His Holiness Pope Leo XIV addresses a group of non-resident Ambassadors to the Holy See, and expresses his wish that their mission may "strengthen dialogue, deepen mutual understanding, and contribute to the peace so greatly needed in our world."

"No nation, no society, and no international order can call itself just and humane if it measures its success solely by power or prosperity while neglecting those who live at the margins. Indeed, Christ’s love for the least and the forgotten compels us to reject every form of selfishness that leaves the poor and the vulnerable invisible."

On May 20, 2026, 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 of the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to heaven, at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, assisted His Holiness in the Holy Qurobo, in the presence of their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

The Biblical Litany to the Holy Spirit, written by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, traces the presence and action of the Holy Spirit from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, inviting the faithful to know the Spirit through the Word, and to invoke Him, asking Him to enlighten the life of each believer, so that the Church may continue to manifest Christ to the world as a continual Pentecost, flowing from Jerusalem to the world.

During his Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reflects on Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 'Sacrosanctum Concilium,' underscoring that "the Liturgy sustains the faithful" and that every Eucharistic Celebration becomes "a true epiphany of the Church in Prayer."

"Christ Himself is the inner source of the mystery of the Church, the holy people of God, born from His side pierced on the Cross. In the holy Liturgy, through the power of His Spirit, He continues to act. He sanctifies and unites the Church, His bride, to His offering to the Father." 

As he greets His Holiness Armenian Catholicos Aram I at the weekly General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites everyone to pray for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV renewed his greetings to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church—See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), during the Wednesday General Audience.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I joined His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the stage in St. Peter’s Square, just two days after the two Church leaders had met and prayed together on Monday, May 18, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

On May 19, 2026, in a public lecture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, 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), observed, “Christian communities in the Middle East are increasingly becoming shrinking minorities. An objective assessment of the current situation clearly indicates that the very future of Christianity is at stake in its birthplace.”

He challenged the deep-seated conviction held by some Western circles that Christians are universally persecuted in the Middle East. However, he acknowledged that in certain countries, Christians sometimes face various forms of discrimination, often related to the surge of Muslim fundamentalism.

The Department for Inter-Church Relations stands as one of the Vatican’s most influential institutions. In addition to sustaining relationships with Churches and Ecumenical councils worldwide, it initiates and supervises Theological dialogues. For decades, 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), has fostered close ties with the Department’s leadership and is deeply familiar with its work and mission.

The meeting between His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, lasted over an hour. Initially, the Catholicos and Cardinal Koch engaged in a private conversation, during which the Cardinal solicited His Holiness’s perspectives on several sensitive matters. This was followed by a broader meeting attended by members of the Catholicos’s delegation and senior staff of the Dicastery.

As the Church celebrates the 60th World Day of Social Communications, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV encourages Catholics to help direct technological innovation toward the truth of the human person.

The Catholic Church marked the 60th World Day of Social Communications on Sunday, May 17.

Speaking at the Regina Caeli Prayer, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV recalled the World Day and encouraged everyone to promote forms of communication that always respect the truth of the human person.

He pointed to the vast advances in technology in recent years regarding communication, and called for technological innovation to be directed toward the good of humanity.

“I encourage everyone to commit themselves to promoting forms of communication that are always respectful of the truth of the human person, toward which every technological innovation should be directed,” he said.

As he meets with His Holiness Armenian Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), His Holiness Pope Leo XIV says Nerses Shnorhali, a 12th-century Catholicos of the Armenian Church, has been inserted in the Roman Martyrology, calling it an example of "Ecumenism of the Saints."

St. Nerses Shnorhali was a man of great soul and a versatile, prolific mind. Because of this—and especially because of the inspired and irenic tone of his writings—his contemporaries called him “Shnorhali,” meaning “the Gracious,” or “full of grace.”

On the first day of his official visit to the Vatican, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), accompanied by his delegation, met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State. Cardinal Parolin, regarded as the second highest-ranking authority in the Vatican after the Pope, is responsible for administrative, political, and diplomatic affairs.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I first addressed the situation in Lebanon and commended the consistent efforts of the Lebanese government under the leadership of the President and the Prime Minister. Referring to Southern Lebanon, he stressed that [Israel] must withdraw its military forces from the region, allowing the Lebanese Army to assume full responsibility for the country’s security and enabling the Lebanese state to reassert its sovereignty throughout all Lebanese territories. His Holiness also underscored the urgent need to strengthen internal unity among Lebanon’s various communities and warmly welcomed the Vatican’s continued support for Lebanon.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV makes a special visit to Sapienza University of Rome, urging young people to reject resignation, become “artisans of true peace,” and warning against rising military spending and the dangers of artificial intelligence in war.

“Be artisans of true peace: an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering, working for harmony among peoples and for the care of the Earth.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed this during his address to the Sapienza University of Rome on Thursday, May 14.

Prior to delivering his remarks, the Holy Father paused in Prayer and greeted members of the university community before proceeding to the rectorate and the Aula Magna for his address.

An exhibition in Rome tells the story of the war on Gaza through the eyes of children with a selection of photographs, poetry and video installations. An immersive journey that reflects on past and present amid fragility, memory and the longing for a future.

There are places where childhood does not simply unfold: it endures. In Gaza, amid rubble and expectations that have been placed on hold, children continue to imagine a possible future, suspended between normality and trauma.

