Spain Is Ready for Pope Leo, CRS Fights Ebola, Texas Priest Sentenced to Life in Prison, and More

Spain Is Ready for Pope Leo, CRS Fights Ebola, Texas Priest Sentenced to Life in Prison, and More

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368316/fan_mail/new] Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for June 4, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com. Read the stories in this episode: * Spain is preparing a warm and unmistakably Catholic welcome for Pope Leo XIV as the first U.S.-born pope makes his inaugural visit to the country June 6-12. [https://www.osvnews.com/flowers-stadiums-banderas-and-jamon-spain-is-ready-to-welcome-pope-leo-xiv/] * Pope Leo XIV is heading to Barcelona to inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the famed Sagrada Familia basilica [https://www.osvnews.com/sagrada-familias-papal-connection-comes-full-circle-with-pope-leo-xiv/].  * Father Anthony Odiong, a priest from Nigeria with the Austin Diocese, was sentenced to life in prison for sexually preying upon women he was spiritually advising. [https://www.osvnews.com/priest-gets-life-in-prison-in-texas-for-sexual-abuse-of-women-under-his-spiritual-care/] * As international health officials warn the Ebola outbreak in central Africa had a "big head start," Catholic Relief Services, the overseas relief and development arm of the Catholic Church in the U.S., is among the groups seeking to stop the spread of Ebola [https://www.osvnews.com/absence-of-usaid-misinformation-are-among-key-challenges-as-crs-fights-ebola-spread/]. * Pope Leo XIV is encouraging Catholics to continue the public witness of faith expressed through Eucharistic processions as the Church prepares to celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, known as Corpus Christi. [https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-keep-beautiful-witness-of-corpus-christi-processions-alive/]

Pope Leo's Spain Visit, AI in Healthcare, and a Minnesota Missionary's Path to Sainthood

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368316/fan_mail/new] Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for June 3, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com [https://www.osvnews.com/]. Read the stories in this episode: 1. As Pope Leo XIV prepares to land in Madrid this Friday, Spanish Catholics and Church leaders are hoping his visit — to a nation still polarized by Civil War wounds — will carry a powerful message of reconciliation, forgiveness and unity rooted in Christian witness. [https://www.osvnews.com/spaniards-hope-pope-leos-visit-promotes-reconciliation-amid-civil-war-wounds/] 2. As Senate Republicans push a $72 billion immigration enforcement bill, Bishop Brendan Cahill of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration urged lawmakers to protect migrant family unity, prevent enforcement at houses of worship, and pass the Religious Workforce Protection Act. [https://www.osvnews.com/dhs-chief-pushes-for-more-immigration-enforcement-funds-as-us-bishops-urge-key-reforms/] 3. A Catholic medical ethicist says Pope Leo XIV's AI encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" carries urgent lessons for healthcare, where systems are aggressively adopting artificial intelligence that lacks the prudential judgment needed to treat the whole human person with dignity. [https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-encyclical-on-ai-shows-need-for-humanity-in-healthcare-says-expert/] 4. The U.S. bishops will take a key step this month toward advancing the sainthood cause of Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh, a Slovenian-born missionary priest who spent decades serving Native American and Slovenian communities in northeastern Minnesota and is venerated as the "Patriarch of the Diocese of Duluth." [https://www.osvnews.com/meet-the-amazing-missionary-priest-who-could-be-one-of-minnesotas-first-saints/] 5. Continuing his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Pope Leo XIV told thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square that the rites and symbols of Catholic worship are not arbitrary ceremonies but the essential means through which believers encounter God and are formed in faith. [https://www.osvnews.com/liturgical-rites-and-symbols-reveal-gods-presence-pope-leo-says/]

Montse Alvarado named Vatican Communications Prefect, Black Catholics React to Papal Slavery Apology, and Pope Leo's Prayer for Sports

