Fides News - English

AFRICA/SUDAN - Darfur: War Worsens Humanitarian and Health Crisis

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:07:48 +0200

El Fasher – Darfur remains one of the main epicentres of the war that has ravaged Sudan since 2023, pitting the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces . More than three years after the outbreak of hostilities, the humanitarian and health situation continues to deteriorate. Civilians are exposed to violence, mass displacement, hunger and disease.
The RSF controls much of Darfur. The capture of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, was accompanied by serious acts of violence against civilians . The United Nations has reported mass killings and sexual violence, particularly against members of some non-Arab communities.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced more than 13 million people to flee their homes across Sudan. The risk of famine also persists in several areas of Darfur and Kordofan. The external support networks backing the two rival factions continue to fuel military operations, further complicating an already dire situation.
As the emergency worsens, the World Health Organization has called for an urgent increase in funding for health and humanitarian assistance. The organization has also stressed the need to ensure safe, continuous and unimpeded humanitarian access, which is essential to enable aid workers to reach the most vulnerable communities and scale up their response. Needs in Darfur now far exceed available resources.
The situation is particularly severe in Tawila, where more than 700,000 displaced people face critical shortages in healthcare and nutrition services, as well as inadequate supplies of food and water, poor sanitation and insufficient protection. Tawila is one of the starkest manifestations of an emergency affecting Darfur as a whole. Persistent insecurity, forced displacement, inadequate essential infrastructure and recurrent disease outbreaks are putting millions of people at risk.
According to the International Organization for Migration , Darfur is home to approximately 65% of the 8.6 million internally displaced people in Sudan.
The effects of adverse climatic conditions are compounding the impact of the war. Scarce rainfall recorded in 2026 has severely damaged crops, particularly in North and West Darfur. The resulting decline in water availability has increased water prices and forced many communities to travel increasingly long distances to obtain supplies. This trend risks further exacerbating food and water insecurity and could persist into 2027.
Disease outbreaks, including diarrhoea and malaria, have also been reported in displacement camps in South Darfur, where aid remains particularly limited. Inadequate access to safe drinking water, sanitation and medical care is increasing the risk of a further public health emergency.
Darfur stretches along much of Sudan’s western border and has become the principal theatre of the war between the SAF and the RSF. For millions of civilians, the conflict is no longer merely an immediate threat to their safety, but a prolonged struggle to secure the basic conditions necessary for survival.

100 YEARS SINCE THE ORDINATIONS OF THE FIRST SIX CHINESE BISHOPS - Bishop Philip Zhao Huaiyi and the Diocese of Xuanhua

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:43:33 +0200

One hundred years after the ordination of the first six Chinese bishops consecrated in modern times, , Fides News Agency is dedicating a series of documentary profiles to these Successors of the Apostles and the dioceses entrusted to them, which were at the heart of that crucial event in the history of the Catholic Church in China.

§§§

by Professor Liu Zhiqing

Zhangjiakou – The Diocese of Xuanhua was the fourth ecclesiastical circumscription in China to be entrusted to a member of the Chinese clergy. It was established on May 10, 1926 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhua. Its first bishop, Philip Zhao Huaiyi, was among the six Chinese bishops consecrated by Pope Pius XI in the Vatican Basilica on October 28, 1926, one hundred years ago.
Philip Zhao had been appointed Apostolic Vicar of Xuanhua by Pope Pius XI on May 13, 1926.

1. History of the Diocese

On May 10, 1926, the Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhua was separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Beijing.

At the time, the Apostolic Vicariate of Beijing was entrusted to the Congregation of the Mission, , a congregation of French origin. The Bishop of Beijing was then the French Lazarist Stanislas-François Jarlin .

According to the memoirs of Cardinal Celso Costantini, whom Pope Pius XI had appointed the first Apostolic Delegate to China in 1922, the Diocese of Beijing then had nearly 300,000 baptized Catholics. There were only 23 French priests, while the number of Chinese priests exceeded one hundred.
Xuanhua was regarded as the “garden” of the Diocese of Beijing, yet only three French priests were serving there. Nevertheless, when the prospect arose of establishing an ecclesiastical circumscription and to entrust it to a Chinese bishop, several French missionaries expressed reservations and reluctance.
According to Church statistics, in 1925 the Apostolic Vicariate of Beijing had 285,300 baptized Catholics and 170 priests, of whom 114 were Chinese and 56 foreigners. The Chinese clergy thus accounted for 67.06% of the total.

According to the 1925 Yearbook of the Catholic Church in China, the Apostolic Vicariate of Beijing was divided into five major ecclesiastical districts, : Beijing, Jingnan, Suqiao, Jingdong and Xuanhuafu .

The Deanery of Xuanhua comprised 13 parishes: Xuanhuafu, Nihewan, Xiheying, Shuangshuzi, Nantun, Zhifanggou, Dongcheng, Lingluo, Yongningcheng, Xixiaozhuang, Shangzhuangzi, Zhangjiakou and Shangyingzhuangzi. It had 31,063 Catholics and 16 priests, 11 of whom were Chinese and five foreigners.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhua was established on May 10, 1926. At the time of its establishment, the new Vicariate had 18 members of the Chinese clergy, including the Apostolic Vicar, as well as 20 Chinese women religious.

According to statistics from 1927, the new Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhuafu was already organized into four deaneries, with 13 parishes served by resident priests.

In 1927, the Apostolic Delegate to China, Celso Costantini, founded the first religious Congregation in Xuanhua composed entirely of priests from the Chinese clergy, the Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord . The congregation’s headquarters were established in the village of Penyao, outside the northern gate of Xuanhua.

On April 11, 1946, the Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhua was elevated to the rank of the Diocese of Xuanhuafu.

According to statistics cited by Zhao Qingyuan in his “Chronology of the division of Catholic Dioceses in China and the succession of their Bishops”, in 1940 the diocese had 258 churches and chapels, 43 Chinese priests and 36,027 Catholics.

2. The Bishops of the Diocese

The first Bishop of Xuanhua was Philip Zhao Huaiyi , also known as Bingyi. He was born on October 4, 1880 in the village of Zhengfusi, in Changxindian, on the western outskirts of Beijing. Two of his brothers were also priests.
On 7 November 1893, he entered the minor seminary attached to Beitang Church in Beijing.
He was ordained a priest on February 27, 1904. He then taught for four years at the preparatory seminary in Beijing, carried out missionary work in Xuanhua for two and a half years, served as parish priest in Xin’an, in the Jingzhao area, for ten years, and as headmaster of Yuying Middle School in Beijing for four years.

On January 8, 1923, he became Chinese-language secretary to Archbishop Celso Costantini, the first Apostolic Delegate to China.
Shortly after the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Xuanhua on May 10, 1926, Zhao Huaiyi was appointed by Pope Pius XI as its first Apostolic Vicar on May 13, with the title of Bishop of Vaga. On October 28, 1926, he was consecrated a bishop by Pope Pius XI in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He was one of the first six Chinese clerics to travel to Rome to be consecrated as bishops, receiving apostolic succession from the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of the Apostle Peter.
Philip Zhao died in Xuanhua less than a year later, on October 14, 1927, at the age of 47.
Following Philip Zhao’s premature death, the priest Peter Cheng Youyou was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Xuanhua on March 28, 1928. He died on August 25, 1935.

On 7 July 1936, the priest Joseph Zhang Runbo became Apostolic Vicar of Xuanhua. He resigned on 20 November 1947 for health reasons.

On January 8, 1948, the priest Peter Wang Muduo was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Xuanhua. He was arrested and sent to labour camps.

3. The development of the Diocese

The Diocese of Xuanhua originated from the Deanery of Xuanhua within the Apostolic Vicariate of Beijing. After 24 years of development, from 1926 to 1950, the number of faithful had reached approximately 36,000. By the end of this period, the Chinese clergy numbered 53, including one bishop; there were also 43 Chinese women religious.

The following table presents the year-by-year statistics documenting the diocese’s growth over this period.

Table of the Pastoral Statistics of the Diocese of Xuanhua, 1926–1950

Periodo/Anno	Vescovi	Sacerdoti		Religiose		Popolazione	Fedeli cattolici
Periodo/Anno	Vescovi	Stranieri	Cinesi	Straniere	Cinesi	Popolazione	Fedeli cattolici
1926-1927	1		17		20	1.7	27644
1927-1928	1	17	31		31	1.6	27431
1928-1929	1	14	30		26	1.6	27644
1929-1930	1	2	22		28	1.6	28644
1930-1931	1	3	23		29	1.6	28649
1933	1	5	26		29	1.6	30120
1934	1	2	24		34	1.6	31561
1935	1	3	44		30	1.7	32215
1936	1	2	36		25	1.7	33056
1937	1	2	41		34	1.7	34199
1938	1	2	41		34	1.7	34109
1939	1	2	47		30	1.7	34232
1940	1	2	52		33	1.7	35241
1941	1	2	51		33	1.7	36027
1942	1	3	54		34	1.7	36723
1943	1	2	52		43	1.7	36902
1947	1	2	52		43	1.7	36902
1948	1	2	52		43	1.7	36900
1949	1	2	52		43	1.7	36900
1950	1		52		43	1.7	36000

Source: Les missions de Chine et du Japon, Les missions de Chine, Annuaire des Missions Catholiques de Chine.

From Sonsón-Rionegro to Mitú: “We set out thinking we had something to give. We returned having discovered how much we had received”

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:01:14 +0200

by Laura Gómez Ruiz

Sonsón – Reaching some of the communities served by the Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú, in the Colombian Amazon, means travelling along rivers, crossing the forest and covering long distances across a territory with few communication routes.
In the department of Vaupés, one of Colombia’s largest and most complex regions, numerous Indigenous peoples preserve their own languages, traditions and forms of social organization. In this context, distances also shape the pastoral care available to local communities. Being present, listening and sharing in people’s daily lives therefore take on particular meaning as expressions of evangelization. It was in this context that, last June, 54 missionaries from the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro took part in a mission experience shared with a sister community.
They did not set out simply to organize pastoral activities. “We could have thought we were going there to carry out a mission. As the days went by, we realized that, in fact, we were there to experience an encounter,” Father Renzo Baltazar Martínez Ramírez told Fides. He is the episcopal delegate for missionary pastoral care and director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro, in Antioquia, Colombia.

The experience marked the first in-person mission undertaken as part of the twinning initiative between Sonsón-Rionegro and the Apostolic Vicariate of Mitú. The 54 missionaries – priests, women religious and lay people – were sent to communities belonging to the parishes of the Cathedral of Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Fatima and St Paul the Apostle, as well as the quasi-parish of St Laura Montoya. During their stay, they visited families, met children and young people, accompanied the sick, celebrated liturgies, held catechetical sessions and created opportunities for community listening and dialogue.
The aim was to begin giving concrete expression to a relationship between Churches eager to get to know one another, share their experiences and embrace their missionary responsibility together.
The fruits of those days cannot be measured solely by the activities carried out. As Father Renzo explains: “When we think about going on a mission, we run the risk of asking ourselves first of all what we are going to bring. But when we realize that we are going to meet a sister community, the first question changes: what are we coming to receive?”

Mission as an exchange of gifts

Mitú lies in an Amazonian region marked by great cultural diversity and by the challenges posed by long distances and the conformation of the territory. The Church’s presence in the area has a missionary history spanning more than a century and has developed in close contact with Indigenous communities.
The twinning of particular Churches seeks precisely to ensure that this relationship does not remain limited to occasional initiatives, but becomes a journey of mutual understanding, collaboration and shared missionary responsibility.
For those who travelled from Antioquia, this reality raised a question that became one of the keys to understanding the experience: “Who is evangelizing whom?” Father Renzo explains: “We can arrive in a community thinking that we are the ones bringing the Gospel. But the Gospel was there before us. God was already there.” This is not merely a rhetorical question. It means recognizing, he says, that missionaries themselves also need to be evangelized: “They must allow themselves to be surprised. They must recognize that there are ways of living the faith that can challenge them.”
The encounter thus made it possible to move beyond a vision of missionary cooperation understood solely in terms of assistance. A Church, Father Renzo observes, “may need missionaries and, at the same time, be a teacher of mission in its own right. It may receive help and offer hope. It may ask for resources and give witness through its own life.”
Alongside the question, “What can we do for Mitú?” another question emerged: “What can Mitú teach us?” For the priest, it is when these two questions meet that cooperation begins to become communion.

