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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Wednesday, June 17th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. Canada's Catholic bishops are calling on the faithful and all people of goodwill in that nation to voice renewed concern about the country's medical assistance in dying law, which has now been in place for a decade. The law, known by its acronym MAID, grants access to euthanasia and assisted suicide across Canada for eligible adults under specified conditions. It took effect in June of 2016, and according to Canada's sixth annual report on MAID, which was issued in November 2025, there have been 76,475 MAID provisions in the nation since then. In a statement released on June 10th, the Canadian Catholic bishops said, We reject complacency with the status quo on euthanasia in Canada. They urged all to remain steadfast in opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide, to pray for the conversion of hearts and minds away from this practice, and to be present to persons who are sick and vulnerable. The bishops prayed for those who have died using MAID and for their families. They asked for Catholics to accompany all those who continue to suffer, the sick, those with disabilities, the elderly, those living with mental illness, those nearing the end of life, and all who experience loneliness, fear, or despair. Anthropic recently joined Pope Leo XIV in unveiling his new encyclical on AI, and the company broadly called for a meaningful slowdown or pause in advanced AI development, as the technology is poised to accelerate sooner than most institutions are prepared for. Recursive self-improvement, where AI builds itself, can be a force for great good or great harm, Anthropic said. Scholar Brian Patrick Green, who's the Director of Technology Ethics at Santa Clara University, told me it is very important to get recursive self-improvement right. Otherwise, it could spiral out of control and create new versions of itself that are not friendly. Green also applauded Anthropic's move to comply, albeit grudgingly, with a June 12 Trump administration order to suspend foreign access to the company's Fable V and Mythos V models due to national security concerns. Anthropic did say it regarded the Trump Directive as a misunderstanding and planned to restore access as soon as possible. Asked for his view of that federal halt, Green said it was better to be safe than sorry. Reflecting on his weeklong trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV said one of his clearest impressions came from the Canary Islands, where migration revealed both the challenges facing Europe and what the Pope described as a Christian path toward a civilization of love. Speaking at his weekly general audience today, the Pope said the archipelago's role as a gateway for thousands of migrants from Africa offered a comprehensive insight into a complex issue. The Pope said migration requires organic and coordinated action plans, and it also challenges Christians to reread the gospel in today's world, exchanging with each other the gifts of our respective cultures, and in particular the results produced in them by the fruitfulness of Christ's message. Pope Leo added, This path is not easy. It requires goodwill and God's help. But it is the path that leads to the civilization of love. Catholics in the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, which covers that state and Maryland's eastern shore, rose early on June 12th for a 6 a.m. Eucharistic procession led by Bishop William Koenig on Ocean City, Maryland's boardwalk. The Eucharistic procession was part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which spent June 11th and 12th in the Diocese of Wilmington. The pilgrimage's nine perpetual pilgrims joined the 17-block sunrise procession, ready to explain to onlookers what it was and who the Eucharist is. Eddie Gutierrez is a perpetual pilgrim from Phoenix, and he encountered two men on the boardwalk who asked him to pray that they would stop drinking and take ownership of their own lives. Eddie said, This is always my favorite encounter because it's so natural and people are so hungry for prayer, and it's a perfect opportunity to let them know who and what they are seeking is Jesus in the Eucharist. Similar opportunities for evangelization were plentiful as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Caravan continued northward along the East Coast, heading from the Diocese of Wilmington and through the New Jersey Diocese of Camden and Patterson before taking a two-day private retreat at the St. Francis Xavier Cabrini Shrine in New York City. The pilgrims will reach Maine before heading to Philadelphia for the Independence Day weekend. And finally, Deacon Jim Skull and a small team of deacons from the Diocese of San Diego launched the Million Meal Event five years ago. At the first one, volunteers packed 1 million nutritious meals to distribute to impoverished families across the border in Tijuana and in Africa. The fifth edition of the Million Meal Event took place on June 13th and 14th at Cathedral Catholic High School, and about 5,100 volunteers packed 2 million meals. Those volunteers came from 78 of the diocese's parishes and from schools and other organizations, with participants ranging in age from around eight years old to 80 plus. The event is a project of the diocese's permanent deacons to serve the most vulnerable. They recruit volunteers at their parishes and raise funds to cover the event's cost, which this year totaled about $600,000. The deacons collaborate with a Christ-centered nonprofit organization, Kids Around the World, which buys the bulk ingredients and distributes a portion of the meals overseas to the communities they serve. Two years ago, the deacons joined forces with Catholic charities, also part of the Diocese of San Diego, to strengthen their event and their good work. Give us a follow on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. And wherever you are in the world as you're tuning in, and we do see you out there. I check that country list, so make sure yours is on it. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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