The second consistory of Leo XIV indicated, in a certain sense, that the transition from one pontificate to the next is underway, but not yet complete.

It is not certain it will ever be.

For Leo XIV, the consistory meetings appear to be more of a broad consultation than an instrument of governance, a [...]

At 94, already wheelchair-bound and in poor health, Cardinal Camillo Ruini found himself experiencing the third conclave of his life as a cardinal, this time no longer as a cardinal elector.

No one would have faulted him had he chosen to sit this one out.

Ruini, however, felt it was his duty to ensure [...]

It’s perhaps a little too much to say that Leo XIV’s pontificate began on the Iberian Peninsula, but his recent six-day sojourn in Spain was a clear sign of the kind of pontificate to expect from him.

It will be a pontificate that looks to the peripheries of the faith, as Pope Francis did [...]

The appointment of Montse Alvarado as prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communications is an appointment that explains much about how Leo XIV intends to manage the Roman Curia and his understanding of its offices.

It also offers a glimpse, perhaps, into a possible further reform of the Roman Curia.

Until now, Leo XIV [...]

Leo XIV’s encyclical letter, Magnifica Humanitas, has a Latin title, but it doesn’t yet have a Latin version.

The encyclical was the last to arrive at the Office of Latin Letters; the original version is expected to be in English and Italian, so the editio typica will likely be Latin, but it will be [...]

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical – a social encyclical – should have clarified whether a transition between the old and the new world truly took place. The impression, arising from several clues, is not only that the transition is yet incomplete, but that it has yet to begin.

What do we know so [...]

The possible Lefebvrian schism is the first major crisis Leo XIV has faced since his election as Pope. The pontiff, whose mandate was to resolve conflicts in the Church, finds himself dealing with a very combative group of priests and bishops who have decided, to preserve their aging hierarchy, to ordain new bishops without [...]

When he first appeared on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica dressed as Pope, Leo XIV immediately declared himself “a son of St. Augustine.” It was a statement of identity, powerfull and immediate, which quickly showed itself indeed to be a fundamental characteristic for understanding this pontiff and his pontificate.

Deep down, Leo [...]

The great goal of Leo XIV’s pontificate is to restore unity in the Church. The task, however, is particularly arduous. In short, it is something easier said than done.

The pontiff’s comments to journalists en route with him to Rome from Africa illustrate the point.

Leo took a question regarding Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s [...]

The press conference on the plane returning from Africa provided the first sign of Leo XIV’s notable break with Pope Francis’s pontificate.

When asked specifically about the decision of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop Emeritus of Munich, to formally bless same-sex couples, Leo XIV said the Holy See had already informed the German bishops [...]