Listening before speaking

One of the first lessons of the mission was the importance of learning to listen: to the history of the communities, to those engaged in pastoral ministry in the Vicariate – priests, religious, pastoral workers and leaders – and to Indigenous peoples themselves. “Listening does not simply mean gathering information. It means recognizing that God can speak to us through others,” he explains.
Among the missionaries’ most vivid memories is their encounter in the ‘Maloca’, a large house which, depending on the Indigenous people and their traditions, serves as a place for community gatherings, celebrations and the transmission of knowledge. Sharing food in this setting enabled the visitors to discover the importance of the table as a place of encounter and community. Drawing on their own Christian experience, they were also able to relate this to the ‘Eucharistic table’.
In this context, the term “Eucharisticizing” took on a special meaning. Father Renzo uses it to express the call to translate into daily life what is celebrated in the Eucharist: to make one’s very existence a gift for others.
“The Eucharist brings us together, but it also sets us on a journey. It makes us one, so that we may be sent out to others,” the priest explains.
The motto chosen for the mission, “With Jesus, let us row together towards the fullness of life”, expresses precisely this vision. Rowing requires coordination, patience, commitment and a shared sense of direction. “We do not row simply because we have a pastoral project. We row because He gathers us together and sends us forth,” he says.

The Amazonian Experience and the ‘ordinary’ horizon of mission

The mission did not come to an end when the missionaries returned to Antioquia. The experience prompted them to look at their own local Church.
“After looking at the distances in Mitú, we had to look at our own,” Father Renzo acknowledges. Who are the people living nearby whom they have yet to meet? Who lives on the outskirts of their parishes? Who are physically close but pastorally distant? “Those who travel far away learn to see differently those who are close to them,” he says.
For the priest, the challenge now is to ensure that the questions raised during the mission do not remain confined to personal reflection, but help reshape the way the diocese lives out its evangelizing mission.
The experience has taken on a special meaning for the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro, which has chosen as its pastoral vision for 2026–2030 a synodal Church rooted in communion, participation and mission. The encounter with Mitú enabled the diocese to walk alongside another Church, listen to it, share its own gifts and recognize what that Church, in turn, has to offer.
For this reason, Father Renzo observes, “returning home does not mean bringing things to a close. The challenge is to ensure that the mission does not become merely a memory, but develops into a process capable of bearing fruit” within the community that sent the missionaries.

A Journey that continues

The experience in Mitú forms part of a broader initiative of missionary cooperation among particular Churches in Colombia. For Sonsón-Rionegro, the next milestone will be the DOMUND Centenary Congress, which the diocese will hold from 16 to 18 October 2026 in La Ceja del Tambo, under the theme “One in Christ, United in Mission”.
In the wake of the experience in Mitú, these words have acquired a tangible meaning for the missionaries. Unity among Churches is built not only through documents or projects, but by walking together, listening to one another and recognizing that every Church has something to receive and something to offer.
“We set out thinking we had something to give. We returned having discovered how much we had received,” Father Renzo concludes.

Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia meet to discuss tensions and unresolved issues in the Horn of Africa

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 11:24:18 +0200

El Alamein – As geopolitical tensions and internal conflicts continue to shake the Horn of Africa, the presidents of Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea, together with the head of Sudan’s Transitional Council, met in El Alamein on Sunday, 4 October, to discuss the main challenges facing the region.
The meeting reaffirmed a number of positions shared by the four countries, both regarding their domestic and regional situation.

At the end of the meeting, a brief statement was issued reaffirming a set of principles intended to ease tensions and prevent further conflicts: respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, as established under international law; respect for Sudan’s territorial integrity and support for its institutions; respect for Somalia’s territorial integrity and support for its fight against terrorism; respect for freedom of navigation in the Red Sea; and cooperation in the exploitation of river waters, particularly those of the Nile.

The final statement also made clear the four participating countries’ positions on issues that were not explicitly included on the agenda. These include Ethiopia’s regional political activism and the role that Somaliland – a self-proclaimed state in the northern part of Somalia – is seeking to carve out for itself.
Ethiopia is undoubtedly at the top of the concerns shared by the four leaders attending the summit. A key issue involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan is the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam , built on the Nile and completed in 2015. Cairo has strongly criticized the project, arguing that it could reduce Egypt’s access to the river’s waters. In a country where most of the population is concentrated along the Nile, access to its waters is one of Egypt’s foremost regional concerns.
For Sudan, the summit’s concluding statement represents a measure of political support at the regional level, particularly for the Transitional Council, which, amid the civil war, is aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces. In this context, Sudan’s Transitional Council has accused the Ethiopian government of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces , an allegation rejected by Addis Ababa. For Eritrea, meanwhile, the issue is linked to the recent outbreak of conflict in Tigray. The two countries are currently engaged in hostilities, with Eritrea allied with Tigrayan militias and other local armed groups.
For Somalia, the support received during the summit serves to reaffirm that efforts by Somaliland to secede will not receive backing from countries in the region. Here, too, however, Ethiopia’s position is a source of concern. Addis Ababa has for years sought access to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, access that has so far been guaranteed by Djibouti. For Ethiopia, gaining access to the port of Berbera, the facility identified as a potential gateway to the Gulf of Aden, would offer an opportunity to diversify its routes to the sea and establish an alternative to its existing access through Djibouti.
This interest in the infrastructure in Somaliland makes relations between Ethiopia and Somalia somewhat tense, as it is interpreted as direct support for Somaliland's secessionist demands.
The summit reaffirmed several areas in which the four countries’ interests converge, but it cannot yet be regarded as the beginnings of an alliance. Such a development could take shape only in response to a potential and alarming deterioration in the region’s overall security situation, as the conflicts already plaguing the area could converge, further destabilizing the entire region.

ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - New Bishop of Karaganda: “Mission means reaching out to those who have yet to encounter Christ or whose faith has faded away”

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 19:12:26 +0200

by Paolo Affatato

Karaganda – “Mission does not mean organizing an ever-increasing number of events. Sometimes, mission takes this form: a priest travels many kilometres to celebrate Holy Mass, speak with people, listen to them and simply be with them. Missio ad gentes means, above all, reaching out to those who have not yet encountered Christ, those who know nothing about Him or perhaps those whose faith has faded over time.”This is what Piotr Pytlovany told Fides News Agency in an interview ahead of his episcopal ordination on 10 October, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of All Peoples, in the Kazakh city.
Established as an Apostolic Administration in 1991 and elevated to the status of a diocese by Pope John Paul II in 1999, the Diocese of Karaganda covers the eastern regions of Kazakhstan, extending over an area of approximately 711,000 square kilometres—more than twice the size of Italy.
The Catholic community numbers around 8,500 faithful, served by approximately 20 priests and some 30 women religious, who minister in around 20 parishes.
Born in Poland, Piotr Pytlovany was ordained a priest in 1994 and moved to Kazakhstan in 1995 as a fidei donum priest. He subsequently served in several parishes and was rector of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Karaganda from 2011 to 2018. Before his appointment as bishop, he was parish priest of the Cathedral in Astana and official spokesperson for the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Central Asia. On the eve of his episcopal ordination, Fides asked him a few questions.

How did you receive the call to lead the Diocese of Karaganda, and what aspects of your predecessor’s ministry would you like to continue? How will your years of missionary service in Kazakhstan shape your approach to leadership?

I see the call to the episcopal ministry above all as a call from God and a new responsibility towards the Church. It is not a matter of honor or position; it concerns people, communities and the future of the Church entrusted to my care.
I have lived and served in Kazakhstan for more than 30 years, so this country has become my home. I have had the opportunity to get to know the Church not only in the major cities, but also in small rural communities, which are often very far apart. Thanks to this experience, I have come to understand one simple thing: the Church on earth is sustained not by structures, but by the faith of real people.
I would like to build on all the good and fruitful work accomplished by my predecessors: pastoral care for small communities, the formation of priests and lay faithful, attention to vocations, families and young people, and care for the sick and those who suffer. I also consider it important for the Church to stand alongside people in public life. Collaboration with civil authorities on matters that contribute to the common good, as well as the development of joint social initiatives with representatives of other Christian communities and religions, are therefore among my priorities.
At the same time, I would like us to become increasingly a Church that reaches out to meet people, rather than simply waiting for them to come to church. For me, this is the natural continuation of the path I have sought to follow throughout these years.

How can unity be maintained within a Catholic community made up of faithful from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds?

I believe that diversity is not a problem for the Church in Kazakhstan, but a gift. The history of this country has brought together people of different nationalities, languages and cultures. This rich diversity is part of our reality and, at the same time, demonstrates that the Catholic Church is truly universal.
The language, traditions and history of each community must, of course, be respected. However, it is important that people feel that we are not separate groups of Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Russians or Kazakhs, but one Church, united around Jesus Christ. National origin must not become a barrier between us.
I believe that here in Kazakhstan we can understand the meaning of the word “Catholic”—universal—with particular clarity. The Catholic Church does not belong to any single nation. There is a place in it for everyone. At the same time, people do not need to abandon their cultural roots; on the contrary, these can enrich the entire community.
I would like my ministry to help strengthen unity: among priests, consecrated persons and the lay faithful, and among generations and peoples.

What does missio ad gentes mean today in a diocese as vast as that of Karaganda, where Catholics constitute a small minority?

For me, missio ad gentes means, above all, reaching out to each person: to those who have not yet encountered Christ, those who know nothing about Him or perhaps those whose faith has faded over time.
In our vast Diocese of Karaganda, it also means being ready to be present wherever there are very few Catholics, sometimes just a handful of believers. From a purely human perspective, one might ask: is it worth maintaining a presence for such a small community? From the perspective of the Gospel, the answer is clear: yes, because every person is infinitely precious in the eyes of God. If there is even one believer in a particular place who needs the presence of the Church, that alone is enough.
Mission does not mean organizing an ever-increasing number of events. Sometimes, mission takes this form: a priest travels many kilometres to celebrate Holy Mass, speak with people, listen to them and simply be with them.
Today, missio ad gentes also means the Church’s presence in culture, education, social work and among young people. We must be present where people live.

In a post-Soviet and highly secularized society, what are the most effective ways to proclaim the Gospel to those who have never heard it or have forgotten it?

I believe that, first and foremost, the witness of one’s own life matters. People may not be interested in our religious arguments, but they are highly sensitive to sincerity. We cannot therefore proclaim the Gospel through words alone.
People need to see that faith in Christ truly transforms a person: the way they look at others, build relationships, live within their family and face suffering.

Patience is also essential. The history of the twentieth century has left many people somewhat distant from religious institutions. A single sermon will not change things. Time, authentic relationships and trust are needed.
That is why small communities, personal dialogue, catechesis for adults, and pastoral care for families and young people are so important. Above all, what matters is personal encounter.
Sometimes evangelization begins with a very simple question: “How can I help you?” Only later might the person ask: “Why are you doing this?” That is when an opportunity arises to speak to them about Christ.

Many historic parishes in Kazakhstan were founded by deported Poles, Germans and Ukrainians through their faith. How can pastoral ministry evolve from a Church that “preserves the memory” to one that opens itself to the world?

Memory is very important to us. We must not forget those who preserved their faith under extremely difficult circumstances and passed it on to subsequent generations. Thanks to them, the Church was able to survive some very difficult times. Their witness is part of our heritage.
In many respects, the Church in Karaganda was born out of the suffering, fidelity and courage of these people.
But memory must not imprison us in the past. We must look ahead and ask ourselves: to whom are we called to pass on the faith today? To the young people of Kazakhstan, to families, to those living in cities and to those who have no Christian roots at all.
For this reason, I would like to see a Church that preserves its memory while also looking to the future. The legacy of those who were deported must not remain merely a memory of the past. It can and must become a source of inspiration for a new evangelization.
Their example shows that faith can be preserved even under the most difficult circumstances. It is now our task to pass on this gift.

