SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSD Newscast for Monday, October 26th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day, and here we go. Well, two weeks after surgery for lung cancer, Pope Leo XIV has been cleared by doctors to proceed with his planned November 6th to 17th trip to South America. It will be the longest and most demanding journey of his pontificate so far. In a statement released October 26th, papal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone said there are no medical concerns that would prevent the Pope from traveling to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru as scheduled. The Vatican said the Pope's recovery is progressing well, and he's resumed his responsibilities while balancing work with appropriate periods of rest. Pope Leo said, I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I've experienced so many moments of my life. Preparations are continuing without interruption. Monsignor Guillermo Inca Pereda, coordinator of the papal visit, said a Vatican Advanced team arrived October 26th for final planning. Despite speculation that the high-altitude stop in Cusco might be dropped following the Pope's surgery, the Monsignor said nothing is ruled out. The trip will cover more than 19,000 miles on 14 flights, with Pope Leo celebrating nine public masses and ending the journey in Chiclayo, Peru, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023. Pope Leo XIV has recognized the heroic virtues of six Catholics whose lives of service, missionary zeal, and perseverance in suffering have advanced their sainthood causes. During an October 24th audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Pope declared those six Catholics venerable. They include two missionary bishops, Friedrich Caesar Deppel and Oreste Marengo, Margherita Bavosi, a member of the Focolare Spiritual Movement, Italian priests, Fathers Domenico Pogliani and Alessandro Vitetti, and Cappuccin brother Daniele of San Giovanni Rotondo, a spiritual son of Padre Pio. The German-born bishop Caesar Deppel spent most of his priestly and episcopal ministry in Peru, where he helped rebuild communities after a devastating earthquake, and he became known as a pioneer of the biblical apostolate. Italian Silesian Bishop Marengo served for decades in northern India, establishing missions, promoting priestly vocations, and assisting refugees during regional conflict. Bavosi was an Argentine laywoman known in the Focolari movement as Luminosa. Father Polliani was a Milanese priest who founded schools and care homes for the poor. Father Vitetti is remembered for bearing blindness and illness with the words, I cannot see, I cannot hear, but I believe. And Brother Daniele supported Padre Pio's spiritual legacy despite years of ill health. The deal is slated to be inked the week of November 6th, and it was confirmed by plaintiffs' attorneys in an email sent on the evening of October 23rd to clients. That's according to the New York Times. The funds will conclude all outstanding claims brought against the Archdiocese, its parishes, and its affiliated agencies. In an October 24th email to Archdiocese and Priests, Archbishop Ronald Hicks said, We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim survivors. He said the settlement would also allow the Archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of evangelization and works of mercy. The settlement caps a five-year legal battle that has seen the Archdiocese sell off property while taking insurance giant Chubb to court over coverage for the claims. Previously, OSV News found that U.S. dioceses have paid more than $5 billion to settle abuse claims from 2004 to 2024. With the Archdiocese of New York settlement, that figure is now closer to, and perhaps more than $6 billion. And finally, 2031 will mark the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in what is now Mexico City. And ahead of the occasion, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles is calling on Catholics to prepare for the milestone as a time of spiritual renewal and a new missionary awakening in the Americas. The Archbishop shared his thoughts with faithful in his new pastoral letter called The Wonder of America. The letter is a sweeping, often personal 20,000-word reflection on what the apparitions mean historically for the Christian mission in the Americas and for the spiritual lives of believers today. Central to the letter is the Archbishop's belief that the Guadalupe apparitions represent the true origin story for the United States and the nations of the Americas. The new letter is dated September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it was released on October 22nd, the feast day of St. John Paul II, who was the first Pope to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. In the document, Archbishop Gomez wrote, Guadalupe holds the key to understanding God's original intentions for these continents. 500 years later, it also holds the key for discerning the Church's continued mission here. 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, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Hello to all our listeners around the world. We're so happy to see you checking in. And Pope Leo, we're praying for you as you get ready for your South American trip. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.