(ANS – Vatican) – During the Mass for the canonisation of martyrs Peter To Rot and Bishop Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan, religious sisters Maria Troncatti, Vincenza Maria Poloni and Carmen Rendiles Martínez, and lay people Bartolo Longo and José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of prayer and faith in order to live in the hope of God's Providence: "When we are crucified by hatred and war, there is no sorrow that God does not console."
Vatican — October 2025 - On 11 October, at 9:00 a.m., Pope Leo received the executive council of the Association of Italian Shrines in private audience, accompanied by their assistant Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi, as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. During the meeting, the Holy Father showed great attention and interest in the role of shrines as places of faith, pilgrimage and devotion. Among the shrines represented was the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, represented by its rector, Fr Michele Viviano. This further strengthened the bond of deep spirituality that unites the Salesian community to this extraordinary event. The audience was described by participants as a unique and unforgettable experience, a tangible sign of the Pope's closeness to the mission of shrines in Italy. This moment of grace and recognition was an invitation to renew faith and Marian devotion.
The first Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV has been published, a work initiated by Pope Francis on the theme of service to the poor in whose face we find ‘the suffering of the innocent’.
(ANS – Vatican City) – Taking up Francis’ desire “that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor”, Pope Leo XIV issues his first Apostolic Exhortation, “Dilexi te”, as a call to Christ’s disciples “to recognize him in the poor and the suffering”.
(ANS – Vatican City) – With the Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square this morning, Thursday 9 October 2025, the Jubilee of Consecrated Life reached its climax. Welcoming more than 16,000 consecrated persons from around 100 countries around the world, Robert Francis Prevost, himself a religious, as an Augustinian, immediately established an affectionate rapport with all those present, identifying the meaning of their jubilee pilgrimage in the return to Mercy, to which consecrated life seeks to bear witness, affirming to the world, by his mere presence, that ‘to live the vows is to abandon oneself like children in the arms of the Father.’
(ANS – Castel Gandolfo) – From 1 to 3 October, the quiet beauty of Castel Gandolfo (Italy) hosted the Raising Hope Conference. Over 400 participants, religious leaders, scientists, Indigenous voices, youth advocates, and civil society members to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ powerful call to care for our common home. As member of the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSiA), Don Bosco International (DBI) attended the conference, which was more than an event, it was a solidarity and spiritual movement.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Great Britain – ABBA star in exclusive interview with “Faith Matters”(ANS – London) – It is not every day that a world-famous rock star dedicates an interview to a school newspaper, moreover talking about rather unusual topics such as the relationship between music and politics. Yet that is what happened with Swedish singer songwriter Björn Ulvaeus - from the supergroup ABBA, who features in the Christmas edition of “Faith Matters”, just published by student reporters at St John Bosco College in Battersea, south London, under the guidance of editor-in-chief Fr Andrew.
EDITORIAL
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RMG – Don Bosco: “The Fascinating Saint”(ANS - Rome) - Don Bosco is perhaps the most amazing and fascinating saint, history has ever produced. The humble work which he began for the welfare of his poor and abandoned boys in Italy has produced astonishing results, and today there are nearly 14000 Salesians working in 138 countries, and there are more than 200,000 members belonging to the 32 groups of the worldwide Salesian Family sharing the charism of Don Bosco and reaching out to the needy young people.
EVENTS
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South Korea – Catechist Formation, From Theory to Practice: Symposium Held on “The Wise Use of the Guidelines for Catechist Formation”(ANS – Seoul) – A symposium titled “The Wise Use of the Guidelines for Catechist Formation” was successfully held on Saturday, 8 November, at the Salesian Provincial House in Shingil-dong, Seoul, to diagnose the current state and seek the future of catechetical education in the Korean Catholic Church.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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RMG – The feast that gave Birth to the Oratory and the Salesian Mission(ANS – Rome) – The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is like a “birthday” in Salesian history: it marks the beginning of Don Bosco’s Oratory, the foundation of the Congregation, and a permanent Marian key for Salesian spirituality and mission. All the successors of Don Bosco have repeatedly returned to 8 December to rediscover in it the style, hope, and maternal presence of our Immaculate mother that continues renewing the Salesian Family today.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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The Christmas Grotto, where Heaven Meets EarthTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Fabio Attard, SDB
The mystery of Christmas begins with a “scandal of love”: the Great One who makes Himself little. It's not a poetic image, but the most shocking reality in human history.
God, the Infinite, chooses to become finite; the Almighty chooses the fragility of a newborn baby who cannot yet speak, walk, or defend Himself. It is pure gratuitousness made manifest, a gift that seeks nothing in return, that imposes no conditions in order to gain access.