Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

Pope Leo greets pilgrims during the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly on Sunday, June 1, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2025 / 16:09 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday said Christian families are called to be missionaries of the Gospel to new generations, especially in light of a widespread “privatization” of faith preventing many people from approaching the Church.

In the Holy Father’s message to participants of a June 2–3 seminar organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life on the theme “Evangelizing with the Families of Today and Tomorrow: Ecclesiological and Pastoral Challenges,” he said the Church needs to be farsighted in discerning the needs of parents and children often caught up in “worldly concerns” or misled by “illusory lifestyles.”

“Sadly, in the face of this need, an increasingly widespread ‘privatization’ of faith often prevents these brothers and sisters from knowing the richness and gifts of the Church, a place of grace, fraternity, and love,” Pope Leo shared in his June 2 message.

“As a result, despite their healthy and holy desires, while they sincerely seek ways to climb the exciting upward paths to life and abundant joy, many end up relying on false footholds that are unable to support the weight of their deepest needs,” he continued.

With a “maternal concern” for all Christian families, the pope said it is the responsibility of the Church — bishops and the laity — to reach out to families who are “spiritually most distant from us” and become “fishers of families.”

“‘Fishers’ of couples, young people, children, women, and men of all ages and circumstances, so that all may encounter the one Savior,” he said. “Through baptism, each one of us has been made a priest, king, and prophet for our brothers and sisters, and a ‘living stone’ (1 Pt 2:4) for the building up of God’s house.”

“I ask you, then, to join in the work of the whole Church in seeking out those families who no longer come to us, in learning how to walk with them and to help them embrace the faith and become in turn ‘fishers’ of other families,” he added. 

Addressing his concern that many young people are choosing cohabitation instead of marriage, the Holy Father said couples need guides who can reveal “the beauty and grandeur” of the vocation to love and service through Christian marriage and the gift of family. 

“In reality [they] need someone to show them in a concrete and clear way, especially by the example of their lives, what the gift of sacramental grace is and what strength derives from it,” he said. 

“Similarly, many parents, in raising their children in the faith, feel the need for communities that can support them in creating the right conditions for their children to encounter Jesus,” he continued.

Despite difficulties and problems families face, Pope Leo said spreading “the gospel of the family” is a mission that can only be sustained by prayer and an encounter with Christ.

“Consequently, if we want to help families experience joyful paths of communion and be seeds of faith for one another, we must first cultivate and renew our own identity as believers,” he said.

“May the Holy Spirit guide you in discerning criteria and methods that support and promote the Church’s efforts to minister to families,” he continued. “Let us help families to listen courageously to Christ’s proposal and the Church’s words of encouragement!”

Listeners of Spirit Catholic Radio sparked an initiative to place billboards featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus along Interstate 80 through Nebraska “to share a message of love, hope, and faith with everyone who passes by.”  / Credit: Spirit Catholic Radio

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 2, 2025 / 15:44 pm (CNA).

Drivers heading through Nebraska this summer should expect to see more than just traffic and highways — they should also anticipate catching a glimpse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Listeners of Spirit Catholic Radio sparked an initiative to place billboards featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus along Interstate 80 through Nebraska “to share a message of love, hope, and faith with everyone who passes by.” 

Spirit Catholic Radio, an affiliate of EWTN Radio network, announced that it is kicking off the campaign in June to mark the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

“This campaign came straight from the hearts of our listeners,” Jim Carroll, executive director of Spirit Catholic Radio, said in the announcement. “They had the desire to share Christ’s love more publicly, and they made it happen through prayer and generous support.”

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus goes back centuries,” Spirit Catholic Radio reported in a press release. “It’s rooted in the Christian belief that God’s love isn’t abstract — it’s personal. Saints like St. Gertrude the Great and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had deep spiritual experiences centered on this love, often describing the Heart of Jesus as a source of peace, mercy, and transformation.”

The Sacred Heart, depicted by a pierced heart on fire surrounded by a crown of thorns, has been an important image for Catholics as it represents Jesus’ love, compassion, and sacrifice.

The Nebraska billboards will have an image of Jesus with open arms and the Sacred Heart across his chest along with the words “June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” and “Jesus is king.” 

