Catholic News

A group of senior European bishops on Friday issued an appeal urging Europe to "rediscover its soul" in response to what they described as a world "torn and polarized" by war and violence.

The text, published Feb. 13, said many citizens are "anguished and disoriented" and warned that the international order is under threat. In that context, the bishops said Europe must recover its spiritual identity in order to offer the wider world its "indispensable contribution" to the common good.

The appeal also recalls Christianity's historic role in shaping the continent, arguing that even if Christians are fewer in number today, they are still called to return "with courage and perseverance" to the foundation of their hope.

Looking back to the postwar period and the construction of the European Union, the bishops invoked the legacy of founding figures Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, and Alcide De Gasperi, describing them as architects of a "magnificent, though fragile" project inspired by their Christian faith. The text cites St. John Paul II's repeated emphasis on the role of Christians in building Europe, recalling his observation that the founders' love for Christ was inseparable from their commitment to humanity.

The bishops warned that Europe "cannot be reduced to an economic and financial market" without betraying the founders' original vision. They urged the continent to reject exclusivist forms of isolationism and violence, uphold the rule of law, and favor supranational solutions to conflicts through appropriate mechanisms and alliances.

Europe, they added, must remain ready to resume dialogue even amid conflict, working for reconciliation and peace. "An international framework is dying and a new one has yet to be born," the bishops wrote, arguing that the world still needs Europe — and that Christians, wherever they live, should make that urgency their own.

The text closes with a quotation attributed to Schuman: "Politics, when lived as a selfless service to the city and to the human person, can become an act of love toward one's neighbor." On the basis of their faith, the bishops said, Christians are called to share with all Europeans their hope for universal fraternity.

The appeal was signed by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, president of the French Bishops' Conference; Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, president of the Italian Bishops' Conference; Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, president of the German Bishops' Conference; and Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdansk, Poland, president of the Polish Bishops' Conference.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Diocese of Brooklyn will pursue a broad settlement with more than 1,000 alleged victims of Church abuse, Bishop Robert Brennan said on Feb. 12, with a well-known California judge set to help mediate the process.

Unlike many U.S. dioceses that have faced hundreds of sex abuse claims and tens of millions of dollars in settlement costs, the Brooklyn Diocese has not filed for bankruptcy. But the diocese launched a compensation program in 2017, which Brennan in his Feb. 12 letter said has already paid "over 500 victim-survivors more than $100 million."

The diocese now "intends to pursue a global resolution of all approximately 1,100 remaining cases," Brennan wrote.

"We will endeavor to resolve expeditiously all meritorious claims and to avoid the time, expense, and emotional strain for victim-survivors that would be caused by individual trials," the bishop said.

The diocese has consulted with attorneys representing abuse victims, he said. As well, Judge Daniel Buckley — a former judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County — will help mediate the process.

Buckley has previously worked with the archdioceses of both New York and Los Angeles in mediating their own settlements.

Massachusetts-based mediator Paul Finn will also work with the Brooklyn Diocese, Brennan said. Finn has mediated abuse settlements in Boston; Milwaukee; Rochester, New York, and elsewhere.

Brennan said the Brooklyn Diocese will engage in "cost-cutting and setting aside significant funds to compensate victim-survivors," a process he said will entail "difficult financial choices."

But "the diocese is committed to fairly compensating all meritorious claims," he said.

The diocese "continue[s] to pray for the victim-survivors, their families, and all others impacted by sexual abuse," the bishop wrote.

The news comes several months after the Archdiocese of New York revealed that it was aiming to raise more than $300 million for abuse survivors as part of its own "global settlement" with victims.

The archdiocese initiated staff layoffs and a 10% reduction in the archdiocese's operating budget, according to Cardinal Timothy Dolan, as well as the "sale of significant real estate assets."

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The parish priest of St. Joseph Catholic Church of the Kaduna Archdiocese in Nigeria has confirmed the kidnapping of the parish catechist, his pregnant wife, and over 30 other people in a bandit attack.

