Pope Leo XIV Reveals the Key to Demonstrating Holiness

ROME REPORTS in English

Oct 21, 2026  #RomeReports #Vatican #CatholicChurch

Behind every canonization lies a lengthy process: the Church must determine who that person was, how they lived, and what legacy they left behind. A reputation for holiness can pave the way, but for the pope, that alone is not enough. 

  Rome Reports is an international news agency covering the Pope, the Vatican, Rome and the Catholic Church, as well as major social, cultural and religious debates

Pope Leo speaks with President Zelensky, calls for humanitarian aid

Pope Leo and President Zelensky during an audience in Castel Gandolfo, July 2025 (VATICAN MEDIA)

In a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian President, Pope Leo XIV expresses his hope for cooperation to allow food and medical aid to reach civilians in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and for their safe evacuation.

Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke over the telephone on Monday, 19 October.

During the conversation, according to a statement, "the Holy Father recalled the grave situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and made reference to the request for a humanitarian ceasefire that he had presented to the President of the Russian Federation".

The Pope also expressed his hope that "cooperation between both parties will allow for the delivery of food and medical aid", as well as for the "voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population".

Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.

Source

Faithful gather to welcome Pope Leo back for Sunday blessing after cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV has returned to the Vatican after undergoing surgery to remove a lung tumor

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press and TRISHA THOMPSON Associated Press

October 18, 2026, 5:41 AM



VATICAN CITY -- Catholic faithful converged on St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to welcome Pope Leo XIV back to the Vatican after surgery to remove a tumor from his lung.

Leo is delivering the traditional Angelus blessing, his first official appointment since being released from the hospital on Saturday, four days after cancer surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

He told a reporter in English that he was doing ‘’much better’’ as he drove away from Rome’s Gemelli hospital to return to the Vatican, well ahead of the weeklong hospital stay than had been initially anticipated.

“I don’t believe it, because he was just operated on the other day,” Cosimo Mastrocinque, a retired factory worker visiting the Vatican from the southern region of Puglia, said. “It is a miracle that he recovered already.”

American tourists were especially eager to pray alongside the first pope born in the United States. Marla Marsala of Michigan was supposed to attend a Mass with the pope last week that was canceled due to his hospitalization.

‘’I am just happy that we are praying with him today instead of for him, like we were before,’’ Marsala said. "It was a tough week for all of the people who love him, which are many. He seems like a very strong soul. So I think he will pull through and fight it, and succeed and keep doing the wonderful work he is doing.''

Claire Holland from Jacksonville, Florida, said she felt “very blessed” to be present for the pope’s return to his flock.

“I’m so happy that he has recovered so quickly. I think there have been millions and millions of prayers. And he is a strong determined man, and I am so happy that he is feeling well enough to do this,” Holland said.

Leo's next major engagement is an ambitious Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, including a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high altitudes. His surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, told Vatican News on Saturday that there are “no clinical reasons” to preclude the trip.


“The Holy Father has put his heart and soul into his recovery,” Margaritora told Vatican News, adding that he expected the pope to recover fully from surgery “in another 10 days or so.”

“As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place,” Margaritora said.

Histological testing of the tumor and related lymph nodes was underway. The results, along with details of the tumor’s molecular and genetic makeup, will help doctors determine whether the pope needs additional treatment. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or targeted oral therapy based on the tumor’s genetic characteristics.

_____

Source

Pope Leo XIV’s University Holds Second International Sustainability Conference Despite His Absence

 Pope Leo XIV’s University Holds Second International Sustainability Conference Despite His Absence

ROME REPORTS in English

Oct 16, 2026 

For Pope Leo XIV, sustainability is a moral responsibility. Building on Pope Francis’ mission to protect our “common home,” Pope Leo XIV has continued to emphasize the connection between environmental care, human dignity, and the protection of the most vulnerable. 

Rome Reports is an international news agency covering the Pope, the Vatican, Rome and the Catholic Church, as well as major social, cultural and religious debates.

The Vatican's 'unusual' transparency about Pope Leo's cancer

The Vatican's 'unusual' transparency about Pope Leo's cancer

Reuters  

Oct 14, 2026  

'Communication about Pope Leo's health has shown a kind of level of unusual transparency for the Vatican,' says Joshua McElwee, as the pontiff recovers from a surgery that removed a cancerous lung nodule and one lobe of his lower right lung.

