Catholic News
- Israel bans dozens of aid groups from Gaza, including Caritas, drawing condemnation (OSV News)
The State of Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs announced it is banning 37 humanitarian organizations, including Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Jerusalem, from operating in Gaza, effective March 1. Caritas Internationalis is the Church’s confederation of relief and development agencies. “The organizations’ licenses have been revoked as of Jan. 1 for failing to meet new and more strict security and transparency standards regarding their Palestinian and international employees,” OSV News reported. Farid Jubran, spokesman for Caritas Jerusalem, said that “Caritas Jerusalem will continue its humanitarian and development operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, in accordance with its mandate.” Jubran noted that “in Israel, Caritas Jerusalem is an Ecclesiastical Legal Person, whose status and mission have been recognized by the State of Israel through the 1993 Fundamental Agreement and the subsequent 1997 Legal Personality Agreement signed between the Holy See and the State of Israel.” - Cardinal Bo proclaims Incarnation, message of peace to Myanmar's military ruler (CWN)
In a Christmas address delivered in the presence of Myanmar’s ruler, Min Aung Hlaing, Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon proclaimed that God became incarnate and brought a message of peace. - Pope marks 800th anniversary of Brussels cathedral (Holy See Press Office (Latin))
In a Latin-language letter dated December 10 and released today, Pope Leo XIV marked the upcoming 800th anniversary of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, will be the Pope’s legate at the January 11 solemn Mass marking the occasion. The cathedral is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels. “We ourselves must become the house of God,” Pope Leo wrote in his letter to Cardinal Parolin. Citing a sermon of St. Augustine, he added, “We do not yet make the house of the Lord, except when we are joined together in charity.” The Pontiff also prayed that the beauty of the cathedral may be reflected “spiritually in minds and souls.” - Vatican foreign minister calls for 'verifiable' peace gestures as new year begins (Servizio Informazione Religiosa)
In an interview published on New Year’s Day, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations called for “verifiable, not symbolic” peace gestures. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said that “the Jubilee is ending, but it is always a time for reconciliation.” “A concrete sign to start 2026 could be the choice of verifiable, not symbolic gestures: reopening interrupted channels of dialogue, supporting common humanitarian initiatives even between countries in tension, respecting agreements already signed, promoting policies that reduce inequalities and exclusion,” Archbishop Gallagher told Servizio Informazione Religiosa (SIR), the Italian bishops’ new agency. - Love Ukraine and do not grow weary of defending it, Catholic leader says in interview (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
In a Christmas interview, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church spoke of the importance of love of God, nation, and family. “In order not to grow weary of defending Ukraine, love it,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. “In order not to grow weary of building relationships with your family and loved ones, learn to love them.” “We draw the strength of perseverance in our relationships with people from our love for God,” he added. “God loves us, and from this love we draw strength.” Led by Major Archbishop Shevchuk since 2011, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (CNEWA profile) is among the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See. - Jerusalem cardinal addresses Italian national peace march (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem spoke at the Italian bishops’ annual national march for peace, which took place on December 31 in Catania. “We are living in a period of great division, of profound hatred, of contempt, of rejection of one another, of inability to think of ourselves alongside one another,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM. “This has become something truly worrying and dramatic.” “We must not seek immediate results, but the truth, first of all, which is the first form of charity, and in the truth build paths of reconciliation, of justice, where little by little hearts can be opened, and then eyes, to a different reality,” he added. - Sisters confirm release of all abducted schoolchildren in Nigeria (CWN)
Confirming an earlier announcement from government officials, the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) said in a statement that all of the staff and children kidnapped from their school in Papiri, Nigeria, are now free. - Indian art exhibition closes temporarily over Last Supper depiction (The New Indian Express)
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, described as India’s largest art exhibition and Asia’s largest contemporary art exhibition, closed temporarily following Catholic protests of a Last Supper depiction. “The artwork depicts Mata Hari, a historically documented figure and a convicted spy, in the moments preceding her execution by the French Army,” the exhibition’s curators stated. “Mata Hari was also an exotic dancer, and the use of nudity in the work is directly linked to this historical and narrative context. The Kochi Biennale Foundation does not believe that the artwork in question warrants removal.” Father Michael Pulickal, an official of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, said, “How can you draw comparison with a sacred event of a religion? We have sent representations to the minister for culture and the Biennale Foundation demanding to take down the artwork immediately.” - Florence archbishop, laid-off workers meet with Pontiff (Vatican News (Italian))
At his December 31 general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV met with Archbishop Gherardo Gambelli of Florence and a group of factory workers who were laid off via email in 2021. The workers’ “dismissal after years of diligent and honest work,” said the prelate, “gave rise to a mobilization that lasted for years, intertwining the workers’ struggle with new forms of collective resistance, inspiring reflections on the relationship between industry, territory, and social justice.” “For this reason, I wanted to be with them: early this morning we celebrated Mass in the Vatican Grottoes, and then there was the meeting with the Pope, which instilled courage,” he added. - Czech parish to be constructed using 3D printing (OSV News)