In an interview with Arise television, Father Linus Matthew Bobai said the Feb. 9 attack forced residents of Kutaho and Kugir communities in the Aribi ward of Kagarko, local government area (LGA) of Kaduna state, to flee.

"Bandits abducted our catechist, his pregnant wife, and 32 others in Kagarko LGA," Bobai said of the attack that he claimed happened at midnight. "The community is under tension. Over 98% of people have gone to a nearby village. Those of us who slept in the village yesterday are not up to 40," he added.

Bobai said those who had not fled are helpless.

"We are handicapped. The community is under tension," the Nigerian priest said, adding: "This evening, many of them went away because of fear and all that."

"We are very tense. Some of us are afraid but we cannot run away because we are pastors, and we encouraged a few others to stay behind and look after the community," he said.

The attack reportedly occurred around 2 a.m. on Feb. 9, when armed bandits stormed the communities after earlier issuing threats and ransom demands to residents.

Bobai explained that despite warnings issued to community members to remain vigilant, the bandits returned as threatened, launching a coordinated attack while he was away in Kaduna procuring textbooks for St. Joseph School.

In parts of Kaduna state, residents reportedly continue to call for sustained security presence and proactive patrols to prevent further attacks.

On Jan. 20, Christin Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a U.K.-based human rights organization, called on Nigerian authorities to secure the release of 167 worshippers who had reportedly been abducted during coordinated attacks on three churches in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru LGA of Kaduna state.

CSW officials expressed concern that the Adara people of Kajuru LGA had especially been under sustained attack since their traditional ruler, the Agom Adara III, Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, was abducted and murdered by Fulani assailants in 2018, despite payment of a ransom.

Officials of the Christian entity recounted that on Jan. 11, over 20 people were abducted from the community and were only freed after paying around 7 million Naira ($4,932) in ransom.

The entity further recounted that earlier, on Jan. 2, a church leader, Rev. Philip Adamu, was among four people who were abducted from Ungwan Danladi village in Kajuru LGA by assailants who spoke Fulfude, the Fulani language.

CSW officials described the repeated attacks as a failure of government responsibility, warning that rural communities are being driven deeper into poverty by ransom payments and forced displacement.

Attacks in Nigeria, most of them targeting Christian and farming communities, have prompted President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria a country of particular concern.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday will travel outside the Vatican to visit a Roman parish — the Basilica of Santa Maria Regina Pacis — in the seaside community of Ostia, about 17 miles southwest of the city's center.

A popular summer destination for tourists, Ostia will be the first of five parishes where the pope, as bishop of Rome, will celebrate Mass on Sundays in February and March.

The pastor of the church, Pallottine Father Giovanni Vincenzo Patanè, told EWTN News the area has its challenges, including drug dealing and prostitution, but there are also many positive initiatives worth highlighting.

"The pope's presence will help to shed light on these somewhat shady areas, but also to show that Ostia is not only what is often reported about crime and Mafia organizations, but that there is also a lot of good," the priest said.

According to Father Giulio Albanese, director of the Vicariate of Rome's social communications office, in Ostia, many people are having trouble making ends meet.

The Church in Ostia is helping to look after those who are struggling, including those in need, immigrants, and young people affected by drugs, he told EWTN News. "The Christian community is there to help them, to share with them the love of God."

Costantino, a homeless man who declined to give his last name, said he frequents the parish and has been a recipient of its charitable activities. "You must have faith. You can't lose it ... even in difficult moments," he said.

The town of Ostia also has an important connection to Pope Leo's order, the Augustinians, as the site of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica's, shared a mystical experience of eternal life. St. Monica died soon afterward and was buried in Ostia, though her tomb was later moved to Rome.

Pallottine Father Thomas Rzempoluch, assistant pastor of Santa Maria Regina Pacis, explained to EWTN News that the parish was first entrusted to the Augustinian order, which laid its foundation. But when they were unable to finish building the church, the Pallottine Fathers were asked to complete it.

