U.S.
Bishops’ pro-life chair encourages FDA to proceed with safety review on mifepristone
WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee has written a letter to Trump administration officials expressing concern about the status of their promised safety review of the drug. Pro-life organizations have pushed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to end a Biden administration policy permitting mifepristone to be distributed by mail. However, the Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in place despite the pro-life groups’ opposition and has sought to block state challenges to mifepristone, such as one from Louisiana. The status and timeline of the FDA’s promised safety review of mifepristone remains unclear. In a May 4 letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, wrote that he is concerned about “reports alleging a deliberate delay in the completion of that review.” (OSV News)
Archdiocese of New York proposes $800 million settlement for abuse claims
NEW YORK — The Archdiocese of New York has proposed an $800 million settlement to resolve some 1,300 abuse claims involving clergy and staff brought under lookback laws in that state. If accepted, the settlement would cap a five-year legal battle that has seen the archdiocese sell off property, while taking insurance giant Chubb to court over coverage for the claims. In a May 1 statement, Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York said the archdiocese and the Plaintiff’s Liaison Committee, the body representing “a majority of victim-survivors,” had been “working hard for several months to reach agreement.” He did not disclose the proposed settlement amount, which The New York Times published April 30, citing a letter plaintiff attorneys Jeff Anderson and Trusha Goffe had emailed to their clients. The newspaper quoted the document, a copy of which it had obtained, with attorneys advising each claimant would receive $250,000, and urging them to unanimously accept the offer. (OSV News)
Pope appoints bishops of Honolulu; Laredo, Texas; and Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia
WASHINGTON — Pope Leo XIV on May accepted the resignation of Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and named as his successor Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington. Bishop Menjivar-Ayala, 55, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington on May 29, 2004. He was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of Washington in February 2023. Pope Leo also named a new bishop for the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, marking the first episcopal succession in a diocese created by St. John Paul II. Also on May 1, the pope accepted the resignation of Bishop James A. Tamayo, who has led the diocese from its 2000 inception, and named as his successor Father John Jairo Gomez, vicar general of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas. Bishop-designate Gomez was born in Colombia and ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tyler on May 23, 2009. He served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Tyler from 2015 to 2023 and has also been serving in the role again since 2025. On May 6, Pope Leo named Jesuit Father Michael T. Castori as the next bishop of Honolulu, succeeding Bishop Clarence “Larry” Silva after two decades of leadership. On May 1, Pope Leo appointed two auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington and accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. of Washington. He named as auxiliaries Father Gary R. Studniewski, who is pastor of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, and Father Robert P. Boxie III, who is a chaplain at Howard University in Washington. Bishop Campbell, 78, was named an auxiliary bishop for the Washington Archdiocese by Pope Francis on March 8, 2017. (OSV News)
WORLD
Historic Catholic church in Mozambique destroyed by Islamic extremists
MEZA, Mozambique — A Catholic church in northern Mozambique has been destroyed in a new wave of extremist violence. According to Aid to the Church in Need, militants linked to the Islamic State attacked St. Louis de Montfort parish in Meza on April 30, leveling the church, clergy residence and offices, and vandalizing a church-run kindergarten. Bishop António Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo described “a scene of terror,” with homes destroyed and civilians forced to witness hate-filled speeches. The parish, founded in 1946, had long served Catholics in Cabo Delgado, a Muslim-majority region. Data from Armed Conflict Location &Event Data indicates the attack fits a broader pattern, though assaults on churches remain relatively rare. In April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that the Islamic State-Mozambique “has carried out a sustained campaign of violence against both Christian and Muslim communities” since 2017, displacing communities and destroying religious infrastructure. Bishop Juliasse said that although the missionaries in the parish are safe, “the community remains in shock even after the attackers left the scene at nightfall,” and urged solidarity from Catholics around the world. (OSV News)
Pope Leo condemns violence after bomb attack in Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia — Pope Leo XIV called for peace after a deadly bombing in Colombia. Addressing Spanish-speaking pilgrims during his April 29 general audience, the pope expressed “sorrow and concern” over the April 25 attack on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca province that killed 20 people and injured dozens. He urged all people to reject violence and choose the path of peace. According to reports, the attack was ordered by rebel leader Iván Jacob Idrobo Arredondo, who is linked to a drug trafficking cartel tied to dissidents from the former FARC guerrilla group. Despite a 2016 peace agreement that ended more than five decades of civil war, some factions have continued violent activity. Colombia’s bishops echoed the pope’s appeal, calling for reconciliation, justice and respect for life. In separate statements, Archbishops Luis Fernando Rodríguez Velásquez of Cali and Omar Alberto Sánchez Cubillos of Popayán, expressed sorrow for the attacks in their respective dioceses and appealed for peace. “May God touch hearts hardened by violence and grant us the grace to build a reconciled land, where life is respected and peace is possible,” Archbishop Sánchez wrote. (OSV News)
