USCCB News

USCCB NEWS

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit is a Transformative Opportunity for Children Across the Country, says Bishop O’Connell

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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released proposed regulations to implement the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), which provides a nonrefundable Federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship granting organizations. States must formally elect to opt-in to the program in order for the children in that state to be eligible for scholarships funded by the program. In a brief message, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, called the scholarship program a transformative opportunity for children across the country:“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first and primary educators of our children, and that parents have the obligation of educating their children in the manner best suited for their development and needs. The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit will create opportunities for families to access much-needed resources to expand their

Papal trip showed miracle of rebirth out of tragedy is possible, pope says

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV's journey to France aimed to show that a joyful or serene rebirth is always possible even after tremendous tragedy or terrible suffering, he said.By visiting the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, meeting with survivors of abuse and praying at Lourdes, and celebrating the Christian faith openly in the public square of a secular nation, the pope highlighted how the miracle of new life can happen when everyone comes together out of love for one's neighbor and the common good, he said during his weekly general audience Sept. 30.As has been customary, Pope Leo used his first general audience after his Sept. 25-28 trip to Paris, Lourdes and Metz in France to tell people about the purpose of his visit and to thank all those who made the journey possible. Pope Leo XIV greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile before leading his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 30, 2026. (CNS photo/Griffin White) He also repea

Pope's communications day theme targets pitfalls of the 'attention economy'

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV will address the risks of today's "attention economy," in which media platforms compete for and monetize people's limited, valuable attention as the theme for the Catholic Church's celebration of World Communications Day in 2027."A New Gaze: Paying Attention in the Age of Clickbait" is the theme for the day, which the Vatican and most dioceses will celebrate May 9, the Sunday before Pentecost.The Dicastery for Communication made the announcement Sept. 29, the feast of St. Gabriel the Archangel, and the full papal message is traditionally released Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists.Explaining the pope's choice of the theme, the dicastery noted that "The attention economy, with its struggle for a few moments of interest amid the rapid and endless flow of content, is transforming not only our cognitive abilities but also the depth of our interpersonal communication." Pope Leo

For Respect Life Month, Bishop Thomas Requests Prayer and Action on the Abortion Pill

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WASHINGTON - Each October since 1973, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Respect Life Month and focuses on reflecting more deeply on the dignity and gift of human life. This year, the theme chosen is Mary, Mother of Life. “Our Blessed Mother is our model for upholding the sanctity of all human life in every stage and circumstance. We entrust all our efforts to protect mothers and babies to her motherly care, which we greatly need at this time,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in a statement inviting the faithful into prayer, deeper reflection, and action during the month of October.“Today, with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks,” said Bishop Thomas. “This means that more women, many of whom have been misinformed about the nature and risks of the abortion pill,

Pope Leo says he's not in 'panic mode' over AI, but warns against ignoring risks

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ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM METZ TO ROME (CNS) -- In light of growing concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV told journalists he can still "sleep at night," even as he cautioned against dismissing warnings about the risks the developing technology could pose to humanity."If someone were to ask me, am I in panic mode? No, I'm not," he said Sept. 28 following his four-day apostolic journey to France. "I sleep at night.""I do think that the concerns raised by many of the experts, specialists in AI, should be taken seriously," he said. "I don't think that that is fake news."Protecting human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence has been a cornerstone of Pope Leo's teaching for months. He dedicated his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," to AI and its role in society, urging governments, technology companies and the public to ensure that technological development remains at the s

Pope Leo urges Europe to stave off increased nationalism, barbaric relations

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METZ, France (CNS) -- In a French city that changed hands between France and Germany through two world wars, Pope Leo XIV used the final day of his apostolic journey to France to call on Europe to resist a return to nationalism and conflict and recommit itself to cooperation, dialogue and peace.Speaking Sept. 28 in Metz, a city whose streets and architecture still bear the marks of its fraught Franco-German history, the pope repeatedly invoked Robert Schuman, the French politician and devout Catholic whose efforts to reconcile France and Germany after World War II helped lay the foundations of the European Union.Pope Leo called Schuman a clear-sighted leader who understood the need to overcome opposition between cultural identities and build multilateral institutions after a war "which showed the depths of the evil that human beings are capable of when they believe that nothing stands in the way of their exercise of power.""Today, sadly, war has returned, even to Europe:

At Lourdes, a refuge for the ill, Pope Leo stands against assisted dying laws

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LOURDES, France (CNS) -- At a shrine where the sick and disabled are prioritized, Pope Leo XIV said human frailty can never diminish a person's dignity, bringing one of the central messages of his visit to France, where the government recently legalized assisted dying."Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty," the pope told an estimated 150,000 pilgrims gathered for Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Sept. 27."Your crutches, your wheelchairs and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed, and where you can experience a transforming encounter with the infinite love of God."The words reflected a central theme of the pope's Sept. 25-28 apostolic journey to France, whose motto, "That the world may have life," presented the visit as a call to overcome division and foster what organizers described as signs of "new life in the world."Pope Leo told those who were suffer

In a secular France, Pope Leo makes the case for faith in public life

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PARIS (CNS) -- On the first official papal state visit to France in 18 years, Pope Leo XIV stepped into one of the country's perpetual underlying tensions: the place of religion in a republic whose modern political identity was partly forged through separation from the Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIV rides in the popemobile from Place Charles-de-Gaulle to Place de la Concorde in Paris Sept. 26, 2026, before celebrating Mass. The Arc de Triomphe is in the background. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Throughout the Paris leg of his Sept. 25-28 apostolic journey, Pope Leo argued that France's deeply rooted tradition of secularism, or "laïcité," need not exclude religion from public life. Instead, he said religious institutions and the state can work together in defense of human dignity and the common good."An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and rel

Technological advancements are not rivals to faith, pope says

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said.At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel.Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council's conciliar constitution "Gaudium et Spes," particularly its teaching on human activity and progress in the world.Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is an agent of progress, the pope said, using freedom and intelligence to increase knowledge and advance society.Yet as scientific and technological achievements multiplied, he said, some thinkers began portraying God and humanity as "rivals: in orde

Priests, pastoral leaders have permission to do less, do it better, pope says

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ROME (CNS) -- Led by their priests, Catholics need to come together and face the truth about what their local church is doing and why, Pope Leo XIV told clergy and laypeople in his diocese.This process of discernment and "pastoral evaluation does not ask you to do more; on the contrary, it gives you permission to do less -- and to do it better," the pope, who is bishop of Rome, said to applause.Pope Leo addressed hundreds of diocesan leaders, both clergy and laity, during a diocesan assembly Sept. 18 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The leaders represented the 334 parishes and their ministries in a diocese that covers 340 square miles.The pope first listened to a young woman, a couple and a member of the diocese's Caritas team as they recounted the various joys and challenges they face in their lives and work. Pope Leo XIV speaks to hundreds of diocesan leaders during an assembly at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the c

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