Christians ‘most persecuted religious community in the world,’ Vatican tells UN March 9, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News The Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva called on governments and international organizations to strengthen religious freedom protections for persecuted Christians.
Catholics are urged to be cautious over new Anglican schism March 9, 2026By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, World News As bishops and archbishops from the worldwide Anglican Communion sever links with England’s first female archbishop of Canterbury, citing her church’s “false teaching,” Catholics are being urged to maintain friendly ties while dropping illusions about future reunification.
Jesus is close by, so just open your eyes, Pope Leo tells young people March 9, 2026By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Every Catholic parish needs to show that Jesus, who promises a just, true and full life, is always near, Pope Leo XIV said.
Pope urges peace, warns about wider Middle East conflict March 9, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the war in Iran and warned that the conflict could drag more countries in the Middle East into instability.
What challenges does protesting present in Christian faith? Minnesota panel tackles topic March 9, 2026By Tim Montgomery The Catholic Spirit Filed Under: Catholic Social Teaching, Immigration and Migration, News, World News A March 5 meeting of legal and other experts at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis considered the topic “Protests and a Christian Response to Government Abuses.”
Visitor breath, sweat and climate change prompt work on Sistine Chapel masterpiece March 8, 2026By Josephine Peterson Catholic News Service Filed Under: Arts & Culture, News, Vatican, World News hen millions of visitors flock to the Sistine Chapel each year, their seemingly invisible breath and sweat are slowly leaving a mark on this Renaissance masterpiece, according to Vatican Museums officials.
Pope Leo XIV names Archbishop Caccia papal ambassador to United States March 7, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia as the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States, selecting a seasoned diplomat to serve as a crucial liaison between Rome and the pope’s home country.
Experts: Debates about Zionism, even by Catholics, often at odds with Catholic understanding March 7, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, Religious Freedom, World News Experts in Jewish-Catholic relations told OSV News that some current public debates about Zionism, including among Catholics, are at odds with the Catholic understanding of the term — which itself has an array of meanings, as does the word “Israel” itself.
Colorado diocesan-sponsored clergy peer support, resiliency program believed to be first in nation March 7, 2026By Sheryl Tirol OSV News Filed Under: News, Vocations, World News When Deacon Ernie Martinez took on his role as director of deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver three years ago, he brought with him an insight few clergy possess: 40 years of experience with the Denver Police Department, where he witnessed firsthand how peer support could save lives.
‘Underbelly of the AI industry’: Panel explores data centers’ ecological, economic impacts March 6, 2026By Kurt Jensen OSV News Filed Under: AI, Environment, News, World News The explosion of massive data centers to handle the increasing generative demands of artificial intelligence have placed high demands on both power and the water used in cooling systems — millions of gallons per day — and low-income communities have typically endured the brunt of the air pollution they create. This was the topic of a March 5 webinar, “The Growing Impacts of Data Centers on Our Neighbors and God’s Creation,” hosted by the Washington-based Catholic Climate Covenant.
Vatican hosted its own mini Paralympics half a century before Games’ official start March 6, 2026By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Sports, Vatican, World News More than 50 years before the first Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome, the Vatican had already hosted what might have been the very first international sporting and gymnastics event with athletes living with disabilities.
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.