Vatican Report | Saturday evening, 31 October 2026

All Saints' Eve at the Vatican: this morning Pope Leo XIV received the towns struck by the 2016 earthquakes and about 7,000 pilgrims from Villanova and Notre Dame. The Bulletin stopped at B0858: no new appointments after the midday ones. Paolo Ruffini's term at the Dicastery for Communication comes to an end. 🏀 Villanova and Notre Dame In the Paul VI Hall the Pope welcomed students and families from Villanova University, his alma mater, and the University of Notre Dame, in Rome for Sunday's basketball games. "The Pope doesn't take sides," he joked. Rivals "are certainly not enemies," he said, and "no one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint." In the crowd, a boy dressed as the Pope, in a white mitre and red cape: Leo XIV took his hand with a smile. 🏚️ Earthquake, ten years on To delegations from the central Italian towns hit by the 2016 quakes, the Pope asked for "every effort so that material reconstruction happens as quickly as possible, safely and transparently" (our translation), urging them to "build together". 🎖️ Today's appointments In Medjugorje, Francesco Cavina, bishop emeritus of Carpi, succeeds Aldo Cavalli as Apostolic Visitor with a special character, for an indefinite period. Cavina left Carpi in 2019 after an inquiry in which his position was dismissed; according to Il Foglio, he had held no post since. The new bishop of Soissons, France, is Martial Bernard. No further appointments this afternoon. 🌍 Mission and communication "The love of Christ sends us forth" is the theme of World Mission Day 2027 (24 October). From tomorrow, 1 November, Montserrat Alvarado leads the Dicastery for Communication, the first laywoman to head a Dicastery. ✈️ Towards the journey Six days before leaving for Uruguay, Argentina and Peru (6-17 November), Richard Alarcón Urrutia, archbishop of Cusco, died; the Pope will visit the city on 15 November. His coadjutor, Lizardo Estrada, succeeds him. According to Reuters, abuse survivors will seek accountability from the Church during the trip. 📌 To watch • Tomorrow, Sunday 1 November, 12 p.m.: All Saints' Day Angelus • Monday 2 November, 4 p.m.: Mass for the faithful departed at Verano cemetery • Tuesday 3 November, 1 p.m.: Matteo Bruni briefs the press on the journey • Wednesday 4 November, 10 a.m.: General Audience; 12 p.m. press conference on the 5th Laudato Si' Action Platform Report Sources: Holy See Press Office, Vatican News, Il Foglio, Reuters Photo: Vatican Media