Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, in Saint Peter’s Square, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Jubilee of the World of Education, 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!

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

I am very pleased to meet you, educators who have come from all over the world and work at every level from elementary schools to universities.

As we know, the Church is both Mother and Teacher (cf. Saint John XXIII, Encyclical Letter  Mater et Magistra , 15 May 1961, 1), and you contribute to personifying her face for many pupils and students by dedicating yourselves to their education.  Thanks to the luminous array of charisms, methodologies, pedagogies and experiences that you offer, and your “polyphonic” involvement in the Church, in Dioceses, in Congregations, Religious Institutes, Associations and Movements, you guarantee millions of young people a proper formation, always keeping the good of the person at the center of the transmission of humanistic and scientific knowledge.

I too have been a teacher in the educational institutions of the Order of Saint Augustine. I would like, therefore, to share my experience with you by focusing on four aspects of the doctrine of the  Doctor Gratiae  that I consider fundamental to Christian education:  interiority ,  unity ,  love  and  joy .  These are the principles that I would like to become the key elements of our journey together, making this meeting the beginning of a shared path of mutual growth and enrichment.

In regard to the aspect of  interiority , Saint Augustine says that “the sound of our words strikes the ears, the Master is within” ( In Epistolam Ioannis ad Parthos Tractatus  3,13), and he adds: “Those whom the Spirit does not teach interiorly depart without having learned anything” (ibid.).  He thus reminds us that it is a mistake to think that beautiful words or good classrooms, laboratories and libraries are enough to teach. These are only means and physical spaces, certainly useful, but the Teacher is within.  Truth does not spread through sounds, walls and corridors, but in the profound encounter between people, without which any educational endeavor is doomed to fail.

We live in a world dominated by technological screens and filters that are often superficial, whereas students need help to get in touch with their inner selves.  And not only them, but educators too, who are often tired and overburdened with bureaucratic tasks, run the real risk of forgetting what Saint John Henry Newman summed up in the expression:  cor ad cor loquitur  (“heart speaks unto heart”) and what Saint Augustine said: “Do not look without, return to yourself, for truth dwells within you” ( De Vera Religione , 39, 72). These words invite us to view formation as a path that teachers and pupils walk together (cf. Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution  Ex Corde Ecclesiae , 15 August 1990, 1). They are aware that they are not searching in vain, and at the same time know that they must continue searching even after having made discoveries. Only this humble and shared effort – which in school contexts takes the form of an educational project – can bring students and teachers closer to the truth.

This brings us to the second word:  unity . As you may know, my motto is:  In illo uno unum . This is also an Augustinian expression (cf.  Ennaratio in Psalmum  127, 3), which reminds us that only in Christ do we truly find unity: as members united to the Head and as companions on the journey of continuous learning in life.

The dimension of “with” is consistently present in the writings of Saint Augustine, and it is fundamental in educational contexts as a challenge to “decenter” oneself and as a stimulus to grow. For this reason, I have decided to revisit and update the Global Compact on Education project, which was one of the prophetic insights of my venerable predecessor Pope Francis. After all, our being does not belong to us, as the Teacher of Hippo teaches: “your soul belongs not just to you but to your brothers and sisters” (Ep. 243, 4). If this is true in a general sense, it is even more so in the reciprocity that is typical of education, in which the sharing of knowledge can only be seen as a great act of love.

Indeed, this very word –  love  – is our third word. It makes us reflect deeply on an Augustinian teaching that states: “The love of God is the first commandment, the love of neighbor is the first practice” ( In Evangelium Ioannis Tractatus  17, 8). In the field of education, therefore, each one of us might ask ourselves what commitment are we making to address the most urgent needs; what efforts are we making to build bridges of dialogue and peace, even within teaching communities; what skills are we developing to overcome preconceptions or narrow views; what openness are we showing in co-learning processes; and what efforts are we making to meet and respond to the needs of the most fragile, poor and excluded?  Sharing knowledge is not enough for teaching: love is needed. Only then will knowledge be beneficial to those who receive it, in itself and above all, for the charity it conveys.  Teaching should never be separated from love. One of the current difficulties in our societies is that we no longer know how to value sufficiently the great contribution that teachers and educators make to the community.  But we need to be careful, because damaging the social and cultural role of educators means jeopardizing our own future, and a crisis in the transmission of knowledge carries with it a crisis of hope.

