Steven Spielberg's new film “Disclosure Day” explores extraterrestrial life and its impact on religion. UFOs, now also called UAPs, are gaining mainstream attention. The Pentagon released UFO files in May, sparking public curiosity. Former President Barack Obama set off a media frenzy by suggesting aliens exist in an interview. Some believe extraterrestrial life could challenge religious beliefs, while others see it as beneficial. Some Catholic figures — such as Vice President JD Vance and Monsignor Stephen Rossetti — view UFOs as demonic, though the Catholic Church remains open to the idea of alien life. Theologians and historians note that interest in otherworldly beings dates back centuries.

Pope Leo XIV is warning human traffickers that they will face God’s wrath for exploiting the desperation of migrants. Leo urged Friday they stop and repent during his final day in this epicenter of the African migration route to Europe. Leo wrapped up his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands. The Spanish archipelago is closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and was a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa. He is fulfilling a wish of Pope Francis to visit the islands to commemorate the thousands of lives lost at sea. He is also drawing attention to the Catholic Church’s biblically-mandated mantra to “welcome the stranger.”

U.S. Catholic bishops have consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, marking the country's 250th anniversary. The ceremony took place Thursday in Orlando with bishops and worshippers kneeling before relics of St. Mary Margaret Alacoque. Her visions inspired the devotion. The service celebrated the nation's history and acknowledged its failures, including slavery and racism. Earlier in the day, the bishops approved minor revisions to policies on responding to sexual abuse, maintaining a ban on priests found to have abused children. Some bishops wanted a delay for broader feedback, but they were outvoted.

Pope Leo XIV has celebrated the Sagrada Familia Basilica as a masterpiece of “stones, colors and light.” He is marking the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí, with a Mass. Leo called Gaudí’s unfinished temple, one of the world’s most visited monuments, a “sign of unity and harmony for all of Spain.” The service marked the highlight of Leo’s weeklong visit to Spain. It's the first by a pope in 15 years to the once staunchly Catholic European country that, like many others, has experienced secularizing trends. The trip, though, has shown the country still has plenty of faithful Catholics who have turned out in droves to welcome the American pope.

The Pentagon’s recent revision to its list of Christian religions has reignited a long-standing debate about whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian denomination. Latter-day Saints identify as Christian. But some core beliefs, particularly involving the Trinity, differ from Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations. Utah U.S. Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and Latter-day Saints, challenged the Pentagon’s exclusion of their faith from its list of Christian religions. The Pentagon removed the Christian label from 20 traditions, including Catholic and Lutheran, and stated the new rubric is not meant to question any faith’s legitimacy.

The Vatican says that Pope Leo XIV has met with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Madrid and vowed to consider their suggestions for how the Catholic Church can improve its response to the crisis. The meeting on Monday, which followed in the tradition of popes meeting with abuse survivors during their foreign trips, lasted about an hour and took place at the Vatican Embassy in Madrid, the Vatican said in a statement. Spain’s Catholic hierarchy has only recently begun reckoning with its legacy of abuse and cover-up after long dismissing the severity of the scandal that came to light thanks to reporting by the newpaper El País.

Spain is addressing sexual abuse within the Catholic Church with a new reparations program. Victims like Paula Alonso-Pimentel, who was abused by a priest over 50 years ago, can now seek compensation. The program, launched this year, offers a one-year window for claims, with Spain's government deciding on awards the church will pay. This initiative follows years of controversy and reporting by the newspaper El País on widespread abuse. Some victims are hopeful, while others question the program's effectiveness and transparency. Critics worry about the short time frame and lack of a clear reparations scale.