VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christ crucified and risen has tamed and transfigured death with his love, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We are saddened, of course, when a loved one leaves us," the pope said in his homily Nov. 3, during a memorial Mass for Pope Francis and the world's cardinals and bishops who died over the past year.

"We are scandalized when a human being, especially a child, a 'little one,' a fragile person, is taken away by illness or, worse, by human violence," he said during the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

"As Christians, we are called to carry the weight of these crosses with Christ," he said. "But we are not sad like those who have no hope, because even the most tragic death cannot prevent our Lord from welcoming our soul into his arms and transforming our mortal body, even the most disfigured, into the image of his glorious body."

The worst form of death, he said, is "violent death that kills the innocent" and leaves people "disheartened, discouraged and desperate."

"How many people, how many 'little ones,' today suffer the trauma of this frightening death because it is disfigured by sin," Pope Leo said. God the Father does not want this form of death, "and he sent his Son into the world to free us from it." 

"The love of Christ crucified and risen has transfigured death: from enemy, He has made it sister, He has tamed it," he said. And in the face of death, we do not 'grieve like the rest who have no hope,'" he said.

For this reason, Christians do not call burial places "'necropolises,' meaning 'cities of the dead,' but 'cemeteries,' which literally means 'dormitories,' places where one rests, awaiting resurrection," Pope Leo said. As the psalmist prophesies (Ps 4:9): "In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, Lord, make me secure."

"With great affection," Pope Leo said, the Nov. 3 Mass was offered for the soul of Pope Francis, "who died after opening the Holy Door and imparting the Easter blessing to Rome and the world." Pope Francis died April 21, 2025, Easter Monday.

"Our beloved Pope Francis and our brother cardinals and bishops," he said, "have lived, witnessed and taught this new paschal hope. The Lord called them and appointed them as shepherds in his church, and through their ministry they -- to use the language of the Book of Daniel -- have led 'the many to justice.'"

"That is, they have guided them on the path of the Gospel with the wisdom that comes from Christ, who has become for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," Pope Leo said.

"May their souls be washed clean of every stain and may they shine like stars in the sky," he said. "And may their spiritual encouragement reach us, still pilgrims on earth, in the silence of prayer: 'for I shall again praise him, my savior and my God.'"

The booklet for the Mass listed the names and dates of death of Pope Francis, eight cardinals and 134 bishops who died over the past year.

Pope: Christians don't lose hope in the face of death

Pope Leo XIV prayed for deceased popes in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica the evening of the feast of All Souls' and the following morning, Nov. 3, celebrated a memorial Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for Pope Francis and all the cardinals and bishops...

WASHINGTON - On the weekend of December 13-14, the faithful will have the opportunity to support more than 21,000 elderly sisters, brothers and religious order priests. Coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), the annual collection taken up by participating (arch)dioceses helps provide critical financial assistance to eligible religious institutes caring for their retired members.

For decades, women and men religious have devoted their lives to service through countless Church ministries, often for little to no pay. Today, their communities face a severe gap between the rising cost of care and the limited resources available. In 2024, religious past the age of 70 outnumbered younger religious by nearly three to one, and only 4% of communities reporting to the NRRO said they were adequately funded for retirement.

Since 1988, the Retirement Fund for Religious has been a lifeline for our aging religious, but the need remains urgent. In 2024, the collection raised $28.1 million, while annual care costs for senior religious exceeded $1 billion. The average annual cost to care for senior religious, as reported by the NRRO, is $56,600 per person, with skilled nursing averaging $96,000. The typical Social Security benefit for a religious is just $9,090—less than half that of the average lay beneficiary. This gap underscores the critical importance of the national appeal.

“For decades, the faithful service of these religious has touched countless lives, including my own,” said NRRO director John Knutsen. “Through your generosity, we can help ensure they are cared for with the dignity they so rightly deserve while also living out the values of compassion and solidarity that unite us as disciples of Jesus.”

“Supporting our aging religious is a profound opportunity to show gratitude for their lifetime of service, and we hear all throughout the year how deeply thankful they are for that support,” he continues. 

Since its inception, the collection has distributed more than $1 billion to religious institutes across the U.S., supporting day-to-day care and helping religious communities build up their retirement funds. It also funds educational programs for eldercare and long-term retirement planning. Every gift makes a difference, providing retired religious with the care and dignity they deserve.

For more information, please visit retiredreligious.org.

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“We cannot turn a blind eye to the disparate treatment of refugees currently taking place,” the prelate said. “As exemptions are considered” to this year’s refugee ceiling of 7,500, “it is essential that they be applied consistently and without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin, in accordance with longstanding domestic and international norms.”

Bishop Seitz added:

Resettlement tainted by the perception of unjust discrimination is contrary to Catholic teaching and quintessential American values, grounded in our Constitution and refugee laws, including the equality of every person from the moment of their creation by God.

In 2021, Pope Francis was the principal consecrator and principal celebrant at the archbishop’s episcopal ordination Mass.

In recent years, the abbey—akin to a tiny diocese, with five parishes entrusted to its care—has faced serious abuse allegations. In 2024, an independent commission found “at least 67 cases of sexualized violence, mostly against minors, perpetrated by at least 30 religious” since 1960; the Swiss government, citing the allegations, took control of the abbey’s school.

In addition, Abbot Jean César Scarcella, who led the abbey from 2015 to July 2025, was accused of sexually harassing a teenager. His interim successor, Father Roland Jacquenoud, was then accused of having sexually abused an adult novice.

The theme, the dicastery stated in a press release, “recalls the motto chosen by the Holy Father for his Pontificate, ‘In Illo uno unum,’” as well as “the unity of believers in faith, based on the unity with Christ with the Father, and the consequent common mission of evangelization.”

At a recent interreligious peace conference in Rome, the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) denounced the world’s “culpable silence” about conflicts in his nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Many initiatives have been undertaken to address corruption among political leaders, including protests, prayer rallies, forums, education, and awareness-raising mobilizations,” CNA notes.

Pope Leo XIV received Presidents Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon and Naiqama Lalabalavu of Fiji in separate audiences on October 30.