Catholic theologian, M.Div. Theology Department at DePaul College Prep, Chronicler of all things Catholic. Pope Leo XIV Vatican analyst.
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Pope Leo will inaugurate much of the Castel Gandolfo property as the Borgo Laudato si’ ecology project. The 135-acre initiative will offer an hour’s guided tour of the gardens, farmland, Laudato si’ educational centre, restaurant and marketplace to tourists. www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-c...
Pope Leo received a motorcycle today from the “Jesus Bikers all the way from Germany; Leo signed it and the motorcycle will now be auctioned off for Missio Austria children's aid project in Madagascar. 🇲🇬
Pope Leo at General Audience: “Jesus’ thirst on the cross is therefore ours too. It is the cry of a wounded humanity that seeks living water. And this thirst does not lead us away from God, but rather unites us with him…even our fragility is a bridge towards heaven” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
After celebrating the opening Mass of the General Chapter of the Augustinian Order, Pope Leo dined with the capitulars in the building next to the Basilica of Saint Augustine, before returning to the Vatican.
As Pope Leo confirms his approach to LGBT community to be like that of predecessor, a particular optic should not go unnoticed: at today’s audience in the Apostolic Palace, Father James Martin was seated directly across from Leo at the desk, a place normally reserved for heads of state.
Opening General Chapter of Augustinians, an Order which he led for 12 years, Pope Leo calls friars “to make ourselves small in the face of the freedom and inscrutability of God’s action,” and to not presume that they have “all the answers.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Father James Martin on his meeting with Pope Leo today: “The message I received was that Pope Leo will be continuing with the same openness that Francis showed to LGBTQ Catholics. I found Leo to be joyful, relaxed and serene. He is a joy to be with!”
Pope Leo: “To welcome,” means “making space for the other in one’s heart, in one’s life, offering time, listening, support, prayer. It is the attitude of looking into the eyes, of shaking hands, of stooping down, so dear to Pope Francis.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Brian Burch, Ambassador to the Holy See, presented his letters of credential this morning; however, in a twist, they were not received by Pope Leo per protocol, but by the Substitute for the Secretary of State. Burch was co-founder of Catholic Vote, an organization highly critical of Pope Francis.
Pope Leo has received Father James Martin, S.J. In a private audience today at the Vatican.
Celebrating first Mass since Mass shooting, Annunciation Pastor tells flock: “My good people of Annunciation, my good people of Minneapolis and beyond, we are in a very low place. We are in a lower place than we could have ever imagined.” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/u...
Pope Leo: “Tomorrow, 1 September, is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Ten years ago, in harmony with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Pope Francis established this Day for the Catholic Church. This is more important and urgent than ever,”
Pope Leo at Angelus: “Let us pray that the Church will always be a school of humility for everyone, a home where all are welcome, a place where rivalries are set aside and where Jesus still speaks to us and teaches us to imitate his own humility and freedom.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Pope Leo: “We offer prayers for the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass in the American State of Minnesota include the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”
Pope Leo XIV will preside at the opening Mass for the General Chapter of the Order of St. Augustine on September 1 in the Basilica of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio, Rome. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
El Paso auxiliary Bishop Tony Celino, a Filipino immigrant himself: 'In the name of God, stop deporting people just trying to make a living. Do not be afraid of us because we are poor, brown or immigrant. But do not underestimate our passion for a more just, joyful & compassionate world.'
www.thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-n...
Minneapolis Archbishop: Prayer “doesn’t absolve us from then moving forward and taking actions that minimize the risks of a recurrence of what happened…So I do think we as a community have to be looking at the prevalence of gun violence …and how it is that we’re addressing the mental health crisis.”
Pope Leo to fellow Augustinians at Villanova: “Peace begins with what we say and do and how we say and do it.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Pope Leo has appointed Fr. Andres (“Andy”) C. Ligot 60) as auxiliary bishop of San Jose; having immigrated to the US from the Philippines in 1992, Ligot has served as VG, and pastor in the Diocese of San Jose.
NEWS: Pope Leo to preside at Opening Mass for General Chapter of the Augustinians on Monday September 1 at Saint Augustine Basilica, Rome.
Sisters of Mercy on Minnesota mass shooting: “Our response can no longer be ‘thoughts and prayers’ alone. Children were literally praying during the attack….We must act.” www.sistersofmercy.org/news/sisters...
Pope Leo to French Politicians: “The promotion of ‘values’, however evangelical they may be” if they are “emptied” of Christ, “are powerless to change the world.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
www.vaticannews.va/fr/pape/news...
