Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“In response, Pope Leo XIV expressed openness to the invitation and assured the bishops of his desire to visit Pakistan in the future,” Radio Veritas Asia reported.

Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 257 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim, 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region met with Pope Leo XIV on May 18 and assured the Pontiff of his commitment to protecting Christians’ rights.

A Philippine layman accused of posing as a priest met with his local archbishop and sought forgiveness for his actions, less than a week after the prelate issued a public warning about his activities.

Ecumenism is of “crucial urgency” in the face of secularism, Aram I, head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, said on May 18 in an address to Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV announced the inclusion of St. Nerses the Gracious, a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the Martyrologium Romanum (Roman Martyrology), the Church’s compilation of saints and blesseds.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella hailed Pope Leo’s commitment to peace in a message to the Pontiff marking the first anniversary of his inauguration Mass.