“We hope these billboards spark curiosity,” Carroll said. “Even if someone isn’t familiar with the Sacred Heart, we want them to know: This love is for you, too.”

The billboards will be visible in high-traffic areas including along I-80 and in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas.

Whether people are commuting to work, driving home, or traveling through Nebraska, thousands are expected to see the billboards daily with the intent to offer them “reflection and spiritual inspiration.”

Karol Nawrocki, presidential candidate of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), speaks to supporters following the Polish presidential runoff election on June 1, 2025. / Credit: Marek Antoni Iwaczuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 2, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

In a tightly contested runoff election, nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidency with 50.89% of the vote, narrowly defeating Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s 49.11%, according to final results announced Monday. 

Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer, ran on a platform emphasizing traditional Catholic values and cultural and political conservatism. He has vowed to maintain close ties between the Polish government and the Catholic Church, saying he views faith as a cornerstone of national culture. 

During the campaign, Nawrocki made headlines by publicly shredding a copy of “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” signaling his staunch opposition to progressive social policies. He has pledged to veto any legislation liberalizing Poland’s strict abortion laws or introducing same-sex civil unions, citing the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexual ethics and the need to protect traditional family structures. 

“Poland’s strength lies in its faith and family values,” Nawrocki declared at a campaign rally, framing his presidency as a defense against secular influences.

His conservative stance contrasts sharply with Trzaskowski, who campaigned on progressive reforms, including abortion law liberalization, support for LGBTQ+ civil partnerships, and deeper European integration.

Nawrocki is expected to use his presidential veto to block Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European Union, reformist legislative efforts. 

The Polish presidency, while largely ceremonial, wields significant influence through its veto power, which requires a 60% parliamentary majority to override — a threshold Tusk’s coalition lacks. This dynamic echoes the tenure of outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS (Law and Justice Party) ally who consistently thwarted Tusk’s attempts to reverse PiS-era judicial reforms.

Poland’s president is elected to a five-year term through a two-round voting system, with a runoff between the top two candidates if no one secures a majority in the first round. Presidents may serve up to two terms. Duda’s second term ends on Aug. 6, when president-elect Nawrocki will be sworn in to office.

The election, the closest in Poland’s post-communist history, underscores the country’s deepening political divide. Early exit polls had predicted a Trzaskowski win, while the actual results ended up reversing those projections. Exit polls also showed that younger voters leaned toward Nawrocki in the runoff.

Nawrocki’s win has broader implications for Poland’s role in Europe. His opposition to strengthening EU ties and Ukraine’s NATO membership sets him apart from Trzaskowski’s pro-EU platform.

Nawrocki has expressed strong opposition to illegal immigration, advocating for policies that prioritize Polish citizens and reject EU-driven migration frameworks.

“My Poland is a Poland without illegal migrants,” he said during his campaign.

Conservative European leaders celebrated the result, with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán calling it a “fantastic victory” and France’s Marine Le Pen, deputy of the French National Assembly, praising it as a rejection of the “Brussels oligarchy.” 

Nawrocki attended the National Day of Prayer at the White House last month, posing for photos with President Donald Trump, who supported Nawrocki’s presidential bid.

At a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Poland last week, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also strongly endorsed Nawrocki.

“I met with Karol, and let me be clear: He must be Poland’s next president. Are we on the same page?” Noem declared.

“You need to choose the right leader,” she continued. “You can be the ones to steer Europe back toward conservative values.”

A view of the Vatican Apostolic Library in 2021. / Credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Vatican City, Jun 2, 2025 / 12:17 pm (CNA).

The Vatican Library is the custodian of a major part of humanity’s literary heritage. That includes more than 80,000 ancient manuscripts and 2 million printed books (8,600 of which are “incunabula,” that is, printed before 1501); a graphic collection (drawings, maps, engravings, photographs); 150,000 documents; a large collection of coins and medals (300,000 pieces); and a collection of archives (100,000). 

The library is currently in the process of digitizing and publishing online all the manuscripts it houses, a project that first started in 2012. When necessary, manuscripts receive conservation treatments or are restored before digitization. So far, some 30,000 manuscripts have been digitized and published online. This work is made possible due to the support of many benefactors, including the Sanctuary of Culture Foundation, which generously supports the digitization and restoration of manuscripts as well as other projects. 

