Daily Readings

An annual forum on artificial intelligence held in Rome this week aimed to foster a new interdisciplinary community dedicated to supporting the development of AI products that serve the Church’s mission.The Builders AI Forum, held Nov. 5–6 at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was centered on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and brought together companies ... read more

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT — Pope Leo came to the back of the plane on Friday to greet approximately 80 journalists traveling with him to South America. He got a bunch of questions in return, most of which he answered.The pope usually pays a visit to the journalist’s section on the outbound flight of an ... read more

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV arrived in South America on Nov. 6, kicking off an 11-day trip that will take him from the continent’s Southern Cone to the highlands of the Andes and Amazon rainforest.The papal flight landed in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, at 4:17 p.m. local time (2:17 p.m. ET). Leo was ... read more

South Korean Catholic organizers have announced the principal venues for World Youth Day Seoul 2027. Seoul World Cup Stadium will host the opening Mass, papal welcome ceremony, and Way of the Cross, while Seoul Airport in Seongnam, just outside the capital, will host the vigil and closing Mass.Organizers expect about 500,000 registered pilgrims, including 400,000 ... read more

Polandʼs Catholic bishops have asked the faithful to fast and do penance on Tuesday, Nov. 10, for social peace, national understanding, and reconciliation amid a political crisis over the Constitutional Tribunal.The Permanent Council of the Polish Bishops' Conference issued the appeal after an emergency meeting Wednesday in Warsaw. In a Nov. 4 statement ahead of ... read more

The shrines dedicated to the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, Our Lady of Luján, and Our Lady of Peace are part of Pope Leo XIV’s itinerary through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, respectively. Two of these devotions are linked to the history of South American independence, while the third was a source of inspiration for Robert Prevost ... read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, expressed his hope this week that the results of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections will foster future collaboration.The diplomat spoke on Nov. 5 on the sidelines of the conference “The Universal Face of the Church in China,” held at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. The elections ... read more

A newly-published book shares the stories of a veteran flight attendant who has traveled with popes St. John Paul II to Leo XIV.The book “Stories in Flight: 80 Years of Air Transport in Italy” recounts stories of flying with the popes from the perspective of veteran ITA Airways flight attendant Rino Anastasio. Anastasio, 67, has ... read more

MAKURDI, Nigeria — Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of Nigeria’s Diocese of Makurdi has faulted the government over persistent attacks in Benue state and other parts of the country, saying authorities have the capacity to end the violence but lack the political will.In a Nov. 3 interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News ... read more

Catholic members of the U.S. military and their families are set to gather in northern Virginia Nov. 9–11 for the first conference of its kind hosted by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the archdiocese, spoke about the inaugural Catholic Military Conference in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor ... read more

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Leonard of Limoges (d. 559). He was a hermit-abbot who was a convert of St. Remigius. He was a French courtier offered a bishopric, but became a recluse at Micy, France. He then lived at Limoges, France, and he was given land by the royal court on which he founded ... read more

After Democrats won every major statewide office in Tuesday’s midterm elections and gained a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, Texas’ Catholic bishops offered prayers for the winners and continued to emphasize public policy priorities aligned with Catholic social teaching.In a Nov. 5 message, the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops congratulated the winners, telling ... read more

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday appointed two new undersecretaries to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development — a priest from Angola and a laywoman from Chile — completing a change in leadership at the dicastery that began Sept. 1.The pontiff on Nov. 5 named Father Avelino Chicoma Bundo Chico, SJ, and Claudia Leal Luna ... read more

VATICAN CITY — Hope in the resurrection and the communion of saints are the two truths “that illuminate our prayer for the deceased,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily Thursday at Mass offered for the repose of the cardinals and bishops who have died during the past year.It is customary for the popes to ... read more

As a neutral territory, Vatican City was largely spared from major bombing during World War II, while Rome was the target of raids by both Allied and Axis forces during Nazi Germany’s occupation of the city.Except for one autumn night, around 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, 1943, when an unidentified plane dropped five bombs on ... read more