OSV News

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace called upon the faithful to renew prayers during Holy Week for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

A permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, whose then-teenage son was molested by the priest he once served alongside, is now excommunicated after leaving his ministry, because he formally left the Catholic Church, according to the recent decree written by his bishop.

The Catholic University of America in Washington announced March 20 that Teresa Pitt Green, a writer and speaker who promotes healing for survivors of abuse and their families in the church, would receive an honorary doctoral degree at its May 11 commencement ceremony.

Catholic and Christian groups joined together March 20 to discuss a faith-driven approach to solving problems associated with climate change in a panel discussion on Capitol Hill.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision late March 19 once again blocking Texas from enforcing its controversial law that makes it a state crime for unauthorized migrants to cross into Texas from Mexico.

A senior priest in Russia has said he fears uncertain conditions for local Catholics after March 15-17 presidential elections, in which Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory after the forced elimination of effective opponents.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop William P. Callahan, 73, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, for health reasons, and has appointed Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard W. Battersby as his successor.
 

The majority of Christians in Burkina Faso are now shying away from Sunday services and instead praying at home after a series of deadly attacks by Islamist militants targeted churches and killed scores of worshippers.

The Diocese of Camden, N.J., and related Catholic entities will fund a trust of $87.5 million for more than 300 survivors of sexual abuse in the diocese, in a plan confirmed March 14 to resolve the diocese's Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

As minerals fuel deadly conflicts in Africa, a leading cardinal urged local churches to ensure that Africa's abundant resources contribute to the benefit of its populations instead of hurting them.

The Mexican bishops' conference, the Society of Jesus and the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious of Mexico convened the country's three presidential candidates March 11 to sign their National Agenda for Peace -- a roadmap for pacifying Mexico and the starting point for dialogue with the next government.

District Judge Francisco Dominguez in El Paso issued an order blocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's subpoena of Annunciation House, indicating both that Paxton's effort seemed politically motivated and that it must go through appropriate due process in the state court system.

Amid the worst security crisis in Haiti in several years — one that has been particularly hard for church members — Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned after weeks of mounting chaos in the Caribbean nation.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, has been named the recipient of the University of Notre Dame's 2024 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics.

The church has opened an inquiry into a "distressing" allegation of an historical offense against New Zealand's Cardinal John Dew, retired archbishop of Wellington, after a police investigation closed without any charges filed. Dew, 75, has strenuously denied the allegation and will remain suspended from ministry during the "Vox Estis Lux Mundi" investigation.

"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality," President Biden said during his March 7 address.

Biden said, "the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are -- it's how old our ideas are."

"Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas," he said. "But you can't lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be."

Jesuit Father Frank R. Haig, a beloved professor of physics at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and a former president of two Jesuit universities, died Feb. 28. He was 95 and had been living in the Manresa Jesuit Community in Philadelphia.

Four major nonprofits recently launched a joint effort to counteract rising polarization and isolation in the U.S., including Catholic Charities USA, the organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States. For the Team Up Project, a new initiative to foster service and human connection, Catholic Charities has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International, Interfaith America and YMCA of the USA. 

A historic place of prayer in Portland sustained significant damage to one of its buildings in a Feb. 28 vandalism attack. Security cameras, religious objects and windows were smashed in the monastery of The Grotto, the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, a 54-acre shrine operated by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary.

Pope Francis' goal of synodality for the Catholic Church — with people from different backgrounds, circumstances and experiences coming together to listen to and learn from each other about how to reflect Christ's Gospel in today's world — unfolded in a Feb. 28 podcast and dialogue featuring Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, joined by four Catholic young adults.