Andrea Bocelli will perform for the Pope on July 29 at Borgo Laudato Si' in Castel Gandolfo for the “Canticle of Peace” marking the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis—Bocelli will be accompanied by approximately 170 young choristers aged 6 to 18 participating in the global ABF event.

Present with Leo at Castel Gandolfo during these weeks of rest, Pope’s Brother John Prevost of Chicago took to the road with him for visits to shrines, sanctuaries, and Benedictine abbeys these last few days; pictured here to Leo’s right at Subiaco today.

VATICAN: Today, the Pope also visited the Monastery of San Benedetto in Subiaco; he paused in silent meditation before the 13th-century fresco of Saint Francis, and in the Sacro Speco, he kissed the knee of the statue of Saint Benedict.

This morning, Pope Leo visited The Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra; Leo prayed before the fresco of the Trinity, the greeted some of the faithful present at the Sanctuary.

Villanova University has established the Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal, a new international honor that will recognize outstanding leadership in sustainability and integral human development. www.villanova.edu/university/s...

This morning Pope Leo made a private visit to the monastic community and the Abbey of Montecassino, where he stopped for prayer at the tomb of St. Benedict, entrusting him his plea for peace in those regions of the world marked by blood and conflict. He then had lunch with the community.

Pope Leo at Angelus: “God favors smallness, a sign of his discreet love, by which he leaves us free to accept or reject him. His love makes its presence felt even among the weeds, acts in a hidden and invisible way like the smallest of all seeds, and leavens the dough without making a sound.”

Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo concert tonight: “We live in a world where beauty is lacking. There are so many problems—wars, conflicts, hatred, violence, unemployment, and much else besides.”

Pope Leo has insisted that US bishops speak out against the inhumane treatment of immigrants by ICE; and while prayer is called for, the statement by the Diocese of Portland, Maine regarding the death of Joan Sebastian Guerrero is absolutely inadequate.

BREAKING: New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks is recovering after surgery for a detached retina, "in a period of recovery over the next several weeks."

Pope Leo: “The winds of war are blowing once again in the Middle East, in Ukraine and other parts of the world, sowing violence, terror and death, and affecting many innocent people.  Let us not allow these winds to extinguish the flame of hope and peace, even when it seems fragile and flickering.”

Pope Leo at Angelus from Castel Gandolfo: “God’s generosity towards us is not naïve but wise.  He sees within us the potential of a good that, at times, we ourselves might fail to recognize.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

The Pope at lunch with poor: “We are truly building a different world—a world of hope, a world that shines as a light amidst the current world; so often, this reality—this world—is shattered by violence, hatred, and discrimination."

Pope Leo today at lunch with the poor: “I came without a speech, but with hunger, with hunger for justice, with hunger for authentic charity, with hunger for a Church that truly knows how to open the doors, welcome, receive everyone, where there is love for all and where no one is an enemy.”

Cardinal McElroy, who removed of Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist said his decision was not about UFOs, but about preserving exorcism as a private, sacred ministry. www.usccb.org/news/2026/us...

While the now youngest bishop in the US, an African American (the first in 10 years) age 45 was being ordained for DC along with a former Navy colonel, Barron heads to the Naval Observatory to interview Vance, and “the Augustinian arc of his life.” We have reached new lows.

At least 5 women have accused Cardinal of Rabat, Cristóbal López Romero—once considered a potential candidate for the papal throne—of inappropriate sexual conduct. Vatican has opened an investigation into the accusations, while the prelate, who has already stepped aside, has denied the charges.

VATICAN: On Saturday, July 11, approximately 200 socially vulnerable people from the Diocese of Rome will participate in the "Lunch with the Pope" event—a day of hospitality and fellowship at Borgo Laudato Si', located within the Papal Gardens of Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Leo, returning to Castel Gandolfo, greeted the crowd gathered: “Good evening Castel Gandolfo. I hope to get bit of rest, prayer, reading, and some sports I hope!”

In message to Nat’l Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Pope raises up Mother Cabrini who cared “for the spiritual and material needs of poor immigrants” and extended “charitable service to wider society, especially in the areas ofeducation, healthcare and basic social services.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

DC’s Cardinal McElroy at Mass today celebrating Nation’s 250th: “Any genuine patriotism, especially one rooted in the Catholic faith, must resist the social tides that estrange us from one another, and turn our society inward, transforming it into a warped patriotism that is exclusive and purist.”

Today, Pope Leo will go to Castel Gandolfo for a period of rest lasting until July 27. During this time, all general, private, and special audiences will be suspended. General Audiences resume August 5. On the Sundays in July, Pope will recite the Angelus in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Leo at Angelus: The ‘wise and the intelligent’ are “so filled” with “their own ideas that they fail to recognize the presence of Christ, the Messiah who comes to visit his people. Human wisdom thus becomes arrogance, and doctrine degenerates into pride.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

Pope Leo XIV celebrated America's 250th birthday with Ambassador Burch, Mrs. Burch, and family." I am deeply honored to celebrate this special day with a fellow American and the Bishop of Rome," Ambassador Burch said.

A modern-day Rosa Parks.

The Pope was passes through the “Gate of Europe” in Lampedusa like so many migrants have, yet thousands never made it that far as the Mediterranean became their grave. Leo, the first American pontiff, on Independence Day, focused on global “interdependence” with regard to immigration.

“It is time to recognize and affirm that religious affiliation must never become a reason for discrimination, as if faith had boundaries. Where there were walls of separation, Christ broke them down. There is no love of God without love of neighbor, and there is no neighbor if I do not draw near.”

“The sea has claimed the lives of others — those who did not manage to reach their hoped-for destination. We feel their presence. Before any intellectual consideration or ideological conviction, the encounter with those who lie before us, stripped of everything, calls us to be close to them.”