OSV News

In an effort to blunt criticism of the poor air quality in Beijing prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Chinese government implemented ambitious measures to curb air pollution. The result was not exactly shocking to Kimberly Terrell, a research scientist and director of community engagement at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic: Community and maternal health improved.

As Ukraine experienced a deadly weekend with a barrage of attacks from Russia on Kryvyi Rih and Kyiv, the capital, the papal almoner handed a gift from Pope Francis — four ambulances — to local authorities in Zaporizhzhia. The papal point man on charity was also personally distributing bread to the needy population during his 10th mission to the war-torn country.

As the Trump administration moved to formally dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development, Catholic Relief Services, the overseas charitable arm of the Catholic Church in the U.S., has advocated for U.S. foreign aid to continue on a new path shaped by Catholic principles.

The French bishops' conference is entering a new era under Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, following his election as president. This transition comes after years of focus on abuse reform and safeguarding.

The U.S. bishops' conference said it would not renew its cooperative agreements with the federal government related to children's services and refugee support, after its government partnerships in those areas became "untenable."

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of a "scheme to manufacture and assert fraudulent claims of priest sexual abuse for financial gain." 

Fr. Jim Worth first learned about the benefits of sensory rooms after attending a panel discussion organized by Together We Bloom, a local nonprofit dedicated to serving the needs of neurodivergent children.

Pope Francis appealed to South Sudan leaders to "lower the tension in the country" as Catholic bishops in Sudan and South Sudan expressed alarm at the escalating violence in the world's youngest nation and warned of a catastrophe if full-scale war returns.

The University of Notre Dame Law School hosted for the first time a four-day event to promote the abolition of the death penalty. Its March 24-27 Death Penalty Abolition Week brought to campus nationally known and respected opponents of the death penalty.

Pope Francis offered prayers and expressed deep concern over the deadly wildfires in South Korea, which have claimed at least 28 lives and caused widespread damage. The fire continues to spread uncontrollably across several regions.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes has decided to cover mosaics by Fr. Marko Rupnik at the entrance of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, a move aimed at making the basilica more welcoming for all, particularly victims of abuse.

Notre Dame's president, Holy Cross Fr. Robert Dowd, said the university named Kerry Alys Robinson this year's recipient for her "boundless compassion, visionary leadership and inspiring example of faith-filled service."

OSV News interviewed Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas for his thoughts on current U.S. immigration policy and the challenges faced by those he serves in his borderlands community. 

It was an all too familiar scene in Starke during the March 20 execution of Eddie James. Two groups trying to make sense of proper punishment of a man who murdered two people — a grandmother and a child.

Representatives of Catholic and immigration advocacy organizations, and Washington's new Cardinal Robert McElroy, grappled with the need to send a clear moral message on the dignity of migrants amid the "uncertainty" of the political moment at a recent event in the nation's capital.

The U.S. should not retreat from its vital role in defending and promoting religious freedom around the globe, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged in a March 25 event unveiling its 2025 annual report. The cover of the report featured Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a Catholic prelate imprisoned and later exiled by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, whose regime has targeted Catholic and other faith communities who voiced opposition to his dictatorship.

The collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, left an indelible mark on countless lives — from grieving families to stranded seafarers and displaced workers.

Catholic groups that minister to migrants and refugees are expressing concern over President Donald Trump's order to revoke the parole program that allows legal migrants from several Latin American and Caribbean countries to connect with sponsoring family members and work in the United States.

A March 24 prayer vigil at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, which capped a rally and march that began in the city's downtown San Jacinto Plaza, drew hundreds of participants, including immigration advocates, Catholic and interfaith clergy, religious and lay faithful.

Masses were celebrated around the country March 23 as Catholics prayed for the victims of the attack, which claimed eight lives and left five injured, in the city of Salamanca in western Guanajuato state March 16.