Pope to French politicians: “There is no separation in the personality of a public figure: there is not on one side the politician, on the other the Christian. But there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and his conscience, lives his commitments and responsibilities in a Christian way!”
Pope Leo has named a new slate of consultors to Dicastery for Clergy, among them are 2 women religious: Sr. Martha Elizabeth Driscoll, and Sister Iuliana Sarosi, Professor at the Institute of Psychology and the “San Pietro Favre” Center for Formators for Priesthood and Religious Life the Gregorian.
Hours before another US mass shooting, Pope Leo quipped: “Life doesn't need to have everything under control. It's enough to choose to love freely every day. This is true hope: knowing that, even in the darkness of trial, God's love sustains us and allows the fruit of eternal life to mature within.”
As Pope telegrams condolences in wake of first Catholic Church mass shooting in US, a reminder that in 2017 amid largest mass shooting in modern history in Las Vegas, Leo, aka “Robert Prevost” endorsed Sandy Hook Senator’s tweet: “your cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”
In strongest statement of the Bench amid Minnesota shooting, Chicago’s Cupich pulls no punches: “The facts are clear. Guns are plentiful and common sense attempts to limit their availability have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution.”
Minneapolis Mayor Frey: "Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone. We should be operating out of a place of love for our kids."
Twin Cities’ Archbishop Hebda: “We need an end to gun violence. Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent. They are far too commonplace.” www.archspm.org/statement-re...
Pope Leo amid Minneapolis shooting expresses “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child." www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
Pope Leo on Gaza: “I appeal for all hostages to be freed, a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated, and humanitarian law to be fully respected—especially the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.”
Cardinal Parolin: “We are appalled by what is happening in Gaza… the situation is becoming increasingly complicated and, from a humanitarian perspective, increasingly precarious, with all the consequences we are seeing day by day.” www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-c...
Francis, the Romantic Pope. www.commonwealmagazine.org/francis-hear...
The Latin and Greek Patriarchates say that “leaving Gaza City and attempting to flee south would, for many, be a death sentence.” Priests and religious sisters have decided to stay and care for those who will also choose to remain in Gaza City. www.vaticannews.va/en/church/ne...
Pope Leo has chosen the theme for 2026 World Day of Peace: Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace,” inviting “humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope Leo has appointed Mexican-born Bishop José Arturo Cepeda, 56 (currently auxiliary of Detroit) as auxiliary of San Antonio, returning him to his home Archdiocese; Bishop Cepeda has served in key roles for national Hispanic ministry. www.detroitcatholic.com/news/breakin...
Meeting with altar servers from France, Pope Leo XIV laments the country’s lack of priests and upholds the ministry of young people at the altar, saying the dignity of their service helps lead people into the sacred greatness of the Mystery. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
On September 5 at 4:00pm, Pope Leo will officially inaugurate Borgo Laudato Si, a dream of Pope Francis’. The 135 acre space will contain organic farming and regenerative cultivation. Andrea Bocelli will sing at the prayer service.
He was a child refugee. Now he’s a bishop navigating Trump’s deportation push. Pope Leo's first US bishop pick, Bishop Michael Pham is part of a new wave of clerical leaders speaking out about migrants’ rights www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
“Jesus’ words are meant primarily to challenge the presumption of those people who think they are already saved, who perform religious acts and feel that is all that is needed. They have not realized that it is not enough to perform religious acts unless they change hearts.” - Pope Leo
Pope Leo at the Angelus: “The Lord does not want worship detached from life. He is not pleased with sacrifices and prayers, unless they lead to greater love for others and justice for our brothers and sisters.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
“With a heart wounded by the violence that ravages your land" Pope Leo XIV sends a message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marking Ukraine's national feast and expressing his spiritual closeness to a nation scarred by the ongoing violence of war. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention.
With less than one week until the scheduled execution of death row inmate Curtis Windom, Deacon George Kain highlights injustices in the US justice system that led to his sentencing, as well as the inhumane practice of capital punishment. www.vaticannews.va/en/world/new...
Via NCR Opinion - Pope Leo is moving into the papal apartments. Don't overinterpret that decision. “We should be patient and let Leo show us, not tell us, who he is.” #PopeLeoXIV #Catholic #Vatican www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...
Pope Leo strongly affirmed the rights of the weakest against the ambitions of the powerful during an audience Saturday with exiled refugees from Chagos home to the strategic U.S.-U.K. military base, Diego Garcia. apnews.com/article/pope...
