“Preserving human voices and faces” is the theme for the 60th World Day of Social Communication, which will be celebrated on 17 May 2026, the Sunday before Pentecost.

By Christopher Wells and Isabella de Carvalho

His Holimess Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Preserving human voices and faces” as the theme for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, set to take place on 17 May 2026.

In a communiqué announcing the theme, the Dicastery for Communication – responsible for the World Day – states that “In today’s communication ecosystems, technology influences interactions more than ever before - from algorithms curating news feeds to AI authoring entire texts and conversations.”

On September 28, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), celebrated the Holy Qurobo at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Ontario for all the Syriac Orthodox parishes in Ontario.

On Saturday, the 14th/27th of September 2025, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious Cross.

On this feast, the whole Church, and especially that of Jerusalem, commemorates the event of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross after its finding behind the Horrendous Golgotha by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Makarios and Saint Helen, during the feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Resurrection in 336 AD.

For this feast, the following were held:

1.  On the eve, Great Vespers, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, with reception and censing at the Deposition from the Cross, veneration at the Holy Sepulchre, veneration at Golgotha, censing at the Holy Shrines, Praises, Great Entrance and the blessing of bread.

Am 6:1, 4-7; 1 Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31

Dear brothers and sisters,
Dearest Father Matthew,
may the Lord give you peace!

I am glad to be able to meet you on this important diocesan occasion. Indeed, the celebration of Migrant’s Day is an opportunity for us to reflect, pray and give thanks. Reflect on the current situation of tens of thousands of people living among us. To place ourselves in your listening, giving voice to your expectations, fears, difficulties, but also to your joys and determination. To pray for you and with you and thus continue to build together our ecclesial community of the Holy Land. To thank the Lord for your presence, for your witness of authentic, solid and determined faith, and to thank those among you, religious men, women religious and volunteers who spend their lives to support, help and make this portion of the Church of the Holy Land grow.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to join in praying the Rosary every day during October to invoke God’s gift of peace, and announces a Rosary in St. Peter’s Square on October 11 as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

By Devin Watkins

Catholics across the globe will unite to pray the Rosary for peace in war-torn lands, especially during the month of October, which the Church dedicates to the Holy Rosary.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV made the announcement at the Wednesday General Audience.

He said the faithful in Rome will gather in St. Peter’s Square on October, 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM.

On September 22, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), presided over the Ramsho Prayer at St. Aphrem Church in Sherbrook, Canada.

His Holiness was accompanied by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Athanasius Elia Bahi, Patriarchal Vicar of Canada, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

It is with great joy that we announce the re-consecration of Saint Anna Chapel in Syria, built in 1320 and reopened after 14 years of silence. The providence of God and the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I graced the ceremony, which was led by His Eminence Archbishop Magar Ashkarian, Prelate of Aleppo, on the feast of Saint Anna.

Celebrations commenced with a solemn procession, including Armenian and Latin clergy, scouts, and choirs, leading into the Divine Liturgy and chapel re-consecration. His Eminence Archbishop Ashkarian’s message offered Prayers of thanksgiving and underscored the significance of the chapel’s recent restoration by the Franciscan brotherhood after the 2023 earthquake. He highlighted this as a powerful sign of unity between the Armenian and Latin Churches.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), granted his pontifical blessing to Yacoubieh’s faithful, commending their enduring faith and resilience.

At the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana (September 16–18), His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), emphasized the need to shift interreligious dialogue from mere discussion to concrete action and cooperation. He outlined four key areas for collaboration: fostering peace and tolerance, serving as mediators in conflict, helping avert crises, and addressing climate justice as a moral imperative. His Holiness concluded by highlighting that, despite doctrinal differences, religions share core values that can support meaningful interfaith cooperation.

In an address to consecrated women taking part in their General Chapters and a group of Carmelite nuns from the Holy Land, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV praises religious women who respond to God’s call, and highlights the witness of Discalced Carmelites in the Holy Land, with their constant Prayers for peace.

By Christopher Wells

On Monday, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received a group of Discalced Carmelite Sisters from the Holy Land, as well as members of the Sisters of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr; the Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate; and the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, who are in Rome for their respective General Chapters.

Taking inspiration from the common trait of “courage” that marked their foundations, Pope Leo offered a reflection on a verse from the book of Proverbs: Who can find a valiant woman? Her price is far greater than pearls.”

On September 19, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), arrived to Montreal for his second Apostolic visit to Canada.

His Holiness was received at the airport by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Athanasius Elia Bahi, Patriarchal Vicar of Canada, as well as the clergy and councils of the parishes in Canada.

