Vatican

Vatican plans to open bistro at top of St Peter’s

According to Il Messaggero, the Vatican is proceeding discreetly with plans to establish a bistro on the upper terrace of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Rome-based newspaper reports that the venue…

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Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace in Ukraine and Beyond

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV addressed the faithful, urging them to pray for peace in regions afflicted by conflict. He specifically highlighted Ukraine, the Middle East, and other areas where…

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Pope Leo meets Venezuelan opposition leader Machado at Vatican

Pope Leo met Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel peace prize winner Maria Corina Machado on Monday, the Vatican said, but did not provide any further details. The meeting, listed among…

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Pope Leo and Trump head for a clash

The first American pope is on a collision course with U.S. President Donald Trump. The latest fault line between the Vatican and the White House emerged on Sunday. Shortly after…

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Pope to visit Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands

Pope Leo XIV is planning to travel to Spain this year, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands to fulfil Pope Francis’ wish of visiting a key migration…

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In first Christmas sermon, Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day…

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Pope Leo expresses ‘much sadness’ about Russia refusing Christmas ceasefire

Pope Leo said on Tuesday that he feels "much sadness" that Russia did not agree to a Christmas ceasefire in its nearly four-year old war with Ukraine. "Among the things…

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Pope Leo Appeals for Renewed Spirit of Joy in Address to Church Hierarchy

Pope Leo indicated on Monday that he plans to follow the reform agenda of his predecessor Francis, praising the late pontiff's attempts to make the global Catholic Church more inclusive…

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Pope Leo replaces New York’s Cardinal Dolan in shake-up of US church

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of Illinois as his successor, the Vatican announced on Thursday. Dolan, a…

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Pope Urges Continued Dialogue in Meeting With Zelensky

Pope Leo XIV underscored the need to press ahead with dialogue aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday at the papal…

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Vatican reports first budget surplus after years of deficits

The Vatican closed 2024 with a budget surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.85 million), it said, signalling a turnaround after years of deficits that had frustrated Church leaders, including the…

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Pope Leo to take peace message to Turkey, Lebanon on first overseas trip

Pope Leo will embark on his first trip outside Italy as the leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, travelling to Turkey and Lebanon, where he is expected to make…

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Holy See Refutes Alleged Vision of Jesus in France

Jesus may answer prayers but he has not made special appearances in a small town in the north of France, the Vatican declared.. In a new instruction approved by Pope…

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Pope Leo’s critique of Trump emboldens top US Catholics to help immigrants

Pope Leo’s recent criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has energised Catholic organisations working to assist migrants affected by the administration’s strict enforcement measures, according to senior Church…

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Abbas Meets Pope as Holy See Marks 10 Years Since Recognition of Palestine

Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Vatican’s long-standing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday,…

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Jesus, not Virgin Mary, saved the world, Vatican says

Jesus may have heard words of wisdom from his mother Mary, but she did not help him save the world from damnation, the Vatican said on Tuesday. In a new…

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Pope Leo to visit eight cities in Turkey, Lebanon on first trip abroad as pontiff

Pope Leo will visit eight towns and cities in Turkey and Lebanon later this year, the Vatican said on Monday, his first trip outside Italy as pontiff, and he is…

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Almost 4,400 people abused by priests in Italy, victims’ group alleges

Nearly 4,400 people have been abused by Catholic priests in Italy in cases reported since 2020, a victims' group alleged on Friday, renewing pressure on bishops to confront a crisis…

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Why does the joint prayer of Pope Leo and King Charles symbolise reconciliation?

The sight of King Charles praying with Pope Leo at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel signalled the latest step in a historic reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion…

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UPDATED: King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in a 500-year first

Britain’s King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on Thursday, in the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King…

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Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

Pope Leo XIV said he will stand with Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to a group of American Catholic leaders and advocacy groups…

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Pope Leo to visit Turkey, Lebanon in November in first trip abroad

Pope Leo will travel to Turkey and Lebanon in late November, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, in the first visit outside Italy by the new leader of the 1.4-billion-member global…

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Pope Leo trims powers of Vatican bank, rolling back a Francis reform

Pope Leo cancelled the Vatican bank's sole authority over investments held by the city-state on Monday, rolling back one of the financial reforms of his predecessor Francis. In a short…

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Pope Leo plans to keep Francis’ key reforms but avoid bigger changes

Pope Leo will keep Pope Francis' signature policies to welcome gay Catholics, discuss women's ordination and give China input on bishop appointments, but is not planning big changes to Church…

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Pope decries ‘unacceptable’ plight of Palestinians in Gaza, urges truce

Pope Leo on Wednesday denounced the "unacceptable" conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza, voicing solidarity with civilians and renewing his appeal for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and…

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Pope Leo writing first document on needs of poor

Pope Leo is preparing to publish the first high-level document of his four-month papacy, which is expected to signal continuity with his predecessor Pope Francis and focus on the needs…

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Pope Leo tells Catholic bishops not to hide abuse allegations

Pope Leo has instructed the Catholic Church's newest bishops to confront sexual abuse by priests and not to hide allegations of misconduct, in a text released by the Vatican on…

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Italian teen, Carlo Acutis, to become first millennial Catholic saint on Sunday

A British-born Italian boy who died of leukaemia in 2006 will become the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation on Sunday, in a ceremony led by Pope Leo in…

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Pope Leo calls for ceasefire, hostages’ release in Israel-Hamas conflict

