The Holy See’s mission to the U.N. urged planners to include homeless people in sustainable-city policy. Its message said housing supports security, family life and participation, while homelessness restricts fundamental rights.
Pope Leo XIV told NBC News that he puts his mission as pastor of the universal Church before his American identity. The pope said his family includes immigrants, enslaved people and slave owners. He hopes to visit the United States soon, but no date is set.
Pope Leo XIV will visit Assisi on August 6 for the Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting. He will meet participants at 8:45 a.m. and answer three of their questions. He will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels at 10:30 a.m.
Archbishop John Charles Wester of Santa Fe supported a Muslim group’s plan to build a mosque near Albuquerque. He said religious freedom extends to Muslims, Jews and all people. The county planning commission approved the mosque in a 5-1 vote but rejected its proposed school.
Father James DeGrassa posted an AI-generated image of himself with LeBron James to promote Mass, and it reached 4 million people. He removed it after calls flooded the parish office.
Uganda — The High Court in Entebbe sentenced Father Dominic Alinga after he pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder. The court imposed terms of 21 years and 10 years to run concurrently and ordered compensation for the surviving victim. The Diocese of Moroto suspended Father Alinga in 2024.
Indonesia. Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden rejected geothermal development in Flores, saying residents’ and priests’ accounts linked exploration to damaged farmland and coffee plants. The Archdiocese of Ende said it will seek judicial review of three government decisions. A ministry official had not responded to Tempo.
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a pastoral letter opposing capital punishment before the state executed two inmates on Tuesday. It was Florida’s first double execution since 1964. The state had carried out 12 executions in 2026 by Tuesday, more than any other state.
OSV News offers an entry guide to six 20th-century Christian authors: G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Graham Greene and Flannery O’Connor. It outlines their approaches to faith and recommends accessible works for readers who know only their reputations or famous books.
A Pakistani court gave custody of 13-year-old Christian Amber Nadeem to Mohsin Liaqat, who is accused of abducting her, forcing her to convert and coercing her into marriage, rights advocate Joseph Janssen said. The judge also granted Liaqat bail after Amber said she had converted and married voluntarily. Janssen said a court-ordered medical age examination was still pending.
UN experts urged Iran to return St Peter’s Evangelical Church compound in Tehran after 27 Armenian and Assyrian Christian residents were evicted. They said 20 families had two weeks to leave; the final resident departed July 12. The experts called the seizure part of a long pattern against Iran’s Christian community and urged authorities to let residents and the congregation return.
Talitha Kum reached 1.21 million people in 2025 through trafficking prevention, survivor protection and other programs. The network led by Catholic sisters reported a 29.6% increase from 2024. Its prevention work reached 262,621 children under 18.
Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo said the diocese is preparing to open a canonization cause for Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. He said her writing joins spiritual themes with realistic lives and noted interest in her example beyond Norway. Bishop Hansen hopes the first administrative steps will be taken in the fall.
A group of 15 pilgrims walked for a week from Berkåk to St. Olaf’s shrine at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. The Norwegian national Catholic youth association has helped revive the route since 2002. The pilgrimage included daily Mass, adoration and prayer along the trail. National Catholic Register
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is taking Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica humanitas on his summer break. The encyclical argues for rigorous ethical constraints on artificial intelligence. The Guardian
Shaw University Divinity School plans to launch an AI doctorate in moral agency in January. Chris Meinzer of the Association of Theological Schools said it would be the network’s first master’s- or doctoral-level AI degree. Associated Press
Thank you for spending part of your morning with me. See you tomorrow.
Paweł Szczabel
Editor, CatholicNews
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