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Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Monday, September 28th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the Day. Here we go. Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his four-day visit to France today with a message for a continent scarred by centuries of conflict. Choose reconciliation over revenge. Celebrating Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, the Pope told worshippers that Jesus' call to turn the other cheek is not weakness, and that those who forgive are stronger than those who seek retaliation. Speaking in the Moselle region, long shaped by its position on Europe's frontier, he said reconciliation becomes possible when people break the chains of resentment. Peace, the Pope explained, is a gift from God that also requires human effort, much like building a home sustained by love and presence. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, attended the Mass. Pope Leo also drew attention to the cathedral's stained glass windows, including works by Marc Chagall, calling them a symbol of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and peace today. The Metz liturgy brought the Pope's pastoral visit to France to a close and left the region with a simple challenge: forgive and build peace together. In a firm message to European leaders today, Pope Leo warned that rearmament is not the answer to the conflicts threatening the European continent. Speaking at the Robert Schumann Conference Center in Metz during a visit linked to the legacy of the Catholic statesman, the Pope lamented war's return to Europe and called for patient dialogue, courageous negotiations, and compromise for the sake of peace. He was careful to add that seeking peace must not be confused with a naive form of pacifism. Instead, he urged leaders to ask themselves honestly whether they are working for peace or merely preparing for future wars. The Pope described multilateralism and international law as antidotes to domination and conflict, while criticizing increasingly uncivil relations between states. He also highlighted Europe's Christian roots and encouraged the integration of migrants and refugees. Meeting with an interreligious gathering, Pope Leo said faith communities should promote and counter, reject violence in God's name, and foster human dignity. French survivors of clergy sexual abuse who met with Pope Leo and Lourdes on Sunday say the pontiff showed deep personal empathy and openly acknowledged the church's systemic failures. According to the Vatican, the Pope met individually and collectively with seven survivors, expressing closeness to all who suffer from abuse. Five of them then spoke at an invitation-only news conference. Survivor Jerome Guillamon said the Pope was clear that abusers are individuals, but that institutional failures allowed abuse to spread and persist. Asked whether Pope Leo recognized the systemic nature of the crisis, Guillemon answered, absolutely. Veronique Garnier said the Pope listened deeply and understood that France has not moved beyond systemic problems. For 80-year-old Jean-Marie Delbos, who left the church decades ago after being abused at Notre-Dame du Betteram, the encounter was deeply personal. He recalled the Pope embracing him and listening to his concerns, and said the meeting gave him confidence. The survivors urged the church to follow the Pope's words with concrete action. Just days after surviving a knife attack that killed a fellow priest, Father Adrian Montikovich returned to the altar in Poland with a message of forgiveness. He celebrated the first mass at the Benedictine Sisters' Abbey in Yaroslav since the September 24th attack, in which five people were stabbed. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, in my own name, in Father Marek's name, and in Father Stanislav's name, I want to say very clearly that we forgive, he said. Father Stanislav Zaboynievich died of his injuries, while Father Marek Piankovsky remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Father Montikievich was treated and released the same day. He urged prayers for the suspect, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen, saying he needs this prayer most of all. He also warned against blaming an entire people for one man's actions, appealing for solidarity between Poles and Ukrainians, and recalling the Abbey's extensive support for refugees. Funeral rites for Father Zabonevich begin today, with burial scheduled for tomorrow. Just days after Archbishop Fulton Sheen's beatification, his baptismal parish is set to make history. Bishop Louis Tilka of Peoria announced Saturday that St. Mary Catholic Church in El Paso, Illinois, will become the first parish in the world named for Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. He made the announcement after a Mass of Thanksgiving at the parish, offered two days after the September 24th beatification in St. Louis. The Mass carried another special significance. It was celebrated by Bishop John Barris of Rockville Center, New York, an American bishop who was himself baptized by Sheen. Sheen was baptized in the old St. Mary's Church on the site of the current parish hall on May 12, 1895. 131 years later, and immediately after his beatification, it is good that we are here, Bishop Barris said in his homily. It was, he said, where Sheen became a new creation and where the call to mission was first conferred. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.