Pope Leo on Confirmation, Jerusalem's Peace March, and a Parish Memorial for Survivors

Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 19, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

1. Pope Leo XIV delivered a candid pre-Pentecost challenge to about 1,000 confirmation candidates from Genoa, urging them to pray for perseverance and stay rooted in parish life rather than disappearing from the Church after receiving the sacrament.
2. Hundreds of Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze joined an interfaith peace march through Jerusalem on Sunday, organized as a direct counterpoint to the violence-marred Jerusalem Day Flag Parade and calling for justice and unity amid rising regional tensions.
3. St. Cecilia Parish in Philadelphia — whose former pastor was named a serial abuser in a 2005 grand jury report — has dedicated an outdoor memorial inscribed with Scripture, prayer and a survivor's own words, as part of a broader commitment to accountability and child safety.
4. A coalition of Catholic ministries asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block enforcement of a Biden-era regulation that extended pregnant worker protections to abortion, arguing the EEOC twisted a bipartisan law beyond what Congress ever intended.
5. Archbishop Timothy Broglio celebrated the annual memorial Mass for Catholic war dead at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this past Saturday, connecting Christ's Great Commission to the military's own call to protect the rights and dignity of every American.

Transcript

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Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Tuesday, May 19th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the Day. Here we go. With Pentecost just around the corner, Pope Leo XIV delivered a candid and encouraging message this week to young Catholics preparing for confirmation. Speaking Saturday to about a thousand young pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Genoa at the Apostolic Palace, the Pope urged confirmation candidates to pray for the gift of perseverance, warning that many young people disappear from the parish after receiving the sacrament. The Pope spoke warmly about confirmation itself, saying the Holy Spirit gives believers this enthusiasm, this strength, to follow Christ courageously in a world that so often pulls people away from Jesus. But he also acknowledged another aspect that is rather sad, that for many, confirmation becomes a finish line rather than a starting point. Ahead of Pentecost, Pope Leo challenged the young pilgrims to stay active in parish life, build genuine Christian friendships, and become, in his words, a living witness to the spirit who dwells in us. Hundreds of religious leaders and peace activists took to the streets of Jerusalem yesterday, choosing unity over division at a moment of intensifying regional tensions. The Interfaith March, organized by the Forum of Human Rights, brought together Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze in a direct counterpoint to the annual Jerusalem Day Flag Parade, which earlier this month was marked by violence and anti-Arab chants in the Old City. Gathering near Jerusalem's YMCA, participants prayed, sang, and called for justice and peace across religious and political divides. Rabbi Amahai Laulavi said the march sought to uphold the sanctity of every human life at a time of widespread fear. Catholic clergy joined the procession, including priests and religious sisters serving in Jerusalem, as participants made their way to Jaffa Gate. The march came days after renewed violence in the West Bank. Sister Monica Dolman, a German sister of St. Joseph of the Apparition, who has lived in Jerusalem for decades, captured the spirit of the day simply. Together we will be stronger. A Philadelphia parish with a painful history of clergy abuse has taken a meaningful step toward healing by creating a permanent memorial for survivors. St. Cecilia Parish, whose former pastor was named a serial abuser in a 2005 Grand Jury Report, recently dedicated an outdoor monument featuring a granite block inscribed with scripture, prayer, apology, affirmation, and the words of one abused survivor. Atop the monument sits a votive lantern ringed with flowers. Father Christopher Walsh, the parish's current pastor, said he was moved to create the memorial after learning more about the parish's history and after burying one of the survivors. He developed the project in collaboration with victims, parents, and parishioners. But Father Walsh was careful to frame the memorial as just one piece of a broader commitment to child safety. We're certainly vigilant with background checks, with education, with educating our young people about see something, say something, he said. We have to remain vigilant because evil lurks. On Monday, Catholic groups asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to halt enforcement of a Biden-era regulation from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that implemented the Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act. While the law was intended to protect workers for conditions like miscarriage, stillbirth, and lactation, the EEOC's regulations also extended protections to abortion, something the U.S. bishops and other supporters of the original law say Congress never intended. The lawsuit was filed by Beckett, a religious liberty law firm, on behalf of the U.S.CCB, the Catholic University of America, and two Louisiana dioceses. Beckett Counsel Laura Wolk Slavis said in a statement that bureaucrats tried to twist a bipartisan law protecting pregnant women and their unborn babies into a mandate that churches facilitate abortion within their own ministries. This past Sunday, as the nation draws closer to Memorial Day, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services led a solemn mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. to remember Catholic men and women who gave their lives in military service. The annual memorial mass, held this year on Ascension Sunday, carried the quiet dignity of the occasion, complete with the national anthem, the playing of taps, and the color guard from the military district of Washington. The congregation was dotted with uniformed service members from every branch, joined by Knights of Columbus and Knights of Malta in full regalia. In his homily, Archbishop Broglio drew a connection between Christ's great commission to make disciples of all nations and the unexpected duties that define a life of service. The duty of the church, he said, is to be the visible means by which Christ acts in the world. A mission that intersects, he argued, with the military's own call to protect the rights that bind the nation together. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.