The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has restored federal funding to the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) after suspending it last year over concerns about the charity’s past recordkeeping for programs that provided services to asylum seekers and migrants.

In November 2025, the charity faced a potential six-year debarment based on concerns DHS identified after a review of CCRGV’s administration of several federal programs, including the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Emergency Food and Shelter program and its Shelter and Services Program.

CCRGV received approximately $16.2 million in federal grant awards from the DHS for fiscal year 2024, its last funded cycle before the program ended. The money came through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program in two rounds: $7,421,965 in the April 2024 and an additional $8,788,186 that September, according to figures released by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, whose district includes part of the Rio Grande Valley.

Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of CCRGV, said in February 2025, however, that the organization left much of the fiscal year 2024 money undrawn as the number of migrants arriving at its McAllen respite center fell to nearly zero after President Trump took office.

In an interview with EWTN News, Pimentel said that after DHS had reviewed the organization’s records, “there was a percentage of incorrect data” that had been entered by staff who were “inputting, registering, and taking down [immigrants’] information.”

She said that at the time, a large influx of immigrant families “were arriving on a daily basis,” and “100% of them were brought to us by the U.S. Border Patrol.”

DHS told EWTN News that it had found “deficiencies in grant-related recordkeeping, data accuracy, and internal controls,” including missed deadlines and inaccuracies in migrant intake data.

In a statement she made concerning the matter last November, Pimentel said: “I take very seriously every single dollar entrusted to us,” adding that CCRGV was “committed to compliance with federal grant requirements” and would “work expeditiously with DHS to resolve this matter.”

Pimentel, a sister of the Missionaries of Jesus, said that after a meeting with DHS this past spring, the federal agency “notified us that the debarment was lifted as long as we proceeded to follow through with our commitment to report how we were using the funding in the future” in order “to make sure that those errors would not happen again.”

DHS said the matter was resolved this past May through an administrative agreement that remains in effect for 36 months and requires CCRGV to “maintain enhanced compliance and oversight measures.”

“Failure to comply may result in further administrative action, including suspension or debarment,” DHS said.

In its November 2025 letter to CCRGV obtained by Fox News, DHS Acting General Counsel Joseph Mazzarra told Pimentel that “regardless of whether these problems stem from gross mismanagement or an affirmative intent to facilitate lawlessness, this pattern must end.”

Pimentel told EWTN News that “the good thing about funding being restored is that we receive funding for many reasons, not just for immigrants,” including “for emergency assistance for our communities, one of the poorest areas in the United States.”

She said that though the flow of immigrants has stopped, the agency still materially aids many individuals and families in the Rio Grande Valley.

“No matter how limited we are in resources, even when we can barely make it,  we are still wanting to help our neighbor that is struggling,” Pimentel said. “Itʼs so important that you donʼt hold back from doing whatʼs good.”

(OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin Oct. 16, calling for a ceasefire in that nation’s war on Ukraine and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian civilians starving amid a Russian blockade.

The Holy See Press Office announced that the pope — currently in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital following an Oct. 13 lung cancer surgery — “expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky,” located in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region.

Pope Leo’s call comes after a Sept. 19 appeal by the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, urging the pope and other global religious leaders to intervene.

The pope’s call also coincided with his message for World Food Day (Oct. 16), in which he described “regular access to safe, adequate and sufficient food” as “a basic human right” to be safeguarded by nations.”

Oleshky and its surrounding communities are estimated to have more than 6,000 civilians remaining there, including some 200 children, who are “effectively trapped in a ‘gray zone’ near the front line,” said UCCRO.

Food supplies last delivered at end of May

Russian forces have imposed a “humanitarian blockade,” with food supplies last “delivered to the area at the end of May,” the council said.

In addition, Russian officials have repeatedly refused to permit both evacuations and humanitarian aid, said Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha in a Sept. 21 Facebook post.

