Vatican

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s financial intelligence and anti-money-laundering authority has been overhauled under a new 12-article statute that eliminates its president and board and places it under a new structure led by a director and deputy director appointed by the pope.

The Authority for Financial Information and Supervision, known by its Italian acronym ASIF, is now effectively structured as an office, with its leadership appointed directly by the pope for five-year terms and operating within the Vatican’s economic governance system.

The change marks a significant shift for an authority that, under its earlier identity as the Financial Information Authority and later as ASIF, had been designed with an international profile and a measure of autonomy in the Vatican’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

That autonomy had already come under strain in recent years, especially after the Vatican trial over the management of funds by the Secretariat of State. Searches of the authority’s offices by Vatican gendarmes created complications for international financial cooperation and raised questions about the authority’s independence.

The new statute confirms that ASIF has “exclusive competence” in three areas: supervision and regulation for the prevention and countering of money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; financial intelligence, including the receipt and analysis of suspicious activity reports and domestic and international cooperation; and prudential supervision and regulation of entities that professionally conduct financial activities.

The authority also “provides support to the other public authorities of the Holy See and Vatican City State” in preventing and countering money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, and related predicate offenses.

The statute says ASIF may also “serve as an alternative dispute resolution system” for disputes between users and entities that professionally carry out financial activities in connection with financial operations and services.

Under the new rules, ASIF’s annual report must be submitted to the Council for the Economy, with a copy sent to the president of the Financial Security Committee. The authority will also submit its projected and final budgets directly to the Council for the Economy for approval, “in accordance with the accounting rules in force.”

The statute says the authority will receive its annual operating funds from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the Governorate of Vatican City State, and entities that professionally conduct financial activities. The Council for the Economy will determine the contribution required from each.

The authority’s structure now includes three offices: an office for supervision and regulation in the area of preventing and countering money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing; an office for financial intelligence; and an office for prudential supervision and regulation.

The new statute also establishes a legal affairs officer, who, among other duties, is responsible for fundamental rights in the context of financial intelligence activity.

With the reform, ASIF is effectively treated as equivalent to a dicastery of the Roman Curia. The statute also provides for consultors, who were not part of the authority’s previous structure and will be appointed by the pope for five-year terms.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Pope Leo XIV has issued a letter to the traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) asking them not to proceed with their planned July 1 consecrations without papal approval.

In a letter published June 30, the eve of the episcopal consecrations in Écône, Switzerland, the pope issued a final appeal to the SSPX superior general, Fr. Davide Pagliarani, not to commit this “schismatic act.”

“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!”

“I urge you to consider the spiritual good of the faithful carefully, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification,” Leo wrote in his letter.

The pontiff also warned the SSPX of the serious consequences of their planned episcopal consecrations, calling it “a sin of extreme gravity.”

“I pray for you, because to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity,” Leo wrote. “May the Lord enlighten your consciences and awaken your hearts.

The Vatican stated on May 13 that the consecrations would be a schismatic act, resulting in automatic excommunication for the consecrating bishops and those consecrated.

On June 16, Pope Leo warned the SSPX that their planned episcopal consecrations risked schism and said that he and the Holy See were preparing a final appeal to the society.

The SSPX exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and has rejected certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, particularly regarding religious freedom and the Church’s approach to other faiths.

SSPX did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical institutions in the world, hosted its prestigious Vatican Observatory Lectures at its headquarters in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, last week. This year’s series focused on quantum gravity.

The event brought together internationally renowned experts and a select group of doctoral students and young researchers who delved into one of the most complex and fascinating problems in modern physics: unifying quantum mechanics with general relativity.

The difficulty of this challenge lies in the very nature of the two theories. While quantum mechanics describes the behavior of elementary particles with enormous precision, Albert Einsteinʼs general relativity explains gravity as the curvature of space-time on a large scale. However, the two frameworks prove incompatible when one attempts to apply them simultaneously.

In relativity, space and time are not an immutable scenario but rather dynamic entities that warp and evolve. Attempting to subject these quantities to the rules of quantum physics gives rise to profound mathematical inconsistencies.

