Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

On 15 November 2025, His Eminence Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was designated Special Envoy of the Holy Father to the 34th World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paz , in the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, on 11 February 2026.

The Pontifical Mission accompanying the Special Envoy will be composed of the following ecclesiastics:

1. The Reverend Fidel PURISACA VIGIL, head of the Communication Office of the diocese of Chiclayo;

2. The Reverend Fr. Wilson Enrique GONZALES CARBAJAL, M.I., national coordinator of Health Pastoral Care – CEAS.

 

Letter of the Holy Father

Venerabili Fratri Nostro

MICHAËLI S.R.E. Cardinali CZERNY, S.I.

Praefecto Dicasterii pro Integra Humana Progressione fovenda

Ex quo tempore Deus Pacis Nos in Sede s. Petri convocavit atque constituit, saepe toto cordis ac mentis affectu ad illam dilectam Peruviae animo currimus terram, cuius christifideles pietate ac dilectione ducti sub tutelam Beatae Mariae Virginis fidenter confugiunt. Nosmet Ipsi enim cum duodecim ante annos in Cathedrali ecclesia, Sanctae Mariae Matri Dei dicata pro carissima Nobis Chiclayensi dioecesi episcopali sacro ordine aucti sumus, exinde suavissimae Beatae Virgini sine intermissione tam Nostram Apostolicam navitatem quam profectum in christiana fide sanctae Dei plebis et nunc potissimum totam Ecclesiam ardenter commendavimus. Divina autem e providentia evenit, quod iam bo. me. Papa Franciscus cupivit, ut XXXIV Dies Mundialis pro Aegrotantibus hac prorsus in Peruviae terra celebraretur, ad diligentius exprimendam Beatae Mariae Virginis maternam curam in omnes variis doloribus et aegritudinibus affectos. Quam mentem gratam habentes, Nosmet Ipsi, accepta Conferentiae Episcopalis Peruvianae sententia, libenter confirmamus, statuentes, ut supra dicta Mundialis Dies anni MMXXVI locum suum habeat atque sollemni modo celebretur in Sanctuario Dominae Nostrae a Pace, Chiclayensi in dioecesi, ubi olim pluries et Nos Deum precibus invocabamus.

Proinde hac data occasione, cum Nosmet Ipsi una cum Ecclesia in toto orbe terrarum pro aegrotantibus precationes peculiariter iungimus, omnibus fidelibus infirmitate, morbo vel dolore patientibus, supplicamus, ut suffulti hac materna quidem intercessione cunctas incommoditates propriae vitae pro pace hoc in mundo misericordi Deo per Mariam benigne offerre velint. Rectissime enim docet s. Augustinus, hominis animum esse inquietum et tantummodo in Dei ineffabili caritate, eiusque in cotidiana ac spiritali vita applicatione, veram ac diutinam quietem posse invenire (cfr s. Augustinus, Confessiones I,1,1).

Vigili quidem animo universae Ecclesiae Pastoris officium complere cupientes, te, Venerabilis Frater Noster, ad personam Successoris Petri gerendam atque Evangelii sapientia congregatum populum diligenter erudiendum elegimus atque, harum Litterarum virtute, Missum Extraordinarium Nostrum ad illum eventum, die XI proximi mensis Februarii, in memoria videlicet Beatae Mariae Virginis de Lourdes, sollemniter explendum renuntiamus. Sacris ritibus nomine Nostro praesidebis, animum congregatorum christifidelium, inter quos peculiariter cunctos infirmos, consolatione Evangelii ex ineffabili vicissitudine Christi, qui promisit, in omnibus rerum adiunctis, se nobiscum esse omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi (cfr Mt 28,20), corrobores atque confirmes.

Denique, Venerabilis Frater Noster, te diligenter quaesumus, ut ibi adstantes cunctos Fratres in episcopatu, civiles Auctoritates, presbyteros, diaconos atque vitae consecratae sodales necnon christifideles laicos et potissimum omnes infirmos atque illos qui eos curant comiter salutabis, Nostram benevolentiam eis ostendens, quibus omnibus suademus, ut testimonium theologalium virtutum – fidei, spei et caritatis – atque in necessitudinibus humanae et christianae proximitatis, in qua alter alterius onera portat sic legem Christi adimplens (cfr Gal 6,2), imo e pectore perhibeant.

Dum missionem tuam, Venerabilis Frater Noster, praesidio Beatae Mariae Virginis a Pace commendamus, Nostram denique Apostolicam Benedictionem, caelestium gratiarum nuntiam, tibi libenter impertimur, quam ad omnes huius Diei Mundialis pro Aegrotantibus participes pertinere volumus.

