Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience His Excellency Mr. José María Balcázar Zelada, President of the Republic of Peru, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, 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, appreciation was expressed for the good relations between the Holy See and Peru, and the will to consolidate them. Attention then turned to issues of mutual interest, including socio-economic developments, illegal mining, the promotion of the common good and dialogue, as well as the commitment to social cohesion.

The discussion continued with an exchange of opinions on the regional and international socio-political situation, with particular regard to the phenomenon of migration, organized crime and the repercussions of conflicts.

From the Vatican, 18 June 2026

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the 99 th Plenary Assembly of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO).

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!

Your Eminence, Excellencies, Dear priests, brothers and sisters all,

A warm welcome to all of you! I am pleased to meet with you at the conclusion of your annual plenary assembly. I greet the Prefect, Cardinal Gugerotti, the other Superiors and the Officials of  the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches  and, especially you, the members of the ROACO Agencies.

In addition to your work on projects supporting the Eastern Catholic Churches — which is the main reason for your gathering — I understand that this time you have focused your discussions on a specific topic: the formation of clerics and monks in Eastern seminaries and colleges.

I believe this was a very wise decision. Supporting a Church, in fact, does not mean merely providing it with material means of subsistence, but also helping it to grow in its identity and in its ability to evangelize, which are based on the formation of ministers called to spread its spiritual riches. The Eastern Catholic communities preserve many of these, sharing them with their brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Churches. Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.

Our Mother, the Church, is therefore united, yet not uniform; her fertile womb has given birth to various spiritual and theological traditions, as well as different rites and disciplines, which enrich one another. It is good for us to delve deeper into these treasures together with millions of our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, as we look forward to progress toward full unity with all the Eastern Churches. All the ancient Eastern Churches, in fact, lead us back to the origins of the faith. They make the light of grace shine forth through liturgies rich in sacredness; they manifest in the worship of praise the mystery of God, who is to be adored; they bear witness to the power of intercessory prayer; they offer spiritual riches that fill the heart with wonder and grateful amazement at the beauty they reveal. They also lead the faithful to give voice to their own prayer according to the theological and anthropological characteristics most suited to each, so much so that  the Second Vatican Council  observed, regarding the Christian East and West: “It is hardly surprising, then, if sometimes one tradition has come nearer to a full appreciation of some aspects of a mystery of revelation than the other, or has expressed them better. In such cases, these various theological formulations are often to be considered complementary rather than conflicting” ( Unitatis Redintegratio , 17).

The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church. But to learn about it and love it, we must invest in formation. More than thirty years ago,  Saint John Paul II  pointed out the need for this, strongly emphasizing, among other things, the need “to know the liturgy of the Eastern Churches; to deepen … knowledge of the spiritual traditions of the Fathers and Doctors of the Christian East; … to offer appropriate teaching on these subjects in seminaries and theological faculties, especially to future priests” (Apostolic Letter,  Orientale Lumen , 24).

That is why your decision to help promote the formation of sacred ministers — by listening to experts dedicated to this field, as you have done in recent days — is a fine sign of your concrete concern for these Churches.

This bond between knowledge and charity, between open minds and working hands, also requires, however, a spiritual dimension: a heart that is not only generous, but also filled with grace and set ablaze by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, for the success of your efforts, undertaken with great commitment and dedication, I would like to urge you to always nurture your spiritual life, especially through constant prayer and participation in the sacraments. Good works, in fact, bear no lasting fruit unless they are nourished at the source of goodness, the source who is God. If it is true that “faith without works is also dead”, as we read in the Letter of James (2:26), it is likewise true that works, without a living faith, are fruitless.

My dear friends, as I look at you and reflect on the quiet, benevolent service you carry out — and on the many benefactors who, through you, channel resources to those in need — I cannot help but think of how much money, in this dark period of history, is being wasted on killing, squandered by so many who foment wars. While you generate life, they sow death; while you reach out to your brother, they seek enemies to crush; while you create dialogue, they seek monologues; while you open paths of hope, they lock people into fear; while you build the future, they destroy the present.

How can we fail to think of the painful exodus of Eastern Christians from their own lands, caused above all by war — which, I repeat, does not solve problems but creates tragedies, tragedies that are often consigned to oblivion? There is a plague, a scourge born of war, which I would like to speak about today, one that continues to drain the life blood of the Eastern Churches in particular. I define it with a single word: instability.

When a visitor travels to a country that has experienced conflicts now shrouded in silence, things generally may appear peaceful, even if deeply scarred by the tragedies of the past. Yet those societies are weakened by institutional instability, by the presence of armed gangs that divide up the territory and by a political system influenced and, not infrequently, manipulated by external agents and interests. Such a system does not act freely, but instead navigates a maze of subterfuge, secret agreements and partisan interests. As a result, a perpetual cycle of instability is created, stifling opportunities for development and always falling hardest on the poor.

As a result, fear and insecurity prevail everywhere in many countries: jobs seem precarious, wages are paid irregularly, healthcare — when it functions at all — is sporadic and education remains precarious. This is to the detriment of ordinary people, families, children and young people, the elderly and the sick. It becomes a tragedy that weighs on everyone’s hearts, devours hopes and makes it impossible to build for the future, which drives many to leave, as is the case for so many of our brothers and sisters in faith, especially in the Middle East.

