April 12, 2026 // National

News Briefs: April 12, 2026

OSV NEWS

OSV News photo/Vincenzo Livieri, Reuters
Pope Leo XIV leads the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome on April 3, where thousands gathered for the annual Good Friday tradition at the Colosseum. Pope Leo carried the cross through all 14 stations in his first Holy Week as pope. For nearly two hours, the 70-year-old pontiff held the cross before his face, praying for victims of war, the poor and the suffering. It marked the first time since St. John Paul II that a pope carried the cross to every station. When asked about his decision to carry the cross for all 14 stations, Pope Leo said, “It will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader today in the world, for this voice that everyone wants to hear to say that Christ still suffers, and I carry all these sufferings too in my prayer.” He invited all people to walk with Christ and become bearers of peace.

At Easter Mass, Pope Leo Proclaims Resurrection Conquers ‘the Power of Death’

VATICAN CITY (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, April 5, declared that Easter “embraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history, reaching us even in the depths of death, where we feel threatened and sometimes overwhelmed.” Tens of thousands gathered under the bright Roman sun in a flower-adorned St. Peter’s Square for the first Easter Mass of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. The Mass opened with the choir’s joyful proclamation: “O sons and daughters of the King, whom heavenly hosts in glory sing, today the grave has lost its sting. Alleluia!” Easter “opens us up to a hope that never fails, to a light that never fades, to a fullness of joy that nothing can take away,” Pope Leo said in his homily. He declared that the resurrection of Christ has conquered the power of death, which he said “constantly threatens us” both from within, our feelings, doubts, disappointments, fears, and from outside, where war, injustice, selfishness and violence are prevalent. “Brothers and sisters, Easter gives us this hope, as we remember that in the risen Christ a new creation is possible every day,” Pope Leo said. “We need this song of hope today.”

Archbishop Broglio: War in Iran Likely not Justified Under Catholic Teaching

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services is raising serious moral concerns about the U.S. war in Iran, questioning whether it meets the standards of Catholic just war teaching. In an interview with “Face the Nation” taped on Thursday, April 2, and airing on Easter Sunday, Archbishop Broglio suggested the conflict may be a preemptive response to a threat that has not fully materialized, rather than a case of legitimate defense. President Donald Trump argued in an April 1 address to the nation that the combat operations against Iran on February 28 that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other key Iranian political and military officials were carried out in response to concern about grave nuclear threats. Archbishop Broglio said he was aligned with Pope Leo XIV, who has repeatedly urged negotiation and de-escalation. Speaking to journalists in March 31 comments at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo expressed hope that Trump would seek an “off-ramp” to the conflict. In his Palm Sunday homily, the pope strongly condemned war, invoking Scripture to say God rejects the prayers of those who shed blood. Archbishop Broglio emphasized the human cost, noting lives lost among both Iranians and U.S. troops.

6 U.S. Bishops Make Civil Rights Pilgrimage

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (OSV News) – “It’s important to learn about the past, as odious as this is, as evil as the sin of racism and slavery is,” said Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, who was one of six prelates who traveled to Alabama for a March 18-20 “Lenten Experience in Montgomery and Selma.” Joining him were Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California; Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville, Tennessee; Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson, Mississippi; Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington, D.C.; and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido of San Diego. The second such event coordinated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation and the Catholic Mobilizing Network, the trip saw the bishops – along with USCCB and network staff and USCCB subcommittee consultant Gloria Purvis – visit multiple locations in just two and a half days. Bishop Kopacz said the pilgrimage revealed “incredible truth and reconciliation opportunities.” Both Bishop Kopacz and Bishop Wack told OSV News they planned to bring their pilgrimage experiences back to their respective flocks, encouraging prayer, reflection and, as Bishop Wack said, “courageous conversations” to help counter the sin of racism.

Pope Sends Easter Greetings to Catholic Parish in Gaza

VATICAN CITY (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV sent Easter greetings to Catholics in Gaza, offering prayers and support to a community living amid war and uncertainty. Father Gabriel Romanelli of Holy Family Parish – the only Catholic church in Gaza – said the pope has remained in close contact through messages and calls, assuring them of his concern and blessing. The parish has endured significant hardship, including a 2025 tank strike that killed three people and injured others, including Father Romanelli. Despite ongoing violence and heavy casualties reported across Gaza, local Catholics marked Easter with resilient faith, proclaiming hope in Christ’s resurrection. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa described a subdued and restricted Easter due to security concerns limiting access to major liturgies. Even so, he urged Christians to hold fast to hope, reminding them that no darkness can overcome the promise of the Risen Christ, even in the most difficult circumstances. Jesus “is not waiting for us to be at the right level of faith” nor does He expect “anything from us,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, but instead gave the “gratuitous gift to come to us as the risen Lord and to transform all our wounds and our difficulties to believe.”

Bishops’ Pro-Life Chair Backs Bill to Revoke Mifepristone’s FDA Approval

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offered his support to legislation that would revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone for abortions. However, the bill faces long odds in Congress. The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, introduced in March by Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, of Tennessee, would end the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug commonly but not exclusively used for first trimester abortion. Bishop Thomas wrote in an April 1 letter to those lawmakers, “The U.S. bishops have frequently stressed how the abortion pill represents an isolating and harmful response to women in need, who deserve better in the form of compassionate accompaniment and meaningful support to help them welcome their child,” the letter said. However, the path forward for the legislation was not clear, as President Donald Trump indicated as a candidate for president in 2024 he would veto a national abortion ban if one reached his desk.

All Catholics Share in Church’s Mission, Pope Says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Laypeople are not passive members but active participants in the Church’s mission, called to live and spread the Gospel in everyday life, Pope Leo XIV said. Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council during his weekly general audience on Wednesday, April 1, the pope emphasized that all the baptized, not just the clergy, are missionary disciples of Christ. “For this reason, lay men and women are particularly called to carry Christ’s presence to all spheres of life and so transform them from within by bearing witness to the beauty of a life in Christ and the elevating power of his grace,” Pope Leo said in his address to English-speakers during the audience. Pope Leo delved into the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, saying that Vatican II shed light on the dignity of laypeople after centuries of being defined as “simply as those who are not part of the clergy or the consecrated life. … Before any distinction of ministry or state of life, the council affirms the equality of all the baptized,” the pope said.