Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, June 29, 2025, will bless and bestow the “pallium” — a white woolen vestment symbolizing pastoral authority and unity with the pope — on 48 new metropolitan archbishops, including eight from the United States.

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Jun 24, 2025 / 13:47 pm More than 2,500 seminarians from 57 countries converged on Rome this week to pray at the tomb of St. Peter, receive a blessing from Pope Leo XIV, and celebrate their vocations in the Jubilee of Seminarians. “Thank you for courageously …

When the Protodeacon, Cardinal Mamberti, announced the new pope’s name, I lost it: Viva il papa! Papa Leone! The crowd went crazy. It was electric. It was better than any football game, election, or other entertainment. The Church does drama so well because she deals in eternal realities. The pope …

More than anything else, these days have reminded me that I am a member of God’s own family. As a young priest, I fell in love with parish life. Whether baptizing babies, witnessing weddings, sharing meals in homes, or having the solemn privilege of laying loved ones to rest, I …

By Victoria Cardiel Vatican City, May 28, 2025 / 07:00 am Pope Leo XIV is now granting apostolic blessings to the faithful around the world, a spiritual gesture that can be officially requested through the Vatican’s Apostolic Almoner’s Office. These blessings, printed on parchment, are a well-established tradition in the Catholic Church …

By Madalaine Elhabbal Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2025 / 08:30 am Senate Democrats this week blocked the confirmation of Brian Burch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, stalling the confirmation process ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s installation Mass on Sunday. Making good on a pledge he …

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 09:23 am The College of Cardinals on Wednesday called on Catholics around the world to pray for them as they prepare to enter the conclave next week to elect the next pope, acknowledging the “enormity of the task ahead” in choosing the …

According to the Apostolic Constitution Apostólica Universi Dominici Gregis issued by Pope John Paul II in 1996, the confirming of the death of a Pontiff includes an ancient tradition: The death of the Pope is verified by the Cardinal Camerlengo who is to gently strike the Pope’s head with a …

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Apr 19, 2025 / 07:35 am U.S. Vice President JD Vance was received at the Vatican Secretariat of State by Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Holy Saturday morning, where the two discussed international relations, religious freedom, and humanitarian concerns. The April 19 meeting included Secretary of State …

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Apr 13, 2025 / 14:50 pm The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy issued a decree updating the Church’s norms governing Mass intentions and stipends, emphasizing both proper spiritual understanding and practical solutions for modern pastoral challenges. Pope Francis approved the document — published so far only in …