We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

Feast date: Sep 13

“If the Lord should give you power to raise the dead, He would give much less than He does when he bestows suffering. By miracles you would make yourself debtor to Him, while by suffering He may become debtor to you. And even if sufferings had no other reward than being able to bear something for that God who loves you, is not this a great reward and a sufficient remuneration? Whoever loves, understands what I say.”
-St. John Chrysostom

Born in Antioch, c. 347, Saint John Chrysostom (Golden-mouthed) was perhaps the greatest preacher in the history of the Church, thus the name given him, and the most prominent Greek father of the Church.

He grew up in Antioch, received an excellent classical Greek education, and upon meeting the holy bishop Meletus, he decided to devote his time to the study of religious works and the Sacred Scriptures. He received Baptism after three years of study and set out for the desert to live the ascetic life of a hermit.

His extreme mortifications left him in fragile health, and he thus returned to Antioch after two years of recovery, and devoted himself to studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in 386 and served in the Cathedral of Antioch for 12 years, winning widespread fame for his sublime preaching.

In 398 he was forcefully appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, and fast became very popular with his flock through his example of preaching and courage in front of the imperial power, whose corruption and decadence he never shirked from criticizing in public.

This attitude naturally made an enemy of the empress, Eudoxia as well as Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, who had him condemned on false charges in 403. He was exiled to Armenia where he continued to be a great presence in the Church of the East through his many letters. He was exiled from Armenia to an isolated place along the Black Sea. He died during the journey in 407 in Pontus, his ill health unable to endure its rigors.

In 438 the Emperor Theodosius II of Constantinople had John’s body returned to Constantinople, and did penance for the sins of his mother Eudoxia.

Chrysostom's many writings, especially homilies and commentaries on the Gospels, are still extant and have exerted great influence over the centuries.

“When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer to think that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of angels and archangels standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven and earth. Therefore, when you are in church, be there in silence, fear, and veneration.”
- St. John Chrysostom

Lima Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Robert Prevost celebrated various birthdays in Chiclayo, Peru, with gestures marked by simplicity, closeness, and community as remembered by laypeople and groups of faithful who shared these moments with him during his years as bishop of the diocese.

Father Jorge Millán, who worked closely with Prevost in Chiclayo, recalled the sober style of these celebrations: “We used to gather as a family with the bishop: lunch, the classic cake, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him... It was just a pleasant afternoon, nothing more, but then he would return to work,” he shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

In the mornings, he recounted, the bishop received greetings from institutions and schools in the city, while in the afternoon he celebrated a birthday Mass at the cathedral.

“That was his solemn celebration with the citizens. Everything was generally very simple, but at the same time very emotional, because he welcomed these gestures and was delighted,” the priest added.

Janinna Sesa Córdova, former director of Caritas Chiclayo, fondly recalled a surprise prepared by the team of volunteers: “One year we made him believe we were looking for him for an urgent matter. When he arrived, we surprised him with balloons, a big card, and a cake. He was truly surprised because he wasn’t expecting it.” 

The Eucharistic Miracle 1649 Peru group also has fond memories. Its coordinator, Jesús León Ángeles, especially highlighted Sept. 14, 2022, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the authorities had declared a national quarantine: “We brought him a cake with his image and the design of the future Eucharistic Shrine of Eten on it. When he saw us, he began to applaud with a smile and said, ‘Thank you very much, let’s keep journeying together.’”

Every Sept. 14, his birthday, coincided with the feast of the Lord in Captivity, a local devotion. As Millán recalled, “he never put his [birthday] first; he participated faithfully in the celebration and preferred to remain unnoticed in that sense.”

This affection is expressed today in Rome. César Fernández, president of the Jesus of Nazareth in Captivity Association of Monsefú-Rome, announced that in 2025 they will carry a large banner with the message “Happy birthday, Holy Father Leo XIV. Chiclayo and Monsefú await you,” along with traditional music and dances. “For us, it’s a way of returning the affection he sowed in our land.”

