Pope Leo XIV

When the papal coat of arms was hung at the balcony of the papal Castel Gandolfo residence July 5, locals knew that their main summer protagonist was on the way.

Religious liberty "holds sacred the inner sphere of the person where convictions are formed and where conscience can guide the decisions made in the intimacy of the human heart," said Pope Leo XIV, as he accepted a major civic award for upholding freedom of belief on the eve of the nation's 250th anniversary.

Pope Leo XIV has urged the head of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X to halt the unauthorized consecration of new bishops, warning that the move would cause a formal schism and deprive followers of lawful sacraments.

Cardinals from around the world underlined the need for the Catholic Church to respond to growing global polarization and social fragmentation and to strongly proclaim the Gospel.

Pope Leo XIV opened the second extraordinary consistory of his pontificate June 26, urging cardinals to help him discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today.

World hunger has only worsened as conflicts in the world take priority over human lives and weaponry is allowed more distribution than basic humanitarian needs, Pope Leo XIV said.

Pope Leo XIV knelt in prayer at the tomb of St. Augustine June 20, returning to the basilica where he once guided the late Pope Benedict XVI as the leader of the Augustinian order, only this time as the first Augustinian pope in history.

Pope Leo XIV said that although he is considering a final appeal to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, the choice to splinter from the Catholic Church falls on them.

Reflecting on his weeklong trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV said one of his clearest impressions came from the Canary Islands, where migration revealed both the challenges facing Europe and what he described as a Christian path toward a "civilization of love."

The one thing to regret about Pope Leo’s June 7 Mass and Eucharistic procession, which attracted about 1.2 million celebrants, is that it occurred in Madrid, not Montreal.