WASHINGTON - The National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue (NCMD) met on Sept 8-9 to continue its multi-year study entitled, “Journeying Together.” The dialogue is staffed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. This year’s session featured presentations by Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC and Dr. Anas Malik on the ecological crisis in conjunction with the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter on ecology, Laudato si’ and the publication of Al Mizan, the foremost Muslim statement on the environment. 

The NCMD hosted an event at The Catholic University of America with keynotes by the Most Reverend John Stowe, OFM, Conv., Bishop of Lexington, and Imam Saffet Catovic, current Muslim Chaplain at Drew University and a member of the international writing team of Al Mizan. 

Reflecting on the purpose and importance of the NCMD, Catholic Co-Chairman of NCMD, Most Reverend Elias Lorenzo, OSB, Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, stated: “The NCMD strives to foster greater understanding, mutual esteem, lasting friendship and cooperation for the promotion of greater solidarity with the human family. We pursue these goals through collaborative study, the production of educational materials, and the coordination of public events to raise awareness and provide opportunities for mutual engagement.” Similarly echoing the need for continued engagement to uphold solidarity, the Muslim Co-Chairman of the NCMD, Imam Kareem Irfan, Esq., stated: “We convened our 2025 NCMD meeting in our nation's capital with a sense of urgent concerns - not just for the environmental crisis confronting the world, and the distressing realities in the Holy Land - but also given the polarized viewpoints and lines of division fracturing our nation.” 

The work of the NCMD will continue its work of interfaith study, reflection and the production of resources on ecology and the environment as well as several new topics, including the relationship between truth and artificial intelligence, faith in a secular culture, and spiritual communion between Catholics and Muslims.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Clerical sexual abuse continues to be "a real crisis," one that the Catholic Church still must learn to deal with, particularly in improving the way it helps survivors while also ensuring the rights of the accused are respected, Pope Leo XIV said.

"It would be naive for myself or for anyone" to think that dismissing the offender and giving the victim a financial settlement completely solves a case, "as if those wounds are just going to go away because of that," the pope said in an interview for a book by Elise Allen, a journalist.

For Allen's biography, "Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century," Pope Leo spoke about a range of issues, including the abuse crisis, U.S. President Donald Trump, the war in Gaza, Vatican policy toward China, the church's openness to LGBTQ Catholics, the role of women in the church, and the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Mass in Latin.

Excerpts of Allen's July 30 interview, her second interview with the pope, were published Sept. 14, but the full transcript was released Sept. 18 in conjunction with the publication of the Spanish edition of the book by Penguin Peru.

Pope Leo said that while the church has enacted tougher laws and policies to prevent and punish abuse, it cannot say that the crisis is over.

"This will continue to take time because victims must be treated with great respect and with an understanding that those who have suffered very deep wounds because of abuse sometimes carry those wounds for their entire life," he said.

At the same time, he said, there is the "complicating factor" of ensuring that the rights of the accused are respected.

"Statistics show that well over 90% of people who come forward and make accusations, they are authentically victims. They are telling the truth. They are not making this up," he said. "But there have also been proven cases of some kind of false accusation. There have been priests whose lives have been destroyed because of that."

And even when the accusation is well founded, the pope said, the accused has a right to a presumption of innocence and due process.

"But even saying that at times is cause of greater pain for the victims," Pope Leo acknowledged. 

On the topic of President Trump, Pope Leo said he had not met the president nor spoken to him, although his brother Louis has and "has been very outspoken about his political views."

Trump "at times has made clear" his concern about questions of human dignity and promoting peace, the pope said. "In those efforts I would want to support him."

"The United States is a power player on the world level, we have to recognize that," he said, but "sometimes decisions are made more based on economics than on human dignity," such as the current immigration policy, and the church will continue to challenge that approach.

Pope Leo declined to get into "some of the things that have been said about the episcopacy in the United States and the relationship between church and politics." However, he said, "the fact that I am American means, among other things, people can't say, like they did about Francis, 'He doesn't understand the United States; he just doesn't see what's going on.'"

Regarding the war in Gaza, Pope Leo told Allen that "the word genocide is being thrown around more and more. Officially, the Holy See does not believe that we can make any declaration at this time about that. There's a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue, including two human rights groups in Israel."

