. He cites among the causes of the decline in the number of faithful the sexual abuse scandal and the drop in birth rates, but adds an even more basic element: a growing part of society has lost interest in what the Church proclaims.

“We must not delude ourselves that if the Church adapts sufficiently to society, it will be saved. That will not happen,” he states.

For Van Megen, the starting point remains different: “The Church has a message, the message of Jesus Christ. But society —we must be honest— has almost no interest in that message anymore.”

The archbishop believes that Germany is experiencing, with some delay, processes similar to those previously lived by the Dutch Church. “The process of secularization continues to advance,” he notes.

The Synodal Way seen from outside Germany

From this diagnosis, Van Megen addresses the reform process promoted in recent years by the German Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

The nuncio begins by acknowledging a positive aspect: the German proposals have been submitted to Rome rather than applied unilaterally.

“In principle, it is good that the Church in Germany has always presented its reform wishes to Rome. This shows that the Church in this country does not want to act on its own. It is aware that it is part of the universal Church,” he states.

But he immediately recounts the reaction he encountered in Africa when it became known that he would be transferred to Berlin.

“When it was known in Africa that I was going to Germany, there were many reactions from priests, but also from laypeople. They said, more or less: ‘Oh, you’re going to Germany. Be careful! They want a Church that cannot exist.’”

Van Megen does not present that reaction simply as an anecdote. “This tension surrounding the Synodal Way runs through the entire universal Church,” he adds.

“Germans often want too much and too quickly”

The African experience reappears when the nuncio analyzes the priorities of the German process. Van Megen recalls the great differences between local Churches and warns against the temptation to turn German concerns into universal problems.

“The problems we have here in Germany, for example, do not exist at all in many countries in Africa. There they have completely different problems,” he explains.

His conclusion is direct: “Germans, in my impression, often want too much and too quickly.”

Van Megen then poses a question he considers prior to the discussion of each specific reform: what is intended by reforming the Church.

“From what motivation does one want to reform the Church? Does one think: if we carry out this or that reform, we will save the Church? As I have already said, I would consider that an illusion.”

The statement connects directly with his initial diagnosis: secularization will not disappear because the Church adapts its structures or teachings to the expectations prevailing in society.

“Power, power, power”: the nuncio’s criticism of synodal language

Asked about some of the demands of the Synodal Way, including the treatment of power and the question of women, Van Megen does not respond by listing which reforms he considers admissible. Instead, he questions the language used to frame the debate.

“Allow me to ask you a question. You speak of the ‘exercise of power.’ As a foreigner and as someone whose mother tongue is not German: why say ‘power’ and not ‘authority’ or ‘service’?”

For the nuncio, the concept used by the Synodal Way already introduces a certain way of understanding relationships within the Church.

“For me, power has something negative, something oppressive. I also see it in many documents of the Synodal Way: power, power, power. The question is always: who has the power? It seems to me that this word is almost dangerous.”

The issue of power has occupied a central place in the German process, which in recent years has proposed reforms on the exercise of episcopal authority, the participation of the laity, and the creation of permanent structures of shared decision-making.

Rome is still studying the Synodal Conference

Van Megen also provides information on one of the main pending issues between Rome and the German Church: the statutes of the future Synodal Conference, conceived to give institutional continuity to the Synodal Way.

The statutes were sent to the Holy See to obtain the necessary recognitio, but have not yet been approved. The delay forced the postponement of the first meeting of the new body, which was initially scheduled for November 6 and 7 in Stuttgart.

“As far as I know, the statutes are currently being studied in several dicasteries,” the nuncio explains.

Van Megen expects to travel to Rome at the end of October. One of the main objectives of the trip will be precisely to learn firsthand how the German proposal is being received.

“I hope to be able to travel to Rome at the end of October. One central reason is to listen a bit and perceive where we are in this discussion and how the Curia views the matter.”

Asked directly whether he expects Rome to finally approve the statutes, he avoids anticipating an answer.

“Rome is not Berlin; some things simply take a little longer in the Vatican. Germany, after all, is not the only country the Curia has to deal with.”

And he adds a fundamental element: “It also depends to a great extent on how the Pope sees this issue. That is precisely why I want to travel to Rome as soon as possible, to understand it better.”

The nuncio also confirms that Mons. Heiner Wilmer, current president of the German Bishops’ Conference, maintains constant contact with Rome on the matter.

His recommendation, for now, is simple: “If you ask me today, regarding the statutes I would say: let us wait calmly.”

From 30 candidates in Africa to ten in Germany

The interview also reveals how Van Megen approaches another of the main responsibilities of an apostolic nuncio: the search for candidates for vacant dioceses.

The contrast with Africa is again significant.

“In Africa, in vacant dioceses, I sometimes easily had 30 suitable candidates for a bishop’s post. If here in Germany I have ten, that is already a lot.”

And those ten do not necessarily mean ten viable candidates: “Of those ten, perhaps five are ruled out immediately because, after all, they are not suitable.”

Van Megen points to the decrease in the number of priests as one of the causes. He adds that some candidates may reject the episcopate due to the responsibility and pressure associated with the position.

“It can happen that a candidate who is asked if he wants to be a bishop says: ‘It is too much responsibility, too much pressure. I prefer to remain a parish priest.’ That happens.”

The nuncio defends the confidentiality of appointments

Van Megen also responds to criticism about the secret and hierarchical nature of the procedure for selecting bishops.

He explains that confidentiality protects sensitive information about possible candidates.

“One of the reasons for secrecy is surely that, throughout the procedure, sensitive information about the candidates is known that one does not want to reach the public. It is also about protecting the privacy of the candidates.”

But he recalls that the preliminary investigation includes consultations with numerous people who have known the priest.

“For example, one goes to a professor with whom he was at university, to a teacher he had in school, or one asks members of the parishes where he worked. So one speaks with many people who had direct contact with the candidate.”

From this he draws a striking conclusion: “In that sense, the procedure is quite democratic.”

“A bishop cannot be a gray man”

Van Megen’s answers also reveal what qualities he considers priorities in future German bishops.

His first criterion is not administrative capacity or economic management.

“According to my conviction, he must above all have charisma. He must know how to inspire people. That is important.”

The nuncio also considers it essential that candidates be able to look beyond German borders and understand the universality of the Church.

“We should not make a bishop of someone who is sitting with blinders on and does not know what is happening outside the limits of his own diocese. We are a universal Church.”

That is why, he adds, “a bishop in Germany must also understand what it means to be Church in Africa, Latin America, or Asia.”

Nor does he grant decisive importance to the candidate being a great manager. For those tasks, he points out, there are numerous specialists capable of better administering economic matters.

His priority is another: “I repeat: for me, the most important thing in a bishop is charisma. A bishop cannot be a gray man.”

