By Carol Glatz The Catholic Church is the guardian of hope, whose members are called to speak clearly against all evil and in defence of human life, Pope Leo XIV has said. The Church, as "the pilgrim people of God on earth," he said during his general audience in St. Peter's Square on 6 May, "reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its form...

By Courtney Mares Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his prayer intention for the month of May to one of humanity's most persistent challenges: hunger. In a video message released on 30 April by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Leo called on Catholics worldwide to confront the problem of food insecurity with both prayer and concrete action. "Today we recognise with sorrow that millio...

By Junno Arocho Esteves Although the path to full communion has become "more difficult to discern," Catholics and Anglicans must continue on the path of dialogue and "proclaim Christ to the world," Pope Leo XIV said in his first meeting with Anglican Archbishop Sarah Mullally of Canterbury. In his address to Archbishop Mullally during her visit to the Vatican on 27 April, Pope Leo acknow...

By Courtney Mares Pope Leo XIV told inmates at a correctional facility in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, on 22 April that "no one is excluded from God's love" and "God never grows tired of forgiving." "Each of us, with our unique stories, mistakes and sufferings, remains precious in the Lord's eyes," he said to the incarcerated men and women gathered. "We can say this with certainty, because J...

By Courtney Mares Pope Leo XIV said he has "no fear" of President Donald Trump's administration and responded to Trump's criticism by telling journalists that his message to the US president is "the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the peacemakers." Speaking aboard the papal plane, a chartered ITA Airways flight en route from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo said that he had seen Trump's rece...

Listening and responding to the cries of the poor and the earth is central to the mission of the Church. That is the conclusion of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service in welcoming the release of a major new international report. Australian Catholic University senior lecturer in theology Dr Sandie Cornish coordinated one of ten study groups arising out of the XVI G...

By David Austin OSA A plethora of books have been published on Pope Leo XIV since his election as Pope. Many have naturally focused on the fact that he is an American – indeed one book is subtitled ‘The American Pope’. His years of service in Peru have also been treated extensively. Perhaps, understandably, these books give little attention to his connection with Australia. Fr Dave A...

Australians have been urged to take up the invitation of Pope Leo XIV to pray for peace. Pope Leo will celebrate a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday 11 April (6pm Rome time) and has invited all people of goodwill across the world to join him in prayer. “Let us continue to pray for the gift of peace for the whole world,” Pope Leo said. The call comes ami...

By Carol Glatz Appealing to those in power to end all conflicts through dialogue and not domination, Pope Leo XIV urged humanity to stop growing accustomed to wars and violence and announced a prayer vigil for peace on April 11. "We cannot continue to be indifferent! And we cannot resign ourselves to evil!" he said during the Easter Mass on 5 April, before giving his Easter blessing urbi...

Archbishop Anthony Randazzo will relocate to the Vatican to assume his new role. Photo: Giovanni Portelli/ACBC. Bishop of Broken Bay, Anthony Randazzo, has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts. The appointment to the Roman Curia is accompanied by the conferral of the title Archbishop and nomination as the Apostolic Administrator of the Brok...