St. Andrew Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV with his friend Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez on May 12, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez

Vatican City, May 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Hugo Gabriel Sánchez of Chiclayo, Peru, had been planning a trip with his mother for months to visit various Marian shrines in Europe, such as Fátima, Medjugorje, and Lourdes, with of course a final stop in Rome.

What this diocesan priest could never have imagined was that his arrival in Rome would coincide with the election of “Bishop Roberto” Prevost as successor to St. Peter — the bishop who led his diocese for eight years and with whom he has a close friendship.

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 12, Pope Leo XIV made time in his busy schedule to welcome his friend Sánchez and Sánchez’s mother to the Vatican.

“The joy was immense; we were able to speak for a little over 30 minutes and give him a painting of Cuzco that we brought from Peru,” Sánchez told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Leo XIV’s heartfelt gesture

Sánchez met with ACI Prensa at the curia general of the Augustinians in Rome, a few steps from the Vatican and where Pope Leo XIV resided when he was prior general of the order. Despite having recently assumed the Petrine ministry, the Holy Father found time for a heartfelt gesture: He personally requested that his friend and his friend’s mother be given accommodations at the Augustinian community.

This closeness, the Peruvian priest noted, is precisely what characterizes the pontiff: “Since he left Chiclayo, he always sends us a message on our birthdays, or when there is a priestly ordination. He also writes if he hears of a priest having a problem.”

Sánchez still recalls with visible emotion the moment of the white smoke. “I was with my mother at the Lourdes shrine and I was 90% certain that the Holy Spirit could give us Bishop Prevost as pope,” said the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in the José Leonardo Ortíz district of Chiclayo.

“I was simply waiting for the cardinal’s name to be said, and when it was, my mother and I both wept for joy. Then we thanked God, and I wrote him a message. He hasn’t answered me yet, but his secretary told us to have a little patience, as he has received many messages.”

Love for priests, confidence in the young

Sánchez particularly highlighted the “love for the priests” that the now pope demonstrated as bishop of Chiclayo as well as his trust and commitment to young priests.

“We’re a young diocese, but we have many vocations. There are an average of about 80 or 85 priests, and he achieved a balance and harmony between the young and those who had been there for several years,” Sánchez emphasized.

He recalled the profound impact it had on him when years ago in the Chiclayo cathedral, he heard Prevost quote a line from St. Augustine, words that now Pope Leo XIV repeated in his first public appearance from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “I am an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’” In this sense, Sánchez reflected, “we can all walk together toward that homeland that God has prepared for us.”

As Sánchez sees it, the pontiff chose this line because “in some ways, he felt a certain fear in assuming this responsibility, but also comfort in knowing that he is not alone but accompanied by his brothers in the faith.”

‘Always ready to listen’

The priest also recalled the new pope’s availability, always “ready to listen” and engage in conversation with anyone who needed it.

“While he listened to you, he looked at you and listened to you until you were finished.” And then “he gave you simple yet profound advice. He has a very special charism,” Sánchez noted.

During Prevost’s years as bishop of Chiclayo, the priest noted, “he gave us an example of service, humility, and simplicity.”

Pope Leo XIV’s profound spirituality and extensive formation, with degrees in mathematics, philosophy, and canon law, did not prevent “his daily dealings from being simple and open.” 

“Before leaving Chicago, he was already doing advanced German studies and is fluent in several languages. But within that intellectual level that surprised us and his preparation, his relationship with the faithful was very simple, I think due to his ability to listen. His words were simple but profound, always focused on the Gospel and Christ.”

Closeness to the poorest

Sánchez also highlighted Prevost’s closeness to the poorest and the common people. “He revived Caritas in Chiclayo, when it was practically defunct,” he noted.

Sánchez was moved when he spoke of Chiclayo’s “strong but simple” faith while emphasizing the new pope’s closeness to young laypeople. He recalled with a smile “there’s a very funny video of him singing with them at Christmas.”

“He had a great ability to reach young people. Now on social media, we can see, without exaggerating, thousands of people from Chiclayo who have a photo with him,” he related.

‘He often laughs heartily’

He also highlighted his moderate stance, one of the characteristics that, according to the Peruvian priest, “made Cardinal Prevost a candidate for papacy.”

“His election came quickly to show that there are no divisions in the Church, and I believe the Holy Father will achieve harmony,” he emphasized.

He also emphasized that he has “a good sense of humor.”

“He doesn’t tell jokes, but he often laughs heartily when there’s a funny anecdote.”

