Religious leaders from a variety of faith traditions gathered Monday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to hear an address by Pope Leo XIV focused on dialogue, friendship, human dignity and peace.

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was among those present, reflecting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ ongoing commitment to building bridges of understanding and friendship among people of different faiths.

“Religions safeguard human dignity,” the Pope said to a gathering of faith leaders at the Palacio San Martín. “In prayer, which expresses our faith, the ideals of goodness and justice, health and peace are not empty words to be filled with selfish interests, but testimonies to our common will, which is directed toward joy. Whenever we pray, therefore, we must care for those who live alongside us, making the words we utter authentic through renewed fraternity.”

Pope Leo said Monday’s gathering rested “on the pillars of dialogue and friendship.” He encouraged religious leaders to strengthen those relationships by “building new bridges” and finding new paths of cooperation.

The Pope is on a 10-day journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The Apostle said he was touched by the Catholic leader’s teachings on human dignity and peace.

“I loved the expressions of the Pope when he spoke about human dignity, the importance of the protection of life, the protection for the world we live in, and his desire to unite efforts to avoid wars,” Elder Soares said. “I was very impressed to see his sincere desire to invite all people to promote peace in the world.”

Elder Soares also commented on how pleased he was to meet those religious leaders, who share a desire to unite efforts for peace and love in the world.

Elder Soares is also on a 10-day ministry trip, with an additional stop scheduled in Paraguay. His broadcasts will reach Latter-day Saints in Chile and Uruguay. In Buenos Aires, he reflected on Argentina’s unique place in the history of the Church in South America.

“The gospel of Christ in South America started here, in Buenos Aires,” he said. “A little seed was planted many years ago, more than 100 years ago now, and that seed grew in the whole continent, including Brazil.”

Elder Soares noted that the first missionaries to preach the gospel in southern Brazil came from Argentina, helping establish the Church across the continent.

“What a great blessing,” he said.

Illustrated ‘New Testament Stories’ now available in print

The revised edition of the illustrated “New Testament Stories” from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now available in print and online, along with accompanying animated videos.

The print edition is available at Church distribution centers and store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Copies are being distributed with materials for the 2027 “Come, Follow Me” curriculum, which is centered on the New Testament. Families with Primary-aged children can request a copy from their local leaders.

The stories are also available digitally in the Gospel Library in 68 languages.

For children, recognizing the people and events in a scripture story can make the scriptures feel less intimidating.

Sunday School General President and member of the Scriptures Committee Paul V. Johnson remembers his grandmother reading simplified, illustrated Bible stories with him as a young boy. The experience helped him understand and become familiar with the Bible. He hopes the new resources will be building blocks for young testimonies.

“‘New Testament Stories’ gives children an approachable introduction to the scriptures while they’re young. Then, when they’re old enough to read the scriptures for themselves, it feels less intimidating — they recognize the stories and the names and even the doctrine,” he said. “That way, they can spend less time trying to figure out what’s happening in a story and more time finding gospel principles and personal relevance.”

Primary General President Rosemary K. Chibota said the updated stories and artwork were inspired by a desire to help children relate to the scriptures and strengthen their understanding of Jesus Christ.

“There is a joyful spirit that permeates this book. You can sense it in the simple text, see it in the bright, delightful images, and especially see it in the countenance of the Savior as He interacts with children,” she said.

Elder Jörg Klebingat, General Authority Seventy and member of the Scriptures Committee, said that these resources are for anyone who “just needs a little scaffolding to understand the scriptures.”

They can help young children, new readers, people learning English and others who benefit from simplified text and visual learning.

“I think it’s a sign of God’s love that He would provide something like this that helps all His children connect with Him, even when the scriptures themselves are beyond their current reading abilities,” Elder Klebingat said.

The release of “New Testament Stories” marks the conclusion of a yearslong effort to reimagine the Scripture Stories series for a new generation, more than 40 years after the original edition. The rest of the series — “Book of Mormon Stories,” “Doctrine and Covenants Stories” and “Old Testament Stories” — is also available digitally and in print.

Since 2019, more than 225 scripture stories have been revised and rewritten. The project also included hundreds of new illustrations and animations designed to help people of all ages better understand the scriptures.

The animated videos offer another way to become familiar with scripture stories. Composer Kendra Lowe created original scores for individual videos as she watched the animations play in the studio.