This brings us to the last key word:  joy . True teachers educate with a smile, and their goal is to awaken smiles in the depths of their students’ souls.  Today, in our educational contexts, it is worrying to see the increasing symptoms of widespread inner fragility, at all ages.  We cannot close our eyes to these silent cries for help; on the contrary, we must strive to identify their underlying causes.  Artificial intelligence, in particular, with its technical, cold and standardized knowledge, can further cut off students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others or, worse still, the feeling that they are not worthy of them. The role of educators, on the other hand, is a human endeavor; and the very joy of the educational process is a fully human engagement, a “flame to melt our souls together, and out of many to make but one” (Saint Augustine,  Confessions , IV, 8,13).

Therefore, dear friends, I invite you to make these values –  interiority ,  unity ,  love  and  joy  – the “key elements” of your mission to your students, remembering the words of Jesus: “as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” ( Mt  25:40).  Brothers and sisters, I thank you for the valuable work you do! I give you my heartfelt blessing, and I will pray for you.

Today, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in Audience His Excellency Mr. Zoran Milanović, President of the Republic of Croatia, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, accompanied by the Reverend Monsignor Daniel Pacho, Undersecretary for the Multilateral Sector of the Section for Relations with States and International Organizations.

During the cordial discussions, held at the Secretariat of State, the parties expressed their appreciation for the good existing bilateral relations, and discussed various topics of an international and regional nature, with particular attention to the region of the Western Balkans and to regional cooperation.

From the Vatican, 31 October 2025

Press Release of the Dicastery for Evangelization

Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches

Pontifical Mission Societies

 

“One in Christ, united in mission”

Theme of the next World Mission Day 2026

 

“One in Christ, united in mission” is the theme of the World Missions Day which next year will mark the 100th anniversary of its establishment by Pope Pius XI, at the suggestion of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

On the day that marks the end of the month traditionally dedicated to missions, the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the next World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on 18 October 2026, as every year, on the penultimate Sunday of October, is announced.

On the day that marks the end of the month traditionally dedicated to missions, the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the next World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on 18 October 2026, as every year, on the penultimate Sunday of October, is announced.

In his appeal sent this year in support of World Mission Day, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that it is a special occasion when the whole Church unites in prayer for missionaries and for the fruitfulness of their apostolic work. Recalling his personal experience as a priest and then missionary bishop in Peru, the Supreme Pontiff said: “I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities”.

The theme of World Mission Day 2026, which in its first part recalls the motto chosen by the Holy Father for his Pontificate, “ In Illo uno unum ”, recalls the unity of believers in faith, based on the unity with Christ con the Father, and the consequent common mission of evangelization.

The first step in the preparation of World Mission Day 2026 will be the dissemination, in the first months of the year, of the Holy Father’s message. This will become the guiding thread of the many initiatives of animation and formation in the spirit and of missionary responsibility in all the faithful throughout this significant year, during which we will also celebrate the 110th anniversary of the foundation of the Pontifical Missionary Union, defined by Saint Paul VI as “the soul of the other Pontifical Missionary Works” (Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Society of the Holy Childhood and Society of Saint Peter the Apostle). These four societies, each with its own specific character, are dedicated to promoting missionary responsibility among the baptized and supporting the new particular Churches (cf. Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium , Art. 67 §1).

