OSV News

When the Second Vatican Council opened in 1962, its proceedings were shrouded in secrecy. Then, unexpectedly, a mysterious byline appeared in The New Yorker: Xavier Rynne. In a series of explosive dispatches, the anonymous insider revealed the council's unseen conflicts — ultraconservative factions working to block reforms, curial power plays and intense exchanges shaping the church's future.

Jesuit priests and seminarians plus some laity found the remains of two women after they scoured an 80-mile stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert in a search for migrants, living or dead, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bishop Michael Martin wrote that his guidelines are to strengthen unity in worship, uphold the church's liturgical norms and encourage active participation by the faithful.

People have a deep desire to return to their lives despite the dire and complex situation in Gaza following two years of war, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said at an annual Christmas press conference on Dec. 22.

"We cannot forget what happened ... But now we have to look forward," the patriarch said. "We will rebuild. We will rebuild our schools. We (will) rebuild our houses ... our life. We are rooted here and we remain here."

Like Pope Leo XIV, the new leader enjoys riding horses. He is a native of Zambia's Chingola but was brought up in Kent, south east England. 

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Gerald Barbarito of Palm Beach, Florida, and named as his successor Fr. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, currently pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Corona (Queens), New York. The same day, the pope appointed the auxiliary bishop of Phoenix — Msgr. Peter Dai Bui, currently vicar for the clergy in the capital of Arizona, assigning him the titular see of Ausafa.

With Communion bowls in hand, a group of California bishops walked through the barbed wire gates of the ICE Processing Center and offered Jesus to the men locked inside. This moment of the Mass, celebrated Dec. 10 outside the town of Adelanto in the Mojave Desert, was deeply emotional for both the bishops and the roughly 300 detainees present.

"How can any society have credibility to tell young people or people with depression that suicide is never the answer, while telling elderly and sick people that it is a compassionate choice to be celebrated?" bishops write.

"We want to replant hope within the Christian community over here in the Holy Land," said Anton Asfar, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem.

At a Dec. 8 press conference in Nashville, leaders noted that Pope Leo XIV — as well as his predecessors St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — has expressed opposition to the death penalty.

Fernando Mendoza shared a touching salute in Spanish to his parents and grandparents, who all came to the United States from Cuba.

"I'm worried about the tone of the country, because it goes far beyond the campaign," Cardinal Fernando Chomali of Santiago said after meeting candidates prior to the first round of voting in November. "I'm worried about the tone on social media, I'm worried about the tone in the streets."

Several parishes and schools across Western Washington have shut down operations due to historic flooding in the state.

Hong Kong's prominent Catholic, media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai has been convicted of national security offenses under the city's controversial national security law.

Although there was a significant increase in executions in the U.S. in 2025, a smaller number of new death sentences was imposed, a new report from the Death Penalty Information Center found.

Slightly more than half of U.S. adults surveyed still identify with their childhood religion. For Catholics, retention rates tend to be significantly lower than for other faiths, according to Pew.

Pope Leo XIV said he is "deeply saddened" by the attack on Australian Jews at a celebration of the first day of Hanukkah. Sydney's archbishop and U.S. prelates also condemned the "horrific" shooting and offered prayers.

Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Fr. Christopher Collins from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul led the prayer service, which was held as federal officials conducted an immigration enforcement effort in the Twin Cities.

Bishop Bruce Lewandowski of Providence offered prayers for "all affected by this tragedy" in the wake of a Dec. 13 shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine others injured.