In one of the most anticipated U.S. episcopal appointments of his pontificate so far, Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and named as his successor Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois.

In today’s fast-paced world with pressures for results and efficiency, Pope Leo XIV said many have been stripped of their serenity and ability to live.

Pope Leo XIV and Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke by telephone Dec. 17, just days after a terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Australia led to the deaths of 15 people.

At the end of his one day off each week, Pope Leo XIV went to the local school in Castel Gandolfo and joined hundreds of excited parents in watching the children’s Christmas concert.

Christmas is a reminder that people can encounter God in ordinary, everyday places, Pope Leo XIV said.

The Nativity scene and the Christmas tree are signs of faith and hope, Pope Leo XIV said.

Even in difficult situations and harsh places, like prisons, when people focus on caring for one another, respecting each other and offering forgiveness, “beautiful flowers spring forth from the ‘hard ground’ of sin and suffering,” Pope Leo XIV said.

Condemning the attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney, Pope Leo XIV said, “Enough with these forms of antisemitic violence! We must eradicate hatred from our hearts.”

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) — A day before Pope Leo XIV spoke by livestream to teens at the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference, Kristie Hughes Dugan — president of Little Flower Catholic High School in Philadelphia — summed up the excitement her students felt ahead of the pope’s Nov. 21 “digital encounter” with the nation’s next generation. “Having Pope Leo […]

Pope Leo XIV prayed for Mary’s maternal intercession so that she would help nations avoid lies and hatred and instruct leaders to protect the dignity of all human life.