Courtney Mares

Pope Leo XIV blessed the newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica June 10, inaugurating the crowning spire that makes the iconic church the tallest Catholic church the world and urging people to lift their gaze to Christ "who alone reveals to us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves."

Pope Leo XIV made a pilgrimage June 10 to the medieval mountain monastery of Montserrat, entrusting his pontificate and the Church's mission to Our Lady of Montserrat, the beloved Black Madonna known to Catalans as "La Moreneta," on his second day in Barcelona.

Pope Leo XIV listened to deeply personal testimonies from young people grappling with depression, family trauma and questions of faith on his first day in Barcelona at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, telling a crowd of tens of thousands that God does not abandon those who suffer, even when his presence feels most distant.

In a sweeping address to the Spanish parliament, Pope Leo XIV delivered a forceful defense of the dignity of every human life, declaring that its protection is not a partisan issue but "a goal of civilization," while addressing the issues of abortion, migration, freedom of conscience, the seal of confession and the Church’s role in public life.

More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital June 7 for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the liturgical feast celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Maria Montserrat "Montse" Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News, as prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication on June 2.

Pope Leo XIV called for vigilance as he spoke at the Vatican press conference to present his first encyclical on artificial intelligence, saying his conversations with industry leaders had led him to the conviction that AI "needs to be disarmed."

Pope Leo XIV published his landmark encyclical on artificial intelligence "Magnifica Humanitas" May 25, comparing the attempt to build an AI future that excludes God to the "Tower of Babel".

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, will be published May 25, addressing artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity, the Vatican has announced.

Pope Leo XIV marked the anniversary of his May 8 election by making a pilgrimage to celebrate Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii.