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Pope Leo XIV has added the feast day of St John Henry Newman, who is “a radiant light for the church on pilgrimage through history,” to the General Roman Calendar so that “his Optional Memorial be celebrated by all on 9 October.”

Cardinal Arthur Roche and Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, respectively prefect and secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, announced the pope’s decision in a decree published by the Vatican 3 February.

Previously, the feast day of St Newman was inscribed only in the proper calendar of the Congregation of the Oratory – the religious congregation to which he belonged – and the proper calendar of England and Wales. Now his memorial, celebrated on the date of his conversion to Catholicism in 1845, is included in the calendar of the universal church.

“Throughout his long life, Cardinal Newman was unstinting in this service to which he had been called. The service of intellectual enquiry; the service of preaching and teaching; as well as service to the poor and the least,” said the decree, dated 9 November.

“His lively mind has left us enduring monuments of great importance in the fields of theology and ecclesiology, as well as poetic and devotional compositions. His constant search to be led out of shadows and images into the fullness of the truth has become an example for every disciple of the Risen One,” the decree said.

In a separate note, Cardinal Roche said the inclusion of St Newman in the General Roman Calendar “is intended to present his figure as an outstanding example of the constant search for the truth that enlightens and saves” and to help the faithful contemplate him “as a man led by the ‘kindly light’ of God’s grace to find peace within the Catholic Church.”

Bishops’ conferences around the world will need to translate from Latin the prayers issued by the dicastery for Mass on his feast day as well as those used in the Liturgy of the Hours and in the Roman Martyrology, and have the translations confirmed by the dicastery.

Cardinal Roche said the collect or opening prayer for Mass on his feast day reveals “the very essence of the saint’s spiritual journey,” which can become “for us too a source of inspiration and a reason for humble prayer, we who desire to be led out of shadows and appearances, so as to arrive at the full light of truth.”

The Gospel reading for his feast is from the 13th chapter of St Matthew, the cardinal said, in which “the Kingdom of God is compared to a net cast into the sea that gathers all kinds of fish. Only one who becomes a disciple can understand the parable of the Kingdom, becoming “like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

The decree came after Pope Leo proclaimed the British saint a doctor of the church 1 November, the feast of All Saints.

Celebrating Mass in St Peter’s Square the Vatican 1 Nove,mber, Pope Leo concluded the Jubilee of the World of Education and proclaimed St Newman the 38th doctor of the church, including him among the men and women of the Christian East and West who have made decisive contributions to theology and spirituality.

Earlier that week, Pope Leo had officially recognised St Newman as co-patron of education along with St Thomas Aquinas.

St Newman was born in London 21 February, 1801, and was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825. He joined the Catholic Church in 1845 and was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome at the church of the Pontifical Urbanian College May 30, 1847. He was made a cardinal in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII and died in 1890.

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2026 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit co-chairs Sam Brownback and Katrina Lantos Swett offered a fresh assessment of the current state of global religious liberty and the movement’s growth.

The IRF Summit, which concluded in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, is a broad coalition of religious and human rights groups that advocate for religious freedom for all people across the globe.

Co-chair Brownback previously served as ambassador at large for international religious freedom during the first Trump administration and Lantos Swett is president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and a former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

Assessing the current religious freedom panorama, “we see more countries putting resources into this issue, appointing high-level envoys focused on freedom of religion or belief,” Lantos Swett told EWTN News. “So that’s on the good side of the ledger.”

“On the bad side of the ledger, the evidence now is that over 80% of the world’s population live in countries where there is some degree of repression, persecution, and societal and legal imposition on this fundamental human right,” she said.

Current concerns right now include what is known as “transnational repression.” She explained: “We increasingly are seeing some of these very bad actors in the world reaching the long hand of violence, threat, intimidation, harassment beyond their national borders.”

Lantos Swett detailed China, Iran, and Russia are at the “top of the list” of worst countries when it comes to religious freedom matters.

“We’re very concerned about the efforts by the Chinese government to engage in what I would view as a hostile takeover of the Catholic Church by appointing their own bishops and controlling what the Catholic Church is allowed to do in China,” she indicated.

There is also present “false propaganda” and even potential issues with artificial intelligence (AI) and how it “will impact for good and for ill, the defense of conscience rights.”

Infringement upon religious freedom around the world is “a massive problem,” Brownback said. “It’s probably one of the most abused human rights in the world.”

“It happens to all different faiths everywhere. It’s time the world wakes up and pushed us back against this,” Brownback said.

Agreeing with Lantos Swett, Brownback said China is “No. 1” when it comes to the worst countries for religious freedom. He also noted Nigeria and the Indian subcontinent.

In China, “they oppress their people, but then they also produce the technology that goes out to, we think, nearly 80 countries for oppression,” he said.

How religious freedom movement can take action

Those involved in the IRF movement have “been climbing up the backside of the mountain where nobody could see us for a long period of time, and now we’re up at a perch that a lot of people are shooting at us,” Brownback said during a Feb. 2 summit panel.

“Now that we’re in the center of the debate and the discussion, we’ve got to act like it. We’ve got to have our factual settings together. We’ve got to be careful and cautious, but bold and courageous,” he said.

“At the same time, we’ve got to form alliances and pull people in, not just from religious freedom, but also from democracy movements, from security movements to make this … a global movement, a grassroots movement, because that’s where we win as a global grassroots movement.”

Lantos Swett expanded further on what the movement needs to do next. She said the cause for religious liberty is bigger than the “politics of the day.” The cause “is more profound and ultimately more unifying than the many things that pull us apart.”

“We have become deeply divided, deeply hostile towards those who don’t agree with us politically or on some other criteria. But Ambassador Brownback and I certainly have felt that as it relates to the fight to defend religious freedom for everyone everywhere, it is of paramount importance that this remain really not just a bipartisan cause but a nonpartisan cause,” she said.

The “movement is growing” in part to “an unease about the pervasive nihilism we see in the world around us,” Lantos Swett said. “You know, nihilism, this philosophy, either moral nihilism, there’s no such thing as right and wrong. Or as existential nihilism, life itself has no meaning, no purpose. It’s a terrible way to live. It’s a terrible way for a community and a society to feel.”

“I do think, especially maybe even among young people, that you sense that they’re moving away from that somewhat aimless and nihilistic view of life and searching for something more meaningful.”

“I hope that that will also help us recruit a new generation of leaders to this movement because they are starting to understand how important it is to have a defining purpose and sense of meaning and consequence to your life,” she said.

The United States solicitor general urged the Supreme Court to stop Colorado from excluding Catholic schools from the state’s universal preschool (UPK) program in a brief on Friday.

The 25-page amicus brief, submitted by Solicitor General John Sauer, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Sarah Harris, and Assistant to the Solicitor General Emily Hall, asked the Supreme Court to consider the religious discrimination case.

The friend-of-the-court brief is the latest development in the yearslong legal troubles that religious preschools wanting to be involved in the UPK have faced. The UPK program pledges to provide tuition assistance to families for qualifying preschools, but several religious preschools have been excluded from the program due to its requirements related to its equal opportunity mandate.

Most recently, the U.S Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld the UPK program in spite of alleged religious discrimination against faith-based preschools. In response, the parish-run preschools and the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver are appealing to the Supreme Court.

The solicitor general’s brief highlighted the “severity of the court of appeals’ error.” The solicitor general noted that the UPK gives some exemptions from its equal access requirements to secular schools while withholding exemptions from religious schools.

“Colorado’s exemptions allow differential treatment for some groups, e.g., low-income families or disabled children, but not others. Having departed from universal even-handedness, Colorado cannot claim that allowing Catholic preschools to apply a preference based on Catholic teachings on sexual orientation and gender identity would uniquely undermine its law,” the brief read.

“Granting review in this case would allow this court to provide useful guidance on a subject that lower courts frequently confront,” the brief stated.

Becket, the religious liberty legal group arguing the case, welcomed the brief.

“The solicitor general’s filing in this case signals to the court just how egregious, illegal, and dangerous Colorado’s discrimination is,” Nick Reaves, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the preschools and families, said in a statement.

“The state is labeling a program ‘universal’ and then banning religious families and schools from it because of their faith,” Reaves continued. “If that kind of exclusion is allowed to stand, no religious group is safe from being pushed out of public life.”

Twenty other parties have filed friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of the preschools since December 2025, including Thomas More Society, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Notre Dame Education Law Project, and West Virginia and 21 other states.

“Our preschools exist to help parents who want an education rooted in the Catholic faith for their children,” said Scott Elmer, chief mission officer for the Archdiocese of Denver, in a November 2025 statement. “All we ask is for the ability to offer families who choose a Catholic education the same access to free preschool services that’s available at thousands of other preschools across Colorado.”

“We’re grateful the solicitor general recognized what’s at stake here and added his voice to a growing chorus urging the Supreme Court to hear this case,” Reaves concluded.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (COCC, by its Spanish acronym) warned that the country risks descending into social chaos and violence if  increasingly urgent structural changes are not implemented.

The Catholic Church’s warning came in a message released on Jan. 31, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose extraordinary tariffs on countries that send oil to Cuba.

Venezuela had stopped exporting oil to Cuba in November 2025, and with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces in January and the pressure on the socialist regime that is still in place, a resumption of these exports is unlikely.

Russia and Algeria stopped sending fuel to the Cuban regime in October and February 2025, respectively, leaving Mexico as the only remaining supplier, with its last shipment arriving in early January.

The fuel shortage is stifling the already struggling Cuban economy, and according to statements reported by the Financial Times, Victoria Grabenwöger, an analyst at the market research firm Kpler, stated late last week that Cuba’s remaining reserves “could last 15 to 20 days.”

The bishops recalled that in their June 15, 2025, message they had already called for “the structural, social, economic, and political changes that Cuba needs” to save it from the dire situation it has been facing for several years.

The prelates noted at the time that they did not imagine “that things could get any worse,” yet, “the situation has deteriorated, and anguish and despair have intensified.”

Furthermore, “recent news, which announces, among other things, the elimination of any possibility of oil entering the country, is raising alarms, especially for the least fortunate. The risk of social chaos and violence among the sons and daughters of the same nation is real. No Cuban of goodwill would rejoice at this,” the bishops said.

The COCC stated that “Cuba needs changes, and they are becoming increasingly urgent, but it certainly doesn’t need any more anguish or suffering” for its people. The conference therefore expressed gratitude for the aid that arrived from the U.S. government and was distributed through the Catholic Church to those affected by Hurricane Melissa.

On Jan. 30, the president of the COCC, Bishop Arturo Gonzalez Amador, and Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García met with the head of mission at the U.S. Embassy, ​​Mike Hammer, who wrote on X that “if everything goes well and the aid is reaching those most in need, the Trump administration is ready to send more assistance.”

In their message, the bishops also addressed relations between states. “The unwavering position of the pope and the Holy See, consistent with international law, is that governments should be able to resolve their disagreements and conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, not coercion or war,” they stated.

However, they also said that “respect for the dignity and exercise of freedom of every human being within their own nation cannot be subject to or conditioned by the variables of external conflicts.”

The bishops urged that “the good of Cuba be placed above partisan interests” and assured that the Catholic Church will continue to accompany the people, especially the most vulnerable, also offering “its willingness, if requested, to help de-escalate hostilities between the parties and create spaces for fruitful collaboration for the common good.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed the rising tensions between Cuba and the United States at the end of the Feb. 1 Angelus, expressing his concern and echoing the bishops’ message he invited “all responsible parties to promote a sincere and effective dialogue, in order to avoid violence and every action that could increase the suffering of the dear Cuban people.”

A situation more serious than during the ‘Special Period’

Osvaldo Gallardo, a Cuban writer and analyst residing in the United States, stated that during the 40 years he lived on the island, he never experienced a crisis “like the one being experienced now,” with prolonged power outages, food shortages, the collapse of basic services, and a greater lack of freedom.

He said that this social and economic situation can be considered worse than the one that occurred during the so-called “Special Period” of 1991–1994, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union — which economically supported the island — and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

“During the Special Period, it was difficult, but there was more of a sense of transiency. It was very difficult, but there was still a structure that responded to a reality that had been more stable; not better, but more stable,” he explained to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

However, he noted that now the anthropological damage in Cuba “is real and evident,” and “all the human capital has been dissolved.” Furthermore, “this period is already lasting longer, from 2020 to 2026, since the pandemic,” and the country is not recovering.

“That suffering did not begin with sanctions; it began with an exhausted model and a power structure that refuses to relinquish control,” Gallardo added in a post on Facebook.

In this regard, he said that the bishops’ message “is a moral warning issued when the deterioration is reaching dangerous levels and the risk of social chaos ceases to be a hypothesis.”

However, he noted that the communist regime “is not going to engage in dialogue,” just as it “hasn’t done so in more than six decades.” He pointed out that for the dictatorship, dialogue “has always been a strategy to buy time, not to change the country.”

“It must be said unequivocally: The dictatorship has to go,” Gallardo stated. “Cuba needs urgent changes. It doesn’t need more useless sacrifices or a false peace bought at the price of resignation. True peace is not the absence of conflict: It is justice. And when injustice is prolonged in the name of order, what is being protected is not peace, but abuse,” he said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of February is for children with incurable diseases.

In a video to be released on Feb. 5, the Holy Father prayed that the faithful would realize that “the smiles, even in the midst of pain,” of children suffering from incurable diseases, “are a testimony of [God’s] kingdom.”

In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention.

Here is the pope’s full prayer:

Lord Jesus,

who welcomed the little ones in your arms and blessed them tenderly,

today we bring before you the children living with incurable illnesses.

Their fragile bodies are a sign of your presence,

and their smiles, even in the midst of pain, are a testimony of your kingdom.

We ask you, Lord, that they may never lack proper medical care,

human and compassionate attention,

and the support of a community that accompanies them with love.

Sustain their families in hope,

in the midst of weariness and uncertainty,

and make of them witnesses of a faith that grows stronger through trial.

Bless the hands of doctors, nurses, and caregivers,

so that their work may always be an expression of active compassion.

May your Spirit enlighten them in every difficult decision,

and grant them patience and tenderness to serve with dignity.

Lord, teach us to recognize your face in every suffering child.

May their vulnerability awaken our compassion,

and move us to care, accompany, and love

with concrete gestures of solidarity.

Make of us a Church that,

animated by the feelings of your heart

and moved by prayer and service,

knows how to uphold fragility,

and in the midst of suffering, becomes a source of comfort,

a seed of hope, and a proclamation of new life.

Amen.

“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Sister Raffaella Petrini as a member of the Commission for Reserved Matters, the Holy See Press Office announced in a Feb. 3 statement.

She is the first woman to serve on the commission, created in 2020 by Pope Francis, which is responsible for awarding financial contracts in confidential areas of the Vatican.

Petrini, born in Rome on Jan. 15, 1969, is 57 years old and has an academic and management background. She is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and a noted economist.

The Commission for Reserved Matters plays a strategic role in the control and allocation of contracts that are particularly sensitive for the Vatican City State, and this appointment underscores the growing presence of women in positions of responsibility within the Holy See.

First woman to head the Vatican Governorate

Since March 1, 2025, Petrini has been president of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, the highest position in the civil administration of the small pontifical state, which has approximately 600 inhabitants and nearly 2,000 employees. With this appointment, she became the first woman to assume the administrative leadership of the Vatican.

The appointment was announced on Jan. 19, 2025, during an interview given by Pope Francis to television host Fabio Fazio on the RAI public television program “Che tempo che fa” (“What’s the weather like?”). Petrini succeeded Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, who stepped down from the presidency upon reaching the age of 80.

As president of the governorate, Petrini is responsible for managing the Vatican’s public services, overseeing infrastructure, security, health care, and the Vatican Museums, in addition to chairing the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

Necessary changes in the law

Pope Francis amended the Fundamental Law of the Vatican City State and other regulations to grant Petrini the same powers as her predecessors, who until then had always been cardinals.

Among the changes introduced, it was established that the president of the governorate could confer specific powers and particular tasks to the secretaries general, a position she holds alongside Emilio Nappa and Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi.

Profile and academic background

A graduate in political science from the Guido Carli International Private University of Social Studies, Petrini holds a doctorate in social sciences from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome and a master’s degree from the University of Hartford. She currently also works as a professor of Welfare Economics and Sociology of Economic Processes.

She has previously worked at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and was appointed secretary general of the governorate in November 2021. She is also a member of the Dicastery for Bishops and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the body responsible for managing Vatican finances.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The New South Wales Parliament has tabled the final report of its inquiry into Measures to Prohibit Slogans that Incite Hatred, recommending a limited change to the law focused on a single phrase rather than a broader expansion of hate speech offences.

The report, tabled 30 January, makes the key recommendation that the public use of the phrase “globalise the intifada”, and close variations of it, be criminalised under state law.

However, the parliamentary committee stressed that the offence should only apply where the phrase is linked to a specific material harm, such as the incitement of hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence. It further recommended that any new legislation be subject to a formal review after 12 months.

The inquiry was established amid heightened public debate following recent incidents of antisemitic violence and unrest, and was tasked with examining whether particular slogans should be prohibited under NSW law.

Its terms of reference included consideration of international approaches, including the hate speech regime operating in the United Kingdom.

Rather than proposing to replicate overseas models, the committee noted the UK framework and recommended the NSW Government await the outcome of the British review currently underway, as well as assess the impact of new hate speech laws passed by Australian Federal Parliament in January.

No further recommendations were made to expand hate speech offences in NSW, and the committee did not propose broader prohibitions on slogans or political speech beyond the specific phrase identified.

The report’s restrained approach signals caution about extending criminal law into the realm of speech. Many submissions, including from the Archdiocese of Sydney, urged the government to not risk unnecessary restriction of expression, saying the criminalisation of hate speech is often “imprecise, subjective, arbitrary and inconsistent.”

The government must respond to the report within six months.

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Over the weekend of 31 January and 1 February, parishioners from across Sydney and beyond, gathered for Alpha Coaching Days, designed to prepare the next wave of Alpha leaders as missionary disciples at the heart of parish renewal. 

“Each time a parish prepares to run Alpha, teams are encouraged to come together first for coaching,” said organiser, Tania Rimac, from the Parish Renewal Team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation and leader of Alpha in a Catholic Context in NSW.  “Alpha Coaching Days support parishes and communities so that teams are equipped spiritually, pastorally and practically, to share the Good News and help foster an encounter with Christ in the best possible way.” 

Alpha is an evangelisation tool designed to share the foundation of the Christian faith in a welcoming, non-judgmental, and informal environment. 

This year’s Alpha Coaching Day was held at St Martha’s, Leichhardt, drawing teams from Sydney and other dioceses, including Wollongong and Parramatta. Participants included existing teams refreshing their training as well as parishes, such as Auburn and Croydon, who were exploring how Alpha can support the evangelising mission in their parish and understand best practices to run fruitful Alphas.  

Tania notes that Alpha coaching has been running for several years now, and “each year the numbers keep growing,” which she sees as a clear sign of “a real hunger for people to be equipped for mission.” People “have a desire to go out and share the good news,” she says, “and Alpha provides a concrete way to do that within the life of the parish community.” 

Alongside the main gathering, a second Alpha Coaching Day was held for the Mandarin-speaking community in Flemington, with an interpreter present throughout, so participants could fully engage with the training.  

“Almost 30 people attended this session, reflecting the dynamism of the Chinese Catholic community, which has been running Alpha for several years as part of its RCIA process,” said Tania.  “This community is now one of the larger groups within the Archdiocese of Sydney presenting catechumens for baptism at Easter. They find Alpha an easy way to come together as a community and share the good news, before they start forming their people in the catechesis.”  

A key message of the weekend was that Alpha must never stand alone. “One of the keys with Alpha in a Catholic context, for it to be run well, is that it is imperative that it is embedded into the parish as part of a wider strategy for ongoing evangelisation and catechesis,” Tania insists.  

“When people come to Alpha, they’re quite energised and excited about what they’ve experienced. Many have an encounter Christ for the first time or have a renewed sense of faith. We want to ensure that we continue to walk with them and invite them to the next step of their faith journey. If they are not baptised, we would invite them into RCIA. If they are already baptised, we can invite them onto the Alpha team or something else in the parish, like a Bible study, according to their personal need at that time.” 

Far from being limited to a single demographic, Alpha Coaching Day attracts “a really good cross section of demographics” – young and old, across many different backgrounds. Tania stresses the importance of inviting young people not only to attend Alpha but to serve in mission on Alpha teams. 

Ultimately, the growth in numbers, the diversity of attendees, and the new parishes joining Alpha Coaching Day all point to something deeper than the success of an Alpha. 

“I think it points to a desire, an ignition of the heart for others to hear the Good News, and Alpha is just that tool that we can use,” Tania reflects. 

Ordinary Catholics are stepping forward to be formed as missionary disciples, taking up their responsibility as the baptise faithful and are stepping out in faith to lead Alpha and help renew their parishes from the inside out.” 

To learn more about Alpha email tania.rimac@sydneycatholic.org.  

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What else can we do as Catholics to make the Family Law Act obsolete? Better marriage preparation.  

A colleague shared with me a recent social media post from a former Catholic whose marriage has broken up. He said that Catholic marriages are failing because we teach chastity before marriage without also teaching what to look for in a long-term partner. 

He’s right. Marriage is when a couple live together for all those long weeks, months, and years that they’re not having sex.  

“Live together” is the important bit.  

If you’ve met someone and it’s still going well after about six months, then there’s a series of tough conversations you will hate, but you need to have. The first person you need to talk to is God. But quite often he’s waiting for you to use your brain and two eyes.  

I think your first question to yourself should be: “What’s in this relationship for me?” 

Some of your motives will be really selfish. Some Catholics just want to get married  because they’re ashamed of being single. Some are looking for a project; someone to mould into their dream spouse. Some are looking for someone to efface them so they can continue to hide from everything. 

And some are only too willing to make these gentler souls into doormats for their oversized egos.  

Now ask yourself: “What’s in this relationship for him/her?” Again, listen to the answers. Note any major differences between those two sets of answers. These are future fault lines in a marriage. 

A healthy Catholic marriage is a partnership of equals before God. It should take place between two adults, not an adult and an overgrown child. 

We have laws against children getting married. But sometimes children in adults’ bodies get married, with disastrous consequences. You’ll be stuck with someone who just wants a mum or dad to keep taking care of them – someone unreliable and untrustworthy who constantly avoids adult tasks.  

Another question for both of you: How do you see the division of labour in the family home panning out?  

You may have noticed that it’s not the 1950s anymore. If both of you are in paid employment, you’ll have to figure out how both of you can make this work. Speaking of which: How do you see money? Is it “my money” or “our money”?  

Do you live from payday to payday and max out the credit cards, or do you save and plan? 

You should know this about yourself already. You definitely need to know it about your possible spouse.  

Another question: How much real experience do either of you have with small children?  

I’ve met young Catholics who talk a big game about large families but have never changed a nappy in their life. They are in for a rude awakening.  

How does your beloved behave in a crisis? Do they blow up, get angry, and start dishing out blame? Do they panic, fall apart, and wait to be rescued? Or are they comparatively calm and sensible? 

And here’s the hardest one, and it’s a very private question. What have you seen in this person that worries you?  

Is it verbal or physical anger? Signs of addiction – gaming, alcohol, shopping, gambling – that they’re explaining away? Control freakery – even the pious kind that makes you stay for an hour’s Adoration after Mass even though you’ll be late for work? 

Do they complain a lot? Do they show disrespect for you or others? Are they flaky, unreliable, or constantly late for everything? 

It’s sadly common now to hear young Catholics (madly in love) earnestly explaining that these serious failings are due to their beloved’s “diagnosis”. I sometimes discover later – when cleaning up the mess – that this was the “we did an online quiz” school of diagnosis.  

Please be aware that there are lots of Catholics out there with mental health diagnoses who are respectful, reliable, pleasant, and gainfully employed.  

Some problems are actually character problems. And people don’t change much over time. 

And I speak as someone who has marched through entire red flag parades with her colour-blindness goggles firmly on, seeing only a sea of grey. 

I’m sure you’re not looking for someone perfect. But you should be looking for someone with the basic materials for a happy, committed and holy life with you. If they don’t, then it’s not your job to fix them or to drag them screaming into maturity. That’s their job.  

The bottom line? No engagement is better than a broken engagement.  

And a broken engagement is always better than a divorce.  

The post Still don’t like divorce? Do better marriage prep appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

With the theme “Peace Begins with Dignity: A Global Call to End Human Trafficking,” the Catholic Church will mark this year’s 12th World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Human Trafficking.

In 2026, the observance coincides with the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a universal symbol of the fight against modern slavery.

Established by Pope Francis in 2015, the annual day is coordinated by the international Talitha Kum network, led by women religious and promoted by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the Union of Superiors General (USG).

Numerous ecclesial and civil organizations are also involved, including Caritas Internationalis, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), the Pope John XXIII Community, the Sant’Egidio Community, the Focolare Movement, and other institutions worldwide.

According to United Nations data, some 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, primarily women, children, migrants, and displaced persons.

Human trafficking takes many forms — from sexual exploitation to forced labor, domestic servitude, and forced marriage — and is increasingly expanding into the digital environment.

Program of events in Rome

Between Feb. 4 and 8, Rome will host formation meetings, awareness-raising activities, and prayer events, culminating with the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Leo XIV.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, an online formation workshop led by young people will highlight their role in mobilization against human trafficking. In addition, some international delegates of the 12th World Day of Prayer and Reflection Against Human Trafficking will take part in the general audience presided over by the pope in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the official welcome and opening of the observance will take place at the UISG headquarters, followed by the “Walk for Humanity” and a torchlight procession with an ecumenical prayer vigil at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, presided over by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

On Friday, Feb. 6, a virtual pilgrimage against human trafficking will connect participants online from all continents in a global journey of prayer, including a message from the Holy Father. A live broadcast will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CET) in five languages on the website www.prayagainsttrafficking.net.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, coinciding with Youth Day, there will be a morning formation workshop led by Professor Silvia Scarpa followed by a public awareness activity in Piazza Pia, just steps from St. Peter’s Square.

Finally, on Sunday, Feb. 8, the concluding event will be held in St. Peter’s Square with the midday Angelus prayer with Pope Leo XIV. This will be followed by the celebration of Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who served as archbishop of Westminster and primate of England and Wales from 2009 to 2025, together with Father Mario Zanotti.

