POPE LEO XIV PRAYER INTENTION FOR FEBRUARY 2026
February: For children with incurable
diseases
Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope. Amen.
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV will carry out pastoral visits to five Roman parishes, take part in Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican together with the Roman Curia, and celebrate the Easter rites in St. Peter’s Basilica and St. John Lateran.
The Bishop of Rome will express his closeness to the faithful of his Diocese as he makes a series of pastoral visits to five Roman parishes, scheduled from Sunday, February 15, to Sunday, March 15.
The Pope’s visits take place mostly in the outlying areas of the capital, and coincide with his participation in the Lenten Spiritual Exercises and the Easter rites.
According to the calendar published on February 3 by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations, the Pope’s parish visits will take place on Sunday afternoons, with a Eucharistic celebration presided at 5:00 p.m.
However, on February 22, he will visit the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio (near Termini Station), in the morning, where he is expected to arrive at 9:00 a.m.
The first appointment will be on February 15 at the parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Ostia Lido.
On March 1, he is scheduled to visit the parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Alessandrino district; on March 8, the parish of Our Lady of the Presentation in the Torrevecchia district; and on March 15, the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ponte Mammolo.
The Pope will begin Lent, on February 18, with an afternoon Mass in the Basilica of Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill, preceded by the Statio and the penitential procession departing from the nearby church of Saint Anselm.
Pope Leo will join the Roman Curia for the annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises, which will take place in the Apostolic Palace from on February 22-27.
He will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, March 29, in the morning.
The celebrations of the Easter Triduum will begin on Holy Thursday, April 2, with the Chrism Mass in the morning in St. Peter’s Basilica and the evening Mass in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.
On Good Friday, April 3, the Pope will preside at the liturgical celebration of the Passion of the Lord, and later will attend the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum.
Then, on Holy Saturday, April 4, Pope Leo will celebrate Mass with the faithful in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Easter Vigil on the Holy Night, which will be held in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Easter celebrations conclude with Mass on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection, in St. Peter’s Square, followed by the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing imparted from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Scripture reveals God’s desire to be close to His people, Pope Leo XIV expressed during his Wednesday General Audience, as he continued his catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council.
He concentrated again this week on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation, which the Pope has called “one of the most beautiful and important” documents of the Council.
READ POPE LEO XIV'S FULL GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
The Pope recalled that the Conciliar Constitution indicates that, in Sacred Scripture, the faithful find a "privileged space for encounter where God continues to speak to the men and women of every time, so that, by listening, they can know Him and love Him."
The biblical texts, Pope Leo pointed out, "were not written in a heavenly or superhuman language, suggesting that God, out of great love, chooses to speak using human languages, and thus, various authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have written the texts of Sacred Scripture."
Dei Verbum, the Pope said, reiterates that “the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human weakness, was in every way made like men.”
Therefore, the Holy Father observed, not only in its content, but also in its language, "Scripture reveals God’s merciful condescension towards human beings, and His desire to be close to them."
The Pope acknowledged that throughout the course of Church history, the relationship between the divine Author and the human authors of the sacred texts has been studied.
"A correct interpretation of the sacred texts can dispense with the historic environment in which they developed and the literary forms that were used," he said. "On the contrary, to renounce the study of the human words that God used risks leading to fundamentalist or spiritualist readings of Scripture, which betray its meaning."
He also noted this principle also applies to the proclamation of the Word of God.
"If it loses touch with reality, with human hopes and sufferings, if an incomprehensible language is used, or if it is uncommunicative or anachronistic," Pope Leo warned, "it is ineffective."
Moreover, he reaffirmed, “In every age, the Church is called to repropose the Word of God in a language capable of being embodied in history and reaching hearts.”
Especially when proclaimed in the context of the liturgy, the Pope insisted, "Scripture is intended to speak to today's believers, to touch their present lives with their problems, to enlighten the steps to be taken and the decisions to be made."
"Scripture," the Pope stated, "serves to nurture the life and charity of believers."
He reiterated that the divine origin of the Scripture also recalls that the Gospel, entrusted to the witness of the baptized, despite embracing all the dimensions of life and reality, transcends them.
Scripture, Pope Leo stressed, “cannot be reduced to a mere philanthropic or social message, but is the joyful proclamation of the full and eternal life that God has given to us in Jesus.”
Finally, Pope Leo concluded by urging the faithful to “thank the Lord because, in His goodness, He ensures our lives do not lack the essential nourishment of His Word, and let us pray that our words, and even more so our lives, do not obscure the love of God that is narrated in them.”
