Pope Leo XIV received Giuseppe Notarstefano, national president of Italian Catholic Action, on January 24. Following the meeting, the apostolate released a detailed statement on the audience.
“Attention focused on the Association’s commitment to peace, cooperation among peoples and the construction of relationships inspired by fraternity, in a time marked by conflicts,” according to the statement. A topic that “emerged forcefully” was “the responsibility of the laity to bear witness” to the Gospel amid the “challenges of our time.”
Catholic Action, a lay apostolate under the direction of the hierarchy, arose in the 1860s in response to anti-clericalism in Italy, the New Catholic Encyclopedia notes in its article on the movement.