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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSC Newscast for Monday, August 3rd, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. The Diocese of El Paso, Texas has shut down its long-running legal aid ministry to unaccompanied child migrants, as the Trump administration withholds almost $1 million in funding for work already performed. Estrella del Paso announced on July 31st it had closed its unaccompanied children's program and laid off 13 employees after its federal contract was not extended. That non-renewal comes as the organization is still owed for work it's completed for the federal government, with no payments received since December 2025. In an August 1st video statement posted to the organization's Instagram account, Executive Director Melissa Lopez, who in July had warned Estrella's reserves had been completely depleted by the federal government's nonpayment, described news of the closure as a heartbreaking update. Lopez said that without payment from the federal government, we simply can't operate this program. She stressed that unaccompanied children have a right to legal services and representation under U.S. law, and she noted that the federal government agreed to this contract and is now refusing to pay what they owe. According to its press release, the nonprofit is currently representing 243 unaccompanied migrant children whose legal fate remains uncertain. Estrella del Paso and other organizations are fighting the Trump administration in court over the funding owed, which totals some $65 million for the representation of more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children. Police in northern Nigeria are investigating the murder of a Catholic priest killed in an apparent roadside ambush in Kogi State. The Diocese of Lakoja announced that Father Samuel Opayemi Oyotoro died on July 29th after sustaining severe machete wounds. Authorities found his body along a local road in Aja Okuta. Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usmano Dodo condemned the killing as barbaric and vowed that those responsible will face justice. Father Oyotoro's death comes amid a sharp rise in targeted violence against clergy and lay Catholics across the country. Just days after the ambush, seven gunmen stormed St. Joseph Church in Enugu State during Sunday Mass, kidnapping a seminarian, a catechist, and a parishioner. According to Aid to the Church in Need, Nigeria leads the world in priest abductions, drawing sharp criticism from international watchdog groups over the government's handling of militant violence. Vicky Hartzler, whose term as chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom concluded in May, previously said the Nigerian government has for far too long been negligent in seriously and directly tackling the violence and its complex underlying factors. A Spanish missionary priest has been appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Rabat in Morocco, following abuse allegations against its leader, Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero. The missionary oblates of Mary Immaculate announced yesterday that the Holy See named Monsignor Mario León Dorado as Apostolic Administrator. Monsignor Dorado, who serves as Apostolic Prefect of Western Sahara, will temporarily govern the North African Archdiocese, while the Vatican investigates claims against Cardinal Lopez. The 74-year-old cardinal stepped back from public ministry on July 8th after French news agency Agence France Pless reported allegations from at least five adult women, including claims of inappropriate physical contact. Cardinal Lopez denied the accusations, stating he committed no assault or harassment. However, an anonymous source within the Archdiocese told Agence France Pless that there was a culture of complicity and silence protecting the prelate. Cardinal Lopez asked for prayers and encouraged Catholics to reach out to their parish priests if they wished to express themselves or discuss the allegations. The cardinal also asked Catholics to pray while awaiting the Holy See's decision, and he said, Let us pray together for those who are suffering from this situation. Let us pray for our church. Let us pray for one another and pray for me. A cardinal who was once imprisoned for celebrating Mass returned to the place where he was held for 18 years to once again offer the Eucharist. On July 31st, 97-year-old Cardinal Ernest Simoni returned to Albania's former Spotch prison camp, where he secretly celebrated Mass during 18 years of forced labor, and he publicly celebrated Mass on July 31st to honor those who suffered and died there. The Communist era camp was among the country's harshest prisons. In a letter read at the end of Mass, Pope Leo XIV praised the cardinal's witness and remembered the victims, writing, No chain is strong enough to imprison a conscience illuminated by the gospel. No night is so long that it can prevent the dawn the Lord prepares for his children, and no prison is deep enough to separate a person from the love of God. The cardinal was arrested on Christmas Eve in 1963 after offering Mass for the soul of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and the Cardinal ministered clandestinely throughout his imprisonment. Pope Leo urged future generations never to forget Spoch as a constant call to respect the inviolable dignity of every human person, the value of freedom, and the commitment to peace. And finally, Pope Leo XIV is inviting Catholics to pray for evangelization in the city as his August prayer intention, asking the Lord to accompany millions searching for meaning amid the noise and haste of urban life. In his monthly Pray with the Pope video, Pope Leo expressed his hope that urban environments may provide fertile ground for proclaiming the gospel. The Chicago-born Pope acknowledged that while cities are meant to be places of freedom and opportunity, they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation. Nearly 45% of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and the Pope's worldwide prayer network describes cities as one of today's largest mission territories. In his prayer, Pope Leo asked, make us a church that goes forth, able to reach out to the peripheries, to console those who are lonely, and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference. And the Pope also prayed, Make us your witnesses in the city, bold and creative missionaries who proclaim your love with their lives, a love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for a link to our website. You can find the stories in this episode. As always, please make sure to subscribe to this podcast. Give us a follow on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. Shout out to our listeners in the U.S., Canada, and across the world. We see you and we're grateful. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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