OSV Newscast

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

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• Catholics around the world will mark World Mission Sunday on Oct. 18, and a "renewed energy" infuses the annual celebration of the Church's missionary activity as it marks its 100th year, one expert told OSV News. 
• Catholic leaders are calling for peace as riots have broken out over school funding in France, just days after Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28 visit.
• A new update from the excavation of Ireland's former St. Mary's Mother and Baby Home in Tuam is challenging longstanding claims that children's remains were simply "dumped" at the site.
• Recognizing "equal dignity and rights" for men and women must be the "foundation of a just and human-centered society," said Archbishop Christophe Z. el-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations.
• A feature film about Polish mystic Alicja Lenczewska has become an unexpected box-office success, drawing about 160,000 viewers in its first two weeks and renewing interest in the life of the lay Catholic whose spiritual writings continue to attract readers.

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

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1. The Vatican announced that "The Private Diary of Pope Francis," featuring notes from 1992 to 2024 and compiled by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, will publish worldwide on November 24th in five languages.
2. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Boulder, Colorado's climate lawsuit against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy, with justices focused on a procedural jurisdiction question rather than the case's underlying merits.
3. Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland released a pastoral letter calling for "mission renewal" through personal holiness, recommitted clergy and lay Catholics embracing their roles as missionary disciples.
4. The Archdiocese of St. Louis sued the federal government over an ICE detention center policy that bars priests from administering Communion and hearing confessions for detained migrants.
5. Catholics and pilgrims are rediscovering California's historic El Camino Real and its 21 Franciscan mission churches during Pope Leo XIV's Jubilee Year honoring the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' death.

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

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• Vatican officials said an Oct. 7-14 meeting marking 10 years since Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia" will focus on listening to pastoral experiences rather than reopening debates over the document.
• Four U.S. bishops met with Pope Leo XIV Oct. 5, including Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, who presented Pope Leo XIV with a relic of Blessed Fulton Sheen during a private Vatican audience.
• Pope Leo XIV sent a condolence message to Holy Family Parish in Gaza after an Israeli missile strike killed five people, including Christian mother Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Michel Najjar, Father Gabriel Romanelli said in an Oct. 4 video update. 
• The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term Oct. 5, with cases on its schedule including religious liberty, guns, immigration policy and the environment. 
• Opus Dei priest Father Francis J. Hoffman, known for his nationwide radio ministry, has been tapped to lead the first and only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S. 

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Oct. 2, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. The Treasury Department and IRS announced proposed rules for the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, with Catholic education leaders calling it "transformative" after confirming married couples can claim up to $3,400 in contributions.
2. Greenland's small Catholic community greeted a new US-Denmark-Greenland security agreement with relief and lingering concern, with Father Tomaž Majcen saying the faithful remain focused on prayer and presence amid geopolitical tension.
3. Catholic and Anglican leaders in Northern Ireland urged dialogue and peaceful processes after a disputed Orange Order march through Garvaghy Road reignited tensions in a historic sectarian flashpoint.
4. African bishops expressed solidarity with Archbishop Alick Banda of Lusaka after his brief arrest and release on bail over a disputed vehicle, urging due process and calm.
5. Pope Leo XIV joined hundreds of children in the Vatican Gardens praying the rosary for peace as part of a global "One Million Children Praying the Rosary" campaign.

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for Oct. 1, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

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1. Thousands of pilgrims are expected in Assisi this weekend as Pope Leo XIV's Jubilee Year culminates in events marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis' death, including a midnight Mass and overnight prayer at his tomb.
2. Pope Leo XIV dedicated his October prayer intention to mental health ministry, calling the Church to become an "open house" that listens without judging and accompanies those suffering from anxiety, depression and other conditions.
3. Pope Leo XIV tasted a heart-shaped "St. Thérèse cake" made by French Catholic hospitality students, a twenty-year classroom tradition that unexpectedly earned a papal visit instead of the planned trip to Rome.
4. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted the state's remaining 2026 execution after a lethal injection attempt failed to kill inmate Christa Gail Pike, prompting renewed Catholic criticism of capital punishment.
5. Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington urged Virginia Catholics to pray, fast and vote "no" on November ballot amendments enshrining abortion and same-sex marriage rights, calling for Stations of the Cross and rosary throughout October.

