Holy Cross Catholic Church

As prior of the Augustinians (below, in a white shirt), in 2003 Leo XIV visited the Valley of the Fallen with a group of young people. / Credit: Courtesy of Israel @profedeprimari on X

Madrid, Spain, May 20, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV carries on his pectoral cross, among others, a relic of an Augustinian martyr bishop, Anselmo Polanco, who was executed during the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War. 

In addition to bearing bone fragments of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica, the pontiff’s cross includes two relics of Spanish Augustinian bishops: St. Thomas of Villanova, archbishop of Valencia and a reformer of the Church in the 15th and 16th centuries, and Polanco, the martyred Spanish bishop of Teruel.

Polanco was born in 1881 in a small town in Palencia, northern Spain, and educated at the Royal Seminary College of Valladolid. At the age of 15, he received the Augustinian habit, one of the mendicant orders along with the Trinitarians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, Mercedarians, and Servites.

After receiving his formation in Germany, he was appointed prior of the Augustinian Province of the Philippines. In 1935, he was appointed bishop of Teruel and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Albarracín.

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, after months of persecution against Catholics by the government of the Second Republic and despite having the option of leaving the diocese, he decided to remain.

The Battle of Teruel took place from December 1937 to February 1938 within his ecclesiastical jurisdiction, in which nearly 40,000 soldiers from both sides died.

On Jan. 1, 1938, Polanco celebrated his last Mass at the Teruel seminary and was arrested eight days later, remaining a prisoner of the Republican forces for 13 months.

On Feb. 7, 1939, with less than two months left until the end of the war, he was bound and taken in a truck with other prisoners to the Can Tretze ravine, where he was shot dead.

Polanco thus became the 13th Spanish prelate executed during those years of religious persecution. He was beatified on Oct. 1, 1995, by Pope John Paul II, and his remains rest in the Teruel cathedral alongside those of his vicar general, also a martyr, Father Felipe Ripoll.

A visit with young people to the Valley of the Fallen

In 2003, the International Meeting of Augustinian Youth took place at the Friar Luis de León Convention Center in Guadarrama, a town in the mountains northwest of Madrid and very close to the Valley of the Fallen. The theme was “Making These Times Better Together,” and the order’s prior general, Father Robert Prevost, now Leo XIV, participated in the event.

The youth gathering is highlighted as part of the history of the Spanish Augustinian Federation on its website. During those summer days, one of the activities was a visit to the Valley of the Fallen, the monumental complex built after the Spanish Civil War to pray for peace and reconciliation among Spaniards.

The future Pope Leo XIV attended with several dozen young Augustinians and a photo was taken with him and the group on the steps leading to the basilica’s entrance. In the picture he can be seen wearing a white shirt in the front row, surrounded by young people wearing blue T-shirts.

The fact that the priest, now the pope, visited the Valley of the Fallen has been perceived by some as opening a door to hope for the future of the monumental complex, especially given that the Spanish government has launched a controversial process of “resignifying” its nature.

Thousands of combatants from both sides, including numerous martyrs, are buried in the rock-hewn papal basilica, atop which stands the world’s largest cross.

An agreement, with Cardinal José Cobo acting as interlocutor, between the Spanish government and the Holy See to implement alterations to the complex has sparked opposition from a portion of the Spanish faithful.

When the specifications for taking bids on the project, which would include modifications to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, were announced, the prelates emphasized that “the terms of the agreement between the government and the Holy See are general and the details or specifics were never gone into.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield in Illinois

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).

Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, and Father Thomas Ferguson will join an advisory board for President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, according to a statement from the White House.

The three Catholic clergymen will join San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone on the Advisory Board of Religious Leaders for the commission. Two members of the Church hierarchy — Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York and Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — are serving on the commission itself.

Rhoades, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Religious Liberty. Paprocki, the bishop of Springfield, Illinois, played a major role in the bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” religious liberty campaign during the 2010s, according to the White House. 

Neither Paprocki nor Rhoades could be reached for comment by the time of publication.

Ferguson, who is a parish priest at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, also has a doctorate in government and authored “Catholic and American: The Political Theology of John Courtney Murray,” which focused on religious liberty and Catholicism in the United States.

“We’re looking forward … to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year,” Ferguson told CNA in an interview, saying he hopes the commission can assist in “pointing out … just how important religious communities like the Catholic Church are to our society.”

