OSV Newscast

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

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Newly opened Church archives in Poland report that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla acted decisively in abuse cases, challenging claims made in a controversial 2023 documentary.
2. Pope Leo XIV declares Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan venerable, advancing the priest known for helping vulnerable youth toward sainthood.
3. Pope Leo calls the suffering caused by war a “scandal for the entire human family” as he urges prayer and peace during his Sunday Angelus.
4. U.S. bishops are urging Congress to pass legislation investigating the legacy and impact of Indian boarding schools on Native American communities.
5. A Catholic television producer is bringing Old Testament stories to life through a new drama series focused on the women of the Bible.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for March 20, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

• Catholic dioceses and organizations are canceling events and rethinking initiatives honoring the late civil rights icon César Chávez, following newly reported allegations the activist -- who publicly drew on his Catholic faith in his work -- sexually abused several women and girls.
• The Napa Institute -- the California-based organization dedicated to equipping Catholic leaders "to bring the light of Christ into every sphere of culture" -- held its second Ecumenical Forum on March 18 at the Museum of the Bible, including the first Catholic Mass at the museum.
• About 240 students from the Chesterton Schools Network began a 10-day pilgrimage to Italy with Pope Leo XIV's general audience in St. Peter's Square. 
• Israel has closed Jerusalem's holiest sites -- including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher -- citing security concerns amid escalating conflict with Iran.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for March 19, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Pope Leo XIV announces he will bring the presidents of bishops’ conferences to Rome in October for a global discussion on strengthening the Church’s pastoral response to marriage and family life.
2. At the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the role of religion in public life while Pope Leo XIV encouraged prayers for national leaders.
3. President Donald Trump issued presidential messages honoring the Catholic feast days of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, highlighting the saints’ legacy of faith, virtue and cultural heritage.
4. Catholic leaders and pro-life advocates in England are warning that a new amendment advancing in Parliament could create what critics call one of the most extreme abortion laws in Britain.
5. Catholic universities are making a strong showing in the 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments, with a dozen programs competing in March Madness across both the men’s and women’s brackets.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

• Registration for public events during the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage opened March 18, revealing abundant opportunities for Catholics to join the nine "perpetual pilgrims" traveling the East Coast route from Florida to Maine that culminates in an Independence Day weekend celebration in Philadelphia.
• The Vatican's top diplomat to the United Nations called for a "holistic approach" in securing access to justice for women and girls.  
• Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, is warning that invoking God to justify war is, in his words, "the gravest sin we can commit at this time." 
• Scotland’s Catholic bishops welcomed a major vote in Holyrood, or the Scottish Parliament. Lawmakers March 17 rejected a bill that would have allowed assisted dying for terminally ill adults, shelving the proposal after a closely watched debate.
• After years of spiritual searching, former professional astrologer Molly Curtis is preparing to enter full communion with the Catholic Church this Easter. 

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Mar. 17, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. Sláinte!

Read the stories in this episode:

1. On St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland celebrates Oscar-winning Catholic actress Jessie Buckley, whose acceptance speech for Hamnet praised mothers, family life and her faith-shaped upbringing at an Ursuline school in Thurles.
2. At a funeral Mass at the University of Notre Dame, family, friends and Church leaders remembered legendary football coach Lou Holtz as a devoted Catholic whose faith, love of family and commitment to excellence defined a Hall-of-Fame coaching career.
3. The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments on whether the Trump administration can end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, a decision that could affect more than 350,000 people as Catholic bishops warn the move is unrealistic given Haiti’s turmoil.
4. Catholic leaders and immigration advocates gathered in Phoenix for a “Witness to Hope” conference to explore how parishes can respond pastorally to mass deportations while upholding Church teaching on the dignity of migrants.
5. Pope Leo XIV told members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors that every Church institution must listen to abuse survivors and take direct responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable people.

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He's the stuff of legends (lots of them), but who was the real St. Patrick, the fifth-century missionary and bishop who became known as the Apostle of Ireland? Gina Christian of OSV News speaks with scholar Philip Freeman of Pepperdine University, author of "St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography," to find out. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for March 16, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this podcast:

• Pope Leo XIV will travel more than 11,000 miles across four African countries in April on a 10-day apostolic trip highlighting peace efforts, works of mercy, and the Catholic Church's vibrant presence on the continent.
• As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV will be honored with the Liberty Medal in the nation's former capital of Philadelphia for his efforts to promote religious liberty as well as freedom of expression and conscience. 
• The University of Notre Dame is awarding the prestigious Laetare medal, an honor reserved exclusively for American Catholics, to Timothy Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics.
• Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, called for an end to mass deportation and redoubled efforts to show solidarity with those affected by that policy in a new pastoral message released March 15.
• The war between Israel, Iran and regional militias is leaving Christians in the Holy Land living with fear and economic hardship, according to leaders of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Edward J. Weisenburger, archbishop of Detroit, said Catholics in southeast Michigan “stand in solidarity” with the Jewish community after a gunman attacked Temple Israel, while synagogue leaders confirmed all children at the nearby early childhood center were safe.
2. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is backing continued legal protections for Haitian migrants as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a request from the Trump administration to allow the end of Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians living in the United States.
3. Speaking at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV urged Christian leaders responsible for war to undertake a serious examination of conscience and rediscover the sacrament of reconciliation as a path toward restoring peace and unity with God.
4. Scotland’s Catholic bishops warned that proposed assisted suicide legislation could undermine conscience protections for faith-based institutions and health care providers, raising ethical concerns about the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
5. After years of hands-on charity work in Rome, Konrad Krajewski — widely known as the pope’s “Robin Hood” for his service to the poor — is returning to Poland to serve as archbishop of Łódź.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Several U.S. Catholic bishops warn that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran fails to meet the Catholic Church’s “just war” criteria, urging prayer, diplomacy and moral reflection instead of escalating conflict.
2. Pope Leo XIV met with the evacuated Catholic archbishop of Tehran after ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran, renewing his appeal for peace and prayers for civilians across the Middle East.
3. Pope Leo XIV appointed Spanish Augustinian Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, overseeing papal charitable outreach worldwide.
4. As measles cases rise across the United States, a Catholic infectious disease specialist and deacon reminds families that the Church supports vaccination to protect children and communities.
5. After deadly storms and tornadoes swept the Midwest, Catholic school communities in Illinois and Michigan report damage but also signs of hope, prayer and faith amid recovery efforts.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

1. A new Vatican Synod report calls for expanded leadership roles for women in the Catholic Church through a “charismatic path” rooted in baptism and charisms, while maintaining that ordained ministry remains reserved to men.
2. Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Louis Sako as patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church after 13 years of leadership during difficult times for Middle Eastern Christians.
3. Escalating violence across the Middle East is forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon and raising fears among Christian communities in both Lebanon and Iraq of renewed displacement.
4. Experts at a University of Notre Dame conference warned that strengthening U.S. peacebuilding efforts is both a strategic and moral imperative as global conflicts intensify.
5. A Catholic farming initiative run by Edmundite Missions in Alabama is helping small Black farmers gain supplies, training and business guidance to sustain their farms.