A German Church under strong pressure

Van Megen acknowledges, however, that the German episcopate is under considerable pressure. He compares the expectations placed on bishops with those borne by politicians.

“From politicians, as from bishops, it is expected that they know everything, that they can do everything, that they are perfect, and that they speak well.”

The nuncio therefore understands that some prelates may end up recognizing that they can no longer continue, especially when they reach advanced ages.

Regarding the possibility of merging dioceses in light of the decline in faithful, priests, and economic resources, he still avoids taking a position. He acknowledges that the union of dioceses is possible and that there are precedents in other countries, but considers that he has been in Germany for too short a time to assess specific cases.

The statements thus outline the priorities with which the new papal representative begins his mission: a German Church immersed in strong secularization, a Synodal Conference whose future still depends on Rome, and a search for new bishops in which Van Megen intends to privilege candidates capable of inspiring, looking beyond national borders, and understanding that the German Church is part of a universal reality.

Omella calls at the Merced festival for a Barcelona open "to the poor, to the needy, and to those who come from afar"

Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, presided this Thursday over the pontifical Mass for the solemnity of Our Lady of Mercy, patroness of Barcelona, at the Basilica of Mercy. 

In his homily, he reflected on the different forms of “captivity” present in society, the virtues of the Virgin, and Christian freedom, concluding by asking that Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia be places characterized by fraternity, solidarity, and respect for “human and transcendent values.”

At the beginning of his address, Omella also recalled the recent visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona and the city’s historical connection with Our Lady of Mercy.

New forms of “captivity”

The archbishop began with the origin of the Order of Mercy, founded in Barcelona by Saint Peter Nolasco with the mission of rescuing captive Christians. From that historical reference, he affirmed that different forms of captivity still exist.

“Our Lady of Mercy continues to be a gift for Barcelona, because she reminds us that no one was born to live in chains and that God always opens paths of freedom,” he stated.

Omella mentioned among these situations “unwanted loneliness,” “fear of the future,” “material and spiritual poverty,” “loss of hope,” “addictions,” “selfishness,” “resentment,” and “inner emptiness.” He also referred to those who live conditioned by “obsession with success” and by what others might say.

The cardinal then focused his reflection on Jesus Christ. “Christ captivates, but he captivates us because he makes us free,” he affirmed. According to Omella, Christ “reveals to us our true identity as children of God” and “breaks the chains that prevent us from loving and living in fullness.”

Faith, silence, and commitment

The archbishop devoted another part of the homily to three characteristics of the Virgin: faith, silence, and commitment.

Regarding the first, he recalled Mary’s trust in God and her free response to His will. Concerning silence, he stated that “it is not an absent silence, but an attentive one” and added that “it brings us serenity and peace in a world full of noises that overwhelm us.”

Addressing Christian commitment, Omella pointed out the difficulties that, in his view, currently exist in embracing it.

“The truth is that we find it hard to understand the commitment of faith. We live in a comfortable society; sometimes we only accept what we like, what gives us pleasure, and reject everything that requires effort,” he affirmed.

The cardinal also recalled that, in Marian spirituality, the Virgin leads to Christ, and he cited Mary’s words at the wedding at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”

A Barcelona open “to those who come from afar”

In the final part of the homily, Omella referred directly to Barcelona and the influence he attributes to devotion to Our Lady of Mercy in the city’s history.

“Mary has helped Barcelona to look beyond itself, to open itself to the poor, to those in need, and to those who come from afar,” he stated.

The archbishop added that “the true greatness of a city is not measured only by its buildings, its prestige, or its international projection, but by the capacity of its inhabitants to recognize themselves as brothers and sisters.”

Omella then posed several questions to those present about their own “captivities”: “What am I captive to? What chains prevent me from living? What fears, dependencies, or selfish attitudes weigh on my heart?” In response, he posed another question: “Do I allow myself to be captivated by Christ?”

“A beautiful and livable land”

The cardinal concluded by extending his request to Barcelona, Terrassa, Sant Feliu, and all of Catalonia.

“May the dioceses of Barcelona, Terrassa, Sant Feliu, and all of Catalonia continue to be a beautiful and livable land, not only because of their historical monuments and material amenities, but also because of their human, fraternal, and solidary sensitivity, respectful of human and transcendent values,” he affirmed.

“May everyone be able to say: we feel at home, because here there is love, much love,” concluded Omella.

Friday, September 25, 2026

City of London churches sever ties with bishops

THE Rector of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, in London, the Revd William Taylor, has characterised the bishops of the Church of England as “false teachers” and “clear heretics”, in a sermon published on YouTube last week.

Speaking at St Helen’s on 10 September, Mr Taylor said that it was “quite simply impossible to fathom how a person could get consecrated by a group of bishops who are engaged in any way with the LLF process to move it forward” or remain “in any sense in spiritual fellowship” with them.

He took as his text Titus 3, focusing on St Paul’s injunction to “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.”

“How can you possibly be allowing somebody who is in fellowship with unfaithful, clear heretics to select your future leaders, to train your new church workers, ordain your new deacons and presbyters, and install your new incumbents?” Mr Taylor said.

In an article posted on the website of the Church Society on Sunday, the organisation’s director, the Revd Dr Lee Gatiss, said that, while he agreed with “much” of Mr Taylor’s “diagnosis of the present crisis in the Church of England”, he was increasingly worried about the “ecclesiology of [Taylor’s] proposed alternative”.

St Helen’s has been in a “broken partnership” with the C of E since 2020, when Mr Taylor said that the bishops had taken a “pathway of self-serving and divisive schism” over the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples (News, 22 December 2020).

In an interview with the podcast Bible Matters, recorded on the same day as the address, Mr Taylor said: “We’re very clear in the church that we’re not going to encourage people to go forward for selection in the Church of England through the Ministry Division of the Church of England,” or pursue ordination “through the Church of England or those in fellowship with the House of Bishops”.

In the podcast, Mr Taylor suggested that there were “between 20 and 30 churches” willing to employ people who had been ordained by the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH SA), whose orders are recognised by the C of E.

At least 14 people have been ordained deacon in London by a REACH-SA bishop over the past two summers (News, 26 June 2026). 

In a letter in response to the first round of ordinations, in 2025, Archbishop Mullally, then Bishop of London, and the Archbishop of York said that that proceedings were “ecumenically discourteous” and that it “should not be assumed” that those ordained would receive permission to officiate (News, 4 July 2025).

In the interview, Mr Taylor said that he could not accept the ministry of the designated bishops for conservative Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics opposed to the ordination of women, as such bishops “aren’t independent, and they’re not separate”. 

Asked to whom he was accountable, he said that the former Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Julian Henderson, was acting as as his “spiritual overseer”, as part of a system co-ordinated by the Church of England Evangelical Council (News, 19 July 2024).

