Justin McLellan

Fr. Pierre Al-Rahi, who died March 9 during an Israeli attack, "was a true shepherd who always stayed beside his people, with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd," the pope said at the close of his March 11 general audience.

The unsparing analysis, rare for a Vatican document, came from a study group created as part of the Synod of Bishops on synodality tasked with examining women's participation in the life and leadership of the church.

Leo's decision to send the Vatican's UN envoy to Washington sends a strong signal about his desire to revive diplomacy at a time when the United States has increasingly turned inward. 

A new book suggests that Cardinal Robert Prevost's path to the papacy was shaped by fragile alliances and small human moments that influenced perceptions inside the Sistine Chapel and produced the first U.S.-born pope.

 "The force of law has been replaced by the law of force, with the conviction that peace can arise only after the enemy has been annihilated," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Visitors often reach the Sistine Chapel overheated after walking through non-air-conditioned galleries. Combined with rising temperatures those conditions have led to more sweat in the sacred space.

Pope Leo XIV issued a "forceful appeal" to end increasing violence in the Middle East as the United States, Israel and Iran continue to exchange missile strikes and threats of escalations, warning of the risk of a "tragedy of enormous proportions."

Nearly a year into a pontificate largely anchored in Rome, Pope Leo XIV is preparing to launch a sweeping series of international trips that will carry him across Africa, to Spain and to the tiny principality of Monaco. 

NCR Vatican correspondent Justin McLellan sat down with Cardinal Fabio Baggio to discuss global migration trends and the continuity between Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis on their advocacy for migrants.

Despite a Vatican offer of renewed theological dialogue, the Society of St. Pius X says it will consecrate bishops without papal approval, presenting the pope with a major test of church unity.

During his first Ash Wednesday as pope, Leo framed Lent as a communal reckoning with personal and structural sin.

The link between the office of a bishop and the function of governing in the church "does not mean that the sacrament of Holy Orders is the exclusive source of all government in the Church," wrote Cardinal Marc Ouellet. 

A new pope's first Lent offers a glimpse into his pastoral instincts and how he situates himself in relation to his predecessors.

The Society of St. Pius X, which denies key teachings of Vatican II, has said that it would consecrate new bishops without papal approval on July 1.

The primary holdings in the index include the companies Meta, Amazon, Tesla and JPMorgan Chase.
 

 Organizers have invited Pope Leo XIV to attend the Nov. 1 basketball doubleheader featuring his alma mater.

Pope Leo XIV "will not go to the United States in 2026," the Holy See Press Office said Feb. 8 in response to questions about the pope's travel plans.
 

Pope Leo XIV's pullback from directly engaging with the press on the global news cycle raises questions about how the Holy See will position its voice on the world stage.

As nuclear limits between the United States and Russia are set to lapse, Pope Leo XIV cautioned against the "logic of fear and distrust" that has come to dominate international relations.

The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order.