St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend Jose Arturo Cepeda as Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio transferring him from the Office of Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on August 26, 2025, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature, in the temporary absence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Cepeda’s biography may be found here.

The Archdiocese of San Antonio is comprised of 23,180 square miles in the State of Texas and has a total population of 2,798,718, of which 1,148,253, are Catholic.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Jesus described the path to salvation as a "narrow gate," he was not placing limits on God's mercy but was challenging people who were convinced they had done enough to be saved, Pope Leo XIV said.

"The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters," the pope told visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square Aug. 24 for the recitation of the Angelus prayer.

Thirty-three new seminarians at the Pontifical North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, were among the thousands of people in the square and received a shoutout from Pope Leo. The pope had met privately before the Angelus with the students, who come from 25 U.S. dioceses, and with the 18 second-year seminarians who are running orientation for the "new men" as well as with members of the formation staff. 

In his main Angelus address, Pope Leo commented on the day's Gospel reading, Luke 13:22-30, where Jesus is asked if only a few people will be saved. Jesus replies: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough." 

Pope Leo told the crowd that "while we may sometimes be judgmental toward those distant from the faith, Jesus calls into question 'the security of believers.'"

"He tells us that it is not enough to profess the faith with words, to eat and drink with him by celebrating the Eucharist or to have a good knowledge of Christian doctrine," the pope said. "Our faith is authentic when it embraces our whole life, when it becomes a criterion for our decisions, when it makes us women and men committed to doing what is right and who take risks out of love, even as Jesus did." 

Jesus himself "is the gate through which we must pass in order to be saved by experiencing his love and by working, in our daily lives, to promote justice and peace," he said.

Sometimes, the pope said, that means "making difficult and unpopular decisions, resisting our selfish inclinations, placing ourselves at the service of others and persevering in doing what is right when the logic of evil seems to prevail."

But when one succeeds, he said, "We will discover that life flourishes anew. From that moment on, we will enter into the immense heart of God and the joy of the eternal banquet that he has prepared for us."
 

Pope: Be faithful, even when it's unpopular

A look at Pope Leo's Angelus address Aug. 25.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even as Christians continue the dialogue aimed at restoring their unity, they are called to work together to bring peace and reconciliation to a deeply divided world, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We believe that the unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible, and that such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible and shared witness in the face of humanity's suffering," the pope wrote in a message to church leaders meeting in Stockholm.

Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, read the pope's message Aug. 22 during the weeklong celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work, when leaders of Protestant and Orthodox churches met in Stockholm to find ways to work together for peace.

"While the Catholic Church was not represented at that first gathering, I can affirm, with humility and joy, that we stand with you today as fellow disciples of Christ, recognizing that what unites us is far greater than what divides us," Pope Leo told the leaders. 

"Time for God's peace," the theme chosen for the anniversary celebration, "could not be more timely," the pope said, because "our world bears the deep scars of conflict, inequality, environmental degradation and a growing sense of spiritual disconnection."

However, Christians know that "peace is not merely a human achievement, but a sign of the Lord's presence with us," he wrote. "This is both a promise and a task, for the followers of Christ are summoned to become artisans of reconciliation: to confront division with courage, indifference with compassion and to bring healing where there has been hurt." 

The Catholic Church did not fully commit to the ecumenical movement until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the pope noted. But since then, it has "wholeheartedly embraced the ecumenical path."

"Indeed, 'Unitatis Redintegratio,' the Council’s decree on ecumenism, called us to dialogue in humble and loving fraternity, grounded in our common baptism and our shared mission in the world," he said.

Pope Leo also drew a parallel between the 100th anniversary of the Life and Work conference and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which met in what is now Turkey and gave global Christianity its first common Creed.

"In the year 325, bishops from across the known world gathered in Nicaea," the pope wrote. "In affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ, they formulated our creedal statements that he is 'true God from true God' and 'consubstantial -- homoousios -- with the Father.' Thus, they articulated the faith that continues to bind Christians together."

