Season 3 of EWTN hit series ‘James the Less’ to be released Feb. 14 #Catholic The third season of the award-winning online EWTN series “James the Less” will be released on Saturday, Feb. 14, on the EWTN YouTube channel.The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job. James is an atheist. However, a “help wanted” sign on the church bulletin board catches his eye and entices him to interview for the position: handyman.James accepts the position at St. James the Less Church and starts to encounter Catholicism. Soon, James finds his ideals challenged by the no-nonsense pastor Father Lambert Burns and through his romantic pursuit of parishioner Anne-Marie.The second season showed James’ growing interest in Catholicism and more questions were answered regarding Anne-Marie’s mysterious past.James is played by Catholic artist and missionary Tanner Kalina, who has participated in ministries such as FOCUS, Ascension Presents, NET, and others.Kalina told EWTN News that in Season 3 viewers can “expect some closure in the story of James and what happens and all the open-ended questions that we have. I think you can find some very satisfying answers.”While filming these three seasons of the series, Kalina shared that the best part has been working with all those involved, “who put a lot of heart and creativity and fun and joy and prayer into it all and by the end everyone became a good, loving family.”He also pointed out that he has learned a lot from James while portraying him, including that the “faith is vibrant.”“It’s just a good reminder that inside all of our hearts we’re aching and longing for the Lord and we’re longing for a guide to just invite us and to bring us to the Lord,” he added. “So playing James has kind of reawakened that reality to me … and that when we just speak truth and when we just put someone in front of Jesus, then it awakens something very deep within someone.”Kalina also pointed out the recent growth in interest among Gen Z in the Catholic faith and the need to provide these individuals with “good content that is rooted in the truth of the faith, that’s rooted in the joy of the faith, and that is something that actually not only feeds the intellect and feeds the time and feeds the scroll, but really feeds the heart.”“So, my hope is that as the younger generation stumbles upon this, it can be an avenue that they can find good content that really feeds them,” he added.He also said he hopes viewers are left “smiling” after watching the series.“I hope that they’re having fun and falling in love with these characters and recognizing that like, ‘Oh yeah, our faith is a great treasure’ and it’s not just like another option amongst options, but we are sitting atop a mound of gold that needs to be shared with the world.”Watch the Season 3 trailer below.

Season 3 of EWTN hit series ‘James the Less’ to be released Feb. 14 #Catholic The third season of the award-winning online EWTN series “James the Less” will be released on Saturday, Feb. 14, on the EWTN YouTube channel.The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job. James is an atheist. However, a “help wanted” sign on the church bulletin board catches his eye and entices him to interview for the position: handyman.James accepts the position at St. James the Less Church and starts to encounter Catholicism. Soon, James finds his ideals challenged by the no-nonsense pastor Father Lambert Burns and through his romantic pursuit of parishioner Anne-Marie.The second season showed James’ growing interest in Catholicism and more questions were answered regarding Anne-Marie’s mysterious past.James is played by Catholic artist and missionary Tanner Kalina, who has participated in ministries such as FOCUS, Ascension Presents, NET, and others.Kalina told EWTN News that in Season 3 viewers can “expect some closure in the story of James and what happens and all the open-ended questions that we have. I think you can find some very satisfying answers.”While filming these three seasons of the series, Kalina shared that the best part has been working with all those involved, “who put a lot of heart and creativity and fun and joy and prayer into it all and by the end everyone became a good, loving family.”He also pointed out that he has learned a lot from James while portraying him, including that the “faith is vibrant.”“It’s just a good reminder that inside all of our hearts we’re aching and longing for the Lord and we’re longing for a guide to just invite us and to bring us to the Lord,” he added. “So playing James has kind of reawakened that reality to me … and that when we just speak truth and when we just put someone in front of Jesus, then it awakens something very deep within someone.”Kalina also pointed out the recent growth in interest among Gen Z in the Catholic faith and the need to provide these individuals with “good content that is rooted in the truth of the faith, that’s rooted in the joy of the faith, and that is something that actually not only feeds the intellect and feeds the time and feeds the scroll, but really feeds the heart.”“So, my hope is that as the younger generation stumbles upon this, it can be an avenue that they can find good content that really feeds them,” he added.He also said he hopes viewers are left “smiling” after watching the series.“I hope that they’re having fun and falling in love with these characters and recognizing that like, ‘Oh yeah, our faith is a great treasure’ and it’s not just like another option amongst options, but we are sitting atop a mound of gold that needs to be shared with the world.”Watch the Season 3 trailer below.

The first season introduced viewers to James Little, a student fresh out of college desperate for a job.

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Shimmering Light in Egg Nebula – NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals the clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. This structure of gas and dust was created by a dying, Sun-like star. These newest observations were taken with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals the clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. This structure of gas and dust was created by a dying, Sun-like star. These newest observations were taken with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3.

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Cuban bishops postpone Vatican visit amid worsening national crisis – #Catholic – The Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced Thursday that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country’s grave situation, which is generating “so much instability and uncertainty.”The bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 20 as part of their periodic ad limina visit, which was set to begin Monday, Feb. 16. During such visits, bishops also customarily pray at the four major papal basilicas and meet with various Vatican dicasteries.However, in a statement on Feb. 12, the bishops’ conference said that “given the worsening socio-economic situation in the country, which is generating so much instability and uncertainty, the Catholic bishops have asked the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the ad limina visit be postponed to a later date than originally planned.”“We continue praying for our homeland, and we renew our affection and communion with the pope and with the Apostolic See,” the statement added.Cuba’s prolonged economic and social crisis has intensified in recent days, particularly after the United States government announced on Jan. 29 the imposition of tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean nation, as a way of pressuring the communist regime.In response, the Cuban government has introduced further restrictions beyond those already faced by the population. Last Sunday, the regime also reported that it no longer had fuel for commercial aircraft, a development that is affecting tourism, one of the government’s principal sources of revenue.At the same time, the Trump administration began sending containers of humanitarian aid in January for the Catholic Church to distribute to those affected by Hurricane Melissa. The assistance is being coordinated directly with Caritas Cuba, without the participation of the regime.On Jan. 31, the Cuban bishops warned in a separate statement that the country risks falling into social chaos and violence if the structural changes it urgently needs are not implemented.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Cuban bishops postpone Vatican visit amid worsening national crisis – #Catholic – The Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced Thursday that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country’s grave situation, which is generating “so much instability and uncertainty.”The bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 20 as part of their periodic ad limina visit, which was set to begin Monday, Feb. 16. During such visits, bishops also customarily pray at the four major papal basilicas and meet with various Vatican dicasteries.However, in a statement on Feb. 12, the bishops’ conference said that “given the worsening socio-economic situation in the country, which is generating so much instability and uncertainty, the Catholic bishops have asked the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the ad limina visit be postponed to a later date than originally planned.”“We continue praying for our homeland, and we renew our affection and communion with the pope and with the Apostolic See,” the statement added.Cuba’s prolonged economic and social crisis has intensified in recent days, particularly after the United States government announced on Jan. 29 the imposition of tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean nation, as a way of pressuring the communist regime.In response, the Cuban government has introduced further restrictions beyond those already faced by the population. Last Sunday, the regime also reported that it no longer had fuel for commercial aircraft, a development that is affecting tourism, one of the government’s principal sources of revenue.At the same time, the Trump administration began sending containers of humanitarian aid in January for the Catholic Church to distribute to those affected by Hurricane Melissa. The assistance is being coordinated directly with Caritas Cuba, without the participation of the regime.On Jan. 31, the Cuban bishops warned in a separate statement that the country risks falling into social chaos and violence if the structural changes it urgently needs are not implemented.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

The country’s growing economic and social instability prompts request to delay meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  February 12: Asteroid Nysa approaches a star This dark, moonless Friday the 13th evening is the perfect time to head out after dark and try to catch a glimpse of the zodiacal light. This ethereal, cone-shaped glow is actually the reflected lightContinue reading “The Sky Today on Friday, February 13: Catch the zodiacal light”

The post The Sky Today on Friday, February 13: Catch the zodiacal light appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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‘Gunperson’ And 7 Other More Inclusive Terms To Use For Non-Binary Criminals #BabylonBee – When reporting on crime, it’s of paramount importance that journalists adhere to a strict code of ethics, which involves using AP-approved inclusionary terms to identify assailants of indeterminate gender. For example, if a person shoots and kills someone, and you can’t readily discern their gender, try identifying them as the most inclusive "gunperson."

When reporting on crime, it’s of paramount importance that journalists adhere to a strict code of ethics, which involves using AP-approved inclusionary terms to identify assailants of indeterminate gender. For example, if a person shoots and kills someone, and you can’t readily discern their gender, try identifying them as the most inclusive "gunperson."

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O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

By Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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Catholic bishops to honor 250th anniversary of U.S. independence with adoration, works of mercy – #Catholic – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking Catholics to participate in an initiative to honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through Eucharistic adoration and works of mercy.“All Catholics are encouraged to join the bishops in praying for the unity and healing of our country,” a bishops’ guideline on the initiative reads.Leading up to July 4, the bishops are encouraging individuals and parishes to contribute to 250 collective hours of adoration and 250 collective works of mercy as Americans approach the anniversary of the country’s formation.The initiative also coincides with the lead up to the bishops’ reconsecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the June 12 solemnity. The consecration is set to happen during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.Aaron Weldon, assistant director of the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty, told EWTN News the initiative was born out of a desire “to do something to kind of celebrate in a prayerful way.” He said the bishops also wanted to “give Catholics a way to participate in the consecration.”The USCCB published a guide with resources on how to participate, which suggests parishes can set up a Holy Hour with Eucharistic adoration on a weekly or monthly basis leading up to the Fourth of July.“While 250 hours seems like a lot, each person present constitutes an hour prayed,” the guide states.It provides resources for setting up Holy Hours dedicated to specific intentions, such as a Holy Hour for life or a Holy Hour for peace. It adds that parishes can also incorporate the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus into the Holy Hour to prepare for the consecration.“You may have other ways to invite members of your community to spend some time in prayer for our country with Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament,” the guide adds.For works of mercy, the USCCB guide states that individuals and groups can engage in existing activities in their parishes or start initiatives on a weekly or monthly basis leading up to the Fourth of July.“Our works of mercy draw from the deep well of our faith and prayer, constantly reminding us that in tending to our brothers and sisters, we tend to Christ himself,” it states.Works of mercy can include a variety of activities, such as assisting women who face a crisis pregnancy, donating to food pantries, sponsoring a refugee family, or volunteering at homeless shelters, among other things, according to the USCCB guide.
 
 Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CEO Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, New York (right), talks with Elisabeth Espinosa, director of Outreach Programs at the Roarke Center Food Pantry, on April 4, 2025, at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Troy, New York. | Credit: Cindy Schultz for The Washington Post via Getty Images
 
 The USCCB is asking parishes to document their communities’ participation in the initiative and report to the bishops about ways in which people participated and fruits from the prayers and the actions.Weldon said the bishops hope to “collect stories about the different ways that parishes … or small Catholic groups found a way to put these ideas into actions,” adding that the suggestions are “flexible,” so parishes and other Catholic groups can “do what works best for them.”“I hope that we can start to hear back from people the different ways that people are putting some of these ideas into action,” Weldon said.In September 2025, the White House launched the “America Prays” initiative, which also asks people to pray for the United States and its people leading up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.Weldon said the USCCB initiative is separate and independent from that. He said the bishops’ consecration and the adoration and works of mercy offer “distinctly Catholic ways of celebrating” the 250th anniversary launched by the bishops.

