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This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the executive board of Catholic Charities USA.

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.

Dear friends ,

I am pleased to greet you, the members of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities USA, during your visit to Rome and to the Vatican.  I pray that your time here, at the heart of the Universal Church, will not only strengthen your bonds with the Successor of Peter, but will also help you to draw nearer to the heart of Christ, in whose love we are all invited to share.  

During this Easter season, we read the biblical narratives of the Resurrection and the Lord’s subsequent appearances to his Apostles.  As they and their fellow disciples began the task of evangelization, Jesus helped them (cf.  Mk  16:20) while assuring them, “Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of time” ( Mt  28:20). 

As was the case with the Apostles and with the early Church, the proclamation of the Gospel through caring for the poor and for those most in need will always present certain difficulties on both the personal and the institutional levels (cf.  Acts  6:1-7).  These include finding sufficient resources, demonstrating to others that this type of service is an integral part of authentic Christian living, and not giving way to discouragement, particularly when we meet those whom we cannot help in the way that we would like.  I am fully aware that the Catholic Charities agencies in the United States of America are by no means immune from these challenges that continue to manifest themselves in our own day.  Yet it is precisely when we are confronted with such obstacles that we must learn to hear Jesus’ voice saying to us once again, “I am with you always!”  Even today, Christ draws near to accompany his disciples, especially in moments of frustration and doubt, as he did with Saint Thomas the Apostle, with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (cf.  Jn  20:24-29;  Lk  24:13-35).

That is why I encourage you, and I encourage your worthy efforts and I express gratitude for your willingness to carry on our Lord’s ministry of compassion, especially to the least among us.  In doing so, you seek to find solutions to inhumane situations, to alleviate the suffering of individuals and families, and to relieve the burden of those who are weighed down by hardship and strife.  In all of these circumstances, it must be the charity of Christ that compels you in your daily work (cf.  2   Cor  5:14).  That is, the desire to bring to others material aid with the love of the heart of Jesus, for it is in that love that they will find genuine rest and their dignity will be respected.

In this sense, it is true that “love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God” (Apostolic Exhortation  Dilexi Te ,   26).  Yet it is also the case that authentically loving our neighbor entails offering them the possibility of a true encounter with God.  Your work with the less fortunate continues to provide a privileged opportunity to share the joy of the Resurrection, and I thank you for this sincere witness of faith.  The practical assistance that you and your partner agencies offer the disadvantaged allows them to experience God’s love through you, and opens a path for them to enter into a lasting relationship with.  At the same time, it enables you to come into contact with the flesh of Christ by seeking to see and serve him in our brothers and sisters (cf.  Mt  25:31-46).  In this way, your works of charity become a mutual encounter with the Lord who is present among us.

Once again, the Lord has promised us: “I am with you always” ( Mt  28:20).  The Risen Lord comes to instill peace in our hearts and open up paths of hope and new life, assuring us that he truly is “making all things new” ( Rev  21:5).  Let us therefore allow the hope of Easter to break into our lives and to guide our service, motivated by his promise.

With these sentiments, I offer good wishes for your noble mission and assure you and all of your colleagues of a remembrance in my prayers.  I entrust all of you to the loving intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of the United States, and I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing, which I extend to all the agencies associated with Catholic Charities USA, as a pledge of peace and joy in the risen Lord. Thank you.

This morning, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in Audience the President of the Republic of Iceland, Her Excellency Ms. Halla Tómasdóttir, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

During the cordial discussions at the Secretariat of State, appreciation was expressed for the good bilateral relations, emphasizing the positive contribution of the local Church to the promotion of the common good of society and particularly of young people.

The conversation also focused on regional and international issues, especially situations of conflict, on the need for dialogue, and on prospects for peace.

From the Vatican, 4 May 2026

Appointment of auxiliary bishops of the metropolitan archdiocese of León, Mexico

The Holy Father has appointed the following as auxiliary bishops of the metropolitan archdiocese of León, Mexico: the Reverend Rubén de la Cruz Martínez, assigning him the titular see of Teudali; and the Reverend Ramón Orozco Muñoz, assigning him the titular see of Tiguala.

 

Curriculum vitae of Msgr. Rubén de la Cruz Martínez

Msgr. Rubén de la Cruz Martínez was born on 4 May 1966 in San Francisco del Rincón.

He was ordained a priest on 21 October 1993, and incardinated into the metropolitan archdiocese of León.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar, spiritual director of the Institute of Superior Studies of Irapueto; vocational assistant of the deanery of Irapueto; spiritual director in the diocesan seminary; head of the spiritual area of the Commission of the Clergy; parish priest and episcopal vicar of the VI Pastoral Zone.

