Pope Leo said Europe’s “Judeo-Christian roots” are the only way to understand its identity, after criticising US policy on the continent. At an audience in Rome with members of the European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group of the European Parliament, the Pope praised “the rich ethical principles and patterns of thought that are the intellectual patrimony of Christian Europe.” “These are essential for safeguarding the divinely bestowed rights and inherent worth of every human person, from conception to natural death,” he said. “They are likewise fundamental for responding to the challenges presented by poverty, social exclusion, economic deprivation, as well as by the ongoing climate crisis, violence and war.”

He had voiced concerns about the US peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, warning that it excludes Europe from negotiations. He told reporters that “unfortunately, some parts of it that I have seen make a huge change to what was for many, many years a true alliance between Europe and the United States”.

Leo has previously insisted that peace negotiations must include contributions from European powers. Critics of the plan, which demands significant territorial and diplomatic concessions from Ukraine, warn that it accepts Russian demands and undermines Ukrainian and European security. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had visited the Pope at Castel Gandolfo earlier on Tuesday as he toured European capitals to rally support after a series of unfriendly diplomatic interventions from the US.

In an interview with the Politico website broadcast, US President Donald Trump said many European nations were “decaying” and “will not be viable countries any longer” due to immigration – which he blamed on “weak” leaders who had also failed to bring peace in Ukraine.

During his remarks at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said that “remarks that are made about Europe, also in interviews recently, I think, are trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance [between Europe and the US] today and in the future”. “I believe Europe’s role is very important, and the unity of European countries is truly significant, especially in this case,” he said.

“Trying to reach a peace agreement without including Europe in the discussions is not realistic. The war is in Europe, and I believe that Europe must be part of the security guarantees sought today and in the future.”

He continued: “Unfortunately, not everyone understands this, but I believe there is a great opportunity for the idea of Europe to come together and seek solutions collectively.”

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has expressed concern about a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which obliges all member states to recognize so-called “homosexual marriages” legally performed in another country.

In a Dec. 9 statement, the president of COMECE, Bishop Mariano Crociata, warned that the ruling could have an impact on the legal sovereignty of each nation, since the recognition of these unions is mandatory even if they are not valid under a country’s own legal system.

The ruling concerns a same-sex Polish couple who “married” in Germany in 2018. Upon returning to Poland, the authorities refused to record their union in the civil registry. The European court has deemed this refusal contrary to EU law, meaning that all member states are now obligated to recognize the rights stemming from this bond.

On behalf of the Church in Europe, Crociata referred to the Church’s anthropological vision, “founded on natural law,” and reiterated that marriage is a “union between a man and a woman.” In this context, the Italian prelate pointed out that the ruling restricts the rights of each nation, especially those in which “the definition of marriage is part of their national identity.” In his opinion, the ruling could generate “pressure to amend national family law” and also increase “legal uncertainty.”

Currently, almost half of the European Union countries have not legalized same-sex unions: Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Romania. In this regard, the bishops emphasized the need for “a prudent and cautious approach” to family law with cross-border implications and urges avoiding “undue influence” on national legal systems in Europe.

Ahead of the Christmas season, the Episcopal Conference of Haiti (CEH) issued a message with the biblical theme, “The light of Christ shines in our darkness”. In it, the bishops spoke to a population “tested, journeying through the dark of night of uncertainty and pain”. Yet, the statement stressed that the Haitian people are capable of “unexpected achievements.”

In the message, released on 8 December, the CEH highlighted how Jesus was born “in the shadow of poverty”—something they argued with which many people in Haiti can resonate deeply. Especially in the midst of this Jubilee Year of Hope, the bishops noted that Christ’s birth can be a source of hope to everyone.

However, their statement was not one of naivety. It did not call for Christian hope to be an escape from the challenges of reality, nor a “superficial optimism”. Rather, the bishops described this Christian, Christmas hope as a push towards responsible and resolute action.

In Haiti, gang violence has killed at least 4,388 people between January and September, according to the UN’s office in Haiti, BINUH. Some 1.4 million people have been displaced, and more than half of the population of almost 12 million are facing acute food insecurity.

Despite the current challenges in the country, the Haitian bishops encouraged everyone—no matter their vocation or age—to continue their mission to be “peacemakers”.

Another sign of hope that the bishops praised was the 2026 World Cup qualification of the national football team, which they called a symbol of the Haitian people’s capacity to overcome division. Concluding their statement, the CEH entrusted the country to the “Prince of Peace” Jesus Christ and placed Haiti under the protection of the Virgin Mary. The bishops expressed their hope that Christmas will spark renewed hope for meaningful change by 2026.