Catholic bishops to honor 250th anniversary of U.S. independence with adoration, works of mercy – #Catholic – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking Catholics to participate in an initiative to honor the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through Eucharistic adoration and works of mercy.“All Catholics are encouraged to join the bishops in praying for the unity and healing of our country,” a bishops’ guideline on the initiative reads.Leading up to July 4, the bishops are encouraging individuals and parishes to contribute to 250 collective hours of adoration and 250 collective works of mercy as Americans approach the anniversary of the country’s formation.The initiative also coincides with the lead up to the bishops’ reconsecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the June 12 solemnity. The consecration is set to happen during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.Aaron Weldon, assistant director of the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty, told EWTN News the initiative was born out of a desire “to do something to kind of celebrate in a prayerful way.” He said the bishops also wanted to “give Catholics a way to participate in the consecration.”The USCCB published a guide with resources on how to participate, which suggests parishes can set up a Holy Hour with Eucharistic adoration on a weekly or monthly basis leading up to the Fourth of July.“While 250 hours seems like a lot, each person present constitutes an hour prayed,” the guide states.It provides resources for setting up Holy Hours dedicated to specific intentions, such as a Holy Hour for life or a Holy Hour for peace. It adds that parishes can also incorporate the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus into the Holy Hour to prepare for the consecration.“You may have other ways to invite members of your community to spend some time in prayer for our country with Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament,” the guide adds.For works of mercy, the USCCB guide states that individuals and groups can engage in existing activities in their parishes or start initiatives on a weekly or monthly basis leading up to the Fourth of July.“Our works of mercy draw from the deep well of our faith and prayer, constantly reminding us that in tending to our brothers and sisters, we tend to Christ himself,” it states.Works of mercy can include a variety of activities, such as assisting women who face a crisis pregnancy, donating to food pantries, sponsoring a refugee family, or volunteering at homeless shelters, among other things, according to the USCCB guide. Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CEO Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, New York (right), talks with Elisabeth Espinosa, director of Outreach Programs at the Roarke Center Food Pantry, on April 4, 2025, at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Troy, New York. | Credit: Cindy Schultz for The Washington Post via Getty Images The USCCB is asking parishes to document their communities’ participation in the initiative and report to the bishops about ways in which people participated and fruits from the prayers and the actions.Weldon said the bishops hope to “collect stories about the different ways that parishes … or small Catholic groups found a way to put these ideas into actions,” adding that the suggestions are “flexible,” so parishes and other Catholic groups can “do what works best for them.”“I hope that we can start to hear back from people the different ways that people are putting some of these ideas into action,” Weldon said.In September 2025, the White House launched the “America Prays” initiative, which also asks people to pray for the United States and its people leading up to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.Weldon said the USCCB initiative is separate and independent from that. He said the bishops’ consecration and the adoration and works of mercy offer “distinctly Catholic ways of celebrating” the 250th anniversary launched by the bishops.

U.S. parishes and other Catholic groups are expected to participate in the initiative ahead of the Fourth of July.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 13 February 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19 Jeroboam left Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. The two were alone in the area, and the prophet was wearing a new cloak. Ahijah took off his new cloak, tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself; the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp and will give you ten of the tribes. One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’” Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.From the Gospel according to Mark 7:31-37 Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."Brothers and sisters, there is an interior deafness that we can ask Jesus to touch and heal today. It is interior deafness, which is worse than physical deafness, because it is the deafness of the heart. Taken up with haste, by so many things to say and do, we do not find time to stop and listen to those who speak to us. We run the risk of becoming impervious to everything and not making room for those who need to be heard. I am thinking about children, young people, the elderly, the many who do not really need words and sermons, but to be heard. Let us ask ourselves: how is my capacity to listen going? Do I let myself be touched by people’s lives? Do I know how to spend time with those who are close to me in order to listen? This regards all of us, but in a special way also priests. The priest must listen to people, not in a rushed way, but listen and see how he can help, but after having listened. (…) Starting a dialogue often happens not through words but silence, by not insisting, by patiently beginning anew to listen to others, hearing about their struggles and what they carry inside. The healing of the heart begins with listening. Listening. This is what restores the heart. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 5 September 2021)

A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19

Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:

“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”

Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.

From the Gospel according to Mark
7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Brothers and sisters, there is an interior deafness that we can ask Jesus to touch and heal today. It is interior deafness, which is worse than physical deafness, because it is the deafness of the heart. Taken up with haste, by so many things to say and do, we do not find time to stop and listen to those who speak to us. We run the risk of becoming impervious to everything and not making room for those who need to be heard. I am thinking about children, young people, the elderly, the many who do not really need words and sermons, but to be heard. Let us ask ourselves: how is my capacity to listen going? Do I let myself be touched by people’s lives? Do I know how to spend time with those who are close to me in order to listen? This regards all of us, but in a special way also priests. The priest must listen to people, not in a rushed way, but listen and see how he can help, but after having listened. (…) Starting a dialogue often happens not through words but silence, by not insisting, by patiently beginning anew to listen to others, hearing about their struggles and what they carry inside. The healing of the heart begins with listening. Listening. This is what restores the heart. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 5 September 2021)

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Two-thirds of aborted babies lost their lives to abortion pills, report finds - #Catholic - About two-thirds of aborted babies lost their lives to abortion pills, according to a Feb. 10 report by the National Right to Life.The 2026 “Status of Abortion in the United States” report, an analysis of developments in abortion policy, found that chemical abortions account for 63% of all reported abortions in the U.S. as of 2023.Mail-order pills, which can be shipped into every state, even if they are illegal, make chemical abortion easily accessible. State safeguards designed to protect women — such as required in-person physician visits — can be easily sidestepped.But studies continue to show high rates of negative outcomes for women who take abortion drugs. Chemical abortion has a complication rate four times that of surgical abortion, one study found. According to a 2025 study, 1 in 10 patients had “a serious adverse event” and 6% of patients needed surgery.The Trump administration has pledged to review the dangers of the abortion drug but has not restored safeguards that the Biden administration removed.National Right to Life looks to establish accountability on the state and local level through legislation.“This is a moment of stark contrast in America,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Some states are racing to entrench abortion at any cost, while others are advancing compassionate policies that recognize the humanity of unborn children and provide real support to mothers.”The Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education (APPLE) Act is “designed to hold abortion-pill providers accountable and give women legal recourse when harmed,” according to the Feb. 10 press release.The report calls the model legislation a “fresh approach.”“The APPLE Act empowers women to sue any party involved in the abortion pill supply chain — prescribers, sellers, manufacturers — when harm occurs,” the report read. “The goal is accountability and transparency.”Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the removal of safeguards around abortion pill prescriptions was “reckless.”“The abortion industry treats abortion pills like casual online purchases, though the reality is that they are far more dangerous,” Francis told EWTN News. “Known complications for women include hemorrhage, severe infection, and the need for emergency surgery.”
 
 Dr. Christina Francis heads the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). | Credit: AAPLOG
 
 “Anyone can order them online — a woman, a minor, even an abuser — with no ID, no pregnancy verification, and zero medical supervision or follow‑up,” she continued.The APPLE Act would ensure a public record of injuries and failures — something currently not in place, as abortion pill complications go underreported.“This report makes clear that while Roe [v. Wade] is gone, the abortion industry has simply shifted tactics — relying heavily on dangerous mail-order pills and legal loopholes to avoid accountability,” Tobias said.“At the same time, we’re seeing encouraging momentum in states working to protect both women and their unborn children,” Tobias continued. “The APPLE Act is one important step toward restoring transparency and responsibility in an industry that has operated for too long without either.”So far, two states — Washington and Ohio — have introduced the APPLE Act.“Because the APPLE Act is fundamentally consumer protection law, it has the potential to gain traction even in states that support abortion,” the report read.“The truth about chemical abortion is becoming harder to ignore,” the report continued.Francis urged the FDA to reinstate the safeguards.“When the FDA recklessly scrapped the last remaining safeguards over these high-risk drugs, it opened the floodgates for extensive harm and abuse of both women and preborn children,” Francis continued. “The result is widespread and reckless distribution of these pills, thousands of preborn lives lost, and more women harmed because they were never given truly informed consent or afforded basic medical care and support.”“This is medical malpractice, and it is time for the FDA to take this situation seriously and do its job by restoring essential safeguards,” she said.

Two-thirds of aborted babies lost their lives to abortion pills, report finds – #Catholic – About two-thirds of aborted babies lost their lives to abortion pills, according to a Feb. 10 report by the National Right to Life.The 2026 “Status of Abortion in the United States” report, an analysis of developments in abortion policy, found that chemical abortions account for 63% of all reported abortions in the U.S. as of 2023.Mail-order pills, which can be shipped into every state, even if they are illegal, make chemical abortion easily accessible. State safeguards designed to protect women — such as required in-person physician visits — can be easily sidestepped.But studies continue to show high rates of negative outcomes for women who take abortion drugs. Chemical abortion has a complication rate four times that of surgical abortion, one study found. According to a 2025 study, 1 in 10 patients had “a serious adverse event” and 6% of patients needed surgery.The Trump administration has pledged to review the dangers of the abortion drug but has not restored safeguards that the Biden administration removed.National Right to Life looks to establish accountability on the state and local level through legislation.“This is a moment of stark contrast in America,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Some states are racing to entrench abortion at any cost, while others are advancing compassionate policies that recognize the humanity of unborn children and provide real support to mothers.”The Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education (APPLE) Act is “designed to hold abortion-pill providers accountable and give women legal recourse when harmed,” according to the Feb. 10 press release.The report calls the model legislation a “fresh approach.”“The APPLE Act empowers women to sue any party involved in the abortion pill supply chain — prescribers, sellers, manufacturers — when harm occurs,” the report read. “The goal is accountability and transparency.”Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the removal of safeguards around abortion pill prescriptions was “reckless.”“The abortion industry treats abortion pills like casual online purchases, though the reality is that they are far more dangerous,” Francis told EWTN News. “Known complications for women include hemorrhage, severe infection, and the need for emergency surgery.” Dr. Christina Francis heads the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). | Credit: AAPLOG “Anyone can order them online — a woman, a minor, even an abuser — with no ID, no pregnancy verification, and zero medical supervision or follow‑up,” she continued.The APPLE Act would ensure a public record of injuries and failures — something currently not in place, as abortion pill complications go underreported.“This report makes clear that while Roe [v. Wade] is gone, the abortion industry has simply shifted tactics — relying heavily on dangerous mail-order pills and legal loopholes to avoid accountability,” Tobias said.“At the same time, we’re seeing encouraging momentum in states working to protect both women and their unborn children,” Tobias continued. “The APPLE Act is one important step toward restoring transparency and responsibility in an industry that has operated for too long without either.”So far, two states — Washington and Ohio — have introduced the APPLE Act.“Because the APPLE Act is fundamentally consumer protection law, it has the potential to gain traction even in states that support abortion,” the report read.“The truth about chemical abortion is becoming harder to ignore,” the report continued.Francis urged the FDA to reinstate the safeguards.“When the FDA recklessly scrapped the last remaining safeguards over these high-risk drugs, it opened the floodgates for extensive harm and abuse of both women and preborn children,” Francis continued. “The result is widespread and reckless distribution of these pills, thousands of preborn lives lost, and more women harmed because they were never given truly informed consent or afforded basic medical care and support.”“This is medical malpractice, and it is time for the FDA to take this situation seriously and do its job by restoring essential safeguards,” she said.

After a report found that nearly two-thirds of abortions are chemical, advocacy groups are pushing for national and local safeguards against mail-order abortion pill prescriptions.

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More bishops call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic Nearly half a dozen more bishops have joined the growing backlash against the University of Notre Dame over its controversial appointment of an outspoken abortion advocate to lead a university department.Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 issued a statement criticizing the university for appointing global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Three of Rhoades’ fellow bishops quickly backed the prelate’s remarks, voicing support on social media and calling on the university to drop Ostermann’s nomination. On Feb. 12, five more bishops commended Rhoades for his statement and expressed hope that the historic Catholic university would rescind the appointment. Gallup, New Mexico, Bishop James Wall praised Rhoades for his stance, with the western U.S. prelate offering a quote attributed to Pope Leo XIV: “We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God.”TweetSan Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone also thanked Rhoades for “speaking up.” “Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Cordileone said. TweetGreen Bay, Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken, meanwhile, wrote: “I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop [Rhoades].” He said Rhoades spoke “with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church’s mission.”“[L]et us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother — we love you and entrust this to your Immaculate Heart,” Ricken wrote.TweetMadison, Wisconsin, Bishop Donald Hying described Rhoades’ statement as “a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life.”Tweet“We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life,” he said. Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley said he “stand[s] in support of Bishop Rhoades” while sharing his concern over the appointment. “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership,” he said. TweetThe University of Notre Dame has continued to stand by its appointment of Ostermann, whose post is scheduled to take effect July 1. Rhoades on Feb. 11 said there is “still time [for the university] to make things right.”Ostermann, meanwhile, told the National Catholic Register in January that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”The professor said she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”

More bishops call for Notre Dame to drop appointment of pro-abortion professor #Catholic Nearly half a dozen more bishops have joined the growing backlash against the University of Notre Dame over its controversial appointment of an outspoken abortion advocate to lead a university department.Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 issued a statement criticizing the university for appointing global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.Three of Rhoades’ fellow bishops quickly backed the prelate’s remarks, voicing support on social media and calling on the university to drop Ostermann’s nomination. On Feb. 12, five more bishops commended Rhoades for his statement and expressed hope that the historic Catholic university would rescind the appointment. Gallup, New Mexico, Bishop James Wall praised Rhoades for his stance, with the western U.S. prelate offering a quote attributed to Pope Leo XIV: “We cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest, whether the child in the womb or the old man in his fragility, for both are gifts from God.”TweetSan Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone also thanked Rhoades for “speaking up.” “Holy Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady, pray for the university that bears your name,” Cordileone said. TweetGreen Bay, Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken, meanwhile, wrote: “I fully affirm and stand in solidarity with my brother bishop [Rhoades].” He said Rhoades spoke “with clarity, courage, and fidelity to the Church’s mission.”“[L]et us turn with confidence to our Blessed Mother. Our Lady, pray for us! You are our loving Mother — we love you and entrust this to your Immaculate Heart,” Ricken wrote.TweetMadison, Wisconsin, Bishop Donald Hying described Rhoades’ statement as “a profound reflection on human dignity and the culture of life.”Tweet“We pray that all of our educational institutions support Catholic teaching, especially regarding human life,” he said. Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley said he “stand[s] in support of Bishop Rhoades” while sharing his concern over the appointment. “Catholic institutions must faithfully reflect the truth of the dignity of every human life in both their mission and their leadership,” he said. TweetThe University of Notre Dame has continued to stand by its appointment of Ostermann, whose post is scheduled to take effect July 1. Rhoades on Feb. 11 said there is “still time [for the university] to make things right.”Ostermann, meanwhile, told the National Catholic Register in January that her role at the school “is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda.”The professor said she “respect[s] Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage” and described herself as “inspired by the university’s focus on integral human development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person.”

