Just a few hours after Israel launched a major new ground offensive in Gaza City, Pope Leo XIV called the pastor of the city’s only Latin-rite parish to express his concern, his prayers and his closeness, the Vatican press office said.

The same week President Donald Trump spoke at a hearing of the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission in Washington, a key Catholic bishop said some of his immigration policies risk presenting the church with religious liberty challenges.

Vigilance, honesty, emotional intelligence and faith all play critical roles in healing from the long-term trauma of violent attacks, two Catholic psychologists told OSV News.

The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg overflowed Sept. 14 with hundreds of visitors who filled the basilica and surrounding grounds to honor the first native-born American canonized by the Catholic Church.

With the blast of a horn, the dragon boat races paddled off Sept. 13 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. A fundraiser for Catholic Charities, the biennial race featured local businesses, nonprofits and college teams competing for the coveted dragon trophy while raising money for the nonprofit and its many programs.