St. Elena House launches in UK to help Catholics 'catch the fire' of God's love

Northampton Episcopal Vicar for Mission Canon Simon Penhalagan alongside members of the new community at the St. Elena House of Mission and Prayer. | Credit: Maria HeathJan 10, 2026 / 09:00 am (CNA).A new and unique house of mission and prayer inspired by the call to a new evangelization has opened in the U.K., hoping to enable Catholics to "catch the fire" of God's love.The St. Elena House of Mission and Prayer, which opened in December in Northampton, England, has been established to help the Church become more mission-oriented.Speaking to CNA, Maria Heath, director of mission in the Diocese of Northampton, called the new House of Mission and Prayer "a prophetic sign in our times." "The Church needs to embrace its call to mission, and I believe this house and others like it will enable and inspire the Church to explore new ways to reach out to people with the Gospel," she said. Maria Heath called the new House of Mission and Prayer "a prophetic sign in our times." | Credit: D...

Spain, Catholic Church sign agreement to compensate victims of sexual abuse

Archbishop Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Bishops' Conference; Félix Bolaños, minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Parliament; and Father Jesús Díaz Sariego, OP, president of CONFER. | Credit: Ministry of the PresidencyJan 9, 2026 / 16:28 pm (CNA).The Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), the Spanish Conference of Religious Orders (CONFER, by its Spanish acronym), and the government have agreed on a channel for compensating victims of abuse within the Catholic Church, in which the Ombudsman's Office will collaborate.The agreement was signed Jan. 8 by the president of the CEE, Archbishop Luis Argüello; the president of CONFER, Father Jesús Díaz Sariego, OP; and Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with Parliament Félix Bolaños.The agreement reached by the three parties will be valid for one year, renewable for another year. The agreement reached for this new comprehensive reparations system will be complementa...

Madrid, Barcelona, ??Canary Islands possible destinations for Pope Leo XIV in 2026

Pope Leo XIV with the Spanish flag in the foreground on Dec. 8, 2025. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN NewsJan 9, 2026 / 17:06 pm (CNA).Spanish Cardinal José Cobo confirmed Jan. 9 in Rome that Madrid, Barcelona, ??and the Canary Islands are likely destinations in 2026 for an apostolic journey to Spain by Pope Leo XIV.After concluding a meeting with the substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Cobo confirmed the pontiff's interest in visiting Spain: "Yes, I believe the pope is interested [in making the trip]. Madrid, Barcelona, ??and the Canary Islands are the first locations that have been considered."The meeting was also attended by the archbishop of Barcelona, ??Cardinal Juan José Omella; the archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) Archbishop Luis Argüello; the auxiliary bishop of Toledo and secretary general of the CEE, Bishop Francisco César García Mag...

Colorado to pay out $5.4 million after court strikes down abortion pill reversal ban

Health care professionals at the Colorado-based pro-life Bella Health and Wellness healthcare clinic. | Credit: Bella Health and WellnessJan 9, 2026 / 17:38 pm (CNA).Here's a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:Colorado will pay out $5.4 million after attempting to ban abortion pill reversalThe state of Colorado will have to pay out a massive $5.4 million sum after it lost in its attempt to ban abortion pill reversal.The state suffered a decisive loss in federal court in August 2025 when U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico said that Colorado's abortion pill reversal ban interfered with the religious rights of nurses Dede Chism and Abby Sinnett.The Catholic mother-daughter team runs the Denver-area Bella Health and Wellness clinic. Part of their services include administering the hormone progesterone that can counteract the effects of chemical abortions.The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the two nurses in their suit, said on Jan. 6 ...