Finally, he noted that “we needed a pope whose pontificate could be longer,” something he hopes for from the pontificate of Leo XIV, who will turn 70 on Sept. 14.

“As they say at the Augustinian college, we will have a pope for a while, and if God allows it, at some point he will visit Peru, and for the first time a pope will come to the Diocese of Chiclayo,” he said with hope.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Monument of the Guardian Angel of Portugal apparition to the three little shepherd children of Fátima. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

National Catholic Register, May 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

May 13 is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fátima, arguably the most prominent approved apparition of the 20th century. It became famous the world over, particularly for its three-part “secret.”

Here are nine things to know about this Marian apparition.

1. What happened at Fátima, Portugal?

A young shepherd girl, Lucia dos Santos, said she experienced supernatural visitations as early as 1915, two years before the famous appearances of Our Lady of Fátima.

In 1917, she and two of her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, were working as shepherds tending their families’ flocks. On May 13, 1917, the three children saw an apparition of a lady from heaven. She told them, among other things, that she would return once a month for six months.

At her third appearance, on July 13, Lucia was shown the secret of Fátima. She reportedly turned pale and cried out with fear, calling Our Lady by name. There was a thunderclap, and the vision ended.

The children again saw the Virgin on Sept. 13.

In the sixth and final appearance, on Oct. 13, a dramatic outward sign was given to those gathered to witness the event. After the clouds of a rainstorm parted, numerous witnesses — some as far as 40 miles away — reported seeing the sun dance, spin, and send out colored rays of light.

2. What happened after the main apparitions?

As World War I raged across Europe, an epidemic of Spanish flu swept the globe. It erupted in America and was spread by soldiers being sent to distant lands. This epidemic killed an estimated 20 million people.

Among them were Francisco and Jacinta, who contracted the illness in 1918 and died in 1919 and 1920, respectively. Lucia entered the convent.

On June 13, 1929, at the convent chapel in Tuy, Spain, Lucia had another mystical experience in which she saw the Trinity and the Blessed Virgin. Mary told her: “The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father in union with all the bishops of the world to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means” (S. Zimdars-Schwartz, “Encountering Mary,” 197).

On Oct. 13, 1930, the bishop of Leiria (now Leiria-Fátima) proclaimed the apparitions at Fátima authentic and worthy of assent.

3. How was the “secret” of Fátima written down?

Between 1935 and 1941, on the orders of her superiors, Sister Lucia wrote four memoirs of the Fátima events. In the third of these, she recorded the first two parts of the secret, explaining that there was a third part she was not yet permitted by heaven to reveal. 

In the “Fourth Memoir,” she added a sentence to the end of the second part of the secret: “In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc.”

This sentence has been the basis for much speculation that the third part of the secret concerned a great apostasy. 

Sister Lucia also noted that in writing the secret in the “Fourth Memoir”: “With the exception of that part of the secret which I am not permitted to reveal at present, I shall say everything. I shall not knowingly omit anything, though I suppose I may forget just a few small details of minor importance.”

Upon the publication of the “Third and Fourth Memoirs,” the world became aware of the secret of Fátima and its three parts, including Our Lady’s request that Russia be consecrated (entrusted) to her Immaculate Heart by the pope and the bishops of the world.

On Oct. 31, 1942, Pius XII consecrated not only Russia but also the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What was missing, though, was the involvement of the world’s bishops.

In 1943, the bishop of Leiria ordered Sister Lucia to put the third secret of Fátima in writing. She did not feel at liberty to do so until 1944. It was then placed in a wax-sealed envelope on which Sister Lucia wrote that it should not be opened until 1960.

4. What happened to the “third secret” afterward?

The secret remained with the bishop of Leiria until 1957, when it was requested (along with photocopies of Sister Lucia’s other writings) by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. According to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone the secret was read by both Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI (see “The Message of Fátima” (MF), “Introduction”).

“John Paul II, for his part, asked for the envelope containing the third part of the ‘secret’ following the assassination attempt on 13 May 1981” (ibid.).

He read it sometime between July 18 and Aug. 11.

It is significant that John Paul II did not read the secret until after the assassination attempt was made on his life. He notes in “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (1994): “And thus we come to May 13, 1981, when I was wounded by gunshots fired in St. Peter’s Square. At first, I did not pay attention to the fact that the assassination attempt had occurred on the exact anniversary of the day Mary appeared to the three children at Fátima in Portugal and spoke to them the words that now, at the end of this century, seem to be close to their fulfillment” (221).

