reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach...
Feastday: May 17 Birth: 1846 Death: 1929 Beatified: 27 April 2003, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II Canonized: 17 October 2010, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Giulia Salzano (October 13, 1846 – May 17, 1929) was the founder of the Congregation of the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1905. She was raised and educated by the Sisters of Charity in the Royal Orphanage of Saint Nicola La Strada until the age of fifteen. She was a schoolteacher and catechist in Casoria, Naples, and a friend and co-worker with Saint Caterina Volpicelli. Salzano is noted for her personal devotion to the Virgin Mary. She encouraged others in devotion to Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Pope: Holy Spirit received at Confirmation gives us strength to follow Jesus
Pope Leo XIV encourages young people of the Italian Archdiocese of Genoa to keep their enthusiasm and commitment to Christ after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
By Devin Watkins
As around 1,000 young Catholics from the Archdiocese of Genoa in northern Italy made a pilgrimage to Rome, Pope Leo XIV met with them on Saturday to encourage their desire to follow Christ.
The young people have been preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, which completes the sacraments of initiation and seals the baptized person with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In his off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Leo said one of the greatest joys of every Bishop is the opportunity to celebrate Confirmations, since it is “truly the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
“It is very beautiful to receive this Sacrament,” he said, “because the fullness of the Holy Spirit gives us enthusiasm, strength, and the ability to follow Jesus Christ, to say “Yes” to the Lord always, and not to be afraid to follow courageously, to live the faith in a world that so often wants to lead us far from Jesus.”
He noted that next Sunday, May 24, marks Pentecost Sunday, when the Church recalls the experience of the first disciples, who received the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the love of God.
Pope Leo XIV speaks off-the-cuff to the Confirmands (@Vatican Media)
Each of the Confirmands, said the Pope, is called to be a participant in the Church’s mission and is sent to their friends and families to bear witness to the “Spirit who lives in us.”
Just as Confirmation marks a great joy for Bishops, it often brings them sadness, he said, since many young people never set foot in the church again, disappearing from their parishes.
Pope Leo therefore appealed to young Catholics to pay special attention to the Holy Spirit’s gift of perseverance, so that they live their faith together.
“Do not forget what you have lived in this time,” he said. “May your joy in coming to Rome to celebrate together and pray together live in your hearts, and may you continue to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and persevere in the faith.”
Pope Leo XIV takes a selfie with one of the Confirmands (@Vatican Media)
As they return to their parishes, the Pope invited them to participate in the many activities and opportunities offered so that they can live in community.
“We do not live the faith alone; we live it together,” he said. “And forming these relationships of friendship and community is a way to live perseverance as disciples of Jesus.”
Finally, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the young Confirmands from Genoa to enjoy this moment of grace as they receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and maintain it throughout their lives.
“It is very important,” he said, “that each one of you also make this commitment, this promise to the Lord: that you truly want to continue as His friends, His disciples, His missionaries, and that you want to persevere in the faith.”
Cardinal Aveline: 'Pope Leo XIV comes to give us a roadmap for continuing our mission'
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and President of the French Bishops’ Conference, reacts to the announcement of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to France from September 25 to 28.
By Jean-Charles Putzolu
“A great joy” for the Church, for France, for French Catholics, and an encouragement for a Church striving to meet many challenges—some aimed at turning the page on difficult moments, others at accompanying the stirrings of renewal, seen in the growing number of catechumens and increasing interest in pilgrimages.
This is how the Archbishop of Marseille and President of the French Bishops’ Conference reacted to the confirmation by the Holy See Press Office of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to France from September 25 to 28.
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline spoke to Vatican News about how the Church in France has reacted to the announcement and what they are expecting from this visit.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: Your Eminence, what is your reaction to the announcement of this trip, which you yourself had mentioned some time ago, saying you hoped it would happen?
I welcome this announcement with great joy. We had hoped and waited for it, as I have already said. From the time of the Pope’s election, we discussed the possibility of a visit to France.