Dr Gatiss took issue with this type of oversight, suggesting that it was intended as a temporary measure, and did not amount to full accountability, as an alternative overseer did not have the power to discipline a minister.

There was, he said, “a danger in creating a small evangelical ecosystem” of selection, training, ordination and oversight. “Who then tells us when we are wrong? Who can get rid of us or discipline us when we go astray?”

He wrote that “the solution to bad episcopal oversight cannot simply be no effective episcopal oversight at all, or choosing my own personal bishop whose authority over me exists only by my continuing consent.” 

Instead, Dr Gatiss urged like-minded churches to “remain, contend, and work to reform and renew the Church of England in biblical faith”.

Mr Taylor’s comments drew a response from a City of London Common Councillor, Charles Edward Lord, who said: “If you truly believe that the bishops are false teachers who have left the true Church . . . intellectual and ecclesial integrity point towards departure” from the C of E.

In an open letter, Cllr Lord challenged Mr Taylor to make a choice: either to acknowledge that the bishops “remain Christian bishops even where you believe them to be seriously mistaken”, or to “take those who share your convictions with you and establish or join a church whose doctrine and polity you can accept in good conscience.”

Cllr Lord is the City of London Corporation’s designated representative for its patronage of St Peter upon Cornhill, a parish that, since the Millennium, has been linked with St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, with Mr Taylor as Rector of both churches.

Although emphasising that the letter was written in a personal capacity, Cllr Lord said that the patrons “are entitled to understand whether the Rector of St Peter’s regards himself as fully subject to the lawful order of the Church in which that patronage exists. We are also entitled to ask whether the breadth of the Church of England is reflected in the ministry offered at St Peter’s, including in its ministry to LGBTQIA+ people who live in, work in, or visit the City.”

In the podcast interview, Mr Taylor encouraged supporters to join the “big push” for upcoming elections for the General Synod, while characterising as “nonsense” the suggestion this amounted to any kind of “spiritual union” between St Helen’s and the Church of England.

Dr Gatiss said that he hoped voters in the elections “will not think William’s view is shared by the vast majority of conservative Evangelicals — because it really isn’t”.

A member of the PCC of St Helen’s, Sarah Tett, is standing for election for the House of Laity, and recently chaired the diocese’s vacancy-in-see committee. 

Her election address makes no reference to the position of St Helen’s. She said that she was “pleased to be standing as a candidate in these elections, just as I have been pleased to serve in this diocese over many years and in a variety of roles”.

On the question of Mr Taylor’s comment on the relationship between St Helen’s and the synodical process, she said that he “helpfully points to the very sad reality that we have a spiritually divided Church”.

Cllr Lord is also running in the election to represent the diocese in the House of Laity, and refers to synodical participation in the letter, asking: “Is the position that St Helen’s will not receive the authority of the wider Church, but will nevertheless seek to exercise authority over it?”

Contacted at the weekend, Mr Taylor declined to comment on his latest statements, or the challenges made by Cllr Lord, and has not replied to the open letter.

A spokesperson for the diocese of London said that, “following the conclusion of the LLF process, local engagement is ongoing. Like all parishes in the diocese, St Helen’s abides by the diocesan safeguarding policy and works closely with the diocesan safeguarding team.”

References to the wider C of E on the website of St Helen’s are confined to the links in the section “Our relationship with The Church of England” and contact details for the diocesan safeguarding team.

Apostolic Journey to France: Celebration of Vespers with the Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Consecrated Men and Women, and Seminarians 2026 | September | 25 Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral

 HOMILY OF POPE LEO XIV


Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral

Friday, 25 September 2026

___________________________________


Dear brothers and sisters,

We are gathered for Evening Prayer in this place which, more than any other, has invited the people of Paris for centuries to lift their eyes towards heaven. Seven years have passed since the whole world, holding its breath, watched as the cathedral was engulfed in a terrible fire. At that time, we also watched anxiously, conscious of how powerless humans are in the face of the unforeseen. That pain was felt not only by Catholics, nor only by believers. Indeed, in that tragic moment we came to realize that Notre-Dame is more than a monument. The collective effort to rebuild it, and the splendour of the result reveal that the heart of a people beats here, and that here we stand at the living center of a civilization, where past and future embrace, where heaven and earth meet.

It was my wish to meet you here, in this symbolic place of the Church in France. It is a joy for me to have crossed its threshold a short while ago, as thousands of brothers and sisters do each day, coming here from every corner of the world. Simply entering this place brings us face to face with a beauty that speaks to our restless hearts and calls them to peace. Following the restoration of this sacred space for all humanity, it is rightly recognized how each visitor can be renewed by what he or she sees, hears and experiences. The public, private and ecclesial institutions involved in the restoration of Notre-Dame have each contributed, in their own way, to reawakening the cultural, existential and spiritual journeys that the cathedral opens up before us. In this context, the Church has understood her mission not only in terms of preservation but also of creativity, by keeping tradition alive with the boldness of those who have faith and are guided by hope. I wish to thank the Archbishop, his co-workers and the diocesan community of Paris, who have also developed a pastoral pathway of initial proclamation and Christian initiation open to all. The baptismal font is a sign of this, situated at the entrance as a blessing and an invitation.

The rebuilding of the Cathedral was an opportunity for an encounter that has expanded horizons of welcome and participation beyond the boundaries of ecclesial affiliation. Dear bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians of France, let yourselves be inspired by what has happened here! Make the vision of Evangelii Gaudium your priority, namely the missionary conversion which Pope Francis spoke of in his first Apostolic Exhortation.

In the Letter to the Galatians, we heard the reason why we should not be afraid: “God sent forth his Son” (Gal 4:4). He sent him among us, into our world. In Saint Paul’s words, the verb describes a real, historical event, not some ideal set of circumstances. Christians do not flee from complexity, for God himself has called them to follow his Son in a world that is already inhabited, already in motion, already marked by both human misery and goodness. The way of the Cross certainly reveals the darkness that runs through our world, but even more profoundly, it reveals the love of God that triumphs over death.

The Cathedral’s cruciform layout, where stone and light come together, evokes the meeting of earth and heaven. It gathers and orders the events of history, woven with human joys and sufferings. It holds them together in a symbolic dynamic that transforms these diverse expressions into a living language, uniting them into a whole.

Dear friends, it is from the Incarnation — “God sent forth his Son” — that the identity of the Church flows, for she is called always to be a Church “going forth”. As disciples of Christ, you know well that the Christian community is not a refuge into which we withdraw in order to protect ourselves from our age. On the contrary, like the cathedrals of old, the Church is a place of welcome, respect, revelation and meaning for everyone. The strength of a living Church lies in welcoming those on the peripheries who already have a place in her heart; welcoming those who are far away but in reality are already near; welcoming the stranger, in whom Christ is already knocking at the door.