One of the best known is the so-called “perturbative non-renormalizability.” In simple terms, renormalizing involves controlling the infinite corrections that appear in quantum calculations in order to make physical predictions.

This method works in the other fundamental forces of nature but fails in the case of gravity, where these corrections multiply without limit, generating an infinite number of parameters that makes the theory unviable. Overcoming this obstacle constitutes one of the great objectives of current theoretical physics.

The conferences, held at the observatory’s headquarters in Castel Gandolfo and coordinated by Jesuit Father Gabriele Gionti and Father Matteo Galaverni, explored the issues from various perspectives.

Professor Claus Kiefer of the University of Cologne in Germany presented the canonical (in a nonreligious sense) quantization approach to gravity, focusing on the so-called “problem of time.”

If time itself is subject to quantum fluctuations, a fundamental question arises: How do we define the evolution of a physical system? Kiefer explored the implications of this issue for the study of black holes, including the nature of singularities where gravity reaches extreme levels.

Professor Roberto Percacci of the International Higher School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, presented a covariant approach in which gravitons — hypothetical particles that mediate gravity — are treated as spin-2 quantum fields.

A particular highlight was the asymptotic safety program — a proposal suggesting that gravity could be consistent within the quantum regime without recourse to additional exotic entities, thanks to the specific behavior of its constants at very high energies.

From a more conceptual perspective, Professor Sergio Cacciatori of the University of Insubria in Italy delved into the difficulties inherent in quantizing a universe where the very fabric of space-time is subject to uncertainty.

His remarks highlighted questions that border on the philosophical yet carry very concrete technical implications: What does it mean to measure time when it fluctuates? How is observation defined in a context where the observer is part of the system?

Finally, Professor Pierpaolo Mastrolia of the University of Padua in Italy contributed the scattering amplitude approach, a key tool for calculating particle interaction probabilities. His research reveals surprising parallels between the theories describing fundamental forces such as electromagnetism and nuclear interactions and certain formulations of quantum gravity, such as supergravity or string theory. These analogies open up promising avenues toward possibly unifying quantum mechanics with general relativity.

Beyond the technical aspects, these lessons have once again highlighted the uniqueness of the Vatican Observatory as a meeting place between traditions, disciplines, and generations. In an environment marked by centuries of history, young researchers not only receive high-level training but also participate in a setting of free and open dialogue where the great questions of human knowledge, such as the origin of the universe or the ultimate nature of space and time, can be addressed without prejudices.

Founded in the 16th century at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, who ordered the construction of the Tower of the Winds at the Vatican and gathered astronomers and mathematicians to reform the calendar, the Vatican Observatory has maintained a constant quest to understand the universe throughout the centuries. It was Pope Leo XIII who, in the late 19th century, revitalized its research activities, establishing it as an international point of reference.

At a time when science is advancing in the study of the infinitely small and the immeasurably large, the Vatican has reaffirmed its commitment to research and critical thought. For, as quantum gravity demonstrates, the deepest questions remain open, and finding their answers is a task that can only be tackled as a community.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday named Italian economist Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, to succeed Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Cardinal Czerny will turn 80 on July 18, while the 51-year-old Salesian sister has been secretary, the No. 2 position at the dicastery, since August 2021. She was previously an undersecretary from March of the same year.

The pope has also appointed a pro-prefect to serve alongside Smerilli: the Italian Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS, who has been the dicastery’s undersecretary since 2022. The nomination of a bishop to serve as pro-prefect follows a precedent set with the nomination of the first woman prefect — Sr. Simona Brambilla, MC, of the religious life dicastery — in early 2025.

Smerilli is a professor of political economy and statistics at the Auxilium Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences and on the board of directors of the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center, which is led by Baggio.

In 2020, she was one of the principal organizers of the Economy of Francesco online event. She also served in the past as a councilor of the Vatican City State and a member of the short-lived Vatican fundraising commission.

With Smerilli’s nomination, Leo continues his predecessor Pope Francis’ innovation of appointing women to the highest roles at the Vatican, including the appointment of Montserrat Alvarado — currently the president and COO of EWTN News — as the first woman to lead the Dicastery for Communications earlier this month.

