Holy See (Vatican)

Rule Changes

Central government of the Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV approved Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 69, as dean of the College of Cardinals on October 8, making him the first Asian to lead the body and replacing 92-year-old Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Tagle has begun taking on public duties, presiding at a Mass in St. Peter's Square on October 14 while the pope recovered from lung surgery.

Updated Oct 20

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Active intermediary in US-Cuba negotiations

The USS Nimitz carrier strike group entered the Caribbean on May 21. The Pentagon was developing military options for Trump while the US intelligence community mapped how Cuba would respond to an attack. One day after issuing a $100 million aid offer and indicting Raúl Castro, Secretary of State Rubio said a negotiated settlement was unlikely.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Issued binding-regulation encyclical; aligning with one major AI lab

Pope Leo XIV signed his first encyclical on May 15, 2026, 135 years to the day after Pope Leo XIII published Rerum Novarum. Magnifica Humanitas calls AI the next industrial revolution and demands binding external regulation of the companies building it.

Updated May 26