Pope Leo shares prayer intentions today: humanitarian crisis in Yemen, terrorist attack in Jordan, remembering Assisi 1986 with JPII

 

At least 11 killed in Saudi-led airstrikes in Sana'a, Yemen's Houthi group says (ANSA)

Pope

• Yemen
• peace
• Jordan
• Pope John Paul II

Pope appeals for end to hostilities in Yemen and prays for Jordan attack victims

Following the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV draws attention to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, remembers the victims in Jordan, and looks ahead to the Assisi gathering marking 40 years since the first World Day of Prayer for Peace.

By Francesca Merlo

Pope Leo XIV appealed for an end to hostilities in Yemen and prayed for the victims of a terrorist attack against churchgoers in Jordan, as he addressed the faithful following the Angelus on Sunday, 25 October.

The Pope also looked ahead to the gathering of Church leaders and religious leaders in Assisi on 27 October, marking forty years since the meeting convened by Saint John Paul II.

Appeal for Yemen

Expressing concern over the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen, Pope Leo drew particular attention to the city of Taiz, “where the population is suffering from a lack of food, water and medical care”.
 

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“I make a heartfelt appeal for hostilities to cease and for the Yemeni people and all the peoples of the region to be guaranteed a life of peace,” he said.

In Taiz, fighting and road closures have cut off vital supplies, leaving civilians facing growing shortages of water, food and fuel. The United Nations has called for urgent humanitarian access, warning that hospitals are struggling to maintain essential services as stocks of medicines and oxygen run low. Shortages are also threatening community kitchens that provide meals to vulnerable families.

Victims in Jordan

Turning to Jordan, Pope Leo assured his prayers for those killed and injured in Friday’s attack against the faithful of St George’s Orthodox Church in Harmoud.

“I am close to that community and to the entire country, which stands out for its peaceful coexistence and respect among different religions,” he said.

Nine people were killed and around forty wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at the church in Jordan’s Karak governorate on the 23rd of October. Authorities are continuing their search for the attackers, and no group has claimed responsibility. 

The grounds of Saint George's Greek Orthodox Church where gunmen opened fire during a funeral   (ALAA AL SUKHNI)

Forty years since 1986 Assisi prayer gathering

“Let us continue to pray together for peace,” the Pope urged, inviting the faithful to unite spiritually with the Church leaders and religious leaders gathering in Assisi on Tuesday, the 27th of October.

The meeting marks the fortieth anniversary of the gathering convened by Saint John Paul II in 1986, which brought together representatives of different religions to pray for peace.

“Never before has it been so evident that wars, besides sowing death and destruction, impoverish and damage the world,” Pope Leo said.

“May the Lord inspire choices of dialogue and peace," he concluded.

World Day of Prayer for Peace, 1986

Sunday Angelus with Pope Leo XIV 10.25.2026

 

File photo: Pope Leo during his Sunday Angelus (ANSA)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• Angelus

Pope at Angelus: Love for God must overflow into love for others

During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo reflects on the greatest commandment, stressing that love is the essence of faith and must become a gift for those around us.

Vatican News

"We cannot truly love God unless this love overflows into love for our brothers and sisters", Pope Leo XIV said during his Sunday Angelus on the 25th of October.

Addressing the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square, the Pope reflected on the day’s Gospel from Saint Matthew, in which a teacher of the Law tests Jesus by asking which commandment is the greatest.

Jesus responds with the words of Deuteronomy: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

In doing so, Pope Leo explained, Christ places love at the very centre of our relationship with God.

A personal relationship with God

It is not enough, the Pope said, simply to acknowledge that God exists, that He is the only God, or that He is almighty. "The Lord seeks a personal relationship with us: the one true God wants to become our God", said the Pope.

Within this encounter, the commandment to love is neither an obligation nor an imposition, since "one cannot love 'on command'."

Rather, Pope Leo continued, love for God is the deepest expression of human desire, which finds fulfilment in communion with Him. Our love becomes authentic when it responds to God’s love, "which always precedes us".

That response calls for a commitment involving the whole person: heart, soul and mind.