The Council of Nicaea, he said, "stood as a courageous sign of unity amidst difference -- an early witness to the conviction that our shared confession can overcome division and foster communion."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At a time when many governments seem unable promote peace, justice and development for all, Christians must be prophetic, reaching out to others and daring to try something new, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Without the victims of history, without those who hunger and thirst for justice, without migrants and refugees, without the cry of all creation, we will not have new stones" necessary to build the kingdom of God, said the pope's message to the Meeting at Rimini. 

Tens of thousands of young adults from around the world gather each August in the Italian seaside city of Rimini for the meeting organized by the Communion and Liberation Movement.

The 2025 Meeting, scheduled for Aug. 22-27, drew its theme from "The Rock" by T.S. Eliot: "In the vacant places we will build with new bricks." Organizers said the theme is meant "to express the hope of a novelty within the drama of history, the desire to build together places in which to share the search and experience of what is true, good and just."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, wrote to Meeting participants on behalf of Pope Leo. The Vatican released the text of the message Aug. 21.

One of the featured exhibits at the Meeting will focus on the martyrs of Algeria: Bishop Pierre Claverie of Oran and 18 others, including the seven Trappist monks of Tibhirine, who were killed between 1993 and 1996 while Algeria was locked in a 10-year-long armed conflict between government forces and extremist Islamic rebel groups. 

Cardinal Parolin said the pope was pleased with the choice because they are an example of "the church's vocation to dwell in the desert in deep communion with all humanity, overcoming the walls of indifference that set religions and cultures against one another, in full imitation of the movement of the incarnation and giving of the Son of God."

The martyrs' "way of presence and simplicity, of knowledge and of 'dialogue of life' is the true path of mission," the message said. "Not self-exhibition, in the contraposition of identities, but self-giving to the point of martyrdom of those who, day and night, in joy and amid tribulations, worship Jesus alone as Lord."

"Where those responsible for state and international institutions seem unable to enforce the rule of law, mediation and dialogue," the message said, "religious communities and civil society must dare to be prophetic. This means allowing ourselves to be driven into the desert and seeing now what can be born from the rubble and from so much, too much, innocent suffering."

The Meeting's focus on dialogue -- among Catholics of differing opinions, with other Christians and with members of other religions -- is the only way to "prepare the 'new stones' with which to build the future that God already has in store for everyone, but which only unfolds when we welcome one another," the message said.

"Unarmed and disarming, the presence of Christians in contemporary societies must translate, with skill and imagination, the Gospel of the Kingdom into forms of development that provide alternatives to paths of growth without equity and sustainability," it said.

"In order to serve the living God, we must abandon the idolatry of profit, which has severely compromised justice, freedom of encounter and exchange, the participation of all in the common good and ultimately peace," it said. "A faith that is estranged from the desertification of the world or that indirectly contributes to tolerating it would no longer be following Jesus Christ."

WASHINGTON – “The situation in Gaza and across the Middle East cries out for the assistance of the Catholic community of the United States,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In a letter to the U.S. bishops, he asked them to consider taking up a voluntary special collection in their dioceses, if they are able, to support the efforts of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA). Both organizations have well-established partnerships with the Catholic Church in the region to allow them to respond quickly and efficiently.

“Our Church mourns the terrible suffering of Christians and other innocent victims of violence in Gaza and surrounding areas who are struggling to survive, protect their children, and live with dignity in dire conditions,” continued Archbishop Broglio. “The Holy Father continues to call for a cease fire and for aid to enter the territory, noting with great sorrow that ‘Gaza is starving,’” and encouraged the bishops to consider the special collection in their dioceses at their earliest opportunity.

More information about the efforts by CRS and CNEWA in Gaza, please visit:

• https://www.crs.org/where-we-work/middle-east-north-africa/jerusalem-west-bank-and-gaza
• https://cnewa.org/what-we-do/support-emergency-relief-in-the-holy-land/

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus' love and forgiveness do not deny the truth of pain and betrayal, but they do prevent evil from having the last word, Pope Leo XIV said.

