Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

The Church of the Holy Savior in Chora in Istanbul, Turkey. / Credit: G Da, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI MENA, Nov 24, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).

With the countdown underway for Pope Leo XIV’s first official journey outside Italy, excitement is building across Turkey’s Christian and wider faith communities. Ahead of the historic visit, EWTN News spoke with several individuals who shared their hopes, expectations, and reflections on what the pope’s presence could mean for the country.

Linda Tito, a 67-year-old Levantine from Izmir, is eagerly awaiting the visit. “I am happy to go to Istanbul to see the pope, because his visit is a sign of unity and hope for us Christians in Turkey. It is wonderful that he can also see us, know that we exist and that we love him. Meeting him in person is for me a gesture of faith and an opportunity to feel fully part of the universal Church.”

Bedri Diril, 40, a member of Istanbul’s Chaldean community, shared his opinion on the significance and importance of Pope Leo XIV’s visit in ecumenical terms. 

“Popes’ visits to Turkey always carry a significance beyond their symbolic meaning. Therefore, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is also of great importance to Christians living in these lands. Anatolia holds a very special and sacred place in the history of Christianity. Although Christians are a minority in these lands, they have continued to bear witness to their faith in Christ for centuries,” he said. 

Diril said he thinks Pope Leo’s visit will give “moral support and courage” to the minority communities living in Turkey. “On an ecumenical level, strengthening the pope’s ties with the ecumenical patriarchate will be an extremely positive step for the Christian world, and I believe this step will bear fruit in the future,” he said, adding: “Certain disagreements and differences of opinion between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which stem from the past, will show significant progress towards unity in the near future thanks to such visits and dialogues. The most important element that will develop between the churches will undoubtedly be love. With this love, it will be possible to achieve the unity of the one church in Christ Jesus, as in the first centuries, which all true believers long for.”

Teodora Hacuni, 57, is one of the women from the small Greek community in Izmir. She believes this papal visit will be memorable.

“It is truly significant that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is making his first official overseas visit to Turkey in the 1,700th year of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. Church unity is only possible if we accept each other as brothers and sisters,” she said. “The message of unity that His Holiness the Pope and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will deliver here should be a guiding light for us Christians. Both churches are taking sincere steps in this direction, and granting the use of the Santa Maria Church in Izmir to Orthodox Christians is one of them. I am grateful to our Catholic brothers for these generous attribution.”

Meanwhile, the small town of Iznik is also buzzing with excitement, particularly one of its residents. Mesude Künen, a ceramic artist for 33 years who works with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has spent two months completing a miniature depicting the historic sites and ramparts of Iznik. She said to multiple Turkish media stations she was very excited about the visit.

“The pope will soon be visiting our city of İznik. I have been working on a special project for him to highlight the historical sites and city walls of İznik. I would like to present him with this important work. I had already created a miniature version of this work, but it was purchased by a famous collector.”

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

Priests process into Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 22, 2025, for the concluding Mass in Lucas Oil Stadium at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 24, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).

The 2025 National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC) concluded with a nighttime Mass drawing around 16,000 teenagers.

After three days of prayer, community, sacraments, and a conversation with Pope Leo XIV, young Catholics packed into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to end the conference with Mass on Nov. 22. Archbishop Nelson Pérez told CNA it was “beautiful” to celebrate the Mass alongside 25 of his brother bishops and more than 240 priests. 

“It’s the Church in its splendor,” Pérez said. “Tonight, we experienced the Church in its splendor.” 

The final Mass was celebrated on the Saturday before the solemnity of Christ the King. In his homily, Pérez said: “When I think about a king, I think about palaces and big thrones and power and authority.”

“But when Jesus talks about king it’s … different,” Pérez said. “His throne is a cross. His crown is not made of gold and gems. It’s made of thorns. He doesn’t wear fancy, beautiful, priceless rings on his hands. He has nails.”

The “very mystery of the life and the death of Christ, the King, and all of our lives is actually a dying and a rising — dying to sin, dying to the parts of our humanity that might be warped and wounded, and rising to new life to renewal of our soul.”

Then “that process goes over and over over and over and over again until we die in Christ for the last time and then rise with him,” Pérez said. “How blessed, how filled with hope we are.”

Pérez reminds teens: ‘Christ loves you just as you are’

Pérez concluded his homily by tying his message back to what Pope Leo told the teens in his digital encounter with them on Nov. 21. Pérez told the teenagers Pope Leo spoke with them because he loves them.

Pope Leo has “gathered with youth all over the place, especially this summer, [during] the Jubilee of Youth,” Pérez said. The pope’s “message is profound, powerful, and simple at the same time: ‘Christ loves you just as you are.’”

Pérez reminded the crowd to listen to what the pope said to them. “Think of your closest friends. If they were hurting, you would walk with them, listen, and stay close,” the pope said. “Our relation with Jesus is similar. He knows when life feels heavy, even when we do not feel his presence, our faith tells us he is there.”

“To entrust our struggles to Jesus, we have to spend time in prayer … We can speak honestly about what’s in our hearts,” Pérez said, quoting the pope. “That is why daily moments of silence are so important, whether through adoration, reading Scripture, or simply talking to him.”

“‘Little by little, we learn to hear his voice, both from within and through the people he sends us. As you grow closer to Jesus,’ he said to us, ‘Do not fear what he may ask of you. If he challenges you to make changes in your life, it’s always because he wants to give you greater joy and freedom. God is never outdone in generosity.’”

