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

The Strangest Army on Earth | Inside the Vatican's Swiss Guard | ENDEVR Documentary

 The Strangest Army on Earth | Inside the Vatican's Swiss Guard | ENDEVR Documentary

ENDEVR

Oct 18, 2026 

The World's Strangest Army | Inside the Vatican's Swiss Guard | ENDEVR Documentary

They are heirs to a 500-year-old tradition in which mercenaries from Switzerland ensured the Pope’s protection and security. At the time, these fighters were considered the most seasoned and loyal. Trained to wield both halberds and semi- automatic assault rifles, the Swiss Guards form a unique army. But who are they really? What motivates these young boys to join this military and religious corps? An insight into a world usually closed to the cameras.

It’s the world's smallest and most mysterious army: the Pontifical Swiss Guard. We were granted exceptional access to these men of faith and combat, from their recruitment in Switzerland to their military training in the heart of the Vatican. Made up of 150 men, this elite corps lives in barracks in the heart of Vatican City. All must be Swiss nationals and devout Catholics. All have sworn to fight to the death to protect their faith and the Holy Father. We see them at official ceremonies, escorting the Pope with their armor and halberds from another era. But beyond the folkloric aspect of their costumes, these Swiss Guards receive top-level military training: martial arts, close protection, and handling of the latest automatic weapons.

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

The Shadow Pact: CIA, Vatican & the Mafia in the Cold War

Navroop Singh and Himja Parekh

Apr 19, 2025




The end of World War II in 1945 didn’t usher in peace so much as it ignited a new, frigid conflict i.e. the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union squared off in a global chess match, each seeking to outmanoeuvre the other through ideology, espionage, and proxy wars. In this shadowy arena, an alleged alliance emerged one so improbable yet chillingly plausible that it has fueled decades of debate. According to some historians and theorists, the Vatican, the CIA (born from the wartime OSS), the Sicilian Mafia, and even former Nazis joined forces to combat the Soviet threat. This covert network, they argue, orchestrated everything from bombings and coups to drug trafficking and assassinations, leaving a trail of intrigue that stretches from Europe to Latin America. While parts of this narrative rest on declassified documents and firsthand accounts, others teeter on the edge of conspiracy, blurred by the secrecy that defined the era. What follows is an exploration of this supposed pact, delving into its origins, its operations like Italy’s Operation Gladio and Latin America’s Operation Condor and its murky ties to organized crime.

The Postwar Crucible: A Convergence of Interests

The seeds of this alliance were sown in the chaotic aftermath of World War II. As Nazi Germany collapsed, the United States, through the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), sought to repurpose the Third Reich’s remnants against a new foe: the Soviet Union. Allen Dulles, a Swiss-based OSS operative who later became CIA director, was a pivotal figure. In 1945, he negotiated Operation Sunrise with SS General Karl Wolff in Bern, securing a partial German surrender in Italy. Some claim this was more than a pragmatic deal that ex-Nazis, via Vatican intermediaries, pitched a broader alliance to the U.S., offering peace in exchange for a joint fight against communism. The Vatican, fiercely anti-communist under Pope Pius XII, had its own postwar role i.e. the "Ratlines," escape routes that funneled Nazi officials like Adolf Eichmann to safety in South America. While often framed as humanitarian aid gone awry, these channels hint at deeper collaboration, aligning the Holy See with Western intelligence goals.

Meanwhile, the U.S. turned to an unlikely partner, the Sicilian Mafia. During the 1943 invasion of Sicily, the OSS enlisted Charles "Lucky" Luciano, a jailed mobster, to secure the island and protect New York docks from sabotage. His reward came in 1946 early release and deportation to Italy sparking speculation of a quid pro quo that outlasted the war. Paul Helliwell, another OSS officer, added a financial twist. Operating in China, he allegedly tapped opium networks to fund anti-communist forces, a model some say foreshadowed later CIA-Mafia ties. This convergence of ex-Nazis with intelligence, the Vatican with moral cover, and the Mafia with street-level muscle set the stage for a Cold War partnership that, operated in the shadows of official policy.

