The rites and symbols of the liturgy are not arbitrary ceremonies but the means through which Catholics encounter God and are formed in faith, Pope Leo XIV said June 3.

As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, the nation’s Catholic bishops have released a prayer service text commemorating its immigrants and refugees, as well as those trafficked under historic and modern forms of slavery in the U.S.

With the FIFA World Cup opening this month, Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his June prayer intention to the power of sport to build bridges between cultures and nations, releasing a video prayer calling on athletes, coaches and fans alike to embrace the field as a space of encounter rather than division.

As Pope Leo XIV prepares for his June 6-12 apostolic visit to Spain, Church leaders say he will encounter a Catholic community at a pivotal moment. While the number of Spaniards identifying as Catholic has declined in recent decades, many observers point to signs of renewed interest among young people.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat “Montse” Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication on June 2.

Pope Leo XIV’s acknowledgment of the Church’s role in slavery is “only proper and just,” said Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., who is president of the National Black Catholic Congress.

Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence is now a core document on AI ethics — one that offers hope amid grave warnings, while serving as a call to a shared moral discernment, Catholic experts told OSV News.

A Caritas center called CEDIA 24 Horas Social Project is part of the social ministry of the Church of Madrid for those who are homeless and that’s where Pope Leo will head right after the meeting with the royals, diplomats and Spanish authorities — sending a clear message of priorities to Spanish society and the country’s politicians.

Pope Leo XIV praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on June 1 as “a light of faith, hope, and love” whose radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans — including the pope himself as a child.

As a small group of tech companies race to dominate the artificial intelligence era, much of the world has been left wondering whether ordinary people have any voice in the AI future that is being built.