Associated Press

Pope Leo XIV doubled down on Friday on his appeal for unity in the polarized Catholic Church, urging priests to act in communion with their superiors and be models of reconciliation in a world driven by conflicts and divisions.

Pope Leo XIV urged the warring sides in the Israel-Iran war to "reject the logic of bullying and revenge" and choose a path of dialogue and diplomacy to reach peace as he expressed solidarity with all Christians in the Middle East.

Leo met in St. Peter's Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week's special Holy Year celebrations for clergy.

He made his first public comments about clergy sex abuse in a written message to a Peruvian journalist who covered a case of abuse and financial corruption in the Peruvian-based Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.

Pope Leo XIV warned that artificial intelligence could negatively impact the intellectual, neurological and spiritual development of young people as he pressed one of the priorities of his young pontificate.

Pope Leo XIV made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop under the Vatican's 2018 agreement with Beijing, signalling he is continuing one of Pope Francis' most controversial foreign policy decisions.

A Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists arrived at an Israeli port Monday after Israeli forces stopped and detained them — enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the Israel-Hamas war.

 Pope Leo has been credited by victims of helping to dismantle an abusive Catholic movement in Peru, but other survivors have asked him to account for other cases.

Pope Leo XIV visited the papal summer palace south of Rome on May 29 as questions swirled whether he will use it himself to escape the heat or follow in Pope Francis' footsteps and keep the hilltop estate as a museum and environmental center.

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Apaches who want to stop the transfer of Oak Flat federal land to Resolution Copper, which plans to mine what it says is the second-largest known copper deposit in the world.

The most pressing sports question for many locals inside the Vatican and surrounding Italy concerning the first American pope — Does Leo support an Italian soccer club?

From the Pilgrims' Madonna at the Basilica of St. Augustine to the Martyrdom of St. Ursula that closes the "Caravaggio 2025" exhibit, art historians and clergy are highlighting the connections between religious belief and Caravaggio's "chiaroscuro."

"The pope absolutely has an open invite to come back," the team's chief executive and marketing officer said, "to come sit in Section 140, to throw out a first pitch. Heck, maybe we'll let him get an at bat."

Pope Leo XIV called Wednesday for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the "heartbreaking" toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"That's what we wanted to do through many of the exhibits, to show the feasibility of the ark," says Ken Ham, the organizer behind the Ark Encounter theme park and related attractions.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine.

The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open.

The women who have worked closely with Pope Leo XIV in recent years have praised his leadership style, ability to listen and respect for their opinions. In interviews with The Associated Press, they say they expect that as pope, Leo will continue to promote women in church governance positions, albeit with limits.

Clergymen and faithful in the Amazon region see Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, who spent about two decades in Peru's countryside, as a pontiff who will protect the region and fight against climate change.

Leo said he will follow in the modernizing reforms of Pope Francis to make the Catholic Church inclusive, attentive to the faithful and a church that looks out for the "least and rejected.”