In a frescoed hall of a building housing the Catholic Church’s highest courts, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. spoke about faith, mercy, tradition and hope.

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.

For members of religious orders, obedience is “an act of love” and a powerful witness to the world of how gestures of selflessness are needed to build true community, Pope Leo said.

Pope Leo XIV turned 70 on Sept. 14, and more than 2 million prayers and works from 72 countries around the world were offered for him for the occasion through an OSV News-organized initiative, making up one very special “spiritual birthday bouquet” of prayer, love and support.

Pope Leo XIV said a proposal to create an AI-version of him so people could have a virtual audience with the pope pretty much horrified him.

Clerical sexual abuse continues to be “a real crisis,” one that the Catholic Church still must learn to deal with, particularly in improving the way it helps survivors while also ensuring the rights of the accused are respected, Pope Leo XIV said.

In an overly frenetic world, the Gospel teaches the importance of stopping, resting and trusting in the Lord, Pope Leo XIV said.

Religion, at its core, is not a source of conflict but a source of healing and reconciliation, Pope Leo XIV said.

As tens of thousands of Palestinians were fleeing their homes as Israel launched a major new ground offensive in Gaza City, Pope Leo XIV expressed his “profound closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Pope Leo XIV praised the late Duchess of Kent, who joined the Catholic Church in 1994, for her “Christian goodness” and her many years of charity work and care for vulnerable people.