The Vatican is set to host an international conference in Vatican City that will bring together scientists, physicians, and bioethicists to reflect on the ethical challenges of molecular biology, regenerative medicine, and new biotechnologies from a Christian perspective.
The Pontifical Academy for Life, together with the NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering at the University of Basel and ETH Zurich and the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, is organizing the third ICEEL conference on March 23–24 under the title Quid est homo? Quis est homo? (“What is man? Who is man?”).
The event will explore links among fields including biomedicine and molecular engineering and will feature leading international scientists, bioethicists, and physicians in roundtable discussions on the ethical and social implications of technological innovation from a Christian perspective.
The program includes keynote lectures and panels on science and the human person, the human body, consciousness and spirituality, as well as sessions on responsibility and scientific communication.
Topics will also include the neuroscience of consciousness, regenerative medicine, and the ethics of genetic engineering, with a focus on the moral and social challenges posed by contemporary biotechnology.
According to the organizers, the conference seeks to foster dialogue among science, ethics, and spirituality by combining cutting-edge scientific perspectives with the Christian values promoted by the Church. They said the discussions are intended to help guide future responsible policies and practices in biomedical research and molecular biology.
Among the participants are several prominent researchers, including Maria Chiara Carrozza, an Italian engineer and former education minister known for her work in applied robotics and the ethics of artificial intelligence, and John P. A. Ioannidis, a Stanford University professor and internationally known statistician and epidemiologist.
Also scheduled to participate are Gaia Novarino of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, a neuroscientist specializing in the genetics of neurological diseases, and Bert Gordijn of Dublin City University, a philosopher and bioethicist known for his work on life ethics and biotechnology policy.
Other notable participants include Hope Kean of MIT, an expert in cognitive neuroscience, and Maria Patrão Neves of the University of the Azores in Portugal, whose work focuses on the philosophy of scientific responsibility.
The gathering will conclude March 25 with an audience for all participants with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
This article was originally published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV will become the first pope in history to visit Monaco on March 28, making a one-day trip to the small European principality whose Catholic roots have shaped its identity for centuries.
The visit will include an encounter with the local Catholic community, a meeting with the country’s young people, and the celebration of Mass in a stadium.
According to the program released by the Vatican, the Holy Father will depart at 7 a.m. Rome time from the Vatican City heliport and arrive in Monaco at 9 a.m.
Following the official reception, a welcome ceremony will be held at the Prince’s Palace with Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene.
Prince Albert met with the pontiff at the Vatican in January, shortly after declining to promulgate a law favorable to abortion, underscoring the influence of the Catholic Church in the principality.
After a private meeting with the royal couple at 11 a.m., Leo XIV will meet with the Catholic community at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
The principality’s constitution recognizes the Catholic religion as the state religion, and more than 90% of the population currently identifies as Catholic.
Later, at 11:45 a.m., the pope will travel to St. Devota Church to meet with young people and catechumens from the country. He is scheduled to deliver his first address in the area outside the church.
In the afternoon, at 3:30 p.m., he will celebrate Mass at Stade Louis II, which has a capacity of more than 18,000 people.
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, the pope will depart from the Monaco heliport at 5:45 p.m. and is expected to arrive back in Rome at 7:45 p.m.
The logo chosen for the brief trip highlights the spiritual and pastoral dimension of the visit. It features a black-and-white image of the Holy Father smiling and giving his blessing while wearing liturgical vestments, the miter, and the papal ferula.
According to the Vatican, the right side of the image includes a stylized depiction of a tower from the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, recalling the identity and sovereignty of the principality.
The tower is rendered in pale yellow so that the upper part of the logo as a whole evokes the colors of the Vatican flag.
At the bottom appears the inscription announcing the trip: “Leo XIV” alongside the word “Monaco,” highlighted in the bright red of the national flag and the principality’s coat of arms.
The motto appears beneath it: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6), underscoring that the pontiff comes as a spokesman for Christ himself and his message.
This article was originally published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See is promoting dialogue on Cuba and has taken “the necessary steps” with the aim of encouraging a negotiated solution to the problems facing the island.
“For Cuba as well, we have done what we had to do, we met with the foreign minister and we took the necessary steps, always with a view to a dialogue-based solution to the problems that exist,” Parolin said in comments to several media outlets, including the Holy See’s official news outlet, Vatican News.