“The pope’s digital visit was what made this NCYC epic, really epic and different from any other,” Pérez told CNA. The success was from “the excitement of our youth to welcome the Holy Father” and Pope Leo’s “generosity and willingness” to speak with them. 

Being a part of the conference and seeing so many young Catholics at Mass together made Pérez feel “hopeful,” he said. “In a world and a country that’s so divided right now and violent at times, after this, I’m just so full of hope. It’s almost like we’re going to be OK.”

“It’s incredible to see the young Church alive,” Pérez said. “It’s such a beautiful, beautiful gathering.”

Father Gary Graf walks down a rural road during his trek across America in support of immigrants on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Gary Graf

CNA Staff, Nov 24, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

After a month and a half of walking an average of 17 miles a day, 67-year-old Father Gary Graf said he is starting to get “a little pain in one shin,” but his broken ribs are “getting much better.”

On Oct. 6, Graf, a Catholic priest from Chicago, began a journey on foot from Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home in Dolton, Illinois, to New York City to bring attention to the plight of immigrants amid the sometimes “inhumane” ways the Trump administration is treating them during its immigration enforcement actions.

He hopes to arrive at the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island, where his own great-grandparents entered the country as immigrants, by Dec. 2.

A few weeks ago, when visiting a parish in Indiana, he was invited to ride a horse. He fell off as it galloped and broke several ribs, which led him to take one day off to recover. That day, friends walked in his stead.

Graf, the pastor of the mostly Hispanic Our Lady of the Heights Catholic Church in Chicago Heights and a longtime member of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, has committed his life to helping immigrants. Ordained in 1984, he spent five years as a priest in Mexico serving a people “with whom I fell deeply in love.”

He told CNA that after initially feeling helpless watching the raids taking place against his beloved community in his hometown of Chicago, he “felt a call that was directly from above” to start walking.

Within weeks, he was on the road. He first spoke to an old friend about his idea, who immediately connected him with Lauren Foley, the head of a public relations firm. She “immediately embraced the idea,” and between her help and that of some “young people who understand social media,” a website as well as social media accounts were set up to chronicle his journey and to share the stories of immigrant families.

Of the immigrants on whose behalf he is walking, Graf said: “I look to help people who get up every single morning to work and raise their families. If I can do this small gesture on their behalf, what a blessing it is, what a privilege.”

Asked about the most profound insight he has gained thus far, Graf said his long days walking through the wide expanse of rural America have helped him understand better the ways of people who did not grow up in a multicultural city like he did.

“We have to reverently appreciate and try to connect with those whose lives we’re passing through,” he said.

As he has spoken with people in diners along his path, Graf has developed “a greater sensitivity,” discovering that “there’s not a lot of animosity against the immigrant.”

Many of the people he has met simply do not know any, he said.

Along the way, he has also experienced unity with Christians from other denominations, as well as with those without religious faith, who all care about the humane treatment of human beings.

“I have seen so much goodness,” he said. “This has brought so many of us together: people from many different faith traditions, or none. This is an opportunity given to us.”

During his quiet walks through rural farmland, he has marveled at the amount of labor it took to build the many roads, bridges, and overpasses he has seen. 

“I’m sure the hands of many immigrants helped build these things,” he reflected.

Graf said he is delighted that both the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Pope Leo XIV addressed the immigration enforcement situation in the past week. 

The U.S. bishops issued a special message during its Fall Plenary Assembly two weeks ago, calling for “a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures.” The bishops argued that “human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of goodwill work together.”

The pope echoed the bishops’ message. On Nov. 18, he acknowledged to reporters that “every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.”

“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least — and there’s been some violence, unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said.”

“I think that I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them,” the pope said. 

“Both the pope and the bishops used the word ‘indiscriminate’ to talk about the way people are being singled out and aggressively having their wrists zip-tied behind their backs as their faces are pushed to the ground in front of their children,” Graf said. 

“It is indeed indiscriminate. This reflects dishonesty on the administration’s part,” he said. “They said they were going after the ‘worst of the worst,’ criminals, but this isn’t the case, at least in Chicago. They’re grabbing people first and asking questions later.”

“The violent way many of these people are being treated is amoral and un-American,” he said.

Like the pope and the American bishops, Graf said he hopes the federal government will establish a more humane immigration system that respects the dignity of immigrants as well as the rule of law and the country’s right to regulate its borders.

“I am not a politician,” he said. “My job is to mediate, to speak up, in God’s name, in the united name of the Church. But can we look for a way for those who are fulfilling their responsibilities; for them to one day receive the rights of citizens?” 

The priest, who appeared on “EWTN News Nightly” in October, said he has been “impressed by the media” and is grateful his message is being spread. 

“If we don’t hear the whole truth, the incredible ignorance and darkness we live in can paralyze us, and keep us from doing what we ought to do,” he said.

A celebration of liturgical music is the focus of the Mass for the Jubilee of Choirs on Nov. 23, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 23, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday praised the “precious” ministry of liturgical music and told choir members from around the world that their service at the altar must be sustained above all by a deep life of prayer. He later used his pre-Angelus remarks to appeal for the release of hostages kidnapped in Nigeria and Cameroon and to encourage young people on World Youth Day. 

The pope celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Choirs on the solemnity of Christ the King, telling choristers and musicians that their vocation is to lead God’s people into the mystery of worship. 