A global call to action

“Human trafficking remains a deep global wound that violates human dignity and disrupts the peace of our societies, especially in a world torn by conflicts, wars, and forced displacement,” said Sister Abby Avelino, coordinator of the world day and of the Talitha Kum network.

In a statement, she called for placing peace and human dignity at the heart of this year’s observance and appealed to all people of goodwill “to go beyond awareness and unite in concrete actions to put an end to this crime.”

“Our commitment is to walk closely with victims and survivors, listen to their voices, and advocate for systemic change that addresses the root causes of trafficking and builds a world based on peace, justice, and dignity for all,” she said.

Organizers also encouraged participation on social media by sharing posts on Feb. 8 using the official hashtag #PrayAgainstTrafficking.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

St. John Henry Newman, proclaimed a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in November 2025, has been added to the General Roman Calendar, establishing his optional memorial on Oct. 9.

Since Pope Francis canonized Newman in 2019, the English saint — a convert and a pivotal figure in Catholic thought — has been honored each year on Oct. 9. With his inclusion in the universal calendar, however, his memorial is now proposed for celebration throughout the entire Church worldwide.

Until now, Newman’s liturgical celebration was largely limited to local contexts, such as dioceses where he was a patron or communities closely linked to his spirituality. With a recent decree issued by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the name of the Holy Father, his memorial is now extended to the whole Church, and priests everywhere may celebrate it using the common liturgical texts.

In an explanatory note released Feb. 3, Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the dicastery, said the decision aims to “present his figure as an extraordinary example of the constant search for the truth that enlightens and saves.”

A universal memorial with common liturgical texts

Roche’s message also outlined the liturgical texts and biblical readings proposed for Newman’s memorial, emphasizing how each reflects key aspects of his life and spirituality.

The Collect prayer, Roche noted, “reveals the essence of the saint’s spiritual journey: God guided him with his ‘kindly light’ until leading him to the peace of his Church.”

The first reading, taken from the Book of Sirach, presents a man filled with the spirit of understanding by the Lord’s will, reflecting the wisdom that characterized Newman. Psalm 39 (2, 4ab, 7-10) highlights his complete docility to God’s will, “even in adverse situations.”

The Gospel passage from Matthew (13:47-52) recalls that Newman “became a disciple in search of God’s truth,” enabling him, as a doctor of the Church, to “bring out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Finally, the Liturgy of the Hours proposes a passage from “Apologia pro Vita Sua” in which Newman recounts his conversion to Catholicism.

Roche concluded by emphasizing that Newman’s “contributions of great theological and ecclesiological significance” continue to inspire the spiritual and intellectual journey of the faithful and that his “constant effort to move beyond shadows and appearances toward the fullness of truth remains a luminous example for every disciple of the risen Lord.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Federal officials are investigating after a Los Angeles-area Catholic school was targeted in a major act of vandalism that included the beheading of a statue of the Blessed Mother.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on X on Feb. 2 that the Department of Justice’s civil rights division “will open an investigation into [the] awful crime” against Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach.

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Cyril Cruz, the principal of the school, told EWTN News that she came into the school early on the morning of Feb. 2 and discovered the vandalism in the hall where the school holds Mass.

“Our statue of the Virgin Mary was smashed, and the tabernacle was removed and thrown to the floor in an apparent attempt to force it open,” she said. “The atrium lovingly prepared by the Carmelite Sisters for our scholars was completely destroyed.”

“Audio equipment and lighting were ripped from the walls, speakers and instruments loaded onto carts, and the missals our students use daily were soaked and ruined.”

Photos shared with EWTN News showed the vandalization in multiple rooms, including the destroyed statue, overturned shelves, scattered papers and Mass materials, and other scenes of destruction.

Cruz said Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau was scheduled to hold a reparation Mass at the school on Feb. 3.

The pastor of Holy Innocents Catholic Church and School, Father Peter Irving, was also scheduled to lead a Eucharistic procession around the school “as we entrust our community to Christ and respond with prayer, faith, and hope.”

Irving told EWTN News that the community was “very sad,” though they were “very grateful” that the Blessed Sacrament was “not violated,” he said.

“The tabernacle was not breached although it was left damaged,” he said. “Investigators said that this was the worst desecration that they have seen.”

The vandalism has received national media coverage. A GoFundMe campaign, meanwhile, had raised nearly $76,000 by the morning of Feb. 3.

That campaign said Trudeau described the incident as “the worst case of vandalism that he’s ever seen in the region.”

Still, Cruz said, amid the destruction, “our community came together — scholars, families, and Knights of Columbus — to clean, restore, and prepare the hall so that Mass could once again be celebrated.”

“Yesterday, our school community gathered in prayer to pray the rosary for healing and also for the conversion and mercy for those who committed this act,” she added.

“We are grateful no one was physically harmed, and we are responding as a faith community with prayer, reparation, and trust in Christ,” she said.

A Westchester County, New York, jury awarded $2 million to Fox Varian, a woman who “no longer thinks of herself as a male” who underwent a double mastectomy six years ago at age 16 in what is believed to be the first U.S. malpractice case of its kind to reach a trial verdict.

The jury found a psychologist and a plastic surgeon liable for medical malpractice in performing and supporting the 2019 breast removal surgery on Varian in order to treat gender dysphoria. The award includes $1.6 million for past and future pain and suffering and $400,000 for future medical expenses, according to the Epoch Times.

Varian’s lawyers said she no longer thinks of herself as a male and said she sued claiming psychologist Kenneth Einhorn and surgeon Simon Chin failed to meet the standard of care through inadequate psychological evaluation, poor communication between the professionals, and insufficient screening before proceeding with the irreversible procedure.

The case centered on whether the medical team properly assessed her mental health and readiness for “gender-affirming surgery,” marking a significant development in the growing number of such lawsuits in the U.S.

Varian’s legal team argued that the surgery caused lasting physical and psychological harm, including complications from the procedure and ongoing emotional distress.

According to a statement from her lawyers, “any medical provider who departs from accepted medical standards, regardless of the context of the treatment, should be held accountable in a court of law for the injuries that result.”

“This case was not a statement or referendum on the appropriateness of gender-affirming care for adults or minors. Instead, it was about whether physicians adhered to their professional and ethical obligations when providing that care to Fox,” the statement continued.

The defendants maintained that the care provided followed accepted medical standards at the time and that Varian had given informed consent. The jury, however, sided with the plaintiff.

Dr. Alfonso Oliva, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon not involved with the Varian case and a board member at the Catholic Medical Association, told EWTN News that “patients are often not given full information of the risks associated with medical transitions,” citing the “very high complication rates” of the surgical transitioning of adolescents and adults.

He said inversion penile vaginoplasty, where male genitalia are transferred to mimic female genitalia, has a 70% complication rate, “a very high number for any procedure, and yet it’s tolerated as a norm.”

The risk of complications for women who undergo surgery to mimic male genitalia “is 35-40%, which is also very high,” Oliva said.

He continued: “There’s not full disclosure by medical professionals of what happens to these children after these surgeries. They will likely become sterile, they are highly likely to have sexual dysfunction, especially young boys, many of whom won’t have sexual function or the ability to orgasm in the future.”

“These are not reversible interventions. Normal brain development, which is not completed until 25, is interrupted through hormone therapy. Problems such as obesity and diabetes, and problems with the skeletal system, which will not develop as it should, are not discussed during medical evaluations. Nor is there a significant psychiatric evaluation of these children, who are suffering, but we don’t get to the bottom of the suffering,” he said.

Oliva said there is extensive scientific research showing the harms of such interventions on youth, including the 2024 Cass Review, an independent investigation into gender identity services for children and young people commissioned by the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

The review concluded that the evidence base for the medical procedures, including puberty blockers and hormone treatments, is “remarkably weak.”

A Swedish study that measured long-term outcomes of people who underwent sex reassignment surgery showed considerably higher risks than the general population for mortality, suicidal behavior, and psychiatric problems.

“Their risk of suicide 10 years after transgender surgery was found to be 19 times that of the general population,” Oliva said of the Swedish study. “If we wait for the initial euphoria after surgery subsides, and we evaluate suicide rates, we see that the surgery itself did not improve the psychological well-being of these patients.”

The surgeon said parents are coerced into assenting to the medical treatments because they are “fed the idea that their child will commit suicide if they are not allowed to transition,” and this is “not the truth.”

Statutes of limitations, statutory caps on damages must be increased, lawyer says

Oliva said the statute of limitations for bringing medical malpractice suits must be extended nationwide. He said it is “only three years” in his home state of Washington.

“In many cases, these young adults don’t realize that they made a big mistake until years afterward,” he explained.

While New York state does not impose a statutory cap on damages in medical malpractice cases, with no limit on either economic damages or noneconomic damages (e.g., pain and suffering), Marcella Burke, a Houston-based attorney, told EWTN News that “existing statutory caps on medical malpractice damages … are insufficient in most states to provide meaningful compensation to children harmed and insufficient deterrence to the medical establishments and practitioners who perform these procedures.”

Burke represents Dr. Eithan Haim in a case against Texas Children’s Hospital, which was allegedly performing transgender procedures on children despite a state law prohibiting it.

“I have seen firsthand the profound physical, psychological, and emotional injuries these interventions can cause,” she said. “In most states, outdated statutory caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases — there is a $250,000 cap in Texas — fail to reflect the gravity of these lifelong consequences for children who were too young to give truly informed consent.”

“These caps were designed for typical medical errors, not for cases involving irreversible procedures pushed on vulnerable minors amid ideological pressures rather than rigorous, evidence-based standards of care,” she said.

“To ensure real accountability and adequate compensation for what has been done to these children, state legislatures must raise or eliminate these caps in a narrowly tailored way for claims arising specifically from gender transition procedures on minors, allowing juries to award damages commensurate with the devastating, long-term harm inflicted.”

The surgeon also said that what is needed are clinics that have plastic surgeons, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, and other medical professionals available to help the “tens of thousands” of patients detransition.

“Once they realize, ‘Oh my goodness, maybe I made a big mistake,’ there’s nobody to take care of them medically right now. They’re persona non grata at their clinic; looked down on as a failure by their community. They don’t know how to get off the hormones, or what to do about surgical problems. No one is really taking care of them,” he said.

Several other such lawsuits are pending across the country, though most remain in early stages or have settled out of court.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Stanislav Přibyl of Litoměřice as the new archbishop of Prague, selecting a prelate known for championing reconciliation between ethnic Germans and Czechs to lead the Czech capital’s historic archdiocese.

The 54-year-old Redemptorist returns to his hometown to succeed Archbishop Jan Graubner, who submitted his resignation upon reaching the canonical retirement age of 75. The Vatican announced the appointment Feb. 2, and Přibyl will be installed April 25.

The newly appointed archbishop said his priority is reconciliation and overcoming polarization within the Church and society.

“It is not only a matter of the Church and only of the Prague Archdiocese,” Přibyl said in an interview following his appointment. “It often seems that when we come across an idea, we first examine who said or wrote it and then evaluate the content accordingly. Everything is too ad hominem.”

Přibyl’s episcopal motto is “Pax vobis” — “Peace to you.” He said he wants to be a “shepherd who listens, encourages, and connects as a sign of this peace.”

The prelate recently declared a Year of Reconciliation in his Diocese of Litoměřice marking 80 years since the expulsion of millions of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia following World War II.

Addressing contemporary divisions, Přibyl warned that society is influenced by “the algorithms of social networks” where friendship has become “a completely different concept than true friendship between people.”

“Christ is above all bubbles and interest groups, and only in him can we truly be one,” the bishop said, echoing Pope Leo XIV’s papal motto “In illo uno unum” — “In the One, we are one.”

Přibyl said the synodal process can help Catholics “talk to each other and listen more” and noted that “where the word fails because we are experiencing an inflation of information, there is also a very powerful act of love.”

The newly appointed archbishop sees Catholic faith becoming attractive across Western Europe. “In the Litoměřice Diocese, we are seeing more adult baptisms and vocations in which personal testimony and the authenticity of our relationship with Christ are very important, as well as the living environment in the Church,” he said.

Born Nov. 16, 1971, in Prague, Přibyl was ordained a priest in 1996 and appointed bishop of Litoměřice by Pope Francis on Dec. 23, 2023.

Ahead of the "International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking", the Philippine bishops are calling for stronger diocesan structures to combat the scourge and warn that the country is suffering from multiple forms of exploitation.

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With the violence escalating, UNICEF reports that more than 450,000 children are currently at risk of acute malnutrition in South Sudan. The organization's representative in the country appeals for “rapid, unimpeded, and safe access for humanitarian aid and workers to reach highly vulnerable displaced groups.”

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The history of astronomy’s most famous comet may need to be revised. New research suggests that six centuries before astronomer Edmond Halley scientifically described in 1705 the periodic appearance of the comet that now bears his name, another person had already understood that it was the same celestial object observed at different times.

It cannot be said, strictly speaking, that Halley was the discoverer of this comet. The British scientist himself acknowledged that he had relied on previous historical records for his conclusions. In any case, he was the first to demonstrate, using the scientific method, that the appearances of 1531, 1607, and 1682 were of a single celestial body that returned periodically, approximately every 76 years.

That deduction marked a milestone in the history of science and contributed decisively to dispelling the view that comets were supernatural omens.

