Human dignity, art, life, migrants, the elderly, young people, and artificial intelligence: these are some of the themes of the prayer intentions that Pope Leo has entrusted to his Worldwide Prayer Network for next year.

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WASHINGTON – This week, the U.S. Department of State officially published three rules, significantly expanding the “Mexico City Policy,” which historically limited certain federal funds from going to foreign non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortion abroad. The State Department is referring to these three rules collectively as the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) Policy. Three bishop-chairmen of committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) responded:

“God entrusts us with a responsibility to share our blessings to help preserve the lives and dignity of our brothers and sisters in need. We support robust funding for authentic lifesaving and life-affirming foreign assistance and applaud new policies that prevent taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that engage in ideological colonization and promote abortion or gender ideology overseas. We also call for the implementation of any related policies to be carried out in a manner that recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person and does not harm those who are racially or ethnically marginalized.”

The bishop-chairmen were Bishop Edward J. Burns of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Committee on International Justice and Peace. Earlier in the week, Bishop Thomas had also offered a statement, in part, addressing the rule related to the performance and promotion of abortion.

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ROME (CNS) -- Thanks to a 17th-century Italian priest, skis made their way from their origin in Scandinavia to Central Europe.

Father Francesco Negri, born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1623, was a natural history and geography buff and longed to discover the secrets of the North. 

According to an article first published by the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire in 2006, Father Negri is thought to be the first tourist to travel to Norway's North Cape and the first Central European to don a pair of skis and spread this sleek, winter transport technology to Italy, host country to the Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina Feb. 6-22.

During the Italian priest's 1663-66 voyage to the snow-covered lands of Sweden and Norway, he met with and wrote extensively about the Scandinavian peoples, according to the article.

In his book, "Viaggio Settentrionale," he marveled at how the native hunters darted toward their reindeer prey using "two thin boards no wider than the foot, but 8 to 9 palms long, with the tip turned up a bit so as not to dig in the snow."

He also made drawings and described how the skier used sticks that had a round piece of wood driven into one end, so the poles would not perforate the snow.

Not the passive observer, Father Negri also strapped the unfamiliar "skie" to his feet and experimented. 

He noted that it was important to keep the skis straight and parallel. Possibly speaking from personal experience, he warned the user would fall if the skis spread too far apart or if the front tips or back ends crossed.

In his book, published posthumously in 1700, the Italian priest offered some other helpful hints for successful skiing.

It helps "to eat and drink abundantly," he wrote. He said it was best to fuel up on generous portions of distilled liquor, or "aquavit," early in the morning in order to burn through the deep, cold drifts.

Over the years, the pastime grew in popularity, becoming a more common hobby in middle-class society. Among the many Central Europeans who became avid skiers was St. John Paul II. Born in Poland in 1920, he loved the outdoors and would still go swimming, skiing and mountain climbing while he was bishop and cardinal of Krakow, Poland. 

He did not let becoming pope in 1978 and moving to the Vatican stop him from his love for sport. St. John Paul regularly left the Vatican unannounced and, in his early years, he would spend an afternoon skiing or hiking.

According to Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the late pope's private secretary, St. John Paul made more than 100 secret trips to ski or hike in the Italian mountains, particularly the Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo.

Another well-known saint-skier is St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whom St. John Paul beatified in 1990, and Pope Leo XIV canonized Sept. 7, 2025. 

Born in Turin, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006, St. Frassati loved the outdoors and was an avid mountain climber. An iconic image of the young man shows him on a mountain summit with a hiking stick and smoking a pipe, illustrating the motto he was best known for, "Verso l'alto" ("To the heights").

 

Pope Leo XIV urges the bishops of Peru to renew their commitment to unity, fidelity to the Gospel, and pastoral closeness, as they face the challenges of evangelisation in today’s world. He also recalls his personal pastoral experience in the nation and admits that Peru has “a special place in my heart.”

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As Haitians residing in the United States face the end of temporary protected status, US Bishops call on the Trump Administration to act in a “just and merciful way” by extending their temporary residency permits.

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The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) and the Catholic University of Zimbabwe (CUZ) have formalised a partnership aimed at strengthening safeguarding and holistic formation in Zimbabwe’s education system through psycho-spiritual therapy and counselling training.

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Pope Leo XIV meets with the leadership and members of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and thanks them for their work. He encourages them to continue their mission and invite young people to take part.

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An interreligious service hosted by the Holy See’s Mission to the UN in Geneva gathers diplomats and religious leaders to reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 World Day of Peace Message amid escalating global conflicts. Cardinal Pizzaballa and the ICRC stress the urgent need for justice, humanitarian law, and a “demanding hope” grounded in dialogue and human dignity.