"To forgive does not mean to deny evil, but to prevent it from generating further evil," the pope said Aug. 20 at his weekly general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall.

"It is not to say that nothing has happened, but to do everything possible to ensure that resentment does not determine the future," he said.

Continuing his series of talks about Jesus' final days, the pope looked specifically at "one of the most striking and luminous gestures in the Gospel," when Jesus offers a morsel of bread to Judas during the Last Supper, knowing full well that his disciple is about to betray him.

"It is not only a gesture of sharing: it is much more; it is love's last attempt not to give up," Pope Leo said.

"The key to understanding Christ's heart," he said, is to realize that his love "does not cease in the face of rejection, disappointment, even ingratitude."

"His love is stronger than hatred," he said.

The pope said Jesus recognizes that "his love must pass through the most painful wound, that of betrayal. And instead of withdrawing, accusing, defending himself, he continues to love: he washes the feet, dips the bread and offers it" to all his disciples, including Judas. 

Jesus is not ignoring what is happening, he said. Rather, he has understood "that the freedom of the other, even when it is lost in evil, can still be reached by the light of a meek gesture, because he knows that true forgiveness does not await repentance, but offers itself first, as a free gift, even before it is accepted."

Judas accepts the morsel of bread, but does not understand its meaning, and "Satan entered him," the pope said. "That morsel is our salvation, because it tells us that God does everything -- absolutely everything -- to reach us, even in the hour when we reject him."

"Jesus, with the simple gesture of offering bread, shows that every betrayal can become an opportunity for salvation if it is chosen as a space for a greater love," he said. "It does not give in to evil, but conquers it with good, preventing it from extinguishing what is truest in us: the capacity to love."

"Jesus' love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word," he said. "This is the mystery Jesus accomplishes for us, in which we, too, at times, are called to participate."

"We, too, experience painful and difficult" moments, such as when there is disappointment or when "someone has hurt or betrayed us," the pope said. "The temptation is to close ourselves up, to protect ourselves, to return the blow." 

"But the Lord shows us the hope that another way always exists," he said, and that the faithful can "respond with the silence of trust. And that we can move forward with dignity, without renouncing love."

"Let us ask today for the grace to be able to forgive," he said. "As Jesus teaches us, to love means to leave the other free -- even to betray -- without ever ceasing to believe that even that freedom, wounded and lost, can be snatched from the deception of darkness and returned to the light of goodness."

"Even if the other does not accept it, even if it seems to be in vain, forgiveness frees those who give it: it dispels resentment, it restores peace, it returns us to ourselves," he said.

Pope Leo spent nearly an hour and a half greeting visitors and pilgrims in the audience hall, including special guests, sports teams, newlyweds and the infirm. He greeted several families with small children, holding their newborns and posing for a family photo. 

He then headed to St. Peter's Basilica to greet those who could not fit in the large audience hall and blessed people who were waiting in the parking area outside the hall. Because of the high temperatures outside, the general audience was being held in two parts -- in the hall and in the basilica -- so people would not have to be under the hot sun.

The pope greeted the faithful in the basilica in English, Spanish and Italian and reminded them of the theme of forgiveness in his main catechesis.

"Let us all learn to pardon," he said in English. "Because to pardon one another is to build a bridge of peace. And we must pray for peace, which is so necessary in our world today, a peace which only Jesus Christ can give us."

Pope Leo: God always forgives!

A look at Pope Leo's general audience Aug. 20, 2025. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV asked Catholics to observe Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting for peace and justice, particularly in Ukraine and in the Holy Land.

At the end of his general audience Aug. 20, the pope noted that the church will celebrate the feast of the Queenship of Mary Aug. 22.