The cardinal made the remarks March 9 in Rome on the sidelines of the second edition of the interreligious initiative “Il Tavolo del Ramadan–Iftar,” dedicated to encounters among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim representatives.
Parolin’s comments come amid intensified diplomatic contacts involving Cuba. On Feb. 28, Pope Leo XIV received Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla in audience at the Vatican. Rodríguez attended as special envoy of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
After the meeting, the Cuban foreign minister publicly thanked the pontiff on X, writing: “I deeply thank His Holiness Leo XIV for the honor of receiving me in audience as Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Cuba.”
The visit by Cuba’s top diplomat came days after another significant meeting in Rome on the situation in Cuba. On Feb. 20, the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, Mike Hammer, met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states, to discuss conditions in the Caribbean nation and the “important role” played by the Catholic Church in Cuban society.
In comments to EWTN after that meeting, Hammer said Cuba is at a decisive moment and expressed hope that the country will soon attain “the freedom it has not had in 67 years.”
“If there is freedom, there will not be suffering because there will be the necessary change. How will it happen? Well, that is what we are working on,” the U.S. diplomat said in an interview with EWTN.
Eight days after that meeting, Rodríguez Parrilla traveled to the Vatican, where he met with both Leo XIV and Parolin.
Also on March 2, a group of Cubans in exile in Miami led by Rosa María Payá — founder of Cuba Decide and daughter of the late dissident leader Oswaldo Payá — signed what they call a Liberation Agreement for Cuba, a 10-step roadmap to restore “democracy and the rule of law” on the island.
The Holy See has repeatedly played a mediating role between Cuba and the United States. The most recent example came during the administration of President Joe Biden, when the Vatican helped facilitate efforts that led to the release of 553 prisoners in Cuba in exchange for the removal of Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Parolin also addressed the growing military escalation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which has spread to other countries in the Middle East. He said the Holy See continues to keep channels of communication open with all parties in an effort to prevent a broader conflict.
“It is necessary to have open dialogue with everyone so that this immense tragedy now unfolding does not continue to expand instead of being contained,” he said.
The secretary of state said one of the defining characteristics of Vatican diplomacy is its willingness to remain in contact with all sides involved.
“The Holy See speaks with everyone and, when necessary, also speaks with the Americans and the Israelis, presenting what, in our view, could be solutions,” he said.
Parolin also referred to the killing of Maronite Father Pierre El-Rahi, pastor of Qlaya’a in Lebanon. The priest died after going to help a parishioner and was later struck by a bombardment.
Leo XIV expressed his “deep sorrow” that same day over the priest’s death and for all the victims of the recent bombings in the Middle East, including many civilians and children, according to the Vatican press office’s Telegram channel.
“Unfortunately, the Church too is a victim of this situation; we are not exempt or immune from what the population is suffering,” Parolin said.
The cardinal also warned of the risk that the Christian presence in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East could continue to decline because of war, instability, and growing hatred.
“It is a risk the Holy See has always denounced. War, destabilization, and conflict certainly do not favor the presence of Christians,” he said, underscoring that the situation is an additional cause of concern for the Vatican.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, a Chaldean Catholic bishop arrested in San Diego last week on charges of embezzling Church funds.
The Vatican also announced March 10 that Leo has appointed Bishop Saad Sirop Hanna, a Chaldean Catholic bishop from Iraq, to oversee the Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle of San Diego as apostolic administrator following Shaleta’s resignation.
An attempt by EWTN News to contact Bishop Shaleta through the eparchy was not immediately successful.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said Shaleta was arrested on March 5 at San Diego International Airport as the prelate was “attempting to leave the country.”
The sheriff’s office said in a press release that the bishop was charged with multiple counts of embezzlement and money laundering as well as one count of “aggravated white collar crime enhancement.”
Records show Shaleta is being held on $125,000 bail on one of the embezzlement charges. All charges against the bishop are listed as felonies by the sheriff’s office.
In remarks at a Feb. 22 Mass, the bishop denied that he has ever misused Church money.
Shaleta has served as the San Diego Chaldean eparch since 2017. He was born in Iraq.
In the context of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a reader of Piazza San Pietro magazine who asked what can be done about femicides, and the pope shared that violence against women causes him “great suffering.”
Femicide is defined as a man killing a girl or a woman for the very reason that she is female.