Ferguson said the inclusion of Catholic clergy on the commission “is extremely welcomed by our Church,” adding: “It really puts us all in a forum where we can do the important work of educating people.”

One element on which Ferguson hopes to focus is insurance mandates for services that “violate our conscience” on issues such as contraception, sterilization, and transgender drugs and surgeries: “All of these things that we would find morally objectionable, we must be vigilant [against].”

He said he is also concerned about “where this country is going in terms of in vitro fertilization [IVF]” and noted that there are some politicians who “refer to themselves of pro-life legislators [despite] being advocates for IVF.”

“You also need to be protective of human life … created through IVF,” Ferguson said, recalling the millions of human embryos destroyed through the IVF process.

Ferguson discussed a new law in Washington state that will lead to the arrest of priests if they do not report child abuse they learn about during the sacrament of reconciliation, which would violate the “absolute sense of secrecy [of a] … sacramental confession.”

“That’s an area,” he said, where “we can be very consistent in teaching, explaining and clarifying for people: ‘This is how we freely exercise our religion in terms of the First Amendment.’” 

The Religious Liberty Commission

In addition to the advisory board consisting of religious clergy, the White House also created an advisory board made up of legal experts and another of lay leaders. These boards will assist the commission in developing its final report.

The commission and its advisory boards include members of various religions, including Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Islam, and Judaism.

The report will outline the current threats to religious freedom in the United States and provide strategies on how to ensure legal protections when rights are under attack. It will also lay out the foundation of religious liberty in the United States and issue guidance on how to increase awareness of the historically peaceful religious pluralism within the country. 

Some of the commission’s key focus areas include conscience protections, free speech for religious bodies, institutional autonomy, attacks on houses of worship, parental rights in education, and school choice.

Trump established the commission on May 1 through an executive order, which coincided with the National Day of Prayer.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) speaks to journalists at the Sirius Educational Center in Sochi on May 19, 2025, after a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. / Credit: VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 / 17:25 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump said Monday that following a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations, with the Vatican possibly hosting the talks. 

“Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine; Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; President Emmanuel Macron of France; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy; Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany; and President Alexander Stubb of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin,” Trump wrote. 

“The Vatican, as represented by the pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” he concluded. 

Writing on social media, Trump said the “tone and spirit of the conversation” with Putin were “excellent.”

The Vatican did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks. Last Friday, however, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, told reporters that “the pope plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides.”

Zelenskyy said at a press conference Monday that he wants the meeting to happen as soon as possible and that it could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland, the BBC reported. Meloni on Monday expressed support for the Vatican’s possible hosting of the meeting. 

In the 10 days since his election on May 8, Leo has appeared to take a more pro-Ukraine stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict than his immediate predecessor Pope Francis, first by speaking to Zelenskyy by phone in the first hours of his papacy, then meeting the leader for a private audience the same day of his inaugural Mass.

Leo also called for negotiations for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in his first two Regina Caeli messages on May 11 and May 18, and one of his early audiences was with the head of the Greek Ukrainian Catholic Church, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

As a bishop in Peru in 2022, then-Bishop Robert Prevost also made explicit reference to Russia’s invasion, calling it “imperialist in nature,” while Francis avoided such language in his peace appeals and had even called for Ukraine to raise the white flag. Francis appointed Cardinal Matteo Zuppi as his peace envoy to Ukraine.

Former president Joe Biden’s office revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis on Sunday, May 18, 2025. / Credit: Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 16:42 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, and politicians from both major political parties are urging the country to pray for former president Joe Biden after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Biden’s office announced on Sunday that the former president was diagnosed last week with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, stating that doctors found a prostate nodule after Biden experienced “increasing urinary symptoms.”

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” the statement added. “The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

The news was met with overwhelming support and calls for prayers, including from the Diocese of Wilmington, the diocese to which the country’s second Catholic president belongs.

“As Catholics, we are called to carry out Christ’s charge to ‘heal the sick’ by caring for those who are ill and accompanying them in their time of suffering through prayers of intercession,” Robert G. Krebs, the communications director for the diocese, said in a statement.

“The Church believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies, and wishes the former president a rapid return to health,” he said.

On Monday, Biden posted a message on X that included a picture of himself with his wife, former first lady Jill Biden, thanking the public for their support.

