Welcome to today’s OSV News showcase!
This week we’ve reported on pro-life laws and lawsuits in Indiana, South Carolina and other states; ongoing crackdowns on the Church in Nicaragua and Belarus; continued relief efforts following the devastating fires in Maui; the GOP presidential debate; India’s Syro-Malabar Church appearing to be on verge of split over the liturgy and more. We’ve also had interesting stories on Jasna Gora (the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa), a ‘hurriquake’ affecting students in California, media reviews, columns and a nice faith formation piece on remaining faithful in prayer despite obstacles.
Keeping up with Catholic issues and matters that affect Catholics is not easy. But our team is excited to cover it all — not only is it fun, but we also learn and grow in our faith from the work that we do, and hope that it helps form, inform and inspire all who read OSV News stories. You can find more of our stories by following us on Facebook, X (aka Twitter) and Instagram, and I’m always happy to hear your story ideas messaged to us on those platforms.
Megan Marley
Digital Editor
Russian occupiers seize Roman Catholic church in Skadovsk in eastern Ukraine
Russian occupiers launched an attack Aug. 22 on St. Teresa of the Child of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in the town of Skadovsk, located in the Kherson region in eastern Ukraine, Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol confirmed on Facebook.
Questions about a prayer’s validity and whether priests can make mistakes
“Can priests be wrong?” and other questions are answered in a weekly Question Corner column by canonist Jenna Marie Cooper.
General who headed Notre Dame Cathedral rebuilding dies at 74 while hiking in mountains
The French army general appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to oversee the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral will not see the reopening of the pearl of France Dec. 8, 2024. Army Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin died Aug. 18 while hiking in the Pyrénées.
Catholic media use is on the upswing
COLUMN: A new survey by the premier Catholic research institution known familiarly as CARA (the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) shows that Catholics are accessing Catholic materials at a significantly higher rate than when the survey was last taken in 2011.
Texas lawsuit demands Planned Parenthood pay back millions in Medicaid funding
A Texas lawsuit is seeking for Planned Parenthood to pay back millions of funds it received through Medicaid, which the abortion provider says could shutter its operations in the state.
Pakistani Catholics in U.S. call for awareness, action after churches destroyed
Pakistani Catholics in the U.S. are calling for international advocacy and action following a devastating Aug. 16 attack on several Christian Churches in Pakistan’s eastern city of Jaranwala.
First Nations leader: ‘No conclusive evidence’ of student graves at residential school, but search for truth continues
A number of Canada’s First Nations have undertaken ground-penetrating radar searches of former residential schools, following the May 2021 GPR-based discovery of 215 potential graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The investigations are part of a broader effort by both Canada and the Catholic Church to reckon with the schools’ troubled legacy.
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany dies at 84, leaving complicated history
Retired Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany died Aug. 19 at age 84 in Albany after having reportedly suffered a major stroke earlier in the week. Once the youngest bishop in the United States, he was known as a staunch advocate of the poor and those struggling with addiction, but in 2019 was relieved of his pastoral duties after accusations of sexual abuse. Earlier this month, he announced that he had been married civilly after the Vatican denied a request for laicization he made last year.
Western Canada wildfires spare churches as blazes consume dozens of houses
Wildfires wreaking devastation across British Columbia and the Northwest Territories of Canada have apparently spared Catholic churches, though the same thing cannot be said for numerous other buildings.
Texas Carmelites insist on Church unity after they rejected bishop’s authority
Cloistered Carmelites in Arlington, Texas, insisted on their continued communion with the Catholic Church Aug. 23 in a statement from their civil attorney, following an Aug. 19 statement from Bishop Michael F. Olson of Fort Worth saying the nuns may have incurred excommunication.
