Category: Diocese of Scranton News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The day after his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV had a closed-door meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican.

The vice president also met May 19 with Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, after meeting with the pope, a Vatican statement said.

The Vatican press office released a communique outlining only what general themes were discussed during the “cordial talks held at the Secretariat of State.” The two parties expressed their satisfaction with the “good bilateral relations” between them, and “the collaboration between church and state was discussed, as well as some matters of special relevance to ecclesial life and religious freedom.”

“Finally, there was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” the Vatican said.

According to the office of Vice President Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present for a portion of the closed-door meeting with the pope after Vance’s one-on-one.

The two U.S. leaders were then joined by their spouses and the larger U.S. delegation for photos and an exchange of gifts. One of the gifts from the U.S. delegation was a navy blue and orange jersey from the Chicago Bears football team with “Pope Leo XIV” written on the back. The new pope was born in Chicago.

The papal audience lasted 45 minutes, according to the vice president’s office.

Vance and Rubio were in Rome to represent the United States at Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square May 18. They were accompanied by their spouses and senior White House aides at the Mass, which drew more than 200,000 people.

Later May 18 Vance and Rubio also met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also was in Rome for the pope’s inaugural Mass.

In a post on X, Vance said, “Our countries share the goal of ending unnecessary bloodshed in Ukraine, and we discussed updates on the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife May 18, their second encounter of the day.

In fact, when the pope welcomed the president to his office attached to the Paul VI Audience Hall, a Vatican video clip included Pope Leo telling the president, “Nice to see you again.”

And, when the two sat down at the pope’s desk, the pope said, “Thank you for your patience,” apparently in reference to the time between the end of the pope’s inauguration Mass, when he greeted Zelenskyy and other government leaders, and the start of their private meeting.

The Vatican press office said it did not have a statement about the meeting, but Zelenskyy thanked the pope in a posting on X.

“For millions of people around the world, the Pontiff is a symbol of hope for peace. The authority and voice of the Holy See can play an important role in bringing this war to an end,” Zelenskyy posted.

“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to serve as a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “We are ready for dialogue in any format for the sake of tangible results. We appreciate the support for Ukraine and the clear voice in defense of a just and lasting peace.”

Pope Leo and Zelenskyy had spoken by telephone May 12, and Pope Leo already has prayed publicly for the Ukrainian people several times, calling for “a just and lasting peace.”

The Vatican also offered to host direct discussions between Ukrainian and Russian representatives.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, had told reporters on the sidelines of a conference May 16 at the Augustinian Institute in Rome that the failure of planned talks May 15 in Istanbul was “tragic.”

“We had hoped a process, even if slow, could be started” to reach a peaceful end to the conflict, the cardinal said. “It seems like we are starting over again.”

As for a Vatican mediation offer, Cardinal Parolin said that the Vatican has said it is available as a place for representatives of Russia and Ukraine to meet. “This is what we are aiming for, where we hope to get to: that the two sides meet and begin direct negotiations. At least that they start speaking to each other.”

Zelenskyy, who met in Rome with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after meeting the pope, said he also spoke to them of the importance of serious negotiations with Russia.

Referring to his meeting with the U.S. officials, Zelenskyy said on X: “During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange,” Zelenskyy’s post continued. “Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace.”

The Ukrainian president also thanked “all American people for the support and leadership in saving lives.”

Rubio had met May 17 with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Pope Francis’ envoy for peace in Ukraine. The cardinal particularly has been working to facilitate the exchange of prisoners of war and the return to Ukraine of children forcibly taken to Russia.

“We thank the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in this process,” Rubio told reporters after the meeting. He said he would not describe the Vatican’s position as an offer to “broker” a peace deal, “but it certainly is a place that I think both sides would be comfortable” coming to.

“We are grateful for their longstanding efforts, not simply on trying to broker peace but on the exchange of prisoners,” Rubio said, adding that “there are children who have been taken from their homes that the Ukrainians would like to see returned, and the Holy See has been very involved in that regard.”

(OSV News) – This is the full text in English of the homily given by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square during the Mass of Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry May 18, 2025. The homily was delivered originally in Italian.

***

Dear brother cardinals, brother bishops and priests, distinguished authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, brothers and sisters — I greet all of you with a heart full of gratitude at the beginning of the ministry that has been entrusted to me. St. Augustine wrote: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (Confessions, I: 1,1).