Pope Leo made a "strong appeal" to the global community on Wednesday to end the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of…

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Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon by December, marking his first trip outside Italy

Pope Leo plans to visit Lebanon, the country's senior Catholic official announced, in what could be the first visit outside Italy by the new leader of the global Church. The…

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Pope Leo sets day of fasting, prayers for peace on Friday

Pope Leo has asked Catholics and other religious faithful to observe a day of fasting and prayers for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and other war-torn areas of the…

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Pope Leo criticises nuclear deterrence on 80th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing

Pope Leo on Wednesday criticised the "illusory security" of the global nuclear deterrence system, in an appeal on the 80th anniversary of the United States dropping an atomic bomb on…

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Pope Leo calls for end to ‘barbarity of war’

Pope Leo called for an end to the 'barbarity of war' on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in…

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Pope Leo interrupts vacation to appeal for action on climate change

Pope Leo interrupted a two-week vacation on Wednesday to celebrate a special Mass exhorting Catholics to exercise care for creation, in the Vatican's second major appeal in a week for…

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Pope Leo laments ‘diabolical intensity’ of Middle East conflicts

Pope Leo said on Thursday that conflicts in the Middle East were raging with an unprecedented "diabolical intensity" and appealed for greater respect for international law, in comments to Catholic…

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Pope calls for path of dialogue, diplomacy Middle East

Pope Leo XIV made another call for an end to violence in the Middle East during his weekly general audience at St Peter's Square on Wednesday."May the wounds caused by…

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Pope Urges Leaders to Reject War, Citing Predecessors in Peace Appeal

Pope Leo XIV issued a back-to-back plea for peace this week, urging the international community to reject armed conflict and embrace diplomacy amid mounting global tensions. Speaking Wednesday during his…

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Pope to Rest at Castel Gandolfo from July 6 to July 20

The Prefecture of the Papal Household has announced that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will spend a period of rest at the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo. The pontiff is…

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Pope Leo to make Carlo Acutis first millennial saint on September 7

The canonisation of the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis, will take place on September 7, Pope Leo announced on Friday. Acutis, a British-born Italian who died…

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Pope Leo, in first month, makes a break in style from Francis

In his first month, Pope Leo has taken a very different approach to his predecessor Francis. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has led some two dozen public events since…

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Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

Pope Leo appealed on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and called on Israel and Hamas militants to completely respect international humanitarian law. "In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries…

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Russia does not see Vatican as a serious arena for peace talks, sources say

Russia does not view the Vatican as a credible venue for peace negotiations with Ukraine, according to three senior Russian sources who spoke to Reuters. They cited the Holy See’s…

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The prospect of a US pope was once viewed with suspicion – but Leo XIV could prove an important counter to Trump

By Massimo D'Angelo, Research Associate in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Loughborough University Pope Leo XIV has been elected as the 267th pontiff, leader of the Catholic church…

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Pope Leo appeals for Israel to allow humanitarian aid in Gaza

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday appealed for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, calling the situation in the Palestinian enclave "yet more worrying and saddening". "I renew my…

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Pope Leo urges unity for divided Church, vows not to be ‘autocrat’

Pope Leo XIV formally began his reign on Sunday by reaching out to conservatives who felt orphaned under his predecessor, calling for unity, vowing to preserve the Catholic Church's heritage…

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What to Know About the Papal Inauguration: Rituals, Symbols, and Attendees

Tens of thousands gathered at St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday for Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass. The service marks the official start of the new pontiff's papacy,…

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Pope Leo tells diplomats the dignity of migrants must be respected

Pope Leo XIV, in his first address to world diplomats at the Vatican, said on Friday that the dignity of migrants had to be respected, while also calling on nations…

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Pope Leo says he will make ‘every effort’ for world peace

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the global Catholic Church, pledged on Wednesday to make "every effort" for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global…

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New Pope Leo tells Jews he wants to strengthen dialogue

Pope Leo XIV has told the world's Jewish communities he wants to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church’s dialogue with them, in a message coming after a souring of relations between…

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Pope Leo, in first known call with foreign leader, speaks to Ukraine’s Zelenskiy

Pope Leo XIV had a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday and spoke about ceasefire proposals, Zelenskiy said, in the first known conversation between the newly-elected pontiff…

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Pope Leo XIV appeals for ‘no more war’ in first Sunday message

Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world's major powers for "no more war" in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff. The…

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Pope Leo hopes to bring light to “dark nights of this world”

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass since being elected pontiff, as congratulations pour in for the new leader of the Catholic Church. In his address, speaking in Italian, the…

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The symbolic elements of Pope Leo XIV’s election, his vestments, and coat of arms

The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, marked a significant milestone in the Catholic Church’s modern history, making him the first American-born pontiff and underscoring the…

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In his first appearance, Pope Leo offers three big clues about his papacy

From his first moments on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo XIV gave three important clues about what kind of leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church he will…

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World Leaders React To The Election Of The First American Pope

The world is reacting to the election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, with many mhighlighting both the symbolic and political implications of his appointment as the…

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UPDATED: The new pope is American Cardinal Prevost, Pope Leo XIV

A new pope has just been elected.The new pope is Cardinal Robert Prevost of the US, the first American pontiff in history. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.…

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Popes Named Leo: A Legacy of Leadership and Reform

The choice of a papal name is never accidental and in selecting Leo XIV, the new Pope has aligned himself with a weighty historical legacy. The last pontiff to bear…

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