‘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.
Don’t let painful past overshadow hopeful future, pope tells Barcelona inmates June 10, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Amid the loneliness and despair of life behind bars, God continues to love and encourage the imprisoned to not let the sorrows of their past deter them from the hope of a better future, Pope Leo XIV told prisoners in Barcelona.
US bishops thank pope for encyclical and shining ‘light of Gospel’ on AI, tech advances June 10, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: AI, Feature, News, Vatican, World News The U.S. bishops in a message to Pope Leo XIV June 10 thanked him for his new encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” and for shining “the light of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church on the new opportunities and challenges posed by the rise” of artificial intelligence and “emerging technologies.”
Pope Leo XIV arrives in Barcelona on eve of Gaudí’s 100th death anniversary June 10, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Nearly 100 years after the death of “God’s architect” Antoni Gaudí, Pope Leo XIV arrived in Barcelona on June 9 for a two-day visit to the Catalan capital that will culminate in the inauguration of the crowning tower of his unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, or Basilica of the Holy Family.
Pope Leo XIV briefly meets Bad Bunny in Madrid June 9, 2026By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV met the Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny in Madrid June 8, after joking days earlier that he would be vying against the singer for Spaniards’ attention as their tours in Spain’s capital overlapped.
Christian harassment cases rise in Israel as advocates urge victims to report incidents June 9, 2026By Judith Sudilovsky OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News There has been a sharp rise in reported harassment against Christians in Israel, according to new data presented June 4 by the Religious Freedom Data Center.
Lego announces new set designed after Spain’s Sagrada Família basilica June 9, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News To commemorate the centennial year of the death of famed architect Antoni Gaudí, who designed Spain’s Sagrada Família basilica, The Lego Group announced June 4 the release of a new model kit of the church, calling it one of the world’s “most recognizable and ambitious” buildings.
Pope helps celebrate joy of being human, seeking truth, embracing wounds June 9, 2026By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News At the start of his fourth trip abroad, Pope Leo XIV humbly predicted that young Spaniards would more likely attend shows scheduled on the same days as his visit starring a fellow-American, Bad Bunny, who has the most audio streams in the world.
In Washington, National Eucharistic Pilgrimage includes national blessing, downtown procession June 8, 2026By Mark Zimmermann OSV News Filed Under: America's 250th anniversary, Eucharist, Feature, News, World News While flashy events are planned in the U.S. capital for the Independence Day weekend, a prayerful commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary unfolded June 5-6 as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage came to Washington to renew and deepen faith in Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Pope Leo highlights faith’s role in Europe’s soul as he shares stage with Antonio Banderas June 8, 2026By Ines San Martin OSV News Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Hours after celebrating Mass for an estimated 1.5 million people and leading a Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Madrid, Pope Leo XIV found himself in a very different setting.
US State Department awards CRS a disaster response assistance grant June 8, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News The U.S. Department of State announced June 5 that a $240 million grant in humanitarian and disaster response assistance, the first of a series of such grants, will be made to Catholic Relief Services, the overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic Church.
Pope Leo XIV calls defense of life the measure of a nation’s moral greatness in landmark parliament speech June 8, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Vatican, World News In a sweeping address to the Spanish parliament, Pope Leo XIV delivered a forceful defense of the dignity of every human life, declaring that its protection is not a partisan issue but “a goal of civilization,” while addressing the issues of abortion, migration, freedom of conscience, the seal of confession and the Church’s role in public life.
