On Inside the Vatican, we explore Pope Leo’s persistent calls for peace and his unexpected support for journalist Paola Ugaz, who exposed abuse in a powerful Peruvian lay group suppressed by Pope Francis.
War and Peace
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
On hearing Trump invoke God after bombing Iran on the feast of Corpus Christi
How should American Catholics respond to the U.S. attacks on Iran? Perhaps the Feast of Corpus Christi offers a counterpoint to the god of war, power and vengeance invoked by so many today.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo XIV: Western Christians must reject ‘fake news’ and help the suffering Eastern churches
Pope Leo XIV denounced the “violent conflict [that] seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown” and said the Christians of the West must do more to help the Christians of the East, especially those suffering in Ukraine, Gaza and other places in the Middle East.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
He was killed in the DRC for standing up to corruption. Now this young martyr is on the path to sainthood.
The example of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui shows us how to live for Christ: by dedicating ourselves to prayer, the poor and peace.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo calls for Middle East peace after ‘heinous terrorist attack’ on church in Syria
Aware of the deep concern this new act of violence has caused among Christians in this part of the world, Pope Leo offered these words of assurance: “I say to the Christians of the Middle East: I am close to you! The whole church is close to you!”
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo calls for stop to the Israel-Iran war after U.S. bombs Iranian nuclear sites
“Let diplomacy silence the guns!” Pope Leo XIV told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square a few hours after the United States entered the Iran-Israel war by bombing three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
As war rages between Israel and Iran, Pope Leo renews appeal to seek peace ‘through dialogue and diplomatic means’
Pope Leo XIV renewed his “appeal for peace” in an interview after a surprise visit to the Vatican Radio Center.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
As Trump threatens Iran, Pope Leo issues a strong warning against modern weapons of war
Pope Leo XIV called on world leaders to reject the temptation to use “powerful and sophisticated weapons,” as President Donald J. Trump aired the possibility of using massive bombs to destroy Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Israel, Iran and the deadly results of abandoning international laws
In judging the morality of an act of war, an easy ask is always: “Was the belligerent party left with no other recourse?” That does not appear to be true in this case.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
I fought in Afghanistan. Watching Trump’s Army parade, I didn’t feel proud.
My primary problem with the parade wasn’t just that it broke a norm. My problem is that it reminded me how easily we tell ourselves comforting stories instead of asking hard questions.