Approximately two dozen Catholics held a prayer service July 24 outside headquarters for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. The gathering was intended to protest actions taken by the agency under the Trump administration that Catholics say devalue human life and the environment. (Catholic Climate Covenant)

Catholic groups urge EPA to halt actions that devalue human life, God's creation

News

Catholics also delivered a letter with more than 2,440 signatures, including from one bishop and 506 women religious, outlining EPA actions they viewed as "deeply concerning" and urging the agency to change course.

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In Focus

As a migrant bishop in Peru, Leo made immigration advocacy a priority in his diocese

As pope, Leo has repeatedly shown himself willing to stick his neck out in defense of migrants. But he spent years confronting his own migration crisis as bishop of the rural diocese of Chiclayo in northern Peru.

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Most Read Stories

Pope Leo XIV greets residents of a home for the elderly run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Istanbul during his visit Nov. 28, 2025. (OSV News/Vatican Media/Catholic Press Photo)

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5 ways to take care of your elders, according to Pope Leo

The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is "an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all," the pontiff wrote.

ByMegan Marley, OSV News

#2
Catholic Scouting in US has new name, same adventurous mission

OSV News spoke with Catholic Scouting America's national chairman, Bill Guglielmi, to learn more about the fresh identity and the lasting value of Scouting membership.

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#3
How JD Vance and Bishop Barron reduce Catholicism to philosophy — and what they miss

There is a Catholicism that remains largely invisible not only in JD Vance's memoir Communion, but also in Bishop Robert Barron's recent conversation with the vice president about his faith.

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#4
Replica of the Virgin Mary's house draws Catholic devotees in the Philippines

#5
He pleaded guilty to murder. As he awaits execution, Catholic supporters say he's changed.

#6
SSPX excommunication hasn't stopped Boston church from defying the Vatican

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An AI data center is being built on my grandma's garden

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Your letters: The SSPX and treatment of transgender issues

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Letters to the editor: NCR readers respond to stories about the Priestly Society of St. Pius X and transgender issues in public life. 

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Podcast: 'Racism has injured us all,' says racial healing leader Catherine Meeks

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In this 2017 file photo, people in New York City carry the U.S. flag. (CNS/Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Religious ignorance is as problematic as anti-religious bias

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The Washington Post compiled a list of the 25 most influential works of culture in U.S. history. Perusing the list, you would have no idea that religion has been a consistently important cultural force in the U.S.

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Pope Leo XIV greets American singer-songwriter, poet, and artist, Patti Smith during a private audience at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace July 31, 2026. (OSV News/Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti)

Pope Leo meets rock icon Patti Smith at the Vatican

Smith, 79, was in Rome to perform a show in the city's Circus Maximus on July 27. Although she does not consider herself Catholic, the rock legend wore a Franciscan Tau cross during her audience with the pope.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, is pictured in a 2022 file photo. (OSV News/Reuters/Marko Djurica)

Vatican liturgy chief says Pope Leo will not overturn Latin Mass restrictions

"Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis Custodes," said Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in an interview with The Tablet published July 29.

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Pope Leo XIV speaks at the "Canticle of Peace" event in the Vatican Gardens in Castel Gandolfo on the evening of July 29, 2026, featuring a performance by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and a 164-member children's choir. (OSV News/Vatican Media/Matteo Pernaselci)

Pope Leo hints at US trip, reflects on migrant roots in rare interview

After July 29's "Concert for Peace," NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas asked the pontiff about the importance of being American. "I think of myself more as the pope who happens to be American," he responded.  

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San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is pictured in a 2024 file photo. (OSV News/Courtesy of Archdiocese of San Francisco)
Vatican News

Pope Leo appoints conservative San Francisco archbishop to Vatican tribunal

As Pope Leo XIV continues to rearrange Vatican personnel, his appointment of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone on July 25 to the microstate's highest court was yet another eye-catching move.

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EarthBeat

Approximately two dozen Catholics held a prayer service July 24 outside headquarters for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. The gathering was intended to protest actions taken by the agency under the Trump administration that Catholics say devalue human life and the environment. (Catholic Climate Covenant)

Catholic groups urge EPA to halt actions that devalue human life, God's creation

Catholics also delivered a letter with more than 2,440 signatures, including from one bishop and 506 women religious, outlining EPA actions they viewed as "deeply concerning" and urging the agency to change course.

'A deal with the devil': Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas

Some see the facilities' construction as a sign of the apocalypse, while others see it as an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship. 

ByChloe Landen, Ellie Ashby, Religion News Service

Texas lawmaker introduces bill to protect Mount Cristo Rey from border wall construction

The Mount Cristo Rey Protection Act would prevent the federal government from constructing border security infrastructure around the prominent Catholic pilgrimage site overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border.

ByCamillo Barone
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An AI data center is being built on my grandma's garden

When Liam Myers' grandma sold her house last year, she didn't know it was to an AI data center developer. Now, her grandson wrestles with the loss — and what it means to remember.

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Book Reviews

New book by feminist theologian takes on clericalism, racism and the work of repair

The Wounded Church develops what Annie Selak describes as a "feminist ecclesiology of injury," an approach that begins with lived experiences of harm rather than idealized visions of what the church ought to be.

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Pop culture’s 'reverent irreverence': Irony, sincerity and religion

The artistic phenomenon of irony collapsing into sincerity is being interpreted by some as a way for younger generations to grapple with ritual, meaning and authenticity, even as participation in organized religion in the United States has dropped dramatically in recent decades.

ByKrysta Fauria, Associated Press, Religion News Service
Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena appear in a scene from "The Odyssey," by director Christopher Nolan. (OSV News/Universal/Melinda Sue Gordon)

Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' demands we consider the cost of war

Nolan's film is fundamentally about how war changes everyone; when dehumanization and murder is institutionalized, social morals disappear. 

ByEmma Cieslik
Bible in a Year Family Edition

'Bible in a Year' podcast announces upcoming 'Family Edition' with Black Catholic priest Josh Johnson

A new podcast encouraging biblical literacy for youth is set to launch in 2027 with one of the nation's most prominent young Black Catholic priests.

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Spiritual lessons from World Cup penalty kicks

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Columns

'Ultreia et suseia': Camino wisdom is for us all

Horizons - "I am amazed by the wisdom of a heart stretched and sustained all along the way," says Colleen Gibson. "I marvel too at the way that this wisdom is not only for the one who walks. It is for us all."

Public demonstrations led by sisters are part of Talitha Kum's education and public awareness efforts. The sister-led anti-trafficking network operates in 113 countries. (Courtesy of Talitha Kum)

Anti-trafficking network of nuns, Talitha Kum, reached 1.2M in 2025

With expanded prevention, survivor protection, access to justice, advocacy and international partnerships, Talitha Kum said it reached 30% more people last year.

ByChris Herlinger
Sr. Anna Huynh Thi Binh receives treatment at Hue Traditional Medicine Hospital on May 23, 2026. (Joachim Pham)

Catholic nuns in Vietnam confront burnout as ministry workloads threaten their health

The country's cultural and spiritual equation of endurance with virtue leaves many sisters ill-equipped to recognize — much less act on — their own needs, says Sr. Mary Ly Thi Bich Quyen.

ByJoachim Pham

Nuns coordinate to rebuild hope after double earthquake in Venezuela

Religious sisters are working with Venezuela's religious conference, Caritas and others to provide food, supplies and support.

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