In Lampedusa, island gateway to Europe, Pope Leo calls for protecting migrants

As he stressed human dignity in Lampedusa, Pope Leo also issued a July Fourth message to the U.S., saying "in every generation" immigrants "helped to shape the nation’s character.”

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Vatican excommunicates bishops of breakaway traditionalist sect

The sect, the Society of St. Pius X, defied a direct plea from Pope Leo XIV and sought to consecrate four bishops without the Vatican's approval.

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Trump said Italy’s prime minister ‘begged’ for a photo. She says that’s false.

Italy’s right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was labeled Europe’s “Trump whisperer,” but the war in Iran turned their friendship into a liability for her.

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Pope elevates AI ethics to a religious imperative with first encyclical

In "Magnifica humanitas," he fires a broadside against AI companies, warning of the technology's dangers in the same way Pope Francis did about climate change.

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Rubio visits Rome aiming to repair White House ties with Pope Leo

Relations between the United States and the Vatican are at a low point over President Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo, who is a leading critic of the war in Iran.

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Rubio expected to meet with Leo amid pope’s standoff with Trump on Iran

The secretary of state is set to travel to Italy this week, a Vatican official said. Observers view the trip as an attempt to patch up ties with the Vatican and Italy.

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Even for Europe’s populist firebrands, Trump is going too far

The symbiosis between the president and European nationalists has reached a potential breaking point as he issues genocidal rhetoric and criticizes the pope.

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As U.S. bombs Iran, Pope Leo criticizes the idea of a ‘God of war’

Some Trump administration officials cloak the war on Iran in religious terms, but the Chicago-born pope said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”

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Trump slams allies as Italy blocks U.S. use of air base for Iran war

European allies are doubling down on their resistance to the war against Iran despite President Trump’s growing exasperation and threats of backing away from NATO.

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Thieves steal works by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse in less than 3 minutes

Four masked men are believed to have forced their way through an entry gate, grabbed the paintings and escaped by climbing a fence, Italy’s Carabinieri said.

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Unpopular war makes friendship with Trump a liability for Italy’s Meloni

The war in Iran, which is deeply unpopular in Europe, has put Trump’s closest European allies, a constellation of conservative and populist leaders, on the defensive.

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Vatican announces Pope Leo will not visit U.S. this year

Pope Leo’s decision not to visit the U.S. in 2026 reflects his desire to emphasize the importance of other parts of the Catholic world.

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At Winter Olympics, protest over cost and ICE ends in clash with police

After left-wing groups rallied against the cost and environmental impact of the Winter Games in Italy, some protesters set off fireworks and hurled bottles.

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Winter Olympics, spread across north Italy, open with Milanese flair

The Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics will have four simultaneous events in four locations marking what organizers say is the most spread out Games in history.

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Ahead of the Winter Olympics, Milan wins gold in gentrification

Some advocates say the Winter Games are driving up property prices and exacerbating income inequality.

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Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro

A previously unreported Christmas Eve meeting in Vatican City was one of many failed attempts to find safe harbor for the Venezuelan leader before the U.S. raid.

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UNESCO recognizes ‘Italian cooking’ as intangible world heritage

Italian cooking joins French gastronomy and Mexican cuisine on UNESCO’s list of global cultural gems, setting off celebration and snickering.

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Pope Leo’s trip to Middle East will stress, and test, interfaith ties

Rather than his native Chicago or adopted Peru, Pope Leo XIV is making his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, putting him on tricky terrain shared by Muslims and Jews.

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Ukraine delegation meets Pope Leo to discuss children held in Russia

Ukraine hopes to capitalize on Pope Leo’s calls for peace to coax the Vatican into helping secure the release of children and other prisoners held by Russia.

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Trans women attend Vatican event with Pope Leo, but not at head table

A group of 48 transgender women attended a major Vatican event on Sunday with Pope Leo XIV, continuing a tradition that began under Pope Francis.

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Tariffs on pasta from Italy could soon soar to more than 100%

A routine Commerce Department probe into alleged “dumping” resulted in crushing 100% tariffs on Italian pasta that leave exporters shouting “Basta!”

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Traditionalists push Pope Leo to resurrect the Latin Mass

The Latin Mass has become toxically politicized and is posing a test for Pope Leo XIV as traditionalists call on him to reverse restrictions imposed by Pope Francis.

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As Pope Leo riles conservatives, some say ‘just focus on the church’

Conservatives who hoped that Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, would be more of a traditionalist instead hear echoes of his predecessor, Francis, in his public statements.

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Meloni’s Italy looks to restrict talk of LBGTQ+ sexuality in schools

New laws could ban LGBTQ+ issues from classrooms and more strictly limit transition-related care for transgender minors — part of a wider trend in Europe and the U.S.

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As Gaza engulfs European politics, Italy sends navy ship on unlikely mission

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, inclined toward Israel, is navigating an uncomfortable position as the Italian navy helps a Gaza aid flotilla.

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As LGBTQ+ pilgrims cross Vatican’s Holy Door, some see church in transition

About 1,450 participants from 22 countries hoped for a sign from Pope Leo XIV that he would continue the LGBTQ+ outreach of his predecessor.

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Pope Leo set to canonize Carlo Acutis, the teen deemed ‘God’s Influencer’

He played video games like other teenagers but was also fascinated by the Eucharist and, since his death from leukemia at age 15, is credited with two miracles.

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LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to Rome could test Pope Leo on gay Catholics

Under Pope Francis, the Vatican approved an improbable LGBTQ+ pilgrimage, but the views of Leo XIV, on an issue that has long divided the Catholic church, are not yet clear.

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Italy’s new military spending: Bombs, bullets, the world’s longest bridge

The push to build the Messina bridge linking Sicily to mainland Italy illustrates how European governments are capitalizing on NATO’s pledge to boost defense spending.

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