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First Mass of Pope Leo XIV with Cardinals in Rome (@Vatican Media) Pope Leo XIV, as he delivered his first homily as Pope yesterday, May 9, in the Sistine Chapel. He was chosen two days ago, on May 8, by the 133 assembled voting cardinals to be the Bishop of Rome and the [...]
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is the 267th Roman Pontiff with the name of Leo XIV. He is the first North American to be elected pope and the first Peruvian citizen. Vatican City, 8 May 2025. | Photo Grzegorz Galazka Pope Leo XIV. He was chosen yesterday by the 133 assembled voting cardinals to [...]
Top Italian Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci, who works for the Rome office of EWTN and has his own weekly blog called Monday Vatican. Today he published a thoughtful guide to the various candidates in the upcoming papal conclave, which begins today, May 7... Letter #38, 2025, Wednesday, May 7: Gagliarducci gives the names of the present [...]
Two images of top Italian Vaticanist Franca Giansoldati, with the late Pope Francis. Her writing, for Rome's daily Il Messaggero, is top-flight, and today she published a useful, even precious, guide to what will happen in the papal conclave, which begins today, May 7... Letter #38, 2025, Wednesday, May 7: Giansoldati sets up the Conclave [...]
Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni. He is a possible "dark horse" candidate to be elected Pope as the papal conclave begins today, May 7... Letter #37, 2025, Wednesday, May 7: Cardinal Fernando Filoni This afternoon, Wednesday, May 7, the papal conclave begins. I will be podcasting on YouTube Urbi et Orbi Communications channel, live at this [...]
Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdö, in his titular church in Rome on Sunday morning, May 4. His homily was brief, clear, and profound. The papal conclave begins tomorrow... Letter #36, 2025, Tuesday, May 6: Peter Erdö There is now less than one day — from this afternoon until tomorrow morning — before the beginning of the [...]
Pope Paul VI during his journey to the Holy Land, 4-6 January, 1964 Ice-covered Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, in February 2010, looking north toward the Sandwich mountain range Letter #35, 2025, Tuesday, May 6: A father There is now less than one day — from this morning until tomorrow morning — before the beginning [...]
(Photograph copyright by Marilis A. Pineiro. Please credit her for any republication) Another lightning bolt on the cupola... At 2:49 am on the morning of Monday, May 5, 2025, I was awakened suddenly from a sound sleep by a huge thunderclap. It seemed that the entire city of Rome must have been shaken. [...]
The cover of an early edition of the Pensèes ("Thoughts") of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). He was only 39 when he died... A copy of Pascal's description of what happened to him during his "night of fire." It was November 23, 1654. He experienced... the presence of God... Letter #33, 2025, Sunday, May 4: Thoughts There [...]
There are just three days now — Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday —before the beginning of the papal conclave on Wednesday, May 7. *** In these days, I have glimpsed, and sometimes greeted, several cardinals in the streets of Rome — for example, English Cardinals Timothy Radcliffe and Arthur Roche, American Cardinals Robert McElroy and Donald [...]
