Pope Leo XIV (2026)

Pope Leo XIV ends 2025 urging Catholics to examine conscience and entrust new year to God (CNA)

Pope Leo XIV used the Vatican’s final general audience of 2025 on Wednesday to invite Catholics to look back on the past year with gratitude and repentance, and to place what lies ahead in God’s hands...

Pope: The new year is ‘a journey to be discovered’ (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first public Mass of 2026 on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, telling believers that Mary has revealed the ‘unarmed and disarming’ face of God...

Key dates on the agenda of the pope and Vatican for 2026 (CNA)

Pope Leo XIV is preparing for a very busy year at the Vatican in 2026, with important events such as the conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope and his first consistory of cardinals since his election... 1. Closing of the Jubilee of Hope — Jan. 6... 2. Extraordinary consistory of cardinals — Jan. 7–8... 3. Extraordinary restoration in the Sistine Chapel — January... 4. Appeal hearing in the Becciu case — Feb. 3... 5. Second World Children’s Day — Sept. 25–27... Possible international trips for Pope Leo XIV in 2026...

The World is Saved by “tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate, welcome everyone without calculation": Pope (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV called Catholics to a steadfast openness to other people, warning that peace will not be built through force or exclusion, as he celebrated his first liturgy of the new year on Thursday. “The world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing, or eliminating our brothers and sisters,” the pope said in his homily for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Rather, he added, it is saved by “tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate, and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear” ...

Reflecting on Pope Leo’s call for an unarmed peace for a wounded world (Vatican News)

As the Church prepares to mark the World Day of Peace on 1 January, Pope Leo XIV’s first Message for the occasion is centred on the call for an “unarmed and disarming” peace. As Marie Dennis recalls, it also refers to a peace that is “humble and persevering”, and it places Gospel nonviolence at the heart of the Church’s response to a world increasingly marked by conflict, fear, and fragmentation. Speaking with Vatican News, the director of Pax Christi’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence describes the Pope’s message as deeply coherent with the direction Pope Leo XIV has charted since the earliest moments of his papacy. “It is so entirely consistent with what Pope Leo has been saying from the very beginning,” she says. “His immediate reference to peace - peace that is unarmed and disarming, and, he adds, humble and persevering”... the message offers not only a spiritual reflection, but a strong and concrete framework rooted in what she calls “Gospel nonviolence”—a way of life that the world urgently needs... it carries both theological depth and practical implications. An “unarmed” peace, she says, does not depend on coercion, military force, or the accumulation of weapons. “The peace of Christ does not rely on violence or coercion or a building up of arms,” she notes, pointing to Pope Leo’s explicit reference to the enormous global investment in war and preparations for war. “It does not rely on that kind of preparation—or on violence itself.” But the Pope goes further, she adds, by insisting that peace must also be “disarming.” “This is not passive,” Dennis explains. “It is an active process whereby a different way of relating is built between two parties.” Drawing on the language of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, she describes this as a practice that both interrupts cycles of violence and extends a hand, even to those perceived as enemies. “It consistently reaches out to the so-called enemy, to the one who may even be the perpetrator of violence, to build a new way of relating,” she says. “Peace is unarmed in itself, and it is also disarming”... “Rather than giving in to or orchestrating fear, which is really the way the world is working right now, the Pope calls us to move beyond fear,” she says. Instead, the message urges a return to humility, relationship-building, and recognition of the dignity of the other. This vision, she notes, stands in sharp contrast to dominant narratives that portray entire groups of people as threats. Pope Leo’s insistence on humility, she explains, recognises the integrity of every person. “Where we are told that immigrants are a threat, not a gift,” she says, “the Pope speaks of a peace that recognises people as human beings with needs, integrity, and gifts to bring to society”... As a long-time advocate of nonviolence, Dennis says one passage of the Pope’s message resonates particularly strongly with her: his reflection on the disciples’ discomfort with Jesus’ nonviolent response to injustice and threat. “What troubled the disciples was his nonviolent response,” Pope Leo writes, a path that Peter, among others, contested. “That reaction is very familiar,” Dennis observes. “We tend to think that nonviolence in the face of such overwhelming violence is naïve or impossible.” Yet, she notes, growing empirical research shows otherwise. “What we are learning is that nonviolent strategies work,” she says, “and they often work better than armed responses.” Nonviolence, she insists, is neither passive nor impractical. It is a disciplined approach that can be learned and applied, even in the most difficult circumstances...

For those who like listening to things, this article includes a ten minute audio of the interview.

Full text of Pope Leo XIV's message for the 2026 World Day of Peace: Peace be with you all: Towards an “unarmed and disarming” peace.

What a difference it would make to the world if the 1.3 billion Catholics who look to the pope for leadership and guidance, to say nothing of billions of other people of good will, were to take seriously "Jesus’ nonviolent response to injustice and threat" instead of contesting it as Peter did!

Pope Leo XIV's Christmas message breaks through with non-Catholics (NCR)

The "Pope Leo" difference made itself felt anew over Christmas. As we have seen before, Leo XIV's words were little different from what his predecessors would say. In his midnight Mass homily, the pope quoted a sermon his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI had delivered at midnight Mass in 2012... He quoted his immediate predecessor Pope Francis' midnight Mass homily in 2024... And, of course, he quoted from his spiritual father, St. Augustine... The thing about Leo is that it isn't just us Catholics who take note, but non-Catholics also... my friend observed, "You know, your pope is the pope the world needs right now. I don't know if he is what your church needs but he is what the world needs"... Too often, interreligious dialogue descends into a search for the lowest common ethical denominator. But here were two non-Catholics moved by the pope's words as he celebrated one of the great mysteries and dogmas of our faith: the Incarnation. His words reached to something deeper than ethics, to our understanding of the human person...

Pope on Venezuela: Overcome violence, safeguard country’s sovereignty (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV expressed his concern on Sunday over recent developments in Venezuela... “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration and lead us to overcome violence and to undertake paths of justice and peace, safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each person and of all, and working to build together a serene future of collaboration, stability, and concord, with special attention to the poorest who suffer because of the difficult economic situation,” said the Pope at the midday Angelus prayer. Speaking in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo invited everyone to pray for the Venezuelan people, assuring them of his own prayers... On Sunday, the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference issued a message in response to the events, expressing the Church’s closeness to Venezuelans. “In view of the events that our country is experiencing today, let us ask God to grant all Venezuelans serenity, wisdom, and strength,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with those who were injured and with the families of those who died. Let us persevere in prayer for the unity of our people.” The Bishops called for decisions to be made for the good of the Venezuelan people...

Pope Leo XIV says God is found in humble places, not in prestige (CNA)

Celebrating the solemnity of the Epiphany in St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV said God’s saving presence is revealed not “in a prestigious location” but “in a humble place” and urged Catholics to protect what is holy and newly born — “small, vulnerable, fragile” — in a world that often seeks to profit from everything... Leo contrasted the joy of those who seek Christ with the fear of Herod, who “tries to take advantage of the wishes of the Magi by manipulating their quest.” “Fear does indeed blind us,” he said. “Conversely, the joy of the Gospel liberates us. It makes us prudent, yes, but also bold, attentive, and creative; it beckons us along ways that are different to those already traveled”...

>6 brone:

North Carolina bishop demands liturgical unity in pastoral letter (Tablet)

Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina issued a pastoral letter on liturgical norms following months of controversy in the diocese. The letter on 17 December aims to unite the local church and to bring it into conformity with universal norms. The bishop, a Conventual Franciscan, mandated that no altar rails or prie-dieus be used for the distribution of Holy Communion and that the faithful be instructed that reception of the Eucharist while standing is normative throughout the United States. He also encouraged parishes to offer Communion under both species and to use extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. “Throughout the ages and within the context of our rich liturgical traditions from the East to the West, our unity as believers in Holy Communion is expressed through our postures and gestures that reflect our mystical communion and unity as fellow believers,” Martin wrote...

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“Together we go forward”: Cardinal Brislin Reflects on 75 Years of Southern African Hierarchy, Pope’s First Consistory (ACI Africa)

the Church in Southern Africa now stands within a synodal journey, guided by a common pastoral plan, he said... The jubilee year also coincides with a significant moment in the life of the universal Church: Pope Leo XIV’s first consistory, to which Cardinal Brislin is traveling. He described the gathering planned for January 7-8 as “a very, very important step” by the new Pope. Reflecting on the 2025 Conclave, Cardinal Brislin noted a challenge that the College of Cardinals faced. “A lot of the Cardinals didn’t know each other,” he recalled, explaining that circumstances had limited opportunities for encounter. One of the requests made before the election of Pope Leo XIV, he revealed, was that the new Pope ensure regular meetings of the Cardinals, “who are supposed to be the closest advisors of the Holy Father.” Among the topics to be discussed at the planned consistory is the liturgy, especially the celebration of Holy Mass. For Cardinal Brislin, this focus is profoundly significant. “The Mass is the source and summit, the Eucharist is the source and the summit of Christian life,” he said. He expressed hope that discussions would renew a shared commitment to celebrating the liturgy “with dignity, with reverence, but also with joy, and with happiness, and with praise and worship of God”...

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Pope Leo's first extraordinary consistory: What to expect (NCR)

As the new year begins and the Jubilee Year comes to a close, Pope Leo XIV will hit the ground running with an extraordinary consistory taking place in Rome this week... While providing no specifics, the Vatican said the consistory is taking place "within the context of the life and mission of the church, and intends to strengthen the communion between the Bishop of Rome and the cardinals, who are called to collaborate in a particular way in solicitude for the good of the universal church"... Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm said that "for us cardinals, this will be a unique opportunity to meet Pope Leo during the early period of his pontificate and to hear what he wishes to prioritize and what he expects of us." He added, "We know that the pope assumes his office at a time of major conflicts in the world, and that the Church’s prophetic voice is more necessary than ever. Evangelization is, of course, an ever-present and enduring task"... the extraordinary consistory requires the participation of all cardinals from around the world and, according to canon law, "is celebrated when particular needs of the church or the treatment of more grave affairs suggest it"...

As Extraordinary Consistory Opens, Pope Leo XIV Tells Cardinals "I am here to listen" (ACI Africa)

In his opening address at the extraordinary consistory convened for Jan. 7–8, Pope Leo XIV assured the cardinals from around the world gathered at the Vatican that “I am here to listen.” The Holy Father reminded the cardinals, assembled in the Synod Hall, that “as we learned during the two assemblies of the Synod of Bishops in 2023 and 2024,” within the framework of the so-called Synod on Synodality, “the synodal dynamic implies a listening par excellence.” “Every moment of this kind is an opportunity to deepen our shared appreciation for synodality,” Pope Leo said... “We must not arrive at a text,” the pope clarified regarding the task of the consistory, “but continue a conversation that will help me in serving the mission of the entire Church.” In his address, the Holy Father outlined the four themes that will be discussed during the extraordinary consistory. Two of them are named after papal documents of his predecessor, Francis: the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium. Evangelii Gaudium, he noted, has to do with “the mission of the Church in today’s world,” while Praedicate Evangelium refers to “the service of the Holy See, especially to the particular Churches.” The third and fourth topics will be “synod and synodality,” as “both an instrument and a style of collaboration,” and “the liturgy, the source and summit of Christian life”...

Full text of Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s opening address at the Extraordinary Consistory, Jan. 7, 2026 (OSV News)

Pope at Mass: Consistory a time for Cardinals to reflect on Church’s path (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass with the Cardinals gathered for his first Extraordinary Consistory, and invites them to share their burden of pastoral care with each other as they seek to help the Pope guide the Church...

World's cardinals set mission, collaboration as priorities in rare meeting with pope (NCR)

Convened in Rome by the pope they elected just eight months ago, the world's cardinals were given a crash course in collegiality. Sitting in small groups of five to 11 at roundtables, the 170 cardinals attending the Jan. 7-8 extraordinary consistory called by Pope Leo XIV set the church's mission and synodality — the catch-all term for creating a more participatory church — as the priorities for their two days of discussions... Leo opened the extraordinary consistory, calling them to Rome in rare a move designed to address a particular need of the church used only once by Pope Francis and never by Pope Benedict XVI... Leo's decision to convene an extraordinary consistory so early in his pontificate without a narrowly defined agenda could show an openness to enlist the cardinals more directly in the governance of the church... After opening prayers, a meditation offered by British Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, and introductory remarks, the cardinals broke into small groups at round tables in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall. The scene was reminiscent of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, the multiyear assembly of clergy and lay leaders convened by Francis to foster a more participatory church in which the future Pope Leo took part... Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said the "vast majority" of the groups opted to focus on the mission of the church in light of Evangelii Gaudium, the apostolic exhortation widely regarded as the roadmap of Francis' pontificate, as well as on synodality. Proposed discussions on Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution reforming the Roman Curia, and on the liturgy received less support, dashing hopes among traditionalist Catholics that liturgical questions would take center stage at the consistory...

Pope Leo XIV’s papacy began today (America Magazine)

Jan. 7, 2026, was, in some ways, the beginning of the Leo XIV pontificate. Since the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8 of last year, the new pope’s schedule has been largely dictated by the Jubilee Year activities laid out by his predecessor, Pope Francis. With Pope Leo closing the Holy Door on Jan. 6, marking the end of the Jubilee, a new era in his young pontificate has begun. Beginning on Jan. 7, Leo has much more freedom in his schedule—indeed, the Vatican confirmed on Dec. 20 that he would hit the ground running in this new era by bringing the world’s cardinals to Rome for a two-day meeting. The closed-door meeting began Wednesday; in his opening address, Pope Leo said the meeting would include small-group discussions on four topics: the church’s mission as described in Pope Francis’ programmatic document “Evangelii Gaudium”; the reform of the Roman Curia; the synod; and liturgy. But because of time constraints, he asked the cardinals to choose only two of the topics to discuss “specifically.” According to Vatican News, a “clear majority” of the 170 cardinals participating voted to spend their time at the consistory discussing “Synod and synodality” and “Evangelization and mission in the Church in the light of Evangelii gaudium.” The same day, Leo announced at his ordinary general audience that he would begin a new catechesis series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Acknowledging that the “generation of bishops, theologians and believers of Vatican II is no longer with us,” Leo said, “it will be important to get to know it again closely, and to do so not through ‘hearsay’ or interpretations that have been given, but by rereading its documents and reflecting on their content”... Historians often say that it takes a century for an ecumenical council like Vatican II to be “received” or implemented. It has now been 60 years since the council closed, meaning the next four decades will be key for how Vatican II’s impact on the church is cemented. Much of that time will likely fall within the papacy of Leo XIV. This series of Wednesday audiences, then, will likely reveal the interpretative lens through which Leo views the council, and how he will continue its implementation...

Pope Leo XIV to Hold Next Consistory in June, Hopes for Annual Meetings with Cardinals (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV will be hosting a second consistory of cardinals at the end of June and wants to hold such meetings annually... Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope would like to hold annual meetings lasting three to four days, allowing more time for discussion on various topics of importance and for free interventions by the members of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Cardinal Stephen Brislin of Johannesburg, South Africa, told reporters at a closing Vatican briefing that he and the other cardinals found this consistory a “very enriching and very deepening experience.” He said they also appreciated that it also gave the opportunity for the cardinals to “get to know each other and to listen to each other.” The fact that the pope wishes to hold more meetings, he added, shows that the pope, too, “found it very important” and helpful... The liturgy was briefly mentioned, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, archbishop emeritus of Durban, South Africa, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner. But he said the Traditional Latin Mass and “particulars like that” were not discussed. “I think the whole thing was how do we get the whole Church onto the same level at evangelizing, I think that was the main point,” he said...

Pope Leo XIV: Unity Attracts, Division Scatters the Church (AMECEA)

At the opening of the two-day Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Synod Hall on Wednesday, January 7, Pope Leo XIV reminded about 170 Cardinals from across the globe who gathered in Rome for the first Consistory since his Pontificate that, “While unity attracts, division scatters.” Speaking from both spiritual tradition and the laws of physics, the Holy Father explained that the Church’s ability to draw humanity toward Christ depends entirely on the quality of its internal communion. He emphasized that the Church does not grow through proselytism, but through “attraction,” a force powered by Agape, the selfless love of God. In this case, he said, when the Church is divided, that attractive power is lost, and the mission of the Gospel is weakened. The Pope’s address framed the “missionary Church” not as a marketing entity, but as a “channel” for the love flowing from the Heart of the Saviour. “It is not the Church that attracts, but Christ,” the holy Father told the gathered Cardinals, noting that the world is only drawn to the Gospel when it sees a community that truly loves one another as Christ commanded...

Pope Leo says ‘war is back in vogue’ in major address to global envoys (CNN)

Pope Leo XIV has said the prohibition on countries violating one another’s borders has been “completely undermined,” in an important speech to diplomats gathered in the Vatican. The first United States-born pope, giving his debut “state of the world” address, expressed his concern about “escalating tensions” in the “Caribbean Sea and the American Pacific coast” while calling for the “will of the Venezuelan people” to be respected, and a return to stability in the country. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from across the globe gathered in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Friday. “The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined”... Leo lamented the weakness of “multilateralism” – the idea of countries working together to solve problems – and insisted on the “importance of international humanitarian law” which he said must “always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents.” He pointed out that it was out of the tragedy of World War II that the United Nations was formed, for the safeguarding of peace, and warned that a diplomacy that “seeks consensus” is now being replaced by one “based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies”... During a wide-ranging, 43-minute speech, Leo issued strong condemnations of abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia, defending the right of conscientious objection by doctors and healthcare professionals, from those refusing to participate in terminations and assisted deaths to those declining military service... The pope also reiterated his concern about the treatment of migrants, warning governments against using combating “criminality and human trafficking” as a pretext “for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees”...

Pope delivers fierce defense of the unborn in address to diplomatic corps (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV strongly defended the family, marriage and unborn life during his first-ever New Year’s address to the diplomatic corps Jan. 9... “The institution of the family faces two crucial challenges today,” the pope said, naming “a worrying tendency in the international system to neglect and underestimate its fundamental social role, leading to its progressive institutional marginalization,” and “the growing and painful reality of fragile, broken and suffering families, afflicted by internal difficulties and disturbing phenomena, including domestic violence"... “In light of this profound vision of life as a gift to be cherished, and of the family as its responsible guardian, we categorically reject any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life and its development,” the pope firmly stated, calling abortion a practice that “cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life”... the Holy See “considers it deplorable that public resources are allocated to suppress life, rather than being invested to support mothers and families. The primary objective must remain the protection of every unborn child and the effective and concrete support of every woman so that she is able to welcome life”... Protecting life means also rejecting euthanasia, the pope emphasized, calling assisted dying methods “deceptive forms of compassion”...

Cardinals leave consistory with a clear vision from pontiff: ‘A Church that cares’ (OSV)

After an intense day of roundtable discussions, the “low-batteried” but “very pleased” cardinals wrapped the first historic extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV in a spirit of fraternity, with a sense of knowing each other better and saying they “discovered” the pope, while he did “more listening than talking.” They left the consistory with a clear vision of the new pontiff for “a Church that cares”...

Signs of Departure (Commonweal Magazine)

Pope Leo sets a different path on governing the Vatican and Curia... Eight months after his election, having completed his first trip abroad, Pope Leo XIV has given us a pretty good sense of his theological and political visions and his fundamental continuities with Pope Francis. But he has also shown signs of departure from his predecessor, especially in how he governs the Vatican and the Curia. This has always been an important factor when it comes to understanding a pope—but given Francis’s personal governing style and Leo’s U.S. roots, it takes on even greater significance... Leo has also taken up the project of synodality begun by his predecessor. In July, he added two new study groups to the original ten post-synodal groups established by Francis. They are tasked with studying liturgical topics with a synodal perspective as well as the statute of episcopal conferences, ecclesial assemblies, and Particular Councils. Leo has shown signs of departure from his predecessor, especially in how he governs the Vatican and the Curia. Perhaps the most visible changes are how Leo works with the Roman Curia. Leo clearly relies more than Francis did on the work and the institutional mission of the Vatican dicasteries... Finally, Leo is holding his first consistory, in response to a pre-conclave request by the cardinals to be more regularly consulted by the pope... Leo’s decisions are also important for how they signal a different understanding of synodality in the governance of the Church: not as a replacement of collegiality (collaboration between and within bodies made of equals), but as something that needs collegiality... Leo has introduced, in his gentle style, a different way to govern the Vatican—one that is more mindful of the need to work together with all those in the hierarchy...

