Stories for February 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Feb. 17

 Opus Dei leader meets with Pontiff; revised statutes being studied
 Fresno bishop celebrates Mass in ICE detention center
 Vatican unveils initiatives to mark 400th anniversary of St. Peter’s Basilica
 Harvard professor named to pontifical academy
 Cabo Verde cardinal retires; successor named
 Some laity may have charism of authority, Cardinal Ouellet writes in reflection on Roman Curia
 Pope calls for global, preventive approach to health care; decries bombing of hospitals
 Promote public order and act with integrity, Pope tells Italy’s prefects
 Pope Leo: God’s commandments are not oppression, but liberation
 Pope visits Roman parish, meets with young, elderly, parish council

Released Monday, Feb. 16

 9 abducted Catholic children released in Nigeria
 Vatican bank launches stock investment indexes
 Philippine bishops call for ‘digital media fasting’ during Lent
 Pope confirms 30 members of Dicastery for Bishops
 Retired cardinal named administrator of Texas diocese
 Cabo Verde PM discusses climate change with Pope, presses for resident nuncio
 Humanitarian catastrophe looms in South Sudan; Cardinal Mulla, UN plead for reconciliation
 Frequent the sacraments and be active in charity, Pope tells Misericordie movement

Released Sunday, Feb. 15

 Pope Leo: ‘Minimal righteousness is not enough; great love is needed’

Released Saturday, Feb. 14

 Arson attack on German Baroque church
 Nigerian priests protest against Fulani violence
 Argentinian archdiocese opens canonical investigation into transgender marriage
 USCCB president joins other bishops in outcry over Notre Dame appointment
 Federal court orders access for clergy, nun to ICE facility on Ash Wednesday
 Archbishop Moth, at Westminster installation Mass, calls for prayer, evangelization
 Irish bishops’ conference reports 16% rise in couples preparing for marriage
 USCCB invites parishes to 250 hours of adoration, 250 works of mercy for nation’s anniversary
 Cuba’s bishops postpone visit to the Vatican
 4 leading European prelates call on continent to ‘rediscover its soul’
 Vatican newspaper highlights plight of victims of Kenya’s environmental redevelopment projects
 Baltimore archbishop, in pastoral letter, calls for ‘renewed political culture’
 Pope Leo abolishes Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day
 Embody the essence of Christianity and the ‘style of the early Church,’ Pope tells Rome’s military police
 Pontifical academy devotes annual assembly to universal health care; speakers differ on abortion ‘rights’
 Vatican to mark 400th anniversary of dedication of St. Peter’s Basilica
 2 months after release by abductors, Cameroon priest named a bishop
 Croatian sister named deputy director of Holy See Press Office

Released Friday, Feb. 13

 Pope Leo issues his 1st Lenten message, ‘Listening and Fasting’
 Following papal audience, Archbishop Sample weighs in on ICE actions
 Rescind appointment of abortion advocate, Indiana bishop urges Notre Dame
 After skipping installation, NYC mayor meets Archbishop Hicks
 SSPX reacts to meeting with DDF prefect, renews request to meet with Pope Leo
 Hope is ‘crucified’ in Myanmar, Cardinal Bo says
 Pope Leo to celebrate Mass, meet with children during 1st visit to Roman parish
 Vatican diplomat stresses importance of democracy, human rights in the Americas
 Founder of ESNE, Catholic media network, meets with Pope
 Ukrainian Catholic leader thanks Pontiff for support

Released Thursday, Feb. 12

 Vatican offers ‘dialogue’ with SSPX, warns against ordinations [News Analysis]
 Reconsider rollback of fuel-economy standards, USCCB asks Trump administration
 Israeli government backtracks, permits continued operation of Caritas Jerusalem in Gaza
 Students, teachers from vandalized California school meet with Pope Leo
 India’s bishops call for repeal of laws that violate religious freedom
 Stop the slaughter, Nigerian bishops’ conference pleads
 Marconi’s daughter recalls father’s role in establishing Vatican Radio
 Love God by loving the sick, Cardinal Czerny preaches on World Day of the Sick
 Citing Jesus and Muhammad, Philippine prelate calls on Catholics, Muslims to pray, work together during Lent and Ramadan
 Look to Saints Cyril and Methodius to overcome divisions, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Leo looks ahead to Lent
 Pope honors Immaculate Mary, prays with the sick