In these days, we have experienced intense emotions. The death of Pope Francis filled our hearts with sadness. In those difficult hours, we felt like the crowds that the Gospel says were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Yet on Easter Sunday, we received his final blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we experienced the days that followed in the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, but gathers them when they are scattered and guards them “as a shepherd guards his flock” (Jer 31:10).

In this spirit of faith, the College of Cardinals met for the conclave. Coming from different backgrounds and experiences, we placed in God’s hands our desire to elect the new Successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, a shepherd capable of preserving the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, looking to the future, in order to confront the questions, concerns and challenges of today’s world. Accompanied by your prayers, we could feel the working of the Holy Spirit, who was able to bring us into harmony, like musical instruments, so that our heartstrings could vibrate in a single melody.

I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family. Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus.

We see this in today’s Gospel, which takes us to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began the mission he received from the Father: to be a “fisher” of humanity in order to draw it up from the waters of evil and death. Walking along the shore, he had called Peter and the other first disciples to be, like him, “fishers of men.” Now, after the resurrection, it is up to them to carry on this mission, to cast their nets again and again, to bring the hope of the Gospel into the “waters” of the world, to sail the seas of life so that all may experience God’s embrace.

How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is possible only because his own life was touched by the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of his failure and denial. For this reason, when Jesus addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapáo, which refers to the love that God has for us, to the offering of himself without reserve and without calculation. Whereas the verb used in Peter’s response describes the love of friendship that we have for one another.

Consequently, when Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:16), he is referring to the love of the Father. It is as if Jesus said to him, “Only if you have known and experienced this love of God, which never fails, will you be able to feed my lambs. Only in the love of God the Father will you be able to love your brothers and sisters with that same ‘more,’ that is, by offering your life for your brothers and sisters.”

Peter is thus entrusted with the task of “loving more” and giving his life for the flock. The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.

The Apostle Peter himself tells us that Jesus “is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, and has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). Moreover, if the rock is Christ, Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him (cf. 1 Pet 5:3). On the contrary, he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and to walk alongside them, for all of us are “living stones” (1 Pet 2:5), called through our baptism to build God’s house in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the Spirit, in the coexistence of diversity. In the words of St. Augustine: “The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and sisters and who love their neighbor” (Serm. 359,9).

Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world. In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one. This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!

This is the missionary spirit that must animate us; not closing ourselves off in our small groups, nor feeling superior to the world. We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.

Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love! The heart of the Gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters. With my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: If this criterion “were to prevail in the world, would not every conflict cease and peace return?” (Rerum Novarum, 21).

With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the Word, allows itself to be made “restless” by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity.

Together, as one people, as brothers and sisters, let us walk towards God and love one another.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for “a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest,” the new pope said in his homily during his inauguration Mass May 18.

“For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world,” he told the estimated 150,000 people gathered in and around St. Peter’s Square. “We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: ‘In the one Christ, we are one.'”

A version of the quote from St. Augustine is the pope’s episcopal motto and is featured on his coat of arms.

Ecumenical and interreligious guests and more than 100 government delegations joined the new pope for Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The United States was represented by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accompanied by their spouses and senior White House aides.

Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, visited Pope Francis’ tomb in the Basilica of St. Mary Major the evening before the Mass. “He was beloved by many Catholics around the world, and I hope you will join me in praying for the repose of his soul,” he wrote in a post on X.

Among the Christian leaders present was Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, along with other delegations from the Orthodox churches, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and various evangelical and Pentecostal communities. Representatives of the Jewish community as well as Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian and Jain traditions also were in attendance.

Before the Mass began, Pope Leo rode through the square in the popemobile for the first time since his election May 8, greeting the faithful as cheers of “Viva il papa!” (“Long live the pope!’) poured out from the crowd. He then entered the basilica to pray at the tomb of St. Peter, accompanied by patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches.

Following the Gospel reading, three cardinals from the different orders within the College of Cardinals took part in the formal beginning of the Petrine ministry: Italian Cardinal Mario Zenari placed the woolen pallium on the pope’s shoulders, symbolizing his role as shepherd of the universal church; Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presented him with the fisherman’s ring, evoking St. Peter’s mission to draw people into Christ’s net; and Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo offered a prayer invoking the strength of the Holy Spirit for the new pontificate.