The university has endured sustained backlash for nominating the outspoken abortion advocate to lead an academic department.

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Obituary: Sister Pauline Gambacorto, of the Sisters of the Church of Paterson, 90 #Catholic – A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J., for Sister Pauline Gambacorto, a member of the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson, N.J., since 1986, who died on Feb. 3. She was 90.
Born July 6, 1935, in Long Branch, N.J., Sister Gambacorto entered the Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini in Morristown, N.J., in 1949. She received her habit in 1951 and made her final profession in 1952. She taught in many schools throughout New Jersey and New York. Sister Gambacorto touched many lives as a teacher and musician. She taught piano and voice. Her voice was captivating; she frequently led songs at Mass. Sister Gambacorto served the Filippini community for 29 years.
In 1978, Sister Gambacorto left the Filippini community and joined the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson in 1986.
Sister Gambacorto was a loving and giving servant of Christ, living to serve the “least among us.” She was always searching for God and ways to serve him. Sister Gambacorto enjoyed knitting and crocheting, donating many newborn caps and blankets to hospitals, churches, and shelters. She was an artist who created greeting cards for family and friends. She was skilled in calligraphy, personally addressing each of the 310 wedding invitations for one of her nieces.
Sister Gambacorto was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Mary (née Clemente) Gambacorto; her brother, Thomas, and his wife (Theresa) Gambacorto; and her sister, Angelina (née Mills). She is survived by her brother, Dominic, and his wife Janet Gambacorto, of Red Bank, N.J.; her sister, Joann (Keith, deceased) Richardson, of Maryland; and many nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces.
Her niece, Sister Lisa Gambacorto, RSM, will host the Memorial Mass at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J.

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Obituary: Sister Pauline Gambacorto, of the Sisters of the Church of Paterson, 90 #Catholic – A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J., for Sister Pauline Gambacorto, a member of the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson, N.J., since 1986, who died on Feb. 3. She was 90. Born July 6, 1935, in Long Branch, N.J., Sister Gambacorto entered the Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini in Morristown, N.J., in 1949. She received her habit in 1951 and made her final profession in 1952. She taught in many schools throughout New Jersey and New York. Sister Gambacorto touched many lives as a teacher and musician. She taught piano and voice. Her voice was captivating; she frequently led songs at Mass. Sister Gambacorto served the Filippini community for 29 years. In 1978, Sister Gambacorto left the Filippini community and joined the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson in 1986. Sister Gambacorto was a loving and giving servant of Christ, living to serve the “least among us.” She was always searching for God and ways to serve him. Sister Gambacorto enjoyed knitting and crocheting, donating many newborn caps and blankets to hospitals, churches, and shelters. She was an artist who created greeting cards for family and friends. She was skilled in calligraphy, personally addressing each of the 310 wedding invitations for one of her nieces. Sister Gambacorto was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Mary (née Clemente) Gambacorto; her brother, Thomas, and his wife (Theresa) Gambacorto; and her sister, Angelina (née Mills). She is survived by her brother, Dominic, and his wife Janet Gambacorto, of Red Bank, N.J.; her sister, Joann (Keith, deceased) Richardson, of Maryland; and many nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces. Her niece, Sister Lisa Gambacorto, RSM, will host the Memorial Mass at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.          

Obituary: Sister Pauline Gambacorto, of the Sisters of the Church of Paterson, 90 #Catholic –

A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J., for Sister Pauline Gambacorto, a member of the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson, N.J., since 1986, who died on Feb. 3. She was 90.

Born July 6, 1935, in Long Branch, N.J., Sister Gambacorto entered the Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini in Morristown, N.J., in 1949. She received her habit in 1951 and made her final profession in 1952. She taught in many schools throughout New Jersey and New York. Sister Gambacorto touched many lives as a teacher and musician. She taught piano and voice. Her voice was captivating; she frequently led songs at Mass. Sister Gambacorto served the Filippini community for 29 years.

In 1978, Sister Gambacorto left the Filippini community and joined the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson in 1986.

Sister Gambacorto was a loving and giving servant of Christ, living to serve the “least among us.” She was always searching for God and ways to serve him. Sister Gambacorto enjoyed knitting and crocheting, donating many newborn caps and blankets to hospitals, churches, and shelters. She was an artist who created greeting cards for family and friends. She was skilled in calligraphy, personally addressing each of the 310 wedding invitations for one of her nieces.

Sister Gambacorto was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Mary (née Clemente) Gambacorto; her brother, Thomas, and his wife (Theresa) Gambacorto; and her sister, Angelina (née Mills). She is survived by her brother, Dominic, and his wife Janet Gambacorto, of Red Bank, N.J.; her sister, Joann (Keith, deceased) Richardson, of Maryland; and many nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces.

Her niece, Sister Lisa Gambacorto, RSM, will host the Memorial Mass at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J.


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A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Mount St. Mary Academy in Watchung, N.J., for Sister Pauline Gambacorto, a member of the Society of Sisters of the Church of Paterson, N.J., since 1986, who died on Feb. 3. She was 90. Born July 6, 1935, in Long Branch, N.J., Sister Gambacorto entered the Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini in Morristown, N.J., in 1949. She received her habit in 1951 and made her final profession in 1952. She taught in many schools throughout New Jersey and New York. Sister

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Learn to encourage mental wellness at Pompton Lakes workshop #Catholic – The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey will host The Mental Health Association of New Jersey (MHA-NJ) for “Mental Health Matters”, an interactive workshop to provide people who work with or accompany others a clear, accessible introduction to mental health in a short, impactful format. The presentation will be on Thursday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J.
Attendees of the workshop will gain clarity with a basic understanding of mental-health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, and the impact of trauma. They will learn to be confident in ways to support those who might be experiencing these challenges.
Adults of all backgrounds and professions are welcome, including clergy, religious, parish and school staff, catechists, youth and young adult ministers, community leaders, parents, or anyone who supports the mental health of others.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“The workshop will help people who serve others to recognize those who might be struggling with mental illness and how to direct them to get proper treatment,” said John Cammarata, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangelization Center in Madison, N.J., and director of diocesan Youth Ministry. He is coordinating the diocese’s event with Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, the diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will be present and will give the opening prayer for the workshop.
Four presenters from MHA-NJ will provide real-world examples and simple, actionable guidance to demystify mental health. They will cover a basic understanding of key mental health concepts, early warning signs and symptoms of mental-health challenges to watch for, strategies for offering supportive, non-judgmental conversations, and steps for connecting individuals to appropriate resources when needed.
The workshop will conclude with a question-and-answer period with the MHA-NJ speakers.
The MHA-NJ has a rich history of improving the lives of people with mental illness and substance use disorders. This statewide non-profit organization strives for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training, and services.
St. Mary’s Church has plenty of parking for the “Mental Health Matters” workshop.
To register for free, visit https://rcdop.org/mental-health-matters.
 

Learn to encourage mental wellness at Pompton Lakes workshop #Catholic – The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey will host The Mental Health Association of New Jersey (MHA-NJ) for “Mental Health Matters”, an interactive workshop to provide people who work with or accompany others a clear, accessible introduction to mental health in a short, impactful format. The presentation will be on Thursday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J. Attendees of the workshop will gain clarity with a basic understanding of mental-health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, and the impact of trauma. They will learn to be confident in ways to support those who might be experiencing these challenges. Adults of all backgrounds and professions are welcome, including clergy, religious, parish and school staff, catechists, youth and young adult ministers, community leaders, parents, or anyone who supports the mental health of others. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “The workshop will help people who serve others to recognize those who might be struggling with mental illness and how to direct them to get proper treatment,” said John Cammarata, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangelization Center in Madison, N.J., and director of diocesan Youth Ministry. He is coordinating the diocese’s event with Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, the diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will be present and will give the opening prayer for the workshop. Four presenters from MHA-NJ will provide real-world examples and simple, actionable guidance to demystify mental health. They will cover a basic understanding of key mental health concepts, early warning signs and symptoms of mental-health challenges to watch for, strategies for offering supportive, non-judgmental conversations, and steps for connecting individuals to appropriate resources when needed. The workshop will conclude with a question-and-answer period with the MHA-NJ speakers. The MHA-NJ has a rich history of improving the lives of people with mental illness and substance use disorders. This statewide non-profit organization strives for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training, and services. St. Mary’s Church has plenty of parking for the “Mental Health Matters” workshop. To register for free, visit https://rcdop.org/mental-health-matters.  

Learn to encourage mental wellness at Pompton Lakes workshop #Catholic –

The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey will host The Mental Health Association of New Jersey (MHA-NJ) for “Mental Health Matters”, an interactive workshop to provide people who work with or accompany others a clear, accessible introduction to mental health in a short, impactful format. The presentation will be on Thursday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J.

Attendees of the workshop will gain clarity with a basic understanding of mental-health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, and the impact of trauma. They will learn to be confident in ways to support those who might be experiencing these challenges.

Adults of all backgrounds and professions are welcome, including clergy, religious, parish and school staff, catechists, youth and young adult ministers, community leaders, parents, or anyone who supports the mental health of others.


Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“The workshop will help people who serve others to recognize those who might be struggling with mental illness and how to direct them to get proper treatment,” said John Cammarata, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangelization Center in Madison, N.J., and director of diocesan Youth Ministry. He is coordinating the diocese’s event with Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, the diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will be present and will give the opening prayer for the workshop.

Four presenters from MHA-NJ will provide real-world examples and simple, actionable guidance to demystify mental health. They will cover a basic understanding of key mental health concepts, early warning signs and symptoms of mental-health challenges to watch for, strategies for offering supportive, non-judgmental conversations, and steps for connecting individuals to appropriate resources when needed.

The workshop will conclude with a question-and-answer period with the MHA-NJ speakers.

The MHA-NJ has a rich history of improving the lives of people with mental illness and substance use disorders. This statewide non-profit organization strives for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training, and services.

St. Mary’s Church has plenty of parking for the “Mental Health Matters” workshop.

To register for free, visit https://rcdop.org/mental-health-matters.

 

The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey will host The Mental Health Association of New Jersey (MHA-NJ) for “Mental Health Matters”, an interactive workshop to provide people who work with or accompany others a clear, accessible introduction to mental health in a short, impactful format. The presentation will be on Thursday, March 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes, N.J. Attendees of the workshop will gain clarity with a basic understanding of mental-health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, and the impact of trauma. They will learn to be confident in ways to support those

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Pew report finds Christians are often largest group in the world’s most religiously diverse places #Catholic The Pew Research Center released a report examining the most and least religiously diverse countries and territories across the globe.The Feb. 12 report found that the United States is not among the 10 most religiously diverse countries in the world, but when examining only the 10 most populous nations, the U.S. ranks first in religious diversity.The report, “Religious Diversity Around the World,” describes levels of religious diversity in 201 countries and territories. It measures how evenly each country’s population is distributed among seven groups including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, adherents of all other religions, and people with no religious affiliation.The research is part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.Most of the analysis is from Pew’s Religious Diversity Index (RDI). Pew calculated the religious diversity of 201 areas that together are home to 99.98% of the world’s population based on the size of seven religious groups to give them scores for religious diversity.
 
 In the world’s most religiously diverse places, Christians are often the largest group, a Feb. 12, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center
 
 Overall, religious diversity levels around the world did not substantially change  between 2010 and 2020, as the religious composition of most countries remained fairly stable, the report said. The research found that while some places around the world have diverse populations of religious groups, it is more common for nations to primarily consist of a single religious group.In 194 countries and territories, 50% or more of the population falls into one religious category, the report said. This includes 43 places where at least 95% of the population is in the same religious group. These places are predominantly Muslim (25), Christian (17), or Buddhist (1).Most religiously diverse countriesThe research found that Singapore is the most religiously diverse country overall, while the United States ranks 32nd.In the world’s most religiously diverse places, Christians are often the largest group. Out of the 10 most religiously diverse counties overall, half have a majority Christian population, the report said.Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse country as of 2020, with Buddhists (31%) as the largest religious group, the report said. Its population also includes substantial shares of religiously unaffiliated people (20%), Christians (19%), Muslims (16%), Hindus (5%), and adherents of all other religions (9%), the report said.Most of the other places in the top 10 are in the Asia-Pacific region or sub-Saharan Africa region including Suriname, Taiwan, South Korea, Mauritius, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Benin, Australia, and France.
 
