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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Monday, August 31st, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who heads up the U.S. Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, has expressed his robust support for biblical scholar Amy Jill Levine. That's as she faces anti-Semitic backlash for her recent appointment as the first Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America. The association has also issued a statement of support for Levine, noting that the vitriol of some of the comments only reinforces the need to address the problem of antisemitism. Levine was named to the role in July, stepping into a position that's previously been held by various scholars of Roman Catholic and Protestant affiliations. Bishop Bambera said in an August 28th letter to Levine that her appointment is a fitting celebration of the genuinely interfaith character of biblical scholarship and of the many years of faithful Jewish Catholic collaboration in the study of Scripture. The bishop said the appointment reflects the vision articulated in Nostra Etate, which is the Second Vatican Council's declaration on the Catholic Church's relationship with Judaism and other non-Christian religions. That document, said Bishop Bambera, called Catholics to a deeper understanding and mutual respect with the Jewish people. And he added in his letter to Levine, I am confident that the Catholic Biblical Association will continue to be enriched by your leadership. Pope Leo XIV has issued a new document that gives Eastern Catholic bishops the power to remove a patriarch from office if the relationship is irreparably compromised for serious reasons. Along with the Roman Catholic Church, the Universal Catholic Church is made up of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, several of which are led by a named or de facto patriarch. Pope Leo's document, which is called a motu proprio, was issued on August 29th, and the order guarantees a patriarch the right to a full defense before synods of Eastern Catholic bishops in such cases, and the Pope himself must sign off on any decision made by those synods who are called upon to restore the wounded communion through an orderly procedure without undue external or internal pressure. Whatever the injustice or injury, do not revert to hatred or violence. That's what Pope Leo XIV told the faithful, saying that only love, hope, forgiveness, and respect will protect and promote human dignity. The Pope shared his thoughts during his homily at a mass on August 29th, marking the feast of Our Lady of the Lake in the town of Castel Gandalfo. Pope Leo said, We are in such need of life, hope, serenity, and peace within ourselves, in our cities, and among people and nations. For this reason, whatever the wound, whatever the offense, let us not allow evil to disfigure our humanity or corrupt our hearts. And he added, Let us not conform to the mindset of this world and not get discouraged. The Pope said, Unfortunately, not everyone understands the beauty, goodness, and practicality of this dream of the Creator. In fact, many think it is a utopia. The Pope said, Naysayers insist that turning the other cheek is for losers. Giving in the face of rejection is for the naive, forgiving without limits is for the weak. But he said, Let us not delude ourselves. Hatred and violence bring nothing good, but only destruction and death, always, even when they are a response to injustices suffered. Only the way of love is the way of life. Let us then draw close this evening to Jesus and Mary, to the Son and the Mother, so that united not only on the lake, but on every night throughout the world, we may be a soothing reflection of God's presence and an irresistible echo of his love that invites us to love. Pope Leo XIV ordered the Holy See's Communications Office to stop using artwork by Father Marco Rupnik. That's according to French bishop Jean-Marc Mika of Traube and Lourdes. The bishop told the publication Paris Match that the Pope confirmed the directive during a private audience, and he backed plans to cover Father Rupnik's mosaics at the sanctuary ahead of the Pope's visit to France in late September. In July, Bishop Mika said the mosaics at the sanctuary will remain covered indefinitely following meetings with abuse victims, who described being assaulted by the Slovenian priest during the creation of the artwork. According to Paris Match, the chapel at the Apostolic Nunciature in Paris, where the Pope will stay during his trip, also remains closed until a verdict is reached in the priest's ongoing canonical trial. Asked about the symbolism of the Pope's visit to a place that has covered the priest's mosaics, Bishop Mika told OSV News in July the Pope didn't choose Lourdes for that reason, but to be a pilgrim in Lourdes and to do what all the pastors of the church do when they are in Lourdes. He said the sanctuary is considered as a very important place by victims of sexual abuse because with the Immaculate Conception they can find consolation and maybe some cure. And finally, a newly dedicated and blessed retreat house in the nation's capital, right next to the St. John Paul II National Shrine, will be an oasis of sacred wilderness in its neighborhood. Both the retreat house and the shrine are initiatives of the Knights of Columbus. Baltimore Archbishop William Laurie, who is the Knights' supreme chaplain, was the main celebrant of a dedication mass for the retreat house on August 26th. He prayed, May it be a place where, under the loving gaze of St. John Paul II, and with the help of Mary's maternal love, retreatants can come to grips with their faults and sins that hold them back in their relationships with God. The facility is in the former Washington Retreat House, which opened in 1932 and was at last operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement until the retreat house's closure in 2024. The retreat house and shrine are both located in the Brooklyn section of Washington, which is affectionately called Little Rome, for the many Catholic institutions located there. Right now, the retreat house is only available for group reservations, but plans are in the works to soon offer availability to individual retreatants. That's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for a link to our website. That's where you can find the stories in this episode, plus a whole lot more. As always, please make sure to subscribe to this podcast, give us a follow on social media, and you know it. BookmarkOSVnews.com. A shout out to our listeners around the world. We'd love to see you check in. Drop us a line. Let us know what you think. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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