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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV Newscast for Wednesday, April 29th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. King Charles III appealed to the Christian faith and invoked shared values between the United Kingdom and the United States, as he called for peace around the globe during an address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress today. The King's comments came amid the U.S.-Israel War on Iran, which was launched on February 28th. The conflict has been criticized by Pope Leo XIV. In defense of the military attacks, the Trump administration has argued the Iranian regime presented grave nuclear threats. King Charles said, For many here, and for myself, the Christian faith is a firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally, but together as members of our community. Having devoted a large part of my life to interfaith relationships and greater understanding, it is that faith in the triumph of light over darkness, which I have found confirmed countless times. Through it I am inspired by the profound respect that develops as people of different faiths grow in their understanding of each other. It is why it is my hope, my prayer, that in these turbulent times, working together with our international partners, we can stem the beating of ploughshares into swords. Elsewhere in his comments, Charles noted the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain, and he observed that from the bitter divisions of 250 years ago, we forged a friendship that has grown into one of the most consequential alliances in human history. The king added, I pray with all my heart that our alliance will continue to defend our shared values with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth and across the world, and that we ignore the Clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey can challenge in federal court an investigation by that state's attorney general. The investigation alleges the pregnancy centers misled people about their services, and the attorney general is also seeking information about their donors. First Choice Women's Resource Centers operates five facilities in the Garden State that provide some medical services, including ultrasounds, to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. They argued their First Amendment rights were violated by an investigation launched by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin that sought information about their donor communications. Back in 2023, Plattkin, who left office earlier this year, moved to investigate First Choice, claiming the centers misrepresented themselves to clients as if their services included referrals for abortion. He also issued a subpoena to gather information about the group's donors. Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said neither the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs nor the Attorney General's office received any complaints from the public about first choice. The judge said this case presents a narrow question, noting we are not asked to decide the merits of First Choice's federal lawsuit, only whether it may proceed. And he said the question all but answers itself. The Vatican Observatory announced in a press release today that an asteroid has been named in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who formally re-established the observatory in 1891. Also known as minor planets, asteroids are rocky leftovers from the formation of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago. The Pope Leo XIII asteroid is one of four discovered by Lithuanian astronomer Casimiras Cernis and Jesuit father Richard Boyle, a Vatican Observatory astronomer. The pair detected the bodies using the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, which is located on Mount Graham in Arizona, which was constructed in partnership with the University of Arizona's Stewart Observatory. Along with Pope Leo XIII, the newly named asteroids are a nod to Oratorian Father Giuseppe Lace, an astronomer who served as the Vatican Observatory's deputy director for 30 years, Cardinal Pietro Maffi, Archbishop of Pisa, who was observatory president from 1904 until his death in 1931, and Jesuit father Florent Constant Bertiaux, a Belgian astronomer who founded the Observatory's Computer Center in 1965. The Vatican Observatory said the names for the four asteroids discovered by Chernyes and Father Boyle were unveiled in the April 13th bulletin from the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature. The number of Christians in the Holy Land is dwindling under the pressures of war, economic hardship, and emigration. That's according to a leading Benedictan abbot. Father Nicodemus Schnabel, head of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem, warned that the region risks becoming a Christian Disneyland where holy sites remain, but local Christian life disappears. Speaking to aid to the church in need, the abbot said Christians now make up less than 2% of the population. He pointed to severe challenges facing believers, restricted movement in the West Bank, insecurity in Gaza, and economic collapse tied to declining pilgrimage tourism. He said many Christians are emigrating because they see no future. Father Schnabel also said the largest group of Latin Rite Christians is comprised of migrants from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, and he said they are, in many ways, the most vulnerable, adding many live in what he called a form of modern slavery with very limited freedom. He said they often have their passports confiscated, and he warned of rising hostility from extremist groups while criticizing forms of Christian Zionism that ignore Palestinian suffering. He urged prayers and concrete support to sustain Christian life in the land of Jesus. And finally, Pope Leo XIV said he wanted his recent journey to Africa to highlight the serious injustices continuing there and to propose a message of peace to a world marred by war and human rights abuses. And the Pope added, at the same time, the apostolic journey gave people in Africa a chance to make their voices heard and to express the joy of being God's people. Today the Pope held his first general audience since returning from the trip, addressing thousands of people in St. Peter's Square. Pope Leo, speaking in English, said his time in Africa was meant to offer the world a message of peace at a moment marked by conflicts and frequent violations of international law. Along with the call for peace, I also denounced the grave injustices that exist in those countries that are so rich in natural resources, urging the international community to overcome neocolonial attitudes and engage in authentic collaboration. Whenever a pope visits a country, he said, it is a chance for the people to have their voices be heard, and for Catholics to express the joy of being God's people and the hope for a better future of dignity for each and every one. And Pope Leo said, I am happy to have given them this opportunity. And at the same time, I thank the Lord for what they have given me, an inestimable treasure for my heart and my ministry. 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. As always, make sure to subscribe to this podcast, tell a few people about it if you would, follow us on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. We do see you out there checking in from all over the world. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

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