From a message that “dread is not of God” to a “pilgrimage of hope,” several hundred Catholic sisters and guests gathered in downtown Atlanta for the annual assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, said his visit to the Holy Land was intended as a gesture of solidarity with the local Christian community and a demonstration of support for “all the friends of peace.”

Jesus’ love and forgiveness do not deny the truth of pain and betrayal, but they do prevent evil from having the last word, Pope Leo XIV said.

Pope Leo XIV asked Catholics to observe Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting for peace and justice, particularly in Ukraine and in the Holy Land.

Six pro-life activists, a majority of them Catholics including two recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, are now facing state charges for a July 31 Red Rose Rescue abortion clinic “rescue” in Upland, Pa., near Philadelphia, that temporarily disrupted its activities.

The Uruguay bishops’ conference expressed sadness after the country’s lower house of Congress approved a bill decriminalizing euthanasia.

Pope Leo XIV has named Father Ralph O’Donnell as the new bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri, four months after then-Bishop W. Shawn McKnight was named archbishop of Kansas City, Kan.

Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace of Mentorella, high in the Monti Prenestini mountain range of central Italy.

President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation of European leaders Aug. 18 following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin a few days prior as he seeks a resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Some pregnancy centers hope to use those new strategies and services to reach women impacted by state laws that limit or ban abortion or by the recent federal law that cuts funding for Planned Parenthood.