On China, and most of the other issues the pope discussed in the interview, he said he would follow the basic path laid out by Pope Francis.

"I in no way pretend to be wiser or more experienced than all those who have come before me," Pope Leo said. 

However, before becoming pope he made several visits to China, and Pope Leo said he is "in ongoing dialogue with a number of people, Chinese, on both sides of some of the issues," particularly concerning cooperating with the government so the church can operate openly while showing respect for Chinese Catholics who have undergone oppression for their refusal to join the government-controlled church.

The pope said he also intends to continue Pope Francis' welcoming approach to LGBTQ Catholics while not changing church teaching, especially the Catholic vision of marriage as being between one man and one woman committed to each other for life and open to having children.

"What I'm trying to say is what Francis said very clearly when he would say, 'todos, todos, todos.' Everyone's invited in, but I don't invite a person in because they are or are not of any specific identity. I invite a person in because they are a son or daughter of God," he said.

He said he also would "continue in the footsteps of (Pope) Francis" by appointing women to leadership roles in the church, "recognizing the gifts that women have that can contribute to the life of the church."

Studying the question of ordaining women to the diaconate will continue, he said, but he did not expect church policy to change any time soon, especially since the permanent diaconate is still not valued throughout the church. "Why would we talk about ordaining women to the diaconate if the diaconate itself is not yet properly understood and properly developed and promoted within the church?" he asked.

On continuing requests for greater access to celebrations of the pre-Vatican II Mass, Pope Leo said the Mass has been caught up in "a process of polarization -- people have used the liturgy as an excuse for advancing other topics. It's become a political tool, and that's very unfortunate."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an overly frenetic world, the Gospel teaches the importance of stopping, resting and trusting in the Lord, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We rush to produce, to prove ourselves, to keep up," the pope said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square Sept. 17.

"But the Gospel teaches us that knowing how to stop is an act of trust that we must learn to perform," he said, adding that "life does not always depend on what we do, but also on how we know how to take leave of what we have been able to do." 

The day also marked the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine, a 17th-century Jesuit theologian and cardinal, and the name day of Pope Leo, who was born Robert F. Prevost.

"I'd like to thank all of you for expressing your good wishes today on my name day. Thank you so much," he said at the end of the audience.

It was also just a few days after his 70th birthday Sept. 14, and several people in the audience shouted "happy birthday" to the pope when he rode by in the popemobile.

In his main talk, the pope continued his series of reflections on lessons of hope from the Gospel by looking at the mystery of Holy Saturday and Jesus lying buried in the tomb.

For Christians, it is a day of "great silence and joyful expectation," he said, in English. 

"Just as God rested after creating the universe, so did the Son rest after completing the work of redemption, having loved us to the end," he said. "We, too, are invited to find quiet and restful moments amidst the frenzy of our daily activity."

"In the tomb, Jesus, the living word of the Father, is silent," he said in Italian. "But it is precisely in that silence that the new life begins to ferment like a seed in the ground, like the darkness before dawn."

Therefore, the pope said, even when people experience moments that are empty, still, unproductive or "useless," they can turn them into a time of grace and resurrection "if we offer it to God."

"God who lets things be done, who waits, who withdraws to leave us freedom -- he is the God who trusts, even when everything seems to be over," he said.

People should "learn that we do not have to be in a hurry to rise again; first we must stay and welcome the silence, let ourselves be embraced by limitation," he said. 

"At times we seek quick answers, immediate solutions," he said. "But God works in the depths, in the slow time of trust."

"When it seems to us that everything is at a standstill, that life is a blocked road, let us remember Holy Saturday," Pope Leo said. "Even in the tomb, God was preparing the greatest surprise of all."

"If we know how to welcome with gratitude what has been, we will discover that, precisely in smallness and silence, God loves to transfigure reality, making all things new with the fidelity of his love," he said.

Pope Leo: Embrace silence, trust God

A look at Pope Leo's general audience Sept. 17, 2025. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Just a few hours after Israel launched a major new ground offensive in Gaza City, Pope Leo XIV called the pastor of the city's only Latin-rite parish to express his concern, his prayers and his closeness, the Vatican press office said.

Pope Leo, who was spending the day at Castel Gandolfo, spoke Sept. 16 with Argentine Father Gabriel Romanelli, a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza City.