English monk who saw comet 600 years before Halley

However, a recent study suggests that this insight about the recurrence of the phenomenon was already present, in embryonic form, in medieval Europe — specifically, thanks to an English monk who lived in the late 10th and early 11th centuries.

The study, carried out by astrophysicist Simon Portegies Zwart and historian Martin Lewis, identifies Eilmer of Malmesbury — also known as Æthelmær or Oliver of Malmesbury — as a possible previous observer. He was a Benedictine monk who is believed to have seen the comet on two separate occasions, almost eight decades apart, in the years 989 and 1066.

The results are published in the volume “Dorestad and Everything After: Ports, Townscapes & Travellers in Europe, 800-1100,” a work dedicated to knowledge and travel in medieval Europe.

According to the authors, Eilmer may have recognized in 1066 the same celestial body he had seen in his youth, an exceptional deduction for his time, based on personal memory and his noting the comet’s reappearance over a period of time that was unusual in the Middle Ages.

Comet appeared in the sky in 1066

The appearance of the comet in 1066 is widely documented. It was observed for more than two months in China, where imperial astronomers accurately recorded its trajectory and brightness.

It reached its maximum brilliance on April 22 and, shortly afterward, became visible in the skies of northwestern Europe. Its image was immortalized in the Bayeux Tapestry, the oldest known representation of the phenomenon, woven into that visual narrative of the Norman conquest of England.

The event coincided with the turbulent reign of Harold II, which ended with the defeat of the English at the Battle of Hastings in October of that same year. In the medieval mindset, celestial phenomena were almost always interpreted as omens of impending calamities — wars, epidemics, or the downfall of rulers — and the comet was no exception.

By analyzing Latin and Anglo-Saxon chronicles, researchers have identified up to five supposed appearances of the comet between the late 10th and 11th centuries. In some cases, they point out, it is difficult to separate actual astronomical observation from later symbolic interpretation. A supposed sighting in the year 995, retrospectively linked to the death of Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury, may be more of a narrative construct with a moral purpose than a verifiable astronomical event.

According to the chronicler William of Malmesbury, one of the most reliable sources from medieval England, Eilmer was already an old man when he saw the comet again in 1066 and identified it as the same one he had observed as a child.

True to the worldview of his time, he interpreted the phenomenon as a dire omen for the kingdom, combining natural observation with warnings of a moral and political nature.

In light of this information, the authors of the study suggest reconsidering, at least from a historical point of view, the exclusive attribution of the discovery to Halley.

Without diminishing the achievements of the 18th-century astronomer, Portegies Zwart emphasized that Eilmer’s observation constitutes an early example of astronomical reasoning based on direct experience. “This interdisciplinary approach, combining astronomy, history, and philology, can help us discover that other periodic phenomena were already recognized before the modern era,” the researcher notes.

Halley’s Comet will be visible again

The year 2061 is when Halley’s Comet is next expected to be visible from Earth. In its elliptical orbit, it approaches the sun to within 0.59 astronomical units and moves away to about 36 astronomical units, beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune, completing its journey in approximately 76 years.

When it returns, it will evoke not only the name of Edmond Halley but also that of a medieval monk who, centuries earlier, recognized that this celestial visitor had already passed by before.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

As Zambia prepares for the August Presidential and General Elections, the Catholic Bishops have issued a Pastoral Letter advising politicians, the faithful, and all Zambians of goodwill to work towards creating a peaceful and civil electoral environment. Zambian Bishops have pledged that the Church will remain non-partisan, asserting, “Church premises must not be used for political campaigns.”

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An Italian aid group says that scores of people are unaccounted for after many boats left during a fierce storm.

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Just over a year ago in County Wicklow, Ireland, three young men decided to sidestep the secular Christmas season tradition of hitting 12 pubs and instead visited 12 different churches for Sunday Mass.

Forty churches later, Luke Doogue, 20, and his friends Neil, 19, and Stephen Patterson, 17, have found themselves explaining on Irish national radio how on earth they decided to swap “pints for pews.”

“This journey didn’t start with holiness; it started as an alternative to the traditional ‘12 pubs of Christmas,’” Doogue told EWTN News.

He continued: “We were looking for a reason to get up on a Sunday morning that didn’t involve questioning our life choices the night before. What we called ‘12 churches’ began half as a joke and half as a challenge: Could we replace pints with pews and still enjoy ourselves?”

The initial idea came from Patterson, a promising golfer who is now on  scholarship in Rome, Georgia.

“We went to Grangecon first; Mass was said by Father Ger Ahern. We got nine churches done, but we didn’t get 12 before Christmas. So we said ‘lads we have to get our 12.’ Twelve came, 15 came, suddenly we were looking down the barrel of 40. It stopped being a challenge and became something we genuinely looked forward to.”

Doogue told EWTN News: “Getting to know people in our own parish proved just as important as traveling further afield. Mass became something we shared. The breakfast table often became the place where the readings were unpacked, how Communion tasted was discussed, and the homily was debated — usually between bites of a fry.”

One of the trio’s earliest Masses was in Bolton Abbey in nearby Moone. “It’s tiny, there isn’t a sound when you walk in, and there’s three or four monks saying mass at 8:30 a.m. Stepping into places like Bolton Abbey reminded us that Mass can feel like an experience. Quieter, more reflective, suspended from normal routine.”

And the hook — is it the spiritual element? The travel? The novelty?

“It’s a mix of all,” Doogue said. “Starting it was great socially. As it went on, it got more spiritual.”

The three of them have received invitations from priests across Ireland to attend Masses in their local churches, but far from being a “Tripadvisor” for parishes, the trio said that while they maintain a high degree of reverence at liturgies, they now fancy themselves “connoisseurs” of what ultimately makes a “good” Mass.

Doogue told EWTN News that for them there is a near-perfect Mass length. “In our view, it sits comfortably in the 35th- to 42nd-minute window. Too short it feels rushed; too long, and you find yourself mentally planning your breakfast order.”

He continued with a laugh: “Sometimes there’s nothing beats a sub-30 Mass. Last week we got a 27.5-minute one!”

The said their favorite Masses contain the right elements, including, crucially, the Nicene Creed. “Why anyone thought it was a good idea to shorten a creed so great remains a mystery to us,” Doogue said.

And the million-dollar question: How long should a homily be?

According to Doogue: “Not too long, not too short. Four to six minutes. More than seven minutes is too long.”

Music also plays a huge role, he said, and a good choir adds to the experience.

Sunday Mass attendance and Catholic devotion in Ireland isn’t what it used to be. What do the friends of these Gen Zers think?

“Honestly, they thought we were mad. But over the months, we’ve had people come with us. We’ve had a few more people join the group. We love our faith, but the social element’s huge, like meeting people after Mass, chatting with the priest.”

For Patterson, Sunday Mass is now something he looks forward to. “I’m watching a video, playing golf, or a bit of football, and then on to Mass on a Sunday. I take it as a complete recess and you can reflect on what you did during the week, what you’re going to do next week.”

Doogue admitted that before their new Sunday obligation, he would miss Mass once or twice in a month. He summed up the attendance pattern of many of his Catholic peers as “CEO or CFO Mass-goers.” CEO stands for “Christmas and Easter only”; CFO denotes “Christmas and funerals only.” He said the interest in their “12 churches” demonstrates a newfound hook in attracting people to attend Mass and suggests a curiosity in the Catholic faith.

Many priests enjoy seeing the trio at the end of Mass and hearing their story.

“The bishop thought it was brilliant. So did our old parish priest,” Doogue said. The parish priest in question enjoyed the stories so much he invited the trio to the parochial house where they tucked into Chinese food before discussing the fine details of diverse congregations across dioceses.

“We’ve had friends say, ‘You know what, it’s a good idea, we might try it out,’ and people text saying, ‘Whenever you’re in our parish, tell us and we’ll go to Mass with you,’” Doogue said.

One thing has become clear to the young men: Priests who smile, make eye contact, speak plainly, and take time to chat before or after Mass transformed their experience. Conversations at the church door made them want to return.

The trio said they have no intention of giving up their alternative to the “12 pubs of Christmas” with its very different spiritual appeal.

Doogue told The Way, the Irish Bishops’ media platform: “We don’t know how many churches we will end up visiting, and we are not in any rush to stop. If loving Mass, community, friendship, and breakfast makes us mad, then we are more than happy to be.”

The Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments releases a decree on Tuesday, February 3, in which Pope Leo XIV inscribes the Doctor of the Church, St. John Henry Newman, in the General Roman Calendar.

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The Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments comments on St. John Henry Newman's inscription in the General Roman Calendar with the rank of optional memorial.

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Catholic business leaders gathered on Saturday, Jan. 31, at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, California, where James Olson, retired CIA chief of counterintelligence, spoke at Legatus’ The Summit.

Legatus, an organization for Catholic executives launched by Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan in 1987 with chapters throughout North America, hosts The Summit annually.

Other speakers at this year’s event included actor/filmmaker Neal McDonough, former HUD secretary Ben Carson, and former Google senior vice president for social Vic Gundotra. 

Olson, who served overseas with the CIA in the Soviet Union and Austria as well as in Mexico, has been a regular presenter at Legatus events, discussing themes from his book “Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying,” which explores the difficult moral questions intelligence officers face as well as the challenges of being a practicing Catholic while doing the work of a spy.

“There are moral dilemmas of spying,” Olson told EWTN News in an interview, “but espionage can be consistent with the Catholic faith. You can be a good Catholic and a good spy at the same time.”

Olson said the ordinary lifestyle of a spy involves “living a lie.” He and his wife, Meredith, worked overseas as CIA operatives and protected their cover by constantly lying, even to their own children. 

“We did so for safety, as being a CIA operative overseas can be very dangerous. Other than the military, we lose more people in the line of duty than any other government entity,” he explained.

Olson met Meredith while working at the CIA. They trained together and then were sent abroad with Meredith operating in a support role to Olson’s operation. 

There were two basic covers while engaging in espionage, Olson said: posing as a U.S. government official working for another agency (e.g. the State Department), or in a nongovernmental, nonofficial cover (NOC) — such as a businessman, student, or researcher. 

A NOC has greater ability to spy as he or she has less scrutiny but is also at greater risk. If someone posing as a governmental official is discovered he has diplomatic status and will be expelled from the country, a risk to his career. A NOC, conversely, has no diplomatic immunity and is subject to “the full force and fury of local laws.”

Yet despite ethical concerns and risk, Olson said he believes the work the CIA performs is vital to the country, “as quality intelligence can help U.S. officials make commonsense policy decisions, which will be a force for stability and peace in the world.”

He pointed to the example of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis during which the CIA was able to provide U.S. President John F. Kennedy accurate information on the Soviet Union’s intentions, capabilities, and weaknesses and avert nuclear war. After 13 days of tension, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove nuclear missiles and the crisis ended. 

“Military commanders in Cuba were under instructions to launch the missiles if the Americans attacked, and Kennedy was prepared to launch an invasion. It was really close; I credit intelligence with saving the day,” Olson said.

He continued: “The CIA can play an important role in defusing tensions around the world by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence information to decision-makers.”

Olson noted that contrary to the image that some had of the CIA, in his experience it was a “faith-filled” organization. “I’ve never known finer people than those who served in the CIA, including many devout Catholics. But love of God and country go together; they are not inconsistent,” he said.

There is a seeming dichotomy for the observant Catholic working undercover, he admitted. “My wife and I did things that ordinarily we never would have done. We lied, cheated, stole, and manipulated. But we believe that it was for the greater good, and that we have a moral right to protect our country, and it requires intelligence to be able to do that.”

During Olson’s time in the CIA the country’s chief adversary was the Soviet Union, “and we dedicated our lives to fighting totalitarian, oppressive, cruel, atheistic communism. We were on the right side.”

He said he did have moral discussions with a few “cleared” priests who could be relied upon for their discretion. He claimed they were supportive of his methods of operation. Olson said one noted that St. Thomas Aquinas said that it could be morally permissible to kill in defense of one’s country, “so it would follow that it would also be okay to lie, steal, and cheat in these circumstances as well.”

Olson also pointed to the story of the prostitute Rahab in the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament who aided Israelite spies in escaping from the king of Jericho. In return, Rahab famously hung a scarlet cord from her window and she and her household were spared death when Joshua took the city.

While Olson found many CIA operatives to be of exemplary character, he concedes that he’s known a few traitors as well. These include Aldrich (“Rick”) Ames (1941–2026) and Robert Hanssen (1944–2023) — CIA officers who were recruited by the KGB, the secret police of the Soviet Union. 

Olson noted that in the mid-1980s, shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union, many “courageous” Russians were working for the CIA “because of their hatred for communism” (although some did it for payment). Olson said the CIA was careful to protect their identities and did so through a variety of clandestine operations as “we felt a moral obligation to protect them and knew what their fate would be if they got caught [death].”

In 1985, many of these friendly Russians began dying, he said, “and it was like a death in the family.” Many were betrayed by Ames, and some by Hanssen. While he had known Hanssen only casually, he knew Ames well and had worked with him. When he discovered Ames was a traitor, he said, “I was outraged. I had an anger you would not believe. I hated what he did. He’s a contemptible person, and he did it for money. He had no redeeming qualities at all.”

When he learned of Ames’ betrayal, Olson recalled, “it was the worst moment in my CIA career.”

