Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Vatican News
Vatican News
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV visits France’s restored Notre-Dame Cathedral
Pope Leo XIV is visiting three cities in France from Sept. 25–28, making stops in Paris, Lourdes, and Metz to meet with young people, government officials, the sick, and migrants, among others.On Sept. 25, he celebrated Vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, becoming the first pope to visit the c...
Vatican News
Thousands of young French Catholics converge on soccer stadium for prayer with Pope Leo
SAINT-DENIS, France — At least 80,000 young Catholics flocked to France’s national soccer stadium north of Paris on Friday night to pray with Pope Leo XIV and to hear his message for the Church.Whether they were lifting their arms in praise-and-worship or silently venerating the relics of saints and...
Vatican News
Pope Leo hears testimony of migrants in Paris: God opened ‘a new path for me’
PARIS — Pope Leo XIV listened to the stories of faith and hope of two migrants to France at an integration center in the Paris archdiocese on Saturday.France is one of the European countries with the highest influx of immigrants — a highly divisive political issue that is also tied to next year’s pr...
Vatican News
Pope addresses ‘surprising’ Catholic growth in secular France
PARIS — Pope Leo XIV met new and prospective Catholics and their leaders on Saturday as he encouraged the Catholic Church in France to “strike a wise balance” between welcoming new members as they are and educating them in the tenets of the faith.“It may seem paradoxical that this phenomenon … is ta...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV in Paris: No one ‘is merely a number’
PARIS — Pope Leo XIV told his congregation at an open-air Mass in Paris on Saturday that “none of us is merely a number or an entry in a register but a unique and irreplaceable person” in the eyes of God.Local authorities estimated the size of the crowd at 800,000, the Vatican said. Six young men wi...
Vatican News
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV visits Paris and Lourdes on second day of France trip
Pope Leo XIV continued his apostolic journey in France on Saturday, first listening to the stories of migrants at the Bakhita House, a center offering support and integration to immigrants in the Archdiocese of Paris, before meeting with new and prospective Catholics and their leaders at the Catholi...
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Pope Leo in Lourdes: The Church must heal her ‘wounds, infidelities, and painful errors’
LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church, and invited all to repent and do penance, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.Mary’s call to conversion in her message to St. Bernadette “also concerns the Church herself as she makes her...
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Killing the sick is ‘false compassion,’ pope says in Lourdes
LOURDES, France — Killing the sick is neither compassionate nor normal, and being legal does not make it moral, Pope Leo XIV said Sunday in a clear reference to France’s recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.“I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times...
Vatican News
In Metz, Pope Leo steps into Europe’s deepening divide over immigration
METZ, France — The hot-button issue of immigration has invited itself into Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey to France, otherwise marked by the defense of human life and the remarkable signs of Catholic revival currently emerging across the country. It could provide one of the most revealing in...
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Pope Leo meets French abuse victims in Lourdes
LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV met seven French victims of clerical sexual abuse on Sunday, making a gesture of solidarity and reconciliation at a shrine world-famous for its healing waters.The nearly two-hour encounter took place at the residence of the local bishop, where Leo is staying for his tw...
Vatican News
Pope Leo: Europe must return to its Christian roots and be open to migrants
METZ, France — Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged Europe to return to its roots, including its Christian heritage, while also engaging with the people from other cultures now living within it.Referring to the large presence of immigrants in Europe, Leo said: “We must grasp the historical significance of w...
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Vatican aims for an Oscar with the story of Giacomo Mattivi
For the first time in history, the Vatican is aiming for an Oscar nomination with “Green Lava,” a 39-minute documentary recounting the life of Giacomo Mattivi. The 25-year-old Italian man suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His older brother had the same condition and died following a respirat...