 A Pew Research Center report Feb. 12, 2026, identifies 10 countries where 90% of the population falls most evenly into a pair of religious categories. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center
 
 France is the only European country in the top 10 list. Its population is largely Christian (46%) and religiously unaffiliated (43%). In Suriname, another country in the top 10, about half of its residents (53%) are Christians and the rest are mainly Hindus (22%), Muslims (13%), and religiously unaffiliated people (8%). Christians are also the largest groups in Togo (57%), Benin (53%), and Australia (47%), which all fall in the top 10 most diverse places, the report said.Least religiously diverse countriesThe Middle East-North Africa region was found to be the least diverse of the regions Pew studied, with a population that is 94% Muslim. This region includes five of the world’s 10 least religiously diverse countries and territories.Eight of the least religiously diverse places have populations that are almost entirely Muslim, including Tunisia, Iraq, Western Sahara, Morocco, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Yemen, which all have a Muslim population of more than 99%, the report said.The other two countries with the least diverse scores were found to have very high majorities of Christians including Moldova and Timor-Lester, which both have populations made up of 99.5% of Christians.U.S. ranks high for religious diversity among largest nationsThe United States is not among the 10 most religiously diverse countries in the world, ranking 32nd overall. However, the U.S. is the most religiously diverse nation among the most populous countries, each of which has a population of at least 120 million. It is followed by Nigeria, Russia, India, and Brazil, the report said.Christians make up an estimated 64% of the U.S. population as of 2020, while religiously unaffiliated people account for about 30%, the report said. The remaining 6% are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and people who practice other religions, the report said.The research showed the growth of religiously unaffiliated people and the decline of the Christian majority by 14% in the U.S. yielded an increase in the country’s religious diversity between 2010 and 2020.Nigeria is the second-most religiously diverse of the largely populated countries and is among the nations where 90% of the population is fairly evenly divided between two religious categories, the report said. The most populous religious groups in Nigeria are Muslims (56%) and Christians (43%), the report said.Out of the other nine countries where most of the population falls most into a pair of religious categories, seven include Christianity among the two religious groups. Eritrea, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Uruguay, Estonia, Chad, Ivory Coast, and Ethiopia, all include Christianity and one other group as their top religious groups as of 2020, the report said.Pakistan was found to be the least religiously diverse among the most populous countries, with Muslims making up a high majority (97%) of its residents.

Pew report finds Christians are often largest group in the world’s most religiously diverse places #Catholic The Pew Research Center released a report examining the most and least religiously diverse countries and territories across the globe.The Feb. 12 report found that the United States is not among the 10 most religiously diverse countries in the world, but when examining only the 10 most populous nations, the U.S. ranks first in religious diversity.The report, “Religious Diversity Around the World,” describes levels of religious diversity in 201 countries and territories. It measures how evenly each country’s population is distributed among seven groups including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, adherents of all other religions, and people with no religious affiliation.The research is part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.Most of the analysis is from Pew’s Religious Diversity Index (RDI). Pew calculated the religious diversity of 201 areas that together are home to 99.98% of the world’s population based on the size of seven religious groups to give them scores for religious diversity. In the world’s most religiously diverse places, Christians are often the largest group, a Feb. 12, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center Overall, religious diversity levels around the world did not substantially change  between 2010 and 2020, as the religious composition of most countries remained fairly stable, the report said. The research found that while some places around the world have diverse populations of religious groups, it is more common for nations to primarily consist of a single religious group.In 194 countries and territories, 50% or more of the population falls into one religious category, the report said. This includes 43 places where at least 95% of the population is in the same religious group. These places are predominantly Muslim (25), Christian (17), or Buddhist (1).Most religiously diverse countriesThe research found that Singapore is the most religiously diverse country overall, while the United States ranks 32nd.In the world’s most religiously diverse places, Christians are often the largest group. Out of the 10 most religiously diverse counties overall, half have a majority Christian population, the report said.Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse country as of 2020, with Buddhists (31%) as the largest religious group, the report said. Its population also includes substantial shares of religiously unaffiliated people (20%), Christians (19%), Muslims (16%), Hindus (5%), and adherents of all other religions (9%), the report said.Most of the other places in the top 10 are in the Asia-Pacific region or sub-Saharan Africa region including Suriname, Taiwan, South Korea, Mauritius, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Benin, Australia, and France. A Pew Research Center report Feb. 12, 2026, identifies 10 countries where 90% of the population falls most evenly into a pair of religious categories. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center France is the only European country in the top 10 list. Its population is largely Christian (46%) and religiously unaffiliated (43%). In Suriname, another country in the top 10, about half of its residents (53%) are Christians and the rest are mainly Hindus (22%), Muslims (13%), and religiously unaffiliated people (8%). Christians are also the largest groups in Togo (57%), Benin (53%), and Australia (47%), which all fall in the top 10 most diverse places, the report said.Least religiously diverse countriesThe Middle East-North Africa region was found to be the least diverse of the regions Pew studied, with a population that is 94% Muslim. This region includes five of the world’s 10 least religiously diverse countries and territories.Eight of the least religiously diverse places have populations that are almost entirely Muslim, including Tunisia, Iraq, Western Sahara, Morocco, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Yemen, which all have a Muslim population of more than 99%, the report said.The other two countries with the least diverse scores were found to have very high majorities of Christians including Moldova and Timor-Lester, which both have populations made up of 99.5% of Christians.U.S. ranks high for religious diversity among largest nationsThe United States is not among the 10 most religiously diverse countries in the world, ranking 32nd overall. However, the U.S. is the most religiously diverse nation among the most populous countries, each of which has a population of at least 120 million. It is followed by Nigeria, Russia, India, and Brazil, the report said.Christians make up an estimated 64% of the U.S. population as of 2020, while religiously unaffiliated people account for about 30%, the report said. The remaining 6% are Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and people who practice other religions, the report said.The research showed the growth of religiously unaffiliated people and the decline of the Christian majority by 14% in the U.S. yielded an increase in the country’s religious diversity between 2010 and 2020.Nigeria is the second-most religiously diverse of the largely populated countries and is among the nations where 90% of the population is fairly evenly divided between two religious categories, the report said. The most populous religious groups in Nigeria are Muslims (56%) and Christians (43%), the report said.Out of the other nine countries where most of the population falls most into a pair of religious categories, seven include Christianity among the two religious groups. Eritrea, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Uruguay, Estonia, Chad, Ivory Coast, and Ethiopia, all include Christianity and one other group as their top religious groups as of 2020, the report said.Pakistan was found to be the least religiously diverse among the most populous countries, with Muslims making up a high majority (97%) of its residents.

Among the most populous nations, the U.S. ranks first in religious diversity. Singapore is the most religiously diverse country overall, and the U.S. ranks 32nd.

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Notre Dame, Villanova finalizing plans to open college basketball season in Rome #Catholic Pope Leo XIV may get the opportunity to watch his alma mater play basketball in person during the 2026-2027 season. According to a report from CBS Sports, the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams have received special clearance from the NCAA to open their seasons in Rome for a doubleheader on Nov. 1.The college basketball season officially starts on Nov. 2 but, according to the report, the NCAA approved a waiver in January to allow the teams to start one day before given the precedence of these games.Both universities are prominent Catholic schools that have ties to the pope. Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, is a 1977 alumnus of Villanova University. As for the University of Notre Dame, it is regarded as the most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning in the world and has an outpost in Rome.It is well known that Pope Leo is an avid sports fan. He has already welcomed several athletes to the Vatican during his papacy, including the SSC Napoli soccer team after its league championship in May 2025 and Italian professional tennis player Jannik Sinner. Many have also seen the viral image of the pope attending game 1 of the Chicago White Sox’s World Series run in 2005.The teams will play the doubleheader at the Palazzetto dello Sport, also known as the PalaTiziano. The arena seats 3,500 people and was built in the late 1950s for the 1960 Olympics in Rome. It is about 30 minutes away from the pope’s residence in Vatican City.The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told EWTN News it was “too early to tell” if Leo will participate in the historic game.According to the report, officials from both universities have been in contact with the pope and people around the Holy See. Leadership from Notre Dame had a private meeting with Pope Leo in November 2025 and Villanova officials attended the pope’s inaugural Mass.For the men’s teams, it is believed this will be the first season opener outside of the U.S. in men’s college basketball history. For the Notre Dame women, this will be their second regular season game outside of the country. They opened the 2023-2024 season against South Carolina in Paris.Hannah Brockhaus contributed to this report from Rome.

Notre Dame, Villanova finalizing plans to open college basketball season in Rome #Catholic Pope Leo XIV may get the opportunity to watch his alma mater play basketball in person during the 2026-2027 season. According to a report from CBS Sports, the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams have received special clearance from the NCAA to open their seasons in Rome for a doubleheader on Nov. 1.The college basketball season officially starts on Nov. 2 but, according to the report, the NCAA approved a waiver in January to allow the teams to start one day before given the precedence of these games.Both universities are prominent Catholic schools that have ties to the pope. Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, is a 1977 alumnus of Villanova University. As for the University of Notre Dame, it is regarded as the most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning in the world and has an outpost in Rome.It is well known that Pope Leo is an avid sports fan. He has already welcomed several athletes to the Vatican during his papacy, including the SSC Napoli soccer team after its league championship in May 2025 and Italian professional tennis player Jannik Sinner. Many have also seen the viral image of the pope attending game 1 of the Chicago White Sox’s World Series run in 2005.The teams will play the doubleheader at the Palazzetto dello Sport, also known as the PalaTiziano. The arena seats 3,500 people and was built in the late 1950s for the 1960 Olympics in Rome. It is about 30 minutes away from the pope’s residence in Vatican City.The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, told EWTN News it was “too early to tell” if Leo will participate in the historic game.According to the report, officials from both universities have been in contact with the pope and people around the Holy See. Leadership from Notre Dame had a private meeting with Pope Leo in November 2025 and Villanova officials attended the pope’s inaugural Mass.For the men’s teams, it is believed this will be the first season opener outside of the U.S. in men’s college basketball history. For the Notre Dame women, this will be their second regular season game outside of the country. They opened the 2023-2024 season against South Carolina in Paris.Hannah Brockhaus contributed to this report from Rome.

Pope Leo XIV is a 1977 alumnus of Villanova University and an avid sports fan.

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  February 11: Ganymede’s shadow, Io cross Jupiter Asteroid 44 Nysa may be just past opposition, but it’s still placed perfectly for evening viewing in Cancer the Crab. Wait until a few hours after sunset, when Cancer is high in the eastern sky,Continue reading “The Sky Today on Thursday, February 12: Asteroid Nysa approaches a star”

The post The Sky Today on Thursday, February 12: Asteroid Nysa approaches a star appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Crew-12 Members and Insignia – From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members – Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot – pose next to their mission insignia inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.

From left, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew members – Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot – pose next to their mission insignia inside the Astronaut Crew Quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.

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9 Simple Fixes To Make The Winter Olympics More Interesting #BabylonBee – The Winter Olympics have long labored in the shadows of the Summer Olympics, boring and under-loved. With just half the viewership of the Summer games, the Winter Olympics is in dire need of bold changes. Here are 9 easy fixes to instantly make it more entertaining:

The Winter Olympics have long labored in the shadows of the Summer Olympics, boring and under-loved. With just half the viewership of the Summer games, the Winter Olympics is in dire need of bold changes. Here are 9 easy fixes to instantly make it more entertaining:

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CONFIRMED: Canada School Shooter who Killed 9, Injured 25 Identified as Transgender Ex-Student Despite Officials’ Attempts to Hide Biological Gender – 
The suspect who opened fire on a school in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as biological male 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender ex-student at the school who began transitioning at approximately 12 years old.  Notably, this comes just months after a transgender shooter opened fire, shooting through the windows of the church at Annunciation Catholic School as students attended mass during the first week of the school year late last Summer.
The post CONFIRMED: Canada School Shooter who Killed 9, Injured 25 Identified as Transgender Ex-Student Despite Officials’ Attempts to Hide Biological Gender appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Police press conference featuring an officer in uniform alongside a close-up of a young man with long hair, discussing a recent investigation.

Police press conference featuring an officer in uniform alongside a close-up of a young man with long hair, discussing a recent investigation.

The suspect who opened fire on a school in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as biological male 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender ex-student at the school who began transitioning at approximately 12 years old.  Notably, this comes just months after a transgender shooter opened fire, shooting through the windows of the church at Annunciation Catholic School as students attended mass during the first week of the school year late last Summer.

