Pope Leo XIV

Pope Francis wrote Amoris Laetitia, meaning the Joy of Love, 10 years ago. Leo XIV called the Bishops of the world to reflect on it. The pope’s final homily noted that God entrusts married couples with the gift of love and life: The values of openness to life and respect for life, from conception to natural death, are rooted in love, which is fundamental to our existence and to our life together as human beings (14 October 2026). But, and this is the underlying, cultural prob

During routine abdominal examinations of Pope Leo XIV, doctors discovered a small spot at the base of the lung. It is known as a ‘lung adenocarcinoma.’ Otherwise called lung cancer. Specialist doctors suggested surgery. The pope acquiesced. From all reports it went well: The lower lobe of the right lung was removed. The operation went ahead without complications. The postoperative recovery has gone well (Prof. Dr. Stefano Margaritora). The pope made things easy for the doctor

Pope St. John Paul II once said: The man without a memory is a man without a future. Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass for the inauguration of the academic year of pontifical universities (8 October 2026). There are seven pontifical universities in Rome. This is what the pope said: Intelligence must draw on memory. The mind must not simply compile data — as an algorithm now does more quickly than we can — but recall lived experiences, which contain depths of meaning that only t

In France, in Notre Dame, Pope Leo XIV spoke to those in Holy Orders: To you who celebrate the Eucharist each day, I ask you to ensure that the liturgical celebrations are always carried out with dignity and reverence, even where smaller communities gather. Without the reverent and joyful celebration of the Eucharist, the pope went on, the ‘very meaning of any Church building would be compromised.’ The Eucharist is the ‘font and apex’ of the life of the Church, and the life o

Pope Leo XIV is in France. An 80,000-seat stadium was ‘chock-a-block’ with young people. Tickets sold out in one hour. I kid you not. A young man asked the pope: What do I do with my anxiety? The pope answered: Gratitude. Can the pope be taken seriously? Anxiety is writ large in our time. What are the causes? They are legion. Will gratitude fix the problem? Maybe. Just maybe. Let’s take Jesus as an example shall we? During his passion he suffers physically. He is literally sl

Pope Leo XIV spoke more sense at the Diocesan Assembly in Rome: ‘The art of pastoral evaluation,’ he said, ‘does not ask us to do more.’ ‘Rather, it gives the Church permission to do less and do it better.’ All the research indicates that if we want renewal in our parishes and communities then we must relentlessly pursue not many things, but three things: Good community. Good teaching and preaching. Good music. In other words, this relentless pursuit involves helping people t

Recently, a mate of mine asked my age. When I told him I was 63 he asked: ‘Have you celebrated your third 21st birthday yet?’ Clever. I said, ‘I haven’t but will.’ My parents were not party animals, but knew how to have a good time – God rest their souls. Pope Leo XIV celebrated the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary recently. He asked the question: ‘What must the birth of a baby girl have meant in the time of Joachim and Anne?’ We could start with Giotto's fresco in the Scr

What could be worse than drug addiction? The denial of it. There is forgiveness for both drug-pusher and drug-addict when they embrace the truth. Unfortunately, however, the damage – both physical and mental – is lasting. The mantra applies: God forgives, but nature doesn’t. How to get this message across? Pope Leo XIV speaks the truth in love: The Church does not intervene in the issue of drugs with the intention of competing with or taking the place of neuroscience, psychia

The Vatican News Service recently reported a fascinating fact. Pope Leo XIV will travel to France 25 September to 28 September. It is the first papal visit to France in 18 years. Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2008. The papal visit will include a gathering with young people in a sports stadium, with a capacity of approximately 80,000. When tickets became available they sold out in just one hour – in the blink of an eye. What is happening with young people? Why a renewed interes

Pope Leo XIV spoke to young people at Rimini, Italy, beach destination: Against the false realism that rearms minds, words, and nations, Catholic culture today must set the realism of mercy, in which there can be no enemies, and all people, even adversaries, are brothers and sisters to be looked in the eye and encountered in truth. Imagine a time without mercy. We don’t have to: The 20th Century was full of war and death, with revolutions abounding – political, cultural, sexu

What is beauty? The modern, more subjective definition is: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A more traditional – and realistic – definition is: That which when seen delights (St. Thomas Aquinas) Are we permitted to dilate St. Thomas’ definition? That which when heard, tasted, smelt and touched delights. Pope Leo XIV – Assumption of Mary into Heaven: The glorification of Mary, body and soul, teaches us that our true beauty does not lie in hiding the signs of aging, but in

Pope Leo XIV recently visited Assisi, home of St. Francis and St. Clare. The occasion was a Franciscan Youth Gathering with the theme, ‘Go!’ The visit took place on 6 August 2026, and the Holy Father celebrated the Mass of the Transfiguration for the young ones: We have come here to understand where history is heading and where we ourselves are going. Assisi is a good place to get our bearings. We know that St. Francis stayed awake for many hours each night asking God two que

Pope Leo XIV begins chapter five of Magnifica Humanitas with a helpful reflection on the ‘tragic issue of war.’ He notes that ‘the past sixty years have been marked by conflicts of astonishing brutality.’ He warns of the danger AI poses for future conflicts. He defends the just war theory as a last resort in cases of legitimate self-defense. He then moves to help us to answer the question: At a time of great change, what should our attitude be? Pope Leo XIV speaks of the need

Chapter Four of Magnificent Humanity is important. Pope Leo XIV claims: Truth can be manipulated. Freedom can descend into anarchy. Work can become slavery. The traditional definition of truth is the ‘alignment of the mind with reality.’ But because we are body, soul and spirit, ‘truth is the conformity of the body, soul and spirit with reality,’ with the ultimate reality being God. The search for truth is fundamental, not only on a personal level, but for democracy itself. T

AI will bring great benefits. In personal use, Pope Leo XIV says: Three aspects deserve particular consideration: the ease with which results are obtained, the impression of objectivity and the simulation of human communication (MH 100). Surely science, innovation, education and health will benefit enormously through AI. But it is artificial, not human intelligence: AI surpasses human intelligence in speed and computational capacity, yet this power remains tied to data proces

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