If Notre-Dame is a sign of this encounter at the heart of Paris, then the other cities and regions of France, even the most remote and rural, can be transformed all the more by a simple and welcoming missionary presence. Such a presence can help to bring cultural differences into harmony and to heal the wounds present in our societies. From the northern coasts to the Mediterranean, from the inland regions to the overseas departments, be a living, diverse and close Church. A lack of material resources does not prevent mission, for it is the grace of God that gives rise to interior freedom and simplicity of life, enabling us to reflect an evangelical way of life. In all this, confidently value the missionary presence of the lay faithful, who are the living front line of the Church at the crossroads of everyday life.

At the same time, brothers and sisters, we must not forget that this Cathedral, like every other church, was built for the purpose of prayer and the worship of God. It is the place where the Christian community celebrates the highest form of prayer and worship, renewing in the Eucharist the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. This Cathedral is not merely a stone structure to be admired; instead, it lives by the sacred mystery celebrated within it. Without the liturgy, it would lose its soul. Here at Notre-Dame, this truth is made evident by the placement of the altar at its center. The community gathered to praise the Lord thus stands at the heart of the building, while visitors, even during celebrations, walk around it and observe it. Here the Church appears for what she is, namely a living organism, a believing community that gathers into its praise everything that culture and tradition have handed down to her. She is a body which, through her celebration, tells each person the reason for her existence.

Today, more than ever, we live in an age that seems deprived of fullness, depth and promise. The noble simplicity of song, spoken word and liturgical gesture can be for many a glimmer of hope, an oasis of peace in a hyper-connected and noisy society, where we can experience the presence of the Author of the greatest love: “When the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son” (Gal 4:4). The celebration of the liturgical year, of Sundays and feasts, also makes us companions of Christ, attentive to the different moments of his life, which he gave entirely to the Father for the sake of the world. In this way, we become more sensitive and more open to the signs of the times. Indeed, our prayer and listening together to the Scriptures enable us to see the events of history in the light of God, making us more aware of our responsibilities, allowing us to unmask unjust relations of power and sow the seeds of justice and peace. It is hope that drives us therefore, not resignation. And from this arise bonds of greater fraternity and networks of solidarity, the fruit of communion in the one Sacrifice of Christ.

To you who celebrate the Eucharist each day, I ask you to ensure that the liturgical celebrations are always carried out with dignity and reverence, even where smaller communities gather. Be conscious heirs of the Church Fathers and saints who, over the centuries, have handed down to us the profound meaning and beauty of the liturgy, always giving an example of great humility before the Mystery that is celebrated. The Second Vatican Council, whose richness owes much to France, gathered up and deepened this heritage in an eminent way, recognizing the liturgy’s central role in the life of the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10). I therefore exhort all of you, bishops, priests, deacons and consecrated persons, to cultivate an authentic love for the liturgy and to be witnesses and servants of the prophetic, priestly and kingly vocation of the entire People of God.

In this respect, the liturgy remains a reflection of life. Eucharistic joy takes root and spreads wherever harmony is restored, wherever dignity is renewed, wherever authority becomes service, and wherever freedom is able to flourish again. This is the greatest gift we can share. Therefore, place communion with the successor of Peter and with the Church before your personal preferences, so as to foster the unity of God’s people. Thus, together, we will bear prophetic witness to the possibility of a reconciled world.

Dear bishops, priests, seminarians and consecrated persons, you who have been called to follow Christ, I thank you for your response and your fidelity to the Lord. Never neglect this friendship desired by the Lord, which must be cultivated in personal prayer, and is the foundation of every vocation. As Madeleine Delbrêl said: “Without prayer, we would not love the God of love. We might perhaps be his servants, his warriors, or even his disciples; but we would be neither the loving children of our Father nor the friends… of Jesus Christ” (Notre vie, Œuvres complètes vol. XV, Nouvelle Cité, 2017, p. 41). Nurture, then, your interior life with the Lord, following the example of the many saints who have gone before you, always drawing from the source of God’s infinite love in silent prayer. Your mission flows above all from this intimate relationship with the Lord, who awaits you there.

At the heart of the city, the open Cathedral is a sign of a community that praises the Lord and lives hospitality not as an occasional gesture, but as the very form of its existence, so that all may feel at home, no longer dominated or marginalized in a changing world. “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, […] so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). And “if a son, then you are also an heir” (ibid 4:7). Heirs by grace, brothers and sisters gathered here, it is now up to each of you, this praying and living assembly, to become the flesh and voice of this promise. Clergy and consecrated persons of France, you are called to be the first guardians of this open house, the living stones of a Church that hopes and does not fear the future. This Cathedral has been reborn so that you too may be reborn with it in a new impetus towards holiness and daily mission. In the midst of your people, be a clear expression of the divine motherhood of the Church, who, by bearing witness to God’s love, restores and heals the human family.

Let us lift our eyes towards the fourteenth-century statue of the Virgin and Child, which was untouched by the fire and now shines once again before us. May Mary, who carried the Word in her womb, keep you faithful, and may she be the star that guides the mission of the Church in France. Holy Mary, Our Lady of Paris and Mother of the Church, pray for the French people, sustain their pastors, and walk always at our side.

‘Psychotic’ suspect confined to hospital ward after priest killing in Poland

A 31-year-old man suspected of killing a priest and wounding four other people in a knife attack at a Polish monastery has been placed in a psychiatric ward after being diagnosed with “severe psychotic symptoms”. 

His condition “prevents him from taking part in procedural steps due to severe psychotic symptoms... disorganized thinking and an inability to communicate logically,” said Małgorzata Taciuch-Kurasiewicz, a spokeswoman for prosecutors. 

A Ukrainian citizen, named by police only as ‘Ihor M’ due to Polish privacy laws, was detained after the attack on Thursday at the Benedictine abbey in the southeastern town of Jarosław.  

To formally charge him, prosecutors will have to wait until doctors determine that his condition allows him to be questioned. 

Priest killed 

According to investigators, the 31-year-old entered the monastery complex and obtained a knife from a kitchen before attacking four men and a woman. 

All five victims were taken to hospital. One of them, a priest, later died. Another priest suffered serious injuries and underwent surgery. 

Police detained the suspect at the monastery shortly after the attack. 

Witnesses later said the man behaved unusually after his detention, at times remaining calm and at other moments shouting seemingly incoherent remarks.  

Motive unclear 

Investigators have not yet established a motive for the attack. 

The suspect had entered Poland from Germany the night before the stabbing and was traveling toward the Ukrainian border. 

Prosecutors previously said he had attempted to reach the Korczowa border crossing before eventually arriving in Jarosław. 

