U.S. commission hearing focuses on persecution of Christians around globe January 15, 2026By Kurt Jensen OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, World News Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., a longtime champion of religious liberty, particularly in Tibet, proudly wears a bracelet of brown prayer beads, called mala, given to him by the Dalai Lama during a visit to India in 2024.
Rev. King, a Baptist, lived Catholic social justice in ‘extraordinary fashion,’ says cardinal January 15, 2026By Tony Gutierrez The Catholic Sun Filed Under: Bishops, News, Racial Justice, World News The history-making prelate will concelebrate and preach at the Diocese of Phoenix’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mass Jan. 17 at Xavier College Preparatory High School’s Chapel of Our Lady in central Phoenix.
A year after LA wildfires, parishes hit hard by the blaze look to rebuild community January 15, 2026By Pablo Kay Angelus Filed Under: Disaster Relief, News, World News The campus of Corpus Christi Church, which burned to the ground the night of Jan. 7, 2025, is fenced off, the mass of tangled debris now cleaned up. The Christmas lights that hung on the trees at the church’s entrance that night are still there, fused to the charred branches.
Planned Parenthood’s Title X funding restored after freeze January 14, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News The Trump administration “quietly released” Title X family planning funds to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, prompting the American Civil Liberties Union to drop its lawsuit that sought to restore the funds, Politico reported Jan. 13.
For Pope Leo XIV, Christian unity is not just an ideal, but an imperative January 14, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, World News As the Catholic Church prepares to join Christians around the world in commemorating the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme chosen also reflects Pope Leo XIV’s hope of unified humanity in an increasingly individualistic world.
God speaks to the faithful; take time to listen every day, pope says January 14, 2026By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News If Christians are to speak about God, then they must dedicate time each day and week to listening to God’s word in prayer and the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV said.
FletcherFest celebrates young legacy of student killed in shooting at all-school Mass January 14, 2026By Josh McGovern The Catholic Spirit Filed Under: Gun Violence, News, World News The auditorium — which was used to celebrate Mass for nearly five months after an Aug. 27, 2025, shooting during an all-school Mass took the lives of the Merkels’ 8-year-old son, Fletcher, and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — was filled Jan. 10 with Annunciation parents and community members.
‘Many challenges remain’ in making abortion ‘unthinkable,’ says bishop January 14, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, World News Bishop Thomas shared his thoughts in a Jan. 13 statement released by the USCCB, ahead of a number of national and local pro-life initiatives held throughout the month.
Amid protests, ICE operations, archbishop prays for community, for family of slain protester January 13, 2026By Rebecca Omastiak The Catholic Spirit Filed Under: Gun Violence, Immigration and Migration, News, World News Acknowledging what he described as “a heaviness in our community these days,” Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis assured Catholics and the Twin Cities community of his continued prayers on Jan. 12.
Supreme Court hears cases on Idaho, West Virginia transgender sports bans January 13, 2026By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Sports, Supreme Court, World News The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 heard oral arguments in two cases concerning state laws requiring student athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond to their biological sex rather than their gender identity.
Historic altar at St. Mark’s monastery in Jerusalem unveiled for first time in 350 years January 13, 2026By Judith Sudilovsky OSV News Filed Under: Arts & Culture, News, World News The historic altar of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem has been unveiled for the first time in nearly 350 years, following an extensive restoration.
Jubilee set to mark 800th year since St. Francis’ death; saint’s body to be displayed January 13, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, Vatican, World News Pope Leo has established that from Jan. 10, following the closing of the church’s Jubilee Year, until Jan. 10, 2027, a special Year of St. Francis may be proclaimed, in which every Christian, “following the example of the Saint of Assisi, may himself become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.”
