The wide-ranging news conference also touched on Ukraine, the Catholic Church in Germany, and the papal election, among other topics.

The best way to describe him is as the anti-polarization pope. His biggest issues are peace and unity. He knows he’s operating in a context where very few world leaders are talking that way. It’s not a collaborative world. He’s looking at a polarized landscape and responding to it.

Pope Leo XIV, on the last day of his first international trip since assuming he papacy in May, celebrated a Mass attended by 150,000 in Beirut and called on people in the Middle East to set aside old divisions and strive or peace.

The Catholic Church is more than 2,000 years old. Declaring war on it is hardly civilized or politically smart. Trump has three years left in office. The Catholic Church will survive condemnation by those in power; it’s hardly the first time this has occurred in its long and storied history.

In his homily for the first Sunday of Advent, the pope referred to the first reading (Isaiah 2:1-5) as "one of the most beautiful passages in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, where the invitation resounds, beckoning all peoples to ascend the mountain of the Lord (cf. v. 3), a place of light and peace."

I resigned myself when I saw the way things were going.... I took a deep breath, I said: ‘Here we go, Lord. You are in charge; you lead the way.’”

Pope Leo has said he believes the United States needs to find “another way” in handling the situation in Venezuela, warning against any military incursion and saying it would be better to pursue dialogue or apply economic pressure.

Thanksgiving is a "beautiful feast" that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said.

Bishop Mario Alberto Avilés brings extensive education background and leadership experience from Brownsville Diocese to succeed Bishop Mulvey after 15 years of service