Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, Delegate for Catechesis of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World;

- His Eminence Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, O.F.M. Conv., archbishop of Teheran-Ispahan of the Latins, Iran.

This morning’s General Audience took place at 10.00 in Saint Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Leo XIV met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and all over the world.

In his address in Italian, the Pope continued his cycle of catechesis on “The Documents of the Second Vatican Council”, focusing on the theme: Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium. The Church, people of God (Reading: Jer 31:33).

After summarizing his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed special greetings to the faithful present.

He then made an appeal for prayer for peace in Iran and throughout the Middle East, in particular for the numerous civilian victims, including many innocent children.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.

 

The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium. 3. The Church, people of God

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Continuing in our reflection on the Dogmatic Constitution  Lumen gentium  ( LG ), today we will look at the second chapter, dedicated to the People of God.

God, who created the world and humanity, and who wishes to save every man, carries out his work of salvation in history, choosing a real people and dwelling among them. For this reason, He calls Abraham and promises him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (cf.  Gen  22:17-18). With Abraham’s children, after freeing them from slavery, God makes a covenant with them, accompanies them, cares for them, and gathers them together whenever they stray. Therefore, the identity of this people is given by God’s action and by faith in Him. They are called to become a light for other nations, like a beacon that will draw all peoples, the whole of humanity, to itself (cf.  Is  2:1-5).

The Council affirms that “All these things, however, were done by way of preparation and as a figure of that new and perfect covenant, which was to be ratified in Christ, and of that fuller revelation which was to be given through the Word of God Himself made flesh” (  LG , 9). Indeed, it is Christ who, in giving His Body and His Blood, unites this people in Himself and in a definitive way. It is a people now made up of members of every nation; it is united by faith in Him, by adherence to Him, by living the same life as Him, animated by the Spirit of the Risen One. This is the Church: the people of God who draw their existence from the body of Christ  [1] and who are themselves the body of Christ;  [2] not a people like any other, but the People of God, called together by Him and made up of women and men from all the peoples of the earth. Its unifying principle is not a language, a culture, an ethnicity, but faith in Christ: the Church is therefore – according to a splendid expression of the Council – the assembly of “all those who in faith look upon Jesus” (  LG , 9).

It is a messianic people, precisely because it has Christ, the Messiah, as its head. Those who belong to it do not pride themselves on merits or titles, but only on the gift of being, in Christ and through Him, daughters and sons of God. Above any task or function, therefore, what really matters in the Church is to be grafted onto Christ, to be children of God by grace. This is also the only honorary title we should seek as Christians. We are in the Church in order to receive life from the Father unceasingly and to live as His children and brothers and sisters among ourselves. Consequently, the law that animates relationships in the Church is love, as we receive and experience it in Jesus; and her goal is the Kingdom of God, towards which she walks together with all humanity.

Unified in Christ, Lord and Saviour of every man and woman, the Church can never turn inwards on herself, but is open to everyone and is for everyone. If believers in Christ belong to it, the Council reminds us that “All men are called to belong to the new people of God. Wherefore this people, remaining one and unique, must extend to the whole world and to all ages, so that the intention of God’s will may be fulfilled, who in the beginning created human nature as one and wants to gather together his children who were scattered” ( LG , 13). Even those who have not yet received the Gospel are therefore, in some way, oriented towards the people of God, and the Church, cooperating in Christ’s mission, is called upon to spread the Gospel everywhere and to everyone (cf.  LG  17), so that every person may enter into contact with Christ. This means that in the Church there is, and there must be, a place for everyone, and that every Christian is called to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness in every environment in which he or she lives and works. Thus, this people shows its catholicity, welcoming the wealth and resources of different cultures and, at the same time, offering them the newness of the Gospel to purify them and to raise them up (cf.  LG , 13).

In this regard, the Church is one but includes everyone. A great theologian described it thus: “The unique Ark of Salvation must welcome all human diversity into its vast nave. The only banquet hall, the food it distributes is drawn from all of creation. The seamless garment of Christ, it is also – and it is the same thing – the garment of Joseph, with its many colours”.  [3]

It is a great sign of hope – especially in our times, traversed by so many conflicts and wars – to know that the Church is a people in which women and men of different nationalities, languages and cultures live together in faith: it is a sign placed in the very heart of humanity, a reminder and prophecy of that unity and peace to which God the Father calls all his children.

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[1] Cf. J. Ratzinger,  The New People of God , Brescia 1992, 97.

[2] Cf. Y. M.-J. Congar,  A Messianic People , Brescia 1976, 75.

[3] Cf. H. de Lubac,  Catholicism: A study of dogma in relation to the corporate destiny of mankind (Catholicisme: Les aspects sociaux du dogme) .

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Appeal of the Holy Father

Today in Qlayaa, Lebanon, the funeral of Father Pierre El Raii, Maronite parish priest of one of the Christian villages in southern Lebanon, is being celebrated. These villages are once again experiencing the tragedy of war. I am close to all the Lebanese people at this time of grave trial.

In Arabic, “El Raii” means “the shepherd”. Father Pierre was a true shepherd, who always stayed beside his people, with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd. As soon as he heard that some parishioners had been wounded in a bombing, he rushed to help them without hesitation. May the Lord grant that the blood he shed be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray for peace in Iran and throughout the Middle East, especially for the many civilian victims, including many innocent children. May our prayer be a comfort to those who suffer and a seed of hope for the future.