Testimonies agree that, both in Chiclayo and elsewhere, Pope Leo XIV never sought the limelight. He preferred to share the table — with kid goat, duck, and rice, or his favorite dessert, lemon pie — and celebrate with the community in a fraternal atmosphere.

“He was characterized by his simplicity. He ate whatever was offered to him, drove himself to the parishes, and sat with the people to gaze at the stars. He always conveyed closeness and humility,” Jesús León Ángeles recalled.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday urged Catholic theologians to embrace a “theology of wisdom” capable of addressing urgent global challenges, from environmental crises to the ethical questions posed by artificial intelligence (AI).

In his address to participants of an international seminar organized by the Pontifical Academy of Theology, the pope said that “environmental sustainability and the care of creation are essential commitments to ensure the survival of the human race” and have a direct impact on peaceful human coexistence. 

Leo emphasized that theology is at the heart of the Church’s missionary work, but must be “incarnate, imbued with the human pains, joys, expectations and hopes of the women and men of our time.” Citing the examples of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, he said the great masters of the past modeled a synthesis of faith and reason that can guide theology today.

Turning to contemporary matters, Pope Leo warned that the Church must not limit itself to moral reflections when considering AI. “An exclusively ethical approach to the complex world of artificial intelligence is not enough,” he said, stressing the need for an anthropological vision rooted in human dignity. “What is a human being? What is his or her inherent dignity, which is irreconcilable with a digital android?”

Leo recalled 2023 legislation by his predecessor Pope Francis that reformed the academy, highlighting its three “faces”: academic rigor, contemplative wisdom, and solidarity expressed in acts of charity. Theology, Leo said, should remain rooted in an encounter with Christ while engaging philosophy, science, economics, law, literature, and the arts. Dialogue within the Church must also lead to dialogue with other cultures and religions, so that theology may serve both the Church and the wider world, the pope said.

Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has approved new measures to promote the hiring of people with disabilities in the Vatican, saying their condition does not prevent them from serving in Church institutions.

The updated regulations require Vatican offices to welcome and support employees with disabilities, including by providing accommodations where needed, “since the condition of disability does not preclude suitability for work,” the new provision states.

Health requirements for job candidates have also been revised. Instead of demanding perfect health, the focus will be on whether a person is fit for the specific duties of the job, with certification provided by Vatican health services.

The changes apply both to the Holy See and to Vatican City and take effect immediately. They follow another papal decision in August expanding family benefits for employees, including paternity leave and extra support for parents caring for children with disabilities

Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 11:03 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday morning received Brian Burch, the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for the formal presentation of his letters of credence.

According to a U.S. embassy statement, the two men discussed the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as "protecting religious freedom, the Vatican’s relationship with China, and the AI revolution."

Regarding this week's assassination of the conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, "Pope Leo underscored that our political differences can never be resolved with violence and told Ambassador Burch that he was praying for the widow of Mr. Kirk and his children," the embassy said.

The ambassador also presented the pope, who turns 70 on Sunday, with a personalized birthday cake.

Burch, 50, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Aug. 2 in a 49-44 vote. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2024 and succeeds former ambassador Joe Donnelly, who served under the Biden administration.

In a statement following his confirmation, Burch said he was “profoundly grateful” to the president and Senate for the opportunity to serve, and asked for the prayers of Catholics across the United States “that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Burch is married and the father of nine children. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas in 1997 and began his career in business before moving into Catholic nonprofit leadership. From 2005 until his confirmation this year, he was president of CatholicVote Civic Action and the CatholicVote Education Fund, organizations dedicated to promoting Catholic engagement in public life.

During his time with CatholicVote, Burch became a nationally recognized figure in Catholic political advocacy, encouraging American Catholics to participate in the democratic process and to defend religious liberty and the sanctity of life. CatholicVote’s new president, Kelsey Reinhardt, said in August that the group “joyfully celebrates” his confirmation, praising his 17 years of leadership.