“Dear choristers and musicians, today you celebrate your jubilee and you show thanks to the Lord for granting you the gift and grace to serve him by offering your voices and talents for his glory and for the spiritual edification of your brothers and sisters,” he said in his homily. “Your task is to draw others into the praise of God and to help them to participate more fully in the liturgy through song.” 

‘A true ministry’ rooted in prayer 

Drawing on the day’s responsorial psalm, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord” (Ps 122), Pope Leo said the liturgy calls Christians “to walk together in praise and joy toward the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, gentle and humble Sovereign.” 

“His power is love, his throne the cross, and through the cross his kingdom shines forth upon the world,” he said. “From the wood he reigns as Prince of Peace and King of Justice who, in his passion, reveals to the world the immense mercy of God’s heart. This love is also the inspiration and motive for your singing.” 

Pope Leo described singing as a uniquely human way of expressing what words alone cannot say. 

“Music can give expression to the whole range of feelings and emotions that arise within us from a living relationship with reality,” he said, adding that “singing, in particular, constitutes a natural and refined expression of the human being: mind, feelings, body, and soul come together to communicate the great events of life.” 

Quoting St. Augustine, he recalled that “‘Cantare amantis est’ … that is, ‘singing belongs to those who love.’” 

For Christians, he continued, liturgical song is more than performance. “For the people of God, song expresses invocation and praise,” he said. “Liturgical music thus becomes a precious instrument through which we carry out our service of praise to God and express the joy of new life in Christ.” 

The pope underlined that choir members exercise a genuine ecclesial service, especially in the liturgy. 

“You belong to choirs that carry out their ministry primarily in liturgical settings. Yours is a true ministry that requires preparation, commitment, mutual understanding, and, above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when you sing, you both pray and help everyone else to pray,” he said. 

This ministry, he added, “requires discipline and a spirit of service, especially when preparing for a solemn liturgy or an important event in your communities.” 

A ‘small family’ within the larger community 

Pope Leo urged choristers not to see themselves as performers set apart from the congregation but as part of the praying assembly.

“The choir is a small family of individuals united by their love of music and the service they offer. However, remember that the community is your larger family,” he said. “You are not on stage but rather a part of that community, endeavoring to help it grow in unity by inspiring and engaging its members.”

He acknowledged the ordinary tensions that can arise in any group but said that even these can become a sign of the Church’s pilgrimage through history.

“We can say to some extent that the choir symbolizes the Church, which, striving toward its goal, walks through history praising God,” he said. “Even when this journey is beset by difficulties and trials and joyful moments give way to more challenging ones, singing makes the journey lighter, providing relief and consolation.”

Citing both St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Antioch, the pope presented the choir as a sign of synodality and unity in the Church in which diverse voices become a single hymn of praise. 

“In fact, the different voices of a choir harmonize with each other, giving rise to a single hymn of praise, a luminous symbol of the Church, which unites everyone in love in a single pleasing melody,” he said. 

‘Without giving in to the temptation of ostentation’

Pope Leo also encouraged musicians to study the Church’s teaching on sacred music and to resist the impulse to draw attention to themselves rather than to God. 

“Strive, therefore, to make your choirs ever harmonious and beautiful, and a brighter image of the Church praising her Lord,” he said. “Study the magisterium carefully. The conciliar documents set out the norms for carrying out your service in the best possible way.” 

“Above all, dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing,” he added. “In this, be an eloquent sign of the Church’s prayer, expressing its love for God through the beauty of music. Take care that your spiritual life is always worthy of the service you perform, so that your ministry may authentically express the grace of the liturgy.” 

At the end of his homily, the pope entrusted all choir members to the patron saint of sacred music.

“I place all of you under the protection of St. Cecilia, the virgin and martyr who raised the most beautiful song of love through her life here in Rome, giving herself entirely to Christ and offering the Church a shining example of faith and love,” he said. “Let us continue singing and once again make our own the invitation of today’s responsorial psalm: ‘Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.’”

Appeal for kidnapped priests, faithful, and students 

After Mass and before leading the Angelus, Pope Leo greeted the many choirs and pilgrims present and turned to urgent news from Africa, where priests, lay faithful, and students have been kidnapped in Nigeria and Cameroon. 

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the kidnapping of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon,” he said. “I feel great pain, above all for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their distressed families.”

“I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release,” he continued. “Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, and that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.”

Recent weeks have seen the kidnapping of a Catholic priest in Kaduna state in northern Nigeria, as well as the abduction of at least two dozen schoolgirls from a secondary school in Kebbi state, amid ongoing attacks on Christian communities and widespread insecurity in several regions of the country. 

Nigeria is classified as a “country in a situation of persecution” in the 2025 Religious Freedom in the World report by Aid to the Church in Need, which notes the continued activity of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, and repeated attacks against churches and Christian communities. 

Message to young people and look ahead to Turkey and Lebanon 

Pope Leo also marked the diocesan celebration of World Youth Day, observed this Sunday in local Churches around the globe. 

“Today, dioceses around the world are celebrating World Youth Day,” he said. “I bless and spiritually embrace all those taking part in the various celebrations and initiatives.” 

“On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person may discover the beauty and joy of following him, the Lord, and dedicating him or herself to his kingdom of love, justice, and peace,” the pope added. 

Looking ahead to his upcoming apostolic journey, the pope noted that he will soon travel to Turkey and Lebanon. 

“My apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon is now close. In Turkey, the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will be celebrated. For this reason, the apostolic letter In Unitate Fidei is being published today, commemorating this historic event,” he said. 

