- Pope upholds Argentine saint as model for future priests (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis received seminarians from the Argentine Priests’ College in Rome on January 16 and upheld an Argentine saint, St. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (1840-1914), as a model for their priesthood.The Pope recalled that it was said of the saint that “Brochero could be none other than a priest.” The Pontiff commented, “We must firmly assume this priestly identity, realize that our vocation is not an addendum, a means to other ends ... Absolutely not. Vocation is God’s plan for our life, what God sees in us.”The Pope also spoke of the saint’s love for the Eucharist and his sense of priestly fraternity. The Pope explained: First of all, with the bishop, of whom he considers himself a simple soldier, in order to emulate the feats of the heroes, fighting alongside him, side by side, to the last cartridge. And with his brother priests, he wants to share everything he has, he invites them to correct him with confidence and he does so for them with frankness, asking them to lead a life of deep piety, with frequent confession. - Pope welcomes Albanian Muslim delegation, praises interreligious dialogue (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis welcomed an Albanian Muslim delegation and praised the relations between the Catholic Church and the Bektashi, a Sufi Islamic community there.“Whenever religious leaders come together in a spirit of mutual esteem and commit themselves to the culture of encounter through dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation, our hope for a better and more just world is renewed and confirmed,” the Pope said on January 16 to members of the delegation, led by Baba Mondi, the current Bektashi leader. “How much our world needs such hope!”“In these troubled times, all of us are called to reject the logic of violence and discord, in order to embrace the logic of encounter, friendship and collaboration in the pursuit of the common good,” he added. “Indeed, our religious convictions help us to embrace more clearly these fundamental values of our common humanity.”Baba Mondi and the Pope met during the Pontiff’s 2014 apostolic journey to Albania, and later during a 2016 audience at the Vatican. - Vatican City State puts AI guidelines in place (CNS)
The Vatican City State’s government has released AI guidelines that “highlight the importance of a balanced and mindful approach in regulating artificial intelligence” and that will inform future laws and regulations.“The key principle is that technological innovation cannot and should never overtake or replace human beings,” according to the new guidelines. “The aim is to make artificial intelligence a resource that, if properly regulated, will be able to foster well-being and progress, without compromising ethical and social principles.”Content that has been created with the assistance of AI must “be labeled with the acronym AI,” Catholic News Service reported. Judicial offices may use AI for “organization and simplification,” but never for judicial analysis and interpretation. - USCCB committee chairman issues statement for Religious Freedom Day (USCCB)
Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, issued a statement for Religious Freedom Day (January 16), which commemorates the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.“As we look to 2025, we anticipate that long-standing concerns will continue to require our vigilance, while new concerns, and perhaps opportunities, will also present themselves,” Bishop Rhoades wrote. “Political leaders of countries may change, and public policy priorities may shift amidst various contemporary circumstances, but our patient and steadfast commitment to Jesus Christ and the Gospel must not change.” - M23 terrorizing North Kivu, missionary says (Aid to the Church in Need)
Father Marcelo Oliveira, a Portuguese Comboni missionary priest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reports that the rebels of the March 23 Movement, or M23, are terrorizing North Kivu (map), in the eastern part of the nation.“Many people are fleeing,” the missionary said. “Some of these communities have become ghost-villages, and people cannot get what they need.”M23 rebels, he added, “continue to massacre and torture the people who are going from place to place.” - French basilica vandalized (Rennes Info (French))
A French basilica has been vandalized twice in recent days. The Basilica of Our Lady of Good News, also known by its older name of St. Aubin’s, is located in Rennes, a city of 225,000 in Britanny, in northwestern France.The vandal, or vandals, shattered a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and overturned chairs. Later, a statue of the infant Jesus in an outdoor Nativity scene was beheaded. - UN agency leader meets with Pope, praises him for support of people in rural areas (@IFADPresident)
Pope Francis received Alvaro Laro, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in a January 16 audience.“What an honor to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican today,” the UN agency leader tweeted. “It is particularly special to be meeting His Holiness during the Jubilee 2025. His strong support of the world’s rural people is invaluable to IFAD.” - Background: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 (CWN)
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on January 18. - God 'has become a nomad with the Gitano people,' Pope writes in message (Vatican Press Office)
In a message for the 600th anniversary of the arrival of the Gitano people in Spain, Pope Francis wrote that “God is a pilgrim in history with humanity and has become a nomad with the Gitano people.”The Pontiff asked the Gitanos (known elsewhere as Roma, Romani, or Gypsies) to walk with their bishops and to evangelize. “Now is the time to proclaim, with the strength of the Lord Jesus, the personal love of God who became man, who gave himself up for us, who is living and who offers us his salvation and his friendship,” the Pope wrote, as he recalled the example of Gitanos who have been beatified. - Cost of US sex-abuse scandal tops $5 billion (Crux)
The latest study of the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the US has found that American dioceses and religious orders have paid more than $5 billion to resolve abuse cases. The study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), covering abuse charges that have been filed in the past 20 years, puts the overall cost of the scandal a just over $5 billion, including legal fees. The study finds that the number of sex-abuse complaints has dropped, with only 3% of the cases involving incidents that occurred after 2000. More than 90% of the cases covered in the study dated back to before 1989; in many such cases the alleged perpetrator was already deceased. The CARA study confirmed that 80% of the abuse complaints involved male victims, with a vast majority (80%) involving adolescent or teenage boys. - Pope injured in household fall (AP)
