Pope Leo XIV has appealed to global leaders for "no more war", in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter's Square since his election as pontiff.
The new pope called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages.
Leo also welcomed the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
“Never again war!” He said from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Recalling the end of World War II 80 years ago, Leo quoted Pope Francis in denouncing the number of conflicts ravaging the globe today, saying it was a “third world war in pieces.”
Leo also recalled that Sunday was Mother’s Day in many countries and wished all mothers, “including those in heaven” a Happy Mother’s Day.
The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled.
Pope Leo XIV: What the new pope’s name choice says about his future plans
Robert Prevost: ‘Dark horse’ American cardinal succeeds Pope Francis to become 267th Pontiff
Gaza, gay rights, abuse and Trump: How will Pope Leo XIV confront global crisis?
Pope Leo XIV’s name choice ‘signals he will continue work of Francis’
Key Points
- Pope Leo XIV appeals to world powers for 'no more war'
- Leo visits Pope Francis' tomb and Marian shrine on first trip outside Vatican
- New pontiff tells cardinals they must continue 'precious legacy' of Pope Francis
- Leo identifies AI as a main challenge for humanity
- Pope Leo XIV's schedule for first week as pontiff
Pope Leo accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse
13:01 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo has been accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse against priests in his churches in Chicago and Peru.
Tom Watling reports:
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Pope Leo accused of not properly investigating allegations of child sexual abuse
In pictures | Pope Leo's first Sunday address
12:29 , Jabed Ahmed
Former protégé describes the new American leader of the Catholic Church
12:01 , Jabed AhmedFather Rob Hagan had always referred to him as “Bob”.
Now, he said, “referring to him as Pope Leo XIV is just an honour.”
In an interview with The Independent, Fr Hagan said Pope Leo was “incredibly bright” and speaks several languages, but he was also a kind person.
“He has a real approachability and warmth, a twinkle in his eye, he’s really a gift to the church and to the world.”
Read the full interview below:
A ‘twinkle in his eye’: Former protégé describes American set to lead Catholic Church
Watch | Pope Leo appeals to world powers for peace in his first Sunday address
11:36 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV appeals to world powers for 'no more war'
11:19 , Jabed AhmedPope 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 new pope called for an "authentic and lasting peace" in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages.
Leo also welcomed the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
Watch live | Pope Leo leads Regina Caeli prayer from St Peter's Basilica in Vatican
11:05 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo leads Regina Caeli prayer
11:04 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV is began the Regina Caeli prayer for the first time from the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica.
Watch | MAGA meltdown over 'woke Marxist' Pope Leo
10:58 , Jabed AhmedCardinal reveals how close real conclave was to the film
10:32 , Jabed Ahmed
Live: Crowds gather before Pope Leo leads first Regina Caeli prayer at Vatican
10:21 , Jabed AhmedOld comments from Pope Leo disappoint LGBTQ+ activists
10:01 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV, in remarks in 2012 when he was the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, made comments critical of what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.
The remarks were “disappointing,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a US-based group that advocates for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church.
“We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his (Leo’s) heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened,” DeBernardo said in a statement.
A 2012 video provided to Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. bishops conference, featured Prevost's address to the World Synod of Bishops against the backdrop of images from popular TV series and movies.
“Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel, for example, abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia,” Prevost said.
He singled out “how alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today.”
The prayer to Mary during Sunday mass
09:49 , Jabed AhmedThe Angelus is the short prayer to Mary that many Catholics recite daily.
Often prayed before Mass, but traditionally accompanied by the tolling of bells at dawn, midday and early evening, it references the moment when the Gospels say the Archangel Gabriel told Mary she would become the mother of God, and she accepted.
“Angelus” is Latin for angel, and the prayer’s first verse is “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.” The faithful then answer, “And she conceived of the Holy Spirit,” followed by a Hail Mary and a few more verses and prayers.
This “annunciation” scene is so pivotal in Christian dogma that it’s been represented by some of the most celebrated painters for centuries. Some artists have also portrayed the faithful reciting the Angelus, a practice that is believed to have started in the Middle Ages.
