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Malabar pied hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) female in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. Like all hornbills, the bird has a large casque; the male’s casque is even larger.
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Thousands gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on June 10 for Mass and a Eucharistic procession through downtown Baltimore.

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Hercules’ cudgel with Pieskowa Skała on the background. Ojców National Park, Southern Poland.
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Great Pond and Turkish Bath pavilion, Catherine Park, Pushkin town, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Crepuscular rays over parc de Noisiel (park of Noisiel) at sunrise. Taken from above the gardens of Champs-sur-Marne castle, Seine-et-Marne, France
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![Pope Leo XIV meets with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson #Catholic Pope Leo met with the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, at the Vatican on May 28.Johnson, who has served as mayor since 2023, met with the pontiff for the first time since his election. He also used the occasion to formally invite the pontiff to visit his native city, Chicago.In a press briefing to journalists after the audience, Johnson explained that the two discussed the policies of the United States government under President Donald Trump, including immigration and the Iran conflict.Johnson: Trumpʼs actions in Iran are tyrannicalThe Democratic mayor sharply criticized Trump in remarks to journalists, calling him a “tyrant” as well as a “disgrace” for involving the U.S. in the Israel-Iran conflict. He also said he discussed his concerns about the administration with Pope Leo and described his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, as a “call to action” to work to avoid wars. “I think the popeʼs encyclical is a call to action for the entire planet,” Johnson told journalists at the briefing. “Illegal wars do not leave just a trail of tears and trauma, but it also harms and brutalize our humanity. The economic drive with which [Trump] is moving is selfish.”Leo XIV has regularly criticized the U.S.-Israel war in Iran as unjust. Johnson, reflecting on his discussions with the pope, stated that “his position around Trump was more about disagreement with his approach.”“In the midst of a brutal, horrific, and ignorant tyrant that is currently occupying the White House, it is imperative that we really walk in the true essence of our faith. The impact of his failures on our global economy is quite severe. It is a disgrace to the sensibility of our humanity,” Johnson said.
Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson holds a press briefing at The American University of Rome on May 28, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News
The Chicago mayor also said the two spoke about the Trump administrationʼs immigration enforcement, specifically raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “We did discuss ICE. The pope wanted to know how ICE impacted our city and whether there were still examples of ICE raids happening in our city. I talked about how our rapid response team came together to support families. And then I talked about my executive orders, for which he was very gracious and encouraging, especially those I signed to protect the people of Chicago.”Praise for Leoʼs apology for slaveryLeo XIV presented his first encyclical on May 25 at the Vatican, offering moral guidance amid widespread concern about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.In the text, Leo issued an apology for the Churchʼs role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Johnson praised the pope for his courage and explained that he had discussed the legacy of slavery with him.“We talked about the conditions that the long legacy of slavery and disinvestment has had on Black Americans and Black people around the world,” Johnson said. “I engaged in a conversation with him around reparations and why it is important to work to repair the harm caused by the brutal legacy of slavery.”Yusef Jackson, the son of renowned civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., was also part of the mayorʼs delegation that visited the pope. He praised Leo for his apology on behalf of the Church for slavery.“The pope is a powerful man. The color of his title commands respect around the world. For him to use the color of that title, coming from Chicago, a very segregated and class-divided city, with the bona fides to be a freedom fighter, meant a lot to me. He is a pope that I agree with,” Jackson said.An invitation to come to ChicagoJohnson also presented the pope with an official letter inviting him to visit Chicago and offer Mass at Grant Park. He wrote the letter after being advised by the Catholic archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich.Speaking about the possibility of a future visit by Leo, he described his feelings and those of the city as hopeful.
Official invitation by the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, to Pope Leo XIV, at the American University of Rome on May 28, 2026. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News
“We are going to remain hopeful. We have an open invitation for the pope to come to the city of Chicago. Ultimately, it will be his decision whether his schedule allows him to come. Some of the greatest voices for justice come from the city of Chicago. And that beloved city, of course, birthed Pope Leo XIV.”Along with the official invitation letter, the pontiff was presented with a ceremonial key to the city of Chicago.Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the first name of Cardinal Blase Cupich. (Published May 29, 2026)](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pope-leo-xiv-meets-with-chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-catholic-pope-leo-met-with-the-mayor-of-chicago-brandon-johnson-at-the-vatican-on-may-28-johnson-who-has-served-as-mayor-since-2023-met-with-scaled.jpg)
The pontiff met with Johnson at the Vatican on May 28 and was formally invited to visit his native city next year.


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Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in azureum flowers (Jim Corbett National Park, India)
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Glaucidium cuculoides (Asian barred owlet) in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India.
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Kyzylkup table mountain. Kyzylsai regional park, Mangystau District, Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan
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Capparis spinosa in the Ichkeul National Park. Today is the first day of spring and Tunisia’s Independence Day.
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Crane installation in the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) young female in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
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Lake Baikal in winter. Ice ridges near Olkhon island in Pribaikalsky National Park.
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Wild red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) at Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda
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A macro shot of a red-and-green macaw’s (Ara chloropterus) eye, Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí state, Brazil.
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Two chestnut-tailed starlings (Sturnia malabarica) kissing while perched on a branch in Satchari National Park, Bangladesh
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A red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) eating a nut in Bednarski Park (Kraków, Poland).
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Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) camouflaged on a rock, Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil
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Painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) catching a fish in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
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Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) with diver in the background, Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil
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Crested hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus ceylanensis) feeding on an egret in Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka.
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A Formula One car Cooper T53, built in 1961 by the by British motorsport team Cooper for sales. The picture was taken in 2023, during a historic race at Donington Park, England.
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Male lion (Panthera leo) in Maasai Mara National Park. The Leo astrological sign ends at this time of year.
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Common yellow gilder (Cymothoe egesta), Kakum National Park, Ghana. Feeding on overripe banana
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Winter Angelus Hut with Angelus Lake behind it. In the clouds, no name peak (1860m) can be seen. Picture taken during the sunset. Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand
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An Airstream Safari trailer in Joshua Tree National Park at dusk. Airstream founder Wally Byam died on this day in 1962.
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Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus), Kruger National Park, South Africa. Identified as Tatiana, female, six years old.
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Portrait of the wild lion (Panthera leo) Tryggve, son of C-Boy, in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
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