"Our [rector general] at that time sent the Irish Pallottines all over America to take up collections to finish the church. So there's also an American connection here," he said.

Leo will be the third pope to visit the parish — Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis also celebrated Mass there during their pontificates.

"The community of Ostia is really so excited, not just our parish," parishioner Daniele Libertini said.

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Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley this week lamented the state's execution of convicted murderer Kendrick Simpson, urging prayers for an end to what he called the "inhumane" punishment of the death penalty.

Oklahoma executed Simpson on Feb. 12 for the 2006 murders of 20-year-old Glen Palmer and 19-year-old Anthony Jones. Simpson was convicted of killing the two in a shooting outside of an Oklahoma City nightclub.

Simpson's execution came after the state's Pardon and Parole Board voted against his clemency petition. The U.S. Supreme Court similarly rejected his appeal. He was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m. on Feb. 12.

Coakley in a statement on X said the execution — coming shortly after the state's March for Life — "brought into stark reality just how much work remains" for pro-life advocates in the state.

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"Heinous crimes should not go unpunished and our compassion and support for the victims and their loved ones is necessary," the archbishop said, urging the faithful to "pray for those left behind [who are] often dealing with incomprehensible grief."

Yet "the intentional killing of the perpetrator cannot heal those terrible wounds," Coakley said, arguing that the "pain and loss of one death cannot be extinguished by another violent death."

"The death penalty is inhumane and a poor method of punishment, standing in opposition to our duty to respect and value all human life and cherish God's plan for humankind, which includes merciful justice and the opportunity for the redemption of the soul," he said.

Coakley has long been an outspoken opponent of the death penalty, having regularly called for its abolition while arguing that it "only contributes to the continued coarsening of society and to the spiral of violence."

Oklahoma, meanwhile, has for years been among the most execution-heavy states in the country; it is first among states in executions per capita and seconded only by Texas in total numbers of executions.

Coakley himself is among the numerous U.S. prelates who regularly advocate against capital punishment in their respective states. The Death Penalty Information Center says that 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment.

The archbishop on Feb. 12 urged the faithful to join him in "praying for an end to the death penalty in our state and nationwide."

He also urged prayers "for the victims, Glen Palmer and Anthony Jones, and their families, as well as Kendrick Simpson and his family."

Simpson himself had openly confessed to the murders ahead of his execution as part of his clemency plea before the state board.

At the hearing he also addressed the families of his victims, telling them directly: "I apologize for murdering your sons."

"I don't make any excuses, I don't blame others, and they didn't deserve what happened to them," he said.

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Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González signed into law on Feb. 12 a bill amending the penal code to recognize unborn babies as human beings at "any stage of gestation."

Senate Bill 923 — which when signed became Law 18-2026 — amends Article 92 of the penal code, which currently states that "murder is the intentional, knowing, or reckless killing of a human being."

The new law establishes that "for the purposes of this chapter, 'human being' shall include any conceived [unborn child] at any stage of gestation within the mother's womb."

This legislation was authored by González, a Republican. In a press release posted on X, she explained that the objective is to complement Law 166-2025, known as the Keyshla Madlane Law, named after a pregnant woman in Puerto Rico who was murdered in April 2021.

This law, the press release states, "among other things, defines as first-degree murder the intentional and knowing killing of a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the unborn child at any stage of gestation within the mother's womb."

In this regard, the approval of Law 18-2026 stands out, noting that "the legislation aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the conceived unborn child as a human being."

In December 2025, the governor also signed into law Senate Bill 504, which amended the civil code to state that "a human being in gestation or nasciturus is a natural person, including the conceived child at any stage of gestation within the mother's womb."

A natural person simply means a living human being as distinct from a legal person such as a corporation.

At the time, all of these laws were criticized by feminist and pro-abortion groups, who argued that they could lead to a ban on abortion in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions.

