The main altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which was desecrated on Oct. 10, 2025. / Credit: Jorge Royan (CC BY-SA 3.0)

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 13, 2025 / 17:43 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and vicar general of the pope for Vatican City, presided Oct. 13 over a penitential rite of reparation at the main altar of the church following a serious act of desecration that had taken place on Oct. 10.

After a penitential procession that began at 12:45 p.m. local time, Gambetti sprinkled the altar with holy water and incensed it to purify it.

The rite, attended by members of the chapter of the Vatican basilica, emphasized asking God for “forgiveness” for the desecration, Father Enzo Fortunato, director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

On Friday, Oct. 10, a man whose identity has not been revealed was arrested by security guards after he climbed onto the Altar of the Confession, located under Bernini’s baldachin, and urinated on it while tourists looked on in astonishment.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his consternation upon learning of the incident and asked Gambetti to perform an act of reparation to restore the sanctity of the place and ask forgiveness for what had happened.

This is the second instance of desecration in St. Peter’s Basilica in less than a year. In February, a man severely damaged part of the main altar, breaking several candelabras. In June 2023, an individual of Polish origin stripped naked in the same place as a form of protest against the war in Ukraine. 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality on Oct. 12, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 13, 2025 / 14:12 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV called on Catholics to support missionaries on World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on Oct. 19.

In a video message released Oct. 13, the Holy Father — who served as a missionary bishop in the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo — stated that this day is an opportunity for the entire Catholic Church to unite in prayer for missionaries “and for the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors.”

He shared his experience as a missionary in Peru, where he saw firsthand “how the faith, the prayer, and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities.”

The pope invited every Catholic parish in the world to participate in World Mission Sunday, emphasizing that their prayers and support help proclaim the Gospel, “provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories.”

The pontiff also urged the faithful to reflect on their baptismal call “to be missionaries of hope among the peoples” and to renew their commitment “to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our hope to the ends of the earth.”

Pope Leo concluded his message by thanking the faithful for their support for Catholic missionaries around the world.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Father Marko Rupnik, SJ, in an interview with EWTN in 2020. / Credit: EWTN

Vatican City, Oct 13, 2025 / 12:23 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s doctrine office announced Monday that a panel of five judges has been nominated to decide the disciplinary case against Father Marko Rupnik, accused of the sexual and psychological abuse of consecrated women under his spiritual care.

The judges, appointed Oct. 9, do not hold any position in the Roman Curia — the Vatican’s governing body — to ensure their autonomy and independence in the penal judicial procedure, according to an Oct. 13 press release from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the head of the DDF, told journalists in July that the judges for the Rupnik case had been selected. The panel of judges includes both women and clerics.

Fernández had said in an interview at the end of January that the dicastery had finished gathering information in the disciplinary case, had conducted a first review, and was working to put together an independent tribunal for the penal judicial procedure.

Rupnik — a well-known artist with mosaics and paintings in hundreds of Catholic shrines and churches around the world — is accused of having committed sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse against dozens of women religious in the 1980s and early 1990s.

In May 2019, the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith launched a criminal administrative process against Rupnik after the Society of Jesus reported credible complaints of abuse by the priest to the Vatican.

One year later, the Vatican declared Rupnik to be in a state of “latae sententiae” excommunication for absolving an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment. His excommunication was lifted by Pope Francis after two weeks.

The Society of Jesus subsequently expelled Rupnik from the religious congregation in June 2023 for his “stubborn refusal to observe the vow of obedience.”

The DDF began to investigate the abuse accusations against Rupnik in October 2023, after Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In separate videos recorded in English, Spanish and Italian, Pope Leo XIV urged every Catholic parish around the globe to observe World Mission Sunday Oct. 19 and take up the annual collection that supports Catholic missionary work.

"When I served as a missionary priest and then bishop in Peru, I saw first-hand how the faith, the prayer and the generosity shown on World Mission Sunday can transform entire communities," said the Chicago-born pope. As an Augustinian priest, he served in the missions in Peru from 1985 to 1999 and then as apostolic administrator and later bishop of Chiclayo from 2014 to 2023. 

In the video message, released Oct. 13, Pope Leo encouraged all Catholics to pray on World Mission Sunday "particularly for missionaries and the fruitfulness of their apostolic labors."