His Holiness is accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

On September 19, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), presided over the Ramsho Prayer at St. Mary and St. Jacob of Nisibin Cathedral in Montreal.

His Holiness was accompanied by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Athanasius Elia Bahi, Patriarchal Vicar of Canada, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

Following the Prayer, His Holiness delivered a spiritual lecture about genuine love in Christianity that is reflected in good deeds, charity, sacrifice and witness to the truth and justice.

St. Mary Monastery, Lebanon, upholds the annual tradition of grape harvesting and molasses-making, a celebration in which His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and the seminarians take part. This cherished custom was preserved for many years by the Late Archbishop Ardavazt Terterian, a native of Kessab—an indigenous Armenian town in Syria. Today, the tradition continues under the guidance of V. Rev. Fr. Shnorhk Ashekian, also a Kessab Armenian of the Cilician Brotherhood, who leads the preparation of the molasses.

On Sunday evening, September 14, 2025, a special Ecumenical ceremony commemorating Martyrs and Witnesses of the Faith in the Twenty-first Century was held at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul in the Vatican, presided over by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), was officially invited to participate, along with other spiritual leaders. His Eminence Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian, Pontifical vicar in Cyprus, represented the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I at the event and conveyed His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s fraternal greetings to the Pope.

At the Commemoration of Martyrs and Witnesses of the Faith in the 21st Century, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV joins representatives of Christian denominations and communities in remembering the examples of the martyrs, whose hope was based on Christian values rather than violence.

By Kielce Gussie

The papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls became the setting of a special event on the evening of 14 September—the Commemoration of Martyrs and Witnesses of the Faith in the Twenty-first Century. His Holiness Pope Leo XIV presided over this commemoration together with representatives from various Christian denominations and communities.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the 8th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Kazakhstan, and invites the faithful of all religions to help build a future of peace, fraternity, and solidarity.

By Devin Watkins

Religious leaders from around the globe have gathered in Astana, Kazakhstan, for the 8th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, taking place on September 17-18, 2025.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sent his greetings to participants with a message released on Wednesday that began with the greeting “peace” in several languages.

John 3:13-17

We heard in last Sunday's Gospel that those who want to follow the Lord are like the builder who, before building a tower, sits down to calculate carefully whether he has the means to complete the work (Lk 14:28-30). Or like the king who, wanting to go to war, first sits down to see if he has enough men to fight, otherwise he quits. (Lk 14:31-32). 

From here we begin our reflection on today’s Gospel (Jn 3:13–17), the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. 

While speaking with Nicodemus, Jesus uses an image taken from the Book of Numbers (Num 21:4b-9), where we see that the people in the desert are in difficulty. They have begun their way toward freedom, but at a certain point, they can no longer bear the journey and begin to think that everything they are experiencing is useless; that the Lord has deceived them, that he does not will their life, but their death…   

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV returns to the Barberini Palace at Castel Gandolfo on Monday evening for an overnight stay, according to the Holy See Press Office.

By Vatican News

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV returned to Castel Gandolfo on Monday evening for a very brief stay of less than a day.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office on Monday announced, “This evening, Pope Leo will travel to Palazzo Barberini in Castel Gandolfo and will continue his activities from there tomorrow, during which period no audiences are scheduled.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will join with representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross for an Ecumenical ceremony commemorating 21st century martyrs and witnesses of the faith.

By Christopher Wells

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is set to preside at a Prayer Service to remember the many Christians of our time who have been killed on account of their faith in Christ.

The Holy Father will be joined by representatives of other Christian Churches and Ecclesial communities for an “Ecumenical Commemoration of Martyrs and Witnesses of the Faith of the Twenty-first Century,” which will take place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Sunday, 14 September, in the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Before leading the recitation of the Angelus Prayer with the faithful in Saint Peter's Square, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV asks everyone to pray constantly for peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and all lands plagued by war, emphasizing that "God wants peace!"

Vatican News

Following the Mass and canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis in Saint Peter’s Square, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV said to the intercession of the Saints and the Virigin Mary, may we all entrust our constant Prayers for peace in our world, as "God does not want war. God wants peace!"

Addressing over eighty thousand faithful filling Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday for the Mass with the canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV says the examples of these two young Saints invite all of us, especially young people, to direct our lives upwards to God and make them masterpieces of holiness, service, and joy.

Vatican News

Presiding over the Mass and canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis in Saint Peter’s Square, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to their extraordinary witnesses to faith, hope, and trust in God, and to the Lord’s great plan for eternal joy and happiness. The Pope declared the two young Italians Saints at the start of the celebration on a stunningly beautiful late summer day, Sunday 7 September.