“Louis and Zélie did not fulfil their desire to become saints and educate their children in holiness by withdrawing from the world,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated October 1 and released by the Vatican on October 18. “They assumed their duty in the ordinary course of everyday life,” in “the Norman society of their time through their parish, their professional activities, their charitable works, their circles of friends and, of course, their family life.”

“In these troubled and confused times, when so many counter-models of unions, often fleeting, individualistic and selfish, with bitter and disappointing fruits, are presented to young people, the family as the Creator intended it may seem outdated and dull,” the Pope added. “Louis and Zélie Martin testify that this is not the case: they were happy—deeply happy!—giving life, radiating and transmitting the faith, seeing their daughters grow and flourish under the gaze of the Lord.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed the 1,500 participants in the Jubilee of the Roma, Sinti and Travelling Peoples and encouraged them to “remain itinerant in the Spirit, poor in spirit, and therefore blessed.”

“Every human life, born and preborn, is sacred and loved by God,” said the chairmen of the bishops’ Committees on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Religious Liberty; and Pro-Life Activities. “Without diminishing the dignity of people born through IVF, we must recognize that children have a right to be born of a natural and exclusive act of married love, rather than a business’s technological intervention. And harmful government action to expand access to IVF must not also push people of faith to be complicit in its evils.”

At the same time, the bishops welcomed aspects of the administration’s announcement, including “comprehensive and holistic restorative reproductive medicine, which can help ethically to address infertility and its underlying causes.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said in a message that “your love for the earth, your respect for the elderly, your sense of community, and your ability to live in harmony with creation are a gift to the whole Church ... I invite you to continue caring for your communities, passing on the wisdom of your ancestors to new generations and joyfully proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.”

The jubilee’s three principal themes were “Amazonian identity, indigenous inclusion in cities, and pastoral action in the face of discrimination, poverty, and land loss,” the Vatican newspaper reported.

“We urge both sides to honor and implement the peace deal, and need immediate access to get urgent lifesaving assistance to Palestinians in Gaza who have been pushed to the edge of existence,” said Alistair Dutton, Caritas’ secretary general. “There is a short window of opportunity to provide relief and an end to this inhuman suffering.”

Sanctions “would be illogical and immoral,” Cardinal Tsarahazana told Vatican media. “Supporting young people who demand a better life and then killing them with sanctions would make no sense.”

Cardinal Tsarahazana spoke of a climate of widespread corruption and fear in the island nation.

In his remarks, Pope Leo, accompanied by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, highlighted three themes: dialogue, building bridges, and learning to be builders of peace.

Pope Leo XIV canonized seven saints yesterday during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square (video, booklet).

The Pontiff reporting told members of the group that “there was great resistance” to the proposal. Members of the group indicated a willingness to work with Vatican officials to overcome that resistance.

The Pope’s meeting with the group—which included several abuse victims—came shortly after the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors issued its annual report, calling for greater emphasis on support for abuse victims.

Bishop Reinhold Nann had been leading the territorial prelature of Caraveli, Peru, when he formed a relationship with a Peruvian woman, with whom he is still living. He said that in his service to the Church, “I saw too much, and it horrified and depressed me.” He planned to leave his ministry, but contracted a civil marriage before seeking laicization.

Bishop Nann said that the Church’s “desperate clinging” to the discipline of clerical celibacy does “far more harm than good.”