Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in Audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, His Excellency Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

During the cordial talks, which took place at the Secretariat of State, mutual appreciation was expressed for the sound bilateral relations, as well as for the good relations between the State and the local Church. Attention then turned to the painful consequences and damage caused by Storm Kristin.

Finally, reference was made to the national and international socio-political situation, with particular attention to Portuguese-speaking countries, noting the importance of constant commitment to supporting peace in the world.

From the Vatican, 2 February 2026

Resignation of apostolic nuncio in Syria

Resignation of apostolic nuncio in Malta and Libya

Resignation and appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Praha, Czech Republic

Resignation and succession of bishop of Pekhon, Myanmar

Appointment of bishop of Santa Rosa, Argentina

Appointment of bishop of Koszalin- Kołobrzeg, Poland

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Perth, Australia

 

Resignation of apostolic nuncio in Syria

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of apostolic nuncio in Syria presented by His Eminence Cardinal Mario Zenari, upon reaching the age limit.

 

Resignation of apostolic nuncio in Malta and Libya

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of apostolic nuncio in Malta and Libya presented by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, titular of Sila, upon reaching the age limit.

 

Resignation and appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Praha, Czech Republic

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Praha, Czech Republic, presented by Archbishop Jan Graubner.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Stanislav Přibyl, C.Ss.R., transferring him from the see of Litoměřice.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Stanislav Přibyl, C.Ss.R., was born on 16 November 1971 in Praha. On 22 June 1996 he was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists).

After ordination, he first held the roles of chaplain of the Shrine of Our Lady at Svatá Hora (2996-1999), parish priest of the same Shrine (1999-2008), and provincial superior of the Congregation of the Redemptorists and president of archdiocesan Caritas of Praha. He was awarded a licentiate in theology in 2012, and served as vicar general of the diocese of Litoměřice and secretary general of the Czech Episcopal Conference (2009-2016), administrator of the parishes of Horní Police, Jezvé and Žandov. He graduated with the title of Magister and engineer in economics and management and was awarded a doctorate in theology (2019) and a doctorate in history of figurative art (2025). He was a member of the National Team for the Synod on Synodality.

On 23 November 2023 he was appointed bishop of Litoměřice, receiving episcopal consecration the following 2 March. Since 29 April 2025 he has served as vice president of the Czech Episcopal Conference.

 

Resignation and succession of bishop of Pekhon, Myanmar

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Pekhon, Myanmar, presented by Bishop Peter Hla.

He is succeeded by Bishop Felice Ba Htoo, until now coadjutor bishop of the same diocese.

 

Appointment of bishop of Santa Rosa, Argentina

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Luis Dario Martín, hitherto auxiliary bishop of Santa Rosa, Argentina, and titular of Bisenzio, as bishop of the same diocese.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Luis Dario Martín was born on 4 March 1961 in General Pico, diocese of Santa Rosa. He studied philosophy and theology at the seminary of Buenos Aires.

He was ordained a priest on 17 March 1990 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Buenos Aires.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of three Communities in Buenos Aires, parish administrator of Corpus Domini , dean and member of the Presbyteral Council, president of the Council of Schools of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires, parish priest of Nuestra Señora de Luján de los Patriotas.

On 20 March 2019 he was appointed bishop of Bisenzio and auxiliary of the diocese of Santa Rosa. On 28 July 2025 he was appointed diocesan administrator of Santa Rosa.

Within the Argentine Episcopal Conference, he is a member of the Episcopal Commission for Aid to the Regions most in need.

 

Appointment of bishop of Koszalin- Kołobrzeg, Poland

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko as bishop of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, Poland, transferring him from the titular see of Cavaillon and the office of auxiliary bishop of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko was born on 2 September 1960 in Słupsk, in the diocese of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg. After completing his studies at the major seminary in Koszalin, he was ordained a priest on 25 May 1986.

He studied homiletics at the Catholic Theological Academy of Warsaw, where he was awarded a licentiate.

