Today we celebrate St. Ephraim ✨ Poet, theologian, and Doctor of the Church, he used his gifts to teach the faith and reveal the beauty of Christ. May we use our own gifts to glorify God and share His love. St. Ephraim, pray for us 🙏

More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital on June 7 for the solemnity of Corpus Christi. @Pontifex jerseycatholic.org/popes-cor…

On our way to Barcelona, in a train filled with Spanish bishops and journalists! Up ahead: prayer in the Cathedral of Barcelona, prayer vigil in an Olympic stadium, visit to the Brians 1 prison, visit to the Abbey of Montserrat, encounter with the realities of charity, Mass at the Sagrada Familia. From there, Canaria and Tenerife.

This should be a worthwhile panel of the Encyclical

Looking ahead with excitement to tomorrow evening’s Sagrada Familia Mass with Pope Leo, here is a piece I wrote in 2010, after being present at Benedict XVI’s consecration of the cathedral. theguardian.com/commentisfre…

Pope to Spanish bishops: “We must not forget something we learn from the troubles of so many migrants: a person who is alone, without roots and without resources, suffers terribly and finds it very difficult to establish solid bonds in the place where they arrive.” vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/e…

NEW: The first U.S.-born pope once again condemned a war his own country started and cannot finish. In his historic first address to Spain's parliament — on the 100th day of Trump's Iran war — Leo told 700 lawmakers that weapons “can never build a genuine and lasting peace.” They rose for a seven-minute ovation. Earlier, he confronted Spain’s bishops over clergy abuse and met privately with survivors himself. thelettersfromleo.com/p/the-…

This is how the triumphant entrance of Pope Leo XIV into Santiago Bernabéu Stadium felt for his meeting with the diocesan communities of Madrid, Getafe, and Alcalá. A few days ago, he recalled with a smile that, although the Pope belongs to everyone, Prevost was a fan of Real Madrid, the home team of this iconic stadium. As part of his visit to Madrid, tonight he is meeting a packed Bernabéu, transformed for one night into a great celebration of the faith as they received him with chants, cheers, songs and a standing ovation. The crowd of 70,000 roared for the Holy Father.

Both of Spain’s leading newspapers, @el_pais and @abc_es, use the same headline — “miracle in Congress” — to describe rapturous reception of Leo’s address yesterday to the Cortés, despite challenges to both left and right. And say the 7-minute applause is unprecedented.

Pope Leo arrives in Barcelona!

“The abrupt cessation of international humanitarian aid—specifically the closure of certain U.S.A.I.D. services in 2025—has had a significant impact on the capacity to respond to the Ebola crisis.” americamagazine.org/politics…

Pope Leo XIV on J.R.R. Tolkien: “He’s a fascinating figure that reaches out to people far beyond just the Catholic Church, so it’s a way of using culture, literature, art, for a voice.”

"For a religious sister, living in Cuba today means navigating and taking on a series of structural and economic challenges that require an enormous capacity for adaptation and resilience," Sr. Noemy Ayala said. globalsistersreport.org/nuns…

⚠️ #PopeLeoXIV teaches us that "no algorithm can make war morally acceptable" and the use of AI must be subject to “the most rigorous ethical constraints, to guarantee respect for human dignity and sanctity of life”. #MagnificaHumanitas🤝 📌 Learn more on magnificahumanitas.org

In a world torn apart by wars and divisions, in a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualistic, we wish to be witnesses and prophets of unity, welcome, harmony, and peace, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation. We wish to offer our “yes,” ready if necessary to die to ourselves, to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves again, to renounce the superfluous in order to build upon what is essential and lasts forever (Mt 16:24–26). #ApostolicJourney

Selflessness is like leaven that makes the human, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of society grow, and it is a distinctive element of the “City of God.” In a world constantly influenced by a logic of self-interest and profit, where the term “growth” is reduced to the economic-financial sense, it is important to think and live according to a more authentic mentality that leads to integral human development. #ApostolicJourney vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/e…

The goodness of even a few people can overcome the fear of many. We must be like an open Bible for everyone. May others encounter the Word of God in our faces and lives. Love is the language that makes everyone feel at home. #ApostolicJourney

"If life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have? Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just? The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization. Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence. When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person. For this reason, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," Pope Leo, Spanish Congress.

TODAY in MADRID ~ Pope Leo addressed Spain's Parliament, stressing that a just society defends every human life, peace, and freedom. Upon finishing, he received more than 7 minutes of applause.

After (what I personally think is a brilliant speech), Pope Leo XIV received an almost 7-minute-long standing ovation in the Spanish Congress. And they stopped applauding because he left. It was a combination of Catholic social teaching, Spanish history, and current political debates. Worth reading in full once posted to vatican.va