by Carol Glatz/Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With bishops leading the way, every Christian should help build unity in the Church and the world by putting Christ at the center and drawing others near while being attentive to their needs, Pope Leo XIV said.  
 
"Communion within the Church is not built by clinging rigidly to one’s own position, but by seeking, in all hearts, points of encounter in the truth, in whose light alone each person becomes a means of growth for another," he said during his homily at Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29.

"It is important for us today to look to these two saints -- Peter and Paul -- to understand how we, in turn, can be apostles and builders of unity, and generous servants of the truth in charity," he said.
 
The feast day celebration in St. Peter's Basilica included the traditional blessing of the pallium, the woolen band adorned with crosses that the heads of archdioceses wear around their shoulders over their Mass vestments and symbolizes an archbishop's unity with the pope and his authority and responsibility to care for the flock the pope entrusted to him.

According to the Vatican, 35 archbishops from 19 countries who were named over the past 12 months received the palliums. Four of them were from the United States: Archbishop Mark S. Rivituso of Mobile, Alabama; Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York; Archbishop James R. Golka of Denver; and Archbishop James F. Checchio of New Orleans.

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Published May 25, the Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum. Pope Leo XIV personally presented his first encyclical letter at an event at the Synod Hall in the Vatican, alongside Curial cardinals, theologians, and technology leaders.

"One of the reasons our Holy Father chose his name, Leo XIV, was that his predecessor, Leo XIII lived during the industrial revolution, a time of great change and challenges for society." said Archbishop Checchio on the new encyclical.

"With the advent of AI, Pope Leo XIV believes we are entering another era like the Industrial Revolution and wants to re-emphasize the dignity of every person and the need to see people not through productivity or usefulness, but through the lens of being loved by God," continued the Archbishop. "He also reminds us that the mission of the Church is done through relationships and communion, not simply programs or information transfer. People encounter Christ through authentic human relationships. This is especially important for our Archdiocese of New Orleans with our rich cultural identity and diversity. Our different communities and backgrounds are not obstacles to unity, but beautiful expressions of the universality of the Church.  Our work of spreading the Gospel must embrace the unique history, culture, music, traditions, spirituality, and relational nature of our local Church. Gratefully, New Orleans is so uniquely Catholic!"

Read the full text of encyclical: English | Spanish