OSV Newscast

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 5, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1.  U.S. bishops are urging the FDA to move quickly on a long-promised safety review of the abortion drug mifepristone amid concerns of delay. 
2.  Plans are underway in Illinois for a national shrine honoring Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States. 
3.  Catholic leaders are raising alarm after reports of damage to a Christian school in Lebanon, warning of growing threats to Christians and sacred sites in the Holy Land. 
4.  Federal authorities have charged a juvenile in a cybercrime-linked swatting attack that disrupted Mass at Villanova University, Pope Leo XIV’s alma mater. 
5.  Irish dancer Michael Flatley reflects on faith and vocation after a personal meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 4, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay today temporarily blocking a lower court ruling that had sought to restrict mail distribution of mifepristone, restoring the policy until at least May 11th while the Supreme Court weighs next steps.
2. The Archdiocese of New York has proposed an $800 million settlement to resolve approximately 1,300 clergy abuse claims, with each survivor potentially receiving $250,000 if the deal is unanimously accepted — though the risk of bankruptcy looms if any claimants hold out.
3. Pope Leo XIV met with Catholic Charities USA leadership at the Vatican today, praising their mission of compassionate service and offering a word of Gospel encouragement to an organization facing rising demand amid growing economic hardship across the United States.
4. Pope Leo XIV condemned a deadly April 25th bombing in Colombia's Cauca province that killed 20 people, calling on all parties to reject violence and choose peace as the country's bishops echoed his appeal for reconciliation and respect for human life.
5. Poland's Marian sanctuary of Gietrzwałd — the country's only Vatican-recognized apparition site — is preparing to mark its 150th anniversary with hopes of a papal visit, as the Church also advances the sainthood cause of one of the two young visionaries who witnessed Mary's reported appearances in 1877.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 30, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. The Trump administration's Department of Justice released a report today accusing the Biden administration of "anti-Christian bias" in its policy approach to abortion, marriage and gender — a move critics say is politically motivated ahead of the midterm elections.
2. At an April 30th federal commission hearing, panelists warned that children are among the most defenseless victims of global religious persecution, with governments around the world deliberately targeting youth to erode faith communities across generations.
3. Pope Leo XIV released his May prayer intention today, calling on Catholics worldwide to combat global hunger through practical solidarity, as the World Food Program warns 318 million people face severe food insecurity in 2026.
4. Israeli authorities arrested a suspect in the violent assault of a French nun near Jerusalem's Cenacle, drawing international condemnation amid growing concerns over anti-Christian harassment in the region.
5. Jessica Cox — born without arms and now a record-breaking pilot, martial arts black belt and Catholic speaker — is inspiring audiences around the world with her message that faith can conquer any obstacle, as she sets her sights on building a custom four-seat aircraft she calls "The Impossible Airplane."

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 29, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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• King Charles III appealed to the Christian faith and invoked "shared values" between the United Kingdom and the United States as he called for peace around the globe during an address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress April 28.
• The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled April 29 that a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey can challenge in federal court an investigation by that state's attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and seeking information about their donors.
• The Vatican Observatory announced in an April 29 press release that an asteroid has been named in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who formally reestablished the observatory in 1891.
• Christians in the Holy Land are dwindling under the pressures of war, economic hardship and emigration, according to Benedictine Father Nikodemus Schnabel, head of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem.
• Pope Leo XIV said in his April 29 general audience he wanted his journey to Africa to highlight the serious injustices continuing there and propose a message of peace to a world marred by conflict and violations of international law. 