Father Romanelli told the pope that Israeli troops and tanks had not reached the area where the church compound is located, the press office said. But the sound of artillery fire could be heard from the parish. 

While the Israeli military has been warning civilians to evacuate Gaza City, Father Romanelli told the pope that about 450 people are being sheltered in the parish compound and, and the parish continues to assist them and other people in the neighborhood with food, water and medicine.

The parish oratory continues operating, leading people in prayer and organizing activities for children, the press office said. Special assistance to the sick and elderly also continues. 

Posting on X at 6 a.m. Sept. 16, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote, "Gaza is burning. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is striking terrorist infrastructure with an iron fist, and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas. We will not relent and we will not go back -- until the mission is complete."

Father Romanelli posted on X a quote from St. John Bosco: "Trusting in Mary brings unshakable comfort and hope."
 

ROME (CNS) -- In situations where "hatred seemed to have permeated every aspect of life," modern Christian martyrs showed that love is stronger than death, Pope Leo XIV said at an ecumenical prayer service.

The prayer service Sept. 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, commemorated 1,624 Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants who died for their faith between 2000 and 2025. During the Holy Year 2000, St. John Paul II had led a similar commemoration of Christians killed in the 20th century, mainly by communist and fascist regimes.

Pope Leo was joined by 28 representatives of other Christian churches and communities for the prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Anglican Bishop Anthony Ball, the archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the Holy See, and Orthodox Archbishop Elia of Helsinki and All Finland, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, stood on either side of the pope. Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chair of the Moscow Patriarchate's external relations department, also attended. 

The Vatican did not release the names of the 1,624 new martyrs whose stories were submitted over the past two years by Catholic bishops' conferences, religious orders and nunciatures from all over the world.

But Pope Leo mentioned some of them in his homily, including Sister Dorothy Stang, a U.S. member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who was shot and killed in the Brazilian Amazon in 2005 for defending the land rights of the Indigenous and poor farmers.

"When those who were about to kill her asked her for a weapon, she showed them her Bible and replied, 'This is my only weapon,'" Pope Leo said.

He also spoke about Chaldean Father Ragheed Ganni from Mosul, Iraq, "who refused to fight in order to bear witness to how a true Christian behaves." He and three subdeacons were shot and killed in front of their church in 2007.

The pope also mentioned "Brother Francis Tofi, an Anglican and member of the Melanesian Brotherhood, who gave his life for peace in the Solomon Islands." Tofi and six other members of the religious order were killed by militia members on Guadalcanal in 2003. 

"Unfortunately, despite the end of the great dictatorships of the 20th century, to this day the persecution of Christians has not ended," the pope said. "On the contrary, in some parts of the world it has increased."

"We cannot and do not want to forget," the pope said. And "we want to keep this memory alive alongside our brothers and sisters of other churches and Christian communities. I therefore wish to reaffirm the commitment of the Catholic Church to safeguard the memory of the witnesses of the faith from all Christian traditions."

The new martyrs and witnesses of the faith were not killed because of the denomination they belonged to but because they were Christian, he said, and lived the Gospel of loving service to their brothers and sisters.

"As we recognized during the recent synod, the ecumenism of blood unites 'Christians of different backgrounds who together give their lives for faith in Jesus Christ. The witness of their martyrdom is more eloquent than any word: unity comes from the Cross of the Lord,'" he said, quoting the synod's final document. 

"Their martyrdom continues to spread the Gospel in a world marked by hatred, violence and war," Pope Leo said. "It is a hope filled with immortality because, even though they have been killed in body, no one can silence their voice or erase the love they have shown."

"Their witness lives on as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil," the pope said. "Yes, theirs is an unarmed hope. They bore witness to their faith without ever using the weapons of force and violence, but rather by embracing the hidden and meek power of the Gospel."

Pope Leo prayed, "May the blood of so many witnesses hasten the arrival of the blessed day when we will drink from the same cup of salvation!"

The Gospel reading at the service was St. Matthew's version of the Eight Beatitudes, which then provided the framework for specific prayers for Christians who were persecuted or kidnapped or jailed and ultimately killed for living their faith, defending the poor, caring for creation or defending religious freedom.

During the service, the people prayed that Christian communities today would "learn from these peaceful witnesses, persecuted for the Gospel, to imitate the Lord Jesus, the Master, meek and humble of heart."

