The pontiff held an audience with the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy on Sept. 21.
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged the Poor Clares not to be discouraged by their lack of vocations but to view it as a call to renew their commitment.
The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience with a delegation from the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy on Sept. 21. The Capuchin Poor Clares, a branch of the Poor Clares, was founded in 1535 by the Spanish nun Blessed Maria Lorenza Longo.
Addressing the lack of vocations to their order and throughout Italy, Leo encouraged them not to give in to hopelessness and to renew their commitment to their spiritual values.
"The numerical decline of communities, and the fear of losing their autonomy that may result from it, should neither trouble you nor deprive you of hope," Leo said. "Rather, it should encourage a renewal of your way of life and an even greater commitment to the spiritual accompaniment of those who knock on the doors of your monasteries."
Leo also explained to them the true origins of vocations, stating that vocations do not come from campaigns but from "prayer, familiarity with the Gospel, silence, acceptance of oneself with one's imperfections, and a sense of belonging."
The pope also encouraged the nuns to prioritize ongoing formation, fostering deep communion with the Church in a society dominated by noise.
"Be formed, and form others, in a cloistered life lived in a spirit of deep communion among yourselves and with the Church; in a silence that, within a society dominated by haste and noise, awakens the need for times and spaces to stop, discern, and reflect," he said.
Organizers have launched legal proceedings after authorities barred the annual pro-life march from the Zurich city center for a sixth consecutive year.
An estimated 2,200 pro-life advocates gathered in Zurich's outer district of Oerlikon on Saturday for the annual March for Life, delivering a message focused on restoring family life and encouraging fatherhood under the banner "Together for Life!"
For six consecutive years, municipal authorities have barred the march from gathering in Zurich's city center, citing security risks posed by the threat of hostile counterprotesters. Organizers pointed out that municipal officials routinely permit other demonstrations in the heart of the city, applying a clear double standard to the pro-life witness.
Similar to previous years, the Sept. 19 event faced opposition. One group of roughly 200 masked protesters on bicycles attempted to disrupt the event by setting off firecrackers, overturning trash bins onto the roadway, and attempting to block the route.?
Swiss police maintained control of the situation by shielding marchers, conducting identity checks, and using two water cannons to disperse protesters. The Zurich March for Life proceeded without any reported injuries to participants.
While organizers estimated about 2,200 advocates, police counted more than 1,000 participants.
The fact that security was maintained in Oerlikon shows that law enforcement can manage counterprotests, undermining the city's justification for keeping the march out of central Zurich, according to observers. ?
Restrictions prompt legal challenge
Speaking previously to CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, Beatrice Gall, president of the Swiss March for Life, pointed out that municipal officials routinely allow other groups permits to hold demonstrations in Zurich city center yet relocate the Zurich March for Life to the city outskirts. This results in reduced visibility and logistical issues, Gall said.
By restricting the march to the commercial and residential district of Oerlikon, city officials argue they are minimizing potential public order disruptions and protecting urban infrastructure.
Critics argue that authorities are effectively rewarding the violence of counterprotesters by allowing hostile agitators to veto a peaceful group's constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and free expression.
To challenge this policy, organizers have launched a public petition and initiated legal proceedings against the City of Zurich, demanding equal access to the city center and insisting that police maintain law and order without suppressing peaceful pro-life voices.
Breaking the silence
Speaking to EWTN News, Gall described the current social climate surrounding abortion in Switzerland as "one of silence."
"There is no public debate and no objective examination of the facts; instead, people remain silent about the high abortion rates, the suffering this causes many people, and the consequences thereof," Gall said.
She noted that since Switzerland introduced its 12-week deadline regulation in 2002, at least 200,000 abortions have taken place. Estimating that five or more people are affected per procedure, including fathers and extended family, Gall stressed that over 1 million Swiss citizens carry the impact, making public awareness vital. This further justified the march in the city center so that greater "communication, dialogue, and discussions with people can begin."
Pushing back against opponents and media outlets attempting to portray the pro-life movement as regressive, Gall rejected the stereotype. "Advocating for human life is not backward — it's forward-looking!" she asserted, pointing to a "new wave of interest and strong commitment" among the younger generation.