Pope Leo replied to a woman named Giovanna, who said she is “fortunate” to be married to a man who loves and respects her. The letter appeared in the latest issue of the publication, which this March is dedicated to women.
In her letter, the woman confessed to having “tears in her eyes” because of the “death trap” that married life becomes when a man kills a woman due to a “culture of possession.”
Giovanna then proposed an alliance between the Catholic Church and schools to educate young people in love and respect. “Who else, if not schools and the Church, can help new generations by spreading a culture of respect, love, and above all, freedom?” she asked.
Pope Leo XIV’s response to violence against women
“You raise a major issue that for me is always a source of great suffering: violence in relationships, and in particular violence against women,” the Holy Father responded to Giovanna.
“In a world often dominated by violent thinking, we must further support the feminine genius, as St. John Paul II said, the ‘genius of women,’ protagonists and creators of a culture of care and fraternity indispensable for giving a future and dignity to all humanity,” he emphasized.
Leo XIV added that “perhaps this is also why women are beaten and murdered, because they are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain, and violent society, because they point to values of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity, and justice.”
“These are great values, which are nevertheless attacked by a dangerous mentality that infests relationships and only produces selfishness, prejudice, discrimination, and a will to dominate,” he added.
After recalling that he had already denounced the violence of femicides in June 2025, the pope stressed that “violence, any violence, is the boundary that separates civilization from barbarism.”
Leo XIV then advised that “we must never underestimate an act of violence and we must not be afraid to denounce violence, including that climate of justification or that downplays or denies responsibility.”
“Walking together in mutual respect for our humanity is not a dream, but the only possible reality for building a world of light for all.”
A task for the Church
The pope thanked Giovanna for her suggestions for an “ever stronger educational alliance” and stated that “the Church, together with families, schools, parishes, movements and associations, religious congregations, and public institutions, can share the urgency of carrying out specific projects to prevent and stop violence against women.”
The pope also recalled that on Nov. 25, 2025, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, he emphasized that “to stop violence, we must begin with the education of young people.”
“We must begin by opening everyone’s hearts to the fact that every person is a human being who deserves respect, that dignity for men and women, for everyone.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen.
Speaking after the Angelus on March 8, the pope said “deeply disturbing news continues to arrive from Iran and the entire Middle East.”
“In addition to the episodes of violence and devastation as well as the widespread climate of hatred and fear, there is also the concern that the conflict will spread and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may again sink back into instability,” he said.
“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up in which the voice of the people can be heard,” the pope said. He added that he was entrusting that intention to the Virgin Mary, “that she may intercede for those who suffer because of war and lead hearts along the paths of reconciliation and hope.”
Before the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel and said that “since the first centuries of the Church’s history, the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the healing of the man born blind and the resurrection of Lazarus illuminate the path of those who, at Easter, will receive Baptism and begin a new life.”
“These great Gospel passages, which we read beginning this Sunday, are intended for the catechumens to help them on their journey to become Christians,” he said. “At the same time, these passages are heard once again by the entire community of believers to help them to be more authentic and joyful Christians.”
Referring to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, the pope said: “Indeed, Jesus is the response to our thirst. As he suggested to the Samaritan woman, the encounter with him stirs in the depths of each person ‘a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”
“How many people in the entire world are searching even today for this spiritual spring!” he said.
Quoting the diary of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jewish writer who died in Auschwitz during World War II, Leo said: “‘Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again.’”
“Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart,” the pope said. “For this reason, Lent is a gift: we are starting the third week and now we are able to intensify the journey!”
He went on to reflect on the disciples’ reaction in the Gospel: “His disciples came [and] they were astonished that he was speaking with a woman.” The Master, he said, had to prompt them: “‘Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’”
“The Lord still says to his Church: ‘Lift up your eyes and recognize God’s surprises!’” Leo said. “In the fields, four months prior to the harvest, one sees practically nothing. But there, where we see nothing, grace is already at work and its fruits are ready to be gathered.”
“The harvest is great: perhaps the workers are few because they are distracted by other activities,” he continued. “Jesus, on the other hand, is attentive. According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect — without a hidden agenda and without disdain.”
“How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability!” the pope said.
“And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we see in this passage,” he added. “Jesus was so spiritually nourished by God’s desire to reach people on the deepest levels that he even forgot to eat.”
