NATION/WORLD

OSTIA LIDO, Italy (CNS) -- An authentic Christian community knows how to sincerely and joyfully welcome everyone: Catholics, non-Catholics and people of no faith at all, Pope Leo XIV said. "A true parish" is where "we all learn to say 'Welcome,' not only with words, but with a spirit of hospitality, opening the door and welcoming everyone," he said, speaking to members of the community during his first visit to a parish in his Diocese of Rome.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Warning against increased cases of "cyber-slavery," Pope Leo XIV said the violence of human trafficking can be overcome only by seeing every individual as a beloved child of God.A "particularly disturbing" offshoot in the world of trafficking is "the rise of so-called 'cyber slavery,' whereby individuals are lured into fraudulent schemes and criminal activities, such as online fraud and drug smuggling," he said in a written message released by the Vatican Feb. 6. "In such cases, the victim is coerced into assuming the role of perpetrator, exacerbating their spiritual wounds."The "logic of dominion and disregard for human life," geopolitical instability, armed conflicts and the widening gap between the rich and the poor all help fuel the horrors of human trafficking, he wrote for the 12th International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world's peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even amid conflict. "They remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder -- more eloquent than words -- of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions," he said Feb. 2 in his homily for Candlemas -- the feast of the Presentation of the Lord -- which also marks the Catholic Church's celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

ROME (CNS) -- All Christians are called to invite everyone to trust in Christ, who enlightens and consoles, Pope Leo XIV said."Every authentic encounter with the Lord is, in fact, a transformative moment that grants a new vision and a new direction for the task of building up the Body of Christ," the pope said as he closed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Every year, the week "invites us to renew our commitment to this great mission, bearing in mind that the divisions among us -- while they do not prevent the light of Christ from shining -- nonetheless make the face which must reflect it to the world less radiant," he said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People of faith and goodwill need to take time to acknowledge the needs and suffering of those around them and be moved by love and compassion to offer others concrete help, Pope Leo XIV said. "To love one's neighbor -- whom Jesus identifies as anyone who has need of us -- is within everyone's reach," he wrote in his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, observed by the church Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At a time when so much pressure and so many demands are placed on priests, they should find support, freedom and relief in recognizing the gifts of laypeople and collaborating with them, Pope Leo XIV said. "The ministry of the priest must move beyond the model of exclusive leadership, which leads to the centralization of pastoral activities and the burden of all responsibilities entrusted to him alone," the pope wrote in an apostolic letter titled, "A Fidelity that Generates the Future."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV asked children to pray in front of their Nativity scenes this Christmas and, especially, to pray "that all the world's children may live in peace. "Clutching their creche figurines of the baby Jesus, thousands of children gathered in St. Peter's Square Dec. 21 to have Pope Leo bless the little statues after the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Nativity scene and the Christmas tree are signs of faith and hope, Pope Leo XIV said. "As we contemplate them in our homes, parishes and town squares, let us ask the Lord to renew in us the gift of peace and fraternity," he said, calling for prayers for all those who suffer because of war and violence. "We must eliminate hatred from our hearts." The pope was speaking Dec. 15 during a meeting with the government representatives, artisans and donors responsible for providing the Christmas decorations in the Paul VI Audience Hall and in St. Peter's Square.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For the world's 1.4 billion Catholics and for millions of other people as well, the Catholic Church's 2025 was primarily about the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV. In fact, the Wikimedia Foundation announced Dec. 2 that "Deaths in 2025" -- an entry that includes Pope Francis -- was their second most-read entry during the year, and Pope Leo's biography was the fifth most-read article of the 7.1 million entries Wikipedia has in English.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christmas carols in every language and culture are expressions of how music can convey "feelings and emotions, even the deepest movements of the soul," Pope Leo XIV said after listening, clapping and singing along at the Vatican Christmas concert with the poor. "As the melodies touched our hearts, we felt the inestimable value of music: not a luxury for the few, but a divine gift accessible to everyone, rich and poor, learned and simple," the pope said Dec. 6 as he thanked Canadian singer Michael Bublé, Italian singer Serena Autieri and the choir of the Diocese of Rome.