DIRECTIONS

16 NOVEMBER 2025

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION PRESIDED OVER BY THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV

On 16 November 2025, 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Poor, at 10.00, the Holy Father Leo XIV will preside over the Eucharistic Celebration in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

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The Patriarchs and Cardinals who wish to concelebrate are invited to be present by 9.30 in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian, bringing with them their white damask mitre.

The Archbishops and Bishops who wish to concelebrate must obtain the relevant ticket from this Office by 13 November via the procedure indicated at https://biglietti.liturgiepontificie.va , and are invited to be present by 9.15 in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian, bringing with them their amice, alb, cincture and simple white mitre.

The Presbyters who wish to concelebrate, and the Deacons, must obtain the relevant ticket from this Office by 13 November via the procedure indicated at https://biglietti.liturgiepontificie.va , and are invited to be present by 9.00 at the Braccio di Costantino, bringing with them their amice, alb, cincture and green stole.

Vatican City, 31 October 2025

✠ Diego Ravelli Titular Archbishop of Recanati Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations

Confirmation of election and appointment of ordinary abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Saint-Maurice, Switzerland

Appointment of bishop of San Bartolomé de Chillán, Chile

 

Confirmation of election and appointment of ordinary abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Saint-Maurice, Switzerland

The Holy Father, confirming the election of the Reverend Fr. Alexandre Ineichen, C.R.A., has appointed him as ordinary abbot of the Territorial Abbey of Saint-Maurice, Switzerland.

Curriculum vitae

The Reverend Fr. Alexandre Ineichen was born in Bern on 24 October 1967. After his studies at the high school of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice, he graduated in theology from the Université de Fribourg and, at the same institution, carried out his studies in mathematics. He was subsequently awarded a diploma of school mediator in Vallese and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in the management of training bodies.

He gave his solemn vows in 1989 and was ordained a priest on 21 may 1994.

In the abbey community, he has held the following offices: member of the Abbey Council (2006-2024), delegate ad Omnia (2023-2025), section secretary (2011-2018) and deputy prior (since 2025).

In his academic activity he has served as teacher of mathematics, physics and religion in the Abbey College, and then held the roles of supervisor (1996-2003), pro-rector (2003-2007) and rector of the same College (since 2007).

 

Appointment of bishop of San Bartolomé de Chillán, Chile

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira as bishop of the diocese of San Bartolomé de Chillán, transferring him from the titular see of Tiburnia and from the office of secretary of the Dicastery for the Clergy, conserving the personal title of Archbishop.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop Andrés Gabriel Ferrada Moreira was born on 10 June 1969 in Santiago de Chile, in the metropolitan archdiocese of the same name. He attended a course in law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and, as a student of the Pontifical Seminary of Santiago, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology. He was awarded a licentiate in biblical sciences from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, and a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He received priestly ordination on 3 July 1999.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Cristo Evangelizador y Solidario in Cerro Navia, Santiago (1999-2000), professor of the School of the Permanent Diaconate in Santiago (2000), parish vicar of St. Johann von Capistran in München (2002-2003), professor of the Seminario Pontificio Mayor de Santiago (2005), collaborator in the parish of Cristo Crucificado , Independencia, Santiago (2006-2009), professor in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2006-2018), member of the Council (2010-2018) and director of the licentiate course (2013-2017), professor of the Seminario Pontificio Mayor de Santiago (2008-2018), director of studies (2008-2018) and prefect of theology (2008-2012), chaplain of the Monastery of Cristo Rey y María Medianera of the Discalced Carmelites in Macul, Santiago (2008-2018), collaborator in the parishes of San Juan Apóstol de Vitacura (2010-2013) and of San Ramón de Providencia (2014-2018), director of the Revista Católica del Arzobispado de Santiago (2008-2017), and official of the Congregation for the Clergy (2018-2021).

On 1 October 2021 he was appointed secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy and titular archbishop of Tiburnia, receiving episcopal ordination the following 17 October.

He is a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches) and of the Dicastery for Bishops.