Baggio, 61, was both appointed an archbishop and made a cardinal by Pope Francis in late 2024, after working since early 2017 in the human development dicastery, first as undersecretary of the migrants and refugees section alongside Czerny, and then as undersecretary of the dicastery following the reform of the Roman Curia in 2022.

Prior to his roles at the Vatican, Baggio taught in Argentina, Brazil, the Philippines, and in Rome. He is also a composer of sacred and liturgical music.

Czerny, who reaches the mandatory retirement age for prefects next month, concludes a term in the leadership of the integral human development office that began with its creation nearly a decade ago.

A Canadian Jesuit born in what was then Brno, Czechoslovakia, Czerny served for years in the Jesuit General Curia in Rome starting in the early 1990s. He was also the personal assistant to Cardinal Peter Turkson from 2010-2016.

In 2017, he started as under-secretary of the migrants and refugees section of the newly-formed Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, with the pope himself as the department’s official head. Czerny was made prefect in 2022.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal in October 2019.

Pope Leo also appointed on June 30 Father Jozef Barlaš as secretary of the human development dicastery.

The Slovakian priest has been undersecretary since November 2025. He has a doctorate in canon law and served as an official in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State from 2020-2022.

Smerilli, Baggio, and Barlaš will start their new roles on Sept. 1.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Amid a sexual abuse scandal affecting the Diocese of Northampton in the United Kingdom, Pope Leo XIV named an apostolic administrator to oversee the diocese until a new bishop is appointed.

The pontiff named Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster to replace Bishop David Oakley, who was charged with abuse of an underage girl.

In a statement addressing the charges against Oakley, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales expressed its pain upon learning of them and offered a heartfelt apology to all those affected.

“We are profoundly aware that the report of this allegation may reawaken painful memories for many people and again offer an unreserved apology to those who have been hurt by abuse in the Catholic Church in England and Wales,” the bishops’ statement said.

The bishops’ conference also reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding and ensuring the safety of all who attend their parishes and schools.

“Anybody who comes to our parishes, schools, and communities must be safe, and we are resolute in our commitment to safeguarding.”

“We are committed to continual review and development, assisted by the independent auditing work of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, so that all our communities are places of safety and sanctuary for all,” the bishops wrote.

The Diocese of Northampton did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

During the Mass on June 29 at St. Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Leo XIV conferred the pallium on the 35 metropolitan archbishops who had been appointed the previous year.

Of these archbishops, four hail from the United States: Archbishops Ronald Hicks of New York, James Golka of Denver, James Checchio of New Orleans, and Mark Rivituso of Mobile, Alabama.

Hundreds of pilgrims were part of delegations accompanying the new archbishops. The pilgrims described the experience as historic, witnessing the first American pope, Leo XIV, bestow the pallium, and expressed their hope that their new shepherds would bring youthful energy to the faithful they now serve.

A ‘surreal’ experience full of emotion

After the pallium Mass, the new archbishops attended a reception at the Pontifical North American College (PNAC), which has trained American seminarians for the priesthood since 1859.

Golka, appointed to Denver in February, described receiving the pallium as a profoundly emotional experience.

“To hear him [Pope Leo] say, ‘Peace be with you’ in English. And then I greeted him back, ‘And with your spirit.’ And then I said, ‘I pray for you every day.’ And he said, ‘Thank you.’ And then I was crying on the way back to my chair,” Golka told EWTN News.

Scott Elmer, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Denver, added: “It’s definitely breathtaking to see so many bishops, priests, laity, and cardinals from all over the world gathering together. Hearing so many languages being spoken, yet all being one in our Catholic faith and worshipping the Lord as one in the holy Mass was really a treat.”

Hicks also described his experience at the Mass and its significance for his archdiocese, following Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s leadership from 2009 to 2025.

“I thought the experience was beautiful, powerful, holy, sacred, and even a bit surreal. Iʼm still pinching myself,” Hicks told EWTN News.

“Iʼve met him before, and when I introduced myself afterward, I just said, ‘Hi, Iʼm Ron Hicks from New York.’ He said, ‘Of course I know.’ [Pope Leo] wants us to be a Church on mission. He wants us to make sure that what Christ himself has asked us to do is done in the spirit of love and in the spirit of charity.”

