The meeting will commemorate the first anniversary of the Pope’s apostolic letter on fidelity and the priesthood, A Fidelity that Generates the Future.

“Because the law of the Church touches the faith and daily lives of all the faithful, the responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one,” said Archbishop Anthony Randazzo. “My hope is that everything we place before Pope Leo for his consideration will be faithful to the Gospel, just in its application and always marked by compassion.”

In response to a question, the prelate also discussed his life of prayer:

For me, that begins each day with time spent reading and praying with the Word of God. It is sustained through the daily celebration of the Holy Mass, regular reception of the Sacrament of Penance, and a rich devotional life in the company of Our Lady and the saints.

Personally, I find great strength and consolation in praying the Rosary, meditating on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the intercession of Mary. Those moments of prayer continually remind me that everything I do must begin and end with Christ.

I also firmly believe that I cannot devote myself to canon law unless I have first been nourished by the Gospel, because the law of the Church is never an end in itself; it is always at the service of the Gospel and the salvation of souls.

The graves date to 1995-96, when the army retook control of an area held by rebels during the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009).

“The reported incident occurred amid an intensified military operation and repeated armed violence affecting Catholic communities in Intan Jaya Regency,” according to the report. “On 29 June 2026, a vehicle carrying a priest, nuns, parishioners and workers reportedly came under fire.”

“This grave human rights violation currently affects over 50 million people worldwide,” the newspaper reported in an unsigned introductory article. “Data released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal a criminal enterprise linked to exploitation that is worth $236 billion annually.”

The prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said in an interview that Pope Leo is “not going to change” Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’s 2021 apostolic letter restricting the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass, nor restore the provisions of Pope Benedict’s 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum.

During his visit of under four hours, Pope Leo will meet with young people taking part in the GO! Franciscan Youth Meeting and with representatives of the Franciscan order. The Pontiff will then celebrate Mass in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, which encloses the Portiuncula, where St. Francis heard the call to rebuild the Church.

The Pontiff will celebrate Mass in Assisi on August 6, in Rimini on August 22, and at different churches in Castel Gandolfo on August 15 and 29.

Today is the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). According to the online edition of the Annuario Pontificio, the institute had 13,768 members, 9,987 of them priests, in 2024.

A vandal, or vandals, defaced a statute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and set fire to an outdoor altar there.

In 2024, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted cautious approval to Medjugorje devotions in its Note About the Spiritual Experience Connected with Medjugorje.