OSV News

Victims of abuse are cautiously optimistic regarding an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Spanish government that would seek to provide reparations to victims of clergy sexual abuse.

The Trump administration's plans to acquire Greenland for the U.S. are being met with concern, sometimes fear and "a quiet strength" by residents, said the Arctic island's only Catholic parish priest.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a Dec. 23 motion seeking to have several counts dismissed in a lawsuit alleging "decades" of sexual abuse against minors by clergy, men and women religious, archdiocesan employees and other affiliated persons.

"Following this morning's deadly shooting in Minneapolis, I reiterate my plea for all people of good will to join me in prayer for the person who was killed, for their loved ones, and for our community," Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement following the incident.

"This will be our way of proceeding," the pontiff began, "being attentive to the heart, mind and spirit of each; listening to one other; expressing only the main point and in a succinct manner, so that all can speak."

Just a few days before the Jan. 3 U.S. strikes on — and temporary takeover of — Venezuela, the Catholic bishops of several Caribbean nations had repeated their earlier plea for peace while expressing support for the Venezuelan people, amid a pre-attack buildup of U.S. military in the region.

Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester and named as his successor Bishop John Bonnici, currently auxiliary bishop of New York.

While providing no specifics, the Vatican said the consistory is taking place "within the context of the life and mission of the church, and intends to strengthen the communion between the Bishop of Rome and the cardinals, who are called to collaborate in a particular way in solicitude for the good of the universal church."

The "extensive media outreach" — which includes some two dozen secular outlets in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas — is part of the archdiocese's "commitment to the nonmonetary provisions laid out in its Chapter 11 settlement plan," said the press release.

The U.S. strikes on — and announced temporary takeover of — Venezuela violate both the United Nations Charter and the Christian principles on which it is based, a University of Notre Dame scholar told OSV News.

The bishops of Kentucky and Wisconsin have joined similar efforts by bishops in a growing list of states to affirm the human dignity of migrants amid debates over immigration policy.

Pope Leo mourned those killed and consoled their families in a Jan. 2 telegram signed by Cardinal Piero Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state.

The decree, dated Dec. 23, noted the increase in immigration enforcement activities in the Diocese of Columbus has created "a rise in fear and anxiety" in its immigrant community.

Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odesa-Simferopol said that people "who've taken power" in the U.S. aren't "interested in truth and justice."
 

When the Second Vatican Council opened in 1962, its proceedings were shrouded in secrecy. Then, unexpectedly, a mysterious byline appeared in The New Yorker: Xavier Rynne. In a series of explosive dispatches, the anonymous insider revealed the council's unseen conflicts — ultraconservative factions working to block reforms, curial power plays and intense exchanges shaping the church's future.

Jesuit priests and seminarians plus some laity found the remains of two women after they scoured an 80-mile stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert in a search for migrants, living or dead, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bishop Michael Martin wrote that his guidelines are to strengthen unity in worship, uphold the church's liturgical norms and encourage active participation by the faithful.

People have a deep desire to return to their lives despite the dire and complex situation in Gaza following two years of war, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said at an annual Christmas press conference on Dec. 22.

"We cannot forget what happened ... But now we have to look forward," the patriarch said. "We will rebuild. We will rebuild our schools. We (will) rebuild our houses ... our life. We are rooted here and we remain here."

Like Pope Leo XIV, the new leader enjoys riding horses. He is a native of Zambia's Chingola but was brought up in Kent, south east England.