Laura Moore Brown, an attorney and parishioner at Ascension Parish in Manhattan, added: “I think whatʼs really exciting is that there is such a new surge of youth, meaning people in their 20s and 30s coming back to Mass, getting involved. I think the youthfulness of Archbishop Hicks will be a draw, and his relatability to that age group will increase enthusiasm and participation in the Church.”

Receiving the pallium from an American pope

Pilgrims also reflected on the historic nature of the pallium Mass, presided over by Leo XIV, the first American pope.

Checchio, who served as rector of the PNAC from 2005 to 2016, organized receptions for new U.S. archbishops during his tenure. To be on the receiving end, he said, was surreal.

“I had been, as you know, rector here for 12 and a half years, so I have attended many pallium services and hosted many archbishops from across our country for receptions here afterward,” Checchio told EWTN News. “But coming to receive it myself was a bit surreal. Receiving it from Pope Leo — an American pope — was even more so.”

Checchio also commented on the difference in approach between Leo and his predecessor, Pope Francis, regarding the bestowal of the pallium. During the later part of Francis’ papacy, he did not place the pallium on the shoulders of the new archbishops, opting instead to bless the pallium and have the apostolic nuncios place it on them.

Checchio said he was grateful for the change.

“I am grateful for it. It’s a beautiful opportunity to make an oath of fidelity to him in his presence, as we shepherd our people in his name.”

Raechelle Munna, a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in New Orleans, shared about the pilgrimage: “I knew that when I was invited to go on this pilgrimage, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I needed to be part of. We are still hoping for Pope Leo to visit us in New Orleans!”

Hopes for the future

A few of the pilgrims expressed their hopes for the new archbishops, none of whom have yet served a full year in their new dioceses.

Shannon Roh, the executive director of stewardship and development for the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, characterized the new archbishop, Rivituso, as a servant leader.

“I would say that, as a leader, he really comes across as a servant leader from the very beginning,” Roh told EWTN News. “He leads by example and gets right in there to help and be part of the solution. Whether it’s packing bags at a school or whatever, he wants to be part of it. He’s definitely a servant leader, kind, compassionate, with a big heart.”

Glynn Stephens Jr., minister for hospitality at the Cathedral of St. Louis in New Orleans, expressed hope that Checchio would successfully lead his new diocese through a challenging financial period.

“Weʼre looking forward to his leadership, his skills. He comes with open arms. We have a lot of healing to do throughout our country, and he is definitely the man who I think can bring it to the city of New Orleans.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians to emulate the example of Sts. Peter and Paul in working toward the unity of the Church and of all Christians.

The pontiff’s words were delivered during a Mass on June 29 at St. Peter’s Basilica for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Rome. During the Mass, Leo also bestowed the pallium — a circular band of lamb’s wool worn on the shoulders — on the 35 metropolitan archbishops appointed by the pope the previous year.

Having just concluded a two-day extraordinary consistory of cardinals, which ended on June 27, Leo explained that the example of Peter is an invitation for every Christian to work toward Church unity.

“Moreover, Peter’s example is an invitation to every Christian to become a builder of unity,” Leo said, “placing God at the center of one’s life and drawing close to one’s brothers and sisters, attentive to their circumstances and needs. In this way, we learn to live with one another in charity, so that the message might be fully proclaimed.”

Referring to the conversion of St. Paul, the pope explained that Paul can teach Christians to choose peace over violence. Quoting a homily by St. Augustine for the feast, he emphasized that God took a “persecutor of the Church and made him a messenger of peace.”

“The Apostle to the Gentiles allowed himself to be transformed by the power of God’s word, which rescued him from the way of violence and led him onto the path of love.”

Addressing the new archbishops present at the ceremony and a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Leo explained the pallium’s significance as an expression of the mission of every Christian.

“These bands of white wool adorned with crosses indeed express the commitment of every shepherd — and also of every Christian — to take upon their shoulders the brothers and sisters entrusted to them, like so many lambs of the Lord’s flock, and to sacrifice their energy, time, effort, and even their lives for them,” Leo said.

