papal

June 8 (UPI) — Pope Leo asked God to “open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred,” during Sunday mass with tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square Sunday.

The pontiff has been critical of nationalist political movements and the “exclusionary mindset” they convey, but did not name a specific country or government.

“There is no room for prejudice , for ‘security zones’ separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging in political nationalisms,” the pope said during the mass.

Leo added that the church “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.”

“People must move beyond our fear of those who are different,” he continued, and said the Holy Spirit “breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred.”

While the pontiff did not mention President Donald Trump by name, he has been critical of his administration and policies.

Prior to ascending to pope in May, Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, routinely posted negative comments about Trump and vice-president JD Vance on social media. The Prevost X account was deactivated shortly after he became pope.

Prior to Leo, pope Francis, who died earlier this year, was also critical of Trump.

“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not a Christian,” Francis said about Trump when asked about him in 2016.

May 18 (UPI) — Against the backdrop of Pope Leo XIV’s first papal mass Sunday, Vice President JD Vance met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about achieving a stand down in the war that has waged since Russia’s 2023 invasion of Ukraine.

It’s the first face to face meeting between the two leaders since the infamous February meeting in the Oval Office that erupted into verbal attacks, finger pointing and taunts by President Donald Trump.

The meeting between Vance and Zelenksy was overshadowed by Moscow’s large scale drone attack on Ukraine just hours prior. There are also reports that Russia may be planning a nuclear attack as it ramps up efforts to intimidate Kyiv and its allies.

Zelensky called the meeting “good,” and posted photos of smiling Ukrainian and U.S. officials gathered around an outside table.

“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” Zelensky said.

Trump is scheduled to talk with Zelensky Monday, and Trump has also said he plans to have a similar conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Leaders of Britain, Germany, France and Poland planned to speak with Trump before the U.S. president’s Monday phone call with Putin, German chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters in Rome on Sunday.

“I spoke with Marco Rubio, including about the call tomorrow,” Merz said, referring to the U.S. Secretary of State. “We agreed that we will speak again with the four state leaders and the US president in preparation for this conversation.”

The latest efforts at achieving a ceasefire come as the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow failed to make any headway in ending the war, which started with Russia’s full scale invasion of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in February, 2022.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed ruins from a hidden ancient palace which housed popes for centuries before the Vatican was established.

The discoveries give a rare glimpse into the dangers faced by the papacy in Rome‘s medieval times.

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Archaeologists stumbled upon complex architecture beneath the square outside the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome while making renovations for Jubilee 2025 (the Catholic Holy Year).

They unearthed large walled structures made of volcanic rock bricks, known as tuff, that date back to the 9th through the 13th centuries AD.

Some of these bricks had been reused from earlier buildings, and signs of restoration were visible in some of the walls.

This structure is believed to be part of the Patriarchio – the ancient palace which served as the popes’ official residence from the 4th century until the early 14th century.

This monumental basilica was designed by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century after the famous Edict of Milan (313 AD) legalised Christianity in the Roman Empire.

The palace complex was expanded and renovated during the Middle Ages, according to the Italian Ministry of Culture.

These walled structures are said to have acted as a defensive barrier, shielding the papacy from power struggles among Rome’s aristocratic families and raids by Saracens.

The Italian ministry said: “The construction of the structure just described took place during a long period in which Rome was the object of the raids of the Saracens, and inside it there were continuous struggles, sometimes violent, between the aristocratic families.”

‘Saracens’ was the term used for various Arab groups that launched coastal raids in Italy during the 9th and 10th centuries and later clashed with European armies during the Crusades.

“Hence the hypothesis that this mighty wall, also due to its shape, functioned as a defensive wall around the Basilica’s complex and its annexed buildings,” the ministry explained.

It said this discovery is “of extraordinary importance” to Rome’s history, as these are the most extensive excavations to have taken place in the square.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Italian Minister of Culture, said: “The discoveries of Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano are yet another demonstration of the richness of the territory of Rome, an inexhaustible mine of archaeological treasures.”

He added: “Every single stone speaks to us and tells its story: thanks to these important finds, archaeologists will be able to know more about our past.

The Vatican officially became the permanent papal seat in 1377.

This was after Pope Gregory XI moved the papacy back to Rome from Avignon, France, where it had been located for nearly 70 years.

From thereon, a defensive structure was no longer necessary in Rome and the area was abandoned.

This discovery coincides with Cardinal Robert Prevost’s election as the new leader of the Catholic Church – making him the first-ever American pope.

The new pope stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Thursday to greet cheering crowds.

Prevost was born in Chicago in 1955 to immigrant parents of French, Italian and Spanish descent.

After graduating from Villanova University in Pennsylvania with a degree in maths, the future pontiff joined the Order of St. Augustine, taking his vows in 1978.

Ordained as a priest in 1982, he joined a mission in Peru where he spent many years leading a seminary.

While he is seen as more traditional than Francis, he is not the conservative hardliner that some in the church had hoped for after his predecessor’s efforts to make the faith more progressive.

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May 8 (UPI) — Thousands in Vatican Square cheered as white smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new pope has been chosen.

Bells rang out, as well, according to sources. All of this took place after black smoke had come out earlier, indicating that a papel conclave sequestered inside had been unable to elect a new pope.

But in the afternoon sunshine, crowds grew in St. Peter’s Square as people eagerly awaited the traditional proclamation of “Habemus papam” — Latin for “We have a pope” — as bands began to play before the official announcement.

This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.

From earlier coverage:

The Vatican said in a news release that the second ballot of 133 members of the College of Cardinals on the first full day of the conclave, and the third since it got underway late Wednesday afternoon, was “inconclusive.”

Nominees must gain the backing of two-thirds of cardinals with a vote, 89, to be elected as the pontiff, but the first round of voting on Wednesday and a second first thing Thursday all failed to deliver a result.

Around 15,000 people were gathered outside in St. Peter’s Square with their eyes glued to giant screens showing a camera feed of the chimney in anticipation of the emission of white smoke, indicating the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics have a new pope.

The next round of voting is expected to begin at about 4 p.m. local time, after breaking for lunch. If that round also proves inconclusive, a fourth vote will take place this evening.

Three of the past five conclaves reached a decision by the end of day 2, but a record number of cardinals voting could slow the process down.

In past centuries, the process could be very lengthy. Choosing Pope Gregory X took more than a thousand days, beginning in December 1268 and not reaching a decision until Sept. 1, 1271.

Cardinals in the conclave are not permitted to communicate with anyone except fellow conclave members, use their phones or access TV, radio or newspapers, but before they were locked away in the Sistine Chapel four names were circulating as the front-runners to become the 267th pontiff.

They are Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Hungary’s Peter Erdo, Jean-Marc Aveline of France and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Also in the running are Archbishop of Bologna, Matteo Zuppi, Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines and Peter Turkson of Ghana and around nine other candidates.

The names of U.S. Cardinals Robert Prevost and Joseph Tobin, Titular Bishop of Rome’s Albano Diocese and the Archbishop of Newark, N.J., respectively, and have been touted as possible candidates to become the first American-born pope.