In Kazakhstan, the Catholic Church’s presence is closely linked to social work. How can charitable activity become a form of evangelization and dialogue with those who do not share the Catholic faith?

Charity and works of mercy in general are a language that everyone can understand. When we help someone who is ill, a person struggling with addiction, a child or someone in difficulty, we do not first ask about their nationality or beliefs. We simply see the person. This is a very important witness to the Gospel.
Christian love cannot stop at the boundaries of the Church. Care for the human person must be unconditional.
Social work also creates opportunities for encounter. We can work together to help someone even when we hold different religious beliefs. Through this shared service, human relationships and trust emerge, and genuine dialogue can be built on that trust.
Sometimes, therefore, a concrete good deed carried out together can say more about Christianity—and say it more clearly—than philosophical discussions or abstract words about religion.

What are the most pressing social problems facing the Diocese of Karaganda today, and how is the Church seeking to address them in practical terms?

One of the most serious challenges concerns families, especially those experiencing crises, living in poverty or losing their family bonds. Among the other major problems, I would mention addiction, loneliness and the difficulties faced by older people.
The situation of young people is also close to my heart, particularly in small towns and rural areas, where they do not always see a future for themselves.
The Church cannot, of course, solve every social problem, nor is that its mission. But it can be present: offering help, creating spaces for encounter, carrying out works of mercy and cooperating with all people of good will.
One principle is fundamental for us: the dignity of every person. We do not help someone because they are Catholic. We help because they are a human being. I believe this must be the foundation of all the Church’s social activity.

Many young people leave rural areas or even the country itself in search of a better future. How can the Church support younger generations and give them reasons for hope and to stay?

Young people need more than a job and economic prospects. They also need to feel that their lives have meaning, that they are valued and to be able to help others.
The Church can be a place where young people discover their abilities, learn to take responsibility and discern their vocation. They need formation, but they also need spaces where they can assume responsibilities, develop their own initiatives and learn to serve others.
We cannot simply tell a young person, “Stay here.” It is better to ask: “What can we do to enable you to live here with dignity, grow, fulfil your potential and discover your vocation?”
Of course, the Church cannot replace economic or government policies. But it can help young people recognize the value of their lives and find hope, so that they see the future as something more than a career or material success. Christian hope does not depend on circumstances, because its source is Christ.

How can a “culture of encounter” develop in a society where Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox Christians live side by side? Can social initiatives serve as a “laboratory” for interreligious dialogue in Kazakhstan?

I believe that social engagement can indeed provide a very important space for encounter. When we work together to help those in need, our differences do not disappear, but they cease to be an obstacle to doing good.
Interreligious dialogue should not be confined to official conferences; it must also be part of everyday life: caring together for the poor, families, children, older people and those who have been pushed to the margins of society.
Kazakhstan is a special place in this respect. People of different religions and cultures live side by side here, giving us the opportunity to meet in everyday life and build human relationships.
Social initiatives can therefore serve as a kind of “laboratory” for dialogue. Through them, we learn to respect one another and cooperate for the common good, without renouncing our own faith or identity.

How do you assess the Kazakh authorities’ openness regarding religious freedom, missionary activity and evangelization?

Kazakhstan has a distinctive historical, social and legal context. Relations between the State and religious communities therefore require dialogue, mutual respect and a sound understanding of the legislation in force.
In my experience, maintaining calm and constructive dialogue with the authorities is essential. The Church does not seek to replace the State or engage in political activity; its task is to fulfil its religious and social mission and serve the human person.
It is important for us to have the freedom to proclaim the Gospel, carry out pastoral and educational activities, engage in charitable works and care for the faithful.
At the same time, I am convinced that dialogue remains the best way forward. Where there is mutual trust and respect, it is possible to discuss contentious issues calmly and seek solutions together that promote the common good and the dignity of the human person.
Kazakhstan has a unique experience of coexistence among different peoples and religions. I believe that the Catholic Church can continue to contribute to building a society founded on respect, peace, solidarity and mutual understanding.

VATICAN - Resignation of the dean and approval of the election of the new dean of the College of Cardinals

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:29:02 +0200

Vatican City - The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of the dean of the College of Cardinals presented by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who will assume the title of dean emeritus of the same College and conserve the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.

In addition, on 8 October 2026, the Roman Pontiff approved the election by Their Eminences the Cardinals of the Order of Bishops, of the dean of the College of Cardinals, in the person of His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, who will assume the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia, conserving the Title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.

VATICAN - Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is the new Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:26:39 +0200

Vatican City – Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, is the new Dean of the College of Cardinals. The Holy Father approved his election by the Cardinals of the Order of Bishops on October 8, 2026.

The Pontiff accepted the resignation from the office of Dean presented by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who assumes the title of “Dean Emeritus” of the College of Cardinals and retains the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.
Cardinal Tagle will assume the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Ostia while retaining the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.

The news was read to the staff of the Dicastery for Evangelization by Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches, in the presence of Cardinal Tagle, who then expressed his gratitude and emotion.

The Dean presides over the College of Cardinals, though always in the capacity of "primus inter pares," without exercising any governing authority over his fellow cardinals, in accordance with canon 352 of the Code of Canon Law. He is also responsible for ordaining the elected Roman Pontiff as Bishop, if he has not yet received episcopal ordination, as established by canon 355. His term lasts five years and may be renewed, in accordance with Pope Francis' motu proprio of December 21, 2019.

AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - Bishop Hiiboro Kussala ahead of the General Elections: “Contest the election, but protect the family. Serve the people, but do not destroy one another”

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:05:12 +0200

Tombura Yambio – “Contest the election, but protect the family. Serve the people, but do not destroy one another.” This is the appeal made by Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura Yambio ahead of the general elections in South Sudan, scheduled for December 22, 2026. They will be the first elections since the country gained independence in 2011.

In a message sent to Fides News Agency, the Bishop addresses in particular those intending to run for election, inviting them to reflect on political responsibility, the protection of the family and the need to engage in electoral competition without fuelling further divisions.

“I share these thoughts not as a politician or an analyst, but as a Bishop, a South Sudanese citizen and a father who walks closely with our people,” Hiiboro explains. He says that every day he meets “mothers and fathers, young people, farmers, students, displaced families and community leaders”, listening to their “hopes, fears and struggles”.

The Bishop urges people to see the forthcoming elections as an important opportunity for growth for South Sudan’s young democracy. “We have much to learn about democratic participation, political competition, leadership, acceptance of results and peaceful disagreement,” he stresses. “Having already passed through enormous challenges, we cannot afford an electoral season that creates new wounds where wisdom could prevent them.”

“Why am I contesting?” This is the first question Hiiboro urges candidates to ask themselves. Every citizen with “integrity, competence, vision and a genuine desire to serve” should be free to offer themselves. But before entering the race, candidates should examine their motivations and assess their preparedness. “Am I doing this to genuinely serve the people, or simply to obtain a position?” the Bishop asks. He adds further questions: “Have I prayed, consulted and prepared myself financially, emotionally and spiritually? Do I understand the responsibility I am seeking? And can I accept the result peacefully, whatever it may be?”

Particular attention is given to the family, which risks being drawn into political divisions. “A husband and wife may contest, even from different parties. Brothers and sisters may compete. Parents and children may have different political ambitions,” the Bishop observes, recalling that “democracy allows different convictions”. The danger, however, is that political competition can quietly enter the home and begin to affect relationships. “Different political opinions can become arguments. Campaign money can create tension. Supporters can bring rumours and pressure into the family.” Children, too, can be exposed to political hostility or feel they must take sides. Brothers and sisters can become distant because of political loyalties.
“When this happens,” he warns, “the home can slowly become another campaign arena.”

For this reason, Bishop Hiiboro encourages families to sit together before the campaign becomes intense: “Pray together. Speak honestly. Discuss finances, children and expectations.” Above all, he insists, “whatever happens politically, the dignity of each person and the unity of the family must be protected”.

“Do not allow your supporters to divide you. Do not put your family’s future at risk for the sake of an election,” the Bishop exhorts. “Let the family be that place where one can return without shame. If one spouse wins and the other loses.”
In his message, the Bishop also highlights the personal toll of political competition, with its pressures, criticism, rumours, anxiety and exhaustion. “Some people may praise you today and disappear tomorrow. Your family, however, will rstill be there.”

An election, he points out, “may last a few months, but your family must live with its consequences for many years”. He therefore offers some simple advice: “Pray. Rest. Take counsel from people who will tell you the truth, not only those who applaud you. Sometimes silence is the wisest response.”

The Bishop hopes that the forthcoming elections will become “a school of democracy” for the country. “Our children are watching us,” he says. They will learn about democracy “not only from laws and institutions, but from how we behave when we win and when we lose”. His appeal is therefore to “disagree peacefully, compete without hatred, accept results with dignity and celebrate victory without humiliating others”.

Bishop Hiiboro also emphasizes the importance of “broad and inclusive” political participation, making room for women, young people, professionals, different communities and responsible citizens. At the same time, he warns that “political positions should never be treated as family property”. What should matter instead are “competence”, “character”, “integrity” and “a spirit of service”, while “the freedom and dignity of the people must remain at the centre”.

In conclusion, the Bishop of Tombura Yambio urges all those who feel called to political service to prepare seriously and stand for election “with courage”, while also asking themselves whether they are ready to assume public responsibility without putting their family relationships at risk.

“South Sudan has already paid too high a price for division,” he recalls. The country must therefore offer “patience to our young democracy, wisdom to our ambitions, protection to our families and dignity to one another”.
“Spend what you can afford, but do not spend your family’s future,” Hiiboro concludes. “Prepare to win, but prepare even better to lose with dignity. The office may last a few years. The family remains.”

Brazil - October 4 elections could shape the Country’s future

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:30:51 +0200

by Cosimo Graziani

Brasilia – The first round of Brazil’s presidential election on October 4 confirmed analysts’ expectations. The two leading candidates – Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party – representing the right and the left respectively, will face each other in a runoff on October 25.

Bolsonaro obtained 47% of the vote in the first round, compared with Lula’s 45%, leaving a gap of just over two million votes. Before the election, analysts had anticipated a similar margin, but with the candidates’ positions reversed, with Lula expected to lead. The decisive campaign for the final round is now under way, with the two candidates pursuing different strategies to gain the votes needed for victory.
Bolsonaro must win over voters who supported the other right-wing candidates, who collectively received 7% of the vote. Lula, meanwhile, must appeal to the large number of abstentionists: 21% of eligible voters did not cast a ballot, the highest abstention rate in 28 years.
The election was not just for the President of the Republic. Fifty-four of the eighty-one seats in the Senate were also up for election, as were all the members of the Chamber of Deputies. These elections may prove to be the real political turning point for the country.

In fact, in both cases the Liberal Party emerged as the leading party, winning 29 seats in the Senate and one hundred and twenty-one in the Chamber of Deputies, whilst the Workers’ Party came second in the lower house, with 88 seats, and third in the Senate, with just nine.
In Brazil’s fragmented political landscape, being the largest party – particularly when it is the party of the president or of a candidate who has reached the runoff – can have a significant impact on the political direction of the legislature. In this respect, regardless of the outcome on October 25, Brazil’s political landscape has shifted to the right once again.
Naturally, the identity of the next president will remain a key factor. In light of the results, analysts have outlined two possible scenarios. If Lula wins, he could face a difficult legislative term, with a strong opposition likely to pose serious challenges to his presidency. If Bolsonaro wins, Brazil could return to economic policies centred on the exploitation of resources in the Amazon rainforest, while also potentially reshaping the country’s future political landscape.
Another area likely to be affected by the election results is the composition of the Federal Supreme Court. The next president will have to appoint three new judges to replace those whose terms will end upon reaching the age limit, and one new judge to fill a vacant seat. This represents a quarter of the Court’s 11 members.
The Senate has the authority to remove members of the Court, which makes the outcome of the run-off even more decisive.
Should Lula wins, a system of checks and balances could emerge, with presidential appointments potentially counterbalancing decisions taken by the Senate. Whereas under Bolsonaro, there is a possibility that, in addition to making appointments, the Senate could decide to remove some members of the Court. The first potential target would be Alexandre de Moraes, one of the leading figures in the legal proceedings against Bolsonaro’s father. This could give the Liberal Party an opportunity to bring the Court’s composition further into line with its political positions.
The final significant factor is the election’s potential international impact. At the regional level, a victory for Flavio Bolsonaro would mark a decisive shift towards closer ties with the United States and the Trump administration across Latin America, leaving Mexico as the only major country in the region still governed by a left-wing party.
There would also be implications for global politics. A change of president in Brazil could give political momentum to parties around the world that share the Liberal Party’s ideological outlook. European parties, in particular, could benefit, as the continent approaches a crucial election year beginning with snap elections in Spain in late November, followed by elections in France, Italy and Poland.