Sybiha said in his post that “chilling accounts are emerging” from Oleshky of residents who “scavenge for food scraps and gather grass, as there is simply no other food available.”

According to Reuters, the Kremlin released an Oct. 16 statement regarding the call between Pope Leo and Putin, with the exchange described as taking place “in a constructive atmosphere of mutual respect.”

Putin, who wished the pope a speedy recovery, “thanked the pope for his willingness” to assist in “resolving the conflict” and “for his humanitarian efforts,” said the Kremlin.

Putin describes what he called Kyiv’s ‘responsibility’

Putin also provided “a detailed explanation” concerning what he called Kyiv’s “responsibility” for the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, while expressing “support” for the Vatican’s aim to facilitate civilian safety and the delivery of essential aid, the Kremlin said.

“It has been agreed to cooperate on this matter,” said the Kremlin.

Over the past several months, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War has issued multiple warnings of a “dire” and “Russian-manufactured humanitarian crisis” in Oleshky.

In its Oct. 2 assessment, ISW noted Oleshky has not received any food deliveries since May 26. Drone attacks, mines and Russian occupation forces have prevented the remaining residents from fleeing. 

ISW said that Russia has “deliberately weaponized deprivation and bureaucratic mismanagement,” with the blockade placing “thousands at risk of disease, starvation, and abuse at the hands of Russian forces.”

Russian blockade compounds previous damage to city

Russia’s aid blockade has further compounded previous damage to Oleshky, which was one of several cities flooded by Russia’s 2023 intentional destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Kherson, said UCCRO.

International humanitarian law, which governs armed conflict, mandates “rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need,” according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Holy See Press Office said Pope Leo “called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.”

In addition, said the press office, “the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.”

Russia’s attacks — initiated in 2014, and accelerated by a 2022 full-scale invasion — have been classified as a genocide in multiple reports by the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

The post Pope Leo calls Putin from hospital urging ceasefire, aid to starving Ukrainians first appeared on OSV News.

Election season is upon us, and most, if not all, of us here in the US find ourselves bombarded with ads, pamphlets, commercials and even celebrities and influencers proclaiming — often in stark and almost violent terms — that we must vote for their candidate. It’s enough to make a person want to put their head in the sand until November 4.

Pope Leo has been clear recently that Catholics cannot be uninformed and disengaged from the political life of their country: “We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved. With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination, and violence.”

A Catholic perspective on voting

Navigating the political sphere is a daunting task for an adult in any stage of life, but for parents with kids at home, this can be even more challenging. Helping our kids make sense of what it means to be political but not partisan in today’s world is not an easy task. In fact, many parents shy away from broaching the topic of politics with their kids because there is no clear-cut decision to make in most elections. No political party or candidate perfectly aligns with Catholic teaching and doctrine. This means that each Catholic voter must discern for themselves, which makes it an ideal opportunity to show our kids what discernment looks like in real life.

My eldest daughter is in seventh grade and, like many of her peers, is very aware of current events. I want her to be able to see and understand the world through a Catholic lens, which means I have to teach her how to do that. And the best way to do that is to let her see me do it. So this year, my husband and I are embracing the complexity of discerning our vote with transparency, sharing our thoughts about candidates and policies with our kids so that election season becomes an opportunity instead of a burden.

The Catholic Church does not endorse candidates or political parties, but she does teach clearly on issues. That’s where my husband and I start when it comes to approaching elections. We talk to our kids about Catholic Social Doctrine and the important role it plays in how we approach our involvement with society.

Weighing issues as a family

Looking for natural openings, we talk with our kids about the issues that are of concern to us as a family: the cost of gas and food, immigration (a very real one for them, as some of our loved ones are in the country on visas) and education. We also talk about ways that issues affect others, because the Church teaches that we have an obligation to consider the needs of the poor and marginalized. These conversations aren’t lectures or lessons, just small insights that we share in the course of normal conversation.

