In a message to the Archdiocese of Milan, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an occasion of solidarity and bridge-building between peoples and cultures.

A change is coming in 2026 for the pope’s top man in America. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, turns 80 Jan. 30, and he is widely expected to have his retirement accepted by Pope Leo XIV in the coming weeks.

Asked about the deadly shootings by U.S. federal agents in Minneapolis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the violence unfolding there is “unacceptable.”

The increasing number of people who do not see the Gospel as a fundamental resource for their life should inspire — not discourage — Catholics in rediscovering the joy of evangelization, Pope Leo XIV said.

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith opened the discastery’s Jan. 27-29 plenary session with a strong call for humility in thought, theology and online discourse.

The Word of God is not “fossilized,” but rather develops and grows in tradition, Pope Leo XIV said.

“I’ll only say that we must pray very much for peace.” Those were the words of Pope Leo XIV given in a brief statement to Italian television as he left Villa Barberini, his residence in Castel Gandolfo, where, as usual, he had spent his Tuesday both resting and working.

Pope Leo XIV called for an end to all antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution worldwide.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, concluded a two-day visit in Denmark with a meeting with the country’s king and foreign minister as tensions between Europe and the United States still loom.

Pope Leo XIV warned participants at a European conference on peacebuilding that the “spread of relativism” and reducing truth to a mere opinion undermine the moral foundations needed to build a lasting peace.