OSV Newscast

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 18, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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• Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" will be published May 25, addressing artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity, the Vatican has announced.
• As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it should reflect on how the American understanding of equality is grounded in the belief that all people are equally children of God, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said May 17 at a prayer rally on the National Mall.
• The number of executions around the globe in 2025 surged to the highest recorded figure in 44 years, a new Amnesty International report said. 
• Bolivia's Catholic bishops are urging dialogue and "humanitarian pauses" as nationwide protests deepen the country's political and economic crisis. 
• Marking 10 years since his installation as archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis on May 13, 2016, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda is renewing his focus on Catholic family life and vocations by releasing a new pastoral letter aimed at parents and families. 

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 15, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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• As the world awaits Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical on artificial intelligence, expected to be signed May 15 and released by the Vatican by the end of the month, the pope has already emerged as a leading global voice on on the ethical challenges posed by AI.
• The Diocese of Salford in northern England has opened the sainthood cause of Pedro Ballester, a Manchester-born student remembered for his joy, faith and selflessness during a long battle with cancer.
• The sainthood cause of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, founder of the Communion and Liberation movement, is moving to Rome. 
• The U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 blocked an appeals court ruling that sought to pause a federal policy permitting mifepristone, sometimes called the abortion pill, to be dispensed through the mail. 
• More than two years after a devastating explosion in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Bishop Pierre-André Dumas said his long recovery in South Florida has become a witness to faith, friendship and resilience. 

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 14, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. Catholics worldwide are watching closely as President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping, amid renewed calls for the release of imprisoned Catholic publisher Jimmy Lai. 
2.  A new Georgia law criminalizing clergy sexual misconduct in pastoral care is being praised by Catholic experts as a major step toward stronger accountability and abuse prevention. 
3.  New Pew Research data shows most Americans — including Catholics — oppose churches endorsing political candidates despite ongoing legal and political debates over the issue. 
4.  Church leaders in Sicily are honoring Brazilian Sister Nadir Santos da Silva after the nun died trying to rescue a fellow sister from dangerous waters near Catania. 
5.  U.S. Catholic bishops are preparing to consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus ahead of America’s 250th anniversary as a prayer for healing and spiritual renewal.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 13, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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• Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, said the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X would commit "a schismatic act" if it proceeds with plans to consecrate new bishops July 1 without papal approval.
• A New Mexico diocese is citing a breach of religious freedom protections, as it pushes back against the Trump administration's efforts to seize land from a pilgrimage site to build a portion of a border wall. 
• Pope Leo XIV's upcoming address to Spain's parliament is being seen as a historic and potentially unifying moment in one of Europe's most politically polarized countries. 
• Forty-five years after the assassination attempt on St. John Paul II, Pope Leo XIV paused in St. Peter's Square on May 13 to pray at the spot where the Polish pontiff was shot in 1981.
• Sharing the Gospel means "we must be present in digital spaces," and an annual collection held May 16-17 this year by the nation's Catholic bishops aims to bolster those efforts. (You can donate online to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic Communications Campaign at https://www.igivecatholic.org/story/USCCB-CCC)

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 12, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1.  Religious freedom advocates are urging President Donald Trump to quickly fill a key ambassador role as concerns grow about protecting persecuted faith communities worldwide. 
2.  Israeli soldiers were disciplined after separate incidents involving the desecration of Christian statues in southern Lebanon sparked outrage among local Christian leaders. 
3.  Catholic educators in Indonesia are reviewing child protection policies after a major abuse scandal at an Islamic boarding school exposed failures in oversight and safeguarding. 
4.  Catholic leaders gathered in Detroit for the “Witness to Hope” summit to discuss how the Church can better accompany and protect immigrant communities amid expanded immigration enforcement. 
5.  Chicago-area Catholics marked the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s election with a pilgrimage to his boyhood parish and family home, celebrating the pope’s roots and legacy.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 11, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. 