During Eastertime – the current liturgical season, spanning 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost – the prayer is substituted with another devotion to Mary, the Regina Coeli (also spelled Caeli, Latin for “Queen of Heaven”) that encourages rejoicing in Christ’s resurrection.
The history of the pope’s Sunday blessing
09:16 , Jabed AhmedIn 1954, when he had declared a special year of veneration to the Virgin Mary, Pope Pius XII started reciting in public a traditional Catholic midday prayer to her.
He first delivered it from the pope's summer residence, just outside Rome at Castel Gandolfo.
Back at the Vatican, he kept it up from a window facing St. Peter’s Square at the Apostolic Palace, the 16th-century building where the papal apartments are.
Pope Francis broke with tradition by living at a Vatican guest house instead but still maintained the Sunday prayer tradition from the palace.
It’s become a chance for the ordinary faithful to see the pope relatively up close. Especially since the papacy of St. John Paul II – from 1978 to 2005 – popes have added short messages touching on different topics of the day.
When a pope misses the weekly occasion – as Francis did earlier this year during his hospitalization – it makes global news.
Pope Leo to give first Sunday address
08:40 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo will give his first Sunday blessing and address in St Peter's Square in the Vatican today.
He will recite the Regina Caeli prayer, in honour of the Virgin Mary, in his first public address since his election.
After the Sunday mass, he will bless those on the square and deliver his reflections.
Pope Leo visits Pope Francis' tomb and Marian shrine on first trip outside Vatican
08:37 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV has taken his first trip outside the Vatican to visit a Catholic shrine and pay respects at the tomb of his predecessor Francis.
The new pontiff waved from the passenger side of a Volkswagen vehicle as he arrived at Rome's St. Mary Major Basilica.
Entering the church to a few shouts of "Viva il papa" (Long live the pope), Leo walked slowly to Francis' tomb, laying a white flower on it. He then knelt in prayer for a few moments.
Leo shook hands and offered blessings to a few people in the crowd before entering the shrine.
At the end of the visit there, the pope told those in the shrine that he wanted to come to pray for guidance in the first days of his papacy, according to a Vatican statement.
In pictures | Pope Leo visits Pope Francis' tomb and Marian shrine
08:36 , Jabed Ahmed
Leo identifies AI as a main challenge for humanity
04:00 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV has identified artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity.
In his first formal audience, he identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labour.
Leo referred to AI in explaining the choice of his name: His namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was pope from 1878 to 1903 and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought.
He did so most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age.
The late pope criticized both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching.
In his remarks Saturday, Leo said he identified with his predecessor, who addressed the great social question of the day posed by the industrial revolution in the encyclical.
“In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour,” he said.
Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it.
Pope Leo tells cardinals they must continue 'precious legacy' of Pope Francis
03:00 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV has signaled he would continue with the vision and reforms of Pope Francis, telling the world's Catholic cardinals the late pontiff left a "precious legacy" that they must continue.
In his first meeting with all the cardinals since his election as pontiff on 8 May, Leo also asked the senior clerics to renew their commitment to major Church reforms enacted by the landmark Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
Leo said Francis, who died on 21 April and broadly had a vision of opening the staid 1.4-billion-member Church to the modern world, had left an "example of complete dedication to service."
"Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey," the new pope instructed the cardinals.
The pontiff also asked the clerics to "renew together our complete commitment" to the reforms enacted by the Council, which included celebrating the Mass in local languages rather than Latin and pursuing dialogue with other religions.
He cited Francis' focus on "courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities."
Real conclave was nothing like the film, says cardinal
02:00 , Jabed AhmedThe conclave to elect Pope Leo XIV was “fraternal” in atmosphere without the high drama of the award-winning film of the same name, a cardinal on the inside has said.
Conclave, released late last year just months before the real-life secret meeting of cardinals in Rome this week, imagined the tension, bureaucracy, twists and turns behind the secret meeting to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church.
But Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales who was taking part in his first conclave, insisted reality could not have been further from the silver screen drama.