Gall stressed that a mother's womb should be "the safest place in the world, not the most dangerous," calling on men to support their partners rather than leaving them isolated or pressuring them into abortion. "Even if you're surprised by the pregnancy, be there for your partner and your child," Gall urged. "They need you, even before birth."
Call for responsibility and dialogue
Nicolas Kolly, a Swiss People's Party national councilor and former member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, addressed participants, encouraging society to "give a voice to those who do not yet have one," and summarized his core message simply as "Protect life."
He also urged comprehensive support for women facing difficult pregnancies, arguing that offering viable alternatives must be a societal duty. Furthermore, Kolly stressed paternal duty, stating that a man's priority is "to take responsibility. To support. To listen. To protect." Ultimately, Kolly framed maternal assistance and child protection as inseparable priorities, concluding that "these two ideas must go hand in hand: the protection of the child and the support of the mother."
Among those who addressed the crowd was also Jonas Streule, regional director of ProLife Europe in Switzerland. Speaking to EWTN News, Streule acknowledged the broader hurdles facing pro-life advocacy in Switzerland, pointing specifically to distorted social media stereotypes that damage public perception.
"What people associate with the word 'pro-life' comes from screaming videos in the TikTok world of short clips," Streule said. "That is not what actually happens when you engage in pro-life work."
An estimated 2,200 marchers — many of them families with young children, a demographic organizers pointed to as evidence of growing youth commitment to the pro-life cause — walk the Zurich-Oerlikon route for the annual Swiss March for Life, Sept. 19, 2026. | Credit: Copyright Marsch fürs Läbe
Turning to ProLife Europe's outreach on university campuses, Streule explained that the organization prioritizes personal encounters over hostility. "Abortion is a severe matter, and it deserves to be touched face to face, in a loving way," he noted, stressing that compassion and clarity go hand in hand.
According to Streule, few students he encounters actively view abortion as desirable. Instead, the primary challenge lies in helping young people realize they can play an active role in building a culture that supports life.
"We rarely leave a conversation without having made someone think about an opinion they simply adopted from the dominant culture," Streule said. He added that across numerous Swiss campus outreaches, he has "never once received a bad word from the person I was talking to."
For Streule, direct street outreach serves as a vital bridge to those personal conversations. By creating spaces for face-to-face dialogue, he said, he believes advocates can break through online misconceptions, encourage people to reconsider deep-seated assumptions, and foster genuine reflection on the value of human life.
The longtime Vatican journalist and writer received the award in Ostrowiec, Poland, on Sept. 21.
Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi, a Polish correspondent for EWTN News and a longtime Vatican affairs expert, was crowned Poland's speech champion on Sept. 19.
She received the honor at the 26th edition of the Master of Polish Speech (Mistrz Mowy Polskiej) Social Program awards ceremony in Ostrowiec, Poland. The prestigious award was decided by a nationwide poll in Poland, with the winner selected by text votes.
Among those in attendance were Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and Ostrowiec Mayor Artur Lakomiec.
The award "Master of Polish Speech Vox Populi" was established in 2000 as a nationwide initiative to promote the Polish language and culture. Wolinska-Riedi, who joined EWTN News as a Vatican correspondent in 2024, described the award as recognition of the valuable contributions of Poles living in the diaspora.
"I did not think they would think about me," Wolinska-Riedi told EWTN News. "Usually, the winners are important and very famous actors and journalists from Poland, hosts of different Polish programs, and scientists and so on. To be recognized after having spent so many years abroad in Rome as a journalist was an honor."
Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi reports during Pope Francis' apostolic journey to Uganda, Sept. 6–9, 2024. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi
Wolinska-Riedi joined the EWTN News Vatican Bureau after spending more than 20 years living and working inside Vatican City. After completing her doctorate in Church studies from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, she continued to serve there as the Polish correspondent in Italy for Telewizja Polska, the oldest and largest Polish television network. She has also translated works from Polish to Italian and Latin for the Roman Rota, the Church's highest court of appeals.
While living in Vatican City, where she is also a citizen by marriage, she developed a close friendship with St. John Paul II, who was Polish.
Speaking to EWTN News, she acknowledged the challenges of staying connected to her native Poland while living and working abroad in another language. She also said that while receiving the award was a profound honor, her greatest honor is being a proud mother of two daughters who speak Polish.
