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.
Pope Leo XIV
Posted inVatican Dispatch
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.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo names close friend and fellow Augustinian as Vatican’s chief of charity
In a significant appointment to the Roman Curia, Pope Leo has chosen the Spanish-born Augustinian bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, 64, to be the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, or papal almoner, and raised him to the rank of archbishop.
Posted inLast Take
36 years as a Vatican journalist: papal apologies, a pillow fight and the people of God
While each pope said and did things that inspired me or puzzled me or challenged me or disappointed me, so did other Catholics.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo accepts resignation of US bishop arrested for alleged financial crimes
Bishop Emanuel Shaleta pleaded not guilty to 17 felony charges during his arraignment in court in California on Monday. He is accused of embezzling $270,000 from the St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo expresses ‘deep sorrow’ for Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest killed by Israeli tank fire
Pope Leo XIV expressed his “deep sorrow” for a Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest who was killed in southern Lebanon when an Israeli artillery tank fired on a house March 9.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
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.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
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.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo XIV prays for leaders to ‘abandon projects of death’ in peace prayer video
“Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center,” Pope Leo prayed.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo XIV meets with authors of book on Latin Mass in US
The papal audience comes amid ongoing tension within the Church over the traditional Latin Mass, which Pope Francis moved to restrict in 2021 through the decree “Traditionis Custodes.”