Vatican News

Pope Leo arrives in Argentina under the shadow of his predecessor

Vatican

Leo's arrival in Buenos Aires Nov. 8 bookends the question that lingered over the 12-year pontificate of his predecessor, who never returned to his home nation during his papacy.

The Latest

Ahead of COP31, climate disruptions in Africa force children out of school

Doreen Ajiambo
Guest Voices

Podcast: 'Jesus doesn't win by violence, only by nonviolence,' says John Ashworth

John Dear
Guest Voices

The elected now face the challenge of governing

Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

Editors' Choice

Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico concludes a speech at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. He was elected to the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

In Focus

Midterms Democratic rout could shift US bishops' priorities

 Nov. 3 election results represent "a dead end for the culture warrior approach to Catholic politics favored by the [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] since the late 1990s," one expert told NCR.

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The reliquary of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the 17th-century French nun who received visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is pictured on display at the Parish of St. Catherine of Siena in Trumbull, Connecticut in September 2026. (Maureen O'Brien)

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Vatican News

Pope Leo arrives in Argentina under the shadow of his predecessor

Leo's arrival in Buenos Aires Nov. 8 bookends the question that lingered over the 12-year pontificate of his predecessor, who never returned to his home nation during his papacy.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to people gathered outside the apostolic nunciature in Montevideo, Uruguay, Nov. 6, 2026, at the end of the first day of his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. (CNS/Vatican Media)
Vatican News

Pope Leo's vote in US, but not Peru, raises questions about papal identity

Does Robert Prevost understand himself to be as Peruvian as he is perceived? 

ByJustin McLellan
Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful as he arrives to celebrate Mass at Parque Paris Londres in Paysandu, Uruguay, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP/Gustavo Garello)

With ode to mate tea, Pope Leo urges faithful in Uruguay to build bridges of fraternity and faith

The pontiff pointed to the ritual of the bitter herbal tea that Uruguayans and their neighbors carry everywhere, as a poignant symbol of unity and encounter that he suggested should be applied to spreading the faith.

ByIsabel Debre, Nicole Winfield, Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV greets people as he descends the stairs of the papal plane upon arriving at Montevideo-Carrasco International Airport in Uruguay Nov. 6, 2026, at the start of his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
Vatican News

Weeks after surgery, Leo begins longest trip yet, calls for accessible healthcare

Even with a portion of his lung removed less than four weeks ago, Pope Leo XIV began his 12-day, three-nation tour of South America stating that he never thought the longest trip of his pontificate was truly in jeopardy.

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Pope Leo's visit to Buenos Aires revives legacy of Argentine-born Francis

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In secular Uruguay, small but active Catholic parish eager to greet Pope Leo

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EarthBeat

Activists check the vital signs of an inflatable Earth at the COP17 United Nations biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia. (UN Biodiversity/Mike Muzurakis)

Faith leaders resist despair as UN summit shows slow progress on conservation goals

"Frustration is real because we have the science, because we know what we need to do [and] the trajectory that we're on," said Amy Echeverria of the Missionary Society of St. Columban.

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Religious orders in El Salvador seek to protect community from mega-prison’s pollution

At event tied to Season of Creation, Catholic sisters and Franciscan friars in El Salvador support a rural community fighting water contamination and a landfill near CECOT, which can hold up to 40,000 inmates. 

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At Cadillac Mountain, a missing Wabanaki marker and the fight over what national parks should tell

Some of the signs removed from Acadia were developed over years of partnerships with organizations including Friends of Acadia, the Schoodic Institute and the Native Plant Trust — with consultation from citizens of the Wabanaki Nations.

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In praise of a wild, unfettered God

There is beauty in the fact that we do not serve a God who grants us wishes like a genie, writes Alli Bobzien. Our God is wild and free.

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