Pope Leo XIV speaks in front of the famous icon at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV is now granting apostolic blessings to the faithful around the world, a spiritual gesture that can be officially requested through the Vatican’s Apostolic Almoner’s Office.

These blessings, printed on parchment, are a well-established tradition in the Catholic Church and are available for significant moments in Christian life such as the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and marriage.

As indicated on the website of the Vatican Apostolic Almoner’s Office, the procedure for obtaining an apostolic blessing can be completed in two ways: in person at the offices of this department or through an online form.

Those who choose the in-person method should go to the offices located within Vatican City, entering through the Porta di Sant’Anna, to the right of the colonnade in St. Peter’s Square. Office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. local time.

For those not in Rome, the digital process is equally accessible. Through the official website of the Apostolic Almoner’s Office — the only authorized site for this purpose — applicants must follow several steps.

The first step is to select the occasion for which the blessing is being requested (such as a baptism, marriage, or anniversary); then, choose the style of parchment; then, enter the information that should appear on the document; and finally, register the applicant, choose the delivery method (local pickup in Rome or shipping via DHL Express), and make a donation by credit card (only Visa and MasterCard are accepted).

The requested information includes the full name of the recipient(s) of the blessing, the specific occasion, the date and location of the event (in the case of sacraments or anniversaries), as well as the sender’s complete address, email address, and phone number. The system also allows users to open a personal account for future requests. Once the transaction is confirmed, the Apostolic Almoner’s Office will send a confirmation email with the estimated delivery or pickup date.

The processing time for the request is approximately 25 days if picked up at the Vatican office and 30 days for international deliveries. The cost of the parchment ranges between 20 and 30 euros ($23-$34), depending on the style, plus shipping costs, which vary depending on the destination, from 15 euros ($17) for destinations within Italy to 40 euros ($45) if sent to Africa.

It is worth noting that, after deducting the processing and shipping costs, all proceeds go entirely to the charitable works carried out by this office in the name of the pope to help those most in need.

Regarding valid occasions for requesting the apostolic blessing, the almoner’s office establishes strict criteria. They are granted for sacraments such as baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, ordination to the priesthood or permanent diaconate, and religious profession.

They are also available for significant anniversaries of these occasions and for birthdays marking decades or particularly significant ages (such as 18, 30, 75, or even 100 years). In some cases, such as wedding anniversaries or birthdays, the applicant is asked to provide a “declaration of suitability” attesting that the recipients are practicing Catholics.

Applications by regular mail, fax, or email are not accepted, and any requests made outside of authorized channels will be automatically rejected.

Obtaining an apostolic blessing is not only a symbolic gesture of communion with the successor of Peter but also direct support for the charitable works the pontiff carries out on behalf of the entire Church.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Edinson Delgado worked closely with then-Bishop Robert Francis Prevost. / Credit: Victoria Isabel Cardiel/EWTN News

Vatican City, May 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The city of Chiclayo in Peru erupted with excitement when the news broke that American missionary Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, who pastored their diocese from 2015 to 2023, had been elected as the new successor to St. Peter.

“There was tremendous excitement. We all cheered upon learning that he was now going to be our highest authority in the Catholic Church,” recalled Edinson Delgado, administrator of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo diocesan Catholic school in Chiclayo.

There are several Catholic schools in Chiclayo, most of them run by religious congregations. However, Delgado’s is the only one that reports directly to the diocese, which allowed Delgado, as school administrator, to maintain close and frequent contact with Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV. He thus knows firsthand what his main concerns were.

“He was always very attentive to families, to their formation and their integration into society as a fundamental nucleus. I believe that what he will seek as pope is a Church in Christ, the unity of all, and the promotion of the fundamental role of the family,” Delgado told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, from the Eternal City.

Delgado didn’t hesitate to pack his bags and travel to Rome to attend the inaugural Mass of  Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. On May 19, he and his delegation were warmly received by the pontiff at the Vatican.

“We traveled with a delegation of 60 people from Chiclayo, including city officials, laypeople, consecrated persons, religious, and priests. It was a unique and special moment, and we wanted to express our gratitude, appreciation, and closeness to the Holy Father, because he has done a lot for us,” he noted.

The Chiclayo region is known for the warmth of its people and the unmistakable flavor of duck and rice, ceviche (seafood) with corn tortilla, dried kid goat meat, and other typical dishes.

