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This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in Audience the Members of the Demography Intergroup of the European Parliament. 

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 everyone and welcome!

I am pleased to welcome the Members of the European Parliament’s Demography Intergroup, together with the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, the Italian Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities, and the OSCE Special Representative on Demographic Change and Security, on the occasion of your Conference on the family and demographics.

As representatives of your respective peoples, reflecting a plurality of political opinion within the Member States of the European Union, your focus on the Continent’s demographic question is certainly timely, for this issue signifies an urgent challenge with practical implications for millions of people and their families across “what is becoming the ‘old continent’ — no longer because of its glorious history, but because of its advancing age,” as  Pope Francis  often emphasized ( Address to the General States of Birth Assembly , 14 May 2021). The problems resulting from zero-growth demographics are many and complex, and include, not least, the pandemic of loneliness. Moreover, demographic data are not merely statistics, but speak of fatherhood, motherhood and children. And children are the future! Yet, speaking of the future points to an integral and sustainable development, which is seriously impeded without solidarity between generations (cf.  Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , 195). Sadly, such solidarity requires an intergenerational balance that is currently lacking in Europe.

Furthermore, over recent decades, we can see that a rejection of the Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the EU institutions has led to a time of drastic sterility, not only because too many have been deprived of the right to be born, but also because there has been a failure to pass on the material and cultural tools that young people need to face the future (cf. Pope Francis, cis,  Address to Participants in the Dialogue “(Re)Thinking Europe: A Christian contribution to the future of the European Project” ,  28 October 2017). As a result, we are not infrequently faced with the contradictory claims of purportedly family-friendly policies, which simultaneously promote discrimination against motherhood, exalt abortion as a right, and undermine the very foundation of the desire to start a family. Happily, there are wonderful exceptions with us today!

All of these issues, therefore, urgently need to be studied and addressed in a coordinated way by a wide range of academic, political and societal agencies. The demographic challenge stands as a crucial juncture for the anthropological, social and economic future of Europe. Indeed, your involvement, with its cross-party membership, can play a vital role, and is an ideal forum for exploring ways to generate innovative ideas, which Europe and the world so desperately need. Such dialogue must include not only the various European institutions and Governments, but also the full cross-section of civil society, of which Christians are an integral part.

At the heart of these pressing challenges, and the key to providing solutions, lie the fundamental dignity of all persons and the role of the family in society. As  Saint John Paul II  reminded us, the family is “the first and irreplaceable school of social life” ( Familiaris Consortio , 43) and is founded on marriage between a man and a woman, a reality that unites the personal and public dimensions. In light of this, your discussions are also tasked with fostering the shared responsibility and active role of families in social, political, and cultural life (cf.  Address to Participants in the meeting promoted by CELAM, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the John Paul II Institute , 19 September 2025). For only by respecting and promoting this central place of the family, and applying the principle of subsidiarity, is it possible to avoid the two extremes of excessive State intervention and individualism.

Finally, this approach is not a matter of returning to social models of the past, but of providing the men and women of our time with the unchanging principles that can surely guide them in answering the fundamental questions asked in every age: What is the meaning and value of human life; what is an authentic human society; and what kind of world do we want to hand on to future generations. In this regard, national and EU policies need to be developed and formulated in partnership with civil society. Here, I would note that the Intergroup’s cooperation with the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) and with the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) offers an excellent example of how different entities — each with its own area of competence — can work together to secure effective change that will enhance the quality of life for all. This is the impetus Christians are bringing to the European project, so that policies look to human persons in their entirety and always promote the dignity of human beings. In this way, a genuinely human path can be opened for resolving the demographic crisis, oriented toward the common good, and the wellbeing of future generations. Indeed, only a fresh springtide for the family can transform the winter chill of our ageing populations!

So with these reflections, I pray that you will continue your vital efforts to promote families and the dignity of all people. Offering each of you my heartfelt good wishes, I invoke upon you and your loved ones an abundance of Almighty God’s blessings. Thank you.

Appointment of the Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands

Appointment of the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic

Appointment of Auxiliary Bishops of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cali (Colombia)

Appointment of the Prelate Bishop of the Territorial Prelature of Caravelí (Peru)

Elevation to the Episcopal Dignity of the Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan  

Appointment of the Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands

The Holy Father has appointed His Excellency the Most Reverend Msgr. Santiago Ignacio De Wit Guzmán, titular archbishop of Gabala, until now apostolic nuncio to Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and apostolic delegate to the Antilles, as apostolic nuncio to the Netherlands.

Appointment of the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic The Holy Father has appointed His Excellency the Most Reverend Monsignor Eugene Martin Nugent, titular archbishop of Domnach Sechnaill, until now apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, as apostolic nuncio to the Czech Republic.

Appointment of Auxiliary Bishops of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cali (Colombia) The Holy Father has appointed as auxiliary bishops of the metropolitan archdiocese of Cali (Colombia): Reverend Arnulfo Moreno Quiñonez, of the clergy of the apostolic vicariate of Guapi (Colombia), until now delegate vicar, assigning him the titular see of Castra Nova; and Reverend Luis Fernando de Jesús Pérez Agudelo, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Medellín (Colombia), until now vice-rector of the Major Archdiocesan Seminary, assigning him the titular see of Leges.

Curriculum Vitae of H.E. Mons. Arnulfo Moreno Quiñonez H.E. Msgr. Arnulfo Moreno Quiñonez was born on 25 March 1979, in El Charco, Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi. He studied Philosophy and Theology at the San Pedro Apóstol Major Seminary in Cali.

He was ordained a priest on 17 July 2010, for the Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi.