After reading the secret, the Holy Father realized the connection between the assassination attempt and Fátima. He has since consistently attributed his survival of the gunshot wound to the intercession of Our Lady of Fátima.

“It was a mother’s hand that guided the bullet’s path,” he said, “and in his throes the pope halted at the threshold of death” (“Meditation from the Policlinico Gemelli to the Italian Bishops,” May 13, 1994).

5. Did John Paul II consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?

As had Pius XII, John Paul II decided to consecrate not only Russia but also the entire world to her Immaculate Heart. After he read the third part of the secret, he decided to journey to Fátima on May 13, 1982, and there performed the Act of Entrustment.

This act, however, did not appear to satisfy the requested consecration, and so, “on 25 March 1984 in St. Peter’s Square, while recalling the fiat uttered by Mary at the Annunciation, the Holy Father, in spiritual union with the bishops of the world, who had been ‘convoked’ beforehand, entrusted all men and women and all peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary” (Bertone, MF).

“Sister Lucia personally confirmed that this solemn and universal act of consecration corresponded to what Our Lady wished (‘Yes it has been done just as Our Lady asked, on 25 March 1984’: Letter of 8 November 1989). Hence any further discussion or request is without basis” (Bertone, MF).

6. Is Fátima related to the fall of Russian communism?

After it became public that there was a secret of Fátima and that it mentioned Russia, many pondered Fátima in the light of Russian communism.

1917 was a year of turmoil for Russia. Besides fighting in World War I, the country experienced two civil wars known as the February Revolution and the October Revolution. The former led to the creation of a provisional government that proved unstable. On Oct. 24–25, less than two weeks after the final appearance of Our Lady of Fátima, the second revolution resulted in the creation of the Soviet government.

In the ensuing years, Russia expanded its sphere of influence, exporting communist ideology and revolution to other lands and martyring Christians wherever it spread. Once Pope John Paul II’s 1984 consecration took place, first the Soviet bloc and then the USSR itself crumbled from a variety of social, political, and economic factors.

As the pope himself noted: “And what are we to say of the three children from Fátima who suddenly, on the eve of the outbreak of the October Revolution, heard: ‘Russia will convert’ and ‘In the end, my [Immaculate] Heart will triumph’ ... ? They could not have invented those predictions. They did not know enough about history or geography, much less the social movements and ideological developments. And nevertheless it happened just as they had said” (CTH, 131; emphasis in original).

Though he did not reveal the third part of the secret until the year 2000, six years earlier John Paul II hinted at its contents. Immediately after he meditated on the fall of communism in connection with Fátima, he went on to write:

“Perhaps this is also why the pope was called from a ‘faraway country,’ perhaps this is why it was necessary for the assassination attempt to be made in St. Peter’s Square precisely on May 13, 1981, the anniversary of the first apparition at Fátima — so that all could become more transparent and comprehensible, so that the voice of God which speaks in human history through the ‘signs of the times’ could be more easily heard and understood” (CHT, 131-132).

By the year 2000, the Holy Father felt able to reveal the final part of Fátima’s secret, since “the events to which the third part of the ‘secret’ of Fátima refers now seem part of the past” (Sodano, MF, “Announcement”).

The pontiff selected the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta on May 13, 2000, in Portugal as the occasion to announce this fact.

7. What is the essence of Fátima’s three-part “secret?”

Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, pointed out that the key to the apparition of Fátima is its call to repentance and conversion (MF, “Theological Commentary”).

All three parts of the secret serve to motivate the individual to repentance, and they do so in a dramatic way.

8. What is the first part of the secret?

The first part of the secret — the vision of hell — is the most important, for it reveals to individuals the tragic consequences of failure to repent and what awaits them in the invisible world if they are not converted.

9. What is the second part of the secret?

In the second part, Mary says: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”

Ratzinger explains: “According to Matthew 5:8, the ‘immaculate heart’ [of Mary] is a heart which, with God’s grace, has come to perfect interior unity and therefore ‘sees God.’ To be ‘devoted’ to the Immaculate Heart of Mary means therefore to embrace this attitude of heart, which makes the fiat — ‘your will be done’ — the defining center of one’s whole life. It might be objected that we should not place a human being between ourselves and Christ. But then we remember that Paul did not hesitate to say to his communities: ‘imitate me’ (1 Cor 4:16; Phil 3:17; 1 Thes 1:6; 2 Thes 3:7, 9)” (op. cit.).

After explaining the vision of hell, Mary spoke of a war that “will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.”

