Prince of Peace Parish

Pope Leo XIV reflects on the legacy of Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, and says the Vatican diplomat served the Popes of the early 20th century in delicate matters with humility.

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In a video message, Pope Leo XIV calls on every Catholic parish to take part in World Mission Sunday, 19 October, recalling how the generosity that day concretely enables and sustains the good work of missionaries worldwide, as he saw firsthand while serving in Peru.

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Vatican City, Oct 12, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square was attended by 30,000 pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality and thousands more people who gathered in neighboring streets outside the Vatican for the liturgical celebration.

During the Mass, the Holy Father expressed his great appreciation and gratitude to the members of movements, confraternities, prayer groups, and shrines — dedicated to the Blessed Virgin — for coming to Rome to participate in the Church’s holy year dedicated to hope.  

Leo said their spirituality, anchored in sacred Scripture and Church tradition, reveals the profound beauty of God’s personal love for each person.

“Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded, and sinners,” he said in his Oct. 12 homily. “Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness, his way of ‘being a mother,’ to light in the Church.”

According to the pontiff, devotion to the Mother of God has “changed the face of the earth forever” and should be revived through “popular devotion,” particularly in a world seeking peace and justice. 

“Let us use [Marian devotions] as a driving force for renewal and transformation,” he said on Sunday. “Indeed, the jubilee we are celebrating calls for a time of conversion and restitution, of reflection and liberation.”

Since becoming pope in May, Leo XIV has frequently spoken about the significance of the Canticle of Mary in the life of the Church throughout its 2,000-year history.  

“Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts … We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat,” he said. 

“Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labeling those who are different — often the poor — as enemies, ‘lepers’ to be avoided and rejected,” he added.

Through the example of Mary, the Holy Father said the Church can see the “revolutionary nature of love and tenderness” and its impact on the events of history as well as the everyday lives of each individual.

“In her, we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves,” the pope said. 

“Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for ‘bringing down the mighty from their thrones’ and ‘sending the rich away empty’ is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice,” he continued.

After delivering his homily, Leo XIV stood before the original statue of Our Lady of Fátima brought to St. Peter’s Square from Portugal and dedicated the Church and the world to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He prayed particularly for those “tormented by the scourges of war.”

“Obtain for us the gift of peace that we earnestly implore,” he prayed. “Mother of the Church, welcome us kindly so that under your mantle we may find refuge and be helped by your maternal aid in the trials of life.”

‘With the entire Church, I am close to your immense pain’    

Before leading the congregation in the Angelus prayer before the conclusion of Mass, the Holy Father delivered a brief Sunday address and asked the Church to especially pray for people in Israel and Palestine.

“In recent days, the agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land,” he said, referring to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brokered Friday. 

“I encourage the parties involved to continue courageously on the path they have chosen, towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” he said.

The Holy Father concluded his short address with petitions for prayer for the people of Ukraine, following recent fatal attacks in Kyiv; the people of Peru, who are undergoing a time of  “political transition”; and for victims of workplace accidents in Italy.

ACI Africa, Oct 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Wine for Mass in Kenya must now bear the “coat of arms” of the country’s bishops, the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) announced Oct. 4. 

Speaking at the 2025 National Prayer Day at the Subukia National Marian Shrine in Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese on the feast of St. Francis, KCCB chairman Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba announced that bottles containing the altar wine must bear the coat of arms of the bishops, as well as an official signature, to certify their authenticity. 

The Catholic faithful have welcomed the news as many believe the wine previously used “had lost its sanctity due to its widespread use outside the Church,” according to a BBC report. 

The wine formerly used is reportedly widely sold in liquor stores, bars, and supermarkets.

After exploring options, the bishops in Kenya chose a South African vintage for the newly approved Mass wine.

“Vigilance on the quality and standards of the wine and hosts used in the Mass is given to the Catholic bishops of the country. This is reviewed from time to time,” the archbishop added.

The new wine was officially introduced to worshippers during the National Prayer Day. 

Muhatia has directed that local Catholic communities and Catholic institutions abide by the directives and sourcing for the new altar wine.

“It is important that you acquaint yourself with your diocese and know what has been established as the outlets for this wine because different dioceses have different ways of distributing this wine,” he said at the National Prayer Day.

“Some dioceses allow only specific persons to buy this wine for Mass; others allow everybody. Depending on your diocese, please be aware of the regulations.”

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

CNA Staff, Oct 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Sierra Leone is a small, west African country located along the Atlantic Ocean known for its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and complex history. Despite enduring a brutal civil war from 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone has made strides in rebuilding and development — in which the Catholic Church is also playing a major role.

