Catholic News

In a society of increased indifference, a group of young people associated with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is living out concretely Pope Leo XIV's call to "not let our guard down when it comes to poverty."

Every Tuesday, the youth group of the Rome chapter of the order and other volunteers gather near St. Peter's Square to provide food to the homeless. The young professionals and students ranging from 20 to 30 years old dedicate one evening a week of their busy lives to help those less fortunate.

The youth organization is simple: a group of around 10-15 young people meet at 8:30 p.m. in Piazza della Città Leonina, say a short prayer, and walk around the corner to St. Peter's Square and Via della Conciliazione, the main thoroughfare leading to St. Peter's Basilica, to offer "brodo" (broth), coffee, a piece of fruit, and snacks — accompanied by a smile — to those in need. The food is provided by the volunteers and distributed in and around the square, where recipients can choose what they want to receive.

The head of the youth group, Luigi Salvaggi, told EWTN News that "faith and prayer lead us to put ourselves in the background."

It is "a moral but deeply concrete duty [to serve the poor], which is fundamental both for our lives as believers and for the good of society," he said.

'Faith and prayer lead us to put ourselves in the background'

The youth who take part by donating their time highlight their love for the poor —  a love that demands action.

Salvaggi said "the goal of the youth group is … to communicate the spirit of the Order [of Malta], helping people understand the profound reasons that drive our work."

The Sovereign Order of Malta is one of the oldest institutions of Western and Christian civilization. Founded as a religious order of the Catholic Church in 1113, its origins trace back to the hospitals during the Crusades in the Holy Land. Since its foundation, it has been dedicated to serving people in need from diverse faiths: Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and others.

According to its website, the Order of Malta is active in 130 countries, caring for people in need through medical, social, and humanitarian work. Across the world, the Order of Malta is dedicated to the preservation of human dignity and the care of all those in need, regardless of their origin or religion.

Influenced by his parents, Salvaggi learned from a young age that "our charitable work has a profound religious vocation." He said the reason he decided "to actively commit myself to charitable work is precisely this strong bond between prayer and action."

As Pope Leo XIV pointed out in Dilexi Te: "This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, he continues to speak to us."

A sentiment shared by all the volunteers is the practice not only of service and duty but also of encounter with those in need. "In our own small way," Salvaggi added, "it is enough for us to be sincere and act because we believe in what we do."

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Encuentros Siloé (Siloam Encounters), a new apostolate that introduces atheists and agnostics to the reasonableness of faith through in-home gatherings that combine personal testimonies, videos, music, and dialogue, all began with the conversion of Javier Huerta.

The ministry takes its name from Jesus' healing of the blind man at the Pool of Siloam (Jn 9:1-41) whereby the blind man receives not only physical but also spiritual sight and puts his faith in Jesus.

Approximately 1,000 people have attended one of the more than 25 gatherings held over the last three years, and the results have prompted the organizers to take the step of formally establishing an association.

Although the initiative does not yet have official ecclesiastical endorsement, it receives spiritual guidance from several priests and will soon be presented to the Archdiocese of Madrid in Spain.

'I didn't believe in anything'

Huerta answered a call from EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, while walking the Camino de Santiago along the stretch that leads from Burgos Cathedral to León Cathedral.

Without breaking his stride, he explained with enthusiasm and gratitude how his conversion took place while he was in his garden at home: "I received the love of God. I didn't believe in anything; I had no faith. In fact, I didn't even remember that there were four Evangelists. I actually had to look up 'Gospels' on the internet," he admitted humbly.

From that moment on, he experienced "the absolute certainty that God exists and is in our hearts" and that this entails turning to him "in order to become the best version of ourselves and offer that to others." This same process also took place for his wife, Marta del Sol.

'The best parties for Jesus'

On their journey of conversion, Javier and Marta made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. While walking the Stations of the Cross, a longing stirred in Javier's heart: "I had to throw the best parties for Jesus."

His home has always been open to friends and to hosting the best events. From that point on, the gift for hospitality was placed at the service of evangelization, as they wanted to share the joy they had rediscovered through their faith "with great pride, and without any sense of shame."