On the occasion of his confirmation, Burch noted a point of personal significance for him in his new role. “In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown,” he said.

After meeting the pope on Saturday, the embassy said, "Ambassador Burch described the meeting as extraordinarily friendly, like talking to a friend back home in Chicago."

CNA Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).

Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, vowed to continue her husband’s work Friday night during an impassioned and deeply personal televised address that focused on the importance of faith and family life.

Appearing on Fox News just two days after her husband was shot and killed by an assassin’s bullet, fired from a rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University where he was holding an outdoor event, she spoke for more than 16 minutes, maintaining her composure as she stood at a podium in her husband’s podcast studio, beside his empty chair.

“I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart,” said Erika Kirk, the mother of two young children, ages 1 and 3.

“I honestly have no idea what any of this means,” she said. “I know that God does, but I don't. But Charlie, baby, I know you do, too. So does our Lord.”

“The evildoers responsible for my husband's assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said.

“They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and of God's merciful love.”

Here are other highlights from her remarks:

She revealed that she had not yet told the couple’s 3-year-old daughter of her father’s death.

“When I got home last night, Gigi, our daughter, just ran into my arms. And I talked to her, and she said, ‘Mommy, I missed you.’ I said, ‘I missed you too, baby.’

“She goes, 'Where's daddy?' She's 3. I said, 'Baby, daddy loves you so much. He's on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.'"

She talked about why her husband advocated so passionately for marriage and family life.

“Charlie always believed that God's design for marriage in the family was absolutely amazing. And it is. It is. And it was the greatest joy of his life. And over and over, he would tell all these young people to come and find their future spouse, become wives and husbands and parents. And the reason why is because he wanted you all to experience what he had, and still has,” she said.

“He wanted everyone to bring heaven into this earth through love and joy that comes from raising a family. It's beautiful. Charlie always said that if he ever ran for office —I know a lot of you asked if he ever was going to — but privately, he told me if he ever did run for office, that his top priority would be to revive the American family. That was his priority.

“One of Charlie's favorite Bible verses was Ephesians 5 verse 25: ‘Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.’

“My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children. He showed the ultimate and true covenantal love,” she said.

Erika, who is a baptized Catholic, witnessed to the Christian faith she and her husband shared.

“Charlie always said that when he was gone, he, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith,” she said.

“And one of the final conversations that he had on this earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity, he will stand at his Savior's side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr.”

During the broadcast, Erika Kirk urged others to make faith central to their lives, as her husband had done.

“But most important of all, if you aren't a member of a church, I beg you to join one, a Bible-believing church,” she said.

“Our battle is not simply a political one above all. It is spiritual. It is spiritual. The spiritual warfare is palpable. Charlie loved his Savior with all of his heart, and he wanted every one of you to know him, too. He wanted everyone to know that if they confess, if they confess the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead, then they will be saved.

“Hear me when I say this. Nobody is ever too young to know the gospel. Nobody. Nobody is ever too young to get involved with saving this beautiful country, this country my husband loved and still loves. And nobody is ever too old, either."

She vowed to continue Charlie’s work with Turning Point USA, the conservativve advocacy organization he founded, and said the campus speaking tour he had just embarked on would go on.

“If you thought that my husband's mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea,” she said.

“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.

“To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” she said. “It won't. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Diocese of Colorado Springs announced it received a petition to open a cause for canonization for Kendrick Castillo, the lone fatal casualty after a shooting at a Colorado school in 2019, when the 18-year-old died after jumping into the line of fire to stop one of the shooters. 

“Knowing Kendrick, we knew that that was something that he would do,” said his parents, Maria and John Castillo, in an interview with “EWTN News In Depth” this week.

“We’re so humbled and grateful,” John said about the opening of Kendrick’s cause for canonization. “It’s one of the greatest gifts that can ever be bestowed upon anybody. It’s just the sheer mention of sainthood. We always have felt … that since Kendrick was born, he’s been our saint. He’s worthy, and we believe that. But to hear it coming from our Catholic brothers and sisters and our families, it’s different and it’s more powerful.”