"Your prayers, your support will help spread the Gospel, provide for pastoral and catechetical programs, help to build new churches, and care for the health and educational needs of our brothers and sisters in mission territories," the pope said.

According to the Pontifical Mission Societies USA, funds collected on World Mission Sunday support: "82,498 seminarians in formation; 258,540 religious sisters providing care and catechesis; (and) 844,000 catechists sharing the faith at the grassroots."

The funds also help sustain "12,000 health care centers; 8,750 orphanages and homes for the elderly" and have helped with the construction of 570 new churches, it said.

In the video, Pope Leo asked Catholics to "reflect together on our baptismal call to be 'missionaries of hope among the peoples,'" and to commit themselves again "to the sweet and joyful task of bringing Christ Jesus our hope to the ends of the earth."

The annual papal message for World Mission Sunday is released in February. Pope Francis had chosen "Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples" as the theme for the 2025 celebration.
 

Pope Leo: Support ‘Missionaries of Hope”

In a special video appeal, Pope Leo XIV asked Catholic parishes across the globe to support World Mission Sunday Oct. 19.

Through the example of Mary, Pope Leo on Oct. 12, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square said the Church can see the “revolutionary nature of love and tenderness” and its impact on the events of history as well as the everyday lives of each individual. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 12, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square was attended by 30,000 pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality and thousands more people who gathered in neighboring streets outside the Vatican for the liturgical celebration.

During the Mass, the Holy Father expressed his great appreciation and gratitude to the members of movements, confraternities, prayer groups, and shrines — dedicated to the Blessed Virgin — for coming to Rome to participate in the Church’s holy year dedicated to hope.  

Leo said their spirituality, anchored in sacred Scripture and Church tradition, reveals the profound beauty of God’s personal love for each person.

“Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded, and sinners,” he said in his Oct. 12 homily. “Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness, his way of ‘being a mother,’ to light in the Church.”

According to the pontiff, devotion to the Mother of God has “changed the face of the earth forever” and should be revived through “popular devotion,” particularly in a world seeking peace and justice. 

“Let us use [Marian devotions] as a driving force for renewal and transformation,” he said on Sunday. “Indeed, the jubilee we are celebrating calls for a time of conversion and restitution, of reflection and liberation.”

Since becoming pope in May, Leo XIV has frequently spoken about the significance of the Canticle of Mary in the life of the Church throughout its 2,000-year history.  

“Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts … We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat,” he said. 

“Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labeling those who are different — often the poor — as enemies, ‘lepers’ to be avoided and rejected,” he added.

Through the example of Mary, the Holy Father said the Church can see the “revolutionary nature of love and tenderness” and its impact on the events of history as well as the everyday lives of each individual.

“In her, we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves,” the pope said. 

“Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for ‘bringing down the mighty from their thrones’ and ‘sending the rich away empty’ is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice,” he continued.

After delivering his homily, Leo XIV stood before the original statue of Our Lady of Fátima brought to St. Peter’s Square from Portugal and dedicated the Church and the world to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He prayed particularly for those “tormented by the scourges of war.”

“Obtain for us the gift of peace that we earnestly implore,” he prayed. “Mother of the Church, welcome us kindly so that under your mantle we may find refuge and be helped by your maternal aid in the trials of life.”

‘With the entire Church, I am close to your immense pain’    

Before leading the congregation in the Angelus prayer before the conclusion of Mass, the Holy Father delivered a brief Sunday address and asked the Church to especially pray for people in Israel and Palestine.

“In recent days, the agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land,” he said, referring to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brokered Friday. 

“I encourage the parties involved to continue courageously on the path they have chosen, towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” he said.

The Holy Father concluded his short address with petitions for prayer for the people of Ukraine, following recent fatal attacks in Kyiv; the people of Peru, who are undergoing a time of  “political transition”; and for victims of workplace accidents in Italy.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must avoid using their faith to label those who are different -- often the poor -- as enemies to be avoided and rejected, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts," he said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter's Square Oct. 12 for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

"Mary's path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded and sinners," Pope Leo said in his homily. "Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God's tenderness, his way of 'being a mother,' to light in the church." 

