Catholic News
- New urgency needed against human trafficking, Pope says (Vatican News)
In his statement for the 11th International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, Pope Francis asked: “Where do we get new impetus to combat the trade in human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of children and girls, forced labor, including prostitution, drug and arms trafficking.” The answer, the Pope said, is reliance on God. “With the help of God, we can avoid becoming accustomed to injustice and ward off the temptation to think that certain phenomena cannot be eradicated.” The Pontiff observed that the annual day of prayer falls on February 7, the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita, and encouraged reliance on her intercession and her example. - Ailing, Pontiff moves audiences to residence (Vatican News)
Due to breathing difficulties attributed to bronchitis, Pope Francis will remain in his residence on Friday and Saturday, February 7 and 8, the Vatican press office has announced. The Pope will continue his regular work schedule, but hold meetings and audiences at the St. Martha residence. Pope Francis, who is 88, has suffered repeated bouts of bronchitis. At his regular weekly public audience on Wednesday his breathing was notably labored, and an aide read his prepared remarks. The Pope said at the time that his problem was a “severe cold.” - Philippine bishops decry Chinese aggression, warn against appeasement (CBCP)
In a joint pastoral exhortation, six Philippine bishops decried the “aggressive incursions of the Chinese into our maritime zones” in the West Philippine Sea. “The widespread destruction of coral reefs, marine sanctuaries and the habitat of fish and sea-dwelling animals has wrought havoc on the lives of our fisherfolk,” the bishops said. “A policy of appeasing the Chinese aggressors is worsening the situation of our poor fisher folk.” The bishops concluded: All legal means must be exhausted so that what nature has so bountifully bestowed on us may be ours and may feed generations of Filipinos yet to be born, and if present diplomatic endeavors do not suffice, then it is permissible—morally necessary even—to have recourse to the friendship of allies who can help us defend what is ours! - Mass attendance returns to pre-lockdown levels (Our Sunday Visitor)
Mass attendance in the US has finally returned to the levels that prevailed before the Covid lockdown, according to surveys by Georgetown’s Center for the Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Just under one-fourth of all American Catholics are typically at Mass on Sundays in 2025, CARA reports. That figure nearly matches the pre-lockdown number: 24.4. During and immediately after the lockdown, from 2020 to 2023, weekly Mass attendance had sunk to 15% of the Catholic population. - Pope praises midwives, ob-gyns who welcome babies with 'humanity' (CNA)
In Italian-language remarks, Pope Francis encouraged obstetricians, gynecologists, and midwives from four Italian cities to “cultivate, in addition to professional skill, a great sense of humanity, which confirms in the parents’ souls the desire and joy for the new life.” “I encourage you to feel toward the mothers, fathers, and children whom God puts in your path the responsibility to pray for them as well, especially in holy Mass, Eucharistic adoration, and simple, daily prayer,” the Pope added. - New Jersey diocese blocked attorney general's probe (NorthJersey.com)
The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, successfully blocked a bid by the state’s attorney general to conduct a grand-jury investigation into sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The Jersey.com web site has obtained documents showing that a state court upheld the complaint of the Camden diocese that such an inquiry would be beyond the state’s proper authority and potentially unfair to accused clerics who would not be given an opportunity to defend themselves. The court ruled that a grand jury could properly investigate the activities of a government agency, but not a private institution. The attorney general’s investigation was triggered by the scandal surrounding former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose trail of abuse goes back to his days heading the Diocese of Metuchen and then the Archdiocese of Newark—both in New Jersey. - With Myanmar's military occupying cathedral, bishop holds 'Jubilee in exile' (Fides)
With Myanmar’s military occupying the cathedral in Loikaw, Bishop Celso Ba Shwe has designated the parish in which he currently resides as the co-cathedral and is commemorating the 2025 Jubilee in exile. “The Lord is with us, he supports us, he is the source of our hope,” the bishop said. “Moreover, hope comes from solidarity and mutual charity in this time of desert, darkness, suffering, displacement,” a time “of exile when everyone longs to return home but cannot because of the widespread violence.” - Pope lauds nuns who fight human trafficking (Vatican News)
Pope Francis met on February 7 with members of Talitha Kum, an international network of women religious dedicated to the fight against human trafficking. The meeting took place on the World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking. “We must not tolerate the shameful exploitation of so many of our sisters and brothers,” the Pope said. “Trafficking in human bodies, the sexual exploitation even of small children and forced labor are a disgrace and a very serious violation of fundamental human rights.” - French mayor disobeys order to remove Nativity scene (OIDAC Europe)
The mayor of the southern French town of Beaucaire has defied repeated court orders to remove a Nativity scene from the town hall, according to a new report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe. In December, an initial court order imposed a fine of 1,000 euros per day. The Ligue des droits de l’homme, or Human Rights League, has requested an increase of the fine to 5,000 euros per day. - Connecticut teacher booted from classroom over crucifix sues district (National Review)
A seventh-grade teacher at a Connecticut middle school has been suspended for insubordination after she refused to remove a crucifix near her desk calendar (photograph). Marisol Arroyo-Castro, who has hung the crucifix there for a decade, filed a lawsuit in federal district court on the grounds that the Consolidated School District of New Britain violated her constitutional rights of freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion. - USCCB committee chairman deplores human trafficking, calls on lawmakers to bolster survivor services (USCCB)