While the world has changed in 40 years — Olson now sees China as America’s greatest geopolitical rival today — he believes the work of the CIA continues to be “essential.” 

“The intelligence it provides is vital to protect the American people and our way of life. We have to make sure our leaders are well informed; we cannot rely on the goodwill of our adversaries,” he said.

Olson stressed the importance of intelligence agencies in continuing to recruit people of good character, as well as the importance of providing intelligence agencies with clear guidelines with what is morally permissible: “We need to know how far we can go.”

More than 600 attended this year’s Legatus Summit. To see upcoming Legatus events, visit https://legatus.org/events.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world's peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even amid conflict.

"They remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder -- more eloquent than words -- of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions," he said Feb. 2 in his homily for Candlemas -- the feast of the Presentation of the Lord -- which also marks the Catholic Church's celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

"Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail," he said, the presence of these consecrated men and women "proclaims the words of Jesus" in his parable of the lost sheep: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for ... their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

The pope's Mass began with the pope blessing with holy water the candles used for the entrance procession. Dozens of consecrated men and women led the candlelit procession while the lights in St. Peter's Basilica remained dimmed, and thousands of people who filled the basilica held lit candles as well. 

After the darkened basilica was filled with light, Pope Leo, who joined the Order of St. Augustine as a young man and served as a missionary in Peru for decades, reflected on the mission of religious men and women in the Church and in the world.

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Church asks you to be prophets -- messengers who announce the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for him," he said in his homily. "You are called to this mission above all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and in a readiness to be consumed by charity," he said.

Docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, the founders and foundresses of their religious orders and communities offer "wonderful models of how to fulfil this mandate faithfully and effectively," he said.

"Living in constant tension between earth and heaven, they allowed themselves to be guided with faith and courage," he said. Some founders "were led to the silence of the cloister, others to the demands of the apostolate," but all of them returned "humbly and wisely, to the foot of the cross and to the tabernacle, where they offered everything and discovered in God both the source and the goal of all their actions." 

Pope Leo highlighted those founders who "embarked on perilous undertakings."

"They became a prayerful presence in hostile or indifferent environments; a generous hand and a friendly shoulder amid degradation and abandonment; and witnesses of peace and reconciliation in situations marked by violence and hatred," he said. "They were ready to bear the consequences of going against the current, becoming, in Christ, a 'sign of contradiction,' sometimes even to the point of martyrdom."

One way to honor these brothers and sisters, he said, is "by carrying forward their legacy." 

"You are called to bear witness to God's saving presence in history for all peoples, even within a society in which false and reductive understandings of the human person increasingly widen the gap between faith and life," he said.

"You are called to testify that the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a sacred place above all else on God's altar and in his heart," he said, and to show how each of the least is "an inviolable sanctuary of God's presence, before whom we must bend our knee, in order to encounter him, adore him and give him glory."

Many religious communities have established "outposts of the Gospel ... in a wide variety of challenging contexts, even in the midst of conflict," he said. "These communities do not abandon their people, nor do they flee" as they seek to uphold the sacredness of human life in its most vulnerable conditions. 

"Consecrated life, in its serene detachment from all that is passing, reveals the inseparable bond between authentic care for earthly realities and a hope filled with love for what is eternal" and gives meaning to everything else, he said.

Through their promise to follow Christ more closely by professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, consecrated men and women "empty" themselves so that Christ, "the one eternal messenger of the covenant who remains present among humanity today, can melt and purify hearts with his love, grace and mercy," Pope Leo said.

Through this self-emptying and life in the Spirit, he said, consecrated men and women "can show the world the way to overcome conflict, sowing fraternity through the freedom of those who love and forgive without measure."

"Dear consecrated men and women, today the Church gives thanks to the Lord and to you for your presence," he said, encouraging them "to be leaven of peace and signs of hope wherever Providence may lead you."

WASHINGTON — “Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, and Bishop Roy E. Campbell, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on African American Affairs, marking 100 years of commemorating Black history in the United States.

Their statement is as follows:

“This February marks one hundred years of commemorating Black history in the United States. This milestone is an opportunity for us to prayerfully reflect on the ways history has been preserved, honored, and passed on across generations. In Open Wide Our Hearts, the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter against racism, we recognized that the lived experience of the vast majority of African Americans bears the marks of our country’s original sin of racism. During this year’s observance of Black History Month, we encourage the faithful to consider the lessons of history, honoring our heroes of the past and learning from the mistakes of the past. Although we may at times encounter people or situations in our country that seek to erase ‘memory’ from our minds and books, it can never be erased from our hearts. May our reflections strengthen our faith and communities. Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth. Let us pray and work to honor the inherent dignity of every person and the sacred stories of every people.”

Read more from Bishop Garcia and Bishop Campbell in their reflection, “The Treasures of Memory.”

For more information about the Subcommittee on African American Affairs and the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, please visit their respective webpages.

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WASHINGTON - “I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He called upon policymakers to pursue diplomatic negotiations, in anticipation of the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on February 5. New START is the last major nuclear arms control pact signed by the United States and Russia.

Archbishop Coakley’s statement follows:  

“The dangers posed by current conflicts around the world, including the devastating war in Ukraine, make the forthcoming expiration of New START simply unacceptable. I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace. In his address to the diplomatic corps this year, Pope Leo XIV specified the importance of renewing the pact, saying that there is a ‘need to follow-up on the New START Treaty,’ and warning that ‘there is a danger of returning to the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons, also by means of artificial intelligence.’ More broadly, in his message for the World Day of Peace, the Holy Father cited St. John XXIII’s call for ‘integral disarmament’ that includes adopting a mindset which realizes that ‘true and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust.’

“I call upon policymakers to courageously pursue diplomatic negotiations to maintain New START’s limits, opening pathways toward disarmament. International policy disagreements, as serious as they are, cannot be used as excuses for diplomatic stalemates; on the contrary, they should spur us on to more vehemently pursue effective engagement and dialogue. May the Prince of Peace enlighten our hearts and minds to pursue peace around the world in a spirit of universal fraternity.” 

Archbishop Coakley’s comments echo previous statements by the USCCB calling for progress in nuclear disarmament. For more information on USCCB’s policy positions on nuclear weapons visit: https://www.usccb.org/committees/international-justice-and-peace/nuclear-weapons. 

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Reading 1 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia Matthew 8:17

Gospel Mark 5:21-43

• Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Ansgar, Bishop
• Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The modernist ape-of-the-church continues to decline in Latin America.  OSV had a headline that read Catholicism down in Latin America, but belief in God remains high.  Chris Jackson stated that this headline reads as an "obituary." Why an obituary?  Because, as Jackson stated, "this is the true fruit of the post Vatican II missionary strategy. [...]

Two major Christian charitable communities - the Knights of Columbus and the Order of Malta - have pooled their resources to improve and reinforce humanitarian aid to those in need in war-struck Ukraine.

Read all

 

As we prepare to enter Lent this year, the Parish Renewal Team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation is delighted to release their new Lenten Companion, themed around the powerful words of Jesus at the Last Supper: “This is my body, given for you.” 

“Taken from the words of consecration in the Mass, this theme invites us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Eucharist and Christ’s self-giving love, this Lent,” said Parish Renewal Team officer, Helen Wagner, who has overseen its creation since 2021 when it was first introduced by the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation.  

“This booklet is meant to journey with you, to help you pray with the Sunday Gospel, to provide questions that open your heart to Jesus,” said Helen. 

One of the great strengths of this companion is its wide accessibility, she said.  

“It’s written to be approachable for those of deep faith or little faith. It doesn’t demand expertise, fluency in theology, or perfect holiness. It simply offers a gentle, structured way to encounter Jesus in His Word. It’s Ideal for families, small Lenten groups or parish faith-sharing communities,” she said.   

Olivia Rimac, 24, has used the companion with her Lenten group for two years. “I host a weekly group of 15 young women, and together we read, pray, and have meaningful conversations using the Lenten Companion. It has brought us incredibly close, as we have been able to learn, pray, and bond with one another while exploring questions we may never have thought to ask before.” 

 She believes it has helped deepen her relationship with God, enabling her to know him more intimately. “It has provided me with greater clarity, understanding, and direction throughout Lent. Additionally, my friends and I have been able to bond through the Lenten Companion, grow together on this journey, and witness one another blossom and grow in faith.” 

Beyond personal and parish use, the Lenten Companion is also a gentle but powerful tool for evangelisation. 

“Give a copy to a neighbour or friend who’s curious about faith,” said Helen.  

“In doing so, you are literally putting Scripture into people’s hands, people who may never otherwise pick up a Bible or enter a church, yet who are deeply thirsty for the Word of God.” 

Olivia encourages anyone wanting to deepen their relationship with God this Easter to pick up a copy.  

“I would highly encourage Catholics of all ages to incorporate the Lenten Companion into their Lenten journey. Once a week during Lent, you can read the Gospel and reflection either individually, as a family, or within a group. It creates space for prayer, conversation, and reflection, and truly adds joy, depth, and understanding to the Easter season,” she said.  

This Lent, don’t walk alone. Take up the Lenten Companion and let it lead you closer to Jesus’ truly present body given for you. 

The post This Lent, don’t walk alone – introducing this year’s Lenten Companion appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

St Mary’s Cathedral has hosted the 95th Red Mass commemorating the beginning of the law term, a tradition dating back beyond 1245 in Paris.  

Attended by law students, politicians, and members of the legal fraternity, it reminds lawyers of the values which underpin domestic and international law. 

Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General Hugh McDermott says the Red Mass is “a profound call to act according to Christ’s teachings.” 

“This service is important to me personally as it highlights the significance of law and justice in our modern Australian society,” he told The Catholic Weekly. 

“After celebrating the special time with our families over Christmas and New Year, the Red Mass is an opportunity to give thanks, to be humble and to renew our commitment as law makers, to carry out our vocation equally and justly.” 

An icon of the Holy Family was displayed at the cathedral Mass, which McDermott said had been blessed by Pope Francis in 2018 and Pope Leo XIV in 2025, and had travelled across Europe, Africa, the United States and was now in Australia.  

The annual Mass takes its name from the red vestments worn by the celebrant, symbolising the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles at Pentecost as tongues of fire, as well as the scarlet robes traditionally worn by judges attending the Mass in England. 

Sydney’s Red Mass is organised by the St Thomas More Association, a group of lawyers inspired by the English judge, politician, and writer St Thomas More.  

More, who influenced English politics in his role as a parliamentarian, speaker of the House of Commons, and later Lord Chancellor of England, was a devoted Catholic, spending time with Carthusian monks and is thought to have become a member of the Third Order of St Francis. 

More was sainted in 2000 by Pope John Paul II and is the patron saint of statesmen, politicians, lawyers, and those with difficult marriages.  

St Thomas More Society president Richard Perrignon says the Red Mass’ purpose is to “invoke the Holy Spirit and guide the minds of all those concerned with the law.” 

“From a political perspective, it is the one event in the year when the judiciary meets the church in a religious setting,” he said.  

The post Red Mass celebrates ‘judiciary meeting the church’ appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Do not speak to me. I am in mourning, deepest mourning. Abdul’s is no more; Abdul’s, the haunt of my youth; Abdul’s, my tutor in the glories of Lebanese cuisine; Abdul’s, my introduction to Sydney’s bohemians. Abdul’s closed its doors in late December.  

Foodies at the Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, News.com.au, Sky News, the ABC, and the Daily Mail Australia are wearing black armbands. And with good reason. Abdul’s, at the corner of Cleveland and Elizabeth in Surry Hills, was unforgettable.  

When I lived in the Eastern Suburbs, I used to go there often. Surry Hills was Little Lebanon in the 70s and 80s and, as far as I was concerned, Abdul’s was its capital.  

I would probably get quite sick if I ate Abdul’s baklava all day, but if I got started, I certainly couldn’t stop. They used to make the most scrumptiousest baklava in Sydney.  

Bya’rif ta’met temmo, he knows the taste of his mouth, is an Arabic saying about foodies. I was never one of those, but all of the tucker there was abundant and delicious.  

Abdul’s was the haunt of inner-city alternatives, with lots of nose-rings and studs, dyed black spiky hair and retro clothes, along with a sprinkling of chunky unshaven men in black leather jackets with fierce moustaches, sipping from demitasse cups filled with the wonderfully sweet sludge which is Lebanese coffee.  

Down the road was another Lebanese establishment, all gleaming white marble and crystal chandeliers with baklava ziggurats in the windows. It was big enough for wedding receptions and upstairs on Friday night there were belly dancers.  

But I always preferred Abdul’s. The best thing, better than the cuisine, about the-Abdul’s-that-was was its ambience. It seemed more, you know, authentic.  

On crowded nights we balanced on folding chairs in a narrow corridor leading to the toilets and the kitchen. Broad-beamed middle-aged women in black, holding gigantic trays above their heads, sidled gingerly past us. Waiters fixed wobbly tables by stuffing paper serviettes under the gammy legs.  

Back in the day Abdul’s had been a Victorian terrace house and the ceiling in the dining area must have been about four or five metres high. The walls were painted light green gloss and the ceiling was blue. The lighting on dark winter evenings came from long flickering blue vertical fluorescent tubes. Unlike the food, the decor was monumentally tasteless.  

There’s more.  

