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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV Newscast for Friday, September 4th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. During an audience today at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV urged scholars from Oxford University to seek the truth courageously, and he pointed to St. John Henry Newman as a model of faith and scholarship. The Pope welcomed a delegation from Oxford's Oriol College, where Newman was a fellow from 1822 to 1845. The visit marked the college's 700th anniversary, commemorating the royal charter granted in 1326 by King Edward II. Pope Leo said the milestone is an opportunity to celebrate the college's Catholic origins as the College of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He highlighted Newman, whom he named a doctor of the Church and co-patron of the Church's education last fall, saying the saint stands as a shining example of a scholar who not only showed the inseparability of faith and reason in his works, but even more admirably in his life. The Pope added that Newman's vision of education remains relevant today, because it promotes formation of the whole person and serves human dignity and the common good. Newman resigned his fellowship at Oriel College in 1845, the same year that he was received into communion with the Catholic Church. He lost many friends and was rejected by his family because of his conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism, but Newman wrote he experienced a deep interior peace, which he described as like coming into port after a rough sea. Newman was ordained as a Catholic priest two years later in 1847. Speaking to OSV News yesterday, Sister Cecilia Durga Schwesta, the executive director of Caritas Nepal, said many survivors are receiving medical treatment while countless families have lost homes, land, livelihoods, and loved ones. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Management Authority reported 1,114 deaths, and about 4,500 people remain missing, with roughly 12,000 people rescued after the August 26th flood and mudslide near the Chinese border. Sister Cecilia said the government's immediate priority is protecting displaced families and supporting recovery efforts, but she stressed that authorities cannot do this alone. She called for coordinated support from national and international organizations to help communities rebuild with greater resilience. The disaster followed warnings from researchers that Himalayan glaciers are melting at an accelerating rate. A 5.2 magnitude glacial collapse triggered the deadly flooding. Sister Cecilia pointed out that Nepal produces less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and she described the country suffering as a profound injustice. She also urged concrete action through climate finance, adaptation support, and international solidarity. Caritas Nepal is providing emergency aid while planning long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts. Women must be able to exercise their leadership and become artisans of peace and guardians of life as the global community fractures and conflicts increase. That's what the Vatican told the United Nations this week. The Holy See's Permanent Observer mission to the UN shared its thoughts in a September 2nd statement during the Global Body's High-Level Forum on Implementing the Program of Action on a Culture of Peace. The annual forum, which has been held since 2012 and which took place at the UN's New York headquarters, furthers the aims of the UN General Assembly's 1999 resolution to foster worldwide peace and nonviolence. This year's gathering focused on the importance of women's leadership in attaining that goal. In its statement, the Holy See UN mission said, women can and should play a much greater role in all these processes, which are intended to heal societies fractured by violence and chaos. Quoting Pope Leo XIV, the mission called for concrete decisions to close gender equality gaps so that women and men enjoy equal dignity and rights. The mission said closing those gaps will ensure that women can exercise their gifts to nurture a culture of peace and restore trust among nations. In an August 21st statement, the international group Priests Against Genocide said, We believe that the policies and actions of the government of Israel in Gaza constitute genocide. The group was launched in August of 2025, and it counts Cardinal Stephen Brislin of Johannesburg among the signatories of the Declaration. The priests argued that repeated evacuation orders issued during the conflict have offered little protection to civilians, saying to order people to flee when there is no safe place to flee to is not protection. The priests also cited findings by human rights organizations that have accused Israel of apartheid-like policies toward Palestinians. The group stressed their criticism is directed at the Israeli government, not at Jews or Judaism. The statement condemned anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and also denounced the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that launched the Israel-Hamas War. According to a UN humanitarian report, more than 73,000 people have died in Gaza, and about 94% of the population has been displaced. Israel has rejected accusations that its military campaign amounts to genocide. The relic, a small portion of Archbishop Sheen's remains, will be transferred during a September 29th Mass at Rochester's Sacred Heart Cathedral, five days after Archbishop Sheen's beatification in St. Louis. At the September 29th Mass, Bishop Louis Tilka of Peoria will formally present the relic to Bishop John Bonici of Rochester, and the liturgy will be followed by a series of related Masses at several Rochester diocesan parishes this fall. The faithful will have opportunities to view and venerate the relic before it's placed on permanent display at the Rochester Cathedral. And 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 and a whole lot more. As always, please make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Shout out to our listeners around the world. Drop us a line, let us know what you think. We'll be back on Tuesday since here in the U.S., this coming Monday is Labor Day, and we wish you all a very happy holiday. And we'll leave you with some thoughts on the occasion from Archbishop Shelton Fob of Louisville, who chairs the U.S. Catholic Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. In his message for this year's holiday, which you can find on our website, the Archbishop pointed to Catholic teaching on labor, stressing that work is more than a way to make a living, but rather a form of participation in God's creation. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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