Pope Leo XIV defends at UNESCO the right to life from the mother's womb until death

Pope Leo XIV defended on Friday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris the dignity of the human person from the mother’s womb until death, warned of the risks of artificial intelligence detached from ethics, and denounced “ideological impositions” and new forms of neocolonialism that seek to standardize peoples.

The visit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization took place in the afternoon, after the Pontiff’s meeting with Emmanuel Macron and his first address to French authorities at the Élysée Palace. UNESCO was one of the main institutional stops on the first day of Pope Leo XIV’s fifth apostolic journey.

Before representatives of member states, international organizations, academia, and civil society, the Pope posed as the central question that ran through his entire speech: “What does it mean to be human?”

“The human person is someone who is conceived and born”

Pope Leo XIV began his anthropological reflection by recalling that human existence is not a reality produced or chosen by the individual. “The human person is someone who is conceived and born; therefore, to be human means, first of all, to be a child,” he stated.

The Pontiff insisted that none of us chose to be born, nor decided from whom, when, or where. From this fact he drew a moral consequence: if we are all children, “we are all brothers and sisters.”

Against a conception of life as a product subject to criteria of utility, he recalled that every human being is born poor, in need of care, affection, and nourishment both material and spiritual. The forgetting of this reality, he warned, leads to the humanity of the weakest being “betrayed or discarded, exploited or deceived.”

Dignity remains “even until death”

One of the most significant passages of the speech came when addressing human vulnerability and the criterion of efficiency by which contemporary societies may end up measuring the value of persons.

Pope Leo XIV warned of the paradox of attributing “intelligence” to computational systems while it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize “the inalienable dignity of persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when they are considered no longer productive, are rejected and discarded.”

The Pope recalled that this dignity “remains intact in the circumstances of greatest vulnerability, even until death” and stressed that it does not disappear because of illness, suffering, or loss of capacities.

“On the contrary, it demands loving care at every stage of life,” he noted.

Children in the mother’s womb, the measure of respect for human dignity

Toward the end of his address, Pope Leo XIV specified who should serve as the criterion for evaluating whether a society truly respects human dignity.

The Pope expressly mentioned “children in their mothers’ wombs and in the various scenarios of war,” along with persons with physical and intellectual disabilities, the elderly, immigrants, refugees, and those considered unproductive.

“They are the true test of our claims about respect for human dignity,” he stated.

The defense of the unborn thus reappears on the Pontiff’s first French day, after he had reaffirmed before the authorities at the Élysée that the protection of the right to life constitutes “the indispensable foundation of every other human right.”

Artificial intelligence cannot answer the meaning of life

A large part of the speech was also devoted to technological challenges. Pope Leo XIV acknowledged the possibilities of the new tools, but warned against their conversion into instruments of domination or dehumanization.

As he explained, although artificial intelligence systems are capable of correlating enormous amounts of data, “they cannot answer questions about the meaning of human life,” because these are rooted in lived experience.

“Meaning is the oxygen of the mind,” the Pope summarized.

He also warned of the impact of new technologies on communication. Information, he said, is far more abundant today, but that does not mean there is greater wisdom, while faster communication is not necessarily truer.

Pope Leo XIV called for particular attention to children and young people in the digital sphere to prevent their vulnerability from becoming an opportunity for exploitation, and demanded technologies that are subordinated to the growth, education, and freedom of thought of the new generations.

Against “ideological impositions” and neocolonialism

The Pontiff turned to the biblical images of Babel and Pentecost to contrast two models of unity among peoples.

The Tower of Babel, he explained, represents a unity imposed through domination, in which power seeks to standardize and ends up generating division. According to Pope Leo XIV, that temptation remains present in our days.

“Today, the temptation of Babel reappears in a globalization pursued without fraternity, in rapacious forms of neocolonialism, in ideological impositions, and in all those ‘contacts without bonds’ that reduce human life to commerce,” he noted.

Against this logic, he presented Pentecost as the model of a unity that does not destroy cultural differences, but allows them to flourish in harmony.

“It is not the domination of Babel, but the peace of Pentecost, that makes possible this communion among all peoples,” he affirmed.

War, “the most terrible of human works”

Pope Leo XIV also returned to the theme of war, already present in his address to French authorities. At UNESCO he defined it as “the most terrible of ‘human works,’” because it places the advances of science at the service of destruction and death.

He recalled for this purpose the principle contained in the preamble of the UNESCO Constitution: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”

The Pope warned that science separated from wisdom can become a weapon of destruction; culture subordinated to ideology, propaganda; and education that abandons truth, an instrument for manipulating consciences.

“Every child who is born brings hope with them”

In the final part of the speech, Pope Leo XIV defended the validity of international institutions despite the crisis of trust and effectiveness they are undergoing, and called for renewed trust in dialogue and in the capacity of differences to contribute to the common good.

Against pessimism, he rejected naïve optimism, but claimed a hope founded on the real possibility of good.

“Every child who is born brings hope with them. Every man and every woman who dedicates their life to the search for truth performs an act of hope,” he stated.

The Pontiff also concluded by recalling the “culturally necessary and irreplaceable” role of religious traditions, capable of answering the fundamental questions about the origin, meaning, and destiny of human life.

“We are not walking toward nothingness,” Pope Leo XIV maintained, before asking that education, science, and culture be placed at the service of a humanity aware of belonging to a single family.

Full Address of Pope Leo XIV at UNESCO

Mr. Director-General,
Mr. President of the General Conference,
Mr. President of the Executive Board,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It gives me great joy to be here today, in this Assembly of the United Nations, where languages and cultures unite to collaborate on a project that concerns the entire human family: “to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms” (UNESCO Constitution, art. 1, para. 1). Building a just world together is, in fact, the very foundation of international cooperation. Our experiences, skills, and competencies aim to create a welcoming space for all and fruitful for each, so that all peoples may grow in peace.

As a witness to peace, I extend my cordial greeting to you, representatives of the Member States and Observers of international organizations, of the academic world and of civil society. I thank Mr. Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of this Organization, for his warm invitation [and for the words he has addressed to us]. As a pastor, I bring you the word of the Church, which becomes an unceasing “message and dialogue” addressed to all peoples, women and men of good will (cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam, 34).

The project of building a just world together coincides with a mission we have learned to share throughout history. In this sense, UNESCO represents both a goal and a tool to continue this task today, with even greater commitment, in accordance with our multiple fields of activity. In 2027 we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Holy See’s presence at UNESCO: a presence that arises from the conviction that the future depends, above all, on respect for and the promotion of the inalienable dignity of every human being created in the image of God. For this reason, we consider this Organization a privileged interlocutor at the service of the common good, which is the “social form of the dignity” that we all share in an original and equal way (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica humanitas, 59). Since 1952, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission has discerned and accompanied, from this perspective, UNESCO’s initiatives, contributing to dialogue among nations in order to promote authentic human development, which is such only when it is oriented toward “promoting all people and the whole person” (Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum progressio, 14).

