Freedom of speech is under attack in the West, the Pope has warned. Pope Leo XIV claimed an “Orwellian-style language” had taken root in the West and that democracies were becoming increasingly authoritarian by clamping down on “freedom of conscience”.

Pope Leo XIV has said the prohibition on countries violating one another’s borders has been “completely undermined,” in an important speech to diplomats gathered in the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV has thrown more shade at Donald Trump’s global power grabs, holding a private meeting at the Vatican with Venezuela’s opposition leader as he calls for the country to remain independent.

Pope Leo XIV took to social media with a striking message on human rights and the spiraling global crisis after the United States’ military action in Venezuela. In a tweet […]

Pope Leo XIV addressed the United States’ arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, expressing concern for Venezuelans and calling for the Venezuelan Constitution to be respected. “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,

War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading,” Pope Leo XIV said in a forceful address on Jan. 9 to ambassadors from the 184 countries that have full diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

In his most explicitly pro-life speech to date, Pope Leo demands an end to abortion and surrogacy globally. Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV offered his 'State of the World' speech on Jan. 9, 2026. Please read the full transcript below.

Pope Leo XIV warned global diplomats that “war is back in vogue” in an address Friday, amid significant global flareups in Venezuela, Ukraine and elsewhere. During his first “state of the world” address,