Javier Huerta also felt a deep "need to know more and learn," which led him to read countless books that showed that faith is reasonable, including works by José Carlos González Hurtado, president of EWTN Spain.

Drawing on all this information, he created a 40-minute video about God and the creation of the universe, which he uses during his events. Through this tool and his own testimony, they created an environment where people "could express themselves and talk about the meaning of life and more profound, transcendent matters."

Those who attended the initial meetings left "filled with much love" and a desire to share the experience. The experience also resonated with their children, and they began holding double sessions: Fridays for young people and Saturdays for adults, with 45 participants in each group.

"We've done this some 20-odd times, and the sessions have always been full. The Virgin has always ensured they were full," even with people they didn't know.

Like the early Christians

Javier is convinced that hospitality in a private home helps those who are far from the faith and who harbor "strong resistance" toward going to a parish due to "false stereotypes."

Following the model of the small Christian communities of the first century, they open their homes and speak about God without getting to "complex theology."

It's a matter, Javier explained, of doing what Andrew did for Peter, or Philip for Nathanael: "Bringing them to [Jesus]. And then, God's grace must be allowed to work."

On Saturday, Oct. 17, more than 400 people attended a theater in Torrelodones, a town near Madrid, where the association Encuentros Siloé was formally introduced, along with a second video about the person of Jesus.

Under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The leadership team of Encuentros Siolé was formed under the mantle of the Virgin of Guadalupe. A few months ago, Javier and Marta traveled to Mexico City to participate in an Encounter conference, a Catholic training program for those engaged in apostolic ministry.

There they met Juan Armada and María Soledad Martínez-Avial, with whom they shared their experience, and they committed to working together to shape the association that had just been unveiled.

The fruits, beyond what has already been harvested, seem set to grow even further. For November alone, gatherings are already scheduled in Málaga, Burgos, and at several private homes in Madrid.

'To reconquer Spain once again'

The creation of Encuentros Siloé, with its special focus on those estranged from the faith, comes shortly after the news that, for the first time, more Spaniards identify as atheists than as practicing Catholics.

Indeed, Bishop Mikel Garciandía recently observed that the country is in a sense a mission field, because "in Spain, the Word has theoretically been sown, but it has been forgotten or considered secondary" in people's lives.

Javier said he feels deeply challenged by this reality. For this reason, he pointed out that "we must reconquer Spain, a land that belongs to Mary, and once again become a light to the world."

Beyond home gatherings

The association includes about 25 people committed to the apostolate, all of whom contribute selflessly. Among them are some of the future hosts for these gatherings who will receive specific training to ensure the preservation of the method and doctrinal orthodoxy.

However, Javier and Marta's experience has made them keenly aware that a one-time encounter is not enough; rather, any journey of conversion requires ongoing accompaniment.

Toward this end, they also hold biweekly online meetings, provide educational resources and reading materials, and strive to build community bonds and provide support for each individual's personal journey.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence is composed of eight bishops and three academics who will serve as consultants, the USCCB announced Oct. 16.

After meeting with AI experts and tech company executives in September, the U.S. bishops announced the creation of the task force as a response to Pope Leo XIV's urging in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas to "'build forms of cooperation' and cultivate a culture of shared responsibility" concerning the technology. Bishop Oscar Cantù of the Diocese of San José, California, leads the task force.

Members include Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago; Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle; Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky; Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Virginia; Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of Brooklyn, New York; Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth, Texas; and Auxiliary Bishop Slawomir Szkredka of Los Angeles.

Three academics will serve as consultants to the task force. They include Charles Camosy, professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America; Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University; and Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy and director of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and Ethics Initiative at the University of Notre Dame.

The group's focus will be to promote "policies and practices that protect human dignity, religious liberty, democratic institutions, workers, families, and vulnerable populations," according to the USCCB.

"The Church enters the conversation on this issue as a teacher rather than a customer," Olson told EWTN News. "It brings 2,000 years of reflection on human dignity, work, relationships, and truth to this conversation. We will listen carefully to Silicon Valley, but we will not outsource our understanding of the human person to it."