Addressing this assembly, my venerable predecessor, Saint John Paul II, recalled that “genus humanum arte et ratione vivit.” Since, in fact, “man lives a truly human life thanks to culture” (Address to UNESCO, 2 June 1980, 6; cf. Thomas Aquinas, In Aristotelis Posteriora Analytica, 1), this word refers to the way of being by which the human being gives meaning to everything he does. Forty-six years later, renewing before you the Holy See’s commitment to collaboration, I invite you to consider UNESCO not only as an illustrious international organization, but also as a place where humanity reflects on itself, on its history, and on its future. Indeed, it is impossible to promote education, science, and culture without promoting the life of man and woman, who are its protagonists.

In the field of education, the Catholic Church brings a very ancient experience: for centuries, its communities have opened schools and universities, taught reading and writing, and are present even in the poorest and most remote places. With the Global Compact on Education, my predecessor Francis wished to integrate this experience into a broader educational alliance, open to the contribution of all. But what I wish to convey to you is not, above all, the works: it is the conviction from which they arise. No education is complete if it does not address the question of meaning. In that same address, Saint John Paul II recalled: to educate is to help man to “be” more and not only to “have” more, recognizing in him also that transcendence of the person which belongs to the fullness of his humanity (cf. ibid., 10-11).

In this assembly, then, it is fitting to explore a fundamental question that urgently challenges us: What does it mean to be human? All cultures are challenged by this question, which lies at the heart of every form of knowledge, every art, and every religion. Even in the twenty-first century, we cannot take for granted that we know who the human person is or what it means to live as a human being. Indeed, every generation is called to face this question, especially in the face of tragedies that, unfortunately, continue to repeat themselves even today.

Above all, the human person is someone who is conceived and born; therefore, to be human means, first of all, to be a child. None of us chose to be one. No one decided from whom, when, or where to be born. This evident truth sheds light on something that is not merely biological, but ethical: as children, we are all brothers and sisters. From the beginning, our humanity is a gift and a test, a promise and a responsibility. For every human being, birth establishes a primordial bond, a communion of life that has its origin, and its first educational environment, in the family.

Secondly, we are all born naked and needy. We are poor by birth: in need of bread and words, of care and affection; that is, of everything that nourishes body and spirit. We know this well; and yet, as we become adults, we run the risk of forgetting it. Precisely those who are in need are the ones who suffer the most serious consequences of this forgetting, whenever their humanity is betrayed or discarded, exploited or deceived. Forgetting the circumstances of our birth obscures the very idea of human life, because it separates life from the history we all share. Then, this life is no longer understood as a gift, but as a product. It ceases to be seen as a call to care and responsibility and becomes a product susceptible to exploitation. In fact, this tragic alternative reminds us that to be human is to be free by nature. Since we are all children, our freedom begins with our response to the freedom of the one who addresses us first, whether with gestures of affection or rejection, of loving welcome or abandonment and cruelty.

Thirdly, keeping alive the memory of our common humanity is to recognize its greatness—that is, its immense potential—even though it is diminished by so many forms of evil and injustice. Those dedicated to education, science, and culture are called, all the more, to care for each person, so that the beauty of our freedom may shine forth. This beauty has a name: justice. Yes, freedom is beautiful when it is oriented toward the good and the truth; it is disfigured when it degenerates into arbitrariness, violence, or thirst for power. To be human, then, implies a responsibility before history. The human being is one who grows, learns, and works with hands and mind. Through that work, one can cultivate the earth or disfigure it, create works of art or destroy them. At this particular moment, we must recognize that the most terrible of “human works” is war; because in it science itself is placed at the service of an inhuman will to destroy and kill.

In this regard, the Preamble of the UNESCO Constitution begins with words that continue to have surprising relevance today: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed” (UNESCO Constitution, Preamble, 1945). These words were written after the Second World War, the most devastating tragedy of the last century. Humanity had come to understand that scientific progress, when separated from wisdom, can become a weapon of destruction; that culture, when subjected to ideology, can degenerate into falsehood and propaganda; and that education, when it abandons truth, can become an instrument for manipulating consciences. The founding States of UNESCO understood that treaties are necessary, but not sufficient in themselves. They require a culture of peace and a shared commitment to peace to sustain them. Peace cannot be built only with treaties, nor with compromises between opposing forces. Peace is authentic when it springs from the virtue of justice and not from a mere contract, from a right will rather than an unstable balance of interests. In truth, only a right will can recognize in the other a brother or sister, a person like oneself.

Eighty years later, the words of its founding Charter have lost none of their force. Yet we also see how deeply this common principle is threatened by forms of barbarism that fuel rivalry and conflict. Among the challenges facing the world of science and education today, I would like to highlight those arising from the vast field of technology. Our efforts in this area must ensure that new technologies remain at the service of the human person, rather than becoming yet another instrument of domination and injustice.

Over the centuries, many tasks once performed by human beings have been entrusted to machines, whose capabilities and applications have continued to expand. More recently, certain artificial systems have even been given the name of our human faculty of thought: intelligence. At the same time, however, our ideas and relationships run the risk of being impoverished by a process of dehumanization. The paradox becomes increasingly evident: while “intelligence” is attributed to computational systems, we find it difficult to recognize the inalienable dignity of persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when they are considered no longer productive, are rejected and discarded.

This painful reality invites us to reflect both on the fragility of our human nature and on the immense dignity of each person—a dignity that remains intact in the circumstances of greatest vulnerability, even until death. Yes, the human being is, without doubt, one who is born, but also one who dies. Our dignity is not destroyed by illness or suffering, nor does it depend on our capacities. On the contrary, it demands loving care at every stage of life.

For the Christian faith, the mystery of the human person finds its fullest fulfillment in Christ, who, “in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes known to him the sublimity of his vocation” (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes, 22). In his light, every person is presented to us as a creature willed and loved by God. This light also helps us to understand more deeply the meaning of our shared human experience.

Ladies and gentlemen, as men and women of science, you are called to cooperate tirelessly in the name of our common history, so that, from a diversity of perspectives, a convergence of visions may arise and, from that convergence, a harmony in action. This harmony is expressed in the work of UNESCO when it gives a symphonic voice to the highest aspirations oriented toward the good and the care of humanity. Where there is harmony, different voices come to an agreement, and the nations you represent thus unite in concord.

In this regard, I would like to turn to two images from the Bible, that great cultural treasure of humanity: the Tower of Babel and the public square of Pentecost. I propose them as ways of representing the unity of the human family, which, even today, is continually called to discern its proper course, that is, the meaning of the history it is living. Indeed, these biblical narratives describe forms of social life that invite us to reflect on the circumstances of our own time.

