Even in countries with the strictest separation of church and state, being a Christian means living and acting like one, Pope Leo XIV told a group of politicians and civic leaders from France.

Pope Leo has consistently turned his audience’s eyes to St. Augustine, the fifth-century bishop who continues to serve as a philosophical and theological heavyweight in Catholic thought.

Pope Leo XIV sent his “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness” to all those affected by the “terrible tragedy” of a shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 17 people injured.

Pope Leo XIV appealed to Israel and Hamas to stop the violence that has caused “so much terror, destruction and death.”

Christian hope is not about avoiding pain and suffering but about knowing that God gives people the strength to persevere and to love even when things go wrong, Pope Leo XIV said.

Two months after celebrating a new Mass “for the care of creation,” Pope Leo XIV will return to Castel Gandolfo to formally inaugurate Borgo Laudato Si’, a place of education, ecology and spirituality in the papal summer estate.

Pope Leo XIV’s first World Peace Day message will expand on the prayer he expressed the night of his election when addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Even though what is happening in Gaza is shocking and prospects for peace in Ukraine seem more complicated than ever, Catholics must continue praying and hoping, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

Pope Leo XIV will preside over his first canonization Mass Sept. 7, declaring the sainthood of two young Italians whose devotion to the Eucharist nourished a deep involvement in the cultures of their day.

Every Catholic at Mass, but especially the altar servers, should rejoice that they are in the presence of Jesus, Pope Leo XIV said.