Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The abduction took place at St. John’s Catholic Church in Ojije, in Nigeria’s Benue State, during a prayer vigil. Benue’s governor announced the children’s release on February 14.

The Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles indexes are “built following market best practices and in accordance with Catholic ethical criteria, and are designed to serve as a reference for Catholic investments worldwide,” the IOR announced.

“By limiting digital consumption, we create time for prayer, reading Scriptures, Eucharistic devotion, works of mercy, and meaningful encounters with others,” said Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa, the president of the bishops’ conference. “Fasting redirects attention from self-centered habits to the loving service of others. It is not deprivation but transformation.”

Pope Leo XIV confirmed 30 members of the Dicastery for Bishops on February 14 and appointed a 31st: Sister Simona Brambilla, M.C., the prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.

During a February 14 papal audience, Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva of Cabo Verde discussed the “political and humanitarian situation in West Africa and climate change,” Expresso das Ilhas, a newspaper based in the ten-island nation, reported. The Pontiff, in turn, “expressed solidarity with the small island state.”

Rather than naming a successor, Pope Leo appointed Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, 76, as apostolic administrator of the Texas diocese until a successor is named. Cardinal DiNardo led the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from 2006 to 2025.

The Vatican newspaper warned that over 825,000 children are at risk of malnutrition in South Sudan amid escalating violence, as a peace agreement that ended the South Sudanese Civil War unravels.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged members of the Misericordie movement to be rooted in Catholic spirituality and sacramental practice and to be active in charity.