Pope Leo XIV has said that the leadership of the Church must focus on helping the Catholic faithful who are often facing despairing situations, highlighting the need for bishops to do so “with closeness” and not just through their words.
“When families are greatly burdened and public institutions fail to provide adequate support; when young people are disillusioned and fed up with empty promises; when the elderly and those with grave disabilities feel abandoned, the Bishop is close to them,” the pontiff said in St. Peter’s Basilica during his meeting on Wednesday with bishops who were in Rome for the Jubilee of Bishops.
“Not [by] offering easy solutions, but rather the experience of communities that strive to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity.”
The Pope told the bishops that preaching the message that “hope does not disappoint” can at times mean “swimming against the tide, even in certain painful situations that appear to be hopeless”.
“Yet it is precisely at those times when it becomes all the more apparent that our faith and our hope do not come from ourselves, but from God,” Leo continued.
“If we are truly close to those who suffer, the Holy Spirit can revive in their hearts even a flame that has all but died out.”
In his remarks, the Pope also confirmed the importance of celibacy in bishops “for the sake of the Kingdom of God”.
He explained: “Here, it is not just a question of living as a celibate, but of practicing chastity of heart and conduct, and in this way living a life of Christian discipleship and presenting to all the authentic image of the Church, holy and chaste in her members as in her Head.
“Just this weekend, incomprehensibly, Pope Leo XIV claimed that wars never solve anything. Really? In 1941, Germany, Italy, and Japan were bitter enemies, but after being defeated in combat, are peaceful, prosperous allies.”
Wars and Rumors of Wars
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2025
In 9 AD, when Jesus was probably a teenager, the celebrated Roman general Publius Quintilicius Verus led Roman forces against a coalition of Germanic tribes in the Teutoberg Forest. Legions XVII, XVIII, and XIX were wiped out. The Roman Empire, like America today, was the strongest military in the world, and was deeply shaken by the defeat. Verus killed himself. The Emperor Augustus, according to Suetonius, virtually whimpered, “Varus, give me back my legions.” Yet Rome carried on for centuries. Hardly anyone remembers the Battle of Teutoberg. But everyone remembers Jesus.
There are, of course, major turning points in history, and America may have just passed one in bombing Iran over the weekend. Still, it’s good to remember, for those of us who believe in sacred history, that wars and rumors of wars are common. God’s purposes may be otherwise. Jesus told us as much: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Matthew 24:6-13, emphasis added)
Seemingly insignificant events, however, like the birth of a baby in an obscure corner of a great empire may be what really changes the world.
That said, the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities raise some new and far-reaching questions, both military and moral. When America dropped nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945, Winston Churchill – a shrewd politician deep in history – remarked that henceforth security would be “the sturdy child of terror.” He meant that The Bomb was so scary, with the potential to destroy the human race, that it would create a disincentive to use it by anyone but a madman.
One question, again both military and moral, about Iran is precisely whether the mullahs, their generals, and scientists are so fanatical – witness their repeated calls for the destruction of Israel and the Great Satan (i.e., America) – that they might be tempted to risk national suicide for their beliefs. They haven’t hesitated to use conventional weapons directly and via proxies to kill thousands of people, including many Americans, in open attacks and terrorist incidents.
Since World War II, every pope has rightly warned about the horrors of war. But lately, Church leaders have noticeably drifted towards a pacifism that is no part of our tradition.
Pope Francis went beyond even the standard presumption against war to say, “There was a time, even in our Churches, when people spoke of a holy war or a just war. Today, we cannot speak in this manner. A Christian awareness of the importance of peace has developed. . . .Wars are always unjust, since it is the people of God who pay.” [Emphasis added.]
Just this weekend, incomprehensibly, Pope Leo XIV claimed that wars never solve anything. Really? In 1941, Germany, Italy, and Japan were bitter enemies, but after being defeated in combat, are peaceful, prosperous allies.
Far more important than just one pope’s opinion, the Church possesses a highly developed set of criteria for when it is just to resort to arms: yes, just-war theory. As difficult as it is to apply in current circumstances when the results may be not just large military and civilian casualties but the unleashing of near-apocalyptic nuclear exchanges, what else is there?
When faced with the "exceptional product of human genius" which is artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV warns it raises pressing questions, must never forget human dignity, and cannot interfere with the proper human and neurological development of young people and children.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality. "
Pope Leo XIV made this observation in his message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence which was published on Friday. He noted their presence "attests to the urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI, as well as its responsible governance," and expressed he was pleased that the second day of the Conference takes place in the Apostolic Palace, "a clear indication of the Church’s desire to participate in these discussions that directly affect the present and future of our human family."
"Together with its extraordinary potential to benefit the human family, the rapid development of AI, the Pope warned, "also raises deeper questions" concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society.
While AI is "undoubtedly an exceptional product of human genius," he underscored, as Pope Francis did in the past, that AI, is, “above all else, 'a tool.'”
Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI.
"All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development."