We will listen carefully to Silicon Valley, but we will not outsource our understanding of the human person to it."

Bishop Michael Olson

Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas

The Fort Worth Diocese adopted AI policies before the release of Leo's encyclical that binds both clergy and staff, Olson said. "AI must remain a tool in human hands. It can assist human judgment, but it must never replace it, least of all in the care of souls," he said.

"Nothing from the confessional or spiritual direction may ever be entered into an AI tool," he said. "Homilies and pastoral counsel must come from a priest's own prayer and discernment. And decisions about people, such as hiring, discipline, and who receives help, are made by people."

Olson expressed his concern about ways AI has hurt the elderly and people with disabilities through scams, children through "fake" relationships with chatbots, and students, who are "handing off the very work that forms their minds and critical thinking skills" to AI: "If a technology cannot be made safe for our most vulnerable, it is not ready for the market," he said.

Knestout said in an Oct. 19 statement that "AI is already having a profound impact on many aspects of our lives and will continue to develop in the coming years," and it is Catholics' "responsibility to protect the dignity of the human person as AI takes root and transforms life around us."

He said Pope Leo's encyclical "will guide us as we navigate life with AI and face inevitable questions about what it means to be human, created in the image of God."

The U.S. bishops said in the Oct. 16 announcement that "the task force will emphasize that AI must serve human dignity and the common good" and "will maintain constructive and ongoing dialogues with the frontier labs, research organizations, academic centers and other stakeholders across the United States."

"Special attention will be given to helping Church leaders understand both the opportunities and risks posed by AI in areas such as education, communications, employment, healthcare, evangelization, governance, and the protection of children and vulnerable persons," the bishops wrote.

USCCB spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said in September that after their meetings with tech executives and experts, the bishops hoped "to identify ways the Church can contribute to the moral foundation of AI models and steps the companies can take to protect against misuse of their inventions and to guarantee human oversight of the technology."

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Archbishop James Golka of Denver has asked Father Chad Ripperger, a prominent Catholic exorcist whose podcast appearances have reached millions of viewers, to take a yearlong break from public speaking and interviews.

Ripperger agreed to the request, according to a statement from Kelly Clark, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Denver, provided to the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and LifeSiteNews and later posted to the archdiocese's website.

"Archbishop Golka recently met with Fr. Chad Ripperger to discuss his ministry and his community, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother," Clark said. "During that conversation, the Archbishop asked Fr. Ripperger to consider a one-year fast from public speaking and interviews."

"The time will allow him to devote himself to the Society and to the people it serves," she continued. "Fr. Ripperger readily agreed. At the end of the year, they will review the arrangement together."

Golka is "grateful for Fr. Ripperger's priestly service, exorcism ministry, and for the generous spirit in which he received this request," the statement continued. "We ask the faithful to join us in praying for Fr. Ripperger and for the Society."

LifeSiteNews reported Oct. 19 that Ripperger — who in 2012 founded the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother (also known as the Doloran Fathers), a semi-contemplative society of priests located in Keenesburg, Colorado, that focuses on spiritual warfare and traditional Catholic liturgy — had canceled several speaking engagements, including one scheduled for the outlet's 30th anniversary gala in April 2027.

The archdiocese's statement did not clarify whether the request would affect any of his other priestly duties, or whether it was disciplinary in nature.

Ripperger has drawn a large audience through appearances on podcasts hosted by Tucker Carlson and Shawn Ryan. In his April interview with Carlson, he spoke about the role of exorcism in the Gospels and what he sees as a decline in belief in the devil among Christians.

"A lot of the Christians will just say, 'Well, I believe in God, but I don't necessarily believe in the devil,'" Ripperger told Carlson. "Well, then how can you not believe that this is one of the primary missions of Christ, was to save us from them, ultimately?"

The nearly two-hour conversation also covered psychology, the nature of demons, and the distinction between supernatural and preternatural phenomena.