Leo said that “the Samaritan woman becomes the first of many female evangelizers.” Because of her testimony, “many from her village of despised and rejected people came to meet Jesus, and also in them faith bubbled forth like pure water.”
The pope also marked International Women’s Day, observed March 8, saying: “We renew our commitment, which for us Christians is based on the Gospel, to recognize the equal dignity of man and woman.”
“Unfortunately many women, from childhood onwards, are still discriminated against and suffer various forms of violence,” he said. “In a special way, I offer to them my solidarity and my prayers.”
This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.
Pope Leo XIV continued his pastoral visits to parishes on the outskirts of Rome Sunday, traveling to the Santa Maria della Presentazione parish in the Torrevecchia neighborhood, where he encouraged Catholics to ensure parish activities reflect a Church that “cares for her children.”
The pope arrived at the parish at 4 p.m., when he was welcomed by Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the pastor, Father Paolo Stacchiotti. The warmest welcome, however, came from catechism students, young people, and families from Rome’s 13th municipal district.
It has been more than 40 years since a pope last visited Santa Maria della Presentazione parish. The previous papal visit was made by St. John Paul II in 1982.
The pastor said the neighborhood faces significant challenges but is also marked by strong community bonds.
“This is not an easy neighborhood,” Stacchiotti said. “But the crime reports do not do justice to the good that exists here. This is a united community, full of generous people who do not hold back in helping one another.”
The visit marked Leo XIV’s fourth to a Roman parish since mid-February. Parishioners welcomed him with banners, songs, and warm handshakes.
“We will give the pope an icon made by consecrated women who have lived in Bastogi for 30 years,” the pastor said. “It is a copy of the Madonna Pellegrina that travels around the neighborhood during the month of May. It is not a precious gift, but it is a symbol of our parish.”
Before Mass, the pope stopped on the parish sports field to greet children and families amid banners reading “we give our hearts,” balloons, and a festive atmosphere.
During his visit to the parish complex, Leo XIV also met with people with disabilities and the sick. In the parish hall he greeted about 60 people experiencing various forms of vulnerability before celebrating Mass at 5 p.m.
In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, the pope emphasized the connection between God’s closeness and the life of faith.
“In this journey, the closeness of God and our life of faith are deeply intertwined: by renewing in each of us the grace of Baptism, the Lord calls us to conversion, even as he purifies our hearts with his love and with the works of charity he invites us to perform,” the pope said.
“The thirst for life and love of the Samaritan woman is our thirst: the thirst of the Church and of all humanity, wounded by sin but even more deeply inhabited by the desire for God,” he continued.
Leo XIV noted that the Gospel narrative shows the woman’s gradual recognition of Jesus — first as a man, then a prophet, the Messiah, and finally the Savior — and how encountering Christ transforms her into a witness to others.
“Standing beside him and enjoying his company, the Samaritan woman becomes in turn a source of truth,” he said. “The new water of God’s gift has begun to spring up in her heart, and she feels immediately driven to return to her village, finally free from shame and eager to make known to everyone her liberator, Jesus.”
The pope also addressed the social difficulties facing the parish’s neighborhood.
“I know well that your parish community lives in an area with many challenges,” he said. “Situations of marginalization are not lacking, nor material and moral poverty.”
“Many are waiting for a home, a job that ensures a dignified life, and safe places where they can meet, play, and build something beautiful together,” he said.
Encouraging the faithful to respond to these realities with pastoral charity, the pope pointed to the Eucharist as the heart of Christian community life.
“Starting from the Eucharist, the beating heart of every Christian community, I encourage you to ensure that parish activities become a sign of a Church that — like a mother — cares for her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them, and supporting them in the face of danger,” Leo XIV said.
Before the Mass, the pope also spoke informally to young people and children gathered on the sports field, many of whom are preparing for their first Communion.
“Jesus will come to your home, into your heart, into your life,” he told them. “We must all be ready to open the door to find Jesus who is waiting for us.”
He also encouraged them to pray regularly and to speak to God about their worries and daily difficulties.
Finally, the pope spoke to the children about the importance of peace and reconciliation.
“Make peace with your friends when there are difficulties or differences of opinion,” he said. “Reject all forms of violence and hatred, things that cause division, and try to be promoters of peace and reconciliation in today’s world.”
At the end of the celebration, the pope met with the parish pastoral council and priests before returning to the Vatican.
This article was originally published by ACI Stampa, EWTN News’ Italian-language partner agency, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News.