In his Angelus address following the Mass, the pope urged the faithful to support his mission by generously donating to the Peter’s Pence collection. Peter’s Pence is a global initiative that helps fund the pope’s activities and the Holy See’s charitable works worldwide.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Pope Leo XIV has decreed the dismissal from the clerical state of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo, who served as a priest of the Spanish Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, following a canonical process that was initiated due to his repeated public rejection of the authority of Pope Francis and, subsequently, of Leo XIV himself.

The case dates back to 2023, when a dialogue with Vegara Cerezo began following the publication of a 20-page manifesto in which he labeled Pope Francis a “heretic” and questioned the validity of his election.

The now laicized priest also criticized texts such as the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, by the late Argentine pontiff, and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In 2024, Vegara Cerezo’s obstinacy led his bishop, José Ignacio Munilla, to remove him from any office or position within the diocese.

Munilla admonished Vegara Cerezo in February 2024 and April 2025, urging him to alter the “stance expressed publicly and notoriously through various media outlets,” according to a statement issued by the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante on June 25, 2026.

In September 2025, Bishop Munilla issued a new decree prohibiting Vegara Cerezo from making public statements in the media — a measure Vegara decided to appeal to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy.

Following this, and after another article by Vegara Cerezo, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith asked him to retract from his offense of schism. Upon his failure to provide a satisfactory response, on April 30 Pope Leo decreed that he be dismissed from the clerical state — a decision that was communicated to him on June 20.

In his statement on the matter, Bishop Munilla asked for prayers for Francisco José Vegara Cerezo and recalled the words spoken by Pope Leo XIV on June 11 in the Canary Islands, during a meeting with Spanish bishops, priests, religious, and seminarians: “When you encounter difficulties, lift your gaze and ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to live united in faith, hope, and charity.”

What is schism?

Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” The penalty for this canonical offense is usually excommunication, although in this instance the penalty was less severe: dismissal from the clerical state.

What does it mean for a priest to be dismissed from the clerical state?

A priest remains a priest forever; however, if he is sanctioned with dismissal or expulsion from the clerical state, he loses all the rights associated with that state. Consequently, he is no longer bound by celibacy and is prohibited from celebrating Mass, administering sacraments, or presenting himself as a priest.

There is only one exception: if a person is in danger of death and the priest who has been dismissed from the clerical state is present, Canon 976 establishes that he may validly administer the sacraments, as the salvation of souls takes precedence over the grave penalty imposed upon the priest.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday expressed his closeness to the people of Venezuela after recent earthquakes, offering prayers for the victims and encouragement to rescue workers.

“I wish to express my solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters affected by the recent earthquakes, which have caused numerous deaths and injuries, as well as extensive damage to property,” the pope said after praying the Angelus on June 28 in St. Peter’s Square.

“Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy,” he continued. “I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance.”

Before the Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew 10:37–42, saying that Jesus’ call to discipleship is rooted in a love that requires “detachment, loss and hospitality.”

“In today’s Gospel reading, we hear some of Jesus’ exhortations on how to follow him and be witnesses to his kingdom,” the pope said. “This is not just a matter of outward acts, but of committing ourselves entirely to a loving relationship with him.”

The first requirement, he said, is detachment. Citing Jesus’ words — “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” — Pope Leo said the Lord wanted the apostles to be free for mission.

“When the Lord begins to send his apostles on mission, he wants them to be free from any ties,” he said. “However, this applies to everyone, as even the most significant relationships find their fullness through the love that Christ gives us.”

The pope pointed to married life as an example, saying it “can only be lived fully by ‘leaving’ one’s parents’ home in order to commit to the life of marriage.” He also spoke of raising children, saying parents help them “to fulfill themselves and be happy by teaching them to ‘stand on their own two feet’ and make their own choices.”

Quoting St. Augustine, Pope Leo said: “It is painful to part from what you love. Yet even the farmer temporarily loses what he sows.”

“Only by ‘losing’ that seed sown in the ground, can we see it blossom,” the pope added.

Pope Leo said Christians often struggle to understand that “love is also loss,” especially “in a world where losing is seen as weakness and we are obsessed with having and possessing.”