Next, when we get a mailing from a candidate or hear a quote on the news, we model researching and critical thinking, first by ensuring that we have more than a soundbite — that we’ve looked up the records and statements of the candidate — and then, once we’ve done that, by holding the claims made up against the truth of the Gospel. This has often led to a much deeper conversation about not just the policies being discussed, but also the words being used to persuade or convince.

As November approaches and we’ve decided on a candidate, we share that information with our children and explain (at their level) why we’ve made the choice to support them. We talk about the policies that they support that we agree with, and we also share the concerns we have about others.

It’s been formative for my children to understand that we can choose to vote for a candidate that we don’t agree with everything on. We tell them that voting is not an Uber; it’s public transportation. We get on the bus that’s going in the direction that we want to go, and we recognize that we’re still going to have to do some walking from the bus stop to our desired destination.

Helpful resources

One resource I’ve found valuable is the Guide for Catholic Voters from The Dorothea Project. It’s thorough. Using the seven pillars of Catholic Social Doctrine from the USCCB, the guide explains each principle, offers quotes from Scripture to pray with, and asks thoughtful questions to help voters see how a particular candidate lines up with the Church’s teaching. I’ve especially appreciated the section on developing a well-formed conscience, both for my kids and myself.

Finally, as we approach this upcoming election in a country that is deeply divided, we model for our children what it means to love and respect all people, even the ones that we disagree with.

Colleen Pressprich is a homeschooling mom of five and the author of 10 books for Catholic children, families and adults, including two about Mary: “Marian Consecration for Families with Young Children” and “OSV Kids Discover: Mary.”

The post Catholic parenting during election season: teaching discernment, not division first appeared on OSV News.

With Pope Leo’s recent diagnosis and extra prayers for the Holy Father added to every parish’s Prayers of the Faithful, conversations on cancer have taken center stage. Adults might be wondering how to share such news with children, whether kids have heard prayers for the pope or a family member is facing a difficult diagnosis.

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. While the statistic is shocking, cancer therapies have also improved tremendously, turning many forms of cancer into a treatable disease and increasing survival rates.

But how do we talk to children and those who struggle to comprehend a diagnosis or fear that it means death? Most importantly, how can we bring our own health concerns to God in prayer, trusting that we will be heard and held even when physical healing may not come as we hope?

Facing hard questions

As a child whose brother was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma when I was 8 and died when I was 10, I grew up with cancer. But as a mother of five who faced breast cancer in my early 40s, I have also learned how this disease can be survived.

From both sides — as a child and a parent — I know the importance of facing hard questions with compassion, curiosity and care. Though I’m not a child psychologist, chaplain or therapist, I have learned from experts and experienced parents alike how to address the practical, emotional and spiritual questions that cancer raises.

First, everyone needs explanations at their level. Young children may worry that cancer is contagious or automatically brings death. Explaining a diagnosis simply — that bodies get sick but doctors and scientists work to find the best ways to help — can give perspective. Kids need repetition and reassurance as they process over time. Checking in regularly to see if they have questions or concerns can help families to stay connected. One of our refrains became “God made our bodies to heal,” which speaks to everything from scraped knees to surgeries.

Adults may leap to offer well-meaning encouragement. But spiritual explanations are often overly simplified. Rather than insisting that suffering will be a blessing in disguise or “everything happens for a reason,” offer to pray for the sick.

Check in after the initial shock has passed. Job’s friends give the best support when they sit with him in silence: “None of them spoke a word to him; for they saw how great was his suffering” (Jb 2:13). Kids may not want to talk directly about their worries, but spending time together is their love language.

Second, practical concerns are the most pressing. When friends or family say, “Let me know what I can do,” it’s unhelpful. As in grief, the person at the epicenter can rarely articulate what they need. Instead start with the basics: meals, childcare, gift cards for gas or groceries, assistance with transportation, or a special game or treat for kids. Simeon of Cyrene offers a concrete example: He took up Jesus’ cross rather than trying to explain away what was happening.

