Mois : février 2026

Catholics across the Middle East are reeling with shock and sorrow, and responding with prayer, amid joint strikes Israeli and U.S. forces launched on Iran Feb. 28.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the attacks as part of « major combat operations » to overthrow Iran’s regime in order to « defend the American people. »

Trump, who gave an eight-minute statement from his Mar-a-Lago residence, warned that « the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. »

Separately, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the Feb. 28 « preemptive strike » against Iran, with a state of emergency declared across Israel.

The U.S. and Israel have claimed that Iran’s supreme leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is among the country’s senior leaders killed in the initial assault, which targeted Tehran and cities across Iran. Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed — and initially denied — Khamenei’s reported death.

Iran’s capital of Tehran, along with several cities across the nation, has been struck, with conflicting early reports as to whether Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is among the country’s senior leaders killed in the initial assault.

Iran has retaliated with several counterstrikes, targeting Israel and several U.S.-interest locations across a number of Middle East nations, including Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Flights across the Middle East have been disrupted.

Casualties on both sides are still being assessed amid the ongoing exchanges, but Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, claimed on the X social media platform that a girls’ school in Minab was bombed in the U.S.-Israeli air assault and showed a photo.

Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone, » he said. « These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered. »

Iranian media has put the toll at least 108 students killed and dozens unaccounted for, but there is not yet independent confirmation of the strike and its casualties.

Iran’s Red Crescent organization (part of the Red Cross global humanitarian network) reported more than 200 killed and 700 wounded in Iran by the U.S.-Israel strikes as of Feb. 28.

The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session Feb. 28 in response to the attacks.

The New York Police Department announced it was monitoring the situation and would be « enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious, and other relevant sites, » citing « an abundance of caution. »

Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of northern Arabia — who shepherds the estimated 2.2 million Catholics, most of them migrant workers from other nations, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — issued a Feb. 28 statement on Facebook, urging the faithful « to remain calm, united in prayer, and attentive to the safety of everyone. »

« Please follow carefully the instructions of civil authorities and take all necessary precautions in your homes, workplaces, and parishes, » Berardi said.

He also directed « all parish priests and rectors to take appropriate action and to make the necessary decisions, with prudence and responsibility, to ensure the safety of the faithful entrusted to their care.

« Let us remain united in faith and charity, caring especially for the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable, » Berardi said. « May the Lord protect you and your families, and may Our Lady of Arabia, our mother, watch over us all. »

In Doha, Qatar, Our Lady of the Rosary Church announced on its website that it would « remain closed until further notice, » given « recent events in Qatar » and « the advisory issued by the ministry. »

In Israel, Benedictine Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel — abbot* of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in Jerusalem and of Tabgha, the community’s priory on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee — sheltered with some 60 pilgrims at Tabgha, the traditionally revered site of Jesus Christ’s multiplication of the loaves and fishes.

Schnabel, who was at Tabgha since Feb. 27 for a chapter meeting of his community — told OSV News he was caught off guard by the attacks.

« It was always in the air that maybe something could happen, » he explained. « But it was then a surprise that it really happened today, especially before Wednesday, because Wednesday there were plans for a new round of negotiations. »

The strikes follow a June 2025 U.S. attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — which Trump at the time said were aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.

Iran’s capital of Tehran, along with several cities across the nation, has been struck, with conflicting early reports as to whether Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is among the country’s senior leaders killed in the initial assault.

Iran has retaliated with several counterstrikes, targeting Israel and several U.S.-interest locations across a number of Middle East nations, including Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Flights across the Middle East have been disrupted.

Casualties on both sides are still being assessed amid the ongoing exchanges, but Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, claimed on the X social media platform that a girls’ school in Minab was bombed in the U.S.-Israeli air assault and showed a photo.

Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone, » he said. « These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered. »

Iranian media has put the toll at least 63 students killed and 60 injured, but there is not yet independent confirmation of the strike and casualties.

Schnabel said the Benedictine’s international group, which included children and the elderly, had been in the shelter for two hours, describing the time — which video obtained by OSV News showed the pilgrims praying and singing — as unifying amid the attacks.

« It was a good experience. We don’t know each other, but then we sing songs in different languages. We pray together, » he said.

He said the experience was an example of Benedictine hospitality, one of the charisms of the order.

