Prince of Peace Parish

Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 08:30 am (CNA).

Two months into his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV will leave Rome to spend two weeks on a pontifical estate in the lakeside town of Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles south of the city and sometimes known as the “second Vatican City.”

The pontiff will stay on the hilltop Vatican property “for a period of rest” from the afternoon of July 6 to the afternoon of July 20, the Vatican announced last month. Leo is scheduled to make public appearances from Castel Gandolfo on two Sundays, but otherwise, his public audiences and private audiences will be suspended during that time.

Leo will also spend three days in Castel Gandolfo over the holiday weekend for the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary Aug. 15–17.

Pope Leo’s stay on the 135-acre pontifical estate, which includes multiple properties, extensive gardens, and a working farm, marks the continuation of a centuries-old papal tradition of summer rest.

While Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, opted not to use the triangle-shaped territory as a summer retreat, Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II famously escaped Rome’s intense heat by spending several months in recreation, study, and work in the hilltop town.

According to Vatican News, Pope Leo made a quick visit to Castel Gandolfo on the afternoon of July 3 to check up on the renovations to Villa Barberini, where he will be staying.

A tennis court has also been newly installed on the property for the tennis-loving pope, the New York Times reported. The pool is also reportedly receiving a refresh in anticipation of Leo’s arrival.

Previous popes lived during their retreats in the pontifical palace of the estate, which is situated on the border of the town of Castel Gandolfo and the gardens, opening up onto Liberty Square.

But in 2016, Pope Francis converted the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo into a museum. Two years prior he had opened the gardens to visitors.

The palace and gardens will remain open to the public during Leo’s stay, since he will be living in a different palazzo on the grounds — the Villa Barberini.

The ‘second Vatican City’

The papal ties to Castel Gandolfo date back to 1596; it became an official papal residence 30 years later. The Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini later added on to the property’s historic villa, first built by Emperor Domitian in the first century.

The territory was conceded to the Holy See as an extraterritorial possession under the Lateran Pact of 1929. 

Since that time, Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all spent at least part of the summers there, where they would pray the Sunday Angelus and mingle with the townspeople.

The popes would also occasionally receive important visitors. And the quiet atmosphere and scenic gardens provided a restorative space for reading, writing, and taking walks — or in John Paul II’s case, a lap in the property’s swimming pool.

For Benedict XVI, the villa was a favorite summer getaway during his pontificate. He also chose to spend some time there after resigning the papacy.

“Since 1628, the popes have lived in Castel Gandolfo. Some more, some less, but their presence has been constant. This is a city accustomed to the daily life of the pope,” Mayor Alberto de Angelis told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, last month.

Pray with Pope Leo XIV

Part of the papal presence in Castel Gandolfo is the opportunity to pray the Sunday Angelus with Leo. The public can see Pope Leo in Castel Gandolfo during the Angelus messages on July 13 and on July 20, which he will deliver from Liberty Square (Piazza della Libertà) in front of the pontifical palace.

After nearly four weeks back at the Vatican, the pontiff will then return for three days to Castel Gandolfo, where he will recite the Angelus on Aug. 15 and Aug. 17.

Visit Castel Gandolfo

Tickets to visit the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo or its gardens (Borgo Laudato Si’) can be booked on the official website of the Vatican Museums for a weekend or weekday.

The town of Castel Gandolfo, which sits above the volcanic Lake Albano, is also a pleasant spot for a stroll. The town is part of the area south of Rome known as the Castelli Romani.

Pope Francis “did a lot for the city, opening the doors of the papal residence and the gardens... But now, Leo XIV will give back to the city its daily connection with the pope: the Angelus, the visits, the contact with the people. We want to experience all of that again,” de Angelis said.

From Rome, Castel Gandolfo can be reached by train or car.

CNA Staff, Jul 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

As more Catholic parishes and notable Catholic figures become the targets of scammers, a new initiative has been launched to help Catholics spot a scam and avoid becoming victims.

Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions and former White House chief information officer, is spearheading the initiative, called “Protecting the Faithful.” The campaign is being actively rolled out in parishes across the country through bulletin announcements and the distribution of infographics, videos, and guides highlighting the red flags of a scam.

Many of these scams come in the form of emails sent to parishioners that look to be from their pastor asking them to donate to parish charities or ministries. Scammers are also targeting the fans of notable Catholic figures.

