It is unacceptable that a child’s right to life and a dignified childhood should be sacrificed to “the idols” of power, profit, ideology and nationalistic self-interest, Pope Francis told a group of world experts and leaders.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia is calling for prayer, saying his “heart sank” after learning of a fatal air crash in that city Jan. 31, just two days after a midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter near a Washington airport killed 67.

The Xavier Society for the Blind is celebrating 125 years of helping generations of Catholics, either blind or vision-impaired, participate in worship through braille texts, large-type books and audio books.

The Fashion Workers Act, signed into law Dec. 21 by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, takes effect in June. It will afford models a host of employment safeguards in an industry where many say they have previously felt mute and isolated.

The use of artificial intelligence in schools must not threaten “the indispensable relationship between teacher and student” that lies at the heart of education, the Vatican said.

Stephanie Nix will be the first person to tell you that she did not take the head cook position at the school just because she loves to prepare food. For her, it’s helping kids grow in their faith.

Ahead of the World Day for Consecrated Life Feb. 2 — an observance that was instituted in 1997 by St. John Paul II and is attached to the feast of the Presentation of the Lord — OSV News spoke with Father Jorge Torres, a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida, and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life And Vocations.

As the second married couple to be declared saints (along with Sts. Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary), and the first to be canonized together, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin offer a model of the vocation to love and holiness that is at the heart of the sacrament of marriage.

Claims that the U.S. bishops’ conference profits from its partnership with the government to assist refugee populations that qualify for federal assistance, and that the Catholic Church facilitates illegal immigration are “just wrong,” said William Canny, the U.S. bishops’ migration director.

In a pair of January confirmation hearings, senators considered President Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services.