This latter war, of course, was World War II, which Sister Lucia reckoned as having been occasioned by the annexation of Austria by Germany during the reign of Pius XI (J. de Marchi, “Temoignages sur les apparitions de Fátima,” 346).

Our Lady also mentioned that this would happen after a night of the “unknown light.” Sister Lucia understood this to refer to Jan. 25, 1938, when Europe was witness to a spectacular nighttime display of light in the sky. In her third memoir she wrote: “Your Excellency is not unaware that, a few years ago, God manifested that sign, which astronomers chose to call an aurora borealis. ... God made use of this to make me understand that his justice was about to strike the guilty nations.”

Our Lady added: “If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”

Much has been made of the statement “Russia will be converted.”

Many people have assumed this meant the Russian people as a whole would become Catholic. But the language of the text does not require this.

The Portuguese word “converterá” doesn’t necessarily mean converted to the Catholic faith. It can mean simply that Russia will stop its warlike behavior, and thus “there will be peace.”

This interpretation seems to be the one understood by John Paul II in a passage cited above from “Crossing the Threshold of Hope.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news parter, on May 13, 2020, and has been adapted and updated by CNA.

Mikal Mahdi. / Credit: Federal Public Defenders (proof), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 18:06 pm (CNA).

Lawyers who represent the recently executed Mikal Mahdi are alleging that the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) “botched” their client’s firing squad execution, which caused him to scream out in pain and remain conscious for nearly one minute until he eventually died.

Mahdi, who was convicted of murdering a police officer and a convenience store worker, died on April 11 at age 42 in South Carolina’s second firing squad execution in the state’s history, both of which occurred this year just five weeks apart.

Although firing squad executions in the United States are extremely rare, the state legalized this method of execution, along with executions by the electric chair, in 2021 amid shortages of the drugs needed for lethal injections. Death row inmates can now choose whether to die by firing squad, lethal injection, or the electric chair, according to current state law.

According to a status report filed by Mahdi’s lawyers, the autopsy and eyewitness accounts of his death raise several questions about the execution. They note there are only two entrance wounds, despite three shots reportedly being fired, and allege that the shots “largely missed his heart,” which resulted in an unnecessarily prolonged death.

The status report notes that Mahdi screamed and groaned immediately after he was shot and a second time nearly a minute after the shots were fired. Mahdi’s lawyers said in the filing that his death was “far from painless and far from humane.”

“The autopsy confirms what I saw and heard,” David Weiss, one of Mahdi’s lawyers, said in a statement. “Mikal suffered an excruciating death. We don’t know what went wrong, but nothing about his execution was humane. The implications are horrifying for anyone facing the same choice as Mikal. South Carolina’s refusal to acknowledge their failures with executions cannot continue.”

Mahdi’s autopsy listed his cause of death as “multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.” It states that there are only two entrance wounds but that “it is believed” one of the gunshot wounds “represents two gunshot wound pathways,” which would indicate three bullets entered his body.

However, an analysis of the autopsy by Arden Forensics commissioned by Mahdi’s lawyers expressed doubt that three gunshots would leave only two entrance wounds, stating that the “passage of more than one bullet through a typical entrance wound is virtually unheard of.”

“We currently have no evidence to explain why there were two, rather than three, entrance wounds,” Jonathan Arden, who provided the analysis, said.

Although the autopsy found that the bullets struck Mahdi’s heart, Arden’s analysis states, “the entrance wounds were at the lowest area of the chest, just above the border with the abdomen, which is not an area largely overlying the heart.” It notes that the downward trajectory of the bullets, found in the autopsy, suggests “the heart might not be injured severely (or even at all).” 

“The forensic medical evidence and the reported eyewitness observations of the execution corroborate that Mr. Mahdi was alive and reacting longer than was intended or expected,” he continued. “Mr. Mahdi did experience excruciating conscious pain and suffering for about 30 to 60 seconds after he was shot.”

A spokesperson for SCDC disputed the narrative from Mahdi’s lawyers, telling CNA that “all three weapons fired simultaneously, and all three bullets struck Mahdi,” adding: “Two bullets followed the same trajectory.”

“All three bullets struck Mahdi’s heart, per the autopsy report,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that “multiple fragments were removed from Mahdi’s body,” “the autopsy report shows no exit wounds,” and “no fragments were found in the room.”

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, told CNA the reports suggest the “execution was botched, causing a very painful death.” She said “this is a reminder that every execution — regardless of the method or the procedures that take place — is a violent act that disregards the dignity of life.”

