OSV News

I've long loved the energy, optimism and enthusiasm that young people bring. Teens continue to be much maligned in today's society, but God has given us the gift of the young to remind us what matters most.

The trend reflects broader changes in Irish society. Census data shows the percentage of people identifying as Catholic dropped from more than 79% in 2016 to 69% in 2022, while those reporting no religion have continued to increase.

Hundreds of faith leaders and organizations urged the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador before it expires in September. A TPS designation grants the U.S. government the power to shield eligible migrants from deportation if they are from countries experiencing dangerous conditions such as war, disaster, or other unrest. 

One priest told Valencia's archbishop: "We cannot go rescue people; we do not have the machinery, and we do not know how to rescue those who might be under the rubble. But we can, and we do know how to console people."

The memories of Aug. 27, 2025, are painful for Molly and Matt Stommes. "On the days where I feel the saddest and low, I do have a lot of hope for our future, and I know that God has a plan for all of us," Molly says.

The documentary, in limited release Aug. 25-27, tells the story of the Oklahoma priest who was martyred in 1981 while serving in Guatemala.

Although the specific case did not involve Catholic clergy, the precedent could impact how courts view priest-penitent privilege in the future.

On July 25, more than 300 Catholics, clergy, relatives and community supporters gathered in Houston for a Mass to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, with hundreds more joining a prayer procession and candlelight vigil.

"Every technological achievement also confronts humanity with a moral question: not merely what can we do, but what ought we to do?" the pontiff said.

War and environmental destruction are not just political failures, but symptoms of a deep moral crisis in the human heart, Pope Leo XIV said in his message for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for Creation.

Dozens of clergy from the Archdiocese of Bogotá embarked on a five-day pastoral mission to cities in Colombia devastated by the Aug. 10 earthquake.

Behind Sheen's reach stood a largely unknown group of women who opened letters, recorded donations, thanked contributors, and helped transform his words into material support for missionaries and young churches.

The Catholic bishops of Florida issued a staunch defense of their ability to determine policies for Catholic schools after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent them a letter demanding that Catholic schools in the Sunshine State adopt religious exemptions to vaccine requirements or risk their ability to participate in the state's school voucher program.

A priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio who was "found guilty of schism" has been removed from the clerical state and excommunicated, according to the archbishop of the archdiocese.

The pope's appeal came amid reports of violent attacks by Israeli settlers, including in Taybeh, one of the last remaining Christian villages in the West Bank.

The U.S. Supreme Court set Nov. 3 for hearing oral arguments in a case over a clash between Catholic preschools and the state of Colorado over whether those schools can participate in the state's universal preschool program. (OSV News/Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

"Mr. Silvia's crimes were heinous and merit severe punishment by the state," the executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote. "Nevertheless, we ask that you spare Mr. Silvia's life."

The pontiff prayed for peace in the Holy Land, and in Ukraine and Russia. He also prayed for Colombia following an earthquake there.

The new Vatican coins are the first in nearly a decade to feature a pope's face since Francis requested in 2017 that his portrait no longer appear on Vatican coins.

Messages of solidarity from bishops' conferences across Latin America poured in as rescue workers race against time to save victims still trapped beneath the rubble in multiple cities across Colombia.