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

• The Chicago White Sox have headed into the post-season with a bit of inspiration from one of their best-known fans -- Pope Leo XIV. 
• Pope Leo XIV's forceful defense of human life during his Sept. 25-27 visit to France has reignited debate over the country's newly approved assisted-dying law, which lawmakers had largely considered settled after its passage in July. 
• A photograph of Pope Leo XIV blessing Marie-Garance, a 10-year-old girl with multiple disabilities, went viral after the pope encountered her in Paris on Sept. 26. 
• Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged the faithful to mark Respect Life Month, observed in October, with prayer, deeper reflection and action to stop use of the abortion pill. 
• Universal health care is "a moral imperative," as "the Holy See has consistently reiterated," the Vatican's top diplomat told the United Nations.

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

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1. The Vatican announced "A New Gaze: Paying Attention in the Age of Clickbait" as the theme for World Communications Day 2027, with Pope Leo XIV calling the faithful to reclaim genuine attention as an act of generosity toward others.
2. The University of Notre Dame was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the first time in its history, with Bishop Kevin Rhoades leading a Mass and procession asking for healing of divisions and Christ-like love.
3. The March for Life announced "The Truth is Pro-Life" as its 2027 theme, aiming to reaffirm the shared conviction that every human life has worth amid ongoing battles over the Hyde Amendment and abortion drug policy.
4. The EEOC sued Ohio-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, alleging it fired a Jewish orthopedic surgeon due to his religion and race in the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023, attacks in Israel.
5. A new icon unveiled in Peoria highlights Blessed Fulton Sheen's biritual legacy and enduring spiritual connection to Eastern Catholic churches, with Bishop Pipta saying Sheen remains present with believers through his heavenly intercession.

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

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Concluding his four-day France visit with Mass in Metz, Pope Leo XIV urged Europeans to reject revenge and choose reconciliation, saying those who forgive are stronger than those who seek retaliation.
2. Speaking at the Robert Schuman Conference Center, Pope Leo XIV urged European leaders to pursue patient dialogue rather than military buildup, warning that rearmament is not the answer to the conflicts threatening the continent.
3. French survivors of clergy abuse who met Pope Leo XIV in Lourdes said he showed deep empathy and acknowledged the Church's systemic failures, and they urged the Church to follow his words with concrete action.
4. Father Adrian Mantykiewicz, wounded in a knife attack that killed a fellow priest in Poland, returned to the altar with a message of forgiveness and asked the faithful to pray for his attacker.
5. St. Mary Catholic Church in El Paso, Illinois, where Fulton Sheen was baptized, will become the first parish in the world named for him, as Bishop John Barres, whom Sheen baptized, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving.

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When Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen -- theologian, evangelizer and Catholic communications pioneer -- was declared "Blessed" Sept. 24, 2026, one family experienced that moment like no other. Bonnie Engstrom's son, James, was born in 2010 without a pulse, and he was miraculously revived after 61 minutes through the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. A few hours before his beatification in St. Louis, Gina Christian of OSV News spoke with Bonnie, who along with James and her entire family was there to witness the historic moment. Tune in and listen at osvnews.com. (Podcast recorded Sept. 24, 2026.)

"61 Minutes to a Miracle: Blessed Fulton Sheen's Prayerful Intercession" by Bonnie Engstrom is published by OSV, the parent company of OSV News. Learn more about the book at https://www.orderosv.com/product/61-minutes-to-a-miracle-blessed-fulton-sheen-s-prayerful-intercession

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Hours before the Sept. 24, 2026, beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in St. Louis, Gina Christian of OSV News spoke with Michael Heinlein, OSV News contributor and author of "Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George OMI," to discuss what this historic event means for the Catholic Church in the U.S. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.