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CNA Newsroom, May 17, 2025 / 08:35 am
Follow our live coverage as Pope Leo XIV, first U.S.-born pope in history, begins his pontificate: Experience history in the making with former Cardinal Robert Prevost.
Pope Leo XIV speaking before cardinals in Rome after his election. May 2025. | Credit: Vatican Media
In his first significant address on Catholic social teaching, Pope Leo XIV offers a nuanced vision of doctrine that signals potential shifts in tone and approach from his predecessor.
Speaking to members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation at the Vatican today, the pontiff distinguishes sharply between “doctrine” and “indoctrination,” calling the latter “immoral” while reframing doctrine as a “common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.”
“Doctrine, as a serious, serene and rigorous discourse, aims to teach us primarily how to approach problems and, even more importantly, how to approach people,” Pope Leo tells the foundation members. “Seriousness, rigor and serenity are what we must learn from every doctrine, including the Church’s social doctrine.”
The American pope’s language appears to strike a different balance than his predecessor, who often criticized “rigorists” for their inflexibility. Leo instead reclaims and redefines rigor as a positive quality when paired with serenity and seriousness of purpose.
The pontiff emphasized that doctrine and dialogue or not only compatible, but together provide for a ‘’common, collective and even multidisciplinary pursuit of truth.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. U.S. Vice President @JDVance and @SecRubio, both of whom are Catholic, will attend the inaugural Mass for Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, on Sunday, May 18. pic.twitter.com/j4B1U5YYxp
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) May 17, 2025Pope Leo XIV's formal installation as the 267th successor of St. Peter is set for Sunday, May 18, at 10 a.m. Rome time in St. Peter's Square. According to liturgical experts, the ceremony will include several deeply symbolic moments rooted in centuries of Church tradition.
The Mass will begin with the pope praying silently at the tomb of St. Peter, joined by Eastern Catholic patriarchs in a gesture of unity between East and West. During the liturgical procession to the outdoor altar, the ancient "Laudes Regiae" ("Royal Praises") will be chanted — a solemn litany of saints dating back to Charlemagne's era that underscores the theological truth that all earthly power comes from God.
Two key symbols will be formally presented to the new pontiff, explains Victoria Cardiel.
The Social Doctrine of the Church teaches us that more important than problems themselves—or their eventual solutions—is how we approach them, as we are guided by the criteria of discernment, sound ethical principles, and openness to God’s grace. https://t.co/Bv8dwOLjAH
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) May 17, 2025
Pope Leo XIV speaks to the College of Cardinals in Rome, Saturday, May 10, 2025 | Credit: Vatican Media
Eastern Christian communities erupted in celebration at the election of the Catholic Church’s new pontiff on May 8, but many wondered about Pope Leo XIV’s connection to the East.
Photos and videos shared on social media have sparked the admiration and affection of thousands of faithful, revealing a little-known period of Pope Leo XIV's life as a missionary in Peru. Read the full story here on ChurchPOP.
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) Staff is a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Our bureaus are located in Washington, D.C., and Rome. We have sister language agencies in Kenya, Germany, Peru, Brazil, and Italy. CNA is a service of EWTN News. You can contact us at news@catholicna.com with questions.
