Pope Leo XIV has appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado, currently President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News, as Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, effective Nov. 1.

The appointment continues the reforms of Pope Francis to name lay people to positions of leadership and responsibility in the Roman curia. Alvarado is the first lay woman to be appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See.

Pope Leo Prays Rosary for ‘a Just and Lasting Peace’ in the World

The Holy Father led a rosary for peace last Saturday, May 30 in the Vatican Gardens. Even in times of conflict in the world such as the present moment, peace is possible, he said.

In a separate address, the pope urged Catholics to draw on the Social Doctrine of the Church to respond to the issues that face society, including war, polarization, and social divisions.

The following day during his Angelus address, Pope Leo again prayed for peace.

“May divine wisdom enlighten the consciences of those who hold authority,” he said, “and guide their decisions towards the sincere pursuit of a just and lasting peace.”

Reflections on AI Development, Need for ‘Deep Moral Questions’

Experts in artificial intelligence and Church leaders continued to reflect on last week’s publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas.”

An audiobook of the encyclical is now available.

The director of AI for Microsoft Corp., Taylor Black, said the encyclical was valuable for ongoing development of the technology. Since users are co-creating their experiences with every prompt of AI, the AI products developed must be based on a good understanding of the user’s way of thinking, said Black, who is also an ordained permanent deacon.

Another American tech expert, Eli Pariser, said AI can still be developed that serves humanity. “The world is deeply in need of moral leadership,” he said, urging people to spend “time thinking about the deep ethical and moral questions” of AI’s development.

The pope’s encyclical reaffirms the Church’s social doctrine and helps everyone “to recognize, understand, interpret, discern, and ultimately confront the many challenges—not only those linked to artificial intelligence—that threaten our humanity or … constitute serious obstacles to integral human development,” said Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in a video to the bishops of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo urged leaders of the World Medical Association to strengthen ethical safeguards for health databases and biobanks, highlighting the protection of human dignity in an age of rapidly evolving technology.

Rome Consistory of Cardinals to Focus on Four Key Issues in Church

In the consistory meeting in Rome set for June 26-29, the world’s cardinals and Pope Leo will focus on the international situation and the life of local Churches, discuss key themes in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, and review an update on the implementation of the Synod.

Pope Leo Set for 7-Day Pilgrimage to Spain

Pope Leo will travel to Spain June 6-12. See a preview of his pilgrimage to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands in which he will address the themes of peace, disarmament, unity, youth, culture, new technologies, and migration.

Keep Hosting Corpus Christi Processions, Pope Says

This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi Sunday. Traditionally, the day is marked by public processions with the Eucharist, a tradition that Pope Leo encouraged.

“An expression of popular eucharistic devotion is found in the processions with the Blessed Sacrament that take place in the streets of many towns and countries,” he said Wednesday during his General Audience. “In this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful manifestation of public witness to the faith.”

Don’t Be ‘Silent Spectators’ at Mass, Pope Teaches

The Holy Father also on Wednesday continued his series of talks on the reforms of the Mass implemented by the Second Vatican Council.

The rite of the liturgy “gives shape to liturgical action” and thus to our lives by “generating in us a spiritual sensibility that makes us capable of savoring the presence of God through Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo explained.

But he noted that this can only happen if we participate actively in the liturgy “with our full selves – body, mind and heart” and avoid being “strangers or silent spectators.”

June Prayers to Highlight Joy, Values of Sports

Pope Leo announced that his June prayer intention is for “the values of sports.”

The pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network produced a video of the Holy Father in which he thanked the Lord for “the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field, and the joy of playing as a team.”

The post This Week: American Lay Woman, EWTN Executive, First to Lead Vatican Office appeared first on CatholicPhilly.

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