Pope St. John Paul II

Gugel worked in the papal apartments during audiences, apostolic trips and through the daily routine — always close to the pope.

In his Jan. 7, 2026, general audience, Pope Leo began a new series of catecheses reflecting on the Second Vatican Council and its documents.

A new winter symposium promises to explore Catholic teaching on gender, sexuality and the role of women while marking the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Women.”

The panelists invited U.S. Catholics to see the human dignity of Christians suffering in Iraq and Nigeria and to pray for those facing persecution worldwide.

“(In) this time of war that has not ended for 14 years now, the teaching of St. Pope John Paul II is a very important reference point, above all.”

“My commitment today to the cause of justice in my country, even on the African continent and globally, is inspired by the struggle of Pope John Paul II.”

“Faith and charity,” St. John Paul said, “transformed him into a joyful, enthusiastic apostle of Christ, a passionate follower of his message and charity.”

Cultivating gratitude toward God “helps us not to waste his gifts” and “inclines us to reciprocate the love with which he surrounds us.”

This is what the seven days of papacy tell about the first American pope and how his predecessors spent their honeymoon in the Vatican.

POZNAŃ, Poland (OSV News) — For Ukrainian Catholics, St. John Paul II’s voice brought a “taste of freedom,” something that still drives defenders of the country following the full-scale Russian invasion …