I was able to observe how personally committed he was to this project. He never missed an opportunity to send small messages of encouragement to priests or for particular events.
I believe I can say, after working with him several times on this matter, that there is a genuine concern and affection for our country—for what it represents, for its history, and for the way it has radiated throughout the Church and the world through great figures of holiness.
At the same time, there are the challenges facing the Church in France today, which are shared by other countries but also have unique characteristics. I think this is excellent news not only for the Church in France, but also for our country.
Q: On March 28, Pope Leo XIV was in Monaco. The French closely followed that visit. You concelebrated at the Louis II Stadium. What do Catholics in France expect from a visit by Pope Leo?
Catholics look forward to a papal visit—they came in large numbers to Marseille, Corsica, and also Monaco—because the Church in France is experiencing very contrasting realities, but also many beautiful things, such as the growing number of young people discovering Christ and asking the Church for baptism or confirmation.
I am currently in Lourdes with 1,500 pilgrims from the Diocese of Marseille, and among them are many young people and young adults who have discovered Christ and for whom this is their first pilgrimage.
I am personally struck by these extraordinary developments, which require the Church in France to organize itself well in order to meet the challenge.
The Provincial Council of ÃŽle-de-France, to which I hope the Pope will be able to speak, is one of the initiatives we are trying to undertake precisely to address this challenge. There is also a question of formation and of accompaniment.
Alongside these beautiful developments, we also see a resurgence of pilgrimages and the growing importance of Marian shrines in our country.
There are also more delicate issues. For example, in rural areas, I see communities that are aging. The Church in France is also facing this reality.
We have lived through the crisis of abuse and sexual assault in the Church. It is not over; there is still much work to do and much respect to express.
The Pope is very aware of all this. He is therefore coming to listen to us, encourage us, and also give us a roadmap so that we may continue our mission in communion with the universal Church.
All of this is very important, and I think four months is not a lot of time to prepare for this visit.
Q: You mentioned, Your Eminence, the difficulties the Church in France is working to overcome. Do you see this visit as an encouragement for all the work that has been done to address these difficult issues?
Yes, I can see this in the various occasions when I had the opportunity to prepare for this trip personally with the Pope. I can see that it is in this spirit that we have already begun our work.
We will continue, but I think it is also important that the Church in France recognize the grace being given through a visit from the Successor of Peter.
We need to prepare ourselves; we need to reflect on what we are living through. We must clothe our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to clothe our hearts, because we need to be open to what this papal visit will bring us—to his words and his message.
We must also prepare ourselves so that we can clearly explain to him what we are experiencing, so that he may fully understand and internalize it, and then, through his ministry and teaching authority, provide us with a roadmap for the years ahead.
Q: The Holy See has not yet published the program of this visit. However, in an earlier statement, the Church in France said it expected the Pope both in Paris and Lourdes.
Yes, that is what is planned. It is very important that the Pope be in Paris. He will also go to the UNESCO headquarters, and he is also expected to visit Lourdes - another important stop.
There is still a little room left in his schedule, and we will see how things can be organized. Preliminary visits will be carried out shortly, and they will allow us to better assess the feasibility of additional events.
Let us not forget that this trip is very short: from September 25 to 28. Afterward, the Pope will certainly have other opportunities to come to France, if God grants him life and health.
Q: A speech is planned at the UNESCO headquarters, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In his first year of pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has spoken several times on these themes, highlighting the fundamental character of education, the complementarity of science and faith, and presenting culture as a bridge toward fraternity and peace.
This planned meeting at UNESCO reflects important themes for the Church that intersect with one another. For example, the relationship between faith and reason—a topic Pope Benedict XVI strongly encouraged us to work on during his trip to France in 2008. Then there is the Church’s social doctrine, which also concerns the concrete expression of Christian faith in daily life.
