Analysis Opinion•Holy Land•Justice and Peace

The Middle East on the Brink of Collapse: Another Call for Peace from the Pope, the Death of a Member of the Order of Malta in Lebanon, and Bombings at Shepherds’ Fields in Bethlehem

The death of a young humanitarian worker linked to the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as the killing of a Maronite priest, has further shaken the local Church. The latter case has sparked international condemnation from a network of over 2,200 priests across 59 countries, who have called for accountability under international law and denounced what they describe as serious violations of humanitarian norms

Mar 17, 2026 10:26

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Pope Leo XIV

Poll Finds Leo XIV the Most Favorable Public Figure Among U.S. Voters

The findings come from a March 2026 poll conducted by NBC News in partnership with Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies. The survey interviewed 1,000 registered voters across the United States, producing a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Mar 11, 2026 18:05

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Analysis Opinion•Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Vatican Diplomacy

Vatican questions “preventive” war in Iran as Leo XIV intensifies diplomatic calls for peace

In an interview with Vatican media on March 4, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, offered one of the most detailed assessments yet of the crisis

Mar 08, 2026 07:10

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Analysis Opinion•Local Church•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

The Middle East, the spread of war, and the position of the Pope and the Catholic Church

As the Middle East faces the prospect of a broader regional war, the Vatican’s hope remains that diplomacy — not missiles — will ultimately shape the future of the region.

Mar 05, 2026 09:36

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Analysis Opinion•Local Church•Young People

Beyond emotion: Spanish bishops publish a critique of the emotionalism of spiritual retreats

The note offers a careful critique of what contemporary philosophers have termed emotivism. In postmodern culture, the bishops observe, the “I feel, therefore I am” mentality often replaces the classical primacy of reason. Emotions, detached from truth and moral good, become sovereign

Mar 03, 2026 08:31

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

Pope Leo XIV, the US-Iran war, and a forceful call in a Middle East on the brink of the abyss

The reverberations are being felt most acutely by Christian minorities already living on fragile ground

Mar 02, 2026 09:06

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV will visit Algeria, the land of Saint Augustine, according to local media: these are the dates given by the press

There is also a practical indication reinforcing the plausibility of the trip. The official calendar of Wednesday general audiences published by the Prefecture of the Papal Household does not list an audience for April 15

Feb 23, 2026 22:20

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Pope Leo XIV•Vocations

Pope Leo XIV to priests: no to homilies with Artificial Intelligence and the search for “likes” and “followers” on social media

The Pope also warned against a subtler distortion of priestly identity: the search for validation on social media platforms such as TikTok. The illusion, he suggested, is to believe that accumulating followers or “likes” means one is effectively evangelizing

Feb 23, 2026 21:16

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Dicasteries

Lefebvrians opt for schism leading to excommunication and reject Vatican offer

Is unity primarily juridical, doctrinal, or pastoral—and can any of these be isolated from the others? By confirming the 1 July consecrations, the Society of St. Pius X signals that it sees no viable path to agreement under the current parameters. Whether this leads to a repetition of 1988 or to an unexpected last-minute intervention remains to be seen

Feb 21, 2026 11:33

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Local Church•Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV to Equatorial Guinea: video captures the Holy Father’s travel coordinator visiting the country ahead of a papal trip

If Malabo’s walk-through on 9 February is any indication, the new pontificate intends to move early and visibly. For the Vatican, apostolic travel has never been mere movement; it is a pastoral act staged in public space

Feb 17, 2026 18:01

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Pope Leo XIV

Peruvian government announces Pope’s trip; Vatican officially announces he will not visit the United States

On February 8, the Holy See confirmed that Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, has no plans to travel to the United States during the coming year, despite the symbolic coincidence of the country’s semiquincentennial

Feb 08, 2026 23:45

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Analysis Opinion•Dicasteries•Liturgy and Divine Worship

The Vatican, the Pope, and the situation of the Lefebvrians: an analysis based on the current state of affairs

At the heart of the conflict lies a theological fault line that dates back more than sixty years: the legacy of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).

Feb 05, 2026 17:25

Jorge Enrique Mújica