News & Commentary

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican as he leads, for the first time, the midday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer May 11, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Besides Leo XIII, 12 other popes have shared that name with new pontiff

When Catholics heard on May 8 the new pope had chosen the name Leo XIV, the thoughts of many turned immediately to Leo XIII, the last pope to bear the name.
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Over 500,000 people sign petition urging court to overturn Roe decision

After a prayer rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington Oct. 4, Students for Life of America and the Justice Foundation released the "Moral Outcry Petition," a call for the court to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision ...
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October is month to focus on living as missionaries every day, pope says

All Christians are called to be missionaries, which at its most basic level involves living in such a way that other people ask what motivates their love and concern, Pope Francis said.
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Time is now to care for each other, planet, pope says

Pope Francis praised and encouraged young climate activists in their efforts to build a more fraternal society that cares for the environment.
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Papal academy gives U.S. death row chaplain ‘Guardian of Life’ award

Death row inmates in Florida's prisons refer to their 6-foot-by-9-foot cell as their "house," with some having lived in their "house" for 40 years—longer than one Catholic lay chaplain said he has lived in his family home in Tallahassee.
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Canadian bishops apologize for abuses, ongoing trauma of Indigenous

Canada's Catholic bishops have "unequivocally" apologized for the Catholic Church's role in the residential school system and have raised the possibility of a visit by the pope to Canada as part of the "healing journey" between Canada's Indigenous peoples and ...
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God-centered nature docuseries meets $1 million crowdfunding goal

It's full steam ahead for "The Riot and the Dance," a nature documentary series more God-centered than what host and executive producer Nathan "N.D." Wilson calls the typical nature show on television.
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