EUROPE/ITALY - Interview with the Superior General of the Society of African Missions: “Mission Today: Stepping out of our comfort zone”

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:59:08 +0200

by Antonella Prenna

Rome – Father François Marie Hervé du Penhoat has been at the head of the Society of African Missions for almost a year and a half, at a time of profound transformation. After many years as Provincial Superior in Lyon, he was elected Superior General in May 2025, during the Society’s 22nd General Assembly in Rocca di Papa. His new role has brought him into contact with an even more international reality, shaped by different languages and cultures, constant travel and new responsibilities.

In a conversation with Fides News Agency, he discusses the challenges facing a missionary congregation called to rethink its very way of being and how it carries out its mission. The world in which missionaries once set out for territories without Christian communities has changed profoundly. In many parts of Africa, well-established local Churches now exist, and mission is taking on new forms. It is no longer simply a matter of bringing the Gospel to distant lands, but of rediscovering the missionary dimension of every Christian and every community.

From the formation of young missionaries to inculturation, from collaboration between different provinces to the choice of destinations, a number of questions emerge that are central to the SMA today: how can authentic missionaries be formed? How can missionaries live alongside people without merely speaking to them? And how can a missionary vocation be sustained in a world that is increasingly globalized, individualistic and virtual?
Father François’s reflections stem from his personal experience but extend to the broader understanding of mission and the future of a congregation that, despite undergoing a period of change, continues to regard being present alongside people as the heart of its vocation.

“It has been a major change for me. I was used to France, where everything ran relatively smoothly. Now, as Superior General, there are so many challenges to deal with: languages, travelling... One rather frustrating aspect is going somewhere knowing that you will probably never return. It is very different from what I was used to,” the missionary explains.

“Last week I was in England and met a number of people, but I do not think I will go back there, because there are so many places to visit and so little time. In fact, six years is a very short period,” he points out, referring to the length of his mandate.
“One of the challenges we faced when the new team took office was putting the group together. Most of the technical staff members came from the provinces or districts, so, apart from two confreres from the previous Council, everyone was new and came from a different country. We had to learn a new job together with people we did not know. Everything is new, and I feel lucky because we have a good team and get along well.”

How do you view mission in general? Do you notice differences between the time when you began your ministry many years ago and the new communities you have encountered since then?
Yes, I think it is much more difficult today. In the past, I believe, it was easier. I felt a little like one of the last ‘old-school’ missionaries: I went to places where there were neither Christians nor churches.
Today, however, there is a diocese, and we are part of it. At one point, I established a new mission area, and it was a privilege to witness people converting to Christianity and, subsequently, the construction of a church. That church grew out of a small community in the villages. It was a truly beautiful experience.
I remember spending a great deal of time in the villages. At 5.30 or 6 in the morning, people would gather for prayer. I saw them kneeling in the chapel at 5.30 a.m., and bear in mind that six months before they were not even Christians. There was something extraordinary about all of this. I felt that we were witnessing a mystery, something concerning the relationship between God and each individual. For me, it was a privileged moment.

But, to return to your question, that period is almost over. Throughout that part of Africa, communities have now been established: there are no longer vast areas without churches or Christians. We have been asked to go to new countries and specific locations. Perhaps, if we go there, we will encounter a similar situation.
I believe we need to rethink mission as a whole and approach it in a new way. When Pope Francis first became Pope, I found the change in perspective rather disconcerting. I was teaching missiology, and in the time of Pope John Paul II the distinction was very clear: there were diocesan priests, and there were missionaries. We were the missionaries.
With Pope Francis, however, the perspective changed: everyone is a missionary; the whole Church is missionary.
Last week in England, wherever I went, I told people: “You must help your parish priest so that he can help you work together.” But your priests are missionaries too: they must leave the parish and go out to meet people. Mission does not concern the priest alone; it involves you as well. That is why priests should encourage you to leave the church building and reach out to others.
Personally, it took me some time to absorb this new dimension. I can see that our own people have not yet fully understood it either. It will probably take a long time. In reality, we need a profound change of mentality, a genuine conversion in our attitude, so that we can become missionaries to others and step out into the open. Encouraging everyone to step out of their comfort zone: this is, in fact, the great challenge facing mission today.

For me, another challenge is standing alongside those who suffer. I believe, however, that our people need more preparation and support to face these situations. At present, we are not doing everything we should for them. And yet I believe that simply being present – being there and staying alongside people – is fundamental to them.

How do you decide where to assign a missionary? Do you tend to send people to their country of origin?
No, we are contrary to this practice. There is a tendency to do so, but we oppose it because I believe it is one of the key aspects of our missionary vocation. This aspect would be lost if everyone were a missionary in their own homeland.
I believe that what the bishop asks of us is precisely to represent something different. We bring something new to the diocese. I remember being told in Nigeria: “You are outsiders to all the disputes and power struggles.”
I was Vicar General in Benin, and the atmosphere around the bishop was almost reminiscent of the court of a medieval city. If you are a foreigner, you bring something different and, I believe, in a sense you can bring peace, provided you carry out your role properly.

How does all this fit into the SMA’s current organizational structure?
The SMA is going through a period of transition. Traditionally, each European country was responsible for a particular African country. The Italians worked mainly in Côte d’Ivoire; the Irish in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia; and the French in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo.

Initially, however, the SMA operated internationally and was highly centralized. We then moved to a strongly decentralized system, in which each European province governed a particular country. Each province was almost a small kingdom in its own right. At that time, the General Council’s role was primarily one of authority; everything was organized from Cork, in Ireland, or Lyon, in France. That was how the system worked.
For some forty years now, we have been changing course thanks to the establishment of new provinces and units in Africa. Today we have a mixed system. The provinces are calling for autonomy, but formation involves the whole Society; in the past, however, each province had its own formation system.

There are many issues that we address as a General Council. Over the past year, I believe we have maintained a good balance. When an appointment is being considered, two units discuss the matter and agree to send someone to a particular place, for example, to support the development of the country receiving the missionary.
Perhaps the key point is precisely this: changing, keeping pace with the times and responding to the challenges facing each individual country. Visiting different places allows us to assess the situation and perhaps make different decisions for Nigeria, Togo or other countries.

I believe we have also made progress in terms of collaboration between the units. Historically, a province would independently establish a new mission: the Strasbourg province would go to the United States, the French province to Spain, and so on. It worked somewhat like the monastic tradition, in which one monastery gave rise to others.
Today, however, decisions are made jointly. For example, this year we decided to establish a mission in Chad. It was a new decision, taken by the Plenary Council. We are launching this project, partly for financial reasons.
We are building two new formation houses in Tanzania: one for the second novitiate, or spiritual year, and the other for philosophy studies. In Zambia, meanwhile, we have a house for religious formation.

Yesterday, we met with all the SMA leaders from around the world to work together and seek common solutions. In a sense, this is a prophetic calling. A missionary congregation, too, must be prophetic. Therefore, we should be doubly prophetic.
We have missionaries in the Philippines and India. We also have many young people in formation – I believe there are more than 400. This is a major challenge. But how can we form these people into true missionaries? For me, that is the fundamental question.
It is easy to send people all over the world; it is much more difficult to form true missionaries, people who truly desire to proclaim the Gospel. At our last General Assembly, we spoke precisely about missionary zeal.

With regard to formation and inculturation, what do you consider particularly important?
One aspect I came to understand clearly in France is inculturation. I had worked in Africa and had to learn the local culture of the area where I was serving. But I realized that, just as I had done in Africa, my African confreres who come to France must do the same.

This is an essential task for us. At the same time, however, a new challenge arises in the relationship between culture and the proclamation of the Gospel, particularly in light of the broader global culture and, above all, the individualistic culture of our society.
We cannot simply adapt ourselves to this kind of culture. We must build our own Christian culture and, as missionaries, our own missionary culture as well. This is something we lack today.
In the past, when someone joined a missionary Society, there was a particular way of being a missionary. People joined and were shaped by the atmosphere, the environment and the shared experience. Today, something is missing because we lack a point of reference.

How many members does the congregation have?
There are 902 of us. We are not a particularly large congregation.
When I was in France, I tried to make contact with a new missionary movement. Some of its members live out a very intense, daily missionary experience, reaching out particularly to young people on beaches and telling them: “Jesus loves you.” They are wonderful people.
Personally, however, I do not feel comfortable with this approach. I believe our way of acting is to be among people and to live alongside them.
In this sense, our approach runs counter to the new, virtual culture. A part of our lives – indeed, the most important part – should consist of living with people. Inculturation means sharing people’s lives and conveying Christ’s presence through our own lives and through who we are.

Speaking of France, what do you think of Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit?
I was in England and very busy, but I followed the visit. I believe everyone appreciated it, as well as the Pope’s manner and approach: his ability to listen to people and the great attention he showed to everyone, including the sick in Lourdes.
I would say that the response was very, very positive. Even anti-clerical intellectuals had nothing to criticize. No one raised any objections, apart from concerns about the high costs. But he handled it well, responding to the needs of the moment.
It is remarkable how attentive he is. When I was Provincial Superior, I dealt with issues relating to abuse. I therefore paid particular attention to what he did in Lourdes, where he met seven survivors of abuse, spending about fifteen minutes with each of them.
That is a considerable amount of time to set aside in the schedule of a weekend visit. They all felt that they had been listened to – truly listened to.

And what is life like here in the House?
There are about twenty of us living here at present, and we also accommodate students. There was also a community of Indian Franciscan sisters, but they left this year after opening what is effectively a provincial house for Europe in Rome.
We therefore decided not to take in any new students this year. We need to learn to run the house on our own and work out how to do it. The nuns’ presence, in fact, made life much easier.
Of course, we contributed too, but there were many things they took care of without our even realizing it. They managed so many aspects of everyday life.
This is a challenge for me as well. What is the purpose of this house? We do not need such a large building. We need a house in Rome for two or three people: one person to take care of relations with the Vatican and two or three students. That could be enough.
If we decide to keep this house, which also entails considerable costs, we must give it a clear purpose and reason for being.

CHINA/VATICAN - From “exceptional event” to a common practice: Chinese bishops take part in Holy See initiatives

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:05:48 +0200

by Marta Zhao

Rome – In 1998, when Pope John Paul II invited two bishops from the People’s Republic of China to Rome to participate in the Synod on Asia, their seats remained empty. The two invitees, Matthias Duan Yinming and Joseph Xu Zhixuan, were unable to travel to the Eternal City and thus demonstrate, through their physical presence, their communion with the Bishop of Rome.

These days, two bishops from the People’s Republic of China – Matthew Zhen Xuebin, Coadjutor Bishop of Beijing, and Joseph Huang Bingzhang, Bishop of Shantou – can be seen in the halls of the Nervi Hall, where a meeting convened by Pope Leo XIV is taking place from 7 to 14 October to mark the tenth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia. This is a fact worth bearing in mind when objectively assessing the progress made over recent decades in enabling Chinese Catholic bishops to demonstrate their communion with the Bishop of Rome, now Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV is reaffirming the goodwill shown towards Chinese bishops by the Bishop of Rome, a gesture also extended by Pope Francis two years ago. At that time, Joseph Yang Yongqiang, Bishop of Hangzhou, and Vincent Zhang Silu, Bishop of Funing/Mindong, sat alongside Pope Francis and spoke with him during the second session of the Synod on Synodality. A few months earlier, in May 2024, Joseph Shen Bin, Bishop of Shanghai, had addressed a conference marking the 100th anniversary of the ‘Concilium Sinense’, organized by the Pontifical Urbaniana University under the auspices of the Dicastery for Evangelization. He also held fraternal exchanges with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State to His Holiness, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation.

