Vatican

An impromptu interview with Cardinal Fernández is the strongest indication to date that Pope Leo XIV will not alter course on blessings of people in gay unions. But the comments fall short of an explicit, official Vatican statement. 

Leo is a methodical, hard-working and well-prepared manager who wants to read entire reports, not just the executive summaries, before making decisions, people who know and work with him say.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to explicitly confirm the authenticity of the documents, which were posted online this week by a Vatican reporter.

Victor Mooney's latest advocacy trek included Catholic shrines and former concentration camps in Poland before a surprise invitation to the Vatican.

 The world seems more fractured than at any point in recent memory since World War II. Yet amid this turmoil, the Vatican is determined to make its voice heard — not simply in prayer, but in active, engaged diplomacy.

The Leo Chronicles: What the world needs less of, and more of.

"The history of Peter and Paul shows us that the communion to which the Lord calls us is a unison of voices and personalities that does not eliminate anyone's freedom," Leo said.

The Vatican Museums on Thursday unveiled the last and most important of the restored Raphael Rooms, the spectacularly frescoed reception rooms of the Apostolic Palace that in some ways rival the Sistine Chapel as the peak of high Renaissance artistry.