The Holy See announced that Pope Leo XIV will visit South America Nov. 6-17. Leaders from three countries on the continent expressed their anticipation for the visit.
In Peru, the visit will be a source of hope for people seeking peace. It will include a stop in the Diocese of Chiclayo, which the Holy Father once served as bishop.
The Church in Uruguay hopes the visit by the pope will strengthen the faith and hope of the people there.
The Catholic community in Argentina awaits the pope’s “powerful message of peace, commitment to human dignity and ongoing ecclesial renewal,” said Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference.
Pope Leo Encourages Young People in Assisi
Pope Leo this week visited Assisi in Italy. At a Mass for the 2026 Franciscan Youth Meeting, he encouraged young people to “overcome resignation and fear, to untangle the doubts the hold us back” and to repair the world as St. Francis and St. Clare did, by touching “the suffering flesh of others.”
At another meeting is Assisi, he answered questions by young people. He invited them to an understanding of the radical call of the Gospel.
It “is the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not make us blind and violent, but sensitive and attentive, always following Jesus and therefore humble and welcoming towards everyone. It is not easy, but it brings great joy.”
He also encouraged the young people, saying, “Dear young people, how beautiful it is to be together and ‘speak about God’ and, in His light, about life itself, in all its beauty, mystery and seriousness! Bear witness to this way of living wherever you go, especially at a time when technology is making us forget how to be together as people of flesh and blood.”
Be ‘Prophets of Harmony’ in Divided World, Pope Tells Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus held their 144th Supreme Convention in Denver, Colorado, and welcomed a video message from Pope Leo. He urged the Knights to be “prophets of harmony” in a world of division by building bridges of reconciliation, fostering unity through dialogue, and serving those most in need through works of charity.
Confucians, Christians Pledge to Build Harmonious World
Participants from Asia, Europe, and North America met in Korea for the First Confucian-Christian Colloquium.
Though rooted in different traditions, Christians and Confucians discovered “a common aspiration to overcome division and foster a community where all can live together in dignity and care for one another,” read the gathering’s Final Statement.
Through conversations held “in a spirit of friendship, hospitality, and mutual respect,” the participants recognized “a shared call to build a world of justice, respect, compassion, peace, and harmony.”
Pope at Audience: Prayer, in Liturgy of the Hours, is an Act of Hope
After his recent summer vacation Pope Leo returned to the Vatican and resumed his weekly General Audience talks on the Second Vatican Council.
Speaking on the importance of liturgical prayer with reference to the Vatican II document on the liturgy, the pope pointed to today’s “efficiency-driven and consumerist mindset,” in which “prayer may seem pointless and trivial.” Prayer, however, “is worth rediscovering in its true form,” Pope Leo said.
He recommended praying the Liturgy of the Hours which “sanctifies the time of our daily lives” by inviting all Christians to pray throughout the day in “an act of hope … awaiting with the whole Church the glorious return of the Lord.”
Church in Morocco Aiding Migrants in Spanish Border Crisis
A migration crisis of some 60,000 Moroccans attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta bordering Morocco drew the attention of observers worldwide and an impassioned plea by Pope Leo. He asked God, “through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, that solutions of peace, stability, and justice may be found.”
While reports of deaths of those trying to swim around the border crossing vary, most Moroccans have returned safely. The Church in Morocco is assisting the migrants returning to their communities, still facing despair and lack of economic opportunities.
Hope, Fear, Cynicism, Faith in the Middle East
A religious sister serving in a Catholic hospital in Syria describes the fears of Christians in the country, the exodus its young people, and her order’s work to bring hope to the patients served by the sisters.
Neighboring Lebanon is undergoing one of the worst economic collapses in modern history, with 80 percent of the population living in poverty. Three-quarters of a million children are increasingly bearing the brunt of the country’s overlapping crises, facing rising casualties, mass displacement, severe food insecurity and deep psychological trauma, aid agencies say.
Aid groups created some 3,000 makeshift shelters in Gaza City last week and distributed emergency supplies to 9,000 households. But timber, rope, solar lights and basic tools must enter Gaza quickly so aid groups can expand assistance, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile16 Palestinians were injured and more than 60 arrested in one day of an Israeli military operation.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem described the situation in Israel as one of “great tension,” one in which “violence has become the general lens through which relationships are experienced in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Palestine.”
He most fears the danger of the “cynical attitude of distrust in people’s hearts” when they hear talk of peaceful solutions but never experience them.
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