In a statement for the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration deplored human trafficking and called on lawmakers to “bolster existing protections and expand services for survivors, including those made possible by the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act.” “Unfortunately, many of the proposals currently being discussed would weaken or eliminate decades of bipartisan progress on this issue,” said Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso. “We must reject policies that lead to expanded opportunities for bad actors to prey on the vulnerable, whether within or beyond our country’s borders.” The International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking takes place on February 8, the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita. - St. Louis archdiocese rebukes pastor for support for 'transgender' treatment (National Catholic Register)
The Archdiocese of St. Louis has issued a statement disassociating itself from a priest’s testimony against legislation that would ban gender-altering treatment for children. Father Mitchell Doyen had told a state-house hearing that the proposed bill would be “dehumanizing our brothers and sisters.” He added that the desire of some children to alter their sexual identity and “live fully human, authentic, grace-filled and gifted lives in our community is a profound blessing for us.” The archdiocese responded by saying that Father Doyen was “speaking on his own behalf, and his comments did not accurately reflect Church teaching.” - NC court upholds lifting of statute of limitations for abuse cases (AP)
The North Carolina Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a state law that lifted the statute of limitations on sex abuse lawsuits for a two-year period. A public school district (Gaston County Schools) had argued that the lifting of the statute of limitations violated the state’s constitution. In related cases, the court ruled that the Diocese of Charlotte and Glenmary Home Missioners could be held liable for the actions of individuals under their supervision, but that the lifting of the statute of limitations does not allow for the relitigation of cases in which victims have already agreed to settlements. - Another Nigerian priest kidnapped (Fides)
Father Cornellus Manzak Damulak, a priest studying at Veritas University in Abuja, was taken from his home on February 6 by kidnappers. The Diocese of Shendam, to which Father Damulak belongs, issued a call for prayers for his safety and his release. - Argentine court denies Bishop Zanchetta's appeal (Pillar)
An Argentine court has rejected an appeal by Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, who was convicted in 2022 of sexual abuse of seminarians. After being sentenced to a prison term of four and half years, Bishop Zanchetta was allowed to live under house arrest in Argentina. But in November 2024 he received court permission to travel to Rome for medical treatment, and remains there. Despite his conviction he remains a bishop in good standing. Bishop Zanchetta resigned his post in the Oran diocese in 2017, citing health reasons. He was brought to Rome by Pope Francis, who created a new position in the Roman Curia for him. He eventually returned to Argentina to face criminal charges, but his case—and the Vatican’s readiness to shelter him—causes a major scandal. (See the exclusive 7-part report from CWN.) - Be messengers of hope, Pope urges in Mission Day message (Vatican News)
In his message for World Mission Day, Pope Francis writes: “Let us not forget that prayer is the primary missionary activity and at the same time ‘the first strength of hope.’” The 99th annual World Mission Day will be celebrated on October 19. The Pope’s message for the occasion was released by the Vatican on February 6. In his message the Pope reflected on the link between this year’s theme for World Mission Day—“Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples”—and the Jubilee Year of Hope. He observed that all Christians have a “fundamental vocation to be, in the footsteps of Christ, messengers and builders of hope.” - Pope extends terms of elderly dean, subdean of College of Cardinals (CWN)
Pope Francis has extended the terms of the dean and subdean of the College of Cardinals, despite their advanced age. - Spokane bishop urges opposition to bill threatening confessional seal (CNA)
Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, has asked voters to contact their representatives, urging opposition to legislation that would threaten the confessional seal. The proposed law would make it mandatory to inform law-enforcement officials of any reports of child abuse, not making an exception for sacramental confession. Bishop Daly vowed that in the Spokane diocese, the sacramental seal would always be honored. - Vance cites Church fathers in speech on religious liberty (CatholicVote)
Vice President J. D. Vance argued that the theologians of the early Church established the central importance of religious liberty, which remains “the bedrock of civil society in the United States of American and across the world.” “This is the legacy that has guided America’s political principles from the Founding to this very day, “ Vance said in an address to the International Religious Freedom Summit. Turning to practical applications of those principles, the vice president stressed the importance of being able to “look at the catastrophes, like the plight of Iraq’s Christians over the past three decades, and possess the moral clarity to act when something has gone wrong.” - God still calls young people to priesthood, religious life, Pope says in video (The Pope Video)
In a video associated with his February prayer intention (for vocations to the priesthood and religious life), Pope Francis said that “God still calls young people even today, sometimes in ways we can’t imagine.” After recalling his own vocation, the Pope said that the Holy Spirit “speaks to us through the concerns young people feel in their hearts. If we accompany their journeys, we’ll see how God is doing new things with them. And we’ll be able to welcome His call in ways that better serve the Church and the world today.” - More...