He has held the following offices: professor of homiletics at the major seminary of Koszalin and moderator of the seminary (1990-1994), director of the diocesan radio station in Koszalin (1993-1995), teacher at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Koszalin (since 1993), director of the Pastoral Section of the Episcopal Curia (since 1995), and canon of the Collegial Chapter of Piła (since 2002). He provided pastoral care for Polish faithful at the Polish Catholic Mission in Zurich, Switzerland (2007-2009). He was awarded a doctorate in homiletics in 2008.

On 16 February 2009 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg, and assigned the titular see of Cavaillon. On 25 April 2009 he received episcopal ordination in the Cathedral of Koszalin. On 5 May 2025 he was elected diocesan administrator of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg. Within the Episcopal Conference, he is chair of the Commission for Migrants and Refugees.

 

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Perth, Australia

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Nelson Po, of the clergy of the archbishop of Perth, Australia, until now parish priest of Saint Benedict’s parish in Applecross, as auxiliary bishop of the same metropolitan archdiocese, assigning him the titular see of Agunto.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Nelson Po was born on 5 June 1968 in Leyte, in the Philippines. He was awarded a degree in industrial engineering from the Leyte Institute of Technology in Tacloban. He studied philosophy at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City, and theology at the Maryhill School of Theology in Manila.

He was ordained a priest on 9 December 2005 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Perth.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar in Kalgoorlie (2006-2008), chaplain of the Royal Perth Hospital (2008-2010), parish priest of Cloverdale (2010-2016), and parish priest of Applecross (since 2016).

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Mr. Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, Director General of the International Labour Organization;

- His Eminence Cardinal Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, archbishop of Lima, Peru;

- Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, Superior General of the Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers;

- Archbishop Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo, bishop of Cesena-Sarsina, Italy;

- Bishop Claudio Giuliodori, General Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and of Italian Catholic Action;

- Mr. Michael Hintze;

- His Excellency Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal, and entourage.

* * *

Activities of the Holy Father in the afternoon:

- Holy Mass on the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life.

At 17.00 this afternoon, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and 30 th World Day of Consecrated Life, the Holy Father Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica.

The rite began with the blessing of the candles and the procession, and continued with the Eucharistic celebration.

During the Holy Mass, after the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, the Pope delivered the following homily:

 

Homily of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters, today, on this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Gospel recounts how Simeon and Anna recognized and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah in the Temple (cf.  Lk  2:22-40). What unfolds before us is a meeting between two movements of love: that of God, who comes to save his people, and that of humanity, which awaits his coming with vigilant faith.

On the part of God, the fact that Jesus is presented as the son of a poor family within the grand setting of Jerusalem shows us how he offers himself to us with full respect for our freedom, fully sharing in our poverty. There is nothing coercive in his actions; there is only the disarming strength of his unarmed generosity. On the other hand, the expectation of humanity — specifically that of the people of Israel — finds full expression in two elderly people: Simeon and Anna. This moment represents the climax of a long history of salvation that stretches from the Garden of Eden to the courtyards of the Temple — a history marked by light and shadow, failure and renewal, yet always driven by a single, vital desire: to restore full communion between the Creator and his creatures. And so, just steps from the “Holy of Holies,” the Fountain of Light offers himself as a lamp to the world, and the Infinite gives himself to the finite in a way so humble that it almost passes unnoticed.

Today we celebrate the 30th World Day of Consecrated Life with this scene in mind, recognizing it as an image of the mission of religious men and women in the Church and in the world. As  Pope Francis  exhorted, “‘Wake up the world,’ since the distinctive sign of consecrated life is prophecy” ( Apostolic Letter to all Consecrated People , 21 November 2014, II, 2). Dear brothers and sisters, the Church asks you to be prophets — messengers who announce the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for him. Borrowing expressions from the prophet Malachi, whom we heard in the first reading, you are invited to become, through the generous “emptying” of yourselves for the Lord, braziers for the Refiner’s fire and vessels for the Fuller’s soap (cf.  Mal  3:1-3). Through this offering, Christ — the one eternal messenger of the covenant, who remains present among humanity today — can melt and purify hearts with his love, grace and mercy. You are called to this mission above all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and in a readiness to be consumed by charity (cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church  Lumen Gentium , 44).