« Very often I say, ‘I want that our two monasteries are two islands of hope in an ocean of suffering,’  » Schnabel said. « And this was exactly the feeling. We were also today an island of hope in an ocean of suffering. »

Jesuit Fr. John Paul, rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute — located on a 40-acre hilltop campus between Bethlehem and Jerusalem — told OSV News that he had spent his morning « in and out of shelters, » although he believed « Jerusalem is not a target area. »

The priest, whose institute is staffed by both Palestinians and Israelis, pointed to the sorrow evoked by the strikes, which follow the Israel-Hamas war and ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

« Overall, with local Palestinians » there is « a feeling of real sadness — my guess is with Israelis as well, » Paul said.

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil told OSV News that there were « a lot of missiles » in his region of northern Iraq that had been intercepted without casualties.

« Thank God, no injuries; no one had been hurt, » he said, noting that schools in the area — including the Catholic University of Irbil, which he established in 2012 and formally opened in 2015 — were closed « for the time being. »

Warda added that the faithful in the Irbil region were « really holding strong. »

« Prayer is the only hope we have, » he said, while also asking for prayers, noting that the faithful had been marking Lent as « a very blessed season for the community. »

A professor at the University of Notre Dame has declined a research appointment at the school, following weeks of outcry from students, staff and several U.S. Catholic bishops, over writings supporting abortion rights.

Susan Ostermann, associate professor in the Keough School of Global Affairs, has « decided not to move forward » as director of that school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, said Keough Dean Mary Gallagher in a Feb. 26 email.

Ostermann — who specializes in the study of regulatory compliance, comparative politics and environmental regulation, with a focus on South Asia — will remain a member of the Keogh School’s faculty.

The development was announced Feb. 26 by The Observer, the independent student newspaper of Notre Dame, St. Mary’s College and Holy Cross College.

Gallagher said she was « grateful » for Ostermann’s « willingness to serve and for the thoughtfulness with which she approached this decision. »

Ostermann’s appointment, announced Jan. 8, was set to take effect July 1, and quickly drew fire from Notre Dame faculty and staff. She had previously worked as a consultant for the Population Council, an international research and policy firm that works to advance « sexual and reproductive health, rights and choices » as a key aim.

At least two Notre Dame faculty members, professor Diane Desierto and emeritus professor Robert Gimello, resigned their roles at the Liu Institute in protest, according to The Observer.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, whose diocese includes the university, had issued a statement Feb. 11 expressing « dismay » and « strong opposition » to the university’s decision, which he said was « causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond. »

Ostermann’s « extensive public advocacy of abortion rights and her disparaging and inflammatory remarks about those who uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission, » Rhoades said, noting he had read many of the opinion pieces in which Ostermann had articulated her defense of abortion.

OSV News reached out to Rhoades and is awaiting a response.

Two days before Ostermann’s withdrawal, Rhoades joined some 50 students, faculty and staff gathered at the university’s Marian grotto to « pray together for the cause of life and respect for all human life. »

He said, « We pray for the University of Notre Dame, and we ask for the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother as she looks over this campus. »

Notre Dame sophomore Luke Woodyard, one of the prayer gathering’s organizers, told OSV News the Ostermann appointment was « the straw that broke the camel’s back. »

« It’s part of a long line of university action that’s just unacceptable, » he said. « So in the spirit of love and charity to our university, we want to come together as students and show that this is our voice, this is what we want. »

« Notre Dame loves to talk about their Catholic identity, their broad, vague feel-good term, but what does that actually mean, and how do we put that into action? » he said.

Woodyard said a planned student-led protest, the March on the Dome, is still moving forward for Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.

The University of Notre Dame said that Ostermann was chosen to head the Liu Institute « for her expertise in Asian studies, » and that « she respects the University’s position on the sanctity of life, and that as director, she understands her role is to support the diverse research of the Institute’s scholars and students, not advance a personal political agenda. »

In a statement included with Gallagher’s Feb. 26 email announcing her withdrawal, Ostermann said her « only goal » in accepting the Liu directorship « was to serve as a steward for the Institute’s world-class faculty, students and staff. » Ostermann said she had not applied for the position, but was « truly honored to take on » the role.

