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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSC Newscast for Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the Feast of St. Peter Claver. Today's Saint was born in Spain in 1581, and he died in Cartagena, Colombia in 1654. He was a Jesuit priest who ministered to enslaved persons, declaring himself to be their slave and affirming their human dignity. He labored for close to four decades and baptized an estimated 300,000 enslaved persons. In a letter he wrote in 1627 describing his work, he said, We spoke to them not with words, but with our hands and our actions. St. Peter Claver, pray for us. Now let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined a case from a Catholic woman in New York State seeking to send her son to kindergarten without the vaccines required to attend public school. The High Court didn't offer an explanation for the decision, which is typical for rulings on the court's emergency docket. All states require children to be vaccinated against certain diseases in order to attend public schools, although policies for religious or medical exemptions can vary. Four states only allow medical exemptions. That's according to Health Policy Organization KFF. In court filings, Jane Doe said she was a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic, and she argued her religious beliefs prevent her from undergoing vaccination herself or allowing her son to be vaccinated. She cited the remains of aborted human beings in vaccine doses. However, vaccines do not contain fetal cells. Some vaccines involve growing viruses in cell lines believed to be derived originally from unborn children aborted in the mid-20th century. Among the cell lines are HEK-293. Many common medications, such as over-the-counter pain relievers and antacids, have also been tested against this cell line. The Catholic Church has consistently stated that Catholics may undergo vaccination despite remote degrees of connection to such cell lines where alternatives are not available. Christians can help overcome the many distortions and lies about the true dignity of every human person, and in doing so, promote and defend human life. That's what Pope Leo XIV said today during his weekly general audience talk in St. Peter's Square, where he continued his series of talks on documents from the Second Vatican Council. The Pope said, Created in God's image, through Christ and for his sake, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always with the light and strength of the gospel. The Pope said that dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each person. At the same time, it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still disfigure our perception of it and hinder its realization. The Pope quoted from his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, stressing that the Catholic Church teaches that human dignity never depends on a person's abilities, wealth, or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made. Instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love. The human person said the Pope is made for relationship, communion, and participation, not isolation. And he added, to be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity, and service. Also today, Pope Leo urged church leaders linked to the Focolare movement to make giving witness to unity a priority in a world increasingly marked by polarization and fragmentation. The Pope met with bishops associated with the community and spiritual movement, and he said the answer to today's divisions is not forming more committees or launching more projects, but returning to the source of unity found in the Holy Trinity. The Pope said traditional networks of family, friendship, and community in the West are weakening, as freedom is often defined as absolute autonomy, detached from moral or human limits. But he said many people feel less able to be their authentic selves because of fear of judgment or exclusion. Pope Leo said humanity is created in the image of the triune God and finds true happiness in communion with God and others. He described the church as a mystery of communion and a sign and leaven of unity in the world. The Pope also highlighted the legacy of Foucolare founder, servant of God Kiara Lubic, whose spirituality of unity continues to inspire more than two million people in 183 countries. The Pope encouraged the bishops to deepen their prayer life so they can become credible witnesses of unity that build lasting peace. Catholic dissident and journalist Andrei Poczobut returned to Belarus yesterday after five months in exile in Poland, saying he was prepared to risk arrest and urging Western Catholics to remember Christians imprisoned by the regime. He told OSV News, I hope people will remember the fate of priests and lay Catholics now suffering in prison, showing through prayers that they're not indifferent. Poczubut was freed in April after serving part of an eight-year hard labor sentence. He had been detained since 2021 and convicted of allegedly libeling Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko. Pochybut was released following U.S. and Polish interventions. He met Pope Leo XIV in Rome on September 2nd and asked for the Pope's blessing for his family and for Belarus. He said Catholic solidarity during his imprisonment had reminded prisoners they were not alone. His return comes as pressure on Belarus' Catholic Church continues. Father Janusz Pulit, a Polish-born priest, is among 17 priests reportedly denied state permits in 2026. Dozens of parishes have also lost legal status under restrictive legislation. Pochybut said Vatican engagement remains important as Belarus faces Western sanctions and repression. And finally, France is gearing up for Pope Leo XIV, who will visit that nation from September 25th to the 28th. French bishops said the schedule includes major public events, meetings with abuse survivors, and a call to protect human dignity. Yesterday, Cardinal Jean-Maul Cavalim described the visit as being on an extremely tight schedule due to the upcoming presidential elections in 2027. The Pope will meet President Emmanuel Macron, address UNESCO on young people, technology, and artificial intelligence, and celebrate Vespers at Notre Dame Cathedral. More than 80,000 young people are expected for a prayer vigil at the Stade de France that evening. On September 26th, Pope Leo will visit a diocesan center serving refugees, and he'll meet catechumens and newly baptized Catholics. He'll celebrate an outdoor mass in central Paris before traveling to Lourdes. Bishop Jean-Marc Micard of Trab and Lourdes said, the Pope will come first and foremost as a pilgrim. The Pope will pray at the grotto, celebrate Mass, and lead a torchlight rosary procession. He'll also meet privately with seven survivors of church sexual abuse. The trip concludes in Metz, where Pope Leo will highlight European unity and honor Robert Schumann's legacy of Franco-German reconciliation. 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 so much more. As always, please make sure to subscribe to this podcast. Give us a follow on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. A shout out to our listeners around the world. We see you checking in, and we're grateful for those messages. Keep dropping us a line and let us know what you think. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.

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