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Can American pope bring US-style fundraising to fix Vatican finances?

As a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost was often on the lookout for used cars that he could buy cheap and fix up himself for use in parishes around his diocese. With cars that were really broken down, he'd watch YouTube videos to learn how to fix them. That kind of make-do-with-less, fix-it-yourself mentality could serve Pope Leo XIV well as he addresses one of the greatest challenges facing him as pope: The Holy See's chronic, 50 million to 60 million euro (USD 57-68 million) structural deficit, 1 billion euro (USD 1.14 billion) pension fund shortfall and declining donations that together pose something of an existential threat to the central government of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic Church. As a Chicago-born math major, canon lawyer and two-time superior of his global Augustinian religious order, the 69-year-old pope presumably can read a balance sheet and make sense of the Vatican's complicated finances, which have long been mired in scandal. Whether he can change the financial .

Pope Leo XIV declares 'I am Roman!' as he formally becomes bishop of Rome

Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman on Sunday as he completed the final ceremonial steps cementing his role as the bishop of Rome. The first American pope formally took possession of the St. John Lateran Basilica, which is Rome's cathedral and seat of the diocese, with an evening Mass attended by Roman priests and faithful. He then took the popemobile for a visit to St. Mary Major, where he prayed before Pope Francis' tomb and an icon of the Virgin Mary beloved to many Roman faithful. In his homily, Leo said he wanted to listen to them in order to learn, understand and decide things together. One of the many titles that Leo assumed when he was elected May 8 was bishop of Rome. Given his responsibilities running the 1.4-billion strong universal Catholic Church, popes delegate the day-to-day governance of running of the diocese of Roman to a vicar. Sunday's ceremonies at the St. John Lateran and a stop at St. Mary Major basilicas follow Leo's visit last week to the St. Paul Outsid

Chicago suburb-area town planning to seize Pope Leo XIV's childhood home

Dolton, a town near Chicago, plans to seize Pope Leo XIV's childhood home via eminent domain and work with the Archdiocese to preserve it as a historic site, officials said in a letter Tuesday

Close aides see Pope Leo XIV as reformer on women's roles but with limits

Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms of Pope Francis' pontificate by having women serve on the Vatican board that vets nominations for bishops. But he also has said decisively that women cannot be ordained as priests, and despite having worked for years in Peru where women often lead church communities, seems noncommittal on whether women could ever serve in any ministerial capacity. Nevertheless, the women who have worked closely with Prevost in recent years have praised his leadership style, ability to listen and respect for their opinions. In interviews with The Associated Press, they say they expect that as pope, Leo will continue to promote women in church governance positions, albeit with limits. Maria Lia Zervino was among the three women Francis appointed to the Dicastery for Bishops in 2022 to review possible appointments. It was a job previously held by cardinals and bishops, an old boy's club that has ..

HRW urges new Pope to review 2018 China deal to protect religious freedom

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, said the new Pope should push for fresh negotiations with Beijing to protect the religious freedom of Catholics in China

'Leo will follow Francis': Amazon Catholics hope new pope protects forest

The bishop sat quietly near the front row, hands folded, listening as Indigenous leaders and church workers spoke about the threats to Peru's northern forests, a part of the Amazon rain forest. It was 2016, a year after Laudato Si, Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment. When he was up to speak, the bishop didn't preach though he was in his city of Chiclayo as host of a regional gathering. Instead, he reflected on things he had seen. It's a very important encyclical, he said. It also represents something new in terms of this explicit expression of the church's concern for all of creation. That bishop, Robert Prevost, is now Pope Leo XIV. He was always very welcoming, very close to the people, Laura Vargas, secretary of the Interreligious Council of Peru, who helped organize the event, recalled in a phone interview with The Associated Press. He had no problem saying yes when we proposed it he was genuinely interested in social pastoral work. Since then, Prevost deepened his

Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass after historic election as pope

Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Mass on Friday after his historic election as the first North American pope, meeting with the cardinals who chose him to lead the Catholic Church and follow in Pope Francis' reform-minded footsteps. Leo, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost, surprised the world Thursday when he emerged on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, overcoming the traditional prohibition against a pope from the United States. The 69-year-old wore the traditional red cape which Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013 and trappings of the papacy, suggesting a return to some degree of rule-following after Francis' unorthodox pontificate. But in naming himself Leo, the new pope could also have wanted to signal a strong line of continuity: Brother Leo was the 13th century friar who was a great companion to St Francis of Assisi, the late pope's namesake. Together, we must try to find out how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, ...

Who is Leo XIV? first American elected as Pope of 1.4 bn roman catholics

A 69-year-old Leo has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis last month

Pope Leo XIV has criticised Trump, Vance policies in social media posts

Elected as the Catholic Church's first global leader to hail from the United States, Pope Leo XIV is in a new job that will have many crossovers into politics a realm not entirely unknown to the Chicago-born priest, whose social media history includes sharing criticism of Trump administration policies and of comments by Vice President J D Vance. President Donald Trump has wished the new pope well in his role, calling Leo's election "such an honour for our country". But it comes days after Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope amid days of official mourning for Pope Francis. That act raised eyebrows at the Vatican and was denounced by former Italian Premier Romano Prodi as indecent political interference in matters of faith. And last month, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the end of a half-century of partnerships with the federal US government to serve refugees and migrant children, saying the "heartbreaking" decision ...

