David Ryan, an Irish survivor whose tragic story of the abuse he and his brother suffered was the subject of a 2022 documentary, was overcome with emotion after meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The pope was reportedly shocked and apologized to the Irish victim.

Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world’s peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even amid conflict.

A lack of faith in Christ leads to many delusions, such as believing the arrogant will always rule and only money can buy happiness, Pope Leo XIV said.

As deadly floods hit southern Africa, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the affected, with Catholic bishops in the region urging support for thousands struck by the climate change-related disaster.

The Vatican Gardens welcomed a new Marian mosaic and a statue of St. Rose of Lima, both created by young artists from Peru — in a ceremony that clearly delighted Pope Leo XIV — an American-born pope that holds Peru in “a special place” in his heart.

Pope Leo XIV has called for “a sincere and effective dialogue” as tensions between the U.S. and Cuba mount.

Peruvian bishops’ visit to the tomb of the apostles made global news for a different reason: an unusual guest at their lunch and fraternal affection from the pope who is claimed by Peruvian faithful as their own.

In a message to the Archdiocese of Milan, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an occasion of solidarity and bridge-building between peoples and cultures.

A change is coming in 2026 for the pope’s top man in America. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, turns 80 Jan. 30, and he is widely expected to have his retirement accepted by Pope Leo XIV in the coming weeks.

Asked about the deadly shootings by U.S. federal agents in Minneapolis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the violence unfolding there is “unacceptable.”