Pope Leo XIV blessed five statues of Mary that refugees evicted from their islands in order to build a major U.S. military base plan to place in the chapels they hope to restore when they return to their homelands.

Colombia’s bishops expressed their outrage after at least 18 people died and more than 40 were injured after two attacks in Colombia attributed to different dissident factions of the former FARC guerrilla group.

When Jesus described the path to salvation as a “narrow gate,” he was not placing limits on God’s mercy but was challenging people who were convinced they had done enough to be saved, Pope Leo XIV said.

Marking Ukraine’s Independence Day, Pope Leo XIV pledged his prayers for the Ukrainian people in a message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and encouraged Catholics to respond to Ukrainian religious leaders’ request for prayers for peace Aug. 24.

Catholic legislators are called to enact laws that reflect love of God and love of neighbor, Pope Leo XIV told an international group of lawmakers.

Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Neb., expressed concern Aug. 22 about “safeguarding human dignity” of detainees after the state’s governor announced plans for a migrant detention center dubbed “Cornhusker Clink.”

The beatification cause for Sister Annella Zervas, a Benedictine sister from Minnesota, will formally begin this fall, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., announced Aug. 20.

A new statue depicting Blessed Carlo Acutis is a message that conveys to the world that the Catholic Church is not an old institution but a young and vibrant church with a relevant message for today’s culture, said the statue’s sculptor.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops on Aug. 21 said it sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., asking him to stay the Aug. 28 scheduled execution of Curtis Windom and commute his sentence to life imprisonment without parole.

Even as Christians continue the dialogue aimed at restoring their unity, they are called to work together to bring peace and reconciliation to a deeply divided world, Pope Leo XIV said.