Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

7 September Basilica Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel, Genazzano, 18.00 Holy Mass

25-28 September Apostolic Journey of the Holy Father in France and visit to the Headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);

8 October Saint Peter’s Basilica, 18.00 Holy Mass for the Inauguration of the Academic Year of the Pontifical Universities

14 October Saint Peter’s Square, 10.00 Holy Mass at the conclusion of the meeting on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris lætitia .

 

Vatican City, 28 August 2026

✠ Diego Ravelli Titular Archbishop of Recanati Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations

Resignation and appointment of archbishop of Damascus of the Maronites, Syria

Appointment of bishop of Syros with Milos, Santorini and apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Candia

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Asunción, Paraguay

 

Resignation and appointment of archbishop of Damascus of the Maronites, Syria

The Holy Father has granted his assent to the election by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Maronites of the Reverend Chorbishop Sharbel (Ghattas) Maroun, until now protosyncellus of the eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles of the Maronites, United States of America, as archbishop of Damascus of the Maronites, Syria, following the acceptance by the same Synod of the resignation from the pastoral care of the aforementioned archeparchy presented by Archbishop Samir Nassar.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop-elect Sharbel (Ghattas) Maroun was born on 6 January 1962 in Kfarselwan, Lebanon.

After obtaining his secondary school diploma, he worked briefly at the Crédit Libanais bank. In 1983, following the war, his family relocated to the United States of America, where he carried out specialized studies in information technology.

In 1984 he entered the seminary of the eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles of the Maronites in Washington D.C., where he carried out his studies in philosophy and theology.

After receiving priestly ordination on 6 January 1989, he was appointed vicar of the Maronite parish of Saint Anthony in Danbury, Connecticut.

Since 2020 he has served as protosyncellus of the Maronite eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles , in which he also held the following offices: parish vicar of Saint Maron in Minneapolis, Minnesota; director of youth pastoral care; representative for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue; director of vocational pastoral care; protopresbyter of the deanery of Mid-America; administrator of the Saint Sharbel Mission in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; syncellus for the eparchal clergy; member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors; representative for New Evangelization; chair of the board of Télé Lumière International.

In 2015 he was invested with the dignity of Chorbishop.

 

Appointment of bishop of Syros with Milos, Santorini and apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Candia

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Georgios Altouvas as bishop of Syros with Milos, Santorini and apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Candia, transferring him from the archdiocese of Corfu, Zante and Cefalonia and from the apostolic vicariate of Saloniki, conserving ad personam the title of Archbishop.

 

Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Asunción, Paraguay

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Gabriel Narciso Escobar Ayala, S.D.B., as auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Asunción, Paraguay, transferring him from the apostolic vicariate of Chaco Paraguayo, conserving the titular see of Media.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Gabriel Narciso Escobar Ayala, S.D.B., was born on 18 June 1971 in Asunción.

He was ordained a priest on 10 February 2001, in Asunción, and was incardinated into the Salesian Society of Saint John Bosco (S.D.B.).

After his formation in Paraguay, he continued his theological studies in Chile, obtaining a licentiate in religious sciences and in education.

He has held the following offices: bursar of the Salesian House of Concepción and of the “Salesianito” College of Asunción; director of the “Salesianito” College (2008-2013) and of the “San José” Salesian Institute of Concepción (2013).

He was appointed titular bishop of Media and apostolic vicar of Chaco Paraguayo on 18 June 2013, receiving episcopal ordination on the following 3 August.

Within the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay, he has held various roles: chair of the Episcopal Commission for Missionary Animation; coordinator of pastoral ministry for human mobility and of educational pastoral ministry; and to date, coordinator of consecrated life.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Holy See, Her Excellency Ms. Tarandip Kaur Sandhu, on the occasion of the presentation of her credential letters.

The following is a brief biography of the new Ambassador:

Her Excellency Ms. Tarandip Kaur Sandhu Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Holy See

Her Excellency Ms. Tarandip Kaur Sandhu was born on 6 March 1982 in Leicester, United Kingdom. She is married with one daughter.

She attended the Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong. She graduated in English literature from the University of Warwick, and was awarded a master’s degree in international public policy from University College London (UCL), England.