Representing the universal church, 12 people — clergy, religious and laity from around the world — then came forward to offer their obedience to the new pope.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading from St. John — in which Jesus asks St. Peter three times to tend to his sheep — Pope Leo said in his homily that the ministry of Peter is rooted not in authority for its own sake, but in love that serves and unites.

“Peter is thus entrusted with the task of ‘loving more’ and giving his life for the flock,” he said. “The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ.”

The successor of St. Peter, he said, “must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation to be an autocrat, lording it over those entrusted to him.” Instead, “he is called to serve the faith of his brothers and sisters, and to walk alongside them.”

Pope Leo also recalled the period of mourning following the death of Pope Francis, and he said that the conclave that followed the late pope’s death was “a moment of grace.”

“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family,” he said.

“With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary church that opens its arms to the world,” he said, calling for a church that “proclaims the word, allows itself to be made ‘restless’ by history and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity.”

At the end of Mass, the pope called for prayers for regions afflicted by war: Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine, which “finally awaits negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present for the Mass and was to have a private meeting with the pope later in the day, the Vatican press office said.

Immediately after the Mass, Pope Leo met with several government representatives including Vance and Rubio, as well as Peruvian President Dina Boluarte. The pope had spent more than 20 years in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop and has Peruvian citizenship.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.

The “Mass for the Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry,” to be held in St. Peter’s Square, will mark the visible and public start of his pontificate while grounding it in the Catholic Church’s apostolic continuity.

Although the pope’s canonical authority began the moment he accepted his election in the Sistine Chapel May 8, the installation Mass offers the universal church a moment of shared prayer and liturgical celebration to begin the pontificate.

The morning Mass will begin with a ride through St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile. But then the pope will enter the St. Peter’s Basilica and proceed to the tomb of St. Peter, where, joined by the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches, he will pause for prayer.

The symbols of the papal office — the pallium, the fisherman’s ring and the Book of the Gospels — will have been placed there in advance, close to the remains of the apostle whose faith and martyrdom consecrated the church of Rome. Deacons then carry the objects into the square as part of the procession.

After the moment of prayer, the pope will join the main procession outside, and the liturgical celebration will begin at the altar set up on the steps of the basilica. The Mass will feature the singing of the “Laudes Regiae,” an ancient litany invoking the assistance of Christ and the saints. The chant, together with the readings and prayers, frame the new pope’s ministry within the communion of the church and the continuity of faith.

The Liturgy of the Word will include readings that recall St. Peter’s call and mission, culminating in the account from St. John’s Gospel in which the risen Christ tells St. Peter three times to tend to his sheep.

After the proclamation of the Gospel and before the pope’s homily are the formal rites of installation, which take place in full view of the gathered faithful.

The rites include the imposition of the pallium, conferred by a cardinal deacon, and the presentation of the fisherman’s ring, given to the new pope by a cardinal bishop. A third cardinal, from the order of cardinal priests, will offer a solemn prayer invoking the Holy Spirit’s strength for the pope’s mission.

The pallium, a white woolen band embroidered with black crosses, represents the Good Shepherd who carries his sheep. It is worn by metropolitan archbishops and, in a particular way, by the bishop of Rome as a sign of his pastoral responsibility over the universal church. The fisherman’s ring, bearing the image of St. Peter casting his nets, symbolizes the pope’s role as successor to St. Peter and herald of the Gospel.

Following these rites, the pope will receive the gesture of obedience from 12 representatives of the people of God — both clergy and laypeople — from various parts of the world who reflect the diversity and unity of the church.

According to the liturgical program for the Mass released by the Vatican, the rites specific to the Petrine office have been carefully structured to precede the Eucharistic prayer, in keeping with reforms introduced under Pope Benedict XVI in 2013. This structure allows the distinctive symbols of the papal office to be celebrated in a dedicated moment, without interrupting the central structure of the Mass.

The Eucharistic prayer will follow, and the faithful will offer intercessions in multiple languages for the pope, the church, civil authorities, the suffering and the entire world. The Mass will conclude with the “Regina Coeli,” prayed publicly in the square.

After the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV is expected to return inside the basilica to greet the heads of state and religious delegations assembled for the occasion. This greeting, conducted in the nave of the basilica in front of the Altar of the Confession, is not part of the liturgy but is an act of diplomatic and ecumenical respect. No bilateral meetings are expected to follow. The pope is not expected to pass among the faithful in the popemobile after the Mass.

