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Today, 15 June 2026, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in Audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the President of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Mr. Lee Jae-myung, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, and His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

During the cordial talks held at the Secretariat of State, the parties emphasized the good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Korea, and noted the positive contribution offered by the local Catholic Church to Korean society, particularly in the fields of education and social welfare.

Attention then turned to preparations for the upcoming World Youth Day and to certain aspects of the regional and international situation.

From the Vatican, 15 June 2026

The following is the text of the Message of the Holy Father Leo XIV for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be held on the fourth Sunday of July – this year, 26 July – on the theme: “I will never forget you” ( Is 49:15):

 

Message of the Holy Father

I will never forget you (Is 49:15)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises that he will never forget any of us. He assures us that he has engraved our faces on the palms of his hands (cf.  Is  49:16) and that his love is greater than a mother’s love for her child (cf.  Is  49:15). The prophet gives us a glimpse of an intimate and intense dialogue in which God addresses, in familiar terms, each person individually and the people as a whole. Even today, we can read these words as referring to each of us, and everyone can hear that “I will never forget you” spoken directly to them.

These are words that fill us with comfort and hope. They are the answer to an agonizing feeling that troubles the heart: “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me” ( Is  49:14). How often in Sacred Scripture, especially in the Psalms, does prayer spring from the despair of those who feel that their lives are of no interest to anyone and are being neglected! The painful feeling of being forgotten is, unfortunately, shared by many people, and among them are quite a few elderly people.

God’s love, which forgets no one, offers itself as an act of justice and a response to the anonymity in which human life all too often ends up lost. The lives of many elderly people, in particular, seem to be covered by a veil that blurs the features of their faces and shrouds them in oblivion. This is what happens in homes where loneliness reigns and also in those care facilities where each person’s uniqueness risks being reduced to a bed number or an illness.

The celebration of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all and that at any age it is always possible to recognize ourselves as sons and daughters of God. May this day, therefore, be an inspiration for everyone, especially the young, to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of the family and even those who have no one to visit them. Bring them, through this message and your presence, the closeness and affection of the Pope. Ensure that the words of the prophet, “But I will never forget you,” take the form of a tender and affectionate encounter. “In an era that favors speed and fragmentation, the human person still yearns to receive care and recognition from attentive minds, kind words and hands capable of tenderness. The digital culture multiplies connections and offers new opportunities for interaction; yet, the human heart retains an irrevocable need for genuine closeness” (Encyclical Letter,  Magnifica Humanitas , 239).

The Church understands the suffering of her elderly members; she knows full well that they are all too often viewed through the lens of stereotypes and considered a burden; she is aware that a profit-driven economy weakens family ties; she knows that many elderly people are left behind by children who are forced to migrate or, in some cases, to fight in wars. For each of these reasons, she joyfully proclaims the Lord’s promise: “But I will never forget you!”

It is a joy, at any age, but especially when we are no longer young, to discover, as John Paul I said, that we are the recipients “of undying love on the part of God. We know: he has always his eyes open on us, even when it seems to be dark. He is our father; even more he is our mother” ( Angelus , 10 September 1978). Even if it does not come naturally to think this way, the truth is that even in old age we do not cease to be sons and daughters; therefore, the invitation to return to the arms of God — whose love is both paternal and maternal — remains worthwhile at any age.

For many, the discovery of God’s tenderness takes place over the course of their lives, sometimes even in its final stages. Indeed, unlike in the past, it is increasingly common to reach old age without having had a genuine experience of faith. In such cases, old age — beginning with the questions that arise with greater urgency during this season of life — can become the right time to begin or resume a spiritual life. On this new journey, one can recognize that God, as Saint Augustine says, “is a mother because he cherishes, because he nourishes, because he nurses, because he protects” ( Commentary on Psalm 27 , II, 18). It is an awareness that helps us not to feel ashamed of the fragility that emerges and also to understand that we are always in need of one another and in need of attention and care. To God, who draws near to us and whom we learn to recognize in his tenderness, we can now turn with filial trust in prayer. It is never too late to begin turning to him. It can be a great gift for everyone.

