Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Press Conference (10 September 2026)

Press Conference (11 September 2026)



Press Conference (10 September 2026)

On Thursday 10 September 2026 , at 10.30 , at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, a press conference will be held to present the Conference “ The 21st century: a new time of martyrs? ” (Augustinianum, 15 September 2026).

The speakers will be:

- His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro , prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints;

- Archbishop Fabio Fabene , secretary, president of the Commission for New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith;

- Professor Andrea Riccardi , vice president of the Commission for New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith.

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 should 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 “Il XXI secolo: un nuovo tempo di martiri?” .

During the request phase, please 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 and to take part 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 should 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 “Il XXI secolo: un nuovo tempo di martiri?” .

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

* . * . *

Accredited journalists and media operators are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.

 

Press Conference (11 September 2026)

On Friday 11 September 2026 , at 13.00 , a press conference will be held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to present the 4 th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Meeting: North-South socio-environmental dialogue , taking place from 10 to 12 September 2026 at the Casa Generalizia de La Salle , Via Aurelia 476, Rome.

The speakers will be:

- His Eminence Cardinal Jaime Spengler , chair of CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council);

- Ms. Liz Schuler , chair of the AFL-CIO (American Labour Federation and Congress of Industrial Organizations);

- Msgr. Daniel Flores , vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops;

- His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Steiner , chair of CEAMA (Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon);

- Mr. Gerardo Martínez , full member of the governing body of the ILO (International Labour Organization), representing workers;

- Msgr. Reginald Andrietta , coordinator of the Organized Labour Network of CELAM.

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 IV Incontro Sinodale Fratelli Tutti.

During the request phase, please 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 and 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 IV Incontro Sinodale Fratelli Tutti.

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

Simultaneous translation

It will be possible to access the simultaneous translation channels and listen to the press conference in Italian , English and Spanish both via the Vatican News channels in the respective languages or by using the virtual platform indicated in the paragraph “Remote participation”.

Simultaneous translation will also be available for those who attend the press conference in person at the Holy See Press Office.

* . * . *

Accredited journalists and media operators are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Bishops who are friends of the Focolare Movement.

This morning’s General Audience took place at 10.00 in Saint Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Leo XIV met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and all over the world.

In his address in Italian, the Pope continued his cycle of catechesis on “The Documents of the Second Vatican Council”, focusing on the theme: Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS 12-22). 2. Human dignity: gift and responsibility (Reading: Ps 8:2, 2-7).

After summarizing his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed special greetings to the faithful present.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.

 

The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. IV. Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS 12-22) 2. Human dignity: gift and responsibility

Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

The Conciliar Constitution Gaudium et Spes ( GS ), by dedicating the first chapter to the dignity of the human person, emphasizes that it is the foundation and condition for “those values which are most highly prized today”, but these must not lose sight of their “divine source”, in order to avoid possible distortions arising from the “taint in man’s human heart” ( GS , 11).

The journey that made it possible to highlight the fundamental characteristics and rights of human dignity certainly represents one of the most significant chapters in human history. However, the path ahead is not yet complete and must address the contradictions, both old and new, which prevent its full realization.

The Church clearly offers her contribution, reminding us that human dignity arises from the very being of the person. I had the opportunity to reiterate this also in my recent Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas : “Every human person is planned and willed by God to enter into communion with Him, with others and with creation. Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of His unfailing love” (no. 50). The infinite dignity of the human being, then, is rooted in his identity as a creature made “‘to God’s image’ … capable of knowing and loving his Creator”, a plan and gift of love that transcends other created realities, which are entrusted to his care to “subdue them and use them to God’s glory” ( GS , 12).

In faith we can understand the ultimate foundation for the dignity of the person, inasmuch as the Son, “by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (no. 22).

The person always implies relationship, communion and participation in relation to God and to others; hence, a filial relationship with God the Father and a fraternal relationship with Christ and with all humankind. It excludes self-centred isolation. To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity and service.

