Controversial German bishop will not seek reelection as bishops’ conference president January 22, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Bishops, News, Synodality, World News Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German bishops’ conference, who spearheaded the controversial Synodal Way during his six-year term, announced that he will not seek reelection when the bishops meet for the spring assembly in February.
House pro-life co-chair says he is still seeking answers from FDA over mifepristone safety review January 22, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, U.S. Congress, World News The co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus said he has continued to call on the Trump administration to promptly conduct a pledged safety review of mifepristone, a pill commonly, but not exclusively, used for early abortion.
Steubenville students died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, say police January 22, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Franciscan University of Steubenville students Luke Reimer and Mary Mich were found shortly after noon Jan. 19, according to a statement released that same day by university president Father Dave Pivonka.
Like mother, like daughter at St. Mark School in Catonsville January 22, 2026By Katie V. Jones Catholic Review Filed Under: 2026 Catholic Schools Week, Feature, Local News, News, Schools It isn’t a secret that the student body at St. Mark School in Catonsville is a family affair, with classrooms filled with siblings and cousins, as well as faculty members’ children, nieces and nephews. Having four teams of mothers and daughters working at the school, however, is a bit unusual.
Pew: Catholicism down in Latin America, but belief in God ‘remains high’ January 22, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Evangelization, News, World News Catholicism has waned in Latin America over the past decade, with more individuals foregoing religious affiliation — although belief in God remains “high across the region,” according to a new report.
Pope evaluating Trump’s invitation to join Board of Peace, Vatican’s secretary of state says January 21, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV is currently evaluating an invitation by U.S. President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace,” an international body chaired by the president to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state said.
Trump rules out use of force to acquire Greenland, argues it should be given to U.S. January 21, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Social Teaching, Feature, News, World News President Donald Trump ruled out the use of force to acquire Greenland in a Jan. 21 speech to the World Economic Forum, but he said the U.S. would still seek ownership of the country.
Conflicting reports of recent kidnappings in Nigeria raise alarm for Christian advocates January 21, 2026By Ngala Killian Chimton OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, World News After reports spread that dozens of Christians in Nigeria have allegedly again fallen prey to kidnappers in yet another sign of persecution against Christ’s followers in Africa’s most populous nation, some police said the kidnapping did not happen.
Heads of Churches of the Holy Land call Christian Zionism a ‘damaging’ ideology January 21, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, World News As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity unfolded, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of the Holy Land warned that Christian Zionism was among the “damaging ideologies” being pushed that ultimately harmed the presence and unity of Christians in the Holy Land.
In a moment of Vatican sweetness, Pope Leo receives lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition January 21, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, Vatican, World News Adding some sweetness to the usual general audience-focused Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs Jan. 21 as part of an ancient Roman Catholic tradition marking the feast of St. Agnes of Rome.
To know God, we must welcome Jesus’ humanity, pope says January 21, 2026By Josephine Peterson Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Leo XIV said that God is revealed through Jesus’ humanity, not solely through a “channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” It is through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that one can come to know God.
Remain steadfast in Christian unity efforts amid division, says ecumenical expert January 21, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, World News Amid division and geopolitical turmoil, an ecumenical expert is encouraging the faithful to remain steadfast as they observe the international Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25.