Members of movements, confraternities and various Marian prayer groups were invited to Rome for their Oct. 11-12 Jubilee, which included an evening prayer service in the square Oct. 11 with Pope Leo in the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The statue, brought from the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, also was on display during the Oct. 12 Mass.

Marian spirituality, "which nourishes our faith, has Jesus as its center," Pope Leo said in his homily. Remembering Jesus Christ is what matters.

"The celebration of Sunday, therefore, should make us Christians," he said. "It should fill our thoughts and feelings with the burning memory of Jesus and change the way we live together and the way we inhabit the earth."

The pope reflected on the day's Gospel reading of Jesus cleansing 10 lepers (Lk 17:11-19). While all of them appealed to him and were healed, only one, who was a foreigner, thanked Jesus and glorified God.

"The lepers in the Gospel who do not return to give thanks remind us that God's grace can touch us and find no response," he said. "It can heal us, yet we can still fail to accept it."

"Let us take care, therefore, not to go up to the temple in such a way that does not lead us to follow Jesus," he said. 

When some forms of worship fail to foster communion with others, he said, "we fail to encounter the people God has placed in our lives. We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat."

"Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labelling those who are different -- often the poor -- as enemies, 'lepers' to be avoided and rejected," he said.

"Marian spirituality is at the service of the Gospel" because "it reveals its simplicity," he said.

"Our affection for Mary of Nazareth leads us to join her in becoming disciples of Jesus," he said, and "it teaches us to return to him and to meditate and ponder the events of our lives in which the Risen One still comes to us and calls us."

Marian spirituality "helps us to see the proud being scattered in their conceit, the mighty being cast down from their thrones and the rich being sent away empty-handed," he said, referring to the Canticle of Mary (Lk 1:51-54). "It impels us to fill the hungry with good things, to lift up the lowly, to remember God's mercy and to trust in the power of his arm." 

Just as God asked Mary for her "yes," he said, "Jesus invites us to be part of his kingdom."

"Dear friends, in a world seeking justice and peace, let us revive Christian spirituality and popular devotion to the events and places blessed by God that have changed the face of the earth forever," he said.

"Let us use them as a driving force for renewal and transformation," he said, especially during the Holy Year, which encourages conversion, restitution, reflection and liberation.

During the Mass, one of the prayers of the faithful prayed that God would "dispel all pride from the hearts of those who hold positions of power and inspire decisions which favor the little ones and the least."

The pope offered his own prayer entrusting the church, the world and all of humanity to Mary.

"Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our hope, your caring presence in this Year of Grace accompanies and consoles us and gives us, in the dark nights of history, the certainty that in Christ evil is overcome and every person is redeemed by his love," he said.

"To your immaculate heart we entrust the whole world and all of humanity, especially your children who are tormented by the scourge of war," he said. "Advocate of grace, advise us on the path of reconciliation and forgiveness, do not fail to intercede for us, in joy and in sorrow, and obtain for us the gift of peace that we earnestly implore."
 

Pope Leo calls for disarmament

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality and calls for disarmament.

A view of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Mass for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, with Bernini’s baldachin and the papal altar decorated with white flowers, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 11, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).

A man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday before being taken away by security officers in the famous basilica, according to news reports.

The man climbed the altar and “urinated under the stunned gaze of hundreds of tourists,” according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera’s Rome edition. Video of the desecration was widely shared on social media.

Il Tempo reported that the man “was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica” and was escorted out of the church.

The latter newspaper claimed Pope Leo XIV was “shocked to learn of the news,” though the Holy See Press Office had not released a statement about the incident as of Oct. 11.

This is not the first time this year that a vandal has attacked the altar from which the pope says Mass.

In February, a man desecrated the altar by climbing on top of it and throwing six candelabras that were on the altar to the ground.

In June 2023, meanwhile, a Polish man approached the high altar as the basilica was about to close, undressed, and climbed onto the altar. Photos posted online showed the words “Save children of Ukraine” written in marker on his back. The Vatican performed a penitential rite after that act of desecration.

Pope Leo XIV stands before the original Our Lady of Fatima statue at a Marian vigil in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 11, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Tens of thousands of people joined Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to pray for peace in the world.

Before the statue of Our Lady of Fátima, which was brought to Rome from Portugal for the Oct. 11–12 Jubilee of Marian Spiritualities, the pope entrusted believers to the Mother of God to guide the Church in its “pilgrimage of hope.”

