“In a time when communication is ever faster and more global, offering immediate and reliable access to information on the life of the Church—with certified data—means putting technology at the service of the ecclesial mission,” said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. “It is a sign of attentiveness, transparency, and responsibility towards the Catholic community and towards all those who seek to understand the reality of the Church in the world.”

On December 8, he visited Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, the site of a brutal Islamist insurgency. “The Holy Father does not forget Cabo Delgado,” Cardinal Parolin said.

Mozambique, a Southeast African nation of 33.4 million (map), is 58% Christian (31% Catholic), 18% Muslim, and 24% ethnic religionist. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2019.

The Pontiff expressed hope that the “seeds of faith, knowledge, and service that were planted a century ago will continue to bear fruit for future generations.”

The blood of the three missionary priests “was not shed to serve personal plans or ideas, but as a unique offering of love to the Lord and to his people,” Pope Leo wrote. “Their martyrdom shows us—with the authority of life given—what true communion is.”

“As we face the pastoral and cultural challenges confronting the Church, their memory asks us to take a decisive step: to return to Jesus Christ as the measure of our choices, our words and our priorities,” the Pope added.

“Frequent participation in the Holy Masses of Rorate may help, especially children and young people, to develop the virtue of hope in anticipation of Holy Christmas,” Pope Leo told Polish-speaking pilgrims.

The Holy See Press Office did not include these words of the Pope in its English translation of his remarks.

“In the decades following Vatican II, its effects have been the subject of ideological debate and controversy—many of them still unresolved—between those who blame the Council for the Church’s crisis and for dechristianization, and those who believe the answer lies in adapting to the world,” Tornielli wrote.

A central insight of the Council, he added, is that “the Church does not shine with its own light; it does not radiate a light of its own; it is not the source of the proclamation. The Church can only seek to be transparent—allowing the light of Christ to pass through and shimmer.”

In the tenth special jubilee audience of 2025, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Alberto Marvelli (1918-1946).