He has held the following positions: parochial vicar of the Cathedral La Inmaculada Concepción in Guapi (2010); parish priest of San Antonio de Padua in Guapi (2011–2014); territorial coordinator of teachers in Guapi (2011–2012); parish priest of Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Santa María, Timbiquí (2017); parish administrator of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in Valencia, Spain (2015–2017); parish administrator of La Santísima Trinidad in López de Micay (2015); delegate for Family Ministry of the apostolic vicariate of Guapi (2019); parish priest of the Cathedral La Inmaculada Concepción in Guapi (2021–2025); delegate vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi (2021–2024 and since 2025); pro-vicar of the apostolic vicariate of Guapi (2024–2025).

Curriculum Vitae of H.E. Mons. Luis Fernando de Jesús Pérez Agudelo

H.E. Msgr. Luis Fernando de Jesús Pérez Agudelo was born on September 21, 1967, in Itagüí, archdiocese of Medellín. He studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellín and obtained a licentiate in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on December 5, 1992, for the metropolitan archdiocese of Medellín.

He has held the following positions: parochial vicar of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús (1992); vice-assistant of the Christian Family Movement (1993); parish priest of Jesús Nazareno (1993–1997); parish priest  of San Blas (1997); formator at the Major Seminary of Medellín (1998–1999 and 2001–2008); rector of the Major Seminary of the Diocese of Armenia (2008–2010); vice-rector and formator at the Major Seminary of Medellín (since 2010); archpriest of the Archpriesthood of Blessed Mariano Euse (since 2019).

Appointment of the Prelate Bishop of the Territorial Prelature of Caravelí (Peru) The Holy Father has appointed His Excellency Msgr. Francisco Castro Lalupú as prelate bishop of the Territorial Prelature of Caravelí (Peru), transferring him from the titular see of Puzia di Bizacena and from the office of auxiliary bishop of Trujillo.

Curriculum Vitae

H.E. Msgr. Francisco Castro Lalupú was born on 13 August 1973, in the District of Bellavista-Sullana, archdiocese of Piura (Peru). He studied at the San Juan María Vianney Seminary of the archdiocese of Piura and the San Carlos y San Marcelo Seminary of the archdiocese of Trujillo.

He was ordained a priest on 6 June 2004, for the archdiocese of Trujillo.

He has held the following positions: parish administrator of Santiago Apóstol (2004) and San José (2005); parish priest of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo (2006–2010); responsible for the Chapel of Santa Ana (2015–2018); parochial vicar of Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo – Cathedral of Trujillo (2018–2020); member of the Commission for the Family (2006–2008); assistant treasurer of the archdiocese of Trujillo and professor at the Major Seminary San Carlos y San Marcelo of Trujillo (2007–2009); treasurer of the archdiocese of Trujillo (2009–2016); episcopal vicar for Economic and administrative affairs of the archdiocese of Trujillo, member of the Episcopal Council of the archdiocese of Trujillo, delegate of the Catholic University Association of Trujillo, representative of the educational institutions Pio XII and Una sonrisa de amor, and administrator of the Seminary San Carlos y San Marcelo of Trujillo (2016–2020).

He was appointed titular bishop of Puzia di Bizacena and auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Trujillo on April 4, 2020, and received episcopal ordination on the following September 29.

Elevation to the Episcopal Dignity of the Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan

The Holy Father has elevated to episcopal dignity, assigning him the titular see of Aeto, the Reverend Father Anthony James Corcoran, S.J., apostolic administrator of Kyrgyzstan.

Curriculum Vitae H.E. Msgr. Anthony James Corcoran, S.J., was born on April 19, 1963, in Tucson, Arizona, United States of America. He obtained a degree in Political Science from Marquette University in Milwaukee, a Master’s degree in International Political Economics of Development from Fordham University in New York, and a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

He was ordained a priest on 8 June 1996, for the Society of Jesus.

He pursued further studies and held the following positions: licentiate in Spiritual Theology at Weston School of Theology (1997); director of the Interdiocesan Pre-Seminary in Novosibirsk (1998–2000 and 2007–2008); spiritual director of the same Pre-Seminary (2001–2005); parish priest of Saint Joseph Parish in Berdsk, diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk (1998–2008); vicar general of the diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk (1999–2008); doctorate in Moral Theology at Weston School of Theology (2006); superior of the Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus (2009–2017).

He was appointed apostolic administrator of Kyrgyzstan on 29 August 2017.

Today, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in Audience the President of the Republic of Albania, His Excellency Mr Bajram Begaj, 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, as was the intention to further develop cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The conversation then turned to various international issues, with a particular focus on the Western Balkans region and its path toward membership in the European Union.

From the Vatican, 25 May 2026

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience a delegation of the “Círculo Ecuestre” of Barcelona, Spain.

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

 

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 and welcome.

I welcome all of you who wished to meet the Successor of Peter on the occasion of your foundation anniversary. I thank you for this gesture of closeness.

Every believer in Christ is called to keep his or her life open to the action of the Holy Spirit, with a tireless willingness to live Christian charity, the theological virtue by which we love God above all things and others as ourselves, precisely for the love of God. The Christian, therefore, is not merely a philanthropist, but a compassionate person who loves selflessly and actively seeks the integral well-being of others. I encourage you to keep your gaze fixed on Christ, because only in this way is it possible to recognize His presence in our smaller and more needy brothers and sisters.

May the Lord, grant you to grow in His love through your personal dedication to the service of God and others, and your willingness to accompany them with patience and compassion. May he abundantly bless you and your loved ones.

And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you always. Thank you.

The Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas of Pope Leo XIV , on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, signed on 15 May 2026, the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII.

 

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