In 2018, Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiaoting, who attended the Synod on Young People alongside Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai, described their presence in the Paul VI Audience Hall as a “miracle”. Events that were once considered exceptional are now beginning to be common practice.

The meeting convened by Pope Leo XIV is entitled Ten Years after Amoris Laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with families today. It brings together the heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the presidents of episcopal Conferences. A total of 187 participants are attending.

“I do everything for the sake of the Gospel”

“I do everything for the sake of the Gospel”: Bishop Matthew Zhen Xuebin, Coadjutor Bishop of Beijing, invoked this phrase of St Paul the Apostle following his episcopal ordination on 25 October 2024 in Beitang – the “Northern Church” – the cathedral dedicated to the Saviour.
The letter of approval issued by the body known as the Catholic Bishops’ College of China stated explicitly: “This candidate has been approved by the Pope.”

Matthew Zhen Xuebin was born on 10 May 1970 in Changzhi, a village in China’s Shanxi Province. From 1988 to 1993, he studied at the Philosophical and Theological Seminary in Beijing. From 1993 to 1997, he continued his studies at St John’s University in New York, founded by the Vincentian Fathers, where he earned a licentiate in liturgy.
He was ordained a priest on 25 June 1998 and incardinated in the Diocese of Beijing. From 1998 to 2007, he served as vice-rector of the Beijing Seminary. He subsequently exercised his ministry in several parishes in the city.

Joseph Huang Bingzhang was ordained a bishop in July 2011 without a papal mandate. On 8 September 2018, shortly before the signing of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China on the appointment of Chinese bishops, Pope Francis welcomed Bishop Huang into full ecclesial communion, together with six other Chinese bishops previously ordained without a papal mandate.
His official installation as Bishop of Shantou took place on 22 January 2019. The diocese has approximately 140,000 faithful, around 30 priests, a women’s religious congregation dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 150 churches and the St Teresa nursery school.

The presence of the two Chinese bishops in Rome bears witness to the concrete participation of the Church in China in a universal ecclesial process. The meeting currently under way at the Vatican also addresses issues relating to family ministry, an area of particular interest in light of Chinese culture and tradition.

The first participation of Chinese bishops in the proceedings of a Synod of Bishops dates back to 2018, the year the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China on episcopal appointments was signed, .
Two weeks after the agreement was signed, at the personal invitation of Pope Francis, John Baptist Yang Xiaoting, Bishop of Yan’an, and Joseph Guo Jincai, Bishop of Chengde, joined bishops from across the universal Church to discuss young people.

Six years later, Joseph Yang Yongqiang and Vincent Zhang Silu, Bishop of Funing/Mindong, took part in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”, following their appointment by the Pope.

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI had invited four Chinese bishops to attend the Synod on the Eucharist: two so-called ‘official’ bishops – Anthony Li Duan of Xi’an and Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai – and two whose status was not recognized by the political authorities, Joseph Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar and Lucas Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang. None of the four, however, was granted permission to travel to Rome.

VATICAN - Appointment of adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, with the office of president of the Pontifical Mission Societies

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:08:08 +0200

Vatican City - The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Sr. Mary Teresa Barron, N.S.A., superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, with the office of president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, with effect from 4 January 2027.

Reverend Sr. Barron was born in Donegal, Ireland, on 7 November 1968. She was awarded a master’s degree in “Public Healthcare Administration from the Institute for Public Administration in Dublin, and in “International Development” from the Kimmage Institute in Dublin, Ireland. From 2022 to 2025 she was president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission , and from 2023 to 2025, president of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome, Italy. Since 2018 she has served as superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles.

VATICAN - Sister Mary Teresa Barron appointed adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:04:24 +0200

Vatican City – Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Reverend Sr. Mary Teresa Barron, N.S.A., superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches, with the office of president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, with effect from 4 January 2027.

Today, at around noon, before the recitation of the Angelus, Sr Mary Teresa Barron was presented to the staff of the Missionary Dicastery at the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide.

Reverend Sr. Barron was born in Donegal, Ireland, on 7 November 1968. She was awarded a master’s degree in “Public Healthcare Administration from the Institute for Public Administration in Dublin, and in “International Development” from the Kimmage Institute in Dublin, Ireland. Since 2018 she has served as superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles, from 2022 to 2025 she was president of the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission , and from 2023 to 2025, president of the International Union of Superiors General in Rome, Italy, as stated in the official curriculum vitae accompanying the appointment.

Her public statements are characterized by her missionary experience, intercultural dialogue and the link between synodality and the proclamation of the Gospel.

In an interview with the Spanish weekly Vida Nueva, published on 10 January 2025, she stressed the importance of having lived and worked in different ecclesial contexts and of being in contact with “the Church and peoples from different continents”.
She described this experience as “extremely important for any role in the Church that has a global reach”.
When asked on that occasion what belonging to a missionary congregation might have in common in her own journey and that of Sister Simona Brambilla, who had recently been appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, she explained: “I believe that a missionary perspective and understanding are very important in a synodal Church, because experience teaches us to appreciate and cherish diversity as a source of richness.” She added that “the missionary spirit is often inclusive and readily encourages dialogue”, qualities that are important in relations with people from all over the world.

The link between mission and synodality was already at the heart of her words at the conclusion of the Assembly of the Synod on Synodality in October 2024. In an interview with iCatholic, Sister Barron recalled with emotion a process in which she had been involved from the very beginning, three years earlier. She expressed satisfaction with the final document, which she regarded as a source of support to continue “as a Church on this synodal path”.
When asked about the prospects for the Irish synodal journey, she identified the “missionary orientation” as one of the document’s strengths. The challenge, she explained, was to form missionary disciples and to help people live their faith in everyday life: “Faith is not a Sunday event; it is something we live every day.” It meant bringing Christ’s love into ordinary life and sharing it. She also highlighted the emphasis placed on the family as the domestic Church, seeing this as a call to a more missionary presence in society.

On 19 March 2026, in a joint interview with Vatican News together with Father François Marie Hervé du Penhoat, Superior General of the Society of African Missions, Sister Barron reflected on new forms of missionary presence. The two congregations were celebrating, among other anniversaries, the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Apostles and the 170th anniversary of the Society of African Missions.
“The Church is becoming more synodal. This missionary spirit is fundamental,” she said.
“Today, our response could include accompanying migrants, women who are victims of trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, and a greater commitment to social pastoral ministry, even though our traditional apostolates in healthcare and education remain essential.”
She also recalled the international dimension of the congregation, which brings together sisters from 21 countries, and the importance of nurturing a family spirit among them.

Her concern for people wounded by exploitation is one of the causes particularly close to her heart, as shown by a message she addressed to participants in a prayer marathon against human trafficking, organized in 2025 by the UISG and the Union of Superiors General. “Our prayers today are not just words. They are also a call to action,” she stressed, inviting participants to walk in solidarity with victims and to draw inspiration from the courage of survivors.
During the nine-day novena following the death of Pope Francis, on 3 May 2025 in St Peter’s Basilica, she expressed, on behalf of consecrated women, a commitment to continue a mission of closeness: “To be the caress of our loving God the Creator towards those who suffer, to be the fire that kindles other fires.” She linked this mission to the Gospel’s call to go out to meet people, to serve, heal and accompany those most in need.

ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - Religious leaders approve three documents: from dialogue to joint action for peace and human dignity

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:53:39 +0200

by Paolo Affatato

Astana – The 24th session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Astana on 7 October, provides a clear picture of the evolution taking place in interreligious dialogue: from discussion to collaboration, from mutual understanding to the search for common answers to the major issues facing humanity. This is the evolution outlined to Fides by Father Laurent Basanese, SJ, Head of Office at the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, who took part in the meeting in Astana and spoke of “spiritual diplomacy”. This is not an alternative diplomacy to that of States, nor an attempt by religions to assume a political role, but rather an additional space in which religious leaders can meet, listen to one another and place their moral authority at the service of society.
The Astana session adopted three documents on apparently different issues — artificial intelligence, climate change, and the protection of children suffering from incurable illnesses — which in fact converge around a single question: how can human dignity be safeguarded at a time when technological, environmental and geopolitical transformations are advancing more rapidly than the ability of institutions to develop shared responses?

From dialogue to joint action

“The 24th session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions confirms the value and usefulness of this spiritual diplomacy,” Father Basanese told Fides, recalling that the expression itself has been used by representatives of the organization, in this case by Kazakhstan’s Vice President Erlan Karin.
The Jesuit emphasizes the particular nature of this meeting: “It is inevitable that there is also a political dimension,” he observes, “because some of the participants — in particular several Muslim leaders or representatives linked to State institutions — have relations with governments.” The Catholic Church’s interest, he explains, is above all “to have a fraternal, spiritual encounter, in order to see what we can do and how we can work together”.
This is the most significant development in the Astana experience: for years, interreligious dialogue was above all a dialogue of mutual understanding. “It is a necessary phase: before we can act together, we need to know the other, to understand their faith, philosophy of life, history and sensibilities. But that phase,” Basanese observes, “can now open the way to a second stage: that of concrete collaboration. Today, the aim is to seek more practical ways forward through encounter.”
It is therefore not only a matter of dialogue, but of action. The choice of the three issues discussed in Astana reflects precisely this evolution.
Artificial intelligence, the climate crisis and the protection of vulnerable children are issues from which the spiritual dimension cannot remain separate. At the same time, they are areas in which State legislation faces difficulties or moves more slowly than the pace of change.
For Father Basanese, the Catholic Church comes to this discussion with an already significant body of teaching, including Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, “texts united by the awareness that these issues do not concern only governments, major technology companies or specialists, but concern everyone”, he stresses. “They also concern the spiritual person,” he explains, “because believers and faith communities are at the same time part of society and citizens.”
The documents approved in Astana “are not legal documents,” the Jesuit acknowledges, “but they can provide a framework and contribute to the reflection of those called upon to make decisions”. This is the role of what Basanese describes as an “off-stage” voice: a voice that does not belong to political or economic power, but can accompany and guide its reflection. The perspective, therefore, is one of shared responsibility: “We all belong to the same humanity, to the same earth,” Basanese affirms. “Our skills are different — political, economic, financial, spiritual — but everyone is called to contribute to the common good.” The language of spiritual diplomacy does not replace political actors, but adds a moral dimension to the discussion, one capable of questioning decisions about their impact on people and society.
Three documents, one question: human dignity

The three texts approved in Astana concern different areas, but can be read as parts of a single reflection on safeguarding human dignity and on our shared responsibility for the future of humanity.
The first is the “Ethical Code for the use of Artificial Intelligence in religious contexts”, developed at the initiative of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Its starting point is the recognition of an increasingly evident reality: AI is also entering the life of religious communities. New technologies can be used to communicate, educate, produce content and reach people, especially younger generations. But precisely for this reason, they can also become instruments for manipulating religious sentiments, spreading hatred or distorting the content of faith. The Code therefore seeks to provide moral and ethical guidelines so that the use of AI in religious communities remains subject to respect for the dignity of the person and spiritual values. The issue is not addressed merely as a technological issue: religions are called to pose a question that precedes technology itself — not simply what artificial intelligence is capable of doing, but what it is permissible to do with it.

The second issue is the climate crisis. The approved document on the role of religions in the fight against climate change expresses the conviction that protecting the environment cannot be entrusted exclusively to public policy: religious communities can help educate the faithful in responsibility towards creation, promote concrete forms of sustainable behaviour and draw attention to the consequences of the uncontrolled exploitation of resources and climate-related disasters, which particularly affect the most vulnerable populations. Here too, the spiritual dimension becomes a form of social responsibility. The climate crisis is not merely a scientific or economic problem: it concerns the way humanity understands its relationship with the earth, with resources and with future generations.

