Before leaving for his first apostolic trip to Turkey and Lebanon in November, Pope Leo XIV issued reforms to the Vatican’s labor laws. Both recognize the rapid changes in the makeup of the Catholic Church’s workforce and hope to bring…
Vatican report says church teaching bars women deacons, but stops short of final ruling
The Vatican released a document Thursday (Dec. 4) stating that current church teaching does not permit women to be ordained as deacons, while emphasizing that the opinion is not a final ruling.
With Hollywood A-listers at the Vatican, Pope Leo extols human value of movies
Before some of the biggest names on the silver screen, Pope Leo XIV, a noted film aficionado, praised the prophetic power of cinema and lamented what he called the “troubling decline” of movie theaters in cities and neighborhoods worldwide.
Vatican signals possible dialogue with new Anglican Communion
The Vatican has signaled it may be open to ecumenical dialogue with the new, conservative breakaway Global Anglican Communion, a move that would upend decades of Catholic-Anglican relations centered on the See of Canterbury, the English church’s historic “first among…
Vatican report admits church is still slow to enforce transparency on abuse
More than two decades after The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigations revealed a widespread culture of abuse and cover-up among Catholic clergy, a Vatican report found that despite progress, the church remains sluggish in implementing transparency and accountability measures when it…
Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%
The Vatican aims to eliminate more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions it produces over the next decade, according to plans it has submitted to the United Nations.
Traditionalists rejoice that top US cardinal allowed to celebrate old Latin Mass at St. Peter’s
Traditionalist Catholics celebrated news Monday that the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had given them permission to celebrate the old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica during their upcoming pilgrimage.
Legacy of ‘green’ papal teaching to take root at Vatican ecology center
Extending the legacy of his predecessors who championed environmental responsibility as a core tenet of Catholic social teaching, Pope Leo XIV on Friday (Sept. 5) will inaugurate a new center for integral ecology on Vatican-owned property south of Rome.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy meets with Pope Leo XIV. Both propose the Vatican as site for peace talks
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday and thanked him for the Vatican’s efforts to help return children taken by Russia. Both he and Leo suggested the Vatican could host peace talks to end the war.
Why ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ by Caravaggio was Pope Francis’ favorite painting − an art historian explains
Pope Francis left a lasting legacy, not least his appreciation for art. In his 2025 biography, “Hope,” Francis spoke of his admiration for the Baroque painter Caravaggio. He recalled that during his travels to Rome as a cardinal, he prayed in front…
Mr. Trump goes to Rome
Most of the time, when people say, “Just joking,” they’re not joking at all. Often, we use “just joking” as a cover when we’ve trotted out ideas we know will be controversial or hurtful but we want to say them…
Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the Vatican defends recent cuts to US foreign aid
President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the Vatican defended many of the administration’s foreign-aid cuts at a Senate hearing Tuesday, even while saying Catholic charitable groups are well-equipped to deliver such aid efficiently.