During the special prayer vigil, which included a contemplative recitation of the rosary and time for Eucharistic adoration, the Holy Father delivered a short address and encouraged those present to ask the Mother of God for the gift of a “listening heart.”

“Our hope is guided by the gentle and persistent light of Mary’s words as recounted in the Gospel,” the pope said.

“Her last words at the wedding feast in Cana [‘Do whatever he tells you’] are particularly precious,” he said. “These words, which almost seem to be a testament, must be treasured by her children, as any mother’s testament would be.”

Sharing reflections on the life of Christ, which are included in the rosary prayer, Leo said peace in the world is not achieved through “power and money” but through prayer, listening, and living the Gospel message.

“Disarm your hands and, even more importantly, your hearts. As I have said before, peace is unarmed and disarming,” he said. 

“It is not deterrence, but fraternity; it is not an ultimatum, but dialogue,” he continued. “Peace will not come as the result of victories over the enemy but as the fruit of sowing justice and courageous forgiveness.”

Addressing the “powerful of the world,” the pope said it is necessary to “lay down your sword” and have the “courage to disarm” to achieve peace.

“At the same time, it is an invitation to each one of us to recognize that no idea, faith, or policy justifies killing,” he added.

Encouraging those who desire peace and the end of conflict and violence, the Holy Father said “take courage” and “never give up.”

“Blessed are you: God gives joy to those who spread love in the world and to those who choose to make peace with their enemies rather than defeat them,” he said.

“Peace is a journey, and God walks with you,” he continued. “The Lord creates and spreads peace through his friends who are at peace in their hearts, and they in turn become peacemakers and instruments of his peace.”

Toward the end of the prayer vigil, the Holy Father turned to Mary, the “Queen of Peace” to whom the Church can turn in time of need.

“Teach us to live and bear witness to Christian love by welcoming everyone as brothers and sisters; to renounce the darkness of selfishness in order to follow Christ, the true light of humanity,” he said.

“Virgin of peace, Gate of Sure Hope, accept the prayers of your children!” he prayed.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which has one of the bullets from the attempted assassination in 1981 of St. John Paul II embedded in its crown, Pope Leo XIV called for the warring to lay down their weapons.

"'Lay down your sword' is a message addressed to the powerful of this world, to those who guide the fate of peoples: have the courage to disarm!" the pope said Oct. 11 as he led a prayer vigil and the recitation of the rosary for peace in St. Peter's Square.

On the night he was arrested, Jesus told St. Peter, "Lay down your sword." While Jesus says the same to warmongers today, the pope said, it also is "an invitation to each one of us to recognize that no idea, faith or policy justifies killing." 

Before the evening prayer service, part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, the statue brought from the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal was on display in the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina near the Vatican. Thousands of people lined up to see the statue up close and to pray in front of it.

As the statue was carried in procession into St. Peter's Square, people applauded and shouted, "Viva la Madonna" ("Long live Our Lady"). 

Pope Leo placed a gold rose in a small vase at the foot of the statue and prayed silently before beginning the prayer vigil.

Each of the joyful mysteries of the rosary was led in a different language -- Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese -- and each decade concluded with the prayer, "Queen of Peace, pray for us."

As darkness fell, Pope Leo offered a meditation, urging everyone to "persevere tirelessly in praying for peace, a God-given gift that we must strive to receive and to which we must make a strong commitment."

With Mary as a model, both as a human being and as the first disciple of Jesus, the pope said, Christians should "ask for the gift of compassion toward every brother and sister who suffers and toward all creatures."

"Let us look to the mother of Jesus and the small group of courageous women at the foot of the cross," the pope suggested. "May we learn from them to stand beside the countless crosses of the world, where Christ is still crucified in his brothers and sisters, in order to bring them comfort, communion and help."

At the wedding feast of Cana, he said, Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them.

The words of Jesus that must be obeyed today, the pope said, are those he addressed to St. Peter: "Lay down your sword." 

"Disarm your hands and, even more importantly, your hearts. As I have said before, peace is unarmed and disarming," Pope Leo said. "It is not deterrence, but fraternity; it is not an ultimatum, but dialogue. Peace will not come as the result of victories over the enemy, but as the fruit of sowing justice and courageous forgiveness."