The third document, the “Charter of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Child”, brings the reflection on a more immediately human dimension. Presented as a joint initiative between Kazakhstan and the Vatican City State , the Charter places the dignity of minors suffering from incurable illnesses at its centre. The text recalls the right to humane care, medical and palliative assistance, and psychological support. But it also introduces a dimension of particular significance for interreligious dialogue: spiritual accompaniment, with respect for the religious needs and worldview of the child and his or her family. In this third document, technology and politics give way to the fundamental question that also runs through the other two texts: the person cannot be reduced either to data, to a consumer, or to a recipient of a service.
AI, the environment and childhood illness thus become three different areas in which to reaffirm a single principle: human dignity comes before efficiency, technology and economic interests.

From dialogue to the global peace Movement

The discussion on the Global Peace Movement, addressed during the 24th session, represents the possible next step in the “spiritual diplomacy” promoted by Astana.
The proposal, put forward by President Tokayev, seeks to translate spiritual messages into a more stable form of collaboration. The slogan of the 8th Congress — “Synergy for the Future” — thus takes on an operational meaning: bringing together the different capacities of religious communities to address the fractures of a world marked by wars, polarization and a crisis of trust.
One of the tasks identified is particularly delicate: preventing religious beliefs from being manipulated or exploited as a pretext for fuelling armed conflicts, hostility and hate speech. This responsibility directly concerns religious leaders: religion can be used to divide and legitimize violence, but it can also become a resource for reconciliation. Spiritual diplomacy arises precisely from the need to strengthen this second possibility.
According to the material presented in Astana, the Movement also envisages collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations on programs dedicated to protecting places of worship, which are particularly vulnerable in war-torn contexts.
The project aims to establish permanent initiatives, involving young people, academics and media professionals, with the aim of fostering a culture of tolerance and mutual respect amongst the younger generations.
This illustrates the difference between an interreligious conference and a genuine infrastructure for peace: a meeting can produce a declaration; a movement, on the other hand, fosters relationships, formation, networks and actions capable of enduring over time.
Whilst ‘spiritual diplomacy’ teaches that religious leaders, through their moral, educational and community influence, can enrich the reflection of political leaders, the question is what the different religious traditions can do together to protect the individual, peace and the future of the planet. From this perspective, the “Global Peace Movement” will be a concrete testing ground.

Missions in upheaval: World Mission Sunday during the years of war

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:42:41 +0200

by Marie-Lucile Kubacki

Rome – “Our missionaries are there, standing firm in the trenches of faith, like watchful sentinels at the outposts.”

On 19 October 1940, as the war was also devastating Catholic communities in mission territories, Archbishop Celso Costantini, then Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith replied as follows to the question addressed to the listeners during his radio message: “What are our missionaries doing, how are they living, how are they carrying out their work in these times?”

As Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, Costantini entrusted radio with a message intended to reach the faithful on the eve of World Mission Sunday. In the bulletins of Fides News Agency, the annual event appears as a reminder not to forget those who were far away: interned missionaries, isolated communities, priests and religious women without resources, populations overwhelmed by violence.

Between 1939 and 1944, these messages tell the story of a mission seeking to keep its places of worship, education and care open whilst aid, communications and freedom of movement were dwindling. They asked for donations, but also for prayers and a solidarity capable of crossing the divisions created by the conflict. Their focus was not the prestige or interests of nations, but the people entrusted to the missionaries and the future of the local Churches.
From the distinction between the Gospel and political interests to the hope of rebuilding amid the ruins, Costantini’s words bear witness to a faithfulness put to the test by the war.

The Gospel beyond nations

A document dated 21 October 1939 and published by Fides reports on a conference given by Costantini at the Pontifical Gregorian University in preparation for World Mission Sunday on 22 October. Its title, “Christ and Caesar in the Missions,” explores the relationship between Christian proclamation and political power. Recalling the Gospel saying, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s,” the Secretary of Propaganda Fide affirmed the freedom of the mission from State interference and from nationalist temptations that could affect “some missionaries”.

“Christianity did not present itself to the world as the religion of a people, but as the religion of humanity,” the report states. Costantini rejected “a serious and widespread misconception”: that missionaries were “valuable disseminators of the idea and national influence of their own country”, capable of paving the way for its political and commercial expansion. A missionary must not become a “pseudo-consular agent”.
At the beginning of the conflict, these words explicitly removed the mission from the rivalry among the great powers. The conference also pointed to a necessity that the war would make increasingly clear: the formation of a local clergy who “even in the event of war would remain in their place”, and thus overcome the damage inflicted on the missions by foreign policy.
The address concludes by contrasting destruction with a different course of action:
“While people are killing each other,” missionary charity can still kindle “a light of goodness and hope upon this troubled horizon of the world”.

Pius XII’s radio message

In his 1940 radio message, Costantini recounted his own experience in China. During a period of upheaval, a missionary had written to his bishop: “I thank you for offering me the opportunity to seek safety; but our predecessors did not abandon their post in times of danger.”
The letter concluded with a decision: “If we are to add a page to the history of our mission, we must know how to write it in the same style. We will stay.”
Costantini presented this as an expression of a “heroic style”, in which fidelity to the mission prevailed over the search for personal safety. The message nevertheless acknowledged that missionary activity was “necessarily hindered” and at times “completely paralyzed” by the internment or exile of missionaries. Their perseverance therefore had to be matched by concrete support.
In the second part, Costantini refers to the biblical lament, Parvuli petierunt panem et non erat qui frangeret eis, explaining: “some missionaries are truly starving. We stretch out our hand to them.”
Aid from their fellow countrymen and from religious institutes could no longer reach them; listeners were therefore asked to provide, concretely, at least “a little bread for their hard life”.
On that same evening, Saturday 19 October 1940, Pius XII himself delivered a radio message addressed to the bishops and Catholics of the United States. His words crossed the Atlantic to encourage their missionary zeal. The Pope recalled the missionaries and religious women working in hospitals and schools, but also “the great regions bloodied and devastated by conflicts among peoples”.
The image of the evangelical harvest was set against that of the “hurricane of conflicts, ruins, misery and countless hardships”. Pius XII joined prayer to material aid: “The gift of prayer must not be separated from the gift of action.” Donations were intended to make it possible to “promote the good already begun, restore what has been damaged or destroyed”, support what was fragile and strengthen what already existed.
The appeal to mission thus also became an appeal for reconciliation: “For peace in the world, too, is a mission of the Church.” In its account of World Mission Sunday, Fides recalls this papal message, addressed particularly to Americans, but perceived by the faithful as a call addressed to each one of them.
Costantini’s appeal for 19 October 1941, however, began with an expression of gratitude: donations from various countries had exceeded previous budgets by several million. “If we consider the war, and the inevitable hardships which peoples throughout almost the whole world have had to endure and continue to endure, this increase in charity has a profound meaning,” he wrote.
The gift gained its value precisely because it arose from shared deprivation. The contextual documents record the extent of this mobilization. In Italy, the collection of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith had risen from 6,635,216 lire in 1939 to 7,564,559 in 1940.
In preparation for World Mission Sunday 1941, circular letters were distributed to parish priests, together with preaching materials, holy images and leaflets. The radio message was broadcast by EIAR , the predecessor of RAI, and rebroadcast by Vatican Radio in several languages. Solidarity took shape through parishes, the press and radio.

Building amid destruction

“The Builders of the City of God” was the title of the message for World Mission Sunday on 18 October, 1942.
Costantini began by speaking of the hope for a different world, with an obvious Augustinian reference: “The whole world is waiting for a new order to be built upon the smouldering ruins of this war.”
But reconstruction, he asserted, “before being a material reality, must be a spiritual one”. Alongside the soldiers who are fighting, he pointed to “other soldiers, silent and unarmed”, scattered across the most distant regions, who are suffering and working for that new order.
Letters received by Propaganda Fide gave concrete form to the account. A bishop in Central Africa reported that he had been able to maintain his works thanks to the contributions received and had partially replaced the interned missionaries of a neighboring vicariate.
A bishop in West Africa looked to the growth of the African clergy: “The Mission will be mature when it has a well-formed African clergy.” It would then fall to African priests to pass on in turn “the torch of faith”.
Costantini commented that the mission “must culminate in the indigenous Church”. The conflict demonstrated how necessary this was: where foreign missionaries were interned, local priests could replace them and “save the situation”.
Yet the formation of the clergy was not regarded merely as an emergency response, but as a path towards the maturity of Christian communities, “in God’s plans” and “desired by the Pope”.
In September 1943, the appeal bore a title that combined devastation and confidence: “The missions will rise again.”
War was described as a hurricane breaking into a garden, tearing away flowers and branches. The sturdy plants bent, but could rise again and blossom anew.
Propaganda Fide received “voices of pain, voices of imploration” from missionaries lexperiencing inaction, internment, and hunger. Yet, Costantini wrote, “not a single word of discouragement has ever reached us”.
The text did not minimize the losses. A bomb that exploded in a house of religious women killed fifteen of them at once; the wounded survivors, did not abandon their “place of charity”.
Alongside the victims, Costantini remembered those who had been separated from their communities and interned in concentration camps. One bishop called this condition a “white martyrdom”: “It is a martyrdom without blood, but a long, exhausting and terribly painful one”, aggravated by the worry for abandoned Christians.
Another wrote from a concentration camp: “Here we strive to fill our time usefully in prayer and study. God alone knows what the future will bring us. We, however, shall seek, with His grace, to be ready for anything. All the things we have been able to receive in the past, we have accepted and offered to Him with joy. We remember the noble words of our St Columbanus: Christi sumus, non nostri: We belong to Christ, we do not belong to ourselves.”
Here too, seeds of hope could be glimpsed in the local Churches. “Fortunately, the missionaries had founded seminaries everywhere,” Costantini observed. In many places, local priests took the place of those who had been interned.
The seminaries remained open almost everywhere, “but at the price of unheard-of sacrifices”.
The hope of recovery was already alive in those who continued their formation and sustained their communities.

From the ruins to reconstruction

“Sursum corda!” was the title of the radio message for World Mission Sunday on 22 October 1944.
“Five years have now passed since World Mission Sunday has been celebrated amid the desolations of war,” Costantini began. Expectations of a brighter future emerge, but hope did not erase the victims: the message recalled sixty missionaries who had fallen, including one bishop.
The most dramatic testimony came from a religious sister. Transported from one island to another amid bombing, hunger and long marches, she and her companions had been put aboard a ship without knowing their destination.
An air raid struck the vessel. “Of our 47 Sisters, only four were unharmed”; twenty-four died immediately. The priests assisted the dying, and the bishop, wounded in the shoulder, died later.
“With the Sisters who had not died, we renewed our sacred vows and prayed.”
Costantini returned to his appeal: the missionaries were ready to resume their work, but they needed assistance. To the faithful, themselves marked by loss, he asked that offerings also be made in memory of their own dead, looking towards a future of peace:
“Let us all work with firm and generous hearts so that upon the ruins of war, near and far, a new world may arise, more human and more Christian.”

As the months of the war passed, the paper used for the collections held in the Fides Agency’s archive became thinner, rougher, and the ink more faded. In 1944, the following message was found not far from the one for World Mission Sunday: “One hundred and fifteen pages of articles and news is all that we have been able to provide, and unfortunately only for a very small part of the Italian press, in this year 1944. There is no need to appeal to Subscribers and Readers for them to understand that it was neither morally nor materially possible to do more than this. We hope that events will soon make it possible for the Missions in Distant Lands and for Fides News Agency to re-establish the communications interrupted by the war: we shall thus be able to resume our activity in full.”

In 1946, the theme of reconstruction became explicit. “Reconstruction: on what foundations?” asked an article published on 12 October and signed by Monsignor Lazzaro Acquistapace of Fides News Agency, where he served as editor from 1931 to 1955.
Commenting on Costantini’s appeal and on a message from Pius XII to the bishops of Japan, the author recalled the effort to reunite scattered Christians, rebuild walls and reopen Catholic institutions and works.
But first and foremost there had to be a “moral and spiritual” reconstruction: “Upon the foundations of the Gospel, upon Christ the cornerstone, every missionary has always built, and now he will build again.”