This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each person: at the same time, it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still disfigure our perception of it and hinder its realization. Indeed, as a result of the choices made throughout history that have run counter to this dignity, even today “man is split within himself”, and “all of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil between light and darkness”. This fragile and limited condition, however, can be regarded with hope, because “the Lord Himself came to free and strengthen man, renewing him inwardly and casting out that ‘prince of this world’ ( John 12:31) who held him in the bondage of sin” ( GS , 13).

Furthermore, the Constitution Gaudium et Spes affirms that human dignity concerns the whole person and, therefore, dualistic views must be overcome: the human being “though made of body and soul, is one”. Reducing the body to an “object” to be disposed of arbitrarily is always a denial of the dignity of the person: “man is not allowed to despise his bodily life” and “is obliged to regard his body as good and honourable since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day”, while ensuring that it does not become enslaved by “the evil inclinations of his heart” ( GS , 14), since we are all wounded by sin.

Finally, there Gaudium et Spes recalls the three most significant expressions of the dignity of the person: intelligence, which makes the human being an insatiable seeker of the truth (no. 15); conscience, through which he gives unity and meaning to his life (no. 16), and freedom, which makes him the responsible agent of his own decisions (no. 17). These dimensions are closely connected to one another: it is in conscience that truth is recognized as such, and freedom can experience it as its foundation and possibility. The Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, makes us free and constantly assures us of our dignity as children of God, delivering us from fear and guiding us towards the ultimate goal, that life in its fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us. It is only in Him that the mystery of the human person finds true light; from Him we receive light on the enigma of suffering and death; and with Him we journey towards the Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters, created in God’s image, through Christ and for His sake, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always, with the light and strength of the Gospel.

 

___________________

Greeting in English

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, South Africa, Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines, and the United States of America.  In a particular way, I gladly renew my welcome to the members of the Steering Committee of the Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation in the Arab World, who are present today.  I thank you for your cooperation with the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, and pray that your efforts to promote peaceful coexistence in the Arab region will indeed bear much fruit.  Upon each of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God bless you all!

 

___________________

Summary of Catechesis

Dear brothers and sisters, in our series of catecheses on the Second Vatican Council, we continue our reflection on Gaudium et Spes , focusing on the dignity of the human person.  Human dignity flows from our identity as children made in the image and likeness of God.  We are endowed with the gifts of intelligence, for seeking truth; conscience, for recognizing our ultimate calling; and freedom, for choosing the good.  Only through Christ do we understand that our personhood implies relationship and the call to give ourselves as a gift to God and others.  May we therefore help each other to guard and defend our God-given dignity and journey together toward our heavenly homeland.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience a group of bishops who are friends of the Focolare Movement.

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 all of you and welcome!

I warmly greet you, friends of the Focolare Movement, who have gathered for your spiritual meeting.  I am grateful for your visit today, which expresses your collegial affection, and I thank you for your continued prayers.  It gives me joy to see so many of you, from diverse countries, backgrounds and social situations, reunited in one spirit under the Work of Mary.  Those reassuring words of our Lord come to mind: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst” ( Mt 18:20).

Indeed, the theme chosen for your congress, “giving witness to unity”, is one of the essential elements of the movement founded by Chiara Lubich, and one that is close to my heart.   In an age sadly marked by increasing polarization, our Lord enabled her to give witness to both the sense and service of unity, thus becoming a sign for her own and for future generations (cf. Pope Francis, Address to the Bishops Who Are Friends of The Focolare Movement , 25 September 2021).

If that was Chiara’s task forty years ago, it is ours even more urgently today. I think of the difficult social situations, the circumstances, the divisions which some of you, my brothers, endure in your countries, situations such as prejudice, racism, religious intolerance, even violence.

I think also of the situation here in the West, now all too marked by the effects of individualism, where the once-stable networks of family, friendship and community are giving way to greater fragmentation, and where freedom is increasingly presented as absolute autonomy – the ability to pursue happiness without any moral, natural or even human limits (cf. Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas , 118).

