VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV blessed two lambs in the Urban VIII Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 21, the feast of St. Agnes, a Roman martyr who is often depicted with a lamb. Agnes also is a derivative of the Latin word for lamb, "agnus."The lambs are raised by Trappist monks outside Rome, and they are bound and […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — People of faith and goodwill need to take time to acknowledge the needs and suffering of those around them and be moved by love and compassion to offer others concrete help, Pope Leo XIV said.To love one's neighbor — whom Jesus identifies as anyone who has need of us — is within everyone's reach, he said […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV, who plays the daily online puzzle Wordle, is not the only papal puzzle lover.His predecessor and namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was also passionate about wordplay, anonymously publishing riddles in Latin.Going by the pseudonym "X," the Italian-born Pope Leo used to craft poetic puzzles for a Roman periodical at the turn of the 19th […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — If Christians are to speak about God, then they must dedicate time each day and week to listening to God's word in prayer and the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV said."We are called to live and cultivate friendship with the Lord" through prayer, he said Jan. 14 during his weekly general audience."This is achieved first of all […]

WASHINGTON – “We are tremendously grateful for the Administration’s work to address certain challenges facing foreign-born religious workers, their employers, and the American communities they serve,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration. Today, the Trump Administration issued an Interim Final Rule […]

WASHINGTON – Catholics across the country are encouraged to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, January 22 to Friday, January 23, 2026, to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life.The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted each January by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, the […]

WASHINGTON – “We must continue to support pregnant and parenting mothers in need and offer spiritual and emotional help to all who have participated in abortion,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, marking the 53rd anniversary of the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Roe […]

WASHINGTON – “Dr. King encouraged people to be leaders in the priorities that Christ gave us in the Gospel,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a reflection commemorating the late civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Archbishop Coakley focused his reflection for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on a portion of […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Baptizing one's children is as essential as providing them with food and clothing, Pope Leo XIV told parents."Just as they received life from you, their parents, now they receive the meaning to live it: faith," he said, referring to the 20 infants about to receive the sacrament of baptism in the Sistine Chapel Jan. 11, the […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Every level of Church leadership must strengthen and improve its ability to listen to everyone, especially to victims of sexual abuse and those who suffer, Pope Leo XIV said.The problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church "is truly a wound in the life of the Church in many places," and "we cannot close our eyes […]