Among all the news articles I have read in the past couple of years, I am not ungrateful that one poignant, below-the-fold story has remained with me, a glow-in-the-dark star stuck to a ceiling. When Pope Francis visited Indonesia in September 2024, The New York Times reported about a group of transgender women in South […]
Pope Francis
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 inThe Weekly Dispatch
A Pentagon showdown with Anthropic and the hazards of A.I. warfare
Even among the proponents of A.I. platforms can be found innovators who harbor deep misgivings about where A.I. may be leading.
Posted inFeatures
Behind the scenes of Pope Leo XIV’s election
America’s senior Vatican correspondent chronicles the moments leading to the first American pope.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo XIV closes 2025 Holy Year with critique of consumerism and xenophobia
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday closed out the Vatican’s 2025 Holy Year by denouncing today’s consumerist and anti-foreigner sentiment, capping a Jubilee that saw some 33 million pilgrims flock to Rome and a historic transition from one American pontiff to another.
Posted inNews
Vatican claims a Holy Year success with 33 million pilgrims
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday will officially close out the Holy Year and shut the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, capping a rare Jubilee that was opened by one pope and closed by another.
Posted inNews
As a year of two popes ends, Catholics and the world watch as Leo takes charge
While the year was marked by profound change, the new pope emphasized his intention to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in a spirit of continuity with his predecessor.
Posted inNews
Faith leaders who died in 2025: Pope Francis, theologians and activists
Figures from the realms of politics to sports, from presiding over the Vatican to Temple Square, are among those who died in 2025 and will be remembered for shaping the world of faith.
Posted inVatican Dispatch
Pope Leo in Christmas address to Vatican officials asks: ‘Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia?’
Mindful that Pope Francis had often used the traditional pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia to deliver some hard messages, Vatican officials had waited in expectation to see what Pope Leo would say.
Posted inNews
Church altar featuring homeless man goes on display near his grave at the Vatican
In 2018, German artist Michael Triegel asked a homeless man in Rome to pose for a drawing, thinking that he would make an ideal model for St. Peter if he ever needed to paint the first pope.