News & Commentary

Students from Everest Academy in Lemont, Ill., cheer May 8, 2025, after it was announced that Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the next pope. He chose the papal name Leo XIV. (OSV News photo/Vincent Alban, Reuters)

Chicago abuzz with ‘unbelievable’ joy the first American Pope is a hometown son

Catholics and non-Catholics alike were abuzz with excitement in Chicago May 8, after one of the city's native sons became pope. Taking the name Leo XIV, the new pontiff has made many firsts.
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Pope: Blood of Bucha massacre victims ‘cries out to heaven’

Pope Francis once again pleaded for an end to the bloodshed and violence in Ukraine after images of innocent civilians apparently executed in Bucha sparked outrage and horror around the world.
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Archbishop from Assisi brings first-class relic of Blessed Acutis to US

Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi, Italy, brought a first-class relic of Blessed Carlos Acutis to a Catholic high school on Long Island April 4 as he began a five-day tour with the relic.
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Catholic groups laud end of health measure affecting migrants

Catholic groups welcomed an announcement by the Biden administration confirming the May 23 end of a public health measure put in place at the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has kept asylum-seekers out.
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Pope: Church must be centered on witness, not religious customs alone

Malta's great spiritual and pastoral traditions must serve as a road map to the future for the Catholic Church, rather than a relic commemorated with "received traditions, solemn celebrations, popular festivals and powerful and emotional moments," Pope Francis said.
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Chaos in shelters for Ukrainian refugees increases risk of trafficking

Loreto Sister Imelda Poole has been fighting human trafficking for years and is now increasingly worried about the situation in Ukraine.
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Catholic author of Black Lives Matter book sees hope amid struggles

When journalist Olga M. Segura initially set out to write a book on Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church, she intended it to be more of an overview that might prompt white Catholics to get more involved in the ...
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