Edition of Sunday, September 27

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the Place de la Concorde in Paris on September 26, 2026, before a crowd of between 700,000 and 800,000 people. The gathering included faithful from across France who lined the streets, including the Champs-Élysées, to see the pope.

During his homily, the pope spoke about the spiritual thirst of modern people, using the Gospel theme of Jesus as the source of living water. He described this thirst as a search for meaning, truth, and fulfillment. He encouraged the faithful to not keep their faith to themselves but to share it with others to bring hope to those experiencing spiritual dryness.

The pope also urged the crowd, particularly young people, to avoid being seduced by small idols. He called for a commitment to life, family, peace, and justice.

Pope Leo XIV released a message for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, focusing on the protection of children. The theme for the day, which the Church celebrates on Sept. 27, is "Even just one of these children."

In his message, the pope identified minors as the most vulnerable group in global migration movements. He noted that millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homes due to war, poverty, violence, and environmental disasters. The pope highlighted several specific hardships faced by these minors, including those who have lost family members, those separated from their families for long periods, and those traveling with parents under traumatic conditions. He also noted the difficult situation of children separated from their parents during repatriation.

Cardinal Luis Tagle received a first-class relic of Blessed Fulton Sheen during the beatification Mass in St. Louis. James Fulton Engstrom, the teenager whose 2010 miraculous healing led to Sheen's beatification, presented the relic to Tagle, who served as the main celebrant.

The relic is the mandible, or jawbone, of Fulton J. Sheen. Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Sheen's home diocese, said the choice of the jawbone is significant because of Sheen's ability to preach, teach, and communicate the faith.

Engstrom was declared dead for 61 minutes following his birth before breathing spontaneously, an event the Church attributed to Sheen's intercession. Msgr. Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, noted that those healed in such miracles often participate in the beatification process.

Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Provincial Synod Assembly, catechumens, and neophytes at the Catholic Institute of Paris on September 26, 2026. During the meeting, the Pope discussed the work of the Provincial Assembly and pastoral perspectives regarding the reception of neophytes and catechumens.

The Pope thanked Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich for highlighting the spiritual history of the meeting location. He also acknowledged receiving the Instrumentum Laboris, which he described as a document reflecting a process of mutual listening and synodality involving the People of God.