Pope Leo XIV celebrates his 71st birthday on September 14, 2026, following a year marked by appeals for peace, Apostolic Journeys, and concern for human dignity.
Vatican News
As Pope Leo XIV celebrates his 71st birthday on Monday, September 14, messages and expressions of good wishes have been arriving at the Vatican from around the world.
The presidency of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, or CEI, sent a message conveying the greetings of Italy’s local Churches and thanking the Pope for his service.
The Italian Bishops recalled Pope Leo’s emphasis on the Gospel as the fundamental priority of ecclesial life and on faith as a personal encounter with Christ.
They also highlighted his call for missionary communities, welcoming parishes and effective structures of participation.
Referring to the Pope’s Angelus address on Sunday, the Italian Bishops’ Conference underlined the connection between forgiveness and peace, noting that conflicts arise when reconciliation is absent.
A year marked by peace
Peace has been one of the most frequently recurring themes of Pope Leo’s words over the past year.
Since speaking after his election of an “unarmed and disarming” peace, he has repeatedly returned to peace and reconciliation during his Apostolic Journeys, encounters, and public addresses.
During the first year of his pontificate, the Pope referred to these two themes more than 400 times, while also frequently speaking about unity, dialogue, hope, and human dignity.
His first Apostolic Journey took him to Türkiye and Lebanon. At Nicaea, marking the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council, he stressed Christian unity, while in Lebanon he focused on dialogue and peace.
Pope Leo later became the first pontiff to visit Monaco and Algeria. In Annaba, ancient Hippo, he visited places associated with Saint Augustine. During his journey to Spain, he became the first Pope to address the Spanish Parliament.
On January 6, he closed the Jubilee Year 2025, begun by Pope Francis, by shutting the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
His first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, addressed artificial intelligence and insisted that technology must remain at the service of human dignity, freedom, responsibility, and the common good.
He also completed Dilexi te, the Apostolic Exhortation begun by Pope Francis on love for the poor, revisiting the theme during his July visit to Lampedusa and meeting with migrants.
Born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, Pope Leo XIV enters his 72nd year with the central themes of his pontificate clearly defined: peace, unity, and the defence of human dignity.