Ex Aedibus Vaticanis, die XXI mensis Ianuarii, anno MMXXVI, Pontificatus Nostri primo.

LEO PP.XIV

RESCRIPTUM EX AUDIENTIA SS.MI

The Supreme Pontiff Leo XIV, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State on 21 January 2026, considering the need to adapt the regulatory framework of the Pontifical International Marian Academy to the development of its mandate and to the current structure of the Curial Institutions

HAS DECREED

the approval of the new Statutes of the aforementioned Pontifical Academy.

Furthermore, the aforementioned Statutes, attached to this Rescript, shall enter into force on 2 February 2026, with their publication in L'Osservatore Romano and, subsequently, in the official commentary Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

From the Vatican, 23 January 2026.

✠ Edgar Peña Parra Substitute

Resignation and appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Denver, U.S.A.

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Denver, United States of America, presented by Archbishop Samuel Joseph Aquila.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop James R. Golka as metropolitan archbishop of Denver, United States of America, transferring him from the diocese of Colorado Springs, United States of America.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop-elect James Robert Golka was born on 22 September 1966 in Grand Island, Nebraska. He attended Creighton University in Omaha, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He subsequently carried out his ecclesiastical studies at Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he was awarded a Master of Divinity .

He was ordained a priest on 3 June 1994 for the diocese of Grand Island.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Saint James in Kearney (1994-2000) and Holy Rosary in Alliance (2000-2001), parish priest of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Scottsbluff (2001-2006) and Saint Patrick in North Platte (2006-2016), vicar general (2018-2021) and rector of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral (2016-2021).

He was appointed bishop of Colorado Springs on 30 April 2021, receiving episcopal consecration on the following 29 June.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops;

- Archbishop Thibault Verny, chair of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; with Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, secretary.

The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father XIV on the occasion of the 12 th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking:

 

Message of the Holy Father

Peace begins with dignity: a global call to end human trafficking

Dear brothers and sisters,

On the occasion of the 12 th  World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, I firmly renew the Church’s urgent call to confront and bring an end to this grave crime against humanity.

This year in particular, I wish to recall the greeting of the Risen Lord: “Peace be with you” ( Jn  20:19). These words are more than a salutation; they offer a path toward a renewed humanity. True peace begins with the recognition and protection of the God-given dignity of every person. Yet, in an age marked by escalating violence, many are tempted to seek peace “through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion” ( Address to Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See , 9 January 2026). Moreover, in situations of conflict, the loss of human life is too often dismissed by warmongers as “collateral damage,” sacrificed in the pursuit of political or economic interests.

Sadly, the same logic of dominion and disregard for human life also fuels the scourge of human trafficking. Geopolitical instability and armed conflicts create fertile ground for traffickers to exploit the most vulnerable, especially displaced persons, migrants and refugees. Within this broken paradigm, women and children are the most impacted by this heinous trade. Furthermore, the widening gap between the rich and the poor forces many into precarious circumstances, leaving them susceptible to the deceptive promises of recruiters.

This phenomenon is particularly disturbing in the rise of so-called “cyber slavery,” whereby individuals are lured into fraudulent schemes and criminal activities, such as online fraud and drug smuggling. In such cases, the victim is coerced into assuming the role of perpetrator, exacerbating their spiritual wounds. These forms of violence are not isolated incidents, but symptoms of a culture that has forgotten how to love as Christ loves.

In the face of these grave challenges, we turn to prayer and awareness. Prayer is the “small flame” that we must guard amidst the storm, as it gives us the strength to resist indifference to injustice. Awareness enables us to identify the hidden mechanisms of exploitation in our neighborhoods and in digital spaces. Ultimately, the violence of human trafficking can be overcome only through a renewed vision that beholds every individual as a beloved child of God.

I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who serves as the hands of Christ by reaching out to victims of trafficking, including international networks and organizations. I would also like to acknowledge the survivors who have become advocates in support of other victims. May the Lord bless them for their courage, fidelity and tireless commitment.

With these sentiments, I entrust those who commemorate this day to the intercession of Saint Josephine Bakhita, whose life stands as a powerful witness of hope in the Lord who loved her to the end (cf.  Jn  13:1). Let us all join the journey toward a world where peace is not merely the absence of war, but is “unarmed and disarming,” rooted in full respect for the dignity of all.

From the Vatican, 29 January 2026

LEO PP. XIV