Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster presided on September 16 at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent, Katharine Worsley, who became the first member of the British royal family to receive a Catholic funeral since King Charles II in 1685.

King Charles III attended the Requiem Mass, as did his heir, Prince William of Wales, with his wife Kate.

Pope Leo XIV sent a message that was read at the service, offering his condolences to “Your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family, and especially to her husband, the Duke of Kent, and their children and grandchildren.”

The Duchess of Kent, a convert to Catholicism, died on September 4 at the age of 92.

Addressing participants in the jubilee pilgrimage of the dioceses of Umbria, Pope Leo XIV hailed the Italian region’s heritage of holiness and natural beauty.

“You are surrounded by it [beauty], in various ways: appreciate it, love it, let it speak to you of God, and in turn become its proclaimers,” Pope Leo said to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica. “I invite you to live this Eucharist in the same way: free, united, attentive, in awe, and ready to set out from the Altar as missionaries of love and peace.”

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Today's Memorial of Saints Cornelius (d. 253) and Cyprian (190-258) commemorates two friends in the service of Christ and his Church. Cornelius, a Roman, was the twenty-first Pope during the reign of the Emperor Gallus and Volusian. He had to oppose Novatian, the first anti-pope, who believed that apostates who repented could not be forgiven. Helped by St. Cyprian, Cornelius confirmed his papal authority. He was beheaded in exile at Civitavecchia, Italy in 253. Saints Cyprian and Cornelius are mentioned in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) of the Mass.

"I’m going to Mass tomorrow for the first time in many years. What happened to Charlie Kirk has shaken me in ways I don’t fully understand.”

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the “first among equals” of the world’s Orthodox primates, met with President Donald Trump at the White House on September 15.

Patriarch Bartholomew said that he had spoken with Turmp about the “the difficulties, the persecutions” that Christians face in Turkey, and more generally about the declining Christian presence in the Middle East. He also spoke about the war in Ukraine, describing “these tragic events that wound the conscience of humanity.”

The Vatican press office has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV spoke of his prayers for Charlie Kirk and his family during a meeting on Saturday with the new US ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch.

Matteo Bruni, the Vatican spokesman, said that in the same meeting with the American envoy the Pontiff “spoke of the need to refrain from rhetoric and instrumentalization that lead to polarization rather than dialogue.”

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“Most Merciful Mother, remind us always about the Sorrows of your Son, Jesus."