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 28, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. Pope Leo XIV advances five sainthood causes, including Sister Teresia of the Most Holy Trinity, a Dutch Carmelite nun who served and suffered quietly in Missouri. 
2. Seoul organizers announce five patron saints for World Youth Day 2027, highlighting holiness, justice, and faith for a new generation of Catholic youth.
3. Msgr. Robert Coll, the priest behind Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program, is remembered for a legacy of service that helped raise nearly $350 million for the poor.
4. Catholic leaders in South Sudan renew calls for justice three years after the disappearance of Father Luke Yugue Mbokusa and his driver.
5. Universities across the U.S. report a surge in students seeking confirmation, with many young adults saying they found faith while searching for meaning and belonging.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 27, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• At an ordination Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo XIV urged 10 new priests to keep the Church's doors open to a "suffering humanity," emphasizing that their role is to welcome, not block, those seeking Jesus Christ.
• Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, denounced violence and called for all to resport to prayer after a gunman's attempted assault on the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington April 25 forced the evacuation of the president, first lady and members of the Cabinet.
• A global conversation on marriage and family is gaining urgency as declining birth rates reshape the West. Ahead of an October gathering in Rome convened by Pope Leo XIV, new data highlight the trend: U.S. births fell 1% in 2025 to about 3.6 million, while Europe's fertility rates remain well below replacement levels. 
• As the U.S. and Iran face off over the Strait of Hormuz, Catholic maritime ministries are calling for prayer and support for some 20,000 souls trapped at sea. 
• Pope Leo XIV said Catholics and Anglicans must keep pursuing unity, even as new divisions complicate the path to full communion. 

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 24, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• Pope Leo XIV has wrapped up his first trip to Africa, closing an 11-day, four-nation visit marked by urgent appeals for peace, justice and unity. 
• Church leaders in Cameroon say Pope Leo XIV's visit could mark a turning point for peace in a nation strained by conflict. 
• At a memorial Mass marking one year since Pope Francis' death, Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva delivered a sharp message to Argentina's political leaders: stop the infighting and embrace unity.
• A vote for the Right to Recover Act would be a vote to "choose life and not death" and build a civilization that cares, Cardinal Frank Leo said in April 20 letters to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and all members of Parliament from the Toronto area, amid debate over expansion of that nation's assisted suicide program.
• Supporters of Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno's sainthood cause are marking a meaningful milestone with cautious optimism.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 23, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• Pope Leo XIV wrapped up an 11-day visit to Africa with a vibrant Mass in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, urging Catholics to find strength, justice and hope in the Gospel and the sacraments.
• A national garden proposed by survivors of clergy sexual abuse promises to foster healing not only for survivors but also for the Catholic Church as a whole in the nation's capital.
• Lebanese Christians in Debel are celebrating the gift of a new statue of Jesus on the cross after a recent act of desecration by two Israeli soldiers drew global outrage. 
• An Indigenous coalition filed an updated lawsuit in federal district court in Phoenix on April 22, their latest attempt to block a land transfer including their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, and protect the site from destruction by a copper mining giant. 
• This spring, the U.S. will see more than 400 men ordained to the priesthood, and an annual report conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University for the U.S. bishops takes a look at what factors shaped the priestly class of 2026.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 22, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

1. In Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV urges citizens and leaders to use their nation’s wealth for the common good while safeguarding human dignity during a major Mass in Central Africa’s largest Catholic church. 
2. Missionaries across Africa say Pope Leo’s first papal trip was not political, but a pastoral message of peace, solidarity, and hope rooted in Christ. 
3. President Donald Trump reads Scripture at a national Bible event amid controversy over past posts targeting Pope Leo and an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus. 
4. A federal appeals court narrowly upholds a Texas law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, reigniting debate over religion and public life. 
5. A new Marquette survey finds most Americans believe the U.S. lacked sufficient reasons for the Iran war, even as bipartisan support remains for a ceasefire.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for April 21, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Pope Leo XIV remembers Pope Francis as a shepherd of mercy and closeness to the poor one year after his death. 
2. A Mass at St. Mary Major highlights Pope Francis’ lasting legacy of mercy, peace and pastoral leadership. 
3. Pope Francis’ longtime nurse shares personal memories of the pope’s humility, final moments and quiet holiness. 
4. Catholic leaders condemn Pakistan court's decision upholding the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl, warning of threats to religious freedom. 
5. Organizers clarify the “one nation under God” theme as a call to prayer and unity, not a political message.