The new martyrs and witnesses of the faith named in the prayers included: Blessed Leonella Sgorbati, a Consolata Missionary sister who was killed in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2006; six Evangelicals killed at Silgadji Mission in Burkina Faso in 2019; and the 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs beheaded by Islamic State members in Libya in 2015.
 

Pope Leo: New martyrs are signs of hope

Pope Leo XIV presided over an ecumenical prayer service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sept. 14, commemorating the “new martyrs and witnesses of the faith” who have died in the past 25 years.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pain must never give rise to violence, and every Catholic needs to learn to safeguard with tenderness those who are vulnerable, Pope Leo XIV said during a prayer vigil dedicated to people experiencing pain and affliction due to illness, bereavement, violence or abuse.

Recognizing that some members of the church "have unfortunately hurt you," the pope said, the church "kneels with you today before our Mother (Mary). May we all learn from her to protect the most vulnerable with tenderness!"

"May we learn to listen to your wounds and walk together," he said in his homily Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. "May we receive from Our Lady of Sorrows the strength to recognize that life is not defined only by the evil we suffer, but by the love of God, who never abandons us and guides the whole church."

The pope led the prayer vigil in St. Peter's Basilica Sept. 15 as part of the Jubilee of Consolation, which is "dedicated to all those who are experiencing or have experienced moments of particular difficulty, grief, suffering or hardship in their lives," according to the section of the Dicastery for Evangelization in charge of organizing the Holy Year.

During the vigil, two women offered their reflections and experience of losing a loved one to senseless violence and finding consolation, reconciliation and new life through their faith.

Lucia Di Mauro, spoke about forgiving and supporting the young man who was an accomplice in the 2009 murder of her husband, Gaetano Montanino, in Naples, Italy, and Diane Foley spoke about her son, James W. Foley, a U.S. journalist who worked in conflict zones and was kidnapped, once in Libya, then in Syria, where he was ultimately beheaded by members of ISIS in 2014. 

Telling the story of his Catholic faith and passion for "giving voice to the voiceless," Foley also spoke of the pain and anguish of finding out "my innocent, good-hearted son was taken at gunpoint, sold and held captive for the 'crime' of being a journalist -- just as our beloved innocent Jesus was condemned to death for our sins," she said, her voice catching with emotion.

"Anger surged within me -- anger at ISIS, at our U.S. government, at those who refused to help. Bitterness threatened to consume me," she said. She found comfort in the Stations of the Cross, and "Jesus and Mary became my constant companions, along with countless earthly angels whose compassion lifted me up."

The unexpected happened, Foley said, when Alexanda Kotey, one of the jihadists who had kidnapped and tortured her son, offered to meet with the family after he pleaded guilty to all eight counts of kidnapping, torture and murder.

"The three days of meeting with Alexanda became moments of grace," she said, as "God gave me the grace to see him as a fellow sinner in need of mercy, like me," and she turned evil into good by establishing the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the safe return of Americans taken hostage and educates student journalists about safety practices in places of danger.

In his homily, Pope Leo said, "the testimonies we have heard speak of a truth: that pain must not give rise to violence, and that violence never has the final say, for it is conquered by a love that knows how to forgive." 

"The violence suffered cannot be erased, but forgiveness granted to those who offend us is a foretaste of the kingdom of God on earth," he said.

"Where there is evil, we must seek the comfort and consolation that can overcome it and give it no respite," he said. "In the church, this means never being alone."

"Finding someone who cries with you and gives you strength is a medicine that we cannot do without, because it is a sign of love. Where pain is deep, the hope that comes from communion must be even stronger," he added.

The pope highlighted the collective anguish of entire peoples "crushed by the weight of violence, hunger and war."

"The true consolation we must offer to those around us is showing that peace is possible," he said, appealing to the leaders of nations to listen to "the cries of so many innocent children and ensure them a future that protects and consoles them."

"Even in the midst of so much arrogance, we are certain that God will inspire hearts and hands to provide help and consolation: peacemakers who can comfort those who are in pain and sadness," he said.

Among the many prayer intentions read aloud were pleas for those who are: persecuted for their faith; victims of violence and terrorism; children who are abused and neglected; victims of human trafficking and their captors; abandoned by others; suffering from addiction; and mourning the death of a loved one or child.