The post CONFIRMED: Canada School Shooter who Killed 9, Injured 25 Identified as Transgender Ex-Student Despite Officials’ Attempts to Hide Biological Gender appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Father, we beg Your blessing for the Right to Life, the Unborn, the weak, the sick and the old; all who are finding themselves being targets of the vicious culture of death; that our Lord Jesus bless and protect all who stand up for the Christian dignity of persons. That God enlighten those who are traveling down death’s highway by their involvement, in any way, with either the contemporary death culture, selfism, relativeism, or any of the new age errors of our times, that God envelop our …

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 12 February 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kings 11:4-13 When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been. By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites, Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done. Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice (for though the LORD had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him). So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you, I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant. I will not do this during your lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David; it is your son whom I will deprive. Nor will I take away the whole kingdom. I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."From the Gospel according to Mark 7:24-30 Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.That mother shows that she has perceived the goodness of the Most High God present in Jesus who is open to any of His creatures necessities. And this wisdom, filled with trust, touches Jesus’s heart and provokes words of admiration: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish” (v. 28). What type of faith is great? Great faith is that which brings its own story, marked even by wounds, and brings it to the Lord’s feet asking Him to heal them, to give them meaning. Each one of us has our own story and it is not always a story “of export”, it is not always a clean story… Many times it is a difficult story, with a lot of pain, many misfortunes and many sins. (…) There are always ugly things in a story, always. Let us go to Jesus, knock on Jesus’s heart and say to Him: “Lord, if You will it, you can heal me!” And we can do this if we always have the face of Jesus before us, if we understand what Christ’s heart is like, what Jesus’s heart is like: a heart that feels compassion, that bears our pains, that bears our sins, our mistakes, our failures. But it is a heart that love us like that, as we are, without make-up. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 16 August 2020)

A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 11:4-13

When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).

So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

From the Gospel according to Mark
7:24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.

That mother shows that she has perceived the goodness of the Most High God present in Jesus who is open to any of His creatures necessities. And this wisdom, filled with trust, touches Jesus’s heart and provokes words of admiration: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish” (v. 28). What type of faith is great? Great faith is that which brings its own story, marked even by wounds, and brings it to the Lord’s feet asking Him to heal them, to give them meaning.

Each one of us has our own story and it is not always a story “of export”, it is not always a clean story… Many times it is a difficult story, with a lot of pain, many misfortunes and many sins. (…) There are always ugly things in a story, always. Let us go to Jesus, knock on Jesus’s heart and say to Him: “Lord, if You will it, you can heal me!” And we can do this if we always have the face of Jesus before us, if we understand what Christ’s heart is like, what Jesus’s heart is like: a heart that feels compassion, that bears our pains, that bears our sins, our mistakes, our failures. But it is a heart that love us like that, as we are, without make-up. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 16 August 2020)

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Prince George bishop calls for prayer, penance, saying shooting ‘has traumatized us all’ – #Catholic – On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes — the Church’s World Day of the Sick — Prince George Bishop Stephen Jensen called people of faith to prayer and penance following Tuesday’s mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge in northern British Columbia, Canada.“The unimaginable tragedy that struck the community of Tumbler Ridge yesterday has traumatized us all,” Jensen said in a statement released Wednesday morning.At least 10 people were confirmed dead, with dozens injured, after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence.Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the suspected shooter, believed to be an 18-year-old woman, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound. Lockdowns and an emergency alert were lifted as officers secured the town and moved students to safety. Investigators continue examining connections between the shooter and victims.School District 59 announced that Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and Tumbler Ridge Elementary School will remain closed for the rest of the week as the community mourns and recovers.Tumbler Ridge, a northeastern British Columbia community of about 2,500 people, is located roughly 400 kilometers (249 miles) northeast of Prince George within the Diocese of Prince George. The town has one Catholic parish, Holy Cross Mission, served by Our Lady of Peace Parish in Chetwynd, about an hour northwest. There is no Catholic school.Messages of prayer and solidarity poured in from across the country to the parish’s Facebook page. Father Jeevan Bandanadham, SAC, pastor of Holy Cross Mission in Tumbler Ridge and Our Lady of Peace Parish in Chetwynd, reached out to parishioners Tuesday evening, saying he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the shooting.“I am very concerned for each of you. I sincerely hope that you and your families are safe and doing well. Please know that you are in my heartfelt thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May God surround you with his peace, comfort, and protection. Good night, and may God bless you all.”Jensen said in his statement: “The most effective response we can offer for the intentions of the dead and the survivors, their families, the emergency responders, the parish community and town, is our own prayer and penance, which God has provided that we can use to address suffering and help bring mercy and healing to all.”Other Catholic leaders across British Columbia echoed that call to prayer. In Vancouver, Archbishop Richard Smith expressed solidarity with the Diocese of Prince George and the grieving community.“I was deeply saddened to learn of yesterday’s tragic violence in Tumbler Ridge,” he said. “Together with everyone in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, I offer my prayers for all who have lost loved ones and for the entire community in mourning.”His message ended: “In this time of grief, may the Lord draw close to those who suffer and grant strength to all who care for them. Let us join together in prayer for peace and healing in our province.”Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster and state chaplain for the British Columbia and Yukon Knights of Columbus said he had reached out to clergy in his eparchy immediately.“We are shocked and saddened by the horrific event that took place in the northern community of Tumbler Ridge,” he wrote to priests. “Please offer a prayer for this intention in these days in your parish liturgies together with your parishioners.”He added that while there is a Catholic mission parish in Tumbler Ridge, there is no local Knights of Columbus council, though Knights are exploring ways to assist the community.Jensen noted the start of Lent in one week, “a time for more intense prayer and penance — personal sacrifice — to beg God’s healing grace for our lives and for the world.”Jensen closed his message by stating: “Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In the words of the familiar prayer, we turn to her ‘mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.’ May we all unite our prayers to Our Lady’s intercession to ask for God’s presence and mercy in our suffering world.”This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission. The story has been updated with the age of the alleged shooter.

Prince George bishop calls for prayer, penance, saying shooting ‘has traumatized us all’ – #Catholic – On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes — the Church’s World Day of the Sick — Prince George Bishop Stephen Jensen called people of faith to prayer and penance following Tuesday’s mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge in northern British Columbia, Canada.“The unimaginable tragedy that struck the community of Tumbler Ridge yesterday has traumatized us all,” Jensen said in a statement released Wednesday morning.At least 10 people were confirmed dead, with dozens injured, after a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence.Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the suspected shooter, believed to be an 18-year-old woman, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound. Lockdowns and an emergency alert were lifted as officers secured the town and moved students to safety. Investigators continue examining connections between the shooter and victims.School District 59 announced that Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and Tumbler Ridge Elementary School will remain closed for the rest of the week as the community mourns and recovers.Tumbler Ridge, a northeastern British Columbia community of about 2,500 people, is located roughly 400 kilometers (249 miles) northeast of Prince George within the Diocese of Prince George. The town has one Catholic parish, Holy Cross Mission, served by Our Lady of Peace Parish in Chetwynd, about an hour northwest. There is no Catholic school.Messages of prayer and solidarity poured in from across the country to the parish’s Facebook page. Father Jeevan Bandanadham, SAC, pastor of Holy Cross Mission in Tumbler Ridge and Our Lady of Peace Parish in Chetwynd, reached out to parishioners Tuesday evening, saying he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the shooting.“I am very concerned for each of you. I sincerely hope that you and your families are safe and doing well. Please know that you are in my heartfelt thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May God surround you with his peace, comfort, and protection. Good night, and may God bless you all.”Jensen said in his statement: “The most effective response we can offer for the intentions of the dead and the survivors, their families, the emergency responders, the parish community and town, is our own prayer and penance, which God has provided that we can use to address suffering and help bring mercy and healing to all.”Other Catholic leaders across British Columbia echoed that call to prayer. In Vancouver, Archbishop Richard Smith expressed solidarity with the Diocese of Prince George and the grieving community.“I was deeply saddened to learn of yesterday’s tragic violence in Tumbler Ridge,” he said. “Together with everyone in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, I offer my prayers for all who have lost loved ones and for the entire community in mourning.”His message ended: “In this time of grief, may the Lord draw close to those who suffer and grant strength to all who care for them. Let us join together in prayer for peace and healing in our province.”Bishop Michael Kwiatkowski of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of New Westminster and state chaplain for the British Columbia and Yukon Knights of Columbus said he had reached out to clergy in his eparchy immediately.“We are shocked and saddened by the horrific event that took place in the northern community of Tumbler Ridge,” he wrote to priests. “Please offer a prayer for this intention in these days in your parish liturgies together with your parishioners.”He added that while there is a Catholic mission parish in Tumbler Ridge, there is no local Knights of Columbus council, though Knights are exploring ways to assist the community.Jensen noted the start of Lent in one week, “a time for more intense prayer and penance — personal sacrifice — to beg God’s healing grace for our lives and for the world.”Jensen closed his message by stating: “Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In the words of the familiar prayer, we turn to her ‘mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.’ May we all unite our prayers to Our Lady’s intercession to ask for God’s presence and mercy in our suffering world.”This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission. The story has been updated with the age of the alleged shooter.

At least 10 people are dead, including young teens, and many are wounded in a mass shooting in northern British Columbia, Canada.

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Vatican bank launches 2 new equity indexes aligned with Catholic principles – #Catholic – The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, announced the launch of two new equity benchmarks developed in partnership with Morningstar Indexes.The two indexes, the Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles, are designed to serve as global reference points for investments that adhere to Catholic teaching, according to a Feb. 10 IOR press release.Each index includes 50 medium- and large-cap companies selected in accordance with the IOR’s Investment Policy, which is guided by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, according to the press release.The indexes exclude companies involved in activities inconsistent with Catholic teachings, the IOR said.According to the press release, the initiative will strengthen the IOR’s commitment to responsible and ethical finance, allowing Catholic institutions, dioceses, religious orders, and other faith-aligned investors worldwide to benchmark and evaluate performance in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching, particularly on issues related to life, social responsibility, and environmental protection.Robert Edwards, managing director for EMEA at Morningstar Indexes, stated: “Investors increasingly seek benchmarks that reflect specific values-based or policy-driven criteria. Morningstar’s transparent, rules-based approach ensures client-defined standards are applied consistently and objectively.”Giovanni Boscia, deputy director general, CFO, and head of asset management at the IOR, added: “With the launch of these two new equity indexes, the IOR takes a further step forward in the process that has seen it adopt international best financial practices for years, in strict compliance with the principles of the social doctrine of the Church.”“Having benchmarks built in accordance with recognized Catholic ethical criteria allows us to make our performance assessment and reporting processes even more rigorous and transparent,” Boscia continued. “This initiative reaffirms our commitment as a financial institution serving the Church, further strengthening the role of the IOR as a reference point for the Catholic world.”In 2022, the Vatican issued Mensuram Bonam, which means “a good measure.” It is a document intended to guide Catholics to think and act according to the teachings of the Church in their investment decisions, including considering how their economic actions affect the poor. Last year, in its annual report, the IOR showed a net profit of 32.8 million euros in 2024, representing a 7% increase compared with 2023, attributing its positive financial performance with “numerous improvements” made, including adding specialized personnel and making strategic investments in digital and technological infrastructure.

Vatican bank launches 2 new equity indexes aligned with Catholic principles – #Catholic – The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, announced the launch of two new equity benchmarks developed in partnership with Morningstar Indexes.The two indexes, the Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles, are designed to serve as global reference points for investments that adhere to Catholic teaching, according to a Feb. 10 IOR press release.Each index includes 50 medium- and large-cap companies selected in accordance with the IOR’s Investment Policy, which is guided by the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, according to the press release.The indexes exclude companies involved in activities inconsistent with Catholic teachings, the IOR said.According to the press release, the initiative will strengthen the IOR’s commitment to responsible and ethical finance, allowing Catholic institutions, dioceses, religious orders, and other faith-aligned investors worldwide to benchmark and evaluate performance in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching, particularly on issues related to life, social responsibility, and environmental protection.Robert Edwards, managing director for EMEA at Morningstar Indexes, stated: “Investors increasingly seek benchmarks that reflect specific values-based or policy-driven criteria. Morningstar’s transparent, rules-based approach ensures client-defined standards are applied consistently and objectively.”Giovanni Boscia, deputy director general, CFO, and head of asset management at the IOR, added: “With the launch of these two new equity indexes, the IOR takes a further step forward in the process that has seen it adopt international best financial practices for years, in strict compliance with the principles of the social doctrine of the Church.”“Having benchmarks built in accordance with recognized Catholic ethical criteria allows us to make our performance assessment and reporting processes even more rigorous and transparent,” Boscia continued. “This initiative reaffirms our commitment as a financial institution serving the Church, further strengthening the role of the IOR as a reference point for the Catholic world.”In 2022, the Vatican issued Mensuram Bonam, which means “a good measure.” It is a document intended to guide Catholics to think and act according to the teachings of the Church in their investment decisions, including considering how their economic actions affect the poor. Last year, in its annual report, the IOR showed a net profit of 32.8 million euros in 2024, representing a 7% increase compared with 2023, attributing its positive financial performance with “numerous improvements” made, including adding specialized personnel and making strategic investments in digital and technological infrastructure.

