One Year In: Pope Leo's Pompeii Pilgrimage, Pope Leo Versus a Chicago Bank, and LA Honors Cristero Martyrs

OSV Newscast

OSV Newscast
One Year In: Pope Leo's Pompeii Pilgrimage, Pope Leo Versus a Chicago Bank, and LA Honors Cristero Martyrs
May 08, 2026
OSV Podcasts

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Maggie Murray of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 8, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.

Read the stories in this episode:

  1. Pope Leo XIV marked the first anniversary of his election today with a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii, celebrating Mass before 20,000 people and entrusting his pontificate to the Virgin Mary on the very feast day that coincided with his election.
  2. A lighthearted story about Pope Leo XIV being hung up on during a customer service call to his Chicago bank has gone viral, charming Catholics worldwide with a surprisingly relatable glimpse of life as the first American pope.
  3. A photograph of an Israeli soldier appearing to desecrate a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon is drawing international condemnation, adding to a growing pattern of anti-Christian incidents tied to the ongoing regional conflict.
  4. Catholic health workers and Caritas Bangladesh are on the front lines of a deadly measles outbreak that has killed at least 336 children since mid-March, with Church-run clinics providing care and public health education despite Christians comprising less than one percent of the population.
  5. Hundreds of Catholics in Los Angeles turned out to venerate relics of 36 Cristero War martyrs, with many attendees drawing personal family connections to the conflict and finding in the martyrs a renewed call to live and defend their faith openly and without fear.
Episode Artwork One Year In: Pope Leo's Pompeii Pilgrimage, Pope Leo Versus a Chicago Bank, and LA Honors Cristero Martyrs 6:19 Episode Artwork Rubio at the Vatican, Pope Leo to Visit France, and Minnesota's Firearm Bill after Annunciation School Shooting 6:14 Episode Artwork Americans Disapprove Trump Attacking Pope Leo, Catholic Aid Groups Are United for Ukraine, Data Shows Immigration Shifts 8:58 Episode Artwork Bishops Push for FDA Abortion Pill Review, Illinois Shrine to Honor Black Catholic Priest, and Lord of the Dance Meets the Pope 6:08 Episode Artwork Abortion Pill at the Supreme Court, NYC Abuse Settlement, and Poland's Marian Miracle 6:12 Episode Artwork DOJ's Anti-Christian Bias Report, Pope Leo Prays for Global Hunger, and the World's First Armless Pilot 6:22 Episode Artwork King Charles at Congress, A Pope Leo XIII Asteroid, Christians Dwindling in Holy Land, and More 8:40 Episode Artwork Dutch Missionary Nun Sainthood Cause Advanced, Rising Faith on Campus, and Pope Leo’s Global Catholic Witness 6:15 Episode Artwork Pope Leo to New Priests, US Bishops on Trump Assassination Attempt, Prayers for Stranded Sailors, and More 8:23 Episode Artwork Africa After Pope Leo, Canadian Cardinal on Assisted Suicide, Vietnam War Chaplain Sainthood Cause, and More 7:58 Episode Artwork Pope Leo Wraps Up Africa Trip, Crucifix Destroyed in Lebanon Replaced, New Study on the Class of 2026 Priests, and More 7:26 Episode Artwork Pope Leo’s Takeaways in Africa, Ten Commandments Law Upheld in Texas, and Public Opinion on Iran War 6:14 Episode Artwork Remembering Pope Francis, Pope Leo Praises Africa's Witness, and Eucharistic Pilgrimage Stresses Prayer over Politics 6:17 Episode Artwork Pope Leo Gives $100K for Clean Water, Jesus Statue Smashed in Lebanon, Pope Leo in Angola, and More 8:39 Episode Artwork Pope Leo in Cameroon, Bishop Says Just War 'Not a Blank Check for Violence,' Young Men Becoming Religious, and More 7:14 Episode Artwork Pope Leo in Cameroon, Bishops Push Back on VP's Just War Comments, and Signs of a Confession Revival 6:11 Episode Artwork US Bishops Counter Trump Attacks on Pope Leo, Cameroon Ceasefire for Papal Trip, France Baptisms on the Rise, and More 8:01 Episode Artwork Pope Leo Walks With Augustine, Cameroon Awaits, and U.S. Catholics Press for Religious Freedom 6:23 Episode Artwork Trump Clashes With Pope Leo as Pontiff Defends Gospel Call for Peace 7:06 Episode Artwork Pope Leo's Plans for Africa, Vatican on Pentagon Meeting, Indiana Bishops on Integral Ecology, and More 8:39 Episode Artwork Pentagon-Vatican Tensions, Ceasefire threatened by strikes on Lebanon, and Catholics Unite in Prayer for Peace 7:17 Episode Artwork Trump Backs Down on Iran Threat, Catholic Educators Called to Heal Hearts, and A Parish Remembers a Murdered Priest 6:29 Episode Artwork Pope Rebukes Trump’s Iran Threat, Faith Reaches ICE Detainees, and an Astronaut Preaches Love from the Moon 6:50 Episode Artwork Pope Leo Easter Peace Appeal, Military Archbishop on Iran War, Artemis II and Prayer in Space 7:48 Episode Artwork Holy Week Calls for Peace, Pope Leo’s Foot-Washing Tradition, and Scorsese’s New Film on Mary 6:32