Pope calls for patience and dialogue in Iran and Syria (Vatican News)

After the Angelus prayer on Sunday 11 January, Pope Leo called for peace and dialogue, speaking in particular of two countries in the Middle East, Iran and Syria, where he said "persistent tensions are causing the deaths of many people”...

Pope Leo: Failure to welcome abuse victims is a scandal (Vatican News)

The full text of Pope Leo XIV’s speech at the conclusion of the January 7–8 consistory, published today, announces a new meeting of the cardinals in June and insists that victims and survivors of abuse “need to be accompanied with the closeness of authentic pastors”...

The full text of the Pope's concluding speech can be found here in Italian.

Pope Leo Walks the ‘Early Francis’ Path — With a New Approach (National Catholic Register)

The direction of the Leonine pontificate is still not yet clear, but the consistory of cardinals last week gave some further indications. Pope Leo XIV intends to continue in the direction of his immediate predecessor, but he prefers to do as Pope Francis said, rather than what Pope Francis did... Symbolically, Leo chose Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, one of the stalwarts of the aging Catholic left, to provide an opening meditation for the cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. Radcliffe has been given a similar role at the 2023 and 2024 synods on synodality for a synodal Church. Then Francis made him a cardinal at the age of 79. It was a typically provocative choice by Francis, choosing a man who had promoted a range of dissenting theological opinions. That Leo chose Radcliffe again indicates a desire to show continuity with Francis, even in his more questionable choices. At the same time, in his address to open the consistory, Leo chose to treat Francis as an extension of his predecessors, not a break with them. Indeed, Leo quoted from John Paul and Benedict repeatedly this week... It has already become standard for Leo to emphasize continuity by situating Francis within the framework of John Paul and Benedict. In that same address, Leo traced the arc of continuity even across millennia... “While centuries apart, we can say that the Holy Spirit inspired the same vision in the prophet and in the Council Fathers, namely the vision of the light of the Lord illuminating the holy city — first Jerusalem, then the Church,” the Holy Father said. “What Isaiah announced figuratively, the Council recognizes in the fully revealed reality of Christ, the light of the nations”... The consistory was not only a rhetorical attempt to demonstrate continuity with Pope Francis and his priorities, and to argue that those priorities had deeper roots. It was an embrace of the Francis rhetoric — which often appeared to be at odds in important ways with what Francis actually did. In that, it may be that Leo is attempting a rather subtle strategy, namely to demonstrate deeper continuity by doing what Francis proposed but failed himself to do...

Pope receives Venezuelan opposition leader dismissed by Trump (Tablet)

Donald Trump claimed Maria Corina Machado ‘doesn’t have the respect within the country’ to replace Nicolás Maduro, but she insisted her coalition was ‘ready and willing to serve our people’. Pope Leo met the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in a private audience on Monday...

Pope Leo to visit Angola as part of an Africa tour, Vatican envoy says (Reuters)

Pope Leo plans to visit Angola as part of a multi-nation trip across Africa, the Vatican's ambassador to the country announced on Tuesday, in what could be the pontiff's first overseas trip in 2026... Leo, the first U.S. pope, previously travelled to Africa many times as a cardinal and the head of his religious order. Another trip Leo is expected to make in 2026 is to Spain and to the Canary Islands, which has become a major point of entry for migrants trying to get to Europe. A Spanish cardinal told reporters at the Vatican last week that the trip is in the planning phase...

Leo begins Vatican II catechesis as liturgy row looms (Tablet)

The Pope emphasised the ‘journey of the Council’ at the extraordinary consistory on 7-8 January, where the cardinals received a paper on its liturgical reforms... “We can never emphasise enough the importance of continuing the journey that began with the Council,” he said in his concluding address the next day, discussing its relevance to mission and synodality, the two main subjects of the meeting... Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the Synod Secretariat, respectively delivered reflections to introduce discussions of mission – through Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium – and of the Synod on Synodality. The cardinals also received papers on the other proposed subjects: one on the curial reforms of Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, the secretary to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human development, the other on the liturgy by Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Cardinal Roche’s paper subsequently appeared on online outlets, although the Vatican had asked the cardinals to keep the details of the consistory’s work confidential... opposition to liturgical reform undermined acceptance of the Second Vatican Council, which sought “to render more full the participation in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery for a renewal of the Church”. “The primary good of the unity of the Church is not achieved by freezing division but by finding ourselves in the sharing of what cannot but be shared,” Cardinal Roche wrote, citing Pope Francis’ 2022 apostolic letter on the liturgy Desiderio desideravi. “The use of liturgical books that the Council sought to reform was, from St John Paul II to Francis, a concession that in no way envisaged their promotion. Pope Francis – while granting, in accordance with Traditionis Custodes, the use of the 1962 Missale Romanum – pointed the way to unity in the use of the liturgical books promulgated by the holy Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, in accordance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the sole expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite”...

‘Tradismatics’ bridge old and new in growing trend for French Church (Tablet)

French Catholics are so intrigued by a new group in the Church that they have invented a new word for them – tradismatiques. These “tradismatics” are both traditional and charismatic, easily switching among liturgies to express their faith. In effect, they bridge the gulf between proponents of the old rite and the Novus Ordo... “They move from Gregorian chant to Renewal hymns with the same ease,” the Catholic weekly Famille Chrétienne wrote. “Mass is not a casus belli.” Growing up a minority in a secular and multicultural society, these new Catholics often mix the evangelical enthusiasm of some immigrant congregations with the reverence they find in traditionalist rituals. The Archbishop of Marseille Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French bishops’ conference, welcomed the new trend. “It reflects these young people’s desire for transcendence, their spiritual quest, and their need for guidance,” he said, but added that he doesn’t like the term tradismatiques. “I have always tried never to label people,” he said. “The current trend toward self-affirmation must not become a pretext for identity-based tensions.” The need for guidance is central to the bishops, who are now studying how to integrate these youths into the mainstream Church...

This Tablet story is not directly related to the thread title, but is certainly related to the first article in this post. It's good to see this trend, but like the good Cardinal I'm not a fan of labels, and I think there are many Catholics throughout the world who just quietly and humbly accept the mass as the mass, in whatever form, and have no interest in those who foster "identity-based tensions" and try to create a casus belli.

Pope Leo XIV: St. Francis Offers Remedy to Modern Violence, Ecological Crisis (AMECEA)

“The Franciscan vision of peace is not limited to the relations between human beings, but also embraces the whole of creation,” Pope Leo XIV stressed... “Francis of Assisi remains a beacon of light for our troubled times. His life was a living sermon of peace; peace with God, peace with our brothers and sisters, peace with all creation,” reads part of the Pope’s message, emphasizing the saint’s radical witness to the Gospel that continues to speak across the centuries. Pope Leo XIV’s letter comes at a time when conflicts rage across continents, social divisions persist, and the environmental crisis threatens the planet’s future. The Holy Father, therefore, sees in St. Francis of Assisi not merely a historical figure to be admired, but a prophetic voice whose message of reconciliation and care for creation offers concrete pathways forward. “In an age of crusades and conquest, Francis chose dialogue,” Pope Leo XIV notes. “When others took up swords, he embraced the cross. When the world valued gold, he treasured only Christ.” The letter highlights further St. Francis’ historic journey to Egypt during the Fifth Crusade, where he courageously crossed enemy lines to meet with Sultan Malik al-Kamil. This extraordinary encounter, the Pope emphasizes, demonstrates that authentic Christian witness requires the courage to ‘build bridges rather than walls, to seek understanding rather than dominance.’ “Francis did not go to Egypt as a conqueror, but as a humble servant of the Gospel of peace. He shows us that true evangelization begins with respect, listening, and genuine human encounter,” Reads the letter... The Pope emphasized universal fraternity by seeing all people as brothers and sisters, regardless of faith, nationality, or social status. This echoes his broader teaching on human solidarity...

Pope Leo XIV Urges Prayers for Peace in Democratic Republic of the Congo (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged prayers for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as violence in the country’s east continues to drive families from their homes and across borders. “Many have been forced to flee their country – especially to Burundi – due to violence, and they are facing a serious humanitarian crisis,” the pope said after praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Jan. 18. “Let us pray that dialogue for reconciliation and peace may always prevail among the parties in conflict.” Leo also assured those affected by severe flooding in southern Africa of his prayers. The pope also marked the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. “During these days, I invite all Catholic communities to deepen their prayers for the full, visible unity of all Christians,” Leo said, recalling that “the origins of this initiative date back two centuries,” and noting that Pope Leo XIII “greatly encouraged it.” The theme for this year’s observance is drawn from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (4:4). The prayers and reflections, the pope said, were prepared by “an ecumenical group coordinated by the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Department of Interchurch Relations”...

First Meeting With Pope Leo XIV Marks New Chapter for Church in Africa: SECAM President(ACI Africa)

The President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has described the first official audience between Pope Leo XIV and the leadership of the Church in Africa as a “very important meeting,” that he says marks a new phase in relations between the African continent and the Holy See. In an interview with Vatican News following the January 17 audience, Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo explained that although Pope Leo XIV had previously encountered individual African Bishops, the audience represented the first formal engagement with the SECAM leadership under the new pontificate...

Pope Leo XIV meets FSSP leaders amid visitation, ‘Traditionis Custodes’ fallout (CNA)

Pope Leo XIV and leaders of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), a community dedicated to the traditional Roman rite, held a “cordial half-hour meeting” on Monday, Jan. 19, at the apostolic palace... The FSSP’s leaders, who had requested the meeting, said in a cautiously worded statement that it was “an opportunity to present to the Holy Father in greater detail the foundation and history of the fraternity as well as the various forms of apostolate that it has been offering to the faithful for almost 38 years.” They added that the papal audience also provided an “opportunity to evoke any misunderstandings and obstacles that the fraternity encounters in certain places and to answer questions from the supreme pontiff”... Although Pope Francis gave the FSSP a kind of protected but precarious niche, explicitly exempting it from some of the restrictions in a Feb. 11, 2022, decree, the priestly fraternity was still subjected to tighter structural control and scrutiny... Monday’s meeting was therefore significant, representing Leo XIV’s first clear, personal outreach to a leading traditional community and showing his willingness to listen to their concerns...

Pope’s World Day of Sick message: Love by bearing another's pain (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV releases his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, and invites the faithful to consider the Samaritan's compassion and how we too can offer love by bearing the pain of others...

Pope Leo XIV Warns Against Banality and "fake news" (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV warned of the risks that go hand in hand with information in the digital age and urged journalists never to succumb “to the temptation of the trivial” or to fake news that creates confusion about what’s true or false... he emphasized that the medium itself has also changed: television and, with it, all communication. “Today we have new tools and new possibilities for informing ourselves, learning, and interacting,” the pope wrote, “but along with them, new risks have also emerged.” Among these dangers, the Holy Father listed the exchange of fake news for real news, “compulsive channel surfing” instead of attentive listening, “doom scrolling” instead of intentional reading, superficial curiosity instead of a genuine desire to learn, and monologues instead of dialogues in which no one truly listens...

Pope to Roman Rota: Justice and charity find harmony in mystery of God (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV meets officials of the Tribunal of Roman Rota for the inauguration of their judicial year, and urges them to safeguard the truth with rigor but without rigidity and to exercise charity without omission...

I think this is important in a climate where some Christians try to set justice and charity (or mercy) in opposition to each other.

Pope Leo XIV Urges Southern African Bishops to Continue Legacy of Early Missionaries (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV has called on members of the Southern African Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) to build on and sustain the heritage of the early missionaries whose zeal and commitment to spreading the Gospel were instrumental in shaping the Church in the region... the Holy Father underscored the vital role played by successive generations of missionaries in building strong and vibrant local communities of faith. “Take this opportunity to commemorate those whose missionary spirit and dedication to proclaiming the Good News helped shape the Church in your land over these decades,” the Holy Father said... He added, “Indeed, evangelization is first and foremost God’s work, born of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, from which authentic missionary discipleship flows.” The Holy Father encouraged the SACBC members, who include Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa, to continue the early missionaries’ “legacy of being leaven in society, transforming it from within through daily lives permeated by the Gospel”...

The same could be said of many African and other Global South countries where the current Church is built on the shoulders of earlier missionaries. Thanks be to God.

Pope Leo: None of the baptised are exempt from mission (Vatican News)

In his message for the 100th World Mission Day, Pope Leo XIV writes that the Church’s identity is to be a community in mission, “at the service of fraternity among all human beings and harmony with all creation”...

Pope Leo gives programmatic message on AI in first World Communications Day message (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV didn’t just write his first message as pontiff for World Communications Day Jan. 24. He wrote a programmatic document on artificial intelligence in response to the challenges of the modern world, just like Pope Leo XIII faced the industrial revolution more than a century before... a stark warning: AI and digital technologies are reshaping human communication, creativity and identity. And the greatest risks, the pope said, are not technical but deeply human. If we fail in safeguarding and educating on how to use it, digital technology, Pope Leo said, “risks radically modifying some of the fundamental pillars of human civilization, which we sometimes take for granted.” By “simulating human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, awareness and responsibility, empathy and friendship, systems known as artificial intelligence not only interfere with information ecosystems, but also invade the deepest level of communication, that of relationships between human persons.” The challenge, therefore, the pontiff said “is not technological, but anthropological. Safeguarding faces and voices ultimately means safeguarding ourselves”...

Pope Leo XIV: Human Voices and Faces Are Sacred; AI Requires Education and Responsibility (ACI Africa)

In his first message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, Pope Leo XIV warns that artificial intelligence and digital technologies can undermine human relationships and distort reality unless they are guided by responsibility and rooted in education. The pope’s message, titled “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” emphasizes the uniqueness of every person and the need to protect what he calls the “sacred” signs of human identity in an era increasingly shaped by AI-generated content. “Our faces and voices are unique, distinctive features of every person,” Pope Leo XIV writes. “Faces and voices are sacred.” He states that safeguarding them ultimately means “safeguarding ourselves,” since the challenge posed by AI is “not technological, but anthropological”...

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope Leo XIV Prays for World Without Prejudice, Persecution (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV said he is praying for a world “without antisemitism, without prejudice, oppression, and persecution of any human being,” during his general audience on Jan. 28. Recalling the Jan. 27 commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, held in memory of the millions of Jews and others who lost their lives during that genocide, the pope called on communities of nations “to be ever vigilant, so that the horror of genocide may never again befall any people and that a society based on mutual respect and the common good may be built”...

Pope Leo XIV Urges Doctrine Office to Give Clear Guidance in Face of New Challenges (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday reminded members of the Vatican’s doctrine office of the urgency of offering clear doctrinal guidance in response to new challenges, especially in a context marked by declining religious belief... “offering clarifications on the doctrine of the Church” through pastoral and theological guidance on issues that are often both complex and delicate... The pope said the work carried out by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith enables spiritual growth in a “change of era” and offers the faithful “a prompt and clear word from the Church, especially regarding the many new phenomena that are appearing on the scene of history.” “It also provides valuable guidance to bishops in the exercise of their pastoral ministry as well as to theologians in their service of study and evangelization,” he added... Looking at the landscape of contemporary society, the pontiff lamented the increase in those who “do not perceive the Gospel as a fundamental resource for their own existence,” especially many young people, who live “without any reference to God and to the Church”...

'Peru holds a special place in my heart,' pope tells Peruvian bishops, surprises them at lunch (NCR)

"Peru holds a special place in my heart," the pontiff told the bishops during their Jan. 30 audience in the Vatican. Before addressing them during the formal audience meeting, Pope Leo XIV felt at home when he visited the Peruvian prelates during a "fraternal lunch" Jan. 29 — fraternal, as he was a longtime member of the country's bishops' conference. "The bishops of Peru received a pleasant and unexpected surprise today: a visit from Pope Leo XIV during a fraternal luncheon," the conference said...

As Pope Francis' pick for Peru, Bishop Prevost reshaped an 'Opus Dei diocese' (NCR)

With the surprise nomination of Augustinian Fr. Robert Prevost as bishop of Peru's fifth-largest city, Pope Francis sent a message to a fractured Peruvian episcopate. At the time, Peru's bishops were split between liberation-theology-minded progressives and theological conservatives influenced by Opus Dei... "This was considered an Opus Dei diocese and Pope Francis wanted to cut that and let them know: 'No, this is not an Opus Dei diocese. This is a diocesan diocese and as pope I can name whoever I want'"...

Pope Leo XIV’s Pro-life and Pro-family Legacy as Bishop in Peru Remembered (ACI Africa)

The defense of life from conception, marriage defined as the union between one man and one woman, and the development of public policies in favor of the family were pillars of the pastoral ministry of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, when he served as bishop of Chiclayo from 2015–2023, according to those who collaborated with him in northern Peru. “He insisted that young people should understand that forming a family is a good thing and that they should prepare themselves for it”... “he was very involved in everything that had to do with the defense of life and the recognition of the dignity of the person”... Prevost warned against rhetoric that relativizes the value of human life, emphasizing that the defense of life should be understood as a community mission...

Pope: Even amid crises, Church in Africa 'is a living, strong, dynamic reality’ (Vatican News)

In a message to the Bishops of Central Africa, Pope Leo XIV recognizes the great challenges the pastors in their region face, and emphasizes that “faced with the evils that undermine society," including tribalism, interethnic conflicts, wars, and family divisions, "the Gospel calls for reconciliation and the pacification of hearts”... “As pastors, you face urgent issues that present themselves with particular intensity in your pastoral ministry”...

Pope’s Peace Day message emphasizes restorative approach to peacebuilding (Vatican News)

Throughout the United States, the Catholic Church is using restorative approaches to transform historical injustices, respond to crime and incarceration in communities, and as a practical tool to heal wounds of division at the local and diocesan level, according to the Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network... The Holy Father made clear this integral connection between peacebuilding and restorative practices when he said: “{W}e must promote self-awareness in civil societies, forms of responsible association, experiences of nonviolent participation, and practices of restorative justice on both a small and large scale.” Restorative justice aligns with Catholic social teaching by recognizing that every person has inherent dignity and the right to be part of processes and systems that impact them. By offering ways to repair harm and rebuild damaged relationships, restorative justice can help people and societies heal the wounds of violence and help Catholics live out their faith. The practices of restorative justice create opportunities for people affected by harm to understand the impacts of the harmful action—and do what is needed to make things right. It is an approach to justice that models Jesus’ reconciling way...

>31 brone: "Today on any blog, even without having studied much theology they express an opinion and can condemn as if speaking ex cathedra."

I'll respond to the substantive issue rather than the ad hominem attack on the good cardinal. Here is a report of what he actually said. In a climate where anybody can express their opinion on the internet and social media about issues on which they have no particular expertise, and where apparently many people gullibly believe what is written even if it is not fact-checked nor peer reviewed and often represents fake news, unsubstantiated innuendo, clickbait, conspiracy theories and/or AI slop, I think Cardinal Fernandez is right to draw attention to the need to refer to official sources of Catholic teaching. The Catholic Church has a longstanding and well-established traditional understanding of how her teaching authority is presented and exercised, the Magisterium, and Catholic doctrine is not defined by random bloggers and social media influencers, whether "progressive", "traditionalist" or "conservative". Likewise, other mainstream global denominations such as Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican also have some recognised form of expressing their doctrine and praxis. Many independent "free churches" and evangelical protestants, on the other hand, do not have a central teaching authority and any self-proclaimed pastor can apparently preach authoritatively. That's fine for them, but it's not the Catholic way, as the good cardinal reminds us. Freedom of speech and conscience allows people to express their personal views, but not to define Catholic doctrine.

insulting the Blessed Virgin

That's a very unfair and inaccurate characterisation of a carefuly argued teaching document which used both theology and tradition to reflect on the titles given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and examined some of the misunderstandings which can arise from the terms "co-redemptrix" and "co-mediator". Nobody insulted the Blessed Virgin or anybody else, and social media posts which suggest they did are misinformed. The full text of Mater Populi Fidelis: Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation can be found here, and does nothing to diminish Mary's importance and respect - quite the opposite.

Pope Leo XIV Appoints Franciscan Sister as First Woman to Serve on Commission for Vatican Reserved Matters (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as a member of the Commission for Reserved Matters... She is the first woman to serve on the commission, created in 2020 by Pope Francis, which is responsible for awarding financial contracts in confidential areas of the Vatican. Petrini, born in Rome on Jan. 15, 1969, is 57 years old and has an academic and management background. She is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and a noted economist. The Commission for Reserved Matters plays a strategic role in the control and allocation of contracts that are particularly sensitive for the Vatican City State, and this appointment underscores the growing presence of women in positions of responsibility within the Holy See...

