Lord we pray "Help me to continually increase parish vitality and reflect the presence of Christ in the world."

Browsing News Entries

Browsing News Entries

Bring Christ's hope to the world, Pope tells Finnish Christian leaders (Dicastery for Communication)

Welcoming Finnish Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran prelates who were in Rome for their annual ecumenical pilgrimage, Pope Leo XIV praised their commitment to Christian unity and encouraged them to bear witness to Christ, the “incarnation of hope.”

“At a time when people are often tempted by a sense of hopelessness, we have the essential mission, as Christian messengers of hope, to bring the Lord’s light into the darkest corners of our world,” Pope Leo said during the January 19 audience.

“Thus, encouraged and strengthened by the grace of Jesus Christ, who is the very incarnation of hope for all, we are called and sent out to bear witness to this saving truth with edifying words and charitable deeds,” the Pope added.

Finland, a Nordic nation of 5.6 million (map), is 75% Christian (73% Protestant) and 5% Muslim.

Pope thanks Italian police for work in St. Peter's Square during jubilee year (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))

Pope Leo XIV received executives and officers of Italy’s Vatican Public Security Inspectorate on January 19 and thanked them for the sacrifices they made during the conclave and the jubilee year.

The inspectorate, a division of the Italian police, is responsible for security in St. Peter’s Square.

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Leo said, “May your presence be an ever more valid guarantee of that good order and tranquility which are fundamental for building a peaceful and composed social life, and which, in addition to being taught to us by the Gospel message, are a sign of authentic civilization.”

Jan. 20 Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Fabian, Pope & Martyr; Opt Mem St. Sebastian, Martyr, Opt. Mem.

St. Fabian and St. Sebastian have always been paired together, with their names coupled in the ancient martyrologies, and still paired in the Litany of Saints. The Church today celebrates separate Optional Memorials for Sts. Fabian and Sebastian:

Nuncio says current Russian attacks on Ukraine bear some resemblance to Stalin's Holodomor (Vatican News)

The apostolic nuncio to Ukraine said in an interview that current Russian attacks on Ukraine bear “some resemblance” to the Holodomor perpetrated against Ukraine by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet regime in 1932-1933.

Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas said:

Food shortages are being caused by this energy crisis, apart from the difficulties faced by civilians due to the cold. This seems to have some resemblance to the Holodomor that Ukraine went through in the 1930s.

We have our own generator at the Nunciature, which means we can have more light, water, and heating than the others. If the situation remains unchanged, it is possible that the entire Ukrainian capital would need to be evacuated, as the mayor of Kyiv said a few days ago.

The nuncio also spoke about the Latin-rite hierarchy’s decision to dedicate the year to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Seeking Christ’s “merciful reception, forgiveness of sins, and protection from all evil, we prayed that God’s goodness would overcome sin and war and grant us peace,” said the nuncio. “We know that war is caused by the devil’s actions, and the devil is afraid every time we worship God.”

Cardinal Parolin, in major lecture, decries violations of international law, collapse of multilateralism (CWN)

In a lecture delivered on January 17, the Secretary of State of His Holiness emphasized that peace and justice should “once again become the pillars of order among nations, and not merely remain simple aspirations or empty claims.”

Marking anniversary of Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Pope offers vision for Vatican diplomacy (CWN)

In a letter marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Pope Leo XIV offered his vision of Vatican diplomacy, one in which priests of “deep spirituality” listen and build bridges.

Charlotte bishop returns accused priest to active ministry (CWN)

A North Carolina bishop returned a priest accused of sexual abuse to active ministry effective January 13, over six years after the priest was placed on administrative leave by the previous bishop.

Jan. 19 Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time, Weekday

The Roman Martyrology commemorates Sts. Marius (Maris), Martha, Audifax, and Abachum (d. 270), a group of Persian martyrs of the third century who died for the faith in Rome.

3 cardinals issue statement on US foreign policy (Archdiocese of Washington)

Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of Washington, and Joseph Tobin of Newark today issued a joint statement, “Charting A Moral Vision of American Foreign Policy.”

“In 2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War,” said the prelates. “The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”

They continued:

The sovereign rights of nations to self-determination appear all too fragile in a world of ever greater conflagrations. The balancing of national interest with the common good is being framed within starkly polarized terms. Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination. And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies.

Citing the Pope’s recent address to the diplomatic corps, the prelates said that “the contribution of Pope Leo in outlining a truly moral foundation” has “provided us an enduring ethical compass for establishing the pathway for American foreign policy in the coming years.”

They added:

As pastors and citizens, we embrace this vision for the establishment of a genuinely moral foreign policy for our nation. We seek to build a truly just and lasting peace, that peace which Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel.

We renounce war as an instrument for narrow national interests and proclaim that military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy. We seek a foreign policy that respects and advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of human dignity throughout the world, especially through economic assistance.