OSV News

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O'Connell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in L.A.'s inner city, was found dead of a gunshot wound Feb. 18. 

 Gov. Josh Shapiro called on Pennsylvania's legislature Feb. 16 to end the death penalty, marking the first time a governor of the Keystone State has formally called on lawmakers to abolish the practice. Shapiro also said he will not authorize its use during his term.

Catholics have a responsibility to address rising threats to democratic norms in civic and social life, panelists said at a Feb. 16 event hosted by Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

Political theology, centered in the person of Christ, can spark the "renewal of common life," said Catholic theologian M. Shawn Copeland during a Feb. 15 presentation at Villanova University where she received its prestigious Civitas Dei Medal.

Fr. David Misbrener, pastor of parishes in East Palestine and Columbiana, Ohio, said he and his parishioners are deeply concerned about the long-term environmental impact of a train derailment Feb. 3 that resulted in the spillage and burning of hazardous materials.

Two Catholic priests imprisoned in Nicaragua since August arrived in Charlotte late Feb. 12 to hugs and tears from family and friends, after their release and deportation to the United States Feb. 9.

During Black History Month in February, Catholics are being invited to register to attend this summer's National Black Catholic Congress, which over the years has made history of its own.

The Holy See announced Feb. 11 that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Thomas Collins as archbishop of Toronto and named Bishop Frank Leo of Montreal as his successor. Leo will be installed as archbishop of Toronto at St. Michael’s Cathedral on a date to be announced.

The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has defended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's requests for long-range weapons, although a Vatican diplomat warned that arm supply is a complex topic.

Nicaragua has released more than 200 political prisoners, including Catholic priests, students, and opponents of the regime, who were taken from detention in deplorable conditions and sent to the United States.

A Catholic high school in Philadelphia is taking action after several of its students posted a racist social media video that has sparked community protests.

While Pope Francis has returned to Rome after his six-day apostolic trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, the words he left there will resonate across the continent for a long time, church leaders and experts say.

In response to the devastating earthquake that struck northern Syria Feb. 6, the patriarchs and heads of churches in the country demanded the lifting of "unjust sanctions" on the Syrian people, calling for "exceptional measures" to secure delivery of humanitarian aid.

The severe health care and hunger crisis affecting the Yanomami indigenous people in Brazil prompted church leaders to coordinate help and work with government agencies and indigenous organizations to provide food and medical attention to the sick.

St. Rita's unique contributions start with its founding in 1919 as the first designated Black Catholic parish in Indiana. "Nationally recognized architectural and artistic significance" can now be added to the list.

It seemed that 12 years of a bloody war should have been enough tragedy for the people of Aleppo and other Syrian cities. But in the early hours of Feb. 6, a devastating earthquake struck northwestern Syria, killing 1,500 as of 5 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 7.

Celebrating a Feb. 5 Mass in honor of Black History Month, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory urged "ordinary people of color" to "vastly improve our world with an understanding of the strength of character that resides within the souls of our people."

The Catholic Church in Germany has so far paid more than $43.5 million (40 million euros) to victims of sexual abuse, German Catholic KNA agency has reported.

The memories of Valentino Marcos Alvero brought a wide, warm smile to the face of Fr. Joseph Magdaong.

Wanting peace by working for justice "is a hard road to walk, my brothers and sisters," Sr. Patricia Chappell told attendees at the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington in the opening plenary session Jan. 28.