SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News, and this is your OSV Newscast for Thursday, October 22nd, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the Day. Here we go. Pope Leo XIV has officially opened registration for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, and he wants young Catholics to see it as far more than a sightseeing trip. In a video message released today on the feast of St. John Paul II, the Pope called the gathering a journey of faith, friendship, and hope. He encouraged pilgrims to bring their dreams and desires, but also their wounds and struggles, promising that God is waiting to reawaken their hope. The 41st World Youth Day runs August 3rd to 8th, 2027. Organizers say registration packages that include lodging close May 31st, while non-lodging packages remain available afterward. Pope Leo said that despite differences in language and culture, participants will experience unity as members of the one body of Christ. The timing is fitting. St. John Paul II established World Youth Day in 1985 as an annual event with periodic international gatherings. I look forward to seeing you in Seoul, the Pope said. In the meantime, may God bless you and your loved ones. The Vatican's Doctrine of the Faith office has released a major new document on how Catholics can pass on the faith in what it calls a time of epical change. Titled Venite ad me, or Come To Me, the text runs more than 25,000 words and was issued today by the Decastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez. It was written at the request of the late Pope Francis and approved for publication by Pope Leo XIV. The eight-chapter document examines a growing crisis in handing on the faith between generations, pointing to cultural shifts, weakened family life, and the rise of digital technology, while stressing the core Christian message of Christ's death and resurrection. It calls for renewed attention to adult evangelization and youth catechesis, noting that fewer parents are introducing children to the faith. It also highlights liturgy, beauty, sacred music, preaching, and personal witness, and includes testimonies from adult converts. The dicastery calls it a set of considerations rather than a doctrinal note, meant to spark pastoral renewal. Poblio told leaders of the American Jewish Committee today that the Catholic Church remains committed to friendship with the Jewish people and to rejecting every form of ethnic and religious discrimination. Meeting a U.S. delegation at the Vatican, the Pope said Jews and Catholics share a spiritual heritage that calls them to defend human dignity, promote religious freedom, serve the poor, and promote justice and peace. Differences of opinion, he warned, must never lead to prejudice or hostility. His remarks come amid concern over attacks on Christians in the Holy Land, including a recent settler attack on Tai Bay, a Christian village in the West Bank. Church leaders have thanked rabbis and other Jewish voices who publicly condemned the incident. The Pope also cited rising anti-Semitism worldwide since the Israel Hamas War and recalled St. John Paul II's support for Jewish Catholic dialogue. The Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, Poplio said, on the basis of the gospel itself. On the feast of St. John Paul II, scholars and church leaders are pointing to the late Pope's teachings as a guide for navigating the rise of artificial intelligence. Decades before AI entered daily life, John Paul warned that technological progress must stay centered on the human person. John Paul II would probably say today, let us use artificial intelligence, but let it serve the human person. Father Joseph Kloch of the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow told OSV News. He noted that the Pope recognized the significance of the digital revolution early on and urged the Church to engage new communications technologies while insisting they needed moral direction. AI, Father Kloch said, should remain a tool, not a substitute for human judgment. AI can help human beings, but it should not take away their agency, he said. This is where the fundamental boundary lies. The discussion comes as the John Paul II Vatican Foundation celebrates its 45th anniversary in Rome. Foundation president Monsignor Pavel Tosnik echoed that vision. Technology must serve the human person, and not the human person serve technology. The Savannah Bananas are bringing their unconventional brand of baseball to the University of Notre Dame in June 2027, to a campus where tradition rarely needs an introduction. The visit includes games at Frank X Stadium and at Notre Dame Stadium, which will host its first ever baseball game. We expect a full house of 80,000 Bananaball fans in June at Notre Dame Stadium, said Lee Sakinski, Executive Director of University Events. For a campus used to major sporting events, Bananaball offers something different: dancing players, singing, unusual rules, and spectators who become part of the action. Mike Seaman, vice president for University Operations, Events, and Safety, called hosting the first baseball game inside Notre Dame Stadium a historic moment for our campus. We can't wait to open our gates to Banana Nation for an unforgettable experience, he said. The festivities begin June 24th with a game at Frank X Stadium, then move to Notre Dame Stadium on June 26th. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Maggie Murray of OSV News. Check out the show notes for direct links to the stories in this episode. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless. This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.