The General Secretariat of the Synod publishes a document outlining stages, criteria, and tools to guide local Churches toward the Ecclesial Assembly set for October 2028.

Remembering, interpreting, orienting, and celebrating. These are the four key stages accompanying local Churches, Bishops’ Conferences, and continental groupings towards the Ecclesial Assembly that will take place in October 2028 in the Vatican.

They are proposed by the General Secretariat of the Synod in support of the implementation phase through the document Towards the 2027–2028 Assemblies: stages, criteria, and tools in preparation for the 2027–2028 Assemblies, published on 20 May.

The text defines the calendar, methodology, and criteria through which local Churches throughout the world and their national and continental groupings are called to share the fruits of the journey begun after the Final Document of the 2021–2024 Synod, leading up to the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.

“We are proposing to local Churches not an additional task,” says Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, “but rather a time of shared discernment and thanksgiving, in which to reread together what the Spirit is causing to grow in the Church and to recognise the steps we are called to take. The Assemblies are not sociological consultations, deliberative processes, or technical evaluations. Rather, they are a profound ecclesial and spiritual experience of discernment: a moment of synthesis and renewed impetus, so that the exchange of gifts among the Churches may become a concrete experience and synodality may increasingly be translated into the ordinary style of ecclesial life at the service of mission.”

The first two Assemblies—those at local and national level—will prepare two complementary texts: a reflection document (the narrative report for dioceses and eparchies, the theological-pastoral report for Episcopal Conferences) and a letter to the other local Churches, drafted during the Assembly itself.

It is this latter document that becomes the concrete instrument of the exchange of gifts: every community offers what it has matured and becomes ready to receive what is offered by other Churches.

The continental Assemblies, meanwhile, will prepare a forward-looking report that will serve in drafting the Instrumentum laboris for the 2028 Ecclesial Assembly. All materials will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod according to the following timetable: by 30 June 2027 for the diocesan and eparchial stage; by 31 December 2027 for the Episcopal Conferences stage; and by 30 April 2028 for the continental stage, in preparation for the Ecclesial Assembly of October 2028.

“My name is Yeng-Chang Cheung-Wu. I come from Xieng Khouang Province in Laos and I work for the Mines Advisory Group. MAG is an international humanitarian organisation that clears and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and other unexploded ordnance in areas affected by conflict. We have been working in Laos for more than thirty years to help communities live safely and build a better future. My country is still scarred by unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind by a war that ended more than fifty years ago.” Yeng-Chang Cheung-Wu’s testimony to Vatican News sheds light on one of the least known chapters of the Cold War—a story marked by at least three striking paradoxes.

First, Laos is the most heavily bombed country in history relative to its population, yet its story remains largely forgotten. Second, the conflict was never officially declared. Unable to wage war openly against a country recognised as neutral, the United States carried out a massive bombing campaign that became known as the “Secret War”. The third paradox is its enduring legacy: millions of cluster munitions failed to explode. An estimated 80 million unexploded bomblets are still scattered across the country, and in 2024 alone unexploded ordnance caused 48 casualties, a reminder that, for many Laotians, the war has never truly ended.

To understand this story, it is necessary to go back to 1954, when the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu at the hands of the Viet Minh ended nearly a century of colonial rule in Indochina. The Geneva Accords recognised the independence of Laos and Cambodia and declared them as neutral states, while Vietnam was temporarily divided along the 17th parallel: the communist North under Ho Chi Minh and the U.S.-backed South, pending elections that were never held.

The newly independent Laos, however, faced two challenges from the outset. A civil war pitted the royal government against the communist Pathet Lao, backed by North Vietnam. At the same time, its geography made the country strategically vital. Running through the forested Annamite Mountains was much of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the logistical network used by Hanoi to move troops, weapons and supplies into South Vietnam. Although parts of the trail also crossed Vietnam and Cambodia, Laos became its principal corridor, turning a formally neutral country into a key battlefield of the Cold War.

Marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega announces that there will be no more elections that would allow his opponents to try to win control of the government.

The first signs came last year, when President Daniel Ortega introduced a series of constitutional reforms that, among other measures, made his wife, Rosario Murillo, “co-president” and extended the presidential term to six years.

Now comes confirmation of his intention to keep his hold on power with last Sunday’s announcement, made during the celebrations for the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, that there will be no more elections allowing his opponents to attempt to take control of the government.

The move by the 80-year-old president, who has remained continuously in power since 2007 following an earlier presidential term in the 1980s, would effectively eliminate any remaining space for the opposition, although he did not explain how elections would be formally abolished. The announcement comes ahead of the next election, originally scheduled for November 2027.

The most recent elections, held in 2021, were widely disputed after Ortega ordered the arrest of opposition figures and members of the business community and crushed dissent.

