Pope Leo XIV talks to pilgrims and visitors during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope warns against 'new arms race' as last U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty nears expiration

As nuclear limits between the United States and Russia are set to lapse, Pope Leo XIV cautioned against the "logic of fear and distrust" that has come to dominate international relations.

The Latest

Haitian Catholics in US relieved, yet wary, after judge temporarily halts end of protected status

Gina Christian, OSV News

The anti-life administration

Phyllis Zagano, Religion News Service

McElroy: Catholic colleges, universities must help restore 'order of grace' to nation, world

Mark Zimmermann, OSV News, Catholic Standard

Editors' Choice

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, greets a Salvadoran migrant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, June 27, 2019, who was deported after crossing the Paso del Norte international border from El Paso. (OSV News/Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

In Focus

Q&A with Bishop Seitz: Immigration crackdown shows 'total disregard' for human rights

"People are suffering, and the effects of that suffering will have an impact on our country too, for many years to come," Bishop Mark Seitz told NCR in an interview at his office in El Paso.

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Most Read Stories

Fr. Carlos Henrique Fernandes of the Diocese of Tubarão, Brazil, right, embraces a crying elderly man named Marcos who approached the altar moments before Communion at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Tubarão Jan. 18, 2026. (OSV News/Communications Pastoral Ministry via YouTube)

#1
In Brazil, images go viral after priest interrupts Eucharist to comfort crying elderly man

A video showing a crying elderly man approaching the altar during Mass — prompting the priest to interrupt the consecration and give him a hug — went viral in Brazil and moved millions of people.

ByEduardo Campos Lima, OSV News
Pope Leo XIV speaks to visitors in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican as they gather to pray the Angelus prayer Jan. 11, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The pope prays the Sunday Angelus from the penultimate third-floor window of the Apostolic Palace. (CNS/Vatican Media)
Vatican News

#2
Pope Leo to move into converted suite in Apostolic Palace

The pontiff will live in a newly prepared space above the traditional papal apartment, created from former staff and guest quarters and set to include a small chapel and a workout area.

ByJustin McLellan
Seminarians and priests walk in procession to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Aug. 21, 2025. The men were among about 8,000 people who joined a pilgrimage sponsored by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which exists in an "irregular" state of communion with the wider Catholic Church. (CNS/Cindy Wooden)

#3
Traditionalist Catholic society announces bishop consecrations in defiance of Rome

The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order.

ByJustin McLellan

#4
Catholics must decide if they serve Donald Trump or the Gospel

#5
Vatican doctrine chief warns against blogs claiming theological authority

#6
As Pope Francis' pick for Peru, Bishop Prevost reshaped an 'Opus Dei diocese'

Opinion

Dispatch from Minneapolis: Fellow Catholics, don't look away

Guest Voices

With assisted suicide law, Illinois surrenders to culture of death

Guest Voices
Letters to the Editor

Your letters: Cardinal Tobin, the bishops and Christian witness

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor: NCR readers respond to stories about Cardinal Joseph Tobin's remarks about ICE and the sinfulness of willful ignorance.

'Why is this my problem?': A Jesuit guide to teach high schoolers about eco-citizenship

Guest Voices

Arkansas Bishop Anthony Taylor: We must shore up democracy before it's too late

Guest Voices
(Unsplash/Andrew Itaga)

'Una Caro': Why is the Vatican still getting Africa wrong on marriage?

Columns

A recent Vatican document on marriage revives troubling assumptions about Africa and polygamy. Sr. Leonida Katunge asks: Why is Africa once again being defined without Africa at the table?

Vatican

Seminarians and priests walk in procession to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Aug. 21, 2025. The men were among about 8,000 people who joined a pilgrimage sponsored by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which exists in an "irregular" state of communion with the wider Catholic Church. (CNS/Cindy Wooden)

Traditionalist Catholic society announces bishop consecrations in defiance of Rome

The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order.

Algeria's fragile Catholic community could play host to Pope Leo XIV in historic first visit

Pope Leo XIV has expressed interest in visiting Algeria, a trip that would mark the first papal visit to the North African nation and highlight its small but symbolically significant Catholic community rooted in dialogue with Islam.

ByClaire Giangravé, Religion News Service

Pope Leo laments rising US-Cuba tensions, calls for 'sincere' dialogue

The pope shared his concerns in remarks delivered after he led the Angelus prayer Feb. 1 in St. Peter's Square.

ByGina Christian, OSV News

'Peru holds a special place in my heart,' pope tells Peruvian bishops, surprises them at lunch

Ad limina visits by bishops tend to make headlines in local churches when the bishops involved are in some kind of trouble. This time, however, the Peruvian bishops' visit to the tomb of the apostles made global news for a different reason: an unusual guest at their lunch and fraternal affection from the pope who is claimed by Peruvian faithful as their own.

ByPaulina Guzik, OSV News

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Top Vatican official calls violence in Minneapolis 'unacceptable'

Vatican News

Pope Leo to move into converted suite in Apostolic Palace

Lack of faith, especially among youth, should spur evangelization, pope says

EarthBeat

Members of the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement plant a tree in remembrance of Pope Francis at the Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in northern Manhattan. The visit was part of the Pilgrimages of Hope for Creation organized across the U.S. to mark the Jubilee Year in 2025. (Nancy Lorence)

NY Catholics hope new archbishop Hicks will continue Laudato Si' efforts

In Joliet, Illinois, Bishop Ronald Hicks oversaw a number of efforts to embed ecological concern deeper into Catholic life, including joining the Vatican's premier initiative to live out Pope Francis' call to care for God's creation.

