As fall begins, Catholics are watching closely for Pope Leo XIV’s first major Vatican appointments. One of the most urgent vacancies to fill is his own former role — prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

When people hit “rock bottom,” they can be confident that God is there ready to rescue and redeem them, Pope Leo XIV said.

Pope Leo XIV asked Catholics to pray the rosary each day in October for peace.

In its religious orders, the Catholic Church has an array of strong, courageous and generous women who care for the poor, defend peace and share the Gospel message of salvation in Christ, Pope Leo XIV said.

Pope Leo XIV prayed that the leaders of nations would use money and resources to promote the common good rather than using “wealth against humanity” by “turning it into weapons that destroy peoples or monopolies that humiliate workers.”

Pope Leo XIV Sept. 20 told those suffering with ALS and their families, who have been “given a very difficult burden to bear,” that he is praying for them.

As the Jewish community was about to mark the beginning of the year 5786 and the Jewish high holy days, Pope Leo XIV sent his best wishes to Rome’s chief rabbi.

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.