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In a video-message to participants in the SEEK youth conference in the United States, Pope Leo invites young people to spend time with Jesus, whether they are meeting Him for the first time or deepening their relationship with him, and to always be open “to what the Lord has in store”.
At his first Angelus greeting of 2026, Pope Leo urges everyone to “build a year of peace, by disarming our hearts and refraining from every form of violence.”
In his first Angelus address for 2026, Pope Leo reminds us that the Jubilee has taught us how to cultivate hope for a new world, and says that God is inviting us “to renew our times by finally ushering in an era of peace and friendship among peoples.”
Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first public Mass of 2026 on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, telling believers that Mary has revealed the ‘unarmed and disarming’ face of God.
In a homily delivered at the final liturgy of the year, Pope Leo reflects on “the mystery of Christ, which points to a plan for human history” - a plan that stands in stark contrast to “armed strategies, concealed beneath hypocritical rhetoric.”
2025 was marked by the death of Pope Francis, the conclave, the election of Pope Leo XIV, and the beginning of a pontificate shaped by journeys, meetings, and calls for peace. All of this unfolds in the midst of the Jubilee Year of Hope, which is set to conclude on January 6. Let us take a look back at this Holy Year.
As 2026 approaches, Vatican News revisits some reflections by the Popes on this transitional period between the end of 2025 and the arrival of the new year.
On the third anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s death, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, celebrates Mass in the Vatican Grottoes and recalls the German Pope’s desire for Christians to seek the face of God throughout our earthly lives.
At the final General Audience of 2025, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to give thanks for the past, seek forgiveness, and entrust the journey ahead to God’s mercy.
As global conflict reaches levels unseen since the Second World War, Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Peace challenges a war-centred understanding of security. Neil Thorns, CAFOD’s Director of Advocacy, reflects on why redefining “realism” is now essential.