"While our world continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and in many other regions of the world," he said, "I ask all the faithful to spend Aug. 22 in fasting and prayer, asking the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer because of the armed conflicts underway."

"May Mary, queen of peace, intercede so that people would find the path of peace," he prayed. 

The night before his audience, as he was greeting people who gathered outside the Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo told reporters the new diplomatic moves aimed at ending Russia's war on Ukraine are a reason for hope, but much remains to be done.

"There is hope. We still have to work hard, pray hard and seek the way forward," the pope told reporters late Aug. 19 as he prepared to leave the villa and return to the Vatican.

Encountering the pope the day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation of European leaders, the reporters asked Pope Leo if he had heard from any of the leaders.

"I hear from some of them from time to time," the pope said, but he did not respond to a journalist who asked if he speaks with Trump.

Pope Leo, who marked the 100th day of his papacy Aug. 16, also was asked how that was going.

It has been "a blessing from God," he said. "I receive so much. I really believe in the Lord's grace, and I am so thankful for the reception I have received."

Ending his short, second stay at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said he would return. "It's a grace to be here."
 

Pope Leo: Pray, fast for peace Aug. 22

Pope Leo asked Catholics to fast and pray for peace in the world on Aug. 22.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace of Mentorella, high in the Monti Prenestini mountain range of central Italy.

On his last full day in Castel Gandolfo, Aug. 19, the pope made the hour journey northeast to pray in the shrine church and the Cave of St. Benedict, where a pious tradition holds that St. Benedict lived for two years early in the sixth century.

Pope Leo visited with the Polish priests of the Resurrectionist order, which has cared for the shrine since 1857, and they helped him ring the church bells at noon before praying the Angelus together. 

The pope returned to Castel Gandolfo for the afternoon and was scheduled to returned to the Vatican that night.

St. John Paul II visited the Mentorella shrine often as a bishop and cardinal, went there to pray before the conclave that elected him in 1978 and returned two weeks after his election.

"This place, hidden among the mountains, has particularly fascinated me. From it, one's eyes can range over and admire the magnificent view of the Italian landscape," he said during his Oct. 29, 1978, visit.

After the Annunciation, he said, Mary went to "the hill country" to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and it was there that she sang the "Magnificat."

"I wanted to come here, among these mountains, to sing the 'Magnificat' in Mary's footsteps," St. John Paul had said.

Exactly 27 years later -- Oct. 29, 2005 -- Pope Benedict XVI made a private visit to Mentorella in memory of St. John Paul's visit.

Tradition holds that the shrine, perched 3,300 feet above sea level, originally was built under the order of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. 
 

Pope Leo visits mountaintop Marian shrine

Pope Leo made a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace of Mentorella Aug. 19.

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend Ralph Bernard O’Donnell, as Bishop of Jefferson City. Father O’Donnell is a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and currently serves as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary parish in Omaha, Nebraska. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on August 19, 2025, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature, in the temporary absence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect O’Donnell was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father O’Donnell was born August 31, 1969, in Omaha, Nebraska. Bishop-elect O’Donnell studied at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri (1989-1993) and Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois (1993-1997). He received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Conception Seminary College (1993), a master of divinity from University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein (1997), and a master’s degree in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska (2000). Father O’Donnell was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1997.

Bishop-elect O’Donnell’s assignments after ordination include: associate pastor, Mary Our Queen parish in Omaha (1997-2001); associate pastor, Saint Vincent de Paul parish in Omaha (2001-2003); director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Omaha (2003-2008); pastor, Saint Brigit parish and Saint Rose parish in Omaha (2008-2011); director of the permanent diaconate for the Archdiocese of Omaha (2008-2009); vice rector and dean or formation at Conception Seminary College in Conception (2011-2015); and executive director for the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (2015-2019). Since 2019, he has served as pastor of Saint Margaret Mary parish in Omaha.

The Diocese of Jefferson City is comprised of 22,127 square miles in the State of Missouri and has a total population of 926,905 of which 74,413 are Catholic.

