Pope Leo XIV turns 70 on Sept. 14 and some of his closest friends in the Chicago-area will mark the day with him in mind, quietly.
News
Pope Leo to Amazon bishops: Proclaim the Gospel, fight injustice, defend nature
Efforts to serve, defend and build up the Catholic community in the Amazon region must be centered on the proclamation of the Gospel, Pope Leo XIV said.
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for local homeless people, invites them to lunch at summer villa
Pope Leo XIV spent the last Sunday of his summer vacation with several dozen refugees, homeless and poor people and the church volunteers who help them.
German bishops deeply divided over new guidelines for same-sex blessings
A senior observer said that Germany’s bishops were irrevocably divided over same-sex blessings, with many believing newly adopted guidelines violated rules set out by the Vatican.
Pope Leo says he hopes Trump-Putin meeting leads to ceasefire in Ukraine
Pope Leo XIV told reporters he hoped U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin can find a way to reach a ceasefire in Russia’s war on Ukraine when they meet in Alaska.
Madonna urges Pope Leo to visit Gaza ‘before it’s too late’
Addressing Pope Leo XIV, Madonna wrote: “Most Holy Father. Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering.”
Head of far-right Spanish political party criticizes Catholic bishops’ defense of Muslim community
The Spanish bishops’ conference was criticized by the head of Spain’s far-right VOX party after the church expressed religious concerns following a local council’s measure that would effectively ban Muslims from holding religious events in certain areas.
Pope Leo approves expanded family benefits for Vatican employees
Pope Leo XIV approved expanded benefits for Vatican employees with children, formalizing the five-day paternity leave granted by Pope Francis in January and raising the age of children covered by the Vatican’s family allowance.
Vatican strikes solar farm deal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral state
Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare (1,000-acre) field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm.
Pope Leo visits teen hospitalized during Jubilee of Youth
Pope Leo said that if the teen “had come all the way to Rome, then (the pope) could come all the way to the hospital to see him.”