The result of his tension is beautifully illustrated in the exhibition How Kids Roll, showing at Rome’s Palazzo Merulana from 14 May to 28 June 2026, curated by Loris Lai and Joseph Lefevre and produced by B-Roll Production and Ramon Pictures.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, arrived at Cairo International Airport following the conclusion of a 19-day Pastoral tour that included Turkey, Austria, Italy, and Croatia.

His Holiness and the accompanying delegation departed from the Croatian capital, Zagreb, where they were seen off at the airport by Egyptian Ambassador Rania El Banna and members of the Egyptian Embassy. During his four-day visit to Croatia, His Holiness met with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and the Grand Mufti of Croatia. He also met with the Archbishop of Zagreb and several church leaders, and attended a dinner reception hosted by the Egyptian Ambassador in his honor.

On the Pastoral level, His Holiness met with members of the Coptic Orthodox Church community in Croatia, numbering around 500 people, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy with them last Sunday morning. During the visit, consultations were also held with Croatian officials regarding the establishment of a Coptic church in Croatia. Croatian media outlets likewise conducted several televised, radio, and print interviews with His Holiness on the sidelines of the visit.

In these words that the Risen Lord speaks as He takes leave of His disciples and returns to the Father, there is a small conjunction that carries a strategic meaning. 

We are at the final verses of the last chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, and Jesus says: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples…" (Mt 28:18–19). The conjunction, ‘therefore’, indicates, a consequence: something new has happened, so a new effect follows from it.

What has happened? 

Jesus rereads the events of Easter as the moment when all authority was given to Him, in heaven and on earth. 
First we note that this authority was given to Him: the Risen One does not proclaim Himself Lord, but it is the Father who constitutes Him Kyrios, Lord of history and of the cosmos. It is an authority born from relationship, not from personal conquest. 

It is also an Easter authority: not the authority of the kingdoms of this world (cf. Mt 20:25), but the authority of the One who conquered death by giving life; and for this reason, His authority bears the definitive character of self-giving love…

“You and your good people are ever present in the prayers of the faithful of the Church of Antioch”

Damascus, May 13, 2026

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, congratulated His Beatitude Patriarch SHIO, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. In his message to the Catholicos, the Patriarch wrote:

With profound gladness and heartfelt joy, we received the news of Your elevation to the Patriarchal Throne of Georgia, succeeding our brother Catholicos-Patriarch ILIA II of Thrice-Blessed memory.

On our behalf and in the name of the faithful of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, we extend to Your Holiness our heartfelt congratulations. We ask Christ God, the Lord of mercy and fountain of all consolation, to stand beside you as You lead His blessed flock, guiding it to the springs of divine salvation. We likewise implore divine mercy for the soul of our departed brother, Catholicos-Patriarch ILIA II…

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), convened a meeting with the Dean and teaching staff of the Armenian Theological Seminary to evaluate the past academic year and set objectives for the year ahead.

The Armenian Theological Seminary provides a rigorous, multidisciplinary education that integrates theological and secular subjects. Students develop spiritual and intellectual skills across a diverse curriculum and multiple languages. Two departments offer both foundational and advanced studies, ensuring broad academic and cultural formation under experienced leadership.

In the course of Armenian Church history, we encounter figures whose authority and influence span across eras and beyond. From the peerless apostles to Saint Gregory the Illuminator; from patriarchs such as Nerses the Great and Sahak Bartev, and the unrivaled architect of the Armenian Alphabet, Mesrob Mashdots; from the theologian Catholicos Hovhannes Odznetsi and Nerses Shnorhali; from Catholicoi Khrimian Hayrig and Sahag Khabayan to His Holiness Aram I in our own time—these are the people who have shaped our collective identity and embodied our aspirations, dreams, and ideals. The testimonies of the centuries—whether in the form of daily life, hymns of praise, or biographies—rightly fill us with pride, enrich our minds, and adorn our manuscript collections and libraries…

During his weekly General Audience, and on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV emphasizes how the Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect model, member and mother of the Church.

On the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV highlighted how the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model, member and mother of the ecclesial community and she teaches all the faithful to love and serve the Church.

“The mystery of the Church is also reflected in the Virgin Mary: in Her, the people of God find the representation of their origin, their model and their homeland,” he said in his catechesis during the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.

Before the beginning of the General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV stops and prays at the spot where his predecessor, St. John Paul II, was shot in 1981.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

Before the beginning of the General Audience on May 13, as His Holiness Pope Leo XIV passed through the crowds in the popemobile, he stopped and knelt at the spot where, exactly on this day in 1981, his predecessor St. John Paul II was the victim of an assassination attempt.

 "Today we remember the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. On this day, forty-five years ago, an attempt was made on Pope John Paul II’s life, and for these reasons, I dedicated my catechesis today to the Blessed Virgin Mary," the Pope said during his greetings to the English-speakers.

On Sunday, May 10, 2026, the city of Haifa witnessed the traditional Procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, locally known as Taalat al-Adra (the Ascent of the Virgin), as thousands of faithful gathered in Prayer and devotion to accompany the revered statue of the Virgin Mary from St. Joseph’s Latin Parish to the Carmelite monastery of Stella Maris atop Mount Carmel.

As the afternoon sun slowly began its descent, scouts, Clergy and faithful took to the streets in a solemn yet joyful procession. Pulling the 900-kilogram statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel through the main roads of the city, rosaries in hand and Prayers rising in one voice.

The procession was led by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, Msgr. Rafiq Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar of Galilee, alongside clergy from different sister churches and thousands of faithful who came from different cities to honor the Virgin Mary of Carmel.