Why would such disparate groups unite? For the U.S., the Soviet Union posed an existential threat, justifying any means however unsavory to counter it. Operation Paperclip, which recruited Nazi scientists, exemplified this pragmatism; extending it to spies or soldiers wasn’t a stretch. The Vatican saw communism as a godless scourge, a view Pope Pius XII articulated in his 1949 decree excommunicating Catholics who joined communist parties. The Mafia, reborn in postwar Italy, sought profit and protection, leveraging wartime favors into a lasting arrangement. Ex-Nazis, desperate for redemption or survival, offered skills honed in Europe’s darkest hours. Together, they formed a coalition of convenience, each bringing something the others lacked: ideology, resources, networks, and ruthlessness.

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.

Vatican Secretary of State Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA

US Ambassador to the Vatican meets with Trump, Vance, Rubio

Brian Burch, co-founder of CatholicVote, is serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, discussing with the U.S. political leaders this week ways to work with the Vatican on cultivating peace and religious freedom.

Ambassador Burch meets with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Credit: U.S. in Holy See)

McKenna Snow

August 27, 2026 

U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch met with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week in Washington, D.C., according to an Aug. 27 statement from the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

They met “to discuss how we can partner with the Holy See to promote global peace and religious freedom,” the embassy said in the statement.

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 Privilege of White: Why Only Seven Royal Women Are Allowed to Wear This Rare Color Before the Pope

Why some queens wear white and others must keep to black for papal audiences.

Mar 31, 2026 5:37 PM EDT

By Jennifer Mashuga

Key Points

• Most leaders meeting the Pope must wear modest, black attire following strict protocol.
• Only seven Catholic queens or princesses may wear white, via "il privilegio del bianco."
• Eligibility depends on royal status, Catholic tradition, and historical church ties.

When meeting the Pope, there are formal rules that most Presidents, First Ladies, Prime Ministers, and other heads of state follow, whether you’re Catholic or not. One of the most important things to consider for those who have the rare opportunity to meet the supreme pontiff most likely has to do with attire: what do you wear?

For most leaders or representatives, the protocol is simple: conservative, modest, black attire. For women, this is often a dress that falls below the knees and has full-length or three-quarters-length sleeves. A veil or mantilla is also worn. For men, a dark-colored suit and tie are expected. However, for a very small number of women — seven, to be exact — it’s all right to wear white, a color that is typically frowned upon in front of the Pope.

These seven women are Catholic queens and princesses who have been granted il privilegio del bianco (privilege of white), and are allowed to wear long-sleeved white dresses and an optional white veil or mantilla. These royal women include Queen Sofía and Queen Letizia of Spain; Queen Mathilde and Queen Paola of Belgium; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg; Princess Charlene of Monaco; and Princess Marina of Savoy.

However, being a Catholic queen or princess isn’t enough to be given the rare privilege. They must also be a part of marriages or countries that are traditionally Catholic. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was raised as a Roman Catholic, and remains one to this day. But her husband, King Willem-Alexander, is Protestant, as is his family and their three children. Therefore, she is not allowed to wear white.

Another point that is taken into account is how far back the Queen or Princess’s country’s ties to the Catholic Church go. Spain‘s ties to Catholicism go far back, as do those of Belgium and Luxembourg. Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho and the Princess of Liechtenstein are both Catholic, but have not been granted the honor of wearing white by the Vatican.

On March 28, Pope Leo XIV visited Monaco, and many were quick to point out that Princess Charlene wasn’t the only royal wearing white; 11-year-old Princess Gabriella was, too. While chances are she will also be granted the same privilege as her mother when she’s an adult, for now, it’s just as likely that she was exercising her privilege of being a child.

Source

Adventists and Catholics: The Great Compromise - Nick Ionashku

Seventh-day Church of Revelation

Apr 29, 2021  Sermons

Adventists and Catholics explores the Biblical record of the son of perdition, the reasoning of the son of perdition, the historic fulfillment of the prophetic son of perdition and the ecumenical history of Adventists and Catholics. This is a history the Great Compromise in the Seventh-day Adventist church.                                    

Image Sources

Goodsalt

Shutterstock

wikipedia.org

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

Why an Egyptian Obelisk Stands in the Center of St. Peter’s Square

 

Pope appoints new Holy See Permanent Observer to UN in New York

Archbishop Christophe El-Kassis
Vatican

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis as the Holy See's new Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, where he will represent the Holy See at the UN headquarters.


Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis as the Holy See's new Permanent Observer to the United Nations (UN) in New York.

