Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Millions of people “cry out their loneliness, their suffering, their need for meaning, no longer out loud, but in the deafening silence of social networks, forums, and chat rooms,” said one of the speakers, Brother Pascal Ahodegnon, the superior general of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God. “Our mission is not to resist the digital age, but to transfigure it, transform it, and inhabit it with our charism.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed participants on November 26, the day before his departure for Turkey and Lebanon.

Pope Leo XIV departed from Turkey and arrived in Lebanon on November 30, the fourth day of the Pope’s six-day apostolic journey to the two nations.

The DHS charged that an audit of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley—an organization that has been criticized by the Trump administration for encouraging illegal immigration—discovered inaccuracies and gaps in the financial records. The finding could lead to a 6-year ban on federal funding.

Father Henryk Okolotovich and Father Andrei Yukhnevich were released from their labor-camp sentences on November 20, and immediately flown out of the country; they are now in Rome. They were pardoned by President Aleksandr Lukashenko, not long after the Belarus leader had met with Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, who raised the question of their imprisonment.

The two priests had been convicted in a closed-court trial. They have insisted that they are completely innocent, and their supporters believe the charges were spurious.

Despite projected economic growth of 3.9% this year, Africa is experiencing “a polycrisis, linked to economic challenges, technological obstacles, and climate-related shocks,” according to the Holy See’s mission. The statement cited high debt-servicing costs and the effects of climate change; it also called for “technical assistance and capacity building to close the digital divide.”

Papal prayer intentions are announced a year in advance and are customarily retained by the new Pontiff following his predecessor’s death.

Pope Leo became the first Pontiff to visit the tomb of St. Charbel Maklouf, a Maronite monk who is credited with numerous miracles, and whose tomb is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.

In his meeting with Lebanese bishops, religious, and pastoral workers, the Pope stressed the theme of peacemaking, which has been his main message to the people of Lebanon. “There are personal and collective wounds that take many years, sometimes entire generations, to heal,” he said. But he urged the clerics to recognize the power of prayer, “the invisible bridge which unites hearts.”

At the ecumenical meeting in Beirut the Pope returned to that theme, reflecting on the difficulties that Lebanon has endured, and saying: “In the midst of these struggles, a sense of hopefulness and encouragement can be found when we focus on what unites us: our common humanity and our belief in a God of love and mercy.”

Cardinal Fernandez, who signed the document issued by the DDF last month, said that while it will “always” be inappropriate to use that title in future magisterial teaching, Mater Populi Fidelis is not intended to signal disapproval of the use of that title by saints and pontiffs of the past. He said that “from now on,” the title will not be used “either in the liturgy—that is, in liturgical texts—or in the official documents of the Holy See.”

The cardinal explained that the DDF concluded that the use of the title too often creates misunderstandings, and therefore should not be used in official Church statements.