Pope Leo XIV has filled one of the most important Vatican vacancies by tapping an Australian church lawyer to serve as the Holy See’s chief legal expert. Bishop Anthony Randazzo, bishop of Broken Bay, was named prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts on Wednesday. The office is responsible for writing and interpreting the Catholic Church’s in-house canon law, and also provides legal advice on other matters, including for the Vatican City State. The 59-year-old Randazzo succeeds Archbishop Filippo Iannone, whom Leo named in September to take over his old job at the Vatican office that vets bishop nominations.

The Rev. Edward Flanagan, who founded the renowned Boys Town home for at-risk youth in Nebraska, is one step closer to possible sainthood. Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed the “heroic virtues” of Father Flanagan. Later steps toward possible sainthood would include beatification and canonization. Flanagan founded what became Boys Town in Omaha in 1917. He sought to provide a more supportive, less punitive upbringing to at-risk boys. It served thousands of boys before his death in 1948 and has since expanded to other states. His work inspired an Oscar-winning portrayal by actor Spencer Tracy in the 1938 movie “Boys Town.”

The Vatican has launched a campaign that urges Catholic institutions to divest from mining and align investments with church ecology teaching. Vatican officials on Friday linked the effort to Pope Francis’ 2015 environmental letter, which criticizes resource extraction that harms poor and Indigenous communities. The Churches and Mining Network, active in Latin America, is helping lead the push. Leaders have described polluted water and communities that see few lasting benefits from mines. A Vatican cardinal said legal projects can still fail basic justice. Another official said the church also needs to examine its own finances.

Clergy groups in Minnesota are asking a federal judge to order ICE to allow in-person pastoral visits for immigrants held in a Minneapolis federal building. Judge Jerry Blackwell is to hear arguments Friday on access to the building in Minneapolis. Lutheran, United Church of Christ, and Catholic leaders say Immigration and Customs Enforcement has blocked clergy from providing sacraments and other spiritual care. They say the restrictions violate the Constitution and a federal religious freedom law. The government says the enforcement surge officially ended in February and restrictions have eased since. ICE calls the building a short-term holding facility, and not the kind of long-term detention center where more clergy visits are allowed.

Pope Leo XIV is signaling strong endorsement of one of Pope Francis’ most controversial policies on marriage and divorce. Leo penned a special message Thursday marking the 10th anniversary of Francis’ 2016 document “The Joy of Love.” And he summoned bishops to Rome for a meeting in October to implement it. When it was released in April 2016, “The Joy of Love” immediately sparked divisions because it opened the door to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion. The document went on to become the focal point of conservative criticism of Francis.

The Vatican has released details of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming four-nation Africa tour. The itinerary suggests Christian-Muslim relations, comforting victims of violence and encouraging the Catholic community in former European colonies will be key themes. The April 13-23 trip begins in Algeria, which has never before welcomed a pope. Leo stops in northwest Cameroon and will visit an important Marian shrine in Angola. He finishes the trip praying at a memorial to victims of a 2021 blast in Equatorial Guinea that killed more than 100 people and was blamed on negligence. Leo will also hold private talks with the four nations’ leaders, two of whom have been in power for decades.

Pope Leo XIV has indicated growing concern with the next frontier in combatting abuses in the Catholic Church. He is highlighting the plight of “vulnerable” adults and met with an investigative journalist who uncovered alleged abuses in the powerful Opus Dei movement. Gareth Gore is author of the book “Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church.” The American pope clearly wanted the Gore audience publicized. It was listed on his formal agenda and the Vatican released photos of the encounter.

Pope Leo XIV has urged a ceasefire in the Middle East and called on leaders in the Iran war to reopen talks. On Sunday, he spoke in his noon blessing and condemned attacks on schools, hospitals and homes. He pointed to a strike that hit a school in Iran and killed children. U.S. officials say an investigation is underway and flawed intelligence may have played a role. Leo also highlighted rising humanitarian risks in Lebanon and worried about vulnerable Christian communities. He kept his language indirect and avoided naming countries. Some U.S. cardinals and Vatican officials have spoken more bluntly and criticized the war.

One of the hottest tickets in Rome these days is for a four-lecture series on the Antichrist being given by Silicon Valley tech billionaire Peter Thiel. The invitation-only conference, from Sunday to Wednesday, has proven so controversial that the Catholic institutions initially associated with it have all denied official involvement. Thiel is a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, the data-mining company that has been assisting the Trump administration’s migrant deportation crackdown. An early donor to the political career of Vice President JD Vance, Thiel is also deeply interested in the apocalyptic concept of the Antichrist and end-of-world Armageddon.