“This year, multiple states have instituted new execution methods including the firing squad — like in the case of Mr. Mahdi — and the newly developed method of nitrogen gas suffocation,” Murphy added.

“It’s hard not to look at these methods and think, ‘How did we get here?’ And how does our society think this inhumanity is somehow acceptable?” she said. “The reality is, those are the questions we should ask ourselves each time there is an execution, because the death penalty is contrary to human dignity and an affront to the sanctity of life.”

“The outrage we feel toward these execution methods is a reminder that over time, the system of capital punishment has become all the more deceptive to make executions appear more palatable, sterile, and ‘humane,’” Murphy continued. “But executions are never any of these things. Whether someone is shot, electrocuted, injected, or gassed each and every execution extinguishes a God-given life with inherent dignity and worth. Each and every execution is a blatant act of state-sanctioned violence.”

U.S. Navy LSTs and other vessels unloading at low tide at Normandy, soon after the June 1944 invasion. USS LST-55 is in the center, behind the closest barrage balloon. USS LST-61 is at right. / Credit: Steck, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 17:26 pm (CNA).

Louis Marius Prevost, the father of Pope Leo XIV, served on a D-Day landing ship during World War II and was a junior lieutenant in the United States Navy.

Since Pope Leo XIV became the new pontiff, the world has been eager to learn more about the first U.S.-born pope. The United States Department of Defense (DOD) released a statement about Pope Leo’s late father and his role in the revered “greatest generation” that won World War II.

Prevost was born on July 28, 1920, in Chicago. After he graduated from college, he joined the Navy in November 1943 when he was 23 years old. 

According to the Department of Defense, Prevost became the executive officer of a tank landing ship and “participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord.” He was in charge of a landing craft that “the Allies used to land infantry soldiers and Marines onto beaches during the war.”

On June 6, 1944, Prevost was involved in the Allied forces landing troops on Normandy beaches that “successfully executed the largest air, land, and sea invasion in history,” according to the DOD.

The Normandy coastline would soon run out of capacity for the amount of materials needed “to keep the Allied momentum going.” The U.S. Navy then sent Prevost and other landing ships to southern France on Aug. 15, 1944, to take part in Operation Dragoon, which “forced the Germans to defend a second front, diluting their effectiveness.”

“By the end of August,” the DOD said, “the Allies had captured the French ports of Marseille and Toulon, immediately using them to land supplies and equipment. In October 1944, more than a third of Allied cargo was shipped through those ports.”

Prevost was overseas on active duty for 15 months. He attained the rank of lieutenant junior grade prior to the war ending on May 8, 1945.

After the war, Prevost returned home and became the head of an elementary school district in Glenwood, Illinois. He later took a job as a principal at Mount Carmel Elementary School in Chicago and also did work teaching “the principles of the Christian religion” as a catechist.

In 1949 Prevost married Mildred Martinez, who was a librarian at the time. 

The couple had three sons: John Joseph Prevost; Louis Martin Prevost, also a U.S. Navy veteran; and Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.

Prevost passed away in Chicago due to natural causes on Nov. 8, 1997.

Archbishop Julian Porteous. / Credit: Archdiocese of Hobart

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 17:06 pm (CNA).

A Catholic archbishop in Australia is calling attention to an ecumenical statement on human sexuality released last year as the group behind the project seeks to gain approval for the creed from “biblically orthodox leaders” worldwide.

Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart is among some 6,000 initial signatories of the “Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity,” a statement affirming fundamental Christian ethics on sex and gender that was drafted last October by a team of over 100 Christian faith leaders, including Catholic clergy.

In a Catholic Weekly interview last week, Porteous explained his decision to back the initiative, saying: “I thought it was good ecumenically to show support. And from the Catholic point of view, I felt we had a lot to offer because we have been able to articulate a lot of this material through magisterial teaching, through the catechism and so on, and help them with terminology.”

The creed outlines common Christian moral tenets on the creation of every person as male or female, marriage and sexuality as exclusively between men and women, the belief that every human life is sacred, and the call to chastity and faithfulness both in marriage and singleness. 

“We believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who designed sex as part of his loving plan for humanity and whose will for sexual integrity is clearly revealed in holy Scripture,” the statement reads.

“We believe our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,” the statement adds, “that Christ calls and empowers us to repent from all sin, including sexual sin, that his mercy abounds to forgive and restore, and that by living with sexual integrity we glorify God and humbly embrace his wise and loving plan for human life.”

“Every era has its particular heresies,” the creed website states. “We believe the time has come for a new creed that affirms the timeless teachings of the church regarding sexual integrity and that articulates God’s glorious design for sex and marriage as revealed in holy Scripture.”

