All Articles

Pope Leo XIV smiles as he greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile while riding around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience on May 20, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) St. Augustine uses the image of two cities to define the central conflict that runs throughout history between the self-love that constitutes the City of Man and the divine love that forms the City of God. Unsurprisingly, the first Augustinian Pope, Leo XIV, shapes Magnifica

(Denver Catholic file photo) Editor's Note: On July 1, 2026, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) proceeded with the unauthorized ordination of four bishops without a pontifical mandate. In response, the Holy See declared the ordinations a schismatic act and announced the canonical consequences for those involved. In light of these developments, Archbishop James R. Golka issued a letter to the faithful and the Archdiocese of Denver released a Frequently Asked Questions document

(Photo: Unsplash) Editor's Note: On July 1, 2026, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) proceeded with the unauthorized ordination of four bishops without a pontifical mandate. In response, the Holy See declared the ordinations a schismatic act and announced the canonical consequences for those involved. In light of these developments, Archbishop James R. Golka has issued the following letter to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Denver, in addition to an archdiocesan FAQ on the m

The Holy Father conferred the pallium on 35 archbishops from around the world, including Northern Colorado’s shepherd, at St. Peter’s Basilica on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. (First photo by Lola Gomez/CNS; All other photos by André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic) Kneeling in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Denver Archbishop James Golka took up a new mantle as he received the pallium from Pope Leo XIV. Traditionally conferred on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, th

(Photos by André Escaleira, Jr.) Walking through Rome this afternoon was surreal. We’d only been here a few hours. It was a hot, sticky day, and the sun beat down from above with a vengeance. We took cover in an alley, where shade offered us its cool reprieve. We were on our way to Mass, following the tour guide. Suddenly, the alley opened up. As my eyes adjusted to the sun and the setting, they nearly couldn’t believe what was before them: the St. Peter Basilica. How did we

As the archdiocesan group headed to Rome for the Pallium Pilgrimage, the skies call to mind the “cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us each and every day, in Rome, Denver and worldwide. (Photo by André Escaleira, Jr.) It’s an interesting experience seeing things from 30,000 feet. Everything looks so small from that height: the great rivers and mountains of the West, the sprawling metropolises of the East, the “pond” that is the mighty Atlantic. As I spent most of the day on a

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Society of St. Pius X, in 1981. (Photo: Antonisse, Marcel / Anefo, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 nl) The Holy See has declared that, if the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) proceeds with the ordination of bishops in July without a papal mandate, those involved in these illicit ordinations are automatically (latae sententiae) excommunicated — that is, excommunicated by their own acts. One may, indeed one should, hope that it does not

The new Denver archbishop is heading to Rome this June to receive a special liturgical vestment from the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. In this article, we explain the history, significance and symbolism of the pallium. Denver Archbishop James Golka will receive his pallium alongside new metropolitan archbishops from around the world during Mass with Pope Leo XIV on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29. Pope Leo will impose the pallium on Archbishop Golka during a speci

The archdiocesan group of pilgrims will accompany our new shepherd as he meets the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and receives the pallium, a liturgical vestment worn by metropolitan archbishops. Archbishop James Golka greets the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity after Mass on Palm Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. (Photo by Daniel Petty/Denver Catholic) Denver Catholic is hitting the road this month! As Archbishop James Golka heads

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, have taken issue with the pope’s Gospel teaching on peace. Vice President of the United States J. D. Vance speaking with attendees at the 2025 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons) The U.S. bishops’ chair for doctrine issued a clarification on April 15 reaffirming that Catholic just war theory sets strict moral limits on the

Archbishop James R. Golka preaches during his March 25 Installation Mass. (Photo by Rachel Moore/Denver Catholic) In response to a Sunday evening social media post by President Donald J. Trump criticizing Pope Leo XIV, Denver Archbishop James R. Golka has joined his brother bishops in responding. His brief statement is printed in full below. "I join my brother bishops in stating clearly that the recent remarks directed at Pope Leo by President Trump are not acceptable. Such l

John Allen with Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. (Photo: Thomas S. Major via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0) Early Sunday morning, July 28, 2002, things were looking grim for the closing papal Mass of World Youth Day in Toronto. The previous four days had been a tremendous success, symbolized by hundreds of thousands of young people making the Way of the Cross up Toronto’s great north-south boulevard, University Avenue: an act of Christian witness the likes of which had never been

Pope John Paul II during his 1979 visit to Poland. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 PL) Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Vatican Secretary of State from 1979 to 1990 — and before that, the architect and chief diplomatic agent of the Ostpolitik of Pope Paul VI — initially played hard-to-get when I tried to interview him for the first volume of my John Paul II biography, Witness to Hope . The cardinal was not a fan of my 1992 book, The Final Revolution: The Resistance Church a

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Fair Use) Those who remember the epic pontificate of St. John Paul II may recall a tall, handsome layman with well combed, iron-grey hair, dressed in a black business suit, white shirt, and black tie, following the clerical members of the papal household into St. Peter’s Square on many great occasions, or carrying an umbrella over the Pope’s head when it rained. That same man is at center stage in photos of the assassination attempt of May 13, 1981

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of February is for children with incurable diseases. Pope Leo prays during Mass at the Vatican on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) By Francesca Pollio-Fenton/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of February is for children with incurable diseases. In a video to be released on Feb. 5, the Holy Father prayed that the faithful would realize that “the smiles, even in the midst of

In his message for World Mission Day, the pope says missionary renewal depends on spiritual communion and reconciliation among Christians. Pope Leo XIV, when he was bishop of Chiclayo (Peru), recites the prayer of consecration before Our Lady of Fatima. (Photo: Courtesy of Fátima Mission Peru via EWTN News) By Angela Ambrogetti/EWTN News Pope Leo XIV has set “One in Christ, United in Mission” as the theme for World Mission Day 2026, marking the 100th anniversary of the annual

Entering the Special Year of St. Francis through poverty, death and joy in Christ St. Francis of Assisi in His Tomb , 1630/34 by Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664). Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain) With our coattails nearly brushing the closing Jubilee Doors, Pope Leo has proclaimed a Special Year of St. Francis of Assisi . From January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, the faithful who, along with the usual sacraments, unde

German Bishops at Mass in the Papal Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls during their visit in Rome, Nov. 17, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA) When it was first published in 1993, Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical on the reform of Catholic moral theology, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), dealt a severe blow to the pride of many German theologians, who had long thought themselves the cutting edge of Catholic intellectual life. Indeed, within a year of the encycl

Photo by Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN Vatican By Jacob Stein/EWTN Vatican The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus, holds a significant...