“However, love only bears fruit in self-giving: when we are willing to lose a little of ourselves to make room for another; to lose a little time to listen to a friend; to lose a little comfort to share in a time of hardship,” he said.

He added that “according to the Gospel, those who hold on to their lives merely for themselves actually lose them, for they do not open themselves to the joy of love and thus become barren.”

“This is why Jesus invites us to embrace the cross,” the pope said. “He offered himself, lost himself, and in this very way we were enabled to receive his life in abundance. In the same way, if we live by the logic of the gift of self, we too will be capable of bringing forth new life in our relationships.”

Finally, Pope Leo turned to hospitality, saying love must take shape in concrete acts.

“Love is expressed through concrete choices and actions; by a commitment made up of small daily gestures, such as offering a glass of water to someone who is thirsty,” he said.

Jesus, he said, sent his disciples without provisions “so that, by being dependent on the help of others, they would inspire hospitality in those they met.”

“By welcoming those who come in Jesus’ name, we welcome him and the heavenly Father who sent him,” the pope said. “Indeed, love for the Lord always involves welcoming our brothers and sisters.”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

VATICAN CITY—Pope Leo XIV on June 29 will bless and bestow the “pallium” — a white woolen vestment symbolizing pastoral authority and unity with the pope — on 32 new metropolitan archbishops, including four from the United States.

Leo will impose the pallia at a Mass for the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The U.S. archbishops who will receive the pallium this year are Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, Archbishop James Checchio of New Orleans, Archbishop James Golka of Denver, and Archbishop Mark Rivituso of Mobile, Alabama.

New York, NY

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, 58, grew up in South Holland, Illinois, a southern suburb of Chicago.

Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994, Hicks later served as dean of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago and at Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois.

Hicks is fluent in Spanish with past ministry experience in Mexico and Central America, including five years in El Salvador.

He served as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago from 2018 to 2020, before being named bishop of Joliet, Illinois in 2020 by Pope Francis. He was installed as archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York in February 2026.

At a press conference following the announcement of his appointment to New York in December 2025, Hicks said he was committed to learning about the archdiocese’s efforts to compensate survivors of sexual abuse. The archdiocese has proposed an $800 million settlement for abuse victims as it seeks to resolve a five-year legal battle.

Hicks said in a May 1 statement that “although much work remains to be done before a settlement can be finalized and consummated, I am cautiously optimistic about the path we are on.”

He said both sides have been working to reach an agreement and to “create the framework of a comprehensive arrangement that will deliver compensation to victim-survivors faster and more efficiently than the traditional legal process.”

In a video published June 25 from Assisi, Italy, where Hicks is leading a pilgrimage ahead of receiving the pallium, he invited the Catholics of New York to follow the example of St. Francis, “as together we look for ways in the mission of the Church to continue to rebuild it, to repair it, and to renew it.”

New Orleans, LA

The 60-year-old Archbishop James Checchio was installed in New Orleans on Feb. 18, after nearly five months as a coadjutor archbishop assisting Archbishop Gregory Aymond before his retirement in February.

Checchio previously served, from 2016 to 2025, as bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey. He is from Camden, New Jersey. He was rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2006 to 2016 and has a doctorate in canon law.

In New Orleans — an archdiocese of over half a million Catholics in southeastern Louisiana — Checchio inherited bankruptcy and a $230 million settlement to clergy sexual abuse claimants that took years to reach an outcome.

“Bankruptcy means youʼre broke, right? So weʼre broke,” Checchio told EWTN News in Rome, commenting on the archdiocese’s financial situation.

He added that he’s grateful the archdiocese was able to pull together a good payment for the survivors of abuse and that they continue to reach out to them and pray for them.

“It’s primarily the survivors, but a lot of other people are affected by it, families and the loss of trust,” he added. “The priests are affected… the morale.”

Checchio noted that the people are resilient. “New Orleans is used to rebuilding,” he said. “Thereʼs great hope and joy in the people and the priests.”

After his appointment as coadjutor last September, he remembers reading the bleak news about the archdiocese.

But since arriving, he realized “the Church in New Orleans is vibrant” with a lot of young people and young families.

“There are people that love the faith. They love family life. They love traditions and theyʼre very loyal people,” he said.