Agnes Aineah, the author of a new book titled “Sent to Heal a Wounded Nation: The Story of Father Peter Konteh,” shares the powerful testimony of Konteh, a Catholic priest ordained at the height of the civil war in Sierra Leone who faced death several times on the front lines. 

Aineah, a Kenyan journalist who writes for ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, told CNA in an interview that the inspiration for the book came from a trip she took to the country in 2022. While there, she witnessed firsthand the work of Caritas Freetown under the leadership of Konteh, who Aineah said is now a major figure in the Church there. 

In addition to serving as the executive director of Caritas Freetown, Konteh is the second vice president of the Regional Union of Diocesan Priests of West Africa and the president of Catholic priests in Sierra Leone. 

“When I finally got to sit down with Father Konteh, I decided to write this book because his story was so amazing,” she said.

On the day of his ordination in 1996, the archbishop sent him to serve among the IDPs — internally displaced persons — who, unlike refugees, remained within the borders of Sierra Leone but were forced to flee their homes to escape violence and human rights abuses. 

Konteh co-founded the Inter-Religious Council, playing a crucial role in the peace talks between the Sierra Leonean government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the civil war. 

Aineah told CNA she wrote the book because “there are so many people who are doing a lot of good things in the Catholic Church here in Africa — bringing healing to the wounded Church — and I feel that it is important that we tell their stories for the future generations.” 

“I was just so amazed by the kind of work the Catholic Church is doing in Sierra Leone through Caritas Freetown,” she recalled. “I went to the slums around Freetown, where Caritas works, and they are like a household name there and everyone appreciates the work they do.”

Aineah also sees Sierra Leone as an example to other African countries of how people of various religions can peacefully coexist. While Sierra Leone is primarily a Muslim country, Christians and Muslims live together peacefully there. The level of Christian persecution is low, unlike that seen in other African countries such as Nigeria and Burkina Faso. 

Aineah said that according to Konteh, “the Catholic Church is very respected” in Sierra Leone, in part because the schools are run by Catholics. Also, there is a high level of intermarriage between Muslims and Catholics. 

“He [Konteh] told me that it is very difficult to find a family in Sierra Leone that is just strictly Muslim or strictly Catholic,” she said. 

Among the Catholic priests in the country, 40% were Muslims who converted to Catholicism. One example is the bishop of the Diocese of Bo, Charles A.M. Campbell, whose parents are both Muslims.

Another aspect Aineah highlights in her book is that despite the country’s natural beauty, the country’s tragic history of war and disease, specifically ebola, has taken center stage. In addition, there are now growing concerns over environmental degradation, an issue Konteh and Caritas Freetown are working to address. 

Aineah called her work as a journalist in Africa “gratifying,” especially because she is “able to amplify the voices within the Catholic Church” on the continent.

“Despite all these wounds that Africans bear, there is resilience and there is resourcefulness in terms of people who are trying to heal,” she said, adding that she hopes to continue to communicate “the resilience of African countries.”

Peru’s political situation is volatile, following the removal of the president via a vote of no confidence by Congress.

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An international summit aimed at finalizing a peace agreement to end the war in Gaza is set to take place Monday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

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Following the Mass for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, Pope Leo XIV turns his thoughts and prayers to the suffering people of the Holy Land, of Ukraine, and of Peru, where political turmoil has brought instability to the nation.

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During the Mass for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, Pope Leo XIV urges faithful to see in the Blessed Mother a beautiful example of how to turn to and follow her Son, Jesus Christ.

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CNA Staff, Oct 11, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).

A man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday before being taken away by security officers in the famous basilica, according to news reports.

The man climbed the altar and “urinated under the stunned gaze of hundreds of tourists,” according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera’s Rome edition. Video of the desecration was widely shared on social media.

Il Tempo reported that the man “was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica” and was escorted out of the church.

The latter newspaper claimed Pope Leo XIV was “shocked to learn of the news,” though the Holy See Press Office had not released a statement about the incident as of Oct. 11.

This is not the first time this year that a vandal has attacked the altar from which the pope says Mass.

In February, a man desecrated the altar by climbing on top of it and throwing six candelabras that were on the altar to the ground.

In June 2023, meanwhile, a Polish man approached the high altar as the basilica was about to close, undressed, and climbed onto the altar. Photos posted online showed the words “Save children of Ukraine” written in marker on his back. The Vatican performed a penitential rite after that act of desecration.