Catholic News
- Follow St. Toribio's example and live in the manner of the Apostles, Pope tells Peru's bishops (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged the bishops of Peru to follow the example of St. Toribio of Mogrovejo (1538-1606), to live in the manner of the Apostles, and to proclaim the Gospel in its entirety. - Pope encourages Regnum Christi to define its charism more clearly (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged participants in the general assemblies of the consecrated members of Regnum Christi to define their charism “with ever greater clarity,” to identify their own style of “authentically evangelical governance,” and to “promote ever deeper communion” within the Regnum Christi family. - Pontiff praises Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, encourages it to invite youth to participate (CWN)
Noting that prayer is “not external to the evangelical work of the Body of Christ, but an integral part of it,” Pope Leo XIV praised the work of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and encouraged it to “invite young people to take part so that they may form the next generation of intercessors for the needs of the whole world.” - Pope encourages parishes to bear Christian witness to Olympic athletes (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Holy Father’s name to Cardinal Oscar Cantoni of Como, Italy, encouraging area parishes to offer “generous Christian witness” to Winter Olympic athletes, “so as to be a shining sign of the presence of Christ, who calls everyone to fraternity.” The Pontiff also expressed hope that the Olympics “will be a favorable opportunity to promote the authentic values of sport: loyalty, respect, team spirit and sacrifice, as well as social inclusion and the joy of encounter.” The January 30 papal telegram to Cardinal Cantoni followed a similar telegram to the archbishop of Milan. - Vatican foreign minister meets with Slovak president (CWN)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, began a three-day visit to Slovakia on January 30 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the basic agreement, or concordat, between the Holy See and Slovakia. - French bishops welcome Senate's rejection of assisted suicide, approval of palliative-care legislation (CWN)
The Conference of Bishops of France welcomed a 144-23 vote in the nation’s Senate rejecting assisted-suicide legislation. - Extend protections for Haitians in the US, USCCB committee chairmen urge Trump administration (USCCB)
The chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration and Committee on International Justice and Peace called upon the Trump administration to revoke its termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 Haitians in the United States. “We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States who will soon have their legal status and work authorization revoked due to the Administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti,” said Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, and Maronite Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of Los Angeles. “There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time.” “The Trump Administration still has the opportunity to do the right thing—to safeguard human life, to uphold the law, and to promote greater stability for people in this country and beyond,” Bishops Cahill and Zaidan added. “We urge the Administration to act accordingly by extending this vital relief for Haitians.” The bishops concluded: Most importantly, we reaffirm the U.S. Church’s solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters, wherever they may be. We turn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, for her intercession; may she always be a source of strength and comfort for the Haitian people. - 2027 papal prayer intentions released (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has released the monthly papal prayer intentions for 2027 and entrusted them to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. The intentions were released on January 30, the day that the Pontiff met with leaders of the Network, praised its work, and encouraged its leaders to invite young people to participate. - Ethiopian parish attacked, looted during tribal battle (Aid to the Church in Need)
Members of the Nuer people attacked and looted a parish in Ethiopia during a clash with the Anuak people. The attack on the parish in the western Ethiopian town of Itang took place on December 18, Aid to the Church in Need reported this week. “What was more painful is to know some of them who came to loot were our own Catholic faithful, catechists, youth leaders and choir members belonging to that particular ethnic group,” said Father David Kulandai Samy. - Vatican newspaper highlights 'year of pain and violence' in eastern DR Congo (CWN)
With the headline “Un anno di dolore e violenze” (A year of pain and violence), L’Osservatore Romano devoted the most prominent front-page article in its January 30 edition to the plight of the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the conquest of much of the area by the March 23 (M23) Movement. - Ukrainian Catholic leader meets with Muslim leaders, deplores Russian religious justification of war (CWN)
Ukrainian Muslim leaders joined the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at the presentation of the first Ukrainian translation of the Document on Human Fraternity. - Pope Leo offered to hear Schwarzenegger's Confession, actor reveals (Bild (German))
During a recent speech in Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that Pope Leo XIV offered to hear his Confession when the actor and former California governor visited the Vatican last October. “The Pope asked me if we wanted to withdraw for a few minutes and if I would like to confess,” Schwarzenegger said, as recalled his reply: “You don’t want to do that, it would take three hours.” “Seven million people die every year in the world because of environmental pollution,” Schwarzenegger added during a climate-related fundraising dinner at the Stanglwirt bio-hotel. “We have to get better at that. That’s why I met with Pope Leo, and we had a wonderful conversation.” “The Catholic Church also wants to help,” Schwarzenegger continued. “They have 200,000 churches, 400,000 priests, 650,000 nuns. Think about the power they have. Together, we can do something big about pollution.” - Pope Leo praises DDF's work over past 2 years (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received participants in the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and praised the dicastery for its work over the past two years. - Arkansas bishop sees 'similar patterns' between 1930s Nazi Germany, US today (Arkansas Catholic)
