OSV News

Jesuit Father William J. Byron, known for his leadership of Jesuit institutions of higher learning and his many years of lecturing, teaching and writing on the relationship between business practices and Catholic spirituality, died at Manresa Hall, the health center of the Jesuit community at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia April 9. He was 96.

The joy of Eastertide has turned to shock and bewilderment across Sydney's Catholic community in the wake of a deadly knife attack at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping center April 13, in which seven people died and a dozen were injured, including a nine-month-old baby. 

Philadelphia's archbishop has called for prayer following a mass shooting at an outdoor gathering in that city marking an Islamic holiday.

Six victim-survivors of sexual abuse by clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore gave statements in court April 8 about the long-term impact of the abuse on their lives as part of the federal bankruptcy reorganization.

"What I find particularly spiritual in an eclipse is that we can predict precisely when it will happen — and plan accordingly — but we cannot predict just what it will look like or how we will react," said Brother Guy Consolmagno. "In that way, it reminds me how God is forever reliable but still always able to surprise us.

A northern Wisconsin bishop accused Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, former apostolic nuncio to the U.S., of defamation, while seeking clarification of an allegedly illicit priest ordination that the archbishop might have conducted.

A Catholic university in northern New Jersey has named a new president after its previous head abruptly left and sued the school.

An astronomy buff since childhood, Father Robert Schrader anticipates quite a birthday present when he turns 75 April 8.

Catholic aid workers in Gaza are determined to continue their mission after a deadly strike killed colleagues from a fellow organization.

The Diocese of Sacramento announced it has filed for bankruptcy, citing the costs of settling more than 250 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by clergy and staff.

Pope Francis renewed his calls for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip after seven of the aid workers of World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization that delivers food in war-torn countries, were killed in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza Strip April 2.

Three protesters from a group called "Extinction Rebellion (XR) NYC Palestine Solidarity" were arrested during the March 30 Easter Vigil at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

In its first detailed analysis of the Vatican's pre-Christmas declaration "Fiducia Supplicans," Russia's Orthodox Church has accused Pope Francis of "rejecting the Christian moral ideal" by allowing the blessing of same-sex couples.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 26 in a case concerning mifepristone, a pill commonly used for abortion. It is the first major case involving abortion on its docket since the high court overturned its previous abortion precedent in 2022.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed March 26 after a 900-foot container ship collided with one of its support pilings. The Baltimore Archdiocese's Apostleship of the Sea had ministered to crew members on March 24 and 25, and plans to assist them again.

Ahead of Good Friday, a Chicago parish unveiled a statue of Jesus Christ commemorating that city's victims of gun violence.

Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and other Christian leaders in the U.S. have denounced Russia's massive recent attack on Ukraine's energy system.

Russia's Catholic archbishop has echoed condemnations of a March 22 terror assault which left dozens dead and injured at a Moscow concert venue, although a bishop from war-torn Ukraine warned the atrocity should also remind Russians of what his country was suffering at their hands.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace called upon the faithful to renew prayers during Holy Week for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.