Born around 675 in Wessex, England, Saint Boniface, originally named Winfrith, became one of the greatest missionaries in Church history and is remembered as the "Apostle of Germany." Raised in a Christian family, he felt drawn to religious life from a young age after meeting visiting monks. Despite his father�s initial opposition, Winfrith entered the monastery school at Exeter and later continued his studies at the Benedictine monastery of Nursling, where he became known for his ...

Pope Leo XIV sends his blessing to organizers and participants in the 24th “One Heart, One Spirit” worship concert in Rzeszów, Poland, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, one of the country’s largest and most recognizable evangelization initiatives.

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Pope Leo XIV thanks German Catholic Student Associations for letting themselves be defined by their Catholic faith, which he said is to be lived "without compromising with the trends of the moment, without placing individualistic preferences ahead of the common Tradition of the Church."

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Nine Salesians murdered by the German Nazis during the Second World War will be beatified on June 6 at the Shine of St. John Paul II in Kraków, where the future Pope witnessed the arrest of some of the future martyrs, whose testimony of faith and priestly fidelity may have played a role in the development of his own vocation.

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Our Editorial Director reflects on the challenges of Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Journey to Spain on the centenary of the death of Venerable Antoni Gaudí, the architect of the Sagrada Família, which will see the Pope visit Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

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The Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land says he is “deeply shocked and horrified" by the arrest of a Lutheran student at Birzeit University.

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In a letter to the cardinals who will take part in the meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the end of June, Cardinal Re outlines the themes of the four working sessions to be held in the Paul VI Hall and the Synod Hall.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The rites and symbols of the liturgy are not arbitrary ceremonies but the means through which Catholics encounter God and are formed in faith, Pope Leo XIV said June 3.

Continuing his series on the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," the pope reflected on the role of rites, signs and symbols in Catholic worship during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"The rites of the Christian liturgy are not a mere external covering of the sacramental mystery, a collection of arbitrary ceremonies, but are the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us," he said.

The pope said liturgical rites shape the spiritual lives of believers, teaching them to recognize God's presence and participate more fully in the life of the church.

"Rite gives shape to liturgical action and, through it, to our lives, generating in us a spiritual sensibility that makes us capable of savoring the presence of God through Jesus Christ," he said.

Catholics are called to participate in the liturgy with their "body, mind and heart," the pope said, allowing themselves to be formed through listening to Scripture, giving thanks, adoration, fraternal sharing and communion. 

He added that while the structure of the liturgy may seem at odds with modern preferences for spontaneity, its rhythms help believers step away from a culture focused on productivity and rediscover what is essential.

"In the rite we experience a logic of gratuitousness, we find a pause that regenerates the heart, we recognize that we are preceded by divine grace, we learn to live in a rhythm inhabited by the Holy Spirit," he said.

Turning to signs and symbols, Pope Leo cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches that their meaning is rooted in creation, human culture and salvation history, and fully revealed in Christ.

He pointed to water as one of Christianity's most significant symbols, recalling its role in the story of creation, the flood, the crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan River, and the water flowing from Christ's side at his death.

"When we are sprinkled with holy water, our awareness of the gift received at baptism and our commitment to new life in Christ is rekindled," he said.

The pope also highlighted symbolic actions such as kneeling and exchanging the sign of peace, saying they foster a sense of belonging and help create "authentic ecclesial relationships."

Quoting Pope Francis' apostolic letter "Desiderio Desideravi," Pope Leo said Christians must once again become capable of understanding symbols and allowing themselves to be educated by the church's liturgical rites. 

The experience of a living and devout liturgy, accompanied by sound catechesis, remains "the best resource for reawakening in everyone that openness to the encounter with God," he said.

In his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims, the pope encouraged Catholics to rediscover the signs and symbols of the liturgy as the church prepares to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi later this month. 

Greeting Polish pilgrims, he said Eucharistic processions should be "a courageous witness of faith" that reminds people God remains present among his people and accompanies them in daily life. He also encouraged Italian-speaking pilgrims to keep alive "this beautiful expression of public witness to the faith."

In the wake of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica humanitas” one of Africa’s leading voices in artificial intelligence reiterates his conviction that Africans must not be excluded in global discussions regarding the development of AI.

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Founder of the Minor Clerks Regular with St. John Augustine Adorno. He was born in 1563, a member of a noble Neapolitan family. Though he had a rare skin disease, much like leprosy, Francis became a priest, at which time his skin disease disappeared. In 1588, he co-founded the Minor Clerks Regular and spent the rest of his life as the superior. He was canonized in 1807. His cult is now confined to local calendars.