As the Sisters of Christian Charity watched the white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel in Rome May 8 and awaited the appearance of the new pope on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, they had no idea they had played a vital role in his early formation.

A ban by President Donald Trump that fully or partly restricts travel to the U.S. by nationals from several countries has prompted anxiety and uncertainty among Catholic immigration advocates — and for one priest, the ban means he won’t be able to see his family for the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 5 unanimously ruled in favor of the Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, which had asked the high court to overturn a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court the agency argued discounted its religious identity.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors hopes to deliver a “Universal Guidelines Framework for Safeguarding” to Pope Leo XIV later this year, the commission said.

Some of the steps the Trump administration has taken toward secular universities could also have long-term implications for religious universities and organizations, analysts told OSV News.

The Council of Nicaea 1,700 years ago recognized that Christian unity had to be based on a common faith and should be demonstrated by a common celebration of Easter, the most sacred feast of the Christian year, said speakers at a Rome conference.

Because of its universal character and outlook, the Catholic Church can be a driving force for building communion between the church of Rome and the local churches as well as fostering friendly relationships in the world community, Pope Leo XIV told members of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

One thing seems certain about the exorcism-themed movie “The Ritual” (XYZ); it is not intended as the first installment in a franchise.

New data shows that the number of immigrants lacking permanent legal status in the U.S. “is much lower than the Trump administration claims,” and “talk of an invasion is overblown,” said J. Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy and communications at the Center for Migration Studies of New York.

As Pope Leo XIV highlights the need for interreligious dialogue and diplomacy, religious liberty in Russia continues to decline, with the U.S. International Religious Freedom Commission citing that nation’s intensified use of blasphemy laws to silence freedom of expression.