Justin McLellan

Shortly after landing in Ankara Nov. 27, Pope Leo XIV advocated for harmony and dialogue in a moment marked by deep global fracture. His remarks set the tone for his six-day visit through Turkey and Lebanon.

Responding to recent questions raised by African bishops concerned about the practice of polygamy, the Vatican issued a sweeping defense of monogamy Nov. 25, in a doctrinal note titled Una Caro.

The Nov. 27-Dec. 2 trip will show how the leader of the Catholic Church steps into the international stage and sets his tone as greets crowds and the press.

A Vatican study group formerly expected to address questions surrounding the possibility of women serving as deacons in the Catholic Church will not take up the issue.

"Cultural facilities, such as cinemas and theaters, are the beating hearts of our communities because they contribute to making them more human," the pontiff said.

As Pope Leo XIV marks his six-month milestone Nov. 8, a gradual sketch of his style and vision of church is beginning to emerge.

Fr. Robert Prevost had no formal ties to the development of liberation theology, yet his worldview is rooted in the concrete realities of suffering communities. 

In 1980s and 1990s Peru, amid post-Vatican II renewal and an Augustinian spirituality of communion, a young Fr. Robert Prevost learned how to construct the participatory church he now champions from Rome.

The nomination comes as Pope Leo begins to name appointments in key Vatican positions after months of quiet discernment following his election to the papacy in May. 

"I am convinced that the preferential choice for the poor is a source of extraordinary renewal both for the church and for society," the pope wrote in Dilexi Te.

Leo's long-expected first international trip as pope marks the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and will have a focus on dialogue between Christians and with those of other faiths.

The Belém, Brazil summit, scheduled for November, is expected to be one of the most consequential climate gatherings since COP21, which culminated in the 2015 Paris Agreement. 

In audiences and off-the-cuff comments, Pope Leo has offered migrants and their advocates reason to rally around him as a defender of human dignity.

The pope spoke Oct. 1 at the start of a conference marking the 10-year anniversary of Laudato Si', Pope Francis' landmark document that encapsulated church teaching on the environment. 

"Someone who says, 'I'm against abortion, but I'm in favor of the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,' I don't know if that's pro-life." the pontiff said. 

A lawyer seemed to have a conflict of interest when he represented sisters who claimed the future pope covered up their abuse allegations against two priests. Now, one sister says her lawyer "didn't really want to help us."

View from the Vatican: Pope Leo XIV's interview with a Vatican journalist provides insight into how he sees his role as pope: a bridge-builder, engaging but uncontroversial, and acting as an astute administrator.

Pope Leo XIV called on U.S. bishops to take the lead in actively engaging President Donald Trump, and said his nationality gives him more sway among an American episcopate that was often at odds with his predecessor.

Pope Leo XIV decried economic inequality between rank-and-file workers and corporate titans, according to transcripts from his first formal interview with a journalist since ascending to the papacy.

"Every other group seemed to have a jubilee. During the conclave there was a jubilee for marching bands," Jesuit Fr. James Martin said. "So if marching bands can have a jubilee, why not LGBTQ Catholics?"