Catholic News

• Background: Sunday of the Word of God (CWN)
  On Sunday, January 26—the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time—the Church commemorates the 6th Sunday of the Word of God. Pope Francis instituted the commemoration with his 2019 apostolic letter Aperuit illis, and it was first celebrated in 2020.
• Pope calls for 'communicators of hope' (Vatican Press Office)
  In his message for the 59th World Day for Social Communications, Pope Francis took up the theme of the Jubilee Year, urging communications professionals to think of themselves as “communicators of hope.” “Too often today, communication generates not hope, but fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred,” the Pope wrote. He observed with regret the spread of “disinformation and polarization, as a few centers of power control an unprecedented mass of data and information.” The papal message called attention to another unfortunate development, “what we might call the ‘programmed dispersion of attention’ through digital systems that, by profiling us according to the logic of the market, modify our perception of reality.” To counter these trends the Pontiff called for a commitment not only to truth but to a positive outlook, offering encouragement as well as information. He saw the goal as: “A communication capable of speaking to the heart, arousing not passionate reactions of defensiveness and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship.”
• Vance, Trump address March for Life (AP)
  Tens of thousands of people braved chilly weather in Washington, DC, to participate in the 52nd annual March for Life on January 24. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the March participants, saying: “I want more happy children in our country. And I want more beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them.” In a reference to the prosecution of pro-life activists under the Biden administration, Vance said: I want to make clear that this administration stands by you, we stand with you, and most importantly we stand with the most vulnerable and the basic principle that people exercising the right to protest on behalf of the most vulnerable should never have the government go after them ever again. President Trump, who has refused to endorse federal legislation to halt abortion, did not attend the March, but delivered a video message in which he promised to “stop the radical Democrat push for a federal right to unlimited abortion on demand.”
• Vatican prefect sees no delay in Rupnik disciplinary case (Pillar)
  Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), has disclosed that Vatican has now “finished the stage of gathering information” in the case of Father Marko Rupnik, and is now prepared to form a tribunal to weigh that case. In an interview with a Spanish Catholic magazine, Cardinal Fernandez downplayed suggestions that the Vatican has been slow to discipline Rupnnik, and questioned the focus of public attention on the case. “I think of many other cases, including others that are worse but less publicized,” he said. While Rupnik has been excommunicated (a sentence that was quickly lifted) and expelled from the Jesuit order, he remains a priest in good standing. Despite public protests the Vatican media have continued to use Rupnik’s art work, and Pope Francis has works by Rupnik on display in his residence.
• 47 Christians slain in attack in Nigeria's Benue State (Aid to the Church in Need)
  At least 47 Christians were killed on Christmas Day during an attack on a parish in Anwase, in Nigeria’s Benue State (map), according to a new report from Aid to the Church in Need. “The parish priest and the assistant parish priest escaped and stayed in the bush for a whole day before they were finally rescued,” according to the Diocese of Gboko. The nation of 237 million (map), the most populous in Africa and sixth most populous in the world, is 47% Christian (11% Catholic), 46% Muslim, and 7% ethnic religionist.
• Trump's executive orders will subject families and children to grave danger, USCCB committee chairman warns (USCCB)
  Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration, has issued a statement on President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration. “Church teaching recognizes a country’s right and responsibility to promote public order, safety, and security through well-regulated borders and just limits on immigration,” he said. “However, as shepherds, we cannot abide injustice, and we stress that national self-interest does not justify policies with consequences that are contrary to the moral law.” Bishop Seitz offered strong criticism of several aspects of the executive orders and other presidential actions: “The use of sweeping generalizations to denigrate any group, such as describing all undocumented immigrants as ‘criminals’ or ‘invaders,’ to deprive them of protection under the law, is an affront to God, who has created each of us in his own image.” “While an emphasis on anti-trafficking is welcomed,” several of the executive orders “are specifically intended to eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger.” “Preventing any access to asylum and other protections will only endanger those who are most vulnerable and deserving of relief, while empowering gangs and other predators to exploit them.” “Indefinitely halting refugee resettlement is unmerited ... Even non-humanitarian legal immigration and naturalized persons are targeted by these policies in support of a so-called ‘unified American identity.’” “The proposed interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment to limit birthright citizenship sets a dangerous precedent, contradicting the Supreme Court’s longstanding interpretation.” “We urge President Trump to pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions, working in good faith with members of Congress to achieve meaningful, bipartisan immigration reform that furthers the common good with an effective, orderly immigration system,” Bishop Seitz concluded. “My brother bishops and I will support this in any way we can, while continuing to accompany our immigrant brothers and sisters in accordance with the Gospel of Life.”
