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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSC Newscast for Monday, May 18th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Umanitas, will be published on May 25th, and it will address artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity. An encyclical is a letter written by a pope to guide the bishops as they lead and teach the faithful on a number of issues. Encyclicals are also made public so that the faithful and others can read them as well. Pope Leo signed his encyclical, the title of which is Latin for magnificent humanity, on May 15th, which was the 135th anniversary of another encyclical, namely Rerum Novarum, which was Pope Leo XIII's foundational 1891 social encyclical on labor and capital, written during the first industrial revolution. In a first, Pope Leo XIV will be present in person at the Vatican press conference to mark the publication of the encyclical. He'll be joined by Christopher Ola, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, which developed the large language model named Claude. Pope Leo XIV has expressed interest in the issue of AI and the dignity of work since the first week of his pontificate, telling the College of Cardinals two days after his election last May that he took his papal name partly in honor of Pope Leo XIII. Pope Leo XIV said, in our own day, the church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor. As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it should reflect on how the American understanding of equality is grounded in the belief that all people are equally children of God. That's what Bishop Robert Barron of Winona, Rochester, Minnesota said yesterday at a prayer rally on the National Mall. Bishop Barron was on hand for Rededicate 250, a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. The event was organized by Freedom 250, which is a public-private partnership with the White House to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. Organizers said they aimed to commemorate the occasion with scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as one nation under God. In his address, Bishop Barron said, as we reflect on our history, from the founding through the trials of the Civil War to the struggle for civil rights, we can see this consistent thread, the conviction that human dignity, equality, rights, freedom, and the rule of law are all grounded in God. The event primarily featured Protestant faith leaders, but along with Bishop Barron, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, retired Archbishop of New York, spoke by video. Rabbi Mayer Solovecic spoke in person. Critics of the event argued that the Trump administration's level of participation improperly blended church and state. The May 17th report was titled Death Sentences and Executions 2025, and it comes soon after a recent video message from Pope Leo XIV, marking 15 years since the abolition of the death penalty in his home state of Illinois. Amnesty International recorded executions last year of 2,707 people across 17 countries, including the U.S., which carried out 47 executions. The international total, which includes at least 2,159 executions in Iran, is the highest number recorded by the group since 1981. However, Amnesty cautioned that its tally does not include what it believes to be thousands of executions carried out in China, adding that the country therefore remained the world's top executioner. Agnes Calamar, Amnesty International Secretary General, said this alarming spike in the use of the death penalty is due to a small, isolated group of countries willing to carry out executions at all costs, despite the continued global trend towards abolition. Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to clarify the Church's teaching that capital punishment is morally inadmissible in the modern world, and that the Church works with determination for its abolition worldwide. In his April video message, Pope Leo XIV said, the Catholic Church has consistently taught that each human life, from the moment of conception until natural death, is sacred and deserves to be protected. Bolivia's Catholic bishops are urging dialogue and humanitarian pauses as nationwide protests deepen the country's political and economic crisis. Demonstrations demanding President Rodrigo Paz's step down have triggered at least 67 roadblocks across the nation, causing severe shortages of food and fuel and blocking ambulances from reaching vulnerable communities. Three people have died amid the unrest. In statements issued May 14th, the Bolivian Bishops Conference called on protesters and political leaders to set aside partisan interests and to seek common ground. Bishop Giovanni Arana of El Alto warned that no political demand can justify the suffering of ordinary families, especially the poor. The protests stem from rising fuel prices, stagnant wages, and anger over proposed land reforms. Former President Evo Morales has also been accused of fueling tensions as Bolivia grapples with a worsening economic crisis. And finally, last week, Archbishop Bernard Hebda marked his tenth year as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. And for the occasion, he's renewing his focus on Catholic family life and vocations. The Archbishop has released a new pastoral letter aimed at parents and families. The letter is called Only One Thing Is Necessary, and it draws from the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus tells Martha that amid anxiety and distraction, there is need of only one thing. Archbishop Hebda writes that Jesus himself is that one true thing, capable of uniting families in this life and the next. The anniversary comes a decade after Archbishop Hebda first spoke publicly about strengthening vocations by supporting marriage and family life. In a 2016 interview with the Catholic Spirit, the Archdiocesan News Outlet, he said helping parents see family life as a vocation and encouraging them to pray for their children's openness to God's call would help foster future vocations. In a May 4th video about the letter, the Archbishop said many parents in the Archdiocese deeply desire to lead their children to Jesus. He encouraged families to take heart, including the words of St. John Paul II in his letter, The Future of Humanity passes by way of the family. 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. Give us a follow on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. We see you out there checking in from all over the world. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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