Pope Leo XIV's name choice shows his commitment to social justice

Pope Leo XIV's choice of name signals a commitment to social justice which is very much in line with the late Pope Francis' global ministry. I think a lot us had a question mark when they elected an American, and then he selected the name Pope Leo XIV, said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the chair of religious studies at Manhattan University. It really means to me he will continue the work of Leo XXIII. Pope Leo XIII, who was head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers' rights and capitalism at the dawn of the industrial age. He criticised both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism, giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching. The name is a deep sign of commitment to social issues," said Imperatori-Lee. I think this (new) pope is saying something about social justice, by choosing this name, that it is going to be a ...

New Pope Leo XIV led Augustinian order devoted to poverty, service

Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first US pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, previously led a Catholic religious order. Prevost, 69, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV, was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of mendicant friars dedicated to poverty, service and evangelisation. The requirements and ethos of the order are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity. The Order of St. Augustine has a presence in about 50 countries, according to its website. Its ethos includes a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others. A core value in their rule is to live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God. A religious order is a community of Catholics which can include priests, nuns, monks and even lay people dedicated to a particular type of mission and ...

US Cardinal Robert Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV, first American pontiff

Ahead of the conclave, some cardinals called for continuity with Francis' vision of greater openness and reform, while others said they wanted to turn back the clock and embrace old traditions

Black smoke pours from Sistine Chapel, signals no pope chosen in first vote

Black smoke is pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke billowed out at 9 pm Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning.

Cardinals begin conclave to elect new pope with faithful seeking direction

The papal conclave will begin with a single ballot on the first day and then four rounds of voting each day afterward until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote

'Unity' could potentially turn divisive for cardinals electing new Pope

It is hard to imagine a less offensive rallying cry, but in ears of Francis' most committed supporters, it rings as a code word for rolling back Francis' more inclusive vision of Roman Catholic Church

Thousands attend Pope Francis' funeral, ceremony reflects his vision

Pope Francis is being laid to rest Saturday in a ceremony reflecting his priorities as pope and wishes as pastor: Presidents and princes will attend his funeral in St. Peter's Square, but prisoners and migrants will usher him into the basilica where he will be buried. As many as 200,000 people are expected to attend the funeral, which Francis choreographed himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican's rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope's role as a mere priest and not a powerful man of this world, the Vatican said. It was a reflection of Francis' 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to emphasize its pastors as servants, and to construct a poor church for the poor. It was a mission he articulated just days after his 2013 election and explained the name he chose as pope, in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, who had the heart of the poor of the world, according to the official decree of the pope's life that was placed in his coffin Friday ...

Cardinals set Pope Francis' funeral for Apr 26, public viewing from Apr 23

Cardinals have taken their first decisions following the death of Pope Francis, setting Saturday as the date for his funeral and allowing ordinary faithful to begin paying their final respects starting Wednesday, when his casket is brought into St. Peter's Basilica. The cardinals met for the first time Tuesday in the Vatican's synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis' successor, as condolences poured in from around the world grieving history's first Latin American pope. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10 am in St. Peter's Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. US President Donald Trump has announced he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend Saturday's funeral Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected. Francis died Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke that put him in a coma and led his heart to fail. He had been recovering in his apartment after being ...

Cardinal Farrell is named 'camerlengo,' running Holy See between popes

Cardinal Kevin Farrell remembers the day Pope Francis asked him to be the camerlengo, the Vatican official who runs the Holy See after the death of one pope and before the election of another. They were flying back to Rome from the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama, and Francis popped the question in business class. Farrell, 77, had been in Rome only a few years, summoned out of the blue from his job as bishop of Dallas, Texas, to reorganize the Vatican's laity office, a key part of Francis' reforms. Three years into the job, Francis asked him to take on another role that is steeped in myth and mystery but also has real-world responsibilities: managing the Vatican as camerlengo or chamberlain during the often traumatic interregnum between papacies and helping to organise the conclave to elect the next pontiff. I said to him I would accept the position but on one condition, Farrell recalled in a 2022 interview, smiling as he remembered their airborne conversation. The condition was th

These cardinals are seen as leading contenders to become next pope

A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal. It implies the sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest or campaign, but rather the divinely inspired election of Christ's Vicar on Earth by the princes of the church. Still, there are always front-runners, known as papabile, who have at least some of the qualities considered necessary to be pope much like those depicted in last year's Oscar-nominated film Conclave. Any baptized Catholic male is eligible, though only cardinals have been selected since 1378. The winner must receive at least two-thirds of the vote from those cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to participate. Pope Francis, who died Monday, appointed the vast majority of electors, often tapping men who share his pastoral priorities, which suggests continuity rather than rupture. Anyone trying to handicap the outcome should remember that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was considered too old to be elected pop

Pope Francis passes away: Here is how the Vatican selects a new pontiff

The death of a sitting pope initiates a profound period of mourning and transition within the Roman Catholic Church, marked by a meticulously structured process to elect a new pontiff