Catholic News
- 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.” - 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.” - 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.” - 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. - 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.” - 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.” - New president appointed for Ratzinger Foundation (Zenit)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, appointed Father Roberto Regoli as the new president of the Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation. Father Regoli succeeds Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, whose term has concluded. Father Regoli is a professor of Church history at the Pontifical Gregorian University and editor of the journal Archivum Historiae Pontificiae (Archive of Pontifical History). Father Regoli is currently the president of the Foundation’s committee for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict’s birth, which will take place next year. Father Lombardi, whom he succeeds, was director of the Holy See Press Office for most of Pope Benedict’s pontificate. The Foundation is best known for its annual Joseph Ratzinger Prize. - Cardinal Zuppi highlights 'indispensable path of dialogue' (CEI (Italian))
In his opening address to a meeting of the officers of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna warned that “force, even more so if it incredibly mocks the law and the international processes so laboriously won in the past decades, only creates dangerous instability at all levels and forces us to give up the indispensable path of dialogue, multilateralism, and thinking together.” Cardinal Zuppi, the conference’s president, made his remarks in the introduction of his January 26 address. He entitled the four sections of the address “Take care of the wounds of others,” “We open the doors of our hearts and our communities,” “Let us rekindle the passion for community,” and “Responding to the expectations of the Synodal Path”—a reference to the Italian synodal process. - English bishops' conference issues message on racial justice (CBCEW)
The Lead Bishop for Racial Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has issued a statement for Racial Justice Sunday. commemorated there on February 1. “In the family of the Church and in society there are people from every nation and race, all are important, wonderfully made,” said Auxiliary Bishop Paul McAleenan of Westminster. “In our parishes, schools and communities true love recognizes the value of everyone and it is essential to build the Kingdom of God.” “Let us remember that the Church flourished and still flourishes today when all people irrespective of their color or race are embraced,” he added. - Record number of converts at Arizona State University (The State Press)
Echoing reports from Harvard University and the University of Notre Dame, the Newman Center at Arizona State University is reporting a record number of conversions this school year. Father Aaron Qureshi said that 15 or 20 students typically enter the Church there each year. Fifty-two students there entered the Church during the fall semester, with more expected to enter during the spring. - Pope Leo warns of dangers of AI, emphasizes dignity of human faces, voices (CWN)
In his message for World Communications Day, Pope Leo XIV spoke of the dignity of the human face and the human voice, warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), and called for “responsibility, cooperation, and education” to help guide the use of AI. - Cardinal Tagle encourages Hong Kong's Catholics to be 'courageous witnesses to the Lord' (Fides)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, encouraged Catholics in Hong Kong “to bring hope to society” and become “courageous witnesses of the Lord.” “May the face of Jesus, always shine upon Hong Kong, and may Hong Kong rejoice in the face of Jesus,” he said. Cardinal Tagle made his remarks at a January 18 concert marking the 80th anniversary of the Diocese of Hong Kong. Others in attendance included Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, of Hong Kong; current and former governors of Hong Kong; the cardinal archbishop of Tokyo; bishops from Macau and Taipei; Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, Germany; and Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California. - Cardinal Tobin calls for defunding of 'lawless' ICE (National Catholic Reporter)
The cardinal archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, called for the defunding of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “How will you say ‘no’ to violence?” he said yesterday during an online interfaith prayer service. “How will you say ‘no’ this week when an appropriations bill is going to be considered in Congress?” Cardinal Tobin added: Will you contact your congressional representatives, the senators and representatives from your district? Will you ask them, for the love of God and the love of human beings, which can’t be separated, to vote against renewing funding for such a lawless organization? - Archbishop Gomez: 'The country cannot go on like this' (Angelus News)
Reacting to violence in Minneapolis, the head of the nation’s largest diocese said today that “the country cannot go on like this.” “The first task is to restore order and peace to our streets, and insist on calm and restraint in our public discourse,” Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles wrote in an archdiocesan media column. “I hope all sides in this conflict—federal authorities, city and state officials, and those protesting the enforcement actions—will take a step back in the interests of the common good.” Archbishop Gomez added: There is no question that the federal government has the duty to enforce immigration laws. But there must be a better way than this ... It serves no national interest to deport undocumented men and women who are contributing to the good of our society, it only leaves children without their parents. Our rights do not depend on the decisions of government officials or law enforcement officers; we do not lose our rights based on the color of our skin, or the language we speak, or for not having the proper documents. Right now our government seems to be treating undocumented immigrants—men, women, and children—as if they have no rights. - Reports: Pope to visit Angola, Equatorial Guinea (ACI Africa)
In separate announcements, the apostolic nuncio to Angola and the president of Equatorial Guinea said that Pope Leo XIV will visit their nations. The Vatican has not officially announced the visits. Angola, a nation of 37 million (map) is 92% Christian (52% Catholic) and 6% ethnic religionist. Equatorial Guinea, a nation of 1.9 million (map), is 88% Christian (80% Catholic) and 4% Muslim. - Restoration of Grotto of the Nativity announced (Custody of the Holy Land)
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land announced that an Italian firm will conduct imminent restoration work on the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Custody of the Holy Land is the Franciscan province there. In the 14th century, the Holy See entrusted the care of the holy sites in the Holy Land to the Franciscan order. The Church of the Nativity was constructed over the site of the grotto in the early fourth century. The present structure dates to 565. - UN official hails Pope's moral authority on refugees (CWN)
Praising Pope Leo’s “moral and spiritual leadership,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees thanked Pope Leo XIV for his “steadfast support” for refugees. - Zayed Award announces $1M prize recipients; Vatican cardinal sits on judging committee (CWN)
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity has announced its three 2026 honorees: the Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Agreement, brokered by President Donald Trump; Zarqa Yaftali, an Afghan girls’ education advocate; and Taawon, a Palestinian development association. Each of the honorees will receive a $1-million prize on February 4, the anniversary of the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity. - More...