Recently, a new collaboration was launched between the Vatican Library and the Colnaghi Foundation, a prestigious art gallery founded in 1760. The two institutions are working together specifically on the library’s archives section.

The five-year agreement provides for the restoration and reorganization of the archives’ storage facilities, which will improve the future preservation of documents spanning the 10th to the 20th century. The archival collections include documents of exceptional historical value.

The project, which involves a complete reorganization of the department, including new shelving systems and renovations, will be led by the renowned British architectural firm David Chipperfield Architects.

The Colnaghi Foundation has promoted the creation of an association, the Patrons of the Vatican Library, to assist in the project and to study and carry out other projects related to the conservation treatments of many of the archival manuscripts.

The association has provided a new system for scanning the surface of documents, called Selene, developed by the Factum Foundation. Among other benefits, this device makes it possible to bring to light parts of objects that are hidden from view.

To celebrate this collaboration between the art world, represented by the Colnaghi Foundation and the Vatican Library, the “Codex” exhibition opened on May 26.

The exhibit features 14 works from private collections that are not normally exhibited. The library has also selected 15 documents from its collections (manuscripts and archival documents) related to the people portrayed in the exhibited works, the curators of those works, or the artists who created them.

On June 3, the works will return to private collections, and the Vatican manuscripts will be returned to their original collections.

The works on display offer a visual and historical journey through sacred art and portraits from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, highlighting pieces by some of history’s greatest masters.

The exhibition opens with “Saint Peter Penitent” by Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, which depicts the weeping apostle with a deeply human expression of repentance and features baroque chiaroscuro (strong light and dark contrasts).

The exhibition continues with “The Triumph of Flora,” a mythological allegory by Mario Nuzzi, exuberant in color and symbolism, which celebrates the fertility of nature with a festive and decorative spirit that contrasts with the gravity of other pieces.

Another work on display is Michelangelo Buonarroti’s preparatory sketch for “The Adoration of the Brazen Serpent,” a powerful scene from the Old Testament. The drawing demonstrates the artist’s anatomical and expressive intensity, which manages to condense drama and redemption into a single figure.

The exhibition also includes works by other influential artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, such as Titian’s “Portrait of Pope Paul III,” painted during his trip to Rome between October 1545 and May 1546. This painting, in which the pope appears with a shrewd expression and the traditional camauro (red cap with white trim), a symbol of his authority, belongs to a private collection and is kept in Lisbon, Portugal.

Another portrait is that of “Clement VII,” painted by Sebastiano del Piombo. A highlight by the artist Tintoretto is his “Portrait of Cardinal Marcantonio da Mula,” which demonstrates the painter’s skill in combining the cardinal’s dignified appearance with dynamism.

Also featured in the exhibition is Guido Reni’s portrait of Camillo Borghese (later Paul V), painted during the first decade of the 17th century.

Among library documents featured in the exhibition, which aim to suggest a real dialogue with the works of art, are the 1628 invoice sent to the bishop of Gubbio for three Caravaggio paintings, including “The Card Cheats”; some notes and autograph drawings by Michelangelo Buonarroti; as well as a 1657 letter by Cardinal da Mula to Cardinal Guglielmo Sirleto.

Also among the documents in the exhibition is a 1526 contract signed with Sebastiano del Piombo for a panel of the “Nativity of the Virgin” in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo.

The sharing of cultural heritage embodied by the Codex initiative represents, for the library, an essential tool for building bridges between cultures. The exhibition is considered a beautiful and concrete example of this, and an important demonstration of the collaboration between different institutions working together to achieve positive results in the conservation of cultural heritage.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan in Iran, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Jun 2, 2025 / 08:24 am (CNA).

Follow our live coverage of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, first U.S.-born pope in history.

The miraculous image of Jesus Nazareno makes its way through the streets of Manila surrounded by thousands of devotees during the Traslacion procession celebrated annually on Jan. 9. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno, Quiapo, Manila

Manila, Philippines, Jun 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

With multiple episcopal sees standing vacant and others soon to be without bishops, Asia’s largest Catholic nation faces a potential pastoral leadership crisis as the Church awaits new appointments from Rome.

The Philippines, home to 110 million people, with eight out of 10 identifying as Roman Catholic, currently has three vacant sees.