From the post-war period to the “Piecemeal Third World War”

The end of the war did not, however, bring the time of trial to a close.
In his message for World Mission Sunday on 23 October 1949, Costantini described the growth of missionary works in Africa and the transition from foreign missions to local Churches in India, while in some regions of the Far East the Church “suffers and bleeds like the Church of the Catacombs”.
The title echoed St Paul: “Maledicimur et benedicimus”—“We are cursed, and we bless in return.”
Costantini then offered a profound reflection on the Christian perspective on martyrdom: “It would be too long if I were to recount the terrible descriptions that reach Propaganda: devastation, flight, deportations, the dispersion of seminarians, dispersal of Christians, robbery, killings and deaths from starvation. Yet, though the flesh is weak, the spirit is ready,” he affirmed.
He added: “Not a word of hatred or discouragement has reached Propaganda, but only words of profound compassion.

Maledicimur et benedicimus.

At Propaganda we are in constant contact not only with natural realities, but with the supernatural: the Church suffers, prays and resists.”
From war to the post-war period, World Mission Sunday was never a worldly event, but was rooted in very concrete realities. And this is precisely what gives meaning to the fact that the faithful are still called today to support the mission: not as an abstract concept, but as a reality embodied in the people who remain and work to build the City of God.
While the world has entered, in the words of Pope Francis, a “Piecemeal Third World War”, this memory deserves today, more than ever, to be known.

ASIA/INDIA - From south India's coastal plains to the Himalayan foothills: the missionary path of Bishop Edward Baretto of Darjeeling

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:41:08 +0200

by Marie-Lucile Kubacki

Darjeeling – When Pope Leo XIV appointed Fr. Edward Baretto coadjutor bishop of Darjeeling on 29 November 2025, he confirmed a journey spanning four decades and the length of the Indian subcontinent: from a Catholic family of modest means in Karnataka's Mangalore diocese to the tea-covered hills where India meets Bhutan and Sikkim.

Ordained bishop on 21 January 2026 in Kalimpong before the Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, Leopoldo Girelli, he now works alongside Bishop Stephen Lepcha in service of a diocese he has contributed to, in almost every role, since he was a teenager.

"We were eight brothers in the family, and we were very poor" he tells Fides, recalling of his childhood in Alampuri, near Mangalore, "Even so, I managed to complete my schooling, though with much difficulty." His father fell ill with cancer while Edward was still in primary school, forcing him to help at home while his mother went out to work. "Even if I had not lost that time, my family would not have been able to afford to send me to school," he adds, reflecting on a path forged by grace and dedication, where nothing was taken for granted or owed to privilege.

That vocation took him far from home. In 1982, at seventeen, he entered the John XXIII Minor Seminary in Darjeeling, nearly 2,500 kilometers from his native south. He later studied at Morning Star Regional Seminary in Calcutta, earned a master's in philosophy in Pune and a licentiate in canon law in Bangalore, after his priestly ordination for Darjeeling in 1993.

The move from the tropical south to the Himalayan north was not effortless. "Once you know the language, that is the key to entering into a community," he says of his first years in the hills. "After that, things became much easier for me." He turned to the villages for Christmas ministry, and to music as a bridge into local life : "that was appreciated too, and that is how I settled in quickly." That pattern of integration recurred throughout his ministry: assistant director of the minor seminary, professor at Morning Star, parish priest in Kalimpong, judicial vicar, and, most recently, director of the Divya Vani Pastoral Centre.

Today that diocese counts some 35,000 Catholics, "that is all," he notes without emphasis, spread across a territory of over 9,500 square kilometers covering the Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and the Kingdom of Bhutan. A little flock, yet one that has built, in his telling, an unusually settled coexistence with its neighbors. "Regarding religious harmony we do not have much of a problem, unlike other parts of India, where you must have heard about conflicts," he says. "We live in harmony, and among Christians the harmony is excellent so far. We take part in each other's programs, and when we meet, it is very good." He cites concrete initiatives : "I organized an interreligious dialogue and invited many people. It went very well, everyone came, we organized a dinner for them, and there was an exchange of views" as proof that dialogue, for him, is a concrete realty of encounters and time spent together.
Much of his pastoral life has unfolded among the region's tea-garden communities, whose Catholic presence dates to nineteenth-century labor migration from Chotanagpur. "People here are mostly employed on the tea gardens," he observes. "Tea-garden workers do not own land, they are simply employed by the gardens. Housing is very difficult for tea-garden families."

When asked about a story that shaped his approach to mission, he recalls celebrating an interfaith marriage between a Catholic man and a Hindu woman. Sensing that the bride and her family were ill at ease, he explained that he was not there to force anyone and deeply respected their tradition. Relieved, the bride began attending church regularly before eventually asking to be baptized. "She thanked me for leaving him free and not putting her under pressure," the bishop says. "That is what truly allowed her to find his own way."

On mixed marriages, which are common in a region where Catholics are few in number, even among Christians, he favors a gentle and respectful approach. Baptizing anyone without genuine consent, he notes, "would be against the civil constitution, and also against the Church's own teaching, because it would impose our religion on someone. It is not a matter of refusing them : if they want to come, they are free to come."

By virtue of his diocese's geography, Bishop Baretto also carries responsibility for Bhutan's small Catholic community, with one native priest, a singular story rooted in the country's royal family itself, in this kingdom officially bouddhist. "There were Jesuit missionaries in Bhutan, invited by the king," he recounts, "many members of the royal family studied in Darjeeling, mostly under the Jesuits" The story is interesting. In the mid-20th century, St. Joseph's School in Darjeeling, better known as North Point, established itself as a premier educational hub for Himalayan elites under the direction of the Jesuits. Several generations of Bhutan's Wangchuck royal dynasty and bhutanese members of the aristocracy were educated there, beginning with the country's third monarch, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who was himself a former student of the school and who launched a modernization of his country's education system starting in 1961. It was in this context that, in 1963, Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Palden Dorji, the king's brother-in-law, invited the Darjeeling Jesuit missionaries to develop education in Bhutan.

“From that time until the Jesuits left Bhutan in 1989, many Darjeeling Jesuits worked in three places to develop education in Bhutan especially Fr William Mackey who lived there until his death in October 1995 and Fr Gerard Leclaire who set up the first college in the country and Fr John Coffey who pioneered in Punakha, the summer capital of Bhutan, relates the official website “Darjeeling Jesuits of North Bengal. “After the death of Fr Mackey, the pastoral ministry in the kingdom suffered for lack of a Catholic missionary in the kingdom, it relates. However, Bhutan, being under the care of the Diocese of Darjeeling, someone from there has been coming periodically to give mass to this Catholic community - considered as an old group of Christian believers in the kingdom, whose many of them had accepted the Catholic faith when they or their parents were in Darjeeling .” Father Kinley Tshering, the first and only native Catholic priest from Bhutan, with buddhist origins, embodies this story and constitutes a bridge in his flesh. Sent as a child to St. Joseph’s School in Darjeeling, and later encouraged to pursue his calling by Mother Teresa during a flight where he happened to be seated right next to her, he joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1995. “He now exercises through a beautiful ministry of presence," explains Bishop Edward Baretto.

Reflecting on his own repeated uprootings, from south to north, from parish to tribunal to seminary, Bishop Baretto distills a conviction that seems to have guided his ministry: "You cannot force anything, you know, you have to embrace the vocation. We should not force anybody in matters of faith. We are meant to live it, and pray." It is the same quiet, patient logic that carried a son from a Karnataka village to the leadership of a Himalayan Church wedged between India, Sikkim and Bhutan.

ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - “Spiritual diplomacy” in the face of global challenges: ethics, artificial intelligence and climate change

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:34:06 +0200

by Paolo Affatato

Astana – The 24th meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, taking place today, October 7, at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan, is not simply an occasion for interreligious dialogue, but a forum in which faith communities are called to reflect on their role in the face of the major crises of our time.
Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism and the Bahá’í Faith, together with representatives of international organizations, public institutions and experts from around twenty countries, are gathering to continue a process launched more than two decades ago. Two documents are at the centre of the meeting and are expected to be of particular significance: an ethical Code for the use of artificial intelligence in religious contexts, and a document on the role of religions in combating climate change.
The Astana process now appears to be taking on a new dimension. Whereas in the past interreligious dialogue focused primarily on mutual understanding, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, religions are now being called to engage with issues that concern humanity as a whole. Artificial intelligence, in particular, raises questions that are not merely technical: they concern truth, human dignity, responsibility, freedom and humanity’s relationship with technology, as Pope Leo XIV emphasized in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
The project for an ethical code on AI stems from the recognition that religious communities are now deeply involved in the digital transformation. Artificial intelligence is being used to produce content, disseminate teachings, reach younger generations and expand the presence of religious communities in the digital sphere. Yet this also gives rise to unprecedented challenges: religious disinformation, fabricated statements attributed to spiritual authorities, manipulation of sacred texts, artificially generated hate speech and online radicalization.
Faced with a technology advancing faster than the States’ ability to regulate it, the question emerging from Astana is therefore also a question about the public role of religions: what can spiritual authorities offer when the law has not yet succeeded in establishing effective global rules?
The answer lies in what has been described as “spiritual diplomacy”, which does not seek to replace political diplomacy or to assign religions responsibilities that properly belong to States. Rather, it is conceived as a complementary channel: a space in which the moral authority of religious leaders can help keep dialogue open when political relations are deadlocked, counter the dehumanization of opponents and identify shared principles beyond confessional differences.
In this sense, the strength of Astana lies not only in its final declarations, but in the continuity of a process that began in 2003 and has gradually become institutionalized. From the 17 delegations representing 13 countries at the first Congress, participation grew to more than 100 delegations from around 60 countries at the eighth Congress, held in September 2025, while preparations are now under way for the 2028 Congress.
The Catholic Church’s presence in this process is far from marginal. Pope Francis’ visit to the seventh Congress in 2022 was a particularly significant moment, reaffirming the value of the Congress as an international forum for interreligious dialogue. In 2025, Pope Leo XIV’s message to the eighth Congress likewise emphasized the importance of “working together”, recalling that dialogue does not require differences to be erased, but can instead transform them into opportunities for cooperation. Cooperation between Astana and the Holy See continues: Father Laurent Basanese, SJ, Head of Office at the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is taking part in the Secretariat session.
The decision to place artificial intelligence, climate change and the protection of human dignity around the same table addresses areas in which the normative framework remains fragile or fragmented at the global level. This is where, it was stressed at today’s conference, religious leaders can play a crucial role—not because they can replace parliaments or international institutions, but because they possess a different form of authority: moral, educational and community-based.
They can reaffirm the primacy of the human person over the algorithm and educate people in the responsible use of digital tools. They have extensive social networks, a strong educational capacity and a daily presence within communities, enabling them to influence the question of environmental responsibility—an issue that is political, but also a moral and spiritual concern: responsibility towards creation, towards the poor and towards future generations.
The challenge today is to turn dialogue into concrete initiatives. The Astana Congress is seeking to build the kind of moral consensus without which even regulations risk remaining ineffective. The aim is to create common ground around several fundamental principles: human dignity, respect for life, truth, responsibility, justice, compassion and peace.
The experience of Astana appears to convey precisely this message: religions do not need to become political actors in order to be actors for peace. They can exercise a public responsibility through education, witness, dialogue and the formation of a shared conscience.
Astana’s “spiritual diplomacy” helps remind us that the question is not merely how to govern technology or relations between States, but also what understanding of the human person and of humanity itself we wish to protect and promote.

Pope Leo XIV: Let us celebrate the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday with gratitude and generosity

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:16:18 +0200

Vatican City – We publish below the text of the video message delivered by Pope Leo XIV in preparation for World Mission Sunday, established 100 years ago by Pope Pius XI and celebrated this year on Sunday, October 18.

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we mark World Mission Sunday, we give thanks to God for the abundant fruits he has bestowed upon the Church since my predecessor, Pope Pius XI, established this annual celebration 100 years ago. He desired that it would foster, in every Diocese and parish, a deeper understanding of the greatness of the missionary task, fervent prayer for the work of evangelization, encouragement for the missionary vocation, and support for the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Indeed, the realization of Pius XI’s aim has borne fruit in my own life. Looking back on my youth, I can see how the prayers offered to the Lord of the harvest mysteriously helped prepare my heart to hear Jesus’ call to follow him as an Augustinian missionary. Moreover, the prayers and contributions of the faithful encouraged and sustained my missionary work in Peru, as well as that of countless others throughout the world. For this reason, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported World Mission Sunday over the years.

