Catholic News
- Pope appeals for end of anti-Semitism, vigilance against genocide (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of his January 28 general audience, Pope Leo XIV issued the following appeal: Yesterday was the International Remembrance Day for all victims of the Holocaust, which brought death to millions of Jews and to many other people. On this yearly occasion of painful remembrance, I ask the Almighty for the gift of a world without antisemitism and without prejudice, oppression, and persecution of any human creature. I renew my appeal to the community of nations to remain ever vigilant. May the horror of genocide never again be inflicted upon any people and that a society founded on mutual respect and the common good may be built. - Pope Leo: St. Thomas Aquinas commented on Scripture with great wisdom (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV praised St. Thomas Aquinas’s commentary on Scripture on January 28, the saint’s liturgical memorial. - Vatican letter to consecrated persons highlights 'prophecy of presence' in difficult situations (Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life)
The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has published a brief letter to consecrated men and women, “Prophecy of presence: consecrated life where dignity is wounded and faith is tested.” The dicastery’s letter, published yesterday, referred to the “many consecrated persons called to share complex situations: contexts marked by conflict, social and political instability, poverty, marginalization, forced migration, religious minority status, violence, and tensions that test people’s dignity, freedom, and sometimes even their faith.” “These experiences,” the letter continued, “reveal how strong the prophetic dimension of consecrated life is as a ‘presence that remains’: alongside wounded peoples and individuals, in places where the Gospel is often lived in conditions of fragility and trial.” “Consecrated life, when it remains close to the wounds of humanity without yielding to the logic of conflict, yet without renouncing speaking God’s truth about humanity and history, becomes—often without fanfare—an artisan of peace,” the dicastery added. “Dear consecrated women and men, we thank you for your perseverance when the fruits seem distant, for the peace you sow even when it is not recognized.” - Ukrainian Catholic leader reflects on resilience and Christian perfection in wartime (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
Citing a Greek Father (St. Gregory of Nazianzen) and a contemporary author (Eric Greitens), the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church delivered an address to the National Defense University of Ukraine entitled “Spiritual Resilience and Christian Perfection: Being a Christian in Time of War.” In his January 23 address, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk recalled that he once served in the Soviet army as he decried “Soviet-style dehumanization.” He concluded: I am convinced that you will become leaders of global thought in the modern art of victory, in the art of waging a just war—a war whose purpose is to create space for peace. Wherever the Ukrainian soldier stands, there is space for peace and freedom. I often say that our servicemembers are today the foremost and best peacekeepers. I am a witness to this, having lived through these difficult weeks, months, and years here in Kyiv together with your faculty and colleagues during the full-scale invasion—from the very beginning, from the siege of Kyiv, to the future victory. May the Lord God help us all. Glory to Ukraine! Christ is born! - European Christian body voices concern over Greenland, affirms self-determination and international law (CEC)
The Conference of European Churches stated in a recent letter that “Greenland’s future can only be decided by its own people.” “Any change of status without their consent would violate international law, including the UN Charter and the principle of self-determination, and would disregard the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” stated the CEC, a fellowship of over 100 Orthodox and Protestant communities. - Vote for leaders of integrity, Thai bishops' conference urges faithful (Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand (Thai))
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand issued a pastoral statement on January 27 describing the Church as a non-partisan “moral force” and “social conscience” in the upcoming general election. Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of Bangkok, the conference’s president, described voting as a “moral requirement” in which “citizens take a common responsibility for the common good.” The prelate called for “monitoring, verifying, and maintaining moral truth at every stage” of the election. Archbishop Arpondratana added: The foundation of leadership qualities is clearly laid in the Bible. When Moses was instructed by God to choose a ruler, “Choose from among the people a man who is able, God-fearing, faithful, and does not take bribes, and makes him his leader” (Exodus 18:21). Corruption, the prelate warned, “destroys the nation. Political corruption is a betrayal of the people and a serious violation of social justice.” Thailand, a Southeast Asian nation of 70 million (map), is 87% Buddhist, 6% Muslim, and 2% ethnic religionist. - Tanzania's foreign minister holds irenic meeting with Pope, 2 months after bishops denounced government repession (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, on January 28. - Archdiocese of Paris convenes council in response to historic rise in catechumens (OSV News)
The Archdiocese of Paris has convened a four-month consultation on the rising number of persons seeking baptism. 