Pope at Audience: Read Word of God in historical context to avoid fundamentalism (Vatican News)

During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV warns against "fundamentalist or spiritualist readings" of Scripture, and upholds the Church's mission to proclaim the Word of God in language that touches human hearts... as he continued his catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council. He concentrated again this week on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation, which the Pope has called “one of the most beautiful and important” documents of the Council... The biblical texts, Pope Leo pointed out, "were not written in a heavenly or superhuman language, suggesting that God, out of great love, chooses to speak using human languages, and thus, various authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have written the texts of Sacred Scripture"... "A correct interpretation of the sacred texts cannot dispense with the historic environment in which they developed and the literary forms that were used," he said. "On the contrary, to renounce the study of the human words that God used risks leading to fundamentalist or spiritualist readings of Scripture, which betray its meaning"...

Pope to religious: Even where weapons roar, you are witnesses to Jesus (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life, praising consecrated men and women for living out their steadfast faith even in the most difficult of circumstances, and inviting them to be 'leavens of peace' and 'signs of hope'... "Setting out from the Eucharistic table, some were led to the silence of the cloister, others to the demands of the apostolate; some to the classrooms of schools, others to the destitution of the streets or the toil of the missions"... He pointed out that evidence of this can be seen in the many “outposts of the Gospel” that their communities have established in a wide variety of challenging contexts, even in the midst of conflict. "These communities," he underscored, "do not abandon their people, nor do they flee; they remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder — more eloquent than words — of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions." "Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail," Pope Leo observed, "their presence proclaims the words of Jesus: 'Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for... in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father'...”

>36 brone:

I'm just wondering whether you've actually read Mater Populi Fidelis? It emphasises the importance of Our Lady and praises her just as you do, indeed arguably more fulsomely and in more theological detail than you. It does not "neglect this devotion" nor "put her in abeyance" - quite the opposite, in fact.

>38 brone:

As Mater Populi Fidelis teaches us, the titles Redemptrix and Mediatrix have never been enshrined in Catholic doctrine. They have been used by some saints and popes through the ages, and eschewed by others. They have always been open to misunderstanding, not just by "modern clerics", and the document seeks to clarify their meaning. Their use in popular piety has not been forbidden, but the document has simply clarified the fact that they are not and never have been official Catholic doctrine. In no way does it diminish the importance of Mary, and in fact takes great pains to reinforce her role and her titles.

Pope Leo pulls back from the press in messaging shift (NCR)

After a furious start to 2026 which saw Pope Leo XIV close the Holy Year opened by his predecessor, convene the world's cardinals in Rome and deliver perhaps the most pointed speech of his pontificate yet on the urgency of peace, the pope has since grown noticeably quieter on the world stage. For U.S. Catholics in particular, that has meant an absence of English-language papal soundbites from nightly newscasts and social media feeds. Following months in which Leo weighed in on the day's events by speaking near weekly to reporters upon leaving the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, the pope has sharply pulled back from directly engaging with the press. And as the global news cycle has continued to churn, major developments have come and gone without the kind of papal commentary Leo had offered earlier in his pontificate... Whereas journalists once brought questions of the day directly to the pope, that role in recent weeks has been filled by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state... The cardinal, asked by reporters on the sidelines of various events, has commented on geopolitical tensions over Greenland, expressed the church's concern over Iran and called the treatment of protesters over ICE activity in Minnesota "unacceptable." As such, Parolin has effectively emerged as the Vatican's voice on the pressing events of the day... It makes sense for Leo to avoid reducing the papacy to punditry. But deep into the first year of his pontificate, the pope still appears to be working out in what way, and how often, he wants his voice to enter public debate. And pulling back from regular press encounters by no means implies he has stepped away from publicly engaging in global affairs... What has prompted Leo to pull back from those weekly press appointments remains unclear. It may reflect a push for tighter message discipline from the Vatican Secretariat of State, or simply the pope's own evolving sense of the office...

Pope Leo XIV Laments Lack of Progress in Protecting Children (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday voiced deep concern at a “lack of progress in protecting children from danger” as he met with the organizing committee of the initiative “From Crisis to Care: Catholic Action for Children.” Addressing participants gathered to advance proposals stemming from last year’s International Summit on Children’s Rights, convened by Pope Francis, Leo said: “It is indeed a tragedy that the children and youth of our world, the ones Jesus wanted to come to him, are so often deprived of care and access to the basic necessities of life.” He added that children “frequently have few opportunities for achieving their God-given potential” and warned that the situation “has not improved during the past year”...

A reminder that threats to children are far broader than just abortion and sexual abuse.

Pope reiterates need to respect rights of children, protect them from danger (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV renews the Church’s call to place children at the heart of global concern, warning that despite international commitments, the situation of the world’s youngest remains deeply troubling...

Pope Leo XIV: Peace Begins With Dignity, Not Weapons (ACI Africa)

As the Church marks the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, Pope Leo XIV renewed what he called the Church’s “urgent call” to end a crime that “gravely wounds human dignity” and undermines authentic peace... the pope reflects on Christ’s greeting after the Resurrection: “Peace be with you.” “These words are more than a salutation; they offer a path toward a renewed humanity,” the pope writes. “True peace begins with the recognition and protection of the God-given dignity of every person.” He warns that contemporary conflicts often erode this vision of peace, noting that “in situations of conflict, the loss of human life is too often dismissed by warmongers as ‘collateral damage,’ sacrificed in the pursuit of political or economic interests.” According to the pope, the same logic fuels human trafficking worldwide. “Geopolitical instability and armed conflicts create fertile ground for traffickers to exploit the most vulnerable, especially displaced persons, migrants, and refugees,” he writes, adding that “within this broken paradigm, women and children are the most impacted by this heinous trade”... Entrusting the initiative to the intercession of St. Josephine Bakhita, the pope calls Catholics to work for a peace that is more than the absence of war — a peace, he writes, that is “unarmed and disarming,” rooted in full respect for the dignity of every person.

Pope: May those who suffer find true peace in the charity of God (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV sends a letter to Cardinal Michael Czerny, his special envoy for the 34th World Day of the Sick celebration on 11 February at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo, Peru. He invites the sick to offer their suffering to the Lord for world peace and to bear witness to faith, hope, and charity, together with those who care for them...

>40 John5918:

A new statute updates rules of the Pontifical International Marian Academy (Vatican News)

In a rescript, Pope Leo XIV approves the new statute of the academy established in 1946 by the Order of Friars Minor to promote and coordinate mariological and Marian studies worldwide...

Pope Leo XIV Won't Travel to United States, His Native Country, in 2026, Vatican Spokesman Says (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV will not travel to the United States in 2026, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said Sunday, denying circulating reports that the pontiff might make an apostolic trip to his native country. A U.S. visit had been anticipated by some American Catholics ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary of independence on July 4, 2026. At the same time, papal travel elsewhere is taking shape. Local church authorities in Africa have said Leo will visit several countries on the continent — with Angola and Equatorial Guinea among the destinations publicly confirmed by local authorities, and Cameroon also widely anticipated as part of the itinerary — with timing broadly described as after Easter. In South America, Peruvian bishops have said the pope will visit the country — where he previously served as a bishop — later this year, with local church leaders pointing to a timeframe in November or early December. A visit to Spain is also expected this summer, with Spanish church authorities indicating stops including Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands...

>46 brone:

I think Shrove Tuesday was our equivalent of your Fat Tuesday. We would eat pancakes (crepes, not American pancakes), the only day of the year we would have them. I think the idea was to use up all the eggs, sugar, etc before Lent. The Dutch have a carnival (carnaval) which is reportedly quite spectacular. I've never been myself but have heard a lot about it from Dutch colleagues and others who studied in the Netherlands.

But in reflecting on Lent as "a deeply Catholic understanding of person, time, and discipline", as you put it, I think of a podcast from The Tablet, here. “We don't make ourselves miserable by giving up chocolate or whatever, just for the sake of making ourselves miserable. We do it so that we can, in that very sort of Catholic spiritual way, I think, enter into spiritual solidarity with people who are suffering in all kinds of different ways”, a radical practice of solidarity.

Pope Leo XIV: "The Church is the rightful home of sacred Scripture" (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that sacred Scripture has been entrusted to the Catholic Church — that she preserves and explains it, and supports its purpose of making Christ known to the world. “The Church is the rightful home of sacred Scripture,” the pope said... He quoted from Pope Benedict XVI’s postsynodal exhortation Verbum Domini. In that document, Pope Benedict affirmed that “the intrinsic link between the word and faith makes clear that authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church, which has its paradigm in Mary’s fiat… the primary setting for scriptural interpretation is the life of the Church.” Pope Leo recalled the well-known phrase from St. Jerome that “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”...

Pope at Audience: the Word of God responds to our thirst for meaning and truth (Vatican News)

During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV highlights the close relationship between the Word of God and the Church and how meditating on Sacred Scripture helps the faithful to enter into a conversation with God...

In Quebec Leo appointed Martin Laliberte effectively the next Bishop. Ole porky Martin is the very model of a Bergoglian sycophant. A Globalist who mocked the very idea of the Church "returning" to its former glory. "Dreaming of some fictitious Golden Age of Faith is pure illusion." In other words, any hope of going "backwards" is condemned as naive. In short ole porky condemned any ongoing hope for stability. Of course, porky supports leberation theology, the green new scam saying we need a new "ecological conversion" but please let me have my limo and three (big) squares. Meanwhile in Argentina in Cordoba the Jesuit Cardinal Rossi has allowed priests to refuse Communion to those faithful who wish to Kneel. It is now considered a "crime" to kneel. But Rossi whole heartily embraces a homosexual ministry. Rossi also loves to bless homosexual marriage and was honered by the homosexual group Centu with his presence and support, it is no surpise that in the Argintina of Bergoglio Catholics are scapegoated for kneeling while homosexuals recieve public blessings. Rossi after the May conclave called Leo a "gift from God." In NY Leo hand-picked Ronald Hicks to succeed porky Dolan. During Hick's installation speech at St Patrick's not heeding Leo's pontification of Sacred Scripture Hicks opened with secular lyrics from Billy Joel, Jay Z, and of all pagans he chose Bad Bunny the latest darling of the degenerative media. Bad Bunny is known for profanity, drag outfits, and open in full view homosexuality this bizarre pop concert homily given by Hicks treated Bad Bunny like a saint "building bridges" blind to amy sacrilege. Then of course comes the laundry list of humane projects and you know he suppoets all those "wounded by the Church." Hicks also loves the Cubs and Pizza giving the impression of a man of the people Hicks is right out of the Bergoglian bag of tricks. But have no fear in Itlay all religions gathered in a first ever ecumenical pact increasing secular society in practice feeding into every leftist cause with Catholics pledging themselves to march to the same agenda of every secular NGO and Heretics of all stripes, The Italian bishops of course were transfigured into what Cardinal Zuppi said was a "harmonious polyphony" of faiths, The Society of Pius X is diminished while apostasy is instituionalised. This is the effect of what Razinger called the other spirit of Vat ll. These are only a few of the outrages of the current Church,Bishop Laliberte's sermons, Cardinal Rossi;s actions, Archbishop Hicks's lyrics all aligns with the Bergoglian Synodal Church. Leo has not distanced himself from Bergoglio but to the delight of all the homosexual bishops and progressives like our esteemed African he has embraced Bergoglian heresy and his appointments prove it. What we see is precisely what St Pius condemned, Leo thinks the Church is fine as long as it changes. For faithful Catholics all this means is coirage in the face of wholesale retreat from Tradition. Forget about these homosexuals coming to their senses. Cling to the promotion of the Mass of the Ages, the true magisterium, and the communion of Saints. The Great Apostasy is already among us. A day will come when our hierarchy returns from this disaster.+JMJ+

Pope’s Lenten message: Abstain from harsh words and rash judgement (Vatican News)

Ahead of the start of Lent, Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to open ourselves to listening, fasting, and community, urging us to abstain from words of hatred in order to make space for words of hope and peace. “I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor”... “Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves,” he said. “Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities.” If we do so, we will let words of hatred “give way to words of hope and peace.” Pope Leo went on to emphasize the communal aspect of listening and fasting, which can be lived out in our parishes, families, and religious communities. By listening to the cry of the poor and setting our hearts on a path of conversion to Christ, we train our conscience and improve the quality of our lives and relationships, he said. “It means allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires—both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity’s thirst for justice and reconciliation.” Pope Leo XIV concluded his 2026 Lenten Message with a call for Christian communities to become places where those who suffer find welcome...

Pope Leo: We must rediscover the essential core of the Christian message (Vatican News)

In a meeting with Italian law enforcement officers, Pope Leo XIV stresses the importance of performing duties with an “upright conscience”...

Holy See calls for multilateral dialogue in Americas (Vatican News)

The Holy See's Permanent Observer to the Organisation of American States (OAS) addresses its Permanent Council, reflecting on democracy, human rights, security, and development...

The Pope and Catholic priests keep giving terrifying warnings about AI. What exactly are they scared of? (Independent)

If there’s one defining aspect to Catholicism, it’s a fondness for the corporeal. They’ve involved themselves, for thousands of years, with the natural world and the role of the human body within it... As a result, the labour of the Catholic church is largely done offline, by real people in real buildings... It’s undeniably striking to hear the leader of one of the oldest religions in the world speaking so directly about the dangers of unguarded AI usage. We already know that AI is changing our minds and hearts, but could it change our faith? And why does it seem that, out of all the organised religions, Catholics are particularly bothered about it?... Fr Stephen thinks it has to do with the attitude towards struggle. “For the Christian, need and vulnerability and brokenness is not something to be avoided. There’s an understanding built into the theology that these are not just roadblocks to try and get around, but they're part of what our humanity is, and in this imperfect world, they're part of the way that we learn to love and to be loved.” Perhaps Catholics are particularly preoccupied with AI because it’s precisely this type of friction which chatbots are built to remove. There’s the obvious danger that AI doesn’t work well. That it could be taken over by a bad actor, or used to spread more written and visual mis-truth and mis-information. We’ve already seen the fatal impact of AI failing to understand the nuances of human communication. But there’s a secondary, altogether more concerning possibility: that AI works really, really well. The promise of every large language model is the same, whether it be ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. A lack of effort to get what you want, and a lack of friction in receiving it... “There's a sense that we were a bit behind when it came to social media. So now, we're working with AI to be a bit more kind of, if not ahead of the curve, then at least not as far behind”... But could it be exactly this reliance on in-person rituals that puts Catholicism particularly at risk of losing worshippers to AI? These things require a combination of time and effort, which are two concepts we’re stripping more from our lives every day (see: the lack of friction thing), and you could argue that AI stands to be a fairly seamless substitute... Bishop Paul Hendricks, the Lead Bishop for AI at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, finds the concept of someone fully replacing God with AI troubling. “I think it is, in a sense, only a matter of time. A relationship with a chatbot is less rewarding, obviously, but also less demanding. I guess that's the temptation. It's difficult to envisage, but I can't help thinking that someone's bound to, sooner or later”... “If the relationship is overly dependent, that would be, in a Christian Catholic sense, a form of idolatry. Tech or AI could become an idol, and be revered or worshipped, even if kind of unwittingly. It needs to be used as a tool. That distinction is really important”... "The Catholic sacraments cannot be performed by a computer. They only work face-to-face”...

Once again the short scripture reading from today's Morning Prayer in the Catholic breviary seems to be topical, particularly in light of the Holy Father's words in >51 John5918::

No foul word should ever cross your lips; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners; do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free. Any bitterness or bad temper or anger or shouting or abuse must be far removed from you -- as must every kind of malice. Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

(Ephesian 4:29-32)

For the times I have failed to live up to this, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Pope Leo XIV Urges Catholics to Oppose Injustice with “disarming strength of meekness” (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday made his first visit to a parish in the Diocese of Rome, celebrating Mass at Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido and urging Catholics to cultivate “coherence between faith and life” while opposing violence and injustice with “the disarming strength of meekness” and renewed prayer for peace... “Do not resign yourselves to the culture of abuse and injustice,” the pope said. “On the contrary, spread respect and harmony, beginning by disarming language and then investing energy and resources in education, especially for children and youth”... In concluding remarks, the pope recalled that Pope Benedict XV gave the church its title, “St. Mary, Queen of Peace,” during World War I, envisioning the community as “a ray of light in the leaden sky of war.” Today, Leo said, “many clouds still darken the world,” including the spread of ways of thinking contrary to the Gospel that exalt “the supremacy of the strongest,” encourage arrogance, and prize “victory at any cost,” deaf to the cry of those who suffer. “Let us oppose this drift with the disarming strength of meekness,” the pope said, “continuing to ask for peace, and to welcome it and cultivate its gift with tenacity and humility.”

Pope Leo's first Lent will reveal pastoral tone and direction (NCR)

Whereas Lent recalls Jesus' time of prayer and fasting in the desert, for a pope it is anything but solitary. The liturgical season instead opens 40 days of public appearances, liturgies and highly symbolic gestures that could peel back the curtain on a first-year pope's pastoral instincts. For the somewhat inscrutable Pope Leo XIV, his first Lent offers a window into how he understands the papacy nearly a year into his pontificate... Leo will spend most Sundays of Lent visiting parishes across Rome...

Pope Leo XIV Calls Lenten ‘Hurtful Words’ Fast (AMECEA)

Pope Leo XIV had called on all Catholics worldwide to embrace a deeper form of fasting this Lenten season, one that extends beyond abstaining from food to include listening and refraining from words that wound and offend others. In his annual Lenten message, the Holy Father urged the faithful to “disarm” their language, asking them to avoid harsh words, rash judgment, slander, and speaking ill of those who cannot defend themselves. He asked that this discipline of the tongue be practiced across all areas of life, from family homes and workplaces to social media platforms, political debates, and Christian communities themselves. “Words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace”...

Pope hails LA Religious Education Congress as a time for true spiritual renewal (Vatican News)

In a message sent to Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, Pope Leo XIV sends greetings to the 70th Los Angeles Religious Education Congress taking place in Anaheim in the US state of California and reiterates that "deepening your relationship with Jesus and being faithful and joyful disciples" makes religious education teachers authentic and effective...

Pope to Rome priests: Rekindle the faith, urgent to proclaim Christ's promises (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV invites priests of Diocese of Rome to rekindle their gift of the faith, proclaim the Gospel, be close to families and young people, and support one another in priestly fraternity, especially young priests who may feel overwhelmed...

Pope: Avoid both naiveté and ‘prophets of doom’ (Vatican News)

“Young people, you are the beautiful face of an Italy that does not give up, that does not resign itself, that rolls up its sleeves and gets back on its feet.” That was Pope Leo XIV's tribute on Saturday to members of the Policoro Project, created in December 1995 by Fr. Mario Operti, an Italian priest working in youth ministry. From the outset, the initiative sought to evangelize the world of work, first in southern Italy and later throughout the country. Born in the Mezzogiorno, or south of the country, an economically disadvantaged area plagued by organized crime, the project has since expanded beyond the workplace alone. The Pope praised its work against corruption, labour exploitation and injustice, and highlighted the transformation of assets confiscated from the mafia into social initiatives and support for young people launching businesses... To carry out its mission, the Policoro Project can rely on a “compass”: the Gospel, which holds “the true power that transforms hearts and the world,” and the Church’s social teaching, the study of which “helps us to love this age” and “provides tools to interpret reality.” Pope Leo cautioned project members not to be “enchanted by prophets of doom who see everything negatively,” but neither to be naïve enough to think that everything is fine...

Pope in dialogue with Rome's priests: Be friends, beware of envy and the internet (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV answers four questions from priests of the Diocese of Rome and gives wide-ranging responses touching on spiritual guidance, indications for ministry and pastoral work, the internet and more... Being role models for young people... Isolation and terrible lives... Knowing the community one serves... No to homilies prepared with Artificial Intelligence... The deceptions of the internet... “Invidia clericalis,” clerical envy... Examples of priestly fraternity... Old age... Bear witness to the value of life...

Pope Leo tells priests not to use AI to write homilies or seek likes on TikTok (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV has urged priests to not to use artificial intelligence to write their homilies or to seek "likes" on social media platforms like TikTok. In a question-and-answer session with clergy from the Diocese of Rome, the pope said priests should resist "the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence." "Like all the muscles in the body, if we do not use them, if we do not move them, they die. The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity," Leo said in the closed door meeting, according to a report by Vatican News on Feb. 20. "To give a true homily is to share faith," and artificial intelligence "will never be able to share faith," the pope added...

