Pope Leo called Father Pierre al-Rahi, who rushed to help parishioners wounded by Israeli fire, “a true shepherd, who always stayed beside his people, with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd.”
Vatican Dispatch
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Pope Leo calls for a stop to ‘the thunderous sound of bombs’ in the Middle East
Pope Leo XIV again called for a stop to “the thunderous sound of bombs” in Iran and the Middle East, for the guns to “fall silent” and for the opening of “a space for dialogue” to find a way out of this latest conflict in the region.
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Pope Leo appoints Archbishop Caccia as nuncio to the United States
Archbishop Caccia’s appointment comes at a turbulent time in world affairs, as the United States and Israel wage war against Iran—a conflict now in its eighth day that appears to be expanding.
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Pope Leo urges a halt to ‘spiral of violence’ across Iran and Middle East
Pope Leo prayed that “diplomacy may regain its role and promote the good of the peoples who yearn for a peaceful coexistence founded on justice.”
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Pope Leo calls for ‘an immediate ceasefire’ to the war in Ukraine
“Let the weapons fall silent, let the bombings cease, let an immediate ceasefire be reached, and let dialogue be strengthened to pave the way toward peace,” he said.
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Pope Leo sends greetings for the Lunar New Year
Pope Leo XIV prayed that the Lunar Year celebrations may “strengthen family ties” and “bring peace to homes and society.”
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Vatican holds firm after SSPX bishops’ ordination threats
In a highly significant move aimed at overcoming the more than 55-year division between the Priestly Society of St. Pius X and the Holy See, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, proposed “a specifically theological dialogue path, with a very precise methodology” to the SSPX to discuss “issues that have not yet been sufficiently clarified” between them.
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St. Pius X Society to ordain new bishops without Vatican approval, risking excommunication
The Priestly Society of St. Pius X, widely known as SSPX, has announced it will ordain bishops without papal permission on July 1, an act that would lead to the automatic excommunication of both the consecrating bishop and the bishop being consecrated.
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‘War is back in vogue,’ Pope Leo warns in major foreign policy speech
“War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading,” Pope Leo XIV said in a forceful address on Jan. 9 to ambassadors from the 184 countries that have full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
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Pope Leo says he will hold consistories with the College of Cardinals every year
Leo XIV clearly does not intend to go it alone as pope.