One does not have to look very far to see how his Augustinian foundation is seasoning Pope Leo’s messaging, meetings, homilies and approach to the challenging issues facing our church and our world.
Faith and Reason
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Vatican II and Pope Leo’s ‘kingly’ role
Leo’s main task is to embed Vatican II in the institutions of the church.
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How Leo is approaching his role as the first American pope
When it comes to his home country, Pope Leo is playing the long game.
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A defense of Pharisees—and a critique of Pete Hegseth
Mr. Hegseth’s remarks invoke an ancient anti-Jewish trope: the caricature of the first-century Pharisees as law-obsessed, murderous enemies of Jesus.
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Cardinal Cupich: What the Gospel demands in times of war
What does it mean, concretely, to be peacemakers?
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Catholic social teaching says all work is good for us—paid or unpaid.
The Catholic social teaching tradition maintains that in its essence and at its best, work can be good for us, an insight social science confirms. This includes all kinds paid work but unpaid work as well.
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Cardinal McElroy: Why the Catholic Church can and should judge the morality of the Iran war
The exclusion of the church from any substantive role in evaluating the moral legitimacy of decisions to go to war is a pathway to amoral decisions on war, not moral ones.
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What Pope Leo’s critics get wrong about Augustine and just war doctrine
The priority of peace fundamentally grounds Augustine’s just war theory. Pacifism is not incidental but essential to it.
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For priests, ‘smelling like the sheep’ is not optional
The smell of the sheep is not something external to the priest that he may put on from time to time when engaging in ministry.
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Pope Leo’s powerful lesson in vulnerable leadership
Following attacks from the Trump administration, Pope Leo XIV has exemplified vulnerable leadership in his calls for peace.