The Tower of Babel represents a unity imposed through domination (cf. Gn 11,4). At the same time, this building reveals that the more power seeks oppression, the more it weakens itself, exposing its inhuman face. We see this in the suffering and injustice caused by despotism, as well as in forms of exploitation that wound both society and the environment. As history teaches, many empires have been carried away by their power before being consumed by it and collapsing like a tower. The result of this pride, first exalted and then cast down, is dispersion. The claim to be like God and to subject peoples to a single yoke leads to the confusion of tongues and to mutual misunderstanding. Instead of reaching heaven, as it intended, the Tower of Babel collapsed, with a double negative consequence. Since the unity it imposed was forced, the diversity that follows its collapse also became a source of conflict. Today, the temptation of Babel reappears in a globalization pursued without fraternity, in rapacious forms of neocolonialism, in ideological impositions, and in all those “contacts without bonds” that reduce human life to commerce (cf. International Theological Commission, Quo vadis, humanitas?, 42). Science itself, when reduced to a technique of power, no longer serves to elevate the human person but, on the contrary, runs the risk of degrading the fruits of its effort.

Especially today, we have means capable of connecting people and continents instantly; yet at the same time, we witness new forms of isolation, of material and spiritual poverty, and of abandonment. Communication has become much faster, but not necessarily more truthful; information is abundant, but it is not synonymous with wisdom. Without a shared ethical foundation, the numerous channels of communication run the risk of multiplying false information and giving currency to words devoid of meaning, which hinders dialogue rather than fostering it.

Artificial intelligence amplifies this problem: although these systems can correlate data, they cannot answer questions about the meaning of human life, which is rooted in lived experience. Nevertheless, human beings cannot live without meaning. Meaning is the oxygen of the mind. For this reason, the challenges of communication, which are also always challenges of education, turn the search for truth into a matter of social justice and historical equity. Hence, education in this field is essential, and I applaud UNESCO’s initiative through its “Media and Information Literacy” (MIL) program, which promotes the responsible use of media and digital tools.

Certainly, without truth, language is subjected to the logic of violence and the arbitrary will of the powerful. Thus, others are excluded in the name of profit, and innocents are killed in the name of freedom. Instead of respecting the law, those in power invoke it when it suits them and ignore it when it limits them, treating even justice itself as if it were a commodity that can be bought and sold. If we understand that the corruption of the law begins with the corruption of the heart, we can recognize how all science runs the risk of losing its proper meaning when practiced apart from ethics, thus ceasing to serve and reflect human dignity. In this regard, I encourage the entire international community to pay special attention to the protection of children and young people. In the digital age, their vulnerability must never become an opportunity for exploitation. May these technologies support their growth, their education, and their relationships, safeguarding their freedom to think and discern, and always remaining at the service of the dignity of the human person.

The corruption of culture we are considering finds its redemption in the public square of Pentecost. There, all peoples receive as good news a message of peace. That announcement proclaims the resurrection of Jesus, that is, the victory of life over death and the salvation that gives hope to the world. On the day of Pentecost, the public square becomes a place where the peace that heals every offense against the human person is celebrated. Each of those present heard the message in their own “native language” (cf. Acts 2,8). Communion does not in any way suppress diversity. Rather, it allows diversity to flourish in the harmony of voices and faces. In the proclamation of peace, the richness of cultures becomes the bearer of a universal truth. Biblical teaching thus shows us the way to attain what we all seek: “that unity which does not annul differences, but values the personal history of each one and the social and religious culture of each people” (Homily at the Mass for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry, 18 May 2025). It is not the domination of Babel, but the peace of Pentecost, that makes possible this communion among all peoples. Each culture, therefore, attains its highest wisdom when it seeks the peace and good of all, bearing witness to the authentic meaning of our humanity.

Those dedicated to education know that only the truth makes us free. Those who teach and those who research know that error enslaves us to ignorance and superstition. Whenever we encounter obstacles in our mission, let us remember that there is only one Earth for all and a common human nature. One cannot understand the human being by separating what forms part of a whole: body and soul, personal life and relationships, our relationship with others and with the environment. Everything forms part of the unity of our existence. For this reason, cultivating the earth also means cultivating the humanity that inhabits it. Education and science are called to this task. In reality, it is no coincidence that every culture, according to the very etymology of the word, refers to the act of cultivating. I therefore renew the call of my predecessors to care together for the human person and for creation: Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the need for an ecology of the human person, while Pope Francis developed the perspective of integral ecology (cf. Benedict XVI, Address to the German Federal Parliament, 22 September 2011; Francis, Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, 137–162).

The point of reference by which we can evaluate our commitment is the care we give to the smallest and the poorest: children in their mothers’ wombs and in the various scenarios of war; persons with physical and intellectual disabilities; older adults; migrants and refugees; and all those whom arrogance excludes as unproductive. They are the true test of our claims about respect for human dignity, and their protection and promotion extend also to creation. Opposed to this is a will to exploit and plunder, to extract the maximum possible from every living being, to consume without preserving and to destroy without cultivating. That is why the current ecological crisis is also an anthropological crisis. The Church is also convinced that every culture carries within itself a wisdom that matures in an ecosystem of peoples. The habitat of the human person is society: not a merely physical environment like the desert or the ocean for animals, but a moral and relational one. Where social peace prevails, peoples prosper in justice.

It is there, then, that UNESCO finds the synthesis of its high educational and scientific missions: in the patient task of building peace. In the face of the numerous and complex urgencies of our time, the world looks to international institutions with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they are called to face challenges that no State can resolve by itself. On the other hand, these same institutions are undergoing a crisis of effectiveness, especially when dialogue is considered an obstacle to action rather than a resource for peace; as a form of hypocrisy, instead of an opportunity to seek the common good together. In the face of these deviations, it is necessary to promote a virtue as scarce as it is desired: trust; trust that differences do not necessarily constitute a threat; trust that sincere dialogue can generate a greater good than that which each one could obtain by himself. The Holy See wishes to instill this trust in UNESCO, as in other international organizations, aware that each people possesses a richness to share in the search for authentic progress that only peace can guarantee. It is not a matter of proposing a naïve optimism that ignores difficulties, but of persevering in the hope that good is always possible. Every child who is born brings hope with them. Every man and every woman who dedicates their life to the search for truth performs an act of hope. May UNESCO, then, bear witness to this hope by promoting understanding among nations, through dialogue among their respective cultures. We believe, in fact, that education is the instrument that allows us to overcome mutual fears and that science can be placed at the service of the life of every human being, sowing today the seeds of a good harvest for the future. This trust nourishes our hope in charity, that is, in service to the good of the neighbor: if we all dedicate ourselves consistently to our magnificent humanity, peace will finally be able to flourish.

