Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, in the Hall of Blessings, the Holy Father Leo XIV presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Judicial Year of Vatican City State Tribunal, in the presence of the President of the Tribunal, the Officials, the lawyers, the collaborators and representatives of the judicial bodies of the Italian State.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Your Eminences and Excellencies, Distinguished civil and military authorities, Distinguished members of the Judicial Authority of Vatican City State, dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to meet you today, for the first time, on the occasion of the opening of the Judicial Year of the Vatican City State Tribunal. To each of you I extend my cordial greetings, accompanied by my gratitude for the service you render in the delicate and valuable task of administering justice.

Your work, discreet and silent, contributes in a significant way to the correct functioning of the institutional framework of the State and, more deeply, to the credibility of the legal order that underpins it. Authentic justice, however, cannot be understood solely in the technical terms of positive law. In the light of the mission that guides the action of the Church, it also appears as the exercise of an ordered form of charity, capable of safeguarding and promoting communion.

In this first meeting of ours, I wish therefore to share some reflections with you on the relationship between the administration of justice and the value of unity.

The Christian tradition has always recognized in justice a fundamental virtue for the order of personal and community life. In this regard, Saint Augustine recalled that the order of society stems from the order of love, affirming that “ ordinata dilectio est iustitia ”. [1] When love is rightly ordered, when God is placed at the centre and the neighbour is recognized in his or her dignity, then the whole of personal and social life regains its proper orientation.

From this order of love also arises the order of justice. Authentic love, in fact, is never arbitrary or disordered, but recognises the truth of relationships and the dignity of every person. For this reason, justice is not merely a legal principle, but a virtue that helps to build communion and to stabilize the life of the community.

The theological and legal reflection of the Christian tradition has further developed this perspective. In particular, Saint Thomas, drawing on Roman law, defines justice as “ constans et perpetua voluntas ius suum unicuique tribuendi ”, that is, the constant and perpetual will to give to each person what is due to them. [2] With this definition, the Angelic Doctor highlights the stable and objective nature of justice, which does not depend on contingent interests, but is rooted in the truth of each person and in the pursuit of the common good. It is no coincidence that he also states that “iustitia ad bonum commune ordinatur”. [3]

In the light of this tradition, the profound connection between justice and charity can also be understood. Theological wisdom has expressed this relationship with the assertion that “ caritas perfecta, perfecta iustitia est ”, [4] because in the fullness of charity, justice finds is most authentic fulfilment. It follows that, where there is no true justice, there can be no authentic law either, since the law itself arises from the recognition of the truth of being and the dignity of every person.

Justice, thus conceived, is the cardinal virtue that calls us “to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good”. [5] This recognition opens the way to charity, for only when relationships are ordered according to truth does that communion which is the highest fruit of love become possible. The restoration of justice thus becomes a condition for the advent of charity, which is a gift of the Spirit and the principle of unity in the Church. From this perspective, we also understand how love and truth cannot be separated: only by loving do we know the truth, and the love of truth leads us to discover charity as its fulfilment.

For this reason, justice, when it is exercised with balance and fidelity to the truth, becomes one of the most stable factors of unity within the community. It does not divide, but strengthens the bonds that unite people and helps to build the mutual trust that makes orderly coexistence possible.

In the context of Vatican City State, the task of administering justice takes on a particularly relevant meaning. The administration of justice is not, in fact, limited to the resolution of disputes, but contributes to the protection of the legal order and the credibility of institutions. The observance of procedural safeguards, the impartiality of the judge, the effectiveness of the right of defence and the reasonable duration of proceedings are not merely technical instruments of the judicial process. They constitute the conditions through which the exercise of the judicial function acquires particular authority and contributes to institutional stability.

In a legal system such as that of Vatican City State – which serves the mission of the Successor of Peter by safeguarding the independence of the Holy See, including in the international sphere (cf. Lateran Treaty , Preamble) – this function takes on even greater significance. The administration of justice, in fact, also contributes to the protection of the value of unity which constitutes an essential element of ecclesial life.

From this perspective, the trial is not merely the arena of conflict between opposing claims, but becomes an ordered space in which, through regulated dialogue between the parties and the impartial intervention of the judge, disagreement is brought back within a framework of truth and justice. In this light, it is worth recalling once again the teaching of Saint Augustine: “A republic cannot be administered without justice. Where, therefore, there is no true justice there can be no right. For that which is done by right is justly done, and what is unjustly done cannot be done by right. … There is no republic where there is no justice. Further, justice is that virtue which gives every one his due. Where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?” [6]

Dear brothers and sisters, your service therefore takes on a value that is not only institutional, but profoundly ecclesial. Through the careful discerment of the facts, respectful listening to the people involved and the correct application of the rules to faithfully represent the principles of the legal system, you participate in a mission that is both legal and spiritual.