Pope: Church must be a stronghold of charity in the contradictions of our time (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV visits the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the neighbourhood of Castro Pretorio in Rome, close to the Termini train station and meets the parish community. In his homily, he invited them to be “the yeast of the Gospel in the dough" of an area marked by many difficulties...

Pope Leo: Peace is urgently needed, requiring responsible decisions (Vatican News)

After the Angelus prayer, the Pope strongly renewed his appeal for the silencing of arms and the cessation of bombings. "Let an immediate ceasefire be reached, and let dialogue be strengthened to pave the way toward peace," said the Pope, marking four years since the start of the war against Ukraine. Peace cannot be postponed, he emphasized: "Every war is truly a wound inflicted upon the entire human family; it leaves in its wake death, devastation and a trail of pain that marks generations"...

Pope Leo XIV Says Switch Off Smartphones to Make "space for silence" in Lent (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to switch off their cell phones during Lent to create room for silence and prayer, while also calling Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine as the war approaches its fourth year... The pope also urged care for those on the margins: “Let us dedicate time to those who are alone, especially the elderly, the poor and the sick,” he said, adding that by giving up what is superfluous, “we can share what we save with those in need”. After the Angelus, Leo turned to Ukraine, marking four years since the start of the war. “Peace cannot be postponed,” he said, calling it “an urgent necessity that must find a home in our hearts and be translated into responsible decisions"... “Every war is truly a wound inflicted upon the entire human family.” He renewed his appeal “that the weapons fall silent,” that “the bombings cease,” and that “an immediate ceasefire be reached,” urging dialogue to be strengthened “to pave the way toward peace”... He concluded the Angelus by entrusting the Lenten journey of the faithful to Mary: “We entrust our Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, our Mother who always assists her children in times of trial.”

Lenten Retreat Preacher opens Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican (Vatican News)

The Lenten Spiritual Exercises for Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome, and heads of Dicasteries open on Sunday afternoon with the meditation of Trappist Bishop Erik Varden on the theme of “Entering Lent”...

>64 helo879:

Welcome to LT and to this group. My own view would be that you're welcome to share testimonies, although I would suggest that it be relevant to the thread topic, or that you start a new thread if you can't find one which is relevant to your testimony.

For the fun of it:

The City of Chicago has named one of its snowplows after Pope Leo XIV--'Pope Frio XIV'.

(for those who don't speak Spanish, 'frio' means 'cold').

>68 MsMixte: That's cute!

At Curia retreat, Bishop Varden warns of Gospel's use 'as a weapon in culture wars' (NCR)

The Lenten season is a reminder that Christians are called to bear witness to Christ through authentic witness, not self-righteous indignation, Norwegian Trappist Bishop Erik Varden told the pope and Vatican officials... "The extent of the peace we embody — that exemplary peace 'which the world cannot give' — bears witness to the constant presence of Jesus within us. It is important to insist on this point at a time when the Gospel is so often instrumentalized as a weapon in culture wars," the bishop said. "Every manipulation of Christian words and symbols for other purposes must be vigorously challenged. At the same time, it is important to correct mistaken ideas not only by opposing them with indignation, but by teaching and showing what authentic spiritual struggle truly consists of," he said...

Pope Leo XIV: Only peaceful hearts can build just and lasting peace (Vatican News)

We publish the text of Pope Leo XIV’s new introduction to the book “Peace Be with You!” published by HarperCollins and available in bookstores in the United States and English-speaking countries starting February 24, which is the English-language version of the volume “E pace sia!” published in August 2025 by the Vatican Publishing House...

And I can't confirm reports that papal snowploughs are now on sale in Vatican gift shops...

>70 John5918: "And I can't confirm reports that papal snowploughs are now on sale in Vatican gift shops..."

I think they'd make great Christmas tree ornaments!

>71 MsMixte:

Or as part of the nativity scene - a papal snowplough clearing the snow around the stable while Mary, Joseph and the shepherds wield shovels and the angels look on bemusedly from above!

The Pope’s Theologian (EWTN)

a quiet but crucial figure: the Theologian of the Papal Household. Considered part of the so-called “papal family,” he lives and works at the heart of the Vatican, closely involved in the Pope’s spiritual and intellectual life. Since 2005, that role has been held by Fr. Wojciech Giertych, a 74-year-old Dominican priest who has served the last three popes... “Basically the procedure in the Holy See is such that the discourses which are prepared for the Pope, basically not by the Pope, but for the Pope— It’s obvious that the Pope has many, many meetings and so many discourses are prepared; And they’re prepared by various people depending on the subject matter—And so before the Holy Father receives the text, the function of the theologian of the Holy Father is to look at them and see if they’re not confusing, if they’re not ambiguous, if something has to be corrected. And this is the prime reason why I live here in the Vatican, because these texts are sometimes prepared in the last moment.” In other words, his task is to safeguard theological clarity. Before a papal address is delivered to the world, it passes through his careful review — ensuring precision, faithfulness, and coherence...

Pope Leo XIV to make Apostolic Journeys to Africa, Spain and Monaco (Vatican News)

The Holy See Press Office announces Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming Apostolic Journeys: ten days in Africa, between Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, in April; one day in the Principality of Monaco at the end of March; and six days in Spain, between Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands archipelago, in June...

A ‘chatbot’ can’t replace angels, Bishop Varden tells Pope Leo, Roman Curia (Crux)

There is a “prophetic challenge” facing the Church in today’s world with the rise of “digital, artificial” media, according to Bishop Erik Varden, who is conducting the Lenten spiritual retreat at the Vatican... “It is a prophetic challenge, given how much so-called ‘education’ is now farmed out to digital, artificial media, while young people yearn to meet teachers who are worthy of trust, who can impart not only skills but wisdom,” Varden told the Vatican officials... In his address to the pope and curia, Varden said Newman envisaged the priest’s ministry “as angelic.” “The priest is at home in this world, unafraid to go into dark woods in search of the lost. At the same time he keeps his mind’s eyes raised towards the Father’s face, letting its radiance illumine all present reality. Illumination is ever a twofold process: Intellectual and essential, sacramental and pedagogical,” Varden said. He added Newman “invites us to rediscover the teacher, too, as angelic enlightener”...

Europe and Africa react to announcement of papal journeys (Vatican News)

Gratitude and enthusiasm pour in from civil and ecclesial authorities in the various countries that the Pope will visit in the coming months: Monaco, Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea; and Spain...

Pope Leo XIV Responds to an Atheist "who loves God" (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV responded to an atheist who paradoxically described himself as someone who “loves God,” explaining to him that “the real problem of faith” isn’t believing or not believing in him but seeking him... “How is it possible to consider oneself an atheist and love God? I feel the need to love God, but I consider myself an atheist, or perhaps I think I am, and deep down, am I seeking God?” To better express what he was going through, Rocco sent the pope the following poem: “I observe nature, spying on every development: the sunrise or its setting on the horizon; the starry sky and the mystery of harmony. I believe that I don’t believe, absolutely certain of nothingness, yet I still yearn for God. My drama is God! My restlessness is God! An atheist who loves God!”... God, Leo continued, “allows himself to be found by the heart that seeks him, and perhaps the correct distinction to make is not so much between believers and nonbelievers but between those who seek God and those who do not”...

Pope concludes Lenten retreat with prayer and reflection (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV concludes his Lenten retreat in the Vatican with the Roman Curia and Cardinals in Rome inviting the faithful to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel...

Church governance begins with holiness, not bureaucracy, Bishop Varden says at Curia retreat (OSV)

Church governance depends more on holy, prayerful leaders than on bureaucratic expertise, Norwegian Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim said during the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat. In his morning meditation Feb. 27, the final day of the retreat, Bishop Varden, a Trappist, reflected on St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s letter to his fellow monk and protege Bernard Paganelli, who later became Pope Eugene III. The 12th-century text, he said, offered lessons on pastoral leadership that remain relevant today. “In considering the problems of the Church, Bernard does not offer institutional remedies,” Bishop Varden told Pope Leo XIV and Vatican officials attending the retreat in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace. “Rather, he advises Eugene to surround himself with good men: the better the central offices of the Church are managed, the greater the benefit will be for the Church throughout the world,” he said...

Pope: Life becomes disordered without relationship with God (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV invites men preparing for the priesthood to embrace their supernatural relationship with God so that their ministry may be fruitful, as he meets with seminarians from Spain...

Pope on Iran: Peace not built with mutual threats or death-dealing arms (Vatican News)

“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” he said. The Pope warned of an immense tragedy if violence escalates out of control. “Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions,” he said, “I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!” Pope Leo prayed that nations may return to dialogue in order to seek peace. “May diplomacy recover its role and may the good of peoples be promoted, peoples who long for peaceful coexistence founded on justice,” he said. “And let us continue to pray for peace”...

Pope Leo XIV Urges Diplomacy Amid Iran Tensions (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV voiced concern on Sunday about developments in the Middle East and Iran, urging the parties involved to stop what he called a “spiral of violence” before it becomes an “unbridgeable chasm.” “Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” the pope said March 1. He appealed for diplomacy to “regain its proper role,” and for the “well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice,” to be upheld. The pontiff added: “And let us continue to pray for peace”...

Edited to add: Pope warns of ‘unbridgeable chasm’ of violence in the Middle East (Tablet)

The Pope warned of “the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions” in a plea for peace after US and Israeli attacks on Iran. “Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” Pope Leo said in his address after the Angelus on Sunday... Pope Leo urged “all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm”. “May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld,” he said, asking all people to pray for peace during “this tumultuous time”... “We must pray intensely for peace, live in unity and refuse the temptation to hurt others,” he said. “Violence is never the right choice”...

>78 brone: So after killing all the leaders and next level and next level ... who are you going to negotiate with when you want to get some oil through the strait without getting the ships targeted by missiles or drones?

>80 brone:

On the other hand Iran has been negotiating with the crooks in the USA for 47 years. Calling US leaders "crooks" is not my word - you and many other US commentators have frequently referred to the Clintons, Obama, Biden, Carter, Harris, etc as crooks, and Trump is a convicted felon (ie crook). And unfortunately the USA and its ally Israel probably do have a nuke pointed at Iran.

Pope Leo XIV Explains the Church’s "human and divine dimensions" (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday that the Church cannot be understood solely from a human perspective but rather as the fruit of God’s plan of love for humanity realized in Christ. He also emphasized that this does not imply the spiritual superiority of the Church’s members. “An ideal and pure Church, separated from the earth, does not exist; only the one Church of Christ, embodied in history,” the Holy Father affirmed... The pope continued his catechesis on the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium, one of the pillars of the Second Vatican Council, in which the Church is described as “a complex reality”...

In Prevost's Rome: No trial for priest accused of molesting 21 boys. The post conciliar church and my favorite Marxist above love to speak as if the decline in the Church is mainly demographic and financial to them it is managing fewer attendees in larger buildings. The truth is uglier than that. when bishops and popes tolerate doctrinal and moral revolt while retraining what remains recognizably Catholic. The Dutch priest Val Salvadi own bishop (Van den Hout) illustrates this inversion aligning himself as does my leftist poster John with the permissive logic of Bergoglio's Fiducia supplicans they can hardly wait to bless homosexuals and distribute Communion to anyone who wants it. In the meantime, ole Van den Hout is busy selling off parish buildings the economist has arrived in Rome and alters disappear. These guys continue the revolution not with violence but with spreadsheets. And as my Muslim and Mosque loving friend will jump with ecumenical ecstasy when he reads about the Vicar General of Pakistan Fr. Sarder enjoying an ifter meal stating we now have "spiritual communion"and a shared commitment to peace. Pope Leo framed the moment as a kind of dream. I'll say I remember when Popes warned against false unity. The steady re-education of Catholics that leftists like John who thinks scandals of division are solved by shared muffins and and talking around the picnic table. My friend Johnny believes in Justice built to neutralize conflict but forgets about preaching we suspect that Bergoglio,Prevost and John's system cannot be fixed and the modern Church can move quickly when it wants to restrict tradition, but when we confront its sexual predatators it suddenly discoverers deadlines. When confronted with empty Churches it finds plenty of economists."JMJ"

Pope's March prayer intention: 'for disarmament and peace' (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for the month of March, inviting Catholics to pray with him for 'disarmament and peace,' and praying that 'the nuclear threat may never again dictate the future of humanity'...

Secrets of the conclave (Tablet)

The cardinals went into the Sistine Chapel in May last year determined to elect a pope who would embed the revolution begun by Francis... a picture starts to focus. Neither book names it, and it only really becomes clear when you stand back, and put 2025 against the previous two transitions of 2005 and 2013. What then becomes clear is that we are firmly now into a new epoch of the Church: the rich-world Euro-American “neo-Christendom” era has given way to a new global, missionary, apostolic era. Back in the 1970s, this shift was foreseen by theologians: the transition to a “world” Church, for which the Second Vatican Council prepared us. In 2013, finally, it came to pass: the dynamic centre is no longer in Europe but Latin America, where nearly half of all Catholics now live. What the first Latin-American Pope initiated, the second Latin-American Pope now consolidates. Welcome to the Church of the rest of our lives...

Pope Leo XIV Congratulates World’s Oldest Priest on His 110th Birthday (National Catholic Register)

Born in 1916 and ordained in 1950, Father Bruno Kant of Germany turned 110 on Feb. 26 and has been a priest for 76 years. ‘Prayer keeps me young,’ he said... The birthday celebrations were attended not only by residents of the neighboring towns of Eichenzell and Löschenrod but also by government and Church representatives. Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda said: “I received confirmation from the Vatican that he is the oldest priest in the world. Pope Leo even sent him a birthday card”... He began his theological studies, but the Nazi regime thwarted his plans by conscripting him for forced labor and making him a soldier. Kant then spent four years as a prisoner of war in Russia before being reunited with his family, who had fled to the West. Kant was finally ordained a priest in 1950...

Pope Leo: May weapons fall silent in Iran (Vatican News)

At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo invites the 15,000 pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square to pray that “the roar of bombs might cease, that weapons might fall silent, and that a space for dialogue might open, in which the voice of the peoples may be heard”... he said, “news continues to arrive that causes deep dismay”... the Pope mentioned in particular the “violence and devastation” and “widespread climate of hatred and fear” in Iran and across the region. He also stressed his fear that the conflict might cause nearby countries, such as “beloved Lebanon”, to once again “sink into instability”. Pope Leo invited his listeners to pray that “the roar of bombs might cease, that weapons might fall silent, and that a space for dialogue might open, in which the voice of the peoples may be heard.” He said that he was entrusting his prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace, who he also asked to “intercede for those who suffer because of war” and “guide hearts along paths of reconciliation and hope”...

Pope Leo XIV Warns of Wider Middle East Conflict (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for peace as violence and fear continue to spread in Iran and across the Middle East, praying in particular for Lebanon and warning that the conflict could widen...

Pope Leo XIV Tackles Topic of Domestic Abuse on International Women’s Day (ACI Africa)

In the context of International Women’s Day, celebrated March 8, Pope Leo XIV responded to a letter from a reader of Piazza San Pietro magazine who asked what can be done about femicides, and the pope shared that violence against women causes him “great suffering”... “You raise a major issue that for me is always a source of great suffering: violence in relationships, and in particular violence against women,” the Holy Father responded to Giovanna. “In a world often dominated by violent thinking, we must further support the feminine genius, as St. John Paul II said, the ‘genius of women,’ protagonists and creators of a culture of care and fraternity indispensable for giving a future and dignity to all humanity,” he emphasized. Leo XIV added that “perhaps this is also why women are beaten and murdered, because they are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain, and violent society, because they point to values ​​of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity, and justice.” “These are great values, which are nevertheless attacked by a dangerous mentality that infests relationships and only produces selfishness, prejudice, discrimination, and a will to dominate,” he added...

Pope Leo XIV urges Chicago students to be 'co-workers for peace with Christ' (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV sent a message to students gathered at Loyola University Chicago for a peacebuilding conference March 7, calling on them to "be co-workers for peace with Christ." "True peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but rather is God's gift," Leo said. "This peace is not like the kind that the world offers us (cf. Jn 14:27), which unfortunately is often imposed with violence and deception"... Leo also warned against what he called "the globalization of powerlessness," a temptation, he said, to "believe that an era free of conflict is unattainable." "Christians are called today to be co-workers for peace with Christ, who even in our day wishes to share that gift with humanity," Leo wrote, adding that the Lord walks with those who work to promote harmony in their families, communities and countries across the globe. The pope said that fostering global concord requires the engagement of the international community on behalf of the common good, which, he said, "transcends borders, faith traditions and cultures." "True harmony is rooted in the reconciliation that God has brought to us through his only Son, Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection," he said, describing peace as a constant journey of reconciliation with God, with oneself, with others and with creation...

Pope Leo fires San Diego bishop accused of stealing US$250,000 (CTV)

Pope Leo has accepted the resignation of a Catholic bishop in San Diego who was arrested by local authorities on suspicion of stealing US$250,000 from his congregation, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta had led the small Chaldean Catholic community in the California city since 2017. He pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of embezzlement and money laundering at a hearing on Monday, according to local media reports...

"An Apostle of Peace": Bishop Prepares for Pope Leo XIV’s Historic Visit to Algeria (ACI Africa)

Bishop Diego Sarrió Cucarella hopes the pastoral visit will lead to ‘hearts opening to peace, a renewed commitment to coexistence, and a living witness to God’s glory through fraternity and mutual understanding’... "The Holy Father is coming to Algeria to meet the people and their leaders, to encourage our Church in its mission of fraternal presence among a predominantly Muslim population, and to remind us of our shared heritage with St. Augustine, a native son whose example can guide our common journey. He comes as an apostle of peace. The greeting As-Salam Alaykum (“Peace be with you”), the motto of his visit, is both the welcome that all in Algeria offer him and the blessing he brings to us — just as the Risen Jesus greeted his apostles"...

Pope mourns priest killed in Lebanon, prays for peace in Middle East (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV mourns the late Lebanese priest, Fr. Pierre El-Rahi, who was killed amid the conflict in the Middle East, expressing his closeness to the Lebanese people and inviting Christians to pray for the many innocent victims of war...

Lebanese Foreign Minister requests Holy See’s help for Christians in South (Vatican News)

As southern Lebanon faces renewed conflict and upheaval, the country's Foreign Minister requests assistance from the Holy See to “preserve the Christian presence” near the border with Israel...

>93 brone:

There is a whole thread on "just war" in this group (link), so I won't go into detail here, but I'll just point out that "from a {traditional} Catholic point of view" you need more than "just and achievable objectives" to classify a war as "just". There are a number of other crucial criteria which must also be met.

Pope Leo XIV meets with evacuated Tehran cardinal as U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continue (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV met privately March 11 with the cardinal archbishop of Tehran after the Belgian-born prelate was evacuated from Iran amid U.S. and Israeli military strikes on the country. Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, the Franciscan archbishop of Tehran and Isfahan, arrived in Rome March 8 as part of the complete evacuation of the Italian Embassy, where the archdiocese is headquartered. His meeting with the pope came on the same day Leo made a public appeal for peace before thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square... In a brief statement to the Belgian Catholic news outlet Cathobel March 9, Mathieu said he had left "not without regret and sorrow for our brothers and sisters in Iran." "While waiting to return, pray for the conversion of hearts to inner peace," Mathieu wrote. The cardinal's departure from Tehran was tied to the closure of the Italian Embassy... Tehran's Cathedral of the Consolata, along with the cardinal's residence and administrative offices, sits on the Italian Embassy grounds, making the evacuation effectively inseparable from the church's own displacement. Mathieu, a native of Belgium who joined the Franciscan order in 1983 and speaks five languages including Arabic, has previously expressed concern at the idea of "obtaining peace by force"... "It is troubling to hear the idea of 'obtaining peace by force,' where violence becomes the only means of addressing conflicts"...

Pope Leo XIV names Augustinian prelate as new prefect of charity dicastery (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV has named Spanish Augustinian Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín as the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, reassigning Cardinal Konrad Krajewski to serve as archbishop of his home diocese in his native Poland... Marín most recently served as joint undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops... The Dicastery for the Service of Charity, also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner, manages voluntary donations and carries out charitable works on behalf of the Roman pontiff, directing aid to those in need and affected by disasters worldwide... Krajewski has described how Francis transformed the role of papal almoner. "The Holy Father told me at the beginning: 'You can sell your desk. You don't need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don't wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor,'" the cardinal recalled.

