OSV News

Over 90,000 pilgrims flocked to Alba de Tormes, Spain, May 11-25, to venerate the incorrupt body of St. Teresa of Ávila — marking just the third public exposition of her relics since her death on Oct. 4, 1582.

Pope Leo said the encyclical "has had an extraordinary impact, inspiring countless initiatives and teaching everyone to listen to the twofold cry of the Earth and of the poor."

Ethics and morality weren't merely a dusty collection of abstract rules for him, but a living tradition meant to vigorously inform and guide the individual and collective pursuit of the common good.

An analysis from the Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions in the House version would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over a decade, 

In a letter to mark the 10th anniversary of the late Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', U.S. bishops have urged young people to "lead the way" on the climate crisis.

Catholic Relief Services said May 21 that most of its projects under a federal international food aid program were terminated, leaving hundreds of thousands of children more vulnerable to hunger.

The Mexican bishops' conference has condemned a massacre of seven young people — including minors — at a parish festival, while urging action on the part of authorities amid rising violence and warning the population to avoid indifference in the face of recurring atrocities.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance met Louis and Deborah Prevost at the White House on May 20. Louis Prevost, the older brother of Pope Leo XIV, has described himself as a "MAGA type."

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer on May 20 signed House Bill 140, the physician-assisted suicide law that will allow Delaware adult residents who are deemed terminally ill to request and self-administer medication to end their lives.

Catholic immigration advocates said they were "disturbed" by a Supreme Court order allowing the Trump administration to end legal protections from deportation for about 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants. The Venezuelans, a typically Catholic population, were permitted to remain in the United States without risk of deportation due to dangerous conditions in their homeland.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, the Vatican secretary of state said Pope Leo XIV "has expressed his deep commitment to building bridges, underscoring the need to meet, dialogue and negotiate."

Catholic Relief Services, the official humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S., hosted a May 17 national online meeting with some 375 participants to mobilize congressional lobbying against additional long-term cuts known as rescissions.

A move to hold talks between Ukraine and Russia at the Vatican appeared to gain momentum May 19, following a call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This is the full text in English of the homily given by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter's Square during the Mass of Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry May 18, 2025. 

The hope that Pope Leo XIV has enkindled in Dolton is also enkindled for those who remember the shuttered church that formed him in his youth — not hope for a recreated past, but for new life in the future.

In the first week of Leo pontificate, the leading expert on the abuse crisis — as well as several survivors and victims of abuse — has come to the defense of the newly elected Roman pontiff after two organizations advocating for victims of abuse raised concerns regarding Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's record on the matter not long after he was elected.

Amid an immigration enforcement operation in Nashville, Tennessee, that has emptied the pews at several Spanish-speaking parishes, the Diocese of Nashville is reminding faithful that they are not required to attend Sunday Mass if they fear for their well-being according to the church's own teaching and canon law.

The importance of continuity and diversity as well as the issues of war and peace were a main topic of conversation for the 133 cardinals as they gathered to vote in the conclave May 7-8, said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

Peruvians have expressed pride and surprise in one of their own becoming pontiff. Augustinians in the country have expressed similar surprise — recalling Leo as an unassuming prelate, who prioritized the poor, sought unity in the Peruvian church and came to embrace the country.