The Provincial Minister of the Friars Minor of Umbria and Sardinia welcomes the Pope in Piazza Santa Maria degli Angeli. He describes Assisi as a "blessed land" where young people share "faith, hope, and fraternity," seeking ways to become actively involved rather than remain mere spectators.

Read all

 

At Santa Maria degli Angeli, the first stop on his pastoral visit, the Pope answers questions from young people and explains that Gospel radicalism is “the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not make us blind and violent, but sensitive and attentive,” and welcoming towards all.

Read all

 

SIGNIS Africa, the Catholic association for media practitioners, has ushered in a new board of directors. For the first time since its inception in 2001, women make up the majority of the board. The election took place on the sidelines of the SIGNIS World Congress happening in Kigali, Rwanda, from 03 August to 08 August 2026. Fr Fidele Mutabazi, a Rwandan priest of the Archdiocese of Kigali, was elected new SIGNIS Africa President.

Read all

 

More than 50 delegates representing seven regional episcopal conferences of Africa, Madagascar and the Islands concluded the first preparatory seminar for the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly on Wednesday August 5th with a renewed commitment to foster a more synodal and missionary Church across the continent.

Read all

 

Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, President of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference, expresses joy knowing that they will be welcoming Pope Leo to their country in November.

Read all

 

Bishop Milton Tróccoli, President of the Uruguayan Bishops’ Conference, says Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Visit from 6 to 8 November will be a gift for the country and an opportunity to strengthen evangelisation, renew hope and reaffirm the Christian roots of the Uruguayan people.

Read all

 

How an Indonesian lay movement discovered that rebuilding the Church begins with rebuilding hearts

Read all

 

In a Final Statement, participants in the First Confucian-Christian Colloquium, held in Seoul, South Korea, pledge to continue to deepen friendship and dialogue between the two traditions, and to work together for the flourishing of humanity and the whole community of life.

Read all

 

Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Peru from 11 to 17 November, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Archbishop of Lima, speaks of the joy with which the Church and the Peruvian people are awaiting the Holy Father.

Read all

 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Returning to his weekly general audiences after a monthlong summer break, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to embrace the Liturgy of the Hours more fully in their daily lives, saying the church's public prayer is an antidote to a world shaped by technology, consumerism and an efficiency-driven mindset.

"Every week and every day, the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours are the breath of the life of the Church, which makes the Holy Spirit circulate through her Body," he said Aug. 5.

Because of Rome's summer heat, the pope held the audience inside instead of St. Peter's Square; however, this time it was held in St. Peter's Basilica rather than in the Paul VI Hall.  As he processed to the altar, he stopped to shake hands with attendees and bless babies and rosaries.

Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on 'Sacrosanctum Concilium,' the Constitution on the liturgy. He said "it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray," and that Christians unite themselves with Christ in offering praise and thanksgiving to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bound to the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies the rhythm of the day, the pope said, beginning with morning prayer, continuing at midday and evening, and ending with night prayer as the faithful entrust themselves to God's peace. 

"Each hour is an act of hope," he said.

The Liturgy of the Hours is the church's official daily prayer, consisting of psalms, Scripture readings, hymns and prayers recited at designated times throughout the day. Pope Leo said the tradition of prayer is "no longer passed on" even in many Christian families, even though prayer is a "fundamental dimension of our humanity."

In societies "dominated by an efficiency-driven and consumerist mindset," prayer can seem "pointless and trivial," the pope said. In a world "where science and technology claim to provide all the answers," he added, prayer may appear to be a form of escapism.

"Brothers and sisters, may we find the spiritual nourishment necessary on our earthly pilgrimage by joining with the whole Church in her liturgical prayer as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," the pope said in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims.

"Far from avoiding the world and its needs, all prayer, especially in the entire liturgy, is the essential dimension of our humanity," he added.

The pope's encouragement comes after the Vatican approved a new English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours in November 2025. After 13 years, the U.S. bishops produced a translation that more closely reflects the original Latin texts. The first volume is expected to be released ahead of Lent 2027.

In his greeting to French-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo encouraged those on summer vacation to deepen their interior life by spending more time with the Lord in prayer. Even leisure and rest, he said, "belong to him" and "can be sanctified by his presence."