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LEO XIV: The Upcoming Challenges for the New Pope by Serre Verweijfor Rorate CæliWe have a new Pope elected during a Jubilee year. He instantly faces many crucial tasks and dilemmas. This might seem obvious for any new Pope, but in 2013 Pope Francis primarily had to deal with curial reform, he did not have to deal with countless open questions, and even open wounds, left by his predecessors. Pope Leo XIV will have to deal with foreign policy debacles, a multiyear synod, and national churches that are in open rebellion against the faith.Firstly, Cardinal Grech announced that Pope Francis...

Cardinal Goh: Leo XIV will put clarity back into Doctrine -- and enough with persecution of those who prefer the Traditional Mass From an interview granted by Cardinal Goh, Archbishop of Singapore, to Bussola Quotidiana:Your Eminence, do you think you cardinals elected the right man? Yes, I think Leo XIV is exactly the pope the world needs at this time. Francis strengthened the missionary dimension of the Church, trying to bring the Gospel to all of humanity, including sinners, the marginalized, the vulnerable. But I think the least pleasant aspect of his pontificate has been that, in his attempt to...

"Every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own," wrote Pope Leo XIII, in his famous 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, laying down the basics of Catholic social teaching. The plans of contemporary socialists to seize private property, Leo XIII denounced as "emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the State, and create utter confusion in the community." The last Pope Leo's defense of private property adds no small amount of irony to the small Chicago suburb of Dolton, Illinois' plan to honor the new American-born Pope Leo XIV by seizing...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV: Peace in the World and Unity in the Church -- by Roberto de MatteiCorrispondenza RomanaMay 21, 2025Two words recur frequently in Pope Leo XIV's speeches from the very beginning of his pontificate: “peace” and “unity.” Peace is what the Pontiff invokes in the face of an international scenario that in the Regina Caeli of May 12 he described as "dramatic." Unity is what the Church needs in order to face a fragmented world, as he explained in his May 18 enthronement speech. The world is indeed torn apart by geopolitical conflicts, but Pope Leo knows well...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s reference to St. Augustine suggests he differs from Pope Francis on ‘Synodality’St. Augustine was not infected with the errors of false ecumenism and Synodality, and he knew that true love required him to correct his neighbors' errors.In the sermon for his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV spoke of his vision of the Petrine ministry in serving the Church to help build “God’s house in fraternal communion”:The ministry of Peter is distinguished precisely by this self-sacrificing love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never...

Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday and gave the Chicago-born pontiff a Bears football jersey inscribed with his title. Vance, a Catholic convert, brought along the present on his visit with the first American pope, who said, “Good choice,” as he accepted it. Video obtained by CBS News also shows the vice president handing Pope Leo XIV a letter from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, inviting the new Catholic leader to the White House. “I know you have many things to do, but I wanted to make sure I gave you that...

[Catholic Caucus] The Bishops of France and Cardinal Roche Still at War Against the Traditional Pilgrimages of France -- What Will Leo XIV do?Sometimes, decisions can wait. At other times, they have to be made fast.In April and early May, making use of the interregnum for their nefarious ends, the anti-traditional bishops of France negotiated with Cardinal Roche, Prefect of Divine Worship, in order to make as hard as possible the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments in the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage -- and all other pilgrimages in France.Leo XIV was not involved in these decisions. What will he...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV: Synodality with EcumenismLeo XIV, today, in Audience to Representatives of other Christian Communities and Other Religions:"Aware, moreover, that synodality and ecumenism are closely related, I wish to assure my intention to continue Pope Francis' commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field."Our common journey can and should also be understood in a broad sense, involving everyone, in the spirit of human brotherhood I mentioned above. Today is a time for dialogue and building bridges. And therefore I am...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV suggests he believes Pope Francis is in heavenThe remark by the American pope has raised eyebrows and given rise to speculation of a papal canonization, though such an event is unlikely in the immediate future. Pope Leo XIV commented Sunday that he believed Pope Francis was in heaven, thus echoing a phrase employed by a prominent cardinal just prior to the conclave.Some 200,000 people are estimated to have been present in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for the opening Mass of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.Just around a month after the death of Pope Francis, the...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo XIV removes controversial Archbishop Paglia as head of John Paul II InstituteThe nomination is the first major appointment made by Pope Leo XIV in the various offices of the Roman Curia, and is being welcomed by pro-life advocates.In one of the first major appointments of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has replaced the controversial president of the John Paul II Institute, which was itself gutted by Pope Francis in 2019.As announced by the Holy See Press Office today, Leo XIV has named Cardinal Baldassare Reina as the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul...