Two indexes with 50 companies each that adhere to Catholic social teachings were announced by the Vatican Bank in order to promote ethical Catholic investing.

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China’s Catholic bishops back worship limits, prompting call for Vatican action – #Catholic – The state-sanctioned Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCC) backed the government’s ban on unregistered clergy engaging in pastoral work and using unapproved sites for worship.The BCCC said in a Feb. 4 statement that “religious groups must comply with relevant laws and regulations when conducting religious activities,” describing compliance as a matter of “national and public interest.” The statement aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s controls over the region.Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”“That the heads of these entities are the bishops of Beijing and Shanghai, China’s most important dioceses, is shameful,” she told EWTN News. “Pope Leo should immediately summon them to Rome to review their episcopal authority.”Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls stipulate that religious activities occur in “registered” religious venues by “certified and registered religious personnel.”Though the bishops noted religious groups may request to carry out their activities in a temporary location with prior permission from the government, no unauthorized clergy may ever preside over such activities for any reason, according to Article 40 of the Regulations on Religious Affairs.Shea, who also directs the Center for Religious Freedom, said: “Supporting the CCP ban on unregistered clergy and churches directly conflicts with Vatican policy.”“[Pope Leo] should disclose the content of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with China and review whether this new Chinese policy constitutes a breach of the agreement’s terms or even of its spirit,” she said.Shea cited a 2007 letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Catholic Church in which the late pontiff described the Chinese government’s bid to impose its own structure on the Church in China as “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”Shea said the Vatican’s 2019 pastoral guidance to members of the Chinese Catholic Church affirmed that a cleric had the right to “individually follow one’s conscience on whether to refuse to take the pledge renouncing foreign influence, such as papal influence — a pledge required to register with the state’s Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and its bishops’ conference.”“This new position in support of banning and criminalizing those clergy who refuse to take the pledge renouncing papal authority lays bare these entities as mere party tools for communist control and suppression of Chinese Catholicism,” Shea said.

China’s Catholic bishops back worship limits, prompting call for Vatican action – #Catholic – The state-sanctioned Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCC) backed the government’s ban on unregistered clergy engaging in pastoral work and using unapproved sites for worship.The BCCC said in a Feb. 4 statement that “religious groups must comply with relevant laws and regulations when conducting religious activities,” describing compliance as a matter of “national and public interest.” The statement aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s controls over the region.Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”“That the heads of these entities are the bishops of Beijing and Shanghai, China’s most important dioceses, is shameful,” she told EWTN News. “Pope Leo should immediately summon them to Rome to review their episcopal authority.”Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls stipulate that religious activities occur in “registered” religious venues by “certified and registered religious personnel.”Though the bishops noted religious groups may request to carry out their activities in a temporary location with prior permission from the government, no unauthorized clergy may ever preside over such activities for any reason, according to Article 40 of the Regulations on Religious Affairs.Shea, who also directs the Center for Religious Freedom, said: “Supporting the CCP ban on unregistered clergy and churches directly conflicts with Vatican policy.”“[Pope Leo] should disclose the content of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with China and review whether this new Chinese policy constitutes a breach of the agreement’s terms or even of its spirit,” she said.Shea cited a 2007 letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Catholic Church in which the late pontiff described the Chinese government’s bid to impose its own structure on the Church in China as “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”Shea said the Vatican’s 2019 pastoral guidance to members of the Chinese Catholic Church affirmed that a cleric had the right to “individually follow one’s conscience on whether to refuse to take the pledge renouncing foreign influence, such as papal influence — a pledge required to register with the state’s Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and its bishops’ conference.”“This new position in support of banning and criminalizing those clergy who refuse to take the pledge renouncing papal authority lays bare these entities as mere party tools for communist control and suppression of Chinese Catholicism,” Shea said.

Nina Shea, Hudson Institute senior fellow, called on Pope Leo XIV to summon Chinese bishops to the Vatican for supporting the “suppression of Chinese Catholicism.”

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Vatican aid a sign of Pope Leo’s closeness to suffering Ukrainians, papal almoner says #Catholic – (OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises.
According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital.
The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.
In a telephone interview with OSV News Feb. 10, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and prefect of the dicastery, said the aid mission was a tangible sign that the pope has not forgotten the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

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“The Holy Father is very, very attentive to everything that happens,” Cardinal Krajewski said, noting that one does not need a great imagination to understand the agony of a people living without electricity in the dead of winter. “The Church must be exactly where the people suffer”.
With the war now entering its fourth year, Russia has been focusing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of innocent civilians without electricity and heat in the cold winter season.
According to the Reuters news agency, a Russian drone attack Feb. 9 struck energy facilities in the Odesa region, leaving an estimated 95,000 people without power.
Before concluding his weekly general audience Feb. 4, Pope Leo called on Catholics to “support with prayer our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are being severely tested by the consequences of the bombings which have resumed, also striking energy infrastructure.”
He also expressed his gratitude “for the solidarity initiatives promoted by Catholic dioceses in Poland and other countries, which are working to help the people endure this time of extreme cold.”
Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News that to ensure supplies are distributed to those in need, the dicastery works through local bishops and parish priests, including a Dominican-run center that dispatches high-power generators to high-need areas such as Odessa, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
The medicines sent by the dicastery, according to Vatican News, include antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and supplements, as well as melatonin to help people who, in a state of chronic insomnia and trauma, cannot sleep.
In sending such medicines and supplements, Cardinal Krajewski said the pope is addressing a hidden wound of war: the inability to find rest. “It is a sign of love, a sign that they are not alone, even if we are kilometers away from them,” he said.
“The Holy Father thinks of every small detail. I have been there many times, but I try to go because presence counts — to be with them, to live with them,” the cardinal continued. “I think for them it is a very important sign of solidarity.”
The papal almoner noted that the aid sent by the Vatican doesn’t just go to Catholics, but also to Greek Catholics, Orthodox and “those who do not commune with the Church.”
“This truly is pure Gospel: to love,” he said.
Cardinal Krajewski also noted the support of the Italian people who donated the generators and “do not tire of helping.”
“We are like the apostles in the early days of the Church, where the people brought their goods to the feet of the apostles because they were sure they would be well distributed,” he told OSV News. “We do the same: what people bring is distributed through the ecclesial and parochial (network), and this is what guarantees that everything reaches those in need.”
Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News.
 

Vatican aid a sign of Pope Leo’s closeness to suffering Ukrainians, papal almoner says #Catholic – (OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises. According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital. The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. In a telephone interview with OSV News Feb. 10, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and prefect of the dicastery, said the aid mission was a tangible sign that the pope has not forgotten the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “The Holy Father is very, very attentive to everything that happens,” Cardinal Krajewski said, noting that one does not need a great imagination to understand the agony of a people living without electricity in the dead of winter. “The Church must be exactly where the people suffer”. With the war now entering its fourth year, Russia has been focusing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of innocent civilians without electricity and heat in the cold winter season. According to the Reuters news agency, a Russian drone attack Feb. 9 struck energy facilities in the Odesa region, leaving an estimated 95,000 people without power. Before concluding his weekly general audience Feb. 4, Pope Leo called on Catholics to “support with prayer our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are being severely tested by the consequences of the bombings which have resumed, also striking energy infrastructure.” He also expressed his gratitude “for the solidarity initiatives promoted by Catholic dioceses in Poland and other countries, which are working to help the people endure this time of extreme cold.” Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News that to ensure supplies are distributed to those in need, the dicastery works through local bishops and parish priests, including a Dominican-run center that dispatches high-power generators to high-need areas such as Odessa, Kharkiv and Kyiv. The medicines sent by the dicastery, according to Vatican News, include antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and supplements, as well as melatonin to help people who, in a state of chronic insomnia and trauma, cannot sleep. In sending such medicines and supplements, Cardinal Krajewski said the pope is addressing a hidden wound of war: the inability to find rest. “It is a sign of love, a sign that they are not alone, even if we are kilometers away from them,” he said. “The Holy Father thinks of every small detail. I have been there many times, but I try to go because presence counts — to be with them, to live with them,” the cardinal continued. “I think for them it is a very important sign of solidarity.” The papal almoner noted that the aid sent by the Vatican doesn’t just go to Catholics, but also to Greek Catholics, Orthodox and “those who do not commune with the Church.” “This truly is pure Gospel: to love,” he said. Cardinal Krajewski also noted the support of the Italian people who donated the generators and “do not tire of helping.” “We are like the apostles in the early days of the Church, where the people brought their goods to the feet of the apostles because they were sure they would be well distributed,” he told OSV News. “We do the same: what people bring is distributed through the ecclesial and parochial (network), and this is what guarantees that everything reaches those in need.” Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News.  

Vatican aid a sign of Pope Leo’s closeness to suffering Ukrainians, papal almoner says #Catholic –

(OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises.

According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital.

The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

In a telephone interview with OSV News Feb. 10, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and prefect of the dicastery, said the aid mission was a tangible sign that the pope has not forgotten the suffering of the Ukrainian people.


Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“The Holy Father is very, very attentive to everything that happens,” Cardinal Krajewski said, noting that one does not need a great imagination to understand the agony of a people living without electricity in the dead of winter. “The Church must be exactly where the people suffer”.

With the war now entering its fourth year, Russia has been focusing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of innocent civilians without electricity and heat in the cold winter season.

According to the Reuters news agency, a Russian drone attack Feb. 9 struck energy facilities in the Odesa region, leaving an estimated 95,000 people without power.

Before concluding his weekly general audience Feb. 4, Pope Leo called on Catholics to “support with prayer our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are being severely tested by the consequences of the bombings which have resumed, also striking energy infrastructure.”

He also expressed his gratitude “for the solidarity initiatives promoted by Catholic dioceses in Poland and other countries, which are working to help the people endure this time of extreme cold.”

Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News that to ensure supplies are distributed to those in need, the dicastery works through local bishops and parish priests, including a Dominican-run center that dispatches high-power generators to high-need areas such as Odessa, Kharkiv and Kyiv.

The medicines sent by the dicastery, according to Vatican News, include antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and supplements, as well as melatonin to help people who, in a state of chronic insomnia and trauma, cannot sleep.

In sending such medicines and supplements, Cardinal Krajewski said the pope is addressing a hidden wound of war: the inability to find rest. “It is a sign of love, a sign that they are not alone, even if we are kilometers away from them,” he said.

“The Holy Father thinks of every small detail. I have been there many times, but I try to go because presence counts — to be with them, to live with them,” the cardinal continued. “I think for them it is a very important sign of solidarity.”

The papal almoner noted that the aid sent by the Vatican doesn’t just go to Catholics, but also to Greek Catholics, Orthodox and “those who do not commune with the Church.”

“This truly is pure Gospel: to love,” he said.

Cardinal Krajewski also noted the support of the Italian people who donated the generators and “do not tire of helping.”

“We are like the apostles in the early days of the Church, where the people brought their goods to the feet of the apostles because they were sure they would be well distributed,” he told OSV News. “We do the same: what people bring is distributed through the ecclesial and parochial (network), and this is what guarantees that everything reaches those in need.”

Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News.

 

(OSV News) — As a relentless winter descends upon wartorn Ukraine with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Holy See has intensified its humanitarian response to the nation’s energy and health crises. According to a Feb. 9 report by Vatican News, three trucks carrying 80 electricity generators departed Rome’s Basilica of St. Sophia, known as the church of the Ukrainians, and arrived in Kyiv and Fastiv, located 45 miles southwest of the capital. The delivery, which included food and medicine, was sent to the country at Pope Leo XIV’s request and coordinated by the Dicastery for the Service of

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Vatican announces theme for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10.
The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and the pope invites everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of each individual diocese.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Taken from the Book of Isaiah, the chosen verse is meant to be a message of consolation and hope for all grandparents and elderly people, especially those who live in loneliness or feel forgotten. At the same time, it is a reminder to families and ecclesial communities not to forget them, recognizing in them a precious presence and a blessing.
Pope Leo’s choice highlights how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the fragility of old age.
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life encourages particular Churches, associations and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to promote and celebrate the day within their local contexts, and for this purpose it will later make available specific pastoral resources.
 

Vatican announces theme for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly #Catholic – VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10. The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and the pope invites everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of each individual diocese. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Taken from the Book of Isaiah, the chosen verse is meant to be a message of consolation and hope for all grandparents and elderly people, especially those who live in loneliness or feel forgotten. At the same time, it is a reminder to families and ecclesial communities not to forget them, recognizing in them a precious presence and a blessing. Pope Leo’s choice highlights how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the fragility of old age. The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life encourages particular Churches, associations and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to promote and celebrate the day within their local contexts, and for this purpose it will later make available specific pastoral resources.  

Vatican announces theme for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10.

The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and the pope invites everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of each individual diocese.


Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Taken from the Book of Isaiah, the chosen verse is meant to be a message of consolation and hope for all grandparents and elderly people, especially those who live in loneliness or feel forgotten. At the same time, it is a reminder to families and ecclesial communities not to forget them, recognizing in them a precious presence and a blessing.

