The father behind the pope: How Karol Wojtyla Sr. helped shape St. John Paul II June 17, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News Karol Wojtyla Sr., the father of the future St. John Paul II, raised his son alone after the death of his wife, leaving an enduring example of fatherhood rooted in faith, sacrifice and daily presence which helped shape one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
Pope Leo praises newly beatified Salesian martyrs killed for their fidelity to Christ June 16, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, Vatican, World News Nine Polish Salesian priests killed in German Nazi concentration camps during World War II were beatified June 6 at the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Kraków during a Mass that highlighted not only their martyrdom but also their lives as educators, pastors and mentors to young people.
‘Peace cannot be attained without mercy,’ Pope Leo tells global congress in Lithuania’s capital June 10, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News As Catholics from around the world gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, Pope Leo XIV said the world’s growing need for peace cannot be separated from mercy, urging believers to become witnesses of God’s compassion in a time marked by war, violence and uncertainty.
Police recover beloved saint’s relic taken in brazen theft that shocked Czech Catholics May 15, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News Police announced May 15 that the stolen skull of one of the Czech Republic’s most beloved saints has been found.
45 years on, attempted assassination of St. John Paul II recalled as turning point in history May 13, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Before he started his general audience, Pope Leo XIV stepped out of his popemobile on May 13 and walked over to pray beside a plaque marking the spot where history took a turn that shocked the world 45 years before.
‘Polish Lourdes,’ where Mary appeared to 2 girls 160 times, could soon draw global attention May 4, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Marian Devotion, News, Saints, World News A Marian sanctuary in the heart of northern Europe’s countryside — often called the “Polish Lourdes” — could soon draw global attention, as Pope Leo XIV has been invited to visit the site where the Virgin Mary appeared approximately 160 times.
Pope Leo’s October meeting on marriage, family gains urgency amid declining birth rates in West April 27, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Marriage & Family Life, News, Vatican, World News As declining birth rates reshape the West, a global conversation on marriage and family is gaining urgency ahead of an October gathering in Rome convened by Pope Leo XIV.
Vilnius’ hospice stands as a living work of Divine Mercy as city prepares to host global congress April 12, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather in June in the Lithuanian capital for the sixth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, or WACOM, a five-day event that has previously been held in cities such as Rome, Kraków, Bogota and Manila.
Polish officer gives Christian witness at White House ceremony March 6, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: News, World News When President Donald Trump on March 2 posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis during a White House ceremony, the recognition did more than honor a battlefield hero.
Ukrainian Church transformed by 4 years of war, Kyiv’s bishop says February 24, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, War in Ukraine, World News Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war has fundamentally reshaped the Catholic Church’s mission — turning parishes into shelters, priests into chaplains and charity into daily survival, Ukrainian bishop and leader of charity efforts told OSV News.
As France holds day of prayer for people at the end of life, world’s euthanasia numbers soar February 20, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News As Catholics in France prepare for a nationwide prayer and fasting initiative Feb. 20 in anticipation of the final vote on a bill that “leads our country down the path of euthanasia and assisted suicide” and to “ask the Lord to enlighten consciences on the gravity of the challenges posed by this proposed law” — numbers of euthanasia procedures spike around the world.
Olympic ski jumping silver, bronze medals lay on altar as young athlete’s faith goes viral February 18, 2026By Katarzyna Szalajko OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Sports, World News At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Polish ski jumper Kacper Tomasiak made history — and then went to Mass.