World prays for Pope Leo after lung cancer diagnosis

By Joshua McElwee

October 14, 20263:09 AM EDTU

A person holds a picture of Pope Leo on the day of a mass marking the 10th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, including special prayers for the health of Pope Leo, who is in a hospital after lung surgery, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 14, 2026. 

REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

Summary 

Doctors remove part of pope's right lung to eliminate cancerous tissue

Vatican expected to release more details on Wednesday

Pope expected to remain in hospital about a week, Vatican said earlier

November 6 to 17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru remains unclear

VATICAN CITY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - World leaders, Catholics across the globe and senior cardinals at the Vatican offered prayers for Pope Leo on Wednesday after ‌doctors announced the 71-year-old pontiff had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had part of one lung removed.
The cancer diagnosis for a pope known to be relatively young and energetic and who was elected only in May 2025 caused shock.

A prayer was recited for Leo to have a good convalescence and complete healing during an open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square on ​Wednesday following the surgery.

The pope was diagnosed on Tuesday with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, after doctors removed the lower lobe ​of his right lung during an operation.
Leo spent a peaceful night in hospital, the Vatican said, adding that further information about ⁠his condition would be released later on Wednesday.

The pontiff had been admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital after doctors discovered a growth during a recent routine health ​check.

The operation lasted about 90 minutes and was completed without complications, the pope's lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, said late on Tuesday.

The ​doctors said in a joint statement that the entire lower lobe of the right lung was removed in an effort to eliminate all cancerous tissue. Human lungs have five lobes — three in the right lung and two in the left.

The Vatican has not disclosed the size of the tumour or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, key factors in ​determining prognosis.

Leo is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker or to have had recent ​health issues.

Trump Touts Pastor’s Support for Hasan Execution Livestream as Pope Objects

Trump Touts Pastor’s Support for Hasan Execution Livestream as Pope Objects


PUBLISHED

OCT 10, 2026 AT 05:27 PM EDT

UPDATED

OCT 11, 2026 AT 09:39 AM EDT

By Steve Mollman

News Editor

President Donald Trump promoted a pastor’s biblical defense of livestreaming Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan’s execution on Saturday, even as the president said he would personally decide whether the controversial broadcast goes ahead.

Trump reposted a report featuring Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas and a longtime Trump ally, who argued that the public execution would demonstrate the sanctity of human life.

The post sharpened a divide among religious leaders after Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to capital punishment and the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops directly condemned the proposed livestream.

It also came as opposition widened among Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans who support executing Hasan but oppose livestreaming it.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Saturday.

Source

Peter Thiel slams Obama, Pope Leo in new ‘Antichrist’ lectures

The tech billionaire accused them of using AI concerns to “boost their own popularity,” according to recordings obtained by POLITICO.

 

Peter Thiel made the remarks in his latest "Antichrist" lecture series in Nashville, according to recordings obtained by POLITICO. | Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images

By Calder McHugh

10/08/2026 1:48 PM EDT


Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is escalating his attacks on critics of artificial intelligence, accusing former President Barack Obama and the pope of exploiting the public’s fears about AI, according to exclusive recordings of closed-door lectures obtained by Decoded by POLITICO.

In a new series of talks in Nashville, Thiel singled out the two leaders as he sharpened his warnings about the Antichrist — a figure who he sees as stopping the progress of technology and advocating for a “one world government” of regulation.

“Many people know that AI is politically unpopular and want to leverage that to boost their own popularity,” Thiel said. “Both Obama and the pope fall into this category. Obama knows the Democrats have no ideas,

 but they can at least oppose AI.”

The former president recently urged Democrats to come up with a more comprehensive plan on AI.

Thiel was even more critical of Pope Leo XIV, suggesting his focus on AI was an attempt to divert attention from the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals.

“He needed something politically popular to distract from the church’s child sex abuse scandals, and he found it in AI,” Thiel said, referring to the pope’s first encyclical on AI.

Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees message

written by Pope Leo XIV 

6:30 AM September 27, 2026

Pope Leo XIV smiles at a child at the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, June 12, 2026, on the day he meets with migrants and humanitarian organizations. On Aug. 14, the Vatican published Pope Leo XIV's message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees which reflects on the theme: "Even Just One of These Children." (OSV News photo/Yara Nardi, Reuters)


(OSV News) — The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 message for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees celebrated by the Church on Sept. 27.

Even Just One of These Children (cf. Mt 18:10)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Each year the World Day of Migrants and Refugees invites us to turn our attention to different aspects of the complex phenomenon of migration. For this 112th World Day, the theme, “Even just one of these children,” draws our attention to the minors directly involved in the experience of migration and flight, to the care owed to them, and to the Lord’s promise that “whoever receives one such child in my name receives me” (Mk 9:37).
Displaced minors: a complex reality of vulnerability

Minors are the most vulnerable group within the global movements of migration. They are concrete faces, who have unique stories, and call on our conscience. Every year, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homeland because of war, poverty, violence, environmental disasters and other tragedies. Sadly, their number continues to grow. The economic, political and military consequences of this disaster are immense. The suffering of migrant children does not end with their relocation. There are very young children who have lost parents, brothers, sisters and friends, and who have witnessed unspeakable acts of violence. Others, separated from their families for long periods, try to reunite with them while enduring the anguish of separation. There are also minors who make the journey together with their parents, yet are exposed to extreme and traumatic conditions. Finally, we cannot forget the tragic situation of those separated from their parents because of repatriation.


To this already appalling situation are added further tragedies: deaths along migration routes, trafficking and exploitation, the recruitment of minors for use in armed conflicts, sexual violence, forced marriages, and the atrocities they have suffered or witnessed during their travels. Their dignity is trampled upon in countless ways.

In his Message for the 2017 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, dedicated to the theme “Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless”, Pope Francis recalled that migrant children “in a threefold way are defenseless: they are children, they are foreigners, and they have no means to protect themselves. I ask everyone to help those who, for various reasons, are forced to live far from their homeland and are separated from their families.”

Yet, amid so much darkness, the light of solidarity is not lacking. Individuals, families, civil institutions and ecclesial communities choose not to pass by on the other side (cf. Lk 10:29-37). We think of the families who open the doors of their homes in order to restore to these children the warmth of a family hearth; the educators who serve in reception centers; the volunteers and aid workers who each day devote themselves to healing the invisible wounds of these little ones along migration routes and in our cities. They bear witness through their commitment that love can overcome indifference.

LIVE: Pope Leo visits Metz, France

LIVE: Pope Leo visits Metz, France

Reuters

Pope Leo finishes his four-day visit to France with meetings and a mass in the eastern city of Metz, before returning to Rome.

LIVE: Pope Leo visits France

Pope Leo XIV to the world: Migrant kids are everyone's responsibility

Story by Miguel Paiva 

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on September 23, 2026.© Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP via Getty Images

Pope Leo XIV saved the most forceful words of his weekly general audience for its final minutes. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, before a crowd of several thousand pilgrims filling St. Peter's Square, he urged a worldwide effort to shield children who leave home as migrants or refugees. "I appeal to everyone's sense of responsibility," the pontiff said, according to Reuters.

The timing was deliberate. Four days from now, the Catholic Church holds its annual day for migrants and refugees, and the 2026 edition places children at its center.

The morning's main teaching dealt with a different subject. Leo reflected on how the Second Vatican Council valued human labor and scientific progress in the world, drawing on the constitution Gaudium et Spes, as Vatican News summarized.

Only when he turned to greet Italian-speaking pilgrims did he shift to the plight of displaced minors.
What the Pope Said About Children on the Move

Leo called children and teenagers the most exposed group within migration flows. He described what many face on the journey, from violence and torture to exploitation and experiences that leave deep psychological scars, and he noted that a considerable number never survive the trip.

Pope Leo XIV Urges Ecological Conversion: “It Is Not Yet Too Late”

Pope Leo XIV Urges Ecological Conversion: “It Is Not Yet Too Late”

ByRaju Hasmukh
September 2, 2026

Pope Leo XIV (Credit Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV calls for ecological conversion, urging Christians to care for creation, aid the poor, and transform destruction into life.