"My two daughters have grown up really with the Polish language, and I'm very proud of it," she said.
The discussion focuses on the question "What are we building, for whom, and who will inherit it?"
A Vatican-led organization is meeting with world leaders on artificial intelligence, human dignity, the common good, and other aspects of Catholic social teaching on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week.
The "Borgo Dialogues," organized by the Vatican-run Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education, began on Sept. 20 and will continue until Sept. 23 in New York, in conjunction with the U.N. meeting.
According to a news release, the gathering will focus on the question "What are we building, for whom, and who will inherit it?" The invitation-only meetings include leaders in business, finance, academia, faith, healthcare, sports, civil society, and international institutions.
"The Borgo Dialogues represent an invitation to courageous leadership rooted in listening, encounter and shared responsibility," Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of the Laudato Si' Center and founder of the Borgo Dialogues, said in a statement.
"At a moment when many institutions face growing fragmentation and distrust, we need spaces where leaders can engage difficult questions honestly, build trust across differences and commit themselves to actions that uphold human dignity and advance the common good," he said.
The Borgo Dialogues initiative began in June with a meeting at the Vatican. It is inspired by papal teachings contained in Pope Francis' encyclicals Laudato Si' and Fratelli Tutti and Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
According to the news release, the main focus of the talks is AI and work transformation, healthcare and human dignity, sustainable development, systems-level change across industries, and the evolving responsibilities of leaders navigating an increasingly interconnected world.
The news release states there is a shared commitment to designing technologies, institutions, and systems that recognize the inherent dignity of each person, with a focus on those who are most vulnerable.
"The world's most urgent challenges require relationships that rise above institutions and ideologies," said Father Daniel G. Groody, CSC, a member of the Laudato Si' Center's General Council.
"The Borgo Dialogues create a distinctive environment where intellectual rigor, moral purpose and practical leadership come together, helping diverse leaders transform reflection into responsibility and ideas into action," said Groody, who is also the vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame.
The inaugural Borgo Dialogues were held in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, Vatican State, from June 17–19. It included more than 80 participants. The Laudato Si' Center is expected to present proposals to the World Economic Forum based on the discussions.
The 81st U.N. General Assembly began on Sept. 8 in New York. General debate meetings begin on Sept. 22 and end on Sept. 28.
Following Pope Leo's lead and building on the legacy of St. Frances Cabrini, who opened orphanages among the migrant population, U.S. bishops are drawing attention to the needs of migrant children.
The situations faced by migrant and refugee children will be the focus of the U.S. Catholic Church's 2026 National Migration Week, addressing the same concerns expressed by Pope Leo XIV in his message for this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
National Migration Week will begin on Monday, Sept. 21, and conclude on Sunday, Sept. 27, the day the Catholic Church observes the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
On its website, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that in solidarity with the pontiff, it will adopt the theme "Even One of These Little Ones," the same theme chosen by Leo XIV for the global observance.
In his message, Leo XIV explains that this theme "draws our attention to the minors directly involved in the experience of migration and flight, to the care owed to them, and to the Lord's promise that "whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.'"
The chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, Bishop Brendan Cahill, noted that the Catholic Church, "in this country and beyond has a long, inspiring history of caring for migrant and refugee children."
In the United States, this history spans "from the days of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her sisters sheltering many orphaned immigrant children when few others looked their way to today's diocesan charities providing them and their families with vital support," he noted.
The Italian saint and her sisters arrived in New York in 1889, where they encountered a very harsh pastoral reality among European immigrants. Yet, despite the difficulties, the sisters managed to open an orphanage, a home for themselves, and a school for the children.
Cahill expressed his gratitude to law enforcement officers, social workers, pastoral staff, and caregivers who look after the safety and well-being of migrant and refugee minors.
However, he added, "[a]s we see protections for this population being undermined in various ways, including prolonged stays in detention and decreased access to legal representation, we urge governments and communities to ensure a high level of care rooted in their God-given human dignity."
"This requires promoting family unity and reunification whenever possible," he said.
Therefore, the USCCB invited the nation's Catholics amid "heightened social tensions regarding immigration" to reflect "on how our faith is calling us to respond to this most vulnerable group."
