http://www.toledoblade.com The Latest News from Toledoblade.com (v5) Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:01:30 GMT en-us hourly 1 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:44:10 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — With the cease-fire in Iran still shaky, U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. A poster is pasted on a motorbike windshield with graphic depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the killing of his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, April 9. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:50:54 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107 HOUSTON — Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew, counterclockwise from top left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover pose with eclipse viewers during a lunar flyby on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:25:38 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096 RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Rex A. Heuermann, center, pleads guilty to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings, at a court hearing in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., April 8. Family members of victims react as they listen Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney speaks during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. A family member of the victims listens Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a press conference after Rex Heuermann, was accused in Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. Family members of victims react as they listen Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:27:19 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129 HOUSTON — Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound. This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen as they answer media questions during a video conference on April 8. This image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view the Moon and Earth are shown on April 6. This image provided by NASA, astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman takes a moment during the seven-hour lunar observation period where the crew reported to the ground team their observations including color nuances, which will help enhance scientific understandings of the Moon on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the Moon's crater on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this image of the of Carroll Crater, a name suggested by the crew for Reid Wiseman late wife Carroll Taylor Wiseman on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:57:37 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” as a tentative cease-fire in the Iran war staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut. Government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, April 9. Ali, 4, holds a toy horse next to the tent his family uses as a shelter after fleeing Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon April 8. People inspect the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in Beirut, Lebanon April 9. A sign for a roadside hotel is seen on Road 2 near Golhahr, Iran, April 9. Government supporters walk past a billboard depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as they gather to mark the 40th day since the killing of his father, slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran April 9. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:58:15 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100 WASHINGTON — President Trump repeated his complaint about NATO after a closed-door meeting with the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday for discussions that had been expected to be aimed at soothing Trump’s anger with the military alliance over the Iran war. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is joined by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, for a photo opportunity at the State Department April 8 in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is joined by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, for a photo opportunity at the State Department April 8 in Washington. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:59:34 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, casting doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war will hold. A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran on April 8. Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, on April 8. An Iranian cluster munition missile explodes in the sky over northern Israel on April 8. A demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, on April 8. Displaced children sit on a truck with their packed belongings as they wait for an official ceasefire decision between Iran and the United States that they hope will include Lebanon and allow them to return to their villages, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon on April 8. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:05:54 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003 ■ Leaders of faith communities are welcome to attend a Thursday training session with PreventionFIRST!, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:38:29 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100 Authorities in the Bahamas have moved to a recovery operation in their search for a Michigan woman who reportedly fell overboard during a boat trip with her husband Saturday night, local police said. A photo of Lynette Hooker, an American woman who is reportedly missing at sea in the Bahamas. Aerial view of Tahiti Beach and Elbow Cay in Abaco, Bahamas. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:45:01 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089 TEHRAN, Iran — President Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal. Bystanders watch from a distance as rescue teams and first responders work at the site of a strike that, according to a security official at the scene, destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, Iran, April 7. A first responder leaves the site of a strike that, according to a security official at the scene, destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, Iran, April 7. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 20:10:45 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109 HOUSTON — Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon. In this image provided by NASA, Artemis II crew members, from left, Victor Glover Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, pause to turn the camera around for a selfie midway through their lunar observation period of the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:37:03 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102 BAGHDAD — American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad streetcorner last week, has been released, an Iraqi official with direct knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday. U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cellphone photo in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 25, 2025. This 2025 photo taken in Iraq and provided by Barb Kittleson shows Shelly Kittleson, an American freelance journalist who was kidnapped March 31 in Iraq. (Barb Kittleson via AP) The street corner in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street where U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq, on April 1. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:08:26 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078 TEHRAN, Iran — President Trump expanded his threat against Iran to include all power plants and bridges Monday as his ultimatum to make a deal ticked closer, after Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. Israeli rescue teams search for missing people amid the rubble of a residential building a day after it was struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel April 6. Workers remove debris at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology complex that Iranian authorities say was hit early Monday by a U.S.-Israeli strike, in Tehran, Iran, April 6. Medical workers attend a government-sponsored protest against the U.S.-Israeli military campaign outside Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran, April 6. Yemeni soldiers patrol the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, April 5. Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowded neighbourhood south of Beirut, Lebanon, April 5. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-astronauts-race-to-set-a-new-distance-record-from-earth/stories/20260406077 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-astronauts-race-to-set-a-new-distance-record-from-earth/stories/20260406077#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:00:13 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/artemis-ii-astronauts-race-to-set-a-new-distance-record-from-earth/stories/20260406077 HOUSTON — Emerging from behind the moon, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their capsule toward home Monday night after beholding views of the lunar far side never before witnessed and setting a new distance record for humanity. This image provided by NASA on April 6 shows the moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth) visible at the right side of the disk, identifiable by the dark splotches. At lower left is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon’s near and far sides. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side. This image provided by NASA on April 6 shows the moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth) visible at the top half of the disk, identifiable by the dark splotches. At the lower center is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon’s near and far sides. Everything below the crater is the far side. This image provided by NASA on April 6 shows a view of the moon taken by the Artemis II crew before going to sleep on flight day 5 This image provided by NASA shows the moon from a photo taken by The Artemis II crew on day 4 of their journey to the Moon on April 4. This photo provided by NASA shows the Earth seen from a window on the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission, April 5. This image provided by NASA shows the Orion spacecraft with the Moon in the distance, as captured by a camera on the tip of one of its solar array wings, April 3. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/key-fed-official-sees-possible-rate-hike-amid-higher-gas-prices-inflation/stories/20260406103 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/key-fed-official-sees-possible-rate-hike-amid-higher-gas-prices-inflation/stories/20260406103#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2026 23:02:16 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/key-fed-official-sees-possible-rate-hike-amid-higher-gas-prices-inflation/stories/20260406103 WASHINGTON — A top Federal Reserve official said Monday that an interest rate hike could be appropriate if inflation remains persistently above the central bank's 2 percent target, the latest sign that some policymakers are moving away from a bias toward reducing borrowing costs. In this Feb. 5, 2018, file photo, the seal of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System is displayed in the ground at the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/Savannah-Guthrie-returns-to-Today-anchor-desk-for-first-time-since-mother-s-disappearance/stories/20260406086 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/Savannah-Guthrie-returns-to-Today-anchor-desk-for-first-time-since-mother-s-disappearance/stories/20260406086#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:54:21 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/06/Savannah-Guthrie-returns-to-Today-anchor-desk-for-first-time-since-mother-s-disappearance/stories/20260406086 NEW YORK — Savannah Guthrie was back and almost all business at NBC’s Today show anchor desk on Monday, marking a return for the first time in more than two months since her mother’s disappearance. “Here we go, ready or not,” Guthrie said as the show opened. “Let’s do the news.” Co-host Savannah Guthrie, center, sits at the desk with colleagues, from left, Jenna Bush Hager, Carson Daly, and Craig Melvin during her first 'Today' show since her mother went missing in New York on Monday. Co-host Savannah Guthrie, left, embraces a fan outside of Rockefeller Center during the 'Today' show in New York on Monday. Co-host Savannah Guthrie, right, walks with colleague Jenna Bush Hager outside of Rockefeller Center during the 'Today' show in New York on Monday. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/05/time-artemis-ii-break-apollo-13s-distance-record/stories/20260405132 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/05/time-artemis-ii-break-apollo-13s-distance-record/stories/20260405132#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:20:09 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/05/time-artemis-ii-break-apollo-13s-distance-record/stories/20260405132 HOUSTON — The Artemis II astronauts are already the champions of a fresh new era of lunar exploration. Now it’s time to set a new distance record. This image provided by NASA shows the moon from a photo taken by The Artemis II crew on day 4 of their journey to the Moon on April 4. This image provided by NASA, astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon on April 2. This image provided by NASA, astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon on April 2. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/05/trump-issues-fiery-new-threat-against-iran-details-us-aviators-rescue-emerge/stories/20260405131 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/05/trump-issues-fiery-new-threat-against-iran-details-us-aviators-rescue-emerge/stories/20260405131#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:13:12 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/05/trump-issues-fiery-new-threat-against-iran-details-us-aviators-rescue-emerge/stories/20260405131 TEHRAN, Iran — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday made expletive-filled threats against Iran and its infrastructure if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline, after American forces rescued a wounded aviator whose Iran-downed plane fell behind enemy lines. A woman holds a poster depicting the late Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during a pro-government gathering in a square in Tehran, Iran on April 5. In this image provided by Sepahnews, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's official website, wreckage is shown at what Iran's state TV claimed was the site of a downed American transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation, in Isfahan province, Iran, April. Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowded neighbourhood south of Beirut, Lebanon on April 5. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/historic-church-faces-demolition-moratorium-end/stories/20260402126 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/historic-church-faces-demolition-moratorium-end/stories/20260402126#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:00:09 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/historic-church-faces-demolition-moratorium-end/stories/20260402126 Mike Snyder is sad that the church in which he was married in 1959 will likely be torn down. Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. Mike Snyder talks about Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. Mike Snyder stands for a photo outside of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. Mike Snyder stands for a photo outside of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. Mike Snyder stands for a photo by the cornerstone of of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. Mike Snyder stands for a photo outside of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in East Toledo on April 2. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/pope-leo-urges-peace-first-easter-mass/stories/20260405124 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/pope-leo-urges-peace-first-easter-mass/stories/20260405124#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2026 13:40:27 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/05/pope-leo-urges-peace-first-easter-mass/stories/20260405124 VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to lay down arms and seek peace to global conflicts through dialogue, but he departed from a tradition of listing the world's woes by name in the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Leo XIV sprinkles holy water with a bunch of hyssop sprigs as he presides over Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on April 5. Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful after delivering the Urbi et Orbi blessing - Latin for "to the city of Rome and to the world" - from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 5. Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 5. Pope Leo XIV delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing - Latin for "to the city of Rome and to the world" - from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 5. Pope Leo XIV addresses the faithful after delivering the Urbi et Orbi blessing - Latin for "to the city of Rome and to the world" - from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at the end of Easter Mass he presided over in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 5.