According to Juan Sebastián Chamorro, a candidate in the 2021 election who remained imprisoned until his release to the United States in 2023 together with more than 200 other political prisoners, the move confirms a long-standing plan to concentrate power in the hands of the Sandinista party.

According to the Mechanism for Recognition of Political Prisoners, an organization that operates largely from exile and documents cases of politically motivated detention in Nicaragua, at least 46 people are currently being held for political reasons.

Following the U.S. operation in Venezuela that in January led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the Nicaraguan government announced that it would release additional dissidents.

Since 2018, Nicaragua has shut down more than 5,000 organizations, most of them religious, forcing thousands of people to leave the country.

At the beginning of July, the Ortega-Murillo government revoked the professional licenses of a large number of lawyers, in what United Nations experts described as a full-scale purge of the legal profession.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report, prepared by five UN agencies, reveals that nearly eight percent of the world’s population experienced hunger last year and that, despite documented improvements, the phenomenon still affects nearly 650 million people worldwide.

The report, prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was launched at FAO headquarters in Rome this week.

At the launch, the FAO highlighted that the figure of 645 million indicates global hunger has declined across continents, with 14 million fewer people experiencing hunger than in 2024 and 43 million fewer than at the 2022 peak. It also noted that food security improved substantially, especially in South America and Southern Asia.

However, the UN agencies warn that the numbers remain alarming and that urgent action is needed, as geopolitical tensions and climate-related risks could threaten global food systems.

In an interview with Reuters, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero said that disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for energy and agricultural inputs, are among the greatest immediate concerns, especially because such disruptions drive up prices for fuel, fertilizers and transportation, increasing food production costs worldwide.

Moreover, the FAO economist observed that a potentially strong El Niño weather pattern could add further pressure by disrupting agricultural production in vulnerable regions.

At the report’s launch, FAO Director-General Dr. Qu Dongyu said the report’s findings demonstrate “that determined policy action can deliver results.”

However, despite the positive developments, the Director-General insisted that work must continue to sustain and accelerate recent gains.

The report found that some 309 million people in Africa remain undernourished and rapid population growth could result in the absolute number of hungry people increasing in the coming years.

While the prevalence of hunger on the continent declining from 20.3 percent in 2024 to 20.0 percent in 2025, which marked the first interruption of Africa’s upward hunger trend since 2017, the UN agencies reiterate that one in five Africans is facing hunger.

The UN agencies present a worrying global outlook. Looking ahead, the report projects that around 520 million people could still face hunger in 2030, putting the world off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

The Israeli Defence Forces are preparing an extensive operation in the West Bank following a deadly incident near the Palestinian village of Tal.

Israel’s military says it is preparing an “extensive” operation in the occupied West Bank, after a shooting near the Palestinian village of Tal left six people dead.

Four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed. It is the deadliest single incident in the area in months.

Palestinians told international media that villagers had confronted Jewish settlers who were attacking them, and that Israeli soldiers then arrived and opened fire, according to one eyewitness.

The Israeli military said it had responded to reports of an attack on hikers. It said armed individuals it described as “terrorists” took the weapon of a security guard, killed him, and were then shot dead by soldiers. A second Israeli, a soldier, was also killed. The three other Palestinians who died were reportedly members of the same family.

The circumstances of their deaths have not been independently confirmed.

The Israel Defence Forces said afterwards that it was preparing “extensive counterterrorism operational activity in the sector.”

Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have risen sharply in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

The shooting comes days after thousands of Israeli settlers, accompanied by government ministers and under heavy police protection, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City — a move that drew condemnation across the Middle East.

The Arab League said such incursions had become significantly more frequent in recent months, describing them as part of a wider effort to change arrangements governing the site. The compound, revered by Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif and by Jews as the Temple Mount, is among the most sensitive religious sites in the region. Under a decades-old arrangement, Muslims may pray there; non-Muslims may visit but not perform religious rites.

A new photography exhibition by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, organized in collaboration with the John Paul II Youth Foundation, has opened at Borgo Laudato si’ in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo and will remain open to visitors until the end of July.

 the The photography exhibition “Man and Nature: Fragile Balances” was inaugurated on Friday, 3 July, at Borgo Laudato si’ in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo.

Promoted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Italian branch in collaboration with the John Paul II Youth Foundation, for visitors to view and reflect on humanity’s place within Creation.

The exhibit, which brings together the winning photographs of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography Award, took place under the patronage of the Embassy of the Principality of Monaco to the Holy See and with the support of the Borgo Laudato si’, the Fondazione Scudieri, Delta Ingegneria and GIMET. 