Jesus calls his followers to see the world "through the eyes of those who suffer rather than the mighty; to view history through the eyes of the little ones, rather than through the perspective of the powerful; to interpret the events of history from the viewpoint of the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the wounded child, the exile and the fugitive; to see things through the eyes of the shipwrecked and of the poor man Lazarus lying at the rich man's doorstep," the pope said,

"Otherwise, nothing will ever change," he said, "and a new era, a kingdom of justice and peace, will never dawn."

Mary, in the Magnificat, points out "the contrast between the humble and the powerful, the poor and the rich, the satiated and the hungry," the pope said. "She chooses the little ones; she stands with the least powerful in history, to teach us to imagine and to dream together with her of new heavens and a new earth."

"Take courage, continue on your journey, you who are building the conditions for a future of peace, justice and forgiveness," Pope Leo said. "Be gentle yet determined and never give up. Peace is a journey, and God walks with you."

The prayer service ended with silent Eucharistic adoration and Benediction.

Pope Leo XIV smiles as he rides in the popemobile past the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima before leading a prayer vigil and recitation of the rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)

The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima is carried in procession through St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 11, 2025, for a prayer vigil and recitation of the rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV. Participants pause to pray at the site where St. John Paul II was shot May 13, 1981. The late pope credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life, and one of the bullets removed from his body was later placed in the crown of the Fatima statue. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)

Pope Leo XIV kneels in prayer before the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 11, 2025, before a prayer vigil and the recitation of the rosary for peace. The statue was brought from Portugal to Rome for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV kneels in prayer before the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima during a prayer vigil and recitation of the rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Leo XIV greets people from the popemobile as he rides around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before leading a prayer vigil and recitation of the rosary for peace Oct. 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima, with one of the bullets from the attempted assassination in 1981 of St. John Paul II embedded in its crown, is carried in procession in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for a prayer vigil with Pope Leo XIV Oct. 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

People crowd into the Rome Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina Oct. 11, 2025, to pray before the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima, brought from Portugal to Rome for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)

Religious sisters pray in front of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the Rome Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina Oct. 11, 2025, before it is carried in procession to St. Peter's Square for a prayer vigil with Pope Leo XIV and the recitation of the rosary for peace. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)

Pope Leo XIV meets with members of Aid to the Church in Need at the Vatican on Oct. 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 10, 2025 / 13:21 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday received at the Vatican members of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a pontifical foundation that supports the Catholic Church in its evangelizing work in the world’s most needy, discriminated-against, and persecuted communities.

In his initial greeting, the Holy Father emphasized the importance of their work, especially in a world that continues to “witness growing hostility and violence against those who hold different beliefs, including many Christians.”

According to the pope, ACN’s mission — which funds more than 5,000 pastoral and humanitarian emergency projects in 137 countries — proclaims that, as one family in Christ, “we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.”

Pope Leo XIV emphasized that “the suffering of any member of the body of Christ is shared by the entire Church.” ACN was founded in 1947, the Holy Father recalled, to defend religious freedom and as a response to the “immense suffering left behind by the war,” with the aim of promoting forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Holy Father firmly stated that “the right to religious freedom is not optional but essential,” referring to it as “a cornerstone of every just society, as it safeguards the moral space in which conscience can be formed and exercised.”

In this regard, he indicated that religious freedom “is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted by governments” but “a fundamental condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible.”

Consequently, he clarified that when this freedom is denied, “the human person is deprived of the capacity to respond freely to the call of truth.” He warned: “What follows is a slow disintegration of the ethical and spiritual bonds that sustain communities; trust gives way to fear, suspicion replaces dialogue, and oppression breeds violence.”

He then thanked the members of this foundation for their reports on Religious Freedom in the World, “a powerful tool for raising awareness.”

“Wherever Aid to the Church in Need rebuilds a chapel, supports a religious sister, or provides a radio station or a vehicle, they strengthen the life of the Church, as well as the spiritual and moral fabric of society,” he continued.

He also highlighted that their assistance helps “small and vulnerable minorities” such as those in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, and Mozambique.

Concluding his remarks, he thanked each of them for this work of charity, as their service “bears fruit in countless lives and gives glory to our heavenly Father.”

“Do not tire of doing good,” he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.