A $9.89-million parish in the Czech town of Neratovice will be constructed using 3D-printing technology. “While we really admire the baroque churches which are everywhere in our country, such architecture isn’t possible in today’s modern conditions,” the church’s designer, Michal Macuda, told OSV News. Jirí Prinz, the Archdiocese of Prague’s press secretary, said that “it’s been common knowledge among laity and clergy that a church is needed here—so this project has had universal support from the beginning and the whole parish is happy about it.” - Palestinian young people meet with Pope (CWN)
L’Osservatore Romano reported that “about 30” Palestinian young people, most of them Catholics and university students, met with Pope Leo XIV at his December 31 general audience in St. Peter’s Square (CWN coverage). - Pope venerates relic of St. Thérèse before it returns to Lisieux (Vatican News (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV venerated a first-class relic of St. Thérèse of Lisieux during his December 31 general audience, much as Pope Francis had done in December 2024. The relic, a bone of the saint’s foot, was venerated at the French national church in Rome during the 2025 jubilee year. “And now, after this ‘encounter’ with Pope Prevost, it will return home at the end of the jubilee,” said Father Emmanuel Schwab, rector of the Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse in Lisieux. - Pontiff embraces 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee (Giornale La Voce)
A newspaper based in Chivaso, Italy, reported that Pope Leo XIV embraced a 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee girl and listened attentively to her during his December 31 general audience. “For Christmas, she didn’t ask for gifts to unwrap,” Giornale La Voce reported. “Her gift was the opportunity to meet the Pope. She wanted to feel heard and supported in her hope, and Leo XIV allowed her to experience all of this.” The newspaper reported that the girl and her mother now live in Castellamonte, Italy, and that the girl is suffering from an aggressive tumor. - Vote out incumbents who failed to deliver on promises, Kenyan bishop advises (People Daily (Nairobi))
A Kenyan bishop advised the faithful to vote out incumbents “who have failed in delivering their promises to the people and make sure they do not get those positions again.” “We are responsible for the kind of leadership we elect, and that is why it is important that we only pick those who will fight for our interests,” said Bishop James Maria Wainaina Kungu of Muranga. “The Church has a role to play both to the leaders and the people, to give direction to both parties.” The prelate made his remarks at the end of 2025, well before the 2027 general election. - The 'enemy' is an opportunity for salvation, Vatican newspaper director writes in editorial (CWN)
In a front-page editorial in yesterday’s edition of L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper’s director wrote that other people, sometimes perceived as our enemies, may be “our only possible opportunity for salvation, perhaps the last one left.” - Encounter Christ and share Him with others, Pope Leo tells American college students (CWN)
The Vatican today released a papal video message to American college students taking part in SEEK 2026, three conferences that are simultaneously taking place from January 1-5 in Ohio, Colorado, and Texas. - Cardinal Koch: Pope Benedict XVI taught us to seek face of God (Vatican News)
Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, celebrated a memorial Mass for Pope Benedict XVI on December 31 at the late Pontiff’s tomb in the Vatican Grottoes. It was the second of two Vatican memorial Masses for Pope Benedict. On the evening of December 30, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, was the principal celebrant at a memorial Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Benedict was elected to the papacy in 2005, resigned in 2013, and died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95. - Amid US military buildup, Caribbean bishops announce day of prayer for peace (Jamaica Observer)
Amid rising tensions between the US and Venezuela and the attendant US military buildup in the Caribbean, the Antilles Episcopal Conference announced a day of prayer for peace. “I appeal to the faithful to pray fervently for peace in our waters and for all affected; families mourning loved ones lost at sea; migrants fleeing hardship; workers in aviation, shipping and tourism; and especially the poor, who will suffer most from instability and rising costs,” said the president of the episcopal conference, Archbishop Jason Gordon of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. “Tanker seizures, the expansion of naval assets and airspace restrictions ... affect the daily lives of our people,” he added. “As bishops of the Caribbean flock, we cannot remain silent when developments threaten human dignity, regional stability and the long-held vision of the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.” - Brazilian archbishop who resigned at 62 to lead new diocese (CWN)
In a highly unusual decision, Pope Leo XIV yesterday appointed a Brazilian archbishop who resigned in 2019 to lead a new diocese. - Leading Australian prelate calls for national probe into anti-Semitism (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference)
Stating that “a society that protects its Jewish community is a society that protects everyone,” the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference yesterday called for the creation of a “national inquiry with sufficient authority and resourcing” to “probe into the deeper issues which lie at the heart of antisemitism.” Since the Bondi Beach shooting, “we have heard many times that ‘there is no place for antisemitism here in Australia,’” said Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, SDB, of Perth. “Tragically, we are now confronted by the terrible truth that there are dark places in our society where this most ancient of hatreds festers.” “It is only by shining a light into the dark corners of our society—including its political, business, academic, media, religious, and cultural institutions—that we can hope to unmask the antisemitism which might otherwise go unseen, unacknowledged and unaddressed,” Archbishop Costelloe added. - More...