In the most prominent article in its May 19 edition, the Vatican newspaper denounced an economy oriented to war.

Bishop Ramón Castro of Cuernavaca said on May 16 that “governing means not refusing to take up the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and well-being of every person within the territory entrusted to them.”

Referring to a crime-ridden town, Bishop Castro added:

Our heartfelt plea without mincing words is that Huautla not be left all alone; that the government do its job to help the mothers searching [for their disappeared children] an effort which they rightly deserve; that transport workers be afforded security; that thousands upon thousands of merchants—micro, small, and medium-sized alike—be able to work without having to pay protection money; and that our young people be provided with real alternatives: quality education, decent jobs, and personal safety, so that organized crime is not the only door open to them.

“We have to be a Church of dialogue and realize that just my point of view might not be your point of view,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean that everything’s just relevant and open to debate, but there’s something truly that we believe in, and that’s our core, that’s our belief.”

“I’m looking forward to listening, to dialogue, to grounding ourselves also in the truth,” he added. “Sometimes I think no matter what issue we’re talking about, we might not agree on everything that we’ve said, but at least somehow we can sit at the same table and be open to those conversations”

Asked about New York City’s mayor, Archbishop Hicks said that “Mayor Mamdani and I have already met,” and “we agree that there’s many things we disagree on.”

“The things that we do agree on, and if it can help the common good, let’s look for ways of collaboration,” added Archbishop Hicks, who was installed as archbishop in February.

“In response, Pope Leo XIV expressed openness to the invitation and assured the bishops of his desire to visit Pakistan in the future,” Radio Veritas Asia reported.

Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 257 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim, 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region met with Pope Leo XIV on May 18 and assured the Pontiff of his commitment to protecting Christians’ rights.

A Philippine layman accused of posing as a priest met with his local archbishop and sought forgiveness for his actions, less than a week after the prelate issued a public warning about his activities.

Ecumenism is of “crucial urgency” in the face of secularism, Aram I, head of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, said on May 18 in an address to Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV announced the inclusion of St. Nerses the Gracious, a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the Martyrologium Romanum (Roman Martyrology), the Church’s compilation of saints and blesseds.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella hailed Pope Leo’s commitment to peace in a message to the Pontiff marking the first anniversary of his inauguration Mass.

The Pope signed the encyclical, entitled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity), on May 15, the 135th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark social encyclical Rerum Novarum.

In a departure from precedent, the Pontiff himself will attend the encyclical’s presentation and deliver an address. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Anna Rowlands (professor at Durham University), Christopher Olah (co-founder of Anthropic), and Leocadie Lushombo (Jesuit School of Theology / Santa Clara University) are also scheduled to speak at the presentation.