Pope Leo XIV points to St. Joseph as an example of the importance of ‘being present’ (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV has highlighted how St. Joseph, who is never directly quoted in the Bible, is an example for Christians of the importance of “being present.” In a speech March 12, one week before the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph, Pope Leo reflected on Jesus’ foster father’s exemplary role as a responsible guardian for the Holy Family. “This is exactly what Saint Joseph did in caring for the family entrusted to him by the Lord,” Pope Leo told participants in an Italian conference promoting a culture of solidarity and hospitality. “In him we recognize that welcoming is not only presence, but also guardianship. Guardianship means being attentive to others, respecting their choices and caring for them.” The pope noted that this posture of watchful care reflects the very nature of God, who Scripture presents as the tireless guardian of his people, echoing the words of Psalm 121, which describes the Lord as one who never slumbers in his watch over Israel. “Joseph shows us that presence and guardianship are inseparable dimensions,” the pope said. “It is not possible to guard without being present, and one is not present without assuming responsibility for the other”...

Pope Leo XIV urges leaders behind armed conflicts to make ‘serious examination of conscience’ (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV March 13 asked if Christian leaders who bear responsibility for war have the courage to humbly examine their consciences and seek the sacrament of confession. He posed the question in a speech about the importance of regularly confessing one’s sins...

Pope questions Christians’ role in wars, implies need for confession (EWTN)

On Friday, March 13, Pope Leo XIV issued a direct appeal to Christians who bear responsibility in armed conflicts, urging them to undertake a serious examination of conscience. “Do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?” the pontiff asked before priests dedicated to the ministry of confession. The Holy Father’s statement was made within an international context heightened by the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran... In his address, the pope underscored the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation, attributing to it the mission of restoring a person’s “inner unity.” That reconciliation produces, he added, “the inner unity of the individual and unity with the Church,” and for this reason “it also promotes peace and unity within the human family.” In his address, Leo XIV recalled that the ministry of confession demands closeness, listening, and the capacity to spiritually accompany the faithful — especially in a context marked by tensions and conflicts. In a world that, as he put it, is experiencing a time of “fragmentation,” the pope emphasized that reconciliation fosters a person’s inner unity — a quest particularly prevalent among young people. The disappointments caused by “unbridled consumerism” or by “a freedom detached from the truth,” he noted, can become “opportunities for evangelization.” Furthermore, he explained that reconciliation with God also has an ecclesial dimension. “In the celebration of the sacrament of confession, whilst penitents are reconciled with God and with the Church, the Church herself is edified and enriched by the renewed holiness of her repentant and forgiven children,” he remarked. Leo XIV lamented that numerous baptized individuals do not frequently turn to the sacrament of reconciliation, warning that the Church’s “infinite treasure of mercy” runs the risk of not being taken advantage of... “It is as though the infinite treasure of the Church’s mercy remained “unused,” he said, due to a widespread distraction among Christians...

I find this to be a nice little reflection which the Holy Father gave to a group of confessors on the importance "of regularly confessing one’s sins" in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as confession), the Church’s “infinite treasure of mercy”.

Fr. Pasolini: In a world of wars, fraternity is not an ideal but a responsibility (Vatican News)

The Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr. Roberto Pasolini, delivers his second Lenten meditation to the Roman Curia, with Pope Leo in attendance, and reflects on the grace and responsibility of communion, drawing on Saint Francis’s insight that relationships with others are an opportunity to learn the logic of the Gospel...

Pope Leo XIV Urges Ceasefire in Middle East (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged those responsible for the escalating war in the Middle East to declare a ceasefire and open paths of dialogue, warning that violence can never lead to justice or peace. “In the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill, I address those responsible for this conflict: Let the fire cease and let paths of dialogue be reopened,” the pope said... U.S. President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC that Iran is seeking a ceasefire agreement to end U.S. and Israeli bombing, though he said he is not prepared to accept the proposal for now because the “terms are not good enough yet”... Israel also struck targets in Lebanon, where at least 14 people were reported killed, including four minors. Pope Leo described the situation in the country as “a cause for great concern.” “I hope that paths of dialogue will open that can help the authorities of the country implement lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway, for the common good of all Lebanese,” he said. The pope noted that for the past two weeks the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering “the atrocious violence of war.” “Thousands of innocent people have been killed and many others have been forced to abandon their homes,” he said, expressing his prayerful closeness to those who have lost loved ones in attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential areas. “Violence will never lead to the justice, stability, or peace that peoples hope for,” he added. Earlier during the Angelus reflection, Pope Leo emphasized that Christian faith does not require abandoning reason but instead allows believers to see reality more clearly...

Pope at Angelus: Faith opens our eyes to suffering humanity (Vatican News)

At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflects on Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, and says faith teaches us to see humanity and its struggles as God sees them...

Lebanon’s Nuncio distributes aid to southern villages, appeals for support (Vatican News)

Archbishop Paolo Borgia, Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon since 2022, highlights the urgent need for support after having visited southern villages to help distribute 15 tons of humanitarian aid from L’Œuvre d’Orient...

Pope Leo XIV to Move into Papal Apartment of Apostolic Palace (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on March 14 took possession of the traditional papal apartment within the Apostolic Palace, moving into the quarters traditionally reserved for his predecessors...

>101 brone: Bergoglio, Prevost, and Jimmie Martin are attempting to change these dogmas and doctrines' by promoting homosexual behavior and relationships

I think you are mistaken here. I believe many LGBTQ+ Catholics are not very happy with Pope Leo's recent statement, "I do understand that this is a very hot-button topic and that some people will make demands to say, 'we want the recognition of gay marriage,' for example, or 'we want recognition of people who are trans,' to say this is officially recognized and approved by the church. The individuals will be accepted and received {but} I think that the Church's teaching will continue as it is, and that's what I have to say about that for right now" (link).

Pope appeals for ceasefire and dialogue in Middle East war (Vatican News)

Addressing those responsible for the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Israel and Iran, Pope Leo XIV on Sunday launched an appeal “in the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill: Cease the fire! Let paths of dialogue be reopened!" “Violence can never lead to the justice, the stability and the peace that peoples are awaiting,” he said...

Pope Leo XIV to Journalists: War is not a Video Game; Guard Against Propaganda, Verify the News (ACI Africa)

During a meeting with Italian journalists Monday at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV warned that news reporting “must guard against the risk of becoming propaganda.” When reporting on today’s “dramatic circumstances of war,” the Holy Father urged news professionals to verify the news “so as not to become a mouthpiece for those in power,” a task that is “even more urgent and delicate — I would say essential.” He also emphasized that journalists must report on the suffering that war inflicts upon the population as well as reveal its human face and relate it “through the eyes of the victims, so as not to transform it into a video game”... he noted that “no technological innovation can replace creativity, critical discernment, and freedom of thought”... and underscored the need “to regulate communication according to the human paradigm and not the technological one,” something that, in his view, means “knowing how to distinguish between means and ends”...

Pope Leo XIV: Protecting minors is essential for life of the Church (Vatican News)

Addressing the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Pope Leo XIV encourages their mission to ensure abuse is prevented in the Church, insisting that such responsibility must be concretely confronted, and not delegated, to build a "culture of care." "Your mission is to help ensure that abuse is prevented. Yet prevention is never just a set of protocols or procedures. It is about helping to form, throughout the Church, a culture of care, in which the protection of minors and persons in vulnerable situations is not seen as an obligation imposed from outside, but as a natural expression of faith"... "It is a demanding service, sometimes silent, often burdensome, but one which," Pope Leo said, "is essential for the life of the Church and for the building of an authentic culture of care". Pope Leo recalled that Pope Francis placed the Commission permanently within the Roman Curia "to remind the whole Church that the prevention of abuse is not an optional task, but a constitutive dimension of the mission of the Church." With this in mind, the Holy Father suggested that a path of conversion, in which the suffering of others is heard, must continue to propel them to take action, with the experiences of victims and survivors as essential reference points...

Might also be worth remembering that the protection of minors is not only about sexual abuse. We also have a duty to protect them from the violence of war.

>104 brone: John 5918 snickers

My apologies if anything I have written could be construed as "snickering". That is not my intention. I try to disagree and correct misinformation as objectively and politely as possible.

Pope Leo speaks by phone with Palestinian President Abbas (Vatican News)

On Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV received a telephone call from Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, according to the Holy See Press Office. The call had to do with "the alarming developments in the conflict in the Middle East and the living conditions of the Palestinian people," said the Holy See Press Office in a note to journalists. During the conversation, said the Press Office statement, the Holy Father "reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to achieving peace through political and diplomatic dialogue, as well as through full respect for international law."

Holy See on Islamophobia: Freedom of belief is not optional (Vatican News)

The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations issues a statement warning that when the fundamental freedom of belief is denied, “trust gives way to fear, suspicion replaces dialogue, and oppression breeds violence”... The Holy See’s statement highlighted how the “growing instances of intolerance, discrimination and hostility targeting Muslims, Jews, Christians and followers of other traditional religions” are a result of a failure to acknowledge and defend “the right to freedom of religion or belief.” This right, it argued, is not optional. Rather, it is a “cornerstone of any just society”...

At a Time of Conflict, Pope Leo XIV Sends a Bridge-builder to the United States (ACI Africa)

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the recently appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States, takes up his new role at a time of heightened tension between the Vatican and the White House over issues including immigration to the U.S. and war in the Middle East. Former collaborators say Caccia’s personal qualities and wide diplomatic experience — including in Lebanon and the Philippines — make him well suited for this crucial assignment. The 68-year-old diplomat recently served as the permanent observer of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in New York after Pope Francis appointed him there in 2019. His new job is important as a liaison between the Vatican and the U.S., where recent federal policies have faced growing resistance from Church leaders...

Pope Leo calls universal health care a 'moral imperative' (NCR)

States have a moral obligation to develop universal health care systems, Pope Leo XIV said, stating that "health cannot be a luxury for the few." "On the contrary, it is an essential condition for social peace," he said March 18 at a conference on health care inequality in Europe organized by the European bishops' council, Italian bishops' conference and the World Health Organization. "Universal health coverage is not merely a technical goal to be achieved; it is primarily a moral imperative for societies that wish to call themselves just," the pope said. "Healthcare must be accessible to the most vulnerable, then, not only because their dignity requires it but also to prevent injustice from becoming a cause of conflict"...

Pope Leo to receive Liberty Medal for promoting religious liberty (Vatican News)

The US-based National Constitution Center announces it will award Pope Leo XIV with the 38th annual Liberty Medal on July 3, 2026, in an award ceremony on Independence Mall in Philadelphia... “The award recognizes the Holy Father’s lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world, ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” said the National Constitution Center in a statement...

Pope Leo: Church in Amazonia must be sign of unity in diversity (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV encourages the work of the Church in the Amazon Region to continue along the path of inculturation of the Gospel...

Pope convokes presidents of Bishops’ Conferences for meeting on families (Vatican News)

Ten years after its publication, Pope Leo XIV praises the “valuable teachings” of Amoris Laetitia, and convokes presidents of Bishops’ Conferences to Rome in October 2026 for a meeting to discuss ways to proclaim the Gospel to families today...

Childhood classmates from the United States reunite with Pope Leo (NCR)

Once a young teenager wearing a cap and gown for his eighth-grade graduation photo in Chicago, today the famous former-student posed for a reunion picture wearing his papal zucchetto and cassock at the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, who graduated from the lower school of St. Mary of the Assumption on the city's South Side in 1969, greeted and reminisced with 10 of his 82 former classmates after the general audience in St. Peter's Square March 18...

>112 brone: There are things that will not change and some evils that will not be driven back, without prayer and fasting

Indeed. I think that's one of the reasons why Lent and Ramadan are so significant, and why so many faith leaders have called for prayer and fasting at this time.

Belgian bishop challenges Pope Leo to allow married priests by 2028 (Reuters)

A Catholic bishop said he would ​push the Vatican for permission to ordain married men as priests by 2028, in an unusual statement ‌that may test Pope Leo's willingness to change Church teaching to address the issue of dwindling clergy numbers... Johan Bonny, bishop of Antwerp in Belgium since 2009 and known for taking progressive positions, said in a ​public letter to his parishioners released on Thursday that he would make "every effort" to ordain married ⁠men within two years and would identify men to train as priests...

Pope on Middle East: 'What harms them, harms all of humanity' (Vatican News)

After praying the Angelus, Pope Leo calls for an end to violence around the world, urging everyone to persevere in prayer... the Pope expressed his deep concern for the ongoing situation in the Middle East, as well as other areas of the world “torn apart by war and violence.” He stressed that “we cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, innocent victims of these conflicts.” This continuous violence wounds everyone—“what harms them, harms all of humanity.” Pope Leo warned that the pain, death, and suffering brought about by these wars “are a scandal to the entire human family and a cry before God.” He then encouraged everyone to persevere in their prayer so that “hostilities may cease and paths of peace, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human being, may finally open”...

Pope Leo XIV Decries War’s Toll (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday voiced dismay over ongoing conflicts around the world, saying the suffering of innocent victims “hurts all of humanity” and urging an end to hostilities grounded in dialogue and respect for human dignity. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless people who are victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts all of humanity,” the pope said after praying the Angelus on March 22. “The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God,” he continued. “I strongly renew my appeal to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and paths to peace may finally open up, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person”...

Pope: May the lost eyes of children in the face of war convert us (Vatican News)

“In these days of great concern over wars that threaten the future of humanity,” we must look to children, because their “lost” eyes can lead to true conversion, Pope Leo XIV wrote in a letter to the readers of Popotus, the weekly supplement dedicated to children as part of the newspaper of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Avvenire. We must also become a little like children again, having “pure eyes” to look at reality so as to “remain human,” the Pope continued...

Pope Leo says aerial bombing should be banned in fresh condemnation of war (Guardian)

Pope Leo has said aeroplanes should be “carriers of peace” and that aerial bombardments should be banned, in his latest condemnation of war amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran... “Airplanes should always be carriers of peace, never of war. No one should be afraid that threats of death and destruction might come from the sky,” Leo said. He did not specifically refer to the war on Iran. He added: “After the tragic experiences of the 20th century, aerial bombings should have been banned for ever. Instead, they still exist, and technological development, positive in itself, is being placed at the service of war. This is not progress, it is regression.” The pope’s criticism of the war was more pointed on Sunday when, during his weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, he renewed his appeal for a ceasefire. He described the death and suffering caused by the conflict as a “scandal to the whole human family”...

Perhaps this is an appropriate moment to recall the words of another great American:

Appeal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Aerial Bombardment of Civilian Populations, September 1, 1939

The President of the United States to the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and His Britannic Majesty, September 1, 1939

The ruthless bombing from the air of civilians in unfortified centers of population during the course of the hostilities which have raged in various quarters of the earth during the past few years, which has resulted in the maiming and in the death of thousands of defenseless men, women, and children, has sickened the hearts of every civilized man and woman, and has profoundly shocked the conscience of humanity.

If resort is had to this form of inhuman barbarism during the period of the tragic conflagration with which the world is now confronted, hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings who have no responsibility for, and who are not even remotely participating in, the hostilities which have now broken out, will lose their lives. I am therefore addressing this urgent appeal to every government which may be engaged in hostilities publicly to affirm its determination that its armed forces shall in no event, and under no circumstances, undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations or of unfortified cities, upon the understanding that these same rules of warfare will be scrupulously observed by all of their opponents. I request an immediate reply.

Unfortunately within a few short years Roosevelt allowed his own country to resort "to this form of inhuman barbarism" with the indiscriminate aerial bombardment of German civilians and the fire-bombing of historic cities, while his successor unleashed the indiscriminate slaughter of Japanese civilians using atomic bombs. Will humanity never learn?

Pope condemns ‘scandal’ of war as Jerusalem cancels Palm Sunday procession (Tablet)

Pope Leo again voiced his “dismay” at the war in the Middle East as he appealed for a halt to violence around the world. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenceless people who are victims of these conflicts,” he said after the Angelus on Sunday, deploring how the Middle Easy “like other regions of the world is torn apart by war and violence”. “What hurts them hurts all of humanity. The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God,” the Pope said. “I strongly renew my appeal to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and paths to peace may finally open, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person”... Pope Leo condemned the use of aircraft for bombings, insisting that aeroplanes “should always be carriers of peace, never of war”... He condemned the “regression” of technological development “being placed at the service of war”... Israel continued to exchange strikes with Iran and its proxies last week, leading the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to cancel its Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem and to postpone the Chrism Mass for the diocese. “The restrictions imposed by the conflict and the events of recent days do not bode well for any imminent improvement,” said the Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in an announcement on Sunday confirming that large public liturgies would not take place. “In constant dialogue with the competent authorities, together with the other Christian Churches, we are evaluating how, in the ways to be agreed upon, we can celebrate the central mystery of our salvation in the heart of our Churches.” He said this was “a wound that adds to the many others inflicted by the conflict” but urged Catholics to continue to pray for peace, designating 28 March to pray the Rosary “to implore the gift of peace and serenity, especially for those suffering because of the conflict”. The announcement followed reports that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre faces closure during Holy Week, which prompted Church leaders in Jerusalem to confirm that liturgies would continue even if the public could not attend...

Pope Leo signals broad listening style through unexpected meetings (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV's one-on-one meeting with British journalist Gareth Gore laid bare a defining pattern of his pontificate: Before making a decision, the pope wants to listen widely. Amid a schedule typically dominated by church officials, heads of state and ecclesial organizations, the March 16 meeting stood out. Gore, a non-Catholic and financial journalist, has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Opus Dei following his five-year investigation into the conservative Catholic organization. And given that the revision of Opus Dei's statutes is currently on the pope's desk, the pope's desire to meet individually with one of the organization's fiercest critics raised eyebrows around Rome... according to Gore, Leo called the book a "rigorous piece of work." In an account of the meeting republished by National Catholic Reporter, Gore said he told the pope about patterns of grooming, manipulation, spiritual and psychiatric abuse within Opus Dei, as well as claims of trafficking and cover-up... While Leo's response is unknown, the circumstances of the meeting may be even more revealing about Leo's governing style than its content... Taken together, Leo's relationship with Salinas and his outreach to Gore reveal the pope's propensity for bringing unsettling perspectives directly into his field of vision. As he continues to shape his inner circle at the Vatican, Leo appears inclined to bypass traditional channels of information and hear firsthand accounts on the state of the church, even from its critics. That instinct, however, should not be confused with alignment...

Before Becoming Bishop, Pope Leo Kept an All-Night Vigil With This Saint (National Catholic Register)

On the eve of his ordination in Chiclayo, the future Pope traveled to a small town in northern Peru to pray before a relic of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, a missionary bishop whose example would shape his own... Why did Pope Leo have such a strong devotion to the Peruvian saint? Because, in many ways, he was following in his footsteps. Like Pope Leo, St. Turibius was sent to Peru as a missionary. Born in 1538 in Spain, Turibius wasn’t even a priest before becoming a Peruvian bishop — he was a lay canon lawyer... Turibius was selected for both his integrity and administrative abilities... He arrived in 1581 and spent the next 26 years leading what was then the largest archdiocese in all of South America. St. Turibius’ time in Peru was marked by his profound love for the indigenous people, who had suffered harsh treatment under Spanish rule. He translated the catechism into native languages like Quechua, founded the first seminary in the New World and opened it to local men, and protected the rights of indigenous Peruvians from Spanish government officials. The saint even made three separate pastoral journeys across his massive archdiocese — a territory that spanned roughly 180,000 square miles — traveling mostly on foot. Father Farfán says he sees several similarities between the Peruvian saint and how Pope Leo led as bishop of Chiclayo. “Both of them were foreigners,” he said. “And the kind of approach you have when you are a foreigner … is not imposing things, but understanding, listening, and having a wide-open way of allowing people to tell what they feel.” Marian spirituality, a focus on community, and attentiveness to social problems are other traits that Father Farfán believes the two figures have in common. For instance, he highlighted Pope Leo’s concern over the way mining companies impacted the local community in Chiclayo, an issue that is now being taken up in the Vatican...

Pope Leo XIV Warns Children Should Not Look to Chatbots For Friendship (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV warned that children must not come to see artificial intelligence chatbots as substitutes for real friendship, cautioning that such reliance could harm their intellectual and emotional development. “We must not allow children to end up believing they can find in artificial intelligence chatbots their best friends or the oracle of all knowledge, dulling their intelligence and their capacity for relationships, and numbing their creativity and thinking,” the pope said...