At the prayer service, people were given a gift of the "Agnus Dei," a wax medallion depicting the Paschal lamb, a symbol of resurrection and a sign of hope. On the other side was a representation of Rome's Marian icon, the "Salus Populi Romani," ("Salvation of the Roman People"). The medallions were blessed by the pope.

Pope: Bring peace to those to suffer

Pope Leo XIV led a prayer vigil in St. Peter's Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Consolation, dedicated to all those who are experiencing a time of pain and affliction due to illness, bereavement, violence or abuse. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

WASHINGTON – World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10, and the Catholic Church marks the Jubilee of Consolation on September 15. In recognition of the continuing mental health crisis, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced a new component within the ongoing National Catholic Mental Health Campaign focused on amplifying local engagement on mental health.

“Healing and Hope” is taken from the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign’s introductory statement authored by Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop Robert Barron, who wrote: “As pastors, we want to emphasize this point to anyone who is suffering from mental illness or facing mental health challenges: nobody and nothing can alter or diminish your God-given dignity. You are a beloved child of God, a God of healing and hope.” 

This aspect of the mental health campaign builds upon the goal of promoting healing and hope for all who struggle with mental illness and is inclusive of the people who accompany them. Three new elements will amplify Catholic engagement on mental health:

• Revitalized digital campaign: Reflections by bishops on the USCCB’s social media platforms will invite all people into deeper conversation on the realities and stigmas of mental health.
• State conferences on mental health: Bishops, clergy, religious, and lay people in dioceses/eparchies and local groups will have an opportunity to gather for dialogue on local mental health realities. The first conference is scheduled for early 2026 in New Jersey.
• Mental Health Sunday: Parishes are encouraged to raise awareness on mental health, specifically by praying for those who struggle with this issue during Masses on the weekend of October 11-12, following World Mental Health Day (October 10). Resources are available for parishes to participate in Mental Health Sunday. 

The faithful are encouraged to pray the Novena for Mental Health in solidarity with Catholics across the United States from Friday, October 10, to Saturday, October 18. For more information on the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/mental-health. 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At a time when people feel powerless to help migrants and refugees, Christians must continue to insist that "there is no justice without compassion, no legitimacy without listening to the pain of others," Pope Leo XIV said.

In a video message Sept. 12, the pope gave his full support to a bid by the people of the Italian island of Lampedusa to win UNESCO recognition for their "gestures of hospitality" to migrants as an example of an "intangible cultural heritage" that should be protected. 

For decades the small island, which lies between Sicily and the northern African nations of Tunisia and Libya, has been a major arrival point for migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia seeking a new life in Europe. However, many migrants make the journey in unsafe vessels or without needed provisions. Shipwrecked boats and dead bodies have washed up on the island's shores.

Pope Leo paid tribute to "the volunteers, the mayors and local administrations that have succeeded one another over the years," to "the priests, doctors, security forces, and to all those who, often invisibly, have shown and continue to show the smile and attention of a human face to those who have survived their desperate journey of hope."

But the pope also noted the political divisions and backlash that have accompanied the continued arrival of migrants and refugees on Lampedusa's shores and to other nations.

"It is true that over the years fatigue can set in. Like in a race, we can run out of breath," he said. "Hardships tend to cast doubt on what has been done and, at times, even divide us. We must respond together, staying united and opening ourselves once again to the breath of God."

"All the good you have done may seem like drops in the sea," Pope Leo told the island's people. "But it's not so -- it is much more than that!" 

Many of the migrants, including mothers and children, never made it to shore and from the depths of the sea "cry out not only to heaven, but to our hearts," he said. Others died and are buried on Lampedusa "like seeds from which a new world longs to sprout."

But, he said, "thank God, there are thousands of faces and names of people who today are living a better life and will never forget your charity. Many of them have themselves become workers for justice and peace, because goodness is contagious."

Pope Leo said his thanks is the thanks "of the whole church for your witness," and is meant to renew the thanks of the late Pope Francis, who made a trip to Lampedusa the first official trip of his papacy. He said he hoped he, too, would be able to visit the island soon.

The islanders' hospitality and welcome, he said, are "a bulwark of humanity, which loud arguments, ancient fears and unjust policies try to erode."

