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Vatican City, May 21, 2025 / 10:46 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will hold a meeting of cardinals on June 13 to give the final approval to the canonizations of several beatified men and women.

The ordinary public consistory, as it is called, will be the first of Leo’s pontificate. Pope Francis had called for the consistory in late February, when he was in the hospital, but the date was never set.

At the consistory, cardinals will vote to approve the canonizations of five beatified men and women whose causes were advanced earlier this year by Pope Francis. The vote of the cardinals marks the final step in the canonization process and allows a date for the Mass of canonization to be set.

Among the almost-canonized saints expected to be discussed on June 13 is Blessed Bartolo Longo (also known as Bartholomew Longo).

Longo, an Italian layman and lawyer, was a former Satanist “priest” who returned to the practice of the Catholic faith through the influence of Mary and the rosary.

The canonization of the Venezuelan “doctor of the poor,” José Gregorio Hernández, is also expected be voted on at the June 13 consistory, along with Pietro To Rot, the first blessed from Papua New Guinea; Vincenza Maria Poloni, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy of Verona; and Ignazio Maloyan, a bishop martyred in the Armenian genocide in 1915. 

The consistory will take place in the consistory hall in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace with all of the cardinals resident or otherwise present in Rome. It usually begins with a short time of prayer.

The Vatican also announced Wednesday a slew of liturgies to be celebrated by Pope Leo XIV in June, including a Mass at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran followed by a Eucharistic procession through Rome to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for the solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 22.

Here is the full list of public Masses Pope Leo will celebrate during the month of June:

• June 1: Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly

• June 8: Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the solemnity of Pentecost and the Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities 

• June 9: Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, and the Jubilee of the Holy See

• June 15: Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the solemnity of the Holy Trinity and the Jubilee of Sports

• June 22: Mass in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major with Eucharistic benediction for the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

• June 27: Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Jubilee of Priests
  

• June 29: Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, with the blessing of the palliums for the new metropolitan archbishops

CNA Staff, May 21, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).

A Catholic school in Southern California is preparing to launch a “house system” that it says will help students connect with one another and foster leadership among young Catholics preparing to go out into the world. 

JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano said in a press release that the house arrangement will “foster community, provide mentorship, and cultivate leadership rooted in Gospel values.”

The six houses into which students can be grouped — Alta, Carmel, Monterey, San Onofre, Petra, and Ventura — are “each named after places significant to the life of St. Junipero Serra.”

The school said the new program “comes at a critical time as young people are experiencing greater social disconnection and mental health challenges than ever before.” It cited studies indicating that young people are experiencing extreme social disconnection with their peers, engaging in “70% less social interaction with their friends” compared with two decades ago. 

“This new house system is more than just a way to build school spirit, it’s a transformative approach to helping our students grow as leaders and deepen their faith,” Eric Stroupe, the principal of JSerra, said in the release. 

‘We really want God to do something miraculous’

Brian Ong, the house director for JSerra, told CNA in an interview that the school has developed the house system — and its approach to education more generally — with the mindset of “fields, not factories.” 

“The Bible often uses metaphors from the field,” he pointed out. “We’re trying to cultivate the seeds we feel God has planted. We really want God to do something miraculous.”

The school, founded in 2003, had been debating launching the house system for several years starting in 2021, Ong said. He pointed out that numerous other schools in the area have house systems of their own, though JSerra wanted to develop a unique approach to the practice. 

“Last year we decided that this was something God was leading us to do,” he said. 

One goal of the house system, Ong said, is to help the large student body feel more connected to those with whom they might not normally interact.

“We have approximately 1,300 students at JSerra,” he said. “When you ask students how many people they really know, it’s usually less than 50. Even if you double that, there’s still 1,200 students you don’t know.” 

“You don’t interact [with others] because you don’t play the same sport, or do the same extracurricular activity, or they’re in the business magnet and you’re in the law magnet,” Ong acknowledged. With the house system, “we’re trying to intentionally have them interact with each other if they wouldn’t normally.”

There is a significant mentorship component to the program as well. 

“We want every student at JSerra to have a mentor,” he said. Students will meet in their “dens” three times per week for 30 minutes each time, speaking to older mentors and “ensuring that freshmen and sophomores experience friendship, encouragement, and support,” according to the school. 

