Pope Leo XIV

The Church’s Social Teaching began with Abraham and Sarah. It is 4,000 years old. What depth! It developed in the most profound manner from the late 19th century onwards, because of rapid changes in society known as the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIII responded magnificently with Rerum Novarum (1891). The Berlin Wall came crumbling down in 1989 and Pope St. John Paul II wrote Centesimus Annus (1991). It honoured the memory of Leo XIII and called for a society of free wo

Pope Leo XIV has issued Magnifica Humanitas. You guessed. It means Magnificent Humanity. The sub-title reads: Safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. I have read the 42,088-word document – twice. I asked various AI platforms for a summary. All were mediocre: Natural intelligence has, and will continue to have, the upper hand. AI can be used for good or for ill, precisely because it is a tool in our hands. Many benefits will come from AI. We exper

The Church teaches that priests receive the triple Munera when ordained. This Latin word means both gift and service. They are called to govern, preach and celebrate. Governing means forming the Body of Christ. Of great importance, too, is: The preaching of the Gospel, which is the primary role of priests, and celebrating the mysteries of faith, which is the principal role of priests (Vatican Council II, Order of Priests, 5). Romans 10 sheds light on the matter: How are they

Why are people surprised that popes are on the side of world peace? During World War I, Pope Benedict XV was criticised for calling for peace. Pope Leo XIV recently held a prayer vigil for peace with the troubles in the middle east. What is surprising is that some people accused Pope Leo XIV of dumping the Just War Theory. He did nothing of the sort. Notice what the pope actually said: In the context of the 2003 Iraq war crisis, Saint John Paul II said with deep emotion: ‘I b

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Holy Thursday Mass just a few days ago. He focused his attention on the Gospel of John. Jesus assumes the position of a slave by washing the feet of his apostles: What the Lords shows us — taking the water, the basin and the towel — is far more than a moral example. He entrusts to us his very way of life (2 April 2026). Pope Benedict XVI is quoted: We too must ‘learn repeatedly that God’s greatness is different from our idea of greatness… bec

Theology seeks to understand the meaning of events, so as to help us spiritually. After praying the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus: This event invites us to free our hearts from habits, conditioning and ways of thinking which, like boulders, shut us away in the tomb of selfishness, materialism, violence and superficiality. In these places there is no life, but only confusion, dissatisfaction and loneliness (22 March 2026). Surely

Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian. Is it any surprise he likes to quote St. Augustine? The pope recently visited the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ponte Mammolo (Rome), and naturally enough he cited the saint: Saint Augustine, speaking about the face of God, of which we are called to be a mirror in the world, said to the Christians of his time: ‘What sort of face has love? What form has it? What stature? What feet? What hands has it?’ ‘It has feet, for these carry men to

Research affirms what makes great parishes: Good Community Good Teaching and Preaching Good Music. In other words, an experience of love, an experience of truth, an experience of beauty. With Christ at the centre of our community, teaching, music and art, we shall – with the help of Almighty God – create great parishes. Recently, the pope visited the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Rome. It was Pope Leo XIII who asked St. John Bosco to establish the parish near Termini T

Bishop Erik Varden gave the Papal Lenten Retreat 2026 and spoke about biblical paradox. The word comes from the Greek: Para - Beyond Doxos - Opinion. It is one among many literary techniques that is able to express profound truths, not open to conventional language. For example: Less is more. Apparently, Adolf Hitler hated the Bible because it is full of paradox. Life is full of paradox, and so we find metaphorical language to express it. John’s Gospel highlights the paradox

Pope Leo XIV, on annual retreat, has been sitting at the feet of Bishop Erik Varden (Norway) who reflected on the question: What is truth? Christ is truth itself and so truth is personal – both objective and subjective. When I can say, ‘I am not a thief,’ I have taken the objective truth – ‘Thou shalt not steal’ – and internalised it perfectly. Varden makes this claim: Ambition represents a particular form of capitulation to un truth. Why would this be the case? Because humil

200 Words: Recorded to Rekindle Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. Pope Leo XIV reflected on the relationship between Tradition and the Bible in his Wednesday Catechesis: There exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end (28 January 2026). The ‘fir

WATCH NOW: ABC Interview with Bishop Tony Percy (see foot of page) Ashes are placed upon our foreheads. The priest has the option of saying: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Repent, and believe in the Gospel. Quite evocative, I’d say. St. John Paul II: Lent is the time for entering into ourselves. It is a time of special intimacy with God in the depths of our hearts and consciences. And it is within this interior intimacy with God that the main work o

200 Words: Echoes Becoming Encounters Every Wednesday the pope gives a catechesis, meaning ‘to echo.’ The teaching of Jesus echoes down the centuries, enlightening hearts and minds, helping to answer the two questions St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) put to God during the night: God, who are you? God, who am I? Pope Leo XIV has begun a year of catechesis on the documents of Vatican Council II (1962-1965). This major gathering of bishops helped the Church to present her 4,000

200 Words: When Words Warp Reality Jesus warns us: Let what you say be simply ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5). Pope Leo XIV speaks with clarity: Today, the meaning of words is ever more fluid, and the concepts they represent are increasingly ambiguous. In the contortions of semantic ambiguity, language is becoming more and more a weapon with which to deceive, or to strike and offend opponents. We need words once again to express dist

In the United States every January, in the capital city, Washington D.C., people March for Life. Pope Leo XIV had this to say: I express heartfelt appreciation and assure you of my spiritual closeness as you gather for this eloquent public witness to affirm that ‘the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right.’ First, the right to life. Second, the right to religious freedom. Then follows freedom of expression, conscien

200 words: Radiance that Refutes Lies Jesus asked the disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ (Matthew 16). We are asked the same question by Jesus. What is our answer? Pope Leo XIV answers without hesitation, without duplicity. He relies on our rich spiritual tradition. The Nicene Creed is 1,700 years old this year. It answered a controversy created by a priest called Arius, who did not believe that Jesus was truly God. Some 318 bishops gathered at Nicea (Iznik) in 325: Th

200 words: Ruins Revealing the Living Christ Archaeologists tell us that an ancient basilica, which hosted the Council of Nicea (325), was discovered in 2014 (Wall Street Journal). Nicea is now called Iznik (Turkey). Lake Iznik receded due to drought. The remains of the Church became visible. Pope Leo XIV visited the basilica November 2025. St. Neophytos was martyred by Roman soldiers on the shore of the lake in A.D. 303: A decade later, the Edict of Milan decriminalised Chr