Current dioceses without bishops

The Diocese of Boac in Marinduque province has been without a bishop since Sept. 21, 2024, after its local ordinary, Bishop Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit, was transferred to the Diocese of San Pablo, Laguna. Maralit is the current chair of the Episcopal Commission on Social Communication of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

According to the 2023 Annuario Pontificio, the annual Holy See directory that lists the popes and all officials of the Holy See’s departments, the Diocese of Boac has a total population of 256,611 with 88% of the population identifying as Catholic. Seventy-nine priests serve the diocese, with a 1 to 3,248 priest-to-lay ratio. The diocese is recognized for its social action initiatives and its collaboration with Basic Christian Communities, small, grassroots groups of Christians that gather for prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and social justice activities.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk has been without an apostolic vicar since Dec. 8, 2024, when its former apostolic vicar, Bishop Prudencio P. Andaya Jr., CICM, was made bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan.

The Tabuk vicariate encompasses the highland provinces of Kalinga and Apayao, with a total population of 493,960. Only 31 priests serve the 75% of its population who identify as Catholic, mostly from the Indigenous Igorot tribe. That translates to a 1 to 11,966 priest-per-laity ratio.

The bishop’s chair of the Diocese of San Jose de Nueva Ecija has been empty since Dec. 12, 2024. Its former bishop, Roberto Mallari, was transferred to the Diocese of Tarlac. The diocese is located in the province known as the “rice granary of the Philippines.” Most of its residents are farmers who produce rice, corn, sugar cane, coconuts, mangoes, onions, fruits, and vegetables.

Approaching retirement

In addition to these empty sees awaiting new bishops, others may soon require new episcopal leaders.

In March of this year alone, three local ordinaries reached the optional canonical retirement age of 75 for bishops: Archbishop Angelito Lampo, OMI, of Cotabato on March 1; Bishop Patricio Buzon, SDB, of Bacolod on March 14; and Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu on March 19.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a “local ordinary” is a bishop appointed by the pope to care for a local Church; to teach, govern, and sanctify the faithful of his diocese, sharing these duties with the priests and deacons who serve under him.

Other local ordinaries in the Philippines who will turn 75 in the coming months are: Bishop Jose Corazon Tala-oc of Kalibo (June 16), Archbishop Marlo Perlata of Nueva Segovia (July 13), and Bishop Jacinto Jose of Urdaneta (Oct. 29).

If the Holy Father accepts the retirement of these bishops, the Philippines will have nine sede vacante sees.

Most of these dioceses are located in provinces where the majority of its residents are workers in the agriculture sector. Bacolod and Cebu are exceptions, as they are located in bustling cities.

Special focus: Cebu Archdiocese

Cebu, known as the “cradle of Christianity in the Philippines,” is the largest diocese in Asia — home to 4.7 million Catholics (87% of the population). It has 176 parishes and nine missions ministered by 626 priests (348 diocesan, 278 religious) and 2,035 religious (1,010 brothers and 1,025 sisters). According to the 2024 Annuario Pontificio, it has 144 seminarians.

The bishops’ conference approved the Cebu Archdiocese’s recommendation to split the diocese into two suffragan dioceses: Danao in the north and Carcar to its south, thereby giving them their own bishops. (A suffragan diocese is typically a smaller diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the larger metropolitan archdiocese.)

Impact on Catholic communities

Filling these vacancies is not only a ministerial role of the pope, who has the exclusive right and authority to appoint a bishop, but also a necessity to ensure that the people of God have a shepherd looking after their spiritual and, sometimes, socio-economic needs.

“A vacant see creates a leadership vacuum. Appointing bishops to vacant sees means not depriving the people of a shepherd,” said Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP’s episcopal commission on public affairs.

Many Filipinos, even when they are non-Catholics, look to Catholic bishops for moral guidance on socio-political issues. The popular late Cardinal Jaime Sin, when archbishop of Manila, was a vocal opponent of the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., father of the current president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Sin was instrumental in two historic peaceful revolutions in the country — the People Power Revolution of 1986 and the 2001 revolt that forced the resignation of then-president Joseph Estrada.

During the tumultuous presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the CBCP issued a pastoral statement condemning the rampant extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, earning the ire of the president. Duterte once suggested that Filipinos should “kill and steal from” Catholic bishops.

