Gina Christian

Newly installed Bishop Mark Eckman of Pittsburgh has expressed his "great sorrow" over "hateful vandalism" at one of his parish churches, which federal authorities are now investigating. Meanwhile, law enforcement in Kansas told OSV News they're closing in on suspects who ravaged and scrawled swastikas on a parish building in that state.

From Boston to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, faithful across the nation are reaching out to bring material and spiritual aid to those impacted by the devastating July 4 flash floods in the Texas Hill Country.

The vestments, created by the House of Hansen in former Cardinal Robert Prevost's hometown, were made of an ecclesiastical damask by the brand Da Vinci.

The Trump administration's ending of deportation protections for those who have fled Honduras and Nicaragua shows "no discernment," an immigration policy expert told OSV News — while a pastor at one Philadelphia parish said the moves have sparked fear and a sense of powerlessness among his community.

The Diocese of Fresno, California, has finally filed for bankruptcy, a year after first announcing its intention to do so. The diocese faces more than 150 abuse claims filed under a California lookback law.

 "When a community prays together, that's what we can do," Fr.  Len MacMillian said. "It's not a solution, but it's a better way of life."

The country's investigative committee accused the archbishop and 13 others of plotting to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.  

Peace is "more than just the absence of war," but instead a commitment to human flourishing — and one required more than ever as conflict and global defense spending soar, said the Holy See's permanent mission to the United Nations.

"As someone who has witnessed firsthand the devastation that war leaves behind — how it empties villages, scatters families, and deepens the wounds of identity and trust — I cannot help but echo the words of Pope Leo XIV in his recent appeal for peace," Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda said. 

Christians in Syria are reeling after a suicide bombing struck a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during a June 22 Divine Liturgy.

"We must try at all costs to avoid the use of weapons and seek dialogue through diplomatic means," the pope said two days before the bombing. "Let us work together to find solutions."

A leaked draft document has stirred backlash for addressing some practices predating the Second Vatican Council.

"No one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions," said the leader of the nation's Catholic bishops in a June 16 statement that assured all impacted of their shepherds' support.

Calls from bipartisan lawmakers and faith leaders across denominations are growing for the return of thousands of Ukrainian children deported to Russia, as the Trump administration withholds approved funding from a key research effort by Yale University to track the kids.

Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, are set to pay a total of $80 million into the diocese's $150 million bankruptcy settlement, with the funds due to be paid into a trust by July 15.

The New York Senate has voted to legalize medically assisted suicide, a move that one Catholic bioethicist told OSV News marked "a dark day" for the state's residents, and the act will now head to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Protests broke out on June 6 after several raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which along with Customs and Border Protection is the law enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

At issue is what the diocese's legal counsel described in an Aug. 16, 2024, statement as an unlawful and unconstitutional alteration of how visa availability is calculated for certain noncitizens, which creates "profound immigration delays for noncitizen religious workers."

The U.S. Catholic bishops' latest annual report on child and youth protection shows abuse allegations continue to decline, but authors warned of the dangers of complacency.

Teaser: "It is in their (the Trump administration's) interest to push the higher numbers to justify a mass deportation campaign," J. Kevin Appleby said.