A Vatican commission studying the possibility of female deacons reported that the current state of historical and theological research “excludes the possibility of proceeding” toward admitting women to the diaconate, a conclusion that slows momentum on one of the church’s most debated questions while stopping short of a definitive no.

In a letter sharing the results of its work with Pope Leo XIV and released by the Vatican Dec. 4, the commission reported a 7-1 vote in favour of a statement concluding that the church cannot currently move toward admitting women to the third degree of holy orders, the diaconate. 

“In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and ecclesiastical teaching, this assessment is strong, although it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination,” said the approved statement voted on in 2022.

Why only eight votes were recorded from the 10-member commission was not explained in the letter.

The “third degree” of the holy order refers to the diaconate as the foundational degree of ordained ministry. The episcopate (for bishops) and the presbyterate (for priests) represent the two other degrees which the church teaches are above the diaconate in the hierarchy of ordained ministry. 

Yet a “purely historical perspective does not allow us to reach any definitive certainty,” wrote Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, president of the commission, introducing the commission’s results. “Ultimately, the question must be decided on a doctrinal level. Therefore, issues relating to the ordination of women as deacons remain open to further theological and pastoral study.”

Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholic educators in Africa to help young people rediscover confidence in their future, especially those driven to leave the continent out of despair. His message, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, was sent to Archbishop Gabriel Sayaogo for the African Congress on Catholic Education held in Nairobi from 4 to 7 December. The congress, titled “Catholic Education and the Promotion of Signs of Hope in the African Context,” focused on revitalising formation grounded in Christ. The Pope expressed appreciation for ongoing efforts to advance the Global Compact on Education, a commitment strongly supported by Pope Francis.

Pope Leo recalls that Catholic education aims not only to develop “cultivated minds” but also “full hearts” capable of compassion and concern for others. Young people, he notes, are “the wealth of Africa,” and educators must find effective ways to guide students toward the future with confidence.

He warns that many youths, discouraged by limited opportunities, leave the continent at great personal risk. Educators, he says, can help restore in them the belief that “nothing is lost” when they are accompanied by mentors who help them recognise their talents and set ambitious goals rooted in Africa’s cultural and moral strengths.

Drawing on his homily for the Jubilee of Families, the Pope highlights the family as the place where “the future of peoples is built.” He calls for protecting the family as intended by the Creator and promoted by the Church, guarding it against harmful ideologies. Many African leaders were formed in Catholic schools, he notes, yet the continent still faces significant challenges. He encourages educators to nurture two qualities essential for responsible leadership: solidarity and a spirit of sacrifice—values deeply rooted in African tradition and central to the Church’s mission of forming people committed to the common good.

“Education is not only a job but an evangelising mission,” the Pope concludes. Recalling his predecessor’s description of young Africans as potential “ambassadors of peace,” he urges all involved in education to form men and women who can become the builders of the continent’s future.

At the Sunday Angelus on December 7 prayer following his visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV thanked the many people who made it possible and the faithful who accompanied him with their prayers.

In Türkiye, he prayed with his “beloved brother Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Representatives of other Christian confessions” at the site of the Council of Nicaea in 325, at modern-day Iznik. “Precisely today we mark the 60th anniversary of the Common Declaration between Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, which put an end to the mutual excommunications,” he said. “Let us give thanks to God and renew our commitment to the journey toward the full visible unity of all Christians.”

Pope Leo expressed his joy for the opportunity to meet with the Catholic community of Türkiye, which he said bears witness to the Gospel of love in its patient dialogue and service to those who suffer.

Turning to Lebanon, the Pope said the country continues to be “a mosaic of coexistence,” saying he was encouraged to hear many people bear witness to that model. “I met people who proclaim the Gospel by welcoming the displaced, visiting prisoners, and sharing bread with those in need,” he said. “I was heartened to see so many people in the streets greeting me, and I was deeply moved by the meeting with the relatives of the victims of the explosion at the port of Beirut.” Even as he brought a word of consolation, said the Pope, he in turn receive much greater consolation from the Lebanese people’s faith and enthusiasm.

“What has taken place in recent days in Türkiye and Lebanon teaches us that peace is possible,” concluded Pope Leo XIV, “and that Christians, in dialogue with men and women of other faiths and cultures, can help to build it.”