At the grand stone façade of the Manila Cathedral, a figure carved from travertine looks serenely upon the faithful. She is St. Rose of Lima, honored across the Americas as a beloved saint, canonized in the 17th century, and quietly remembered in the Philippines as its secondary patroness. “Her presence at the cathedral reminds faithful […]

When the white smoke rose over the Vatican on May 8, few in the Philippines knew much about Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. But when he stepped onto the balcony and was introduced as Pope Leo XIV—the first pope from North America—something stirred across this island nation of more than 80 million Catholics. Not just curiosity, […]