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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Thursday, April 23rd, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. Today, Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his 11-day visit to Africa with a vibrant mass in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, urging Catholics to find strength, justice, and hope in the gospel and the sacraments. Speaking to about 30,000 faithful, he said Christ meets every human need, offering light in darkness and life in the face of death. The Pope also led the crowd in mourning Father Fortunato and Sue Esono, a young priest and vicar general, whose unexpected death days earlier shocked the local church. Reflecting on scripture, Pope Leo highlighted the transformation of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Acts of the Apostles, saying, God's word and baptism bring true freedom and belonging. The Pope encouraged believers to read Scripture together within the church and to trust in Christ, the bread of life. Pope Leo quoted St. Ambrose, saying, If you are oppressed by injustice, he is justice. If you are in need of help, he is strength. If you fear death, he is life. If you desire heaven, he is the way. If you are in darkness, he is light. In Washington, a national garden proposed by survivors of clergy sexual abuse promises to foster healing not only for survivors, but also for the Catholic Church as a whole. The garden will be located on the grounds of the Catholic University of America. The university is managing fundraising efforts as well as collaborating on the design. Organizers are seeking to raise $200,000 by spring of 2027 to fund the initiative. The Garden will serve survivors of clergy abuse and anyone who has been abused or been impacted by abuse. Mike Hoffman, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, is chair of the working group for the Garden. He's also the executive director of the National Catholic Restorative Justice Initiative, which works on behalf of survivors of Catholic clergy abuse. Hoffman and Deacon Bernie Nojadera, who is the executive director of the U.S. Bishop's Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, spoke with OSV News about the efforts behind the National Healing Garden. Hoffman said, We can't heal alone. We want to heal with you, with our church, with the bishops, with the priests. We want to heal together. Christians in the Lebanese town of Dabel are celebrating the restoration of a statue of Jesus after a recent act of desecration drew global outrage. The original outdoor crucifix was destroyed by Israeli soldiers, prompting condemnation and an apology from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Defense Forces made a gift of a different crucifix to the town, which is now inside the town's church. Local pastor Father Fadi Felefli told OSV News the community is very happy to see the statue restored, calling it a sign of resilience amid the ongoing conflict. The new crucifix was installed yesterday with support from Italian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The ceremony was led by Archbishop Paolo Borgia, and it comes as Israel has continued to attack towns and villages in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. Residents say their faith remains unshaken amid the hardships. Father Felefli told OSV News, we have faced many obstacles, but we are steadfast because we have placed our trust in God. Yesterday, an Indigenous coalition filed an updated lawsuit in Federal District Court in Phoenix, their latest attempt to block a land transfer, including their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, from destruction by a copper mining giant. In March, the Trump administration said it planned to proceed with the copper mining project, arguing it would increase U.S. manufacturing despite continued appeals from Native peoples. Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Beckett, the religious liberty law firm representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement, the feds rushed the Oak Flat transfer through under cover of darkness because they wanted to dodge meaningful judicial review. And he added, that was as illegal as it was brazen. Goodrich said the court should rescind the illegal transfer and protect the freedom of Western Apaches to continue worshiping at Oak Flat for generations to come. In written comments provided to OSV News, a spokesperson for Resolution Copper said, Settled law supports the congressionally directed land exchange and advancement of this project. The coalition, using the name Apache Stronghold, previously filed a series of lawsuits and appeals to protect Oak Flat, eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. A broad range of religious organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, had argued the High Court should hear the coalition's plea because the case had serious implications for the scope of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And finally, this spring, the U.S. will see more than 400 men ordained to the priesthood, both diocesan and religious. And for the past two decades, an annual report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, or CARA, has provided an overview of these soon to be ordained priests. The report is commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations. The data from this year's report showed most of the ordinance first considered the priesthood at the age of 16. Eucharistic adoration and the Rosary topped the list of prayer practices prior to the seminary. Most of the new priests come from two parent, multi-sibling Catholic homes, and they were baptized Catholics as infants. More than one quarter of this year's ordination class was born outside of the United States. A majority of the survey respondents, 63%, said they'd participated in a parish religion education program. 61% of the respondents said they'd received an undergraduate or graduate degree before they entered the seminary. 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 as always, bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

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