Catholic News
- Pope Leo, in message to March for Life, praises advocacy for the unborn, calls for respect for life at every stage (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to participants in the March for Life, which takes place today in Washington, DC. “I send warm greetings to those of you participating in the 2026 March for Life,” Pope Leo began. “I likewise express heartfelt appreciation, and assure you of my spiritual closeness as you gather for this eloquent public witness to affirm that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right.” “I would encourage you, especially the young people, to continue striving to ensure that life is respected in all of its stages through appropriate efforts at every level of society, including dialogue with civil and political leaders,” the Pope continued. “May Jesus, who promised to be with us always (cf. Mt 28:20), accompany you today as you courageously and peacefully march on behalf of unborn children.” “By advocating for them, please know that you are fulfilling the Lord’s command to serve him in the least of our brothers and sisters (cf. Mt 25:31-46),” he added in his message, dated January 17 and released yesterday. - 6 beatification causes advance, including martyred Guatemalan priest (CWN)
In an audience with the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV approved the promulgation of decrees that pave the way for the beatification of two Servants of God and recognize the heroic virtue of four others. - Pope names canonist as #2 official of Dicastery for the Clergy (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli of Gorizia, Italy, as the secretary, or second-ranking official, of the Dicastery for the Clergy. - Leading Catholic, Orthodox prelates recall 60th anniversary of lifting of 1054 excommunications (Vatican News)
Cardinal Kurt Koch and Metropolitan Job of Pisidia spoke at a January 21 conference marking the 60th anniversary of the joint declaration of Pope St. Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople. The declaration lifted the mutual excommunications pronounced by their predecessors at the beginning of the East-West Schism (1054). Cardinal Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Chrisitan Unity, spoke about the canonical irregularity surrounding the 1054 Catholic decree of excommunication; Archbishop Job discussed primacy, synodality, and the Filioque controversy. The two are co-presidents of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. - European, US prelates highlight suffering of Holy Land's Christians (CBCEW)
At the conclusion of a four-day visit to the Holy Land, 13 prelates from Europe and the United States issued a statement highlighting the suffering of Christians there. The prelates of the Holy Land Coordination said the Palestinian Christians in the West Bank “told us of their suffering: endless attacks from extremist settlers, uprooting of their olive trees, the seizure of their land and intimidatory acts that make their daily life unbearable, driving many into mass emigration.” “As Christians, it is our calling and duty to give a voice to the voiceless, and to bear witness to their dignity, so that the world may know their suffering and be moved to advocate for justice and compassion,” the prelates added. “The people of the Holy Land cry out for our help and prayers; they long for an end to their suffering. Stand with them.” - Bishops in Japan, US call for progress toward nuclear disarmament (Archbishop Etienne)
The archbishops of Santa Fe and Seattle, joined by the archbishop of Nagasaki and bishop of Hiroshima, issued a statement on January 21 marking the fifth anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which the nuclear powers have not ratified. “We specifically call upon world leaders to demonstrate measurable progress toward nuclear disarmament,” the prelates said. “Eight decades of nuclear threats are far too long, as evidenced by the horrors documented by the atomic bombing museums in Japan. It is long past time for the nuclear weapons powers to begin to make tangible progress toward that end.” - Vatican employees report distrust of managers, mistreatment in the workplace (EWTN News)
A survey conducted by the Vatican Lay Employees Association found widespread dissatisfaction, with nearly 76% stating that merit and initiative are not rewarded, and over 56% reporting “injustices or humiliating behavior from superiors.” 250 of the Vatican’s employees, who number over 4,000, took part in the survey. Msgr. Marco Sprizzi, president of the Labor Office of the Apostolic See, responded: Technically, it is a survey conducted on a very small sample, since it involves less than 5% of employees. In any case, we take all voices seriously, even if it were the voice of just one employee who complained of a lack of attention, dialogue, or respect for the rules. - UK Bible sales reached record high in 2025 (The Guardian)
Bible sales in the UK reached £6.3m ($8.52 million) in 2025, up 134% since 2019. “We’ve seen an increase in people coming to the Bible from scratch,” said the retail sales director of a bookstore near Westminster Abbey. “They have no Christian background whatsoever. They have no grounding from their parents or from their school ... It’s definitely younger people who are seeking some sort of spirituality.” - Over 5,000 attend National Prayer Vigil for Life (EWTN News)
