MYSTERIOUS: 20 | Mind Blowing Facts

The Vatican has given Rosalía its blessing – are the days of finger-wagging pontiffs over?

STATE OF THE ARTS: The pop star’s experimental, religious new album has found an unlikely fan in the Vatican, writes Fiona Sturges. Could this signal a new era of papal-pop culture diplomacy?

The Independent UK · Nov 28, 2025

Photos highlight Pope Leo XIV’s first overseas pilgrimage

With his foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV will become the first American pope on the road. The journey fulfills a visit Pope Francis had hoped to make before his health declined, and it gives Leo a prominent platform to speak about peace in the Middle East.…

The Independent UK · Nov 27, 2025

Pope Leo to go against Vatican tradition on first trip to Turkey and Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV will make a notable departure from his predecessors in the first foreign trip of his pontificate

The Independent UK · Nov 27, 2025

An art historian looks at the origins of the Indigenous arts collection at the Vatican Museums

Pope Leo XIV met with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on Nov. 15 to, in the words of the Vatican, “gift” the return of 62 Indigenous “artifacts” held in the Anima Mundi collection of the Vatican Museums.

The Conversation · Nov 25, 2025

Vatican answers African bishops concerned about polygamy with document praising monogamous marriage

The Vatican has doubled down on the value of monogamous marriage between a man and woman

The Independent UK · Nov 25, 2025

How Pope Leo’s first overseas visit is a symbol of hope for war-battered Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV to embark on his first overseas trip to Lebanon and Turkey on Sunday

The Independent UK · Nov 25, 2025

Who knew it would take an American pope to remind us of the value of art and good taste?

Anti-AI and pro-beauty, Leo XIV has proved an unlikely custodian of culture – and a patron of meaningful work in a world of algorithmic slop, says Guardian assistant newsletter editor Jason Okundaye

The Guardian - UK · Nov 22, 2025

Rosalía receives surprise praise from Vatican for her ‘provocative’ songs about faith

Rosalía’s new album has received widespread praise for her daring new musical pursuit

The Independent UK · Nov 22, 2025

Pope Leo rectifies technical glitch in Vatican law after woman given top job

This change follows Pope Francis's February appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini

The Independent UK · Nov 21, 2025

Belarus frees 2 imprisoned Catholic priests after talks with Vatican

Officials say two Roman Catholic priests imprisoned on what human rights officials said were politically related charges were freed from prison following talks with the Vatican

The Independent UK · Nov 20, 2025