The negotiations on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the first release of hostages to begin Jan. 19 are seen as an “encouraging sign of peace,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

While many people around the world seek a blessing for their animals around the Oct. 4 feast of St. Francis of Assisi, in Italy the traditional date to pray for the protection of one’s pets and livestock is Jan. 17 — the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot.

The chief rabbi of Rome said Christian-Jewish dialogue has been a victim of the war unleashed with the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

During the Holy Year 2025, which is centered on proclaiming a message of hope, Pope Francis told future priests to let hope be the guiding principle of their lives.

A new report confirms OSV News’ previous finding that U.S. Catholic dioceses and eparchies have paid more than $5 billion to settle abuse claims filed over the past two decades — but credible allegations have declined significantly over the same period, with the majority of cases preceding a landmark set of anti-abuse protocols established by the U.S. bishops in 2002.

In the waning days of his single term in the White House, President Joe Biden announced he would bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to Pope Francis.

A new annual report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops identified what it called five areas of critical concern, defined as both threats and opportunities, for religious liberty.

As they grapple with the decisions ahead, clergy and fellow parishioners are mobilizing: Some are consoling evacuees at the shelter, others are transforming nearby churches and schools into hubs of hope.

As news spread of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, reactions from religious leaders in the region expressed hopes for peace in the Holy Land, concern for the safety of hostages as well as the people of the Gaza Strip for the past 15 months.

Amid what a Catholic charity called “unimaginable” suffering of civilians trapped in civil war brutality in Sudan, the United States declared that one of the fighting factions is committing genocide in the country and slapped sanctions on its leader.