Pope Leo joins the prayer gathering 'Canticle of Peace' at Borgo Laudato si', in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, together with Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices choir, made up of children's voices from Uganda, the Holy Land and Italy.

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"Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus." This unique statement in John's gospel tells us of the special relationship Jesus had with Martha, her sister, and her brother. Apparently Jesus was a frequent guest at Martha's home in Bethany, a small village two miles from Jerusalem. We read of three visits in Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-53, and John 12:1-9. Many of us find it easy to identify with Martha in the story Luke tells. Martha welcomes Jesus and his disciples into her home and immediately ...

Innocent was born at Albano, Italy. He became Pope, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I, on December 22, 401. During Innocent's pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, commending the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis in 416, condemning Pelagianism, to the Pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: "Roma locuta, causa finitas" (Rome ...

St Pantaleon came from Nicomedia, near the Black Sea, in Asia. He was such a famous doctor that the Emperor himself chose him for his own doctor. Pantaleon was a Christian, but the bad influence from the pagan court caused him to give up his Christian faith entirely. A holy priest named Hermolaos made him realize what a sin he had committed. Pantaleon listened to him, detested his sin and joined the Church once more. To make up for what he had done, he greatly desired to suffer and die for ...

Saints Joachim (sometimes spelled "Joaquin," pronounced "wal-keem") and Anne, are the parents of the Virgin Mary. There are no mentions of them in the Bible or Gospels, what we know comes from Catholic legend and the Gospel of James, which is an unsanctioned, apocryphal writing form the second century AD. We do know from scholarship that the Gospel of James was not written by James, the Brother of Jesus, despite its claim to be so authored. Even the early Church fathers expressed skepticism ...

Nothing is known of St. James the Greater's early life, though it has been established that he is the son of Zebedee and Salome and brother of John the disciple. The title "the Greater" was added to St. James' name to help distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less," who is believed to have been shorter than James "the Greater." Saint James the Greater was one of Jesus' first disciples. James was fishing with his father and John the Apostle when Jesus came to the shores of the Sea of ...

One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born at Dufton, at Westmoreland, England, and studied at Oxford. Becoming a Catholic in 1576, he went to Reims and received ordination in 1581. John went back to England where he worked in the northern parts of the kingdom and became the object of a massive manhunt. He was betrayed, arrested, and taken to London. There he was crippled on the rack and returned to Dryburn near Durham. On July 24, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered. John was ...

Saint Birgitta was the daughter of Uppland�s Lagman, Birger Petersson and his wife, Ingeborg, who was a member of the same clan as the reigning family. Birgitta�s family was pious; her father went to confession every Friday and made long and arduous pilgrimages as far away as the Holy Land. Birgitta�s mother died, leaving Birgitta, ten years old, Katharine, nine and a newborn baby boy, Israel. The children were sent to their maternal aunt for further education and care. It seems that as ...

St. Mary Magdalene is one of the greatest saints of the Bible and a legendary example of God's mercy and grace. The precise dates of her birth and death are unknown, but we do know she was present with Christ during his public ministry, death and resurrection. She is mentioned at least a dozen times in the Gospels. Mary Magdalene has long been regarded as a prostitute or sexually immoral in western Christianity, but this is not supported in the scriptures. It is believed she was a Jewish woman ...

WASHINGTON – Following Pope Leo XIV’s historic, 10-day apostolic journey to Africa in April and his call for peace, reconciliation and interreligious dialogue, Catholics in the United States have an opportunity to support those efforts through the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.

The fund was created nearly two decades ago by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to support the Catholic Church on a continent where the faith is growing rapidly, but where the Church has limited capacity to support its pastoral needs and faces severe hardships.

“The gifts of Catholics in the United States to the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa underwrite projects that build foundations for peace, as well as projects directed toward evangelization, vocations, environmental stewardship, leadership formation, and other facets of our faith,” said Archbishop Thomas Zinkula, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Church in Africa.

In 2025, the Solidarity Fund awarded 97 grants totaling over $3 million.

“My prayer is that those gifts will increase in response to our Holy Father’s call for peace and reconciliation in Africa,” Archbishop Zinkula said. “I have seen the impact of your gifts and can attest that whatever you contribute will be used wisely and well.” Many dioceses will take up the collection in their parishes this summer. #iGiveCatholic also accepts online gifts for the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa at www.igivecatholic.org/story/USCCB-CA .

Examples of the 2025 grants included the following:

• In Mali, where many children grow up believing war and terrorism are a normal part of life, a grant supported an intensive Bible camp for more than 200 young adults from across the nation. There, they learned gospel values of peace, justice and mercy, as well as the Second Vatican Council’s teachings on religious freedom and interreligious dialogue.
• As Sudan endures the world’s largest humanitarian crisis caused by war, a grant supported 223 lay catechists in the Nuba Mountains and Abyei region by providing transportation, food, lodging, and training materials for a three-month course on evangelization, pastoral care and sacramental preparation. They are now better equipped to minister to a population that includes thousands of people displaced by the violence in a region served by very few priests.
• Wars and conflict across the Horn of Africa have attracted human traffickers who prey on vulnerable people in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and neighboring countries, luring them into modern-day slavery. A grant from the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa supported workshops for church leaders throughout the region to raise awareness of human trafficking, design prevention strategies, and train pastoral ministers to assist victims. 
• In Burkina Faso, the Catholic bishops have set a goal of making their dioceses self-supporting despite widespread violence and poverty. A grant from the Solidarity Fund provided training for staff from all 15 dioceses and the national bishops’ conference to develop sustainable plans for managing and supporting the Church’s ministry.
• In the Central African Republic, where poor roads leave many communities isolated, a grant enabled the Marianist Sisters to train “Gospel volunteers” and equip them with bicycles to distribute bibles and rosaries. The bicycles greatly enhance their ministry, allowing them to reach thousands of families.

“Pope Leo has called us to solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Africa, and that is precisely what the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa makes possible. Please take this opportunity to respond to his call by supporting our African brothers and sisters with a generous gift,” Archbishop Zinkula said.

For more information see: https://www.usccb.org/committees/church-africa 

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