The priests in the diocese advocating for Kendrick’s cause believe that he qualifies for beatification in a new category called “Offering of Life.” 

In a 2017 motu proprio, Pope Francis established a new category of Christian life eligible for beatification, recognizing individuals who died prematurely as a sacrificial offering of their life out of love for God and neighbor.

Since his death, there have been “numerous things that have taken place to honor Kendrick, and they’ve all been spectacular,” John said. “But this is on a level that is indescribable. It really is an honor, it’s humbling.”

Reflected on the kind of man his son was, John said: “Kendrick was joyful all the time. I don’t think there’s a picture [of him] that we have that doesn’t have a smile on it. He was just happy all the time. He loved life.” 

“He made friends everywhere he went,” John continued, remembering a particular time when Kendrick was in preschool. “A child was being dropped off and was afraid to leave his mom for the day. Kendrick, as a little kid, went over and hugged him and said it would be OK and comforted him. That was just in his nature.”

At the public school Kendrick attended, “he took his Catholic faith and did what we’re asked to do as Catholics,” John said. He showed the “agape love that we should have for our savior. That’s what Kendrick did every day. I just wish people got to know his personality and see that.”

His son had a “willingness to live out his faith and help his community at church,” the elder Castillo said, recalling his service as an usher and altar server at Mass and funerals.

On the day of the shooting, Kendrick “risked his life to save others,” John said. “That was in Kendrick’s nature. We wish that he didn’t have to do that, of course. But in that moment, it wasn’t surprising to us that he would not run the other way [and] that he would defend the sanctity of life.”

Maria said she wants her son to be remembered for “his love.” She said: “He loved his friends, his parents, but most importantly, he loved God.”

Following recent shootings at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota and Evergreen High School in Colorado, John offered consolation and wisdom to parents who have lost a child in such a tragedy. “My words to them would be: ‘Hold each other close.’” 

“Remember what we’re called to do in faith and surrender to trust in the Lord,” John said. “God did not make this happen. Evil is real, and we can’t let evil divide us. We must comfort one another. We must try to seek viable solutions that are going to create safety for our families and our community … Reach out to one another and don’t let evil win and pull you away from anything that’s positive and God’s grace in our lives.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 at a Utah college campus, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action and a close friend of Kirk’s, said: “His death will be a turning point.”

In an interview with “EWTN News In Depth,” Hawkins called Kirk “a joyful warrior.” She pointed out: “He was a man of God and just moments before he was assassinated, he had proclaimed that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. And he never shirked away from that, just like he never shirked away from any of the other political debates … I believe with my whole heart, he died a martyr.”

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and campus activist, “truly enjoyed having conversations with those who disagreed with him and having the opportunity to change their minds,” Hawkins said. “He was a huge learning advocate … He was always wanting to find out the best ways to save our country and to advance our faith.”

“We work symbiotically on campuses to spread the good news of the Gospel, but then also spread the voice of reason, which Pope Benedict was very clear [about]. He wrote about how reason is God’s gift and when reason is abandoned, violence becomes the only remaining path … When people stop talking, when they disagree with each other, it only leads to violence.”

Hawkins highlighted Kirk’s mission to protect human life. Students for Life honored him in January at the National Pro-Life Summit with the Defender of Life Award “for his advocacy for life on college campuses.” 

Turning Point, Students for Life, and similar organizations that work to defend life “have become increasingly effective [in] winning back students,” Hawkins said, especially because of Kirk’s “ability to reach young men.” 

While the pro-life organizations have been “effective and things have started to shift in our country, it hasn’t shifted enough,” Hawkins said. “We still have a culture of death.” 

Manifestation of the ‘culture of death’

The day of Kirk’s death, Hawkins was speaking to students at the University of Montana. “I was on campus for two hours before Charlie was shot and every argument from the 150 pro-choice students who surrounded me … was: ‘Maybe it is a baby, maybe it is human, but I can still kill it because I want to. That’s a culture of death.”