Finally, let kids know that God can handle all our questions, anger, sorrow or fear. The gift of the Incarnation means we have a God who has suffered the pains of a human body. While Jesus never experienced a complex disease like cancer, he healed countless people who were suffering from the same ailments that have plagued humanity from the beginning.

Walking together with God

Reminding children (and adults) that we can bring our deepest needs and concerns to God is a powerful way to face suffering as families, communities and the universal Church. The God who counts the hairs on every head surely wants to hear a child’s prayers for grandma’s cancer, a teenager’s worries about a sick classmate or a parish’s concerns for its members.

Whenever we pray for Pope Leo, we can remember to pray for all the sick in our families, churches and communities. Suffering was never meant to be faced alone, and together we can hold each other in the hope of healing.

Laura Kelly Fanucci is an author, speaker and founder of Mothering Spirit. Her latest book is “Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection.”

The post How to talk with kids about cancer first appeared on OSV News.

Voters in the Wisconsin midterm elections will decide whether to ban the local government from closing places of worship in a state of emergency, six years after a diocese threatened to sue over Mass restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ballot measure, titled “Prohibit Government Closure of Places of Worship During Emergencies Amendment (2026),” would alter Section 18 of Article I of Wisconsin’s state constitution to include the sentence: “nor shall the state or a political subdivision of the state order the closure of or forbid gatherings in places of worship in response to a state of emergency at the national, state, or local level, including an emergency related to public health.”

“Although the Wisconsin Catholic Conference did not take a position on the constitutional amendment, we discussed possible changes with the authors,” David Earleywine, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, told EWTN News. Earleywine declined to elaborate on what changes were discussed.

“Religious liberty is the fundamental right to practice one’s faith openly without fear or coercion. Pope Leo XIV recently said that it is the ‘cornerstone of any just society,’” he said. “Freedom to gather for worship is only one important aspect of religious liberty and religious conduct, both of which extend beyond the four walls of a house of worship.”

The measure comes more than six years after the Diocese of Madison threatened to sue the local government of Dane County over its imposition of a 50-person cap on Mass attendance in 2020.

Bishop Donald Hying of Madison told EWTN News at the time that “as bishop, it is my duty to ensure that our sacraments are available to the Catholic faithful, while following best practices when it comes to public health.”

"Religious liberty enshrines freedom of conscience, the right to worship, and the right of religious organizations to serve the common good in the public square. A ballot initiative this fall speaks to that right,” Hying said in his Oct. 15 column in the Madison Catholic Herald.

Similarly, in an Oct. 2 video message on voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Hying addressed the ballot initiative, saying: "Thereʼs a ballot initiative in Wisconsin this year that speaks about the importance of the primacy for houses of worship to remain open during potential future pandemics.”

“We know that that right to worship, that religious liberty, is a foundational part of our Constitution but also our life as Christians,” Hying said. “The Mass for us is everything.”

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee declined requests for an interview or comment.

(OSV News) — Catholic leaders in Nigeria‘s Diocese of Otukpo are appealing for prayers following the kidnapping of Father John Inalegwu Otache, pastor of St. Margaret Parish in Ajegbe–Awume. 

Father Otache was abducted Oct. 13 while returning home from the town of Otukpo in Benue State after reportedly encountering armed kidnappers on a local road. 

“It is with great sadness that we write to notify you of the kidnap of one of our priests,” said Father Joseph Aboyi Itodo, chancellor of the diocese, in a statement Oct. 15.

Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need International said it has received word of the kidnapping of Father Otache “with great concern.”

“We call on all our benefactors and people of good will to pray that (Father) John be released immediately and unharmed,” the organization said in a statement on X.

Prayers urged for release of kidnapped priest

The kidnapping has distressed the Church in the area, with Archbishop Michael Ekwoy Apochi of Otukpo expressing deep sadness over the development and appealing “to all Christ’s faithful within the Diocese and people of goodwill everywhere to fervently pray for the safe and speedy release” of Father Otache.

