MADRID (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV made an appeal to cast aside polarization in his address on Saturday (June 6) to political and diplomatic heads in Madrid, the first leg of his six-day papal visit to Spain. The pope encouraged Europeans to become proponents of a more nuanced political and social discourse. “Today, the temptation…
Pope Leo XIV has added another woman among the ranks of the Roman Curia, naming the president and chief operating officer of EWTN’s news division as prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado was named the dicastery’s prefect on June 2, the first time a non-consecrated laywoman has been appointed to such…
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…
