OSV News

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem welcomed "with joy" the announcement of an initial agreement between Hamas and Israel in an Oct. 9 statement, but also stressed the "absolute urgency" for the "immediate" and "unconditional" entry of humanitarian relief and sufficient aid into Gaza.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, is an $8 billion program that operates on a smaller $150 million contingency fund, and could potentially run out in the event of a long shutdown. 

Pope Leo XIV's first apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te ("I have loved you"), was promulgated Oct. 9, the feast day of St. John Henry Newman. Here are nine things to know about the document.

The body of Fr. Bertoldo Pantaleón Estrada was discovered Oct. 6 in the municipality of Mezcal in Guerrero state, some 150 miles south of Mexico City, according to the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Oct. 6 that the bishops will vote for chairmen-elect for six standing committees during their upcoming 2025 plenary assembly in Baltimore in November.

As the Pontifical Commission for the Protection Minors concluded its Sept. 29-Oct. 3 assembly in Kraków, "following five days of intensive dialogue, reflection and strategic planning," it prepares to publish its second annual report Oct. 16.

At the Red Mass celebrated on the day before the Supreme Court's new term, Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy emphasized that "men and women of the law are architects of hope by reason of their vocation."

"Many questions remain unanswered, and much still needs to be defined. We must not delude ourselves, but we are pleased that something new and positive is on the horizon," Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said in an Oct. 5 statement.

Pope Leo XIV said prayers for victims of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the central part of the Philippines that killed at least 72 people late Sept. 30, according to Archbishop Alberto Uy of Cebu.

Pope Leo XIV expressed concern about rhetoric used by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shortly after their Sept. 30 meeting with top U.S. military officials.

Jadira Bonilla, a Catholic who teaches kindergarten at St. Mary School in Vineland, New Jersey, is "currently on paid administrative leave," said Principal Steven Hogan, in a statement provided to OSV News Oct. 1 by the Diocese of Camden, of which the school is a part.

Five years after the release of Pope Francis' encyclical on fraternal love, and amid a rise in political violence, the leader of the U.S. Catholic bishops is pleading for a rediscovery of — and respect for — a common humanity.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, who serves as the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organizations, shared his thoughts Sept. 29 while addressing the U.N. General Assembly, amid the opening of its 80th session at its New York headquarters.

Many at the Sunday afternoon Mass told Angelus, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that they felt helpless, hoping that God would intervene in the situation. But being at the cathedral on Sunday, they also felt united in prayer.

Several Catholic bishops are expressing their sorrow over a deadly attack at a Michigan house of worship, which took place just weeks after a mass shooting at a Minnesota Catholic church.

 Construction of the basilica began in 1882, and is considered a masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí, a Catholic whose cause for sainthood is underway. 

"You showed the world what faith, spirit, and brotherhood look like," Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich told the singers. "Keep singing, leading, believing. God's not done with you."

Diocesan bishops and vocations directors are largely satisfied with their seminaries' formation programs — but some gaps remain between clergy and mental health professionals as to the role of ongoing psychological services in assessing candidates' readiness for ordination, according to a new report.

As fall begins, Catholics are watching closely for Pope Leo XIV's first major Vatican appointments. One of the most urgent vacancies to fill is his own former role — prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

On Sept. 22, Archbishop Paul Gallagher delivered an address at the United Nations' New York headquarters during the U.N.'s high-level meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.