UNESCO is also about education. The Church in France has decided to devote three years to working on the theme of education because it touches on many issues, particularly families. It is an extremely important subject not only for the Church but for French society as a whole.
The approach we have undertaken—and which I had the opportunity to explain to the Pope—is both to examine the treasures of the Church, especially through its many educational congregations such as the Salesians of Don Bosco and others, which we must share, and also to review what we have done with these intuitions, including the areas where we still need improvement. We have a great deal of work ahead.
Our initiative seeks to invite other actors in the educational world - who do not necessarily share the Christian faith - to sit at the same table and discuss the challenges facing education today.
UNESCO, which brings together science, culture, and education within an international institution, represents a very important stage at a time when the principles of international law need to be reaffirmed.
Q: France next September will be Pope Leo XIV’s fifth apostolic journey, and already his third in Europe—this Europe that is living through a troubled and perhaps pivotal period in its history. We see this through the complex fragmentation of the world and the multiplication of wars. What message can we expect Pope Leo XIV to give regarding Europe?
We will listen to what he wants to say to Europe. A papal visit to a country is both a message to the Church and people of that country, and also a message to the universal Church and to all men and women of goodwill around the world.
In our country, we have been marked by wars in Europe, but also by the incredible strength of reconciliation as a path to peace after the immense destruction caused by successive wars.
This experience in twentieth-century Europe—with the worst atrocities we know—did not prevent a process of reconciliation from developing to the point that it became the origin of an economic and political project carried forward by men who were themselves Christians, such as Alcide De Gasperi, Konrad Adenauer, and Robert Schuman, among others.
The Christian inspiration made it possible for reconciliation between peoples who had fought several wars against one another to become the driving force behind the construction of a political project, even if that project does not always live up to the original intuition that gave birth to it.
I think this is important today because of the context in which we find ourselves, and the Pope has emphasized this repeatedly. We must work for peace and build upon this European experience, which, while not unique, is highly significant. We must highlight the importance of Europe’s witness and the power of reconciliation for the building of peace in the world.
Pope Leo XIV to visit France in September this year
Pope Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to France on 25-28 September this year, marking the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years.
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to make an Apostolic Journey to France from 25 to 28 September 2026, according to an announcement from the Director of the Holy See Press Office.
This visit will be the first time a Pope has traveled to France on an official papal state visit since Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, when he journeyed to Paris and Lourdes.
The journey comes as a response to the invitations made by the Head of State, the ecclesiastical authorities of the country, and the Director-General of UNESCO, the Press Office statement noted.
During the Apostolic Journey, the Pope will visit the headquarters of UNESCO.
Vatican-France connections
Pope Leo and French President Emmanuel Macron met on April 10 for the first time since the pontiff's election to the See of Peter.
However, it was not the president's first papal audience. Since his election in 2017, President Macron has made several visits to the Vatican, where he was received in 2018, 2021, and 2022 by Pope Francis.
The two men met again during private talks in Marseille in September 2023, at the Borgo Egnazia G7 summit in June 2024, and then in December 2024 in Ajaccio.
Although little is known about Simon Stock's early life, legend has it that the name Stock, meaning "tree trunk," derives from the fact that, beginning at age twelve, he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk of an oak tree. It is also believed that, as a young man, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he joined a group of Carmelites with whom he later returned to Europe. Simon Stock founded many Carmelite Communities, especially in university towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Paris, and Bologna, and he helped to change the Carmelites from a hermit Order to one of mendicant friars. In 1254 he was elected Superior-General of his Order at London. Simon Stock's lasting fame came from an apparition he had in Cambridge, England, on July 16, 1251, at a time when the Carmelite Order was being oppressed. In it the Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. Her words were: "Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection." The scapular (from the Latin, scapula, meaning "shoulder blade") consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest, and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders. In certain Orders, monks and nuns wear scapulars that reach from the shoulders almost to the ground as outer garments. Lay persons usually wear scapulars underneath their clothing; these consist of two pieces of material only a few inches square. There are elaborate rules governing the wearing of the scapular: although it may be worn by any Catholic, even an infant, the investiture must be done by a priest. And the scapular must be worn in the proper manner; if an individual neglects to wear it for a time, the benefits are forfeited. The Catholic Church has approved eighteen different kinds of scapulars of which the best known is the woolen brown scapular, or the Scapular of Mount Carmel, that the Virgin Mary bestowed on Simon Stock. His feast day is May 16th.