17,800 catechumens were baptized in France during the Easter Vigil in 2025, including more than 7,400 young people between the ages 11 and 17. “The subject is extremely joyful and motivating,” said Father Maximilien de La Martinière, who is organizing the consultation. “These converts bring a new dynamism and energy to our communities.” The priest added: With the revelation of the abuse crisis, we could have predicted that it was the end of the end,” of vibrant church life in France. But today God is showing us something else. The catechumens have of course heard about the abuse and what followed. But what stands out is that they consider what the Church is doing today in response to this issue as a sign of the seriousness of this institution ... Many of them talk about how important their grandparents were to them. These grandparents went to church, and sometimes still do, but their children have abandoned the faith, or have not passed it on. This phenomenon is occurring at a time when we have not yet progressed too far in de-Christianization, since there is still a generation of grandparents for whom faith is important. - Papal prayer for Mozambique flood victims (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims in Paul VI Audience Hall that “my thoughts go especially to the beloved people of Mozambique, who have been struck by devastating floods.” “As I pray for the victims, I express my closeness to those who have been displaced and to all who are offering them support,” the Pope added. “May the Lord help you and bless you!” BBC reported that the flooding in the southeastern African nation is the worst in a generation and has affected over 640,000 people. - Vatican officials pay tribute to St. Rose of Lima (Vatican News)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, were among the speakers at a January 27 conference on St. Rose of Lima. Cardinal Tagle, a native of the Philippines, discussed devotion to the saint there. Sister Petrini spoke about a statue that of the saint that will be placed in the Vatican Gardens. The conference took place at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Other speakers included Cardinal Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, and Jorge Ponce San Román, ambassador of Peru to the Holy See. - Members of Ukrainian women's organization meet with Pope (Vatican News (Italian))
Eight members of For Family Values, a Ukrainian women’s organization, met with Pope Leo XIV yesterday at his general audience. “We are here to ask the Pope to continue to invoke peace and pray for our suffering land.” said Natalia Fedorchuk, founder of the organization, which has over 3,000 members. “We promote solidarity initiatives and interfaith days in the name of family values, founding values of a vibrant society, providing assistance to women, mothers and children, as well as spiritual and psychosocial help to those who have experienced losses and trauma due to the war.” - Vatican cardinal: Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine (OSV News)
The prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity said in an interview that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in winter are acts of genocide. “I was in Kyiv during the winter several times,” said Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. “It is a nightmare when the city is left without power at this time of the year. It is a deadly risk for people.” “The goal is to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure, particularly its energy sector, and freeze Ukrainians,” added Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “These are very obvious signs of crimes against humanity, against international law, against the rules and moral norms of warfare.” - Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on relationship between Sacred Scripture, Tradition (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV reflected today on the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition. - Recalling Nostra Aetate, Pope condemns anti-Semitism (@Pontifex)
In a social media post on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope Leo XIV condemned anti-Semitism and offered readers a link to Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. “On Holocaust Remembrance Day, I would like to recall that the Church remains faithful to the unwavering position of the Declaration Nostra Aetate against every form of antisemitism,” Pope Leo tweeted. “The Church rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion.” - Minnesota bishop, in Vatican newspaper interview, condemns actions of ICE agents (CWN)
In an interview with the Vatican newspaper, a Minnesota bishop offered strong criticism of the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. - Cardinal Fernández, DDF prefect, warns against lack of intellectual humility (CWN)
The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith called for intellectual humility at the opening of the dicastery’s plenary session and linked the lack of such humility to the “excesses of the Inquisition, the world wars, the Shoah, and the massacres in Gaza.” - South Sudan cardinal calls on troops to disobey orders to kill civilians (Vatican News)
Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, South Sudan’s capital, condemned a senior military leader’s call to “spare no one,” including “children, the elderly, and civilians,” in an offensive against rebel-held territory. “Directing forces to ‘spare no lives’ is a direct call to genocide,” said Cardinal Ameyu. “We call on all the fighting forces not to heed any directive that risks victimizing innocent civilians and pitting communities against each other.” - Sri Lankan archdiocese organizes demonstration following police assault of priest (AsiaNews)
The Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, organized a silent demonstration of priests and religious following the assault of Father Milan Priyadarshana, for which six police officers have been arrested. “We have gathered here to declare that the police have no right to inflict physical or mental violence on any citizen of our country,” said Father Jude Krishantha, spokesman for the archdiocese. “We call on the president and all those who handle the law to ensure that the police do not allow such physical and mental violence against any citizen, not just a religious leader.” - Pope, in brief statement to media, urges prayers for peace (Vatican News)
In a brief statement to media following his weekly visit to Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV called for prayers for peace. “I’ll only say that we must pray very much for peace,” Pope Leo told journalists last evening, when asked about the presence of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. “We little ones can raise our voices and always seek dialogue and not violence to resolve these problems, especially on this day when we commemorate the Shoah,” the Pope added, referring to International Holocaust Remembrance Day. - Cardinal Parolin recalls 1200th anniversary of St. Ansgar's evangelizing mission (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, celebrated Mass in St. Ansgar’s Cathedral in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, in commemoration of the 1200th anniversary of the beginning of the saint’s evangelizing mission in Denmark. St. Ansgar, now remembered as the Apostle of the North, “faced enormous opposition and seemed to fail, but success was not what he sought,” Cardinal Parolin preached. The saint’s life, the prelate said, shows that the Church grows “not primarily in numbers, but in men and women who live lives of faithfulness, perseverance, and love: the mission begins with transformed hearts.” - More...