OSV News

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House April 16 that he does not see a meeting with Pope Leo XIV as "necessary" after the president lashed out at the pontiff on social media and in verbal remarks over the pontiff's opposition to the Iran war over the course of several days starting April 12.

A prayerful public witness outside Deportation Depot got a moving response from detainees on Good Friday, April 3.

The Trump administration has canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami for sheltering unaccompanied migrant children, leaving just three months to place an unspecified number of children.

Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the College of Cardinals thanking them for their participation in the January consistory and preparing the conversation for their next gathering June 26-27 — right before the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Several prominent American Catholics have launched a petition calling for the end of Russia's religious persecution in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Iraqi Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona, who until now led the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Australia and New Zealand, was elected patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, succeeding Cardinal Louis Sako.

Two U.S. bishops, who lead the U.S. Catholic bishops' efforts on pro-life and migration concerns, have advised the new head of the Department of Homeland Security of their "grave concern" over the treatment of pregnant and postpartum women in immigration detention.

The letter was commended by Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who extended Pope Leo XIV's blessing to the bishops.

Lebanese Christians are reeling from the death and destruction wrought on their community, caught in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, a side deadly conflict in the U.S. and Israel-Iran war.

Pope Leo XIV is renewing urgent calls for peace, following a powerful April 11 prayer vigil where he warned that "war divides," "arrogance tramples," and only God's truth can enlighten hearts. Speaking at the Regina Caeli on April 12, he expressed deep solidarity with people suffering in conflict zones, especially Lebanon and Sudan.

"In the early weeks of the long Major League Baseball schedule," writes John Knebels, the promise of Easter "is already being tested.  … Hope is no longer theoretical. It's in motion." 

Bishop Antonio Santasiero Rosa of Huacho "categorically" denies the allegations published by Spanish Catholic news site.

Parishes and dioceses throughout the nation are taking up Pope Leo XIV's call to pray for peace, holding April 11 vigils coinciding with the pope's own at St. Peter's Basilica.

As U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Hungary to support its government ahead of April 12 parliamentary elections, local Catholics voiced anxieties about their country's future after a bitterly fought campaign.

As the death toll in Lebanon continues to rise following devastating strikes by the Israeli military, the Vatican's representative in the country said the bombardment "is not the right path."

Fr. Arul Carasala died of his injuries within hours of the shooting, and his alleged shooter turned himself in almost immediately. Carasala's parishioners and Catholics across the archdiocese were left trying to make sense of his untimely death.

It's the landmark court decision some are calling Big Tech's "tobacco industry moment": a verdict that — just like the misrepresentation that cigarettes are safe — indicates social media companies may have a lot to answer for to the public.

NASA's first crewed lunar flyby in half a century has sparked wonder, reflection and prayer — both in space and on the ground.

Pope Leo XIV sent Easter greetings to Catholics in Gaza as they celebrate Easter amid the fear and uncertainty of war, said Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Parish.

"I would line myself up with Pope Leo, who has been urging for negotiation," Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, told "Face the Nation."