(RNS) — Bishops, evangelical influencers, Cabinet members and an actor who plays Jesus are a few of the speakers and performers scheduled to participate in “Rededicate 250,” the Trump administration’s daylong prayer celebration happening on the National Mall this weekend.
Advertised as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God” and a “once in a lifetime national moment,” the Sunday event is intended to reflect on the faith of America’s founders and to appeal to God to bless and guide the nation. It’s an initiative of Freedom 250, a White House-backed, public-private campaign staging patriotic events to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday (not to be confused with the bipartisan America 250 efforts). Supporters welcome the event as a tribute to America’s roots, while critics say the Christian-saturated, MAGA-heavy festival casts an exclusionary vision of America’s past and present. Americans United for Separation of Church and State suggested the event advances Christian nationalism rather than religious freedom.
The rally has inspired both supportive and oppositional pre-events, the former led by activist and worship leader Sean Feucht, and the latter spearheaded by the Interfaith Alliance and a cadre of progressive religious leaders.
In recent days, a handful of Christian celebrities have been announced as Rededicate 250 participants. Grammy-winning Christian musician Chris Tomlin, known for the hits “Holy Forever” and “How Great Is Our God,” will headline the event. Jonathan Roumie, the Catholic actor, influencer and star of the hit Jesus show “The Chosen,” was recently added as a speaker. Roumie has spoken at the March For Life and starred in a Super Bowl ad. He will be joined by evangelical influencer, podcast host and “Duck Dynasty” alum Sadie Robertson Huff, who built a ministry platform catered to women and has over 5 million Instagram followers.
Other listed speakers include many of President Donald Trump’s closest friends and allies, most of them conservative Christians. Prominent political figures include House Speaker Mike Johnson (a Southern Baptist); Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (who worships in churches linked to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches); and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (a Catholic). Trump is expected to send a recorded video message.
Of the 19 faith leaders currently listed, 18 are Christian, and most are evangelical. Among them are the Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Pentecostal preacher and White House faith office senior adviser Paula White-Cain; and Pastor Robert Jeffress, who leads First Baptist Church in Dallas.
Bishop Robert Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who recently retired from his position as bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, both Catholic, are also scheduled speakers.
The only non-Christian religious leader currently listed is Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, who leads Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City and serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.
According to organizers, the speaker list is still being finalized.
If Trump’s religious revival is meant to encourage a fusion of Christianity and government, a new Pew Research poll released Thursday (May 14) shows Americans are not buying it. Although more than half of Americans say religion plays a positive role in society, they do not want their government to stop enforcing separation of church and state.
The poll, taken in April among 3,592 U.S. adults, shows that those views have barely budged over the past few years. Eight of out 10 Americans say religious congregations should not support candidates in elections. And two-thirds say churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters.
As for Christian nationalism, the poll shows, it is far from popular.
Only 17% of Americans think the government should declare Christianity the official religion of the U.S., a slight jump over 2024 when 13% said so. Generally, the idea of Christian nationalism remains more negative than positive: 31% view it unfavorably, 10% view it favorably and the rest don’t know enough or don’t have an opinion.
“To the extent that President Trump has a rally that explicitly espouses Christian nationalism, he’s not going to get very far beyond, perhaps, the people at the rally,” said John Green, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Akron. “There are people that have that view, but they’rea very small minority, even within the Republican Party.”
