At funeral for 8-year-old shooting victim, Minneapolis pastor says to ‘cling’ to Jesus September 8, 2025By Josh McGovern The Catholic Spirit Filed Under: Gun Violence, News, World News The funeral service for Fletcher Merkel, 8, was held Sept. 7 at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, just over a mile from Annunciation Catholic Church, where he and another student were shot and killed during an Aug. 27 all-school Mass.
Jubilee event to honor modern martyrs as symbols of hope September 8, 2025By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News In a Jubilee year dedicated to hope, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders will commemorate “new martyrs and witnesses of the faith” — people whose lives were signs of hope to the people around them and who died firm in the hope of being welcomed into God’s presence, said the secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Department of Education to issue guidance on protecting prayer in public schools, Trump says September 8, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, Schools, World News The Department of Education will issue new guidance “protecting the right to prayer” in public schools, President Donald Trump said Sept. 8 during remarks at the Museum of the Bible for the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission.
Pope: Church needs to promote greater study, understanding of Mary September 8, 2025By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Marian Devotion, News, Vatican, World News The Catholic Church needs the theological study and model of Mary, Pope Leo XIV said, calling for a great promotion of Mariology in parishes, religious life and educational centers.
At canonization Mass, two mothers stand out as giants of confidence in God September 8, 2025By Paulina Guzik OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, Vatican, World News At a packed canonization Mass in Rome, with 80,000 attending, it was the face of the mother that said it all during the canonization Mass — Antonia Salzano was moved beyond words when her son, Carlo Acutis, was officially declared saint of the Catholic Church.
LGBTQ Catholics process through Holy Door at St. Peter’s September 8, 2025By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Walking through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the culmination of any Jubilee pilgrimage, many LGBTQ Catholics and the people who minister with them kissed or caressed the panels of the door. Some cried.
Wisconsin diocese says ‘no cover-up’ of abuse following additional allegation September 8, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, News, World News As previous complaints have emerged about an accused priest recently arrested in an online sting operation, a Wisconsin diocese has said “there is no cover-up.”
Pope inaugurates center, farm dedicated to zero-waste, inclusive economy September 8, 2025By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Environment, News, Vatican, World News Surrounded by formal Italian gardens, ancient Roman ruins and long avenues of lush trees, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a new “zero environmental impact” complex devoted to promoting Pope Francis’ teachings on caring for creation at the papal gardens in Castel Gandolfo.
Holy See tells nations at UN to end threat of nuclear weapons, even as deterrence September 8, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Social Teaching, News, World News Amid a global arms race, ending the threat of nuclear war — and even the testing of nuclear weapons — is imperative, said the Holy See’s diplomat to the United Nations.
Pope Leo’s homily for the canonization Mass for Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati September 7, 2025By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, Vatican, World News This is the text from Pope Leo XIV’s homily for the canonization Mass for Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, given Sept. 7, 2025 in St. Peter’s Square.
New young saints encourage faithful to live life to the full, pope says September 7, 2025By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, Vatican, World News The greatest risk in life is to waste it by not seeking to follow God’s plan, Pope Leo XIV said, proclaiming two new saints — two young laymen of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Think you know the ‘nones’? Pew study reveals nonreligious adults’ nuanced beliefs September 7, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Those who are religiously unaffiliated are less likely to hold spiritual beliefs or engage in religious practices — but in a number of countries, many such “nones” have nuanced beliefs, and still hold there’s an unseen spiritual reality and life after death, despite their negative views of religion’s impact on society, according to a new survey.