He is currently rector of the National Votive Sanctuary of Cristo Re and diocesan spiritual director of the Adoración Nocturna Mexicana.

 

Curriculum vitae of Msgr. Ramón Orozco Muñoz

Msgr. Orozco Muñoz was born on 15 July 1973 in San Agustín, diocese of San Juan de los Lagos. He was awarded a licentiate in moral theology and a specialization in bioethics from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.

He was ordained a priest on 23 December 2000 for the same diocese.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar, formator, spiritual director and rector of the seminary, secretary chancellor, and vicar general.

He is currently parish priest of Sangre de Cristo. He is also a member of the College of Consultors, the Presbyteral Council, the Council of Orders and Ministers and the diocesan Commission for the protection of minors.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches;

- Archbishop Ignazio Ceffalia, titular of Fiorentino, apostolic nuncio in Belarus;

- Members of the Presidency of the “Confederación Latinoamerica de Religiosos” (CLAR);

- Her Excellency Ms. Halla Tómasdóttir, President of the Republic of Iceland, and entourage;

- Mr. Carlo Monticelli, Governor of the Development Bank of the Council of Europe, and entourage;

- Members of the Presidency of the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela;

- A delegation from the “Catholic Charities Network”.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the members of the “Papal Foundation”, 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.

Your Excellencies, Dear brothers and sisters,

I warmly welcome all of you, especially the Members, Trustees and Stewards of The Papal Foundation, and I offer my prayerful good wishes for your pilgrimage to Rome.  While this is our first opportunity to meet since I was called to take on the role of Bishop of Rome and Pope, I have already been aware of your work, especially during my years of service as Bishop of Chiclayo, where I saw first-hand the positive impact of the Foundation’s grants, as both the Diocese and a religious community were blessed to receive assistance on various projects, thanks to your generosity.  In just this first year of my Pontificate, I have been edified to see the global reach of the Foundation.  I am, therefore, deeply grateful for your ongoing commitment to assist the Successor of Peter in his mission to care for the needs of the universal Church.  In this regard, I was pleased to learn that membership in the Foundation continues to grow each year and that you have expressed an openness to increase the support provided as well as find new ways of being of service.

Your visit occurs during the Easter season, a time focusing on mission as well as peace.  After the Resurrection, Jesus commissioned the Apostles to be his messengers, promising to accompany them in their work and promising to be with them always (cf.  Mk  16:20,  Mt  28:20).  The Pope and the bishops, as successors of the Apostles, continue this task through preaching and works of evangelization.  Yet all members of the Church, by virtue of our Baptism, share the responsibility to proclaim the Gospel today with words as well as with charitable deeds.  As Saint James wrote to the early Christian community, faith without works is dead and has no power to save (cf.  Jas  2:17), and the Gospels teach us that the Lord expects his disciples to care for the needs of the poorest and the most vulnerable (cf.  Mt  25:31-46).

By funding projects, humanitarian aid and scholarships for people from around the world, The Papal Foundation participates in the Church’s ongoing evangelical mission.  Your generosity has allowed countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.  Many priests and consecrated men and women have likewise been able to receive an advanced education from the Pontifical Universities in Rome that would otherwise not have been possible, forming them to be future leaders in the Church.  You will probably never meet everyone who has benefitted from your kindness, so in their name I express heartfelt appreciation.

One of them is sitting next to me, however, who received a scholarship from you, and I am sure he will gladly say “thank you.”

On Easter Sunday, the risen Lord greeted his Apostles by saying, “Peace be with you!” ( Jn  20:19), and even today, Christ desires that his disciples be instruments of peace.  In addition to furthering the Church’s evangelical mission, the Foundation’s efforts also help to foster peace on the regional and local levels.  Saint Paul VI  wrote that development is the new name of peace (cf. Encyclical Letter  Populorum Progressio , 87).  By this he meant that true harmony is not simply the absence of conflict, but comes from actively promoting an authentic integral human development (cf.  ibid. , 76).  Fostering genuine progress through tangible initiatives like those supported by the Foundation is a sure way to encourage concord among communities and individuals.

Dear sisters and brothers, with these sentiments I thank you for your presence here today as well as for all that you do to further the worthy mission of The Papal Foundation.  I ask for your continued prayers for my ministry as the Successor of Saint Peter and for the needs of the Church.  In entrusting you and your loved ones to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy in Christ our risen Lord.

Thank you.