VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV used his first Palm Sunday Mass to issue a forceful plea for peace, urging an end to war as he reflected on Christ’s Passion.During his homily opening Holy Week at St. Peter's Square, the pope said the faithful must follow Jesus, as he embraced humanity "even as others raise swords and clubs." "We turn […]

MONACO (CNS) — Built behind fortresses and perched on precipitous rock, the tiny principality of Monaco has survived centuries of invasions, revolutions and world wars, but now this prestigious Mediterranean haven must reach out and share its faith and its riches, Pope Leo XIV said."You are among the few countries in the world to have the Catholic faith as a […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Palm Sunday procession at the foot of an 85-foot-tall Egyptian obelisk in St. Peter's Square recalls the martyrdom of many early Christians and the fast-thinking foresight of an Italian Renaissance sea captain.Palm Sunday at the Vatican begins with a procession of young people carrying olive branches and large green palm fronds, followed by clergy holding […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The sanctity of life, from conception to its natural end, must be defended, especially now, in a world marked by "the madness of war," Pope Leo XIV said.When greeting Polish-speaking visitors during his general audience in St. Peter's Square March 25, Pope Leo highlighted Poland's pro-life celebrations, saying initiatives such as their "Spiritual Adoption of a […]

WASHINGTON – Today, the inaugural meeting was held for the Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Immigration (ECDI), an ecumenical undertaking of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). The ECDI is being co-chaired by Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, and Reverend Walter Kim, president of the NAE. In addition to the […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV advanced the sainthood cause of Father Edward Flanagan, the Irish-born founder of a pioneering home for at-risk boys in the United States, recognizing that he lived the Christian virtues heroically.The Vatican announced March 23 that the pope authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree, a key step on […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — 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 […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — All baptized Christians share in the Church's mission and, guided by the Holy Spirit, are fit for renewing and building up the Church, Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience.Every person who has been baptized is called to bear witness to Christ, and the whole Church, beyond its leaders, has a role in preserving […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Marking the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched their first attacks on Iran and since the Israeli military resumed strikes in Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV called for an immediate ceasefire."On behalf of the Christians of the Middle East, and of all women and men of good will, I appeal to those responsible for this […]

ROME (CNS) — Believing problems and differences can be resolved with war is absurd, Pope Leo XIV said, chastising those who use God's name in their dark and deadly pursuits."God cannot be enlisted by darkness," he said in his homily during Mass in a parish on the outskirts of Rome March 15. "Rather, he always comes to bring light, hope […]