Pope Leo comforts families of victims of Swiss Crans-Montana tragic bar fire January 15, 2026By Paulina Guzik OSV News Filed Under: Disaster Relief, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV met Jan. 15 with the families of victims of the Crans-Montana bar fire on New Year’s night, which took the lives of 40 people and injured 116 in a Swiss resort tragedy.
Report: More than 388 million Christians worldwide face ‘high levels’ of persecution January 15, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News More than 388 million Christians — or 1 in 7 believers worldwide — face “high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith,” according to a new report.
Senate hearing examines abortion pill after FDA approval of new generic version January 15, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, U.S. Congress, World News A Senate committee held a hearing on the abortion pill Jan. 14 as the Trump administration faces scrutiny from some pro-lifers over the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of a new generic form of the drug.
U.S. bishops praise DHS policy change on wait times for religious worker visas January 15, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Religious Freedom, World News The Department of Homeland Security said Jan. 14 it issued an interim final rule reducing wait times for religious worker visas. Catholic advocates were among those who pushed the Trump administration to address the backlog in their visa category.
At annual Marian celebration in Venezuela, bishops call for release of political prisoners January 15, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Caribbean, Marian Devotion, News, World News Each year, the annual Marian procession of the “Divina Pastora” (“Divine Shepherdess”) draws millions of pilgrims and devotees in Venezuela.
Rubio says U.S. closely working with Catholic Church to get Cuba humanitarian aid January 15, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Disaster Relief, News, World News U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Jan. 14 that the first in a series of direct humanitarian shipments to Cuba “in close partnership with the Catholic Church” would take place the same day — as well as another Jan. 16 — as the island recovers from Hurricane Melissa.
Vatican completes official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV for papal basilica January 15, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Arts & Culture, News, Vatican, World News The Vatican has completed the official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV, continuing a centuries-old tradition that marks the election of each new pontiff. The circular mosaic, known as a tondo, was created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of St. Peter’s and will be installed in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
U.S. commission hearing focuses on persecution of Christians around globe January 15, 2026By Kurt Jensen OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, World News Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., a longtime champion of religious liberty, particularly in Tibet, proudly wears a bracelet of brown prayer beads, called mala, given to him by the Dalai Lama during a visit to India in 2024.
Catholic Review sponsoring pilgrimage to Marian sites in Europe January 15, 2026By Catholic Review Staff Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, Marian Devotion, News Catholic Review Media will coordinate a pilgrimage to Fatima, Lourdes and Barcelona Oct. 25-Nov. 4 to see apparition sites in Portugal and France, as well as Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona.
Rev. King, a Baptist, lived Catholic social justice in ‘extraordinary fashion,’ says cardinal January 15, 2026By Tony Gutierrez The Catholic Sun Filed Under: Bishops, News, Racial Justice, World News The history-making prelate will concelebrate and preach at the Diocese of Phoenix’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mass Jan. 17 at Xavier College Preparatory High School’s Chapel of Our Lady in central Phoenix.
Sister Christina Christie, former Anglican nun who led her community into the Catholic Church, dies at 94 January 15, 2026By George P. Matysek Jr. Catholic Review Filed Under: Consecrated Life, Feature, Local News, News, Obituaries Sister Christina Christie, a former Anglican nun who played a pivotal role in guiding her Catonsville-based women’s religious community into full communion with the Catholic Church, died Dec. 5. She was 94 and had been a member of the Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor for 59 years.
A year after LA wildfires, parishes hit hard by the blaze look to rebuild community January 15, 2026By Pablo Kay Angelus Filed Under: Disaster Relief, News, World News The campus of Corpus Christi Church, which burned to the ground the night of Jan. 7, 2025, is fenced off, the mass of tangled debris now cleaned up. The Christmas lights that hung on the trees at the church’s entrance that night are still there, fused to the charred branches.
