OSV News The president of the U.S. bishops’ conference called for a special collection to bolster the Catholic Church’s response to a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war continues to grind on. In a letter to his brother bishops, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic […]
OSV Editorial Board: Starvation in Gaza must end
Commentary War always brings unimaginable human suffering. But the images coming out of the besieged Gaza Strip as the war between Israel and Hamas inches toward October’s two-year mark urge us to exclaim in the loudest possible voice: Enough! Men, women and children in Gaza are starving to death, and this atrocity against humanity must […]
Patriarchs’ visit heartens survivors of Gaza church attack
By Judith SudilovskyOSV News JERUSALEM — Parishioners of Gaza’s Holy Family Church are feeling “horror” and almost a sense of “desperation” after an Israeli tank shell struck the church, killing three elderly people sheltering there and injuring 10, said Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the Jerusalem office of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, or CNEWA. […]
Aid workers reeling from ‘unprecedented’ year of death
By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News As the world marked World Humanitarian Day 2024 this month, the latest figures on the dire circumstances aid workers face on the front line highlight the alarming increase in attacks against them and their work to relieve the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire. The aid research advocacy […]
Mary Adamski: Crises, hard times prompt reflection and a new outlook
View from the Pew Pentecost has always been one of my favorite church holy days. I love the imagery of the Holy Spirit appearing as tongues of fire over the apostles, freeing them from fear and sending them forward afire with zeal to share what Jesus taught them. It’s a resounding “amen” finale to 50 […]
Easter message: Pope Francis prays for peace amid ‘absurdity’ of war
By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Just as Jesus removed the stone that sealed his tomb on the morning of the Resurrection, on Easter Christ alone “has the power to roll away the stones that block the path to life” and which trap humanity in war and injustice, Pope Francis said. Through […]
Analysis: War raises moral concerns as Gaza death toll soars
By Kimberley Heatherington OSV News In the early hours of Oct. 7, Hamas — defined by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization — launched a barrage of 3,000 missiles from the Gaza Strip against the state of Israel, combined with ground attacks upon civilians and soldiers alike. The resulting one-day death toll […]