"The 'globalization of indifference,' which Pope Francis denounced beginning from Lampedusa, today seems to have turned into a globalization of powerlessness," Pope Leo said.

Thanks to the media, people are more aware of "injustice and innocent suffering," he said, but increasingly "we risk standing still, silent and saddened, overcome by the feeling that nothing can be done."

People ask themselves, "What can I do in the face of such great evils?" he said.

"The globalization of powerlessness is the child of a lie: that history has always been this way, that history is written by the victors, which makes it seem that we can do nothing," the pope said. "But that is not true: history is ravaged by the powerful, but it is saved by the humble, the just, the martyrs, in whom goodness shines and true humanity endures and is renewed."

The antidote, Pope Leo said, is to work to create "a culture of reconciliation." 

"Reconciliation is a special kind of encounter. Today we must meet one another, healing our wounds, forgiving each other for the wrong we have done -- and even for the wrong we have not done but which we still bear the consequences of," the pope said. "So much fear, so many prejudices, so many walls -- even invisible ones -- exist between us and between our peoples, as consequences of a wounded history."

While fear and evil can be passed from one generation to the next, he said, so can goodness.

"We must repair what has been broken, delicately treat bleeding memories, draw close to one another with patience, put ourselves in the place of others' stories and suffering, and recognize that we share the same dreams and the same hopes," Pope Leo said. "There are no enemies -- only brothers and sisters. This is the culture of reconciliation."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV told 192 new bishops from around the world that they must respond promptly to allegations of inappropriate or abusive behavior by priests.

"These cannot be put in a drawer -- they must be addressed with a sense of mercy and true justice toward both the victims and the accused," the pope told the bishops Sept. 11, according to the Vatican press office.

The pope had spent the entire morning with the prelates, including 13 from the United States, who were in Rome for the Vatican's annual formation courses for new bishops. The courses included sessions on handling abuse allegations.

Pope Leo read a prepared speech to the group, which was broadcast in the Vatican press office and published on the Vatican website. But, the press office said, he continued sharing his concerns and advice with the bishops before opening the floor to their questions.

The press office published a summary of the closed-door session Sept. 12.

Also Sept. 12 Pope Leo had his first official meeting with French Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, France, whom the pope had named president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in July. 

In his meeting with the new bishops the day before, the pope asked them to be "be persevering disciples, not afraid when faced with the first difficulty, pastors close to the people and to their priests, merciful yet firm -- even when it comes to making judgments --capable of listening and dialogue, not merely preaching," the Vatican summary said.

"Be builders of bridges," he told the bishops, including by embracing synodality, "which he described not as a pastoral method, but as 'a style of church, of listening and of shared search for the mission to which we are called.'"

As he had done in his formal text, Pope Leo also told the bishops they must be creative in sharing the Gospel and ministering with their people, which can happen only if they are engaged and involved in the world and understand the questions people are asking today.

"Ready-made answers learned 25 years ago in seminary are not enough," the pope told them.

The bishops must value the "pastoral and human experiences" that they have had in their local churches and allow them to "grow into a new ministry that brings bishops into contact with the universality of the church," the summary said. 

Pope Leo spoke to the bishops about the "fears, a sense of unworthiness, the various expectations each had for their lives" before being named a bishop, the summary said, and he "emphasized the necessity of staying close to the Lord, preserving time for prayer, and continuing to live with unconditional trust in the Holy Spirit, the source of their calling."

Responding to a question about the challenge of beginning a new ministry, "the pope spoke personally about what it means for him," the press office said.

"He urged trust in God's grace and the grace of office, to recognize one's gifts and limitations, including the need for help from others -- perhaps relying on the valuable experience of a good emeritus bishop who can offer support or guidance," it said. "He warned against the temptation to form one's own group and isolate oneself."

The bishops spoke about how some 1 million people attended the early August celebration of the Jubilee of Young People and their thirst for an authentic spiritual life, the summary said.

Pope Leo noted that young people have not found a response to that thirst in the virtual world nor "in the typical experiences of our parishes."

Responding to a question, the pope urged bishops to be prudent in the use of social media, where "everyone feels entitled to say whatever they want, even false things."

"There are times when reaching the truth is painful," but necessary, he said, adding that bishops should "rely on communication professionals, trained individuals."