Seeing others through the eyes of Christ

Alongside the first commandment, Jesus places a second: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself".

The two commandments, the Pope explained, spring from the same source. Through a close relationship with God, we learn to see both ourselves and others through the eyes of Christ.

"In this way, selfishness is overcome and even love for oneself becomes charity: our existence turns toward the other and becomes a gift for those around us", he said.

Love gives faith its essence

Pope Leo then went on to recall the words of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who understood that love inspires the Church’s life and mission.

"Love alone", she wrote, makes "the Church’s members act", adding that, if love were extinguished, the apostles would no longer preach the Gospel.

Without love, the Pope warned, "our faith would be deprived of its essence, our good works would be reduced to mere moralism, and our hope would be in vain". Love for God and love for others are therefore inseparable.

"We cannot truly love our neighbour except as children of the same Father who loved us first in his Son, Jesus", he said.

Bringing his reflection to a close, Pope Leo invited the faithful to ask the Lord for "the grace of a new heart, capable of embracing and living out the greatest of all commandments".

He entrusted this prayer to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "in whose Immaculate Heart there is nothing but love".

Respect Life Novena Day 4

 RESPECT LIFE NOVENA DAY 4

Intercession

May pregnant and parenting moms find life-affirming help for themselves and their children through the Christian community.

Prayers

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

Reflection

In the Gospel account of the Visitation, Mary travels to the hill country “in haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:39). Despite being unexpectedly pregnant herself, Mary responds to the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with urgency, embarking on a journey that was probably difficult and spending the next three months at Elizabeth’s side.

Mary’s example invites us to become more aware of the needs of pregnant and parenting moms in our own communities. A woman with an unexpected pregnancy may have any number of fears and challenges: facing judgment from her friends and family, losing her job or housing, or being abandoned by the father of her child. The needs and challenges of single mothers can be immense, especially for women in poverty, and resources are often not apparent for those most in need of support. Mothers in difficult circumstances should see the Church as a place where they can turn for friendship, help, and support. Mary’s witness is an invitation to each of us to step up in love and compassion. It is a summons to make haste to help mothers who may be isolated and alone. We too can bear Christ within us and help others experience His presence. May we, the body of Christ, do all we can to provide mothers, children, and families with the support they need to flourish. 

Acts of Reparation 

• Fast from television and social media today. Spend some time praying and reflecting on how God may be asking you to help build a culture of life in your home, workplace, or Church community. 
• Offer this short “Prayer for Pregnant Mothers” for today’s intention.
• Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.

One Step Further

Pregnant and parenting moms in need are in our communities, often alone without a network of support. As Catholics, we are called to lovingly support mothers in welcoming and caring for their children. Moms in need should see the Catholic Church as a place they can come for compassionate assistance and accompaniment on the journey of motherhood. Visit www.WalkingWithMoms.com to learn more about the Church’s efforts to increase support for mothers and their children through Walking with Moms in Need—and how your parish can participate. 

Saint of the Day for Sunday

 

St. Boniface I

Feastday: October 25
Patron: of brewers; Fulda; Germany; World Youth Day
Death: 422

Boniface, I Ordained by Pope Damasus I, St. Boniface was a priest at Rome and served as papal legate to Constantinople under Innocent I. When Pope Zosimus died in December, 418, a majority elected Boniface pope, and a minority elected Eulalius pope. Pope and antipope were consecrated on the same day. The Council of Spoleto was convoked in 419 to settle the dispute. Symmachus the Prefect supported Eulalius, and the Emperor Honorius supported Boniface, who was enthroned after the council. Boniface condemned Pelagianism and encouraged St. Augustine to write against it. When Boniface died in 422, he was buried in a chapel which he had built in the cemetery of St. Felicity.

A Saturday Audience for young people with Pope Leo XIV

 

Pope Leo XIV greets participants in the Jesus Youth International Conference (VATICAN MEDIA)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• audiences
• India
• young people

Pope: ‘Hearts of young people are longing to discover Christ’s love’

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Jesus Youth International Conference, and praises efforts to engage young people in the life of the Church by helping them discover Christ’s love.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV held an audience on Saturday with participants in the Jesus Youth International Conference, marking the ecclesial association’s first meeting with the Successor of Peter.

