Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

On Friday 20 March 2026 at 11.30 , a press conference will be held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, for the launch of the Mining Divestment Platform .

The speakers will be:

- His Eminence Cardinal Fabio Baggio , undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development;

- His Eminence Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini , bishop of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, known for his defence of human rights, indigenous peoples, migrants and social justice;

- Bishop Vicente Ferreira of Livramento de Nossa Senhora, Brazil, adviser to the Iglesias y Minería (Churches and Mines) Network;

- Ms. Yolanda Flores , leader of the Aymara people in Peru, in territories of major interest for the extraction of critical minerals;

- Sr. Anneliese Herzig , religious sister of the Missionaries of the Holy Redeemer, head of the Department for the Mission and Social Affairs of the Austrian Episcopal Conference;

- Sr. Maamalifar M. Poreku , missionary of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA), originally from Ghana, with extensive experience in the fields of justice, peace and integral ecology;

- Fr. Dario Bossi , Comboni priest with experience in areas affected by mining activity, and former advisor to the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, coordinator of the Red Iglesias y Minería (Churches and Mines Network).

The press conference will be livestreamed in the original language on the Vatican News YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews .

Remote participation

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the press conference remotely must apply, no later than two hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event: CS Piattaforma di Disinvestimento nell’Ambito Minerario.

During the request phase, select the option “Sì”, in the box “Partecipazione da remoto”.

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system and, at the same time, the link to access the virtual platform in order to participate actively in the press conference, with the possibility to ask questions.

Participation in person

Journalists and media operators who wish to participate in the press conference in person must apply, no later than 24 hours before the event, via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system, at https://press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , selecting the event: CS Piattaforma di Disinvestimento nell’Ambito Minerario.

Journalists and media operators who are admitted will receive confirmation of participation via the online accreditation system.

Simultaneous translation

It is possible to access the simultaneous translation channels in order to listen to the press conference in Italian , English and Spanish , both by connecting to the respective Vatican News linguistic channels and by using the virtual participation platform indicated in the paragraph “Remote participation”.

Simultaneous translation is also available to those present in the Holy See Press Office.

* * *

Journalists and media operators accredited for the press conference are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the TG2 Editorial Team of the RAI ( Radiotelevisione italiana , the Italian national public broadcasting company), on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding.

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!

Good morning to you all, and welcome!

I extend my greetings to the Board of Directors, the Director and the editorial team of TG2, and offer my congratulations on this news programme reaching its fiftieth anniversary.

This “birthday” invites us to reflect on the journey you have made, as a paradigm of the challenges that television journalism has faced and those that still lie ahead. I am thinking of the transition from analogue to digital, in which you played a leading role in seizing the opportunities and understanding that no technological innovation can replace creativity, critical discernment and freedom of thought. And if the challenge of our time is that of artificial intelligence, I think of the need to regulate communication according to the human paradigm and not the technological one. Which means, ultimately, knowing how to distinguish between the means and the ends.

The distinctive features that have characterized you from the very beginning are laicity and pluralism of information sources, even in state television. Laicity understood as a rejection of ideological preconceptions and as an open-minded view of reality. We all know how difficult it is to allow ourselves to be surprised by facts, by encounters, by the gazes and voices of others; how strong the temptation is to seek out, see and listen only to what confirms our own opinions. But there can be no good communication, nor true freedom and healthy pluralism, without this openness.

Throughout the history of TG2, diverse cultural perspectives have coexisted. This diversity, especially when animated by a spirit of friendship, has been an added value to your identity, a source of richness, an example of dialogue, which still has much to teach us today, in an age dominated by polarization, ideological closed-mindedness and slogans that prevent us from seeing and understanding the complexity of reality.

Always, but especially in the dramatic circumstances of war, such as those we are currently experiencing, the media must guard against the risk of becoming propaganda. And the task of journalists, in verifying the news so as not to become a mouthpiece for those in power, becomes even more urgent and delicate—I would say essential.

It is up to you to show the sufferings that war always brings to the people; to show the face of war and to relate it through the eyes of the victims, so as not to transform it into a videogame. It is not easy in the few minutes of a news programme and its in-depth segments. But this is the challenge.

I thank you for your visit, I offer you my best wishes and I bless all of you and your work.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to whom he delivered the following address:

 

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

 

Welcome, my dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to greet all of you today as you gather for your Plenary Assembly. In a particular way, I thank the new President —still new — Archbishop Thibault Verny, President of the Commission, for his leadership and dedication. And I thank the Secretary, Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, for his devoted service, as well as the Adjunct Secretary, Dr Teresa Morris Kettelkamp, for her valuable contributions to the work of the Commission. I likewise express gratitude to all of you, members and staff, for your service to the Church by protecting children, adolescents and persons in vulnerable situations. It is a demanding service, sometimes silent, often burdensome, but one which is essential for the life of the Church and for the building of an authentic culture of care.

My venerable predecessor,  Pope Francis , wanted to place your service permanently within the  Roman Curia  to remind the whole Church that the prevention of abuse is not an optional task, but a constitutive dimension of the mission of the Church. Since my election, I have been greatly encouraged by the dialogue you have fostered with the Disciplinary Section of the  Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith . By doing so, you are achieving the desired goal that prevention — one of your responsibilities — and the vigilant discipline exercised by  that Dicastery  come together in a truly synergistic and effective way.