About two-thirds of the way up the wall was a picture rail and from the picture rail hung 12 (as I recall) identical reproductions of Leonardo’s famous mural, The Last Supper. Not exactly faithful reproductions, mind you, as they were in shimmering 3-D which hurt your eyes when you looked too long at one of them.  

Above the cashier’s corner was a National Geographic map of historic Scotland, with the shields of all the clans as a border. 

Why Scotland? Was it an homage from one fierce mountain people to another? Did McTavishes and Campbells migrate to the hill fastnesses of Lebanon after Bonny Prince Charlie let them down in 1745? I never found out.  

The proprietors, by the way, were Sunni Muslims. It was a third-generation family business founded by Dib Ghazal in 1968. I never inquired about his views on the clash of civilisations, but he certainly was doing his bit for inter-faith dialogue, God bless him.  

Long ago my evenings at Abdul’s convinced me that tensions between Christians and Muslims are far from irreconcilable and that black and white views fail to capture how our Muslim brothers actually live. Reality is always in shimmering 3-D. 

The post Baklava is the solution to the clash of civilisations appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

In a worldwide jubilee year commemorating the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, Mary Immaculate church in Waverley has unveiled a replica of the famous San Damiano Cross.  

The original, which hangs in the Basilica of St Clare in Assisi, has an immense significance for Franciscans. It is believed to be the cross before which St Francis was praying when he received a call to “rebuild my church”.   

And Mary Immaculate church is the mother-church in Australia of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor.  

The crucifix, which measures 170cm long by 137cm, is about the same size as the original. It is hanging in the church’s Blessed Sacrament chapel.  

Parish priest Fr Bernard Thomas OFM said he had a feeling that the chapel in the newly renovated church “needed something.” 

“The San Damiano cross is very special for us as Franciscans, and I’ve always loved that cross ever since I joined. I’ve seen the original cross in Assisi a couple of times and it’s always amazing,” he told The Catholic Weekly. 

“We looked at a couple of different options,” he said, “and then I thought, it just needs the San Damiano cross.”  

The artist is one of Australia’s leading iconographers, the Serbian artist Michael Galovic. Fr Thomas discovered him online and found him to be a good match.  

Copies of the San Damiano Cross are often just screen-printed on wood. But Fr Thomas wanted to make the cross properly as a legacy for one of Sydney’s most beautiful parish churches. 

There’s also added significance for Fr Thomas as Galovic’s artwork was installed less a week away from his departure from the parish.  

The commission for the crucifix was organised in October – just before Fr Thomas was told he would be heading north to Ipswich in southeast Queensland. 

“It just timed well –it’s a project I can leave behind,” he said. 

After eight years as parish priest Fr Thomas said he would miss Sydney’s eastern suburbs. His successor will be Fr Mario Debattista OFM, who has had a number of international posts, including in Vietnam and South Sudan.  

Galovic kept a small wooden copy of the San Damiano cross with him when making the approximately 30 kg icon. He used ancient methods and techniques such as egg tempera – which dates back to ancient Egypt –  to paint it. 

“I decidedly stay with the traditional methods and techniques that I grew up with as a student of art,” he said.  

“I grew up with the ideas and notions of traditional gesso, rabbit skin glue, and whiting, so that is what I used.” 

Galovic told The Catholic Weekly it had been a difficult job due to the irregular shape of the cross, and that he had worked steadily for two months, alternating between placing it on a canvas and flat on the floor to apply the paint.  

The gesso, or primer, took several days to dry before paint could be applied. The process could not be hastened and the layers of primer, paint, varnish, and embellishments had to be applied with great care and accuracy.  

“Everything was orchestrated beautifully, like every single item worked, and every single person that worked on this did their part on time and beautifully and it was just marvellous,” he said.  

The post Waverley parish unveils spectacular icon appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Perth priest Fr Nelson Po as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Perth. 

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, has welcomed the appointment. 

“The Holy Father’s appointment of Fr Nelson will be greeted with great joy and excitement by the whole Catholic community of the archdiocese,” Archbishop Costelloe said. 

“The laity, religious and clergy of the archdiocese have been gifted with a new and dynamic shepherd who will bring many gifts to the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese of Perth.”  

Fr Nelson was born on 5 June 1968 in the village of Cantuhaon, Palompon, Leyte, Philippines, as the third of Norma Abordo and Lope Po’s six children. 

Following his secondary education, he completed a bachelor’s degree in industrial and management engineering.  

Following several years working in his chosen profession, he entered the Blessed Sacrament Congregation where he completed a master’s degree in theology, with a major in pastoral ministry, at the Maryhill School of Theology, Manila.  

In 2003, at the invitation of Archbishop Hickey, he arrived in Perth to continue his studies for the priesthood at St Charles Seminary, Guildford, as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Perth.  

Following his ordination to the priesthood in 2005, Fr Nelson served as an assistant priest in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder parish before his subsequent appointments as chaplain to Royal Perth Hospital and as parish priest of the Cloverdale and Applecross parishes. 

In reflecting on the phone call he received from the nuncio, advising him of the Holy Father’s appointment, Fr Nelson said: “It was a big surprise to me. It was overwhelming and surreal because I have never dreamed of becoming a bishop. I went straight to the chapel and became very emotional. I felt so inadequate and unworthy, but I know that God’s strength will carry me through.”  

Archbishop Costelloe recognises Fr Nelson as being a priest who is well known for his pastoral sensitivity, his commitment to his people, his love for the church and its liturgy and for his generosity in undertaking many additional roles in the archdiocese beyond his responsibilities as a parish priest. 

In reflecting on Fr Nelson’s commitment to, and engagement with, the church’s Synodal journey at the archdiocesan and universal levels, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted Fr Nelson’s active contributions to the Archdiocese of Perth’s Plenary Council Reference Group (2019-2021); the Perth Diocesan Assembly Reference Group (2023–2024); and his participation in the Jubilee for Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies in Rome (October 2025). 

Bishop-elect Nelson will serve as auxiliary bishop in Perth alongside Bishop Don Sproxton.  

The episcopal ordination of Bishop-elect Nelson will take place on a date to be determined following the Easter Triduum. 

The post Pope appoints new bishop for Perth appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world’s peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even in the midst of conflict.

“They remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder – more eloquent than words – of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions,” he said 2 February in his homily for Candlemas – the feast of the Presentation of the Lord – which also marks the Catholic Church’s celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

“Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail,” he said.

Pope Leo, who joined the Order of St Augustine as a young man and served as a missionary in Peru for decades, reflected on the mission of religious men and women in the church and in the world.

“Dear brothers and sisters, the church asks you to be prophets – messengers who announce the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for him,” he said in his homily.

“You are called to this mission above all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and in a readiness to be consumed by charity,” he said.

“You are called to testify that the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a sacred place above all else on God’s altar and in his heart,” he said, and to show how each of the least is “an inviolable sanctuary of God’s presence, before whom we must bend our knee, in order to encounter him, adore him and give him glory.”

The post Pope praises religious for courageous witness serving the marginalised appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

As deadly floods hit southern Africa, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the affected, with Catholic bishops in the region urging support for thousands struck by the climate change-related disaster.

The severe flooding – resulting from weeks of intense and unrelenting rainfall since 26 December – has killed hundreds of people in the region and forced thousands into centres for the internally displaced.

The floods have also affected large swaths of farmland and destroyed roads, bridges and critical structures, including water sources and health facilities, putting the region at risk of disease outbreaks.

During his Sunday Angelus prayer from the widow of the Apostolic Palace 1 February, Pope Leo prayed for the victims of recent storms.

“I assure you of my prayers for the dead and for those who are suffering as a result of the storms that have struck Portugal and southern Italy in recent days,” he said, adding: “Let us also not forget the people of Mozambique who have been severely affected by flooding.”

The pope also prayed for southern African flood victims on 18 January during his Sunday Angelus.

In the most recent tragedy related to heavy rains in the region, over 200 people reportedly died in eastern Congo after a mine collapsed.

Women and children extracting coltan – a mineral used to manufacture electronics such as smartphones and computers – are said to be among the victims, the BBC reported 1 February.

The floods have struck Mozambique, Eswatini, northern South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In Mozambique, at least 700,000 people in six provinces were affected, with essential transport routes cut off – making it difficult for humanitarian assistance to reach the people.

Scientists believe climate change has contributed to the intense rainfall, with the La Niña phenomenon playing a key role.

El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of the El Niño/southern Oscillation cycle in the Pacific Ocean. El Niño features warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific and weakened trade winds. Conversely, La Niña is characterized by colder-than-average water in the same region, driven by stronger trade winds.

Although local and regional churches are responding to the flooding, officials say the magnitude of the disaster outweighs the groups’ resources.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar appealed on 30 January to the international community to come to the aid of the populations affected by the flooding in southern Africa.

“Our hearts go out to the thousands of people who have lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones,” said Cardinal Ambongo Besungu in a SECAM statement. “The images of destruction and despair serve as a stuck reminder of the fragility of human life and the urgent need for our collective response to this humanitarian crisis.”

The cardinal said while immediate relief was needed for those living in temporary shelters, support was also necessary to help the affected communities restart their lives, rebuild their homes and livelihoods and regain their dignity and hope.

Archbishop Liborius Ndumbukuti Nashenda of Windhoek, Namibia, president of Interregional Meeting of Bishops in southern Africa, thanked Pope Leo for his prayers and renewed the pope’s call for international attention to the tragedy, appealing to humanitarian organisations, governments and people of good will “to offer a helping hand to those affected by this tragic event.”

On 30 January, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, appealed for $187 million for urgent lifesaving assistance to the people affected by the floods in Mozambique.

Meanwhile, churches in South Africa have also reported widespread disruption, including damage to homes, roads and bridges, and loss of life, and welcomed the government’s decision to classify it as a national disaster to strengthen national coordination and relief efforts.

The post Pope Leo prays for thousands affected by disastrous floods in southern Africa appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

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In a decree by a Wisconsin bishop on Friday, the Catholic Church officially opened the cause for sainthood of a Belgian immigrant who had visions of the Blessed Mother.

Adele Brice (1831–1896) couldn’t read or write, but she traveled the countryside of Wisconsin on foot teaching children and families about God. Brice is most well known for three apparitions she had, which are the only approved Marian apparitions to have happened in the United States.

Last year, more than 200,000 pilgrims visited the shrine to Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin, Father Anthony Stephens, the Father of Mercy who serves as a rector of the shrine, told EWTN News.

From the time Brice first received holy Communion as a young girl in Belgium, she felt a calling to religious life. But when her family decided to immigrate to the United States, she went with them, trusting her parish priest who encouraged her to go.

She would never become a religious sister, “but she remained faithful to that fundamental calling,” said Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who promulgated the decree on Jan. 30.

“What moves me particularly about her is perseverance,” added Father John Girotti, the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Green Bay. “She moved to this country with her parents when she was in her 20s. She didn’t necessarily want to come, but she came out of respect for her mom and her dad.”

Brice was also blind in one eye because of a childhood injury.

“She had her faith. She loved God. And she persevered,” Girotti continued. “Her faith allowed her to move mountains, as Jesus says. And she did. She did great things. She was open to God’s will in her life.”

In her visions, Mary called her to catechize children, so Brice gave her life to the vocation of education. She wore a habit but was never consecrated as a religious sister. Instead, as a laywoman, she dedicated her life to teaching children the Catholic faith.

“As soon as she experienced the Blessed Virgin Mary speaking to her, her life was transformed and she went immediately away and for the rest of her life [was] teaching children, caring for children, preaching the Gospel without letting up, often with great poverty, with fire, with famine, with poverty, but with enormous faith,” Girotti said. “She kept going. And I think that’s a powerful witness to us today to keep the faith and to share it.”

After building a chapel and a school in the area where Our Lady appeared, the community would experience a night that Stephens described as “like the Battle of Jericho.”

In 1871, as a fire closed in around the property, Brice and others in the community came to pray.

“They just prayed the perimeter of the property where they had a fence set up and the fire burned up to the fence, but it burned around the chapel itself,” Stephens said. “The chapel and the school were spared, and it rained the next morning.”

Stephens called the shrine “a prayerful place.”

Visitors range from devout Catholics to non-Catholics to people who have been away from the Church for a while, and Stephens said he hears lots of “very sincere confessions.”

The shrine has seen “little physical healings” and “moral healings,” Stephens said, including one woman who was cured after 15 years of painful migraines.

An American saint

As the 250th birthday of the United States approaches, Stephens said it is “really exciting for an American to become a Servant of God.”

“Our Catholic identity should form how we live as Americans, and they can very much go together,” Stephens said. “And so this is an exciting thing to have one of our fellow countrymen recognized as one who loved God radically and tried to live heroic virtue. We should try to imitate her so that we can live well as Americans.”

Ricken said he hopes this is part of a move toward uncovering more American saints. He noted that Pope Benedict XVI had urged the Church in the U.S. to begin the process of investigating sainthood causes.

“We knew that there had to be saints here, but we hadn’t, as a Church in the United States, taken the initiative to really take this adventure and go into it,” Ricken said.

The prayerful event announcing her cause drew lots of young families, according to Ricken.

“It was so beautiful to see all the young families here,” Ricken said at a press event after the decree. “I thought that was tremendous, especially since Adele was all about children.”