Vatican appointment process

While Secillano stressed the importance of a local bishop setting the pastoral direction and priorities of the local Church or diocese that are beneficial to the people, he said the Holy See does not rush the appointment of bishops so that it can fill the leadership vacuum.

“There should be utmost prudence in doing it,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV speaks in front of the famous icon at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Jun 1, 2025 / 19:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged French Catholics to embark on a profound spiritual renewal by following the example of three beloved saints as France commemorated the centenary of their canonization.

In his first message to the French bishops’ conference, released by the Holy See Press Office on Saturday, the Holy Father highlighted St. John Eudes, St. John Mary Vianney, and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus as powerful models for contemporary evangelization.

The pope emphasized their shared spiritual trait: “They loved Jesus unreservedly in a simple, strong, and authentic way” and experienced his goodness in daily closeness.

The pontiff presented these saints as Catholics whose lives demonstrate the transformative power of Christ’s tender love.

Leo noted St. John Eudes as the first to celebrate liturgical worship of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, St. John Mary Vianney as the priest who declared “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus,” and St. Thérèse as the great doctor of “scientia amoris” who “breathed” Jesus’ name with spontaneity and freshness.

Pope Leo framed this anniversary not as mere nostalgia but as an opportunity for missionary momentum. He expressed hope that God can “renew the marvels he has accomplished in the past” through these saints’ intercession.

The pope specifically addressed the shortage of priestly vocations, asking whether these saints might inspire young people to embrace the priesthood’s “beauty, greatness, and fruitfulness.”

The message concluded with papal gratitude for French priests’ “courageous and persevering commitment” amid contemporary challenges, including “indifference, materialism, and individualism.”

Pope Leo invoked the saints’ intercession for France and placed the nation under the maternal protection of Our Lady of the Assumption.

The Veil of Manoppello, which is kept in a church in Manoppello, Italy, known as the Santuario del Volto Santo. / Credit: Sonovision

CNA Staff, Jun 1, 2025 / 10:12 am (CNA).

Over the centuries, many people have asked: “What did Jesus look like?” A new documentary attempts to answer this question.

“The Face of Jesus” examines two acheiropoietic images of Christ — the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Manoppello, both believed to be divinely created — as well as the Vilnius image of the Divine Mercy, one of the most extraordinary hand-painted depictions of Jesus.

Jaroslaw Redziak, the film’s producer and director, spoke to CNA about the inspiration behind the documentary and his hope that viewers, when they view these images, will come to see just how much Jesus loves them.

To discover what our Savior might have looked like, the film takes viewers back 2,000 years to Jesus’ tomb in Jerusalem and then on to Rome and the small Italian village of Manoppello. 

The Polish filmmaker explained that the movie was inspired by the Veil of Manoppello. He and his wife have a personal devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and have visited the veil in Manoppello several times, he said.

“It’s a beautiful place. You can stand in this small, small church. There are only a few people inside and you … can almost touch the monstrance, which holds this image, and you can look at his face,” he told CNA. “It’s something incredible.”

The least known of the three images, the Veil of Manoppello gained popularity after Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 visit to the remote village where it is preserved. Also known as the Veil of Veronica, it was discovered in the early 1900s and reveals an image of the face of Jesus, which, according to experts, corresponds to the face in the Shroud of Turin. 

Unlike the Shroud of Turin, however, the Veil of Manoppello has no bloodstains and the eyes are open, which, experts suggest, means the cloth shows the face of the risen Lord. Additionally, many believe that the veil is one of the burial cloths seen in the tomb by the disciples Peter and John as told in the Gospels.

Known throughout the world, the Shroud of Turin is an ancient linen cloth that shows the image of what many believe to be the face of Jesus Christ himself. The shroud is kept in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, and has been the subject of extensive scientific study and public curiosity. The shroud has the imprint of the body of a man wearing a crown of thorns and is covered in bloodstains. 

The last time the shroud was publicly displayed was in 2015. While the Vatican does not have an official position on its authenticity, the shroud continues to attract pilgrims from around the world and remains the subject of public interest.

Perhaps more well known than the Shroud of Turin is the Vilnius image of the Divine Mercy, a divinely inspired, hand-painted image based on visions and messages from Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska. 

