Two indexes with 50 companies each that adhere to Catholic social teachings were announced by the Vatican Bank in order to promote ethical Catholic investing.

The 2033 Jubilee will commemorate the bimillennium of the Redemption but the main ecumenical obstacle is the rift between the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Ignorance of sacred Scriptures is ignorance of Jesus Christ, Pope Leo XIV said during his weekly general audience.

"The ultimate purpose of reading and meditating on the Scriptures," he said Feb. 11, is "to get to know Christ and, through Him, to enter into a relationship with God, a relationship that can be understood as a conversation, a dialogue."

Also, with the season of Lent beginning in one week, Feb. 18, the pope said the season "is a time for deepening our knowledge and love of the Lord, for examining our hearts and our lives, as well as refocusing our gaze on Jesus and his love for us." 

"May these coming days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving be a source of strength as we daily strive to take up our own crosses and follow Christ," he said during his audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

In his main catechesis, Pope Leo continued his series of talks on Vatican II, specifically the Dogmatic Constitution "Dei Verbum," on divine revelation and the Word of God.

The word of God is a source of comfort, guidance and strength for Christians, he said, and it should be shared with others, too, he said.

"Indeed, we live surrounded by so many words, but how many of these are empty!" he said.

"On the contrary, the Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning, for the truth about our life," he said. "It is the only Word that is always new: revealing the mystery of God to us, it is inexhaustible, it never ceases to offer its riches."

Sacred Scripture is "the means by which we come to know the incarnate living Word of God who is Jesus Christ," the pope said in his summary in English. "Indeed, praying with Scripture opens the door for an intimate relationship with God who, through these sacred writings, invites us into conversation with him." 

"As St. Jerome rightly points out, ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of God," he said, encouraging all faithful to read and reflect on the word of God every day, so that it may "nourish our hearts and our minds and lead us to the fullness of life."

Speaking to Portuguese-speaking visitors, Pope Leo said prayerfully reading the word of God is a special kind of "nourishment" and an invigorating "medicine in moments of weakness"; from it, the faithful can draw "light and comfort."

"Christians are called to listen to the word of God, to keep it in their hearts, and to put it into practice in their daily lives, because it is alive, effective and a light on their path," he told Arabic-speaking visitors, which included members of the Sisters of Nazareth living in Haifa, Israel.

Pope Leo said in his English summary that there is a "profound and vital connection" between the word of God and the Catholic Church.

"Sacred Scripture, which has been entrusted to the Church and is guarded by her, reveals its meaning and manifests its strength in the life and faith of the Church, above all in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist," he said. 

"For this reason, the Church continually meditates upon and interprets Scripture because it is the means by which we come to know the incarnate living Word of God who is Jesus Christ," he added. 

To mark the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, celebrated Feb. 11, Pope Leo began the general audience with lighting a candle placed in front of a statue of Our Lady, and he joined in singing the "Immaculate Mary," also known as the Lourdes Hymn, with the thousands of faithful in the hall.

After the general audience, he visited the replica of the grotto at Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens and lit a candle there, too, "as a sign of my prayer for all the sick, whom we remember with particular affection today, World Day of the Sick."

Gathered together with a small group of people experiencing illness and those who care for them, the pope said, "We pray for you." 

Thanking them for taking part in the moment of prayer, he said, the feast day "reminds us of the closeness of Mary, our mother, who always accompanies us and teaches us so much: what suffering means, what love means, what it means to entrust our lives into the hands of the Lord."

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, 76, from the Office of Archbishop of New Orleans. On the same day, Coadjutor Archbishop James F. Checchio, will assume the pastoral governance of the archdiocese.

The announcement was publicized in Washington, D.C. on February 11, 2026, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Checchio’ biography may be found here.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans is comprised of 4,208 square miles in the State of Louisiana.

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Pope Leo XIV appointed Archbishop James Checchio coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans in September 2025 to automatically succeed the 76-year-old Archbishop Gregory Aymond upon his retirement.

Pope Leo XIV spoke about sacred Scripture during his weekly audience with pilgrims in the Vatican.

“I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.

Vatican aid is headed to hard-hit areas including Fastiv and Kyiv, with distribution organized through parish networks.

Pope Leo XIV approved the new statutes of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, founded to promote and coordinate Mariological and Marian studies worldwide.

In his Angelus catechesis, the pope said true joy is found in communion with Christ and lived through concrete acts of charity.