She entered the diplomatic service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 2005, and served in the Department for Parliamentary Relations (FCO) from 2005 to 2007 and the Antiterrorism Department (FCO) from 2007-2008). She held the roles of Second Secretary in the Embassy in Morocco (2009-2012); deputy spokesperson at the Permanent Representation to the European Union, Brussels (2012-2014); deputy Mission head and Head of Department for International Trade, Chennai, India (2014-2017); service in the Directorate of Human Resources (FCO) (2017-2020); Director of the Race and Ethnicity Network of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (2020); deputy Consul-General, San Francisco, United States of America (2021–2023); and Consul-General, San Francisco, United States of America (2023–2025).

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Mr. Ignacio Sánchez Galán, engineer, chair of Iberdrola, with his wife; and Dr. Pedro Azagra, chief executive officer, with his wife;

- Her Excellency Ms. Tarandip Kaur Sandhu, ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Holy See, presenting her credential letters;

- His Eminence Cardinal Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão, archbishop of Goa and Damão, India, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India; with Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, vice president; Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi, secretary general; and Reverend Stephen Alathara, vice secretary general;

- His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille, France, president of the Bishops’ Conference of France; with Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours, vice president; and Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise; vice president;

- A delegation from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, United States of America;

- Members of the “Institut International des Sciences Administratives”.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the meeting promoted by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America regarding situations of addiction in Latin America.

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 you all, and welcome!

I extend a fraternal greeting to each and every one of you. I would like to express my particular gratitude to the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) for having facilitated this meeting, as well as to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the Pontifical Academy for Life.

I also greet our brothers and sisters from faith-based centres for support, preventive intervention, recovery and integration of young people, who have come from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas; their presence reminds us that suffering and hope know no borders.

The theme that brings us together is to reflect, from a faith-based perspective, on the problem of drugs and its impact on our young people. Addiction is a complex phenomenon that highlights the failure of a dehumanized world. The suffering of young people calls for comprehensive responses: community-based prevention, scientific care, justice with a human face, and close pastoral support. Our contribution must be directed towards care, presence and the rebuilding of the fabric of the community.

I am pleased to note how, at this meeting, four bridges converge, each representing a different pathway for collaboration in this field.

The first bridge is between the Church and international organizations, as no one can tackle the problem of drugs alone. For this reason, the ongoing collaboration between the Organization of American States and the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) deserves special mention; they coordinate training for faith-based community organizations, build support networks, and have even enabled CELAM to present the Manual on Latin American Pastoral Care for the Support and Prevention of Addictions.

The second bridge is between science and faith. The Church does not intervene in the issue of drugs with the intention of competing with or taking the place of neuroscience, psychiatry or public health; rather, it seeks to shed light on the issue from the perspective of the Gospel, with a integral understanding of the human person.

The third bridge is within the Church as she makes her pilgrim journey across the various continents. Over the past few days, people from the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe have come here to share their sorrows, hopes and pastoral enthusiasm.

The fourth bridge is ecumenical. The Catholic Church and other ecclesial communities, in practising concrete love for those who suffer, find a very eloquent common language rooted in faith to accompany and assist young people in their needs and dreams.

But allow me to pause for a moment on an institution that cuts across all our work: the family. The family, which the Second Vatican Council rightly called the “domestic church” (cf. Lumen gentium , 11), is the place where life is nurtured, cared for and planned. There is no better defence against drugs than a good family.

Today, we bear witness to the pain of many broken families, whether due to drug use, violence, the criminal recruitment of a child, poverty or the lack of opportunities that push people to the margins of society. Saint John Paul II asked us to make the Church “the home and the school of communion” (Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte , 43). And Pope Francis reminded us that Jesus wants us to “touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium , 270). Herein lies the very heart of the mission you are carrying out: that the Church may be a family, especially embracing those who suffer.

Finally, I would like to express a wish to you: that the Church may be a family for all those who have been left by the wayside. Like the Good Samaritan, who became a neighbour to the fallen man, let us not pass by; let us build a Church that stops, draws close, is moved with compassion, binds wounds, nourishes and becomes a home.

Thank you for your work. God bless you.

I impart the Lord’s blessing to you. May God’s grace be with you all, your families and your work at all times. The work you do in different parts of the world is very important.

[Blessing]