Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Father Joseph Samedi, S.J., the Jesuit superior in the Central African Republic, will become the new archbishop of Bangui, the nation’s capital, upon the resignation of Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, C.S.Sp.

Corbeau News Centrafrique, a local news site, reported that the apostolic nuncio requested Cardinal Nzapalainga’s resignation following an investigation conducted by Cardinal Robert Sarah in February at Pope Leo’s behest.

Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, was present in Debel for the new crucifix’s installation.

“The images of the statue’s delivery to the community and its placement, in the same spot where the statue was destroyed a few days earlier by an IDF soldier, fill my heart and convey a powerful message of hope, dialogue, and peace,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity said that the Armenian martyrs are members of a “common martyrology” that transcends ecclesial divisions. Cardinal Koch also recalled the persecuted Christians of today.

The commemoration took place on April 23 at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island.

“In the study of the inexhaustible pages of the Bible,” said Pope Leo, “we come to know Christ, the Son of God made man, the revelation of the Father’s face and the perfect model of humanity. In this way, you make accessible to the younger generations, with full respect for everyone’s freedom, what might otherwise remain incomprehensible and vague.”

The Pope added:

Man cannot live without truth and authentic meaning, and the young, although they may at times seem apathetic or insensitive, behind a façade of apparent indifference they often actually conceal the restlessness and suffering of those who “feel too much” and too intensely, without being able to put a name to what they are experiencing.

Teaching, therefore, means forming people to listen to their hearts, and thereby to inner freedom and the capacity for critical thinking, according to dynamics in which faith and reason do not ignore one another, nor indeed oppose one another, but are travelling companions in the humble and sincere search for truth. For this reason, education requires the patience to sow without expecting immediate results, respecting the pace at which a person grows. And above all—as Newman teaches—it requires love.

Pope Leo XIV is committed to European unity, a former president of the European Parliament said following an audience with the Pontiff.

The Vatican on April 25 released the schedules for four of Pope Leo’s six upcoming pastoral visits to Italian cities:

The Vatican newspaper devoted prominent front-page coverage in its April 25 edition to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, released the previous day by the Global Network Against Food Crises.