It is with profound sorrow that we announce the peaceful passing of Beverly “Bev” Viotti, on June 2, 2026, at the age of 88, at home surrounde…
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The Vatican says that Pope Leo XIV has met with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Madrid and vowed to consider their suggestions for how the Catholic Church can improve its response to the crisis. The meeting on Monday, which followed in the tradition of popes meeting with abuse survivors during their foreign trips, lasted about an hour and took place at the Vatican Embassy in Madrid, the Vatican said in a statement. Spain's Catholic hierarchy has only recently begun reckoning with its legacy of abuse and cover-up after long dismissing the severity of the scandal that came to light thanks to reporting by the newpaper El País.
Susan Carol Cooks Gott, 85 years old, is now at peace in the big party in the sky. She followed her own Father exactly 34 years later on Memor…
Pope Leo XIV has prayed for political leaders to end "fratricidal hatred" in the world. He spent Friday, the anniversary of his election, in Pompeii, marking a feast day important to him. Leo traveled to the city near Naples to celebrate the May 8 feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. The sanctuary there is a significant site for Catholic pilgrims. In his homily, Leo entrusted his pontificate to the Virgin Mary and prayed for peace. He emphasized the need for mercy and enlightenment for leaders. Leo's visit to Pompeii is part of a series of trips across Italy.
Pope Leo XIV is again emphasizing the need for peace and dialogue despite criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. Leo spoke to journalists on a flight to Cameroon on Wednesday as he continues his Africa visit. Trump has criticized Leo for his stance on the Iran war. Trump has also posted and then deleted an AI-generated image of himself as Christ. Leo stressed the importance of unity and respect among different beliefs. He emphasized his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers on the first stop of his tour as a symbol of peaceful coexistence.
Pope Leo XIV, a studious and soft-spoken cleric, and Donald Trump, an unapologetically bellicose politician, have long been on a rhetorical collision course. Now their disagreement over the war in Iran has escalated in unusual fashion. On social media, Trump said Leo was "Weak" and captive to the "Radical Left," even suggesting that Leo somehow owed his position to Trump. The pope has declared Trump's threats toward Iran "truly unacceptable" and pointed his flock to biblical text and church doctrine on war and peace. It's a spectacle involving the world's two biggest megaphones.
President Donald Trump is refusing to apologize to Pope Leo XIV after criticizing the pontiff's opposition to the war in Iran. Trump told reporters Monday that he wasn't sorry for responding to Leo's public comments. Trump lashed out at the pope on Sunday night in both a social media post and to reporters after disembarking Air Force One. Leo responded by saying that the Vatican's appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel and that he doesn't fear the Trump administration. On Monday, Trump also sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he thought it showed him as a doctor.
Donald Trump is accustomed to criticism from coast to coast — Democrats, disaffected Republicans, late-night comedians, protesters. Yet Trump's most influential American critic doesn't live in the country but at the Vatican. The first American pope has directly assailed the American president over the war in Iran. Pope Leo XIV declared that Trump's belligerence was "truly unacceptable." Never before has the relationship between Washington and the Vatican revolved around two Americans — a 79-year-old politician from Queens and a 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago. They come from the same generation and share some common cultural roots yet bring jarringly distinct approaches to their positions of vast power. And the relationship comes with risks for both sides.
Pope Leo XIV has carried a wooden cross at the Colosseum to mark his first Good Friday as pontiff. This is the first time in decades a pope has carried the cross to every station of the Way of the Cross. Speaking earlier, Leo emphasized the importance of spiritual leadership and carrying the world's suffering in prayer. Thousands gathered to follow the stations recited over loudspeakers. The meditation, prepared for Leo's first Good Friday, highlighted the responsibility of those in power.
Pope Leo XIV has opened the church's penitential Lenten season by presiding over Ash Wednesday. He is lamenting the "ashes of international law and justice" that have been left by today's wars and conflicts.Leo revived the traditional prayer and procession that Pope Francis largely had to delegate to others in his final years. The American pope led dozens of monks, priests, bishops and cardinals from one Roman church to another and then sprinkled ashes on the heads of cardinals. Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and reflection. It starts a season of self-denial and repentance from sin known as Lent. It leads up to observances of Jesus' death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter.
