John Allen, the editor-in-chief of Crux whose decades-long career in journalism defined him as one of the authoritative voices on the Vatican and the Catholic Church, has died at the age of 61.

Pope Leo XIV is currently evaluating an invitation by U.S. President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace,” an international body chaired by the president to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state said.

Adding some sweetness to the usual general audience-focused Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs Jan. 21 as part of an ancient Roman Catholic tradition marking the feast of St. Agnes of Rome.

Pope Leo XIV said that God is revealed through Jesus’ humanity, not solely through a “channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” It is through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that one can come to know God.

As atrocities against civilians surge globally, the Vatican’s top diplomat to the United Nations stressed the crucial need for both prevention and accountability — and the vital roles of individual nations and the global community in those tasks.

People of faith and goodwill need to take time to acknowledge the needs and suffering of those around them and be moved by love and compassion to offer others concrete help, Pope Leo XIV said.

The zeal to evangelize and announce the Gospel must be tempered with charity and respect for an individual’s conscience, Pope Leo XIV told members of the Neocatechumenal Way.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences to the families of victims of a devastating accident in which two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain’s Andalucia region.

Approval, public consensus and visibility are often given undue importance in modern society, shaping how people think, behave and even understand themselves, Pope Leo XIV warned in his Jan. 18 Angelus address. That focus, he warned, can lead to personal suffering, social division and relationships that are fragile and ultimately disappointing.

Deacon Greg Kandra is a writer, retreat leader, blogger and author. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty chatted with Deacon Kandra about his most recent book, “Peace Be with All of You: The Mission and Message of Pope Leo XIV,” from Word Among Us.