OSV Newscast

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

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• Team USA’s Olympic gold medal victory in men’s hockey became a tribute to late Catholic player Johnny Gaudreau, as teammates honored his memory and lifelong Olympic dream while celebrating with his family present.
• Quick action by an off-duty law enforcement officer and parent volunteers prevented a possible mass shooting at a Sacramento Catholic school Mass when an armed former student was detained before entering the church.
• Newly released Epstein files and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor have exposed disturbing revelations, including Epstein’s hostility toward the Catholic Church and alleged efforts to undermine Pope Francis.
• Cardinals Gerhard Müller and Robert Sarah urged the Society of St. Pius X to submit to Pope Leo XIV’s authority and remain in communion with Rome amid plans to ordain bishops without papal approval.
• Pope Leo XIV renewed his urgent call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, urging dialogue, prayer, and peace as civilian casualties continue to mount nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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

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• The 2026 LA Religious Education Congress kicked off Feb. 20 with an emphasis on the healing power of mercy and self-forgiveness -- and a special message from Pope Leo XIV -- as the annual gathering marked its 70th year.
• A new initiative by the University of Mary and the Diocese of Phoenix promises to respond to today's rising mental health challenges by forming mental health professionals who are clinically trained and rooted in the Catholic teaching on human dignity.
• Mexico’s bishops are urging calm and caution after a deadly military operation sparked violence across several states. In a Feb. 22 message, the Mexican bishops' conference called on the faithful to follow safety protocols, avoid unnecessary travel, and shelter at home when needed. 
• For the first time in 800 years, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi are on extended public display. 
• In his first reflection at the Lenten retreat with Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia Feb. 22 and 23, Norwegian Trappist Bishop Erik Varden urged Vatican officials to embrace Lent as a season of authentic Christian witness, not culture war combat.

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

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• The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs in a 6-3 ruling, finding he exceeded his authority, although economists warn poorer Americans may not see refunds for higher costs passed on to consumers.
• Bishop Peter Dai Bui, a former refugee who fled Vietnam as a child, was ordained auxiliary bishop of Phoenix in a historic ceremony attended by thousands, marking a milestone for the growing diocese.
• As the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics approach, Church leaders and theologians highlight the Catholic tradition of supporting sports as a path to human dignity, virtue and spiritual growth.
• A 20-year-old man performing community service was shot and killed while painting a chapel in Puebla, Mexico, prompting Church leaders to condemn the violence and call for peace and justice.
• Pope Leo XIV will make six pastoral visits across Italy this year, including stops in Pompeii, Assisi and Lampedusa, focusing on themes such as Marian devotion, environmental care and migrants.

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

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• The Society of St. Pius X announced it will consecrate bishops without papal approval despite Vatican warnings that the move could result in schism and a rupture of Church unity.
• Pope Leo XIV told the Legionaries of Christ that authority in religious life must be exercised as humble service rooted in prayer and respect, not domination, as the order continues its renewal after past abuse scandals.
• Clergy were allowed inside a Chicago-area ICE detention facility for the first time on Ash Wednesday, where they distributed Communion and ashes to detainees and staff following a federal court order.
• The Diocese of Camden announced a $180 million settlement to resolve more than 300 clergy abuse claims, with Church leaders calling the agreement a long-awaited step toward justice, healing and accountability.
• A new U.S. bishops’ report identified political violence, immigration enforcement, and government restrictions as major concerns threatening religious liberty in the United States today.

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

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• The Holy See "will not participate" in President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said Feb. 17, citing "points that leave us somewhat perplexed."
• Two Virginia bishops are hailing the halt of legislation that would have legalized assisted suicide in that state. 
• Catholic leaders were among those who praised the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a Baptist minister and prominent civil rights leader, who died Feb. 17. 
• Attendance at Ash Wednesday Masses across France is once again expected to surge, with national outlets pointing to an "unexpected return of Lent" and the staying power of 2025's record crowds.
• Pope Leo XIV marked his first Ash Wednesday as pope with a penitential procession and a call for "countercultural" repentance -- not only from individuals, but from institutions and the Church itself.

