Associated Press

The Vatican on Friday released the first images of Pope Leo XIV since his lung cancer surgery, showing him celebrating Mass, as doctors said that tests confirmed the "continued improvement" in his recovery.

Roman Catholics across South America responded to news of Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis with an outpouring of prayers and support, along with concerns about whether the first American pope will make his highly anticipated and physically demanding visit to the region next month.

Pope Leo XIV met with a top aide on Thursday and resumed working from the hospital, as doctors reported his lung had recovered well from surgery to remove a cancerous nodule.

Catholics in Chicago and around the world met the news of Leo's lung cancer diagnosis with shock, concern and support for the 71-year-old, whose candor around his health broke with the Vatican's tendency to be tight-lipped around papal health.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the Catholic Church’s pastoral services to Catholics in the U.S. military, is condemning the proposed livestream of the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan.

The pontiff's tweet followed comments by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, criticizing the public firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.

The Chicago archdiocese this year recognized the work of Rev. Charles Rubey by dedicating in his honor a memorial to the lives lost to suicide and their surviving families. 

Pope Leo XIV took a first step Friday to lay the groundwork for the eventual conclave that will elect his successor: He appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the new dean of the College of Cardinals, elevating his profile as a papal contender in the process.

A former Australian Catholic bishop was sentenced Wednesday to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing two young Indigenous men.

The Supreme Court's new term begins Monday with cases on climate change, religious rights and President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration high on the agenda.

Image, an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, announced Monday that "The Private Diary of Pope Francis" will be released in English and four other languages on Nov. 24.

"It is my hope that the White Sox will continue to foster bonds of friendship and solidarity among people, and thus bear hopeful witness to the possibility of living and working together in peace," Leo wrote. "With these sentiments, I willingly invoke the Almighty's abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones."

"Great things happen in Chicago," the pope said on the plane to France.

About 2,000 people who reported being sexually abused by priests or other church representatives have sought reparations from a French independent body created to address decades of abuse, the organization said Tuesday as it prepares to end its five-year mission.

Pope Leo XIV, during his four-day visit to France beginning Friday, will meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic personnel. The outcome will be closely watched by critics who say the church hasn't done enough to confront the problem.

The Vatican has published a papal decree repealing 2021 salary cuts that Pope Francis had imposed on many Vatican employees as part of the Holy See's COVID-19 cost-saving measures.

Pope Leo XIV's forthcoming trip to France, which marks the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years, is expected to attract more than 1 million people, according to the Bishops' Conference of France (CEF).

The 94-year-old prelate appeared in court with a walking stick in his hand. He and four others were first arrested in 2022 on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

"He was probably the best and, in many ways, the first televangelist in the United States," said Msgr. Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, which advocates for his sainthood.

"She was not elected because she is Jewish, but because she is an exceptional scholar and has played a very important role in Catholic-Jewish dialogue," said a joint statement by the association's executive board chair and executive director.