In 1931, Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in a vision. She saw him clothed in a white garment with his right hand raised as if giving a blessing. His left hand touched his chest, near his heart. From there emanated two large rays, one red and the other white. 

Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the image under the guidance of St. Faustina and her confessor, Blessed Michael Sopocko. The Divine Mercy image gained popularity in the 1930s thanks to St. Faustina’s writings and in 2000, the Vatican declared the second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday.

Redziak called the four-year process of making the documentary a “spiritual adventure.”

He explained that the documentary was initially going to be a 20-minute short film that would be shared online only. However, as he traveled, researched, and spoke to more people, it became clear he needed to make it a full-length documentary.

During the making of the film, Redziak said he had the opportunity to see the Shroud of Turin, which is not often on public display. He said that while everyone is familiar with the photos and copies of the shroud, seeing the original “is very painful.”

“You can see there is a lot of blood, a lot of bruises — it’s something very, very hard, and you see that Jesus Christ suffered a lot for us,” he said.

Redziak said he hopes this film will leave viewers feeling closer to God.

“I think this is a chance for people to sit in the theater and look at the face of God, the face of Jesus, into his eyes. So this is a chance to be, for an hour and a half, closer to Jesus.”

He added that while the film tries to show what Jesus may have looked like, the film also tries to answer the question: Why did Jesus show us his face?

For Redziak, the answer is: “Because he loves us and he wants us to be closer to him.”

“The Face of Jesus” will be in theaters across the United States for one night only on Tuesday, June 3.

Pope Leo XIV smiles at the crowds at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, June 1, 2025, gathered for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Jun 1, 2025 / 07:31 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV declared marriage is “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman” and families are “the cradle of the future of humanity” as he celebrated Mass for thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly on Sunday.

Speaking to families from nearly 120 countries on a sunny morning in Rome, the pontiff emphasized the fundamental role of family relationships in God’s plan for salvation, drawing from the Gospel reading of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper.

“Dear friends, we received life before we ever desired it,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily on June 1. “As soon as we were born, we needed others in order to live; left to ourselves, we would not have survived. Someone else saved us by caring for us in body and spirit. All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.”

The Holy Father made an extended tour of the square in the popemobile before Mass, blessing children and greeting the crowds of families who had traveled to Rome for this major event of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

Marriage as measure of true love

In his homily, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that marriage represents “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful, and fruitful.” He cited Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, noting that conjugal love “makes you one flesh and enables you, in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life.”

The pope highlighted several married couples as exemplars for today’s world, including Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. He also remembered the Polish Ulma family, “parents and children, united in love and martyrdom” during World War II.

“By pointing to them as exemplary witnesses of married life, the Church tells us that today’s world needs the marriage covenant in order to know and accept God’s love and to defeat, thanks to its unifying and reconciling power, the forces that break down relationships and societies,” the pontiff said.

Practical counsel for families

Pope Leo XIV offered specific guidance to different generations present at the celebration. To parents, he recommended being “examples of integrity to your children, acting as you want them to act, educating them in freedom through obedience, always seeing the good in them and finding ways to nurture it.”

Children received counsel to “show gratitude to your parents,” with the pope noting that saying “thank you” each day “is the first way to honor your father and your mother.”

To grandparents and elderly people, he recommended watching “over your loved ones with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that come with age.”

The Holy Father emphasized the family’s role in transmitting faith, declaring that “in the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts.”

Prayer for peace amid global conflicts

Following the Mass, Pope Leo XIV led the Regina Coeli prayer, using the occasion to remember families suffering from war.

“May the Virgin Mary bless families and sustain them in their difficulties. I think especially of those who suffer because of war in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world,” he said.

The pontiff also commemorated the beatification of Blessed Cristofora Klomfass and 14 companion religious sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine Virgin and Martyr, who were killed by Soviet soldiers in 1945 in territories of present-day Poland.

“Despite the climate of hatred and terror against the Catholic faith, they continued to serve the sick and orphans,” he noted.

During his remarks, Pope Leo XIV expressed particular joy at welcoming so many children to today’s celebration, calling them sources of renewed hope. He praised grandparents and elderly people as “genuine models of faith and inspiration for young generations.”

