Vatican News

Ahead of the 2028 ecclesial assembly for the Synod on Synodality, the Vatican has called on dioceses to provide an assessment of their implementation of synodality.The General Secretariat of the Synod published the document “Recollecting” on July 27, providing diocesan synodal teams with a resource...

In response to a question about summer advice, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of remembering those most in need during the holidays.The question and answer were both published in the July/August 2026 issue of Piazza San Pietro, the official magazine of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. As...

On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife, mother to a large family, lady-in-waiting to a queen, and founder of a religious order that still exists today.1. St. Bridget experienced her first vision at age 10.Bridget,...

The Vatican will study the conditions needed for a possible trip by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said following a six-day pastoral and diplomatic mission to the war-torn country.Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organization...

Pope Leo XIV this week urged U.S. religious superiors to prioritize community life, describing it as a place of “witness and strength.” The Vatican published the letter on July 22 addressed to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in the United States being held in Phoenix from July 20–23. The le...

Pope Leo XIV has written a foreword to a new book, calling for peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons.Originally published by Vatican News, the pontiff’s text is part of the new book “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” published by the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vatican...

Pope Leo XIV visited two major pilgrimage sites in Italy while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo, stopping at the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity in Vallepietra and the St. Benedict Monastery in Subiaco.As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff traveled to the two pilgrimage sites on Ju...

The Vatican on July 22 denied reports circulating on blogs and social media that Father Marko Rupnik, the former Jesuit accused by several women religious of sexual abuse, had been acquitted.Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, described reports that the judges overseeing the case ha...

Pope Leo XIV has appointed another Chinese bishop under the agreement on episcopal appointments reached between the Holy See and authorities in Beijing during the pontificate of Pope Francis.Father Joseph Chang Yanfeng was ordained Wednesday as the new bishop of Chifeng in China’s Inner Mongolia reg...

The prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, explained the fundamental qualities sought when selecting candidates for the episcopate.In a recent interview with the Croatian Catholic weekly Glas Koncila (Voice of the Council), Iannone elaborated on the role of the Dicastery f...

Pope Leo XIV warned Sunday against imagining God as “a powerful figure who imposes himself by force, who takes over and dominates, or who arrives triumphantly” and urged Christians to embrace a Gospel-centered approach marked by humility and trust.Speaking before the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square...

A new medal named after Pope Leo XIV to recognize individuals who have worked toward ecological sustainability will be introduced in October 2026.The pontiff will personally present the “Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal” at the International Sustainability Conference, to be held at the Patristic In...