A young man works in a classroom setting. He is seated amid tables and chairs, with a dry erase board behind him. (Unsplash/Jeswin Thomas)
Guest Voices

'Why is this my problem?': A Jesuit guide to teach high schoolers about eco-citizenship

"If information alone cannot cultivate eco-citizenship, then teachers must rethink their approach," writes Russell Fiorella.

ByRussell Fiorella
Presentation Sr. Cathy Crawford, left, and Winnie Liywali, right, inspect a borehole in Mwanambinyi, Zambia. (Derrick Siliminia)

Presentation Sisters in Zambia enhance public health with clean water

The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary's efforts in sinking wells and installing water pumps have been instrumental in improving access to clean water and raising living standards in Mongu district.

By
An expert works to clear a mass of marine mucilage, a thick, slimy substance made up of compounds released by marine organisms, from Turkey's Sea of Marmara at the Caddebostan shore, on the Asian side of Istanbul, June 8, 2021. (AP/Kemal Aslan)

Istanbul's 'sea snot' is a test case for ecological sin

If ecological sin is real, then ecological repentance must be real, too: pipes that work, standards that bite, and the stubborn, persistent work of repair.

ByErsun Augustinus Kayra

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

US 'abandoning its moral responsibility' with exit from bedrock climate treaty, Catholic groups say

Vietnamese nuns, disaster victims rebuild Christmas from debris and share hope

Columns

I see Christ's face all around me in those who suffer from chaos of climate change

Culture

In "The Testament of Ann Lee" Lewis Pullman plays William, the brother of Ann Lee (played by Amanda Seyfried), founder of the Shaker movement. (Searchlight Pictures)

Lewis Pullman on spirituality and cinema in 'The Testament of Ann Lee'

Lewis Pullman from "The Testament of Ann Lee" spoke with NCR about spirituality and cinema, character development, and faith and self-doubt in the creative process.

People stand around black coffin that has row of flowers on top.
Book Reviews

'Liturgies of the Wild' makes the case for myth

In a new book, mythographer Martin Shaw says humans need stories that reflect back to us the challenges we know we must face. 

ByEric Clayton
Left: Pope Leo XIV leads his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2026. Right: U.S. comedian and writer Stephen Colbert speaks with reporters in the Lapidary Gallery of the Apostolic Palace, after meeting Pope Francis during an audience June 14, 2024. (CNS photos/Lola Gomez)

Can Colbert get Pope Leo on late night TV?

During a guest appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" Jan. 27, America's second most famous Catholic revealed two secrets: the date of his final show and the interview he hopes to land before that time comes.

ByShannon Evans

New stained-glass designs for Notre Dame now on display amid ongoing debate

The models for six new contemporary stained-glass windows planned for Notre Dame Cathedral are now on public display in Paris following months of intense national debate.

ByOSV News

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Tia Noelle Pratt's 'Black and Catholic' puts a neglected community at the forefront

New novel 'Canticle' centers a woman's experience of God

'Just Like Selma' hymn project aims to help churches recall King, mark Black History Month

Community members in Malawi listen to a Watts of Love financial literacy training before receiving solar lights during a four-day session at Mponela Lodge in October 2025. The training focuses on saving money formerly spent on kerosene or batteries, investing in livestock and using extended hours of light to generate additional income. (Courtesy of Watts of Love)
Columns

Watts of Love brings solar lights to hundreds of households in Malawi

Catholic sisters in Malawi are working with local communities to spread the Watts of Love project, which distributes solar-charged lamps and trains women and men in basic finance and management skills.

Apostolic Carmel Sr. Maria Nirmalini of India, the congregation's superior general, visits a person affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. (Courtesy of Maria Ajantha)

Q&A with Sr. Maria Ajantha on the Sri Lanka cyclone

"Maybe God spared us [so that we could] reach out to the needy immediately after the disaster," Sr. Maria Ajantha said.

ByThomas Scaria
The presentation of Jesus in the Temple 40 days after his birth is depicted in stained-glass windows at Our Holy Redeemer Church in Freeport, N.Y. The feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas, is celebrated Feb. 2. (OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Find joy in being called to daily witness to God's presence

On the World Day for Consecrated Life and the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we celebrate the men and women who are called to be of service in walking with others on this journey of transformation.

ByJoyce Meyer
Illustrative photo collage shows a hand reaching down to help another hand, and thin branches against a cracked wall. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

When leaving a religious community isn't a choice, ex-nun's organization seeks to help

After 20 years as a Discalced Carmelite in Spain, Hortensia López Almán felt abandoned after she was forced to leave. She went on to start Asociación Extramuros to accompany women and men in similar circumstances.

ByRhina Guidos

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The faith of children in Mozambique teaches me tenderness

'It's terrifying': Dominicans in Minneapolis on the front lines of ICE surge

In Africa, religious sisters step in as climate crisis deepens for the poorest