Toward this end, the bishops' conference is encouraging "dioceses, parishes, schools, and organizations nationwide to mark this observance with prayer, educational programs, pastoral outreach and support for migration-related ministries."
For its part, the USCCB's Secretariat of Migration will host a webinar on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. ET featuring "several expert panelists who will highlight some of the key implications of this year's theme."
"These experts will shed light on both the international and domestic dynamics facing children in the context of migration," the bishops' conference explained.
Those interested in participating in the webinar may register at this link.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The Holy Tunic will travel almost four miles from Argenteuil, France, to the pope's youth vigil at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
For the first time, a pope will witness an exposition of the Holy Tunic, the garment worn by Christ during his passion, which is preserved in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Argenteuil, France.
The special relic is put on display during regular expositions every 50 years, as well as on extraordinary occasions — the most recent being in 2023 — but it has never before been brought before a pope.
Pope Leo XIV will be able to view it on Sept. 25, when it is displayed at the conclusion of the youth vigil at a soccer stadium in a suburb north of Paris, part of the packed schedule for his trip to France.
More than 80,000 French young people have registered for the prayer vigil at the Stade de France, and according to Father Guy-Emmanuel Cariot, former rector of the basilica of Argenteuil, Leo is the first pope to see the tunic since the time of St. Peter.
That may be an exaggeration, but it is true that there has never before been an extraordinary exposition of the relic during a papal journey and in the presence of a pontiff. That will happen during this trip, in part because only 3.7 miles separate the basilica of Argenteuil from the Stade de France.
The tunic will travel those nearly four miles under extremely tight security measures, made even stricter by memories of the theft of the tunic in 1983, when the relic disappeared for a couple of months. For that reason, the route the tunic will take is being kept confidential. It is known, however, that there will be surveillance both on the ground and from above to ensure that the transfer takes place discreetly and under optimal security conditions.
The tunic has been kept in Argenteuil for more than 1,200 years and is one of several relics of Christ's passion preserved in France. The Crown of Thorns is kept at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, while the Holy Headcloth of Jesus is preserved in Cahors.
As for the Holy Tunic itself, it was mentioned in Gregory of Tours' sixth-century work "Liber in Gloria Martyrum Beatorum" ("The Glory of the Martyrs and the Blessed"). The book notes that Jesus' seamless tunic was kept in Galata, in a church dedicated to the holy archangels, about 120 miles from Constantinople. The seventh-century "Chronicle of Fredegar," however, locates the tunic in Zafad, not far from Jerusalem.
The tunic later came into the possession of the Byzantine Empress Irene, who gave it to Charlemagne in the year 800 on the occasion of his coronation as the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne in turn donated it to the monastery of Argenteuil, whose abbess was his daughter Theodrada. The "Charta Hugonis" of 1156 notes that the tunic had long been kept in the basilica of Argenteuil.
Over the centuries, the tunic was hidden to protect it from the Normans and later from the Huguenots. During the French Revolution, in order to save it from anticlerical persecution, Father Ozot, pastor of Argenteuil, had it cut into pieces and hidden. It was eventually reassembled, although some portions were lost.
Other pieces of the tunic are preserved elsewhere. One example is the so-called "Tunic of Trier" in Germany, which has appeared in historical records since 1072 and is believed to be one of the relics brought back from the Holy Land by St. Helena. However, scholars have been unable to determine its origin and age because of its poor state of preservation and the extensive repairs it has undergone over the centuries.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
The fascinating story of where the Gospel writer's body lies today takes us back into history.
Sept. 21 marks the feast day of St. Matthew, also known as Levi, an apostle of Jesus and, according to tradition, the author of one of the four Gospels.
Surprisingly little is known for certain about Matthew's life, even though his Gospel is so crucial for the Church. The manner of Matthew's calling by Jesus is well known — Matthew was a Jew but worked as a tax collector for the Romans in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee, making him a pariah among his own people. When Jesus called Matthew to follow him, Matthew gave up his presumably materialistic life as a tax collector to follow the Lord.