The appointment was announced on Saturday by the Holy See Press Office.

Lebanese-born Archbishop El-Kassis, Titular Archbishop of Roselle, has until now served as Apostolic Nuncio to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula.

He was ordained in 1994, and he entered the Holy See diplomatic service in 2000, working in Indonesia, Sudan, Turkey, and the Secretariat of State.

The Holy See maintains Permanent Observer status at the United Nations, enabling it to participate in the work of the General Assembly and other UN bodies.

Source

The Jesuit Vatican New World Order

The Keys of This Blood

Píncaros da Glória Dec 31, 2025

Malachi Martin’s work explores the geopolitical competition between three primary forces—Western capitalism, Soviet communism, and the Roman Catholic Church—as they vie to establish a new world order. Central to this narrative is Pope John Paul II, whose unique background in Poland prepared him to engage as a sophisticated global competitor in this "millennium endgame." The text details how the Pontiff utilizes his moral authority and diplomatic reach to challenge both the materialism of the West and the totalitarianism of the East. Martin highlights the internal struggles within the Church, including the rise of Liberation Theology and a "superforce" of dissenters, which complicate the Pope’s mission. Ultimately, the source frames modern history as a transition from a world of sovereign nation-states to a unified, interdependent global structure. Through this lens, the author argues that the Pope’s actions are driven by a divine vision intended to steer humanity toward a spiritual rather than purely secular future.

JD Vance calls his meeting with Vatican officials right before Pope Francis died ‘unsettling’ in new book

The vice president accused the Vatican of being ‘unwilling to move its moral guidance’ in extracts from his memoir Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith

Owen Scott

Tuesday 16 June 2026 13:03 BST


JD Vance says Pope Leo should be careful when speaking on theology

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Vice President JD Vance has launched a fresh attack on the Vatican in a new book on his faith.

In his memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, Catholic convert Vance details his encounter with church officials in April last year.

In extracts published by The Washington Post, Vance wrote that the Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin discussed the topic of migration with him during their meeting.

However, the vice president was not pleased with the tone of the conversation and described it as “unsettling.”

​“Here I was, the most senior Catholic in the United States government, and the Vatican seemed unwilling to move its moral guidance past the point of trite platitudes,” Vance wrote. ​

Vice President JD Vance has branded his meeting with Vatican officials as ‘unsettling’ in his memoir, which also lifts the lid on his meeting with the late Pope Francis (Vatican Media)

At General Audience, Pope Leo expresses gratitude at latest U.S.- Iran agreement

 

COMECE outlines a vision for Europe’s future against populism and wars

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Presidency of COMECE (@VATICAN MEDIA)
Church

Speaking at a press conference at Vatican Radio headquarters, the presidency of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) reflected on their meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday morning and on presenting him with a proposal for a new edition of “Rethinking Europe” for fall 2027.

By Davide Dionisi

“Today’s audience was particularly cordial, direct, and open regarding the issues discussed. The underlying note was a strong harmony between our work and what the Pope teaches and bears witness to through his magisterium, his positions, and his initiatives.”

These were the words of Bishop Mariano Crociata, the President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), during a press conference held in Sala Marconi of the Vatican Radio headquarters following the audience that the presidency of COMECE had with Pope Leo XIV this morning.

Weakening of the EU’s mission

“The European Union,” Bishop Crociata stated, “was born as a project of peace, and peace lies at its roots and in its identity. It is therefore called to foster dialogue among countries and international institutions, while at the same time promoting multilateralism, as the Pope explicitly recalled.”

At the same time, the President of COMECE noted that the EU’s mission, in a world marked by strong polarization, “is weakened by the lack of unity, also as a result of populism.”

Promoting values

For Bishop Crociata, “the words of the Gospel and the Church’s social teaching, applied to the issues that concern us today,” remain fundamental.

This, the COMECE President insisted, is the central point, and “on this we cannot retreat out of fear, convenience, or worse, because of possible political preferences. Our task goes beyond divisions, majorities, and minorities: it is to promote values at the service of humanity and of today’s Europe.”

Bishop Crociata also emphasized that the Bishops presented to the Pope the proposal to organize, in the autumn of 2027, a new edition of “Rethinking Europe.”

Pope Leo XIV appoints the first ever lay woman to lead a Vatican department