“Our hope and prayer,” the website notes, “is that the Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity will gain global approval from biblically orthodox leaders in the Catholic Church, the Anglican/Episcopalian Church, the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Orthodox Church, evangelical and Pentecostal churches, and many more besides.”

Pope Leo XIV smiles as a jubilant crowd joins in prayer on Sunday, May 11, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 16:36 pm (CNA).

As the world celebrates the election of the first pope born in the United States, the president of the only U.S.-based charitable organization dedicated to carrying out the Holy Father’s humanitarian aid projects speculates that Leo XIV’s papacy could increase charitable giving within the Church. 

“I do think that because Pope Leo is American, he will have a special rapport with Americans that it should lead to increased donation for his causes of the poor and the vulnerable and the marginalized,” said Ward Fitzgerald, the Papal Foundation’s board president. 

Funded by donations from its “Stewards of St. Peter,” the Papal Foundation supports humanitarian aid projects designated by the pope and the continuing education of priests and religious. “Ninety to 95% of these benefactors are American,” according to Fitzgerald, who emphasized that none of their contributions go to the Vatican or the Holy See.

Part of the reason Fitzgerald believes the new pontiff’s election could positively influence donations not only to the foundation but also to the Vatican is that the new Holy Father is a native English speaker. 

“Too often ... the pope feels a bit foreign to Americans,” he said. “We are not owed as a society having [a pope] that speaks our language, just like no other countries are owed that. But it can be helpful in catalyzing the faith and catalyzing the Holy See’s causes when communication can be better.” 

“I think it’s particularly important in an era, unfortunately, where people use video and phone constantly,” he added.

Ultimately, he said, “I think communication through the verbal word as opposed to the written word is going to help Americans embrace the causes of the pope, which include the poor and the marginalized and the vulnerable.” 

Fitzgerald, who has met Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — described the new pontiff as politically neither right nor left but as a “compassionate conservative or conservative compassionate.” 

He stated that the pontiff’s philosophy rests on three pillars: an appreciation for the harmony of faith and reason, shaped by his study of Aquinas; a commitment to leading people to Christ, rooted in his Augustinian influences; and a deep concern for the poor and marginalized, reflected in his service in Peru.

Apart from serving as the foundation’s board president, Fitzgerald is the CEO and founder of ExCorde Capital, a private equity firm that specializes in real estate debt and equity markets. One thing he said he hoped to see under Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate is more transparency in Vatican finances and better stewardship of its real estate. 

“I think that the universal Church would be more charitable to the Vatican if it understood its finances,” he said, noting the general impression many people have is that of waste and lack of oversight.

“I’m not saying it’s true or false because I have no idea,” he said. “But I think the impression is that if they can communicate clearly where the capital is going … I believe the world would support it.”

“Again, because this pope is from America, and America happens to be a more affluent country than many countries, America will probably provide more than its fair share towards those goals,” he added. 

In terms of Vatican real estate, Fitzgerald said that while sometimes Church property can be a true asset, other times it can be a “crutch and a burden.”

“Now is the time to shed the burden of trying to maintain real estate that is not impactful towards the mission of the truth of the Church and for Jesus Christ,” he said.

Credit: ivanko80/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, May 12, 2025 / 16:06 pm (CNA).

California pregnancy centers filed an appeal last week asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to stop the state from censoring pro-life pregnancy centers that provide abortion pill reversals.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and the SCV Pregnancy Center in Santa Clarita, California, are asking the court to stop the state of California from censoring pro-life pregnancy centers that provide information about abortion pill reversal. 

In 2023 California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, sued five pro-life pregnancy centers over their promotion of a drug that is meant to reverse chemical abortions. 

In the suit, Bonta accused the pregnancy centers of using fraudulent and misleading claims when advertising the abortion pill reversal drug. The lawsuit accused the pregnancy centers of violating California’s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law. 

The May 7 appeal alleges that California “targeted” pro-life organizations and violated the First Amendment right to freedom of speech as well as religious freedom, as NIFLA is a faith-based organization.

Abortion pill reversal entails taking progesterone within 72 hours of taking mifepristone, the first of two drugs taken for a chemical abortion. The progesterone can stop a chemical abortion. 

Progesterone, a vital hormone for maintaining pregnancy, has been used for decades to prevent miscarriage and preterm labor. Abortion pill reversal has potentially saved thousands of unborn lives, with some sources citing a 64%-68% success rate.