Over 5,000 people attended the National Prayer Vigil for Life last evening at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, preached, “I firmly believe that 50 years from now when my generation will have gone to God, your grandchildren will ask you: ‘Is it true, that when you were my age, they put children to death in the womb?’” - Mob attacks Protestant pastor in Odisha (Matters India)
A mob of 20 men attacked a Protestant pastor in the eastern Indian state of Odisha (map) and forced him to eat cow dung and bow before a Hindu temple. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India condemned the attack and demanded “immediate action against the perpetrators and justice for the victim.” Odisha, then known as Orissa, was the site of a 2008 anti-Christian pogrom in which an estimated 100 Christians were murdered, and 50,000 fled their homes. - New nuncio to Israel appointed (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, 77, from the office of apostolic nuncio in Israel and apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine, one of the most sensitive Vatican diplomatic posts. The prelate’s successor, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, 65, is no stranger to sensitive posts. A priest of the Diocese of Fossano, Italy, he has served as apostolic nuncio to Jordan and Iraq (2010-2015), Cuba (2015-2019), and Croatia (2019-2026). - Veteran Vatican journalist John Allen loses battle with cancer (OSV News)
Veteran Vatican journalist John Allen passed away from cancer yesterday at the age of 61. Allen worked for the National Catholic Report from 1997 to 2014, when he founded Crux. American author George Weigel described Allen as “the best Anglophone Vaticanista in the business during the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.” Allen was also the author of several books. - Jesus Christ reveals the Father, Pope emphasizes in audience on Vatican II (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that Jesus Christ reveals God the Father. - Reviving custom, Pope Leo presented with lambs on feast of St. Agnes (CWN)
Reviving a custom discontinued by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs on the memorial of St. Agnes (video). - 'War is back in fashion,' Pope laments (CWN)
At the conclusion of his January 21 general audience, Pope Leo XIV lamented that “war is back in fashion.” - Pope evaluating President Trump's invitation to Vatican to join Gaza Board of Peace (OSV News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said that Pope Leo XIV is evaluating an invitation from President Donald Trump for the Vatican City State to join his Board of Peace for Gaza. The invitation “requires some time to answer,” Cardinal Parolin told journalists on January 21. The Vatican, he added, “will not be to participate financially” because “we are not in a position to do so.” - Papal message to Catholic media: be a voice of reconciliation in a polarized world (CWN)
In a papal message to the Fédération des Médias Catholiques (Federation of Catholic Media), Cardinal Pietro Parolin encouraged media professionals to be voices of reconciliation in a polarized world. - Pope Leo to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at Lateran Basilica after hiatus under Pope Francis (EWTN News)
The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household has announced that Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the Holy Thursday evening Mass in the Lateran Basilica, as was customary before the pontificate of Pope Francis. Beginning in 2013, Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in sites such as prisons and migrant centers. “The years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, as happened with many other celebrations and initiatives, constitute an exception, motivated by the desire to offer the world a clear sign of predilection for the poor and the last, bringing the attention of the bishop of Rome to places of suffering,” said Msgr. Giovanni Falbo, a cathedral canon. - Cardinal Parolin rues tensions between US, Europe (Vatican News)
Fielding questions from journalists on January 21, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that tensions between the US and Europe “are not healthy and create a climate that worsens an international situation that is already serious.” “I believe the important thing would be to eliminate tensions, to discuss the controversial points, but without entering into polemics and without fueling tensions,” the Secretary of State of His Holiness added. Cardinal Parolin also spoke about respect for international law, the “responsible use of the press,” Venezuela, Iran, the conflict in the Holy Land, and President Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza. - Catholicism has declined in Latin America over the past decade (Pew Research Center)
The percentage of self-identified Catholics in six Latin American nations declined significantly over the past decade, according to the Pew Research Center. The decline was most pronounced in Colombia (79% to 60%) and Chile (64% to 46%). In Argentina, a decline from 71% to 58% coincided with the reign of an Argentine pope. - More...