“[The] Blessed Mother told her to go out to this wild country and teach the children what is necessary for the faith,” Ricken said. “And she’s still doing that, obviously, because it happened tonight where all these young children and families came.”

The Vatican Gardens welcomed a new Marian mosaic and a statue of St Rose of Lima during a rainy but joyful ceremony that clearly delighted Pope Leo XIV, who has often spoken of Peru as holding a “special place” in his heart.

The artworks were donated by Peru’s bishops during their ad limina visit and created by young Peruvian artists from the Don Bosco Family of Artisans.

The mosaic honours the Virgin Mary, surrounded by seven major Marian devotions of Peru, while the sculpture depicts St Rose of Lima, the first saint of the Americas.

Pope Leo thanked the artists and praised the works as reminders of the universal call to holiness.

“These beautiful images we contemplate today remind us of the greatness of the vocation to which God calls us, that is, the universal call to holiness. I encourage you to be, with God’s grace, witnesses and examples of that holiness in today’s world,” the pope said.

Peruvian bishops highlighted the country’s deep Marian faith and the enduring witness of St Rose amid today’s challenges.

The pope, who spent many years as a missionary and bishop in Peru, called the gifts a sign of strong communion between the church in Peru and the Holy See.

The post Pope welcomes new Marian mosaic, St Rose of Lima statue in Vatican Gardens appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Around 70,000 young people from different parts of Mexico made the pilgrimage on Jan. 31 to the Christ the King monument, situated atop Cubilete Hill in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, in what became one of the largest youth pilgrimages in recent years.

Since 1974, the Witness and Hope movement has organized the youth pilgrimage, which commemorates the Mexican martyrs who gave their lives exclaiming, “Long live Christ the King!” This year, the number of attendees surpassed that of 2020, previously the year with the highest number of pilgrims recorded for this youth event.

Witness and Hope told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that by the end of the Mass, it had an estimated count of 50,000 pilgrims. However, after a subsequent meeting with authorities from the state of Guanajuato, it was determined that the final number was higher, reaching approximately 70,000 attendees.

This year’s pilgrimage had the special purpose of commemorating the centenary of the start of the 1926–1929 Cristero War, a conflict stemming from the religious persecution experienced by Catholics in Mexico during the first decades of the 20th century.

‘A clear sign of a people who believe’

At a press conference following the closing Mass of the pilgrimage, Bishop Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledesma of Celaya, Guanajuato state, stated that the massive turnout does not represent an “awakening” of young Catholics but rather the manifestation of a reality that already exists.

The prelate explained that “there are many young people in Mexico who live their faith” and that “they believe and express their faith in their communities, in their parishes.”

Aguilar called it a lie that “young people are drifting away from the Church… or that the Church no longer has young people.”

The large number of pilgrims “is a clear sign of a people who believe,” he said and affirmed that “young people in Mexico have faith.”

Aguilar also expressed his joy at seeing that young people are able to organize themselves months in advance to participate in these kinds of expressions of faith, “without being coerced, without being paid, without any promotion by a political party” but rather doing so to “express their love for Jesus, for the Blessed Virgin, and their fidelity to the Church.”

‘Seeds of hope’

The apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, urged the young participants of the pilgrimage to become “seeds of hope” in society upon returning to their dioceses and communities.

The pope’s representative in Mexico assured them that everyone can “have an influence in changing structures of sin, unjust structures,” and affirmed that the first step is to build community and encourage other young people, because in this way “the fire will continue to grow.”

Finally, Andrea Perea, who concludes her term as president of Witness and Hope this year, invited the young people to continue their formation so as not to have a “shallow faith” that is limited solely to isolated events.

“That is the challenge we take with us today as young people: to recognize that today is beautiful but tomorrow will bring fatigue and weariness,” she added. In this context, she emphasized the need for young people to work for the community and its development, and that this commitment be “guided by love for one’s neighbor.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

U.S. bishops released a statement in favor of the new United States Department of State rules expanding the Mexico City Policy and limiting the funding of abortion abroad.

“We support robust funding for authentic lifesaving and life-affirming foreign assistance and applaud new policies that prevent taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that engage in ideological colonization and promote abortion or gender ideology overseas,” the bishops said.

The statement was released by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) leaders Bishop Edward Burns of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Committee on International Justice and Peace.

“God entrusts us with a responsibility to share our blessings to help preserve the lives and dignity of our brothers and sisters in need,” they said.

“We also call for the implementation of any related policies to be carried out in a manner that recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person and does not harm those who are racially or ethnically marginalized.”

New additions to the policy

The newly published additions to the Mexico City Policy, which historically limited certain federal funds from going to foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortion abroad, introduced limits on activities related to gender identity and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

The rules are collectively being referred to as the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) Policy, which “imposes certain abortion-related requirements on foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United States NGOs, public international organizations, foreign governments, and parastatals,” according to the PHFFA.

The PHFFA also includes the measures Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (CGIFA) and the Combating Discriminatory Equity Ideology in Foreign Assistance (CDEIFA).

Thomas offered a previous statement that addressed the rule related to the performance and promotion of abortion and the end to performing and funding research using aborted human fetal tissue. He reiterated that “taxpayer dollars have no business funding organizations that target vulnerable populations with abortion.”

“As we applaud these actions protecting preborn children, we renew our commitment to dialogue with and pray for the administration as we seek to advocate for all human life from conception until natural death,” Thomas said.

Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged consecrated men and women to serve as “leaven of peace” and a “sign of hope” as he celebrated Mass for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica and marked the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life.

The liturgy began with a candlelight procession, recalling Simeon’s words that Christ is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” as the pope processed from the basilica’s entrance toward the main altar in a dimly lit church “waiting” for the light of Christ.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel passage from Luke (2:22–40), where Simeon and Anna recognize and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. He described the scene as “the meeting between two movements of love: that of God who comes to save man and that of man who awaits with vigilant faith his coming.”

Leo noted that Jesus presents himself as the son of a “poor” family — a detail he said shows God’s respect for human freedom and his solidarity with human need: Christ offers himself “in full respect for our freedom and in full sharing of our poverty,” the pope said, adding that there is “nothing coercive” in the Lord’s action “but only the disarming power of his unarmed gratuitousness.”

Turning to those living vowed religious life, the pope said the Church asks them “to be prophets: messengers who proclaim the presence of the Lord and prepare his way.” He urged them to “empty” themselves for the Lord, invoking the prophet Malachi’s imagery of being “crucibles for the refiner’s fire and vessels for the launderer’s lye.”

Leo framed the mission of religious communities as especially vital in societies where faith and daily life “seem increasingly to drift apart,” calling consecrated men and women to witness that God “is present in history as salvation for all peoples.” He also emphasized the dignity of the vulnerable — the young and old, the poor, the sick, and prisoners — saying they have “their sacred place” on God’s altar and in his heart, and that each person is “an inviolable sanctuary” of God’s presence.

The pope pointed to religious congregations that remain amid conflict rather than fleeing, saying their steadfast presence can speak “more eloquently than a thousand words” to the “inviolable sacredness of life,” even where weapons thunder and “arrogance, self-interest, and violence” seem to prevail. He echoed Jesus’ warning not to despise “one of these little ones,” noting that “their angels in heaven always see the face of the Father.”

Leo also lingered on Simeon’s prayer — “Now, Lord, you may let your servant go in peace” — saying it teaches that genuine care for earthly realities cannot be separated from loving hope in eternal goods. Simeon, he said, saw salvation in Jesus and became free in the face of both life and death.

So too, the pope said, should consecrated people live with feet “firmly planted on the ground” while constantly oriented toward eternal goods that illuminate everything else.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV meets with David Ryan, a former student at Blackrock College in Ireland, and listens to his story of the abuse he and his late brother, Mark, endured at the Catholic secondary school.

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Religious freedom advocates addressed how democratic countries can prioritize and promote religious freedom at a plenary session of the 2026 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.

The Feb. 2 panel was led by Knox Thames, a human rights lawyer, advocate, and author. He sat down with panelists Melissa Rogers, lawyer and former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Jordan Sekulow, director of the American Center for Law and Justice; and Ahmed Shaheed, professor of international human rights law at the University of Essex.

In order to prioritize global religious liberty, nations must “work across faiths and beliefs as widely as possible,” Rogers said. “The best coalitions are the broadest and the loudest.”

Rogers recommended that groups not only be large and diverse but also “persistent.” Activists must “have a lot of meetings and stay after it while understanding schedules in people’s offices, in the White House, and otherwise can be tricky. So staying after it, staying in communication, that’s a big deal.”

“Also … being able to express that big goal, the big principles we’re fighting for, and the big achievements that we want to make. At the same time, being able to break those down into steps so that we can chart our progress. To appreciate that progress is a good thing.”

Shaheed also spoke to the importance of persistence. He added: “We will not get the result we want overnight, but we keep pushing — it matters.”

“The most important thing” to do is “to reach out to different levels, multilevels of activity,” Shaheed said. He suggested working with the government, municipal actors, parliamentarians, and the grassroots leaders as well.

“So the ability to reach out to these different levels … is a very, very important tool,” he said.

Storytelling to promote human dignity

“What we have seen is that countries that respect religious liberty are likely going to be countries that are allies in the United States,” Sekulow said. “I think the concern right now we see in our country is that there’s so many countries that don’t have religious liberty at all, and everything is underground.”

“You can’t say that every country that doesn’t have religious liberty is obviously an enemy of the United States. That’s not true either. But if you truly want this for the people or your faith group or just fellow citizens, I think that we have to put … our individual faiths aside.”

Sekulow, who works for a Christian-based organization, said that when they represent Christians and win, “we don’t win for Christians only. We win for everyone.”

In order to promote religious liberty and ensure these wins for religious liberty, countries must utilize the “personal stories,” Sekulow said. “If you just talk about it generally, it doesn’t work for people.”

“It comes down to: Why is religious speech treated so much different from all the others’ speech? It’s because the power of it. It’s the power,” he said. “I think that’s why it’s important we’re here, because we can meet so many people with the stories and then tell those stories through our media departments, take it to the U.N., so that the wife, the husband, the family, has to be seen in the room by the country that is persecuting the father, that is imprisoning the father.”

“This is about saving people’s lives. Most of our faiths call us to do that if we can. To save the innocent. Almost every faith calls for that,” he said.

Defending religious liberty comes down to focusing on “a broader human rights agenda, because that gives a lot of power,” Rogers said. “Sometimes there’ll be tensions among different rights and liberties. But when we’re working together, we can find where we agree and be shoulder to shoulder on that.”

“Where there are differences, we can have dialogue, respectful dialogue about those conflicts, and make sure that we’re working to increase understanding and trust at a time of deep polarization in our own country and around the world.”

“This is just essential to the cause of religious liberty and for the benefit of human dignity and all the rights that are necessary to realize that dignity on behalf of everyone, everywhere,” Rogers said.

Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, the retired archbishop of L’Aquila, Italy, has been appointed president of the Cardinalitial Commission of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank.

Petrocchi succeeds Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the retired archbishop of Vienna, who has led the commission since 2014 and is stepping down after reaching the age limit.

In a statement, the commission thanked Schönborn “for his valuable leadership and for the commitment with which he supported and accompanied the institute during decisive phases of its reform process over the 12 years of his mandate,” adding that his service helped ensure guidance consistent with the institute’s mission.

Schönborn, for his part, expressed “profound gratitude” to Pope Francis for his “constant and enlightened support” during the IOR’s “long and demanding” reform process. He also thanked the bank’s director general, Gian Franco Mammì, and the institute’s leadership and staff as well as the supervisory board chaired by Jean-Baptiste de Franssu for guiding what he described as a far-reaching transformation that has earned broad recognition within the international financial community.

Petrocchi said he has witnessed “important developments” carried out by the institute in service of the Holy Father and the universal Church, and said the commission and the supervisory board will continue that work with an emphasis on continuous improvement, collaboration, and respect for Catholic ethics, transparency, and shared responsibility.

At the same meeting, the commission welcomed Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, who was recently appointed a member of the commission by Pope Leo XIV.

The Cardinalitial Commission oversees the IOR’s fidelity to its statutes. It is composed of five cardinals appointed by the pope, who designate one of their members as president. Members serve five-year terms and may be confirmed once.

In addition to Petrocchi and Fernández Artime, the commission includes Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, and Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life, praising consecrated men and women for living out their steadfast faith even in the most difficult of circumstances, and inviting them to be 'leavens of peace' and 'signs of hope.'

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A victim of clerical sexual abuse from Ireland shared his story in a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday.

David Ryan, who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest at Blackrock College in Dublin in the 1970s, told a small group of reporters, including Colm Flynn of EWTN News, after the meeting that the pope “was horrified” by his story during their 40-minute conversation Feb. 2.

“I didn’t hold back. I told him about the abuse,” said Ryan, whose deceased brother, Mark, was also abused while attending the same school.

The pope “just listened to me and then I put my questions to him and we spoke about each one at length,” Ryan said.

Ryan said Leo called his questions “tough” and asked if he could have more time to reflect on them and respond further via email at a future date.

“What an experience. I’ll never, never forget it. [Pope Leo’s] sincerity, his empathy. He felt my pain,” Ryan said.

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Ryan, who has been open about being abused for years from around age 11 by a Catholic priest from his school, said in a 2024 interview with EWTN News that “you never forget about it. It ruined my life, it ruined Mark’s life.”