“Progesterone therapy offers these women hope and their babies a second chance at life,” the appeal read.

Caleb Dalton, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, the nonprofit legal group arguing on behalf of the pregnancy centers, said that “access to information is a hallmark of a free society and is essential to making informed medical choices.”

“Every woman should have the option to reconsider going through with a chemical abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent truthfully inform women about that choice,” Dalton said in a statement.

“We urge the court to affirm the pregnancy centers’ freedom to tell the public about this lawful, life-saving treatment and end the attorney general’s censorship,” Dalton said. 

The appeal pointed to the story of two California mothers, Atoria Foley and Desirae Exendine, who “immediately regretted” taking the first abortion drug and “frantically sought an alternative.” 

Through online searches, the women found a NIFLA pregnancy center. An OB-GYN on staff prescribed progesterone free of cost after diagnosing the women and obtaining their informed consent.

“The treatment worked: Atoria gave birth to a healthy daughter and Desirae to a healthy son,” the appeal read.

“If I hadn’t heard about abortion pill reversal, I firmly believe my baby girl would not be alive today,” Foley testified in the appeal.  

“They gave me back my son’s life. I believe all women should have the same second chance to save their babies,” Exendine added.

Pope Leo XIV, when he was a bishop, received the Gold Medal of St. Toribio de Mogrovejo from the Peruvian bishops in 2023. / Credit: Peruvian Bishops’ Conference YouTube/screenshot

Lima Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA).

On March 14, 2023, the bishops of Peru awarded the Gold Medal of St. Toribio de Mogrovejo to Bishop Robert Prevost in recognition of his outstanding pastoral work in the country and for being named prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops by Pope Francis.

During the ceremony, Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — referenced how he met with then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio several times during the years when he served as prior general of the Augustinians. 

“I won’t tell you the reason, but let’s just say that when Cardinal Bergoglio and I met, we weren’t always in agreement,” Prevost said with a smile, without specifying what disagreements he had with Pope Francis.

‘I’ll never be a bishop’

In thanking the bishops for the award, the now pope recalled how when Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, he “said to some of my brothers: ‘Well, that’s very good, and thank God I’ll never be a bishop.’”

In the video of his 2023 speech, posted by the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference, he also recounted how Pope Francis presided over the opening Mass of the Augustinian general chapter at St. Augustine Church in Rome on Aug. 28, 2013.

At the end of that Mass, Prevost recalled, Francis said to him: “Now rest.” And he responded: “Thank you, Holy Father, I hope to rest.”

“He gave me a few months and then appointed me bishop of Chiclayo. I don’t know when the part about rest will come, but here we are,” he recounted with a laugh.

The Peruvian hat he received at age 5

Prevost also shared an anecdote about his first connection with Peru: “When I was 5 years old, I don’t know if I knew where Peru was or not, but I had an uncle who worked [there], and he gave me — my aunt, actually — a ‘chullo’ [a traditional woolen hat from the Peruvian Andes], one of those worn in the Apurímac region of the mountains with multi-colors… my Peruvian formation began at a very tender age.”

Prevost emphasized that his stay in Peru was “one of the greatest gifts” the Lord has given him as well as “a great treasure.”

Obedience in ‘all stages of life’ 

Referring in 2023 to the position he was about to assume at the Vatican as prefect, the then-bishop said: “I’m not entirely happy. My preference would have been to remain in Chiclayo, but one must obey in all stages of life.” 

At the end of his acceptance speech, he asked for prayers and emphasized: “Through the Lord of Miracles, Peru will always be present in my heart, in my prayers.”

The Lord of Miracles, also called the Christ of Pachacamilla, is an image of Christ painted on an adobe wall in the 17th century and preserved in the Church of the Nazarene Sisters in the historic center of Lima.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Bishop Robert Francis Prevost was named prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops on Jan. 30, 2023. / Credit: Frayjhonattan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rome Newsroom, May 12, 2025 / 14:24 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV traveled to several countries as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine between 2001 and 2013 and also as a member of the Roman Curia since 2019. 

Below are some of the countries (in alphabetical order) the Chicago-born pope has visited — or where he has been based for pastoral reasons — outside of the U.S. in the last three decades.

Australia

As prior general of the Augustinians, Pope Leo XIV visited Australia in 2002 and 2005. 

In 2002, he visited the order’s Villanova College in Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. In 2005, he traveled to New South Wales to visit his confreres and celebrate Mass in Holy Spirit Parish — whose pastoral care is entrusted to the Augustinians — in western Sydney.    

