Pope Leo XIV met with Peruvian President José María Balcázar at the Vatican June 18 for a nearly two-hour discussion, after which the president revealed details of a possible papal trip to Peru in November.

Pope Leo XIV said that although he is considering a final appeal to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, the choice to splinter from the Catholic Church falls on them.

The Catholic bishops of Canada asked the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill “to voice renewed concern” about the country’s Medical Assistance in Dying law, now in place for a decade.

Karol Wojtyla Sr., the father of the future St. John Paul II, raised his son alone after the death of his wife, leaving an enduring example of fatherhood rooted in faith, sacrifice and daily presence which helped shape one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.

Who is Bishop John Carroll? We may not hear much about him today, but he was the first bishop of the United States, the father of American Catholicism and a highly regarded patriot of the American Revolution. Father Carroll has been credited with influencing the words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Reflecting on his weeklong trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV said one of his clearest impressions came from the Canary Islands, where migration revealed both the challenges facing Europe and what he described as a Christian path toward a “civilization of love.”

Despite minor setbacks, including the last-minute thwarting of a separatist demonstration and the grounding of the papal flight to Rome, organizers said Pope Leo XIV’s weeklong visit to Spain was an overwhelming success.

As he began to process on a warm and breezy morning June 12 along the boardwalk, local Catholic Chris Cikanovich said, “I wanted to be a part of this and show what the Eucharist means to us.”

Nine Polish Salesian priests killed in German Nazi concentration camps during World War II were beatified June 6 at the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Kraków during a Mass that highlighted not only their martyrdom but also their lives as educators, pastors and mentors to young people.

A new report shows more countries saw spikes in religious hostility by individuals and groups in 2023, the last year for which data is available — with the rise attributable in part to harassment of religious minorities and the ongoing impact of the Israel-Hamas war.