Reposted in 2nd Vatican Council thread.

Marriage or the priesthood? Pope Leo XIV shares advice for discerning one’s vocation (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV has shared his advice for how to discern one’s vocation, starting with the importance of creating space for interior silence to “hear what the Lord desires for our happiness.” In Pope Leo’s first message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, published by the Vatican March 25, the pope wrote that “a vocation entails an intimate dialogue with the One who calls and invites us to respond, despite the deafening noise of the world, with true joy and generosity.” “Dear young people, listen to this voice!” he said. “Listen to the voice of the Lord who invites you to a full and fruitful life, calling you to put your talents to use and to unite your limitations and weaknesses with the glorious cross of Christ”...

I just find it rather ironic that OSV chooses to illustrate this headline with a photo of the Holy Father with a group of nuns, who are not allowed to be either priests or married!

>124 brone:

As far as I know papal audiences are free. Can you cite a source for this interesting new development?

Pope Leo’s message to the rich in his first foreign trip of the year (CNN)

Leo urged Monaco’s wealthy residents “to put your prosperity at the service of law and justice” in a speech outside {Prince} Albert’s residence. The pontiff added that it was needed at a time when the “display of power and the logic of oppression are harming the world and jeopardizing peace.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, said small states could still play an important moral role on the world stage as a “bulwark against authoritarian tendencies” while highlighting the shared priorities between the Vatican and Monaco.Parolin said in an era when “international law appears weakened” along with the “dangerous return of theories that justify preventive wars,” smaller states can be “natural guardians of multilateralism.” These include the protection of the environment – with Monaco actively pursuing a green transition – and opposition to abortion, with Prince Albert recently vetoing an abortion law in the principality... In his homily, the pontiff reminded the faithful that “peace is not merely a balance of power; it is the work of purified hearts, of those who see others as brothers and sisters to be protected, not enemies to be defeated.” He also insisted that the Church in Monaco is “called to bear witness to living in peace”...

Pope Leo XIV at Monaco Stadium Mass: Wars are "the result of the idolatry of power and money" (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on March 28 condemned all military conflicts, which he argued are the result of the "idolatry of power and money" and which "bloody" God's gift of grace to men. God's grace "illuminates our present, because the wars that bloody it are the result of the idolatry of power and money," said Leo in the homily he delivered during the Mass at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco... "Even today, how many calculations are made in the world to kill innocent people; how many false reasons are used to get them out of the way!" The pontiff called for the purification of the "idolatry" that feeds wars and turns men into slaves of other men, while urging the faithful to not get used to violence. "Every truncated life is a wound to the body of Christ. Let's not get used to the rumble of weapons or the images of war!" he exclaimed. In this sense, he stressed that peace cannot be reduced to a balance of power: "It is not a mere balance of forces, but the work of purified hearts, of those who see in the other a brother to take care of, not an enemy to bring down." Faced with the persistence of evil, the pope recalled that God's justice acts as a source of hope and renewal: "The Lord frees from pain by infusing hope, he converts the hardness of the heart by transforming power into service, precisely while manifesting the true name of his omnipotence: mercy." In this way, he assured that it is "mercy that saves the world" because it takes charge of all human existence, "in each of its weaknesses, from the moment it is conceived in the womb until it ages," he added...

Full text: Pope Leo XIV's homily during Mass at Louis II Stadium in Monaco (NCR)

Pope seems to rebuke Trump in remarks about leaders with ‘hands full of blood’ (Guardian)

Pope Leo has said God ignores the prayers of leaders who wage war and have “hands full of blood”, in an apparent rebuke to the Trump administration. The pontiff made the comments on Sunday as thousands of US troops arrived in the Middle East and days after the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, prayed for violence against enemies who deserved “no mercy”. During a Palm Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square, the pope said the conflict between Iran, Israel and the US was “atrocious” and that Jesus could not be used to justify war. “This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he told tens of thousands of worshippers. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” Quoting a Bible passage, Leo added: “‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’” The Catholic church’s first US pontiff did not name any government or individual, but the unusually pointed remarks followed Hegseth’s prayer for violence on Wednesday and the buildup of US ground forces near Iran. The pope cited a Bible passage in which Jesus upbraided a disciple who used a sword to try to repel soldiers who came to arrest him. Jesus did not arm himself or fight, the pope said. “He revealed the gentle face of God, who always rejects violence. Rather than saving himself, he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross”...

Pope recalls many Middle East Christians who suffer with Christ during Holy Week (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV decries the fact that many Christians in the Middle East will be unable to celebrate Holy Week rites, urging everyone to remember the many people who share in Christ's suffering as the Church contemplates the Mystery of the Lord's Passion...

Israeli police stop Latin Patriarch from entering Church of Holy Sepulchre (Vatican News)

In a joint press release, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land report they were blocked from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Israeli police, calling it "a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure"...

Pope Leo opens Holy Week with plea for peace: No one can use Jesus to 'justify war' (NCR)

Preaching at Palm Sunday Mass, Leo described Jesus as the King of Peace "who rejects war" and "whom no one can use to justify war." "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," Leo said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, who said: "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood." The pope's homily contrasted with rhetoric from Trump administration officials who in recent days have invoked religion to promote the United States and Israel's war with Iran. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, has called on the American people to pray for victory in the war "in the name of Jesus Christ," and, again invoking Jesus' name, prayed for U.S. troops to inflict “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy." At the close of the Mass, the pope turned his attention to Christians in the Middle East, who he said "are suffering the consequences of an brutal conflict" and are unable to fully celebrate the rites of Holy Week...

Catholic Bishops in Southern Africa Support Pope Leo XIV’s Call for Cease Fire in the Middle East (ACI Africa)

Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) have expressed support for Pope Leo XIV’s repeated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, saying they cannot remain silent in the face of the human suffering being experienced across the region... “We support the repeated appeals of Pope Leo XIV for ‘the immediate end to this conflict.’ We echo his urgent call to the leaders involved in the conflict: ‘Cease the fire! Let paths of dialogue be reopened!’”, Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa says. “As people of faith, we cannot remain silent in the face of the immense human suffering unfolding in the war in the Middle East,” Bishop Mbuyisa says...

Pope Leo XIV: The Most Difficult Circumstances Can Be Transformed by the Power of Love (ACI Africa)

At the Vatican on Monday of Holy Week — known in some places as “Authority Monday” — Pope Leo XIV recalled Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Matthew 23:21-27, saying that through the paschal mystery, the Lord shows “that even the most difficult and challenging circumstances can be transformed from within by the power of love.” “The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate source of hope for all who believe in Christ and await the promise of eternal life,” the pontiff said... Acknowledging that suffering cannot be avoided or eliminated, the Holy Father affirmed that one can “find a redemptive meaning” in it that restores lost dignity and “opens the door to a new life.” The Holy Father also recalled that “the victory of the risen Lord over death” reveals that the heart of authentic authority is service: “His service and obedience to the will of the Father have led to a sure hope and lasting peace for all humanity.” “Thus,” the pontiff added, “the victory born of Christ’s gift of self stands as both a beacon and a challenge for all of us today.” He invited members of the state association “to be attentive to the needs of the weakest and most vulnerable in order to assist them toward integral human development”...

>131 brone: The blind acceptance of a pope's authority

Thanks for raising the issue of papal authority. I think all Catholics know that the pope is considered to be preserved from error by the Holy Spirit when solemnly teaching, ex cathedra, doctrines concerning faith or morals to be held by the universal Church. Papal infallibility was only defined as a doctrine at the First Vatican Council in 1870, although it had long been held as a belief within the Church. Such solemn teachings are rather rare and are clearly known as such. The last specific one was in 1950 on the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heaven. The teaching of an Ecumenical Council such as the Second Vatican Council, where the pope is gathered with all the bishops of the world, would also generally be considered as infallible. At the same time we also know that each individual Catholic is governed by their own conscience in regards to their own actions and belief; there is no "blind acceptance of a pope's authority". However that doesn't give individual Catholics the right arbitrarily to define or deny Catholic doctrine and papal authority nor the ordinary magisterium of the Church, expressed in the teaching of popes, bishops and the sensus fidelium. Catholics are expected to respect the wisdom and guidance of the pope.

"Bishops, teaching in communion with the Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to divine and Catholic truth. In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent. This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra; that is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking." (Lumen Gentium, 25).

To summarise, Catholics believe that the pope is still guided by the Holy Spirit even when he does not speak infallibly. It’s not a case of either a teaching is infallible and must be accepted or it's non-infallible and must be dismissed out of hand. Even if a pope potentially errs, he still deserves the respect owed to him because of his office, and his words must be carefully weighed by those competent to do so rather than ridiculed by arbitrary individuals.

A lot of your ire seems to be directed at "the last two popes" over the intepretation of Catholic traditional "just war" doctrine. I think you overlook the ancient origins and purpose of this doctrine, which recognised that all war is sinful and began to set conditions to prevent and limit war, not to justify it. But you also fail to recognise that these "last two popes", Francis and Leo XIV, are not out on a limb but are continuing a trajectory which began with Pope John XXIII and continued through the papacies of Paul VI, John Paul II and Bendict XVI, or arguably even as far back as Benedict XV who condemned the "useless slaughter" of World War I.

Some relevant references from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

#891: "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith."

#892: Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible definition and without pronouncing in a "definitive manner," they propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this ordinary teaching the faithful "are to adhere to it with religious assent".

#2034: The Roman Pontiff and the bishops are "authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice."

Pope Leo XIV to carry the Cross throughout Via Crucis at Colosseum

Pope Leo XIV will preside over the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Friday, 3 April, during the traditional Good Friday liturgy commemorating the journey of Jesus to Golgotha. The meditations have been written by Franciscan Father Francesco Patton...

Pope’s April prayer intention: ‘For priests in crisis’

Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for the month of April, and invites Catholics to pray for priests who are facing a personal crisis in their vocation...

Pope thanks Benedictine religious for the good they do for the Church

Pope Leo XIV welcomes Benedictine monastic communities in the Vatican, thanking them for the great good they do for the Church, and encourages them to continue performing their "work of God"...

All from Vatican News. And from the Tablet:

‘Peace’ at the heart of preparations for papal visit to Africa

Pope Leo XVI will begin his four-nation African apostolic journey on 13 April in Algeria, the homeland of St Augustine. The phrase As-salamu alaykum (“Peace Be Upon You”) has been chosen as the central theme of the three-day visit... The president of the Cameroon Bishops’ Conference Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda said the Pope will bring a message of peace and reconciliation in a divided country...

And from ACI Africa:

Pope Leo XIV Makes Holy Week Appeal to Trump, World Leaders to End Iran War

Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for peace in a world wounded by conflict and violence. In remarks to journalists on March 31 outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo, the pope reminded that “Easter should be the holiest, most sacred time of the year. It is a time of peace, a time for much reflection, but as we all know, once again in the world, in so many places, we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.” The pope said he had been told President Donald Trump wants to end the war in the Middle East and expressed hope that Trump is seeking a way to decrease the violence. Pope Leo asked everyone, “especially Christians,” to “live these days recognizing that Christ is still crucified today, that Christ still suffers today in the innocent, especially those who are suffering from violence, hatred, and war.” “Let us pray for them, for the victims of war, let us pray that there may truly be a new, renewed peace, which can give new life to all,” Pope Leo urged...

Pope Leo names US Catholics to Vatican's social justice office (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV has named a trio of Catholic academics and the head of a church-based center for migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border to be among the new members of the Vatican's office on Catholic social doctrine. The Vatican announced the pope's new appointments to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on March 30. The office, led by Cardinal Michael Czerny, is devoted to the social teachings of the church, including on justice and peace, human rights, migration and the environment. Among the 11 new members are Holy Cross Fr. Daniel Groody, vice president and an associate provost for undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame; Meghan Clark, a theologian and assistant chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies of St. John's University in New York; Léocadie Wabo Lushombo, a professor of ethical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley; and Dylan Corbett, executive director of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, Texas. Corbett brings to the role more than a decade of work at the intersection of migration, policy and Catholic social teaching, much of it grounded along the U.S.-Mexico border. As a founding executive director of the Hope Border Institute, he has focused on accompaniment of migrants and advocacy rooted in church teaching on human dignity...

I know some US Catholics felt that the Vatican never really understood the north American church. Whether or not that was true, now at least there is no doubt that north America is well represented and understood there, with a US pope, a Canadian cardinal heading the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, US Cardinal Kevin Farrell remaining in a senior position, and now these four prominent US Catholics appointed to the Vatican's office on Catholic social doctrine.

Edited to add: Another significant appointment to the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Bishop Kukah has been outspoken on peace and nonviolence:

Nigeria’s Bishop Kukah Appointed Member of Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (ACI Africa)

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria has been appointed a member of the Council of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development... He holds a Bachelor of Divinity from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He later obtained a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom and a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS, University of London... Bishop Kukah has been known for addressing issues relating to justice, peace, governance, and human development in Nigeria... Grounded in the Church’s teaching on integral human development and inspired by Catholic social doctrine, the Vatican Dicastery addresses areas such as human rights and justice, migration and refugees, healthcare, charitable action, development, and environmental concerns...

Plus: Pope Leo XIV’s Maiden Visit to Africa Reflects Continent’s “richness of linguistic and cultural diversity” (ACI Africa)

The upcoming Apostolic visit of Pope Leo XIV to four African countries is a unique opportunity to connect the Church in Africa with the continent’s diverse languages and cultures, an official at the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) has said... In his pastoral visit to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and finally, Equatorial Guinea, the Holy Father is expected to shine a light on Africa’s linguistic diversity, showcasing the main languages spoken at national level across the continent. These are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. “In Algeria, I perceive hope for peaceful interfaith dialogue and the courage to live one’s faith alongside others, especially within a context where Arabic and French shape cultural and religious expression,” Sr. Jane said... “In Cameroon, I recognize the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity, where both English and French, alongside many local languages, enrich the expression of faith and unite communities through shared Christian roots.” “Angola reminds me of resilience where Portuguese, as a unifying language, carries faith, culture, and history, sustaining hope and spiritual growth”... As of Equatorial Guinea... “I reflect on how it is the only sovereign African nation with Spanish as an official language, a reality that uniquely shapes the Church’s mission, historically influenced by colonial encounters yet continuously reinterpreted within local cultures.” Sr. Jane said that the Holy Father’s maiden trip to Africa connects the people of God on the continent, including those in countries that will not be visited...

>135 brone: Dead people were stepping out of tombs horrifing onlookers who raced for their lives, sidestepping the boulders hurtling down hillsides from quaking hills... the mud and blood a show illuminated by flashes of lightning...

Thanks for those evocative words - you're a bit of a poet, you know! Your words vividly bring to life the situation in Iran and Lebanon, as ordinary people race for their lives from the rain of US and Israeli bombs and missiles hurtling down from above, and dead bodies fly through the air. The flashes are from ordnance, not lightning, but the mud and the blood are real. I, being a civilian who has often been in the front line of battle, can imagine some of what they are going through. Thank God my retired British friend in Beirut is safe so far, but she tells me that her neighbour (a cancer patient) and his wife have just been killed when their apartment was hit by a bomb. Likewise the elderly parents of my young Iranian friend in UK are safe for the moment as they have abandoned everything and fled into the hills (reminding us of how Joseph fled with Mary and the baby Jesus to safety from state-sponsored violence), but for how long? Jesus is indeed being crucified as we speak as some of his sisters and brothers here on earth kill and maim other sisters and brothers; "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40 and 45). May God forgive us all.

Trump needs ‘off-ramp’ from war says Pope in Easter peace plea (Tablet)

US President Donald Trump should seek an “off-ramp” to the war with Iran, Pope Leo said. “I’m told President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war,” the Pope told reporters outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday. “Hopefully he’s looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that’s being created and that’s increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere”... Pope Leo urged world leaders: “Come back to the table, to dialogue. Let’s look for solutions to problems, let’s look for ways to reduce the amount of violence that we’re promoting, that peace – especially at Easter – might reign in our hearts.” He said that Easter “should be the holiest, most sacred time of the year … but as we all know, once again in the world, in so many places, we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children”. “We make continuous appeals for peace, but unfortunately many people want to promote hatred and violence, war,” he said. Leo urged Christians to “live these days recognising that Christ is still crucified today, that Christ still suffers today in the innocent, especially those who are suffering from violence, hatred and war”. He said his decision to carry the Cross himself for the Via Crucis in the Colosseum on Good Friday was “an important sign because of what the Pope represents: a spiritual leader in today’s world, a voice saying that Christ still suffers”...

"Kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed": Pope Leo XIV at Mass of Lord's Supper (ACI Africa)

“This evening’s solemn liturgy marks our entry into the holy Triduum of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection,” Leo said. “We cross this threshold not as mere spectators, nor out of habit, but as those personally invited by Jesus himself as guests at the Supper in which bread and wine become for us the sacrament of salvation.” “His love becomes both gesture and nourishment for all, revealing the justice of God,” the pope said. “In this world, and particularly in those places where evil abounds, Jesus loves definitively — forever, and with his whole being.” Reflecting on the washing of the feet, Leo said the gesture is not simply a moral lesson but a revelation of God’s own way of loving. “What the Lord shows us — taking the water, the basin, and the towel — is far more than a moral example,” he said. “He entrusts to us his very way of life. The washing of the feet is a gesture that encapsulates the revelation of God.” The pope also cited Benedict XVI, recalling that Christians must repeatedly learn that God’s greatness is unlike worldly greatness. “We too must ‘learn repeatedly that God’s greatness is different from our idea of greatness… because we systematically desire a God of success and not of the Passion,’” Leo said. He warned that human beings are tempted to seek a God who grants success, victory, or usefulness like wealth and power rather than recognizing the divine power revealed in humble service. “Yet we fail to perceive that God does indeed serve us through the gratuitous and humble gesture of washing feet,” Leo said. “This is the true omnipotence of God.” The pope said Jesus’ action purifies both humanity’s false image of God and its false image of man. “For we tend to consider ourselves powerful when we dominate, victorious when we destroy our equals, great when we are feared,” he said. “In contrast, as true God and true man, Christ offers us the example of self-giving, service, and love.” Leo stressed that Christ gave this example not in a moment of acclaim but “on the night he was betrayed, in the darkness of incomprehension and violence”... Christian service cannot be reduced to abstraction or empty obligation but must spring from charity... “By washing our bodies, Jesus purifies our souls,” he said. “In him, God has given us an example — not of how to dominate, but of how to liberate; not of how to destroy life, but of how to give it.” In one of the homily’s strongest appeals, the pope turned to the suffering of those crushed by violence and oppression. “As humanity is brought to its knees by so many acts of brutality, let us too kneel down as brothers and sisters alongside the oppressed,” he said...

Pope Leo’s first Easter: one year in, what do Catholics think of the new pontiff? (Guardian)

Some would like Leo to be more vocal on world conflict, but others say he uses his influence discreetly... “His words might not be accompanied by fireworks or unexpected gestures, which was Francis, but at the same time Leo is not mincing his words. The problem is he’s not being heard enough, but I think since Palm Sunday, that is changing.”

Pope Leo XIV Celebrates Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV presided over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica on Good Friday during which the preacher of the papal household exhorted Christians to “approach the Lord’s cross without fear”... “In a time like ours, still torn apart by hatred and violence, when even the name of God is invoked to justify wars and deadly decisions, we Christians are called to approach the Lord’s Cross without fear — indeed, with full trust — knowing that it is a throne upon which one sits and learns to reign with him by placing one’s life at the service of others,” Pasolini said... “Jesus is the man of sorrows who knows suffering well — no violence, no resort to force, no temptation to destroy everything and start over from scratch. We know how difficult it is to embrace such a mission. We are tempted to use aggression and violence, thinking that without them nothing can ever be resolved. But only meekness is the true strength for confronting the darkness of evil,” he continued... In his homily, Pasolini referred to the Servant Songs, four poetic texts found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (42, 49, 50, 52–53)... “In the fourth song, something deeply unsettling occurs: The violence inflicted on the servant is so intense that it disfigures his face. He has no appearance or beauty, yet the servant has learned not to return the evil he has received,” the preacher said... “We see it constantly in wars, in divisions, in wounds: evil keeps circulating because it always finds someone willing to pass it on. Jesus broke this chain by accepting what happened to him. In the Passion, he recognized the score of the songs of love and service that the Father had entrusted to him. In this way, he learned the most difficult obedience — the obedience of loving the other,” Pasolini continued. “The voice of God no longer guides us — not because it has disappeared, but because it has become just one voice among many, the others promising security and well‑being,” he said...