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

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• A date for the beatification of five Franciscans known as the Georgia martyrs has been set for Oct. 31, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ website. 
• Pro-life leaders from across ideological and religious lines urged the Trump administration to reinstate protections that generally prevent ICE from detaining pregnant and postpartum women, warning that current practices have led to miscarriages, stillbirths, and delayed medical care.
• New research and theologians suggest Ash Wednesday draws high Mass attendance because its physical reminder of mortality, identity as Catholics, and desire for spiritual order resonate deeply in a culture focused on self-improvement.
• Panelists at New York Encounter discussed new survey data showing belief in God and spirituality is rising in the U.S., even as organized religious participation has not surged, signaling a complex shift in American religious life.
• An independent commission report in Poland’s Diocese of Sosnowiec documented at least 50 abuse victims and systemic failures, marking a painful first step toward accountability amid declining trust in the Church.
• The U.S. bishops invited Catholics to mark America’s 250th anniversary with prayer and service, including 250 Hours of Adoration and 250 Works of Mercy focused on unity, healing, and charity.

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

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• Supporters of the traditional Latin Mass are distancing themselves from the Society of St. Pius X after the group announced plans to consecrate bishops without papal approval -- a move that could trigger excommunications.
• Data showing most individuals in immigration detention do not have violent criminal records highlights ongoing concerns expressed by the nation's Catholic bishops over the Trump administration immigration crackdown, said an official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 
• A Harvard University academic whose work focuses on human flourishing has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to a Vatican research group.
• Four hundred years after its consecration, St. Peter's Basilica is marking the milestone with a 21st-century upgrade.
• Minnesota artist Sheryl Moran -- the artist behind an oil portrait of Pope Leo XIV commissioned for the Pontifical North American College in Rome shortly after his May 2025 election -- prays for the pope intentionally every day after the project.

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

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• As U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Feb. 12 plans for federal agents to leave the Twin Cities metro area, Catholic leaders in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis acknowledged the need for hope as they look to next steps in the local community. 
• All Catholics are called to stand together by reaching out to their brothers and sisters in the faith of all ethnicities, especially those of Hispanic heritage, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, said. 
• Catholic theologians and environmentalists are concerned after President Donald Trump announced Feb. 12 the administration will repeal a landmark scientific finding that was the legal basis for federal greenhouse-gas regulation.
• Gunmen in Nigeria's Kaduna state abducted 32 people, including a Catholic catechist and his pregnant wife, in the latest attack targeting Christian communities.
• Leaders of four major European bishops' conferences are urging renewed unity, warning that global instability and rising nationalism threaten both Europe and the wider world. 

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

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• The Vatican has proposed structured theological talks with the Society of St. Pius X in hopes of preventing a schism over the group’s planned unauthorized bishop ordinations.
• Catholic leaders across British Columbia are calling for prayer and healing after a deadly mass shooting at a high school in the small town of Tumbler Ridge.
• A new Pew Research Center survey shows declining Catholic support for President Trump’s agenda, with drops in approval among both white and Hispanic Catholics.
• Cuba’s Catholic bishops have postponed their Vatican “ad limina” visit as a worsening fuel crisis linked to new U.S. sanctions disrupts air travel.
• Family members of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen are sharing personal memories that highlight the famed evangelist’s faith, humility, and everyday kindness ahead of his beatification.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

• Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from the Religious Liberty Commission after a commission hearing on antisemitism at which the Catholic conservative commentator. initiated some tense exchanges with Jewish American witnesses.
• Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, is urging the University of Notre Dame to halt the appointment of faculty member Susan Ostermann, who advocates openly for abortion, as head of one of the school's research centers. 
• A stone from the Porziuncola -- the tiny chapel where St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan order and later died -- has arrived in the Arabian Peninsula, marking a major spiritual moment for Catholics in the Gulf.
• Pope Leo XIV marked the World Day of the Sick on Feb. 11 by praying at the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens, asking Our Lady of Lourdes to accompany all who suffer around the world. 
• Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, retired archbishop of New York, is the new co-chief chaplain of the New York Police Department, sharing the role with the Rev. A.R. Bernard of Brooklyn's Christian Cultural Center, a nondenominational megachurch.