Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich knows what it’s like to be in a strange land, without a home. OSV News recently spoke with the Italian-American — who has become famous as a television host, author and restaurateur — about her own experiences as an Italian immigrant fleeing communism in the former Yugoslavia, and her current work as a board member for Jesuit Refugee Services/USA.

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics to join him in praying for Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East.

The Vatican reported that it ended 2024 with a 1.6-million-euro surplus ($1.85 million) compared to a deficit of 51.2 million euros ($59.3 million) in 2023.

Thanksgiving is a “beautiful feast” that reminds everyone to be grateful for the gifts they have been given, Pope Leo XIV said.

A “sickness” that is widespread in the world is not believing in the meaning and beauty of life, and, consequently, lacking the courage to live and to generate life, Pope Leo XIV said.

Congressional Republicans are demanding a “robust” investigation of federal safety standards and health risks connected to mifepristone, a pill commonly, but not exclusively, used for early abortion.

Facing east toward the altar of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, Deacon Roy Callison burned cedar as his wife, Susan, recited the first of the four invocations in the Prayer in the Four Directions, a traditional spiritual practice rooted in Indigenous culture.

The foundation of sacramental marriage is the unity of the spouses, a bond so intense and grace-filled that it is exclusive and indissoluble, said a document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

On the World Day of the Poor, Nov. 16,the bishops released “Our Daily Bread: Food Security and the Call to Solidarity,” a 10-page pastoral letter issued through the conference’s Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace.

A stakeholder — and next owner — of the Chicago White Sox baseball team said Pope Leo XIV told him that he’d “love to” throw a season opening first pitch in the future — “schedule permitting.”