Rarely does the Apostolic Palace’s agenda manage to condense such a broad vision of humanity into a single day. Today, Pope Leo XIV moved from urgent international politics to the study of the stars, reminding the world that the Church’s mission knows no borders between the earthly and the divine.

Sudan at the Heart of Vatican Diplomacy

The day began with a key audience: a meeting with the Prime Minister of Sudan. In a session marked by the gravity of the situation in the Horn of Africa, the Pontiff analyzed the nation’s challenges firsthand. The Pope urged the international community not to forget the suffering of the Sudanese people, calling for a cessation of hostilities and the construction of a peace rooted in mutual respect and social justice.

Science and Faith: Looking to the Heavens Together

Without pause, the Holy Father dedicated part of his morning to the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Addressing the members of this scientific institution, the Pope championed the Observatory’s role as a bridge between the rigor of astrophysics and the light of faith. For Leo XIV, the study of the universe is more necessary today than ever, as it invites us to recognize our shared responsibility for our “common home” and to stand in awe of the magnitude of creation.

A Pact of Fraternity with Islam

The third pillar of the day was the encounter with participants of the 8th Colloquium between Christians and Muslims. In a world fragmented by extremism, the Pope was blunt: religions must be channels of peace, never division. While greeting the delegates, he insisted that dialogue between believers of different faiths is the only path to disarming prejudice and building a coexistence based on human fraternity.

The Vatican sent a triple message to the world today: peace is built with diplomacy on earth, wisdom in the stars, and fraternity in the heart of every believer.

Full Text of Pope Leo XIV’s Interventions

ADDRESS OF POPE LEO XIV

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION Consistory Hall – Monday, May 11, 2026

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

Your Eminence, Mr. President of the Governorate, Dear friends, Dear brothers and sisters:

I am deeply grateful to meet with you, the members of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, and I thank you for your faithful and generous support of the work of the Vatican Observatory—an institution dear to the Vatican City State at the service of the Holy See and the Universal Church.

One hundred and thirty-five years ago, my predecessor Pope Leo XIII refounded the Vatican Observatory so that “everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace, encourage, and promote it with the fullest possible devotion” (Ut Mysticam, March 14, 1891). At that time, science was increasingly presented as a rival source of truth to religion, and the Church felt the urgent need to counter the growing perception that faith and science were enemies.

However, today, both science and religion face a different and perhaps more insidious threat: those who deny the very existence of objective truth. Too many people in our world refuse to recognize what both science and the Church clearly teach: that we have a solemn responsibility to care for our planet and the well-being of those who inhabit it, especially the most vulnerable, whose lives are endangered by the reckless exploitation of both people and the natural world. It is precisely for this reason that the Church’s embrace of rigorous and honest science remains not only valuable but essential.

Astronomy occupies a particular place in this mission. The ability to gaze with wonder at the sun, the moon, and the stars is a gift granted to every human being, regardless of their position or circumstance. It awakens in us both awe and a sense of proportion that saves us. Contemplating the heavens invites us to see our fears and failures in the light of God’s immensity. The night sky is a treasure of beauty open to all—rich and poor alike—and, in a world so painfully divided, it remains one of the last truly universal sources of joy.

Tragically, even this gift is now under threat. To paraphrase Pope Benedict, we have filled our skies with artificial light that blinds us to the lights God has placed there—an apt image, he suggested, of sin itself (cf. Homily, April 7, 2012).

It is in this context that I express my deep gratitude for the work of the Foundation. Your commitment allows Vatican scientists to collaborate meaningfully with the general public and the global scientific community. Your generosity makes it possible for the Vatican Observatory to share the wonder of astronomy with students worldwide and to offer workshops and summer schools to those serving in Catholic schools and parishes. Ultimately, it is your dedication that maintains the Observatory’s telescopes and laboratories as what they were always meant to be: places where the glory of God’s creation is encountered with reverence, depth, and joy.

We must never lose sight of the theological vision that animates all of this. Ours is a religion of the Incarnation. Scripture teaches us that, from the beginning, God has made Himself known through the things He has created (cf. Rom 1:20), and that God so loved this creation that He sent His own Son to enter it and redeem it (cf. Jn 3:16). Therefore, it is no wonder that people of deep faith are drawn to explore the origins and workings of the Universe. The hunger to understand creation more fully is nothing other than a reflection of that restless longing for God that resides in the heart of every soul.

In expressing once more my gratitude for your support, I willingly invoke upon you and your families the abundant blessings of Almighty God. Thank you!

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GREETING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE 8TH COLLOQUIUM BETWEEN THE DICASTERY FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND THE ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR INTER-FAITH STUDIES

Clementine Hall – Monday, May 11, 2026

Peace be with you. Welcome. Your Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal, Dear brothers and sisters:

I am pleased to greet you all and I thank you for your presence here on the occasion of this eighth colloquium, organized jointly by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies.

The theme you have chosen this year, “Human Compassion and Empathy in Modern Times,” is particularly timely for our world today. Indeed, these are not marginal sentiments, but essential attitudes of our two religious traditions and important aspects of what it means to live a truly human life.

The Muslim tradition associates compassion, ra’fa, with mercy as a gift bestowed by God in the hearts of believers, and one of the divine names, al-Ra’uf, reminds us that compassion always has its origin in God Himself.

Similarly, in the Christian tradition, Holy Scripture reveals a God who does not remain indifferent to suffering, but says to Moses: “I have seen the affliction of my people… I have heard their cry” (Ex 3:7). In Jesus Christ, this divine compassion becomes visible and tangible. God goes beyond seeing and hearing by assuming our human nature to become the living embodiment of compassion. Following Jesus’ example, Christian compassion becomes a sharing or “suffering with” others, particularly the most disadvantaged. For this reason, “love for the poor—whatever the form of their poverty—is the evangelical mark of a Church faithful to the heart of God” (Dilexi Te, 103).

For our traditions, human compassion and empathy are not something additional or optional, but a call from God to reflect His goodness in our daily lives.

This belief, therefore, has social implications. Pope Leo XIII taught that the poor and marginalized are worthy of special attention and help from society and the State (cf. Rerum Novarum, 37). In this regard, I wish to express my appreciation for the generous efforts of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in welcoming refugees and assisting those in need under difficult circumstances.

Dear friends, unfortunately, compassion and empathy are at risk of disappearing today. Technological advances have made us more connected than ever, but they can also lead to indifference. The constant flow of images and videos of others’ hardships can blunt our hearts instead of moving them. Pope Francis warned us that “we have become used to the suffering of others [thinking]: it doesn’t affect me, it doesn’t interest me, it’s none of my business” (Homily, Lampedusa, July 8, 2013). This type of apathy is becoming one of the most serious spiritual challenges of our time.

In such a context, Christians and Muslims, drawing from the richness of our respective traditions, are called to a common mission: to rekindle humanity where it has grown cold, to give voice to those who suffer, and to transform indifference into solidarity. Compassion and empathy can be our instruments, as they have the power to restore the dignity of the other.

It is my hope that Jordan continues to be a living testimony of this kind of compassion, as well as a sign of dialogue, solidarity, and hope in a region marked by trials.

May our collaboration bear fruit in concrete gestures of peace, empathy, and fraternity.

Thank you!

And, as in our traditions we seek peace as one of God’s most important blessings, I ask for God’s blessing upon all of you.

The Lord be with you. May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever. Amen.