In a December 10 speech introducing two exhibits by Brazilian artist Jonathas De Andrade, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça said that the artist shows “strength of prophetic aspiration,” as well as “the opportunity and complexity of the Church-World dialogue, religion and secularization, mystical dimension, and political commitment.”

“Jonathan de Andrade’s aim in ‘The Chapel of Liberation’ is not to validate a particular aesthetic or create a monument to a specific theological movement—namely, liberation theology, because monumentalizing is freezing time in an image—but rather to make us reflect on the social responsibility of Christians today, which will have different expressions than those of yesterday,” the cardinal added.

Pope Leo XIV received faculty and students of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology on December 11, the 100th anniversary of its establishment by Pope Pius XI, and said that Christian archaeology is its own specific discipline that can contribute to ecumenism, diplomacy, and evangelization.

The Pope, in turn, said that “he already has a lot of things on his calendar in 2026 and 2027, but that he will take [the invitation] into consideration,” according to the episcopal conference.

The Pope and the prelates also discussed Church-state relations, the sexual abuse crisis, and the current activities of the Polish episcopate.

Pope Leo XIV “commended Kazakhstan’s contribution to global peacebuilding,” The Astana Times reported. “According to him, Kazakhstan’s initiatives in interreligious dialogue reflect an important ‘commitment to peace and global well-being,’ and he reaffirmed the Holy See’s support for the congress and its mission.”

Äşimbaev also delivered an official invitation from the nation’s president to visit the central Asian nation.

The Pontiff delivered the homilies both before and after his resignation, between 2005 and 2017; all were delivered during Ordinary Time.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict’s private secretary and current apostolic nuncio to three Baltic nations, spoke at yesterday’s presentation of the book.

Pope Leo and the rabbis discussed the urgent need to combat anti-Semitism, according to the Jewish Community of Rome. The community described the “reciprocal respect” during the meeting as “profound.”

The Vatican newspaper warned that “over two million people across the [Gaza] Strip are now at risk not only of starvation but also of freezing.”

Debates over the filioque clause and papal infallibility “can be resolved in such a way that they no longer represent an obstacle” to union with the Orthodox churches, the German cardinal said, in an interview with Die Tagespost.

Cardinal Koch said that in pursuing ecumenical efforts, it is crucial to ask: “What unity do we actually want?” He said that some Protestant denominations hope for an accord in which all Christian communities recognize each other. “This,” he said, “is a completely different idea, which is incompatible with the Catholic view.”