Pope Leo to Catholic Legislators today: “The City of Man, built on pride and love of oneself, is marked by the pursuit of power, prestige and pleasure; the City of God, built on love of God unto selflessness, is characterized by justice, charity and humility.”
Pope Leo to Chagossian Refugees: “All peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected by the powerful in their identity and rights, particularly the right to live on their land; no one can be forced into exile.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Full text: www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
The Pope stressed that the future of human flourishing is dependent on which 'love' with which we choose to organize our society – “the love of self or the love of God and neighbor.”
Pope Leo to Legislators: “A flourishing life is often confused with a materially wealthy life or a life of unrestricted individual autonomy…We see this in affluent societies where many people are struggling with loneliness, despair and a sense of meaninglessness.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope Leo: “We believe that the unity Christ wills for his Church must be visible, and that such unity grows through theological dialogue, common worship where possible, and shared witness in the face of humanity’s suffering.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Pope Leo has received Cardinal Raymond Burke in a private audience today; Burke was a harsh critic of Francis’ pontificate, and has publicly stated he asked Pope Leo personally to lift restrictions on the Latin Mass set forth in Traditionis custodes.
Immigration authorities denied reentry into the United States to a Venezuelan-born priest from Miami-Dade County, despite his valid religious visa. The Archdiocese of Miami intervened and succeeded in overturning the decision. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
Pope Leo has designed Friday August 22 as a “day of prayer and fasting" for all those who suffer because of war in Ukraine and Holy Land, “imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts."
President Trump says he want to enter heaven. As a Catholic priest, I take that seriously. www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus...
The head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference took turns with dozens of other members of his diocese reading the names and ages of the 16 Israeli children and the 12,211 Palestinian children who have been killed in the war…the service lasted 7 hours. religionnews.com/2025/08/18/c...
Villanova President: Reports of active shooter during Orientation Mass a “cruel hoax.”
Bishop Menjivar-Ayala: "We should not accept that anti-immigrant rhetoric. Why don’t we present a different kind of rhetoric?" uscatholic.org/articles/202...
Workers under cover of night removed a rainbow crosswalk outside of the former Pulse nightclub, apparently as part of state and federal transportation officials’ aim to wipe “political banners” from public roadways. www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/21/r...
Pope Leo to Rimini Meeting: “Promote pathways of education in nonviolence, initiatives for mediation in local conflicts, and projects of welcome that transform the fear of the other into opportunities for encounter.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Father Gustavo Santos, a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami in good standing and with a valid R-1 religious worker visa through November 2025, was unexpectedly and wrongfully denied admission into the United States upon his return from an overseas trip…” www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDioc...
Pope Leo: “Jesus shows that every betrayal can become an opportunity for salvation, if it is chosen as a space for a greater love. It does not give in to evil, but conquers it with good, preventing it from extinguishing what is truest in us: the capacity to love.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to unite in prayer and fasting on 22 August for peace, and calls for a "disarmed and disarming peace" in all places torn by armed conflict. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Catholic News Service: “Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, says in TV interview that Pope Leo will visit Lebanon before December. CNS is hearing that the visit will be part of the same trip that will take the pope to Turkey for ecumenical celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of Nicaea.”
NEW from @alejacorazonhm.bsky.social and me: As Trump seeks to flood DC’s streets with federal agents and troops, churches are seeing attendance drops, fear, and detentions. Seven members of one church have been detained — including an usher on his way to worship. religionnews.com/2025/08/19/a...
Pope Leo is expected to move into the Apostolic Palace in one month along with his private secretary Fr. Edgard Rimaycuna; 3 Augustinians who run the papal sacristy will reside there as well. www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2025...
Visiting Our Lady of Grace Shrine today, Pope lit a candle for world peace at the feet of the Madonna. It is believed that Saint Benedict spent 2 years of his life in this exact grotto. The visit was “totally unexpected and marked by simplicity,” according to the Resurrectionists who run the Shrine
When I meet young people, I always share with them my story and how you need to pay attention to where God wants you to be,” said Bishop-elect Chau. Born in #Nicaragua and once far from the Church, his journey led him back to faith and the priesthood. jerseycatholic.org/bishop-elect...
Leaving Castel Gandolfo for Vatican, Pope Leo spoke to journalists regarding negotiations to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine; Leo said: “There is hope, but we still need to work hard, pray hard, and truly seek the way forward, to find peace. Let us pray and seek how to move forward.”