Feastday: February 4
Patron: of Invoked against riots and civil disorder
Birth: 1302
Death: 1374
Carmelite miracle worker and papal legate. He was born in Florence on November 30, 1302, a member of the powerful Corsini family. Wild in his youth, Andrew was converted to a holy life by his mother and became a Carmelite monk. He studied in Paris and Avignon, France, returning to his birthplace. There he became known as the Apostle of Florence. He was called a prophet and miracle worker. Named as the bishop of Fiesole in 1349, Andrew fled the honor but was forced to accept the office, which he held for twelve years. He was sent by Pope Urban V to Bologna to settle disputes between the nobles and commoners, a mission he performed well. Andrew died in Fiesole on January 6, 1373. So many miracles took place at his death that Pope Eugenius IV permitted the immediate opening of his cause.
A traditionalist Catholic society whose founder was excommunicated during the pontificate of St. John Paul II has announced plans to ordain new bishops without Vatican approval, a move that directly challenges Rome and tests how Pope Leo XIV will respond to open defiance from a group long at odds with the Vatican.
Fr. Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order Feb. 2.
The Society of St. Pius X, which celebrates the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass and rejects key teachings of the Second Vatican Council, claims to have roughly 700 priests worldwide and to minister to about 500,000 people. Its strongest presence is in France and the United States.
In the statement, the society said Pagliarani had written twice to Pope Leo XIV requesting an audience and that he "explicitly expressed the particular need of the Society to ensure the continuation of the ministry of its bishops."
According to the society, the Vatican replied with a letter that "does not in any way respond to our requests." The society’s announcement places Leo on a collision course with a group that has repeatedly tested the limits of Vatican authority. Any response on his part, or lack thereof, will be highly scrutinized as a sign of how the pope intends to handle open defiance from the church's conservative wing. The planned consecrations revive painful memories of 1988, when the society's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, ordained four priests as bishops against the express prohibition of the pope. John Paul II declared the act schismatic and Lefebvre and the four newly ordained bishops incurred automatic excommunication (latae sententiae), setting off decades of strained relations between the Vatican and the traditionalist group. Church law holds that "no bishop is permitted to consecrate anyone a bishop unless it is first evident that there is a pontifical mandate" (Canon 1013).
Pope Benedict XVI, who sought reconciliation with Catholics attached to the pre–Vatican II liturgy, lifted the excommunications of the four bishops in 2009 and restructured the Vatican commission charged with dialogue with the society, though full canonical recognition was never achieved.
Pope Francis closed the commission in 2019, and supervision of the society was entrusted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. He then went further to apply far-reaching restrictions on celebrating the pre-Vatican II liturgy, arguing that its widespread use threatened the unity of the church and in turn sparking outrage among traditionalist Catholics.
The prospect of new illicit consecrations places Leo in a delicate position. Some Catholics wary of Vatican-II reforms hoped his pontificate would signal greater openness toward traditionalist Catholics who felt marginalized under Francis. In October, Leo allowed U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a prominent conservative voice, to celebrate a pre-Vatican II Latin Mass in St. Peter's Basilica during a traditionalist pilgrimage to Rome.
Since then, however, Leo has repeatedly affirmed the authority of the Second Vatican Council. In a catechesis series launched during his Wednesday general audiences, the pope said the council's magisterium "constitutes the guiding star of the church's journey."
Unity has emerged as a defining theme of Leo's pontificate, but the pope is also a canon lawyer known for his careful adherence to church law. How he responds to the society's planned consecrations will signal whether Rome is prepared to impose sanctions once again or whether it will seek a different path to keep the church from fracturing.
The National Catholic Reporter's Rome Bureau is made possible in part by the generosity of Joan and Bob McGrath.
Paul Samasumo – Vatican City
The Bishops urge Zambia’s Catholic clergy not to align themselves with partisan political interests, as this comprises their sacred calling.
In their Pastoral Letter, the Bishops also insist that “the Church is not and must never be a mouthpiece for any political party or candidate. Our duty is to form consciences, promote the common good, and speak truth to power,” the Pastoral Letter reads in part.
Churches, say the Bishops, should always remain houses of prayer, reflection, and reconciliation, not partisan campaign platforms.
To this end, the Bishops have directed that: “Church premises must not be used for political campaigns; No clergy or lay leader should accept political donations in exchange for influence; The pulpit must remain a place of prophetic truth and moral clarity, not political opportunism.
