ArcaMax

PHILADELPHIA -- It was afternoon at the convent, and that meant bingo.

A dozen elderly women, some in wheelchairs, others with their walkers pushed aside, studied the triplets of cards in front of them. A life-size cardboard cutout of Pope Francis, newly deceased, waved beneficently down at them.

“Call the right numbers!” joked Sister ...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Is the Bible written in sequence? I know that the Old Testament is about God, and the New Testament is about Jesus. I’ve read the four gospels but noticed how often Jesus quotes from the Old Testament. It makes me want to read the Old Testament, but the few times I’ve tried, it has been hard to ...Read more

Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV.

In his first words as ...Read more

At a small Catholic elementary school on the south side of Chicago, Michael Winters and Robert Prevost would run in circles on the hot cement during recess.

Even back in 1961, while attending St. Mary of the Assumption School, Prevost — who took the name Leo XIV after becoming the first American elected pope — seemed destined for the role. ...Read more

CHICAGO — Above the door of the church in the last blocks of Chicago, the Virgin Mary still stands with her arms wide open.

The double doors beneath the statue’s feet are shut, but a disintegrating wooden side door swings freely, leading to a set of stairs with chipped paint scattered on them. Above, a pool of blue light from a stained-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In the summer of 1973, the war was still raging in Vietnam, the Watergate scandal was unfolding in Washington, and protests roiled college campuses nationwide. But at leafy Villanova University just outside Philadelphia, trouble was on the home front.

The staid Catholic institution on the Main Line stood at a cultural ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Philadelphians and Catholics rejoiced at the announcement of the new pope, with his ties to Villanova University, among local Filipinos, there was some disappointment.

The election of Pope Leo XIV meant Filipino cardinals who had been front-runners in the papal process would not ascend to the Catholic Church’s highest post...Read more

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Travel is a big part of my work, but I’m growing weary of getting on airplanes because of the many troubles air travel has had in recent months. I have faith in God, but my faith isn’t quite so strong in the airline industry. People who know me keep telling me to have faith in God for protection...Read more

CHICAGO — Almost immediately after the Chicago Tribune published an article Thursday mentioning that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV had dined with old friends at Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood months prior, Joe Aurelio said his friends, family — and what eventually felt like the whole country — started chiming in.

“The world’s calling...Read more

How the first American pope will interact with the president of his homeland remains to be seen, but a few posts on social media might provide a clue.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is also known on the social media site X as @drprevost, where he has occasionally weighed in with reposts on issues of faith and politics — including ...Read more