In his keynote address at a meeting of the World Council of Religions for Peace, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople called for a “global alliance of conscience” to counter secular materialism, which he described as bankrupt and asphyxiating.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, told participants in the Istanbul meeting on July 29 that “we are not called” to “compose a new global religion of consensus. We are called, each from the standpoint of his faith, to constitute a global alliance of conscience, a prophetic testimony that will keep open the horizon of transcendence in a world threatened with asphyxiation within the confines of the material.”

“Our unity is not founded on what we believe in common, but on our common love for humanity and on our common reference to the mystery of the one God,” he added. “This is the only viable peace.”

At the conclusion of his July 30 general audience, Pope Leo XIV prayed for victims of the recent terrorist attack on a parish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“I renew my deep sorrow for the brutal terrorist attack that occurred during the night between 26 and 27 July in Komanda, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where over 40 Christians were killed in a church during a prayer vigil, and in their own homes,” Pope Leo told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“As I entrust the victims to God’s loving Mercy, I pray for the wounded and for Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution,” he added. “I urge those with local and international responsibility, to work together in order to prevent such tragedies.”

Following the conclusion of the welcoming Mass at the Jubilee of Youth—the largest event to date for the 2025 jubilee year—Pope Leo XIV offered an unexpected greeting to the 120,000 young pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“Let us walk together with our faith in Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo said. “We must also cry out for peace in the world. Let us all say, ‘We want peace in the world!’”

After the young people said, “We want peace in the world,” the Pope added, “Let us pray for peace. Let us pray for peace and be witnesses of the peace and reconciliation of Jesus Christ, the light that we are all seeking for today’s world.”

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, was the principal celebrant at the Mass.

Father Richard D’Souza, a Jesuit astronomer from India, has been appointed by Pope Leo to become director of the Vatican Observatory.

Father D’Souza, who has been on the staff of the Observatory since 2016 and has been superior of the Jesuit community there, will replace Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, who will complete his 10-year term as director in September.

Father D’Souza, who earned his doctorate from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Munich, specializes in the formation of galaxies.

“This is a situation not worthy of a great nation,” says Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, speaking of conflicts arising over the enforcement of immigration laws.

Following up on his announcement that the archdiocese was establishing a new program to help immigrants in need, the archbishop said that there is “a climate of fear an uncertainty throughout our parishes and neighborhoods.” He said that the conflict is damaging the city’s historic identity, saying:

Los Angeles has been a city of welcome, generously opening its doors to migrants and refugees from every part of the world. This diversity of cultures, traditions, experiences, and languages is what gives this city its unique character and creative energy.

The Vatican has signed an agreement with the government of Italy to build an agrivoltaic plant on Vatican-owned land outside Rome.

The project—which will produce solar energy while preserving the agricultural use of the 1,000-acre site—will be located at Santa Maria di Galeria. The agrivoltaic plant will provide energy for Vatican City.

Santa Maria di Galeria was once the focus of a controversy between the Vatican and the Italian government, as local residents had complained of problems they attributed to the electro-magnetic waves produced by Vatican Radio transmitters on the site. The Vatican agreed to cut back the strength of the transmissions.

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Today is the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). In the year 1521 a cannon ball fractured the left leg of Captain Ignatius Loyola, the future founder of the Jesuits. While he was convalescing, Ignatius read about Christ and His saints and thus turned wholly to God. He then undertook to equip himself for Christ's service by acquiring a good classical and theological education. The members of the Society of Jesus became the shock troops of the Church in the battle against the spread of Protestantism in Europe, as well as one of the greatest foreign mission organizations that the world has known. Ignatius died on July 31, 1556.

“Every bit of the film is miraculous.”

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