“Cancer touches us all,” Biden said on X. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”

Politicians offer prayers, best wishes

President Donald Trump, who ran against Biden twice, expressed sadness about the news in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” Trump wrote. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

Vice President JD Vance, the second Catholic vice president after Biden, told reporters that “we wish the best for the former president’s health” but also expressed concerns that he believes the prior administration did not provide “accurate information about what he was actually dealing with” during his presidency.

Former vice president Kamala Harris, who served under Biden, said in a post on X that she and her husband, Doug, are keeping Biden “and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time.” 

“Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” she said. “We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House and a fellow Catholic, said she and her husband, Paul, “join millions across the country and around the world praying for him to have strength and a swift recovery in the battle against cancer” in a post on X.

Current House Speaker Mike Johnson also said on X that he and his family “will be joining the countless others who are praying for the former president in the wake of his diagnosis.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that he is “praying for President Biden and the entire Biden family,” and Senate Majority Leader Thom Tillis said he and his wife, Susan, “are saddened to hear about President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis and are praying for his full recovery.”

Part of Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis collapsed on Friday, May 16, 2025, when severe storms, including a possible tornado, swept through the city. / Credit: AP Photo/Michael Phillis

St. Louis, Mo., May 19, 2025 / 16:07 pm (CNA).

A mile-wide tornado tore through the northern part of St. Louis on Friday, causing over $1.6 billion in damage and leaving at least five people dead, including a woman who was killed when the steeple of a Christian church collapsed on her. 

A tornado believed to have attained EF-3 intensity touched down just southwest of the St. Louis Forest Park and traveled northeast through the densely populated city for over 20 miles, downing mature trees, ripping off roofs, and leaving collapsed buildings in its wake. 

Much of the destruction — other than damage to the many stately mansions near Forest Park — affected the poorest parts of the city. Among more than 5,000 damaged buildings, at least 12 schools were hit, as was the St. Louis Zoo; tens of thousands of people in the region lost power.  

The twister was part of a massive outbreak sequence on May 18 that also spawned tornadoes in Kentucky, killing at least 19 people in that state and leveling the small town of London, about 80 miles south of Lexington. Several more deaths from tornadoes were also reported in Virginia and in southeastern Missouri.

Patricia Penelton, a longtime volunteer at St. Louis’ Centennial Christian Church — who was reportedly at the church bagging lunches to distribute after the storm — was killed when the bell tower and roof of the 121-year-old church collapsed in the tornado. Penelton was an active member of the church who started an initiative to provide free meals to neighborhood kids and to the homeless. 

“She died in her beloved church, doing what she loved,” her daughter, Alexis Dennard, said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Saturday. “She left this Earth in service to others. What better testament to God and her discipleship is there?”

A father of seven and a food truck owner, Juan Baltazar, was also killed when a large tree crushed his truck. Authorities have not publicly named the other casualties.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, located in the hard-hit Central West End, lost power on Friday. St. Matthew the Apostle Parish and St. Josephine Bakhita Parish are also located near the tornado’s path.

Archdiocesan spokeswoman Lisa Shea told CNA that damage is still being assessed. Pastors have been asked to hold a second collection at Masses next weekend, with the collected funds going to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis (CCSTL). 

CCSTL is currently accepting donations to help more than 750 individuals and families who have reached out through the Catholic Charities website seeking support. Catholic Charities says it is mobilizing emergency resources to provide critical services, including temporary housing, food, counseling, and long-term recovery assistance for those affected.

“We are seeing a heartbreaking level of need, and our ministry is here to respond with urgency and compassion,” said Jared Bryson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, in a statement. 

“Requests for help are pouring in — and we are doing everything we can to meet each one with dignity, care, and concrete support … This is the mission of Catholic Charities — to be a visible sign of Christ’s love and mercy in moments of great need. We are committed to walking alongside our neighbors as they recover and rebuild.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host a celebration at Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, on June 14, 2025, to honor Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Enoch Lai at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host a celebration at Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, on June 14 to honor Pope Leo XIV, according to a statement released by the archdiocese. 

The public is invited to attend the upcoming “once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pope born and raised in the Chicago area.”

“Pope Leo XIV’s message of peace, unity, and the key to a meaningful life have touched hearts across the globe,” the archdiocese said. “This celebration is an extraordinary opportunity for people from the city and beyond to come together in shared pride for one of our own.”