« At present, the focus on my appointment risks overshadowing the vital work the Institute performs, which it should be allowed to pursue without undue distraction, » said Ostermann. « At the same time, it has become clear that there is work to do at Notre Dame to build a community where a variety of voices can flourish. Both academic inquiry and the full realization of human dignity demand this of us. »

Holy Cross Father Wilson Miscamble, emeritus professor of history at Notre Dame, told OSV News he was « deeply pleased » by Ostermann’s decision to decline the Liu appointment, but added, « I recognize there is much work to do to uphold Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity. »

A group of U.S. bishops, most from the U.S.-Mexico border region, issued a statement Feb. 24 hours before President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term, urging several reforms to immigration enforcement.

Hardline immigration policies have been a key part of the president’s agenda, but new polling indicates public support of these policies is waning ahead of Trump’s Feb. 24 address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol.

The statement, signed by 20 U.S. bishops, including Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio; Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas; and Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego identified several specific areas for reform to « help protect the human rights of immigrants and their families. »

« We speak out as pastors in border states and beyond concerned about the impact of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent and ongoing immigration enforcement activities against individuals and families who are without legal status in our country, » the bishops’ statement said. « While we acknowledge the right and duty of a sovereign nation to enforce its laws, we also believe that those laws should be upheld in a manner that protects the God-given human dignity and rights of the human person. »

The bishops called for ensuring families of mixed immigration status are not separated, citing the unnecessary harm done to their children, and that sensitive locations such as houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, are protected from enforcement actions.

The U.S. bishops’ annual report on religious liberty identified the Trump administration’s loosened restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at houses of worship, schools and hospitals, as well as ensuring those in ICE custody have access to the sacraments, were recently identified as areas of critical concern.

« We consider this an issue of religious freedom — a right enshrined in both the US Constitution and international covenants. Moreover, children should be able to attend school without fear and those in need of urgent medical care should be able to seek treatment with confidence, » they stated.

The statement also called for the restoration of asylum in the immigration system, particularly at the border.

« We also oppose the arrest and detention of law-abiding refugees who have been lawfully admitted to the US, as has been proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the bishops’ statement added.

They also called for an end to intimidation and fear tactics in enforcement efforts.

« The use of masks, random stops without probable cause, roving patrols, and physical abuse of immigrants and others has been well documented, » the statement said. « Such tactics can intimidate immigrants, even those with a legal basis to remain in the US, and prevent them from asserting their rights. »

Wester said in a statement the new statement « puts some meat on the bones » of the U.S. bishops’ « special pastoral message on immigration, » which they overwhelmingly approved at their annual fall plenary assembly in Baltimore in November.

The bishops’ letter underscored the special message’s opposition to « the indiscriminate mass deportation of people, » adding « it is detrimental to the human rights of our fellow human beings and not in the best interest of the nation. »

The condemnation of « indiscriminate mass deportation » has a reference point in the Church’s magisterium, with the Second Vatican Council naming « deportation » among specific acts it denounced as « offensive to human dignity. » St. John Paul II included this list in his 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor (« Splendor of Truth ») and 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (« The Gospel of Life »).

The bishops’ statement also reiterated the long-held position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that « those immigrants and their families who have built equities in our country and are otherwise law-abiding — the vast majority of the undocumented — should be given an opportunity to come out of the shadows and earn their citizenship over time, becoming full legal members of and contributors to their communities and the nation. »

It also echoed the Feb. 20 statement by Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, opposing the Trump administration’s « deeply troubling » plans to acquire massive warehouses all over the country, each capable of interning thousands.

« We also urge our immigration enforcement officials not to detain vulnerable persons and groups, including families and children, pregnant women, and the disabled, » they added. « We also strongly assert that detainees have access to religious and pastoral care, including Mass and the sacraments of the Catholic Church. »

A majority of the people targeted by ICE for mass detention and eventual deportation are expected to be Catholics in 6 out of 10 cases, according to a 2025 joint Catholic-Evangelical report published by the USCCB and World Relief. The report also found nearly 1 in 5 Catholics (18%) in the U.S. are either vulnerable to deportation or live with someone who is.

The bishops also called on Congress and the administration to help mitigate the root causes of irregular migration, invest in reintegration programs for deportees, and end the deportation of immigrants to third countries.

« As Congress and the administration deliberate changes to how immigration enforcement is conducted across the nation, we urge them to consider these recommendations, » the bishops’ statement said. « As always, we stand ready to work with them to create an immigration system which ensures public safety, protects human rights, encourages economic growth and justice, and upholds our heritage as a nation of immigrants. »