Pope Leo raised the question of genocide in Gaza and spoke about how he intends to engage with China over the coming years in his first major interview.
Vatican Dispatch
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Pope Leo expresses his ‘profound closeness’ to the people of Gaza as Israeli ground invasion begins
Palestinians in Gaza “continue to live in fear and survive in unacceptable conditions, forced once again to leave their lands,” Leo said to applause at the end of his weekly general audience on Sept. 17.
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Pope Leo calls out billionaires and income inequality in first interview
In his first major interview, Pope Leo XIV denounces “useless killing” in Ukraine and promotes synodality as the solution to rising global polarization.
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Pope Leo receives credentials of U.S. ambassador to the Holy See
The new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, presented his credentials to Pope Leo XIV this morning, Sept. 13, 2025.
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Pope Leo XIV declares Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints in a celebration of youthful devotion
At the first canonization ceremony of his pontificate, Leo XIV described Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati as ”both in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for him.”
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Pope Leo and Israel’s president discuss ‘tragic situation in Gaza’ in private audience
Pope Leo and top diplomatic advisors spoke with Israeli President Herzog about the “tragic situation in Gaza,” the urgent need for ceasefire and a two-state solution as the “only way out of the current war.”
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Israeli president Herzog to visit Pope Leo at Vatican
President Herzog’s visit comes at a very delicate political moment, as Israeli forces have laid siege to Gaza City in an attempt to take full control of it and have already reduced parts of it to rubble.
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Pope Leo meets with Father James Martin, seen as a sign of support for ministry with L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics
“He made clear that he wants everyone to feel welcome,” Father James Martin, S.J., said after his private audience with Pope Leo.
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Pope Leo calls for stop to ‘the pandemic of arms’ after Minnesota Catholic school shooting
Speaking in English, Pope Leo XIV asked people “to plead with God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world” as he prayed for “the victims of the tragic shooting during a school Mass” in Minnesota last week.
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Pope Leo warns against the ‘forced displacement of populations’ in Gaza
The pope called for “humanitarian law to be fully respected—especially the obligation to protect civilians and the prohibitions against collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.”