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Pope Leo XIV met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday morning at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Their private meeting lasted about half an hour and focused on the main challenges facing Lebanon, particularly the security situation in the south and the implementation of the Trilatera...

August is a particularly important month for Augustinians, the Order of St. Augustine of Hippo to which Pope Leo XIV belongs, as the Catholic Church celebrates a number of Augustinian saints.St. Augustine himself and his mother, St. Monica, are honored just one day apart at the end of August, but my...

Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholic legislators to promote policies that protect families from the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI).The pontiff delivered his remarks on Aug. 21 in an audience at the Vatican with participants of the 17th annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Net...

Image: Detail | Ceiling of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Santa Maria Immacolata a via Veneto, Rome | photo by Livioandronico Saint of the Day for August 15 (1st. century) The Story of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption o...

Image: Imre Varga’s statue of Saint Stephen I, Apostolic king of Hungary, 1993, along the cathedral, Aachen, Germany Saint of the Day for August 16 (975 – August 15, 1038) Saint Stephen of Hungary’s Story The Church is universal, but its expression is always affected—for good or ill—by local culture...

Image: Wooden statue of Saint Joan of the Cross | A l’école des soeurs de Jeanne Delanoue | unknown Saint of the Day for August 17 (June 18, 1666 – August 17, 1736) Saint Joan of the Cross’ Story An encounter with a shabby old woman many dismissed as insane prompted Joan of the Cross to dedicate her...

Image: Saint Louis of Toulouse | Carlo Crivelli | Church of Santa Lucia, Montefiore dell’Aso, Italy Saint of the Day for August 18 (February 9, 1274 – August 19, 1297) Saint Louis of Toulouse’s Story When he died at the age of 23, Louis was already a Franciscan, a bishop, and a saint! Louis’s parent...

Image: Stained glass window in Saint-Pierre de Dourdain | photo by GO69 Saint of the Day for August 19 (November 14, 1601 – August 19, 1680) Saint John Eudes’ Story How little we know where God’s grace will lead. Born on a farm in northern France, John died at 78 in the next “county” or department....

Image: Stained glass representing St. Bernard of Clairvaux | photo by Jastrow (2006) Saint of the Day for August 20 (1090 – August 20, 1153) Saint Bernard of Clairvaux’s Story Man of the century! Woman of the century! You see such terms applied to so many today—“golfer of the century,” “composer of...

Image: Portrait of Pope Saint Pius X | Library of Congress | Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller Saint of the Day for August 21 (June 2, 1835 – August 20, 1914) Saint Pius X’s Story Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children...