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Ecuador: Young people undertake mission to reach Indigenous communities

Idente missionaries have been walking alongside students and families in Andean and Amazonian villages for over 21 years, an experience that began as a response to the wounds of local communities and that has become an opportunity for encounter, service and vocation.

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Joy in Israel as Gaza hostages released ​

The final 20 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have returned to Israel after more than two years in captivity.

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St. Edward the Confessor: Saint of the Day for Monday, October 13, 2025

Edward the Confessor was the son of King Ethelred III and his Norman wife, Emma, daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy. He was born at Islip, England, and sent to Normandy with his mother in the year 1013 when the Danes under Sweyn and his son Canute invaded England. Canute remained in England and the year after Ethelred's death in 1016, married Emma, who had returned to England, and became King of England. Edward remained in Normandy, was brought up a Norman, and in 1042, on the death of his ...

Pope: Vatican diplomacy a way to let Christ shine forth in humility

Pope Leo XIV reflects on the legacy of Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, and says the Vatican diplomat served the Popes of the early 20th century in delicate matters with humility.

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Pope Leo XIV to every parish: 'Take part in World Mission Sunday'

In a video message, Pope Leo XIV calls on every Catholic parish to take part in World Mission Sunday, 19 October, recalling how the generosity that day concretely enables and sustains the good work of missionaries worldwide, as he saw firsthand while serving in Peru.

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Real faith changes the way Christians live, treat each other, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must avoid using their faith to label those who are different -- often the poor -- as enemies to be avoided and rejected, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts," he said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter's Square Oct. 12 for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

"Mary's path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded and sinners," Pope Leo said in his homily. "Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God's tenderness, his way of 'being a mother,' to light in the church." 

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Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for Pope Leo XIV’s celebration of Mass marking the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality Oct. 12, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Members of movements, confraternities and various Marian prayer groups were invited to Rome for their Oct. 11-12 Jubilee, which included an evening prayer service in the square Oct. 11 with Pope Leo in the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The statue, brought from the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, also was on display during the Oct. 12 Mass.

Marian spirituality, "which nourishes our faith, has Jesus as its center," Pope Leo said in his homily. Remembering Jesus Christ is what matters.

"The celebration of Sunday, therefore, should make us Christians," he said. "It should fill our thoughts and feelings with the burning memory of Jesus and change the way we live together and the way we inhabit the earth."

The pope reflected on the day's Gospel reading of Jesus cleansing 10 lepers (Lk 17:11-19). While all of them appealed to him and were healed, only one, who was a foreigner, thanked Jesus and glorified God.

"The lepers in the Gospel who do not return to give thanks remind us that God's grace can touch us and find no response," he said. "It can heal us, yet we can still fail to accept it."

"Let us take care, therefore, not to go up to the temple in such a way that does not lead us to follow Jesus," he said. 

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Pope Leo XIV incenses the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima during Mass as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 12, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

When some forms of worship fail to foster communion with others, he said, "we fail to encounter the people God has placed in our lives. We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat."

"Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labelling those who are different -- often the poor -- as enemies, 'lepers' to be avoided and rejected," he said.

"Marian spirituality is at the service of the Gospel" because "it reveals its simplicity," he said.

"Our affection for Mary of Nazareth leads us to join her in becoming disciples of Jesus," he said, and "it teaches us to return to him and to meditate and ponder the events of our lives in which the Risen One still comes to us and calls us."

Marian spirituality "helps us to see the proud being scattered in their conceit, the mighty being cast down from their thrones and the rich being sent away empty-handed," he said, referring to the Canticle of Mary (Lk 1:51-54). "It impels us to fill the hungry with good things, to lift up the lowly, to remember God's mercy and to trust in the power of his arm." 

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Pope Leo XIV prays before the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 12, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Just as God asked Mary for her "yes," he said, "Jesus invites us to be part of his kingdom."

"Dear friends, in a world seeking justice and peace, let us revive Christian spirituality and popular devotion to the events and places blessed by God that have changed the face of the earth forever," he said.

"Let us use them as a driving force for renewal and transformation," he said, especially during the Holy Year, which encourages conversion, restitution, reflection and liberation.

During the Mass, one of the prayers of the faithful prayed that God would "dispel all pride from the hearts of those who hold positions of power and inspire decisions which favor the little ones and the least."

The pope offered his own prayer entrusting the church, the world and all of humanity to Mary.

"Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our hope, your caring presence in this Year of Grace accompanies and consoles us and gives us, in the dark nights of history, the certainty that in Christ evil is overcome and every person is redeemed by his love," he said.

"To your immaculate heart we entrust the whole world and all of humanity, especially your children who are tormented by the scourge of war," he said. "Advocate of grace, advise us on the path of reconciliation and forgiveness, do not fail to intercede for us, in joy and in sorrow, and obtain for us the gift of peace that we earnestly implore."
 

Pope Leo calls for disarmament

Pope Leo calls for disarmament

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality and calls for disarmament.

Peru in Turmoil after President Boluarte ousted by Congress

Peru’s political situation is volatile, following the removal of the president via a vote of no confidence by Congress.

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St. Wilfrid: Saint of the Day for Sunday, October 12, 2025

Born in Northumberland in 634, St. Wilfrid was educated at Lindesfarne and then spent some time in Lyons and Rome. Returning to England, he was elected abbot of Ripon in 658 and introduced the Roman rules and practices in opposition to the celtic ways of northern England. In 664, he was the architect of the definitive victory of the Roman party at the Conference of Whitby. He was appointed Bishop of York and after some difficulty finally took possession of his See in 669. He labored zealously ...

Gaza summit set to commence in Egypt on Monday

An international summit aimed at finalizing a peace agreement to end the war in Gaza is set to take place Monday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

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Pope hails glimmers of hope for peace in Holy Land and prays for Ukraine

Following the Mass for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, Pope Leo XIV turns his thoughts and prayers to the suffering people of the Holy Land, of Ukraine, and of Peru, where political turmoil has brought instability to the nation.

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