OSV News

The U.S. Supreme Court on May 4 temporarily blocked an appeals court ruling that sought to pause a federal policy permitting mifepristone, sometimes called the abortion pill, to be dispensed through the mail.

If accepted, the settlement would cap a five-year legal battle that has seen the archdiocese sell off property, while taking insurance giant Chubb to court over coverage for the claims.

One year in, Pope Leo XIV's papacy has been rooted in truth, unity and love — the distinct gifts of his religious order, the Order of St. Augustine — making him a shepherd who leads with a blend of bridge-building and truth-telling, according to those who know him well and from afar.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed two auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington and accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. of Washington.

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and named as his successor Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington.

The Vatican Observatory announced in an April 29 press release that an asteroid has been named in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who formally reestablished the observatory in 1891.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled April 29 that a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey can challenge in federal court an investigation by that state's attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and seeking information about their donors.

Maryland's top court has ruled that state's attorney general cannot disclose the names of Archdiocese of Baltimore clergy and staff appearing in a grand jury investigation of alleged sexual abuse that have not been charged with any crimes.

Several U.S. and Japanese Catholic bishops seeking nuclear disarmament are expressing both urgency and wariness, as the United Nations hosts a conference on a non-proliferation treaty at a time when the U.N. head himself admits "arms control is dying."

As the U.S. and Iran face off over the Strait of Hormuz, Catholic maritime ministry leaders are calling for prayer and support for the thousands of souls trapped at sea amid the war.

Pope Leo XIV issued decrees advancing the sainthood causes of five candidates, including a Dutch nun who served in St. Louis in the early 20th century.

A new analysis from Pew Research Center has found that Catholicism has lost more members than it has gained in most of the 24 countries surveyed, while Protestantism has seen net gains in several nations, especially Latin America.

Priests are called each day to leave the doors of the Church open to a "suffering humanity" in need and not "be an obstacle to those who wish to enter," Pope Leo XIV told 10 deacons just before ordaining them to the priesthood.

Following a gunman's attempted assault on the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, forcing the evacuation of the president, first lady and members of the Cabinet, the head of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference denounced the violence and called for all to resort to prayer.

"I am convinced the Holy Father's visit and his call for peace touched everyone, including separatist fighters and government officials," Bishop George Nkuo of Kumbo said.

A Connecticut diocese has a new fundraising officer on its team, and her name is Maria – but don't expect to find her sitting at a desk in the pastoral center or making the rounds at parishes.

Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires rebuked the country's political class for ignoring Pope Francis' magisterium on unity by bickering among themselves at a Mass celebrated on the anniversary of the late pope's passing.

An Indigenous coalition filed an updated lawsuit in federal district court in Phoenix on April 22, their latest attempt to block a land transfer including their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, and protect the site from destruction by a copper mining giant.

The survey was conducted April 8-16, 2026, following Pope Leo XIV's declaration that President Donald Trump's threat April 7 to destroy Iran's civilization was "truly unacceptable," and in the midst of Trump's tirades against the U.S.-born pope over his opposition to the Iran war that started April 12 and lasted several days.

On the first anniversary of Pope Francis' death, Pope Leo XIV praised his predecessor's "courageous witness" as "a significant heritage for the Church."