While the specific guests and delegations had not all been announced as of May 16, representatives of Christian churches, other religions and government leaders were expected to attend the Mass.

In the days following the installation Mass, Pope Leo will visit the major papal basilicas of Rome. He is scheduled to take possession of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls May 20; on May 25 he will take possession of the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While Pope Leo XIV has deleted the account he began as Father Robert F. Prevost on Twitter, now X, in 2011, the Vatican has launched new accounts for him on X and Instagram.

“The Holy Father Leo XIV has chosen to maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram,” said the Dicastery for Communication.

The first post on the “Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex” account on X was released May 14 and was a quote from his inaugural greeting to the public May 8 when he was elected:

“Peace be with you all! This is the first greeting spoken by the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd. I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, and among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world.”

His first papal Instagram post featured the same quotation — in seven languages — alongside a photo of him greeting the crowd May 8 from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The @Franciscus account on Instagram, which has been archived, had more than 10 million followers.

The new @pontifex Instagram account of Pope Leo XIV had more than 13 million followers by May 16.

The number of followers on the English language X account had reached 18.6 million by May 16.

The Dicastery for Communication, which runs the accounts for the pope, said May 13 that while the Instagram account was new, Pope Leo “inherited the @Pontifex accounts on X that were used by Pope Francis, and before that by Pope Benedict XVI.”

The nine X accounts – in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic and Latin – have more than 52 million followers when combined.

The dicastery said the @Franciscus Instagram account would remain accessible online “as an ‘Ad Memoriam’ commemorative archive,” and the X tweets posted during the pontificate of Pope Francis will be available soon in an archive on the Vatican website.

Pope Benedict XVI launched the Twitter account in 2012, and the official Instagram account, @Franciscus, was added in 2016.

“Pope Francis’ presence on social media was significant. Around 50,000 posts were published across the @Pontifex and @Franciscus accounts, offering near-daily accompaniment throughout Pope Francis’ pontificate with short messages of an evangelical nature and exhortations in favor of peace, social justice and care for creation,” the dicastery said.

“The papal accounts stimulated widespread interaction, especially in difficult times,” the dicastery said. “In 2020, a year with exceptional data due to the pandemic, the late Pope’s messages were viewed 27 billion times.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Catholic Church wants to reach out and embrace all people who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace, Pope Leo XIV said in his first meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

“The church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding,” he said. “Yet truth can never be separated from charity, which always has at its root a concern for the life and well-being of every man and woman.”

Because truth is an encounter with the person of Christ who is “alive in the midst of the community of believers,” he said, “truth then, does not create division, but rather enables us to confront all the more resolutely the challenges of our time, such as migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the protection of our beloved planet Earth.”

In his May 16 speech to diplomats in the Clementine Hall, Pope Leo said, “Religions and interreligious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace.”

Therefore, “full respect for religious freedom in every country” is necessary since “it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring about the purification of the heart necessary for building peaceful relationships” without religious experience, he said.

Every person is called to “begin to eliminate the root causes of all conflicts and every destructive urge for conquest,” he said. “It demands a genuine willingness to engage in dialogue, inspired by the desire to communicate rather than clash.”

So, “new life” must be given to multilateral diplomacy and international institutions tasked with remedying disputes within the international community, he said. There must also be a move to stop the production of “instruments of destruction and death.”

The pope highlighted the purpose of “papal diplomacy,” saying, “The Holy See is inspired by a pastoral outreach that leads it not to seek privileges but to strengthen its evangelical mission at the service of humanity.”

“Resisting all forms of indifference, it appeals to consciences, as witnessed by the constant efforts of my venerable predecessor, ever attentive to the cry of the poor, the needy and the marginalized, as well as to contemporary challenges, ranging from the protection of creation to artificial intelligence,” he said.

“The pillars of the church’s missionary activity and the aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy,” he said, are peace, justice and truth.

Peace is “an active and demanding gift” that “engages and challenges each of us,” starting with working on oneself, he said.

“Peace is built in the heart and from the heart, by eliminating pride and vindictiveness and carefully choosing our words. For words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill,” Pope Leo said.

