Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
Vatican News
Vatican News
The grotto and the Gospel: Why the Church preserves Lourdes without adding to revelation
When Pope Leo XIV arrived as a pilgrim at the Grotto of Massabielle on Sept. 27, his presence highlighted a foundational question for Catholics: If divine revelation is complete in Jesus Christ, why does the Church recognize and promote a shrine born of private apparitions?The answer rests on the Ch...
Vatican News
Pope Leo: Let Europe’s wounds be ‘openings through which light shines’
METZ, France — The wounds of violence in Europe’s recent past are opportunities to shine light on evil and build a future of harmony, Pope Leo XIV said on Monday.At the last event of his trip to France, the pope celebrated Mass in the Metz Cathedral, a towering Gothic structure dedicated to St. Step...
Vatican News
Pope Leo says he is not ‘in panic mode’ over AI dangers
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT — Pope Leo XIV said he takes seriously the warnings raised by tech experts about the dangers of AI — including risks to humanity — but he is not panicking over dire predictions.“If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode, no I’m not, I sleep at night. I do think the concer...
Vatican News
PHOTOS: Pope Leo XIV’s final day in France
Pope Leo XIV addressed European leaders at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz on the final day of his Sept. 25–28 visit to France. The title of the event was “To the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.”From there he traveled to the Metz Cathedral — a towering Gothic structure dedicated to...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV appeals for international aid as Somalia crisis deepens
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for greater international assistance to Somalia, where violence and extreme weather are worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis, particularly for women and children.After reciting the Angelus on Sept. 20, the pope said: “With great concern, I am following the...
Vatican News
Pope to pray rosary for peace with more than 700 children at the Vatican
Between 700 and 1,000 children will pray a rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 1 at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens, part of a prayer initiative promoted by Aid to the Church in Need.Coming from schools and parishes throughout Rome, the children will join the pontiff in the “One Mil...
Vatican News
Relic of Christ’s tunic to be displayed for Pope Leo in France
For the first time, a pope will witness an exposition of the Holy Tunic, the garment worn by Christ during his passion, which is preserved in the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Argenteuil, France.The special relic is put on display during regular expositions every 50 years, as well as on extraordinary o...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for Latin America trip released
The Vatican has published the schedule for Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Latin America, where he will visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17.As the Holy See Press Office announced on Sept. 21, the pontiff will meet with authorities, interfaith leaders, workers, and Catholic communit...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV to Poor Clare nuns: Lack of vocations should renew your commitment
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged the Poor Clares not to be discouraged by their lack of vocations but to view it as a call to renew their commitment.The pontiff made these remarks during a private audience with a delegation from the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy on Sept. 21. The Capuchi...
Vatican News
Fragments of medieval Gospel of St. Mark-turned-relic reunited after 7 centuries
For the first time in seven centuries, Aquileia, a city in northeastern Italy with a fascinating past, has reunited the three scattered fragments of a sixth-century manuscript that for centuries was venerated as if it were the Gospel written by St. Markʼs own hand.The author of the Gospel that bears...
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV, in France, will bring Catholic social teaching to a secular Europe
Pope Leo XIV flies to France on Friday, where across four days in three cities he will proclaim Catholic teaching to the heart of secular Europe on matters that include end-of-life questions, immigration, and artificial intelligence.The visit “will truly be a moment in which Leo’s project of making...
Vatican News
Notre Dame theologian John Cavadini to receive 2026 Ratzinger Prize
John Cavadini, a professor of patristic theology at the University of Notre Dame, will receive the 2026 Ratzinger Prize.The Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI announced Cavadini as the winner of the prestigious award at a press briefing in Rome on Sept. 22. The foundation also said Pop...