St. Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses and Quisquina, was a descendant of the great Charlemagne. She was born at Palermo in Sicily. In her youth, her heart turned from earthly vanities to God. She left her home and took up her abode in a cave, on the walls of which she wrote these words: "I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ." She remained there entirely hidden from ...

During a private audience, Pope Leo XIV and Isaac Herzog discussed the need for an urgent ceasefire and unimpeded aid access for Gaza, as well as the liberation of all remaining hostages and a two-state solution as the only path to peace.

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Pope Leo XIV expresses his closeness to the victims of the accident that took place in Lisbon on Wednesday, which left at least 17 people dead and others injured.

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During a visit to Italy, Franciscan friar Ibrahim Faltas illustrates the terrible situation the people of the Holy Land region are living in, and warns that if things continue as they are, “there will truly be no Christians left.”

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In this week's news from the Eastern Churches, produced in collaboration with L'Œuvre d'Orient, Christians refuse to leave Gaza City, the Armenian Catholicos recalls fallen heroes, and nuns from the Middle East take a break in France.

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The Management Director of the Borgo Laudato Si’ ecology project illustrates the initiative, which Pope Leo XIV will officially inaugurate on Friday, explaining that it is open to everyone regardless of faith or other affiliations. He hopes that tourists visiting the once-exclusive summer Papal Villa, gardens, and farm in Castel Gandolfo will leave inspired by the message of caring for our common home, the Earth.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The human longing for love is not a sign of weakness but demonstrates that no one is completely self-sufficient and that salvation comes from letting oneself be loved and assisted by God, Pope Leo XIV said.

"No one can save themselves. Life is 'fulfilled' not when we are strong, but when we learn how to receive," the pope told tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square Sept. 3 for his weekly general audience.

During the audience, the pope offered special prayers for all the students and teachers who recently returned to school or were about to start a new school year.

"Pray for them, through the intercession of the Blesseds -- and soon saints -- Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, for the gift of a deep faith in their journey of maturation," the pope said just days before he was scheduled to preside over the canonizations of the two young Italians. 

In his main talk, Pope Leo continued his series of reflections on lessons of hope from the Gospel stories of Jesus' last days and focused specifically on the 19th chapter of the Gospel of John where Jesus on the cross says, "I thirst."

"If even the son of God chose not to be self-sufficient, then our thirst too -- for love, for meaning, for justice -- is a sign not of failure, but of truth," the pope said.

Jesus' thirst is not just physical, the pope said; it is "above all the expression of a profound desire: that of love, of relationship, of communion. It is the silent cry of a God who, having wished to share everything of our human condition, also lets himself be overcome by this thirst."

By not being afraid to ask for something to drink, Jesus "tells us that love, in order to be true, must also learn to ask and not only to give."

At a time when most societies seem to reward self-sufficiency, efficiency and performance, the pope said, "the Gospel shows us that the measure of our humanity is not given by what we can achieve, but by our ability to let ourselves be loved and, when necessary, even helped." 

Jesus' cry of thirst, he said, "is ours too. It is the cry of a wounded humanity that seeks living water. And this thirst does not lead us away from God but rather unites us with him."

Admitting the need for help, "our fragility is a bridge toward heaven," he said.

"There is nothing more human, nothing more divine, than being able to say: I need," Pope Leo told the crowd. "Let us not be afraid to ask, especially when it seems to us that we do not deserve. Let us not be ashamed to reach out our hand. It is right there, in that humble gesture, that salvation hides."

After the audience, members of the Jesus Bikers, a motorcycle club from Germany, and representatives of Missio Austria, the pontifical mission societies in Austria, presented Pope Leo XIV with a modified BMW R18 motorcycle, which he autographed and then sat on.

The bike will be auctioned by Sotheby's, and Missio Austria will use the money to help build a school for children who work in the mica mines in Madagascar. 
 

The UN's agency for children reports funding for education will see a 24% decrease from 2023, which will raise the number of out-of-school children to 278 million or the equivalent of emptying every primary school in Germany and Italy combined.

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The relic is a dark blue pullover sweater—one of the most well-known garments associated with the young Italian, as he is seen wearing it in several photos. The relic arrived on September 1st at São Sebastião Parish for the canonization of Carlo Acutis scheduled 7 September at the Vatican.

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Pope Saint Gregory I, also known as the Great, was the Pope of the Catholic Church between 590 and 604 AD. Gregory was born around 540 in Rome. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Although the Western Roman Empire had collapsed long before his birth, many ancient Roman families still commanded great wealth and influence in the city. Gregory was born into one such family. His great-great-grandfather was Pope Felix III who reigned from 483 to 492. (Astute readers may suspect this to be a ...