For instance, there have been several incidents where scammers impersonated Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie. The scammers have messaged Roumie’s followers on social media, pretending they are Roumie and promising a visit to the set of “The Chosen” or being the president of his fan club if they send a certain amount of money.

The Protecting the Faithful initiative is also being distributed on social media through official fan accounts of notable Catholic names in order to warn other fans as well as through podcasts and other Catholic news media outlets.

Payton told CNA that she was inspired to do something about the problem because of “how the faithful are being taken advantage of by criminals and fraudsters.”

“I’ve had victims on the other end of the phone, ashamed that they were a victim, crying, sending their hard-earned money to bad people, and I just had such a broken heart over this that I was like, something must be done,” she said.

“I’ve spent a whole career profiling criminals, and what people need to know is they play to our heart, they play to our human nature,” she added. “They know how to get us to act fast, they know how to get to our sympathies, to the best things about us, and they exploit the best things about us.”

Payton pointed out that with the recent technological advancements, specifically artificial intelligence, it is even easier for scammers to create voice clones, fake videos, and fake images, such as fake driver’s licenses and passports, which can be created “at speed and at scale.”

There are several red flags Payton warns individuals to be aware of in order to be able to spot a scammer, specifically when it comes to impersonators on social media. 

The first is receiving a message from an impersonator saying that the account the person is messaging from is his or her personal or backup account, not the person’s official account. Second is if the person asks to move the conversation over to WhatsApp or Telegram, which are encrypted apps used for communicating. The third red flag is when a scammer invites the individual to become the president of a fan club for a certain amount of money. Lastly, any kind of link that is sent should never be clicked on. 

Payton emphasized that those who’ve been a victim of a scam need to know that “you’ve done nothing wrong, you’re not dumb, you are a good person and because you’re a good person, somebody took advantage of you and you should not feel ashamed of that.”

She also urged individuals to report scams to their local police and IC3.gov, which is monitored by the FBI, and when a large trend is seen, an investigation is conducted and a public service announcement is released warning people nationwide of the scam that is taking place.

Another resource Payton mentioned for those who’ve been a victim is the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit that offers free resources and guidance to help individuals take the proper steps to recover their identities and other information that may have been stolen.

Returning to the goal of the campaign, Payton said it is to “make sure that everybody around me in the Catholic faith, and even outside the Catholic faith, is as safe and secure as possible.”

She added: “I love being Catholic, and part of what we’re called to do is to take the talents God gave us and invest those in a way that is pleasing to him.”

“If my team and I can do something to avoid another victim, then every moment we spend on this initiative and on this campaign is worth it,” she said.

ACI Africa, Jul 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Armed robbers attacked a girls’ home in the Diocese of Pemba in northern Mozambique run by the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (HMSS) in early June. Violent incidents are reportedly on the rise there, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International. 

In a report ACN shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on July 1, HMSS members recalled the traumatic experience of June 8 when the girls’ home under their care was broken into by a group of men armed with guns and machetes.

In a message to ACN, Sister Ofélia Robledo Alvarado described the terror they felt during the break-in. 

“A group of 18 men entered our mission, armed with machetes, iron bars, and weapons. Eight men came into the house, while the others stayed outside, controlling the gates and subduing the guards,” Alvarado said in the ACN report, published June 27.

She recalled the fear that gripped her and three others at the sight of the armed men, saying: “We were terrified when we saw them enter our rooms, demanding money and taking everything they could get their hands on. They stole our computers, cellphones, and what little money we had.”

She recalled the armed men getting the four sisters into their community chapel and ordering them to kneel.

“We thought they were going to set fire to the chapel with us inside, but instead they made Sister Esperanza kneel in the center of the chapel and raised a machete to cut off her head in front of us,” Alvarado recounted.

She recalled pleading with the armed men not to harm Esperanza. “They had already taken all we owned; I begged for mercy,” Alvarado recounted, adding: “These were terrible moments, but thank God, they released her.”

In the ACN report, the departure of the attackers from the Mercedarian Sisters’ premises did not calm their anxiety, and they did not know the fate of the 30 girls at the home.

“Thank God, we found them quiet and unharmed,” Alvarado said.

She recalled that the June 8 attack was the first time in 17 years that the sisters’ mission had been attacked.

Alvarado attributes the attack to a “wave of terrorism that began in 2017” and “changed everything.”