New Pope Leo is gentle, calm and unifying, says UK cardinal
01:00 , Jabed AhmedThe new Pope is a “citizen of the world” and the moment he accepted his election inside the secret conclave meeting brought “elation”, a cardinal who was there has said.
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, spoke of a “quite remarkable spirit of fraternity” during the time he and 132 others were sequestered away from the world to elect the new leader.
Cardinal Nichols, who is the Archbishop of Westminster, described Pope Leo XIV as gentle and calm, as well as decisive and unifying.
He told reporters in Rome: “He’s been a teacher, he’s been a diocesan bishop, he’s been a member of the Roman Curia.
“That’s a combination of talents that, I think, once it emerged and we’d reflected on the life of the Church, made it pretty clear that here was a man who was bringing the right depth and breadth of experience to the papacy.”
Recap | Faith, power and missionary work: Pope Leo's first homily
Saturday 10 May 2025 23:59 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV touched on faith, power and corruption in the homily of the first Mass he celebrated after being elected pontiff.
In impeccable Italian, Leo decried that in today's world "there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered something absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Contexts where other certainties are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure.
“These are environments where it is not easy to bear witness to, and announce, the Gospel, and where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied.
“Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where mission is urgently needed. Because the lack of faith often carries with it tragedies such as the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, violations of human dignity in the most dramatic manners, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
Watch | Pope Leo XIV blesses several people hours after he is elected
Saturday 10 May 2025 23:00 , Jabed AhmedOld comments from Pope Leo disappoint LGBTQ+ activists
Saturday 10 May 2025 22:00 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV, in remarks in 2012 when he was the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, made comments critical of what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.
The remarks were “disappointing,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a US-based group that advocates for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church.
“We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his (Leo’s) heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened,” DeBernardo said in a statement.
A 2012 video provided to Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. bishops conference, featured Prevost's address to the World Synod of Bishops against the backdrop of images from popular TV series and movies.
“Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel, for example, abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia,” Prevost said.
He singled out “how alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today.”
Cardinal reveals how close real conclave was to the film
Saturday 10 May 2025 21:00 , Jabed AhmedVatican confirms Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for his first week as pontiff
Saturday 10 May 2025 20:00 , Jabed AhmedThe Vatican has released Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for his first week as pontiff:
- Saturday May 10 he will meet with the Cardinals
- Sunday May 11 he is set to deliver his first noon blessing from the loggia
- Monday May 12 he has an audience with the media
- Friday May 16 he will meet with global diplomats
- Sunday May 18 he will celebrate his first Mass at St. Peter’s Square
- Wednesday May 21 he will holds his first general audience
The new Pope has also been invited to travel to Turkey at the end of May to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea – a landmark event in Christian history and an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations.
Watch | MAGA meltdown over 'woke Marxist' Pope Leo
Saturday 10 May 2025 19:00 , Jabed AhmedIs Pope Leo XIV a Chicago White Sox or Chicago Cubs fan?
Saturday 10 May 2025 18:00 , Jabed AhmedAs Chicago-native Robert Francis Prevost walked out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, sports fans in unison had one question.
James Liddell answers the all-important question: Does the American Pope root for the Chicago Cubs or the Chicago White Sox?
Former protégé describes the new American leader of the Catholic Church
Saturday 10 May 2025 17:00 , Jabed AhmedFather Rob Hagan had always referred to him as “Bob”.
Now, he said, “referring to him as Pope Leo XIV is just an honour.”
In an interview with The Independent, Fr Hagan said Pope Leo was “incredibly bright” and speaks several languages, but he was also a kind person.
“He has a real approachability and warmth, a twinkle in his eye, he’s really a gift to the church and to the world.”
Read the full interview below:
A ‘twinkle in his eye’: Former protégé describes American set to lead Catholic Church
Childhood neighbour predicted Robert Prevost would become Pope
Saturday 10 May 2025 15:59 , Jabed AhmedOne of Pope Leo XIV's neighbours intuited when he was still a young boy that he would someday become pope.
