Vatican & AI Policy: Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas spotlights safeguarding the human person in the era of AI, urging “brakes” on creativity and calling for “unmasking” the world’s contradictions. Ukraine Peace Push: After fresh Russian strikes, the pope renewed his appeal for negotiations to “bear concrete fruit,” framing dialogue as a path away from destruction. Spiritual Abuse Accountability: A French group of 214 victims and relatives asks Pope Leo to define spiritual abuse in canon law, set up independent reporting bodies, and train new religious postulants on rights. Marian Culture & Devotion: Pope Leo visited the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, unveiling fresh fresco devotion and asking for “courageous and wise decisions.” Arts & Storytelling: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts keeps building toward its Sept. 22 opening with major art-and-cinema events, celebrating visual storytelling across cultures. Fashion Under Pressure: Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kyiv blended runway glamour with wartime reality, staging shows in a bomb shelter as drones and air defenses sounded overhead. Local Faith in the Spotlight: A beatification-linked Thanksgiving Mass in Lebanon marked Blessed Patriarch Elias Howayek’s legacy for Maronite communities.