Speaking at his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV said the Vatican II ecumenical council has “prophetic and contemporary relevance.”

The final pilgrims of the 2025 Holy Year passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica late Monday, as the Vatican claimed success after more than 33 million people participated in this the rarest of Jubilees: opened by one pope and closed by another.

As cardinals gather in Rome for their first consistory under Pope Leo XIV, Venezuela has become a test case for the church’s quiet but consequential diplomacy.

Close to 3 million pilgrims and visitors attended audiences, liturgies or meetings at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV from the time of his election in May through December, according to the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

The teachings of the Second Vatican Council are still "the guiding star" the Catholic Church is meant to follow, Pope Leo XIV said.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, said 33,475,369 pilgrims ultimately took part in the jubilee — nearly 2 million more than the Vatican’s initial estimate of 31.7 million.

The parents of St. Carlo Acutis contributed to the development of a new official news application connected to the institutional website of the Vatican City State.

Seventeen Catholic priests, sisters, seminarians and lay workers were murdered in 2025, according to Fides, the Vatican's missionary news agency. Five of the victims were killed in Nigeria where kidnapping priests,

On Sunday, Jan. 4, during the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV expressed his concern about the situation in the country and called for full respect for Venezuela’s national sovereignty following the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.