US-Iran Memorandum, Pope Leo in the Polls, Juneteenth, and More

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

Read the stories in this epsiode:

• Catholic leaders expressed cautious optimism about an end to the conflict in the Middle East after members of the Trump administration and Iranian officials signed a memorandum of understanding, a tentative framework to end the war in Iran. 
• A majority of U.S. Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably, and just over half say President Donald Trump has been too critical of the pontiff, according to new data from the Pew Research Center. 
• Juneteenth and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence provided the context for a June 15 online discussion on the importance of acknowledging the nation's racial history honestly so the work of justice and equality can continue.
• Archbishop James F. Checchio of New Orleans said his archdiocese's June 13-14 consecration to the Sacred Heart, which followed a consecration of the U.S. by the nation's Catholic bishops, is a way of bringing healing and hope to the New Orleans faithful after long-running clerical abuse scandals and bankruptcy.

Transcript

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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Friday, June 19th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. Catholic leaders expressed cautious optimism after U.S. and Iranian officials signed a memorandum of understanding, a tentative framework to end the war in Iran. The memorandum is not in and of itself a final deal to end the war, but it calls for a final deal within a 60-day window that's extendable with mutual consent. In June 16th, comments to journalists as news emerged of the memorandum, Pope Leo XIV said he welcomed dialogue between the U.S. and Iran. He said, there will still be several points to settle, but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiations, and not by returning to war. Bishop A. Elias Zidane, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace, commended both Trump and Iranian President Masood Pazeshkian for signing the memorandum. Bishop Zaidan also called on all parties to engage in good faith, and he also called on the U.S., Iran, and Israel to prioritize an end to the fighting in Lebanon. He noted that disarming Hezbollah is necessary for peace and development in Lebanon, where over one million people have been internally displaced, including 400,000 children, and thousands have fled to neighboring Syria, potentially said the bishop, adding to the region's instability. Bishop Zidane continued, if the fighting and humanitarian catastrophe continue in Lebanon, I fear that peace across the wider Middle East will remain unreachable. In written comments shared with OSV News, Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School and a specialist in international law and conflict resolution, said, even in this preliminary form, the memorandum of understanding demonstrates the folly of unlawful war. A majority of U.S. Catholics view Pope Leo XIV favorably, and just over half say President Donald Trump has been too critical of the pontiff. That's according to new data from the Pew Research Center. In a survey published yesterday, Pugh said that its research was conducted from May 26th to June 1st, after President Donald Trump's social media and verbal attacks on Pope Leo, following objections the pontiff raised to the war in Iran. The Pugh survey found 51% of Catholics said Trump has been too critical of Leo. Just 4% said Trump hasn't been critical enough, and 14% said he's striking the right balance. Meantime, 19% of Catholics said Pope Leo has been too critical of the Trump administration, while 16% said he hasn't been critical enough. Another 35% said the Pope is striking the right balance, while another 30% said they weren't sure or didn't have enough information to answer. The Pew survey also found that 78% of U.S. Catholics have a favorable view of Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born Pope. And that's a number that's fairly consistent with those for his three immediate predecessors. And of course, today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates this day in 1865 when the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was announced to more than a quarter of a million enslaved black persons in Galveston, Texas. And ahead of Juneteenth and the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary, Georgetown University hosted an online discussion on June 15th on the importance of acknowledging the nation's racial history honestly so the work of justice and equality can continue. Among the panelists was Bishop Designate Robert Boxy III, an African American priest who was appointed by Pope Leo on May 1st as an auxiliary bishop of Washington. He's scheduled to be ordained as a bishop on July 7th. Bishop Designate Boxy said Americans must have the courage to tell the full story of the nation, ensuring that the contributions of all people are recognized. He argued that an honest accounting of history is essential to understanding the country's identity and to continuing the pursuit of racial justice. And finally, June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And as we reported earlier, the U.S. Catholic bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart back on June 11th. Earlier today, I spoke with Archbishop James Checchio of New Orleans, who followed up that consecration with one for every parish in his own archdiocese. He explained the Archdiocesan consecration sought to bring healing and hope as the faithful of New Orleans emerge from a long-running series of clerical abuse scandals and bankruptcy. The archbishop told me, they want the healing, and they want the church to be a shining light in Louisiana. He said that the faithful there are proud of the church, even as they're ashamed of what happened, as we all are, and hurt. The archbishop said the consecration seeks three fruits identified by Pope Pius XII, the priesthood, the Eucharist, and devotion to the Blessed Mother. The Archbishop said he's optimistic about the future, adding, so many of our problems in life come from us not receiving the love of God properly, because it seems impossible. We have to be able to receive Jesus' love in order to give it, to share it. The Sacred Heart is so simple, so beautiful, so theological, and so practical. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for a link to our website where you can find the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast. Give us a follow on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. We'll be back on Monday, and wherever you are in the world, as you're tuning in, we do see you out there. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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