ICE deported Minnesota church employee, surveilled parish during Mass, mayor says

Church employee Francisco Paredes, 46, was handcuffed by ICE Dec. 4, 2025. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Francisco ParedesJan 9, 2026 / 15:01 pm (CNA).U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surveilled St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Epiphany after deporting the parish's beloved maintenance worker to Mexico five weeks earlier.The Trump administration last year eliminated a federal policy that generally prohibited immigration enforcement in "sensitive locations" such as schools, churches, and hospitals. Attendance at St. Gabriel's Spanish Mass has dropped by half since the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and parishioners have expressed fear of churchgoing about eight miles from where an ICE agent shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good on Jan. 7. Father Paul Haverstock, pastor of St. Gabriel's, said he had vested for the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass Jan. 4 when a parishioner told him about men wearing ski masks in a car outside t...

English diocese responds to rising conversions with evidence-based faith training

More than 500 candidates and catechumens were welcomed at the Rite of Election in the Diocese of Westminster, England, on March 8, 2025. | Credit: Diocese of WestminsterJan 9, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).A diocese in England and Wales has launched a pioneering apologetics project aimed at empowering Catholics to talk more authoritatively about their faith.The project, titled "Ambassadors for Christ," is a fresh approach to apologetics in England and Wales and takes an evidence-based approach to the big questions surrounding the Catholic faith.In a Jan. 5 statement, the Archdiocese of Southwark explained that it has launched the project in response to the rise in people joining the Catholic Church."As more people become interested in the faith, practicing Catholics are experiencing more questions from their family, friends, and colleagues but often remain unsure where to look for evidence-based answers," the statement said."These can range from fundamental questions like 'Is Jesus rea...

President of Venezuelan bishops' conference: We are living in a 'tense calm'

Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference | Credit: Venezuelan Bishops' ConferenceJan 9, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).The president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, experienced hours of anxious concern Jan. 3 when the United States launched a military operation in Venezuela that included bombing strategic military installations and culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.Almost a week has passed, but "a comprehensive understanding of the events of last Saturday and their consequences is difficult, because new information is emerging every day and new dynamics are developing around these events, which advises us to exercise prudence and patience," González told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.He noted that the way things were assessed on Saturday morning was not the same as in the afternoon, because "many questions arose" after Trump's press con...

'One Nation Under God:' 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage inspired by 250th anniversary of U.S.

Map of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage route. | Credit: Courtesy of the National Eucharistic CongressJan 9, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).In celebration of the United States of America's 250th anniversary, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage's theme is "One Nation Under God." Pilgrims will journey on the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route to honor the first American citizen to be canonized."One Nation Under God is not a borrowed slogan; rather, it is an invitation to realign our lives, our communities, and our country under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ," said Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress, in a press release.The 2026 pilgrimage will take place 75 years after the phrase "One Nation Under God" was officially added to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. On June 14, 1954, Flag Day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law adding "under God," completing a campaign launched in 1951 by the Knights of Columbus.Inspired by the nation's h...

Pope Leo condemns 'zeal for war,' weak multilateralism in speech to diplomats

Pope Leo XIV addresses ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives to the Holy See in the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: Vatican MediaJan 9, 2026 / 10:17 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV condemned the weakening of international multilateralism and the increased use of force in a speech to diplomats at the Vatican on Friday.He also said states should respect fundamental human rights, such as religious freedom and freedom of speech, and comply with international humanitarian law in the lengthiest speech to date of his pontificate."A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," he told ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives to the Holy See in the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 9. Currently, 184 states have diplomatic relations with the Holy See."Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable...

Supreme Court asked to block California school gender secrecy rules amid ongoing lawsuit

Credit: Wolfgang Schaller/ShutterstockJan 9, 2026 / 10:47 am (CNA).The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to block the state of California from allowing schools to hide student "gender transitions" from parents amid an ongoing federal lawsuit.The Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based legal group, asked the high court to intervene in the case Mirabelli v. Bonta while the dispute works its way through a federal appeals court. The suit was originally brought by two Christian teachers in California. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez on Dec. 22, 2025, issued a ruling in the class action lawsuit, striking down the secretive school gender policies on First Amendment grounds and holding that parents "have a right" to the "gender information" of their children, while teachers themselves also have the right to provide parents with that information. In a Jan. 5 ruling, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit blocked Benitez's order, holding in part that the "pub...