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President Biden welcomed into Masons

The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina has announced that it conferred membership on President Joe Biden on January 19, the day before the conclusion of his presidency.

Describing President Biden as the “newest member to the Prince Hall Family,” the Lodge stated that “at a private event, Master Mason membership with full honors were [sic] conferred upon President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in recognition of his outstanding service to the United States of America.”

In its Declaration on Masonic Associations (1983), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that “the faithful who belong to Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.” In 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirmed that “active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is forbidden because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry.”

Pope’s autobiography, Hope, released

Hope, an autobiography of Pope Francis, was released on January 14, published simultaneously in over 100 countries. Described by the English-language publisher, Random House, the 320-page...

Cardinal DiNardo retires; successor named

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, 75, as archbishop of Galveston-Houston and has named Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin as his successor.

Cardinal DiNardo, ordained a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1977, was named bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, in 1997 and coadjutor archbishop of Galveston-Houston in 2004. He acceded to the see in 2006, and Pope Benedict created him a cardinal in 2007. He was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2016 to 2019.

Bishop Vásquez, 67, was ordained a priest of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, in 1983. He was named auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston in 2001 and bishop of Austin in 2010.

Cost of US sex-abuse scandal tops $5 billion

The latest study of the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the US has found that American dioceses and religious orders have paid more than $5 billion to resolve abuse cases.

The study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), covering abuse charges that have been filed in the past 20 years, puts the overall cost of the scandal a just over $5 billion, including legal fees.

The study finds that the number of sex-abuse complaints has dropped, with only 3% of the cases involving incidents that occurred after 2000. More than 90% of the cases covered in the study dated back to before 1989; in many such cases the alleged perpetrator was already deceased.

The CARA study confirmed that 80% of the abuse complaints involved male victims, with a vast majority (80%) involving adolescent or teenage boys.

Pope Francis issues message for Trump inauguration

Six hours before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States, the Vatican released a papal message for the inauguration.

“I offer cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection in the exercise of your high duties,” the Pope wrote. “Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion.”

The Pope added:

At the same time, as our human family faces numerous challenges, not to mention the scourge of war, I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples. With these sentiments, I invoke upon you, your family, and the beloved American people an abundance of divine blessings.

Woman religious tapped to head Vatican City governorate

During an Italian television interview on January 19, Pope Francis disclosed that he has chosen Sister Raffaella Petrini to be the president of the Vatican City governorate.

Sister Petrini, who is currently secretary-general of the governorate, will take the top spot when Cardinal Fernando Vergez Algaza retires when he reaches his 80th birthday on March 1.

Vatican increases penalties for illegal entry

The government of Vatican City has quietly raised the penalties imposed on people who enter Vatican territory illegally.

Anyone who enters Vatican territory illegally is subject to criminal prosecution, with penalties now reaching as high as €25,000 (about $25,000), and prison sentences up to four years. These penalties could be increased if the illegal entry involves violence.

Anyone convicted for entering the Vatican illegally will subsequently be barred from legal entry for up to 15 years.

Although St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Museums are open to visitors, other entries to the Vatican’s walled territory are closely guarded, with only authorized visitors allowed.

Background: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins on January 18. In 1908, Rev. Paul Wattson, then an Anglican religious in Graymoor, New York, began a Church Unity Octave with the support of...

New Vatican text explores challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Vatican has issued a new “Note” exploring the promises, challenges, and dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Entitled Antiqua et Nova, the lengthy (117-paragraph) statement...

Pope upholds Argentine saint as model for future priests

Pope Francis received seminarians from the Argentine Priests’ College in Rome on January 16 and upheld an Argentine saint, St. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (1840-1914), as a model for their priesthood.

The Pope recalled that it was said of the saint that “Brochero could be none other than a priest.” The Pontiff commented, “We must firmly assume this priestly identity, realize that our vocation is not an addendum, a means to other ends ... Absolutely not. Vocation is God’s plan for our life, what God sees in us.”

The Pope also spoke of the saint’s love for the Eucharist and his sense of priestly fraternity. The Pope explained:

First of all, with the bishop, of whom he considers himself a simple soldier, in order to emulate the feats of the heroes, fighting alongside him, side by side, to the last cartridge. And with his brother priests, he wants to share everything he has, he invites them to correct him with confidence and he does so for them with frankness, asking them to lead a life of deep piety, with frequent confession.