Religion News Service

Following St. Augustine, it appears Leo does not see unity as everyone singing the same note but rather as a choir singing in harmony. But eventually, the choir director will have to give some directions.

In the days after Pope Leo XIV's election, his eldest brother's past posts supporting President Donald Trump got media attention, not only for Louis Prevost's allegiance to MAGA, but also for content that included slurs and conspiracy theories.

African and European bishops say European leaders are prioritizing their own countries' benefits from African land deals, ahead of creating a system that is equitable and positive for African communities. 

In his first major foreign policy address, Pope Leo XIV focused on the three words he considers the aim of Vatican diplomacy: peace, justice and truth.

Fr. Thomas Reese used to be certain no American would be elected pope. Now, he admits, he has been proved wrong with this new American — and Peruvian — pope, and speculates: What kind of pope will Leo XIV be?

Anyone looking for a quick answer from Leo XIV will have to wait. He is very much a synodal man, and so the question of women deacons is open for the whole church to consider.

Leo is unlikely to match perfectly the positions of either American political party and will disappoint many as he runs a church that operates far outside of any local political faction. But he knows the U.S. political culture more intimately than any other pope in history — knowledge that may prove useful, as he is unlikely to escape politics altogether.

Papal transitions subtly but unmistakably reshape the church — and the religious goods business.

There is broad public support for continuing bipartisan investments in the environment and green energy.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is raising concerns about several cardinals who are being discussed as papabili, or potential popes.

The voting is highly choreographed and time-consuming to avoid any possibility of fraud or doubt about the results. 

Although overtly campaigning to be pope is discouraged and would be counterproductive, the cardinals do a lot of politicking in private prior to the conclave.

Becciu was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after a Vatican criminal court found him guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

"He was a source of inspiration for many artists, even those who have nothing to do with religion, because he was a transparent person — for better or for worse. A real person," said the street artist Maupal.

President Trump’s presence at the Vatican funeral marks a rare moment of reverence amid a complex relationship with the late pope.

Francis' 12-year reign saw small steps advancing women in the church. We may not know for years what the aims of a new papacy will be.

Ordinary Catholics saw Pope Francis as a compassionate pastor who cared about people, especially the poor and the marginalized, writes Thomas Reese.

A student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has had their visa revoked by the federal government, adding a Catholic school founded by U.S. bishops to the growing list of colleges where international students have had their visas revoked by President Donald Trump's administration.

The New Yorker magazine has managed to insult Christians and Jews alike with a cartoon depicting the Last Supper in an April issue, writes columnist Phyllis Zagano.