“Working for peace requires acting justly,” he said, and the Vatican will not fail “to make its voice heard in the face of the many imbalances and injustices that lead, not least, to unworthy working conditions and increasingly fragmented and conflict-ridden societies.”

“It is the responsibility of government leaders to work to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies,” he said. “This can be achieved above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman.”

Also, he said, “no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike.”

Pope Leo, the first pope from the United States, said he is “a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate.” Anyone can end up being “healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country” in life, and yet their human dignity always remains unchanged.

The third “pillar” of the church’s mission, he said, is truth.

“Truly peaceful relationships cannot be built, also within the international community, apart from truth,” he said. Where “ambiguous and ambivalent” words and “the virtual world, with its altered perception of reality, takes over unchecked, it is difficult to build authentic relationships, since the objective and real premises of communication are lacking.”

The Catholic Church will always seek to speak the truth and dedicate itself to lovingly serving others and protecting the life and well-being of everyone, he said.

Currently, 184 countries have full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Pope Leo said it was “a gift” to see representatives from so many different nations attending the audience, demonstrating “a visible sign of your countries’ respect for the Apostolic See.”

“It allows me to renew the church’s aspiration — and my own — to reach out and embrace all individuals and peoples on the Earth, who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace!” he said.

“I intend to strengthen understanding and dialogue with you and with your countries, many of which I have already had the grace to visit, especially during my time as prior general of the Augustinians,” Pope Leo said.

He said he hoped there would be more occasions to get to know their countries and “to confirm in the faith our many brothers and sisters throughout the world and to build new bridges with all people of goodwill.”

The Jubilee Year dedicated to hope, he said, “is a time of conversion and renewal and, above all, an opportunity to leave conflicts behind and embark on a new path, confident that, by working together,” each person can help “build a world in which everyone can lead an authentically human life in truth, justice and peace.”

“It is my hope that this will be the case everywhere, starting with those places that suffer most grievously, like Ukraine and the Holy Land,” he said, thanking the diplomats for the work they do “to build bridges between your countries and the Holy See.”

SCRANTON – The faithful of the Diocese of Scranton are invited to attend the Diaconate Ordination Mass for seminarian Jan Carlo Perez on May 24, 2025.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will celebrate the 10:00 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, 315 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton.

The celebration will be broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel, and all over Diocesan social media platforms.

“Ordination to the Diaconate is a very important event in the life of the Diocese,” Bishop Bambera said in announcing the Ordination Mass. “I sincerely hope that your schedule will permit you to attend this special celebration.”

Perez’s home parish is Saint Matthew Parish in East Stroudsburg. He has been studying at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore.

As he prepares for his ordination to the diaconate, Perez has spent a lot of time praying and reflecting on the promises he will make during the Mass. Those promises include celibacy, obedience to the Diocesan Bishop, and increasing his prayer life by praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

“One of the promises is to continue configuring myself to Christ and that is really all I want,” Perez said. “I want to be more like Jesus. I want to be Jesus for other people.”

On May 24, Perez will be ordained as a transition deacon, which generally occurs after a seminarian has completed at least three years of study in theology and takes place usually one year prior to priestly ordination. A transitional deacon can be an ordinary minister of Baptism, and will be able to preside at weddings, assist the priest at Mass, proclaim the Gospel and preach, as well as preside at wakes and funeral services.

Perez is already looking forward to serving the People of God.

“There’s a need for Hispanic ministry. I think there’s a need for scripture study and I want to help people come to a deeper understanding of their faith, to trust in Jesus more, to trust in God more, and to live out this mystery that God has given to us,” Perez explained.

Perez said his vocation was “born” on the altar of Saint Matthew’s Parish because he often would attend Eucharistic Adoration after school on weekdays.

“It was only when I was 15 or 16 that I began to come to faith and know Jesus especially through the Scriptures and through His saints. It was through the example of certain saints, like Saint Padre Pio, that I really began to desire the priesthood,” he added.

Perez also points to an eight day silent retreat as being very important to his formation.

“I think I left those eight days a different person. God really revealed himself to be my father that loves me and cares for me,” Perez said about his experience. “The image of God that I had in my mind was a false image. He was a lot more harsh and judgmental, possibly because that is who I am, but that is not who He is. In those eight day, He showed me how wrong I was.”