Before beginning the Angelus prayer, he invited the faithful to entrust all these intentions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

“Now let us turn to the Virgin Mary,” he said, “entrusting all these intentions and our prayer for peace to her maternal intercession.” 

Pope Leo XIV receives Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at the Vatican on May 30, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 23, 2025 / 12:29 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians to move beyond “theological controversies” that no longer serve the cause of unity and to rediscover together the faith professed at the Council of Nicaea 1,700 years ago.

In a new apostolic letter, In Unitate Fidei (“In the Unity of Faith”), released Nov. 23, the solemnity of Christ the King, the pope links the anniversary of the first ecumenical council to the holy year of 2025 and to his upcoming apostolic journey to Turkey, where he will commemorate Nicaea’s 1,700th anniversary and take part in an ecumenical event with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Nov. 30 before traveling on to Lebanon.

“I would like this letter to encourage the whole Church to renew her enthusiasm for the profession of faith,” the pope writes, stressing that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed “for centuries … has been the common heritage of Christians, and it deserves to be professed and understood in ever new and relevant ways.”

In a strong ecumenical appeal, Leo XIV says the Nicene Creed “can be the basis and reference point” for a renewed journey toward full communion among Christians. “It offers us a model of true unity in legitimate diversity. Unity in the Trinity, Trinity in unity, because unity without multiplicity is tyranny, multiplicity without unity is fragmentation,” he writes.

“We must therefore leave behind theological controversies that have lost their ‘raison d’être’ in order to develop a common understanding and even more, a common prayer to the Holy Spirit, so that he may gather us all together in one faith and one love,” the pope continues.

“The restoration of unity among Christians does not make us poorer; on the contrary, it enriches us,” he adds, calling the goal of full visible unity “a theological challenge and, even more so, a spiritual challenge, which requires repentance and conversion on the part of all.”

‘This Creed gives us hope’

Linking Nicaea to today’s crises, Leo XIV notes that the holy year is dedicated to the theme “Christ Our Hope” and that the Nicene Creed remains a source of confidence amid war, injustice, and suffering.

“In this holy year, dedicated to the theme of ‘Christ Our Hope,’ it is a providential coincidence that we are also celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea,” he writes. That council, he recalls, “proclaimed the profession of faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God. This is the heart of the Christian faith.”

“In these difficult times we are living, amid so many concerns and fears, threats of war and violence, natural disasters, grave injustices and imbalances, and the hunger and misery suffered by millions of our brothers and sisters, this Creed gives us hope,” the pope says.

Leo XIV presents the letter as an invitation for all Christians “to walk in harmony, guarding and transmitting the gift they have received with love and joy,” especially through the words of the Creed: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God … for our salvation he came down from heaven.”

Nicaea and the heart of the Christian faith

The pope devotes much of In Unitate Fidei to explaining the historical and theological context of the Council of Nicaea, which met in 325 to address the Arian controversy over the divinity of Christ.

The dispute, he notes, “concerned the essence of the Christian faith,” namely the answer to Jesus’ question in the Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” In response, the Nicene Fathers confessed that Jesus is the Son of God “in as much as he is of the substance (ousia) of the Father … ‘begotten, not made, consubstantial (homooúsios) with the Father.’”

“The Fathers of Nicaea were firm in their resolution to remain faithful to biblical monotheism and the authenticity of the Incarnation,” Leo XIV writes. By adopting terms such as “substance” and “consubstantial,” which are not found in Scripture, the council “did not … replace biblical statements with Greek philosophy,” he explains. Rather, it sought “to affirm biblical faith with clarity and to distinguish it from Arius’ error, which was deeply influenced by Hellenism.”

“The Nicene Creed does not depict a distant, inaccessible, and immovable God who rests in himself but a God who is close to us and accompanies us on our journey in the world, even in the darkest places on earth,” the pope writes. “His immensity is revealed when he makes himself small, laying aside his infinite majesty to become our neighbor in the little ones and in the poor. This revolutionizes pagan and philosophical conceptions of God.”

Leo XIV also highlights the Nicene emphasis on the full humanity of Christ, noting the clarification that the Word “became man.” Against teachings that suggested the Logos only assumed a body, he recalls that later councils made explicit that “in Christ, God assumed and redeemed the whole human being, body and soul.”

Quoting St. Athanasius and the patristic tradition, the pope writes: “Divinization, then, is true humanization (becoming fully human). This is why human existence points beyond itself, seeks beyond itself, desires beyond itself, and is restless until it rests in God.” Only God, he adds, “in his infinity, can satisfy the infinite desire of the human heart, and for this reason the Son of God chose to become our brother and redeemer.”

A call to examine conscience

Beyond doctrine, Leo XIV insists that the Creed must shape Christian life.

“Both the liturgy and the Christian life are thus firmly anchored in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: What we profess with our mouths must come from the heart so that we may bear witness to it with our lives,” he writes. “We must therefore ask ourselves: What about our interior reception of the Creed today? Do we experience that it also affects our current situation? Do we understand and live out what we say every Sunday? What do these words mean for our lives?”

“In this sense, the Nicene Creed invites us to examine our conscience,” the pope continues. “What does God mean to me and how do I bear witness to my faith in him? Is the one and only God truly the Lord of my life, or do I have idols that I place before God and his commandments?”

He ties this examination to care for creation and social justice, asking: “How do I treat creation, the work of his hands? Do I exploit and destroy it, or do I use it with reverence and gratitude, caring for and cultivating it as the common home of humanity?”