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ROME (CNS) -- Asked about the deadly shootings by U.S. federal agents in Minneapolis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the violence unfolding there is "unacceptable."

"The position of the Holy See is always to avoid any kind of violence, obviously, and therefore we cannot accept episodes of this kind. That is our position, as you know," he told reporters when asked about operations underway by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, which have led to the shootings and deaths of two U.S. citizens.

"Difficulties, problems and contradictions must be resolved in other ways," he said Jan. 28, describing the situation as "unacceptable" and agreeing with recent statements by U.S. bishops. 

The cardinal spoke with reporters on the sidelines of an evening event at LUMSA University in Rome Jan. 28.

Asked about the possibility of the U.S. sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in northern Italy as part of security measures for the U.S. delegation, the cardinal said he was aware of the proposal, "but I know there is also controversy surrounding it. We don't get involved" in such controversies.

Meanwhile, secretary-general of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi, told reporters during a news conference Jan. 28 that "We hope that respect for public order will be ensured as much as possible by our own (Italian) authorities," adding that there has been no official statement from the conference on the issue.

WASHINGTON - “There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” said Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, together with Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

The bishops’ statement follows U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, effective February 3, based on a determination the country no longer meets the conditions for the designation. Over 300,000 Haitians in the United States are covered by the current designation. 

The U.S. Department of State’s own travel advisory for Haiti is Level 4, the highest level, because of “life-threatening risks” that include kidnapping, terrorist activity, and civil unrest; meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is currently prohibiting any flights from the United States to Haiti’s capital.

Bishop Cahill and Bishop Zaidan’s full statement follows: 

“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States who will soon have their legal status and work authorization revoked due to the Administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti. There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time. 

“We do not dispute that TPS is intended to be ‘temporary,’ as is often pointed out as a rationale for ending it, which is why we have reaffirmed on so many occasions the need for Congress to create viable opportunities for longtime residents with TPS, regardless of nationality, to request a more durable legal status. However, so long as Congress fails in this regard, and the current conditions in Haiti persist, the onus is on the executive branch to act in a just and merciful way.

“The Trump Administration still has the opportunity to do the right thing—to safeguard human life, to uphold the law, and to promote greater stability for people in this country and beyond. TPS was created by Congress with these very goals in mind, and the ongoing conditions in Haiti are precisely the sort warranting TPS. We urge the Administration to act accordingly by extending this vital relief for Haitians. 

“Most importantly, we reaffirm the U.S. Church’s solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters, wherever they may be. We turn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, for her intercession; may she always be a source of strength and comfort for the Haitian people.”

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Translation of Bishops’ statement in Haitian Creole:

Men Deklarasyon konplè Evèk Cahill ak Evèk Zaidan: 

“Nou enkyete anpil pou frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo ki ap viv Ozetazini e ki kapab pèdi estati legal yo ak otorizasyon pou travay akòz desizyon Administrasyon an pran pou mete fen nan TPS pou Ayiti. Pa gen okenn opòtinite reyalis pou retounen moun Ayiti san danje ak nan lòd kounye a.

“Nou pa kont lide ke TPS fèt pou l ‘tanporè,’ jan sa souvan itilize kòm rezon pou mete fen nan li. Se poutèt sa nou toujou repete anpil fwa bezwen pou Kongrè a kreye opòtinite solid pou rezidan ki gen TPS depi lontan, kèlkeswa nasyonalite yo, pou yo mande yon estati legal ki pi dirab. Sepandan, toutotan Kongrè a pa reponn a bezwen sa a, e toutotan kondisyon aktyèl yo Ayiti kontinye egziste, se devwa pouvwa egzekitif la pou l aji avèk jistis ak mizèrikòd.

“Administrasyon Trump toujou gen chans pou l fè sa ki dwat—pou l pwoteje lavi moun, pou l respekte lalwa, epi pou l ankouraje plis estabilite pou moun nan peyi sa a ak lòt kote. TPS se Kongrè ki te kreye li ak objektif sa yo, e sitiyasyon Ayiti jodi a montre byen klè rezon ki fè TPS egziste. Nou ankouraje Administrasyon an pou l aji kòmsadwa lè l pwolonje sekou vital sa a pou Ayisyen yo.

“Pi enpòtan toujou, nou renouvle solidarite Legliz Katolik Ozetazini ak frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo, kèlkeswa kote yo ye. Nou vire je nou sou Notre Dame du Secours Pèpétuel, Patronn Ayiti, pou entèsesyon li; ke li toujou yon sous fòs ak rekonfò pou pèp ayisyen an.”

View this release in Haitian Creole.

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