Houses will also allow students a chance to excel in leadership, he said, with opportunities for students to serve as presidents, curriculum directors, and other roles to teach them real-life skills. 

Ong said the school has already hosted a “calling day” in which students were “called” into their respective houses. “Next school year it will really take off,” he said. 

The parental response has been “overwhelmingly positive” as the program has launched, Ong said. 

Other Catholic institutions have implemented similar programs. Franciscan University of Steubenville’s “faith households,” for instance, bring students together “to help members grow in mind, body, and spirit through prayer, mutual support, and accountability in the ongoing conversion process exemplified in the life of St. Francis.”

The university allows students to join one of several dozen single-sex households together with others who “seek to do the will of the Father in their lives.” Joining a household is not a requirement, but according to Gregg Miliote, director of media relations at Franciscan University, the vast majority of students do join one. There are currently 49 different households at Franciscan University.

At JSerra, meanwhile, student houses “will earn points through competitions, service projects, and school spirit initiatives, culminating in the awarding of the JSerra Cup to the top-performing house at the year’s end.”

Ong said the system “immerses students in very practical and hands-on ways into a culture that allows them to internalize the core Christian values we idealize as a school.” The program “multiplies their opportunities for exercising the virtues that are at the heart of our mission,” he said.

Vatican City, May 21, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV in the first general audience of his pontificate on Wednesday appealed for an end to hostilities in Gaza and for the entrance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Speaking before tens of thousands of attendees on an overcast day in St. Peter’s Square, the new pope ended his remarks by calling the situation in the Gaza Strip “increasingly worrying and painful.”

“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of decent humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is paid by children, the elderly, and the sick,” he added.

The pope’s appeal comes as the numbers of dead and injured in the Gaza Strip continue to rise under Israel’s attacks. According to reports, while some humanitarian aid has been allowed to enter Gaza, it has not yet been released for distribution.

One month to the day since Francis’ death, Pope Leo also recalled with gratitude the “beloved Pope Francis, who just a month ago returned to the house of the Father.”

Leo closely followed his written remarks, only adding the comment on Gaza, during the May 21 public audience, which he began by taking a turn around the square in the popemobile to cheers, banners, and waving flags. Some people stood on their chairs to try to catch a glimpse of the new pope, who paused often to bless babies of all ages held out to him in outstretched arms.

The inaugural catechesis of the first U.S.-born pope picked up the theme begun by Francis for the 2025 Jubilee Year: “Jesus Christ Our Hope.”

Reflecting on the parable of the sower, Leo noted the unusual behavior of the sower in the story, who “does not care where the seed falls. He throws the seeds even where it is unlikely they will bear fruit: on the path, on the rocks, among the thorns.”

“The way in which this ‘wasteful’ sower throws the seed is an image of the way God loves us,” he said, echoing a part of his first message from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election on May 8, that God “loves us all unconditionally.”

“First and foremost in this parable Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours,” Leo underlined. 

He continued: “God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom. This is how he loves us: He does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word. Perhaps by seeing that he trusts us, the desire to be better soil will be kindled in us. This is hope, founded on the rock of God’s generosity and mercy.”

The theme of personal transformation was also repeated later in the catechesis, when Leo said: “Jesus is the word, he is the seed. And the seed, to bear fruit, must die. Thus, this parable tells us that God is ready to ‘waste away’ for us and that Jesus is willing to die in order to transform our life.”

Husband and father Chuma Asuzu from Canada came to the square early in the morning with his family to attend the pope’s first general audience.

“It was good and I think it was interesting how he explained the seeds and how it’s the word of God,” Asuzu shared with CNA. “I really appreciate it.”

“He made the point to drive around a lot because it was his first audience and he looked emotional at the beginning,” he added.

Instead of taking an example from literature or philosophy, as Pope Francis often did, Pope Leo used Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “The Sower at Sunset” to prompt a meditation on hope.

“That image of the sower in the blazing sun also speaks to me of the farmer’s toil,” he said. “And it strikes me that, behind the sower, Van Gogh depicted the grain already ripe. It seems to me an image of hope: One way or another, the seed has borne fruit. We are not sure how, but it has.”

“At the center of the scene, however, is not the sower, who stands to the side; instead, the whole painting is dominated by the image of the sun, perhaps to remind us that it is God who moves history, even if he sometimes seems absent or distant,” the pope noted. “It is the sun that warms the clods of earth and makes the seed ripen.”

