Pope Leo XIV makes surprise visit to pray for peace at the tomb of St. Benedict July 21, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino July 20, where he prayed for peace at the tomb of St. Benedict.
Ukraine remains hopeful for a papal visit, ambassador says July 21, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government’s representative to the Holy See are hopeful that Pope Leo XIV will visit Ukraine despite no firm indication from the Vatican that a visit is in the works.
Attacks on human dignity can never be normalized, say 2 US bishops after deadly ICE shootings July 21, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Two U.S. Catholic bishops are lamenting recent deadly immigration enforcement encounters, calling for God-given human dignity to be respected in every individual.
Lebanon’s cardinal urges prayer, guidance as its president visits the White House July 21, 2026By Dale Gavlak OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Lebanon’s Cardinal Bechara Rai, the patriarch of the country’s Maronite Catholic Church, has urged for prayer and guidance as Lebanese President Joseph Aoun makes a critical visit to the White House July 21 to present President Donald Trump with a plan on how to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
Can’t go to Assisi? Visit a US replica of the tiny church where St. Francis founded order July 20, 2026By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News In Assisi, one of the main pilgrim draws is a tiny church dwarfed by its expansive surroundings, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels near Assisi, Italy.
Women religious sue New York over law they say would force them to assist in patient suicides July 20, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, World News Four orders of women religious and Catholic healthcare ministries sued the state of New York July 17 over a new law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.
Vice president JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance welcome birth of their 4th child July 20, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Second lady Usha Vance gave birth July 19 to the couple’s fourth child, Vice President JD Vance announced on X.
For Gaza Christians, World Cup final offers brief respite from horrors of war July 20, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News Heated rivalries among soccer fans bubbled to the surface in the lead-up to the World Cup Final that ultimately saw Spain clinch a 1-0 victory over Argentina in an intense match. Yet for Christians in Gaza, the final game was a much-needed moment of joy and a reprieve from the hardship and suffering of war.
Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo: God’s kingdom grows in the ‘little things of daily life’ July 20, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Catholics from every inhabited continent gathered in Castel Gandolfo July 19 as Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus prayer from the papal summer palace in the small Italian hill town, where the pope reflected on how the kingdom of God grows through “the little things of daily life.”
Nobel laureates call pope’s encyclical a ‘clarion call’ for prevention of AI-driven nuclear warfare July 17, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: AI, Feature, News, World News Nobel laureates called Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” a “clarion call” and “a giant step forward” for the prevention of AI-driven nuclear warfare as they gathered in Rome July 16 to sign a declaration urging a global treaty banning artificial intelligence from nuclear launch systems.
Faith joins football as Spain and Argentina face off for World Cup title July 17, 2026By Caroline de Sury OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Sports, World News As the July 19 World Cup final approaches, players from two historically Catholic nations can count not only on the prayers of their fans, but also on a rich web of Catholic threads surrounding the showdown between Spain and Argentina.
Catholics offer prayers, express solidarity over 2 ICE shooting deaths in less than a week July 17, 2026By Simone Orendain OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Catholics and immigrant advocacy groups have expressed solidarity and offered prayers in the aftermath of two fatal shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers within less than a week.