Justice in the Church is not merely a technical application of the law, but a ministry in the service of the People of God. It requires not only legal expertise, but also wisdom, balance and a constant search for truth in charity. Every decision, every trial and every judgement is called to reflect that search for truth which lies at the heart of the life of the Church. When justice is exercised with integrity and fidelity to the truth, it becomes a factor of stability and trust within society, fostering unity as a natural consequence. Continue, therefore, to carry out this service with integrity, prudence and an evangelical spirit. May justice always be enlightened by the truth and accompanied by mercy, for both find their fulfilment in Christ. Thus, the law, applied with rectitude and an ecclesial spirit, becomes a valuable instrument for building communion and strengthening the unity of the People of God.

I entrust your work to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, so that she may accompany you with her protection. And I cordially impart to you the Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of communion and peace for you and for your service to justice, truth and unity. Thank you.

____________________________  

[1] Cf. St. Augustine, De civitate Dei , XV, 22.



[2] Cf. Dig. 1.1.10; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae , II-II, q. 58, a. 1



[3] St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae , II-II, q. 58, a. 5



[4] St. Augustine, De natura et gratia , 70, 84.



[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church , no. 1807.



[6] St. Augustine, De civitate Dei , XIX, 21 , 1.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops

- Bishops of Nigeria on their “ad Limina Apostolorum” visit.

 

Activities of the Holy Father

- Inauguration of the Judicial Year of Vatican City State Tribunal.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the 36 th Course on the Internal Forum, organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

 

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, Your Excellency, dear priests, deacons and others who are with us today, good morning and welcome!

I am very pleased to meet those who, in the early stages of their priestly ministry or whilst awaiting ordination, are perfecting their training as confessors through the Course on the Internal Forum, offered annually by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

I extend a cordial greeting to His Eminence, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Major Penitentiary, to the Regent, Monsignor Nykiel, and to all the members of the Penitentiary, to the ordinary and extraordinary penitentiaries of the Papal Basilicas, and to all of you participating in this Course. It was strongly desired by Saint John Paul II, who supported it with his pastoral zeal; it was confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI with his theological wisdom, as well as by Pope Francis, who always took great care to show the merciful face of the Church.

I too urge you to continue in this service, deepening and expanding the programme of formation, so that the fourth Sacrament may be ever more deeply understood, properly celebrated and thus serenely and effectively lived by all God’s holy people.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation – as we know – has undergone significant development throughout history, both in theological understanding and in the form of its celebration. The Church, our mother and teacher, has progressively recognized its meaning and function, broadening the scope of its celebration. Yet the fact that the Sacrament can be received repeatedly is not always matched by a willingness on the part of the baptized to make use of it: it is as though the infinite treasure of the Church’s mercy remained “unused”, due to a widespread distraction among Christians who, not infrequently, remain in a state of sin for a long time, rather than approaching the confessional with simplicity of faith and heart to receive the gift of the Risen Lord.

It was the Fourth Lateran Council, in 1215, which established that every Christian is obliged to make a sacramental confession at least once a year; and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, following the Second Vatican Council, confirmed this norm (cf. CCC, no. 1457), which is also a law of the Church: “After having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year” (Code of Canon Law, 989).

Saint Augustine affirms: “He who confesses his sins, and accuses them, does now work with God. God accuses your sins: and if you also accuse, you are united to God” ( In Iohannis evangelium tractatus , 12, 13: CCL 36, 128). To recognize our sins, especially in this time of Lent, therefore means “being in harmony” with God, uniting ourselves with Him.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is thus a “workshop of unity”: it restores unity with God through the forgiveness of sins and the infusion of sanctifying grace. This fosters the inner unity of the individual and unity with the Church; consequently, it also promotes peace and unity within the human family. One might well ask: do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?

But – again we ask ourselves – can man, a small and simple creature, truly “break unity” with the Creator? Is this image not perhaps a partial and, ultimately, demeaning interpretation of the Revelation that Jesus has given us of God?

On closer inspection, sin does not break unity, understood as the creature’s ontological dependence on the Creator: even the sinner remains totally dependent on God the Creator, and this dependence, when recognized, can open the way to conversion. Rather, sin breaks spiritual unity with God: it is turning one’s back on him, and this dramatic possibility is as real as the gift of freedom that God himself has bestowed upon human beings. To deny the possibility that sin truly breaks unity with God is, in reality, a failure to recognize the dignity of man, who is – and remains – free and therefore responsible for his own actions.

Dear young priests and ordinands, may you always be keenly aware of the most exalted task that Christ himself, through the Church, entrusts to you: to restore people’s unity with God through the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A priest’s entire life can be fully realized by celebrating this Sacrament assiduously and faithfully. And indeed, how many priests have become saints in the Confessional! Let us think only of Saint John Mary Vianney, Saint Leopold Mandić and, more recently, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and Blessed Michał Sopoćko.

The unity restored with God is also unity with the Church, which is the mystical body of Christ: we are members of the “whole Christ”. The theme of your Course this year: “The Church called to be a house of Mercy”, would be incomprehensible if we did not start from the root, which is the risen Jesus Christ. The Church welcomes people, as a “house of Mercy”, because first and foremost she continually welcomes her Lord, in the Word heard and proclaimed, and in the grace of the Sacraments.