He said that he shared with Leo that it took him 40 years to realize what happened to him was not his fault.

“I did get a feeling of being listened to and being understood,” he said, adding that he hopes other victims will feel inspired to come forward.

Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One In Four, an Irish organization that supports child sexual abuse survivors, also briefly met Pope Leo.

Kenny called the encounter “very human … very down-to-earth.”

Ryan said he is not “very religious,” which he told the pope, but that he talks to God “in my own funny, little way.”

Russia confirms that a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks will be held with Ukraine this week in Abu Dhabi after a brief pause amid concerns over the human cost of a war in which combined military casualties on both sides are estimated to be approaching two million.

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Israel reopens Gaza’s Rafah Crossing to Egypt, but restrictions remain. The full reopening of the Rafah crossing was part of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect in mid-October on condition that all living and deceased Hamas-held hostages were returned to Israel.

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The Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) announced Monday that it plans to consecrate new bishops on July 1 even without authorization from the Holy See, a move that would likely lead to automatic excommunication of all the bishops who take part and harden a decades-old split with Rome.

The SSPX, which exclusively celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass and maintains doctrinal differences with certain teachings and reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has not consecrated new bishops since 1988 when the society’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without Rome’s approval. The move directly contravened canon law and led to their, and the archbishop’s, automatic excommunication.

Even though Pope Benedict XVI remitted the 1988 excommunications in 2009, the Vatican says the SSPX exists in a state of “institutional irregularity” or “imperfect communion” with the Holy See, lacking a formal, recognized canonical structure. Ongoing doctrinal disagreements are the stated reason why no stable canonical structure has yet been granted.

The SSPX said Monday that its superior general, Father Davide Pagliarani, requested an audience with Pope Leo XIV last August to present, “in a filial manner,” the current situation of the SSPX, including its need for bishops.

The society’s statement continued: “After having long matured his reflection in prayer, and having received from the Holy See, in recent days, a letter which does not in any way respond to our requests, Father Pagliarani, in harmony with the unanimous advice of his council,” has decided to proceed with consecrating new bishops.

The SSPX has only two serving bishops: Bishop Bernard Fellay, a former superior general of the society, and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta. Bishop Richard Williamson was expelled in 2012 for persistent disobedience and open opposition to the society’s superiors and their policy toward Rome. He died last year. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais died in 2024.

Both Benedict XVI and Pope Francis tried to regularize the SSPX gradually, with Pope Benedict pursuing dialogue that was halted in 2017. Pope Francis granted faculties for confessions and marriages while keeping doctrinal issues open.

Observers say moving ahead with new consecrations after explicitly seeking and not receiving Rome’s agreement signals a clear divergence of judgment that will likely harden positions on both sides, making any future canonical solution more difficult.

They also say the move implicitly challenges how the Holy See is handling liturgy, doctrine, and the traditionalist movement globally at a time when debates over the older liturgy are already intense.

“Excommunications are back on the menu, obviously because it’s automatic,” said Joseph Bevan, a senior SSPX layman and author of the 2025 book “Traddy Daddy — Memories and Thoughts of the Father of a Catholic Family.” He said he believes such a development was “inevitable,” adding that the discussions have been ongoing since July 2025 but with no progress. “Who can blame them?” he told EWTN News. “Rome is dragging its feet and being obstructive.”

But a Rome canonist speaking on background to EWTN News held out hope that as the consecrations have not yet happened, a solution could possibly be found in the meantime, and today’s announcement could press both parties into coming to a resolution.

The Holy See Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In his Feb. 2 message, Pagliarani stressed that the SSPX’s motive remains the service of the Church and the preservation of tradition, citing his 2024 reflection on the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s declaration that formally set out the position of the SSPX.

“The Society of St. Pius X is not primarily seeking its own survival,” Pagliarani said on that occasion. “It seeks the good of the universal Church and, for this reason, is a work of the Church, responding to the needs of an unprecedentedly tragic era… Without any spirit of rebellion, bitterness, or resentment, we pursue our work of forming priests, guided by the timeless magisterium.”

The communiqué concluded by saying that further explanations regarding the present situation and today’s decision would be expected in the coming days.

Pope Leo XIV receives the President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the Vatican on Monday morning.

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Throughout the United States, the Catholic Church is using restorative approaches to transform historical injustices, respond to crime and incarceration in communities, and as a practical tool to heal wounds of division at the local and diocesan level, according to the Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network.

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Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nunico to Syriapapal representative in Damascus since 2008, whose mandate was extended by Francis—who created him cardinal in 2016—submitted his resignation Monday upon reaching the age limit. Over these nearly seventeen years, he has carried out intense diplomatic and humanitarian activity in the Middle Eastern country, becoming a steady point of reference for a population suffering from war, poverty, terrorism, sanctions, crises, and earthquakes.

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The president of the Mexican bishops’ conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, outlined “the vision that the Church in Mexico is embracing for 2026,” which is to “walk together as a more united, more synodal Church, closer to the people,” especially in the face of the violence, poverty, and forced migration that the country is experiencing.

In a video message posted Jan. 29, Castro, the bishop of Cuernavaca in the Mexican state of Morelos, said that in 2026 “we will commemorate the centenary of the testimony of more than 200,000 Mexican martyrs who gave their lives defending their faith and freedom of conscience.”

“They did not seek conflict, but neither did they renounce Christ. With their blood, we proclaim a truth that continues to challenge us today,” he said, referring to the martyrs who perished during the persecution suffered by the Catholic Church at the hands of the Mexican federal government during the first half of the 20th century, which triggered the Cristiada, also known as the Cristero War.

“Christ is King,” Castro proclaimed, emphasizing that “remembering our martyrs is not about returning to the past with nostalgia but about allowing their testimony to illuminate our present and strengthen our daily fidelity, especially in the face of the reality our country is experiencing.”

“Violence, lack of public safety, poverty, forced migration, and the fragility of many families continue to deeply wound the heart of Mexico,” the prelate acknowledged.

‘A Church that accompanies’

Castro said that “in the midst of this reality, the Church is present in the parishes, in the chapels, in accompanying families, young people, migrants, and victims.”

For 2026, he said, the vision is of “a Church that accompanies, that proclaims hope with words and deeds, and that builds peace from the Gospel, with truth, charity, and steadfastness.”

“This path prepares us for great events of grace: the Guadalupan Jubilee of 2031 and the celebration of the Redemption in 2033,” he noted, referring to the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac, which occurred in December 1531, and the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Castro emphasized that in the journey they have undertaken this year, the bishops “embrace the call of Pope Leo XIV, who reminds us that the peace that Christ offers us is not a distant idea but a living presence,” as the Holy Father expressed in his message for the 59th World Day of Peace.

“An unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering, that overcomes evil with good,” Castro continued. “Let us continue walking together toward 2026 with our gaze fixed on Christ the King, strengthened by the testimony of our martyrs and under the loving protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe, confident that the peace of Christ continues to transform history.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

After being seen by over 400,000 people across Europe, “Bernadette, The Musical” is making its debut in the U.S. on Feb. 19 at Chicago’s The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture.

The musical tells the true story of St. Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes — the 14-year-old girl who, in 1858 in Lourdes, France, encountered a series of apparitions believed to be the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During the winter of 1844, Bernadette returned from a grotto on the riverbank claiming to have seen a vision of “something white in the shape of a lady.” The musical focuses on the few weeks that followed this event and how the teenager — experiencing another 16 visions — stood firm against doubt, ridicule, and condemnation. She faced pressure from adults, police, religious authorities — even her own parents — with faith and courage.

The musical will be performed in Chicago from Feb. 19 to March 15. The musical will then travel to other cities in Connecticut, Michigan, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Oregon, and Georgia.

Producer Pierre Ferragu told EWTN News that the inspiration for the musical came from the original producer in France, Roberto Ciurleo, whose grandmother had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes.

“He was very familiar with Lourdes, with the sanctuary, the story of Bernadette, and one day he thought, well, it, objectively, is a beautiful story [and] she has a beautiful character,” he shared.

Looking at her story as a whole, he also believed that what Bernadette experienced was “great grounds for entertainment, for telling a beautiful story.”

Once Ferragu got involved with the production, his inspiration came from his belief that “the life of saints are beautiful. You don’t need to be Catholic or religious or to look at it from the perspective of the faith to see beauty in these stories.”

He added that Bernadette’s “beautiful attitude of faith” — one of being a mere witness and not trying to convince people of what she saw — motivated him to tell her story.

“I was like, ‘I just want to tell the story of Bernadette and let people decide what they want to do with it,’” he explained. “It’s like opening a door, maybe opening a path for conversion — ‘Here is the story of the little girl. What do you make of it?’ And it’s beautiful to see the impact the story of Bernadette can have on people of faith as much as people who are more remote from the faith.”

When speaking to the show’s universality and how both religious and nonreligious individuals can enjoy it, Ferragu explained that the show remains “very faithful to what happened” and is “really focused on the historic facts.”

He added that the musical is a “very moving experience” and that “you laugh and you cry with little Bernadette.”

The producer hopes that first and foremost audiences will “have a wonderful time” watching this production.

“I want them to enjoy it — to enjoy the music, enjoy the story, enjoy the characters, enjoy the plot, enjoy the tension, laugh and cry with the cast along the story,” he said.

Ferragu also hopes that by telling this story it’s “opening a door to anyone on a path of conversion — be it for very faithful, very devout and practicing Catholics or people who are not religious at all.”

“I hope everybody will take that story and explore that path of ‘Here is the story of Bernadette. What do I take from it? Did she lie? Did she tell the truth? What did she really see? What does that mean to me?’ And hopefully by bringing that story to the audience, we can plant a seed in every heart.”

WASHINGTON – Following the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, along with the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), issued a joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope. Calling for a renewed commitment to integral development and mutual solidarity between the peoples of the U.S. and Africa, their statemen offers guiding themes for strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and African countries, rooted in Catholic social teaching.

The bishops write: “The faithful of the U.S. and Africa are gifts to one another. Together, we call for robust lifesaving and life-affirming U.S. assistance to the continent, grounded in thoughtful partnership, and pray for the flourishing of an ever-deeper fraternity.”

The joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope, may be read in full in English, French, and Portuguese.

In conjunction with the release of the statement, bishops representing the two committees will celebrate a Mass for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa on February 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Information on the Mass can be found on the USCCB website.

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VATICAN CITY  (CNS)-- As the Olympic flame continued its journey toward the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Games, Pope Leo XIV shared his blessing, welcoming the event as an opportunity to promote peace, solidarity and encounter through sport.

Ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games in Milan Feb. 6, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent a telegram to the Diocese of Como, where some of the Olympic competitions will be held, as well as where a Olympic Village is located, and another to Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan, as that city welcomed the "Cross of Athletes."

In a telegram Jan. 30, Cardinal Parolin said Pope Leo was sending warm wishes and an apostolic blessing to the Catholic community in Como. The Vatican released copies of the telegrams the same day.

"He expresses his deep appreciation for their fervent cooperation in this sporting event and hopes that it will be an 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 telegram said in Italian. 

The telegram went on to say that the pope "encourages the parish communities of the territory to experience this significant event with willingness, offering a generous Christian witness so that they may be a bright sign of the presence of Christ who calls all to fraternity ."

The cardinal also sent a telegram to Archbishop Delpini Jan. 29 on behalf of the pope, stating that Pope Leo "hopes that this important event will awaken feelings of friendship and fraternity, strengthening awareness of the value of sport in the service of the integral development of the human person." 

He wrote that the pope was sharing his apostolic blessing and prayed that "these days of healthy competition will contribute to building bridges between cultures and peoples, promoting welcoming, solidarity and peace."

Pope Leo reiterated that the Olympics sends a powerful message of fraternity and hope for peace after praying the Angelus  Feb. 1. He also shared his best wishes to the organizers and athletes. 

"I hope that all those who care about peace among peoples and are in positions of authority will take this opportunity to make concrete gestures of détente and dialogue," he said. 

The Olympic Cross, sent by the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education, has been delivered to the local diocese of every city hosting the international sports competition since the London Olympics in 2012.

Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican's official sports association, presented the cross to Milan's Basilica of San Babila during an evening Mass Jan 29. Recognized in 2019, the co-ed organization includes Vatican employees, both lay and clergy and promotes sport as a tool for education, inclusion and peace. It also represents the Holy See in international sporting events. 

The cross was placed on the altar of the basilica, where it will remain until the end of the Paralympics, the archdiocese of Milan said in a press release.  

During the Mass, the telegram from Pope Leo was read aloud, and Archbishop Delpini said in his homily that sports were a "school of asceticism, morality, humanity, life, courage, and imagination," according to the press release.

"In this church, we welcome the sign of the crucified body. The Athletes' Cross is more of a crack of light than a figure: the body of Christ, crucified for love, is the opening to go beyond and embrace the mystery," Archbishop Delpini said in his homily. "The absent body encourages questions, observation and attention."

Reading I Malachi 3:1-4

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10

Reading II Hebrews 2:14-18

Alleluia Luke 2:32

Gospel Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

-The Roman Catechism of Trent (RCT) p. 291-299. -The Sacraments, ep. 24. -Fr. Wolfe talk on perfect contrition:  https://youtu.be/ncNNME98vyA

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