My wife and I had the great fortune of being in St Peter’s Square as the sun was beginning to set behind the magnificent St Peter’s Basilica last Thursday evening. Having arrived for the evening ballot at 5pm and standing in anticipation with thousands of others, hope began to fade by 6pm for any sign…
The Augustinian mission in Nigeria brought widespread education that was essential for human development, Luca Attanasio hears Pope Leo XIV, besides a deep rootedness with South America, has a special bond with Africa developed through his many visits to the Augustinian missions on the continent both as Prior General of the Order (2001-2013) and as…
Dr Kieran J. O’Mahony OSA Robert ‘Bob’ Prevost OSA, now Pope Leo XIV, is a member of the Order of St Augustine, the first to be elected as bishop of Rome. The Order is an old one, going back to 1256, taking its inspiration from the great St Augustine of Hippo. Of course people wonder…
50 Irish pilgrims’ Faith did not go unrewarded as they witnessed white smoke in St Peter’s Square, writes Michael Kelly When we first organised our Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome almost a year ago, we could never have imagined we would be there for the election of a…
Diarmuid Lyng has always been more than a hurler. The former Wexford captain known for his pace and skill in the yellow and gold, has long traded the pitch for the sacred landscape of Ireland’s hills and heritage. These days, he’s more likely to be found deep in the wilds, guiding young people through Irish…
St Leo I (Leo the Great) Papacy: 440–461 Canonised Saint | Doctor of the Church The first pope to bear the title “the Great”, Leo I was a theological giant and a steady leader in times of crisis. He fiercely defended orthodox Christology during the Council of Chalcedon, helped define the doctrine of Christ’s two…
Dr Massimo Faggioli The 2025 conclave, which was quickly resolved on the second day, elected an American Augustinian to the papacy, Robert Francis Prevost, who chose Leo XIV as his name. In the days preceding the conclave, two other Americans had been seen in the Vatican, with different relationships with the Church, but both interested…
I was thinking about how I’d start this article when my mind turned to the Camogie ‘skorts vs shorts’ debate. I have been marvelling mentally at the capacity of so many politicians to get worked up about such a trivial matter. And then a text to my phone from Gena Heraty in Haiti. Gena, from Westport, has spent most…
It is extremely early, impossible in fact, to make any real predictions about the direction in which our new pope, Leo XIV, will lead the Church, but we are all allowed to say what our first impressions are, and mine are that he seems like a calm, gentle, intelligent and deeply prayerful man. This last…
Fr Eamonn Conway Pope Leo intends, albeit in his own way and according to his own style, to press forward with the same priorities that Pope Francis held. Pope Leo has called for a renewal of everyone’s commitment to Vatican II and in his first homily to the cardinals who elected him has described as…
Michael Kelly
Senator Ronan Mullen
David Quinn