Dear elderly men and women, Pope Francis spoke of you as a “new people” ( Catechesis , 23 February 2022), since the number of older adults has never been so large in human history. It is, therefore, more important than ever to reflect with you, this “new people,” on what our vocation might be when fragility — the human person’s companion from birth — seems to take over. I would like to say to you: do not be afraid of fragility! It is precisely this weakness that holds within itself a new potential that also illuminates the other stages of life. Indeed, when “we acknowledge our fragility, our hearts become open to supporting one another and to invoking the One who can grant what no human power can ensure: the profound reconciliation of hearts and, with it, true peace” ( Meeting with the Algerian community , Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, Algiers, 13 April 2026).

This is how we can live out our old age as Christians: “fragile” yet at the same time “called.” A man and a woman can, in fact, be born anew in old age (cf.  Jn  3:4-6) and exclaim, with the prophet: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” ( Is  30:15). This strength can become an invitation not to resort to the ways of arrogance and power to ensure human coexistence, but to the ways of reconciliation and true peace. In this time, so harshly marked by the violence of war and social unrest, many wonder what the world in which their grandchildren will grow up will be like. I urge you, dear friends, to join me in praying earnestly that peace may soon come to the whole world.

Dear elderly brothers and sisters, I thank you for supporting me every day with your prayers, especially when you recite the Holy Rosary. I return this gratitude from the bottom of my heart and leave you with this prayer: may the Lord always renew us in faith, hope and love — He who never forgets us!

From the Vatican, 15 June 2026

LEO PP. XIV

Appointment of members of the Board of Directors of the Holy See’s Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO)

The Holy Father has appointed the following as members of the Board of Directors of the Holy See’s Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO): the Reverend Fr. Pablo Carlos Sicouly , associate of the Master General of the Order of Preachers for Intellectual Life; the distinguished Professors Loreto Bernardita Moya Marchant , dean of the Facultad Eclesiástica de Teología of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso , Chile, and Debora Tonelli , representative of Georgetown University in Rome, Italy; and Dr. Melanie Rosenbaum , official of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- His Eminence Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the superiors of the same Dicastery;

- His Excellency Mr. Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Corea, with his wife and entourage;

- His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches;

- A delegation from the “United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York”;

- Pilgrims from the Syro-Malankara Church in Europe.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Conference of the faithful of the Syro-Malankara Church resident in Europe

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present during the meeting:

 

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Your Beatitude, Your Excellencies,

Dear priests, consecrated men and women,

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to welcome this significant delegation of the Syro-Malankara Church as part of the first convention of your clergy and faithful residing in Europe. Your Major Archbishop, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, today turns 67 years old. Happy birthday, Your Beatitude! I also extend my prayerful congratulations in anticipation of Your Beatitude’s Episcopal Silver Jubilee in August, for which the festivities have already begun with a special celebration here in Rome yesterday. Particular greetings as well to Bishop Kuriakose Mar Osthathios, the recently appointed Apostolic Visitator to the Syro-Malankara faithful residing in Europe, who has organized this convention.

Dear brothers and sisters, I understand that your entire  sui iuris  Church is embarking on an intense multi-year journey of spiritual renewal in preparation for its centenary. As we have just entered the 95th year since the establishment of your Hierarchy by the Apostolic Constitution  Christo Pastorum Principi  of  Pope Pius XI  on11 June 1932, I wish to recall that text of my illustrious predecessor, which opens with gratitude to Christ, the Chief of Pastors. We too “render the most humble and fervent thanks” to God for Venerable Mar Ivanios, who together with Mar Theophilos, guided several priests and a good number of faithful, including men and women religious from the Bethany Congregations to rediscover ecclesial communion with the Successor of the Apostle Peter as a vital part of living the Christian faith. The first Syro-Malankara Metropolitan Archbishop of Trivandrum was indeed a true Shepherd after the Heart of Jesus through whom the Holy Spirit guided God’s flock. He beautifully exemplified that “great desire for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world” (Homily, 18 May 2025) of which I spoke at the Solemn Mass for the Inauguration of my Pontificate.