Released Wednesday, Feb. 11

 Pope Leo reflects on ‘profound and vital link’ between God’s Word and the Church
 Jimmy Lai, Catholic pro-democracy advocate, sentenced to 20 years in prison
 Netherlands sees rise in new adult Catholics; Sunday Mass attendance falls below 3%
 Cameroon prelate reflects on solidarity between bishops of US, Africa
 Vatican diplomat decries link between financial speculation, food prices
 Vatican: Pope Leo is considering visit to Monaco
 Cardinal Cupich calls for White House apology for Truth Social depiction of Obamas
 Vatican Radio announces podcasts on the future of radio
 Venezuela’s bishops call for release of political prisoners, respect for human rights
 Shroud of Turin: Medieval origin hypothesis challenged on scientific grounds
 Theme announced for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly
 Muslim, Hindu prayers included in prayer vigil for World Day of Prayer against Human Trafficking

Released Tuesday, Feb. 10

 Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification to proceed
 Vatican confirms pope will not visit US in 2026
 Background: World Day of the Sick
 ‘We mixed raw flour with water to stay alive’: Nigerian church abduction survivors recount ordeal
 Prelate denounces Truth Social depiction of Obamas
 Vatican diplomat called for investment in infrastructure of world’s poorest nations
 USCCB publishes update on Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
 Australian bishops issue statement on rising cost of living
 Vatican sends 80 generators to Ukraine
 Pontiff accepts resignation of 82-year-old bishop
 DDF publishes 4 Vatican documents from 1962-2004 on addressing sexual abuse accusations
 Pope Leo outlines his vision of the priests that the Church needs today
 Pope thanks floral, Vatican building services stafff

Released Monday, Feb. 9

 Westminster diocesan employee who stole $130K avoids jail
 USCCB publishes diocesan guide for evangelizing catechesis
 Archbishop Hicks, at New York installation Mass, calls for a ‘missionary Church, not a country club’
 Venezuelan cardinal calls on faithful to pray outside prisons
 In Nigeria, gunmen kill 3, abduct 11, including priest
 Pope approves new statutes for Pontifical International Marian Academy
 Cardinal Pizzaballa: ‘Concrete actions’ needed to rebuild trust in Holy Land
 19th-century Spanish priest beatified
 Bishop describes plight of Zaporizhzhia, under Russian attack
 Pope speaks of his devotion to Our Lady, asks the sick to offer their pain to God through Mary

Released Sunday, Feb. 8

 Pope Leo: Christ’s Beatitudes bring joy and healing

Released Saturday, Feb. 7

 Background: World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking
 Sierra Leone’s bishops condemn attacks on priests, missions
 Acknowledge spiritual assistance in addressing mental health needs, Vatican diplomat tells WHO
 New archbishop appointed for Denver
 Pope Leo is ‘very supportive’ of Courage, apostolate’s leader says after papal audience
 Ahead of elections, Nepal prelate welcomes ideals of youth protestors
 Pope renews Church’s ‘urgent call’ to end human trafficking
 Pope Leo issues ‘Life in Abundance,’ the most extensive papal document on sports
 Cardinal Poola, 1st Dalit cardinal, elected president of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India
 Pope Leo outlines his vision of Christian formation

Released Friday, Feb. 6

 Cardinal Farrell: Changing doctrine, structures is false ‘solution’ to problems in Church
 SSPX leader to meet with DDF prefect
 Pope, in video, prays for children with rare diseases
 Virginia bishop writes pastoral letter on mental health
 Ray Mouton, key figure in early days of clergy abuse crisis, dies at 78
 3 former Catholic Charities employees indicted in $2M fraud scheme
 New statutes approved for John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel
 Pope, Sant’Egidio founder discuss world conflicts, poverty
 Albania’s prime minister meets with Pontiff
 Let us ‘disarm our hearts’ to foster Christian unity, Pope tells Oriental Orthodox delegation
 Continue to speak out on behalf of the voiceless, Pope tells Catholic children’s advocates
 St. Agatha shows us true freedom, Cardinal Grech preaches in Catania