Echoing the Second Vatican Council, Leo XIV notes that “for many people today, however, God and the question of God have almost no meaning in their lives” and that Christians themselves bear some responsibility, since “they do not bear witness to the true faith; they hide the true face of God with lifestyles and actions that diverge from the Gospel.”

Instead of proclaiming a merciful God, he laments, “a vengeful God has been presented who instils terror and punishes.”

Following Christ and loving one another

At the center of the Creed, the pope writes, is the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and God.

“The profession of faith in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God, is the center of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. This is the heart of our Christian life,” he says. “For this reason, we commit to follow Jesus as our master, companion, brother, and friend.”

Following Christ, he continues, “is not a wide and comfortable path,” but “this often demanding or even painful path always leads to life and salvation.”

“If God loves us with all his being, then we too must love one another,” Leo XIV writes. “We cannot love God whom we do not see without loving our brother and sister whom we do see. Love for God without love for neighbor is hypocrisy; radical love for our neighbor, especially love for our enemies, without love for God, requires a ‘heroism’ that would overwhelm and oppress us.”

“In the face of disasters, wars, and misery, we bear witness to God’s mercy to those who doubt him only when they experience his mercy through us,” he adds.

Ecumenism as ‘sign of peace and instrument of reconciliation’

Recalling the teaching of Vatican II and St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, the pope says that in a divided world “the one universal Christian community can be a sign of peace and an instrument of reconciliation, playing a decisive role in the global commitment to peace.”

He notes that, while full visible unity with Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and communities born of the Reformation has not yet been achieved, ecumenical dialogue “founded on one baptism and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed” has already helped Christians recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and rediscover “the one universal community of Christ’s disciples throughout the world.”

“We share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel,” he writes. “Truly, what unites us is much greater than what divides us!”

‘Come, divine Comforter’

The letter concludes with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for the renewal of faith and the healing of divisions among Christians.

“Holy Spirit of God, you guide believers along the path of history,” Leo XIV prays. “We thank you for inspiring the symbols of faith and for stirring in our hearts the joy of professing our salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father. Without him, we can do nothing.”

“Come, divine Comforter, source of harmony, unite the hearts and minds of believers. Come and grant us to taste the beauty of communion,” he continues. “Come, Love of the Father and the Son, gather us into the one flock of Christ. Show us the ways to follow, so that with your wisdom, we become once again what we are in Christ: one, so that the world may believe.”

Catholic faithful in Lebanon welcome Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the country in 2012. / Credit: Philippe Abou Zeid via Elie Baroud

ACI MENA, Nov 23, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Anticipation is building across Lebanon as the country prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV next week. The visit is not without precedent, however. Lebanon has received two other popes in recent history — John Paul II in 1997 and Benedict XVI in 2012. Both trips are remembered as milestones in a nation marked by conflict and resilience. 

As preparations intensify, many of those who witnessed previous papal visits are reflecting on their impact and the memories they carry — memories that shape expectations for what Pope Leo’s visit may bring.

Remembering John Paul II in Lebanon

Pope John Paul II arrived in Lebanon in May 1997, carrying the apostolic exhortation “A New Hope for Lebanon.” Robert El Haybe, who was 33 at the time, shared with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, his memories of that trip. He remembers the warmth, the welcome, and the streets completely full of people.

“Everyone was there, including Muslims,” he said. “It was extremely beautiful.”

The visit took place during the height of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, a period marked by political tension and tight control over public expression. At the time, there were concerns among Syrian authorities that the pope’s presence could spark a broader movement or escalate into protests. Many Lebanese Christians drew parallels between Lebanon under Syrian rule and Poland under the Soviet Union, recalling the pivotal role John Paul II played in mobilizing Polish society against communist control.

For this reason, Syrian officials insisted that the trip be strictly pastoral and not political. Yet even within those restrictions, the visit carried a powerful symbolic weight. The enormous crowds, the unity on the streets, and the overwhelming public response demonstrated the deep spiritual and national significance the pope’s presence had for the Lebanese people.

Although the Syrian occupation ended in 2005, not much has changed in Lebanon, El Haybe said. In his view, the war simply changes form: from military confrontation to financial collapse to political paralysis. 

Opinions today are divided: Some believe a papal visit can bring real change, while others take a more measured view, seeing it primarily as a moment of prayer and pastoral support rather than an event that will alter political realities. 

For El Haybe, the impact of St. John Paul II’s visit was clear: It offered support to Christians who felt abandoned. “Christians are forgotten; no one thinks about us except the pope,” he said, adding that while many countries claim to help Lebanon, “none actually do.” In his view, the pope’s presence, even within limited political influence, honors the people, carries a message of peace, and reminds others that Christians in Lebanon simply want to live together.

Memories of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit

Fifteen years later, Pope Benedict XVI visited Lebanon from Sept. 14–16, 2012. Elie Baroud, a Maronite who was 19 at the time, recalled the tense regional context: The Middle East was in turmoil, and the Syrian civil war had begun spilling over into Lebanon, marking the beginning of a difficult period. Against that backdrop, he said, Pope Benedict’s visit was seen as a light of hope and was eagerly anticipated by millions of Lebanese.

Baroud remembers seeing the pope on Sept. 15, the second day of the trip, when Benedict XVI visited the Synod of Bishops at the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Bzommar, the village where his extended family lived.

