Saint John of the Cross was born Juan de Yepes y Alvarez, in Fontiveros, Avila, Spain in 1542. His father was employed by wealthy family members as an accountant, but they disowned him when he married a poor woman from the lower class. As a result of his family�s poverty, John�s family suffered greatly. His father died when he was three, and his older brother, Luis died two years after that, likely because of malnutrition. John�s mother eventually found work weaving which helped her to ...

After conflict reignited between Cambodia and Thailand earlier this month, the Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, Cambodia highlights how the local community is using the Advent season to place their uncertain situation in God’s hands whilst the young people join in Pope Leo's call for peace.

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Three different groups of martyrs, nearly 200 in total, are beatified in celebrations in the Cathedrals of Jaen, Spain, and Notre Dame in Paris.

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Lucy's history has been lost and all we really know for certain is that this brave woman who lived in Syracuse lost her life during the persecution of Christians in the early fourth century. Her veneration spread to Rome so that by the sixth century the whole Church recognized her courage in defense of the faith. Because people wanted to shed light on Lucy's bravery, legends began to crop up. The one that has passed the test of time tells the story of a young Christian woman who vowed to live ...

Speaking at the Jubilee for Italian Diplomacy, Pope Leo repeats the appeal of Paul VI for an end to war, and calls on diplomats to be men and women of dialogue.

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Pope Leo meets with artists and organisers involved in the Vatican’s Christmas Concert, saying that the festive period reminds us that God comes to meet us “at the very heart of our small human stories.”

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As the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday - Fr Edmund Power reflects on the theme of "joy" that permeates the liturgy on the Third Sunday of Advent.

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Speaking to about 1,000 people taking part in the “Living Nativity” tradition at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Leo challenges them to spread the message that we are never alone and continue to be “pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet.”

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In the presence of Pope Leo XIV, Maestro Riccardo Muti conducts Cherubini’s "Mass for the Coronation of Charles X" at a Christmas concert in the Paul VI Hall, during which he receives the 2025 “Ratzinger Prize“. The concert was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Pontifical Foundation "Gravissimum Educationis".

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Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who awakens “in the inhabitants of America the joy of knowing they are loved by God.”

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