• New prefect for Dicastery for Inter-Religious Dialogue (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis has named Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad as prefect of the Dicastery for Inter-Religious Dialogue. A native of India, Cardinal Koovakad had been serving as the coordinator for papal foreign travel. He will continue to serve in that role. Cardinal Koovakad—who was raised to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis in December—succeeds the late Cardinal Miguel Guixot, who died in December at the age of 72.
• Franciscan vicar reflects on Gaza ceasefire, concerned about military action in West Bank (Fides)
  Father Ibrahim Faltas, OFM, the vicar of the Franciscan superior in the Holy Land, reflected on the ceasefire in Gaza and expressed concern about the launch of an Israeli military operation in the West Bank. “Those who survived in Gaza, the displaced, live in a difficult situation,” he said. “They have lost everything, they have lost the security of their homes and their loved ones, they have lost the normality of everyday life ... And everything becomes even sadder when you do not know where to go to look for those bodies” (of loved ones). He added: Through mediation and dialogue, a first result was achieved. But after just a few hours, the hope of beginning peaceful coexistence gave way to news of violence from the West Bank. The good intentions have failed and have given way to violence and the use of weapons not far from where they had just left off after 15 months of war. I still want to believe those who speak of peace, I want to trust those who promise solutions. But recent events and announcements do not promise anything good.
• Papal encouragement for Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis offered encouragement to the leaders of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer) during a January 23 audience and reflected on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion that has characterized the apostolate since its inception in the 19th century. This spirituality—the “way of the Heart”—is “the journey of Jesus, of his Sacred Heart, through the mystery of his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection; and it is also the journey of our own hearts, wounded by sin, which allow themselves to be conquered and transformed by love,” the Pope said. “On this journey of the heart, as ever we are guided by our Mother, Mary, who goes before us on the pilgrimage of faith and hope, and who teaches us to hold—to hold—in our hearts the words and deeds of Jesus,” the Pope continued. “As you well know, this is the work of the Holy Spirit: our hearts cannot journey with Christ without the living water of the Holy Spirit.”
• Poll finds US opinion unchanged on abortion (Washington Times)
  The latest opinion poll on abortion shows that a solid majority of Americans support access to legal abortion but would also accept restrictions on the procedure. The Knights of Columbus—Marist survey found 62% of American respondents describing themselves as “pro-choice,” but a roughly similar majority endorsing a ban on abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy. The poll found overwhelming (83%) support for pregnancy-resource centers, and 82% of the respondents said that laws should protect both mothers and their unborn children.
• Leading Italian bishops conclude meeting, call for rediscovery of prayer, liturgy (Chiesa Cattolica Italiana)
  The permanent council of the Italian bishops’ conference has concluded a three-day meeting. In a statement issued at the meeting’s closing, the bishops said that the jubilee year is “an opportunity for a renewed commitment to evangelization,” as well as an opportunity “to give answers to increasingly pressing social questions.” In light of people’s spiritual thirst, the bishops said that it is “necessary to rediscover the power of prayer and the beauty of the liturgy.” The statement subsequently touched on several other topics, including peace, the Italian bishops’ upcoming synodal assembly, and the protection of minors.
• Russian government praises papal envoy for prisoner-swap mediation (Tass)
  The Russian government has expressed gratitude for Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Pope’s special envoy, for his role in arranging an exchange of prisoners with Ukraine. Noting that sixteen wounded Russian soldiers have returned home, the Russian foreign ministry said: “We are hoping to continue this constructive and productive cooperation with the Vatican on humanitarian issues.”
