News & Commentary

People attend a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he delivers an address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City Sept. 26, 2025. (OSV News photo/Carlos Barria, Reuters)

Leaders blame Israel for dwindling number of Christians in Holy Land

Christian leaders in the Holy Land, as well as Palestinian government officials, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly and blamed the Israeli occupation for the decreasing number of Christians in the area. 
Read More →

Catholic Extension receives $1.5 million grant for Puerto Rico recovery work

A $1.5 million grant awarded by the U.S. bishops' Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions will support Catholic Extension's ongoing disaster recovery work in Puerto Rico three years after two devastating hurricanes.
Read More →

Pope to skip Dec. 31, Jan. 1 liturgies due to sciatica, Vatican says

Pope Francis will not preside over the traditional end-of-the-year prayer service nor the New Year's Mass in St. Peter's Basilica due to "painful sciatica," the Vatican said.
Read More →

Church bells to ring Dec. 30 in honor of 336,000 lives lost to COVID-19

Churches will ring bells at noon Dec. 30, during the octave of Christmas, to remember and honor the more than 336,000 people who have died in the United States from COVID-19.
Read More →

Vatican calls for equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution

The Vatican's coronavirus commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life issued a joint statement calling for a coordinated international effort to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
Read More →

Pope announces yearlong reflection on family, ‘Amoris Laetitia’

As the fifth anniversary of his apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia" approaches, Pope Francis announced that the Catholic Church will dedicate more than a year to focusing on the family and conjugal love.
Read More →

Pope at Christmas: Jesus’ birth brings hope in troubling times

The birth of Christ is a gift from God that brings people hope and courage in troubled times, Pope Francis said Christmas Eve.
Read More →