Thirteen-year-old Fernando Bejarano Calvo — the second of seven children — felt the desire to become a priest in preschool. “He started talking about the seminary when he was 6,” recalled his mother, Nerea Calvo.
At first, she thought it was just a passing childhood whim. “We thought he was saying it somewhat unconsciously,” she explained in a phone conversation with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. However, that early vocational fervor remained burning in his heart. In fifth grade, at the age of 9, he entered the minor seminary in Toledo, Spain.
Fernando Bejarano Calvo serves at Benediction. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bejarano Calvo family
“We neither pushed him nor held him back,” explained his father, also named Fernando. “It’s not our decision, it’s his,” he added.
This seminary isn’t very different from other schools, except that it operates as a boarding school and places great importance on spiritual life. Prayer marks the hours of the day, during which academic formation is also very important.
“They have their teachers, their school hours, and when school is over they have their time for prayer and various activities,” Nerea explained.
Fernando Bejarano Calvo participates in a procession. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bejarano Calvo family
Fernando returns home one weekend a month and receives visits from his family every Sunday. “We talk to him every day. Even though they live at the seminary, obviously it’s not like the family suddenly disappears,” his father emphasized.
In any case, his mother doesn’t deny that the physical separation has an emotional cost: “It’s a kind of heartbreak, so to speak, that is both beautiful and difficult, but you share it with other families.”
Fernando Bejarano Calvo with his parents and sister at the seminary. |Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bejarano Calvo family
At the seminary — which has just celebrated its 100th anniversary — they have found a support network among parents and formators. Nerea experiences it as a gift: “You don’t lose your son, you gain 40 more, and 40 more families.”
An unexpected gift during the papal audience
This family accompanied their son Fernando and 46 other young men from the minor seminary in Toledo to an audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace on Feb. 28 — along with other families whose sons have also experienced an early vocation.
Pope Leo XIV shows his affection for Fernando Bejarano Calvo and the other children during an audience at the Vatican. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bejarano Calvo family
“We had been waiting for this moment for many months. We wanted to receive what the Holy Father had in store for the seminarians and also for the families who accompany them,” the boy’s father explained.
For the young men of St. Thomas Villanova Minor Seminary in Toledo, this pilgrimage was especially significant, as it coincided with the centenary celebration of the diocesan institution, whose patron saint, an Augustinian friar, holds a very special place in the heart of Pope Leo XIV.
The 46 minor seminarians from Toledo, Spain, make their way to Rome with their formators. | Credit: St. Thomas Villanova Minor Seminary in Toledo
At the end of the meeting, the pope greeted the family and held the youngest of the siblings, whom they had named Leo (León in Spanish) after the pope. Nerea’s husband, Fernando — to whom she has been married for 17 years — already had the name in mind. “I already had the name,” he said. “I hadn’t thought about it like some strategy. It was simply clear to me.”
The boy was born after a difficult pregnancy, which his mother offered for the Church, vocations, and the pontificate of the new pope.
“I was vomiting from Day 1 until the very last day. It was very difficult. I practically didn’t leave the house except to go to Mass. Very confined, very limited,” Nerea recounted.
The pope thanked them “for praying for the Church” and blessed the little boy in an unexpected gift that extended to their entire family.
Pope Leo XIV holds the youngest of the seven siblings in the Bejarano Calvo family, León. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Bejarano Calvo family
Bishops, formators, seminarians, and family members from other Spanish seminaries — Alcalá de Henares and the Interdiocesan Seminary of Catalonia and Cartagena — participated in the audience.
Among them was the rector of the Conciliar Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Children of the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares, Father Luis Eduardo Morona Alguacil, who shared with ACI Prensa that the meeting was “an experience of catholicity” and “a moment of great inner joy.”
Currently, the diocesan seminary he directs has seven seminarians, representing a diversity of ages and backgrounds. “There’s a bit of everything; there are young men, and then most are between 25 and 35 years old. Almost all of them have already had professional experience and university studies.” He indicated that all of them maintain a close connection with the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares, either by coming from its parishes or by having been mentored by diocesan priests.
Seminary rector Father Luis Eduardo Morona Alguacil (left) with Bishop Antonio Prieto Lucena, bishop of Alcalá de Henares. | Credit: Diocese of Alcalá de Henares
‘A much-desired experience’
The trip to Rome had been long awaited. According to the rector, the audience had already been requested and granted during Pope Francis’ pontificate, but it could not take place due to the worsening of his illness. “It was at that time that he was already hospitalized and with a fairly advanced illness, and he was unable to receive us,” he recalled.
