Catholicism has waned in Latin America over the past decade, with more individuals foregoing religious affiliation — although belief in God remains “high across the region,” according to a new report.

Pope Leo XIV is currently evaluating an invitation by U.S. President Donald Trump to join his “Board of Peace,” an international body chaired by the president to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza, the Vatican secretary of state said.

President Donald Trump ruled out the use of force to acquire Greenland in a Jan. 21 speech to the World Economic Forum, but he said the U.S. would still seek ownership of the country.

After reports spread that dozens of Christians in Nigeria have allegedly again fallen prey to kidnappers in yet another sign of persecution against Christ’s followers in Africa’s most populous nation, some police said the kidnapping did not happen.

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.