After leaving the Marines and beginning his higher education, Vice President JD Vance drifted into atheism — struggling, he would eventually write, with feelings of “irrelevance” in his faith and with “a desire for social acceptance among American elites.” Vance, who later converted to Catholicism, this weekend made his second trip to the Vatican in less than a month. On the first visit, Vance met with Pope Francis on Easter, hours before he died. On Sunday, Vance led a U.S. delegation at the inaugural Mass of the first U.S.-born pope, Leo XIV…The vice president scored a prime seat in the...

Provocative podcast host Piers Morgan asked Lou Prevost — brother of Pope Leo XIV and a supporter of President Donald Trump — if anyone from the Vatican has called to ask him to tone it down. PIERS MORGAN: ...You posted a meme in October. LOUIS PREVOST: Oh, here we go. PIERS MORGAN: ...Earlier this year, you reshared a post that said, please pray for the 33% who approve of Biden that they be healed of their mental affliction. And in August, you posted, referring to an alleged incident where illegal immigrants tried to hijack a bus of children, “Between the...

Usha Vance has been seen wearing an elegant black ensemble paired with a traditional veil as she attended Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass. The second lady - who is Hindu - stood dotingly beside her Catholic convert husband, Vice President JD Vance, as they returned to the Vatican on Sunday. Usha, 39, supported her husband and the new American pontiff by clasping her hands in prayer during the service despite not sharing the same faith. She also showed respect through her black mantilla, a traditional Spanish veil symbolizing reverence, modesty and piety. Pope Leo, 69, warmly took hold of Vance's...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he met Pope Leo on Sunday following the new pontiff's inaugural Mass at the Vatican, adding that Kyiv was ready for talks in any format to get real results in ending the war with Russia. Zelensky said on the Telegram app that he was grateful to the Vatican for its readiness to host direct talks between Ukraine and Russia and "for its clear voice to defend just and lasting peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the inaugural mass of newly elected Pope Leo on May 18, along with many other world leaders, the Vatican said. The mass in St Peter’s Square will formally install Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago but lived for many years in Peru, as the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who clashed fiercely with Mr Zelensky in the White House in February, will lead the US delegation, which also includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Pope Leo XIV affirmed Friday that the family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” and that the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures, articulating clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion at the start of his pontificate. ...Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, has emphasized peace as a priority of his pontificate, from the first words he uttered on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election, “Peace be with you all.” In his remarks, he said the search for peace was one of the pillars of the papacy....

A résumé of deep religious education, frontline pastoral experience, parish management and Vatican governance — along with a nudge from Pope Francis — put Robert Prevost on the fast track.Father Robert Prevost told the Peruvian soldiers to back off. It was the mid-1990s, and the troops, armed to the teeth, had stopped and boarded a minibus carrying the American priest and a group of young Peruvian seminarians. The soldiers tried to forcibly recruit the men. Citing a law that exempted clerics from military service, Father Prevost told the soldiers, “No, these young men are going to be priests, they cannot...

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday hailed Christian communities in the Middle East who “persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them” despite war, marginalization or persecution. “Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. Please, let us strive for this!” he told a meeting of Eastern Catholic Churches at the Vatican. On Sunday, the pontiff called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages held by militant group...

The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has suggested that the Vatican could host high-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, as Istanbul talks were watered down following Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to come face to face with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin's statement on Friday, the supreme pontiff plans to "if necessary, provide the Vatican, the Holy See, as a direct meeting (place) between the two sides." Parolin has also expressed his disappointment with the talks in Turkey, which took place on Friday. "It's all tragic because we hoped that a...

Leo XIV defended the traditional family, unborn babies and the elderly – and that’s great. After American Cardinal Robert Prevost, who made most of his ecclesiastical career as Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, was chosen to sit in St. Peter’s throne as Leo XIV, a question has reverberated across the world: is the new Pope woke? Seasoned conservative figures like Steve Bannon perceived the new Pope’s election as a liberal ‘coup’ to continue Pope Francis campaign to destroy the church – Bannon even equated it to the 2020 election steal. Prevost’s brother, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated that...