Vatican News

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that when the Gospel is proclaimed and lived out, evil gives way before the power of the risen Christ.Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace for the June 14 Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel from Matthew, saying it “brings ... read more

From packed squares and emotional encounters with the faithful to emphatic calls for peace, unity, and evangelization, Pope Leo XIVʼs recent visit to Spain offered no shortage of memorable moments. The Holy Father visited Madrid, Barcelona, the Canary Islands, and Tenerife from June 6–12.Throughout his journey, the pope connected with Catholics across the country while ... read more

Pope Leo XIV departed Spain for Rome on June 12, finishing a weeklong trip to the European country marked by meetings with national leaders and bishops and a historic Mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.The Holy Father spent time in Madrid and Barcelona before finishing his visit in the Canary Islands off the ... read more

The journey toward holiness is fulfilled in union with Christ’s perfect heart — a holiness that cannot be lived in isolation, Pope Leo XIV said in a message for the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.“Cherish your priestly fraternity: Seek one another, listen to one another, and support one another. The priest ... read more

SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LA LAGUNA, Spain — For the first time during his apostolic journey to Spain, which concluded Friday, Pope Leo XIV raised his voice with unusual force.He did so in Tenerife, speaking against human traffickers: those who charge staggering sums to help migrants cross the ocean and those who enslave them mercilessly.“For every ... read more

TENERIFE, Canary Islands — “No one leaves their land, their family and their roots by choice when they can live in peace,” said Bousso Diouf, a woman from Senegal who spoke with the moral authority of someone who risked her life crossing the Atlantic in a wooden boat, knowing the journey could last a week ... read more

On the first day of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria — the final stage of his trip to Spain before traveling to Tenerife and returning to Rome on Friday — several deeply moving scenes unfolded.At the dock of Arguineguín, which six years ago became known as the “dock of shame” ... read more

ARGUINEGUÍN, Canary Islands — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday called for an “examination of conscience” on migration during a visit to the port of Arguineguín in Spain’s Canary Islands, a site that became a symbol of the collapse of migration management in 2020.The small fishing port on the southwest coast of Gran Canaria was once ... read more

One of the historic milestones of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain was the opportunity to realize Antoni Gaudí’s dream: the inauguration and blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ, coinciding exactly with the centenary of the great architect’s death.“God’s architect” died leaving behind a vast legacy of art and devotion visible throughout Barcelona — ... read more

Since the time Ángeles Hernández discovered her calling to become a pilot after boarding a Boeing 747 as a child bound for a visit to England, she never imagined that, decades later, she would sit in the cockpit of an Iberia airplane flying the successor of St. Peter from Madrid to Barcelona.During takeoff, the pope ... read more

In Barcelona’s Raval — a lively neighborhood where more than half the population is of migrant origin — joy palpably filled the streets on Wednesday.Before celebrating Mass on June 10 at Barcelonaʼs iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica, Pope Leo XIV brought his affection to this community in one of the cityʼs most disadvantaged yet vibrant areas, ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has called for greater respect for the elderly, affirming that their fragility still has much to teach humanity today.In a letter sent via the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the participants of the June 10 symposium in Rome titled “A Bridge Toward Heaven,” the pontiff expressed his hope that their ... read more

Pope Leo XIV continued his seven-day trip to Spain with visits to Catholic sites, meetings with numerous communities including abuse victims, and a historic address to the Spanish Parliament. The Holy Father will continue the apostolic visit through June 12. His events so far in the European country have also included a massive gathering with ... read more

The long-awaited meeting finally took place. As confirmed by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met with Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and his family at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Monday, June 8.For a few minutes, the pontiff and the Puerto Rican singer — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and who has ... read more

A distinctive feature of Pope Leo XIVʼs apostolic journey to Spain has been the frequent use of the red papal mozzetta, from meeting Spanish royalty in Madrid to praying the Divine Office in Barcelona.When Leo first appeared on the balcony of St. Peterʼs Basilica to the thousands of faithful gathered in the square after his ... read more