Your mission is to help ensure that abuse is prevented. Yet prevention is never just a set of protocols or procedures. It is about helping to form, throughout the Church, a culture of care, in which the protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is not seen as an obligation imposed from outside, but as a natural expression of faith. It calls therefore for a process of conversion where the sufferings of others are heard and move us to take action. In this regard, the experiences of victims and survivors are essential reference points.  While they are certainly painful and difficult to hear, these experiences powerfully bring the truth to light and teach us humility as we strive to assist victims and survivors. At the same time, it is precisely through the recognition of the pain that has occurred that a credible path for hope and renewal is opened.

Another important element of your service is incorporating a multidisciplinary and systematic approach. As part of the  Roman Curia , within the  Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith , you have a clear role that places you in dialogue with the Dicasteries and other institutions that exercise their responsibility in the various areas related to protection. It is my expectation that you continue to achieve even greater cooperation with them, so that they may enrich your work with their knowledge. At the same time, they too can be enriched by the experience that the Commission has gained in these eleven years of service, particularly through the attentive and sincere listening that you offer to victims, to survivors and to their families. In this regard, the Commission’s Annual Report is a tool of great importance. It represents an exercise in truth and responsibility, as well as in hope and prudence, which must go hand in hand for the good of the Church. Hope prevents us from giving in to discouragement; prudence preserves us from improvisation and superficiality in addressing the prevention of abuse.

Ordinaries and Major Superiors also have a responsibility of their own that cannot be delegated. Listening to victims and accompanying them must find concrete expression in every ecclesial community and institution. I encourage you to continue to serve as a resource for them so that no community within the Church feels alone in this task. Indeed, the help you offer through the Memorare Initiative is invaluable. Supporting local Churches, especially where resources or expertise are lacking, means giving concrete expression to ecclesial solidarity. I look forward to receiving additional information in your third Annual Report on the encouraging progress already made, as well as on the areas in which further development is still required.

The Commission’s engagement with the Church at every level, with victims, survivors and their families as well as with civil society partners has prompted you to deepen your study in two rapidly developing areas of safeguarding: the concept of vulnerability in relation to abuse, and the prevention of technology-facilitated abuse of minors in the digital space. By reading these “signs of the times,” you help the Church to address safeguarding challenges courageously, and respond with pastoral clarity and structural renewal. This is already taking concrete form in the development of a Universal Guidelines Framework. I look forward to receiving the final proposal so that, after appropriate study and discernment, it can be published.

Dear friends, all of your efforts demonstrate that your mission is not simply the establishment of a formal process but a sign of communion and shared responsibility. Before concluding, let me reiterate that the protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is not an isolated area of ecclesial life, but a dimension that permeates pastoral care, formation, governance and discipline. Every step forward on this journey is a step towards Christ and towards a more evangelical and authentic Church.

I entrust your service to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you very much.

[Our Father, Blessing]

Thank you so much for your service, and may you have a truly blessed encounter in Rome during these days. And thank you for all you are doing to help the Church in our mission. Thank you.

This morning, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received a telephone call from His Excellency Mr Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, concerning the alarming developments in the conflict in the Middle East and the living conditions of the Palestinian people.

During the conversation, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to achieving peace through political and diplomatic dialogue, as well as through full respect for international law.

From the Vatican, 16 March 2026

Accredited journalists are hereby notified that applications are now open for accreditation to the Papal Flight for the announced Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, which will take place from 13 to 23 April 2026, according to the following itinerary:

Monday 13 April 2026

Rome/Fiumicino – Algiers (1.029km, 2h, ITA Airways)

Tuesday 14 April 2026

Algiers – Annaba (440km, 1h 10', Air Algérie)

Annaba – Algiers (440km, 1h 10', Air Algérie)

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Algiers – Yaoundé (4.014km, 5h 10', ITA Airways)

Thursday 16 April

Yaoundé – Bamenda (305km, 55', Camair-Co)

Bamenda – Yaoundé (305km, 55', Camair-Co)

Friday 17 April 2026

Yaoundé – Douala (259km, 55', ITA Airways)

Douala –Yaoundé (388km, 1h 05', ITA Airways)

Saturday 18 April 2026

Yaoundé – Luanda (1.627km, 2h 30', ITA Airways)

Sunday 19 April 2026

Luanda – Muxima (110km, 30', Helicopter)

Muxima – Luanda (110km, 30', Helicopter)

Monday 20 April 2026

Luanda – Saurimo (945km, 1h 30', TAAG)

Saurimo – Luanda (945km, 1h 30', TAAG)

Tuesday 21 April 2026

Luanda – Malabo (1.564km, 2h 30', ITA Airways)

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Malabo – Mongomo (322km, 1h, CEIBA Intercontinental)

Mongomo – Bata (138km, 40', CEIBA Intercontinental)

Bata – Malabo (240km, 50', CEIBA Intercontinental)

Thursday 23 April 2026

Malabo – Rome/Fiumicino (4.590km, 6h 10', ITA Airways)

Time zone

Rome +2h UTC

Algiers +1h UTC

Annaba +1h UTC

Yaoundè +1h UTC

Bamenda +1h UTC

Douala +1h UTC

Luanda +1h UTC

Muxima +1h UTC

Saurimo +1h UTC

Malabo +1h UTC

Mongomo +1h UTC

Bata +1h UTC

The provisional programme for the announced Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea has been published in today’s Bulletin No. 208, Monday 16 March 2026.

Applications for admission to the Papal Flight may only be made via the Holy See Press Office’s online accreditation system at press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , by registering as a user or logging in with your credentials and selecting the relevant event from the Events Calendar.

The deadline for submitting applications for admission to the Papal Flight is Thursday, 19 March 2026, at 12:00 noon.