In his March interview with Ryan, Ripperger took the discussion further, addressing UFOs and alien abductions. He suggested in the four-hour interview that some reported abduction experiences were demonic, saying that if "you strip the veneer of the alien aspect of it off," what remains is "just demons."

Discussing Jeffrey Epstein's island, Ripperger said the layout and things he had read online suggested occult involvement, though he acknowledged he could not be certain about everything he had seen.

In a later July episode, Ryan gifted him a rifle, prompting Ripperger — who had mentioned in their previous interview that he carries a firearm and that his community has a target range — to respond: "We'll have to use it later this afternoon."

The archdiocese has not said whether Golka's request had anything to do with Ripperger's remarks in either interview.

The development comes amid a larger discussion within the Church about how exorcists should approach speaking to larger audiences through podcasts and media.

A July Register feature examined this recent trend, in which several priests and experts said these appearances help people learn about the Church's ministry, while others raised concerns that sensational talk about demons can frighten people and take the focus away from Christ.

On June 3, another prominent priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, was removed from his role as an exorcist in the Archdiocese of Washington. Rossetti had previously said in a YouTube video that he believes many UFO sightings are demonic in nature.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

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Doctors have cleared Pope Leo XIV to leave the hospital; he will return to the Vatican on Saturday afternoon, according to the Vatican.

The pope's personal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone and surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora said Oct. 17 that "based on the blood tests and chest X-ray performed this morning, and after evaluating his clinical condition, the Holy Father has been deemed fit to be discharged."

The Vatican also announced that Leo would celebrate Mass at the hospital on Saturday before being discharged and lead his Angelus at the Vatican on Sunday.

Leo announced during his Sunday Angelus on Oct. 11 that he would undergo surgery to remove a lung nodule. Doctors confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma after his surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 13.

Since his surgery and hospitalization, doctors and the Vatican have confirmed that the pontiff's postoperative recovery is "progressing normally." On Friday, the Vatican released photos of the pope celebrating Mass at the hospital, the first photos since his hospitalization.

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Archbishop Gabriele Caccia urged attendees at the opening ceremony of the G20 Interfaith Forum to advocate for economic and technological progress that promotes human flourishing and delivered a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

"Technology offers extraordinary possibilities, but innovation alone does not tell us what is good," Caccia said at the Oct. 15 event, according to the Fides News Agency, emphasizing the question of "Whether the progress we seek will truly serve the human person."

"We still need the kind of judgment that asks whom progress is serving and whether it is serving them well," he said.

Caccia further emphasized the need for every generation to shape the times in accordance with human dignity for themselves and the well-being of future generations.

The apostolic nuncio then read from a message sent by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Leo, who expressed hope that the event would be "a shining example of the solidarity of the human family."

Leo also called for deepening of ties between nations in support of "the universal principles of human dignity, religious freedom, and common good." The pope further called for "gentleness and respect" in discussions among attendees and conveyed his prayers and "an abundance of the Most High's blessings" for the forum's success.

The forum's opening day featured a public discussion on overcoming political divisions with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox; David Beasley, former governor of South Carolina and former executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme; and Martin Luther King III, human rights advocate and son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.; as well as the presentation of a Jewish-Muslim declaration promoting stronger interfaith cooperation.

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Pope Leo XIV named 24 new members of the International Theological Commission, including University of Notre Dame theologian Father Khaled Anatolios and Boston College professor Boyd Coolman.

These appointments, announced by the Vatican on Monday, are members of an advisory body to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. They will not be required to relocate to Rome but periodically assist the dicastery in examining major theological questions and may publish study documents.

Members of the commission, who can number no more than 30, serve a five-year term that the pope may choose to renew.

2 theologians, both formed by Notre Dame and Boston College

Both Anatolios and Coolman are affiliated with Boston College and Notre Dame through their doctoral work or teaching careers.

Anatolios is a married Melkite Catholic priest who has served as the John A. O'Brien professor of theology at Notre Dame since 2015. He received his doctorate from Boston College in 1996 and taught theology at the college before leaving for Notre Dame.

