OSV News

President Donald Trump on June 24 canceled his plans to sign bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the rising cost of housing, demanding that Congress pass a voter ID bill that lacks a clear path to passage in the Senate. 

The traditionalist Society of St. Pius X issued an open letter to Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals asserting its adherence to Catholic tradition while proceeding with plans to consecrate four new bishops without a papal mandate.

The archbishop of Caracas called for prayers and solidarity after back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela, killing over 150 people and injuring hundreds more.

Catholic leaders in Sudan are renewing calls to end violence against innocent civilians after the killing of Fr. Youhanna Al-Amin, a priest serving in the Diocese of El-Obeid, who chose to remain with his people amid worsening security situation in the region.

Pulitzer Prize winners, a Nobel laureate, celebrated novelists and authors from nearly a dozen countries met at the Vatican for an audience with Pope Leo XIV, who reflected on the importance of books to reveal who we are and "our inner dialogue with God."

The Archdiocese of Chicago has been given the go-ahead to proceed with its countersuit against abuse settlement claimants who received payouts or had pending settlements after filing allegedly false claims.

The Department of Justice has moved to become a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against New York state filed by the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate a 42-bed palliative care program for the dying poor.

The Vatican released the official schedule of the June 26-27 extraordinary consistory, giving a glimpse into some of the topics and major issues that will be discussed by Pope Leo XIV and the College of Cardinals.

"There will still be several points to settle, but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiations, and not by returning to war," Pope Leo said.

A majority of U.S. Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably, and just over half say President Donald Trump has been too critical of the pontiff, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.

Pope Leo XIV met with Peruvian President José María Balcázar at the Vatican June 18 for a nearly two-hour discussion, after which the president revealed details of a possible papal trip to Peru in November.

 "It is impossible today to make the case that the death penalty is a deterrent," the Catholic governor said. "I no longer believe the death penalty is a deterrent to murder."

Pope Leo XIV said that although he is considering a final appeal to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, the choice to splinter from the Catholic Church falls on them.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the influential churchman who shaped Catholic life in Italy for nearly two decades as both vicar of Rome and president of the Italian bishops' conference, died June 16 at age 95.

A new report shows more countries saw spikes in religious hostility by individuals and groups in 2023, the last year for which data is available — with the rise attributable in part to harassment of religious minorities and the ongoing impact of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Nine Polish Salesian priests killed in German Nazi concentration camps during World War II were beatified June 6 at the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Kraków during a Mass that highlighted not only their martyrdom but also their lives as educators, pastors and mentors to young people.

Pope Leo XIV approved new statutes for the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that seek to balance its integration with the Roman Curia while preserving its independence.

Presidents of Catholic bishops' conferences of the G7 member states called on heads of state and government to root governance in human dignity, as national leaders prepare for the G7 Summit.

Bishop Alan McGuckian of Down and Connor denounced rioters who have targeted migrants following a second night of violent protests in Belfast and parts of Northern Ireland.

Catholics across the United States expressed solidarity with immigrants and other vulnerable communities with Masses and processions on the feast of Corpus Christi as part of a "Season of Faithful Witness," sponsored by several organizations to publicly affirm the dignity of every person.