🕛 VATICAN REPORT | Tuesday 20 October 2026 midday

🗞️ Holy See Press Office As of 14:37 Rome time, today's Holy See Press Office Bulletin has not yet been published; the latest available is from 19 October. There are therefore no new appointments, resignations or official communiqués so far. Pope Leo XIV continues his convalescence in the Apostolic Palace, with no public engagements scheduled. ☢️ The Holy See at the UN on nuclear weapons Christophe Z. El-Kassis, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, spoke yesterday in New York at the thematic discussion on nuclear weapons in the First Committee of the 81st General Assembly. "The only lasting response to the dangers posed by nuclear weapons is their total elimination," he said. "While measures to reduce nuclear risks are necessary, they cannot substitute for disarmament." "The continued existence of nuclear weapons remains one of the gravest threats to humanity," and a security architecture built on the threat of their use "leaves humanity in a permanent state of vulnerability." Recalling Pope Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas, he said that with artificial intelligence entering nuclear systems, "effective, self-aware and responsible human control and judgment must therefore always be maintained." The deteriorating security environment, he concluded, "makes the pursuit of their elimination all the more urgent." The Holy See reaffirmed its "strong support" for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ✝️ "Holiness in History", day two The conference of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints continued this morning at the Augustinianum and closes tomorrow. Claudio Palumbo, bishop of Termoli-Larino, opened the day. History, he said, is not "a threat to defend against" but "a theological space where the dialogue between God and humanity, between the Church and the contemporary world, takes place." Saints are "historical antibodies" and show "the mutual influence that theology and history continuously exert." Jesuit Bollandist Robert Godding spoke about archival research and the risks of artificial intelligence: any data without a reference to its sources must be checked. 🌾 Mission: "the Church of the sheaves" From 22 to 24 October, the Pontifical Urban University hosts the conference "A Church for all: synodal in method, missionary in spirit, credible in love". It is the first public event of the "Church of the sheaves" initiative, promoted by the Dicastery for Evangelization. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, secretary of the Section for First Evangelization, says: "We are at the moment of gathering the sheaves and bringing them home." He adds: "Globally, we do not actually have a shortage of priests. We have a redistribution of priests." The programme runs until Pentecost 2028. 📌 To watch • Today's Bulletin, not yet published • Wednesday 21, 10:00: General Audience in St Peter's Square, confirmed "for now" • Wednesday 21: according to Vatican News, the Pope receives participants of the holiness conference, which then closes • 22-24 October: "Church of the sheaves" conference at the Urbaniana • South America trip: no official confirmation from the Holy See #LeoXIV #Vatican