Jesus' calling of Matthew led some religious authorities of the Jewish community to wonder: "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" To which Jesus responded: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, however, that no further reference is made to Matthew in the Gospels, except in the list of the apostles, and "of Matthew's subsequent career we have only inaccurate or legendary data." It appears though, according to a number of other ancient sources, that he evangelized for at least a decade and a half in Asia.
Matthew's earthly body is purported to lie in the crypt beneath the cathedral of Salerno, Italy. In the crypt, a bronze St. Matthew made by Michelangelo Naccherino in 1606 sits above the altar. The saint is shown writing the Gospel with a book resting on his left knee and a pen in his right hand. At his left side, an angel hands him an inkwell as he writes.
Alfano I, the archbishop of Salerno from 1058–1085, completed the crypt in 1081 and placed Matthew's body in the sepulcher. The renovation in the early 17th century was carried out by architects Domenico and his son Giulio Cesare Fontana.
According to legend, St. Matthew's intercession helped to protect the city in 1544 from the dreaded pirate Ariadeno Barbarossa, supreme commander of the Turkish military fleet, when a storm that had been prayed for by devotees to St. Matthew in Salerno blew Barbarossa's fleet away from the city.
Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox churches celebrate St. Matthew on Nov. 16 along with St. Fulvianus, a prince who is recorded in some traditions as converting from paganism after Matthew's martyrdom.
Pope Benedict said in 2006 that "in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives."
This story was first published on Sept. 21, 2023, and has been updated.
The pontiff will meet with authorities, interfaith leaders, prisoners, and workers, celebrate 10 public Masses, and hold three prayer vigils with young people.
A motto has been chosen for each of the countries he will visit in November.
According to the announcement, the pope will begin his journey by departing Rome on Nov. 6 at 7:50 a.m. Rome time and arriving at 4:30 p.m. local time the same day at the Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport in Uruguay. From there, he will travel to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
Uruguay
Pope Leo XIV is set to be the first pope to visit Uruguay since St. John Paul II in 1988. He will remain there from Nov. 6–8.
At 5:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 6, Leo will attend an official welcome ceremony at the Plaza Independencia, Montevideo's largest public square. Following the ceremony, he will meet with and address authorities and the diplomatic corps.
At 6:15 p.m., the pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, at his residence at the Edificio José Artigas.
Leo will then celebrate vespers at 7:10 p.m. with clergy and religious at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Sts. Philip and James.
The next day, Nov. 7, Leo is scheduled to travel from Montevideo to Paysandú in the morning. He will then celebrate Mass at the Parque París Londres at 10 a.m.
The pope will then return to Montevideo the same day for evening meetings with the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Catholic University of Uruguay.
At 7 p.m., Leo will lead a prayer vigil at the Centenary Stadium, which hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.
On Nov. 8, Leo's final day in Uruguay, he will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Florida at 10 a.m. before departing for Argentina at 3:30 p.m.
Argentina
Pope Leo XIV will be the first pope to visit Argentina since 1987. He will remain there from Nov. 8–11.
The pontiff will land at the Jorge Newbery Airpark at 4:30 p.m. After visiting a war monument and attending an official welcome ceremony, he will meet with Argentina's president, Javier Milei, in the evening and then address the country's civil leaders and diplomatic corps.
On Nov. 9, Leo will travel to Claypole in the morning to visit the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione de Claypole, Argentina's largest institution dedicated to caring for people with disabilities. He will then celebrate Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles at 11:30 a.m.
The pope will then meet in the afternoon with the work community at the Catholic University of Argentina and then with interfaith leaders at the Palacio San Martín.
At 6:45 p.m., Leo will celebrate vespers with the bishops and the synodal teams at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. He will have dinner with the bishops afterward.
On Nov. 10, the pope will travel to Córdoba to celebrate Mass at the Military Aviation School. He will then meet with clergy and religious at the Cathedral of Córdoba before traveling back to Buenos Aires for a youth vigil at 8:15 p.m.
On the morning of Nov. 11, Leo will celebrate his final Mass in Argentina at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján. He will then depart Buenos Aires at 2 p.m. to arrive in Lima, Peru, at 5:30 p.m.
Peru
Returning to the land where he served for two decades as a missionary and a bishop, Leo will visit Peru from Nov. 11–17.
After landing in Lima on Nov. 11, the pope will meet in the evening with the president of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, and address the country's diplomatic corps.
