Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Vatican News
Vatican News
Pope Leo appoints coadjutor bishop for Puerto Rico’s youngest diocese
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday appointed a coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao, the third bishop nomination for the island of Puerto Rico in under three months.Father Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz, OFM, as coadjutor will serve alongside Bishop Luis Francisco Miranda Rivera, OCarm, who has led...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV: Respect for human dignity ‘excludes self-centered isolation’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV at his Wednesday general audience urged people to take responsibility for the dignity of each human person and to embrace an identity centered on gift of self.“This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each person: at the same time, it also demands solidarity and...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV warns of Western ‘paradox’ on individual freedom
Pope Leo XIV warned Wednesday of a “paradox” in Western societies where a growing emphasis on individual freedom coexists with an increasingly widespread fear of being judged.Speaking to bishops from various countries who are friends of the Focolare Movement, the pontiff warned of the effects of ind...
Vatican News
Love is not a feeling but a decision, Pope Leo XIV tells couples
Pope Leo XIV reflects on human love in the prologue to the new edition of “YouCat: Love Forever,” emphasizing that it is not a fleeting feeling but rather “a decision, a journey, and a lifelong covenant.”This version of the catechism, aimed at young people preparing for the vocation of marriage, is...
Vatican News
7 lesser-known apostles and where Catholics can encounter them today
When Christians think of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, they might immediately think of Peter, John, and Matthew. But what about some of the lesser-known followers he chose?While Scripture gives us a significant amount of information about the lives of some apostles, not many details are known about others...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine after Russian attacks
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday deplored the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and voiced hopes for peace amid U.S.-led efforts to end the war.“With a sorrowful heart, I have followed the news of the latest violent attacks that have recently struck several cities and civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, caus...
Vatican News
True ecological conversion passes through the Eucharist, says International Theological Commission
VATICAN CITY — “Ecology is the result of how the equation of the interaction between cosmology and anthropology is resolved. Therefore, an ecological approach that seeks to get to the root of the issues cannot avoid addressing both of these dimensions.”That is the premise of the lengthy and complex...
Vatican News
Abuse prevention, liturgy central to Vatican courses for new bishops
The Vatican is hosting its annual formation course for newly appointed bishops from Sept. 2-10, bringing together 147 prelates from five continents to strengthen ecclesial communion and provide practical tools for the exercise of episcopal ministry.The program has been a fixture of the Church calend...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV to seminarians: ‘As I look at each of you, I see the marvelousness of God’
On Sept. 3, Pope Leo XIV received at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace a group of seminarians from two Italian seminaries, thanking them on behalf of the Church for “the ‘yes’ you have spoken and continue to speak each day.”“It is neither easy nor a given in today’s world, and the Church knows this wel...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV points to St. John Henry Newman as a model for education today
Pope Leo XIV received a delegation from the University of Oxford’s Oriel College at the Vatican on Sept. 4, highlighting St. John Henry Newman’s vision of education as a response to contemporary challenges.Founded in 1326 at the initiative of King Edward II, Oriel is considered Oxford’s oldest royal...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV to Arab-region churches: ‘Do not be afraid of your smallness’
Pope Leo XIV offered a clear measure for the mission of the Church in the Middle East, a region marked by conflict, migration, and hardship, telling Latin-rite bishops serving across the Arab world that the Church’s strength should not be judged by numbers.“Do not be afraid of your smallness. The fr...
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...