Pope injured his arm in a household fall on January 16—the second such accident in recent weeks. The Vatican reported that the Pope’s right arm was badly bruised, but not broken. His arm was immobilized in a sling “as a precautionary measure.” Pope Francis fell in his apartment at the Santa Marta residence, the Vatican disclosed. He had suffered a similar fall on December 7, when he stumbled into a nightstand, resulting in a visible bruise on his jaw. The 88-year-old Pontiff regularly uses a walker at home. He moves around the Vatican in a wheelchair, due to the deteriorating condition of his knees. - 'The moral purpose of the economy is to support the flourishing of families,' bishops tell congressional leaders (USCCB)
Emphasizing that “the moral purpose of the economy is to support the flourishing of families,” the chairmen of five committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have weighed in on congressional negotiations on the federal budget.In a January 13 letter to congressional committee leaders, the bishops offered suggestions under ten headings:Protect human life and dignity Care for the poor Family formation and strengthening Progressivity of the tax code Adequate revenue for the sake of the common good Avoid cuts to poverty programs to finance tax reform Incentivize charitable giving and development Support parental choice in education Inclusion of immigrant and mixed-status families Energy and environment“We appreciate the competing priorities and difficult decisions you will have to contend with in the days ahead,” the bishops added. “We urge you to seek the common good, uplift those who are most vulnerable among us, and commit to authentic dialogue with one another.” - Cuban prisoner release a hopeful sign: Cardinal Parolin (CNA)
The Vatican’s Secretary of State said that Cuba’s decision to release over 500 prisoners at the start of the Jubilee Year is “a sign of great hope.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin added that the decision of US President Joe Biden to commute the death sentences of 37 convicted felons was a welcome response to the Jubilee. Regarding the Cuban prisoner release, he told a Vatican News interviews: “It is significant that Havana authorities linked this decision directly to Pope Francis’ appeal.” Cuba began releasing prisoners immediately after Biden announced he would change the American designation of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism. - Holy Land bishops welcome ceasefire agreement (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land has issued a statement welcoming the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.“We hope that this ceasefire will mark an important end to the violence that has caused immeasurable suffering,” the bishops stated. “It is a necessary step to halt the destruction and meet the urgent humanitarian needs of countless families affected by the conflict.”The bishops also urged “political leaders and the international community to develop a clear and just political vision for the post-war period. A future built on dignity, security and freedom for all peoples is a prerequisite for true and lasting peace.” - Quality of Catholic education, healthcare is winning respect of Muslims, Cameroon bishop says (Aid to the Church in Need)
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Bruno Ateba, SAC, of Maroua-Mokolo discussed his ministry in northern Cameroon (map).The influence of the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Harom is waning, said Bishop Ateba, though he still needs soldiers to escort him to some remote parishes.In an area in which Muslims are 95% of the population, “the Muslims control everything: trade, transport, politics,” he said. “We try to provide a witness. The Muslims respect us because of our works.”“Muslims send their children to our schools because they appreciate the discipline and the good education,” he continued. “The Muslim children are often the best in the catechetics course! At home, they recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary, and the parents don’t have a problem with that.”“It’s the same thing for our big health center, managed by the Missionary Sisters of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “Many Muslim women go there, because in the state hospitals, they would also be examined by men, which is inconceivable to them. They also appreciate the welcome and the quality of treatment with us.” - 1 in 7 Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution, discrimination (Open Doors International)
One in seven Christians worldwide face “very high or extreme levels” of persecution or discrimination, according to Open Doors International, which advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians. The organization estimates that 4,476 Christians were murdered on account of their faith in 2024, and 7,679 churches and other Christian properties were attacked.The ten nations with the highest levels of persecution, according to its World Watch List 2025, are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. - Pope issues bonus to Vatican employees with large families (Katholisch)
Pope Francis has decided that lay Vatican employees with three or more children will receive a monthly bonus of €300, to be paid until the children are adults. The Pope also has decided to lengthen the paid leave that employees are given when a child is born: from three days to five. The allowances for children are a partial response to complaints from Vatican lay workers, who have said they are being asked to bear a disproportionate share of the Vatican’s cost-cutting efforts. - Bomb damages church in southeastern Italy (GoFasano)
A bomb recently damaged the exterior of a church in the southeastern Italian city of Fasano, according to a local online newspaper.“Unknown persons detonated a paper bomb, causing significant damage” to the Church of St. Anthony the Abbot, according to the report. “The wall, already defaced previously by a vandalistic writing made with spray paint, is now further damaged.”The attack took place on Christmas Eve, leading the local reporter to comment: An incomprehensible gesture that affects the cultural and architectural heritage of the community. Not even Christmas Eve, a universal symbol of peace and respect, was spared from this act of vandalism. - Cardinal Parolin hails strong Vatican-Jordan ties (Jordan Times)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope’s Secretary of State, has concluded a visit to Jordan, during which he characterized relations between the Vatican and Jordan as “excellent” and praised King Abdullah II for promoting interfaith harmony and welcoming refugees.“The large number of refugees living in Jordan shows that he [King Abdullah] is concerned about people in neighboring countries, such as Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, who have found safe refuge here,” Cardinal Parolin said in an interview.While in Jordan, Cardinal Parolin consecrated the Church of the Baptism of the Lord at the site of the Lord’s Baptism, on land donated by King Abdullah II. - Kidnapping of Nigerian priests declined in 2024 (Crux)
Although 11 priests and religious were kidnapped in Nigeria during the year 2024, that number was actually down sharply from the 25 kidnapped in 2023. However, a study by Aid to the Church in Need found that Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous countries for Catholic clergy and religious. Only Haiti— where 18 priests were kidnapped last year— is more dangerous. The study showed that 50 priests and religious were victims of violence worldwide in 2024, with 13 murdered and 37 kidnapped.