>3 John5918:
Christopher Hale @ChristopherHale | 12:37 PM · Apr 8, 2026:
Native Tennessean. ’20 Democratic nominee for Congress. DNC Delegate. Obama-Biden White House & campaign alum. Former nonprofit exec. Pope Leo tweeted me once
https://x.com/ChristopherHale/status/2041918266071777439

"NEW: A stunning new report claims that the Pentagon summoned Pope Leo XIV’s top American diplomat and threatened him after the U.S.-born pontiff gave his January state-of-the-world address.

Leo used the address to denounce a world ruled by “a diplomacy based on force” and “zeal for war.”

The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV’s Ambassador with the Avignon Papacy…
Christopher Hale | 18 hrs ago {8 April 2026}
(free trial) https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/the-pentagon-threatened-pope-leo/comments
{https://www.newsbreak.com/letters-from-leo-345985731/4581976323320-the-pentagon-threatened-pope-leo-xiv-s-ambassador-with-the-avignon-papacy}

In January, behind closed doors at the Pentagon, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre — Pope Leo XIV’s then-ambassador to the United States — and delivered a lecture.

America, Colby and his colleagues told the cardinal, has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.

As tempers rose, one U.S. official reached for a fourteenth-century weapon and invoked the Avignon Papacy, the period when the French Crown used military force to bend the bishop of Rome to its will.

That scene, broken this week by Mattia Ferraresi* in an extraordinary piece of journalism for The Free Press, may be the most remarkable moment in the long and knotted history of the American republic’s relationship with the Catholic Church.

In the speech that enraged Pete Hegseth and top Pentagon officials, Pope Leo XIV said: “A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force.”

“War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading.

“The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.”

Pete Hegseth’s pastor and mentor says the United States should ban public Masses, Marian processions, and Corpus Christi devotions.

Hegseth invited the anti-Catholic preacher to lead a prayer service at the Pentagon on February 14.
(1:35) https://x.com/ChristopherHale/status/2041935982233006099

Here’s the full story:

Pete Hegseth’s Pastor Wants to Ban Catholic Processions in America
Doug Wilson preached at the Pentagon last month. His vision of a Christian nation would outlaw public Masses, Marian processions, and Corpus Christi devotions — and Pete Hegseth calls him a mentor.
Christopher Hale | Mar 12, 2026
https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/pete-hegseths-pastor-wants-to-ban

For the first time in modern history, the Pentagon offered no Good Friday services for Catholics this year.

While Catholics don't celebrate Mass on Good Friday, they do venerate the cross of Jesus Christ and receive the Eucharist.

Earlier this year, Pete Hegseth invited his pastor to speak at the Pentagon. That pastor has called for banning public expressions of Catholicism in the United States.:

Trump-Vance White House Escalates Holy Week Assault Against Catholic Church
A judge forced ICE to open the doors. On Holy Thursday, four priests washed the feet of fourteen detained migrants. The next morning, the Pentagon excluded Catholics from Good Friday services.
Christopher Hale | Apr 03, 2026
https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/trump-vance-white-house-escalates "
---------------------------------------------------

* Why the Vatican and the White House Are on the Outs
Mattia Ferraresi | April 6, 2026
"Inside the collapse of Washington’s relationship with the first American pope ..."
{free trial} https://www.thefp.com/p/why-the-vatican-and-the-white-house

>140 brone:

Thanks for once again setting out your personal opinion on the US attack on Iran. But it's not about "progressives" or otherwise. Virtually all Catholic teaching authorities, from our US pope downwards and including most of your US Catholic bishops, have concluded that this attack does not meet the objective (not subjective) criteria for a "just" (or to use your word, "righteous") war by any standards of mainstream Christian doctrine. Its main Christian supporters appear to be evangelical protestant Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists, which may be big in the USA but are a tiny modern fringe movement globally and are virtually nonexistent in the historical Christian tradition. At the same time global legal and political opinion tends to agree that this is an illegal war.

You are misinformed if you believe that a preemptive strike can be justified under either Christian doctrine or international law. It can't, particularly after your own president and intelligence agencies, as well as intelligence agencies of your allies, had publicly announced that any nuclear threat from Iran and the means to deliver it was many years away, while negotiations about Iran's nuclear ambitions were still ongoing, and the mediators had announced significant concessions from Iran just hours before the attacks began.

You personally may support this war based on your political ideology and your own conscience, but one can't pretend that there is any objective Catholic or other mainstream Christian doctrine which justifies that political stance.

Incidentally there is a thread on "just war" in this group, where all of this is discussed in greater depth.

>139 margd: contd.

Vatican backs up Pentagon on tone of Colby meeting
Filip Timotija | 04/10/26

"The Vatican backed up the Pentagon in pushing back against news reports claiming a meeting earlier this year between the Holy See’s then-envoy to the U.S. and a top Pentagon official turned heated, resulting in threats made against the Catholic Church.

The Pentagon’s policy office chief, Elbridge Colby, huddled with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s former diplomat to the U.S., at the Pentagon on Jan. 22. The Free Press reported on Monday that during the meeting, Colby warned that the U.S. military has the “power to do whatever it wants — and that the church had better take its side,” a characterization that has been denied by the Defense Department ..."

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5825811-vatican-pentagon-elbridge-colby...

I've been away from my laptop for a week, but here are a few of the prominent news items about Pope Leo XIV which I've noticed while I was away. Unsurprisingly, most of them deal with peace.

Pope says ‘enough of war’ and decries ‘delusion of omnipotence’ at peace vigil (Guardian)

Leo’s comments did not directly mention war in Iran but read as his strongest condemnation of the conflict yet...

Dioceses, parishes take up Pope Leo's call to pray for peace, plan vigils for April 11 (NCR)

Parishes and dioceses throughout the nation are taking up Pope Leo XIV's call to pray for peace, holding April 11 vigils coinciding with the pope's own at St. Peter's Basilica... In that address, Pope Leo used the word "peace" 13 times, stressing the peace offered by the risen Christ "is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us"...

Pope Leo at Prayer Vigil for Peace: Stop planning arms and death (Vatican News)

During Pope Leo XIV's Prayer Vigil for Peace in the world, the Pope appeals to leaders of nations to stop and sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, "not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!" He also insists that the Church will always advance in calling for peace "even when rejecting the logic of war may lead to misunderstanding and scorn," and will always instil "obedience to God rather than any human authority"...

Pope Leo XIV at Vatican peace vigil: "Enough of war!" (ACI Africa)

"Enough of war!" Pope Leo XIV cried out while presiding over a vigil for peace at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on April 11...

Churches Worldwide join Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer Vigil for Peace on April 11 Amid Ongoing Global Conflicts (ACI Africa)

Several bishops’ conferences around the world have echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call to pray for peace on April 11... the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops... the Italian Bishops’ Conference... the Mexican Bishops’ Conference... the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines...

Vatican Urges Catholics Not to Leave Pope Leo XIV Alone in Opposing War (ACI Africa)

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin warned that the “logic of the strongest” risks prevailing on the international stage and called on Christians to become “voices of peace” who do not leave Pope Leo XIV standing alone in his opposition to war. In an interview with Dialoghi, a cultural magazine linked to Italian Catholic Action, Parolin said the voice of the pope is “prophetic” but risks becoming “a voice crying in the wilderness if it is not supported and helped concretely”...

Pope welcomes Middle East ceasefire, invites faithful to join prayer vigil for peace (Vatican News)

Pope Leo welcomes the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East and asks that all parties engage in prolonged dialogue to reach an end to the conflict...

Pope expresses closeness to Christians affected by war in southern Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV expresses closeness to the people of Debel in southern Lebanon, and to all who suffer the consequences of war in an Easter message delivered amid ongoing Israeli attacks in the region...

Pope: The threat against the entire Iranian people is unacceptable (Vatican News)

Addressing journalists in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV asks "all people of goodwill to always search for peace and to reject war," calls for a return to the negotiating table to pursue peaceful solutions, and notes that attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law...

On Easter Monday, Pope Leo XIV Remembers Those "tormented" by War: "The truth does not remain hidden" (ACI Africa)

Today’s Gospel asks us to choose between two accounts: that of the women, who encountered the Risen One, or that of the guards, who were bribed by the leaders of the Sanhedrin”... This contrast “makes us reflect on the value of Christian witness and the honesty of human communication. Often, in fact, the telling of the truth is obscured by what we today call fake news — that is, lies, insinuations, and baseless accusations. Yet in the face of such obstacles, the truth does not remain hidden; on the contrary, it comes to meet us, alive and radiant, illuminating even the densest darkness,” he continued...

Pope's Easter Vigil message: God drives out hatred and transcends death (NCR)

God's love is stronger than any evil, capable of "driving out hatred" and "bringing down the mighty," Pope Leo XIV said. "Man can kill the body, but the life of the God of love is eternal life, which transcends death and which no tomb can imprison," the pope said in his homily during the Easter Vigil April 4 in St. Peter's Basilica. "This, my dear friends, is also our message to the world today," to be shared "through the words of faith and the works of charity," he said. Just as Mary Magdalene and the other women rushed to tell the disciples that Jesus is risen, "we too should desire to set out tonight from this basilica to bring to all the good news," the pope said. "Having risen with him, through his power, we too can give life to a new world of peace and unity"...

There are also some items which are not directly related to peace.

Pope Leo’s visit to Africa: theology scholar outlines 3 realities the Catholic church must face (The Conversation)

Pope Leo’s decision to make Africa one of the early destinations of his young papacy signals the continent’s importance in global Catholicism. His April 2026 visit reflects both his personal ties to Africa and the rapid rise of Christianity across the continent... Pope Leo will walk in the footsteps of Augustine of Hippo (who lived around the year 400), his spiritual father, highlighting the African roots of Christianity... I am an African theologian and my work examines how contemporary Catholicism is changing. My research goes beyond tracking the demographics of Christian expansion. It asks how Christian communities, rooted in diverse cultures, are transforming societies and cultures in line with the Gospel. By choosing to visit Africa now, Pope Leo is making a clear statement: Africa matters. The Catholic church on the continent can seize this moment to build more equal, non-patronising partnerships with churches in the global north, where membership is declining... Pope Leo’s visit offers a powerful historical reminder of the continent’s foundational role in shaping the church, particularly in its first five centuries... One of the most notable traits attributed to him is his capacity to listen. In my view, this listening must confront three interrelated realities if the church in Africa is to become a credible agent of transformation. Dependency: Parishes and pastoral programmes in Africa still depend on financial support from Europe and North America. This is a major obstacle to the emergence of a mature and self-sustaining African Christianity. The church risks reproducing asymmetrical power dynamics that weaken human agency and pastoral creativity. Decolonisation: Inherited church structures and theological frameworks should be interrogated. Without this, the church won’t be rooted in the lived experiences and realities of African peoples. Leadership: The crisis of leadership in Africa is mirrored within the church. What is needed is a transformational, humble and servant leadership grounded in accountability, transparency and shared responsibility. This means greater inclusion of the voices and assets of the laity, especially of women...

Pope Leo is not traveling to bring hope to Africa, but to find hope (NCR)

Consequently, Leo is not traveling to Africa to bring hope to the continent; he is traveling there to find hope, in all its painful complexity. Attitudes toward Africa tend to oscillate between two extremes: on the one hand a dismissive and pessimistic view of Africa as a hopeless continent plagued by war, violence and poverty, and on the other, a romantic projection of Africa as an exotic source of future hope. The reality is far more complex. Africa is a continent of contradictions: youthful energy and high unemployment; ecological richness and environmental degradation; deep faith and political instability...

Cardinal Parolin on Pope’s Africa visit: Catholics should promote change (Vatican News)

As Pope Leo XIV prepares to make an Apostolic Journey to four African nations, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, tells Vatican News about the Pope’s desire to show his closeness to existential peripheries and to carry the hope of Christ...

For Leo, first Augustinian pope, Algeria trip marks a spiritual homecoming (NCR)

St. Augustine was famously reluctant to become a priest. He later became the bishop of Hippo, in modern-day Algeria, taking up a role that would cement the African saint as a doctor of the church and a foundational influence in modern Western thought. It's precisely for that reason that Pope Leo XIV, in one of the first destinations of his young pontificate, has chosen to travel to North Africa...

St. Augustine is key to the difference between Pete Hegseth and Pope Leo (NCR)

In the aftermath of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent Pentagon prayer and Pope Leo XIV's Palm Sunday homily, much of the public commentary has settled into a familiar framework. A conservative official invoked God in the context of war and a supposedly liberal pope rebuked him. The exchange is then cast as a political disagreement, or at most as an instance of religion being deployed on both sides of a geopolitical conflict. This account is inadequate. What is unfolding is not a political dispute but a theological one, and its terms are ancient, not modern. In order to understand the public dialogue taking place between Hegseth and Leo, we need to turn to St. Augustine...

Pope: We have moral obligation to protect civilians from horrific effects of war (Vatican News)

“The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails a moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the horrific effects of war.” From this premise came the exhortation of Pope Leo XIV delivered this morning, April 12, as he addressed the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square following the recitation of the Regina Caeli...

Pope decries horror, inhumanity that ‘some adults boast of with pride’ (OSV)

Warning against an increasingly unpredictable and aggressive “delusion of omnipotence” threatening the globe, Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders and individuals to empty their hearts and minds of hatred and violence, and to start serving life. “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” he said during a special evening prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica April 11. “Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death,” he said. “Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol, to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee.” “Let us listen to the voices of children,” who write to him all the time, recounting “all the horror and inhumanity of actions that some adults boast of with pride,” he said...

Pope prioritises world's fastest-growing Catholic region in major Africa tour (BBC)

Pope Leo XIV wants to "turn the world's attention to Africa", according to a senior Vatican official, as he embarks on a significant tour of the continent addressing themes of peace, migration and dialogue between religions. The 11-day trip, which starts on Monday, is Pope Leo's second major foreign visit since being elected to the papacy in May last year, and is a reflection of Africa's increasing importance to Catholicism. More than a fifth of the world's Catholics are in Africa, some 288 million people, according to figures from 2024. It is one of the fastest-growing regions for the Church. The Vatican says its latest survey shows a "remarkable increase" in the number of baptised Catholics on the continent. Little wonder then that the trip is regarded as a personal priority for Pope Leo...

Pope Leo XIV Visiting Algeria as a Messenger of Peace and as a Pilgrim to the Birthplace of his Spiritual Identity (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV will make an Apostolic visit to Algeria on Monday April 13th. In the following Interview, Fr. Vincent Kyererezi, a member of the Missionaries of Africa and Vicar General of the diocese of Laghouat-Ghardaïa, explains the importance of the visit and the role of the Church in the predominantly Moslem Algerian society...

I interrupt this threat to post two post from Trump. Really. Really.

>143 brone: the Roman Catholic Church which should transcend both left and right and call upon her people on both sides not to be coopted by either side

Of course I agree with you that the Church transcends, and should not be co-opted by, political ideologies, whether left or right. Thus I assume all US Catholics will be appalled by their president's extraordinary political attack on our pope. Mind you, Trump is in good company, as Stalin was also very critical of the pope in his time, Pope Pius XII.

As with many of Trump's statements, this one also contains fake news. The pope does not think "it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon”. Like all his predecessors since Pope John XXIII, Leo is against nuclear weapons.

Donald Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope Leo calling him ‘weak’ and ‘terrible’ (Guardian)

President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, saying he didn’t think the US-born leader of the Catholic church is “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person,” while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left.” Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo, then kept it up in comments on the tarmac to reporters. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said... While it’s not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it’s exceedingly rare for the pope to criticise a US leader – and Trump’s stinging response is equally uncommon. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” the president wrote in his post, adding, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon”... “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican,” Trump wrote, adding, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church!” In his subsequent comments to reporters, Trump remained highly critical, saying “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess” and adding, “He’s a very liberal person”...

Edited to add: Cross posted with >147 timspalding:, which really says it all.

Edited again to add the response of the US Catholic bishops. This article also supports my own comment on nuclear weapons: "Leo has not said Iran should possess nuclear weapons. He has called the U.S.-Israel war in Iran 'unjust' and on April 7 called Trump's threat to destroy an entire 'civilization' in Iran 'truly unacceptable'":

U.S. Catholic Bishops' President "disheartened" by Trump Attack on Pope Leo XIV (ACI Africa)

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he was "disheartened" by President Donald Trump's public attack on Pope Leo XIV, defending the pontiff as the Vicar of Christ who speaks for the Gospel and the care of souls. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City issued a brief statement late Sunday in response to Trump's lengthy social media post calling the pope "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy." "I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father," Coakley said. "Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls"... Pope Leo's appeals for peace intensified over Holy Week, culminating in Saturday's vigil, where he denounced a "delusion of omnipotence" and warned that "the holy Name of God" was being "dragged into discourses of death." At a special Mass for Peace held in Washington on April 11, Cardinal Robert McElroy argued that the current war fails to meet the strict criteria of just war theory, particularly in light of civilian suffering and the risk of disproportionate harm. The Vatican has not yet publicly responded to Trump's post...

Pope Leo statements on Iran war and mass deportations inspire American cardinals to speak out (13:06)
Norah O'Donnell, Keith Sharman, Julie Morse Goff, Roxanne Feitel | April 12, 2026

"... we asked three influential American cardinals {Cupich, McElroy, Tobin} who know him well, why Pope Leo's church has emerged as a voice of moral opposition to the war in Iran and the crackdown on immigration ..."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-leo-iran-war-mass-deportation-statements-inspi...

Italian PM condemns ally Trump over 'unacceptable' Pope criticism (BBC)

Donald Trump's remarks about Pope Leo XIV were "unacceptable", Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said... "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war," Meloni said in a statement. Meloni, who is a Catholic and heads a right-wing coalition government, is a close ally of Trump and had so far been reluctant to condemn the US president's harsh criticism of Pope Leo... After Trump's remarks, the Pope told reporters en route to Algeria that he did not want to get into a debate with Trump but would continue to promote peace. Pope Leo has said he has "no fear" of the Trump administration and will continue to speak out against war after the US president launched an unusual and scathing attack over his stance on the Iran conflict... In response, the Pope told reporters on board his plane to Algiers that he did not see his role as that of a politician but as one of spreading the message of peace. "I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do," he told reporters. "I don't want to get into a debate with {Trump}," he added. "Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: there's a better way to do this." The pontiff later used a speech to criticise "continuous violations of international law and neocolonial tendencies", urging leaders to embrace principles of justice and solidarity. Trump's remarks also drew criticism from Catholics around the world, with one expert comparing the comments to the Pope's relationship with fascist dictators in World War Two. "Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the Pope so directly and publicly," said prominent Italian Catholic commentator Massimo Faggioli. The Pope has used numerous public addresses to denounce global conflicts and urge de-escalation in the Middle East... The Pope has also criticised Trump's hard-line immigration policy, questioning whether it was possible for someone to be "pro-life" - a term normally associated with opponents of abortion - if they agreed with what he described as the "inhuman treatment of immigrants"...

Successor of Peter returns to Africa as a missionary of peace (Vatican News)

The Successor of Peter has returned to Africa. Three years after the visit made at the beginning of 2023 by Pope Francis to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, Pope Leo XIV has begun a long pilgrimage across the African continent, bringing him on Monday to Algeria and in the coming days to Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea... It was therefore significant that peace emerged as the central theme in Pope Leo XIV’s first address in Algeria, during his visit to the Martyrs’ Memorial (Maqam Echahid): “In this place, let us remember that God desires peace for every nation: a peace that is not merely an absence of conflict, but one that is an expression of justice and dignity. This peace, which allows us to face the future with a reconciled spirit, is possible only through forgiveness. The true struggle for liberation will be definitively won only when peace in our hearts has finally been achieved.” The appeal to forgiveness and to peace of heart is imbued with a profound realism. It not only belongs to the very essence of the Christian message, but also represents the only viable path for building the future...

Pope visits Grand Mosque of Algiers and calls for mutual respect and peacebuilding (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV marked the beginning of his apostolic journey to Africa with a visit to the Grand Mosque of Algiers, where he highlighted the site’s spiritual significance and paused in silent meditation...

>147 timspalding:

Trump deletes post with AI image of himself as Jesus-like figure after outcry (Guardian)

The US president’s conservative, Christian supporters decried the Truth Social post, calling it ‘disgusting’...

