Read & Reflect

Patron saints for digestive woes

The United States is caught up in a mystery of explosive proportion, amid a multi-state outbreak of a parasite which causes intense…digestive discomfort.That’s as far as we’re going to explain it here at The Pillar — there’s no need for specifics. If you’ve got the parasite, after all, you know the...

Rupnik rumors - and what might come next

Rumors began circulating in Rome Monday that the canonical trial of former Jesuit Fr. Marko Rupnik had come to a conclusion, without a conviction on the unspecified canonical crimes now being litigated through the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.Fr. Marko Rupnik. Pillar file photo....

Pope Leo XIV calls for evangelical approach without force or ‘arrogant judgments’

Pope Leo XIV warned Sunday against imagining God as “a powerful figure who imposes himself by force, who takes over and dominates, or who arrives triumphantly” and urged Christians to embrace a Gospel-centered approach marked by humility and trust.Speaking before the Angelus prayer in Liberty Square...

New Pope Leo XIV medal on sustainability to debut in Rome in October

A new medal named after Pope Leo XIV to recognize individuals who have worked toward ecological sustainability will be introduced in October 2026.The pontiff will personally present the “Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal” at the International Sustainability Conference, to be held at the Patristic In...

Pope Leo XIV makes private visit to St. Benedict's tomb, prays for peace

Pope Leo XIV made a private visit on July 20 to the Abbey of Montecassino, where St. Benedict of Nursia is buried.As announced by the Holy See Press Office, the pontiff made the trip while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo, where he will remain from July 5-27. At Montecassino, he prayed at the tomb of...

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Salt and Light

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Blessed Are the Persecuted

[Daily Rosary Meditations] Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Report highlights ‘startling disconnect’ between seminary formators, psychological experts

A new report highlights the growing mental health challenges that seminarians face and the need for better psychological care in seminaries. The report, from the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life, also calls for bishops to focus on the quality of seminarians, rather than t...

Going nowhere, papal holidays, and merchants in the temple

Pillar paid subscribers can listen to Ed read this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHappy Friday friends,I am supposed to be going on vacation this evening, through at least next week. I say supposed to be because the plans are a bit up in the air right now.My version of a break consists of repairi...

Why did Cardinal Zuppi return to Ukraine?

Vatican peace envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi returned to Ukraine this week for a four-day humanitarian mission.Cardinal Matteo Zuppi lays flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv on July 15, 2026. Credit: Screenshot from @12porte YouTube channel.Zuppi, the president of the I...