While there was initial speculation as to which Chicago baseball team the new pope is a fan of, Pope Leo XIV’s brother, John Prevost, told local television station WGN that the pontiff was “always a Sox fan.” Subsequently, a 20-year-old video surfaced of then-Father Robert Prevost attending a 2005 World Series game between the White Sox and the Houston Astros.

The program at the White Sox stadium will feature music, film, testimonials, and prayer and will conclude with a Mass. 

The event will “celebrate [Pope Leo’s] election,” said Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, who added that all those interested in attending should keep an eye out as “more details will be announced in the coming week.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to participants in the Jubilee of Eastern Churches on May 14, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 / 14:34 pm (CNA).

A 36-minute video purporting to show Pope Leo XIV reading a statement denouncing colonialism and praising Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the 37-year-old leader of Burkina Faso, has garnered nearly a million views on YouTube as of Monday. 

Claim: Pope Leo XIV is shown seated in the Paul VI Audience Hall reading from a paper. In an apparent response to a purported speech from Ibrahim Traoré, Pope Leo XIV appears to address the Catholic Church’s historical entanglement with colonialism and acknowledge its past failures to stand with the oppressed and speak out against economic exploitation and political interference in Africa. 

The “pope” then addresses ongoing injustices, including the plunder of Africa’s resources, the theft of cultural memory, the denial of sovereignty, and the crisis of migration, affirming Africa’s vital role as a “beacon of faith” and calling for a new era of justice, reconciliation, and partnership.

CNA finds: The video is entirely fake and admits as much in its own description on YouTube — but that hasn’t stopped thousands of viewers from being misled. 

“This made me cry!! What I’ve been waiting for a pope to say all my life!! Gives me hope for the world,” reads one user’s comment, amid hundreds more expressing similar sentiment. 

In reality, however, a disclaimer in the video’s description, posted by the channel Pan-African Dreams, explicitly describes the video as “a work of fiction inspired by the life of Ibrahim Traoré.”

“While some elements are based on real events, the situations and dialogues described are entirely imaginary and do not reflect any actual events. Any resemblance to real-life facts is purely coincidental,” the disclaimer says. 

A YouTube-required label on the video also notes that it contains “Altered or synthetic content: Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.”

The video is by no means the first AI-generated, fake video of the newly elected Pope Leo to make the rounds online. (The pope himself, in a May 12 address to the media, has already emphasized the responsibility and discernment needed by all people, of all ages, in the use of artificial intelligence.)

In addition, this isn’t the first fake, propagandizing video to surface online specifically glorifying Traoré. In fact, posts recently circulated on social media claim to share a song released by jailed R&B singer R. Kelly in support of Traoré and his regime, AFP Fact-Check reported.

The young military leader, who came to power in 2022 following a coup, has been accused by observers of benefiting from propaganda specifically produced by Russia, possibly because of a connection to the infamous Russian mercenary organization the Wagner Group.  

The verdict: The video is fake and not to be taken seriously. That doesn’t mean Pope Leo will never address the topics raised in the video, such as colonialism and Catholicism in Africa, however — he just hasn’t yet.

We rate this claim false.

Pope Leo XIV meets with faith leaders on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, May 19, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV met with faith leaders at the Vatican on Monday, emphasizing his commitment to continue Pope Francis’ legacy on synodality in relation to ecumenical dialogue with other churches and religions.

Inviting representatives of other Christian churches, ecclessial communities, and other religions who attended his Sunday inauguration Mass to the Apostolic Palace for a private audience, the Holy Father stated his desire to continue the Church’s “ecumenical journey and interreligious dialogue” following the legacy of his predecessors St. John XXIII and Pope Francis. 

“Synodality and ecumenism are closely linked,” he said. “I wish to assure you of my intention to continue Pope Francis’ commitment to promoting the synodal character of the Catholic Church and to developing new and concrete forms for an ever more intense synodality in the ecumenical field.”

“Today is the time for dialogue and for building bridges,” he added. “Therefore I am happy and grateful for the presence of the representatives of other religious traditions, who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.”

Expressing his particular fraternal affection for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa III in the meeting, Leo XIV highlighted the need for Christian unity in light of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea to be celebrated on May 20.

“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the Creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” the Holy Father said. “While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith.” 

“As bishop of Rome, I consider one of my primary duties to seek the reestablishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” he added. 

During the audience, Pope Leo reiterated the importance of a dialogue and fraternity — founded upon the shared belief in one God — with Jews and Muslims in order to achieve peace.

“Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue with enthusiasm this very precious dialogue of ours,” he said.