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368316/fan_mail/new] Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for June 2, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com [https://www.osvnews.com/]. Read the stories in this episode: 1. Pope Leo XIV has named EWTN News president Montse Alvarado as prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, making her the first laywoman and youngest person ever to lead a Roman Curia dicastery when she assumes the role on November 1st. [https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-xiv-names-ewtns-montse-alvarado-as-prefect-of-vatican-dicastery-for-communication/] 2. Black Catholic leaders are welcoming Pope Leo XIV's apology for the Church's role in slavery — included in his first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" — while calling on the Church to move beyond acknowledgment toward concrete action and healing. [https://www.osvnews.com/popes-slavery-apology-proper-and-just-says-bishop-who-heads-national-black-catholic-congress/] 3. With the FIFA World Cup kicking off June 11th in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Pope Leo XIV dedicated his June prayer intention to sport as an instrument of peace, fraternity and cross-cultural encounter rather than rivalry or division. [https://www.osvnews.com/as-world-cup-approaches-pope-leos-june-prayer-intention-is-for-sport-to-foster-peace-and-encounter/] 4. When Pope Leo XIV visits Pavia, Italy on June 20th to venerate Saint Augustine's remains, he will make a meaningful detour to the birthplace of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini — a stop that reflects both popes' deep, shared compassion for migrants and refugees. [https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-xivs-common-ministry-with-mother-cabrini-a-heart-for-migrants-and-refugees/] 5. The U.S. Catholic bishops have released a bilingual 15-page prayer service honoring America's immigrants, refugees and the enslaved as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, structured as a Liturgy of the Word and closing with a call to advocate for just and humane immigration reform. [https://www.osvnews.com/us-bishops-release-prayer-service-commemorating-immigrants-enslaved-with-call-to-action/]

Pope Leo on Archbishop Sheen, Texas Priest Guilty of Sex Crimes, Faith and the FIFA World Cup, and More

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368316/fan_mail/new] Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for June 1, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com [https://www.osvnews.com/]. Read the stories in this episode: * Pope Leo XIV on June 1 praised Venerable Fulton J. Sheen as "a light of faith, hope, and love" whose pioneering radio and television broadcasts brought the Gospel to millions of Americans, including the pope himself as a child. [https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-calls-archbishop-fulton-sheen-a-light-of-faith-who-touched-millions-with-the-gospel/]  * Several hundred people gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington May 30 to join Pope Leo XIV in a worldwide rosary for peace, seek Mary's intercession to bring peace to the hearts of people and peace to nations at war.  [https://www.osvnews.com/faithful-join-in-rosary-for-peace-in-washington-as-pope-leads-the-marian-devotion-for-world/] * A Catholic priest from Nigeria has been found guilty by a Texas court of sexually abusing several women under his spiritual care, a felony crime in that state. [https://www.osvnews.com/catholic-priest-found-guilty-of-sexually-abusing-women-under-his-spiritual-care-in-texas/] * Pope Leo XIV's first stop in Spain June 6 at a Caritas center for persons experiencing homelessness will send a clear message about his priorities.  [https://www.osvnews.com/first-stop-for-pope-leo-in-spain-will-be-center-that-gives-royal-treatment-to-homeless/] * Catholic dioceses across the United States are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, viewing the global tournament as both a major pastoral opportunity and a unique moment of international encounter.  [https://www.osvnews.com/us-dioceses-see-world-cup-as-opportunity-for-pastoral-outreach-global-encounter/]

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Pope Leo Slavery Apology, Relics for Sacred Heart Consecration Coming to US, and More

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2368316/fan_mail/new] Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 29, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com [https://www.osvnews.com/]. Read the stories in this episode: * After a Pentecost launch, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage marks its first full weekend with events in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina. [https://www.osvnews.com/national-eucharistic-pilgrimage-commemorates-catholic-history-along-south-atlantic-coast/] * An AI ethics expert says Catholics may have more power than they realize in shaping the future of artificial intelligence.  [https://www.osvnews.com/can-catholics-as-consumers-drive-a-better-ai-future/] * The Knights of Peter Claver, one of the Catholic Church's largest historically Black Catholic lay fraternal organizations, said it "offers its full support" for Pope Leo XIV's acknowledgment of the Church's role in slavery.  [https://www.osvnews.com/knights-of-peter-claver-express-full-support-for-pope-leo-slavery-apology/] * Christians in Lebanon are facing a growing humanitarian crisis as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues and the country’s economic collapse deepens. [https://www.osvnews.com/church-aid-leader-lebanese-christians-dont-want-mere-survival-they-want-to-truly-live/] * The relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French Visitation sister who experienced visions of Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart, will be present with the U.S. bishops in Orlando, Florida, when they consecrate the United States to Jesus' Sacred Heart June 11. [https://www.osvnews.com/relics-of-sister-to-whom-jesus-appeared-showing-his-sacred-heart-will-come-to-the-u-s-in-june/]