He will meet in Lima on the morning of Nov. 12 with the bishops of Peru before leading midmorning prayer with clergy and religious at 10:20 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Lima. Following the service, he will meet the faithful in the cathedral square and address them on the challenges of the Peruvian people.
In the evening, he will hold a prayer vigil with young people at the Estadio Monumental "U" in Lima before dinner with the bishops at the nunciature.
On Nov. 13 at 7:40 a.m., the pope will depart Lima for Chiclayo, where he served as diocesan bishop from 2015 to 2023. He is scheduled to arrive in Chiclayo at 9:10 a.m. and celebrate Mass near the Pampas de Pimentel at 10:30 a.m.
After a private visit to a chapel dedicated to St. Oscar Romero, Leo will meet in the evening with the synodal teams at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace. Afterward, he will meet with the Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University before having supper with priests of the Diocese of Chiclayo.
On Nov. 14 at 8 a.m., the pope will crown a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo. He will then depart for Santa Cruz de Succhabamba to celebrate Mass there at 11 a.m. He will then return to Chiclayo that evening to lead a prayer service for the closing of the jubilee year of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, who served as archbishop of Lima from 1579–1606.
On Nov. 15, Leo will travel from Chiclayo to Cusco. He will meet in the morning with the faithful at the Saqsaywaman National Park before leading the Angelus in the square of the Cusco Cathedral. In the afternoon, he will travel from Cusco to Pucallpa and meet with representatives of the Amazonian peoples. He will then celebrate Mass at the Villa Deportiva Regional Ucayali before traveling to the Callao Naval Air Base that evening.
On Nov. 16, the final day of his apostolic journey, Leo will visit a shelter run by nuns for elderly people in the morning before celebrating the final Mass of his trip at the Las Palmas Air Base.
He is scheduled to depart Callao Naval Air Base at 1:45 p.m. and arrive in Rome on Nov. 17 at 10:25 a.m. local time.
Coming from schools and parishes throughout Rome, the children will join the pontiff in the "One Million Children Praying the Rosary" campaign.
Between 700 and 1,000 children will pray a rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 1 at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens, part of a prayer initiative promoted by Aid to the Church in Need.
Coming from schools and parishes throughout Rome, the children will join the pontiff in the "One Million Children Praying the Rosary" campaign organized by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
They will also be spiritually united with children, families, schools, and Christian communities around the world in an event marking the beginning of the global week during which the prayer initiative is observed.
During that week, any diocese, parish, religious community, school, or family anywhere in the world can participate. The week concludes on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Inspired by the message of Fátima
The 2026 campaign is inspired by the message received by the children at Fátima: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."
Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of ACN International and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, said in particular that "the Immaculate Heart of Mary represents a life completely open to the Holy Spirit and presents Mary as a model of faith, love, and prayer."
According to ACN, "the initiative takes on special significance at a time when millions of people are facing war, violence, persecution, poverty, and uncertainty." For this reason, the prayer campaign "seeks to be a simple yet universal sign of trust and hope: children of different languages, cultures, and countries united in the same prayer for peace."
The origins: Padre Pio and Venezuela 20 years ago
The "One Million Children Praying the Rosary" initiative began in Venezuela in 2005. Today it has become a worldwide prayer movement involving children, families, parishes, schools, and Church groups on every continent, inspired by the words of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, who said that "when 1 million children pray the rosary, the world will change."
ACN said the invitation is not limited to children and that praying an entire rosary is not required: "Even a single decade prayed with faith can become part of this global chain of prayer."
The pontifical foundation also provides prayer materials in several languages and asks participants to register so that the network of children joining the prayer in different countries can be displayed on a map.
The initiative is organized in collaboration with the Shrine of Fátima, the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, and the World Apostolate of Fátima. This year, World Rosary Day is also joining the campaign for the first time.
Bolivia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Paraguay
The prayers of Pope Leo XIV and the children of Rome will be joined by prayer gatherings planned in locations around the world, "from the Bolivian Amazon to parishes in Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and many other places affected by war, poverty, or instability," ACN said.
In war-torn Sudan, Father Franck Mandozi of the Kosti Pastoral Region confirmed that children from several parishes and schools will take part. From the Tsimané Indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon, Sister Patricia Alejandra Botello López said they will pray in both their local language and Spanish.
