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I recently offered up my list of qualities I hoped to see in the new pope and asked you, dear readers, to share with me your hopes.

Now that we joyously have welcomed Pope Leo IV we can begin to match up our lists and his papacy. I did not include in my list a pope who is a White Sox fan, who has a COSTCO card, who loves Chicago deep-dish pizza...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: A popular prayer app is getting a lot of attention, and the name of the Holy Spirit is used in some of the ads. I did some research but couldn’t find out much that made sense. Is the Holy Spirit an empowerment? – P.A.

A: The Holy Spirit is a ...Read more

Pope Leo XIV has officially hard launched his papacy.

The new pontiff, 69-year-old Chicago native Robert Prevost, shared a message Wednesday from the official @Pontifex account on X for the first time since being named the new head of the Catholic Church. The handle was first launched in 2012 during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

“...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: I pray every day that the Lord will give me the privilege of leading someone to the Lord, but every time I try, I am shunned and made fun of. What am I doing wrong? – W.W.

A: An evangelist was given an opportunity to preach at a university, and he gladly accepted. He yearned to win students to ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: What does it mean when people say that sin’s pleasure is only for a season? – S.P.

A: The Bible tells us that there can be pleasure in sin. We know this from our own experience. But we often fail to read “the rest of the story.” For God’s Word says that sin’s pleasure is only for a ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- It was afternoon at the convent, and that meant bingo.

A dozen elderly women, some in wheelchairs, others with their walkers pushed aside, studied the triplets of cards in front of them. A life-size cardboard cutout of Pope Francis, newly deceased, waved beneficently down at them.

“Call the right numbers!” joked Sister ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Is the Bible written in sequence? I know that the Old Testament is about God, and the New Testament is about Jesus. I’ve read the four gospels but noticed how often Jesus quotes from the Old Testament. It makes me want to read the Old Testament, but the few times I’ve tried, it has been hard to ...Read more

Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV.

In his first words as ...Read more

At a small Catholic elementary school on the south side of Chicago, Michael Winters and Robert Prevost would run in circles on the hot cement during recess.

Even back in 1961, while attending St. Mary of the Assumption School, Prevost — who took the name Leo XIV after becoming the first American elected pope — seemed destined for the role. ...Read more

CHICAGO — Above the door of the church in the last blocks of Chicago, the Virgin Mary still stands with her arms wide open.

The double doors beneath the statue’s feet are shut, but a disintegrating wooden side door swings freely, leading to a set of stairs with chipped paint scattered on them. Above, a pool of blue light from a stained-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In the summer of 1973, the war was still raging in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal was unfolding in Washington, and protests roiled college campuses nationwide. But at leafy Villanova University just outside Philadelphia, trouble was on the home front.

The staid Catholic institution on the Main Line stood at a cultural ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Philadelphians and Catholics rejoiced at the announcement of the new pope, with his ties to Villanova University, among local Filipinos, there was some disappointment.

The election of Pope Leo XIV meant Filipino cardinals who had been front-runners in the papal process would not ascend to the Catholic Church’s highest post...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Travel is a big part of my work, but I’m growing weary of getting on airplanes because of the many troubles air travel has had in recent months. I have faith in God, but my faith isn’t quite so strong in the airline industry. People who know me keep telling me to have faith in God for protection...Read more

CHICAGO — Almost immediately after the Chicago Tribune published an article Thursday mentioning that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV had dined with old friends at Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood months prior, Joe Aurelio said his friends, family — and what eventually felt like the whole country — started chiming in.

“The world’s calling...Read more

How the first American pope will interact with the president of his homeland remains to be seen, but a few posts on social media might provide a clue.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is also known on the social media site X as @drprevost, where he has occasionally weighed in with reposts on issues of faith and politics — including ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A more than century-old San Diego Jesuit parish has joined other churches and a farmworker organization across the country in a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s willingness to bring its immigration crackdown into so-called “sensitive locations.”

“I feel like the only effective tool with this ...Read more

ROME — Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first mass as pontiff Friday after his historic appointment as the first American to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

His elevation puts another U.S. voice on the world stage, but the new pope’s relationship with his home country may not be simple. His past pronouncements as a cardinal and ...Read more

ROME — Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first mass as pontiff Friday after his historic appointment as the first American to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics.

His elevation puts another U.S. voice on the world stage, but the new pope’s relationship with his home country may not be simple. His past pronouncements as a cardinal and ...Read more