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 marked 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 Wednesday was the highlight of Leo’s weeklong visit to Spain. It was the first visit 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 unique grandeur of the Sagrada Familia means that even those who work and worship at Barcelona’s world famous basilica every day can still be surprised with some fresh wonder. That's why The Associated Press enlisted the aid of Sagrada Familia rector Josep Turull to share his favorite hidden gems of the basilica still in-the-making ahead of the highly anticipated visit of Pope Leo XIV. Turull reveals enigmas carved in stone, Gaudí's crypt and the private room where the pope will change into a robe made for the occasion.

Catholic bishops from across the U.S. come together Thursday to consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This event marks the 250th anniversary of the United States and is part of the bishops’ spring assembly in Orlando, Florida. The mainstream, centuries-old Catholic devotion focuses on Jesus’ sacrificial love for humanity. In some instances, the consecration has political overtones. Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, says the consecration aims to promote service to God, country and the needy. This is the first time U.S. Catholic leaders have held such a service, though other countries have done so since 1874.

Pope Leo XIV will bridge 1,000 years of church history Wednesday when he visits a medieval monastery on a mountaintop that local Catholics consider sacred and then celebrates Mass at Barcelona’s famous Sagrada Familia Basilica. The Montserrat monastery is dear to many Catalans, a proud people in northeastern Spain, and its Madonna is revered. But most Catholics and nonbelievers will be focused on the pope’s evening Mass at Sagrada Familia to commemorate the centennial of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí. Leo’s visit to both sites illustrates his balancing act of upholding centuries-old religious traditions in a country where faith is waning, while reaching a global audience from a basilica that is a magnet for tourists.

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's lawmakers have given Pope Leo XIV a lengthy standing ovation after his historic address to parliament. This marks a new level of acceptance of the Catholic Church in largely secular Spain. Leo on Monday called for respect for migrants' rights and international law. He emphasized a "moral renewal" to ensure dignity for all, including the vulnerable. He also urged dialogue amid new tensions between Israel and Iran. And he highlighted the need for ethical oversight of AI in weapons systems. He called for efforts to prevent migrant smuggling and promote integration. Spain’s Socialist-led government has defended immigration on economic and humanitarian grounds.