“When I announced to them that my friend had been shot and we were trying to find updates on Charlie’s condition … they laughed.” 

“This is what a culture of death breeds. When you say it’s OK to kill innocent babies and that there should be no recourse [for] killing innocent, helpless babies who are the most innocent among us, this is what it leads to. This is why we say it’s a culture of death that must be defeated and this is why we can’t abandon the campuses right now,” Hawkins said. “Do we abandon violence or accept reason?”

Despite this tragedy, Hawkins said: “We have to stay on campuses, because we have to teach this generation, Gen Z, that violence isn’t acceptable.” She shared that her organizations will be going to “160 campuses this semester talking about [their] fall theme, which is ‘every human life matters.’ Charlie Kirk’s life matters.”

“We have to go now harder and louder than ever before because God’s gift of reason must prevail. That is the only way our mission survives this.”

Hawkins also asked people to pray for Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their young children. “I can’t even imagine the pain that Erika is going through,” Hawkins said. “To lose the love of her life, the father of her children, her rock, one that she loves so dearly, and Erika loves so fiercely. But she also loves the Lord.” 

“And so my prayer for her right now is that her faith prevails, and her faith carries her through this moment, and God grants her strength. She is strong enough to endure this. I would ask folks every morning when you wake up, pray for Erika. Pray for those two young children.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 13, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Paraná in Argentina has published the spiritual testament of Cardinal Estanislao Karlic one month after his death.

The prelate was one of the authors of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and died on Aug. 8 at the age of 99.

The archdiocese noted that the testament was written by Karlic at the House of Mary of the Benedictine monastery Our Lady of Paraná ​​in Aldea María Luisa during the solemnity of the Nativity of Jesus in 2024. Karlic served as archbishop of the archdiocese from 1983 to 2003.

In his opening lines, the Argentine cardinal wrote: “The truth of the Catholic faith is what I confess as light, the light with which I ask the Lord to illuminate me in making this testament. I place myself before divine mercy, praying that it may envelop me with its redeeming love in the final moment of my earthly life. I thank God for the love he gave me, even before creation, in Christ the Redeemer.”

The cardinal also gave thanks for “the life the Lord gave me through my beloved parents, who from their native Croatia were welcomed by this generous and welcoming Argentine land, where they were able to grow as a family, work, and provide a future for their children; I give thanks for the immense gift of baptism, for the education I received within my family together with my sisters, Milka and Catalina, in my hometown of Oliva, and in Córdoba.”

After recalling that he studied at Monserrat School, the Córdoba seminary, the Pontifical Pio Latin American College in Rome, and Gregorian University, Karlic expressed his gratitude for the gift of the priesthood, the Archdiocese of Paraná, which welcomed him as archbishop, the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, his brother bishops, the German dioceses that supported his archdiocese, the Augustinians who welcomed him in 2005, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI, who created him a cardinal.

“St. John Paul II undeservedly honored me by appointing me to the drafting committee of the catechism of the universal Church, and thus allowed me to have the extraordinary experience of the Church’s universal love for all men,” the cardinal recalled.

To the people of Argentina

The cardinal also dedicated a few lines to his homeland: “To the pilgrim people of Argentina, I say that I have wanted to serve my blessed homeland with all my soul, dreaming of a life of authentic fraternity for it, as children of the same Father, based on genuine respect and dialogue to give everyone the opportunity to live a life worthy of the generosity that the Lord has had with this land, which he has showered with so many splendid gifts.”

“May the Lord forgive our many sins and give us the grace of a true moral conversion to make this possible,” he continued.

“In this final remembrance, I don’t want to forget anyone. That’s why I hold in my heart all the people I’ve met, all those who have been my dear friends, all those who have prayed for me and done me some kindness, and also those who have found it hardest to love me,” he wrote, entrusting himself to the Virgin Mary.

Who was Cardinal Karlic?