Democratic Republic of Congo

In 2009, Pope Leo inaugurated the Augustinian university in the country’s capital of Kinshasa, where he spoke about the importance of education and also met with families and communities in war-torn villages. He also visited his confreres in the Bas-Uélé province in the same year.  

India  

Pope Leo XIV traveled twice to India, in 2004 and 2006, when he was prior general of the Augustinians, visiting communities in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In 2004, he concelebrated the priestly ordination of six deacons belonging to his order in St. Francis Xavier Church in Kerala — the state where a significant number of Indian Catholics belonging to the Syro-Malabar Church live.

Indonesia

In 2003, Pope Leo XIV traveled to Papua, Indonesia, to celebrate an anniversary of the Order of St. Augustine in the Diocese of Sorong in Jayapura. During this stay, the former head of the Augustinians listened to the plight of those faced with armed conflict and civil unrest in the Papua region.

Kenya 

Pope Leo XIV was in Kenya in 2011, 2024, and 2025. In his 2024 visit to the African nation, the then-cardinal presided over the consecration and dedication of the chapel at Augustinian International House of Theology in Nairobi, reminding his listeners that the new church is “built on the rock which is our faith” and the need for each and every Catholic to “live in unity.”

Nigeria 

The Nigeria Catholic Network reported that Pope Leo has visited the African country at least nine times between 2001 and 2016, participating in a number of meetings in Abuja and beyond in order to establish and consolidate the Augustinian order’s Nigeria province. 

Peru 

Pope Leo was sent on mission in 1985 as a newly-ordained priest to Peru, where he was made the local prior for his religious community. Throughout the 1990s, he served the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Trujillo as judicial vicar and as a professor of canon law, patristics, and moral theology at the San Carlo and San Marcello seminary college.   

He returned to Peru in November 2014, after being in Chicago and Rome between 1999 and 2014, having been appointed by Pope Francis head the Diocese of Chiclayo. In 2020, he was also appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Callao. He remained in Peru until 2023 when he was called by the pope to work for the Roman Curia and eventually made a cardinal.  

Philippines

Pope Leo has made several visits to the Philippines — in 2002, 2010, and 2012 — as the prior general of the Augustinians. During one of his visits, the pope visited the country’s oldest church, the Santo Niño Basilica, in Cebu, which houses the renowned shrine of the Child Jesus. The Order of St. Augustine is recognized as the first group of missionaries who effectively helped establish Catholicism as the main religion on the Asian archipelago.   

South Korea

Augustinians in the Asia Pacific helped to establish their community in South Korea in 1985.  While still a newly-ordained priest and young missionary, Pope Leo took a flight to the Asian nation, though he was on holiday, to support his brothers when they were having difficulty setting up the mission in the country, Father John Sullivan, OSA, told The Catholic Leader.

Tanzania 

Pope Leo has visited the African nation of Tanzania more than five times. Tanzania’s national newspaper Daily News reported that the newly-elected pontiff had traveled to several places — even undertaking an approximately 468-mile road trip from Songea to Morogoro. 

“We got into the same car [in Songea], which he drove himself, and went to Morogoro, where he received the perpetual vows of three of our sisters (nuns) on Aug. 28, 2003,” Bishop Stephano Musomba told Daily News.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a press conference after a meeting of European leaders in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on May 10, 2025. / Credit: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, May 12, 2025 / 12:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have spoken on the phone following the pontiff’s plea for lasting peace in the country, the Vatican said Monday.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, confirmed that the two leaders had spoken after the pope expressed concern for Ukraine during his Sunday address delivered from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” Pope Leo said on Sunday after singing the Regina Coeli prayer with approximately 100,000 people.

“May everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just, and lasting peace, as soon as possible,” the Holy Father continued. “Let all the prisoners be freed and the children return to their own families.”

On Monday morning, Zelenskyy shared a photo on X of him purportedly having a telephone call with the new head of the Catholic Church from his office.

“I spoke with Pope Leo XIV,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X. “It was our first conversation but already a very warm and truly substantive one.”

After expressing gratitude to the Holy Father “for his support for Ukraine and all our people,” Zelenskyy said he and the pope specifically discussed the plight of thousands of children deported by Russia.

“Ukraine counts on the Vatican’s assistance in bringing them home to their families,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Reiterating Ukraine’s commitment to work toward a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and the end of the war with Russia, the president said he also invited the Holy Father “to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine” during the phone call.

“Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people,” he said. “We agreed to stay in contact and plan [an] in-person meeting in the near future.”