Released Thursday, Feb. 5

 Archbishop Weisenburger: ICE actions put America’s soul at risk
 Vatican diplomat weighs in on bioengineering, transplants of animal organs into humans
 Events announced for World Day of the Sick in Chiclayo, Peru
 Talitha Kum leader describes meeting with Pontiff as ‘sacred moment’
 Amid Russian bombings, Ukrainian Catholic diocese houses families
 USCCB president: New START’s expiration is ‘simply unacceptable’
 Restoration work begins on Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
 Bishop Varden to preach Lenten retreat to Pope, Curia
 Human fraternity is an urgent necessity, Pope writes in Zayed Award message
 Brazilian bishop transferred to smaller diocese
 Pope Leo exhorts pilgrims to read Sacred Scripture
 Pope Leo: St. Agatha recalls God’s goodness

Released Wednesday, Feb. 4

 Pope appeals for prayer for Ukraine, continuance of expiring Russia-US arms treaty
 Do not neglect Scripture’s human dimension or divine origin, Pope says at audience on Vatican II
 US Solicitor General backs Catholic parents and preschools in upcoming Supreme Court case
 Consider the lessons of history, US bishops write in Black History Month statement
 Cardinal McElroy warns that ‘the order of nature is eclipsing the order of grace’
 Vatican spokesman says talks with SSPX continue amid planned bishop consecrations
 California Catholic school holds reparation Mass following vandalism, desecration
 Pope Leo encourages India’s bishops to promote unity, brotherhood
 Nigerian bishop weights in on Christian persecution, US strikes on Islamic State militants
 Pope Francis’s secret decrees in spotlight in Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’
 Vatican announces commemorative medal for Pope Leo’s 1st year
 Bishop laments Russian actions in Central African Republic
 Zambia at a ‘crucial crossroad,’ bishops write in election pastoral letter
 Calendar of papal liturgies announced through Easter
 St. John Henry Newman added to General Roman Calendar as optional memorial

Released Tuesday, Feb. 3

 US bishops applaud expanded ‘Mexico City policy,’ back ‘robust funding’ for foreign assistance
 Catholic school ransacked, tabernacle desecrated in California
 Church attacked in Nigeria
 Cardinal Petrocchi named president of Vatican bank’s Commission of Cardinals
 ‘He felt my pain’: Irish abuse victim meets with Pope Leo
 Pope appoints 54-year-old as archbishop of Prague
 Cardinal Zenari, nuncio in Syria since 2008, retires
 Archbishop Gallagher concludes journey to Slovakia, hails Church-state relations
 Portugal’s president describes Pope Leo as ‘intelligent,’ ‘rational’ following meeting

Released Monday, Feb. 2

 Pope marks World Day for Consecrated Life, calls on religious to be prophets
 SSPX to ordain new bishops
 15 US bishops urge Senate to reject ICE funding
 Pontiff fills see that was vacant for 13 years
 Vatican newspaper laments ‘terrible situation’ in Myanmar, 5 years after coup
 Pope entrusts families of Swiss fire victims to Our Lady of Sorrows
 Cardinal Parolin marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Malta, Holy See
 Papal prayer for victims of DR Congo mine collapse
 Pope expresses gratitude to his attendants
 Cuban bishops warn of risk of chaos and violence, call for greater political freedom
 Shun polarization, Pope tells Italian newspaper
 Pope sends 80th birthday wishes to Cardinal Christophe Pierre
 Papal prayers, solidarity for Portuguese storm victims
 Pope Leo: Images of saints remind us of universal call to holiness
 Reflecting on peace, Pope Leo says ‘greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion’
 Background: World Day for Consecrated Life

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Tue17 February
Ordinary Time

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order; Tuesday before Ash Wednesday

Image for Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order; Tuesday before Ash Wednesday

It is also the day before Ash Wednesday, called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Traditionally, it is the last day for Christians to indulge before the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In many…

Learn more about this day.

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