The poll also found 52% of U.S. adults think “conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to push their religious values in the government and public schools.” It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
Feucht, the activist and musician, and Pastor Mark Driscoll, who were previously rumored to be Rededicate 250 participants, will instead be hosting a concert at Washington, D.C.’s Sylvan Theater. In a video this week, Feucht said Driscoll would join him at Saturday’s concert, which he described as a “four-hour revival meeting” that’s part of the battle for the “soul of America.”
Several groups have come out against Rededicate 250. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for organizers to expand the speakers list to better reflect the nation’s diverse religious landscape.
“Muslims have been present in significant numbers in the country since the colonial era,” the advocacy organization said. “Inviting speakers who represent many faiths projects the strength of our religious liberty.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the event advanced Christian nationalism rather than religious freedom, and on Friday, a group of progressive faith leaders — including the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president and CEO of the Interfaith Alliance; Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, president of Sojourners — will host a virtual press briefing that argues Rededicate 250 misrepresents how America’s founders approached religious tolerance.
As a counterpoint to the Rededicate event, Interfaith Alliance said it will team up with protest artist Robin Bell to project pro-religious freedom messages, including “Democracy NOT Theocracy” and “Reject Christian Nationalism,” on the walls of the National Gallery of Art on Thursday evening.
“Instead of leaning into the incredible tapestry of American religion, they’re really only highlighting a thin slice of American religiosity and elevating it into a primary role and a privileged role, one could argue, with government funding,” Raushenbush said. “Unfortunately, it feels more like a political rally than a religious one.”
Pope Leo: No one may claim right to violate dignity of others
Pope Leo XIV meets with an OSCE-organized conference on combatting drugs and organized crime, and upholds the importance of the rule of law, crime prevention, and social support for those afflicted by the scourge of illicit drugs.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Leo XIV held an audience on Friday with participants in the Second Inter-parliamentary Conference on the Fight against Drugs and Organized Crime.
The event was promoted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a club of 57 states across Europe, North America, and Central Asia.
In his address, the Pope said their presence at the conference highlights the importance of combatting “the scourge of illicit drugs” and the criminal networks that imperil “the very future of our societies.”
The Holy See remains firmly convinced that the rule of law, crime prevention, and criminal justice must work together in unity, he said, adding that these elements are essential for integral human development.
“No truly just society can endure unless the law—and not the arbitrary will of individuals—remains sovereign,” he said, “while no person or group, regardless of power or status, may ever claim the right to violate the dignity and rights of others or of their communities.”
Law enforcement authorities and wider society, he added, must work to prevent criminal activities while respecting universal human rights.
Pope Leo XIV went on to recall that true justice cannot be satisfied only with punishment, since justice requires perseverance and mercy in order to reintegrate criminals into society.
“The same respect for the inherent dignity of every person, including those who have committed crimes, precludes the use of the death penalty, torture, and every form of cruel or degrading punishment,” he said.
The Pope called for comprehensive programs to assist people who fall into addiction, which offer them medical treatment, psychological support, and rehabilitation.
By employing a multi-disciplinary approach that avoids both purely repressive measures and permission solutions, he added, former addicts may learn to rediscover their God-given dignity.
Education is the key to prevention, said Pope Leo, noting that it helps children recognize the devastating effects of drugs.
“When social media so often disseminates dangerous misinformation that trivializes these risks,” he said, “education must begin within the family and be strengthened in the school, imparting accurate scientific knowledge of the ruinous effects of narcotics upon the brain, the body, personal conduct and the common good of the community.”
Preventing and combatting organized crime, he said, is an essential aspect of building safe, just, and stable societies.
Pope Leo XIV praised the work of law-enforcement officers and judges, recalling those who have sacrificed their lives or endured injury due to their duties.
In conclusion, the Pope pledged the efforts of the Catholic Church and her many institutions spread across the globe to assist those afflicted by addiction in collaboration with civil society.
“Together, in a spirit of mutual respect and shared responsibility,” he said, “we can promote policies that truly serve the common good and the inalienable dignity of every human being.”