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ROME (CNS) -- Spending the day with the poor, Pope Leo XIV prayed that Catholics would make sure their parishes are welcoming of all people and would be "on fire" with God's love.

'We are the church of the Lord, a church of the poor -- all precious, all active participants, each one bearing a unique word from God," the pope said Aug. 17 as he celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano Laziale with about 110 clients and volunteers of the Diocese of Albano's Caritas programs, including people experiencing homelessness and residents of its shelter for families. 

"Let us not leave the Lord outside of our churches, our homes or our lives," the pope said in his homily at the Mass. "Rather, let us welcome him in the poor -- and then we will make peace even with our own poverty, the kind we fear and deny when we seek comfort and security at all costs."

After the morning Mass, Pope Leo returned to Castel Gandolfo -- less than two miles away -- to lead the recitation of the Angelus prayer and then to host lunch for the Caritas clients and some of the volunteers.

The luncheon was held in the Borgo Laudato Si', a project for education and training in integral ecology begun by Pope Francis in the gardens of the papal summer villa. Waiters in white shirts and black trousers served the guests a meal that included vegetable lasagna, eggplant parmesan or roast veal, fruit salad and dessert provided by local restaurants.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, director general of Borgo Laudato Si', welcomed the pope and said the lunch with the poor was a beautiful way to celebrate Pope Leo's first 100 days in office and affirm Catholic teaching that "unites care for creation with care for every person." 

Pope Leo was seated at a round table placed at the junction of two long tables that formed an "l" under an awning to protect guests from the sun. At the table with him were: Rosabal Leon, a migrant from Peru, whose husband and two children were seated nearby; and Gabriella Oliveiro, 85, who lives by herself on the outskirts of Rome.

Before blessing the food, the pope said the setting was a reminder of the beauty of God's creation, especially God's creation of human beings in his image and likeness -- "all of us. Each one of us represents this image of God. How important it is to always remember that we find this presence of God in every person."

In his homily at the Mass, the pope had said that whether seeking assistance or providing it, in the church "each person is a gift for others. Let us tear down walls."

Pope Leo thanked the people in Catholic communities around the world who "work to facilitate the encounter between people of different origins and economic, psychological or emotional situations: only together, only by becoming one body in which even the most fragile has full dignity, do we truly become the body of Christ, the church of God."

The day's Gospel reading, Luke 12:49-53, began with the words, "Jesus said to his disciples: 'I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!'"

The fire Jesus was speaking of, the pope said, was "not the fire of weapons, nor the fire of words that burn others down. No. But the fire of love -- a love that stoops to serve, that responds to indifference with care and to arrogance with gentleness; the fire of goodness, which doesn't cost like weapons do, but freely renews the world."

The price may be "misunderstanding, ridicule, even persecution, but there is no greater peace than having his flame within us," the pope said.

The Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda is built in the round on the site of a first-century pagan temple. The shape, Pope Leo said, "makes us feel welcomed into the womb of God." 

"From the outside, the church, like every human reality, can appear rigid. But its divine reality is revealed when we cross its threshold and experience its welcome," the pope said. "Then our poverty, our vulnerability, and above all our failures -- for which we may be despised and judged, and sometimes we despise and judge ourselves -- are finally welcomed into the gentle strength of God, a love without sharp edges and without conditions."

"Mary, the mother of Jesus, is for us a sign and foretaste of God's maternity," he said. "In her, we become a motherly church, one that generates and regenerates not by worldly power, but by the virtue of charity."

Pope Leo prayed that Catholics would allow Jesus' fire to burn away "the prejudices, the caution and the fears that still marginalize those who carry the poverty of Christ written into their lives."
 

Pope Leo eats lunch with poor, homeless

Pope Leo XIV spent the day Aug. 17 with people experiencing homelessness and families in need -- celebrating Mass with over 100 guests and volunteers from the Diocese of Albano’s Caritas programs.