The wide-ranging Pastoral Letter on elections urges Zambians to view politics as a noble calling that should never be about accumulating personal privilege. They call for credible and transparent elections and advise citizens to embrace civility, especially during the campaign period.
Other key concerns raised include advocating for issue-based campaigns and, above all, urging “all political parties to commit — publicly and unequivocally — to respect the outcome of free, fair, and credible elections.”
Last weekend, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema assured Zambians and the international community of transparent, free, and fair elections. He made the remarks during a meeting with Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Zambia.
Presidential and General elections are due to be held in Zambia on 13 August 2026 to elect the president, members of the National Assembly, councilors, mayors, and local council chairs.
Below is a link to the full document of the ZCCB Pastoral Letter:
By Isabella H. de Carvalho
Pope Leo XIV inscribes St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar, with his optional memorial being on October 9, the Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments announced in a decree released on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
The 19th century English Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism and then became a cardinal, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2019. On November 1, 2025, Pope Leo proclaimed him co-Patron of the Church’s educational mission, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, and a Doctor of the Church.
Considering this recent recognition, “conferred upon a saintly pastor of such outstanding significance for the entire community of the faithful,” the decree states that his optional memorial can now be celebrated on October 9 - the day in which, in 1845, he converted to Catholicism.
The decree explains that the new memorial will in fact “be inserted into all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, adopting the liturgical texts attached to the present decree, which are to be translated, approved, and—after confirmation by this Dicastery—published by the Conferences of Bishops.”
The Dicastery’s decree was released on Tuesday, February 3, but was signed by the Prefect of the body, Cardinal Arthur Roche, and the Secretary, Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, on November 9, 2025, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
“The kindly light of God’s grace, which came into this world to enlighten the gentiles, led John Henry Newman to find peace in the Catholic Church and gave him such strength that he was able to say ‘God has created me to do Him some definite service … I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught’,” the decree highlights.
The text emphasizes how, throughout his long life, Cardinal Newman continuously and tirelessly served the poor, preached and taught and engaged in “intellectual enquiry”. The decree defines him as “a radiant light for the Church on pilgrimage through history.”
“His lively mind has left us enduring monuments of great importance in the fields of theology and ecclesiology, as well as poetic and devotional compositions,” the decree continues.
“His constant search to be led out of shadows and images into the fullness of the truth has become an example for every disciple of the Risen One.”
Feastday: February 3
Patron: of throat illnesses, animals, wool combers, and wool trading
Death: 316
Saint Blaise was the bishop of Sebastea and a doctor. The first known record of the saint's life comes from the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, where he is recorded as helping with patients suffering from objects stuck in their throat. Many of the miraculous aspects of St. Blaise’s life are written of 400 years after his martyrdom in the “Acts of St. Blaise.”
Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls." He then retired to a cave, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.
In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, arrested then-bishop Blaise for being a Christian. On their way to the jail, a woman set her only son, who was chocking to death on a fish bone, at his feet.
Blaise cured the child, and though Agricola was amazed, he could not get Blaise to renounce his faith. Therefore, Agricola beat Blaise with a stick and tore at his flesh with iron combs before beheading him.
In another tale, Blaise was being led to the prison in Sebastea, and on the way came across a poor old woman whose pig had been stolen by a wolf. Blaise commanded the wolf return the pig, which it did -alive and uninjured - to the amazement of all.
When he reached Sebastea, the woman came to him and brought two fine wax candles in an attempt to dispel the gloom of his darkened cell.
In the Middle Ages, Blaise became quite popular and his legend as a beast tamer spread. He was then referred to as the "saint of the wild beast."
Many German churches are dedicated to Saint Blaise, sometimes called Saint Blasius.
In Great Britain, the village of St. Blazey got its name from Saint Blaise, and a church dedicated to the saint can be found in Decon hamlet of Haccombe, near Newton Abbot.
There is a Saint Blaise's Well in Kent, and the water is believed to have medicinal properties. A Blessing of the Throats ceremony is held every February 3 at Saint Etheldreda's Church in Londan and Balve, Germany.
A Catholic middle school was named after Saint Blaise in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The name was decided upon when the link between Bradford and the woolen industry was connected to the way St. Blaise was martyred: with woolcomb.
Saint Blaise is often depicted holding two crossed candles in his hand, or in a cave with wild animals. He is also often shown with steel combs. The similarity of the steel combs and the wool combs made a large contribution to Saint Blaise's leadership as the patron saint of wool combers and the wool trade.