>150 brone: not ecumenical you know

You're certainly correct that Islam has nothing to do with ecumenism. As we all know, ecumenism is about the relationship, cooperation and unity between different Christian denominations. Relationships with Islam and all other non-Christian faiths are known as inter-faith relations or inter-religious dialogue, not ecumenism. For Catholics they are based on two completely different doctrinal documents and have different dynamics. Conflating the two is a mistake.

On social media, one post observed that before attacking Pope on matters of PEACE, Trump lusted after the Nobel PEACE Prize. Another noted that greatest increase in MAGA vote was in white Catholics and Evangelicals, i.e., what is Trump thinking of?? Of course for Trump, any publicity is good publicity. (Edit: except Epstein?) The chaos is exhausting to follow: how can he live it???

>152 margd: brone is a good example of white Catholics who voted for Trump. I would wonder if the 'white Catholics' who voted for him are actually Christian Nationalists who simply can't admit to themselves that that is what they are.

‘A sign of peace and unity’: Pope praises ‘fraternity’ of Algerian Christians (Tablet)

On the second day of his apostolic journey to Algeria, Pope Leo XIV planted an olive tree in the archaeological site of Hippo in the modern-day city of Annaba, where St Augustine was bishop, and celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St Augustine... Pope Leo said renewal by the Holy Spirit is “an authentic criterion for ecclesial reform: a reform that must begin in the heart, if it is to be genuine, and must encompass everyone if it is to be effective”. He quoted the statement in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles that “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul” and said, “This spiritual unity is a concordia: a word that signifies well the communion of hearts that beat as one because they are united with the heart of Christ. “The early Church, therefore, was not based on a social contract, but rather on the harmony of faith, affections, ideas and life decisions centred on the love of God who became man to save all the peoples of the earth”...

Pope to Algerian community: Prayer, charity, unity are essential to Christian presence (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV encourages the Christian community in Algeria to remain rooted in “prayer, charity and unity,” praising their quiet witness and urging them to be a sign of peace and fraternity...

Cameroon separatists to pause fighting ahead of Pope visit (BBC)

Anglophone separatists in Cameroon have announced a period of "safe travel passage" and halted fighting ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit to the conflict‑hit region this week. Leaders of several armed and secessionist groups said the three‑day measure was in recognition of the "profound spiritual importance" of the papal visit, which starts on Wednesday, and the need to safeguard civilian life...

Need a guide for deeper prayer? Pope Leo recommends a letter by St. Augustine (OSV)

Pope Leo XIV shared some of his favorite spiritual reading recommendations on the papal flight to Algeria, pointing to a particular letter by St. Augustine that he said provides wonderful tips for how to deepen prayer... the pope commended St. Augustine’s “Letter to Proba,” also known as Letter 130, written in A.D. 412. “Augustine gives some wonderful guidelines and hints, if you will, about how our prayer can really be meaningful,” Pope Leo said...

Pope convokes Consistory to reflect on Church's mission to communicate God's love (Vatican News)

In a letter to the Cardinals ahead of a late-June Consistory, Pope Leo XIV calls for a deeper reflection on the themes of “Evangelii gaudium," particularly the reform of the processes of Christian initiation, warning against the temptation of proselytism or a logic of “mere preservation or institutional expansion”...

Latin American bishops support Pope Leo in wake of Trump’s social media attack (Tablet)

Church leaders the length and breadth of Latin America expressed their closeness to Leo XIV following a scathing attack on the pontiff by the US president Donald Trump...

Archbishops Moth and Wilson urge prayers for Pope as Trump faces backlash (Tablet)

“We pray for Pope Leo XIV as he starts his apostolic journey in Africa,” said Archbishop Moth. “We continue to support his unstinting calls for peace and reconciliation across all areas of conflict.” The Archbishop called for indifference to be fought against in the face of war and suffering... Archbishop of Southwark John Wilson also urged prayers for the Pope, saying, “Our Holy Father has been courageously advocating for peace, stating clearly that the message of the Gospel cannot be ‘abused’ and that he ‘will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace’.” He said, “Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV is showing the world that in the face of war, God demands peace. As Pope Leo has made clear, we cannot stand by and allow the message of the Gospel to be abused. As bishops, we are not politicians, nor statesmen, nor do we pretend to have all the answers. But as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we know that each of us is called to be a beacon of His peace. We know that in the face of war, where so many innocent lives will be lost, we must be clear that God demands peace”... Meanwhile, the Scottish Catholic bishops also renewed their appeal to political leaders to pursue peace “with courage, determination, and sincerity” and to “reject the path of escalation”. They welcomed Pope Leo’s for “clear and consistent voice” in calling for peace. “His leadership continues to be a guiding light for the Church and the world at this critical time.” They added, “Let us silence the weapons, so that the voice of humanity may be heard. Let us choose encounter over confrontation, and the courage of peace over the illusion of power.”

A pope who uses his brain’: Vatican locals and visitors take sides in Leo v Trump spat (Guardian)

While some US visitors back their president, shopkeepers who serve the papacy and tourists support the pontiff...

Vance heckled as he chides Pope (BBC)

US Vice-President JD Vance has taken issue with Pope Leo, after his public sparring with Donald Trump about the war in Iran. A heckler in the crowd at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia shouted as Vance chided the pontiff to "be careful when he talks about matters of theology"...

>154 brone:

Thanks for these interesting thoughts. I would disagree with much of what you write. If you "prioritize the needs of American citizens over the elite {sic} agendas of Global integration" then I would suggest that you are not only at odds with the Catholic doctrine concerning the common good, but you are also misguided, as the security and prosperity of any single nation cannot be guaranteed solely by its own self-centred efforts but rather by global cooperation and multilateralism. I would suggest that the people seeking "to transform America by turning politics into a religious venue" are those who co-opt Christian religion into their political ideologies, and to many of us it looks as if it is the US far right, not the left or centrists, who are doing that under the loose banner of "Christian nationalism". There is no "sacrificial offering and scapegoat" of "the white, heterosexual, man". Far from demanding "that the pure and innocent ascend, and us stained trangessors be purged", Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and many other icons of freedom, equality and justice taught us that those privileged in and by society are also victims and that the goal is to liberate all, without any backlash against anyone. That's a key tenet of active nonviolent resistance. I don't know where you get the idea that Christians working nonviolently for peace and justice "feel impotent and unable to face everday problems without the guidence of 'experts' and global managers"; quite the opposite. A moral movement inspired by the Holy Father is unlikely to feel impotent. I also don't know who the "experts" and "global managers" are supposed to be. Active nonviolent resistance is a grassroots, bottom up dynamic of ordinary citizens, often led by women and youth, although of course there is sharing and solidarity with global sisters and brothers (not experts nor managers). Indeed every presentation on nonviolence which I have ever attended (including some which I have led) begins by emphasising that the presenters are not experts seeking to give advice but simply fellow travellers who have had their own experiences of nonviolent resistance and who are sharing it in case it rings any bells and inspires any insights in their listeners. I would agree with you that there are no "cheap shortcuts that bypass the difficult labors of everyday life", but this is pretty standard Christian doctrine - in the Christian archetype Christ's suffering and death precede his resurrection and we follow in those same footsteps. Finally, I don't know how you can judge that a whole huge group of Christians have "no real friendship", only "media friends" who agree with them. It would appear that social media is disproportionately dominated by well-funded right wing pundits who do indeed produce a lot of fake news which their "media friends" agree with, while in the front lines of peacebuilding, nonviolence and social justice with some of the poorest of the poor I have found deep and meaningful friendships.

“The Pope should stay out of politics, now watch me force the 10 Commandments into every single classroom.”
- Republicans

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=966214165999981

In ancient Hippo, Pope Leo launches a vision for the church rooted in St. Augustine (NCR)

Preaching from the Basilica of St. Augustine, dedicated to the figure to whom he has modeled his spiritual life, Pope Leo XIV laid out his vision for the Catholic Church animated by the North African saint's example of conversion. "In the face of poverty and oppression, the guiding principle above all for Christians is charity," he said on a hilltop overlooking the site of ancient Hippo, the Roman city where St. Augustine lived, prayed and ministered to his flock as a bishop for 34 years. "Let us do to those around us, as we would have them do to us"...

Pope Leo's visit revives priest's hopes for peace in anglophone Cameroon (Reuters)

Pope Leo’s trip to anglophone Cameroon - part of a whirlwind 10-day Africa tour - is expected to shine a rare spotlight on the violence there, which is typically overshadowed by unrest elsewhere in the region, from jihadist attacks in the Sahel to rebel advances in mineral-rich eastern Congo... The Catholic Church is the leading Christian denomination in the English-speaking regions. A separatist alliance ⁠said it would observe a three-day ceasefire to allow civilians and visitors to move freely during the pope's visit. Ndonui is among those hoping that Leo’s arrival will revive flagging peace efforts, ​even if the odds are stacked against a speedy resolution to a conflict rooted in the country's complex colonial history. “Cameroon is a nation in need of healing,” he said...

Pope sends message to Madrid’s massive Easter concert as youth pray for peace (OSV)

While the Easter season is a time of joy for Christians around the world, for many the current state of war engulfing the world has made it a more somber occasion than in past years. Yet, as Pope Leo XIV joined thousands in St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for peace April 11, tens of thousands of people — young and old — descended on Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles to join in that prayer in a festive atmosphere that sought to highlight that Christ’s victory over death brings the light of hope in dark times...

Pope Leo shares message of unity amid spat with Trump: ‘We can live in peace’ (Guardian)

Leo doubles down on his message of peace as Trump and JD Vance continue to squabble with and insult the Vatican...

After Trump’s latest broadside, pope says ‘world needs to hear’ message of peace (CNN)

Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday that his visit to Africa offers a message of unity and peace “the world needs to hear” as he continues to face criticism from the US president and vice president for his stance on the war in Iran...

Trump may believe he is the messiah – but his attack on the pope could prove costly for JD Vance (Guardian)

The president’s attack on the head of the Catholic church and the AI depiction of himself as a Christ-like figure have not gone down well with one of the largest groups of swing voters in the US...

Trump's rift with Pope is playing out in public - it's costing him valuable support (BBC)

What is striking is where some of this criticism is coming from - loyal, conservative Catholic allies. They are unhappy, not just because of Trump's public friction with Pope Leo, but at a much deeper level over the Iran war. The uproar over Trump's lengthy social media attack on the first American pope, as too liberal and too "weak on crime", together with the AI image, have crystallised a shift in opinion among many Catholic conservatives since the war began six weeks ago. "I pray that all of this will clarify for people that we don't look to a national leader, we don't look to those who have the most money or the most weapons. We look to Christ," says Bishop Joseph Strickland. These words come from a man who, only last year, participated in a prayer event to "consecrate" the president's Mar-a-Lago home. In 2024, Strickland delivered the keynote speech at CPAC where Donald Trump was the guest of honour. In 2020, he addressed a march of Trump supporters calling to overturn the election results... Yet, in the face of starkly competing White House and Vatican narratives regarding the war in Iran and the wider Middle East, Bishop Strickland has made a rare break from the administration. "I do not believe this conflict meets the criteria of a just war. I stand with the Holy Father and his call for peace. This is not about politics. It's about moral truth," he told the BBC, saying the scale of death and suffering faced by innocent civilians meant the war could never be viewed as "just". More than that, he has challenged the White House on its handling of the war and encouraged other Catholics to do the same. "It becomes very dark when religion is used to justify immoral behaviour... using religion to justify especially dropping bombs is contradicting what the faith is about," says Bishop Strickland... This shift in the way conservative Catholics regard the US president comes with political perils, given that he increased his support among that group in the 2024 election... Historically, the data suggests that when it comes to outlook, politics is more important than faith for a lot of American Catholics... "President Trump does not understand how Catholicism works. The Pope is not merely a head of state, he is the Vicar of Christ. Attacks on him are received as attacks on the Church itself. The more he attacks the Pope the more his support will drop among his Catholic voters"...

I think it's significant to see "conservative" US Catholic leaders such as Bishop Strickland, and also Archbishop Broglio, standing up for the Holy Father and against the Iran war and other Trump policies and actions.

Yesterday's evening prayer in the Catholic breviary included Psalm 62, and it struck me as an appropriate prayer for our Holy Father, Pope Leo, as he stands up for the Word of God against those "important people" who attack him as he challenges murder, trickery, deception, lies, delusion, extortion and robbery (to use examples from the psalm). I quote the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible translation.

1 In God alone there is rest for my soul, from him comes my safety;
2 he alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold so that I stand unshaken.
3 How much longer will you set on a victim, all together, intent on murder, like a rampart already leaning over, a wall already damaged?
4 Trickery is their only plan, deception their only pleasure, with lies on their lips they pronounce a blessing, with a curse in their hearts.
5 Rest in God alone, my soul! He is the source of my hope.
6 He alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold, so that I stand unwavering.
7 In God is my safety and my glory, the rock of my strength. In God is my refuge;
8 trust in him, you people, at all times. Pour out your hearts to him, God is a refuge for us.
9 Ordinary people are a mere puff of wind, important people a delusion; set both on the scales together, and they are lighter than a puff of wind.
10 Put no trust in extortion, no empty hopes in robbery; however much wealth may multiply, do not set your heart on it.
11 Once God has spoken, twice have I heard this: Strength belongs to God,
12 to you, Lord, faithful love; and you repay everyone as their deeds deserve.

“Blasphemous”: Bishops in Southern Africa Condemn President Trump’s Post, Decry Attacks against Pope Leo XIV

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has strongly condemned a post on X (formerly Twitter) in which U.S. President Donald Trump, shared an AI-generated image that has since been deleted, depicting himself as Jesus Christ. In their statement, the Bishops term the depiction as “blasphemous” and offensive to the Christian faith... The Bishops further expressed their rejection of “forms of Christian nationalism” that that they said is encouraging “the worship of political leaders” and portraying them as “bearing a salvific role for their nations”. They said “Christian nationalism” is presenting political leaders as “political messiahs tasked with making their nations great again.” In their statement, the SACBC members further recognized the role of the Holy Father in world peace restoration and hope especially in war tone countries and condemned presidents Trump attack against Pope Leo XIV, saying, “We condemn President Trump's attacks directed at Pope Leo XIV as he faithfully carries out his Petrine ministry, proclaiming the peace of the Risen Christ to a world wounded by personal and structural sin.” “There is much at stake in the current developments in our world: too many lives are being lost, too much suffering is borne by the most vulnerable, and too much evil persists,” they said...

Pope Leo XIV Cautions against Turning The Mediterranean and Sahara into “graveyards”

The Mediterranean Sea and the Saharan Desert risk becoming graveyards, Pope Leo XIX has warned, condemning the exploitation in the sea and desert where many Africans die while attempting to cross over to Europe...

St. Augustine “speaks to us of tradition”, Renewed “search for God”: Pope Leo XIV to Journalists after Algeria Visit

Aboard the papal flight from Algeria to Cameroon on Wednesday, April 15, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the enduring relevance of St. Augustine of Hippo, presenting the early Church Father as a figure whose spiritual legacy continues to speak to the modern Church and to a world searching for truth and unity...

All from ACI Africa

U.S. Bishops’ Chairman on Doctrine Issues Clarification on Just War Theory
Office of Public Affairs | April 15, 2026

WASHINGTON – In light of recent public comments regarding the Catholic Church’s teaching on war and peace, Bishop James Massa, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, issued the following statement:

“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war. A constant tenet of that thousand-year tradition is a nation can only legitimately take up the sword ‘in self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2308). That is, to be a just war it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said: ‘He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.’

“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology, he is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of good will must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”

https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/us-bishops-chairman-doctrine-issues-clarificatio...

Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids
Carol Marbin Miller and Syra Ortiz Blanes | April 15, 2026
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article315410233.html

>162 brone:

Thanks for that explanation of US politics. It confirms what US pollsters and researchers have found, that US Christians tend to put partisan politics ahead of their faith.

As Pope Leo himself and many bishops have said, he is not interfering in politics, he is teaching morality and Christian doctrine. Indeed it is not the pope who is bringing religion into politics; US political leaders are doing so, leading him to react. Your president posts a picture of himself as Jesus, your vice president tries to teach the pope about Catholic doctrine, and your Defence Secretary misuses quotes from the bible (including fake quotes).

I'm not sure whether one can really raise the spectre of "un-American" institutions. It is a US pope and US Catholic bishops, including even quite "conservative" bishops such as Strickland and Broglio, who are speaking out.

Edited to remove a paragraph which was a direct response to a point in >162 brone: which wasn't really relevant to the conversation at the best of times and is completely irrelevant now that >162 brone: has been deleted in its entirety by its poster. It's quite frustrating to see entire posts deleted when they are part of an ongoing conversation.

Archbishop of Canterbury stands with Pope: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/16/archbishop-of-canterbury-sarah-m...

Bomb threat for Leo's Chicago brother.
https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromleo/p/after-trumps-attack-on-pope-leo-a...

That would be wrong. Reference?

Pope in Bamenda: ‘Woe to those who manipulate religion for military or political gain’ (Vatican News)

Speaking at a meeting dedicated to peace in Bamenda, Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV warns against the "masters of war" who pretend not to acknowledge that "it only takes a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild" and who spend billions on weapons but dedicate nothing to helping people heal...

Pope at Mass in Bamenda: ‘Obey God, not human beings’ (Vatican News)

Celebrating Mass in Cameroon’s western city of Bamenda, Pope Leo XIV decries the numerous forms of poverty and injustice that afflict the region, and urges Cameroonians to entrust themselves to God and his Word in their struggle to create a future of peace and reconciliation...

During Leo's Algeria visit, North African cardinal says Christians must 'learn how to be a minority' (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV's visit to overwhelmingly Muslim-majority Algeria cast a spotlight on what he described as the "small, but very significant Catholic church" in the country, offering a lesson for a global church confronting a decline in adherents. "Everyone must learn how to be a minority," Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat, Morocco, told the National Catholic Reporter and the French daily Le Monde during the pope's visit to Algeria. "To be small is not a disgrace; it is a grace. It is not a tragedy; it is a good fortune to be a small church in service of the kingdom of God"...

Pope says ‘world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ amid feud with Trump’s White House (Guardian)

Pope Leo XIV has said that the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” who spend billions on war, in comments that will be seen as another sharp escalation in his almost week-long feud with the White House over the US-Israel war on Iran. The first American-born pontiff did not mention Donald Trump by name, but used his speech in Cameroon on Thursday to denounce world leaders that invoke religion to justify violence against other nations. His comments came as US bishops offered their full-throated support to the head of the Catholic church, who has been under fire from Trump for days after speaking out against the Iran war. “Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo told a gathering at Saint Joseph Cathedral in the western city of Bamenda...

I thought hell would freeze over before I agreed with the pope. But in a world riven by cruelty, that day has finally come (Guardian)

It’s a relief to see the pontiff decrying brutality, because it seems most current world leaders lack the necessary spine...

Pope lashes out at foreigners who exploit Africa (BBC)

Pope Leo XIV has criticised foreigners who exploit the wealth of Africa for profit during his visit to a conflict-hit region of Cameroon. It is one of several forthright remarks he has made over the last day, including blasting those who spend billions on wars and telling Cameroon's government to root out corruption for peace to prevail...

On Israel and Iran, Pope Leo speaks for the world (Tablet)

What the world needed when Israel and the United States attacked Iran was a principled condemnation from someone who refused to be intimidated by Donald Trump. That voice belonged to Pope Leo XIV. It was a case where the independence of the Holy See from national political interests made perfect sense. The Pope was able to express what many leaders felt but could only hint at in public. He must be listened to. He has a serious message, not just of disapproval but offering a credible way forward. That is no doubt why his message is having such resonance far beyond the Catholic Church, and across all forms of mass and social media. The one western leader who has come close is the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who greeted news of a temporary ceasefire by saying, “The government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” What he and Pope Leo agreed on was the need for negotiation and diplomacy in place of bombing in the vain hope of inflicting “regime change from the air”. It is increasingly clear there is no realistic alternative to a negotiated settlement...

Winona-Rochester Bishop Robert Barron, a Trump ally, urges president to apologize to Pope (MPR)

A prominent Minnesota Catholic bishop with close ties to President Donald Trump is sharply criticizing the president for his social media comments over the weekend lambasting the pope... Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, who has been a close Catholic ally of the president, called Trump’s verbal attack on the pope “entirely inappropriate and disrespectful," adding that the comments “don’t contribute at all to a constructive conversation.” “It is the Pope’s prerogative to articulate Catholic doctrine and the principles that govern the moral life,” Barron wrote on X... But he added that “the President owes the Pope an apology”...