Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego called on all disciples of God to work to transform the world, particularly on the social justice front, just like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had once done.

Just like the “unnamed and countless toddlers” Herod ordered killed “to make sure that the Child Jesus would never reach maturity,” Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory said Jan. 13, “innocent children killed in the quest for inclusive, social justice have also paid the ultimate price for freedoms enjoyed by Americans today.”

As the world marked 100 days since the Hamas militants attacks that unleashed hell in the Holy Land, images of the children from Holy Family Parish — the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip — dressed in white albs to receive the sacrament were a stark and welcome contrast in a land that has had little reason to smile since Oct. 7.

Responding to questions from priests and deacons ministering in the Diocese of Rome, Pope Francis said the possibility of blessing gay couples regards “people, not organizations” or their agendas.

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, known as William Lai, who opposes Chinese control of Taiwan, won the island democracy’s Jan. 13 presidential election, widely watched for its international implications.

While a pope can resign, Pope Francis said it is not something he is thinking about or worrying about now.

With massive civilian deaths and the destruction of cities and their infrastructure, modern “war is in itself a crime against humanity,” Pope Francis said.

– Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa has been released from prison and sent into exile along with 18 imprisoned churchmen as the Nicaraguan government expelled its most prominent critic, whose presence behind bars bore witness to the Sandinista regime descent into totalitarianism, along with its unrelenting persecution of the Catholic Church.

The Jan. 15 federal holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a time to “pause and reflect” on his “indelible legacy” and “his rallying cry in the pursuit of justice and peace,” the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement.

The praying, walking and working will be highlighted Jan. 18-25 as Christians around the world celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.