A year later, the meeting with Leo XIV finally took place. “It was an experience, as always when one goes to Rome, to be with the pope, an experience of catholicity, of savoring and experiencing the mystery of the Church and of being close to the successor of Peter,” he said.
Morona also highlighted the ecclesial communion dimension of the meeting, given the presence of several Spanish seminaries.
‘Deeply moved’
According to the rector, the seminarians returned “deeply moved by the depth and essence of what the pope told them.” The central theme of the papal address was the call to cultivate a supernatural vision of reality, especially during their formation.
Pope Leo XIV meets with the seminarians of the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares at the Vatican. | Credit: Diocese of Alcalá de Henares
“They were rereading the address and overjoyed to know that the pope prays for them,” explained the rector, who emphasized the impact that Leo XIV’s personal presence had on the seminarians.
After the address, the pope approached the different groups and listened to each one. “He is a man who listens; you can tell he is paying attention when you are speaking to him, that he is attentive to what you are saying. That is something that also surprised them,” Morona recounted. Several seminarians were able to give the pope personal letters and small gifts in an atmosphere he described as “a very beautiful sense of ecclesial communion.”
Ordinations in April and the visit to Spain
The audience took place at a particularly significant time for the seminary of Diocese of Alcalá de Henares, which is preparing for the ordination of several deacons. When the rector informed the pope, Leo XIV asked: “But before or after my visit to Spain?”
“He had his visit to Spain in mind; it’s something he must have in his heart and mind,” the rector noted.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia as the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, succeeding Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who turned 80, the retirement age fpr cardinals, at the end of January.
Archbishop Caccia has till now served as the Holy Seeʼs permanent observer at the United Nations in New York, since 2019. The Italian diplomat previously served as nuncio, the pope’s diplomatic representative, to Lebanon and the Philippines.
The Holy See Press Office announced the appointment on March 7.
The French-born Pierre served as apostolic nuncio to the U.S. for nearly 10 years — spanning three U.S. presidential terms and two pontificates.
The role includes assisting with the selection of bishops and representing the Vatican at political and Church events.
Cardinal Christophe Pierre speaks to EWTN News President and COO Montse Alvarado in Rome on Friday, April 25, 2025. – Credit: EWTN News
In an interview with “EWTN News In-Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro ahead of his 80th birthday on Jan. 30, Cardinal Pierre described his decade as the papal representative to the U.S. as “very beautiful” and “difficult” years.
Pope Francis appointed Pierre apostolic nuncio in April 2016, following a nine-year term as nuncio in Mexico. He was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023.
Pierre’s retirement marks the end of an ecclesiastical diplomatic career that began in 1977 with his first role in New Zealand, and included stints in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cuba,Brazil, and the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1995, St. Pope John Paul II named him apostolic nuncio in Haiti, and four years later, in Uganda.
“To respect the role of journalists and the dignity of readers,” Pope Leo XIV described the particular task of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (Evening Courier) on the occasion of its 150th anniversary.
In his letter, addressed to editor-in-chief Luciano Fontana, the Holy Father also warned of the challenge posed by the technological revolution and urged the newspaper to “keep pace with the times.”
In the age of artificial intelligence, the pope emphasized, “there is an irreplaceable task concerning communication” and, in particular, for major newspapers, given their historical legacy.
According to the pope, this task consists of “never renouncing one’s authority, guaranteeing the transparency of sources, respecting the role of journalists and the dignity of readers, cultivating the human dimension of the story, which only experience can provide.”
“…never renouncing oneʼs authority, guaranteeing the transparency of sources, respecting the role of journalists and the dignity of readers, cultivating the human dimension of the story, which only experience can provide.”
Pope Leo IXV
Pope Leo XIV congratulated the newspaper on its 150th anniversary and for having borne witness “to the role of the printed press as a vehicle for disseminating not only news but also ideas and culture as a living leaven of the society that your newspaper has helped to build.”
“Your responsibility is great, as long as your history. Many best wishes for this anniversary, which testifies to the deep bond that unites you with Italy and encourages you to cultivate together your roots and your future,” the Holy Father stated.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