“We are living a situation of insecurity all over the province of Cabo Delgado, and what is sad is that it seems that even the police and the military are involved in these bands of organized criminals, so we need to take measures to protect ourselves and the girls,” she said.

According to an ACN report shared with ACI Africa, Mercedarians Sisters “are now hoping to raise funds to install security cameras and bars on the windows.”

The cost will be relatively high considering that the bars have to be fitted on 70 windows of the building, which comprises the sisters’ residence, the home for the girls they care for, the chapel, the guesthouse and the study room, according to the report.

The attack on the residence of the Mercedarian Sisters happened just days after the La Salette Fathers in Mieze were also “robbed by men armed with machetes who attacked under the cover of darkness.” None of the religious were harmed, the ACN report indicated.

The attacks on the two Catholic institutions were not carried out by Islamist insurgents, according to ACN, but were the result of a “general breakdown in security — largely caused by the insurgency.”

This has resulted in a rise in armed violence affecting the entire province. In addition, severe poverty and lack of resources — also a consequence of the insurgency — have led to waves of theft and robbery,” the ACN report said. 

Sister Aparecida Ramos Queiroz, the contact for projects in the Pemba Diocese, confirmed to ACN that there is an urgent need for security measures to protect sisters’ convents.

ACN officials are working closely with the Mozambican diocese to support efforts to improve security for convents and other Church institutions. 

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

On the third anniversary of L’Osservatore Romano’s monthly magazine “L'Osservatore di Strada”, Leo XIV sends a message of gratitude for the work done by the publication, where “the least among us become protagonists”.

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Vatican City, Jul 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishop Mark Maigida Nzukwein says displaced families and communities who daily face threats of violence in Nigeria are in great need of spiritual and material support.

Since being appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Wukari, located in Nigeria’s Taraba state, by Pope Francis in 2022, Nzukwein has seen the destruction of at least 325 Catholic places of worship by Islamic extremists.

“Christians here are really suffering,” the bishop told CNA in an interview. “The first thing we need from people is their prayerful support.”

“Secondly, definitely we need material support to help rehabilitate some of our people who are traumatized from the violence that has been very recurrent,” he added.

Reports released this year by the organizations Aid to the Church in Need and Open Doors have shown that violent attacks against unarmed victims, many of whom are Christians, are on the rise in the African nation.

According to the bishop of Wukari, the sense of fear and helplessness is a great suffering that impacts the physical and spiritual well-being of those to whom he ministers. 

“Over 300,000 people are displaced,” Nzukwein told CNA. “I go around to celebrate Mass for some of these communities who are staying in schools.”

“But on the other hand, we’re still happy that we are experiencing growth even in those IDP [internally displaced people] camps,” he said. 

“People are experiencing the joy of their faith,” he continued. “They know they are suffering but they know that God is also present and they know this will not last forever.”

In light of the ongoing multilayered crisis in Nigeria, Father George Ehusani from Kogi state collaborated with the country’s National Universities Commission to establish a new Psycho-Spiritual Institute campus in Abuja to educate Christian leaders and laypeople in trauma counseling.

“These things are very much needed, but we find it very difficult to raise funds to run those workshops and training,” he told CNA. 

Across the country’s Middle Belt region, an area often described as the “food basket” of the nation, several Christian families have witnessed their homes and farms being taken by force.   

Elizabeth, a member of the Church of Christ in Nations whose family is living in Jos, Taraba state, told CNA in a phone interview that international organizations should focus efforts to assist farmers whose “sources of livelihood” have been destroyed.

“A lot of Nigeria’s food comes from the north — from places like Plateau and Benue — and, due to the rising frequency of attacks, people are not able to go to the farms as usual,” she said. “Food is becoming really expensive [and] so this trickles down to everyone.”

Elizabeth told CNA many people have now become “accustomed” to violent attacks targeting Christian communities. 

Recalling when St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church in Jos was bombed in 2012, she said she was attending a Sunday service nearby at the time when she suddenly felt a “vibration in the ground” beneath her.

“You hear the sound of the blast, you know what is going on, and you just stay in church — I mean we are Christians, right?” she said. “You’re just thinking, ‘Well if my church is next it just means that I get to be with the Lord.’”

“This is the reality of Christians every day in the north [of Nigeria].”

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Pope Leo XIV welcomes young people and teachers from Northern Europe, urging them to listen to God’s call and continue their journey of discipleship.

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