The Vatican welcomes more than a thousand social media influencers to Rome this week for an event intended to shape a new generation of Catholic missionaries — those sharing Christ on the internet.

Twenty-five years have gone by since St. John Paul II transformed the Tor Vergata esplanade in the south of Rome into the beating heart of the young Church for the World Youth Day celebration in 2000.

Pope Leo XIV offered three brief suggestions to two groups of priests he met at the Vatican on Friday morning, saying a “solid and integral formation” is essential for all Catholic faithful but especially for those who give Christian formation.

Pope Leo XIV in a message released Friday pointed out that Catholic migrants and refugees “can become missionaries of hope today in the countries that welcome them.”

The pope greeted, among other groups, participants in the EWTN Summer Academy.

Pope Leo XIV called for peace negotiations and respect for humanitarian law in Gaza, 10 days after an Israeli strike caused the death of three people at the only Catholic church in the enclave.

The most important news from the Holy Father and the Vatican.

The coffin holding the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be in Rome for veneration during the Jubilee of Youth July 26 through Aug. 4.

The story of Sister Clare Crockett, a young person who found Christ in a monastery in Spain.

The end of July is expected to bring in a storm of young Catholics from every corner of the world for this year’s Jubilee of Youth. Like World Youth Day, this is an opportunity for an international coming together of future generations.

The Jubilee of youth is expected to be the longest and largest Jubilee celebration, lasting 5 days with over 1 million young people in attendance. Come with EWTN to see the preparations being made for this rare and exciting time in history.

From TikTok testimonies to hashtagged homilies, technology is changing the process of evangelization. You may have even noticed a new kind of influencer popping up on your feed: the digital missionary. 

Thousands of young people are heading to the Eternal City next week for the Jubilee of Youth, where they will have the opportunity to pray with the incorrupt body of Pier Giorgio Frassati and a first-class relic of Carlo Acutis’ heart. 

Pope Leo XIV in a letter this week encouraged the prior provincials of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) to “listen attentively to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church in the fullness of truth.”

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

The Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana put a spotlight on a new design collection inspired by Catholic liturgical garb in a show on the Sant’Angelo Bridge in Rome last week.

Pope Leo XIV on Monday morning visited St. Martha Home for the Elderly in Castel Gandolfo, the Italian town where he is spending his vacation.

A Chicago family vacationing in Rome is making headlines after a video of their encounter with Pope Leo XIV on Sunday went viral.

SAINTS & ART: James and his brother John are called “sons of thunder” for their energetic, bold and forceful nature

Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on July 22 around 9 p.m. local time after spending more than two weeks at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo.

A longtime Vatican diplomat now dedicated to aiding Christians in the Holy Land recently offered reflections on the Church’s mission in conflict zones and its roots in the Middle East.

In the context of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers Mexican priest Father Heriberto García Arias offered a reflection on the role of evangelizers on social media and the importance of their presence in the digital environment.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa spoke on Tuesday about the devastation of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, emphasizing that the Church “will never abandon” the city’s long-suffering people.

EWTN Chairman and CEO Michael P. Warsaw has announced a new organizational structure to further EWTN’s mission in the digital landscape by enhancing its content creation and distribution methods under the leadership of two new presidents.