Pope Leo AI Encyclical Release, Bishop Barron on America at 250, Bolivia's Bishops Call for Dialogue, and More

Thanks for listening! Let us know what you think. God bless!Gina Christian of OSV News catches you up on the Catholic news of the day for May 18, 2026. Tune in and visit us online at osvnews.com.Read the stories in this episode:Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" will be published May 25, addressing artificial intelligence and the protection of human dignity, the Vatican has announced.As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it should reflect on how the American understanding of equality is grounded in the belief that all people are equally children of God, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said May 17 at a prayer rally on the National Mall.The number of executions around the globe in 2025 surged to the highest recorded figure in 44 years, a new Amnesty International report said. Bolivia's Catholic bishops are urging dialogue and "humanitarian pauses" as nationwide protests deepen the country's political and economic crisis. Marking 10 years since his installation as archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis on May 13, 2016, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda is renewing his focus on Catholic family life and vocations by releasing a new pastoral letter aimed at parents and families.