Born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Oliva, Córdoba province, Argentina, to a family of Croatian immigrants, his career included various milestones: He earned a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, was archbishop of Paraná, president of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference for two terms, and one of the authors of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

He served as professor of theology and head of the philosophy department at the Córdoba major seminary and received an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Santa Fe.

Karlic spent his final years at Our Lady of Paraná Monastery, where he shared his daily life with a community of Benedictine sisters, who gathered every morning at 11 a.m. in the chapel where he celebrated Mass.

In a telegram marking Karlic’s death, Pope Leo XIV recalled with gratitude the ministry of the man he described as “a selfless and upright pastor who, for many years and with great fidelity, dedicated his life to the service of God and the Church, bringing the light of the Gospel to various fields of life and culture.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Vatican City, Sep 13, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Religious leaders from China, Russia, the Middle East, and the Vatican are converging in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 17–18 for the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

The gathering brings together some of the world’s most diverse spiritual voices at a moment of heightened global tensions. This year’s congress will focus on the theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future.”

The congress is convened by the government of Kazakhstan under the patronage of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who will formally open the gathering. Organizers also expect Pope Leo XIV to send a special message, following the tradition of papal support for the congress.

For the Vatican, it marks the first major interfaith event under Pope Leo XIV and the debut of an entirely new papal delegation. Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, newly-appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, will deliver a keynote at the plenary session and read the final declaration at the closing ceremony.

He is joined by Father Laurent Basanese, SJ, secretary for Religious Relations with Muslims. The French Jesuit, known for his expertise in Christian-Muslim dialogue, will contribute to a working group, attend the secretariat meeting, and address the Forum of Young Religious Leaders.

“Since its founding, it has become a privileged space for promoting peace and mutual understanding among religions and cultures,” Basanese told CNA.

The Vatican delegation also includes Father Vincenzo Marinelli, deputy apostolic nuncio to Kazakhstan, and Professor Tiziano Onesti, president of the Vatican’s pediatric hospital Bambino Gesù, who will lead medical cooperation talks with Kazakh institutions.

One notable first this year is the participation of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Representing the order will be Pasquale Ferrara, diplomatic adviser to the order’s advisory council, who will take part in the congress on Sept. 18.

One of the most anticipated figures in Astana is Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, whose participation has been officially confirmed. He last attended the congress in 2012. His presence raises the prospect of the highest-level Vatican-Moscow encounter since the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this summer, Pope Leo received Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk in Rome, and Metropolitan Anthony will return to the Eternal City on Sept. 14 for an ecumenical commemoration of the new martyrs at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Four days later, Patriarch Kirill will preside over a prayer service in Astana’s Assumption Cathedral for the new martyrs and confessors of Kazakhstan. The twin commemorations — one in Rome, the other in Astana — underscore how the memory of Christian martyrdom is providing common ground for dialogue.

Another high-profile participant is Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar. In 2019, he co-signed with Pope Francis the historic Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, which inspired the United Nations to establish Feb. 4 as the International Day of Human Fraternity just days before the congress.

Rome hosted the World Meeting on Human Fraternity on Sept. 12–13, where Pope Leo XIV greeted participants on Friday.

Basanese told CNA that for him the gathering in Astana is more than symbolic: “Interreligious dialogue, which often requires inexhaustible patience, cannot be reduced to superficial consensus or a sterile ‘diplomacy of smiles.’ In reality it is central to the Church’s mission. In 2025 we mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, which affirmed that the Church ‘rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.’ Dialogue does not mean giving up the truth but bearing witness with respect, listening, and charity.”

The congress was first convened in 2003 on the initiative of Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev, inspired by the interreligious meeting at Assisi in 1986 and strengthened by Pope John Paul II’s visit to Kazakhstan in 2001. Since then, it has been held every three years in Astana, bringing together leaders of major religions to foster peace and mutual understanding. The Holy See has participated since the beginning, and Pope Francis himself attended the previous congress in 2022.