Pope St. Leo the Great

Born in Rome, Leo served as a deacon to Pope St. Celestine I and Pope St. Sixtus III. Leo was elected pope in 440 while on a diplomatic mission to Gaul, now France. He is one of three popes called "the Great."

Pope St. John XXIII

Born Angelo Roncalli in Italy, Pope St. John XXIII was ordained a priest in 1904. During World War I, he served as a medic and chaplain. He represented the Church as a Vatican diplomat in Bulgaria, Turkey, and France, eventually becoming a

Can the pope overturn a previous pope’s teaching?

A reader asks: “Does the pope have the authority to overturn pronouncements of previous popes, for example, in matters of contraception and the ordination of women?” As Monsignor Charles Pope explains, we must distinguish between different types of law and teaching. There

Why do we need a pope?

When it comes to the pope, many Protestants might say, “Who needs a pope? We have Jesus and the Bible and don’t need some man to tell us what to do.” How should we respond? Monsignor Charles Pope shares that at the

We’ve already started selecting the next pope

In case you didn’t notice, writes Russell Shaw, the process of choosing the next pope has begun. He writes: “No, Pope Francis is still going strong and the cardinals didn’t slip back into the Vatican under cover of night and immediately convene

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