Although “Trump is no Hitler” and “the United States is not Germany in the 1930s,” the bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas, said that “it is sobering to see similar patterns reemerging from that fateful decade.” Bishop Anthony Taylor, whose grandfather lost 20 cousins in the Holocaust, wrote in a recent diocesan newspaper column that “I fear that the same dynamics are now happening in our country with the decline of civil discourse.” Hitler’s atrocities “ are not what is happening here today,” Bishop Taylor said. “But these are the kinds of atrocities to which the dehumanization of mass, indiscriminate deportation can naturally lead.” The prelate concluded: But aside from our political situation, I pray that we will begin to look at the immigrants and refugees in our midst not as enemies or as “other.” Not as different in color or in accent. Not as dangers or risks. But as created in the image and likeness of the same true God—as the stranger in our midst—as Jesus (Matthew 25:35). Peace be with you. - Cardinal Parolin rues Minneapolis violence, hints Holy See will reject President Trump's Gaza Board of Peace invitation (Vatican News)
Fielding questions from journalists, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, described violence in Minneapolis is “unacceptable” and said that “difficulties, problems, and contradictions must be resolved in other ways.” Cardinal Parolin also hinted that the Holy See will reject President Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace for Gaza. “Faced with this proposal, there were indeed problematic points that needed to be taken into consideration and that would then be evaluated in view of a response,” Cardinal Parolin said. “The response has not yet been given, but I believe one cannot forget the problematic aspects of this plan.” Cardinal Parolin also expressed optimism about a resolution to the Greenland crisis and declined to comment about the possible presence of ICE agents at the Winter Olympics in Milan. - Pope Leo pays tribute to Mozaribic Rite (Archdiocese of Toledo (Spanish))
In a message marking the 800th anniversary of Toledo Cathedral in Spain, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to the Mozaribic Rite of the sacred liturgy. “Throughout this year, the cathedral will show, through important liturgical celebrations and cultural events, the rich spiritual heritage of that particular Church,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated December 19 and released today by the archdiocese. “In this regard, I would like to emphasize the value of the Hispano-Mozarabic liturgy that is celebrated daily.” Pope Leo noted that the cathedral, in its eight centuries, has witnessed “the recovery of the Kingdom of Granada and the evangelization of the New World, events that have been recorded for history in the art of that cathedral.” - Papal message: Inculturation does not mean adapting the Gospel to the world (Dicastery for Communication)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in the Holy Father’s name to the bishops of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of the Central Africa Region, who are meeting in N’Djaména, Chad. “An important question is the inculturation of faith,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his letter, published on January 29. “It is not a question of adapting the Gospel to the world, but of finding in each culture the appropriate ways to proclaim the Word that does not fade away, enriching and serving human existence.” “Faced with the evils that undermine society, such as tribalism, interethnic conflicts, wars, family divisions and so on, the Gospel calls for reconciliation and the pacification of hearts,” he added. After discussing synodality and encouraging the bishops to listen to young people, Cardinal Parolin spoke of the importance of ministry to refugees: Your communities are also shaken by the crisis of refugees and displaced persons. Be for them the Christ who bows down to their painful situations in order to heal them and give them the bread of consolation. - Warning democracy's foundations are at risk, Cardinal McElroy condemns killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti (Archdiocese of Washington)
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, DC, joined other local religious leaders in condemning the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. “The murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—two U.S. citizens devoted to civic engagement and to caring for their immigrant neighbors—have left communities in Minneapolis and across the nation grieving, shaken, and rightly outraged,” the signatories wrote in their January 29 statement. “Their deaths are a profound moral failure, and they demand our collective attention and response.” The signatories added: We affirm the sacred worth of every human life. That commitment includes—and compels us to stand with—immigrants and others who are especially vulnerable in this moment. We condemn without reservation the use of indiscriminate and lethal force against civilians. The actions we have witnessed in recent days represent a grave departure from our nation’s deepest moral commitments and from the values of human dignity, restraint, and accountability that our faith traditions uphold. When the power of the state is exercised without regard for life, justice, or the common good, the foundations of democracy itself are put at risk. - Typical newly-professed US religious: 35-year-old cradle Catholic devoted to Rosary, Eucharistic adoration (CWN)
The typical religious who professed perpetual vows in 2025 is a 35-year-old cradle Catholic who has three or more siblings and who regularly prayed the Rosary and took part in Eucharistic adoration before entering religious life, according to a survey released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. - USCCB president laments 'climate of fear and polarization,' calls for holy hour for peace (USCCB)
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invited bishops and priests to hold a Holy Hour for Peace in the coming days. “Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss,” Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City wrote on January 28. Archbishop Coakley added: While proper laws must be respected, works of mercy, peacefully assembling, and caring for those in your community are signs of hope, and they build peace more surely than anger or despair ever could ... The recent killing of two people by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and that of a detained man in Texas, are just a few of the tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life. We mourn this loss of life and deplore the indifference and injustice it represents. The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel. - More...