Pope Leo XIV greets a young pilgrim in Rome during a meeting with group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, Saturday, July 5, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Saturday said pilgrimages play an essential role in the life of faith as they help a Christian to be better united to Jesus Christ and discern God's purpose for us in life.The Holy Father invited a large group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to the Vatican on Saturday and encouraged them to come closer to God during their summer pilgrimage in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.Pilgrims present Pope Leo XIV with a bottle of Irish whisky at the Vatican, Saturday, July 5, 2025. Credit: Vatican MediaDuring the meeting, the pope said: "A pilgrimage has a vital part to play in our life of faith for it removes us from our homes and our daily routines and gives us time and space...
Pope Leo XIV greets a young pilgrim in Rome during a meeting with group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, Saturday, July 5, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday said pilgrimages play an essential role in the life of faith as they help a Christian to be better united to Jesus Christ and discern God's purpose for us in life.
The Holy Father invited a large group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to the Vatican on Saturday and encouraged them to come closer to God during their summer pilgrimage in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
Pilgrims present Pope Leo XIV with a bottle of Irish whisky at the Vatican, Saturday, July 5, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
During the meeting, the pope said: "A pilgrimage has a vital part to play in our life of faith for it removes us from our homes and our daily routines and gives us time and space to encounter God more deeply."
"Such moments always help us to grow, for through them the Holy Spirit gently fashions us to be ever more closely conformed to the mind and the heart of Jesus Christ," he continued.
Continuing the theme of his July prayer intention "for formation in discernment," the pope told the group of teachers and students that God "has created each one of you with a purpose and a mission in this life." He encouraged them to visit the many holy sites in the Eternal City during their jubilee pilgrimage.
Pope Leo XIV appears before a group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales at the Vatican on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
"Use this opportunity for listening, for prayer, so that you may hear more clearly God's voice calling you deep within your hearts," he said. "Today, so often, we lose the ability to listen, to really listen."
"We listen to music, we have our ears flooded constantly with all kinds of digital input, but sometimes we forget to listen to our own hearts and it's in our hearts that God speaks to us," he continued.
By fostering a personal relationship with Jesus, the pope said God "calls us and invites us to know him better and to live in his love" and to share that gift of faith with others, just like the countless saints and martyrs had over the centuries.
Addressing the teachers of the group, Leo said they have an "important role in the formation of today's youth" and are role models for them.
"I hope that, each day, you will nurture your relationship with Christ, who gives us the pattern of all authentic teaching, so that, in turn, you may guide and encourage those entrusted to your care to follow Christ in their own lives," he said.
The Holy Father challenged his listeners on Saturday to continue their "pilgrimage of discipleship" when they return to their home countries, relying always on God's mercy and the intercession of the saints.
"Dear friends, with these few words, and entrusting you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, I gladly impart to each of you my heartfelt blessing," he said at the meeting's conclusion.
According to the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization, more than 10 million pilgrims have come to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope since Pope Francis opened the Church's holy year on Christmas Eve 2024.
Austin Baron at the "American Ninja Warrior"course filming for Season 17 of the show. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Austin BaronWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).At just 19 years old, Austin Baron is taking college classes, competing on sports reality television, making handmade dog toys, and raising tens of thousands of dollars to feed the hungry. How does he do it all? According to him, it's all thanks to "the gifts God's given" him.Baron is a rising sophomore at the University of Notre Dame and the founder of Knot Perfect, a nonprofit that has provided more than 100,000 meals to children and families across the globe. He is now using his participation on NBC's reality television show "American Ninja Warrior" to help expand his outreach.Discovering his missionBaron was first moved to feed the hungry when he was 12 years old and volunteered at his parish, St. Theresa Catholic Church in Ashburn, Virginia, to pack meals for Cross Catholic Outreach's food dist...
San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller speaks to the press after the memorial Mass for the Guadalupe River flood victims on July 6, 2025. / Credit: Sophie AbuzeidHouston, Texas, Jul 7, 2025 / 17:17 pm (CNA).Catholic leaders and government officials on Monday continued to issue statements of solidarity and support to victims of the catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country over the weekend. The death toll rose to 94 Monday afternoon, according to county officials, with Camp Mystic, the girls' Christian camp devastated on July 4, confirming that 27 girls have perished, while 10 girls and a counselor from the camp are still unaccounted for.Notre Dame Catholic Church in Kerrville held a memorial Mass for the flood victims on Sunday. Afterward, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller told CNA the Church is "listening to the cry of all those who suffer, and their cry is not falling on deaf ears."Worshippers pray at the Texas Hill Country flood victims' mem...
Mourners gather in the Church of the Holy Cross in Qassaa, Damascus, for the funeral of many who lost their lives in a terrorist attack at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Syria's capital on Sunday, June 22, 2025. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 7, 2025 / 17:51 pm (CNA).Allies of the new Syrian government and other non-state actors have continued violence and discrimination against Christians, Druze, and Shia Muslims, according to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).Syrian rebels, many of whom were affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in late 2024. The report notes that HTS members, many of whom were foreign fighters, engaged in mass killings and other forms of persecution against religious minorities during the overthrow of Assad and have continued violations after taking control of the government.Syria's new presid...
Pope Leo XIV greets a young pilgrim in Rome during a meeting with group of teachers and young people from Denmark, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, Saturday, July 5, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
