Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV named Father Andrea Ciucci the new chancellor, or second-ranking official, of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Pope Leo XIV received directors and staff members of Italy’s National Institute for Social Security (video) and lamented the extreme poverty that affects hundreds of millions of the world’s people.

“On this day of mourning for the Lebanese people, I would like to express my sadness, indignation and full solidarity,” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille said on April 9, the day after Israel’s Operation Eternal Darkness left at least 357 dead.

“I condemn in the strongest terms this intolerable operation, perversely called ‘eternal darkness,’ as well as the cynicism of its unfolding, at the very moment when a ceasefire between the belligerents was coming into effect,” Cardinal Avelline added. “The spiral of violence must stop and international law must be respected. History teaches us that the security of one people cannot be obtained by maintaining hatred of the other.”

The prelate concluded by inviting “all Catholics in France to respond to Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to gather to pray for peace on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 6:00” and by encouraging donations to the aid organization Œuvre d’Orient.

President Macron said after the audience that he and Pope Leo share a “common conviction: in the face of the world’s divisions, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.”

The French president also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “important international issues, with an exchange of views on conflict situations in the world, hoping that peaceful coexistence can be reestablished through dialogue and negotiation.”

“People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well.”

Pope Leo XIV received the members of the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church as they prepared to elect a new Patriarch and urged them to elect a “father in faith” and “man of the Beatitudes” who seeks to build communion in charity.

Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the holy Rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica this evening (booklet, video) and emphasized the importance of prayer as he called upon national leaders to stop waging war.

“We know he was detained and his home was sealed, but we don’t know where he is being held or what any accusations against him might be,” said Father Yuri Yasevich, spokesman for the episcopal conference.

Belarus, an Eastern European nation of 9.5 million (map), is 82% Christian (63% Orthodox, 17% Catholic). An autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, has led the nation since 1994.