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History Erased? Bangladesh Catholics Struggle to Recover First Church Land

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Catholic Fitness App Promotes Service at the Center of Wellness

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Pontifical academy president lauds DDF's poetry citations in monogamy document (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

The president of the Pontifical Academy of Theology hailed the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent doctrinal note on monogamy as “revolutionary” in its use of poetry.

Writing in the Vatican newspaper, Bishop Antonio Staglianò spoke of “a revolutionary act: the Congregation that was once called the Holy Office, the one of silences and denials, today quotes poets to explain why ‘two’ are better than three, four, or the liquid infinity of contemporary love.”

“We are not faced with a theological treatise,” Bishop Staglianò continued. “It is something more radical: a cultural manifesto that tries to rehabilitate monogamy not as an imposition, but as an experience of beauty. And it does so with a secret weapon: poetry.’

Only 1 Christian school remains open in Gaza Strip (Vatican News (Italian))

Only one of the Gaza Strip’s five Christian schools is open, said Father Davide Meli, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Father Meli was among the Church officials who spoke with journalists and pilgrims about the Latin Patriarchate’s aid to the Church in Gaza.

“There are no sewers, there is no electricity grid, workplaces are destroyed,” Vatican News reported. “There are no more bombings, but about two million people are homeless, without essential services and live in a portion of land reduced by almost half due to the borders imposed by the ceasefire of October.”

L'Osservatore Romano surveys upcoming Asian elections (CWN)

The Vatican newspaper published a four-page special section yesterday on upcoming elections in Asia.

New Salesian leader devotes new year's message to faith (Salesian Bulletin)

Father Fabio Attard, SDB, elected rector major of the Salesians of Don Bosco last year, devoted his first strenna, or new year’s message, to faith.

“We recognize that our mission is to educate to faith and in faith,” Father Attard wrote in the message’s introduction. “The challenge that immediately arises is very clear: how can we do this if this source of light within me is growing dim? How can we remain calm when we realize that extinguishing the light in our hearts means, in the long run, leaving young people and all those we accompany in the deepest darkness?”

The Salesians (13,694 members) are poised to overtake the Jesuits (13,768 members) as the largest male religious institute.

Vatican has diplomatic relations with 184 states (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with 184 states, including the European Union and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Vatican newspaper reported. The figure is unchanged from 2024 and 2025.

Ninety-three of the diplomatic missions have offices in Rome.

L’Osservatore Romano‘s report included a list of the diplomatic agreements signed over the past year between the Holy See and other entities.

Veteran diplomat hails Pope Leo's commitment to peace (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))

As is customary, the dean of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See delivered an address during the annual papal audience with the diplomatic corps (CWN analysis).

Ambassador Georgios Poulides, the ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See, recalled the jubilee year, the death of Pope Francis, the election of Pope Leo, and the papal visit to Turkey and Lebanon.

Highlighting Pope Leo’s commitment to peace, brotherhood, human dignity, and human development, Ambassador Poulides described the Pope’s appeals for peace as “the path that every man and woman is called to follow.”

“In them resonates the calm and powerful inevitability of a reconciled world,” the diplomat said. “This is where the profound meaning of the diplomatic mission lies: resolving conflicts with the strength of reason and the constant determination towards the common good.”

Caritas laments 1,000 days of Sudan crisis (Caritas Internationalis)

Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s federation of relief and development agencies, released a statement yesterday marking the 1,000th day of the Sudanese civil war.

Sudan is the site of “one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises—where more than 33.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, effectively two in three people, and where famine has been declared twice in less than a year,” Caritas said in its statement. “At this time, Caritas Internationalis joins other leading aid agencies in urging the international community to act now to prevent further catastrophe in Sudan.”