Stories for week of January 04, 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Saturday, Jan. 10

 Franciscans, Pope Leo mark beginning of 800th anniversary year of St. Francis of Assisi’s death
 Pope thanks jubilee officials, volunteers
 Only 1 Christian school remains open in Gaza Strip
 New Salesian leader devotes new year’s message to faith
 Pontifical academy president lauds DDF’s poetry citations in monogamy document
 L’Osservatore Romano surveys upcoming Asian elections
 Vatican has diplomatic relations with 184 states
 Veteran diplomat hails Pope Leo’s commitment to peace
 Caritas laments 1,000 days of Sudan crisis
 Over 5,000 Catholics gather in Jordan to commemorate Christ’s baptism
 Bishop Sipuka appointed to Cape Town, succeeding Cardinal Brislin
 Pontiff to celebrate only 3 public liturgies in remainder of January, February
 Situation in Aleppo goes ‘from bad to worse,’ bishop says; suicide attack on church thwarted
 New pastoral staff for Pope Leo
 Christians in Pakistan suffer series of brutal attacks
 Pope Leo establishes 3 new dioceses in 3 weeks
 Italian Christian leaders to discuss ‘way of dialogue’

Released Friday, Jan. 9

 Pope decries abuse of political power in ‘State of the World’ address [News Analysis]
 Mass celebrated ad orientem in 9 parishes in Minnesota diocese
 Spanish bishops, government sign abuse compensation agreement
 Ecumenical Patriarch laments Russian invasion, defends recognition of Orthodox Church of Ukraine
 Balthasar scholar to lead diocese in New York
 Brazilian bishop resigns at 61 to focus on missionary work
 Pope receives Cardinal Zen
 Influencer-pilgrim meets with Pontiff
 Extraordinary consistory of cardinals concludes with announcement of future consistories
 Custos of the Holy Land: ‘Return as pilgrims’
 Place your hopes, your ideas, and your lives upon the altar, Pope preaches to cardinals

Released Thursday, Jan. 8

 Most Greenlanders do not wish to become part of United States, priest says
 Cameroon bishop: ‘We are not politicians’
 26,000 college students, 58 bishops attended SEEK conferences
 Papal encouragement for Poland’s Three Kings Parades
 ‘Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures,’ Pope prays in new video
 Vatican announces ‘Pray with the Pope’ campaign
 As consistory’s first day concludes, Pope tells cardinals that ‘the journey is as important as the conclusion’
 Cardinals, in consistory, vote to focus on evangelization and synodality, rather than on Curia, liturgy
 Pope Leo opens extraordinary consistory with call to mutual love and listening
 Pope begins new series of general audiences about Vatican II and its documents

Released Wednesday, Jan. 7

 31 Charlotte priests query Vatican about legitimacy of bishop’s liturgical directives
 Russell Shaw, US bishops’ former spokesman, dies at 90
 Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State Rubio discuss Venezuela, religious freedom
 Report: Kyiv’s Roman Catholics permitted to use historic church for 50 years
 Extraordinary consistory of College of Cardinals begins today
 Ugandan archbishop calls for peace, hope ahead of election
 Nigeria’s leading church music composer has ‘knack for catchy, soulful tunes’
 Ukrainian Catholic leader condemns online marriages
 Latin American bishops issue ‘message of closeness and hope’ to Church, people of Venezuela
 Last jubilee pilgrims: 5,000 volunteers
 Pope Leo at Epiphany Mass: ‘God reveals himself, and nothing remains unchanged’
 Jesus is the Epiphany of God and true humanity, Pope tells pilgrims

Released Tuesday, Jan. 6

 Pontiff closes holy door of St. Peter’s Basilica, ending jubilee year
 Colombian bishop condemns US strikes on Venezuela, describes President Trump as authoritarian
 English archdiocese announces apologetics initiative
 New Orleans archdiocese releases public apology letter to abuse claimants
 Green Bay bishop begins inquiry into life of Servant of God Adele Brice
 USCCB announces annual pro-life novena
 Gunshots fired at Palermo parish
 Lazio’s president meets with Pontiff, hails papal commitment to peace and the poor
 Vatican officials to present ‘Pray with the Pope’ campaign
 Vatican, Italian officials take stock of jubilee year; 33.4 million pilgrims came from 185 nations

Released Monday, Jan. 5

 Indianapolis parish files lawsuit in order to demolish deconsecrated church
 Mass attendance, conversions up significantly at Harvard
 Priestly vocations surge in Ohio diocese
 Terrorists attack Nigerian villages, reportedly re-abduct some Catholic school students
 Cardinal Sarah speaks at Princeton on sacred music, the four last things, and true peace
 Historic Dutch former Catholic church destroyed by fire on New Year’s Day
 UN chief calls on Israel to reverse ban on Caritas, other humanitarian organizations in Gaza
 Vatican to publish documents associated with abandoned ‘Fundamental Law of the Church’
 Vatican consultor sees need to ‘rethink’ psycho-affective formation of priests
 Ukrainian Catholic leader hopes 2026 will bring just and lasting peace
 Venezuelan bishops call for fervent prayer for peace
 Vatican City State releases new official app
 The Church is called to ‘silent and shared presence,’ Swiss bishop says after bar fire

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Sat10 January
Christmas

Saturday after Epiphany

Image for Saturday after Epiphany

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Paul the Hermit (230-342). The West learned of the life of St. Paul from St. Jerome (+ 420); the book, which he devoted to the life of the first Christian hermit, charmed and instructed generations of the faithful and formed the inspiration of many artists.…

Learn more about this day.

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