Baroud carries many beautiful souvenirs from that day. “Looking back now, I feel blessed that I was able to witness the same spiritual revival and hope in my heart as those who were old enough to remember Pope John Paul II’s visit,” he said, noting that John Paul II holds a special place in the heart of every Lebanese Christian.

Baroud noted that he was entering adulthood during an extremely unstable period, when terrorist forces, not yet known as ISIS, threatened to cross the Lebanese border, Hezbollah was actively engaged in the Syrian conflict, and the economy was already showing signs of severe fragility. 

“It was an unsettling time; things could erupt at any second,” he said. In that context, Pope Benedict’s visit acted as a shield, a blessing, and a source of comfort, he said, reminding him that Lebanon, and especially its Christians, are not forgotten.

Parallels across eras

Baroud stressed that the parallels between Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming visit and Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in 2012 cannot be understated. He noted that Lebanon is once again suffering from regional conflict, with the Israeli-Gaza war spilling onto Lebanese territory, and the economy in an even worse state than it was a decade ago. 

“Lebanon today still faces economic strains, intercommunal tensions, and a population exhausted and burned out,” he said. “In the last five years alone, we witnessed the Beirut Port explosion, one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in recorded history; we lived through the coronavirus pandemic, economic collapse, and people losing their life savings in banks, leaving families vulnerable and on the verge of bankruptcy. And just as things were beginning to look up, Hezbollah’s intervention in the Gaza war invited the Israelis to bomb Lebanon ferociously again, placing yet another roadblock before any hope of living a normal life in this country.”

Looking ahead, Baroud said he believes the contrast between the two visits will be reflected in the pope’s message. “Lebanon has always been presented as a model of coexistence for the world, and I am sure this message will return, as it did with Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI,” he said. “However, in my humble opinion, if coexistence were the only message, it would be redundant, and I do not believe it will be the only one.”

“I expect the pope to address our demands for peace in the region, the restriction of arms and artillery to the Lebanese Armed Forces alone, and the hope that millions of Lebanese expatriates, many of whom are Christians forced to leave because of the hostile environment, can one day return,” he continued.

“Lebanon has overpaid its dues as the carrier of the region’s conflicts. We deserve to know peace and stability. We need a state that protects everyone without favoritism, where our youth can build their lives here instead of boarding planes to exile. We need justice, a healed economy, security, and international pressure to enforce sovereignty. Only then can this wounded mosaic become whole again.”

Baroud emphasized the significance of the upcoming visit. “When the pope lands in Beirut, it’s a reminder to the world that our ancient community, battered by wars, economic collapse, and emigration, is still seen, still matters,” he said. “These moments rally our people, slow the exodus of our youth, boost morale, and force global powers and local leaders to remember that Lebanon’s Christians are not relics of the past but a vital thread in this nation’s future.”

Baroud added that it would have been “a blessing to witness a visit from Pope Francis,” noting that plans were beginning to take shape before the deterioration of his health and his passing. “May he rest in peace,” he said.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

Theo is a free Catholic prayer and meditation app for children and their parents. / Credit: Theo

CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Theo, a free Catholic prayer and meditation app for children and their parents, plans to host the largest Advent celebration for children to help them discover the true meaning of the season.

From Nov. 30 to Dec. 24, more than 1 million children are expected to take part in a 25-day journey filled with stories, songs, activities, and reflections.

The Advent campaign will be led by Theodore, a cheerful animated donkey who is described as a direct descendant of the donkey that carried the Blessed Virgin Mary to Bethlehem. It will also feature several special guests including Catholic actor David Henrie and Father Ambrose Criste, among others.

Participants will read through the first two chapters of Luke, which will be accompanied by some meditations and reflection questions for children to do with their parents as well as hearing the stories of several saints, listening to songs, and explaining activities that both parent and child can do together.

Francisco Cornejo, CEO of Theo, told CNA in an interview that this campaign will help children “hear the word of God” and “prepare their hearts for the birth of Jesus.”

“We prepared these four weeks in a way that is engaging; it’s fun, but it’s also educational,” he added.

While Theo can be used for children of all ages, Cornejo pointed out that the Advent campaign is best suited for children between the ages of 4 and 12.

“The content tends to be on the more mature side of things, I would say, meaning 6 to 8 and older, but again this is the beauty of creating an app that is for the parent and the child — if the theme or the topic is a little hard to grasp or we want to go deeper in the learning, you have your parent by your side,” Cornejo said. “So you can discuss that and we’ll provide those discussion points and all the guidance there.”

Theo launched seven months ago and already has over 2 million users. Cornejo attributes the app’s success first and foremost to God but also to the need among Catholics families for a tool like this.

“We’ve seen over the last few years how families and how parents specifically wanted to have something like Theo because it’s not enough to take kids to Mass every Sunday or to get them through holy Communion preparation or confirmation preparation,” he said. “What happens every other day of the year or of their lives? So we really wanted to create a tool that makes faith accessible and teachings accessible for everyday kids and families regardless of where they are in their faith journey.”

He added: “It’s not meant to replace all the good things that we parents have to do, but it’s meant to help make faith an everyday thing. Something that kids want to hear more because it’s packed in a way that it’s accessible for them.”

The content on Theo includes daily Scripture readings, prayers, bedtime stories, faith-based affirmations, meditations, novenas, stories of the saints, the rosary, and much more. 

Cornejo also highlighted the importance of having both child and parent involved in using the app because “education needs to be done together.”

“You need to exemplify what you want to try to teach and you have to do it with your kids — that’s the domestic Church. That’s what we are meant to do as parents,” he added. 

