Leo

Easter Sunday will carry unusual weight at the Vatican this year, as Pope Leo XIV prepares to mark the holiest day in the Christian calendar for the first time as pontiff while war in the Middle East darkens the celebration. The US-born pope, who has become one of the conflict’s most prominent critics, is due to celebrate mass in St Peter's Square from 9.30am Irish time before thousands of worshippers. The head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will then deliver the traditional blessing at 11am Irish time, a moment likely…

Pope Leo XIV is expected to renew his calls for peace on Monday as he delivers his first Christmas blessing from St. Peter’s Basilica, closing a year overshadowed by war but punctuated by fragile hopes for a truce in Gaza. The “Urbi et Orbi” message, scheduled for 11 a.m. Irish time, traditionally surveys global conflicts and urges reconciliation. The pontiff’s appeal for a one-day worldwide cease-fire went unheeded in Ukraine, where fighting continued. On Christmas Eve, Leo celebrated his first Christmas Mass, calling the…

Pope Leo XIV and the State of Cinema: A Vatican Appeal Pope Leo XIV used a rare audience at the Vatican with leading actors and filmmakers to cast cinema as a cultural bulwark at risk. He warned that theatres are dwindling and urged creative communities to defend the shared experience of film against digital homogenization. Addressed a gathering of prominent actors and directors, including Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine and Spike Lee. Framed cinema as a “workshop of hope” and a space where imagination and…