News & Commentary

A young Sudanese woman who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, and was previously internally displaced in Sudan, moves past makeshift shelters, near the border between Sudan and Chad, while taking refuge in Borota, Chad, May 13, 2023. (OSV News photo/Zohra Bensemra, Reuters)

For World Refugee Day, missions highlight programs to aid displaced

In a world where 103 million people are forcibly displaced, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Catholic missionaries are often first responders helping those in need of a new home.

Read More →
An art installation representing Russian crimes in Ukraine is seen near the Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland, May 9, 2023. (OSV News photo/Slawomir Kaminski, Agencja Wyborcza.pl via Reuters)

Ukrainian Scholars Give Advice to British Experts on Russian Crimes

Leading forensic experts at the British University of Exeter are collecting evidence and testimonies of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. In the course of their work, they met with Ukrainian religious scholars on May 25 to better prepare for future ...
Read More →
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead the World Youth Day prayer vigil at St. John Paul II Field in Panama City Jan. 26, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-PANAMA-WYD-VIGIL Jan. 26, 2019.

Pope to hear confessions, eat lunch with young people, at World Youth Day

Pope Francis will have nine events with young people, including hearing their confessions and eating lunch with them, during his Aug. 2-6 trip to Portugal.
Read More →
Actor Shia LaBeouf, who portrays St. Pio of Pietrelcina, and Brother Alexander Rodriguez, who is a Capuchin Franciscan, appear in the new drama "Padre Pio," which premiered at last year's Venice Film Festival and will be released in U.S. theaters and on demand June 2, 2023. (OSV News photo/Gravitas Ventures)

LaBeouf: ‘I Fell In Love with Christ’ to Portray Padre Pio

A film making its U.S. debut recounts the life of a beloved 20th-century saint — and the movie’s star told OSV News he “fell in love with Christ” to prepare for the part.
Read More →
Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Sweden, is pictured in Rome Aug. 28, 2022. (CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves)

After visit to Ukraine, Swedish cardinal says he hopes for ‘just peace’

A recent video that has gained traction on social media purportedly shows a McDonald's in Kiev bustling with people, prompting some to argue that perhaps the conflict is not as grim as the media and the country's government has reported.
Read More →
Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry, pictured in a file photo, was named chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism May 10, 2023. Ahead of the U.S. bishops' meeting in Orlando, Fla., June 14-16, Bishop Perry recently spoke with OSV News about his new role. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Head of bishops’ anti-racism committee praises investigations into histories

Ahead of the U.S. bishops' meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 14-16, Bishop Joseph N. Perry said that new investigations by church institutions into their involvement with slavery and Indian boarding schools are "very healthy" and aid a collective examination of ...
Read More →
Large plumes of smoke rise from a wildfire raging in the Upper Tantallon area, as seen from Hubley, Nova Scotia, May 28, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. A wildfire that officials say has damaged hundreds of homes is still burning out of control northwest of Halifax with thousands of residences under a mandatory evacuation order. (OSV News photo/Ben Britton via Reuters)

Priest is among heroes fighting flames in Canadian wildfires

While Canada is fighting wildfires from western Alberta province to eastern Nova Scotia, at least one priest is on the frontlines of the battle in firefighter uniform.
Read More →