Pope Leo XIV used his 71st birthday to hand Vatican employees a tangible gift, a papal decree scrapping the salary cuts his predecessor imposed five years ago, while quietly reversing another major Francis-era decision on the Vatican's own archives. The Vatican published two decrees on Monday, both signed by Leo, that together represent the clearest […] The post Pope Leo XIV marks 71st birthday by repealing Vatican salary cuts and reversing Francis-era plans appeared first on American Almanac .
Pope Leo XIV used his 71st birthday to hand Vatican employees a tangible gift, a papal decree scrapping the salary cuts his predecessor imposed five years ago, while quietly reversing another major Francis-era decision on the Vatican's own archives. The Vatican published two decrees on Monday, both signed by Leo, that together represent the clearest signal yet of how the first American pope intends to manage the institution's finances and physical footprint. The first decree repealed COVID-era salary reductions that Pope Francis put in place in 2021. The second canceled Francis' plan to relocate the Vatican's secret archives and library holdings to a pontifical university outside Vatican City, ordering instead that a new building be…Open
The Vatican's top diplomat bowed and kissed the skull of a third-century Christian martyr during an elaborate ceremony in Sicily, a moment of reverence that quickly drew accusations of idolatry from critics online. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State and Pope Leo XIV's official representative, leaned forward and pressed his lips to the […] The post Cardinal Parolin kisses 1,700-year-old skull in ancient Catholic ceremony marking 900th anniversary appeared first on American Almanac .
The Vatican's top diplomat bowed and kissed the skull of a third-century Christian martyr during an elaborate ceremony in Sicily, a moment of reverence that quickly drew accusations of idolatry from critics online. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State and Pope Leo XIV's official representative, leaned forward and pressed his lips to the ancient relic of Saint Agatha during a ceremony at Catania Cathedral on August 17. He then placed a crown atop the saint's 14th-century gold reliquary bust as church bells rang across the archdiocese. The ceremony marked 900 years since Agatha's remains were returned to her birthplace from Constantinople in 1126. The skull, roughly 1,700 years old, had been temporarily removed from…Open
The pope also called for the international community to work toward advancing a two-state solution.
AI:Pope Leo XIV has issued a fresh plea for an immediate cessation of violence against Palestinians, continuing his recent pattern of addressing global instability through religious moral authority. Beyond calling for an end to hostilities, the Pope is urging the international community to move past current stalemates and commit actively to advancing a two-state solution in the region.Open
VIDEO SYNTHESIS / “POPE” LEO, PATRON SAINT OF INVADERS: “I follow with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, asking God, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, that solutions of peace, stability, and justice may be found.” Images of the collapse in all law and order in Ceuta flashed across the world. Everyone now sees what effectively borderless countries (as longed for by the Vatican) looks like in practice. Under the glare of the world’s media, a Fake-Pope responds with meaningless platitudes. SOURCES: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-08/pope-leo-xiv-impassioned-appeal-sunday-angelus-2-august-2026.html…