In this centenary year, the present theme, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” invites us to reflect on the fundamental task of nurturing the Church’s unity in following Christ, particularly in our commitment and responsibility to spread the Gospel message of salvation to all people.

Indeed, through Baptism, each one of us becomes a member of the Body of Christ and has a unique role in contributing to Jesus’ saving work. Our Lord calls us to cooperate as one family, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to bring everyone everywhere into a communion of faith in Christ.
I reiterate, therefore, the special appeal I made in the Message for World Mission Sunday: “Let us all commit to contributing to the great mission of evangelization — which is always a work of love — according to our own vocation and the gifts we have received. Your prayers and practical support… will be a great help in bringing the Gospel of God’s love to everyone, especially the poorest and those most in need.” .

Finally, as we celebrate this centenary, I thank you for all that you will do to carry on the legacy of World Mission Sunday and to support generously the evangelizing mission of the Church throughout the world.

May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit come down on you and remain with you for ever. Amen.

In Malawi, a whole stadium celebrates 100 years of World Mission Sunday: “United in Christ, united in mission”

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:25:16 +0200

Mzuzu – The Catholic Church in Malawi celebrated the centenary of World Mission Sunday on Saturday, October 3, at Mzuzu Stadium. Established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI, World Mission Sunday is an occasion to pray and raise funds in support of missionary work throughout the world.

The celebration, centred on the theme of the 2026 World Mission Sunday message, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” brought together bishops, priests, men and women religious, lay faithful, government representatives and guests from various Christian denominations.

The centenary provided an opportunity to remember the journey of the Church in the country and the contribution of missionaries and the faithful who, through prayer, sacrifice and generosity, have helped spread the Gospel.

Missionary cooperation and the work of the Pontifical Mission Societies have contributed to the growth of the local Church by supporting evangelization, catechesis, the formation of priests and men and women religious, education, healthcare and human development initiatives.

The fruits of this generous contribution can be seen in the flourishing life that has grown around churches, schools, hospitals, communities and seminaries throughout the country.
During the event, Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, Chairman of the Mission Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, highlighted the role of the PMS in the growth of the local Church and urged parishes to take part in the World Mission Sunday collection. The offerings go to the Universal Solidarity Fund, through which the Church in Malawi contributes to supporting missionary communities and works throughout the world.

A sign of the growing participation of the Church in Malawi in the universal mission of the Church can be seen in the increase in donations. Father Peter Ephraim Madeya, National Director of the PMS in Malawi, reported that contributions to the Universal Solidarity Fund increased by 80 per cent in 2025, expressing hope for an even greater response in this centenary year.
According to Father Madeya, Malawi is gradually moving from being a Church that receives missionary assistance to becoming a Church increasingly committed to prayer and to raising resources for the mission of the universal Church.

The celebration also highlighted the contribution of the laity to missionary work. Through the grace received in baptism, every Catholic is called to be a missionary in his or her family, parish, workplace and local community.

The Catholic faithful were encouraged to pray for the missions, to make a concrete commitment to missionary activity and to contribute to the Universal Solidarity Fund.

The contribution of the PMS to education, healthcare, social services and human development was also acknowledged.
Speaking on missionary formation, Father Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union, stressed the responsibility of every baptized person in the mission of the Church. His presence also highlighted the bond between the Church in Malawi and the universal Church, as well as the understanding that mission belongs to the entire People of God.

In his homily, Bishop Peter Adrian Chifukwa, Bishop of Dedza, called on Catholics to strengthen their missionary identity, stressing the need to transform Christian communities, families and parents into authentically missionary realities. A missionary community is called to reach out to those around it and bring Christ to others; a missionary family is called to bear witness to the faith and pass it on to news generations; and parents are called to be the first witnesses and educators in faith within the home.
The centenary is thus presented not merely as a celebration of the past, but as the beginning of a new missionary phase. After a century in which Malawi has received support through missionary cooperation, the local Church is increasingly called to share her own gifts with the universal Church.

For the next hundred years, the document identifies as priorities a deeper missionary formation, families and communities more actively engaged in mission, greater generosity, and a renewed involvement of every baptized person in the mission of proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus.

The Popes and World Mission Sunday

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:02:34 +0200

Rome – From Pius XII’s appeal during wartime to the annual papal messages of Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis , World Mission Sunday, established in 1926, has provided an opportunity to remind the entire Church of her missionary vocation.

In the anthology of passages gathered here, taken from messages by various Pontiffs, mission is consistently intertwined with the pressing concerns of each age: peace, religious freedom and the challenges of modernity.

Pius XII, October 19, 1940: Peace as the Church’s mission

“Prayer is the weapon that wins God’s heart to pity and mercy; it is the offering of your lips, of your affection for Christ’s heralds, for the little sheep that have strayed from the fold, for the wretched, upon whom the storm of our age weighs so heavily and causes such anguish This is the kingdom of peace: peace in our souls with God, peace among brothersand sisters in the mutual exchange of affection, peace among peoples and nations through reconciliation and orderly harmony. The farther humanity is from this peace at the present time; the more the awareness of our common natural and supernatural values threatens to give way in many hearts to opposing sentiments, the more uplifting and inspiring your effective commitment to the Catholic missionary ideal will be. For peace in the world, too, is a mission of the Church; in the tranquillity of human order lies her life, the winning over and salvation of souls, the spread of the good of the faith, the triumph over evil, leading ultimately to the unshakable peace of eternity.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/it/speeches/1940/documents/hf_p-xii_spe_19401019_we-are.html

Paul VI, May 25, 1969: The Council establishes the relationship between religious freedom and the apostolic duty

“The very existence of this central and official organization in the Church is a reply to a difficulty that is currently brought up in certain sectors, and which would threaten missionary activity with stagnation: that is, an emphasis on the Conciliar proclamation of religious liberty, as if this would favour an agnostic irenicism and authorize indiffentism concerning religious truth and the apostolic command, to which the plan of salvation is linked. Missionary endeavour, some say, is no longer necessary. The existence of Pontifical Societies that are expressly designed to promote and maintain such missionary endeavour contradicts this theory today as before, for religious liberty, as proclaimed by the Council, is meant to ensure that religion will be free from undue interference on the part of any purely secular power, and also from wrong social and political exclusiveness in the religious field; it is not meant to weaken our apostolic duty but rather to provide civic conditions in which missionary activity may be exercised, with due respect for freedom of conscience, while preaching the one true message of salvation that comes from religion. This is a basically traditional position in the Church, but one which the Council has renewed and clarified.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/messages/missions/documents/hf_p-vi_mes_19690525_world-day-for-missions-1969.html

John Paul II, June 11, 2000: Mission does not depend on human strength

“The Church’s entire mission and, in a special way, the mission ad gentes, needs apostles who are willing to persevere to the end, faithful to the mission they have received, following the same path travelled by Christ, ‘the path of poverty and obedience, of service and self - sacrifice to the death...’ .
May the witnesses of the faith whom we have commemorated be a model and an inspiration for all Christians, so that the proclamation of Christ may be perceived as the responsibility of every Christian. In this endeavour, the Christian is not alone. It is true that there is no proportion between human strength and the greatness of the mission. The most common and authentic experience is that of feeling unworthy of such a task. But it is also true that ‘our competence comes from God, and He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant.’ .
The Lord does not abandon those whom he calls to his service. ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ . The Lord’s continuous presence in his Church, especially in the Word and the Sacraments, is the guarantee of the effectiveness of her mission.
Today this mission is carried out through men and women who have experienced salvation in their own fragility and weakness and bear witness to it before their brothers and sisters, conscious that we are all called to the same fullness of life Two thousand years after the beginning of the mission, vast geographical, cultural, human and social areas still remain where Christ and his Gospel have not yet penetrated. How can we fail to hear the appeal arising from this situation? Those who have experienced the joy of encountering Christ cannot keep it locked within themselves; they must radiate it.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/it/messages/missions/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20000627_world-day-for-missions-2000.html

Benedict XVI, April 29, 2006: The fruitfulness of mission in seeking not one’s own interests

“On the eve of his Passion, Jesus left as his testament to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room to celebrate Passover the “new commandment of love – mandatum novum”: “This is my commandment: love one another” . The fraternal love that the Lord asks of his ‘friends’ has its source in the paternal love of God. The Apostle John observes: “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” .
Therefore, to love according to God, one must live in Him and by Him: God is man’s first ‘home’, and only those who dwell in Him burn with a fire of divine charity capable of ‘setting the world alight’. Is this not the mission of the Church in every age? It is therefore not difficult to understand that authentic missionary zeal, the primary commitment of the ecclesial community, is linked to fidelity to divine love. This is true of every individual Christian, every local community, the particular Churches and the entire People of God.
It is precisely from an awareness of this shared mission that Christ’s disciples draw their generous readiness to undertake works of human and spiritual promotion which bear witness, as the beloved John Paul II wrote in the Encyclical Redemptoris missio, “the soul of all missionary activity: love, which has been and remains the driving force of mission, and is also "the sole criterion for judging what is to be done or not done, changed or not changed. It is the principle which must direct every action, and end to which that action must be directed. When we act with a view to charity, or are inspired by charity, nothing is unseemly and everything is good” .
To be missionaries, then, means to love God with all our being, even to giving our lives for Him, if necessary. How many priests, men and women religious, and lay people, even in our own times, have borne supreme witness to their love for Him through martyrdom!
To be missionaries means to bend down, like the Good Samaritan, to the needs of everyone, especially the poorest and most needy, because those who love with the heart of Christ seek not their own interests, but solely the glory of the Father and the good of their neighbour.
Here lies the secret of the apostolic fruitfulness of missionary activity, which transcends borders and cultures, reaches peoples and spreads to the ends of the earth.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/it/messages/missions/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20060429_world-mission-day-2006.html

Francis, January 25, 2024: rediscovering the eschatological and eucharistic dimension of the first Christians

“We know that among the first Christians missionary zeal had a powerful eschatological dimension. They sensed the urgency of the preaching of the Gospel. Today too it is important to maintain this perspective, since it helps us to evangelize with the joy of those who know that “the Lord is near” and with the hope of those who are pressing forward towards the goal, when all of us will be with Christ at his wedding feast in the kingdom of God. While the world sets before us the various “banquets” of consumerism, selfish comfort, the accumulation of wealth and individualism, the Gospel calls everyone to the divine banquet, marked by joy, sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God and with others.
This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command in memory of him. The invitation to the eschatological banquet that we bring to everyone in our mission of evangelization is intrinsically linked to the invitation to the Eucharistic table, where the Lord feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood.
As Benedict XVI taught: “Every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. For us, the Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets and described by the New Testament as ‘the marriage-feast of the Lamb’ , to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of the saints” .
Consequently, all of us are called to experience more intensely every Eucharist, in all its dimensions, and particularly its eschatological and missionary dimensions.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/messages/missions/documents/20240125-giornata-missionaria.html

Leo XIV, January 25, 2026: Unity as a condition for mission

“The Church’s primary missionary responsibility is to renew and sustain spiritual and fraternal unity among its members. In many situations, we encounter conflicts, polarization, misunderstandings and a lack of mutual trust. When this occurs even within our communities, it undermines our witness. The evangelizing mission that Christ entrusted to his disciples requires, above all, hearts that are reconciled and eager for communion. Consequently, it is important to intensify ecumenical efforts with all Christian Churches
Missionary unity should not be understood as uniformity, but rather as the convergence of different charisms for the same purpose, namely to make Christ’s love visible and to invite everyone to encounter him. Evangelization is achieved when local communities cooperate with one another and when cultural, spiritual and liturgical differences are fully and harmoniously expressed in the same faith. I therefore encourage all institutions in the Church to strengthen their sense of ecclesial missionary communion and to develop creative and concrete ways of cooperating with one another for and in the mission
If unity is the condition of mission, love is its essence. The Good News that we are sent to proclaim to the world is not an abstract ideal; it is the Gospel of God’s faithful love, which became flesh in the face and life of Jesus Christ.”

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/it/messages/mission/documents/20260125-giornata-missionaria.html