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Author: Ishmael Adibuah
The Vatican Christmas tree in 2021 was a nearly 100-foot-tall white fir from a mountain village in the central Italian region of Abruzzo. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Jennifer Hudson to headline Vatican Christmas concert for the poor

The American R&B singer and others will perform in the presence of Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 5.
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, celebrates the seventh Novendiales Mass for Pope Francis on May 2, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican official to visit Holy Land to bring closeness of Pope Leo XIV

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti will visit Israel and Palestine from Nov. 16–21 on behalf of the pontiff. Amid the
The Pauline Chapel at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major

Restoration to begin on important chapel of Marian basilica in Rome

Work in the Baroque-styled chapel, which houses the ancient “Salus Populi Romani” icon, will begin on Nov. 16.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, answers questions from journalists during a conference at the Vatican Apostolic Library on March 26, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

Cardinal Parolin on U.S. midterm elections: ‘Let’s hope that reason and common sense prevail’

The Vatican secretary of state responded to questions from journalists this week about the elections. Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Pope Leo XIV waves as he boards the plane ITA Airways A321, as he departed Rome to begin his apostolic journey to France on Sept. 25, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

New book recounts stories of papal flights from John Paul II to Leo XIV

Rino Anastasio shares personal anecdotes about caring for the popes on board, ranging from worries about insufficient fuel
On March 30, 1926, Cardinal Willem van Rossum, prefect of Propaganda Fide, announced Pius XI’s decision to consecrate the first six Chinese bishops, a ceremony that was held in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 28, 1926. | Credit: Public domain

Pope Leo XIV praises Chinese Catholics for unity 100 years after consecration of their first bishops

The pope sent a message to a conference in Rome marking the anniversary, where attendees discussed the Vatican’s
Pope Leo XIV greets newlyweds and sick and disabled people, including a young child in a wheelchair, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall after the Wednesday general audience on Sept. 10, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV chooses community as theme for World Day of the Sick 2027

In 2027, the Church will mark the 35th anniversary of the commemoration. Pope Leo XIV has chosen community
Press conference to present the fifth annual report of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform at the Holy See Press Office in Rome on Nov. 4, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican publishes digital atlas honoring Pope Francis’ ecological vision

The Laudato Si’ Platform launched the map during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office on
Pope Leo XIV prays in front of ruins of the 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV encourages Middle Eastern Christians to become ‘servants of peace’

The pontiff held a private audience on Wednesday with a delegation from L’Oeuvre d’Orient, which has supported Eastern
Pope Leo XIV embraces a child after landing in Metz, France, on Sept. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV to young people: Make room for Christ whenever you feel lonely

The Vatican on Tuesday released the pontiff’s message for the 41st World Youth Day, to be held in
Pope Leo XIV speaks during his private audience with participants of the meeting “The Future of AI: A Dialogue Between the Vatican and the Scientific World on the Development and Applications of Intelligent Technologies” at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 30, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV: AI can never be a person; its future depends on our choices

The pontiff met on Friday with participants in a Vatican AI conference organized by the Pontifical Academy for
The conference “The Holy See in the Face of Totalitarian Systems in the 20th Century: New Perspectives and Research Directions” took place at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from Oct. 28–29, 2026. | Credit: Dariusz Skrzyniarz/Instytut Pamięci Narodowej

Rome conference asks whether the Church did enough to resist totalitarian regimes

During the conference, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also warned nations against the temptation to “be
Credit: FreshStock/Shutterstock

China-Vatican deal has imperfections, Vatican’s foreign minister says

Archbishop Paul Gallagher acknowledged the agreement’s challenges in a meeting with journalists in Rome. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the
Pope Leo XIV with some executives of Mercedes-Benz after his private audience with them at the Vatican on Oct. 28, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Mercedes-Benz marks long history of making cars for the pope

Pope Leo XIV also met with the executives of the German auto company on Wednesday. Mercedes-Benz, the German
Pope Leo XIV presides over a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, April 11, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

‘There is no such thing as a holy war’: Pope Leo marks 40 years of Assisi peace meeting

The pontiff, who canceled his trip to Assisi on medical advice, sent a video message to the meeting
Pope Leo XIV blesses the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret after his private audience with them at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV: Cultivate charity to heal our divisions

The pontiff held a private audience on Monday with the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret. Pope
“The Church of the Sheaves: An International Gathering in Rome on Mission as an Exchange of Gifts” began at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome on Oct. 22, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

Conference in Rome addresses welcoming missionaries amid migration tensions

The “Church of the Sheaves” conference discussed integrating and supporting new missionaries in the Western world. Amid rising
Pope Leo XIV, with St. Peter’s Basilica behind him, waves to pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 23, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope invites young Catholics to Seoul as registration opens for World Youth Day 2027

The Vatican released the pontiff’s message on the feast of St. John Paul II, who established World Youth
Pope Leo XIV holds a framed copy of a paragraph of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, in Latin and Hebrew, as he poses with members of the American Jewish Committee in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican on Oct. 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV: Following St. John Paul II, the Church’s dialogue with Jews must continue

The pontiff met with a delegation of the American Jewish Committee at the Vatican on Thursday. Pope Leo
Pope Leo XIV delivers remarks during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican with participants in the “Holiness in History” conference on Oct. 21, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV: The world is poorer without saints

The pontiff met with participants of the “Holiness in History” conference at the Vatican on Wednesday. Pope Leo
Statue of St. Peter in the Vatican Gardens overlooking St. Peter's Basilica | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

Notre Dame, Boston College professors among new members of Vatican theological commission

The Vatican announced 24 new members to the International Theological Commission on Monday. Pope Leo XIV named 24
Pope Leo XIV smiles and waves to crowds at his general audience on Sept. 2, 2026, in St. Peter’s Square. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV to resume Wednesday general audience this week, skips Castel Gandolfo

Louis Prevost, the pope’s brother, expressed surprise in an interview that the South American trip would proceed. Pope
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals and pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, leads an international rosary at the Pontifical Urban College in Rome on Oct. 17, 2026, to mark the 100th anniversary of World Mission Sunday. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

International rosary in Rome held in advance of 100th World Mission Sunday

The rosary, recited in 13 languages, also marked the 75th anniversary of the World Mission Rosary by Blessed

Cardinal Parolin: Pope Leo’s demanding Latin America trip now depends on doctors

The Vatican secretary of state also said Thursday that the pontiff may have to “adjust his pontificate if

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