John Prevost, one of Leo's brothers, says he thinks it happened when Leo was in first grade.
"One of the neighbourhood ladies across the street said to him, 'You will be the first American pope,"' he said. "How she did that, who knows?"
Analysis: Is Leo XIV the Pope who's going to take on Trump?
Saturday 10 May 2025 15:28 , Jabed AhmedA clue as to how Prevost sees his role as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics comes in his choice of papal name, Catherine Pepinster writes.
In the Catholic world, a Leo is seen as a reformer pope. And the new Pope could prove no laughing matter for the US president and his team.
Read her full analysis below:
What is the history behind the name Leo?
Saturday 10 May 2025 14:59 , Jabed AhmedThe former cardinal Robert Prevost chose the name Leo as his papal name, becoming the 14th Pope to do so.
The choice has been fairly widely credited to the last Pope to hold that name, Pope Leo XIII, who headed the church from 1878 to 1903.
Leo XIII was known for his devoted focus on social justice issues, and is often credited with laying the foundation for modern Catholic social teaching.
Another Leo had one of the shortest pontificates in history. Pope Leo XI lasted from 1 April 1605 until his death on 27 April 1605.
Read more about the history of papal names here:
Pope Leo XIV: What the new pope’s name choice says about his future plans
Duke of Edinburgh to represent King at inauguration of Pope Leo
Saturday 10 May 2025 14:30 , Jabed AhmedThe Duke of Edinburgh will represent the King at the inauguration of the new Pope next weekend, Buckingham Palace has said.
Edward will travel to the Vatican to attend Pope Leo XIV’s formal installation as pope at a mass in St Peter’s Square on 18 May.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.”
Buckingham Palace previously said the King had sent a private message congratulating the Pope on his election and passing on his and the Queen’s most sincere good wishes for his pontificate.
The King had developed a strong bond with Pope Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis over the years and met him in person while in Italy not long before the Church leader’s death last month.
The Prince of Wales, a future head of the Church of England, represented his father during Pope Francis’s funeral mass in St Peter’s Square on 26 April.
In pictures | Pope Leo's first address to Catholic cardinals
Saturday 10 May 2025 13:48 , Jabed Ahmed
Leo identifies AI as a main challenge for humanity
Saturday 10 May 2025 13:43 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV has identified artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity.
In his first formal audience, he identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labour.
Leo referred to AI in explaining the choice of his name: His namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was pope from 1878 to 1903 and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought.
He did so most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age.
The late pope criticized both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching.
In his remarks Saturday, Leo said he identified with his predecessor, who addressed the great social question of the day posed by the industrial revolution in the encyclical.
“In our own day, the church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour,” he said.
Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it.
Cardinal Prevost put his head in his hands as papacy loomed
Saturday 10 May 2025 13:28 , Jabed AhmedAs US Cardinal Robert Prevost realised during the secret conclave that he might be elected the next Catholic pope, he put his head in his hands at the daunting prospect of leading the 1.4-billion-member Church, a cardinal has said.
New Jersey Cardinal Joseph Tobin, one of the other 132 clerics locked inside the Sistine Chapel with Prevost for the conclave, said he looked at the future pope during one of the last ballots.
"I took a look at Bob, because his name had been floating around and he had his head in his hands," Tobin said, using Prevost's nickname.
"I was praying for him, because I couldn't imagine what happens to a human being when you're facing something like that."
"And then when he accepted, it was like he was made for it," said Tobin.
"Whatever anguish was resolved. I think … God had made something clear and he agreed with it."
Pope Leo tells cardinals they must continue 'precious legacy' of Pope Francis
Saturday 10 May 2025 13:27 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV has signaled he would continue with the vision and reforms of Pope Francis, telling the world's Catholic cardinals the late pontiff left a "precious legacy" that they must continue.
In his first meeting with all the cardinals since his election as pontiff on 8 May, Leo also asked the senior clerics to renew their commitment to major Church reforms enacted by the landmark Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
Leo said Francis, who died on 21 April and broadly had a vision of opening the staid 1.4-billion-member Church to the modern world, had left an "example of complete dedication to service."
"Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey," the new pope instructed the cardinals.
The pontiff also asked the clerics to "renew together our complete commitment" to the reforms enacted by the Council, which included celebrating the Mass in local languages rather than Latin and pursuing dialogue with other religions.
He cited Francis' focus on "courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities."
Watch | Cardinal Dolan says Robert Prevost will make a 'darn good pope'
Saturday 10 May 2025 12:59 , Jabed AhmedICYMI | White House says there is no bad blood between Trump and new Pope
Saturday 10 May 2025 12:28 , Jabed AhmedThe White House says there is no bad blood between Donald Trump and the new pope, Leo XIV, despite the latter’s apparent criticism of JD Vance previously.
In a briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated a post by the president on Truth Social on Thursday, in which he hailed Leo.
“He is very proud to have an American pope,” Leavitt in response the prior social media posts. “It’s a great thing for the United States of America and for the world, and we are praying for him.”
As a cardinal, Leo – previously Cardinal Robert Prevost – posted online challenging the vice president’s interpretation of Catholic theology.
Pope Leo accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse
Saturday 10 May 2025 11:59 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo has been accused of failing to properly investigate allegations of child sexual abuse against priests in his churches in Chicago and Peru.
Tom Watling reports:
Pope Leo accused of not properly investigating allegations of child sexual abuse
ICYMI | Harry Styles was spotted in the crowd as Pope Leo XIV was elected
Saturday 10 May 2025 11:29 , Jabed AhmedHarry Styles was spotted among the crowds gathered in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV was elected as the late Pope Francis’s successor.
A photo emerged of the One Director star among the crowds wearing sunglasses, a blue jacket, and a grey baseball cap emblazoned with the message: “Techno is My Boyfriend.”
Fans are, predictably, going wild over the photo.
Our Music Editor Roisin O’Connor reports:
Harry Styles fans go wild as pop star spotted at the Vatican
Vatican confirms Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for his first week as pontiff
Saturday 10 May 2025 11:00 , Rhian LubinThe Vatican has released Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for his first week as pontiff, per The Associated Press:
- Saturday May 10 he will meet with the Cardinals
- Sunday May 11 he is set to deliver his first noon blessing from the loggia
- Monday May 12 he has an audience with the media
- Friday May 16 he will meet with global diplomats
- Sunday May 18 he will celebrate his first Mass at St. Peter’s Square
- Wednesday May 21 he will holds his first general audience
The new Pope has also been invited to travel to Turkey at the end of May to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea – a landmark event in Christian history and an important moment in Catholic-Orthodox relations.
What's in a name? Pope Leo XIV’s name choice ‘signals he will continue work of Francis’
Saturday 10 May 2025 10:00 , Rhian LubinA Vatican spokesman confirmed Leo is a reference to Leo XIII – the last pontiff to have the name – who was head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903.
Leo XIII laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers’ rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age.
Leo could also refer to Brother Leo, the 13th century friar who was a great companion of St Francis of Assisi, it was claimed.
By choosing such a name, the new Pope could be signalling a strong continuity with Francis, who named himself after the saint.
Read on...
Pope Leo XIV’s name choice ‘signals he will continue work of Francis’
Cardinal reveals how close real conclave was to the film
Saturday 10 May 2025 09:37 , Jabed AhmedOld comments from Pope Leo disappoint LGBTQ+ activists
Saturday 10 May 2025 09:04 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV, in remarks in 2012 when he was the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, made comments critical of what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.
The remarks were “disappointing,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a US-based group that advocates for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church.
“We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his (Leo’s) heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened,” DeBernardo said in a statement.
A 2012 video provided to Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. bishops conference, featured Prevost's address to the World Synod of Bishops against the backdrop of images from popular TV series and movies.
“Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel, for example, abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia,” Prevost said.
He singled out “how alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today.”