As for what he hopes children and their parents will take away from participating in the Advent campaign, Cornejo said: “I think the main thing is remembering and living the actual meaning of Advent — the waiting for Jesus’ birth, preparing our hearts as the manger to welcome Jesus into our hearts” and that participants “forget about the fluff and the gifts and the ‘me me me’ and start thinking about what this actually represents.”

Aidan Gallagher, director of EWTN Ireland, speaks at the premiere of “The Kingship of Christ” at the Vatican on Nov. 18, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Marking the 100th anniversary of the feast of Christ the King, which this year falls on Nov. 23, EWTN has released “The Kingship of Christ,” a four-part docuseries that explores some of the core aspects of the kingship of Christ. 

The four 30-minute episodes look at the origin of kingship in the Old and New Testaments, what type of kingship is that of Christ’s, the growth in interest and devotion to kingship in the 1800s and 1900s, and how Christ’s kingship is being realized today. 

Currently airing on EWTN, the docuseries features Father Bernard McGuckian, SJ; Father Dominic Holtz, OP; and Father Mark Lewis, SJ.

The four-part series was filmed across five principal locations in Rome that are highly relevant to Christ’s kingship, namely St. Peter’s Basilica, the Gesù (the main Jesuit Church in Rome), the Scala Santa, the Basilica of Santa Croce Gerusalemme, and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Christ the King. 

Additionally, many other churches, basilicas, and monuments are featured across many countries throughout the world that were built in honor of the kingship of Christ.

Aidan Gallagher, director of EWTN Ireland, who co-produced the series alongside EWTN Studios and EWTN Vatican, told CNA in an interview that he was approached by McGuckian 18 months ago to see if he was interested in making a series on the kingship of Christ to “commemorate and celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of feast of Christ the King in 1925, which had followed Pope Pius XI’s papal encyclical Quas Primas.”

From there, they worked to create a comprehensive series looking into this devotion and its importance. 

“At the heart of this work lies the desire that the kingship of Christ is recognized, realized, and accepted by individuals, peoples, societies, countries across the entire world so that Christ can reign in all hearts and thus be truly king of the world, leading us to peace,” he said. 

He explained that extensive work “has been put into researching and evidencing the fact that Jesus Christ is King, where we highlighted relevant Scripture across thousands of years from the Old Testament and New Testament. So, for thousands of years it has been there, and we hope that people will take away this fact from watching the series.”

The film premiered at the Filmoteca Vaticano, a screening room in the Vatican, on Nov. 18. Ambassadors to the Holy See, journalists, and dignitaries were present for the screening. 

Gallagher shared that it was “very well received” and “there was excitement about watching the full series online.”

After watching the series, he said he hopes that “people will understand the type of kingship which Christ presents and that recognition and allegiance to his kingship can ultimately lead us to peace, holiness, and the betterment of human existence — both in this life and the next.”

“The Kingship of Christ” can also be viewed on EWTN Ireland’s website.

null / Credit: Kara Monroe via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As Advent quickly approaches and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins to make its way into our lives, here are five resources to help you prepare to welcome Jesus this Christmas. 

From Ascension: 

Join Father Mike Schmitz this Advent for “Waiting Well: Advent with Fr. Mike Schmitz” on the Ascension app. 

Beginning Nov. 30, a 26-day video series will guide viewers on becoming aware of how God is shaping them through seasons of waiting and how to wait well. Each day a five-minute video will be released and feature a reflection from Schmitz that unpacks the daily Mass reading as well as Scripture versus, catechism excerpts, and reflection questions to encourage participants to go deeper into the meaning of Advent. 

Schmitz’s weekly homily videos during Advent are part of the “Waiting Well” series and available for free on YouTube. However, the daily reflections will only be available on the Ascension app with a subscription or free trial.

This year’s video reflections will also be accompanied by the “Waiting Well” printed journal for individuals, parishes, and small-group study. It is designed to help readers slow down for 15 minutes a day as they prepare to meet Christ in the manger. Each day includes a word or Scripture verse to pray with, a reflection, and a prompt to write down your thoughts and insights. 

From Hallow:

Hallow’s annual “Advent Prayer Challenge” is back once again. Beginning Dec. 1, “Pray25: Be Still” features Jonathan Roumie; Chris Pratt; Gwen Stefani; Father John Burns; Mother Natalia; Sister Miriam James Heidland, SOLT; and Father Pierre Toussaint, CFR. This Advent, listeners are invited to discover deeper stillness amid the chaos of the holiday season, just like the Blessed Mother did that first Christmas. 

Roumie and Heidland will lead reflections on “The Reed of God” by Caryll Houselander, while Pratt will guide sessions on “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. Stefani and Mother Natalia will guide sessions focusing on being still, using the lives of saints as inspiration. Burns will guide listeners through sessions of imaginative prayer and Toussaint will offer homily reflections each Sunday during Advent.

From Blessed Is She:

Blessed Is She has Advent devotionals for the whole family this year — women, men, and children. “In Time: An Advent Devotional for Women” invites readers to reflect on God’s continuous presence in our lives. Written by Claire Dwyer, this devotional helps women see that waiting is filled with God’s loving action. 

“Feast: An Advent Devotional for Men” is written by Paul George, rooted in Scripture, and inspired by the story of the prodigal son. This devotional invites men to return to God the Father with courage, humility, and hope. It also aims to encourage those seeking renewal, healing, and deeper faith during Advent. Both the devotionals for men and women include daily Scripture readings, prayer, and reflection.