Checchio brought a delegation of around 180 people, including family and friends, to Rome on the occasion of receiving the pallium.

Receiving the symbolic vestment himself, he said, is “a bit surreal,” after years as the rector of the Pontifical North American College, when it was his job to organize a reception for the new American metropolitan archbishops.

“But itʼs extra special, I think, with an American pope too.”

Denver, CO

Archbishop James Golka, 59, was born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska, as the fourth of 10 children. After 27 years in parish ministry and diocesan leadership in the Grand Island diocese, in 2021, he was made bishop of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

He was appointed archbishop of Denver by Pope Leo XIV in February and was installed on March 25, shortly after the death of both of his parents.

In an interview with EWTN News in Denver earlier this month, Golka shared that he has felt his parents’ presence with him several times during his first months as archbishop, and while it was painful to lose them, he trusts they are interceding for him from heaven.

“It’s a great honor” to receive the pallium from Pope Leo, the archbishop said in comments to EWTN News in Rome on June 26.

“I never thought I would be here this day, so I’m just grateful to God for the chance to do it,” he noted, adding that the pallium is less for him than it is for all the people of the archdiocese.

The pallium, he said, “represents Christ, whoʼs the Good Shepherd, who has found a way, by creating the Church the way he did, to continue to be our pastor and shepherd. The main bishop of Denver is not me, itʼs Jesus. … It’s a humbling thing to be able to let Christ work through you that way.”

He added that the pallium “also represents a oneness and a closeness with the Holy Father. So thereʼs something very tender about receiving that from an American pope.”

On the situation in Colorado, the archbishop pointed out that “it’s a very pro-abortion state, so many people who have worked for years in that area just feel kind of beat up.”

Golka said he hopes to help energize those in pro-life ministry so they can keep standing for life: “Weʼre going to keep holding up the great dignity of life. Thatʼs really important to me.”

He added that priests are also very close to his heart as a bishop and he wants them to be “healthy, happy, and holy. Iʼm all in to help them do that because I’m on the same trip. I want to try to do the same thing for me.”

“Archbishop Aquila began many good initiatives [in Denver],” Golka noted. “It’s a group of people ready for mission. And so I just get to come in and kind of activate that and just listen to them… So it makes me want to be on mission even more. It makes me want to be a better priest and a better bishop.”

Mobile, AL

Archbishop Mark Rivituso, 64, was installed as the metropolitan archbishop of Mobile, Alabama, in September 2025.

From St. Louis, Missouri, he served as an auxiliary bishop of the St. Louis archdiocese starting in 2017. He is the sixth of eight children and has a licentiate (similar to a master’s degree) in canon and civil law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada.

He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Peter Claver, and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Writing in “The Catholic Week,” the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Mobile, on June 12, Rivituso reflected on the pilgrimage he will make to Rome to receive the pallium.

“All of you will be on pilgrimage with us — for you will be in my heart and prayers with every step and at every holy site,” he wrote to his archdiocese. “When I receive the pallium from Pope Leo XIV, it is a sign of our communion with the Holy Father. Receiving the pallium placed around my neck will be a blessed reminder that I bear and live the yoke of Christ’s shepherding love for each one of you.”

What is a pallium?

The pallium is a narrow, circular band of white wool with pendants hanging down the front and the back. It is adorned with six small black crosses and three pins (called spinulae), which resemble both thorns and the nails used to crucify Jesus.

It is bestowed on the Latin-rite patriarch of Jerusalem and metropolitan archbishops — the diocesan archbishop of the primary city of an ecclesiastical province or region — as a symbol of communion, authority, and unity with the pope and his pastoral mission to be a shepherd for the people of God. The pope also wears the pallium over his chasuble when he is celebrating Mass.

Before the vestments are bestowed on the metropolitan archbishops, they are placed for a time in a spot near the tomb of St. Peter, under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, to reinforce the bishop’s connection to Peter through apostolic succession.

At Pope Benedict XVI’s inaugural Mass on April 24, 2005, he explained the symbolism of the pallium and the lamb’s wool as “meant to represent the lost, the sick, or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders to carry to the waters of life.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team