Also an ecumenist, he has taught and published on several early Christian theologians, including Sts. Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and Athanasius, focusing on how patristic theology engages contemporary theology.

Anatolios, in a statement to EWTN News, thanked the pope for the appointment and praised him for his Christocentric focus.

"I am honored and humbled by this appointment," Anatolios said. "Pope Leo has already set forth, in various explicit and implicit ways, a Christocentric agenda and vision for engaging the urgent challenges and sufferings of our current world."

"I look forward to working with the other esteemed theologians of the commission in fulfilling this agenda and entering more deeply into this vision," he added.

Coolman, who received his doctorate in Church history from Notre Dame in 2001, has taught theology at Boston College since 2005.

"This is truly a surprising and humbling appointment, but I look forward to serving the Church in this capacity to the best of my ability in the days ahead," Coolman said in a statement to EWTN News.

Latest Notre Dame appointments to the Vatican

The appointments of Anatolios and Coolman reflect a broader trend of Vatican appointments affiliated with Notre Dame this year.

In March, Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Daniel Gerard Groody, CSC, vice president and associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, to the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development.

In August, the pope appointed two more Notre Dame professors to that same dicastery: Father Emmanuel Katongole, a professor of theology and peace studies, and Clemens Sedmak, a professor of social ethics and director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Leo also appointed Kathryn Koch, a Notre Dame graduate and member of its board of trustees.

In September, John Cavadini, a professor of patristic theology at Notre Dame, was named the winner of the 2026 Ratzinger Prize. He served on the International Theological Commission from 2009 to 2014.

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Father Andrii Stebivka, a priest of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, was forcibly detained by recruitment officers and taken to a military training camp from where he could potentially be sent to the front lines of the war with Russia, his family stated.

The incident took place on Oct. 12 at a checkpoint in the Rivne region of northwestern Ukraine. The 38-year-old priest, who was ordained two years ago, was returning from participating in a spiritual retreat, according to his parents, Bohdan and Natalia Stebivka.

Stebivka was recently transferred to a different parish, but administrative delays inherent in this change of pastoral assignment created a temporary gap in the state registry that formally certifies the pastoral work and ministerial service of priests in Ukraine.

Despite repeated efforts to provide proof of his active clergy status and ongoing pastoral service to the faithful, recruitment authorities rejected his documentation and sent him to a military training center. According to his family, he has already been assigned to a special assault unit and is expected to enter combat in the near future.

The bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo, Teodor Matsapula, and the apostolic nunciature in Ukraine are taking formal steps with government authorities to clarify the priest's status and secure his reinstatement to his parish duties. So far, these requests have gone unanswered.

Stebivka, who was ordained a priest in June 2024 at the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is also noted for his artistic work as an iconographer.

Throughout his ministry, he has created sacred compositions and apse murals in churches in Dublin, Boston, and various Ukrainian cities, such as Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Uzhhorod.

Faced with the imminent risk of being sent to the battlefield, the priest's parents have made a public appeal to civil, military, and diplomatic authorities, requesting that the pastoral nature of his vocation be recognized and that he be permitted to continue carrying out his priestly ministry in Mukachevo.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, days after holding a similar conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During Thursday's call with Putin, Leo XIV requested a humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky, a city in Ukraine's Kherson region that has been facing a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Moscow, however, has blamed Kyiv for the situation, according to a Kremlin statement issued after the conversation.

The humanitarian ceasefire was also discussed during Monday's call with Zelenskyy.

According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, "In the course of the conversation, the Holy Father recalled the grave situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and made reference to the request for a humanitarian ceasefire that he had presented to the President of the Russian Federation."

The statement continued: "His Holiness expressed the hope that cooperation between both parties will allow for the delivery of food and medical aid, and for the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population."

"Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the commitment of the Holy See to promoting dialogue and peace," the statement said.

The telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president marks another step in a diplomatic effort involving Kyiv, Moscow, and the Holy See that began with visits by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the pope's special envoy, first to Kyiv and then to Moscow.

During Zuppi's visit to Ukraine in June, the cardinal was asked whether the pope would be willing to advocate for humanitarian assistance for residents of Kherson and Oleshky.

