The day after his inauguration Mass, Pope Leo XIV had a closed-door meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican.

The way Pope Leo has put Christ at the center in these early days of his pontificate illustrates that Christ is no mere idea or role model.

Though only days into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV has given war-weary Ukrainians reason to hope that Russia’s aggression against their nation — now in its 11th year — can be ended through a just peace.

Pope Leo XIV met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife May 18, their second encounter of the day.

Archbishop William E. Lori said it was a beautiful sight to see the whole church celebrate the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square on a picture-perfect May morning in Rome.

Christ Our Savior — through two sets of church mergers — is now known as the “de facto” home parish of the new pope when he was just Robert F. Prevost.

Launching his papacy with a call for reconciliation and communion, Pope Leo XIV formally began his ministry as the successor of St. Peter by calling for “a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.”

One issue any pope would have to face when elected to govern the Catholic Church in 2025 is that of continuing to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

Catholic opponents of the death penalty said they are eager for Pope Leo XIV to build on his predecessor’s legacy of opposition to capital punishment.

Pope Leo XIV will formally begin his ministry as bishop of Rome with a liturgy steeped in tradition and rich in symbolism May 18.