• Vatican releases papal video call to Catholic parish in Gaza (Vatican News)
  Vatican News, the agency of the Dicastery for Communication, has posted a video of the Pope’s January 22 phone call to the rector and vice rector of Gaza’s sole Catholic parish. L’Osservatore Romano reported that the Pope has made a video call to the parish nightly via WhatsApp since October 9, 2023.
• Prominent Argentine senator meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
  Alicia Kirchner, an Argentine senator who is the sister of former President Néstor Kirchner (2003-07) and the sister-in-law of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-15), met with Pope Francis on January 23. Alicia Kirchner, 78, was the nation’s Minister of Social Development (2006-15) and governor of Santa Cruz (2015-23) before becoming a senator. She is active on social media (Instagram, X), but did not discuss her meeting with the Pontiff.
• Olympic president meets with Pope, 6 months after Paris Last Supper parody (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis received Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, on January 23. In the past, the International Olympic Committee has released statements on meetings between the Pope and Bach (2013, 2022), but did not do so after the January 23 meeting. Last summer, a drag parody of the Last Supper at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was followed by a muted Vatican response.
• AI must serve the human person, Pope tells WEF (Vatican News)
  “Human dignity must never be violated for the sake of efficiency,” Pope Francis insisted, in a message to the World Economic Forum, meeting in Davos, Switzerland to discuss artificial intelligence (AI). “When used correctly,” the Pope said, “AI assists the human person in fulfilling his or her vocation, in freedom and responsibility.” AI could and should be used to advance the goals of “greater justice, more extensive fraternity, and a more human order of social relations.” That use of the new technology, he said, would be “more valuable than advances in the technical field.” On the other hand, the Pope said, AI should never be exploited at the cost of human dignity, which “must never be violated for the safe of efficiency.”
• Trump administration drops special immigration treatment for churches (CNA)
  Acting quickly to enforce its goal to end illegal immigration, the Trump administration has ended a policy that treated churches, hospitals, and schools as “sensitive locations” that should not be subject to raids by immigration agents without special approval. The policy, which had been in force since 2011, prohibited raids on places of worship, schools, and hospitals—as well as on public events such as parades—unless there was a demonstrated need for urgent action.
• Malta's president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis met with President Myriam Spiteri Debono of Malta on January 24. Their conversation centered on church-state relations, but also included discussion of international affairs, including the problem of migration and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Maltese leader presented the Pontiff with a “Tecar therapy” device, which uses electrical impulses to restore human tissue, and will be used by the Vatican to treat homeless people.
• Some of President Trump's executive orders are 'deeply troubling,' USCCB president says (USCCB)
  Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on January 22 that “some provisions contained in [President Donald Trump’s] executive orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty, and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us.” “Other provisions in the executive orders can be seen in a more positive light, such as recognizing the truth about each human person as male or female,” said the prelate, referring to an executive order revoking the Biden administration’s transgender policies. Archbishop Broglio added: I wish to reiterate that the Catholic Church is not aligned with any political party, and neither is the bishops’ conference. No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged ... Our prayer is one of hope that, as a Nation blessed with many gifts, our actions demonstrate a genuine care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees. The just Judge expects nothing less.
• Pope answers letter from a separated father (Vatican News (Italian))
  Pope Francis has answered a letter from a separated father in Piazza San Pietro, a new monthly magazine published by St. Peter’s Basilica. According to Vatican News, Giorgio, the letter writer, is a separated father whose wife ran off to Athens with another man. When his eight-year-old daughter visited him, police arrested him for possession of cocaine in his car. He was freed while praying a novena to Padre Pio, and later his mother-in-law and two accomplices were convicted—presumably of planting the cocaine in the car. “We must stop the violence that uses and exploits children with arguments, blackmail and abuse that can lead to very serious family tragedies with murders and suicides,” wrote Giorgio. “Only starting from the heart will our families be able to unite different intelligences and wills, and to pacify them, so that the Spirit can guide us,” the Pope wrote in response. Giorgio’s “story is a testimony of peace that encourages in a world inflamed by wars, by hatred,” the Pope added, as he called for “increasingly adequate laws to allow boys and girls of separated parents to meet and grow emotionally and lovingly with all their family members.” The Pope also called on Christian communities to “accompany wounded families so that children never become hostages of their father and mother.”
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