Lastly, “Watch and Wait: A Kids Advent Devotional” written by Olivia Spears helps kids prepare for Christmas with daily prayers, reflections, and simple Scripture-based activities. This devotional teaches children to wait with hope and joy as they prepare for the birth of Christ. It is recommended for children older than 7 years old.

From the Augustine Institute:

The Augustine Institute is inviting Catholics to enter into the Advent season with renewed purpose and joyful expectation with a new video series titled “How To Advent.” 

The video series will consist of four 12- to 15-minute-long episodes that explore the beauty and meaning of Advent traditions in an engaging and meaningful way and highlight a different cherished Advent tradition — the Advent calendar, Advent wreath, Jesse Tree, and Nativity scene. The video series is available on Formed. 

From EWTN’s Religious Catalogue:

The EWTN Religious Catalogue offers a wide variety of Advent devotionals including “Encountering Emmanuel: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation” by Heather Khym, cohost of the “Abiding Together” podcast, and “The True Gifts of Christmas” by Megan Alexander, which takes readers on a journey through the deeper meaning of our most cherished Christmas traditions. (Editor’s note: EWTN is CNA’s parent company.)

The Chapel of Christ the King at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. / Credit: Courtesy of Christendom College

Dublin, Ireland, Nov 23, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 following his encyclical Quas Primas. Today it is celebrated on the final Sunday before Advent. 

Quas Primas was Pope Pius XI’s profound response to the rising tide of secularism and nationalism in the early 20th century. 

In his introduction, Pope Pius wrote: “Manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics; and we said further that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.”

Composed in the aftermath of World War I and the tumultuous revolutions between 1917 and 1923 — which resulted in the downfall of the Hohenzollerns, Romanovs, Habsburgs, and Ottomans — the encyclical underscores the enduring sovereignty of a king “whose kingdom shall have no end.”

Irish historian Father Fergus O’Donoghue, SJ, told CNA that ”Pius XI was thinking about emerging ideologies of power and strong leadership.”

Yet although Quas Primas and the inauguration of the feast of Christ the King were undoubtedly influenced by the affairs of the early 20th century, they were not new ideas.

The origins of the establishment of Christ the King as a feast day lie with a request to the papacy in 1870 from a Jesuit, Father Jean-Marie Sanna-Solaro. The Congregation of Rites in the Vatican rejected it, and the Holy Father had just responded favorably to Maria Drostezu Vischering’s request to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This request for a feast day consecrating his kingship came at an inopportune time. 

Father Bernard McGuckian, SJ, told CNA: “The cause of bringing the feast of Christ the King to the Church was taken up by a marvelous French woman, Marthe de Noaillat, who had taken over the running of the Hieron museum at Paray Le Monial from the very wealthy Baron Surruchaga. Marthe decided that the kingship of Christ should be highlighted properly, and she wrote to the pope, urging him to establish the feast day. She was told that rather than the decision be made merely by the pope, she must seek the support of the teaching Church, the bishops, and the listening Church, which is the faithful, so she set about contacting all the bishops in the world, all the big religious orders, all the apostolates.”

Remarkably, her efforts gathered momentum and attracted widespread support around the world. “It began to become obvious that there was a groundswell of opinion in favor of this,” McGuckian said, and this evidence was brought to the attention of the pope.

Convinced of the support from the faithful, Pope Pius XI let Marthe know of his intention to establish the feast in a Mass on the last day of the holy year of 1925, to which she and her husband were invited as guests of honor. 

Biblical origins

The concept of the kingship of Christ is biblical and is rooted in the Old and New Testaments.

Father Dominic Holtz, OP, vice dean of the faculty of philosophy at the Angelicum in Rome, explains in the new EWTN Ireland series “The Kingship of Christ”: “In the Old Testament God uses the kings to be the place where his promises will be fulfilled. So even though the kings of Israel often fail them, God’s promises don’t fail. And he says, ‘I will give you a king, and through this Davidic line, I will give you one to come from that line, who will fulfil all of my promises.’ A king who is, of course, Jesus Christ.”

Jesuit Father Mark Lewis, rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, explains in his contribution to the new “Kingship of Christ” series: “In the 16th and 17th centuries, you get the sense of the divine right of kings, and that there’s an absolute authority that comes directly from God and somehow covers imperfection. But in fact, we realized that they were just as imperfect as their predecessors.”

He added: “In the 20th century, you start getting governments that react against this idea of a single divine-right king in favor of a more scientific kind of government. There’s the liberal revolutions of the Enlightenment, where reason triumphs everything, and there’s no more strong man, or there is a strong man, but it’s not tied to God, not tied to being anointed. And what ends up happening is, is it goes from a sort of theism, it doesn’t matter whether you have religion or not, to atheism.”

Now a century later, many of the themes and concerns that prompted Quas Primas are still relevant. Lewis explains the relevance of the Kingship of Christ to our world now as it was then. 

“The challenge of us celebrating the anniversary of the Christ the King is to not see kingship as something that’s just another defective form of government, but to see Christ the King as the embodiment of perfection that we can aspire to, that we aspire to become people who want to live our lives with integrity, with honesty,” he says, “in some ways, as people who are responsible citizens, we can be witnesses to what we we know are the characteristics of God’s reign, justice, peace, care for one another, care for the places, the place that we live. And I think a lot of the things that the Church talks about today, especially peace with justice, are calling us to witness to the reign of God that’s represented by Christ.”