Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

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“A True Shepherd” — Pope Leo XIV Honors the Priest Israel Killed in Southern Lebanon
The Maronite priest killed by Israeli tank fire in Lebanon was laid to rest as the pope eulogized him at the Vatican — and a widening war creeps closer…
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo XIV Ousts Bishop Accused of Stealing $270,000 — Then Forces Out the Cardinal Who Tried to Shield Him
Bishop Emanuel Shaleta was arrested fleeing the country with cash in his luggage. Cardinal Louis Sako is gone too — and the timing is not a coincidence.
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo XIV Tells Rome’s Priests: No AI Homilies, No TikTok Priesthood
As Block fires 4,000 workers and Anthropic battles the Pentagon, the pope delivered a message Silicon Valley should hear — stop outsourcing your soul to…
 • Christopher Hale
Cardinal McElroy Declares the War in Iran “Not Morally Legitimate” — And He's Not Alone
From Chicago to Arkansas, American bishops are unifying under Pope Leo XIV to challenge the moral foundations of the U.S.-Israeli campaign in Iran.
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo XIV Mourns Maronite Priest Killed by Israeli Tank Fire in Southern Lebanon
Father Pierre el-Rahi ran toward the wounded after a Merkava tank shelled a home in Qlayaa. A second shell killed him. The Vatican named him within…
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo is challenging MAGA authoritarianism. Get the story no one else is telling — free in your inbox.

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Pope Leo XIV and Stephen Colbert Are the Only Things Americans Actually Like
A new NBC poll finds the pope and the comedian at the top — with ICE, AI, and every major politician underwater.
 • Christopher Hale
“It’s Sickening” — Cardinal Cupich Blasts White House for Gamifying War
From the streets of Chicago to the halls of the Vatican, Pope Leo’s hometown cardinal is waging one of the most sustained moral confrontation with an…
 • Christopher Hale
“Weapons Must Fall Silent” — Pope Leo XIV Again Demands Peace in Iran
Altar girls, a young woman's embrace, and a fourth call for peace in Iran — how Pope Leo XIV marked International Women's Day.
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo XIV Sends His Best Diplomat to America
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia — the Vatican's veteran envoy to Duterte's Philippines and the United Nations — is now headed to Washington at the most…
 • Christopher Hale
“No War Is Holy” — Hegseth, the Pentagon, and America’s Unchristian Crusade in Iran
Military commanders are telling troops the Iran war is “God’s divine plan” for Armageddon. Thirty members of Congress want answers — and Catholic…
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo XIV Sees What America Won’t Admit
Cardinal Parolin warns of a world “set ablaze.” Cardinal Cupich questions the war’s legitimacy. Pope Leo prays for disarmament. And the New York Times…
 • Christopher Hale
Smuggled Phones, Double Votes, and a Battle for the Church: Inside the Conclave That Elected Pope Leo XIV
A new book reveals the minute-by-minute drama of the conclave — from a cardinal's contraband cell phone to a botched vote count — and how the reformers…
 • Christopher Hale
Vance Says He Never Apologized to Cardinal Dolan. Dolan Says He Did
Dolan told EWTN that Vance admitted his attacks on bishops were “out of line” and “not true.” Vance tells the Washington Post he said something very…
 • Christopher Hale

Pope Leo's Life & Formation

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Villanova Days: How College Shaped Pope Leo XIV
Before he was the pope railing against a “throwaway culture,” he was Bob Prevost, a quiet and nerdy math major at Villanova University with a passion…
 • Christopher Hale
The Pope’s Closest Aide Is a Millennial from Peru
The charismatic young priest’s close bond with Leo — from the villages of Peru to the halls of the Vatican — has already won him a following among the…
 • Christopher Hale
How Peru Made Pope Leo XIV
New revelations from Pope Leo XIV’s years in South America show why his gentle style hides a radical vision for the Church and the world.
How Pope Leo Faced Corrupt Politicians and Economic Collapse in Peru — and Built Hope Instead
Long before he was Pope Leo XIV, Fr. Roberto Prevost learned what real power in the fact looks like: presence, patience, and courage.
Pope Leo's Hidden Years in Trujillo: The Theology of Friendship in the Making the First American Pope
In this two part series, we'll explore a new book that gives us the deepest insight ever to the young Fr. Robert Prevost's time as a missionary priest…
 • Christopher Hale
“He Corrects Me When I'm Wrong” — Pope Leo’s MAGA Brother Breaks Silence
It’s the first interview Pope Leo’s outspoken brother has given since a flurry of media appearances right after Leo’s election. Louis Prevost, a proud…
 • Christopher Hale
The Pope of “New Things”: Leo XIII’s Legacy in Pope Leo XIV’s Vision
From Rerum Novarum to the age of artificial intelligence: Pope Leo XIV says he chose his name to carry forward Leo XIII’s mission of confronting the…
 • Christopher Hale
Pope Leo vs. the Empire of Lies: The Long Game to Defeat Trumpism
He’s already rebuked immigration crackdowns and blasted the “logic of exclusion” fueling rising nationalism. Now, as the youngest pope in 35 years, Leo…
 • Christopher Hale

Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

Letters from Leo is a chronicle of how Pope Leo XIV’s papacy intersects with American politics, faith, and the digital age during the presidency of Donald Trump.
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