Pope Leo XIV has encouraged young Catholics preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation to ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of perseverance, warning that too many young people “disappear from the parish” after receiving the sacrament.

Vice President JD Vance said May 19 during a press briefing at the White House that he is “looking forward to reading” Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” addressing artificial intelligence.

A group of Catholic ministries asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit May 18 to block a federal agency from enforcing an abortion provision in regulations meant to add workplace protections for pregnant workers.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, archbishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, was the principal celebrant and homilist, assisted by military chaplains and priests.

When he became pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Philadelphia some four years ago, Father Christopher Walsh discerned “the need for something to bring healing.”

The number of executions around the globe in 2025 surged to the highest recorded figure in 44 years, a new Amnesty International report said.

Advancements in artificial intelligence can provide surface-level solutions, but in the age of manipulated images and manufactured creativity, it can never replace human beings created in the image and likeness of God, said Irish Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholic Extension Society in its mission of supporting poor and remote Catholic communities across the United States, Puerto Rico and Cuba during a papal audience on May 18, saying that “love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God.”

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” will be published May 25, addressing artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity, the Vatican has announced.

As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it should reflect on how the American understanding of equality is grounded in the belief that all people are equally children of God, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said May 17 at a prayer rally on the National Mall.