U.S.
N.Y. Senate passes assisted suicide law
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York Senate has voted to legalize medically assisted suicide, a move that one Catholic bioethicist said marked “a dark day” for the state’s residents, and the act will now head to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. State senators passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act in a June 9 evening session that, after two hours of debate, wrapped with a 35-27 vote in favor. The bill had narrowly cleared the state Assembly in April. Hochul’s office told the New York media outlet Advance/Staten Island Live that the governor “will review the legislation.” Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at Creighton University’s School of Medicine, said the measure endangers “especially New Yorkers who are at risk for coercion.” He noted “there is nothing new about the debate over physician-assisted killing,” with New York managing to defeat the prospect over the past decade. But “what’s changed is that the arguments on the side of privileged populations who want the illusion of control have now defeated those who were standing up for the most vulnerable,” Camosy said. Catholic teaching states that “intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder.” (OSV News)
FBI memo in 2023 with ‘anti-Catholic terminology’ allegedly more widely distributed
WASHINGTON — Amid an investigation into a controversial and retracted FBI memo that suggested some “radical traditionalist” Catholics pose threats of racial or ethnically motivated violence, a GOP senator alleged the FBI distributed the memo that “used anti-Catholic terminology” more widely than previously known. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel dated June 2 and released June 3 that the “memo had been widely distributed to FBI field offices across the country” before it was retracted, including consultations by the authors with agents in the Louisville, Kentucky, Portland, Oregon, and Milwaukee field offices. A 2024 review by the Department of Justice’s watchdog found “no evidence” of religious bias in the creation of the leaked and retracted memo dated Jan. 23, 2023. In that memo, an analyst at the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia, division said that “Radical Traditionalist Catholics” are “typically characterized by the rejection of the Second Vatican Council,” adding the ideology can include an “adherence to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and white supremacist ideology.” (OSV News)
AI offers opportunities, but should be governed by ethical policy, bishops say
WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops urged House and Senate leaders in a June 9 letter to remember that while artificial intelligence presents opportunities, it also presents challenges. The bishops said policy considerations surrounding AI should be governed by an ethical framework. They noted Pope Leo XIV has made his concerns about AI an early focus of his papacy, writing, “As our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV reminds us, AI requires ‘responsibility and discernment in order to ensure it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.’” The letter urged AI policy to be informed by principles, including care for the common good, the dignity of the human person and respect for the truth. (OSV News)
Pope Leo XIV names new bishop of Houma-Thibodaux
THIBODAUX, La. — On June 5, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Simon Peter Engurait as the next bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana. Born in Uganda in 1971, Bishop-designate Engurait brings international and academic experience to the role. Ordained in 2013, he has served in several parishes across the diocese and held key leadership roles, including vicar general and moderator of the curia. Since early 2024, Father Engurait has served as diocesan administrator, guiding the diocese through its recent transition. (OSV News)
WORLD
Nicene Creed presents ‘the mystery that unites’ Christians, pope says
VATICAN CITY — Recognizing the essential tenets of faith that Catholics and Orthodox share should be the lens through which they discuss the issues that continue to separate them, Pope Leo XIV said. “Through theological dialogue and with the help of God, we will gain a better understanding of the mystery that unites us,” he told Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Catholics scholars and bishops June 7. The bishops and theologians met June 4-7 in Rome for a conference marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and its implications for future Church unity. Marking the anniversary of the council, Pope Leo said, is not simply about recalling the past. Especially because the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed still is the basic profession of Christian faith, the council “must continue to guide us towards the full visible unity of Christians.” (CNS)
On a day of ‘national tragedy,’ Austria mourns 9 victims of high school shooting
GRAZ, Austria — Austria is reeling after one of its deadliest school shootings on June 10 in Graz. A 22-year-old former student opened fire at Dreierschützengasse high school, killing nine people — mostly teenagers — and injuring 12 before taking his own life. The victims included six females and three males. Authorities say the shooter claimed to seek revenge for bullying, using legally owned firearms. The bishops of Graz-Seckau expressed deep sympathy for the victims, while Cardinal Christoph Schönborn called the tragedy “insane” and urged prayer for the grieving families. “Evil and death will not have the last word,” Cardinal Schönborn said in his X post. Chancellor Christian Stocker described it as a “national tragedy” that has shattered the country’s sense of security. Austria will observe three days of national mourning. European leaders extended condolences, highlighting the shared shock across the continent. (OSV News)