While we collaborate in this work, religious traditions play a culturally necessary and irreplaceable role, and religions express our concerns about the origin of life and its end, giving meaning to the first and last purpose of existence, which is reflected in everyday decisions. In truth, when men and women of good will orient their actions toward God, the pluralism of cultures does not disperse into the chaos of Babel. Humanity, on the contrary, finds itself again in a common search for meaning and toward a destiny that is not death. We are not walking toward nothingness. That is why the human soul, in its relationship with God, perceives even better the call to cultivate peace through an alliance among peoples who recognize themselves as children of the same Father and as brothers and sisters.

I therefore hope that our meeting will strengthen the commitment of each one to work tirelessly so that the awareness of belonging to a single human family may become more alive, more active, and more just. In this regard, I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to all the staff of UNESCO, who carry out this noble mission with competence and dedication: building peace through the cultivation of all the sciences and all the arts of the human being.

I address these words to all of you, to the peoples you represent, and, very especially, to the young. It is, in fact, the new generations who observe our work with greater attention. While I support their aspirations for justice, with gratitude and esteem, I invoke upon all of you and upon your nations the abundance of the blessings of God, the almighty and merciful Creator. Thank you.

Fulton Sheen is now blessed: tens of thousands of faithful celebrate his beatification in St. Louis

The beatification of Fulton Sheen brought together this past Thursday, September 24, in St. Louis some 50,000 faithful, 89 bishops, nearly a thousand priests, hundreds of seminarians, religious, and deacons. 

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, presided over the celebration as the Pope’s representative.

It was the end of a particularly long road for the cause of the celebrated American archbishop and, at the same time, the beginning of a new stage: from this Thursday, the Church can publicly venerate him as Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.

The moment of the beatification

The long procession of bishops and priests preceded one of the central moments of the celebration. At the beginning of the Mass, the petition for beatification was formally presented, and Tagle read in Latin the apostolic letter of Leo XIV. Afterward, the bishop of Peoria, Msgr. Louis Tylka, proclaimed the text in English.

In it, the Pope describes Sheen as an “untiring preacher of the Gospel through modern means of communication” and a “diligent shepherd animated by missionary zeal.”

After the proclamation, the official image of the new blessed was unveiled. Almost simultaneously, another copy of the same portrait was presented to the faithful in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, where Sheen’s remains rest.

The choice of Peoria as the second venue of the day was no accident. Sheen was born in Illinois in 1895, grew up in that diocese, was ordained a priest there in 1919, and maintained a strong bond with his native land throughout his life. The diocese itself celebrated the beatification as the elevation to the altars of “a great son of Peoria.”

A “doorkeeper” of the house of God

Tagle did not focus his homily on Sheen’s television celebrity, but on the root that sustained his apostolate.

He recalled a conversation between the archbishop and Pius XII. The Pope asked him how many conversions he could attribute to himself. Sheen replied that he had never counted them so as not to fall into the temptation of considering them his own work.

He preferred to define himself another way: he was simply a “doorkeeper” who, on some occasions, had managed to lead someone to the open door of the house of God.

For Tagle, that image summed up an essential characteristic of the missionary: the evangelizer is not the owner of the people to whom he proclaims the Gospel, nor can he appropriate what God accomplishes in them.

“Blessed are you, doorkeeper of the door of the house of God!” the cardinal exclaimed.

The mission, he insisted, was not for Sheen an activity chosen according to his personal preferences. The missionary is first someone called and sent by Christ.

The boy who survived after 61 minutes without a heartbeat

Among the tens of thousands of attendees was a presence especially linked to the ceremony.

James Fulton Engstrom, now 16 years old, carried Sheen’s relics during the Mass. His story made it possible for the cause to reach beatification.

James was born in 2010 without vital signs. For 61 minutes he had no heartbeat, while his family repeatedly invoked the intercession of Fulton Sheen. Finally, he regained his pulse and survived without the serious aftereffects that might have been expected.

The case was submitted to the procedure of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and received the unanimous approval of doctors, theologians, and cardinals. On July 6, 2019, Francis authorized the decree officially recognizing the miracle attributed to Sheen.

Sixteen years later, the same child whose healing opened the doors to beatification stood before the crowd carrying the relics of the new blessed.

From the Holy Hour to millions of homes

Thursday’s scene had a particular correspondence with Sheen’s life. A man who very early understood the reach of the new means of communication ended up being raised to the altars before a multitude, with the ceremony broadcast beyond the stadium.

Sheen began in 1930 to appear on The Catholic Hour, a radio program that reached about four million listeners. In the 1950s he made the leap to television with Life Is Worth Living, which reached audiences of around 30 million viewers. In 1953 he even received an Emmy Award as a television personality.

But behind the cameras was a spiritual discipline he maintained throughout his priestly life: the daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

His influence on this point was also evident among those who traveled to St. Louis. Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, explained that he had come to know Sheen’s writings as a seminarian and that his example led him to incorporate the Holy Hour into his own priestly routine.

The Nigerian priest also recalled another legacy of Sheen that remains alive in the missions: the Missionary Rosary, which the new blessed promoted during his years as national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States.

Leo XIV himself had highlighted this dimension a few months before the beatification. In June he described Sheen as “a light of faith, hope, and love” that shone for decades through radio and television.

And on the eve of the ceremony he referred to him again during the general audience, expressing the hope that the example of this bishop known for his evangelization through the media would inspire others to find new ways of proclaiming the Gospel “with joyful enthusiasm.”

Six possible miracles on the path to canonization

While St. Louis prepared for the Mass, Sheen’s cause was already looking toward the next step.

Msgr. Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, reported on Thursday that data are being gathered on six possible miracles attributed to his intercession. Among them is the alleged instantaneous healing of a cancer. The cases will have to be investigated, and if any meet the necessary conditions, they may be formally presented to Rome.

The recognition of a new miracle occurring after the moment established by the cause could open the way to canonization.

Msgr. Tylka, at the end of years of waiting, preferred to look already toward that possibility. “Today we rejoice at the recognition of this great son of Peoria,” he stated in the official communiqué issued after the ceremony, “and we hope with confidence for the day when, God willing, Blessed Fulton Sheen will be declared a saint of the universal Church.”

His memorial will be celebrated on December 9

The liturgical memorial of the new blessed has been set for December 9, the date of his death in New York in 1979.

The celebration has been approved as a optional memorial in the diocese of Peoria. According to the Sheen Foundation, it may be extended to other dioceses with the corresponding authorization of the competent Dicastery.

The date turns the gaze back to the end of his life. Fulton Sheen died on December 9, 1979, at the age of 84. He had spent decades teaching, preaching, and using the mass media to proclaim the Gospel.

This Thursday, almost 47 years after his death, thousands of Catholics gathered once again to listen to him. This time not from a television screen or a radio receiver, but through the liturgical formula with which the Church officially presented him as Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.