Pope Leo’s choice highlights how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the fragility of old age.

The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life encourages particular Churches, associations and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to promote and celebrate the day within their local contexts, and for this purpose it will later make available specific pastoral resources.

 

VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Pope Leo XIV has chosen “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) as the theme for the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced Feb. 10. The day, instituted by the late Pope Francis in 2021, is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July and is presented as an opportunity to bring the closeness of the Church to the elderly and to enhance their contribution within families and communities. This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, on July 26, and

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Diocese of Pittsburgh: 7 churches to close next month #Catholic The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced the permanent closure of seven churches, effective March 12.The decision was formally communicated to parishioners during Masses on Feb. 8 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, where a letter from Bishop Mark A. Eckman was read aloud.In the letter, Eckman explained that St. Joseph the Worker Parish was established on July 1, 2020, through the merger of seven parishes serving communities in Braddock, Churchill, Forest Hills, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Wilmerding, and surrounding areas.Since the merger, all eight church buildings initially remained open for worship. However, due to persistent declining Mass attendance and ongoing financial constraints, the parish has gradually reduced the number of active worship sites.After a yearlong review in 2025, including consultations with clergy, advisory councils, the facilities mission team, and parish senate sessions, it became clear that sustaining all current buildings was not feasible. Parishioner feedback was gathered through emails, phone messages, and meetings, with many acknowledging the challenges and the necessity for change.Father Michael Stumpf, the current pastor at St. Joseph the Worker, along with parish leadership, petitioned the bishop to close the church buildings of Good Shepherd, Madonna del Castello, Sacred Heart, St. Anselm, St. Colman, St. John Fisher, and St. Jude the Apostle.Eckman consulted diocesan officials in November 2025, who supported the rationale. He subsequently issued decrees approving the closures.St. Maurice Church in Forest Hills will remain the sole open worship site for the parish.Eckman acknowledged the emotional impact of the decision, noting that parishioners have invested years of faith, prayer, and service into the churches.“I recognize that this news brings a time of significant change and a sense of loss,” Eckman said in the letter. “For many years, you have poured your lives into these sacred buildings, strengthening your communities with holy faith, fervent prayer, and tireless service.”“We are a people of the Resurrection,” he said. ”And even in seasons of pruning, there is promise for new life. This decision is made with prayerful intent to better resource your parish, ensuring that the corporal and spiritual works of mercy may continue to reach the hearts of Braddock, Churchill, Forest Hills, Swissville, Turtle Creek, and Wilmerding for generations to come.”This announcement comes amid broader trends in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, including previous mergers and consolidations aimed at addressing similar demographic and financial pressures.

Diocese of Pittsburgh: 7 churches to close next month #Catholic The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced the permanent closure of seven churches, effective March 12.The decision was formally communicated to parishioners during Masses on Feb. 8 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, where a letter from Bishop Mark A. Eckman was read aloud.In the letter, Eckman explained that St. Joseph the Worker Parish was established on July 1, 2020, through the merger of seven parishes serving communities in Braddock, Churchill, Forest Hills, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Wilmerding, and surrounding areas.Since the merger, all eight church buildings initially remained open for worship. However, due to persistent declining Mass attendance and ongoing financial constraints, the parish has gradually reduced the number of active worship sites.After a yearlong review in 2025, including consultations with clergy, advisory councils, the facilities mission team, and parish senate sessions, it became clear that sustaining all current buildings was not feasible. Parishioner feedback was gathered through emails, phone messages, and meetings, with many acknowledging the challenges and the necessity for change.Father Michael Stumpf, the current pastor at St. Joseph the Worker, along with parish leadership, petitioned the bishop to close the church buildings of Good Shepherd, Madonna del Castello, Sacred Heart, St. Anselm, St. Colman, St. John Fisher, and St. Jude the Apostle.Eckman consulted diocesan officials in November 2025, who supported the rationale. He subsequently issued decrees approving the closures.St. Maurice Church in Forest Hills will remain the sole open worship site for the parish.Eckman acknowledged the emotional impact of the decision, noting that parishioners have invested years of faith, prayer, and service into the churches.“I recognize that this news brings a time of significant change and a sense of loss,” Eckman said in the letter. “For many years, you have poured your lives into these sacred buildings, strengthening your communities with holy faith, fervent prayer, and tireless service.”“We are a people of the Resurrection,” he said. ”And even in seasons of pruning, there is promise for new life. This decision is made with prayerful intent to better resource your parish, ensuring that the corporal and spiritual works of mercy may continue to reach the hearts of Braddock, Churchill, Forest Hills, Swissville, Turtle Creek, and Wilmerding for generations to come.”This announcement comes amid broader trends in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, including previous mergers and consolidations aimed at addressing similar demographic and financial pressures.

Parishioners learned that seven churches will be closed in March due to financial constraints and lower Mass attendance.

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BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.

BREAKING: Bishop Rhoades expresses ‘strong opposition’ to professor’s appointment at Notre Dame #Catholic Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades on Feb. 11 expressed “dismay” and “strong opposition” to the University of Notre Dame’s appointment of a pro-abortion professor to a leadership position at the school, with the bishop urging the university to “make things right” and rescind the appointment. Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has regularly criticized the pro-life movement, up to and including linking it to white supremacy and misogyny. The university has come under fire for the appointment, including from Catholic advocates and pro-life students at Notre Dame. Bishop urges school to retract appointmentIn his Feb. 11 statement, Rhoades — whose diocesan territory includes the university — said that since the controversy began he has read many of Ostermann’s pro-abortion op-eds and was moved to “express my dismay and my strong opposition to this appointment,” which he said is “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”Ostermann’s public support of abortion and her “disparaging and inflammatory” criticism of the pro-life movement “go against a core principle of justice that is central to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity and mission,” the prelate said. The professor’s pro-abortion advocacy and her remarks about pro-life advocates “should disqualify her from an administrative and leadership role at a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.While expressing hope that Ostermann would “explicitly retract” her pro-abortion advocacy and change her mind on abortion, the bishop said that the appointment “understandably creates confusion” regarding Notre Dame’s Catholic mission and identity.Leadership appointments “have [a] profound impact on the integrity of Notre Dame’s public witness as a Catholic university,” Rhoades said.The bishop in issuing the letter cited the apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which directs in part that bishops “have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially to promote and assist in the preservation and strengthening of their Catholic identity.”“I call upon the leadership of Notre Dame to rectify this situation,” Rhoades said. Noting that Ostermann’s appointment is not scheduled to go into effect until July 1, the prelate wrote: “There is still time to make things right.”The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News. Yet the school has defended Ostermann’s appointment since the controversy erupted, telling media that she is “a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar” who is qualified to lead the Liu Institute. “Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the university’s Catholic mission,” the school said. Among criticism from both within and without the school, at least two scholars have resigned their position at the Asian studies institute in response to the appointment. Robert Gimello, a research professor emeritus of theology who is an expert on Buddhism, told the National Catholic Register that his “continued formal association with a unit of the university led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable.”Diane Desierto, a professor of law and of global affairs, also told the Register that she had cut ties with the institute over the appointment.

Notre Dame has been at the center of controversy since early January when it named global affairs Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the school’s Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.

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Freezing temperatures fail to stop advocates attending Life Mass #Catholic - Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown.
Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop established the monthly devotion in October 2023.

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But on Feb. 7, Bishop Sweeney had a previous scheduling commitment that morning, so Father Sebastian Munoz, St. Margaret’s parochial vicar, celebrated the Mass for Life. The liturgy was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church while participants prayed the rosary.
The Mass and Rosary Procession for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s. Priests and faithful from around the diocese are invited to join.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
 [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

Freezing temperatures fail to stop advocates attending Life Mass #Catholic –

Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown.

Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop established the monthly devotion in October 2023.


Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

But on Feb. 7, Bishop Sweeney had a previous scheduling commitment that morning, so Father Sebastian Munoz, St. Margaret’s parochial vicar, celebrated the Mass for Life. The liturgy was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church while participants prayed the rosary.

The Mass and Rosary Procession for Life is held on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. at St. Margaret’s. Priests and faithful from around the diocese are invited to join.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

Brutal single-digit temperatures may have stopped the faithful from praying the monthly Rosary Procession for Life on the streets of Morristown, N.J., on the early Feb. 7 morning, but didn’t prevent them from celebrating the monthly Mass for Life at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown. Usually, on the first Saturday of the month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrates the Mass for Life at St. Margaret’s at 8 a.m. After the Mass, Bishop Sweeney leads the faithful in a rosary procession to Planned Parenthood on Speedwell Avenue, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church. The bishop

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CubeSats’ Missions Begin – A pair of CubeSats designed by college students from around the world is deployed into Earth orbit from a small satellite orbital deployer on the outside of the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Students from Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan designed the shoe-boxed sized satellites for a series of Earth observations and technology demonstrations.

A pair of CubeSats designed by college students from around the world is deployed into Earth orbit from a small satellite orbital deployer on the outside of the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Students from Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan designed the shoe-boxed sized satellites for a series of Earth observations and technology demonstrations.

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Picture of the day





The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity.
 #ImageOfTheDay
Picture of the day
The main altar of Santa Maria della Pace church in Brescia features the altarpiece Presentation at Temple by Pompeo Batoni. The tympanum sculptures are by Antonio Calegari. Celebrated as Candlemas in some places, this event in the life of Jesus is observed today in much of Eastern and Western Christianity.
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Lord, I believe:
I wish to believe in Thee.
Lord, let my faith be full and unreserved,
and let it penetrate my thought,
my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful
and give peace and gladness to my spirit,
and dispose it for prayer with God
and conversation with men,
so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession
may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume
to be based on the …

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Anti‑Zionism claim by Catholic panelist prompts sharp exchange at Religious Liberty Commission – #Catholic – Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller, a member of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said she doesn’t embrace Zionism because of her Catholic faith, despite Catholic teaching that does not oppose Israel as a nation or the Jewish people.“I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,” Boller said at the fifth hearing of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission focusing on the topic of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel. Israel is seen as God’s chosen people through whom God revealed himself and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church universally condemns antisemitism. The Church recognizes Israel’s fundamental right to exist.Boller issued several social media posts after the hearing. She wrote: “Forcing people to affirm Zionism on a ‘Religious Liberty’ Commission is the opposite of religious freedom. I will not resign, and I will not be bullied for following my Catholic conscience.”The commission and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman said at the hearing that while one does not have to support the policies of the Israeli government, “by denying the rights of Jews to have their own state while not saying the same for any other people, that is a double standard hypocrisy and antisemitism.”Both Berman and Yitzchok Frankel, a law student and former defendant in a case against Regents of the University of California over anti-Jewish protests that took place in wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”Boller, author of “Still Standing: The Untold Truth of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks,” countered that “as a Catholic,” she disagrees with the notion that “the new modern state of Israel has any biblical prophecy meaning at all.” She repeatedly pressed the Jewish panelists on whether her views made her an antisemite before the commission’s chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, halted the exchange.Boller told EWTN News that members of the commission asked her to resign a few months ago but that she refused. She also said several members asked to meet with her before the hearing to discourage her from making her planned remarks. “They were seeing what I was going to say in the hearing, trying to silence me,” she said. “I told them I won’t be silenced.”Response from other Catholic membersLater in the hearing, panelist Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joined the dialogue on Catholic teaching regarding the Jewish people and read passages from both Nostra Aetate and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.Anderson cited the following passage, which states that while “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ,” it is the case that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.” The paragraph further states that the Jewish people should not be regarded as rejected by God “as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.”Anderson called on Father Thomas Ferguson of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, who sits on the panel’s advisory board of religious leaders, to provide further analysis on the Catholic Church’s position on Jewish-Catholic relations.“About the responsibility for the death of Jesus,” Ferguson said, “he’s not dead. He’s alive, he is risen.”The pastor emphasized the Church’s view that Jesus gave up his life freely and sacrificially. He also noted that, in alignment with the passage cited by Anderson from Nostra Aetate, Jesus “made an atonement as an offering for the forgiveness of the sins of every person, every time and place.”“That’s how Catholics understand who is responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: It’s all of us,” Ferguson said.Ferguson said: “If you are seeking to know God through the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament,” it is not possible to be Christian and antisemitic, “because we have the same father and faith.” The more Catholics embrace their responsibility to know God through the Scriptures, he said, “the more we will know our common patrimony.”Catholic reaction“Carrie Prejean Boller does not speak for the Catholic Church,” Simone Rizkallah, director of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and host of the “Beyond Rome” podcast, which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their roots in the Near East, told EWTN. “Her claim that Catholics do not embrace Zionism is not merely mistaken — it is reckless, historically uninformed, and deeply misleading to both Catholics and the wider public.”Rizkallah pointed out that the recognition of Israel’s right to exist fundamentally amounts to “precisely what Zionism means,” though Catholics themselves may not always be accustomed to using the word formally.“Catholics who affirm Israel’s right to exist and to self-determination — whether or not they personally use the label — are, in essence, affirming that same principle,” she said. “The Church is therefore neither anti-Zionist nor, certainly, antisemitic; she explicitly condemns antisemitism and calls the faithful to reject it in all its forms.”At the same time, Rizkallah emphasized that the Catholic Church does not define Zionism using the same “theological frameworks found in some strands of Protestant Christian Zionism.” Namely, she said, “Catholic theology does not teach that the modern state of Israel represents the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy or a predetermined eschatological event.” Rizkallah described the Church’s position as “both clear and nuanced,” recognizing the modern state of Israel’s political legitimacy, but not grounding it in prophetic claims.Ultimately, she concluded, “precision matters. When public figures speak carelessly about the Church’s teaching, they do not merely express a personal opinion — they create confusion, distort Catholic doctrine, and undermine serious efforts at Catholic-Jewish understanding. Catholics deserve better than slogans masquerading as theology.”The Religious Liberty Commission has had four previous hearings on protecting religious freedom in the U.S., religious freedom in education, and religious freedom in the military.

