Churches, temples become emergency camps in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka December 4, 2025By OSV News UCA News Filed Under: Disaster Relief, News, World News Churches and temples in Sri Lanka have been turned into emergency relief camps for thousands left stranded by Cyclone Ditwah, which brought heavy rains, flooding and landslides across the island nation.
New coalition aims to end capital punishment as executions increase but public support wanes December 3, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News Despite an uptick in executions in the U.S. in 2025, opponents of the death penalty lauded decreases in new death sentences and waning public support for the practice during comments at a Dec. 3 press event announcing a new coalition called the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty.
Pope Leo’s childhood home in Chicago suburb now a historic landmark December 3, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home just outside of Chicago has been declared a historic landmark.
Ukraine’s religious leaders warn Russia will attack Europe if not halted, held accountable December 3, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: News, War in Ukraine, World News As Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians accompany U.S.-brokered peace talks that as of Dec. 3 produced no breakthrough, Ukraine’s religious leaders warn that failure to halt Russia and hold it accountable will expand the war to Europe.
Unity, dialogue, respect: On first trip, pope highlights paths to peace December 3, 2025By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Spending time with Catholics, other Christian leaders and top Muslim clerics in Turkey Nov. 27-Nov. 30 and Lebanon Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the pope made formal speeches about how believing in God as the father of all means recognizing one another as brothers and sisters.
Buffalo bishop calls nation, Christians to ‘do better’ in upholding migrants’ dignity December 3, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Bishops, Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News A New York state bishop, who is a Baltimore native, has echoed a recent call from the nation’s Catholic bishops to respect God-given human dignity, regardless of immigration status.
Situation in Gaza remains ‘critical’ despite peace plan, say Catholic leaders December 3, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News As Pope Leo XIV urged in Turkey Nov. 27 that “the future of humanity is at stake” with ongoing conflict in the Middle East and days after a United Nations Security Council endorsement of a U.S.-backed peace plan, Catholic leaders warn that conditions in Gaza remain grave, especially as winter approaches.
Pope Leo is first pontiff to go to St. Charbel’s tomb; visit is source of ‘great joy’ for Lebanon December 3, 2025By Isabella H. de Carvalho OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, Vatican, World News On the second leg of his apostolic journey that took him to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV prayed at the tomb of St. Charbel on Dec. 1.
Supreme Court weighs appeal from New Jersey faith-based pregnancy centers December 2, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News The Supreme Court on Dec. 2 heard oral arguments in an appeal from a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey challenging an investigation by that state’s attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and seeking information about their donors.
Pope tells reporters dialogue is always the answer to tense situations December 2, 2025By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, Vatican, World News At the end of his first foreign trip as pope, a trip focused on dialogue, Pope Leo XIV said the examples of friendship and respect he had seen could be a helpful example for people in North America and Europe, too.
Catholic advocates raise alarm at Trump’s call to ‘pause’ migration from ‘Third World Countries’ December 2, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News President Donald Trump said in a series of social media posts on Thanksgiving Day that he will “permanently pause” all immigration from what he called “Third World Countries,” prompting concern from Catholic immigration advocates.
U.S. bishops award over $7 million in grants to home missions, thanks to nation’s Catholics December 2, 2025By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Bishops, Missions, News, World News Dozens of “home mission dioceses” across the nation have received much-needed financial support, provided by the generosity of U.S. Catholics through an annual collection.
