Ahead of the conclave that elected Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost OSA to succeed Pope Francis in the See of Peter, legendary Vatican beat journalist John L. Allen Jr. – who died last week at the age of 61 – described the man we now know by the name of Pope Leo XIV as [...]

Pope Leo XIV’s decision to return the celebration of the Missa in coena Domini – the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper — to his cathedral basilica of St. John Lateran is another step in the new pope’s deliberate work to re-establish traditional papal customs.

By restoring this and other practices, Leo XIV [...]

No concrete results came from Leo XIV’s first extraordinary consistory, which took place over two days, Jan. 7-8. None were expected.

Nearly two hundred cardinals participated in the talks, which focused – per the cardinals’ own choice – on evangelization and synodality, two of the four themes Leo proposed for their consideration.

The liturgical [...]

Through the first eight months of his reign, Pope Leo XIV has conducted himself as a transitional leader. The challenges he faced and the decisions he made were all somehow shaped by Pope Francis, who initiated the Holy Year and remained its principal point of reference until its end.

This period has been a [...]