Children from St. Christopher Parish in the Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will gather on Sunday, Oct. 4, to pray with their pastor, Father Charles Mafurutu, who in the following weeks will travel to other communities.
In Paraguay, Radio Pa'i Puku plans to promote the initiative through its broadcasts and will carry a live transmission of the rosary prayed by children at St. Eugene de Mazenod Parish.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
A diocesan bishop will usually undertake a lengthy investigation and administrative process when responding to misconduct or abuse allegations.
News headlines in recent years have periodically reported on Catholic priests accused of various types of misconduct, including financial crimes and sexual abuse, among other allegations.
Much of the public will only be aware of the beginning and the end of such controversies — when a clergyman is accused of a misdeed and when he is ultimately either found guilty of it or cleared of any wrongdoing.
But U.S. dioceses have complex and at times lengthy ways of addressing such allegations — processes that ensure both a full treatment of the alleged misconduct and the rights of priests to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
'The smoke of truth'
Monsignor William King, JCD, serves as an assistant professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America. His academic expertise includes the study of both canon and civil law as well as the study of "temporal goods" such as Church finance and corporate structure.
King told EWTN News that bishops who receive allegations of wrongdoing against priests must first determine if there is sufficient credibility to the allegations, a principle he said in canon law is known as "fumus veritatis," or "the smoke of truth."
"It's not proof [of the allegations] in any way," King said, "but if there's sufficient suspicion that it might be truth, then the bishop would accept that allegation" and launch what is known as a "prior investigation" meant to gather facts.
Amid the start of the process, King said, a bishop may or may not remove the priest from ministry if he "felt that it was necessary for any of several reasons." After that he would appoint an investigator, who may or may not be a priest, to lead the inquiry.
"That person is bound to secrecy so as to protect the reputation of the priest, and any of the accusers and witnesses," King said.
Such an investigator has "pretty broad powers" to ask questions of, and seek evidence from, those connected to the case. After that process, he or she would bring the results to the bishop.
The prelate would likely then speak to his canon law experts. He may also talk with mental health experts and could potentially order the priest to submit to a psychological assessment. "That's not uncommon, and depending on the nature of the allegations, it might be appropriate," King said.
After the fact-finding and consultation process, the bishop will decide whether or not to move forward with a criminal or penal process. In some cases, the ordinary may opt instead for a "penal remedy."
"It could be a warning or rebuke, or a 'penal precept' — a formal document that prohibits the priest from undertaking certain actions or doing certain things," King said. A precept, he said, can be used even in cases where no crime is committed, to ensure that the actions that led to the controversy are not repeated.
If a penal process is instigated, the preferred method for most bishops is to convene a tribunal; in some cases, a prelate may opt for a less formal "administrative process." Either option involves the calling of witnesses, testimony from both the accuser and the accused, and the collection of additional evidence.
Tribunals are usually overseen by three judges, King said; they must be priests, and "they would typically be brought in from other dioceses."
Tribunals are meant to determine both whether a priest committed a crime, King said, as well as whether or not the crime itself is "fully imputable" to the priest.
Sexual abuse allegations: Rome must be notified
The process is largely the same whether the allegations involve claims of administrative or professional misconduct or if they involve accusations of sexual abuse, King said.
However, allegations against a priest of abuse of a minor are "reserved to the Holy See," he said. In those cases, following the results of a preliminary investigation, a bishop is obligated to send a summary of the case, including the evidence, to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, specifically its special disciplinary section.
"[The dicastery] will review that and instruct the bishop as to what type of process should be followed — administrative or judicial," King said.
"When the bishop sends the initial dossier or file over, most of the time he will make a recommendation" as to which process should be followed, King said. A bishop in certain cases may recommend "no process, or another remedy or way of addressing the situation."
The dicastery "will take that into consideration. But ultimately, they make the determination, and the bishop is bound to follow their direction," King said.
The Vatican can approve or reject a diocese's decision if the matter is reserved to Rome, King said. In all other cases, it is resolved domestically either via administrative process or tribunal.
A priest, King said, can appeal a diocese's decision to the Roman Rota if he wishes.