In his address, the Pope expressed appreciation for the “special encounter,” which comes 40 years after the movement’s creation in Kerala, India.

Over the past 3 years, members of the Jesus Youth movement have undergone lengthy consultation in a synodal style to discern its path forward.

On Friday, October 23, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life officially approved the revised statutes of Jesus Youth, a decade after it received recognition as an international association of the faithful from the Holy See in May 2016.

Pope Leo recalled that Jesus Youth grew out of the spontaneous initiative of young people in India, as part of the Charismatic Renewal.

“The starting point for every authentic renewal in the Church is one’s own discovery of Jesus’ love,” he said. “Members of various prayer groups thus felt the need to come together in order to channel their enthusiasm and their initiatives into something that could sustain and guide the new spiritual and missionary impulse they had experienced.”

As Jesus Youth matures in its ecclesial journey, added the Pope, members are invited to take up new challenges and bear new fruit.

Pope Leo pointed to the many young people who have become joyful witness to the faith, especially Ajna George, whom he said was sustained in her illness and trials by her love for Jesus present in the Eucharist.

“Do not lose your apostolic zeal, but rather foster it and carry it to new countries,” he said. “Once again, all of this is possible only by keeping your gaze on Jesus Christ.”

The Pope noted that Jesus Youth is present in many areas where Christians are a minority, saying their Christian witness can help others realize their deep desire to discover Christ’s love.

He invited the movement to help young people discover their vocation to marriage, as well as to the priesthood and religious life.

“Young people need to know that their lives are great and beautiful because they are part of God’s greater plan,” he said.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV encouraged members of the Jesus Youth movement to maintain their “youthful freshness and enthusiasm for the faith,” while patiently overcoming any difficulties that arise from ritual differences.

“Seek to preserve your unity, especially amid the great diversity of social backgrounds, cultures and languages that are hallmarks of your movement.”

Pope Leo's Papal Almoner headed to Ukraine this week to bring help and spiritual closeness

 

Ukrainians awaiting aid 

Vatican

• Ukraine
• charity
• dicastery
• war

Papal Almoner to travel to Ukraine to bring Pope’s closeness

Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, is preparing to undertake a mission to Ukraine from 27 to 30 October, with the full involvement of both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Latin-rite Church.

By Benedetta Capelli

Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, is preparing to bring Pope Leo’s closeness to Ukraine, especially to those suffering from the dramatic consequences of the war, which has now been going on for more than four years and eight months.

The Prefect will depart on 27 October and return on the 30th, accompanied by the Dicastery’s Undersecretary, Professor Massimo Ralli.

The mission seeks to give concrete expression to the Pope’s commitment to peace and follows the telephone calls he made, including one while he was in the hospital, to Russian President Vladimir Putin and subsequently to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Pope's closeness

These conversations aimed to secure a solution to the difficult humanitarian situation in Oleshky, which is under siege by Russian forces and where the population has been reduced to starvation.

The Pope continues to show concern for the painful situations endured by so many people.

For this reason, the Papal Almoner will travel to offer comfort by visiting several communities in the cities of Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Fastiv.

The trip will be marked by a spirit of fraternity and will involve both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Latin-rite Church, which are jointly participating in this mission of solidarity.

Collection for Ukraine

Meanwhile, a special collection for the Ukrainian population, organised by the Apostolic Almonry, is continuing at the Vatican.

At the Governorate courtyard, donations can be delivered from yesterday until Saturday at 1pm local time. Items being collected include winter clothing and warm blankets, sleeping bags, canned food, and household linens such as towels and bed sheets.

This is an opportunity for employees of the Holy See to bring relief to those severely affected by the conflict, particularly in preparation for the winter.

Dicastery Prefect Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín wished to express his gratitude to “all those who wish to take part, conveying through prayer and concrete assistance our closeness to those who suffer,” expressing “the hope that the Lord will soon grant the gift of peace.”