“This approach, based on mutual respect and freedom of conscience, represents a solid basis for building bridges between our communities,” he added.

Toward the end of the audience, the pontiff reiterated his calls for peace and the need for leaders of all faith traditions to be united, “through the testimony of our brotherhood,” for the good of humanity.

“In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion, and commitment to the good of humanity and the protection of our common home,” Pope Leo said.

“I am convinced that, if we are in agreement and free from ideological and political conditioning, we can be effective in saying ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace, ‘no’ to the arms race and ‘yes’ to disarmament, ‘no’ to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the Earth and ‘yes’ to integral development,” the Holy Father concluded.

Pope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on May 19, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 19, 2025 / 13:01 pm (CNA).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump invited Pope Leo XIV to the White House. The invitation was made in a letter from Trump that was hand-delivered to the pope by Vice President JD Vance on Monday.

In a video of the meeting between the vice president and Pope Leo, Vance can be heard saying “I wanted to make sure I gave you that letter,” and in his response Pope Leo can be heard saying “at some point.”

Vance told the pope: “As you can probably imagine, in the United States the people are extremely excited.”

During an exchange of gifts between the two, Vance gave the pope a Chicago Bears jersey with “Pope Leo XIV” emblazoned on the back.

At the meeting’s conclusion, Vance thanked Pope Leo XIV and told him: “We’ll pray for you.”

“Thank you for being here for the celebration,” the pope replied.

When Leo XIV was elected May 8, Trump expressed hearty congratulations, posting on Truth Social: “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American pope. What excitement, and what a great honor for our country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”

Vance and his wife, Usha, attended the pope’s inaugural Mass on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended with his wife, Jeanette.

Pope Leo XIV greets crowds in St. Peter’s Square from the popemobile on Sunday, May 18, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, May 19, 2025 / 12:03 pm (CNA).

From a portable throne carried on the shoulders of attendants to state-of-the-art electric cars, the pope’s means of transportation have evolved considerably over time, reflecting changes in the Church, technology, and the world.

For centuries, pontiffs used the “sedia gestatoria” (Italian for “portable chair”), a type of ceremonial throne used for solemn events adorned with feathered fans and carried by men during solemn ceremonies. The last to use a gestatory chair was John Paul I.

For longer journeys, the popes used horse-drawn carriages.

The oldest recorded carriage, according to the Vatican Museums website, is the Grand Gala Berliner, built in 1826 for Pope Leo XII. This carriage was crowned by a canopy decorated with a dove, representing the Holy Spirit.

The Vatican Museums houses at least five more carriages in its Coach Pavilion, including the Pontifical Landau, which could be opened to allow the pope to greet the faithful during his tours. It was used by Leo XIII and Pius XI.

The great epochal change came in 1929 with Pius XI, the first pontiff to use an automobile. That same year, after the signing of the Lateran Pacts — which gave rise to Vatican City State — the pope received as a gift an American Graham-Paige 837, whose interior seat resembles the Holy Father’s throne.

This was considered a historic vehicle, as it was the first to leave Vatican City since the fall of Rome in 1870. Years later, Pope Pius XII used the same car to personally travel to Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood after the American bombing of July 19, 1943.

In the following decades, papal vehicles continued to be modernized. In 1975, on the occasion of the jubilee, Paul VI commissioned an open-top car to greet the faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

This style was also adopted by John Paul II, during whose pontificate the term “popemobile” became popular. One of the most iconic was the Fiat Campagnola, in which the pope was shot during the 1981 assassination attempt. From then on, designs were outfitted with bulletproof glass and reinforced security.

The same style of automobiles continued with Pope Francis, except that he rejected armored cars for most of his trips involving large crowds of the faithful.

Toward the end of his pontificate, the use of electric cars was promoted, both for his personal transportation and for the Vatican’s vehicle fleet.

Donated vehicles 

Over time, the Vatican has also received vehicles as gifts, such as the Ferrari Enzo donated to the pope himself, who decided to auction it off and allocate the funds to the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia.

Similarly, in November 2017, Pope Francis received a white Lamborghini Huracán, which was auctioned six months later for $950,000. Part of this money was used to help with reconstruction in the Nineveh Plains of Iraq.

Pope Francis also requested that one of his vehicles be transformed by Caritas Jerusalem into a mobile medical unit to provide health care to children in the Gaza Strip.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.