Leo XIV agreed, and Zuppi conveyed the pope's willingness to intervene on the humanitarian issue during his Sept. 28–30 visit to Moscow.

While Vatican News issued a report following Zuppi's visit to Ukraine, no similar communication was released after the cardinal's trip to Russia.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said the telephone conversation with Putin resulted from the pope's desire for dialogue. "It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the cause of this besieged city," Parolin told reporters on Friday.

Russian sources, however, have noted that Putin was particularly interested in holding a second conversation with the pope following their first exchange in June 2025.

Monday's call marked the third telephone conversation between Leo XIV and Zelenskyy since the beginning of the pontificate. The two leaders have also met three times in person.

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.

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Pope Leo XIV appeared at the window of his private study in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Sunday, just one day after being discharged early from the hospital following surgery last Tuesday.

The pontiff thanked "all those who have prayed for me in recent days" and expressed "particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and all the staff of the Gemelli University Hospital," where he was treated.

"This experience has made me feel a special closeness to all those who are going through illness and experiencing poor health," Leo said.

"Having overcome this delicate phase, as you know, I will now gradually resume my activities, always with God's help and your prayers."

The pope did not mention his planned trip to three countries in South America, scheduled for next month. The Vatican has announced no changes in that plan. The Vatican said last week that Leo had canceled all private audiences through Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Sunday was the first time the Holy Father had spoken publicly since the operation. The appearance was eagerly awaited by Catholics around the world, who had anxiously followed each new official Vatican bulletin on his medical condition in recent days.

According to the official Vatican News outlet, 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square despite a morning of cloudy skies and intermittent rain in Rome. They were eager to see the pope recovering from surgery and to express their affection for him the day after his release from the hospital.

At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the pontiff left Rome's Gemelli Hospital following his first hospitalization since the beginning of his pontificate, during which surgeons removed a malignant tumor from his right lung. Leo XIV appeared to be in good condition and walked with a steady gait, greeting several patients without showing signs of fatigue.

Smiling, the pope stopped to shake hands and speak with patients in the hospital corridors. About 15 minutes after leaving the hospital, the car carrying him entered Vatican City through the Perugino Gate.

For now, the pontiff will remain in Rome rather than travel to Castel Gandolfo, where he usually spends periods of rest.

A response that exposes hypocrisy

During his reflection before the Angelus prayer, the pontiff discussed one of Jesus' best-known teachings: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." Leo explained the context in which Jesus originally spoke the words, amid what the evangelist Matthew describes as "a situation of hostility towards Jesus."

"The Pharisees gather together to see how they might catch him in his words," the pope said, quoting the Gospel account. "They decide to send some people to question him on a controversial matter: 'Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?'"

According to Leo XIV, "The Teacher's response is astute, for it allows him to avoid the trap and exposes the hypocrisy of those who seek to put him to the test."

The Gospel recounts how Jesus asks to see the coin used to pay the tax, a denarius. After receiving it, he delivers the familiar teaching: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."

"In Jesus, we contemplate a God who is not afraid of history but comes instead to dwell within it. His kingdom does not abolish human roles and responsibilities," the pontiff explained.

He emphasized, however, that God's kingdom "does, however, call us to live without compromise, free from selfish ambitions and unjust motives, seeking above all the kingdom of God and his righteousness."

Being truthful and free to do good

In this context, Leo XIV drew attention to the fact that Jesus' questioners praised him despite their hostile intentions.

"In this regard, it is striking that those same people praise Jesus, even though their intentions are far from good," he observed.

The pope recalled the words with which they addressed Jesus: "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality."

Drawing on this passage, Leo XIV invited the faithful to reflect on what it means to live an authentic Christian life.

"Dear friends, this is precisely what it means to 'give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's': to be truthful, free from servile fear or hypocrisy, free to do good," he said.

"Let us pray to the Lord to help us live in this way. And let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of the Virgin Mary."

This story was updated at 6:20 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, to include the pope's remarks following the Angelus.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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