Vatican & World News

In the headlines, this Tuesday, June 24th: - Pope Leo XIV invites seminarians to be passionate about priestly life - He thanks the Order of Malta for witnessing God's love - The Holy Father decries the attack on a Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus

- At least twenty people were killed during a terrorist bombing of a church in Damascus - Iran threatens a “decisive response” after the United States bombed its nuclear facilities on Sunday - Pope Leo celebrates Mass for Corpus Christi and leads a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Rome

- During the Jubilee of Governments, Pope Leo XIV greets legislators from various nations, reminding them that politics has rightly been defined as the highest form of charity - A Vatican-led initiative aims to address the burden of debt in developing nations - US Bishops inaugurate their annual Religious Freedom Week

- Pope Leo pays visit to the Vatican’s shortwave transmission centre at Santa Maria di Galeria - Iranian missiles, launched in retaliation for attacks on its nuclear program, strike targets in Israel - Russia continues to launch devastating attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, including in Kyiv

- As humanity teeters on the brink of widening armed confrontation, Pope Leo reminds world leaders that war is always a defeat - Amid a deteriorating situation in the Middle East, Caritas Jerusalem continues to provide aid and food in the West Bank and Gaza - The President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops offers his solidarity to migrants in America subjected to the largest mass deportation programme in history

- Pope Leo will resume the 400-year-old tradition of spending parts of the summer at Castel Gandolfo. - The US Bishops call on their own country and the wider international community to engage in diplomatic efforts to promote peace in the Middle East. - The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, Myanmar praises the Pope’s support for peace as civilians suffer from the ongoing war.

- Pope Leo expresses his condolences for those who lost their lives in a plane crash in India - Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez celebrates a Mass for Peace and Unity as protests against mass deportations continue - The Church in Myanmar celebrates a Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements

- Pope Leo meets with Pontifical Representatives from around the world. - Russia attacks two Ukrainian cities, killing 3 people and wounding 13 others. - President Donald Trump orders the US marines and the California National Guardsmen to L.A. in response to protests against raids aimed at undocumented migrants.