MILAN, Italy (RNS) – Amid a growing public rift between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump — arguably the two most influential American-born figures in the world — Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Vatican on Thursday seeking to highlight common ground between the Holy See and the Trump administration. Rubio’s meeting with…
Amid growing tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the pontiff met privately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday morning They discussed “the situation in the Middle East and topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to a statement from Tommy Pigott, the spokesman for the State…
(RNS) — The Vatican released a report on Tuesday (May 5) that included the testimony of two married gay Catholics and acknowledged the church’s role in “the solitude, anguish, and stigma that accompany persons with same-sex attractions and their families.” The report also reflects on the negative impacts of conversion therapy, or “the devastating effects…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over U.S. policies, particularly the Iran war. The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a Catholic who with this trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican…
Vatican prosecutors on Thursday seemingly defied an appeals court order to turn over to the defense all the evidence gathered in the Vatican’s big financial trial, setting the stage for another clash in the long-running case. In a three-page letter, prosecutors said they would allow the appeals court judges to consult the material. But they…
Many things are named in honor of popes, including shrines, schools and other structures. In Singapore, there’s even an orchid variety with a papal moniker: Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis, presented to its namesake during the late pope’s 2024 apostolic visit to that nation. And the convention has taken to the heavens — literally. The Vatican…
The Most Rev. Sarah Mullally, the first woman to lead the Anglican Communion, prayed at the Vatican on Monday with Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, projecting a powerful image of female ecclesiastical authority within an institution that maintains a male-only priesthood. The historic meeting was both an expression of unity…
Shorouk Express Guillermo, an El Salvadorean who travelled from London to attend, said that after Francis died group members were worried that the pilgrimage would be cancelled. “It’s a very special moment as it’s the first time the LGBT community has been invited — that is very meaningful. We all hope Leo will carry on…
Shorouk Express On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch A priest in Poland is accused of the brutal murder of a 68-year-old homeless man, prompting the Archbishop of Warsaw to formally request his defrocking by the…
Shorouk Express “The pope plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides,” said Parolin, Pope Leo’s No. 2, according to news agency Ansa. Leo XIV, who was elected last week, has made it clear that working for peace in Ukraine will be a major priority of…
