Pope Leo XIV sent a message of support to participants at a Catholic university event marking 15 years since the abolition of the death penalty in his home state of Illinois.

Prayer, by its very definition, is dialogue with God. But do we really know how to pray — on our own, and together? It’s a question with profound implications for each and every evangelization effort of the Catholic Church.

In the final leg of his apostolic journey to Africa, Pope Leo XIV struck a more measured tone, delivering a message to the faithful while navigating one of the continent’s most politically sensitive environments.

As supporters of Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno’s canonization cause marked the 60th anniversary of the late Navy chaplain’s arrival in Vietnam in 1966, there was renewed hope that the effort was gaining momentum.

Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires rebuked the country’s political class for ignoring Pope Francis’ magisterium on unity by bickering among themselves at a Mass celebrated on the anniversary of the late pope’s passing.

Pope Leo XIV, who has repeatedly called for peace and dialogue in the Middle East, went a step further April 23, condemning the unjust taking of life by governments as violence continues in Iran.

Pope Leo XIV concluded his first trip to Africa April 23, capping a four-country visit marked by urgent calls for peace, direct engagement with conflict zones and a backdrop of international political tension.

On his last day in Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV reminded Catholics in the country to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.

Why would the president of the United States pick a fight with the pope?

Amid what it called “a moment of heightened tension” in the U.S. and the world, the National Eucharistic Congress said its use of the phrase “one nation under God” is “not about political statements, but about spiritual renewal.”