OSV News

At the opening general session of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, had a message to share from Pope Francis, saying that "It is important that our pro-life focus encompass the whole spectrum of life." 
 

On the eve of the national March for Life rally in Washington, President Donald Trump announced Jan. 23 he was issuing pardons for 23 protesters arrested for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act.

Displaying a despondent countenance before a throng of national media, University of Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman and two of his stalwart seniors — quarterback Riley Leonard and linebacker Jack Kiser — fielded numerous questions following a 34-23 loss to Ohio State University in the College Football Playoff national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and named as his successor Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas.

The controversial lay movement Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was forced to confirm news that it was suppressed by Pope Francis after two of its members leaked the news to a Catholic news outlet.
 

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims announced on Jan. 17 that a request to prosecutors had been sent on Jan. 14, following the revelation of new sexual assaults committed between the 1970s and early 2000s by Pierre.

As joy intertwined with trepidation both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories, Francis said that both Israelis and Palestinians need "clear signs of hope," as he trusted that their political leaders with the help of the international community would yet be able to reach "the right solution" for the two states.
 

Amid what a Catholic charity called "unimaginable" suffering of civilians trapped in civil war brutality in Sudan, the United States declared that one of the fighting factions is committing genocide in the country and slapped sanctions on its leader.

President Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation on Jan. 15 to warn against the concentration of power not only in government but also in other elements of society, such as in corporations and the technology industry.

In a statement released Jan. 16 by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said they hoped the ceasefire "will mark an important end to the violence that has caused immeasurable suffering."
 

Pope Francis has named three U.S. experts — two women and an abbot — to be members of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a position once reserved for cardinals and bishops.

 In comments to New York's PIX11 Morning News on Christmas Eve, Dolan said he will join the opening prayer during the ceremony as he did for Trump's previous inauguration.

A conflagration of almost biblical proportions has killed at least 24, destroyed thousands of homes and numerous churches and schools but has also inspired a groundswell of Catholic support for Southern California's dispossessed.

As he drove frantically past charred buildings along the smoky streets of Altadena in his SUV early on the morning of Jan. 8, Deacon José Luis Díaz had one prayer on his mind: God, please spare my church.

As deadly wildfires ravage Los Angeles, Catholics are mobilizing to help those impacted.

A lawyer for abuse survivors has accused San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of "endangering kids" by allegedly refusing to release the names of credibly accused priests — charges the archdiocese strongly denies, citing its compliance with the church's norms for handling clerical abuse.

Mourners including all five living U.S. presidents attended the late President Jimmy Carter's funeral Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral, the first time they have all been in public together since 2018, and an increasingly rare occurrence in an era of bitter partisanship.

Several Catholic policy experts who spoke with OSV News expressed concern about how the second Trump administration may approach environmental policy.

President Joe Biden has canceled his upcoming trip to Italy, including an audience with Pope Francis, in order to "remain focused on directing the full federal response" in the wake of the devastating wildfires raging in California, the White House said.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia has announced a new initiative to open hearts, rather than shutter parishes, in countering declining numbers both of faithful and of active priests in an archdiocese he has long called home.