In an unsigned statement for a meeting of the UN Trade and Development organization (UNCTAD), the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva assessed the African economy.

Despite projected economic growth of 3.9% this year, Africa is experiencing “a polycrisis, linked to economic challenges, technological obstacles, and climate-related shocks,” according to the Holy See’s mission. The statement cited high debt-servicing costs and the effects of climate change; it also called for “technical assistance and capacity building to close the digital divide.”

The December papal prayer intention, disseminated by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer), is “let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.”

Papal prayer intentions are announced a year in advance and are customarily retained by the new Pontiff following his predecessor’s death.

A Vatican spokesman has written an editorial highlighting “the strength of littleness,” a concept emphasized by Pope Leo XIV during his November 28 prayer meeting in Istanbul’s cathedral with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers.

“When we look with God’s eyes, we discover that he has chosen the way of littleness, descending into our midst,” Pope Leo had said. “This is the way of the Lord, to which we are all called to bear witness ... This logic of littleness is the Church’s true strength.”

Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, commented: “This is the total reversal of all human logic, which can also infiltrate the Church when business-like logic prevails, when mission is reduced to marketing strategies, when the one proclaiming the Gospel puts themselves at the center as the protagonist rather than disappearing into the background so that the light of Christ can shine.”

Pope Leo XIV sent a message of encouragement to the Economy of Francesco, a group of young adult economists and entrepreneurs inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis, as they gathered in Rome for a three-day conference, “Restarting the Economy.”

“I urge you, so that your tireless work is not just social action and linked to passing fads, to nourish your spirit and return to your heart: the Gospels and other books of the Bible are the landscape in which God still makes his voice heard and inspires our visions, putting us in dialogue with his friends, the protagonists of the history of salvation,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated November 26 and released two days later. “You will be good businesspeople and good economists if you know the divine economy in this way: it is the secret of so many witnesses who have gone before us and who still walk with us.”

The Roman Martyrology commemorates today the St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld (1858-1916), a French Catholic religious and priest, who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for the protection of the Tuareg, and is a martyr. His inspiration and writings led to the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus among other religious congregations. He was beatified on November 13, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI, and canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022.

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