Pope Leo XIV lands in Madrid on Saturday morning, officially marking the start of his Apostolic Journey to the European nation of Spain, which will see him visit the Spanish capital, as well as Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

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As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Fr. Edmund Power reflects on the theme: “Waybread on Life’s Journey”.

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Pope Leo XIV departs for Apostolic Journey to the European nation of Spain, which will see him visit Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.

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The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, has confirmed the meeting organized by the local Church, explaining that further details will be given soon with the respect for the privacy of the victims.

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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 ...

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."

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.

For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day. The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon ...

WASHINGTON - Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), welcomed the news that Ms. Maria Montserrat Alvarado has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as the new prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. 

“It was with gratitude that I learned of Montse’s appointment as the next prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Communication,” said Archbishop Coakley. “We are grateful for her work as a Catholic journalist, faithfully covering the work of the bishops, and also for her advocacy and dedication to upholding religious freedom and human dignity at the Becket Fund. On behalf of the Conference, I assure her of our prayers as she continues to serve the universal Church with her unique talents.” 

Ms. Alvarado has overseen the news operations for Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) since 2023, and previous to that, at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty – at both entities, she has had interactions with the USCCB and its member bishops.

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Though we know very little about these two martyrs under Diocletian, there is no question that the early church venerated them. Evidence of the respect in which they were held are the basilica Constantine built over their tombs and the presence of their names in the first eucharistic prayer. Pope St. Damasus says that he heard the story of these two martyrs from their executioner who became a Christian after their deaths. Marcellinus, a priest, and Peter, an exorcist, died in the year 304. ...