News Room (September 2, 2026, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians worldwide to embrace an “authentic ecological conversion,” urging believers to renew their commitment to caring for creation, supporting the poor, and restoring harmony within the natural world.


Speaking during a Mass for the Care of Creation in the Garden of the Madonnina del Borgo Laudato Si’, located within the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by reflecting on humanity’s relationship with the environment and its Creator. His homily also inaugurated the annual Season of Creation, a five-week period dedicated to prayer, reflection, and action for the protection of the Earth.

Drawing from the liturgical readings, Pope Leo emphasized that creation itself serves as a pathway to God. Referencing the Book of Wisdom, he encouraged the faithful to move beyond simple admiration of nature’s beauty and power and instead recognize the Creator behind it.

He noted that natural phenomena such as fire, wind, flowing water, and the stars evoke wonder, but their deepest significance lies in pointing humanity toward God. Likewise, he highlighted Psalm 18, which proclaims that the heavens and the firmament reveal the glory and handiwork of the Creator.

The Pope also reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which speaks of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He said these examples reveal not only the beauty of creation but also God’s special concern for humanity. If God provides for plants and animals with such care, he explained, believers can trust in the divine attention given to human needs.

Set amid the natural surroundings of Castel Gandolfo’s gardens, the celebration underscored the Pope’s invitation to contemplation. He encouraged people to step back from the pace and noise of modern life in order to experience the harmony of creation more deeply.

According to Pope Leo, this practice of contemplation is not simply an appreciation of nature but the first step toward a profound spiritual transformation. He described it as an “authentic ecological conversion,” in which an encounter with Jesus Christ becomes evident in the way individuals relate to the world around them.

They're Trying To Unite All Religions… But There's One Problem

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel takes on popes, delves into end-times theology

Peter Thiel speaks with attendees at the 2022 Converge Tech Summit in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

by Brian Fraga

Staff Reporter

July 15, 2026

In the last two weeks, the billionaire venture tech capitalist Peter Thiel has accused Pope Leo XIV of being a Chinese communist agent and insinuated in the pages of a prominent interreligious journal that Pope Francis was an Antichrist figure.

Thiel, a co-founder of Palantir and PayPal who has risen to prominence as a conservative political activist, has articulated an apocalyptic worldview that he says is consistent with traditional Christian theology but that his critics say is more aligned with Cold War-era geopolitics.

His interest in end times theology was even lampooned in the recently completed 28th season of "South Park," where Thiel was portrayed as a biblical prophecy expert, equipped with his own theme song, who speaks on the end of days to an elementary school assembly.

Thiel's stated concerns that the Antichrist will be manifested by a one-world government or by Luddites who aim to stop or slow technological progress was a subtext in several provocative comments he made at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on June 30.

As reported by CNN, Thiel delivered a series of dire warnings and predictions about the future of artificial intelligence and the West, even accusing Pope Leo XIV of inadvertently serving as a "Chinese communist agent" because of the pontiff's calls for AI to be regulated.

According to Thiel's logic, while Leo's recent encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas, may influence American policymakers, it is unlikely that Chinese leaders will heed the document's warnings.

Thiel argued that the encyclical threatens to slow down only one side of the "race between the U.S. and China" to advance AI. Leo, Thiel surmised, is thus "working for the Chinese Communists." CNN reported that the Aspen audience responded with laughter.

While it garnered chuckles, Thiel's comments about Leo revealed a Cold War mentality taken to a new intense level, said Massimo Faggioli, a theologian and church historian at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Pope Leo appoints Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly to Vatican dicastery

written by Courtney Mares 3:05 PM August 25, 2026

Pope Leo XIV meets with Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly of the Knights of Columbus Oct. 6, 2025, during an audience with a Knights delegation at the Vatican. On Aug. 25, 2026, Pope Leo appointed Kelly as a member of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)


(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 25 appointed the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

Kelly has served as the supreme Knight and CEO of the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization since 2021. The Knights of Columbus have 2.1 million members throughout the world.

“I am deeply grateful to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for appointing me as a member of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life,” Kelly said following the Vatican’s announcement.

“Since our founding by Blessed Michael McGivney in 1882, the Knights of Columbus has been dedicated to strengthening Catholic laymen in the faith, to supporting Catholic family life and to building up a culture of life,” he added. “I look forward to supporting this vital work of the Catholic Church.”