Your founders and foundresses, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, offer you wonderful models of how to fulfil this mandate faithfully and effectively.  Living in constant tension between earth and heaven, they allowed themselves to be guided with faith and courage. Setting out from the Eucharistic table, some were led to the silence of the cloister, others to the demands of the apostolate; some to the classrooms of schools, others to the destitution of the streets or the toil of the missions. This same faith moved them to return, time and again, humbly and wisely, to the foot of the Cross and to the Tabernacle, where they offered everything and discovered in God both the source and the goal of all their actions. Through the power of grace, they also embarked on perilous undertakings. They became a prayerful presence in hostile or indifferent environments; a generous hand and a friendly shoulder amid degradation and abandonment; and witnesses of peace and reconciliation in situations marked by violence and hatred. They were ready to bear the consequences of going against the current, becoming, in Christ, a “sign of contradiction” ( Lk  2:34), sometimes even to the point of martyrdom.

Pope Benedict XVI  wrote that “the interpretation of sacred Scripture would remain incomplete were it not to include listening to those who have truly lived the word of God” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation  Verbum Domini , 48).  Today, we honor our brothers and sisters who have gone before us as protagonists of this “prophetic tradition, wherein the word of God sets the prophet’s very life at its service” ( ibid. , 49).  We do so above all by carrying forward their legacy.

Even today, through your profession of the evangelical counsels and the many works of charity you carry out, you are called to bear witness to God’s saving presence in history for all peoples (cf.  Lk  2:30-31), even within a society in which false and reductive understandings of the human person increasingly widen the gap between faith and life. You are called to testify that the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a sacred place above all else on God’s altar and in his heart. At the same time, each of them is an inviolable sanctuary of God’s presence, before whom we must bend our knee, in order to encounter him, adore him and give him glory.

Evidence of this can be seen in the many “outposts of the Gospel” that your communities have established in a wide variety of challenging contexts, even in the midst of conflict. These communities do not abandon their people, nor do they flee; they remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder — more eloquent than words — of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions. Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail, their presence proclaims the words of Jesus: “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for... in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father” ( Mt  18:10).

In this light, I would like to reflect on the prayer of the elderly Simeon, which we recite every day: “Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen your salvation” ( Lk  2:29-30).  Consecrated life, in its serene detachment from all that is passing, reveals the inseparable bond between authentic care for earthly realities and a hope filled with love for what is eternal — those goods already chosen in this life as the final and definitive end, and thus capable of giving meaning to all else. Simeon recognized salvation in Jesus and stood free before both life and death. As a “righteous and devout” ( Lk  2:25) man, together with Anna, who “never left the temple” (v. 37), he kept his gaze fixed on the promise of the world to come.

The Second Vatican Council  reminds us that “the Church... will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven... At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself... will be perfectly established in Christ” ( Lumen Gentium , 48).  This prophetic vision concerns you as well: men and women firmly rooted in the realities of the present, yet “always attentive to the things that are above” ( Roman Missal , Collect for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Christ died and rose in order to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” ( Heb  2:15). Through your commitment to follow him more closely — sharing in his self-emptying and in his life in the Spirit (cf. Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life  Perfectae Caritatis ,  5) — you can show the world the way to overcome conflict, sowing fraternity through the freedom of those who love and forgive without measure.

Dear consecrated men and women, today the Church gives thanks to the Lord and to you for your presence. She encourages you to be leaven of peace and signs of hope wherever Providence may lead you. As we renew the offering of our lives to God upon the altar, we entrust your work to the intercession of Mary Most Holy, together with all your holy founders and foundresses.