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• President Donald Trump said May 11 he plans to discuss the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai during his upcoming visit to China; however, he suggested the prominent Catholic and pro-democracy campaigner "caused a lot of bedlam."
• A Texas-based bishop, who leads one of the Catholic Church's three "Anglican ordinariates," has seen his pastoral care expanded to Australia, as a fellow prelate has been tapped to lead a Vatican dicastery.
• The Vatican’s dialogue with German bishops over blessings for same-sex couples remains ongoing, and it is too early to discuss sanctions, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said May 6 in Rome.
• Pope Leo XIV thanked the people of Spain’s Canary Islands after authorities allowed a cruise ship carrying passengers exposed to hantavirus to dock in Tenerife.
• During his May 7 visit to St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, sat down with OSV News to share his insights on Christian hope, the dangers of AI and weaponizing the Christian faith, and the need for patience in the spiritual life. (Listen to our full podcast interview right here on this channel.)

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Gina Christian of OSV News sits down with Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, for his thoughts on a range of topics, including hope amid an angst-ridden world; artificial intelligence (AI); countering -- and healing -- the weaponization of the Christian faith for political gain; and the need for patience. Bishop Varden also shared what he's reading right now, his favorite music, and one pastime he manages to fit into his busy schedule. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com, and visit Bishop Varden's website at coramfratribus.com. (Many thanks to St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, for hosting this interview.)

Read our OSV News interview with Bishop Erik Varden.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 8, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. Pope Leo XIV marked the first anniversary of his election today with a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii, celebrating Mass before 20,000 people and entrusting his pontificate to the Virgin Mary on the very feast day that coincided with his election.
2. A lighthearted story about Pope Leo XIV being hung up on during a customer service call to his Chicago bank has gone viral, charming Catholics worldwide with a surprisingly relatable glimpse of life as the first American pope.
3. A photograph of an Israeli soldier appearing to desecrate a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon is drawing international condemnation, adding to a growing pattern of anti-Christian incidents tied to the ongoing regional conflict.
4. Catholic health workers and Caritas Bangladesh are on the front lines of a deadly measles outbreak that has killed at least 336 children since mid-March, with Church-run clinics providing care and public health education despite Christians comprising less than one percent of the population.
5. Hundreds of Catholics in Los Angeles turned out to venerate relics of 36 Cristero War martyrs, with many attendees drawing personal family connections to the conflict and finding in the martyrs a renewed call to live and defend their faith openly and without fear.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 7, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican today for more than 45 minutes of talks on Iran, humanitarian aid and global conflicts, amid ongoing public tensions between the pope and President Trump over the war.
2. A Vatican parish hosted a public discussion on UFOs and extraterrestrial life, reflecting the Church's long tradition of engaging timely cultural questions at the intersection of science, philosophy and Catholic faith.
3. The French bishops' conference announced Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit France in late September, with stops likely at the Marian shrine of Lourdes and in Paris — marking his first official trip to the country as pope.
4. The Minnesota Senate narrowly passed a sweeping firearms bill on a 34-33 vote, with debate centering on last August's deadly shooting during an all-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church that killed two young children.
5. As the House-passed $390 billion farm bill heads to the Senate, Catholic organizations are urging lawmakers to preserve robust funding for SNAP, arguing that the needs of farmers, rural communities and hungry Americans are fundamentally aligned, not opposed.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 6, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• A new poll published the day after President Donald Trump renewed his series of social media and verbal attacks on Pope Leo XIV, showed Americans broadly disapprove. 
• The Catholic Church is the guardian of hope, whose members are called to speak clearly against all evil and in defense of human life, Pope Leo XIV said.
• African Catholic leaders are calling for urgent action to stop rising xenophobic violence in South Africa, where attacks on foreign nationals have left several dead and others injured.
• Several Catholic aid organizations said they remain "united in hope" for Ukraine, as Russia's war on that nation relentlessly rages on. 
• New research shows the number of undocumented immigrants -- if defined as those without long-term authorization to reside in the U.S. including those granted short-term legal status -- reached an estimated 14.6 million in 2024, an "increasingly settled" population that reflects shifts in migration patterns.