The penultimate month of the year, and perhaps the one that will be most remembered. To start, Pope Leo XIV named St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Catholic Church. He did so during the Jubilee of the Educational World.
POPE LEO XIV
On this solemnity of All Saints, it is a great joy to inscribe Saint John Henry Newman among the Doctors of the Church and, at the same time, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, to appoint him co-patron, along with Saint Thomas Aquinas, of all those who participate in the educational process.
The events did not stop there, as the next day, November 2, was marked by a moment that touched the hearts of the faithful.
It is tradition that every year the pontiff celebrates a Mass in memory of cardinals and bishops who have passed away during the last year, coinciding with All Souls’ Day. This year, special mention was made of Pope Francis.
November was also marked by meetings. The world of cinema arrived at the Vatican, leaving many memorable moments like the ones you see on screen.
Monica Bellucci, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, and Chris Pine are just a few of the more than 70 artists from the film world who had the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV.
And it was not just with them—the Pope also had lunch with the poor on November 17. He invited 1,300 people to a meal in the Paul VI Hall: migrants, single mothers, the unemployed, and the sick. The Pope, like one of them, sat and shared a meal with them.
But the peak moment of the month came on November 28, when Pope Leo XIV boarded the papal plane to Turkey, his first stop on his international trip. Upon arrival, he met with authorities:
POPE LEO XIV
For this reason, in a society such as that in Turkey, where religion plays a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God’s children—men and women, compatriots and foreigners, poor and rich. We are all children of God, and this has personal, social, and political implications.
The main purpose of his trip was this: Pope Leo XIV and the Patriarch Bartholomew I celebrated the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
POPE LEO XIV
Faith in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God, born of the Father before all ages [...] of the same nature as the Father (Nicene Creed), is a deep bond that already unites all Christians. In this sense, quoting Saint Augustine, even in the ecumenical sphere we can say that “though we are many Christians, in the One Christ, we are one.”
The Pope's words once again served to convey the message of the trip, which is none other than that of Christian Unity.
BAM
Trans. CRT
