OSV News

As U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Feb. 12 plans for federal agents to leave the Twin Cities metro area, Catholic leaders in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis acknowledged the need for hope as they look to next steps in the local community.

"They are our brothers and sisters, we love them, and we stand with them in these difficult times," Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon told Catholic News Service Feb. 11 during a visit to Rome and the Vatican, which included a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV Feb. 9.

Catholic immigration advocates are speaking out after an internal federal document obtained by CBS News showed most individuals arrested in Trump administration immigration crackdowns over the past year do not have violent criminal records.

Servant of God Thea Bowman was a beacon for the Church to embrace more authentically the essence of what it means to be Catholic, Bishop Joseph Kopacz told Massgoers at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson.
 

Pope Leo XIV, the head of the world's smallest state, may make a brief visit to Monaco, the world's second-smallest state, this year, the Vatican confirmed.

The Italian hilltown of Assisi is anticipating a visit from Pope Leo XIV during the special Jubilee Year of St. Francis as the city celebrates the 800th anniversary of the death of its most famous saint.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen will soon be beatified, now that the Vatican has given the green light, the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced Feb. 9. No date or location for the beatification was given.

Cameroon’s possible inclusion in the itinerary of Pope Leo XIV’s first African trip is drawing growing debate, as security concerns, political tensions and moral objections raise questions about whether the country is ready for a papal visit.

The March for Life rally, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and several buildings at The Catholic University of America were among infection sites for confirmed measles cases in the District of Columbia, the capital city's health department said Feb. 7.

Media entrepreneur and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, whose arrest nearly six years ago prompted outrage around the world, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul Feb. 6 made good on her promise that early this year she would sign a bill into law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.

The winning diocese will receive a $500 donation to Catholic Charities, to support ministries that care for and support immigrants.

The Colorado Springs, Colorado, prelate succeeds Archbishop Samuel Aquila.

Catholic leaders, including an official from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' migration office, reiterated a pastoral approach to the issue of child detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, intensified Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure are deepening the country's humanitarian crisis — and faith remains central to Ukraine's endurance, the country's outspoken prelate told OSV News.

Amid severe cuts in U.S. foreign aid, Catholic bishops an ocean apart are advocating for deeper bonds between the U.S. and the peoples of the African continent — with God-given human dignity as central to that summons.

A Haitian Catholic chaplain serving in the U.S. said he and fellow Haitian Catholics are welcoming a last-minute reprieve from threats of deportation — but its members are still weighing options as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, while Haiti continues to spiral into chaos.

The nation's colleges and universities "have a critical and substantive role to play in arresting the eclipse of the order of grace in our society," Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said in his homily at the opening Mass of the 2026 annual meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

Fr. Jim Cassidy, parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Minneapolis, spoke with OSV News a day after joining several faith and community leaders who, along with Minnesota officials, were part of CNN's live Jan. 28 town hall, "State of Emergency: Confronting the Crisis in Minnesota," moderated by journalists Anderson Cooper and Sara Sidner.