However, Puerto Rico Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve defended the passage of Bill 923 in January, stating that "the message of this type of legislation is powerful. It reaffirms this kind of language in our public policy that in the womb of a pregnant woman there is not just anything, not a mere indefinable object, but a subject, a developing human being who has dignity and whose value is intrinsic to their human nature."

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.

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The bishops of Venezuela said they seek to convey "a message of hope" to their fellow citizens amid "the anxieties and fears" the situation in the country is generating, especially after the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3.

Through a new apostolic exhortation, titled "Your Light Will Break Forth Like the Dawn" (Is 58:8), the bishops summarized the reflections of their 125th ordinary plenary assembly, held Feb. 4–9 in Caracas.

In the document, the bishops quoted Pope Leo XIV from his Jan. 4 Angelus prayer in which he affirmed that "the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail above any other consideration and lead to overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace."

Solidarity with political prisoners and their families

The Venezuelan bishops emphasized that the country in recent years has experienced a profound economic, social, and political crisis, within which "violations of human and civil rights, including freedom of expression and the right to due process and defense," have become particularly prominent.

In this regard, they reaffirmed "their closeness and solidarity" with the more than 600 political prisoners currently being held in Venezuela and with their families. The bishops described the hundreds of releases that have occurred since Jan. 3 as "a positive sign" and called for the full release of those still detained or those released from prison with restrictions.

"We are following with interest the proposal and the process for approving a general amnesty law, which must necessarily be broad and inclusive, the result of extensive consultation with all sectors of civil society. It would be an important step toward embarking on the long and difficult road to national reconciliation and the restoration of social and democratic coexistence," the bishops stated.

Furthermore, they joined the demands of various sectors of Venezuelan society for the repeal of laws "that restrict fundamental rights enshrined in the national constitution and international conventions," especially those related to freedom of expression.

Guaranteeing national sovereignty

Once again, the bishops reiterated that popular sovereignty, as expressed in the results of the July 28, 2024, presidential elections, was disregarded by the socialist regime.

Following the election, the campaign organization for Edmundo González, who ran against Maduro for president, said that they had over 70% of the voting tallies from the polling stations that proved González won by a wide margin. However, the National Electoral Council controlled by the entrenched socialist government of Maduro declared Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote.

The consequences of this culminated in the capture of Maduro by U.S. forces on drug trafficking charges, which, although some have interpreted it as a violation of international law, others believe opens "paths to achieving the democratization of the country," the prelates stated.

"For several years, Venezuela has suffered undue interference from external factors that have seriously affected its sovereignty," they said, calling on state actors to take the necessary actions to "guarantee sovereignty and self-determination over our destiny."

Building the future with special attention to the poorest

To build a future of justice and peace, the bishops said it is necessary to achieve a national reconciliation in which citizens can identify themselves "as one people, making it once again a place of opportunities for progress and happiness, especially for the poorest."

"We must strengthen the family as the primary place for the integral development of individuals and society, and overcome the barriers that prevent us from building the reality of "we" as a nation with the participation and inclusion of all sectors of the country," they affirmed.

"It is necessary to promote spaces for dialogue that lead to a broad national agreement on the future we want to build," they noted.

A fundamental aspect for achieving this task, the prelates said, is overcoming the "impoverishment that currently afflicts a majority of the population" and which has been one of the main causes of the exodus of millions of Venezuelans.

To help achieve this goal, they recalled the commitment of the Catholic Church, in its various forms, to be an entity that fosters "encounter, listening, and accompaniment" and that produces "clear and credible signs of fraternity and reconciliation."

"We invite everyone to find in daily prayer light and strength to face with determination the situation we are experiencing today," they stated, asking Venezuelans to intensify their acts of piety during Lent.

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.

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"The situation has worsened" in Nicaragua following the ban on pastoral missions in the Diocese of León and the tightening of restrictions on religious events held by the Catholic Church in Managua and other cities, according to Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan researcher in exile.

The dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo, maintains "a discourse of reconciliation and love, but their words are not consistent with their actions: They are afraid of the faith and love for God that the people feel," explained the author of the report "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church" in a Feb. 10 statement to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

The latest installment of Molina's report in August 2025 stated that the dictatorship has perpetrated 1,070 attacks against the Catholic Church and has banned 16,500 processions since 2018, figures that are only increasing.

Molina also stated that "the dictatorship has on occasion sent the police to pull priests out of religious activities or Masses to threaten them; they don't care if the priests are celebrating Mass."

Priests were already subject to various methods of police control including weekly reports of their activities and even demands to see their cellphones to find out with whom they are in contact.

Pastoral missions banned in Diocese of León

On Jan. 21, Molina reported on X that the dictatorship had banned pastoral missions in the Diocese of León, which encompasses the districts of León and Chinandega, led by Bishop René Sándigo, the only bishop in Nicaragua who voted in the 2021 presidential elections in which Ortega was reelected, a process that was described as a farce by international observers.

"Do your business indoors" and stay in "your parishes" was the order the dictatorship gave to the clergy, according to Molina, who explained that this would prevent the diocese from carrying out its mission to "bring the Word of God from house to house."

ACI Prensa contacted the Diocese of León but did not received a response by the time of publication.

Félix Maradiaga, president of the Foundation for Freedom in Nicaragua, warned that the dictatorship "no longer limits itself to harassing religious leaders or canceling processions, but now seeks to silence faith in daily life and punish any spiritual expression that it does not control."

Maradiaga was campaigning to get on the ballot for the 2021 presidential election but was arrested by the Ortega regime. He spent almost two years in jail until he was released and deported to the United States by the dictatorship in 2023.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, Maradiaga pointed out that the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship is "prohibiting popular festivities with deep cultural and religious roots — such as the traditional festival honoring the patron saints of several towns held in Diriamba — and restricting celebrations of great community significance, such as that of the Divine Child in Matagalpa."

It is also "prohibiting door-to-door and house-to-house preaching," which also affects other Christian denominations, he said.

The heavily attended procession and pilgrimage of the Divine Child in Matagalpa — the diocese of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, expelled to Rome in January 2024 after spending 18 months in detention — has been prohibited and restricted by the dictatorship for the past several years.

Traditional 'Meeting of Saints' banned

In her statement to ACI Prensa, Molina noted that the ban on processions imposed by the dictatorship dates back to 2022 and that in 2026, "these religious activities are prohibited again."

She was referring specifically to the prohibition of the "Meeting of Saints" in Diriamba in honor of St. Sebastian, a festival that brings together several images of saints and in which many faithful participate. "The dictatorship only allows the [images of the] saints to be taken out to the church atrium," she lamented.

"The same thing happened with the celebration of the Virgin of Candelaria [in Managua], which was confined to the walls of the church [in her honor] to prevent greater participation from the faithful," the researcher added.

The Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa reported Feb. 7 that this year, for the first time, the dictatorship also canceled the traditional procession of saints — St. John the Baptist, St. Mark, and St. James — at Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish in the town of La Concepción in the Masaya district known as La Concha Parish.

The Sandinista (pro-Ortega) mayor of La Concepción, María Esperanza Mercado Hernández, declared Feb. 9 a holiday and authorized "a multitude of activities to counterbalance the parish's religious festival," the newspaper reported.

Father Edwing Román, a Nicaraguan priest and parochial vicar of St. Agatha Parish in Miami, explained to ACI Prensa that in addition to St. Sebastian in Diriamba, similar prohibitions were issued in St. James Parish in Jinotepe, St. James Parish in Boaco, and St. Jerome Parish in Masaya.

This has happened "in all the departmental capitals (instead of states Nicaragua is divided into departments) and in most of the towns," said the priest, where pro-government municipalities organized secular entertainments instead.

"For greater control, the Sandinista municipalities, with all their organizational apparatus and sound equipment, take over the church atriums to put on their shows: They choose queens, organize open-air dances to distract and sell a façade of joy, but the reality is quite different in every Nicaraguan home," pointed out the priest, who has been living in exile for more than four years.