Meanwhile, “concerted efforts are being intensified to secure his freedom,” said the diocesan statement signed by the chancellor. 

The diocese said it was entrusting Father Otache, and all others currently held captive by kidnappers across the country, to the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The priest becomes yet another member of the clergy to be kidnapped in Nigeria. The West African country is gripped by a security crisis where armed men locally known as bandits carry out mass kidnapping of all people, including women and children, for ransom.

7,825 kidnappings between July 2025 and June 2026

At least 7,825 people were kidnapped in 1,713 incidents in Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026, according to the International Center for Investigative Reporting.

In December 2025, ACN reported that at least 212 Catholic priests had been kidnapped in the wave of violence affecting the whole of the country. The kidnapping has occurred in at least 41 of the country’s 59 dioceses and archdioceses. Out of this number, 183 were released or escaped, 12 were murdered and three died from trauma and injuries sustained during the period of captivity.

Father Otache is the second priest who has been kidnapped from St. Margaret Parish. Father Anthony Adikwu was rescued days after he was kidnapped from the parish June 15, 2023.

Pope Leo has in the past expressed his “immense sadness” at the recent kidnappings of priests, students and members of the Christian faithful in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Fredrick Nzwili writes for OSV News from Nairobi, Kenya.

The post Another priest is kidnapped amid Nigeria’s security crisis first appeared on OSV News.

Australiaʼs antislavery commissioner, who has hailed the Catholic sector as a national leader in fighting modern slavery, says proposed new penalties against forced labor do not go far enough.

Chris Evans demanded that large companies should be legally required to root out exploitation in their supply chains.

In a paper released Thursday, Evans estimated that Australia imports about $17.4 billion (AU$25 billion) worth of goods each year that may have been produced with forced labor, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Oct. 16.

The Catholic Church in Australia has made the issue a priority. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher set up an antislavery task force to lead the Churchʼs response to modern slavery in Australia, according to the archdiocese. The task force works on compliance with the Modern Slavery Act across the supply chains of Catholic schools, universities, welfare, and health and aged-care agencies as well as trains parish and agency staff to identify and support possible victims.

Speaking at a Sydney Catholic Business Network luncheon on Nov. 13, 2025, Evans praised the Catholic prelate.

He said the archbishop’s “leadership on this issue has been exemplary,” given his support for the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network and his establishment of Domus 8.7.

“Through the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network and Domus 8.7, the Catholic sector has become a national leader in implementing the Modern Slavery Act,” Evans said at the time.

Under the 2018 act, large Australian companies must report risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains but have no legal obligation to address them. Evans wants to close that gap as part of a planned overhaul of the law.

The federal government announced in July that it would introduce a criminal offense for companies that fail to prevent modern slavery along with civil penalties for businesses that breach existing reporting rules.

“The governmentʼs announcement sends a clear signal that modern slavery is a serious crime and must be treated that way,” Evans said.

His four-part proposal would place mandatory due-diligence obligations on large businesses and the federal government, set criminal penalties for serious wrongdoing, give victims the right to sue for compensation, and strengthen annual reporting.

“Australians donʼt want the clothes they wear or the food they eat to be made with forced labour,” Evans said. “They expect government and business to take responsibility and action.”

Business groups have pushed back. Minerals Council of Australia chief Tania Constable said there were better ways to address the issue than threatening executives with criminal penalties over other companies' actions, and the Business Council of Australia has also raised concerns, according to the Herald.

Pope Leo XIV has strongly spoken out against trafficking. In his message for the World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking on Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, the pope renewed “the Churchʼs urgent call to confront and bring an end to this grave crime against humanity.”

“Awareness enables us to identify the hidden mechanisms of exploitation in our neighborhoods and in digital spaces,” he wrote.