Pope Leo XIV

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King Charles, Pope Mark a 500-Year First

First UK monarch-pontiff prayer in centuries went down during Charles' visit to Rome

(Newser) - King Charles and Queen Camilla popped up in Rome on Thursday to pay a landmark state visit to the Vatican, set to mark the first time a British monarch prayed with a pope since the split between the Church of England and the Catholic Church nearly 500 years ago. The...

Beleaguered Venezuela Celebrates Its First Saints

Revered 'doctor of the poor' and founder of religious order are canonized by Pope Leo

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV canonized Venezuela's beloved "doctor of the poor" Sunday before 70,000 people at the Vatican, offering the South American nation its first saint and a reason to celebrate during its yearslong economic crisis and new tensions with the US . José Gregorio Hernández, revered by...

Pope Responds to Cubs Fan
Pope Responds to Cubs Fan

Pope Responds to Cubs Fan

Leo prefers the other Chicago team

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV appeared to savor—as Chicago White Sox fans do—the Cubs' playoff loss on Wednesday. The pope was waving to the crowd at the Vatican from the Popemobile, NBC News reports, when someone called out, "Go Cubs!" His Chicago-bred instincts kicking in, Leo responded. In...

Pope Leo Reverses One of Francis' Decisions

It involves the management of the Holy See's assets

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV has undone one of Pope Francis' bigger financial reforms and decisions, canceling a law Monday that had concentrated financial power in the Vatican bank. Leo abrogated the 2022 law that had decreed that management of the Holy See's assets was the "exclusive responsibility" of the...

Pope Delivers 'Sharpest Criticism' of Trump Policies

Leo speaks out on 'inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the US

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV addressed US politics on Tuesday, voicing concern over President Trump's rhetoric and challenging self-described pro-life advocates to reject both harsh immigration policies and the death penalty—drawing pushback from the White House. Speaking in Italy after the meeting of American military brass in Virginia, at...

Pope Leo Talks Trump, AI, Scandals in First Interview

First American pope says he won't engage in 'partisan politics'

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV said in his first major interview as history's first American pope that he is concerned by some of what is happening in the US but he doesn't plan to engage in "partisan politics." Leo spoke on a range of topics—the Trump administration,...

Pope Honors Christians Killed by Militants, Mafias, Ranchers

Turning 70, Leo concedes he wasn't quite prepared for his new job

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV on Sunday honored hundreds of Christians who were killed for their faith in the 21st century, praising their courage and lamenting that their numbers were growing in many parts of the world. Leo presided over a Holy Year evening prayer service in Rome to honor them, inviting...

Catholic Church Has Its First Millennial Saint

Pope Leo presides over canonization of Carlo Acutis

(Newser) - Carlo Acutis—a tech-savvy teen who used the internet to spread faith—has become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint . Pope Leo XIV on Sunday presided over the canonization of Carlo Acutis, reports the Guardian . Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia, gained recognition for...

The House 'Isn't Impressive.' People Flock There Anyway

Chicago magazine looks at how the childhood home of Pope Leo might affect a struggling village

(Newser) - In the 1950s and '60s, a kid named Bobby Prevost grew up in his family's small and unassuming home in the Chicago suburb of Dolton, Illinois. Today, that home has become what a story in Chicago magazine calls "an unofficial pilgrimage site." Because, of course, Bobby...

Looking for a Roommate? This Guy Wants a Few

Pope Leo XIV will bunk with some others when he moves into the Apostolic Palace later this year

(Newser) - In between asking people to fast and pray on Friday for people affected by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, Pope Leo XIV is busy with another task this week: trying to pick some new roommates. The Telegraph reports that the pontiff—who's breaking with how Pope Francis...

Pope Wants You to Fast on Friday
Pope Wants You
to Fast on Friday

Pope Wants You to Fast on Friday

Pontiff calls for fasting and prayer for peace in Middle East and Ukraine

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV asked people to fast on Friday to pray for peace and justice in the Middle East and Ukraine, issuing a special appeal as he returned to the Vatican from summer vacation. At the end of his weekly general audience Wednesday, Leo recalled that Friday is a special...

Madonna Begs Pope to Visit Gaza 'Before It's Too Late'
Madonna Begs
Pope to Visit Gaza

Madonna Begs Pope to Visit Gaza

Singer cites urgent need to help children amid ongoing starvation crisis

(Newser) - Madonna is calling on Pope Leo to travel to Gaza, urging him to take action for Palestinian children suffering amid ongoing conflict, CNN reports. In a Monday Instagram post, the pop icon—who was raised Catholic—asked the pontiff to "bring your light to the children before it'...

Pope Leo Is Winning the Newsmakers Popularity Contest

Pontiff tops Gallup list of prominent US, world figures, with 57% favorable approval rating

(Newser) - Sorry, Volodymyr—Pope Leo XIV is a bit more popular than you. Gallup has a new survey out listing the favorability ratings for more than a dozen prominent US and world luminaries, and the new pontiff comes in at No. 1, with a 57% favorable rating (11% unfavorable, 31% no...

Church's Next Generation Holds Slumber Party, Greets Pope

Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics swamp Rome for celebration

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of young Catholics poured into a vast field on Rome's outskirts on Saturday for the weekend highlight of the Vatican's 2025 Holy Year: an evening vigil, outdoor slumber party, and morning Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV that marks his first big encounter with the...

Leo Brings Back the Papal Summer Vacation

He'll spend 2 weeks in Castel Gandolfo, which is hoping for a tourism boost

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV is reviving a 400-year-old tradition this July, becoming the first pontiff in over a decade to summer in Castel Gandolfo, a small community about an hour south of Rome. The move, confirmed by the Vatican, has locals eager for a surge of tourists to the hillside...

Pope's Hometown Approves Buying His Childhood Home

Dolton, Illinois, mayor says it's a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and...

Pope Leo Reaffirms That Priests Must Stay 'Chaste'

Pontiff also calls on bishops to take 'firm and decisive' action when dealing with sex abusers

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests should stay celibate and insisted that bishops take "firm and decisive" action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world's Catholic hierarchs. Leo offered his message during a meeting in St. Peter's Basilica with...

Pope Leo Welcomes His First Movie Star

Al Pacino meets with the pontiff along with Maserati film producer

(Newser) - Al Pacino became the first movie star to be granted an audience with the new pope, meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday. Andrea Iervolino, producer of the Pacino-starring Maserati: The Brothers, shared a picture to Instagram showing the two of them meeting with the pontiff, to...

Poll Measures Americans' Views as Pope's Reign Begins

Many reserve judgment, but Leo's favorability ratings in US are high

(Newser) - Just over a month after Leo XIV became the first US-born pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, a new poll shows that American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader. About two-thirds of respondents have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Pope...

All Eyes Are on What Pope Leo Is Wearing

New pontiff's fashion choices are causing a bit of buzz

(Newser) - When Pope Leo XIV stepped out on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to greet the crowd for the first time after his May 8 election, liturgical fashion aficionados around the globe took note: Gone was the simple white cassock and silver cross favored by Pope Francis. Back...

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