And yet we observe a paradox.  For all the emphasis on individual freedom, people today frequently feel less free to be their genuine selves or follow their highest ideals, out of a hidden fear of being judged or of not fitting in.  Moreover, this loss of openness to others, which exacerbates a sense of disunity, ultimately deprives us of the happiness for which we were created, since we are made in the image of the Triune God, who is himself a communion of persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In revealing the heart of the Father, Christ shows us the deepest meaning of our existence, of our relationships, and the path to happiness. Through the gift of the Spirit, we have become children of God, sharers in the divine life, and from this communion with God flows our communion with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  This is the Church, a mystery of communion (cf. Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Communionis Notio , 3), the sign and leaven of unity for our world.

As sharers in the spiritual legacy of Chiara Lubich, and as ministers of Christ’s Church in a fragmented world, you are called to give witness to this longed-for unity of the human family. The answer to the sad divisions that plague our world lies not in forming more committees or launching more projects, but in going back to the source of our unity in the Holy Trinity. Indeed, we must become contemplatives!

With these thoughts, I encourage you to take advantage of these days together to live that fraternity which recalls and confirms our kinship in Christ.  These are days of grace, being with one’s brothers in the episcopate. We know how it benefits us. I am glad, therefore, that you have found in the Work of Mary this spiritual support. May it also help you to live out communion and fraternity in your respective Bishops’ Conferences.

Above all, I hope you will take the opportunity to nourish your interior life: with generous and sustained prayer before our Lord in the Tabernacle, with a calm and attentive celebration of the Office and Holy Mass, and finally by frequent contemplation of the indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity in the depth of our being.  In this way, you will be witnesses to each other and to those you serve of that unity which builds lasting peace.

In closing, I commend you and the Work of Mary to the loving intercession of our Lady, Mother of the Church, and to all of you I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in Christ our Lord. Thank you.

Press Conference (10 September 2026)

Press Conference (11 September 2026)

 

Press Conference (10 September 2026)

On Thursday 10 September 2026 , at 10.30 , at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, a press conference will be held to present the Conference “ The 21st century: a new time of martyrs? ” (Augustinianum, 15 September 2026).

The speakers will be:

- His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro , prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints;

- Archbishop Fabio Fabene , secretary, president of the Commission for New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith;

- Professor Andrea Riccardi , vice president of the Commission for New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith.

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 should 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 “Il XXI secolo: un nuovo tempo di martiri?” .

During the request phase, please 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 and to take part 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 should 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 “Il XXI secolo: un nuovo tempo di martiri?” .

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

* . * . *

Accredited journalists and media operators are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.

 

Press Conference (11 September 2026)

On Friday 11 September 2026 , at 13.00 , a press conference will be held at the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to present the 4 th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Meeting: North-South socio-environmental dialogue , taking place from 10 to 12 September 2026 at the Casa Generalizia de La Salle , Via Aurelia 476, Rome.

The speakers will be:

- His Eminence Cardinal Jaime Spengler , chair of CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council);

- Ms. Liz Schuler , chair of the AFL-CIO (American Labour Federation and Congress of Industrial Organizations);

- Msgr. Daniel Flores , vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops;

- His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Steiner , chair of CEAMA (Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon);

- Mr. Gerardo Martínez , full member of the governing body of the ILO (International Labour Organization), representing workers;

- Msgr. Reginald Andrietta , coordinator of the Organized Labour Network of CELAM.

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 IV Incontro Sinodale Fratelli Tutti.

During the request phase, please 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 and 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 IV Incontro Sinodale Fratelli Tutti.

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

Simultaneous translation

It will be possible to access the simultaneous translation channels and listen to the press conference in Italian , English and Spanish both via the Vatican News channels in the respective languages or by using the virtual platform indicated in the paragraph “Remote participation”.

Simultaneous translation will also be available for those who attend the press conference in person at the Holy See Press Office.

* . * . *

Accredited journalists and media operators are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the start time.