I would like to appeal once again for reflection on the consequences of war and instability and for their prevention through wise and responsible decision making, for this is not the result of an inevitable fate, but of free choices and, therefore, of morally accountable actions. History shows how the schemes of violence and oppression, of power and domination, of gains made without justice and without scruples, backfire not only against those who suffer them, but also against those who pursue them. Let us pray to Jesus, the Lord of peace, and appeal to people’s consciences so that they may be moved by indignation; and may respect for humanity and a proper sense of civility be restored!

To you and to the many donors who, in the name of the Gospel, continue to commit yourselves to remedying such inhumanity, I offer my heartfelt thanks. I bless you, dear brothers and sisters and encourage you to persevere in charity without losing heart, sustained by the hope of Christ. Thank you.

During the audience granted to His Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Supreme Pontiff authorized the same Dicastery to promulgate the Decrees regarding:

 

- the martyrdom of the Servants of God Juan Torres Torres and 19 companions, diocesan priests, killed in hatred of the faith between August and September 1936, in the territory of the diocese of Ibiza, Spain, in the context of the same persecution;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Júlio Maria De Lombaerde (né Júlio Emilio Alberto), professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Family and Founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, born in Waregem, Belgium, on 7 January 1878 and died near the present-day municipality of Alto Jequitibá, Brazil, on 24 December 1944;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Mary Teresa Tallon (née Julia Teresa), founder of the Congregation of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, born on 6 May 1867 in Hanover, United States of America, and died on 10 March 1954 in Monroe, United States of America;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Agnese Tribbioli, professed religious sister and founder of the Congregation of the Pious Worker Sisters of Saint Joseph, born on 20 April 1879 in Florence, Italy, and died there on 27 January 1965;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Clara Andreu y Malferit (née Barbara Onofria), professed nun of the Hieronymite Monastery of Saint Bartomeu of Inca, born on 4 December 1596 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and died on 24 June 1628 in Inca, Spain;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Petra Giordano (née Nicoletta), professed nun of the Order of Preachers, born on 4 July 1912 in Naples, Italy, and died on 21 June 2006 in Bibbiena, Italy.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, S.D.B., titular of Gradisca, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; with Dr. Fabio Gasperini, secretary;

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

- A delegation from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem;

- Bishops of Hong Kong and Macao, on their “ad Limina Apostolorum” visit;

- His Excellency Mr. José María Balcázar Zelada, President of the Republic of Peru, with his wife and entourage;

- Participants in the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO);

- Her Excellency Ms. Patricia Jacqueline Araya Gutiérrez, Ambassador of Chile, on her farewell visit.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The following is the greeting addressed by the Pope to those present during the meeting:

 

Greeting of the Holy Father

Dear friends,

I am pleased to greet all of you this morning representing the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as you visit the Vatican and visit Rome. And I hope that your time here will allow you to deepen your knowledge both of Vatican City as well as Rome, a place that is not only central to the origins and growth of the Christian faith, but also one that has fostered the meetings of cultures and peoples for millennia.

Universities have likewise been longtime places of encounter, bringing together students and faculty to grow in wisdom through scholarly study and research as well as through the friendships and professional affiliations that naturally develop. While not always easy, universities must constantly work to ensure that opportunities for meaningful encounters remain available. This is an essential part of the life of any institution of higher learning, because our relationships with others, our languages and our cultures are vitally important for who we are as human beings (cf.  Address to Professors and Students of Sapienza University in Rome , 14 May 2026). 

As natural places for encounter, universities have also therefore traditionally been privileged places for dialogue, where the pursuit of knowledge is intrinsically linked with exchanges of ideas between all of the members of the academic community. In an atmosphere where respectful dialogue is possible, everyone can grow in knowledge through learning from the points of view and living testimonies of others, even those with whom they might disagree. In these settings, with patient perseverance, it is possible to gradually work towards breaking down any barriers of misunderstanding and distrust that may arise.

In this regard, in a time that is often characterized by violence and pointed rhetoric, the members of your diverse university community can continue to be “artisans of true peace, a peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering, working for harmony among peoples” ( ibid. ). The Psalms tell us that the God who loves us unconditionally speaks of peace to his people and those who turn to him in their hearts (cf.  Ps  85:8-9). God asks us to be his instruments to bring peace to the world, but we must start with ourselves. As Saint Augustine of Hippo once wrote, “If you wish to draw others to peace, first have peace yourselves; be steadfast in peace yourselves. To inflame others, you must have the flame burning within” ( Serm.  357, 3). Rather than believing peace to be impossible and beyond our reach, we must seek to promote it in our communities and to welcome and recognize it in our own lives (cf.  Message for the LIX World Day of Peace , 1 January 2026). I pray that through forming artisans of peace, the University community may continue to be a beacon of hope and unity in a world that is increasingly divided.

My dear friends, with these sentiments, I thank you for your presence and invoke upon all of you and your loved ones the divine blessings of wisdom and harmony. Thank you.