May 29, 2025 // National

News Briefs: June 1, 2025

OSV NEWS

Justices Deadlocked on Oklahoma Catholic Charter School Case

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – An evenly-divided U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, May 22, sidestepped a major ruling in a case regarding what would have been the nation’s first Catholic charter school, effectively blocking the effort. The high court’s 4-4 ruling means that a previous decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which found the establishment of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School as a publicly funded religious school was unconstitutional, will stand for now. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who may have otherwise been a key swing vote, recused herself from the case. No official reason was given by the court for the Catholic jurist’s decision, but Barrett was previously a professor at Notre Dame Law School, which worked on behalf of the proposed Catholic charter school. Governor Kevin Stitt, who backed the Catholic charter school effort, noted another case would be in the works where Barrett would not have to recuse herself and would therefore break the tie. “This fight isn’t over,” he said. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David A. Konderla of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma said in a written statement shared with OSV News that they were “disappointed” in the court’s decision, and they are “exploring other options for offering a virtual Catholic education to all persons in the state.”

Pope Wants Peace, Not a Role in Negotiations

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine – an offer Russia has turned down – was motivated by a conviction that the two sides must start negotiating and stop the killing, the Vatican secretary of state said. “First and foremost, a truce is needed to end the devastation, the destroyed cities, the civilians losing their lives. Then it is urgent to reach a stable, just, and lasting peace, one accepted and agreed upon by both sides,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told officials with Vatican News on Tuesday, May 27. Where Russia and Ukraine finally decide to meet “is not important,” the cardinal said. “What truly matters is that these negotiations finally begin, because it is urgent to stop the war.” The new pope was not trying to make the Vatican the focus of attention, the cardinal said, but simply trying to promote peace and fraternity.

Pope Names New President of the Pontifical Academy for Life

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV has named Father Renzo Pegoraro, a bioethicist who earned a medical degree before entering the seminary, to be the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Father Pegoraro, who had served as chancellor of the academy since 2011, succeeds Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 80 in April. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa on Monday, May 26, Archbishop Paglia said he had offered his resignation to Pope Francis when he turned 75, in accordance with canon law, but that the pope had asked him to stay on until he turned 80. Father Pegoraro’s appointment was announced by officials with the Vatican on Tuesday, May 27.

Bishops Call for Prayer after Attack at Jewish Museum

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Catholic bishops have called for prayers after two Israeli Embassy staff members were slain late May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were leaving an event at the museum when they were shot at close range. Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy decried the killing as “an act of antisemitic hatred and murder” in a statement published on Thursday, May 22. He said the Catholic community of Washington and the state of Maryland “stands in prayer, shock and solidarity” with the slain victims and their families, and with the people of Israel and the entire Jewish community. The young couple were set to become engaged in Jerusalem next week, with Lischinsky purchasing the ring only days ago, according to Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. Suspect Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, was filmed chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” following the attack, and he was detained shortly thereafter. New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a mid-morning post on X on May 22: “We commend them to the mercy of God, and we join with their families, friends, and the wider Jewish community who mourn their senseless and tragic loss. May their memory be a blessing.”

More than 90,000 Venerate the Body of St. Teresa of Ávila

MADRID (OSV News) – More than 90,000 pilgrims flocked to Alba de Tormes, Spain, from May 11-25, to venerate the incorrupt body of St. Teresa of Ávila – marking just the third public exposition of her relics since her death in 1582. Displayed from May 11 to 25 at the Basilica of the Annunciation, the event followed a Vatican-authorized study confirming that the saint’s body remains incorrupt. The faithful came from around the world to witness this rare moment of grace. A facial reconstruction, based on historical descriptions and forensic science, brought the saint’s image to life. The Discalced Carmelites framed the event in prayer and reflection, culminating in a solemn Mass on Sunday, May 25, led by their Superior General. St. Teresa, known for her profound mystical writings, remains a spiritual giant whose legacy still inspires. Her remains have now been returned to the monastery she founded, where she spent the final days of her life.

U.S. Bishops Urge Youth to ‘Lead the Way’ on Ecology

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – In a letter to mark the 10th anniversary of the late Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, the U.S. bishops urged young people to “lead the way” on the climate crisis. Published on May 24, 2015, Pope Francis’ landmark environmental encyclical urged steps to counteract “the throwaway culture which affects the entire planet.” In the joint, public letter to young people published on Wednesday, May 21, Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, thanked young people for their witness and called for a “renewed commitment to care for our common home, which sustains all life.” They said young people “can lead the way as catalysts of hope,” on protecting creation. “You have the capacity to organize and create change that will endure for generations to come,” the bishops said, calling on them “to inspire and lead efforts to effect change locally and globally.”

Pope Leo XIV greets visitors as he rides in the popemobile around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican May 28, 2025, ahead of his weekly general audience. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)