Prevost’s years in this northern Peruvian enclave — where he lived for more than 18 years — were like a balm in turbulent times, Delgado said. Prevost’s pastoral work coincided with particularly difficult times for the region. In 2017, intense flooding caused by the El Niño phenomenon hit Chiclayo hard, and Prevost didn’t hesitate to go out to bring food to the hardest-hit areas. Years later, the COVID-19 pandemic also struck Peru hard, leaving thousands dead due to lack of medical oxygen and a severely impacted economy.

“We were in lockdown for two years, and it was a huge problem for the school; many families lost their jobs,” he said. If it weren’t for the diocese’s financial support, he said, they would have had to close the school and let go of a large part of the teaching and support staff.

“No one was let go at that time. Everyone kept their jobs; some simply had their salaries reduced because they were working fewer hours,” Delgado explained.

The school administrator described Pope Leo XIV as “a very intellectual person with an extensive education” who always cared about the plight of the most vulnerable.

At this school, with 1,100 students at all three educational levels, scholarships are awarded to low-income families. “He was always concerned that poor families could have access to education. He was even the one who often called the director general to present specific cases so they could benefit from financial aid,” he said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro is the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. / Credit: ACI Stampa

National Catholic Register, May 27, 2025 / 19:06 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has appointed as head of the Vatican’s bioethics think tank Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, the longtime deputy of its outgoing president, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, signaling a desire to continue the course set under Pope Francis.

Until his appointment on Tuesday, Pegoraro, 65, had served since 2011 as chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life, acting as a close aide to Paglia throughout his turbulent term as president, which was marked by the appointments of pro-abortion members and problematic statements regarding assisted suicide and contraception. Paglia is retiring after turning 80.

Dr. Thomas Ward, who is founder of the U.K.’s National Association of Catholic Families, expressed concern about the appointment, saying he never recalled Pegoraro “disassociating himself from any of the egregious positions and comments of Archbishop Paglia.”

He continued: “Millions of Catholic parents throughout the world, whose children are threatened by the lies of the culture of death, urgently need to hear the unequivocal defense of Catholic truth on human sexuality and life.”

Founded by St. John Paul II and Professor Jerome Lejeune in 1994 to promote and defend human life and the dignity of the person, the Pontifical Academy for Life has historically aimed to provide interdisciplinary dialogue and research on complex bioethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia, procreation, and gene therapy. The goal was to ensure that these topics were addressed in light of Catholic moral theology.

As chancellor, Pegoraro was the senior executive of the academy, which is an autonomous body within the Holy See. He shared in its leadership, worked closely with the president, and ensured the smooth operation of its activities. He served first under Spanish Opus Dei Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, who was academy president from 2010 to 2016, and then under Paglia.

A native of Padua, Italy, Pegoraro graduated in medicine and surgery from the city’s university in 1985 and was ordained in 1989. He then earned a license in moral theology and a diploma in advanced bioethics. He taught bioethics and nursing ethics, has been a member of centers of medical philosophy and ethics, and served as president of the European Association of Centres for Medical Ethics from 2010 to 2013.

From 2016 until the present, he was Paglia’s key collaborator at a time when the pontifical academy was accused of drifting from John Paul II’s original mission to defend the sanctity of life and instead accommodating heterodox and secular ethical arguments, changing its statutes, and undermining its credibility as a pro-life institution.

On at least two occasions as chancellor, Pegoraro added his voice to this perceived drift away from the academy’s mission by publicly supporting dissenting positions that had won sympathy during Pope Francis’ pontificate.

In 2022, he told the Wall Street Journal that he believed contraception might be permissible “in the case of a conflict between the need to avoid pregnancy for medical reasons and the preservation of a couple’s sex life.”

The Church has always prohibited all forms of artificial birth control (except for medically necessary treatments not directly intended to cause infertility), teaching that contraception violates the intrinsic connection between the unitive and procreative aspects of the marital act.

In a second incident, also that year, Pegoraro appeared to support two members of the academy who publicly favored assisted suicide as a tactic to prevent the legalization of voluntary euthanasia in Italy.

“We are in a specific context, with a choice to be made between two options, neither of which — assisted suicide or euthanasia — represents the Catholic position,” Pegoraro told the French Catholic newspaper La Croix.

But stating that he believed some kind of law was a foregone conclusion, he said that of the two possibilities, “assisted suicide is the one that most restricts abuses because it would be accompanied by four strict conditions: the person asking for help must be conscious and able to express it freely, have an irreversible illness, experience unbearable suffering, and depend on life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator.”

Cardinal Willem Eijk, also a qualified medical doctor and a member of the academy, firmly rejected such argumentation, saying there was “no significant moral difference” between medically assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia, “neither from the patient’s side nor from that of the physician,” as both bear “the same moral responsibility” in carrying out termination of life.