JD Vance - 'I try not to play the politicization of the Pope game'
Saturday 10 May 2025 09:00 , Rhian LubinVice President JD Vance has said that he tries “not to play the politicization of the Pope game” after it emerged Pope Leo XIV publicly criticized him.
In February, Leo shared an opinion piece from the National Catholic Reporter, titled: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
He was referring to comments the vice president made about Christians needing to “prioritize” their love.
“I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with,” Vance told conservative commentator and radio host Hugh Hewitt Friday. “But I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all.”
Vance, who is a Catholic convert, added: “My attitude is, you know, the Church is about saving souls, and about spreading the Gospel. And yeah, it’s going to touch public policy from time to time as all human institutions do, but that’s not really what it’s about.”
Recap | Faith, power and missionary work: Pope Leo's first homily
Saturday 10 May 2025 08:47 , Jabed AhmedPope Leo XIV touched on faith, power and corruption in the homily of the first Mass he celebrated after being elected pontiff.
In impeccable Italian, Leo decried that in today's world "there are many contexts in which the Christian faith is considered something absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Contexts where other certainties are preferred, such as technology, money, success, power, pleasure.
“These are environments where it is not easy to bear witness to, and announce, the Gospel, and where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied.
“Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where mission is urgently needed. Because the lack of faith often carries with it tragedies such as the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, violations of human dignity in the most dramatic manners, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
Papal name historically signifies strength during crisis, Catholic commentator says
Saturday 10 May 2025 08:35 , Jabed AhmedThe election of American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has come as a surprise, Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson said.
“It seems likely to be a continuation of Francis’s liberalisation,” he told The Independent.
As for his choice of Papal name, Tomlinson said it had a long history.
“The papal name Leo unsurprisingly shows a Pope who is going to be strong during a time of crisis, historically,” he said.
The last pope to choose the name Leo was more than 100 years ago. Pope Leo XIII led the Church from 1878 to 1903. The first pope of the name, Pope Leo the Great, led the church from 440-461.
Pope Leo XI had one of the shortest pontificates in history, lasting less than a month - from 1 April 1605 until his death on 27 April 1605.
Owner of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home pulls it off the market
Saturday 10 May 2025 08:00 , Rhian LubinThe owner of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood Chicago home quickly pulled the listing Thursday after hearing that Robert Prevost had been elected pope, according to Curbed.
Pope Leo’s home where he grew up with his two brothers in Dolton, Illinois, had been for sale for $199,900.
Now, that figure could change according to the listing agent Steve Budzik, who said the house could even become a “museum or viewing center.”
“Every idea’s up in the air right now,” he told the outlet.
New Pope Leo is gentle, calm and unifying, says UK cardinal
Saturday 10 May 2025 07:33 , Jabed AhmedThe new Pope is a “citizen of the world” and the moment he accepted his election inside the secret conclave meeting brought “elation”, a cardinal who was there has said.
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, spoke of a “quite remarkable spirit of fraternity” during the time he and 132 others were sequestered away from the world to elect the new leader.
Cardinal Nichols, who is the Archbishop of Westminster, described Pope Leo XIV as gentle and calm, as well as decisive and unifying.
He told reporters in Rome: “He’s been a teacher, he’s been a diocesan bishop, he’s been a member of the Roman Curia.
“That’s a combination of talents that, I think, once it emerged and we’d reflected on the life of the Church, made it pretty clear that here was a man who was bringing the right depth and breadth of experience to the papacy.”
Watch: Cardinal Dolan jokes New Yorkers need to take it easy on Chicago's Pope Leo
Saturday 10 May 2025 07:00 , Rhian LubinReal conclave was nothing like the film, says cardinal
Saturday 10 May 2025 06:00 , Aine FoxThe conclave to elect Pope Leo XIV was “fraternal” in atmosphere without the high drama of the award-winning film of the same name, a cardinal on the inside has said.
Conclave, released late last year just months before the real-life secret meeting of cardinals in Rome this week, imagined the tension, bureaucracy, twists and turns behind the secret meeting to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church.
But Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales who was taking part in his first conclave, insisted reality could not have been further from the silver screen drama.
Read more.
