Pope Leo met with seven victims of sex abuse this evening in Lourdes, spending two hours with them in a meeting described by survivors as emotional.
Vatican Dispatch
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Pope speaks out against French assisted-dying and abortion laws in Lourdes visit
In visits with French bishops and workers in ministry in Lourdes today, Pope Leo offered words of encouragement and took aim at that nation’s legalization of medically-assisted dying and abortion.
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Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo addresses French conversion boom, warns against complacency
Pope Leo’s messages on his second day in France focused on the vocation of French Catholics in a secular society, with a particular emphasis on prayer and devotion aimed at inspiring Catholics to evangelize and work for justice.
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Vatican Notebook: Pope Leo navigates tensions between secularism and Catholic history on France visit
This visit to France was always going to be an interesting one, given the country’s rich Catholic history and, at the same time, its strict laïcité. How would a pope navigate those two aspects of French society?
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From Vietnamese refugee to Australia’s first Asian bishop: Vincent Long on faith, migration and synodality
Just over 46 years ago, an 18-year-old fled Vietnam in a boat with more than 100 other people. Today he is Australia’s first Asian bishop.
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Pope Leo’s trip to France won’t be a victory lap—and that’s a good thing.
The pope will arrive for a four-day trip through Paris, Lourdes and Metz studded with high-profile political speeches and massive outdoor liturgies, all set against the backdrop of a Catholic Church that has seen an unprecedented increase in conversions since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Vatican Notebook: The convening power of the church
The Catholic Church—and particularly Pope Leo—have an impressive ability to bring diverse people together to focus on the things that are most important to humanity.
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AFL-CIO president: The significance of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is ‘absolutely huge’
“When I first read it, I just felt like this could have been a document written by the trade union movement.”
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Pope Leo calls for ‘culture of negotiation’ at meeting of North and South American leaders
This was the fourth of the synodal style encounters that were inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” published in October 2020.
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Synodality, multiculturalism and working with Pope Leo: Archbishop Costelloe on the Australian Catholic Church
Archbishop Costelloe spoke about the commitment to being a synodal church in a country where multiculturalism, social cohesion and improving the situation of its aboriginal peoples are all works in progress.