At midday today, the Holy Father Leo XIV appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

The following are the Pope’s words of introduction to the Marian prayer:

 

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today’s liturgy proclaims a beautiful passage from the Good News that Jesus announces to all humanity: the Gospel of the Beatitudes ( Mt  5:1-12). These are, in fact, lights that the Lord kindles in the darkness of history, revealing the plan of salvation that the Father accomplishes through the Son, with the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the mountain, Christ gives his disciples the new law, no longer written on stone. It is a law that renews our lives and makes them good, even when the world seems to have failed us and is full of misery. Only God can truly call the poor and afflicted blessed (cf. vv.   3-4), because he is the highest good who gives himself to all with infinite love. Only God can satisfy those who seek peace and justice (cf. vv. 6.9), because he is the just judge of the world and the author of eternal peace. Only in God do the meek, the merciful and the pure of heart find joy (vv. 5.7-8), because he is the fulfilment of their expectations. In persecution, God is the source of redemption; in falsehood, he is the anchor of truth. Therefore, Jesus proclaims: “Rejoice and be glad!” (v. 12).

These Beatitudes remain a paradox only for those who believe that God is other than how Christ reveals him. Those who expect the arrogant to always rule the earth are surprised by the Lord’s words. Those who are accustomed to thinking that happiness belongs to the rich may believe that Jesus is deluded. However, the delusion lies precisely in the lack of faith in Christ. He is the poor man who shares his life with everyone, the meek man who perseveres in suffering, the peacemaker persecuted to death on the cross.

In this way, Jesus illuminates the meaning of history. It is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed. The Son looks at the world through the Father’s love. On the other hand, as  Pope Francis  said, there are “the experts in illusion. We should not follow them because they are unable to give us hope” ( Angelus , 17 February 2019). Instead, God gives this hope primarily to those whom the world dismisses as hopeless.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, the Beatitudes become for us a measure of happiness, leading us to ask whether we consider it an achievement to be bought or a gift to be shared; whether we place it in objects that are consumed or in relationships that accompany us. It is in fact because of Christ (cf.  Mt  5:11) and thanks to him that the bitterness of trials is transformed into the joy of the redeemed. Jesus does not speak of a distant consolation, but of a constant grace that always sustains us, especially in times of affliction.

The Beatitudes lift up the humble and disperse the proud in their inmost thoughts (cf  Lk  1:51). Therefore, we ask for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, servant of the Lord, whom all generations call blessed.

_________________

After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters,

I have received the greatly troubling news regarding an increase in tensions between Cuba and the United States of America, two neighboring countries. I echo the message of the Cuban bishops, inviting all responsible parties to promote a sincere and effective dialogue, in order to avoid violence and every action that could increase the suffering of the dear Cuban people. May the  Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre  assist and protect all of the children of that beloved land!

Next Friday, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games will begin, followed by the Paralympic Games. I extend my best wishes to the organizers and all the athletes. These great sporting events send a powerful message of fraternity and rekindle hope for a world at peace. This is also the meaning of the Olympic truce, an ancient custom that accompanies the Games. I hope that all those who care about peace among peoples and are in positions of authority will take this opportunity to make concrete gestures of détente and dialogue.

Today in Italy is the “National Day for Civilian Victims of War and Conflict around the World.” Unfortunately this initiative is still tragically relevant. Every day there are more civilian victims of armed actions, actions that openly violate morality and the law. The dead and wounded of yesterday and today will truly be honored when this intolerable injustice comes to an end.

I assure you of my prayers for the dead and for those who are suffering as a result of the storms that have struck Portugal and southern Italy in recent days. Let us also not forget the people of Mozambique who have been severely affected by flooding.

I greet all of you, dear Romans and pilgrims from various countries!

In particular, I am pleased to welcome the members of the Luce-Vita movement of the Diocese of Siedlce, Poland, accompanied by their Auxiliary Bishop. I greet the groups of faithful from Paraná in Argentina, from Chojnice, Warsaw, Wrocław, and Wagrowiec in Poland, from Pula and Sinj in Croatia, from Guatemala City and San Salvador, as well as the students from the Rodríguez Moñino Institute in Badajoz and those from Cuenca, Spain. I also greet the devotees of Our Lady of Miracles of Corbetta, near Milan.

I thank you from my heart for your prayers and wish everyone a happy Sunday!