Even as a young priest, Mar Ivanios looked far beyond the borders of his Christian community in Kerala and saw clearly the need to recover the dynamism of the good seed planted in India by the preaching and the martyrdom of Saint Thomas the Apostle. He also insisted that missionary work not be performed with words alone, but rather through a virtuous life and genuine charitable service. For this reason, ever since its inception, your Church has always been a beacon of evangelical energy and apostolic charity, bringing social justice, education and integral human development to those on the margins of society. In this way, the Gospel spreads, just as my venerable predecessor  Pope Benedict XVI  said, “by ‘attraction’: just as Christ ‘draws all to himself’ by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross” ( Homily for the opening of the Aparecida Conference , 13 May 2007).

The Syro-Malankara Church thus quickly began to grow beyond ethnic or linguistic limits, initially in Tamil Nadu, fruit of an evangelization effort that dates back to 1934. Those vibrant Syro-Malankara Catholic communities have flourished due to the commitment of the Hierarchy and also the commitment of the dedicated consecrated women belonging to the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary. I encourage the Synod of Bishops and the Religious Institutes of your Church to show similar commitment to the more recently created circumscriptions in India, especially the vast Eparchies of Saint Ephrem of Khadki and Saint John Chrysostom of Gurgaon. We have a future candidate coming forward here.

At the same time, an equally urgent commitment is required to the preservation and promotion of the inestimable treasures incarnated by all the Eastern Churches especially in the growing diaspora, as I had occasion to say during your Jubilee, which fell just a few days after my papal election (cf.  Address , 14 May 2025). In this vein, recognising the presence of numerous Syro-Malankara faithful in North America,  Pope Benedict XVI  erected an Apostolic Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara faithful in the United States. Ten years ago, raising the Exarchate to the rank of Eparchy, my venerable predecessor  Pope Francis  extended the care of the Eparchial Bishop to all the Syro-Malankara faithful in Canada as well.

With analogous intentions, I, already in the first year of my pontificate, appointed the first full-time Apostolic Visitator for the Syro-Malankara Catholics throughout Europe, His Excellency Mar Osthathios. His responsibility is to survey the current state of pastoral care with a view to making proposals to the local Bishops and to the Holy See for the spiritual good of the faithful. In this regard, I have asked the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches to help me “define principles, norms, and guidelines whereby Latin Bishops can concretely support Eastern Catholics in the diaspora in their efforts to preserve their living traditions and thus, by their distinctive witness, to enrich the communities in which they live” (Ibid.). The same Curial Institution will help me to evaluate the best ways to establish firm and enduring foundations so that future generations of Syro-Malankara faithful will continue to deepen their friendship with the Lord Jesus through engagement with their unique traditions, thus benefiting the Catholic Church as a whole.

Dear brothers and sisters, I ask all of you to promote greater awareness about the precious identity of the Syro-Malankara Church and your own identification with it, by participating in its ecclesial life and experiencing your unique heritage, aware of your great dignity, while remaining united to the Major Archbishop and Synod of Bishops. Knowing that the Saint Thomas Christians of India have a well-deserved reputation for devout families from which arise many vocations to the priesthood and religious life, I pray that strong faith may continue to thrive in your homes and your hearts, particularly in those of the young.

Invoking abundant graces from Almighty God upon all those who join in celebrating this joyful occasion with you, so that you may follow Christ ever more closely every day, becoming messengers of hope to all, I gladly impart the Apostolic Blessing. May the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Peace, Saint Thomas the Apostle and all your Holy Patrons, especially the Venerable Mar Ivanios, intercede for you! Thank you very much.