Let us hope that all of you will always be a sign of hope for the whole world,' said the Holy Father, this time speaking in Italian.

Pope Leo XIV surprised tens of thousands of young Catholics on Tuesday and showed up unexpectedly at a Holy Year welcome ceremony, thrilling the kids and receiving a rock star’s welcome in the first big youth event of his pontificate.

The Vatican is welcoming more than a thousand social media influencers to Rome this week for an event intended to shape a new generation of Catholic missionaries.