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Greeting in English

Dear brothers and sisters, in our continuing catechesis on the Dogmatic Constitution  Lumen Gentium ,  we reflect on God’s salvific work in history by choosing a people as his own. He makes a covenant with Abraham and calls his people to be a light for other nations. In this way, he foreshadows the new and perfect covenant in Jesus Christ. With his Death and Resurrection, Jesus gathers all peoples, men and women of different nationalities, languages and cultures into his Bride, the Church. The Church is the new people of God, who united by faith and animated by Christ’s love proclaim the Gospel to the whole world. We too, as members of the Church, are called to be signs of hope and to spread the message of the Father, who desires to gather to himself all his children.

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Summary of the Holy Father's words

I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from Denmark, Australia and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that this Lent will be a time of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Resignation of the Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans

Resignation of bishop of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans, U.S.A., and appointment of apostolic administrator sede vacante

Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Lahore, Pakistan

Appointment of vicar apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan

 

Resignation of the Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, presented by His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, in accordance with Canon 126 § 2 of the CCEO.

 

Resignation of bishop of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans, U.S.A., and appointment of apostolic administrator sede vacante

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the eparchy of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans, United States of America, presented by Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta, and has appointed Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop, titular of Hirta, as apostolic administrator sede vacante of the same circumscription.

 

Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Lahore, Pakistan

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Khalid Rehmat, O.F.M. Cap., until now vicar apostolic of Quetta, as metropolitan archbishop of Lahore, Pakistan.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop-elect Khalid Rehmat, O.F.M. Cap., was born on 5 August 1968 in Mianwali, in the diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. He gave his solemn vows in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on 28 December 2007 and was ordained a priest on 16 August 2008.

He was elected vicar apostolic of Quetta on 1 January 2021, and received episcopal ordination on the following 25 March. Within the Episcopal Conference, he is chair of the Commission for Consecrated Life, the Commission for Evangelization, and the Pontifical Mission Societies. In addition, he was a delegate member of the Episcopal Conference to the Synod on Synodality.

 

Appointment of vicar apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, O.F.M., until now metropolitan of Lahore, as vicar apostolic of Quetta, Pakistan.

Curriculum vitae

Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, O.F.M., was born on 14 November 1957 in Padri-Jo-Goth, Sanghar, Sindh, in the metropolitan diocese of Hyderabad.

He entered the Franciscan novitiate in 1984, and studied theology at the Christ the King Seminary in Karachi. After giving his perpetual vows in 1989, he was ordained a priest on 6 December 1991.

He was appointed titular bishop of Tino and auxiliary of the archdiocese of Lahore on 14 February 2009, receiving episcopal ordination the following 25 April. On 20 May 2010 he was appointed apostolic administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the metropolitan archdiocese of Lahore and on 7 April 2011, apostolic administrator of the same archdiocese, becoming metropolitan archbishop on 14 November 2013.

Within the Episcopal Conference, he has served as chair of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, the Commission for the Family, the Commission for Education, and Caritas.

Accredited journalists are advised that registration is now open for admission to the Special Flight scheduled for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s announced Apostolic Journey in the Principality of Monaco .

The Holy Father will make the Apostolic Journey on 28 March 2026, with the following itinerary:

Saturday 28 March 2026

Vatican City – Principality of Monaco (457 km, 2 hours, helicopter)

Principality of Monaco – Vatican City (457 km, 2 hours, helicopter)

Time zone

Vatican City: +1 hour UTC

Principality of Monaco: +1 hour UTC

The special flight for journalists and media operators will depart on the morning of Saturday, 28 March 2026, from Rome/Fiumicino International Airport and arrive at Nice International Airport, returning in the evening.

The provisional programme for the announced Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in the Principality of Monaco is published in Bulletin No. 188 of today, Monday, 9 March 2026.

Requests for admission to the Special Flight can only be made via the Holy See Press Office online accreditation system at press.vatican.va/accreditamenti , by registering as a user of the system or logging in with your credentials and selecting the corresponding event from the Events Calendar.

The deadline for submitting requests for admission to the Special Flight is Thursday, 12 March 2026, at 12:00 noon.

Saturday 28 March 2026

ROME – MONACO

07:00

Departure by helicopter from the Vatican City Heliport, bound for Monaco 

 

09:00

Arrival at the Monaco Heliport

 

 

OFFICIAL WELCOME

 

09:25

WELCOME CEREMONY in the Prince’s Palace of Monaco

 

09:40

COURTESY VISIT TO H.S.H. THE PRINCE OF MONACO

Greeting of the Holy Father

11:00

MEETING WITH THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Homily of the Holy Father

11:45

MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND CATECHUMENS in the area in front of the Church of Sainte-Dévote

Address of the Holy Father

15:30

HOLY MASS at Louis II Stadium

Homily of the Holy Father

17:35

OFFICIAL FAREWELL at the Monaco Heliport

 

17:45

Departure by helicopter from Monaco Heliport, bound for for Vatican City

 

19:45

Arrival at the Vatican City Heliport