National & World
Two years into war, Knights of Columbus steadfast in Ukraine on front lines of aid
(OSV News) — As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reaches the two-year mark, the Knights of Columbus remain steadfast in bringing relief to vulnerable Ukrainians living in some of the hardest-hit areas, one of the organization’s leaders told OSV News.
Broglio: Reflect on Rev. King’s ‘rallying cry’ to confront today’s ‘evils of racism’
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The Jan. 15 federal holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a time to “pause and reflect” on his “indelible legacy” and “his rallying cry in the pursuit of justice and peace,” the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement.
USCCB’s Bishop Barron joins pope in calling ‘surrogate motherhood’ a grave injustice
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, the head of the U.S. bishops’ committee dealing with family life, voiced support Jan. 10 for Pope Francis’ recent remarks condemning gestational surrogacy as “a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child” and calling for a worldwide ban.
Wisconsin judge suspends criminal case against McCarrick
(OSV News) — A Wisconsin judge has suspended a criminal case against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick Jan. 10, citing incompetency. McCarrick had been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault for abuse that allegedly took place in 1977.
Catholic organizations urge prayer for Nicaragua amid crackdown on church
MEXICO CITY (OSV News) — The Pontifical Mission Societies and Aid to the Church in Need are urging Christians to pray for peace in Nicaragua amid a crackdown on the Catholic Church and the imprisonment of priests and bishops.
US bishops asked to hold new rounds of Synod on Synodality listening sessions
(OSV News) — Dioceses across the U.S. are asked to hold additional listening sessions in the next few months, following a request from the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops which is preparing for the second session of the global Synod on Synodality in October.
FOCUS leaders say synodality, listening to young people guided mission of SEEK24
ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — A record number of attendees gathered at the Jan. 1-5 SEEK24 conference in downtown St. Louis, with excitement already mounting for the 2025 conference.
Epiphany of the Lord: Traditions that focus on the ‘rey de reyes’
(OSV News) — After preparing for the birth of Jesus with posadas, live Nativity scenes, midnight Masses and Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) traditions, thousands of Latinos in the United States will continue the Christmas season by celebrating Epifanía, or Epiphany.
U.S. Catholics’ priest shortage faces new ‘serious crisis’ due to immigration law
(OSV News) — For the global faithful accustomed to reports of an ongoing vocations crisis, the Vatican’s March 2023 announcement that the worldwide number of seminarians, priests, and men and women in religious orders has declined was hardly a surprise.
Wearing a rosary can make a Latino a target for police, historian says
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (CNS) — Many law enforcement officers associate Catholic imagery and symbols with criminality in the U.S. Latino community, a historian researching the American Southwest said.