The pontiff’s final thought was to remind those present to ask the Lord for the grace to welcome the seed of his word: “And if we realize we are not a fruitful soil, let us not be discouraged, but let us ask him to work on us more to make us become a better terrain.”

Leo closed the audience in the customary way, singing the Our Father prayer in Latin and then giving his apostolic blessing.

Among the pilgrims present on Wednesday was Father Rolmart Verano, who is leading a group of jubilee pilgrims from the Diocese of Surigao, Philippines.

“I never thought that one day I will come here [to Rome],” he told CNA. “It is one of my wildest dreams that came true!”

“The striking point of Pope Leo XIV’s general audience is when he said that the word of God should take root in each one of our hearts,” he said. “It should serve as a guide for our daily lives no matter that it be ordinary or difficult circumstances.”

As one of 40 members of a pilgrim group from the Diocese of Mumbai, India, Sandesh Almeida said he was immediately impressed by the kindness shown by the new pontiff at the audience. 

“Peace is a good message from him,” he said. “Now with India and Pakistan … we should go for peace and the pope is mostly focusing on peace.”

ACI Prensa Staff, May 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Eight decades after the partition of the Korean peninsula, the Catholic Church in South Korea remains one of the few actors that, with perseverance and faith, keeps alive the hope for reconciliation between the two Koreas.

“Hatred and suspicion can never be a solution,” Bishop Simon Kim Jong-Gang, president of the Korean Reconciliation Commission, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Last month, the Korean bishop led a pilgrimage to Kyodong Island on the border with North Korea in a gesture that highlighted the Church’s commitment to reconciliation between the two countries. The bishops walked along the three-mile barbed-wire fence on the island that has divided the two countries since the Korean War (1950–1953) and prayed that the two countries would put their differences behind them.

For 80 years, soldiers on both sides of the demarcation line at the Panmunjom Peace Village in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas have stood guard face to face, armed and under the pressure that any minor incident could trigger a new war. In 2018, as part of agreements between the two countries to build mutual trust, the Joint Security Area was cleared of firearms and military posts.

But this openness was short-lived. In early 2020, North Korea closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic and again ordered its soldiers to shoot at any movement across the border.

Kim noted that there are no exchanges between South and North Korea. “It’s impossible to meet people, exchange letters or phone calls, or even send emails between the two sides of Korea.”

Indeed, since the failure of the diplomatic process that attempted to reestablish communications between North Korea and the United States in 2019 and the closure of borders due to the pandemic, isolation has become total.

Five years without any exchanges

“In the past five years, South Korea and North Korea have not had any official exchanges, either at the governmental or civil level,” the bishop lamented. Before that, “there were some meetings and some correspondence, but lately there has been no news.”

In any case, he said that at this historic moment North Korea “is preparing to reopen to the international community.”

“There are rumors that embassies and international organizations are preparing to return to Pyongyang and that some areas are attracting foreign tourists,” he noted.

During the pilgrimage, the bishop said he could “easily see the other side.”

“I always experience the same feeling when walking along the barbed-wire fence. The South and the North are really close,” he explained.

This walk for peace gave him a certain sense of closeness. “If someone on the other side had shouted, I would have been able to hear it. I hope that trust between the South and the North will be restored as soon as possible,” he remarked.

Thousands of families torn apart and divided

One of the most moving moments of the day was the meeting with an elderly man who fled North Korea during the Korean War and now lives in Seoul. Today, he is 90 years old, but his age doesn’t prevent him from returning to Kyodong Island nearly every week.

“He came to the island fleeing the Korean War and lived there for many years. He didn’t want to leave his homeland,” Kim recounted. “He visits Kyodong Do almost once a week, although the round trip by public transport takes him between four and five hours.”

His story exemplifies the rift left by the division, with thousands of families unable to see one another for years. “For 80 years, North and South have lived with mutual distrust and hatred. This hatred and distrust still have a great impact on our society,” the bishop lamented.

A persecuted Church

During the Korean War, communist troops persecuted missionaries, foreign religious, and Korean Christians, pursuing them to the south. In North Korea, all monasteries and churches were destroyed. Monks and priests who could not flee were sentenced to death.