In Amazon, Catholic parishes barely able to celebrate the Eucharist due to priest shortage. Pope Leo appears to be preparing for an opportunity to lift the celibacy requirement for that region "in order to give the inhabitants the heavenly food of the Eucharist." www.nd.nl/geloof/katho...
Archbishop Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia on the Trump-Putin sham summit: "I will be blunt: a genocidal war criminal...was welcomed on American territory and given red carpet treatment."
Vatican: “This morning, Pope Leo paid a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella, in the Diocese of Palestrina. After praying and visiting the Shrine, the Holy Father spent time with the Polish Resurrectionist Religious who run the Shrine, before returning to Castel Gandolfo.”
Bishop-elect O’ Donnell: “I’m grateful to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV for this appointment. I look forward to coming to know and to serve the people of the Diocese of Jefferson City with joy. Let us pray for one another in the days ahead.” diojeffcity.org/blog/2025/08...
Pope Leo has named Omaha pastor, Fr. Ralph O’ Donnell (56) as Bishop of Jefferson City, MO, replacing Bishop Shawn McKnight, who was named Archbishop of Kansas City, KS in April.
Pope Leo to Amazonian Bishops: “We are moved by the certainty, that wherever the name of Christ is preached, injustice recedes proportionally…all exploitation of man by man disappears if we are able to receive one another as brothers and sisters." www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
“We are a Church of the poor, all precious. Let us tear down the walls. This happens when the fire that Jesus came to bring burns away the prejudices, cautions, and fears that continue to marginalize those who bear the poverty of Christ in their own history.” - Pope Leo
Beautiful shot of Pope Leo at lunch today with the poor and vulnerable served by Caritas Italiana.
Before lunch, Pope reminded the poor: “Each of us represents the image of God, and how important it is to always remember that we find this very presence of God in each of us. Being gathered here this afternoon, at this lunch, is living together with God, in this communion, in this fraternity.”
Without making direct reference to Trump-Putin summit fallout, at Angelus Pope Leo urges: “Let us pray that efforts to bring wars to an end and to promote peace may bear fruit, and that in negotiations the common good of peoples may always be placed first.”
Pope Leo is lunching with the poor. The menu includes: lasagna with vegetables eggplant baked Parma style, roasted veal with wild herbs, fruit salad, and a traditional dessert from the region, including a cake called Leon, a reference to Pope's name. During lunch, the poor can talk freely with Leo.
“On the outside, the Church, like every human reality, may appear rough-edged. Yet, on the inside, the divine reality is revealed and all of our struggles, poverty, and vulnerabilities disappear as we are met with God’s unconditional love.” - Pope Leo
Pope Leo at Mass with the Poor: “Avoid drawing distinctions between those who serve and those who are served. Each one is a gift to the others and we are all members of a Church of the poor.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope Leo at Angelus: “Acting in truth has its cost, because there are those in the world who choose lies, and the devil, who takes advantage of the situation, often seeks to block the actions of good people.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
The Diocese of Albano is buzzing with preparations to welcome Pope Leo XIV, who will return to spend time with the most vulnerable, and the Rector of the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda speaks about the preparations for the big event. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope Leo’s first 100 days. Part 1 and 2 of our exclusive interview with the Pope’s brother John Prevost. Do they still do Wordle together? What’s his big request? Watch ⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHsU...
Two Catholic priests in Evanston who are immigrants might be forced to leave the United States due to immigration bureaucracy. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/15/i...
Pope Leo XIV will hold his first digital encounter with some 15,000 young people during the US National Catholic Youth Conference, and engage directly with them during a 45-minute live dialogue. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Angelus address full text. www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
“We must not resign ourselves to the dominance of conflict and weapons. it is only through God’s mercy that we can rediscover the path of peace.” - Pope Leo
Pope Leo at Angelus: “We sadly feel powerless in the face of the growing spread of violence in the world – a violence increasingly deaf and unfeeling toward any impulse of humanity.”
Full text. t.co/5IMOX2aEXz
Pope Leo: “The Church lives in her fragile members, and she is renewed by their Magnificat. The poor and persecuted Christian communities, the witnesses of tenderness and forgiveness in places of conflict, and the peacemakers and bridge-builders in a broken world, are the joy of the Church.”
Pope Leo: “We must not depart from the Gospel, nor break the law of charity in order to seek, by ways of violence, a greater justice.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
There’s a backstory to Pope Leo’s planned October meeting with LGBT group: The founders of the movement were excommunicated in 2014 for celebrating Mass without priest. www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-to...
Pope Leo's brother gives exclusive interview to mark 100 days of first American pope. www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/p...
Correction: Pope Leo XIV.