For this reason, in the celebration of the sacrament of Confession, whilst penitents are reconciled with God and with the Church, the Church herself is edified and enriched by the renewed holiness of her repentant and forgiven children. In the confessional, dear brothers, we collaborate in the ongoing edification of the Church: one, holy, catholic and apostolic; and in so doing we also give new energy to society and to the world.

Unity with God and with the Church, finally, is the prerequisite for the inner unity of individuals, so necessary today, in this age of fragmentation in which we live. This inner unity is found as a genuine desire, especially among the younger generations. The unfulfilled promises of unbridled consumerism and the frustrating experience of a freedom detached from the truth can, through divine mercy, be transformed into opportunities for evangelization: by bringing to the surface a sense of incompleteness, they allow us to awaken those existential questions to which only Christ can give a full answer. God became man to save us, and He does so also by nurturing our religious sense, our irrepressible longing for truth and love, so that we may embrace the Mystery in which ‘we live and move and have our being’ ( Acts 17:28).

This dynamism of unity with God, with the Church and within ourselves is a prerequisite for peace among people and nations: only a reconciled person is capable of living in an unarmed and disarming way! Those who lay down the weapons of pride and allow themselves to be continually renewed by God’s forgiveness become agents of reconciliation in everyday life. In him or her are fulfilled the words attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”.

Dear friends, never neglect to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation yourselves, with faithful constancy, so that you may always be the first to benefit from divine Mercy, of which you have become – or will become – ministers. May Mary, Mother of Mercy, always accompany you on your journey and enlighten your steps. I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing upon you and your daily efforts. Thank you.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Executive Council of Fondazione Cattolica (“Catholic Foundation”).

The following is the Pope’s greeting to those present:

 

Greeting of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to meet you, first and foremost because this gives me the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Fondazione Cattolica and the Società Cattolica di Assicurazione (Catholic Insurance Society) for their constant commitment to fostering an active Catholic presence in Italian society.

Your visit also offers me the opportunity to emphasize how important it is, in our time, to study and appreciate the history of the Catholic movement in Italy, so as to draw inspiration from it and translate into the present day the insights and experiences of men and women who, in their lives, have united faith with a commitment to justice. Hundreds of cooperatives, rural banks and mutual aid societies were the concrete response to the call made by Pope Leo XIII in the Encyclical Rerum novarum to organize themselves economically as well, in order to address social issues.

Among these pioneers were also the founders of the Società Cattolica di Assicurazione (Catholic Insurance Society), a group of priests and laypeople who, in 1896 in Verona, established a cooperative society with broad popular participation, which subsequently developed alongside the country, helping communities to overcome the traumas of the two world wars.

Twenty years ago, in a very different context but building on those same foundations, the Fondazione Cattolica was established, recognizing the fundamental role of the third sector in supporting communities, individuals and families living in conditions of greater vulnerability and social marginalization. In this way, by fostering the initiatives of so many associations and social enterprises, foundations and religious bodies, you have made an important contribution to social cohesion and the protection of the most vulnerable.

I therefore encourage you to continue this commitment, including by working, as you already do, to promote the formation of young people through educational, cultural and participatory programmes. In this field, the most recent initiative is the Academy for the Third Sector, in collaboration with the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, which you also wish to extend to LUMSA in Rome.

Finally, thank you for the support you have given over the years to the Festival of Social Doctrine, an initiative very dear to Pope Francis, to which the Festival of Social Poets has recently been added, in the same spirit.

Dear friends, whilst I commend you for your initiative, I urge you to always cultivate the spirit that animates it and the evangelical style, so that there may be consistency between the aims you set yourselves and the means and tools with which you pursue them. May the teaching of Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo always enlighten and inspire you, and may my blessing, which I impart wholeheartedly to you and your loved ones, also sustain you. Thank you!

The following is the Message of the Holy Father Leo XIV – signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin – on the occasion of the International Day of Mathematics

 

Message

Professor Betül Tanbay

Chair of the International Day of Mathematics

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was pleased to receive your thoughtful letter informing him of the International Day of Mathematics webinar to take place on 13 March 2026. He is grateful for the gracious sentiments you expressed, and he sends cordial good wishes to all taking part.

As they reflect on the theme “Mathematics and Hope” in the context of the manifold challenges facing the human family, not least the rapid technological development with all its potential for good or evil, His Holiness encourages the participants to consider how mathematicians can be hopeful signs to the wider world. In this regard, an especially fruitful area of research is the use of algorithms, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Such a task requires not just intellectual effort and ingenuity but an integral growth of the whole person, in order to encompass the moral dimension of these emerging technologies. Indeed, recalling his own time as a teacher of mathematics and physics, Pope Leo XIV reminded the students gathered for the Jubilee of the World of Education: “Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is” ( Address , 30 October 2025). He prays, therefore, that everyone involved in the present event will be attentive to the profound spiritual needs of the human heart, will seek ways of humanizing the digital sphere, shaping it as an opportunity for fraternity and creativity, and will be prophets of hope, truth and goodness in the world (cf. ibid.).

Upon those participating in this year’s International Day, the Holy Father invokes abundant divine blessings of wisdom, joy and peace.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State