30,000 pilgrims from all continents were present for this profoundly spiritual event which Pope Paul VI revived in 1965 but which goes back to the early centuries of Christianity when pilgrims went to Jerusalem to retrace the path of Jesus to his crucifixion and burial.
Vatican Dispatch
Posted inVatican Dispatch
On Good Friday, Pope Leo speaks with presidents of Israel and Ukraine, calling for an end to war
Pope Leo XIV spoke about the need to end the wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine in phone conversations with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine on this Good Friday morning, April 3.
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Pope Leo fills two crucial positions at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV is continuing to build out his administration, and today, March 30, the Vatican announced two handpicked appointments to key positions.
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Palm Sunday: Cardinal Pizzaballa blocked by Israeli police from Holy Sepulchre as Pope Leo denounces war in Rome
For the first time in centuries, the Christian leaders in Jerusalem, including Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, were prevented by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.
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What you need to know about Pope Leo’s October meeting on marriage and family
Pope Leo XIV has summoned the leaders of the world’s episcopal conferences to the Vatican in October to discuss marriage and the family “in light of the changes that continue to impact families.”
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Pope Leo to journalists: Don’t become agents of propaganda during wartime
Journalists have an “essential” task that has become “even more urgent and delicate” today, Pope Leo said, which is that of “verifying news so as not to become a mouthpiece for those in power.”
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Pope Leo to accept Liberty Medal and address Americans on July 3
On July 3, 2026, the National Constitution Center will honor Pope Leo XIV with its Liberty Medal in recognition of his work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
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Pope Leo to warring nations in the Middle East: ‘Cease fire!’
In an address to thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square at midday on Sunday, March 15, Pope Leo called for a ceasefire in the war in the Middle East.
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Why the Jesuits are going all in on training Catholics for synodality
The Society of Jesus has started an ambitious transcontinental project linked to synodality. Its aim is to form diocesan priests, women and men religious and lay people in countries across the globe to accompany the discernment processes in the synodal journey of local churches.
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The final synod report on women: what it says, what it means and what’s next
The report denounces “male chauvinism” and “clericalism,” making the case that in his brief pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has continued down Francis’ path of appointing women to positions of leadership in the Curia.