“Demilitarize Education,” reads a large banner at the entrance to the encampment at the heart of the Columbia University campus in New York City, where for the past two weeks more than 200 students have pitched nearly 50 tents, creating a small village. With food and drink donations coming in from all over the city, historical and cultural debates on the Israeli-Gaza war, music, dance, a tent used for prayer and one as the first aid center, the pro-Palestinian students do not intend to de-occupy the campus until their demands are met by President Minouche Shafik. According to the encampment ..read more

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Pope Francis would participate in a G7 “outreach” discussion on artificial intelligence when the leaders of the world’s leading industrialized nations countries meet in southern Italy in mid-June. “This is the first time a Pontiff is participating in the work of the Group of Seven and this can only bring prestige to Italy and the entire @G7,” Meloni wrote on X April 26 in a posting that included a video announcement. Meloni, U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, along with top o ..read more

Given the Vatican’s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Meanwhile, on Monday, German diocesan bishops approved the statutes for a synodal committee; and there are reports that the synodal committee will meet again in June. Four German bishops on Wednesday distanced themselves from the controversial Synodal Way’s plans for a permanent body to oversee the Church in Germany, instead appealing for unity with the universal Church.  The four bishops are the same who have previously blocked funding for ..read more

Reports on Israeli television suggest Israel is expected to begin evacuating civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground attack. By Nathan Morley According to Kan TV, the evacuation will start soon, pending final approval by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The UN has cautioned that any ground operation in Rafah would have shattering consequences for civilians. Last month, Netanyahu approved plans to move into Rafah; however, a final execution order has not been issued. The city was, until recently, viewed as a safe zone from the Israeli bombings, and houses about 1.3 million displace ..read more

In response to the public health emergency due to the dengue virus, Archbishop Roberto O. González Nieves of San Juan, Puerto Rico, called on the faithful to take action and “be instruments of everyone’s right to health.” The archbishop made the call in a pastoral letter published April 11. Puerto Rico’s secretary of the Department of Health declared the public health emergency March 25. “This emergency declaration, in a singular way, concerns all of us in the Church,” González wrote, saying that the church must respond to prevent the disease. “We want to make ..read more

Britain’s Catholic Church has condemned a government-backed law allowing migrants in the country illegally to be forcibly deported to Rwanda in East Africa. “We retain deep misgivings” about the bill “for the precedent it sets at home and for other countries in how we respond to the most vulnerable. This includes victims of modern slavery and children wrongly assessed as adults,” the church’s lead bishop for migrants and refugees, Auxiliary Bishop Paul McAleenan of Westminster said in a joint April 23 statement with the Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, and along with chu ..read more

Louisiana State Police executed a search warrant on the Archdiocese of New Orleans April 25 for documents related to a widening investigation into how the archdiocese has handled allegations of clerical sex abuse. Louisiana State Police Trooper Jacob Pucheu, public information officer, told OSV News by email that the search took place “during a meeting with representatives and counsel for the Archdiocese of New Orleans” and the state police’s special victims unit investigators. “The Archdiocese is actively cooperating with investigators and the terms of the sea ..read more

The baby girl who was brought into the world thanks to an emergency cesarean delivery while her mother died from injuries inflicted by Israeli bombs, has herself died. About 15,000 children have died in Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip. By Francesca Sabatinelli Baby Sabreen Jouda lived for only five days; her immune system was too weak to survive. Despite the efforts of the doctors, the baby passed away and now rests buried next to her mother, who was killed in Israeli bombings, along with her husband and their other three-year-old daughter. “She has joined her family as a martyr,” repeat ..read more

Families, donors, and others gather with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier for the dedication of the “Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum” at the San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida, on April 23, 2024. / Credit: Fran Ruchalski/courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Augustine CNA Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 09:51 am (CNA). Families gathered with St. Augustine Bishop Erik Pohlmeier on a sunny Tuesday this week for the dedication of the “Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum” at the city’s San Lorenzo Cemetery. Six years in the making, the 44,000-pound granite mausoleum is designed for babies lost at a young age through m ..read more

Pope Francis will take part in the upcoming G7 session on Artificial Intelligence under Italy’s presidency of the group. By Vatican News The Holy See Press Office on Friday confirmed that Pope Francis will intervene in the G7 Summit in Italy’s southern Puglia region in the session devoted to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The confirmation of the Holy Father’s participation in the Summit, which will take place from June 13 to 15 at Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, follows the announcement made by Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. “This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participa ..read more