A smattering of hope in the ongoing, never-ending Russian war against Ukraine; Pope Leo IV helped

 

Power blackout in Kyiv (REUTERS)

World

• Ukraine
• peace
• Russia

Humanitarian truce announced for Ukrainian city of Oleshky

Ukraine and Russia confirm an agreement on a local ceasefire in Oleshky, where civilians face a severe food crisis. US mediation, involving First Lady Melania Trump, proved instrumental in securing the agreement. President Zelensky also confirms new trilateral talks with the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi in November.

By Stefano Leszczynski

News of a truce in Oleshky, which could take effect next Tuesday, has come just a week after Pope Leo XIV appealed for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Ukrainian city.

During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, the Pope highlighted the humanitarian situation in the city in the Kherson region. He stressed the urgent need for a truce to allow food and medical aid to reach civilians and enable their safe and voluntary evacuation.

On Monday, the Pope also spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That conversation likewise focused on the situation in Oleshky and the need for a humanitarian truce.

Kyiv and Moscow confirm ceasefire

The Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the truce, thanking US First Lady Melania Trump for her role in securing the ceasefire.

Describing the humanitarian mission as complex, he wrote on Telegram that “the operation will take place in stages”, stressing that Ukraine “has done and is doing everything possible to save the people in Oleshky”.

Russia’s armed forces will observe a ceasefire from the early hours of Tuesday, 27 October, to facilitate the humanitarian operation near Oleshky, towards Kherson, according to General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Defence Minister.

An earlier announcement had given Thursday, 29 October, as the start date.

Melania Trump’s role in mediation

Just hours before General Gerasimov’s announcement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the agreement on a truce in Oleshky to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians.

The White House had first announced the agreement, giving 29 October as the date on which the ceasefire would begin.

Kyiv agrees to Abu Dhabi talks

President Zelensky has confirmed that delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will meet in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, in the first half of November.

The new round of trilateral talks, to be held at working-group level, marks a further effort to resume direct dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, with Washington’s mediation, and bring an end to hostilities.

The Ukrainian President’s announcement followed talks earlier in the day with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met with President Putin in recent days.

The Kremlin had already signalled that negotiations could resume, expressing its willingness to return to the negotiating table after 10 November.

Zelensky insists on security guarantees

The prospect of renewed diplomatic talks has not, however, changed Kyiv’s conditions for a possible peace agreement.

President Zelensky reiterated that any agreement must include robust international security guarantees to protect Ukraine against further Russian aggression.

He also stressed the need to secure at least ten years of funding to sustain Ukraine’s armed forces.

Security guarantees therefore remain a central issue in the negotiations, alongside territorial questions and arrangements for implementing any eventual ceasefire.

Day 3 of the Respect Life Novena

 RESPECT LIFE NOVENA DAY 3

INTERCESSION:

May all who suffer after participation in abortion find healing in Christ’s unending mercy.

PRAYERS:

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

REFLECTION:

From the beginning of creation, throughout Scripture, and most perfectly in the life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, God has revealed Himself as love itself. In His infinite love for us, God desires nothing more than to forgive our sins and offer us His mercy. Many sadly believe that abortion is “the unforgivable sin,” but God desires to forgive every sin, including the sin of abortion.

No sin is unforgiveable, and no sinner is beyond redemption. We have all failed and we are all in need of God’s mercy. It is for this very reason that Christ suffered, died, and rose again. Christ came to offer us His infinite love and mercy, and we can receive it in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Throughout salvation history, God has welcomed repentant sinners with special joy. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus assures us that, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Lk 15:7). Jesus never rejects a humble and contrite heart. With confidence, let us run into the outstretched arms of Christ’s mercy.

ACTS OF REPARATION:

Abstain from your usual coffee or tea today.

Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for today’s Pro-Life intention.

Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.

ONE STEP FURTHER:

By the age of 45, as many as 1 in 4 women have had an abortion, and a similar number of men and family members have been involved. Many suffer for years in silence, yet Christ desires nothing more than to offer them the fullness of His forgiveness and healing. Learn how you can share a message of hope and mercy with those who have been wounded by abortion in “Bridges of Mercy for Healing After Abortion.