The National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, asked Pegoraro if he still held such positions on these issues and why he did not speak out during the controversies of Paglia’s tenure, but he had not responded by publication time on Tuesday.

Radical changes

The Pontifical Academy for Life was generally admired by pro-life groups worldwide for inspiration and guidance during the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI until it was hit by multiple scandals, first in 2009 during the brief presidency of Archbishop Rino Fisichella and what was known as the “Recife Affair,” involving a contested 2009 abortion case in Brazil, but then more frequently when Paglia and Pegoraro were at the helm.

In November 2016 and soon after taking up his role as president, Paglia changed the academy’s statutes, resulting not only in the sudden dismissal of 172 members of the academy (with some subject to possible renewal) and many with impeccable pro-life credentials, but also the removal of a requirement that academy members sign a statement promising to defend life in conformity with the Church’s magisterium. The new members could also belong to any religion, as long as they promoted and defended life “in a way that conforms to the magisterium of the Church.”

Paglia said the decisions were made “in the context of the Holy Father’s general reorganization of the Roman Curia” and that he has had to make logistical adjustments to the academy to cooperate closely with the Curial bodies, particularly the then-newly created Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

But in 2017 and 2022, Paglia and Pegoraro appointed new members to the academy, some of whom publicly supported abortion or were self-declared atheists. One was Dr. John Nkengasong, a Cameroon-born U.S. citizen who, when appointed head of then-President Joe Biden’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2021, was congratulated by the CEO of Planned Parenthood for working to expand abortion services.

Another Paglia and Pegoraro appointment was Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, a former health minister of Botswana, who served on the oversight committee for a group that offered “supplies for safe abortion and post-abortion care.”

Ward, a former member of the academy, said after the 2022 appointments that the leadership of the academy was continuing the “enforcement of a paradigm shift on sexual morality in the Vatican.”

Judie Brown, also a former academy member and current president of the American Life League, called the appointments an “outrage” that were “made worse when we recognize that the academy was established to fight against abortion.” The principles held by the academy’s first members “were once the bedrock upon which we all stood,” she said, but have now “disappeared from view.”

Other problems also occurred under the leadership of Paglia and Pegoraro. In 2022, the academy published a book titled “Theological Ethics of Life,” which bioethics experts roundly criticized for spreading “misleading and confusing” theological and medical information that contradicts established Church teachings on contraception and assisted reproductive technologies.

That same year, Paglia drew further controversy when he asserted that Italy’s abortion law was a “pillar of society” resulting in the academy issuing a statement saying his comments had been “taken out of context.” The Italian archbishop again found himself in hot water when he gave a speech in 2023 in which he appeared to declare that the decriminalization of assisted suicide was “the greatest common good” possible in the current political circumstances of Italy. The academy again had to clarify his comments, saying that he remained opposed to euthanasia.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Paglia came under further fire for ignoring the ethical concerns over the vaccines and for zealously promoting, despite safety concerns, the inoculation of children even if they showed no symptoms and the fact that the chances of children becoming seriously ill from the disease were “extremely low.”

Political pragmatism

Overall, Paglia was criticized for prioritizing political pragmatism over prophetic witness, with detractors claiming he often started from the political situation and then sought to fit the Gospel and Catholic tradition into it, rather than the other way around.

In a 2020 interview with the Register, Paglia defended himself by saying his vision for the academy was to address a “broad range of issues that today affect life at its most basic level” and to “free our discussions from simplistic assumptions.”

Following the radical changes to the academy, in 2017 some of its former members formed the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family as an alternative to the pontifical academy, with the aim of carrying on the work that it appeared to be abandoning.

Calling St. John Paul II’s vision for the Pontifical Academy for Life “inspired,” former member Christine de Marcellus Vollmer, now president of the Venezuelan pro-life organization PROVIVE, said: “We pray that our Holy Father will task Monsignor Pegoraro with returning the Pontifical Academy for Life to its original mandate, cut short when closed and reorganized in 2016.” She also hoped Pegoraro had “done further research since his years differing from the prophetic Humanae Vitae and seemingly approving assisted suicide.”

It’s not clear to what extent Pegoraro will continue the line of Paglia, although it seems he will retain many of the changes his predecessor put in place.

In a May 27 statement, he said it was his intention to “work in continuity with the themes and methodology of recent years, making the most of the specific competences of our large and qualified international and interreligious group of academicians.”

He added that he would like to highlight in particular the issues of “global bioethics,” dialogue with various scientific disciplines, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, and “the promotion of respect and dignity for human life in all its stages.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presides over a celebratory liturgy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025. / Credit: L’Œuvre d’Orient

ACI MENA, May 27, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).

