Vatican

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Pope Leo Reverses One of Francis' Decisions

It involves the management of the Holy See's assets

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV has undone one of Pope Francis' bigger financial reforms and decisions, canceling a law Monday that had concentrated financial power in the Vatican bank. Leo abrogated the 2022 law that had decreed that management of the Holy See's assets was the "exclusive responsibility" of the...

Catholic Church Has Its First Millennial Saint

Pope Leo presides over canonization of Carlo Acutis

(Newser) - Carlo Acutis—a tech-savvy teen who used the internet to spread faith—has become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint . Pope Leo XIV on Sunday presided over the canonization of Carlo Acutis, reports the Guardian . Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia, gained recognition for...

Madonna Begs Pope to Visit Gaza 'Before It's Too Late'
Madonna Begs
Pope to Visit Gaza
Aug 12, 2025 6:03 AM CDT

Madonna Begs Pope to Visit Gaza

Singer cites urgent need to help children amid ongoing starvation crisis

(Newser) - Madonna is calling on Pope Leo to travel to Gaza, urging him to take action for Palestinian children suffering amid ongoing conflict, CNN reports. In a Monday Instagram post, the pop icon—who was raised Catholic—asked the pontiff to "bring your light to the children before it'...

Warsaw Priest Charged With Beating, Burning Homeless Man

Archbishop moves to have murder suspect defrocked

(Newser) - The archbishop of Warsaw, Poland, has asked the Vatican to defrock a priest charged with the killing of a 68-year-old homeless man who was beaten with an ax and set on fire. Prosecutors on Saturday charged the priest, only identified as Miroslaw M. in line with Polish privacy rules, with...

Leo Brings Back the Papal Summer Vacation

He'll spend 2 weeks in Castel Gandolfo, which is hoping for a tourism boost

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV is reviving a 400-year-old tradition this July, becoming the first pontiff in over a decade to summer in Castel Gandolfo, a small community about an hour south of Rome. The move, confirmed by the Vatican, has locals eager for a surge of tourists to the hillside...

Pope Preaches Love Over Hate in Inaugural Mass
Leo's Brother Breaks With
Protocol on Historic Day
the rundown
May 18, 2025 2:39 PM CDT

Leo's Brother Breaks With Protocol on Historic Day

Louis Prevost embraces his sibling as pontiff formally begins his reign

(Newser) - Before some 200,000 people in St. Peter's Square—a crowd that included world leaders, clergy, and supporters from his hometown of Chicago—Pope Leo XIV began his reign Sunday with a promise to ensure the Catholic Church is a force for good in the world, including peace, in...

Leo's First Sunday Appeal: 'Never Again War'

New American pope calls for peace in Gaza, Ukraine, and between India and Pakistan

(Newser) - In his first Sunday address, newly elected Pope Leo XIV stepped into the heart of St. Peter's Square to urge world leaders toward peace in Ukraine and Gaza—offering a few tweaks to tradition alongside his message. The Chicago-born pontiff's call for ceasefires and humanitarian aid was...

Top Concern on Pope Leo's Mind: Artificial Intelligence

New pontiff laid out his vision for the Catholic Church on Saturday, citing the late Francis

(Newser) - Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy on Saturday, identifying artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing humanity and vowing to continue some of the core priorities of the late Pope Francis. In his first formal audience, Leo repeatedly cited the Argentine pope's...

Unexpected Star of the Conclave: A Vatican Seagull

Bird was hanging out atop the roof of the Sistine Chapel while the conclave was going on

(Newser) - While many eyes were fixed squarely on the Sistine Chapel's chimney, awaiting the sign of the new pope or further votes in the conclave below, one little guy had an actual bird's eye view of the proceedings—and he or she attracted some attention. As the AP reports,...

The Catholic Church Has a New Pope
The Catholic Church
Has a New Pope
May 8, 2025 11:18 AM CDT

The Catholic Church Has a New Pope

No name announced yet, but white smoke signals a successor to Francis

(Newser) - White smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that a pope has been elected to lead the Catholic Church, per the AP . That means the winner secured at least 89 votes of the 133 cardinals participating in the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. The...

More Black Smoke: No Pope After 2 Votes

Cardinals will try again in a few hours

(Newser) - Black smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, meaning cardinals failed to pick a pope in their second round of voting, reports NBC News . They will try again at 11:30am Eastern.
  • No surprise: Modern popes are rarely selected in the first or second round, notes
...

Conclave to Choose a New Pope Is About to Begin

Cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel at 10:15am

(Newser) - At 10:15am ET, Catholic cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel—and won't re-enter the world until there is a new pope, reports NBC News . The conclave to select the next pope following the death of Pope Francis in April at age 88 involves 133...

After the Conclave, Watch for the New Pope's Name

It could send a signal about his intentions toward the papacy

(Newser) - Some 135 cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to presumably elevate one of their own to the papacy. When the white smoke blows, signaling the election of a new pope, the world will watch not only the man who emerges in his new white cassock, but also the...

Vatican Gets Sistine Chapel Ready to Hunker Down

There's a lot of effort—and technology—in making sure no secrets escape the chapel

(Newser) - Around 135 cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the process of electing the new leader of the Catholic Church, and the Vatican is going into overdrive to ensure that what happens in the Sistine Chapel stays in the Sistine Chapel. As Fast Company reports, while a...

The Conclave Stove Is Now in Place
The Conclave Stove
Is Now in Place
May 3, 2025 11:30 AM CDT

The Conclave Stove Is Now in Place

It's where ballots will be burned in Sistine Chapel during voting for new pope that starts Wednesday

(Newser) - Vatican workers have installed the simple stove in the Sistine Chapel where ballots will be burned during the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope, as jockeying continued over who among the cardinals is in the running. The Holy See released a video Saturday of the preparations for the May...

Pope Planned to Bless Cyclists. Now, They'll Honor Him

Giro d'Italia will pass in front of the late Francis' residence

(Newser) - It could very well be the biggest sporting event ever held inside the walls of the Vatican. The Giro d'Italia will pay homage to the late Pope Francis by passing through the Vatican gardens behind St. Peter's Basilica and in front of the Santa Marta hotel—which was...

Amid Scandal, Cardinal Becciu Bows Out of Papal Conclave

Convicted cardinal steps back after letters reportedly signed by Francis surface on eligibility

(Newser) - Once one of the most powerful voices in the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has stepped back from the Vatican's most secretive election after a recent criminal conviction. Becciu made his decision on Tuesday after being presented with two letters written by Pope Francis before his death that said...

The Conclave Is Set
The Conclave Is Set
Apr 28, 2025 8:09 AM CDT

The Conclave Is Set

Cardinals will sequester themselves on May 7 to pick a successor to Pope Francis

(Newser) - The start date is set to pick a new pope. How long it will take remains anyone's guess. Catholic cardinals said Monday that their conclave to select Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, reports the AP . The cardinals delayed the secret voting for two days to...

After Chat With Zelensky, Trump Doubts Putin's Intentions

Ukrainian president says brief talk covered 'a lot'

(Newser) - President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly on Saturday before the funeral for Pope Francis as the American leader steps up pressure to end Russia's war against Ukraine. It was the first face-to-face encounter between the presidents since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at...

Francis Built 'a Poor Church for the Poor'

US Presidents Trump and Biden, heads of state, Catholic faithful honor pope at Vatican funeral

(Newser) - World leaders and Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral Saturday that highlighted his concern for the "most peripheral of the peripheries" and reflected his wishes as pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter's Square, prisoners and migrants were also set...

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