VATICAN: Pope Leo XIV took his message of building bridges and promoting dialogue to the Roman Curia on Saturday, in his first audience with members of the Catholic Church’s governing body.
The late Pope Francis had sometimes difficult relations with the Curia and Vatican officials, accusing them early in his papacy of “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and a lust for power.
The new pontiff, the first from the United States, said Saturday that his inaugural meeting was an opportunity to say thanks for all their work.
“Popes come and go, the Curia remains,” Leo told the audience of officials, staff and their families in the Vatican’s vast Paul VI hall.
He repeated his first words from St. Peter’s Basilica when he became pope on May 8, where he urged people to “build bridges” and to welcome “with open arms, everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.”
“If we must all cooperate in the great cause of unity and love, let us try to do so first of all with our behavior in everyday situations, starting from the work environment,” the pope said.
“Everyone can be a builder of unity with their attitudes toward colleagues, overcoming inevitable misunderstandings with patience and humility, putting themselves in the shoes of others, avoiding prejudices, and also with a good dose of humor, as Pope Francis taught us.”
From decentralising power and increasing transparency to providing greater roles for lay people and women, Francis implemented several reforms of the Roman Curia.
But his criticism left a lasting impression among many officials, and he also drew accusations of being too authoritarian in his governance, regularly bypassing the administrative bodies of the Holy See.
In 2024, the Vatican — where trade unions are not recognized — also saw an unprecedented strike by around 50 employees of the Vatican Museums over their working conditions.
The pope spent two decades working in Peru but for the past two years was head of the Vatican department responsible for appointing bishops worldwide.
Pope takes message of dialogue, unity to the Curia
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Pope takes message of dialogue, unity to the Curia
- Pope Leo XIV promotes dialogue and building bridges to the Roman Curia in his first meeting with the Church's governing body
- Pope Leo XIV urges people to welcome “with open arms, everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love”
US House backs Europe, rebukes Trump on foreign policy
- The security strategy openly supports far-right European parties
WASHINGTON: US lawmakers on Wednesday approved a sweeping defense bill bolstering European security — a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump’s mounting threats to downgrade Washington’s ties to traditional allies and NATO.
The bipartisan House of Representatives vote came on the heels of the publication of a White House national security strategy that amounted to a startling attack on Europe — rattling its governments and opening the biggest transatlantic rift in years.
By contrast, the House’s $900 billion Pentagon bill stands out for its pro-Europe orientation and its clampdown on Trump’s authority to reduce troop numbers, move equipment or downgrade NATO-linked missions.
“President Trump and congressional Republicans are restoring American strength, defending our homeland, standing with our allies, and ensuring the United States remains the most powerful and capable military force the world has ever known,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the vote.
In his security strategy published last week, Trump lambasted Europe as an over-regulated, censorious continent lacking in “self-confidence” and facing “civilizational erasure” due to immigration.
His administration accuses European nations of taking advantage of American generosity and of failing to take responsibility for their own destiny.
The security strategy openly supports far-right European parties, questioning the continent’s commitment to peace and indicating that its security is no longer a top US priority.
But lawmakers are explicitly moving in the opposite direction — deepening US resources for the Baltic states and hardening NATO’s northeastern flank, in a move that amounts to one of the strongest congressional assertions in years of Europe’s strategic importance.
The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act — which now advances to the Senate — carries a robust $8 billion more than the funding Trump requested in May.
It leans hard into European defense, barring troop levels on the continent from falling below 76,000 for more than 45 days and blocking the removal of major equipment.
Demand for drug-strike videos
The White House has backed the 3,086-page text, despite its misgivings over Europe, as well as a provision forcing the Pentagon to hand over videos of maritime strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in Latin American waters.
The footage has become a flashpoint in a transparency dispute between congressional defense and security committees and the military.
To ensure compliance, lawmakers will withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the videos arrive — an unusually personal tactic reflecting frustration over slow document production and the administration’s expanding use of lethal force in drug interdictions.
The NDAA also adds traditional security priorities. It places fresh limits on any reduction of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea, a signal to Seoul amid uncertainty over America’s long-term military commitment in East Asia.
With support from the administration wavering, the bill also doubles down on Ukraine — setting aside $400 million in security assistance to sustain a baseline of support even if emergency funding stalls.
The National Transportation Safety Board had warned against a provision that it said would roll back critical air-safety requirements for military aircraft operating in Washington’s restricted airspace.
A group of conservative hard-liners mulled blocking the bill over its Ukraine assistance and the absence of a ban on a central bank digital currency.
But opposition on multiple fronts is routine for a final NDAA, and there was never significant risk of a rebellion capable of sinking the package.
