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.

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.

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.

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.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis — whose territory has become a flashpoint in the nation’s immigration policy debate — is calling for “comprehensive immigration reform now,” citing “human cost on all sides.”

Michael Desch spoke with OSV News about Greenland and other U.S. foreign policy concerns in light of Pope Leo XIV’s recent address to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, announced Jan. 20 that they are expecting a boy this summer.

As atrocities against civilians surge globally, the Vatican’s top diplomat to the United Nations stressed the crucial need for both prevention and accountability — and the vital roles of individual nations and the global community in those tasks.

Salesian Father Giuseppe Zanardini, an Italian-born priest and scholar who profoundly shaped the study of Indigenous anthropology in Paraguay, died on Jan. 19 at age 83, the South American country’s Salesian congregation announced.

The state of New York has given up on trying to enforce an insurance regulation that would have forced Catholic and other religious organizations to pay for abortions.