VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laypeople who work in the Roman Curia are called to be a "sign of a new humanity," founded on mutual love and solidarity, not selfishness and individualism, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We are not mere gardeners tending our own plot, but disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, called in Christ to be leaven of universal fraternity among different peoples, religions and cultures," he told cardinals and top Curia officials Dec. 22 during a traditional pre-Christmas meeting with them.

"This happens if we ourselves live as brothers and sisters and allow the light of communion to shine in the world," the pope said. "Let us remember this also in our curial service: the work of each is important for the whole, and the witness of a Christian life, expressed in communion, is the first and greatest service we can offer." 

The traditional Christmas greeting took place in the Vatican's Hall of Blessing, which was decorated with red poinsettias and Christmas trees adorned with sparkling lights and silver and gold ornaments.

While previous popes used the pre-Christmas meeting to review the past year, Pope Leo continued Pope Francis' practice of using it as an opportunity to reflect on what can help or hinder the Curia's mission of sharing the Gospel. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, offered a brief summary of the past eight months of Pope Leo's ministry in his opening remarks.

Speaking in Italian, Pope Leo said he wanted to take a moment to remember Pope Francis, who passed away April 21 after 12 years as head of the universal church.

"His prophetic voice, pastoral style and rich magisterium have marked the church's journey in recent years, encouraging us above all to place God's mercy at the center, to give renewed impetus to evangelization, and to be a joyful church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest," the U.S.-born pope said.

Pope Leo then focused his talk on two fundamental themes of Pope Francis' 2013 apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"): mission and communion.

He told the Curia officials that the church's very nature is to be "outward-looking, turned toward the world, missionary," in order to bring the good news of God's love to all people.

"The church exists to invite and gather all people to the festive banquet that the Lord prepares for us," he said, so "every person can discover their identity as a beloved child, a brother or sister to their neighbor, and a new creation in Christ."

"Transformed by this discovery, they become witnesses to truth, justice and peace," he said.

For that reason, he said, "we need an ever more missionary Roman Curia, in which institutions, offices and tasks are conceived in light of today's major ecclesial, pastoral and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration," to better serve local churches and their pastors. 

When it comes to communion, he said, Christmas is an important reminder that "Jesus came to reveal the true face of God as Father, so that we might all become his children and therefore brothers and sisters to one another."

God's love, revealed by Jesus, enables all members of the Catholic Church "to be a sign of a new humanity -- no longer founded on selfishness and individualism, but on mutual love and solidarity," Pope Leo said.

The task of fostering greater communion both within the church and in the world "is urgent," he said.

Communion in the church is always a challenge, he said, because of "forces of division" that may sometimes be at play. "We can fall into the temptation of swinging between two opposite extremes: uniformity that fails to value differences, or the exacerbation of differences and viewpoints instead of seeking communion."

"Thus, in interpersonal relationships, in internal office dynamics, or in addressing questions of faith, liturgy, morality and more besides, there is a risk of falling into rigidity or ideology, with their consequent conflicts," Pope Leo said.

Members of the church are called to "conversion," and to remember, "though many and diverse," they are members of the one body of Christ as "brothers and sisters in him," he said.

"This communion is built not so much through words and documents as through concrete gestures and attitudes that ought to appear in our daily lives, including in our work," he said. 

Pope Leo warned against "bitterness" that may build up in those who, after many years of service in the Curia, "observe with disappointment that certain dynamics -- linked to the exercise of power, the desire to prevail, or the pursuit of personal interests -- are slow to change." 

He encouraged officials to seek "genuine fraternal friendship" and to pray for personal conversion and the "grace to find trustworthy friends, where masks fall away, no one is used or sidelined, genuine support is offered, and each person's worth and competence are respected, preventing resentment and dissatisfaction." 

When members of the Curia and the wider church live this way, he said, it also becomes a sign to "a world wounded by discord, violence and conflict, where we also witness a growth in aggression and anger, often exploited by both the digital sphere and politics."

"The Lord's birth brings the gift of peace and invites us to become its prophetic sign in a human and cultural context that is too fragmented," he said. 

After meeting with the Curia leaders, the pope went to the Vatican audience hall where he greeted hundreds of employees of the Vatican and the Diocese of Rome and their families. He spent almost 30 minutes walking along the barriers, greeting and speaking with those in attendance, and blessing babies and children.

In his speech, he encouraged employees and their families to learn from Jesus "the style of simplicity and humility, and let us all work together to ensure that this is increasingly the style of the church in all its expressions."

"Sometimes we are so caught up in our activities that we do not think about the Lord or the church," he said. "But the very fact of working with dedication, trying to do our best, and also -- for you lay people -- with love for your family, for your children, gives glory to the Lord."

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Pope Leo XIV meets his closest collaborators for the exchange of traditional Christmas greetings. The Pope recalls his 'beloved predecessor' Francis and his encouragement to be a Church that is 'welcoming to all,' urging them consider the 'major ecclesial, pastoral, and social challenges' and to become a sign of peace for a world marked by conflict.

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Fourth Sunday of Advent St. Joseph was a righteous man which fits well with the virtue of Love for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  "Love is willing the good for the other" (St. Thomas Aquinas).  Righteousness is the alignment...

