Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed regret Thursday after a shell fragment fired during combat in Gaza hit a Catholic Church, killing 3 and wounding ten.
Pope Leo XIV welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a private audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, offering to host both Ukrainian and Russian diplomats to negotiate an end to Moscow’s prolonged invasion of the country.
The election of the first American gained worldwide attention in early May, not just among the faithful, but also among collectors who sought to capitalize on the fact that the new pontiff is not just an American, but an avid baseball fan.
Pope Leo XIV once again echoed his call for unity within the Catholic Church on Friday after years of political and liturgical division.
Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the call for priests to remain celibate while commanding bishops to take “firm and decisive” action in cases involving sexual abuse in remarks delivered to the Catholic hierarchy on Wednesday.
In the wake of the American strikes on nuclear sites in the Islamist-run nation of Iran, Pope Leo XIV called for a return to diplomacy and prayed for peace to come to the Middle East.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the eruption of active hostilities between Iran and Israel for the first time on Wednesday, urging the world to facilitate peace and reject “scientific weapons of all kinds,” an apparent reference to Iran’s illicit nuclear program.
A record number of people joined the famed pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres this weekend, bolstered by growing support among young people and interest in the Traditional Latin Mass.
Pope Leo XIV criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed Sunday for reconciliation and dialogue – a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace.
Cuba’s figurehead president Miguel Díaz-Canel extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV on Thursday to visit the island.
Pope Leo XIV held his first phone conversation with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, the Vatican and Kremlin both confirmed a day later, discussing the Church’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Pope Leo XIV asked Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues facing his new pontificate.
Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday and gave the Chicago-born pontiff a Bears football jersey inscribed with his title.
During Sunday’s Mass of Inauguration, Pope Leo XIV called for a “united Church” to foster peace throughout the world and for the faithful to “walk towards God and love one another”.
Artificial Intelligence could enrich and enslave us—perhaps one or the other, perhaps both at the same time. So, even non-Catholics should appreciate that Pope Leo XIV is summoning his Church to build a fortress for the free will of faith—the right of each soul to find a path to salvation—in the age of AI.
In an address to members of the Vatican’s Diplomatic Corps, Pope Leo XIV stressed the fundamental importance of the union between men and women as the bedrock of civilisation. The Pontiff argued that governments should invest in family formation to foster more “harmonious and peaceful” civil societies, echoing the message of populist leaders like Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and Vice President JD Vance.
Pope Leo vowed to help protect Catholic communities in the Mideast and Europe that have been decimated by years of conflict and persecution.
The Vatican and President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Monday that Pope Leo XIV had spoken with the Ukrainian head of state, offering support to find an end to the ongoing invasion of his country.
Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff.
The election of the first American pope has tax lawyers wondering if the IRS will try to collect taxes on the new Pontiff’s in-kind compensation.
The Catholic Church’s new Pope has publicly described migration as a “huge problem” even as he also urges Christians to treat migrants with respect.
Peruvians are enthusiastically celebrating the election on Thursday of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Bishop of Rome.
Pope Leo XIV delivered his first homily on Friday morning since being elected to be the terrestrial head of the Catholic Church, emphasizing the challenge of leading people to Jesus in a world that often disparages the faith as “absurd” or “weak.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a brief statement on Friday congratulating Pope Leo XIV on his ascent to the helm of the Catholic Church.
Pope Leo XIV delivered his first homily, a sermon in the Catholic liturgy, on Friday morning after being chosen by the College of Cardinals as the successor to St. Peter the Apostle on May 8.
The Chicago Cubs launched a preemptive strike on Thursday, claiming that Chicago-native and newly elected Pope Leo XIV is a Cubs fan.
Pope Leo XIV, the newly-elected leader of the Catholic Church, previously opposed the promotion of gender theory.
President Donald Trump congratulated Pope Leo XIV on being elected pope after a historic conclave that placed an American for the first time at the helm of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was chosen by the College of Cardinals to be the new pope of the Catholic Church, making him the first American pope in the Church’s 2,000-year history. The Chicago native chose the papal name Leo XIV. White smoke appeared above the Sistine Chapel at approximately 6:08 p.m. Rome time, followed by the chiming of the Vatican’s bells, which confirmed for the faithful that a new successor of St. Peter the Apostle was indeed chosen.
Let the voting – and prayers – begin. One hundred and thirty-three Roman Catholic cardinals from 66 countries gathered for Mass on Wednesday morning before the start of a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis now underway behind the Vatican’s walls.
Vatican workers installed the simple stove in the Sistine Chapel where ballots will be burned during the conclave to elect a new pope and began taking measures to block any electronic interference with their deliberations, as jockeying continued Saturday outside over who among the cardinals was in the running.
Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi honored the memory of the recently deceased Pope Francis during an event on Friday, stating that the late Catholic pontiff “will always inspire me.”
Preparations for the conclave progressed with installation of chimney from Sistine Chapel to signal election of a successor to Pope Francis.
A commencement date for the conclave to elect a successor to the late Pope Francis was announced Monday by the Vatican.
Roman Catholic faithful began visiting the tomb of Pope Francis on Sunday, filing past the simple white tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica a day after he was bade farewell by the powerful of the world and a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
President Trump joined the gathered mourners outside St Peter’s Basilica, having flown overnight to Italy for the funeral of Pope Francis.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry offered brief condolences over the death of Pope Francis on Tuesday, over a day after the announcement of his passing, crediting him meagerly for “useful” exchanges with Beijing.
The Vatican kept the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica open all night Wednesday due to higher-than-expected turnout of Catholic faithful determined to bid farewell to the late Pope Francis.
The Vatican opened St. Peter’s Basilica to the general public Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, with thousands of people filling the central aisle and Swiss Guards standing at attention.
The Vatican on Tuesday published the final thoughts of the late Pope Francis on the afterlife, in an essay he wrote in February, in which he declared that “death is not the end.”