As a member of the Vatican dicastery, Kelly will contribute to the dicastery’s mission of enhancing the apostolate of the lay faithful, the pastoral care of young people and the mission of the family according to God’s plan. The dicastery is also dedicated to the promotion and protection of life and the dignity of the elderly.

 
About 2 dozen serve as members of dicastery

About two dozen people, including cardinals, married lay couples and scholars from around the world, currently serve as members of the laity dicastery. Kelly will join fellow American members Helen Alvaré, lecturer at the George Mason University School of Law, and Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington. The role does not require members to move to Rome.

Pope Francis established the dicastery in 2016, combining the responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, the former bishop of Dallas, has served as the prefect of the dicastery since its founding.

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life plays a key role in organizing World Youth Day, the next which is scheduled to take place in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 3-8, 2027. The dicastery also organizes the World Meeting of Families and the annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

The Vatican Foreign Minister in Russia: "This War Must End"

 

Pastoral Visit to Republic of San Marino: Arrival of Pope Leo XIV and Welcome Ceremony

The Vatican isn’t a campaign stop and Rep. Salazar shouldn’t have treated it as one | Opinion

Mary Anna Mancuso

Wed, August 19, 2026 at 3:08 PM EDT

As a Catholic, I'm offended. As a Floridian, I'm exhausted. It seems there are no lengths to which U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Miami Republican, won't go to promote her immigration bill.

Even the pope isn't off limits. Last week, after meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, she quickly took to social media to say she was grateful to "place the DIGNITY Act in the Holy Father's hands." The video posted to her social media channels, shot in front of the Vatican, was in poor taste. What I saw was a South Florida congresswoman using the Vatican as a backdrop to push her legislation.

You don't have to be Catholic to understand why it's offensive. It looks like Salazar used her meeting with the pope to create the impression of support for her legislation. That should bother anyone, religious or not.

The meeting itself wasn't a problem. There's nothing wrong with an elected official discussing immigration with the pope. Immigration is both a moral and political issue that affects millions, and people of faith often bring their convictions into public life.

Leo has spoken directly on immigration. On June 25, 2026, the pope wrote a letter to America marking the 250th anniversary of the United States: "To receive [immigrants] with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person," he wrote.

Many politicians have visited the Vatican and afterward have posted photos of their time with the pope. I don't think that's wrong. The difference is that Salazar used the opportunity to spotlight her legislation. The pope hasn't endorsed her bill; she shouldn't be trying to make it look that way.

But in politics, optics matter. And that was the point. Salazar, in what appeared to be a staged moment, created an impression the facts don't support.

Salazar's office told me it was "entirely appropriate to discuss immigration and the bipartisan work she is leading" during the visit. The statement from her office said Salazar spoke with the pope "about immigration and the dignity of migrants, issues that are central to the Catholic Church and that Pope Leo himself has made a priority, and shared with him the bipartisan solution she has been working on for years."

Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) spoke with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Aug. 13, 2026

Matthew McConaughey drops new hint about politics after meeting Pope Leo XIV Story by Eren Waris

Story by Eren Waris

Matthew McConaughey drops new hint about politics after meeting Pope Leo XIV

Matthew McConaughey drops new hint about politics after meeting Pope Leo XIV

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Actor Matthew McConaughey said he could see himself “adding to or working on” a constitution built around common ground among religions.

McConaughey, who calls himself an aggressively centrist Christian, has previously been asked about running for office, including governor of his home state.

The comments came in a USA TODAY interview, published on Saturday, August 15, after his meeting with Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City.

Actors Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey speak onstage at Nokia Theatre LA Live on August 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Matthew McConaughey says religion could inform politics

McConaughey said he sees common ground among religions as something that could inform a political system.

“There’s still a constitution out there to be written that all religions could agree on,” he told USA TODAY. “There's so much commonality.”

He said he was interested in the possibility of “adding to or working on” such a constitution, calling it “a great thing to share.”

Pope Leo XIV waves as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

McConaughey also drew a line between religious teachings and the separation of church and state.

“Even though I agree with the separation of church and state, the values of those should bleed down into the values of any political system,” he said.