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 21, 2025 / 09:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday highlighted four virtues of St. Joseph — “piety and charity, mercy and trust” — as guides for Catholics in the final days of Advent leading up to Christmas.

Speaking during his Angelus address from the window of the Apostolic Palace on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the pope said the day’s liturgy invited the faithful to reflect on St. Joseph, especially “at the moment when God reveals his mission to him in a dream.”

Calling the Gospel episode “a very beautiful page in salvation history,” Leo described Joseph as a man who is “fragile and fallible — like us — and at the same time courageous and strong in faith.”

Referring to the Gospel of Matthew, the pontiff recalled that Joseph of Nazareth was a “just man,” a devout Israelite who observed the law and frequented the synagogue, while also being “extremely sensitive and human.”

In the face of Mary’s mysterious pregnancy — a situation that was difficult to understand and accept — the pope noted that Joseph did not choose “the way of scandal” or public condemnation. Instead, he opted for the discreet and benevolent path of planning to divorce her quietly.

In doing so, Leo said, Joseph demonstrated he had grasped the deepest meaning of religious observance: mercy.

The pope added that Joseph’s purity and nobility became even clearer when the Lord revealed his plan of salvation in a dream, showing Joseph the unexpected role he would assume as the husband of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah.

Leo pointed to Joseph’s “great act of faith,” saying the saint left behind the last of his certainties and set out into a future fully in God’s hands.

Referring to St. Augustine, the pope said that from Joseph’s piety and charity, “a son was born of the Virgin Mary — Son at the same time of God.”

“Piety and charity, mercy and trust,” Leo said, are the virtues the liturgy proposes for the faithful today so that they may accompany Christians through these final Advent days toward “holy Christmas.”

The pope emphasized that these attitudes “educate the heart” for encountering Christ and one another and can help believers become for each other “a welcoming manger, a comfortable home, a sign of God’s presence.”

He urged Catholics not to miss opportunities during this season of grace to put the virtues into practice — forgiving, encouraging, offering hope to those they live with and meet — and renewing in prayer a childlike trust in the Lord and in his providence.

Leo concluded by entrusting the faithful to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, who were the first to welcome Jesus, the Savior of the world, “with great faith and love.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

London, England, Dec 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church must be bolder in sharing its vision of human anthropology, expert voices in the Church have warned in response to reports about poor mental health among teenagers in England and Wales.

On Dec. 9 the Guardian U.K. reported that 40% of 13- to 17-year-olds in England and Wales affected by violence are turning to AI companions for support because the waiting lists for counseling are so long, with youth leaders emphasizing that vulnerable young people need human connection.

Edwin Fawcett, a Catholic psychotherapist based in England and Wales, told CNA in an interview: “Young people would benefit from more readily available resources which boldly and clearly share the beautiful truth of the Church’s anthropology, so lacking in secular mental health care.” 

“And yet it could be tempting to simply fuel the machinery of our strong structures (e.g. dioceses, parishes, faith schools) with brilliant podcasts and videos — arguably still no match for an AI companion,” he said.

“If what’s really lacking is healthy human connection and its modeling, then to better support young people in the long run, I believe we must go upstream, to problems such as inadequate seminary formation and marriage prep, poor support and accountability in Church leadership, and few opportunities for professional training in Catholic psychology,” he continued.

“And we also have to remember that as cells in Christ’s body, none of us gets a pass on discerning how we’re each called to take some ownership of the difficult work of individual and corporate integration and growth — which includes caring for the young people right around us, today.”

Father Michael Baggot, a professor in bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, has written extensively on AI companionship. He told CNA that the “best insights from contemporary psychological sciences” could be integrated with “a broad and rich traditional Catholic anthropology.”

“Youth need flesh-and-blood mentors who embody the messiness and joy of living the Gospel,” he argued. “Mentors can accompany young people in engaging in the embodied community activities (worship, dance, sports, hiking, music, etc.) that AI companions cannot provide. … The entire Catholic moral life is directed to flourishing, that is, happiness in the fullest sense.” 

“‘The Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person’ shows how to integrate the best insights from contemporary psychological sciences within a broad and rich traditional Catholic anthropology,” he argued.

“Formation programs for youth, whether conducted in classrooms, churches, on playing fields, lakes, or mountains, should communicate the adventure of the faith. Formators can help youth discover their talents and unique vocation.”

Baggot also suggested that those individuals who have been hurt by AI could share their stories.

“Church institutions should foster a welcoming, inclusive community that challenges members and promotes growth in virtue,” he said. “Parishes, schools, orphanages, hospitals, and every family should create space for youth to share their hopes, dreams, and struggles. This daily effort to build healthy communities is central to the Lord’s call to live in communion with him and with our neighbors.”

In a statement to CNA, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said there is “little doubt that AI will, increasingly, be a technology that will help people in practical ways. This will include people who need medical and social care and who could be monitored remotely or reminded to undertake certain tasks.”

“However, AI companions can never replace real human relationships and, in our parishes as well as in our personal lives, we must reinvigorate the personal relationships — and a relationship with God — that are at the heart of real human fulfillment,” the bishops said. 

“The interest of so many in the Catholic Church in AI is heartening as it is only through careful discernment that we can ensure that this technology promotes the common good and human dignity.”