He summarized his recommended approach to media by saying, "Calm, a good head, and the help of a professional."

The Vatican said the pope and bishops also spoke about the importance of peacemaking, interreligious dialogue and safeguarding the environment.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Close to 200 clerics who had been named bishops in the past year were not the only ones in the Vatican's New Synod Hall to have been thrust into new ministries and leadership roles.

"Maybe some of you are still saying: Why was I chosen? At least I ask myself that," Pope Leo XIV said Sept. 11 during a meeting with bishops in Rome for the Vatican's annual formation courses for new bishops.

"The gift you have received is not for yourselves, but to serve the cause of the Gospel. You have been chosen and called to be sent out as apostles of the Lord and as servants of the faith," the pope told them. 

The courses -- sometimes casually referred to as "Baby Bishops' School" or "Bishops' Boot Camp" -- are sponsored by the dicasteries for Bishops, for Evangelization and for Eastern Churches. The courses include sessions on topics such as what canon law says about administering a diocese, investigating abuse allegations and communication, but they also introduce the bishops to Vatican officials and offices and give them a chance to pray and meet with their peers from around the world.

Since the courses are a fixture on the Vatican calendar, Pope Leo said he had expected to be there as Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

"I thought I'd be here, but dressed in black like you are," he said. Instead, he was wearing papal white. 

Pope Leo spent more than three hours with the bishops; he read a prepared text, which the Vatican published, and then he spent some 90 minutes listening to their concerns and responding to their questions behind closed doors. The pope ended the morning by posing for a photo with each bishop separately.

"The bishop is a servant, the bishop is called to serve the faith of the people," the pope told the group, which included about a dozen bishops named to U.S. dioceses.

Service, he said, "is not an external characteristic or just a way of exercising a role" but is an essential part of the call.

"Those whom Jesus calls as disciples and proclaimers of the Gospel -- especially the Twelve -- are called to interior freedom, poverty of spirit and a willingness to serve that is born of love, in order to embody the very choice of Jesus, who became poor to make us rich," he said.

Jesus showed his disciples "the style of God, who does not reveal himself through power, but through the love of a Father who calls us into communion with him," the pope said.

"Always stay vigilant and walk in humility and prayer, so that you may become servants of the people to whom the Lord sends you," Pope Leo asked the bishops.

Knowing one is called to serve is not enough, he told them. The "spirit of service" must be "translated into an apostolic style, into the various forms of care and pastoral governance (and) into a deep longing to proclaim the Gospel, expressed in diverse and creative ways depending on the concrete situations you will face." 

The need for creativity and new approaches to ministry is clear, he said. 

"The crisis of faith and its transmission, along with the struggles related to belonging and ecclesial practice, call us to rediscover the passion and courage for a new proclamation of the Gospel," he said. "At the same time, many people who seem distant from the faith often return to knock at the doors of the church or open themselves to a new search for spirituality -- one that sometimes does not find adequate language or form in our usual pastoral approaches."

Many of the bishops also will be called to respond to other challenges, too, he said, including "the tragedy of war and violence, the suffering of the poor, the longing of many for a more fraternal and united world, the ethical challenges that question us about the value of life and freedom -- and the list could certainly go on."

Amid all those challenges, he told the bishops, "the church sends you as caring, attentive shepherds -- shepherds who know how to walk with their people, to share in their questions, anxieties and hopes; shepherds who long to be guides, fathers and brothers to priests and to their sisters and brothers in the faith."

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The U.S. bishops who attended the course are seen in the photo, from left to right: Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Timothy J. O'Malley; Auxiliary Bishop Kevin T. Kenney of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Bishop Scott E. Bullock of Rapid City, South Dakota; Bishop-designate Ralph B. O'Donnell of Jefferson City, Missouri; Chicago Auxiliary Bishop John S. Siemianowski; Bishop-designate Thomas J. Hennen of Baker, Oregon; Bishop Richard F. Reidy of Norwich, Connecticut; Bishop John E. Keehner of Sioux City, Iowa; Chicago Auxiliary Robert M. Fedek; Bishop Artur Bubnevych of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix; Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan; and Chicago Auxiliary Bishop José Maria Garcia Maldonado. Auxiliary Bishop Dennis E. Spies of Joliet, Illinois, also attended the course but is not pictured.