3+ hour, 54+ min ago (565+ words) Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, signed a joint declaration yesterday, the third day of the first international trip of Pope Leo's pontificate. The Pope's six-day apostolic journey, which began November 27, is taking him to Turkey (T'rkiye) and Lebanon. The first event of his third day in Turkey (yesterday) was a visit to the Blue Mosque, which Pope Leo toured, but in which he did not pray publicly. The Reuters news agency reported: Later in the morning, Pope Leo went to Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, where he prayed and met privately with the nation's Christian leaders for over two hours (video). The church, dedicated in 2023, is the sole church built in Turkey since the founding of the Turkish republic in 1923. Vatican News, the news agency of…...

9+ hour, 6+ min ago (613+ words) November 30, 2025 (Readings on USCCB website) Mass Propers for the First Sunday of Advent: Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 25 (24):1-3, 124: To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame. Alleluia Verse, Cycle A, Ps 85:8: Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation. Preface I of Advent: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago, and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, that, when he comes again…...

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (790+ words) On the second day of the first international trip of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV made a pilgrimage to "znik, Turkey (historically Nicaea), where he commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the first of the Church's 21 ecumenical councils. Earlier in the day, in Istanbul, he warned of "a "new Arianism,' present in today's culture and sometimes even among believers." The Pope's six-day apostolic journey, which began November 27, is taking him to Turkey (T'rkiye) and Lebanon. The journey's second day began yesterday in Istanbul, at a prayer meeting in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. At the prayer meeting (video), Pope Leo described Turkey as "a place where the story of the people of Israel meets the birth of Christianity, where the Old and New Testaments embrace…...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (240+ words) November 29, 2025 (Readings on USCCB website) Mass Propers for Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 85 (84):9: The Lord speaks of peace to his people and his holy ones and those who turn to him. Alleluia Verse, Lk 21:34-36: Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man. Communion Antiphon, Mt 28:20: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord. Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,…...

2+ day, 6+ hour ago (459+ words) At the beginning of the first international trip of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that Turkey would become a "source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in service of a just and lasting peace." The Pope's six-day apostolic journey, which began yesterday, is taking him to Turkey (T'rkiye) and Lebanon. In Turkey'a nation of 84.1 million that is 98% Muslim'the Pontiff will make a pilgrimage to "znik (historically Nicaea), where he will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. During the three-hour flight from Rome to the Turkish capital of Ankara, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, who has covered the Vatican since 1974, greeted Pope Leo on behalf of her fellow journalists'more than 80" from "approximately 15 different countries," noted Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. In his greeting to journalists, Pope Leo said: The Pope's plane touched down at Esenbo'a International Airport in…...

2+ day, 9+ hour ago (203+ words) Other Commemorations: St. James of the Marches, Priest (RM) November 28, 2025 (Readings on USCCB website) Mass Propers for Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Entrance Antiphon, Cf. Ps 85 (84):9: The Lord speaks of peace to his people and his holy ones and those who turn to him. Alleluia Verse, Lk 21:28: Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Communion Antiphon, Mt 28:20: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord. Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time: Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy…...

2+ day, 11+ hour ago (155+ words) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Holy Father's name yesterday to the cardinal bishop of Hong Kong for victims of the Tai Po apartment complex fire. Pope Leo expressed his spiritual solidarity, including prayers for the deceased and for emergency personnel. CWN Editor's Note: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Holy Father's name yesterday to the cardinal bishop of Hong Kong for victims of the Tai Po apartment complex fire. Pope Leo expressed his spiritual solidarity, including prayers for the deceased and for emergency personnel. The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. James of the Marches (1391-1476). St. James became a doctor of canon and civil law, and then decided to live austerely as a Franciscan friar. St. James studied theology with Saint John of…...

2+ day, 11+ hour ago (269+ words) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram yesterday in the Holy Father's name to participants in the Third Forum on Religious Freedom, held at the Italian prime minister's residence. The forum's theme was "Artificial Intelligence and Religious Freedom: Rights, Ethics, and Innovation." Citing remarks he had made in June, the Pontiff expressed hope "that the event may offer careful reflection to support and promote the commitment of institutions at every level, to guarantee "authentic religious freedom and a respective and constructive encounter between different religious communities; and that artificial intelligence may be "of great help to society, provided that its employment does not undermine the identity and dignity of the human person and his or her fundamental freedoms." Prayer with Wings: 2025 Fall Campaign Papal encouragement for religious freedom forum CWN Editor's Note: Cardinal Pietro…...

2+ day, 12+ hour ago (306+ words) Pope Leo XIV received participants in the 140th general assembly of the Union of Superiors General and reflected on "our relationship with God, our encounter with brethren, and our engagement with the digital world." The Pope told the superiors of men's religious institutes on November 26 that "prayer is fundamental in the existence of every consecrated person: it is the relational space within which the heart opens to the Lord, learning to ask and to receive, with trust and gratitude, his love that heals, transforms and enflames the mission." Although he welcomed the opportunities the digital word brings, the Pope cautioned: I would like to emphasize that traditional instruments of communion such as Chapters, Councils, canonical Visitations and moments of formation cannot be relegated to the sphere of "remote connections." The effort of coming together for dialogue and the exchange of ideas…...

2+ day, 12+ hour ago (325+ words) The Vatican's Christmas tree arrived yesterday in St. Peter's Square. The 80-ft.-high tree is a gift of two municipalities in northern Italy. Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone said that "the felling of the tree is not an act of disrespect, but the result of careful forest management, where tree removal is part of an active care strategy that ensures the health of the forest and control its growth." CWN Editor's Note: The Vatican's Christmas tree arrived yesterday in St. Peter's Square. The 80-ft.-high tree is a gift of two municipalities in northern Italy. Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone said that "the felling of the tree is not an act of disrespect, but the result of careful forest management, where tree removal is part of an active care strategy that ensures the health of the forest and control its…...