Presiding over a commemoration for Blessed Cardinal Iuliu Hossu, the Greek-Catholic Bishop of Cluj-Gherla and martyr for the faith, Pope Leo XIV upheld the Cardinal’s legacy of interfaith solidarity and forgiveness and encouraged believers to follow his example of hope, courage and mercy.

The Gospel we have just heard shows us Jesus, at the Last Supper, praying on our behalf (cf. Jn 17:20). The Word of God, made man, as he nears the end of his earthly life, thinks of us, his brothers and sisters, and becomes a blessing, a prayer of petition and praise to the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we ourselves, full of wonder and trust, enter into Jesus’ prayer, we become, thanks to his love, part of a great plan that concerns all of humanity.

Pope Leo XIV declared families “the cradle of the future of humanity” as he celebrated Mass for thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday.

For the outside world, it’s perhaps Pope Leo’s pleas for cease-fires in Gaza and Ukraine that have attracted the most attention since his election just over three weeks ago. For Catholic insiders, all manner of papal acts have generated reaction, from his sartorial touches, his use of sung Latin in public prayer, and even his few personnel moves.

Pope Leo XIV has demonstrated his US roots as an ardent White Sox baseball fan after making a one-handed catch of a cloth doll thrown at him while on the move in the popemobile. The impressive demonstration of hand-to-eye coordination, which has caused a stir on social media, occurred as the Pope departed on the popemobile after the weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on 28 May.

As I recently mentioned in an email to colleagues, I know that I have the liturgical sensibilities of a mouse. The Liturgy has never been, for me, something that I thought I was supposed to enjoy. When I consider the laws of the Church, I notice that one of those laws is to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Because I understand what the Mass is, I regard this as a very minimal requirement, and in fact it is extremely rare that I fail to turn up at Mass on all seven days of the week.

Pope Leo XIV ordained several men priests on Saturday during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, reflecting on their mission and identity. In his homily, the Pope highlighted the relationship between the people of God and their priestly identity, which he said will grow to make them fully a part of the people to whom they are sent. He urged the new priests to always keep in mind “that a priest’s identity is rooted in union with Christ, the eternal and high priest.”

Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” First John 1:8 adds, “If any man says he has no sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him.” These texts could not be clearer for millions of Protestants: “How could anyone believe Mary was free from all sin in light of these Scripture passages? What’s more, Mary herself said, ‘My soul rejoices in God my savior’ in Luke 1:47. She clearly understood herself to be a sinner if she admits to needing a savior.”

“Some have asked why not use wheels. Mostly it was because of time. The amount of dirt that would have needed to be moved to get wheels through two ditches, plus the 180 turn at the end with limited space. It had to go down slightly to miss the power lines crossing onto the dirt road. Then the number one reason was you don't need overweight or over width permits if you just carry it...”

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