In his inaugural homily, Pope Leo XIV calls for a Church rooted in love, unity, and mission, urging the faithful to become a leaven of peace in a divided world.
In his inaugural homily, Pope Leo XIV calls for a Church rooted in love, unity, and mission, urging the faithful to become a leaven of peace in a divided world.
Pope Leo XIV met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican to discuss church-state collaboration, religious freedom, and global conflicts, following his inaugural Mass.
Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for “a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is a native of Chicago who spent the first third of his life in the United States before his ministry took him to Peru and, more recently, to Rome. There, he served as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, advising Pope Francis on episcopal appointments around the globe.
As the Catholic Church welcomed its 267th pope, Leo XIV – elected May 8 – attention quickly turned to the first moments of his pontificate. The first weeks of a papacy often give a hint as to how the entire pontificate will look.
Both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV on May 18, the vice president’s office said.
While in Rome for the tournament May 14, the world’s highest-ranked tennis player walked into the halls of the Vatican and met with Pope Leo XIV, who proved to be a well-informed spectator of the young champion.
Teaching should be lived as ministry and mission, Pope Leo XIV told the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers or the Christian Brothers.
During a meeting with Eastern Catholics, many of whom come from war-torn regions of the world, Pope Leo XIV pledged the Vatican’s full commitment to promoting peace and reconciliation.
Augustinian Father Robert Hagan said that fellow order member Pope Leo XIV has “always been a brother to us” — one who encouraged him from his early days to his own leadership role in the order.