U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Jan. 14 that the first in a series of direct humanitarian shipments to Cuba “in close partnership with the Catholic Church” would take place the same day — as well as another Jan. 16 — as the island recovers from Hurricane Melissa.

The Vatican has completed the official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV, continuing a centuries-old tradition that marks the election of each new pontiff. The circular mosaic, known as a tondo, was created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of St. Peter’s and will be installed in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.