Learning to be Quick to Listen

On August 28, 2025, Pope Leo XIV delivered a powerful address in French to a delegation of officials from France's Diocese of Créteil . In his remarks, the Holy Father directly challenged the false notion that faith and public life should be separate. He emphasized that the salvation of Christ encompasses all aspects of human existence, including culture, politics, and the economy. Citing the Church's social doctrine, Pope Leo insisted that charity, a gift from God, can transform structures, legal systems, and social organizations from within. For the pope, a Christian’s faith is not a private matter to be left at home when they enter the public sphere; it must inform every aspect of their being and work. Pope Leo XIV told the politicians that there is no separation in their personality—they are not one person as a politician and another as a Christian. Instead, they must live out their political responsibilities in a Christian manner , guided by their conscience and fa...

Yesterday, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declared that "nothing prevents" the Vatican from recognizing the positive spiritual fruits observed over decades of devotion and pilgrimage to Medjugorje . This nihil obstat (certification by the Church that nothing objectionable has been found) is likely to continue the debate around the six visionaries who claim that Our Mother is appearing to them in apparitions. While the DDF acknowledged the value of the "spiritual fruits" from the site, they stopped short of endorsing the apparitions themselves, cautioning against pilgrimages aimed at meeting the alleged visionaries. The dicastery also highlighted concerns that some messages from the visionaries seem to reflect personal desires rather than divine revelation. For many, this restrained support of Medjugorje feels incongruent with the skepticism expressed in the 10,000-word theological note, which urged Catholics to use prudence and common sense in dis...