Anti‑Zionism claim by Catholic panelist prompts sharp exchange at Religious Liberty Commission – #Catholic – Former Miss California Carrie Prejean Boller, a member of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, said she doesn’t embrace Zionism because of her Catholic faith, despite Catholic teaching that does not oppose Israel as a nation or the Jewish people.“I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,” Boller said at the fifth hearing of the Trump-appointed Religious Liberty Commission focusing on the topic of antisemitism in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel. Israel is seen as God’s chosen people through whom God revealed himself and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church universally condemns antisemitism. The Church recognizes Israel’s fundamental right to exist.Boller issued several social media posts after the hearing. She wrote: “Forcing people to affirm Zionism on a ‘Religious Liberty’ Commission is the opposite of religious freedom. I will not resign, and I will not be bullied for following my Catholic conscience.”The commission and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman said at the hearing that while one does not have to support the policies of the Israeli government, “by denying the rights of Jews to have their own state while not saying the same for any other people, that is a double standard hypocrisy and antisemitism.”Both Berman and Yitzchok Frankel, a law student and former defendant in a case against Regents of the University of California over anti-Jewish protests that took place in wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”Boller, author of “Still Standing: The Untold Truth of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks,” countered that “as a Catholic,” she disagrees with the notion that “the new modern state of Israel has any biblical prophecy meaning at all.” She repeatedly pressed the Jewish panelists on whether her views made her an antisemite before the commission’s chair, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, halted the exchange.Boller told EWTN News that members of the commission asked her to resign a few months ago but that she refused. She also said several members asked to meet with her before the hearing to discourage her from making her planned remarks. “They were seeing what I was going to say in the hearing, trying to silence me,” she said. “I told them I won’t be silenced.”Response from other Catholic membersLater in the hearing, panelist Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joined the dialogue on Catholic teaching regarding the Jewish people and read passages from both Nostra Aetate and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.Anderson cited the following passage, which states that while “the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ,” it is the case that “what happened in his passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today.” The paragraph further states that the Jewish people should not be regarded as rejected by God “as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures.”Anderson called on Father Thomas Ferguson of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia, who sits on the panel’s advisory board of religious leaders, to provide further analysis on the Catholic Church’s position on Jewish-Catholic relations.“About the responsibility for the death of Jesus,” Ferguson said, “he’s not dead. He’s alive, he is risen.”The pastor emphasized the Church’s view that Jesus gave up his life freely and sacrificially. He also noted that, in alignment with the passage cited by Anderson from Nostra Aetate, Jesus “made an atonement as an offering for the forgiveness of the sins of every person, every time and place.”“That’s how Catholics understand who is responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross: It’s all of us,” Ferguson said.Ferguson said: “If you are seeking to know God through the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament,” it is not possible to be Christian and antisemitic, “because we have the same father and faith.” The more Catholics embrace their responsibility to know God through the Scriptures, he said, “the more we will know our common patrimony.”Catholic reaction“Carrie Prejean Boller does not speak for the Catholic Church,” Simone Rizkallah, director of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and host of the “Beyond Rome” podcast, which seeks to reconnect Catholics to their roots in the Near East, told EWTN. “Her claim that Catholics do not embrace Zionism is not merely mistaken — it is reckless, historically uninformed, and deeply misleading to both Catholics and the wider public.”Rizkallah pointed out that the recognition of Israel’s right to exist fundamentally amounts to “precisely what Zionism means,” though Catholics themselves may not always be accustomed to using the word formally.“Catholics who affirm Israel’s right to exist and to self-determination — whether or not they personally use the label — are, in essence, affirming that same principle,” she said. “The Church is therefore neither anti-Zionist nor, certainly, antisemitic; she explicitly condemns antisemitism and calls the faithful to reject it in all its forms.”At the same time, Rizkallah emphasized that the Catholic Church does not define Zionism using the same “theological frameworks found in some strands of Protestant Christian Zionism.” Namely, she said, “Catholic theology does not teach that the modern state of Israel represents the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy or a predetermined eschatological event.” Rizkallah described the Church’s position as “both clear and nuanced,” recognizing the modern state of Israel’s political legitimacy, but not grounding it in prophetic claims.Ultimately, she concluded, “precision matters. When public figures speak carelessly about the Church’s teaching, they do not merely express a personal opinion — they create confusion, distort Catholic doctrine, and undermine serious efforts at Catholic-Jewish understanding. Catholics deserve better than slogans masquerading as theology.”The Religious Liberty Commission has had four previous hearings on protecting religious freedom in the U.S., religious freedom in education, and religious freedom in the military.

Catholic teaching does not explicitly oppose Zionism, the movement supporting Jewish self‑determination in a homeland in Israel.

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Gospel and Word of the Day – 11 February 2026 – A reading from the First Book of Kings 1 Kings 10:1-10 The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came to test him with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. "The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king. "Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice." Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.From the Gospel according to Mark 7:14-23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”It is not the external things that make us holy or unholy, but the heart which expresses our intentions, our choices and the will to do all for the love of God. External behaviour is the result of what we decide in the heart, and not the contrary: with a change in external behaviour, but not a change of heart, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not pass outside of us, but rather within us. We could ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, is it his teaching? If so, then the heart is good. Or is my treasure something else? Thus it is a heart which needs purification and conversion. Without a purified heart, one cannot have truly clean hands and lips which speak sincere words of love (…), of mercy, of forgiveness: only a sincere and purified heart can do this. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 August 2015)

A reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 10:1-10

The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.

When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
"The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
"Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

From the Gospel according to Mark
7:14-23

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

It is not the external things that make us holy or unholy, but the heart which expresses our intentions, our choices and the will to do all for the love of God. External behaviour is the result of what we decide in the heart, and not the contrary: with a change in external behaviour, but not a change of heart, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not pass outside of us, but rather within us. We could ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, is it his teaching? If so, then the heart is good. Or is my treasure something else? Thus it is a heart which needs purification and conversion. Without a purified heart, one cannot have truly clean hands and lips which speak sincere words of love (…), of mercy, of forgiveness: only a sincere and purified heart can do this. (Pope Francis, Angelus, 30 August 2015)

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Catholics’ support for Trump’s agenda has not changed, Pew report says – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics’ support for President Donald Trump’s agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.The report, “White Evangelicals Remain Among Trump’s Strongest Supporters, but They’re Less Supportive Than a Year Ago,” includes information from a survey of 8,512 U.S. adults who are part of the center’s American Trends Panel (ATP).The survey was conducted Jan. 20–26 and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.The report found only a slight change from February 2025 to January 2026 in the number of Catholic participants who said they support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies.
 
 The percentage of Catholics who are extremely or very confident that President Donald Trump acts ethically in office decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center
 
 In 2025, 51% of white Catholics reported supporting all or most of Trump’s plans and policies, compared with 46% in 2026. The decrease was less among Hispanic Catholics, which was 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. Overall, there was an 8-percentage-point decrease in all U.S. adults surveyed, dropping from 35% to 27%.The survey also found that confidence in Trump’s ethics has declined in several religious groups, including among Catholics. In 2025, 39% of white Catholics reported they were extremely or very confident that Trump acts ethically in office. In January 2026, this number dropped to 34%. Hispanic Catholics also experienced a slight decrease from 22% to 14%.According to the report, Trump approval is down among most religious groups compared with a year ago. Among white Catholics, there was a decrease from 59% to 52% who reported they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. The number of Hispanic Catholics who approved decreased from 31% to 23%.Other findingsOne year into Trump’s second term, white evangelical Protestants remain among the president’s strongest supporters. They are the only large religious group that was found to have a clear majority approve Trump’s job performance (69%). Roughly half of white Catholics (52%) and white Protestants who are not evangelical (46%) also approve of the way Trump is handling his job.
 
 The percentage of Catholics who reported they support all or most of President Donald Trump’s plans and policies decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center
 
 White evangelicals’ views of Trump were found to be less positive than they were in the early days of his second term. There has been an 8-percentage-point decrease since 2025 in the number of white evangelicals who support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. There has also been a 15-point drop in the share who are confident Trump acts ethically in office.Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals is also down compared with early 2025. It was 78% in 2025 and fell to 69% in 2026.

Catholics’ support for Trump’s agenda has not changed, Pew report says – #Catholic – A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics’ support for President Donald Trump’s agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.The report, “White Evangelicals Remain Among Trump’s Strongest Supporters, but They’re Less Supportive Than a Year Ago,” includes information from a survey of 8,512 U.S. adults who are part of the center’s American Trends Panel (ATP).The survey was conducted Jan. 20–26 and has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.The report found only a slight change from February 2025 to January 2026 in the number of Catholic participants who said they support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. The percentage of Catholics who are extremely or very confident that President Donald Trump acts ethically in office decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center In 2025, 51% of white Catholics reported supporting all or most of Trump’s plans and policies, compared with 46% in 2026. The decrease was less among Hispanic Catholics, which was 20% in 2025 and 18% in 2026. Overall, there was an 8-percentage-point decrease in all U.S. adults surveyed, dropping from 35% to 27%.The survey also found that confidence in Trump’s ethics has declined in several religious groups, including among Catholics. In 2025, 39% of white Catholics reported they were extremely or very confident that Trump acts ethically in office. In January 2026, this number dropped to 34%. Hispanic Catholics also experienced a slight decrease from 22% to 14%.According to the report, Trump approval is down among most religious groups compared with a year ago. Among white Catholics, there was a decrease from 59% to 52% who reported they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. The number of Hispanic Catholics who approved decreased from 31% to 23%.Other findingsOne year into Trump’s second term, white evangelical Protestants remain among the president’s strongest supporters. They are the only large religious group that was found to have a clear majority approve Trump’s job performance (69%). Roughly half of white Catholics (52%) and white Protestants who are not evangelical (46%) also approve of the way Trump is handling his job. The percentage of Catholics who reported they support all or most of President Donald Trump’s plans and policies decreased over the past year, a Feb. 9, 2026, Pew Research Center report finds. | Credit: Courtesy of Pew Research Center White evangelicals’ views of Trump were found to be less positive than they were in the early days of his second term. There has been an 8-percentage-point decrease since 2025 in the number of white evangelicals who support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. There has also been a 15-point drop in the share who are confident Trump acts ethically in office.Trump’s approval rating among white evangelicals is also down compared with early 2025. It was 78% in 2025 and fell to 69% in 2026.

A Pew Research Center report examined how U.S. religious groups view President Donald Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics.

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‘I will not forget you’: Pope Leo’s theme for sixth World Day of Grandparents and Elderly – #Catholic – “I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father “is meant to emphasize how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age.”Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be “a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly,” especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them “a precious presence and a blessing.”World Grandparents’ Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the “revolution” of care for the elderly.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

‘I will not forget you’: Pope Leo’s theme for sixth World Day of Grandparents and Elderly – #Catholic – “I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.According to a Feb. 10 statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the verse chosen by the Holy Father “is meant to emphasize how God’s love for every person never fails, not even in the frailty of old age.”Taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the theme also aims to be “a message of comfort and hope for all grandparents and the elderly,” especially those who live alone or feel forgotten.The Vatican dicastery emphasized that it is also an invitation to families and ecclesial communities not to forget the elderly and to recognize in them “a precious presence and a blessing.”World Grandparents’ Day was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021 and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of July. It is an opportunity to show the elderly the closeness of the Church and to value their contribution to families and communities.This year, the date coincides with the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ, on Sunday, July 26, and the Holy Father invited everyone to celebrate the day with a Eucharistic liturgy in the cathedral church of their diocese.The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life also urged particular Churches and ecclesial communities throughout the world to find ways to celebrate the day in their own local contexts.Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first World Day of Grandparents in July 2025, an occasion on which he encouraged the faithful to participate in the “revolution” of care for the elderly.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

“I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15) is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the sixth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which this year will take place on Sunday, July 26.

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