U.S.
Benedictine monk named bishop of Belleville, Ill.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has named Father Godfrey Mullen, a Benedictine monk, as the new bishop of Belleville, Illinois. The Vatican announced the appointment of Bishop-designate Mullen March 13. The see of the Diocese of Belleville has been vacant since its former bishop, now-Archbishop Michael G. McGovern, was installed as archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska, in May 2025. Bishop-designate Mullen, 60, is a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana and current administrator of the Diocese of Belleville. A native of Illinois, he holds a doctorate in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington. His episcopal ordination and installation as Belleville’s 10th bishop is scheduled for May 1. (OSV News)
WORLD
Pope urges media to show human face of war, not propaganda
ROME — Pope Leo XIV has urged journalists to show the human cost of war and avoid becoming tools of propaganda. Speaking to reporters who produce TG2 news programs for the Italian state broadcaster RAI, Pope Leo said the media has a responsibility to verify information and report through the eyes of those suffering in conflict. “Always, but especially in the dramatic circumstances of war, such as those we are currently experiencing, the media must guard against the risk of becoming propaganda,” Pope Leo said. He stressed that journalists must focus on truth rather than power. “It is up to you to show the sufferings that war always brings to the people; to show the face of war and to relate it through the eyes of the victims, so as not to transform it into a videogame.” Pope Leo also warned that “an age dominated” by polarization and artificial intelligence poses new challenges to responsible communication and authentic pluralism. (OSV News)
Vatican releases schedule for Pope Leo’s Africa trip
ROME — Pope Leo XIV will travel more than 11,000 miles across four African countries in April on a 10-day apostolic trip highlighting peace efforts, works of mercy and the Catholic Church’s vibrant presence on the continent. The Vatican released the full schedule March 16 for the April 13–23 journey — Pope Leo XIV’s first trip to Africa — with stops in 11 destinations across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. The trip begins in Algiers, where Pope Leo XIV will visit the Great Mosque of Algiers and later celebrate Mass near the ancient city of Hippo Regius, where St. Augustine served as bishop and died in A.D. 430. In Cameroon, Pope Leo XIV will lead a peace gathering in conflict-affected Bamenda. The pope will then travel to Angola and finally to Equatorial Guinea, concluding the journey with a stadium Mass in Malabo on April 23. (OSV News)
Augustinian prelate named new prefect of charity dicastery
ROME — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Spanish Augustinian Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín as the new prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, while Cardinal Konrad Krajewski will return to Poland as metropolitan archbishop of Lódz. The Vatican announced March 12 that Cardinal Krajewski, 62, who served as papal almoner through most of Pope Francis’ pontificate, is leaving the Roman Curia after more than a decade leading the pope’s charitable outreach. As his successor, Pope Leo has selected now-Archbishop Marín, 64, a native of Madrid and a longtime personal friend to oversee the Vatican’s charitable works. With the appointment, the pope conferred on him the dignity of archbishop. The Dicastery for the Service of Charity, also known as the Office of the Papal Almoner, manages voluntary donations and carries out charitable works on behalf of the Roman Pontiff, directing aid to those in need and affected by disasters worldwide. (OSV News)
Pope Leo moves into new home in Apostolic Palace
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV moved into his new apartments at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace March 14, the Holy See Press Office announced that afternoon in Rome. Pope Leo’s new quarters include several rooms, among them the private study — where the pope appears at the window to lead the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square every Sunday — a library and a small chapel. According to Italian media, the apartment also includes a home gym. With Pope Leo’s return to the Apostolic Palace, his rooms will be different from those of Pope Benedict XVI, the last pope to live in that space. Instead of occupying the traditional papal living quarters, Italian media has reported that Pope Leo will live in a loft, or attic, above the “Third Loggia,” or top floor, of the building. Pope Leo’s choice to live in the Apostolic Palace marks a return to more than 100 years of tradition. Pope Francis lived his entire pontificate in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse, formally known as the Domus Sanctae Marthae, preferring to be residing within a larger community. (OSV News)
