OSV News

3 (OSV News) — For the many living through war, displacement and devastating natural disasters, Mary remains a source of hope and maternal consolation, Pope Leo XIV said. After praying the Angelus prayer on the Feast of the Assumption, Aug.

3 (OSV News) — Christians are called to reflect Mary’s authentic beauty, which is revealed through a life of enduring love rather than worldly aesthetic standards, Pope Leo XIV said. Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption Aug. 15, the pope said the artistic depictions of a youthful Mary ascending to heaven stand in stark contrast to the reality of aging that all people experience.

11 Editor’s note: This is the final edition of the Washington Roundup. We are transitioning to a new Washington-based weekly analysis by Kate Scanlon that will provide insight into what is happening at the nexus of the federal government and the Catholic Church’s priorities and concerns. We will be on hiatus the next few weeks as we prepare for the debut of the new format, complete with a new name, after Labor Day. We’re sure you will enjoy it.

7 ORLANDO, Fla. (OSV News) — The future of religious life depends on different congregations, with different charisms, working together like a symphony, the president of the United States’ largest leadership conference for Catholic sisters told the group’s members. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents about two-thirds of the nation’s nearly 35,000 sisters, held its annual assembly Aug. 11-14 in Orlando.

3 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (OSV News) — “Every human life, given by God, is sacred,” Florida’s Catholic bishops told Gov. Ron DeSantis Aug. 13 in urging him to stay the execution of William Silvia and commute his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Silvia, now 61, was convicted June 6, 2008, of first-degree murder for killing his estranged wife, Patricia Silvia, in 2006. He was sentenced to death on Jan. 28, 2009. His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for Aug. 18.

8 (OSV News) — The world must no longer look at the plight of migrants, especially children, as a problem to be managed or quantified, but as a call to protect human rights and dignity, Pope Leo XIV said. “Minors are the most vulnerable group within the global movements of migration. They are concrete faces, who have unique stories, and call on our conscience,” the pope wrote in his message for the Sept. 27 celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

3 (OSV News) — An Australian district court found Bishop Christopher Saunders guilty of committing over a dozen counts of sexual abuse against three young Aboriginal men. According to Australian public broadcaster ABC, Bishop Saunders, 76, was convicted Aug. 13 of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault that were committed while he led the Diocese of Broome. However, he was found not guilty of six other abuse-related charges.

6 (OSV News) — Numismatists take note. The Vatican City State Mint has issued a new set of coins to mark Pope Leo XIV‘s pontificate and the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi. The inaugural euro coin set of Pope Leo’s pontificate features both the face and coat of arms of the 267th successor of Peter.

1 This Sunday, one thing becomes clear: God really doesn’t check passports or papers. That is one of the messages of this Sunday’s scripture, and it couldn’t be more timely or provocative. In our polarized world — a world divided by nationalities and religions, raging at each other with drones and missile strikes, seeking to expel foreigners and build walls — these readings offer another way. Here is a way of mercy and acceptance and a love that knows no borders.

10 WASHINGTON (OSV News) — History shows that postliberal governments will always fail and will often leave the Church with a public perception issue in their wake, the authors of a new book argue. In “Why Postliberalism Failed,” a title alluding to 2018’s “Why Liberalism Failed” by Patrick J. Deneen, co-authors James M. Patterson and Thomas D. Howes said the postliberal ideology requires serious scrutiny.