Today, the Church in North Korea has neither clergy nor religious services. However, according to official data, there are approximately 4,000 North Korean Catholics belonging to the Korean Catholic Association, controlled by the communist regime. This association, which does not recognize the pope’s role in appointing bishops, has only one church in the country, in Changchun, which is considered window dressing by the regime.

The Korean bishop hopes to one day be able to communicate with “the Catholic community in North Korea and also receive news from them.”

In this regard, he noted that the Catholic Church in South Korea is one of the few voices trying to build bridges despite the hostility.

“I know it’s difficult to easily change this mistrust toward North Korea, as it’s a feeling that has persisted for 80 years. But the Church teaches us that we cannot build new relationships with hatred and mistrust,” Kim said.

Small steps toward reconciliation

In recent years, the Catholic Church has organized international forums and meetings. For example, in 2022, the Commission for National Reconciliation of the Korean Bishops’ Conference, together with American institutions, organized a conference in Washington, D.C., titled “The Role of Religion for Peace on the Korean Peninsula.” 

“This event was attended by bishops from Korea and the United States, government and legislative officials from both countries, and academics from think tanks. The Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the United States also attended, expressing his solidarity for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the bishop explained.

Added to this are the peace forums held in 2023 with dioceses from Japan and the United States, and the entry, in 2024, of several Korean, Japanese, and American dioceses into the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (PWNW) network. 

For Kim, these initiatives are also a call to peace: “It is the duty of Christians throughout the world who know and practice the peace of Christ to constantly criticize and warn political leaders who promote military security based on nuclear weapons, so that they may awaken from their illusion.”

Kim acknowledged that reunification lacks enthusiasm among young South Koreans, who are experiencing other pressing needs.

“It’s a global phenomenon, but in Korea, too, we’re seeing a decline in quality jobs. Even if you study for many years, it’s not easy to find a good job. Housing prices have risen considerably, making it difficult to buy a home,” he explained.

Younger generations in South Korea fear that “if exchanges between North and South Korea increase, South Korea will have to help the North financially. That’s why some young people oppose that. I completely understand.”

In any case, the bishop insists that if the internal conflicts caused by division are not resolved, “social stability, political integration, and economic development will always be limited.”

“Christ’s teaching is to live as brothers and sisters. When we work together courageously to create a path toward peace, the lives of our descendants can improve,” he concluded.

World Youth Day 2027 is to be held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

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

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 21, 2025 / 05:15 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump met Louis Prevost, the oldest brother of Pope Leo XIV, at the White House on Tuesday, according to the president’s special assistant, Margo Martin.

While speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier the same day, Trump said he likes Pope Leo XIV and was looking forward to meeting with the pope’s brother.

“I like the pope and I like the pope’s brother,” Trump told reporters after meeting with House Republicans in an attempt to rally support behind a budget reconciliation bill.

Trump noted that the pope’s brother Louis “is a major MAGA fan,” alluding to the “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

“I look forward to getting him to the White House,” Trump said. “I want to shake his hand. I want to give him a big hug.”

According to a photo posted to X by Martin late on Tuesday night, Trump and Vice President JD Vance met Louis Prevost and his wife, Deborah, in the Oval Office.

Louis Prevost, a Florida resident, U.S. Navy veteran, and older brother to Leo, sat beside Second Lady Usha Vance at Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass on Sunday, May 18. He also joined Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio when the U.S. delegation met with Leo on Monday, May 19.

After Leo was elected, becoming the first U.S.-born pope, Louis Prevost did several media interviews expressing his happiness for his brother and confidence in his leadership. Later, some media outlets found social media posts by Louis that also evidenced strong support for Trump and criticism of Democrats.

In an interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on May 12, Prevost responded to criticism he received in response to some of his derogatory comments about Democrats.

“I posted it and I wouldn’t have posted it if I didn’t kind of believe it,” Prevost said. “However, I had no idea that what was coming [Leo becoming pope] was coming this soon and I can tell you, since then, I’ve been very quiet, biting my tongue.”

“I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for [Leo]. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

When the U.S. delegation met with Leo, Vance handed Pope Leo a letter from Trump that invited the pontiff to the United States for a meeting at the White House. Leo said he would make the visit “at some point.”

Vance told Leo “we’ll pray for you” and said: “As you can probably imagine, in the United States the people are extremely excited.”

This story was updated on May 21, 2025, at 5:15 a.m. ET with the information that Trump and Louis Prevost had met.

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