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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV Newscast for Friday, July 24th, 2026, the feast of St. Charbel Maklouf, Maronite monk and priest. He was born in Lebanon in 1828, and he died there in 1898 after a lifetime of prayer and contemplation. He's a saint of many miracles, and millions have visited his tomb at the Monastery of St. Maron in Anaya, Lebanon. If you can't travel there, you can also draw closer to this extraordinary saint by visiting the St. Charbell Spiritual Life Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. St. Charbell, pray for us. Now let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. A recent open AI security incident that saw a test model go rogue may be a sign of more to come. And it's also a call to double down on preventing future attacks. That's what a Catholic expert on AI ethics told OSV News. I spoke with Brian Patrick Green, the Director of Technology Ethics at the Marcula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. And he shared his thoughts on how earlier this month, models being tested by OpenAI, which is the company behind ChatGPT, managed to hack into an online repository for open source AI models. Green said, cases like these are going to keep popping up, and each one of those should motivate us to do more. He warned that such breaches are likely going to start happening more and more. And he said the incident wasn't necessarily an example of what's called emergent misalignment, where AI acts counter to human values. Green said that's because it was never aligned with those values in the first place. He described the attack as very significant, and he invited the faithful to play an active role in AI development and regulation, especially given Pope Leo XIV's recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which urged AI development to remain centered in God-given human dignity and the principles of Catholic social teaching. Those targeted in immigration enforcement operations need to have the chance to be heard. That's according to a religious sister detained by U.S. Customs and Enforcement Agents for several hours en route to Mass June 28th, amid an intended third country deportation effort. Yesterday, Sister Leticia Ugboja delivered a prepared statement during a press conference hosted by Our Lady of Soros Church in McAllen, Texas, which is located at the U.S.-Mexico border. Accompanying Sister Leticia at the event were her attorney, Carlos Moctezuma Garcia and Sister Norma Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus and Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Gran Valley in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas. Sister Leticia, currently under protection from being returned to Nigeria, recalled her fear, confusion, and sorrow over her immigration enforcement detention, which saw agents deny her the opportunity to receive Holy Communion. She said, I am not the only one. There are many others in this same situation, people who have been given some form of protection under our laws, who have followed every rule asked of them, and who still live with uncertainty about where they might be sent and whether anyone will tell them before it happens. And she added, I believe every person in this situation like me deserves to be heard. Four Catholic journalists have launched an initiative to deliver the personal prayers and reflections of Venezuelan earthquake survivors directly to Pope Leo XIV. The campaign is called Cartas para el Papa, or Letters for the Pope, and it's collecting written messages and photos through an online form until August 15th. The initiative is being organized by journalists Lola Gomez, Daniel Caceres, Jose Arnaldo Mujica, and Robel Alvarez, and they're looking to comfort those affected by two massive earthquakes that struck La Guayra State on June 24th, leaving more than 5,300 people dead. Organizers plan to compile the submissions into a single volume and present it to Pope Leo during his upcoming papal flight to France on September 25th. Gomez is a photojournalist for Catholic News Service in Rome, and she told OSV News the project gives victims and international first responders an intimate way to process trauma and to stay connected to their faith during the ongoing recovery efforts. The nine pilgrims accompanied the Eucharist in a monstrance along the St. Francis Xavier Cabrini route, traveling from St. Augustine, Florida, which was the site of one of the first masses on American soil in 1565, to Portland, Maine, before they concluded in Philadelphia. Along the way, they described powerful moments of prayer, Eucharistic worship, encounters with thousands of Catholics who gathered to pray for one another and for the nation. The pilgrimage theme was One Nation under God, and the journey began on Pentecost Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. It concluded over the 4th of July weekend as the nation marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Organizers said at least 76,000 people participated in portions of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims said they were still processing their experiences, but they detailed their encounters with people experiencing homelessness, bystanders who joined processions and tearfully prayed for the country, and others who'd felt compelled to travel significant distances to walk with the pilgrims. The pilgrims said there were many inspiring moments, reminding the faithful that, as one pilgrim put it, Jesus is for everybody. And finally, tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform for Pope Leo XIV on July 29th, along with a 160-member children's choir representing the Holy Land, Uganda, and Italy. The concert will take place at the Vatican's Borgo Laudato Si Gardens in Castel Gandalfo, the summer residence of the Pope. The performance is being organized by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, and it marks the close of the Foundation's first global gathering of its Voices of program. The program supports children in communities facing poverty, conflict, and limited educational opportunities through music events and workshops. Young singers ages 8 to 19 will perform a musical rendition of St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of Peace in honor of the 800th anniversary of the saint's death. Organizers said Haiti Squire could not attend because of ongoing instability in that country. The 10-day program also includes cultural workshops and performances at Bocelli's concert in Tuscany and in Rome to sing for Italian president Sergio Mattarella. 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, please make sure to subscribe to this podcast, tell a friend, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. A shout out to our listeners in the U.S., Canada, and all over the world. Let's see who's checking in. We have Switzerland, Trinidad, and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Botswana, First Time, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, and Kazakhstan. Drop us a line and let us know what you think. We'll be back on Monday. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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