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Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSC newscast for Wednesday, September 30th, 2026. Today's the feast of Saint Jerome, which Orthodox Christians mark in July. Jerome was born around the year 347 in the Roman province of Dalmatia, and he died in about 420 in Bethlehem. We can thank Jerome for his Latin translation of the Bible, known as the Vulgate, which comes from the Latin word for common. Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church, pray for us. Now let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. The Chicago White Sox have headed into the postseason with a bit of inspiration from one of their best known fans, none other than Pope Leo XIV. In an ex post yesterday, the team shared images of a September 9th letter from the Chicago-born Pope, who expressed his hope the White Sox would promote peace and goodwill among people. The letter was addressed to team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. He'd written to Pope Leo following the team's Pope-themed August 11th game against the Cincinnati Reds at Chicago's rate field. In his message to Reinsdorf, Pope Leo quoted From Life in Abundance, his February letter on the value of sport, saying that sport can truly become a school of life. And the Pope added, In this spirit, it is my hope that the White Sox continue to foster bonds of friendship and solidarity among people, and thus bear hopeful witness to the possibility of living and working together in peace. Pope Leo concluded his letter by invoking the Almighty's abundant blessings upon you and your loved ones. The White Sox posted the letter online the same day the team was in Houston to play the Astros in Game One of the American League's Wildcard series, capping a season that saw them overcome record losses in previous years. And as it turned out, they won the game, beating the Astros 6-3. During his visit to France over the past weekend, Pope Leo XIV gave a forceful defense of human life. That's reignited debate over the country's newly approved assisted dying law, which lawmakers had largely considered settled after its passage in July. Speaking to civil authorities in Paris, the Pope warned against practices that threaten human dignity, including assisted dying, and he said, The protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right. In Lourdes addressing the sick and persons with disabilities, the Pope declared, No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity. And he added, What is legal is not necessarily moral. The remarks drew sharp reactions from supporters of the assisted dying law, who accused the church of interfering in public affairs. Pope Leo rejected that criticism, telling journalists that the church is applying the gospel to people's lives, not engaging in politics. Pro-life advocates said the Pope's message was strengthened by widely shared images from the trip, including blessings of the sick and the participation of altar servers with Down syndrome at the Papal Mass in Paris. One of them, Jerome Trillade, urged greater inclusion of people with disabilities. Lucy Pacheri of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation called the Pope's intervention a great encouragement for those continuing to oppose assisted dying legislation and promote a culture of life. Also creating a sensation from that papal trip to France is a photograph of Pope Leo XIV blessing a French child with multiple disabilities. Ten-year-old Marie Garance was lifted by a police officer into Pope Leo's arms on September 26th as the Pope Mobile passed along the Champs-Élysées before mass at the Place de la Concorde. AFP photographer Ludovic Marine captured the moment, the Pope leaned toward Marie Garrance, took her hand, and met her eyes. Her adoptive mother Clotilde Noël told OSV News the blessing represented vulnerable people who were often set aside because they're different. Noelle's other adopted daughter, Peppa Teresa, who uses a wheelchair, also received a blessing that day. The Noelles have ten children, including four adopted children with disabilities. Marie Carrance was adopted after social services struggled to find a family willing to take her because of the severity of her disabilities. Noelle described caring for her adopted children as a vocation within a vocation. She and her husband also founded Tombe du Nid, which in English means fallen from the nest, an organization that supports families raising kids with disabilities. Noelle said the Pope's blessing offered comfort to parents facing difficult circumstances. Well, for Catholics in the U.S., October is Respect Life Month, and the chair of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Pro Life Committee is asking the faithful to mark the month with prayer, reflection, and action to stop use of the abortion pill. In a statement released yesterday, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo said that today, with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks. His words echoed an earlier nationwide call the bishops had issued in August. The Trump administration has sought to pause multiple state lawsuits, seeking to roll back eased restrictions on mifopristone that were put in place during the Biden administration. Mifopristone is a drug that's commonly used for first trimester abortion. It's also used in some miscarriage care protocols. So far, the Trump administration has left that regulation in effect while seeking to block those challenges, pending a promised FDA safety review, and that's resulted in frustration from pro-life advocates. Bishop Thomas said in his statement, this means that more women, many of whom have been misinformed about the nature and risks of the abortion pill, will have an abortion alone at home without any medical supervision. He added, it also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers. These affronts to human dignity demand our response. And finally, universal health care is a moral imperative, and that's something the Holy See has consistently reiterated. That's what the Vatican's top diplomat told the United Nations. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, shared his thoughts in a statement delivered during the UN's September 25th high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The gathering took place at the UN's New York headquarters amid the multilateral body's 81st General Assembly. Cardinal Parolin quoted Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the Pope noted that scientific, technological, and medical advances are not easily accessible to the vast majority of people, as was dramatically demonstrated during the recent pandemic. The cardinal added, failing to confront this gap will make it harder to prevent and respond to pandemics effectively in the future. The cardinal stressed the need to start by addressing the circumstances which often increase the risk of severe illness and death, poverty, poor living conditions, and lack of health care. Quoting Pope Leo, the Cardinal also urged greater attention to mental health care, and he emphasized the need to remind people that life has value, that each of us is loved, awaited, and called to a task in the world. 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, plus a whole lot more. Make sure to subscribe to this podcast, give us a follow on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. And I do like to give a shout out to our listeners around the world. It's always good to see you checking in. Drop us a line, let us know what you think. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

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