This story was last updated Sunday, June 1, 2025, with corrected details and link for Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates the Mass for Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, June 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Jun 1, 2025 / 07:18 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV gave the following homily on Sunday, June 1, for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The Gospel we have just heard shows us Jesus, at the Last Supper, praying on our behalf (cf. Jn 17:20). The Word of God, made man, as he nears the end of his earthly life, thinks of us, his brothers and sisters, and becomes a blessing, a prayer of petition and praise to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we ourselves, full of wonder and trust, enter into Jesus’ prayer, we become, thanks to his love, part of a great plan that concerns all of humanity.

Christ prays that we may “all be one” (v. 21). This is the greatest good that we can desire, for this universal union brings about among his creatures the eternal communion of love that is God himself: the Father who gives life, the Son who receives it, and the Spirit who shares it.

The Lord does not want us, in this unity, to be a nameless and faceless crowd. He wants us to be one: “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us” (v. 21). The unity for which Jesus prays is thus a communion grounded in the same love with which God loves, which brings life and salvation into the world. As such, it is firstly a gift that Jesus comes to bring. From his human heart, the Son of God prays to the Father in these words: “I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (v. 23).

Let us listen with amazement to these words. Jesus is telling us that God loves us as he loves himself. The Father does not love us any less than he loves his only-begotten Son. In other words, with an infinite love. God does not love less, because he loves first, from the very beginning! Christ himself bears witness to this when he says to the Father: “You loved me before the foundation of the world” (v. 24). And so it is: In his mercy, God has always desired to draw all people to himself. It is his life, bestowed upon us in Christ, that makes us one, uniting us with one another.

Listening to this Gospel today, during the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly, fills us with joy.

Dear friends, we received life before we ever desired it. As Pope Francis said: “All of us are sons and daughters, but none of us chose to be born” (Angelus, Jan. 1, 2025). Not only that. As soon as we were born, we needed others in order to live; left to ourselves, we would not have survived. Someone else saved us by caring for us in body and spirit. All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.

That human kindness is sometimes betrayed. As for example, whenever freedom is invoked not to give life but to take it away; not to help but to hurt. Yet even in the face of the evil that opposes and takes life, Jesus continues to pray to the Father for us. His prayer acts as a balm for our wounds; it speaks to us of forgiveness and reconciliation. That prayer makes fully meaningful our experience of love for one another as parents, grandparents, sons, and daughters. That is what we want to proclaim to the world: We are here in order to be “one” as the Lord wants us to be “one,” in our families and in those places where we live, work, and study. Different, yet one; many, yet one; always, in every situation and at every stage of life.

Dear friends, if we love one another in this way, grounded in Christ, who is “the Alpha and the Omega,” “the beginning and the end” (cf. Rev 22:13), we will be a sign of peace for everyone, in society and the world. Let us not forget: Families are the cradle of the future of humanity.

In recent decades, we have received a sign that fills us with joy but also makes us think. It is the fact that several spouses have been beatified and canonized, not separately, but as married couples. I think of Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus; and of Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, who raised a family in Rome in the last century. And let us not forget the Ulma family from Poland: parents and children, united in love and martyrdom. I said that this is a sign that makes us think. By pointing to them as exemplary witnesses of married life, the Church tells us that today’s world needs the marriage covenant in order to know and accept God’s love and to defeat, thanks to its unifying and reconciling power, the forces that break down relationships and societies.

For this reason, with a heart filled with gratitude and hope, I would remind all married couples that marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful, and fruitful (cf. St. Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 9). This love makes you one flesh and enables you, in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life.

I encourage you, then, to be examples of integrity to your children, acting as you want them to act, educating them in freedom through obedience, always seeing the good in them and finding ways to nurture it. And you, dear children, show gratitude to your parents. To say “thank you” each day for the gift of life and for all that comes with it is the first way to honor your father and your mother (cf. Ex 20:12). Finally, dear grandparents and elderly people, I recommend that you watch over your loved ones with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that come with age.

In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires our good, always.

Let me add one last thing. The prayer of the Son of God, which gives us hope on our journey, also reminds us that one day we will all be “uno unum” (cf. St. Augustine, “Sermo Super Ps. 127”): one in the one Savior, embraced by the eternal love of God. Not only us, but also our fathers, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, brothers, sisters, and children who have already gone before us into the light of his eternal Pasch, and whose presence we feel here, together with us, in this moment of celebration.