Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Vatican News
Vatican News
Pope Leo: Take time out of the daily bustle to ‘listen to the melodious voice’ of creation
Pope Leo XIV invited people to take time out from the daily bustle of their lives to listen to “the melodious voice of creation,” through which God speaks, as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is observed on Sept. 1.TweetThe Holy Father noted that this day also marks the beginning of...
Vatican News
Pope calls for ‘unmasking’ the contradictions of the world, such as seeing war as a solution
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called for “unmasking the contradictions” of the contemporary world and said that believers are called to take on “the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination, and violence.”The pontiff made this ap...
Vatican News
This is Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of September is for the care of water.“Imagine a hot summer day, after hard work or a long walk, you finally take a sip of cool water. Feel how relief and energy flow through your body,” the Holy Father said in a video released Sept. 1 on X.He added: “Mo...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV names third Chinese bishop in 3 months
Father Paolo Liu Honggang was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Datong in China’s Shanxi province on Monday.The Holy See said Pope Leo XIV appointed Liu bishop of Datong on Aug. 10 after approving his candidacy under the mechanisms established by the Vatican’s agreement with Beijing on the appointme...
Vatican News
Vatican diplomat says Moscow mission focused on peace despite no concrete breakthrough
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said diplomacy remains a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine after high-level talks in Moscow produced no concrete breakthrough.Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, met with Russian Foreign Minister...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV says Eastern synods can remove patriarchs for serious reasons
Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29 said bishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches can remove their patriarchs when assembled in synod, though the Holy Father said the pope must still give his assent to the proposal. The pope made the declaration in an apostolic letter issued motu proprio titled Mutua Concordia....
Vatican News
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV takes part in historic Marian procession on Lake Albano at papal summer house
Pope Leo XIV took part in an historic boat procession on Aug. 29, becoming what the Vatican said was the first pope to travel across the waters of Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo during a procession for the Feast of Our Lady of the Lake. The town of Castel Gandolfo has been home to the papal summer r...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV appeals for release of Haiti hostages, prays for flood victims in Nepal and Tibet
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for the immediate release of hostages taken in a deadly massacre in Haiti, appealed to authorities to protect the population from violence and prayed for victims of severe flooding in Nepal and Tibet.Speaking after the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV warns against entrusting human-life decisions to machines
Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that decisions affecting human life are increasingly being entrusted to machines as he called for ethical safeguards governing artificial intelligence and other digital technologies.“One of the serious problems today is the fact that decisions concerning human life are bei...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV: A good family is the best way to prevent drug addiction
Pope Leo XIV has highlighted the importance of the family in preventing drug addiction in young people, saying that there is “no better defense against drugs than a good family.”The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience on Aug. 27 with participants in a conference on drug abuse, promo...
Vatican News
Augustinian priests: St. Monica had ‘great interior strength’
Since the fourth century, Christians have revered St. Monica, the mother of Church Father St. Augustine, as a woman of unwavering faith in God.In an interview with EWTN News reporter Valentina Di Donato, two Augustinian priests living in Rome explained why the woman they refer to as their “grandmoth...
Vatican News
Conference in Rome to explore how communicators can build trust in Catholic journalism
A communications conference in Rome in 2027 will explore how Catholic journalists and media professionals can help foster a climate of trust.The convocation for “Nurturing Unity Through Communication” will be hosted by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from Feb. 2–4, 2027. Typicall...