Appointed by the Pope on 15 June after his candidacy was approved under the terms of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, Bishop Joseph Chang Yanfeng had served in various roles within the diocese and, since 2021, as its diocesan administrator.

The episcopal ordination of Joseph Chang Yanfeng took place on Wednesday, 22 July, in China. Pope Leo XIV appointed him Bishop of Chifeng, in the Province of Inner Mongolia, on 15 June, having approved his candidacy under the terms of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.

Bishop Chang Yanfeng was born on 4 April 1984 in Beizhen, Liaoning Province. He attended the Shenyang Major Seminary and studied at the Catholic University of Daejeon in South Korea, where he earned a degree in Biblical Theology. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Chifeng on 18 November 2010.

From 2010 to 2013, he worked in the diocesan curia while simultaneously serving in several parishes. He was subsequently appointed parish priest of Chifeng Cathedral and later of Lindong. Since 15 October 2021, he has served as Diocesan Administrator of Chifeng.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis as the Holy See’s new Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, where he will represent the Holy See at the UN headquarters.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis as the Holy See’s new Permanent Observer to the United Nations (UN) in New York.

The appointment was announced on Saturday by the Holy See Press Office.

Lebanese-born Archbishop El-Kassis, Titular Archbishop of Roselle, has until now served as Apostolic Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.

He was ordained in 1994, and he entered the Holy See diplomatic service in 2000, working in Indonesia, Sudan, Turkey, and the Secretariat of State. The Holy See maintains Permanent Observer status at the United Nations, enabling it to participate in the work of the General Assembly and other UN bodies.

The Bishops of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) have pledged to make young people the Church’s shared pastoral priority for the next four years, while calling on political leaders across the region to end the exploitation of youth

Archbishop Gervas John Mwasikwabhila Nyaisonga of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mbeya, Tanzania, has been elected as the new Chairman of AMECEA. Archbishop Nyaisonga presided over the closing Eucharistic celebration of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly held at the Loreto Msongari Grounds in Nairobi. The Archbishop reflected on the biblical readings of the day. Acknowledging the responsibility entrusted to him, the Archbishop said he identifies with Solomon’s prayer for wisdom.

In their Final Message issued at the conclusion of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly, the region’s Bishops reaffirmed their commitment to listening attentively to the hopes, concerns and sufferings of young people, promising concrete action to accompany them in the life and mission of the Church.

The Bishops’ message, released on 26 July 2026, outlines a pastoral vision inspired by the Assembly’s theme, “AMECEA’s Synodal Journey with Young People: Building Bridges of Communion, Hope, Justice and Good Governance.”

The Bishops pledged to strengthen youth participation in both ecclesial and civic life by establishing and reinforcing dedicated youth desks across the region, forming Catholic digital missionaries to evangelise in the digital age, promoting education, mentorship, entrepreneurship and skills development, and strengthening safeguarding policies and accountability in youth ministry.

They also committed themselves to deepening collaboration and solidarity among AMECEA’s member Episcopal Conferences while engaging governments, regional institutions and development partners to advocate for the safe and lawful movement of young people, greater civic participation and peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue.

AMECEA is an acronym for Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa. It is a Catholic service organisation for the National Episcopal Conferences of the eight countries of Eastern Africa, namely Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan – Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Djibouti and Somalia are affiliate members.

In his Angelus address from Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Kingdom of God as a treasure that transforms lives, calling Christians to recognise what truly matters.

Pope Leo XIV reflected on the mystery of the Kingdom of God as a treasure that transforms human life during his Angelus address on Sunday, 26 July, delivered from Castel Gandolfo, where he is taking a summer break.

Commenting on the Gospel parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value (Mt 13:44-52), the Pope said that the Kingdom of God brings a joy so profound that leaving everything behind is no longer experienced as a loss, but as a gain.

 “Encountering his Kingdom marks a turning point that does not limit life but enlarges it,” Pope Leo said. “If anything must change on our part, it is only so that our lives may be opened to greater possibilities, not fewer.”

The Pope noted that Jesus reveals the beauty of the Kingdom through images drawn from the lives of ordinary people: farmers, merchants, fishermen and scribes, women preparing bread, builders, administrators, shepherds and farmers.

Through these examples, Jesus shows that the Kingdom can be encountered in many different circumstances and calls everyone — men and women, young and old, poor and rich — to a profound renewal.

Pope Leo said that the Church today reflects this same diversity, bringing together people of different origins, cultures and responsibilities, all called to recognise their unity in Jesus Christ. “He is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net that gathers those who are scattered.

From the beginning, Jesus gathered around himself people who otherwise might never have met, showing that God does not show partiality and that his love is especially directed towards those who are small and overlooked. Pope Leo invited the faithful to ask for the gift sought by the young King Solomon: the wisdom to recognise what is truly valuable.