NATION/WORLD

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV prayed that the leaders of nations would use money and resources to promote the common good rather than using "wealth against humanity" by "turning it into weapons that destroy peoples or monopolies that humiliate workers." "Whoever serves God becomes free from wealth; but whoever serves wealth remains its slave," the pope said Sept. 21 in his homily in the Vatican's parish Church of St. Anne. "Whoever seeks justice transforms wealth into the common good," the pope said, and "whoever seeks domination turns the common good into prey for their own greed."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The strength of families and their ability to thrive and witness as a "domestic church" require support from the wider church and from governments, particularly in the face of poverty, Pope Leo XIV said. "We are aware that today there are real threats to the dignity of the family such as poverty, lack of employment, lack of access to health care, abuse of the most vulnerable, migration and wars," the pope told a group of Latin American church representatives Sept. 19. The Latin American bishops' council, the Pontifical Academy for Life and the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences brought the representatives to Rome Sept. 17-19 for a shared Jubilee Year reflection on "the future of life and the family" in Latin America.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Crying out to God during moments of extreme trial does not mark a crisis of faith but can reflect an act of total surrender to and enduring trust in God, Pope Leo XIV said. "In the journey of life, there are moments in which keeping something inside can slowly consume us," the pope told thousands of people huddled under umbrellas or dressed in rain gear in St. Peter's Square Sept. 10 for his weekly general audience. "Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to cry out, as long as it is sincere, humble, addressed to the Father," he said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a Jubilee year dedicated to hope, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders will commemorate "new martyrs and witnesses of the faith" -- people whose lives were signs of hope to the people around them and who died firm in the hope of being welcomed into God's presence, said the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Archbishop Fabio Fabene, dicastery secretary, told reporters Sept. 8, "Pope Leo hopes the blood of these martyrs will be seeds of peace, reconciliation, fraternity and love."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The greatest risk in life is to waste it by not seeking to follow God's plan, Pope Leo XIV said, proclaiming two new saints -- two young laymen of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upward and make them masterpieces," the pope said Sept. 7. "The simple but winning formula of their holiness," he said, is accessible to everyone at any time. "They encourage us with their words: 'Not I, but God,' as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: 'If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.'"

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City spilled over with thousands of spectators on Sunday, Sept. 7 as Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis — the first canonization of Pope Leo’s pontificate. Local Catholic, Christine Minch of Mesa, Ariz., was in Rome during the canonization. She was part of the crowd that waited in line for several hours before the doors opened in the early morning, and she found seats in the center third row, where she experienced the two-hour Mass.

ROME (CNS) -- Twelve years after ending two terms as prior general of the Augustinian order, Pope Leo XIV encouraged his confreres in the order to pray to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of listening, being humble and promoting unity. Presiding at a Mass of the Holy Spirit Sept. 1 to open the order's general chapter meeting, the pope had a prepared homily in Italian but chose to speak first in English." For those of you who understand English but don't understand Italian," he said, "pray for a gift of the Holy Spirit."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Participating in the ecumenical Season of Creation, Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the month of September is "for our relationship with all of creation."In his monthly video, distributed Sept. 2 by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Leo prays to God: "Help us to discover your presence in all creation, so that, in fully recognizing it, we may feel and know ourselves to be responsible for this common home where you invite us to care for, respect and protect life in all its forms and possibilities." The Season of Creation, a time of Christian prayer and commitment to safeguarding the earth, runs from Sept. 1 through the Oct. 4 feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Jesus described the path to salvation as a "narrow gate," he was not placing limits on God's mercy but was challenging people who were convinced they had done enough to be saved, Pope Leo XIV said. "The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters," the pope told visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square Aug. 24 for the recitation of the Angelus prayer.