Regarding religious activities, Román explained that they are carried out "under police surveillance and with plainclothes paramilitaries. The religious images are no longer carried in the arms of the faithful but rather in vehicles escorted by police to prevent people from carrying them."

"The dictatorship fears the crowds (even religious ones) that will take over the city streets," he explained, emphasizing that despite everything, "people hold on to their faith, and the people of God hope in the intercession of their patron saints before Our Lord Jesus Christ."

Nicaragua is in a spiritual battle

Arturo McFields Yescas, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) who also lives in exile, told ACI Prensa that "Nicaragua is experiencing a spiritual battle that manifests itself in the earthly realm through repression, persecution, censorship, and spying on people."

"The regime's ferocity against the people's faith is most evident among the Catholic community, but also among the evangelical community, because [the regime's] enemy is the people's faith, their belief in God, because they know that God is stronger than any of these earthly threats," he emphasized.

"But I believe the people of Nicaragua are convinced that this is the Church of God, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. It's a true spiritual battle, and the dictatorship is losing it, thank God," he said.

Unmasking 'the darkness of despotic and cruel power'

In his homily for Sunday Mass at St. Agatha Parish in Miami on Feb. 8, the auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, Silvio Báez, who also lives in exile, said "there is much darkness in the world that must be illuminated by the Gospel. We are the light of the world when we unmask the darkness of despotic and cruel power that threatens, intimidates, and oppresses."

The prelate urged the congregation to be "beacons of hope in a world that often seems dominated by darkness. We are called, therefore, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. That is our mission as disciples of Jesus: to preserve life and give it meaning, to be witnesses of the Gospel, and to illuminate with its light."

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.

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In his message for Lent 2026, Pope Leo XIV urges Catholics to listen more closely to God and others — and to "disarm" their language by fasting from words that wound.

The Lenten season begins Feb. 18 with Ash Wednesday.

In the message, released Feb. 13, the pope offers a simple definition of Lent as a time when the Church "invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life."

He encourages Catholics to allow the word of God to touch their hearts with docility so that Lent may become "a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ."

Listening to God and the cry of the poor

The Holy Father first highlights the importance of listening.

"The willingness to listen is the first way we demonstrate our desire to enter into relationship with someone," he writes.

Listening to sacred Scripture, he says, teaches believers to recognize and respond to suffering in the world.

Quoting his own apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, he adds that Catholics must recognize that "the condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church."

Entering into this interior openness means allowing God to teach us to listen as he does, he writes, so that faith shapes both personal conversion and social responsibility.

Fasting, including from harmful speech

Turning to the traditional Lenten practice of fasting, the pope describes abstaining from food as "an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion."

"Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we 'hunger' for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance," he writes. It helps believers to "identify and order our 'appetites,' keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency."

Quoting St. Augustine, he notes that the human heart expands through desire for God. "Understood in this way, fasting not only permits us to govern our desire, purifying it and making it freer, but also to expand it, so that it is directed towards God and doing good."

However, he stresses that fasting must be lived "in faith and humility" and grounded in communion with the Lord.

In this context, the pope proposes a specific Lenten resolution: "a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor."

"Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgment, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves," he writes. "Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities."

"In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace," he adds.

A shared journey toward conversion

Finally, Pope Leo XIV emphasizes the communal dimension of Lent, recalling that Scripture frequently presents fasting and listening to the word of God as shared acts of repentance and renewal.

"Our parishes, families, ecclesial groups, and religious communities are called to undertake a shared journey during Lent," he writes, where listening to the word of God and to "the cry of the poor and of the earth" becomes part of community life.

He underscores that conversion concerns not only individual conscience but also relationships and dialogue. It means "allowing ourselves to be challenged by reality and recognizing what truly guides our desires — both within our ecclesial communities and as regards humanity's thirst for justice and reconciliation."

Concluding, the pope invites the faithful to ask for grace and strength during the penitential season.

"Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us," he writes. "Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others."

"Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love."

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.

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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.

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