Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine — an offer Russia has turned down — was motivated by a conviction that the two sides must start negotiating and stop the killing, the Vatican secretary of state said.

Being religious does not automatically mean someone is compassionate, and yet for a Christian compassion is a clear sign of following Christ, Pope Leo XIV said.

After days of frenzied celebrations in Naples, members of Italy’s champion soccer team arrived at the Vatican for a papal audience but seemed unsure of the protocol.

Pope Leo XIV has named Father Renzo Pegoraro, a bioethicist who earned a medical degree before entering the seminary, to be the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The Vatican postal service began selling its first Pope Leo XIV stamps May 27 and offered a special cancellation of the postage featuring a line drawing of the new pope waving to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Leo XIV called attention to two important events that fell on May 24: the day of prayer for Catholics in China and the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.

Celebrating his first Mass in Rome’s diocesan cathedral, Pope Leo XIV said communion is built primarily “on our knees,” through prayer and a constant commitment to conversion.

Pope Leo XIV was formally inaugurated as the successor of Peter in a Mass May 18 in St. Peter’s Square. Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori was among the concelebrants of the Mass, and he shares his reflections about being there for the historic event, and his hopes for the future of the church with Pope Leo.

As Pope Leo XIV settles into his new ministry, the Jubilee Year 2025 and its special events mean the pope has a full calendar of public Masses scheduled for June.

The Archdiocese of Chicago has scheduled a Mass and a special program June 14 to celebrate the election and inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, a native son of the Windy City.