Pope Leo XIV visits the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome’s Ponte Mammolo district. Encouraging the community to remain a “sign of hope,” he praises its outreach to migrants, the poor, and prisoners, and called for openness, solidarity and peace in a world marked by suffering and conflict.

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During the launch of the AMECEA synodality formation manual and synodality songs in the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), the keynote speaker stressed that the future of synodality in the Catholic Church across Eastern Africa rests with the Bishops.

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ROME (CNS) -- Believing problems and differences can be resolved with war is absurd, Pope Leo XIV said, chastising those who use God's name in their dark and deadly pursuits.

"God cannot be enlisted by darkness," he said in his homily during Mass in a parish on the outskirts of Rome March 15. "Rather, he always comes to bring light, hope and peace to humanity, and it is peace that must be sought by those who call upon him."

The pope was making his fifth and final visit to parishes in his Diocese of Rome in the run-up to Palm Sunday, which falls on March 29. 

Earlier, the pope had prayed the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, where he made an urgent appeal for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

"I appeal to those responsible for this conflict: cease fire!" he said after the noonday prayer. "May paths of dialogue be reopened! Violence can never lead to the justice, stability and peace for which the people are waiting."

Marking the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched their first attacks on Iran and since the Israeli military resumed strikes in Lebanon, Pope Leo said the people in the Middle East "have been suffering the horrific violence of war."

"Thousands of innocent people have been killed, and countless others have been forced to flee their homes. I renew my prayerful closeness to all who have lost loved ones in the attacks, which have struck schools, hospitals and residential areas," he said. 

Expressing his deep concern for the situation in Lebanon, the pope said he hoped that the country’s authorities would be supported through dialogue "in implementing lasting solutions to the serious crisis currently unfolding, for the common good of all the Lebanese people."

Later in the day, the pope visited the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the northeast edge of Rome to celebrate Mass with members of the local community on "Laetare" Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent.

In his homily, the pope noted the meaning of "laetare" is "rejoice" with the anticipation of Easter.

However, he said, so many of "our brothers and sisters around the world are suffering because of violent conflicts, sparked by the absurd notion that problems and differences can be resolved through war."

"Some even go so far as to invoke God’s name in these choices of death," he said. What is needed is "unceasing dialogue for peace."

"This is the message of this Sunday: no matter how deep the abyss into which a person may fall because of their sins, Christ comes to bring a brighter light, capable of freeing them from the blindness of evil, so that they may begin a new life," he said in his homily. 

Pope Leo praised the parish, community leaders and volunteers for all they do to be "children of light" by serving the poor, the marginalized, immigrants, the exploited and inmates of the nearby Rebibbia prison.

Meeting with parish members outside together with young people and families, he said they are "a sign of hope in a world where pain, suffering and difficulties are often too great."

In his homily, he told the faithful to nurture God's gift of light "in all its gentleness, and spread it throughout the world through prayer, participation in the sacraments and charity."

Before praying the Angelus at noon, Pope Leo said faith is an invitation to open one's eyes to see "the suffering of others and the afflictions of the world."

Given so many "questions of the human heart, as well as the tragic situations of injustice, violence and suffering that mark our time, it is essential that our faith be alert, attentive and prophetic," he said.

"It should likewise open our eyes to the darkness of the world and bring to others the light of the Gospel through our commitment to peace, justice and solidarity," he said. May the light of Christ "open the eyes of our hearts and enable us to bear witness to him with simplicity and courage."

Pope Leo XIV urges all those responsible for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to agree to a ceasefire and reopen paths of dialogue.

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At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflects on Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, and says faith teaches us to see humanity and its struggles as God sees them.

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The Director of the Holy See Press Office confirms Pope Leo XIV’s move to the Apostolic Palace after having resided at the Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio since the beginning of his pontificate.

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Religious communities in South Korea participate in a special lecture on artificial intelligence, calling for wisdom, responsibility, and the commitment to human dignity.

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The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations highlights the risks of exploitation in surrogacy, describing it as a field where “technology and practice have run laps around the law and ethics."

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Pope Leo XIV opens the judicial year of the Vatican Tribunal, and recalls the deep bond between justice, charity, and societal stability.

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Matilda was the daughter of Count Dietrich of Westphalia and Reinhild of Denmark. She was also known as Mechtildis and Maud. She was raised by her grandmother, the Abbess of Eufurt convent. Matilda married Henry the Fowler, son of Duke Otto of Saxony, in the year 909. He succeeded his father as Duke in the year 912 and in 919 succeeded King Conrad I to the German throne. She was noted for her piety and charitable works. She was widowed in the year 936, and supported her son Henry's claim to his ...