On the World Day of Eastern Christians, a liturgy was celebrated at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, May 25, presided over by Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako.

The Servant of God Matthew Makil (center) appears in this 1896 photo flanked by apostolic vicars Aloysius Pazheparambil (left) and John Menachery (right). / Credit: kirchlicher Fotograf, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, May 27, 2025 / 14:36 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decrees recognizing three new venerables, including two missionaries and an Indian bishop.

In his first audience since beginning his pontificate with the prefect of the Vatican dicastery, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Holy Father approved the “offering of life” of the Servant of God Alejandro Labaca Ugarte of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

Alejandro Labaca, a bishop martyred in the Ecuadorian jungle

Labaca was born on April 19, 1920, in Beizama, Spain. After being expelled from communist China, this Capuchin missionary arrived in Ecuador, where he served as titular bishop of Pomaria and apostolic vicar of Aguarico.

Labaca dedicated himself to evangelizing in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador until he gave his life on July 21, 1987, in the Tigüino region of the country after being struck by spears from the Tagaeri, a tribe threatened by oil exploitation in the area, which the prelate opposed.

Inés Arango, a missionary dedicated to the Huaorani people

Dying in the same incident with Labaca, Inés Arango Velásquez, a missionary of the Capuchin Tertiaries of the Holy Family, was declared venerable by Leo XIV on May 22.

This religious sister, born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 6, 1937, had been in Aguarico for 10 years, dedicated to the apostolate among the Huaorani Indigenous people.

On July 11, 2017, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ motu proprio Maiorem Hac Dilectionem in which he established that “offering one’s life” knowing that death will surely follow is a new path to beatification for a member of the faithful.

The offering of one’s life is one of the paths to beatification along with heroic virtue and martyrdom.

Matthew Makil, Indian bishop

Leo XIV also approved the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Matthew Makil, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He was born on March 27, 1851, in Manjoor, India, and died on Jan. 26, 1914, in Kottayam, also in India. He was also titular bishop of Tralles and the first apostolic vicar of Kottayam.

After being declared venerable, a miracle performed through his intercession must be approved for beatification, the first step toward possible canonization.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: Andy - Rock News/Shutterstock

Vatican City, May 27, 2025 / 12:48 pm (CNA).

The official website of the Vatican for the first time has been refreshed since it was created in the 1990s, prominently featuring multimedia content and online links to other Vatican offices and ministries.

A banner image of a waving Pope Leo XIV against a simple light blue background can now be found spread across the top half of the revamped Holy See website’s homepage published earlier this week. 

Replacing the outdated dropdown mega menus found in the older version of the Holy See’s homepage is a large, clickable “Magisterium” button — which also features a small icon of the pontiff’s new coat of arms — to help online visitors find the pope’s prepared homilies and speeches and additional information about the Vatican.

Acquiring tickets for papal audiences and liturgical celebrations has also been made easier through the updated website. Earlier this year, the Prefecture of the Papal Household — which is one of four Vatican offices featured on vatican.va — launched its new website with digital registration forms for individuals and pilgrim groups wanting to see the pope. 

The other three Vatican ministries featured on the updated website are the Church’s charitable organization Peter’s Pence, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and the yearlong 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.  

Daily news and calendar events related to Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican can also be viewed on the updated homepage in nine languages: Arabic, English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish. 

Additional information and Church documents that can be accessed from the new homepage include the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, codes of canon law, ecumenical councils, Catholic social teaching, and reports on the Church’s response to the abuse of minors.

The Lecceto hermitage near Siena, Italy. / Credit: LigaDue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Stampa, May 27, 2025 / 12:18 pm (CNA).

Sister Sara Maria of the Augustinian nuns of Lecceto speaks about the activities of the monastery in the province of Siena and the nuns’ relationship with Leo XIV.

Casamari Abbey in Italy. / Credit: D. Ermacora

Rome, Italy, May 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The monastery of Casamari in Italy was built in the 11th century on the foundations of a temple dedicated to Ceres, the Greek goddess of the earth, fertility, and harvests.

Pope Leo XIV prays at St. Mary Major, May 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

ACI Prensa Staff, May 25, 2025 / 14:19 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV prayed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major following the Mass where he took possession of the Basilica of St. John Lateran as bishop of Rome.

Pope Leo XIV sits in the cathedral of Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, a symbol of his authority as bishop of Rome, on May 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

Rome, Italy, May 25, 2025 / 13:17 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first homily as Bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of his cathedra (throne) on Sunday.