VATICAN INSIDER: AMERICAN COUPLE MOVE TO ROME FOR A YEAR, SIGN UP AS JUBILEE VOLUNTEERS (PART II)

A jewel from Joan:  You will be judged by what you finished, not by what you planned.

VATICAN INSIDER: AMERICAN COUPLE MOVE TO ROME FOR A YEAR, SIGN UP AS JUBILEE VOLUNTEERS (PART II)

Welcome back to Vatican Insider on this second weekend of our brand NewYear! And what a week it was! Tuesday, January 6, the Church celebrated the feast of the Epiphany and the closing of the final Holy Door at St. Peter’s basilica, thus ending the Jubilee of Hope. Wednesday, the weekly papal audience and the start of the two-day meeting of the Pope with members of the College of Cardinals, and Friday, the annual papal address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.

Similar heady and historical events marked this past year for two visitors who spent 2025 in Rome, the American couple you met last week on this page and in the interview segment of Vatican Insider, Craig and Laura Schlattmann. They are my guests again this week in Part II of our conversation and they tell us more about the many times this past year they served as volunteers for the Jubilee of Hope. They were also active parishioners of St. Patrick’s, the Catholic American community in Rome.

They explain their specific duties as Jubilee volunteers and offer some of the highlights, unusual or touching moments of the Jubilee experience, their time in Italy, Rome and at St. Patrick’s, and what they will bring home from this Jubilee.

I repeat what I wrote last week: Craig and Laura are two wonderful people but what you will mainly take away from our conversation is their deep faith.  God bless you both!  I am happy the Lord placed you in my life!

P.S. Pope Leo tomorrow has scheduled a meeting with all the Jubilee volunteers whom he earlier invited to Rome in order to thank them for their work.

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POPE LEO TO DIPLOMATS: PRIORITIZE DIALOGUE, CONSENSUS, PEACE, HUMAN DIGNITY AND FAMILY VALUES

I highly recommend reading the full powerful, wide-ranging speech in English by Pope Leo to the Diplomatic Corps. If you can, make time to read it at one sitting.

The full video in English is here (the Holy Father arrives at 11:35 minutes):: To members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See – Calendar of Activities | Vatican.va

POPE LEO TO DIPLOMATS: PRIORITIZE DIALOGUE, CONSENSUS, PEACE, HUMAN DIGNITY AND FAMILY VALUES

In his first annual address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Leo created a multi-colored tapestry of topics, speaking powerfully as he denounced the shift from dialogue to force in international relations, the erosion of international law, and a “zeal for war,” while urging a return to multilateralism and the prioritization of peace, human dignity, and family values. He stated repeatedly, in remarks concerning conflicts and humanitarian issues, that a diplomacy of peace requires dialogue, consensus, and upholding justice, not dominion through force. He highlighted the primary right upon which all others rest – the right to life.

Speaking English, Leo XIV focused on the lights and shadows of the world in what is often called the papal “State of the World” address.

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He addressed the diplomats in the Hall of Blessings, a long, beautiful hall above the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica, on one side of which are five windows, leading to five balconies, including the central balcony or loggia of the basilica. The Pope was last on this balcony on January 6, feast of the Epiphany when he recited the Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. This is, of course, also the balcony where a newly-elected pope first appears.

Pope Leo met the ambassadors one by one and later a group photo was taken in the Sistine Chapel.

The Vatican released the full speech which lasted just over one hour (To members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See – Calendar of Activities | Vatican.va) as well as a summary of the highlights (Pope raises alarm over human rights and a spreading “zeal for war” – Vatican News).

The Vatican also released information on those States and organizations accredited to the Holy See.

There are 184 states that currently maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See. These include the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. There are 93 diplomatic missions accredited to the Holy See based in Rome, including those of the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The offices accredited to the Holy See by the League of Arab States, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are also based in Rome.

During 2025, on July 31, the Agreement was signed between the Holy See and the Italian Republic for an agrivoltaic plant in Santa Maria di Galeria. On September 29, the Agreement was signed between the Holy See and the State of Berlin on the Institute for Catholic Theology at

the Humboldt University of Berlin. Finally, on November 3, the Exchange of Letters between the Italian Republic and the Holy See, concluded in Rome on November 12, 2024, and in the Vatican City on December 23, 2024, entered into force. This Agreement amends the Agreement by Exchange of Letters between the Italian Republic and the Holy See on the Spiritual Assistance of the Armed Forces, concluded in Rome and in the Vatican City on February 13, 2018.