UPDATE: Ohio moves to close nursing home amid 'widespread care failures' after purchase from Catholic nuns

Credit: Digital Storm/ShutterstockJan 15, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).The attorney general of Ohio is moving to shut down a nursing home after a congregation of Catholic nuns sold it, amid reports that the facility's "shockingly poor care" is placing elderly residents in "clear and present danger."House of Loreto, a nursing facility formerly run by the sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit, has allegedly committed "widespread care failures," Attorney General Dave Yost's office said in a Jan. 13 press release. The sisters were involved with the home from 1957, when then-Youngstown Bishop Emmet Walsh asked for the religious to run the facility. The current facility opened in 1963. The Youngstown Diocese said in March 2025 that the home had been acquired by Hari Group LLC, a company based out of Ohio. In its press release announcing the sale the diocese did not note any troubles experienced by House of Loreto at the time. A diocesan spokesman said on Jan. 15 that the ...

Ohio government seeks to shut down Catholic-run nursing home amid 'widespread care failures'

Credit: Digital Storm/ShutterstockJan 15, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).The attorney general of Ohio is moving to shut down a Catholic-run nursing home amid reports that the facility is placing elderly residents in "clear and present danger."House of Loreto, a nursing facility run by the sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit, has allegedly committed "widespread care failures," Attorney General Dave Yost's office said in a Jan. 13 press release. The sisters have been involved with the home since 1957, when then-Youngstown Bishop Emmet Walsh asked for the religious to run the facility. The current facility opened in 1963. The Youngstown Diocese said in March 2025 that the home had been acquired by Hari Group LLC, a company based out of Ohio. In its press release announcing the sale the diocese did not note any troubles experienced by House of Loreto at the time.In a court order request filed on Jan. 12, Yost's office said that state inspectors have observed a "rapi...

Cardinal Pizzaballa: there is a longing for justice and human dignity in Iran

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. | Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.Jan 14, 2026 / 20:49 pm (CNA).The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, called for finding peaceful solutions to the events unfolding in Iran, where he sees the population's yearning to live in "peace, justice, and dignity."On Dec. 28, 2025, protests erupted in the capital, Tehran, as Iranians demonstrated against rising prices of basic goods such as chicken and cooking oil, due to inflation. In the following days, the demonstrations spread to more than 180 cities.These protests are considered the most severer the Islamic Republic has faced since it came to power in 1979. However, authorities have responded with a crackdown that has resulted in more than 2,500 deaths, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that he sees in Iran "the yearning of the entire Iranian population, but als...

Catholic bishops of the Philippines tap veteran EWTN executive for communications post

Veteran EWTN executive Edwin Lopez is the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Commission on Social Communications. | Credit: EWTNJan 14, 2026 / 12:35 pm (CNA).Edwin Lopez, who for more than two decades has served as EWTN's regional manager for Asia-Pacific, has been appointed as the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission on Social Communications.Lopez's appointment was announced during a recollection of CBCP personnel and volunteers in Manila. He is the first married layman to serve in the role.In this capacity, Lopez, who will continue in his long-standing Asia-Pacific management role at EWTN, will serve as the CBCP commission's primary operational and coordinating leader, turning the bishops' pastoral goals into practical projects and activities.Commenting on the appointment, EWTN Chairman of the Board and CEO Michael Warsaw celebrated the fact that "Edwin will continue in hi...

Greenland Catholics 'do not wish to become Americans' amid U.S. efforts at acquisition

The HDMS Niels Juel (F363) warship, an Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate of the Royal Danish Navy, is moored in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025. | Credit: Ludovic MARIN/AFP via Getty ImagesJan 14, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).Greenlandic Catholics are reportedly expressing opposition to United States plans to acquire the territory, while Nordic Catholic leaders are waiting to see how the situation develops amid potential U.S. military intervention. U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled repeatedly that he wants the U.S. to annex Greenland in some form, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the matter as a "national security priority." Utilizing the military to that end "is always an option," Leavitt said on Jan. 6. The apparent threat of military action on Greenland touched off a global controversy, with U.S. advocates praising the White House's ambitions and critics decrying it as an aggressive power move. Trump on Jan. 11 indicated again that the effort was mot...

Pope Leo XIV urges making time 'to speak with God'

Pope Leo XIV gives the first general audience of 2026 in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: Vatican Media.Jan 14, 2026 / 06:20 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV urged Christians Wednesday to set aside time in their daily lives to speak with God in prayer and warned about the harm to one's relationship with him when this is ignored."Time dedicated to prayer, meditation and reflection cannot be lacking in the Christian's day and week," the pontiff said during the catechesis at his general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Jan. 14.The pope devoted the second week of his series of teachings on the documents of the Second Vatican Council to a closer examination of the dogmatic constitution "Dei Verbum," dedicated to divine revelation.Pointing to the document, he highlighted listening and dialogue with God as foundations of a Christian life."From this perspective, the first attitude to cultivate is listening, so that the divine Word may penetrate our minds an...

New York senator pushes for more church security after crimes, vandalism at Catholic parishes

Credit: ArtOlympic/ShutterstockJan 13, 2026 / 14:55 pm (CNA).A state senator in New York is pushing for increased security after multiple crimes at Catholic parishes.Several Catholic churches on Staten Island have been vandalized or attacked in recent weeks in what State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton described as "vile" acts of defacement and theft. Senator Scarcella-Spanton's Statement on Incidents of Defacement at Catholic Churches pic.twitter.com/h3N4RLyg8K— Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (@NYSenator_JSS) January 11, 2026 St. Sylvester's Church was defaced with human feces on Christmas Day, according to local news reports, with camera footage capturing the vandal committing the act during the morning Christmas Mass. Father Jacob Thumma told local media that the perpetrator "[looked] like he may be a homeless or disturbed person." "I feel sorry for him and wonder why he did that on the joyful day of Christmas," the priest said at the time. At....

On his dying day, renowned cartoonist's faith in Christ made public

Scott Adams had previously announced his intention to convert to Christianity. | Credit: Art of Charm, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJan 13, 2026 / 15:36 pm (CNA).Scott Adams, the creator of the long-running "Dilbert" comic strip whose art satirized the typical American workplace, died on Jan. 13 at 68 years old after a battle with cancer.Adams, who became known later in his career for espousing conservative and at times controversial political views, revealed in May 2025 that he was suffering from prostate cancer. The disease spread in the coming months, with Adams passing away after a short stay in hospice. On Jan. 13, shortly after his death, Adams' X account posted a "final message" from the renowned cartoonist in which he recalled that many of his Christian friends had urged him to convert to Christianity. A Final Message From Scott Adams pic.twitter.com/QKX6b0MFZA— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) January 13, 2026 "I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and ...

First Catholic school in Finland: The dream of Helsinki's only Catholic bishop

Bishop Raimo Goyarrola with a family in Helsinki | Credit: Courtesy of Bishop Raimo GoyarrolaJan 13, 2026 / 17:16 pm (CNA).A "dream" that could soon become a reality is how the bishop of Helsinki, Raimo Goyarrola, described the founding of the first Catholic school in Finland, where the Catholic Church practically disappeared after the state adopted Lutheranism in the 16th century as a consequence of the Protestant Reformation.Placing his trust in God's hands and in providence, Goyarrola plans to open the school in August on the second floor of a Lutheran church dedicated to St. James the Apostle and located on the island of Lauttasaari, just three miles from the Finnish capital. His intention, "if the finances allow," is to acquire the building within three years.Image of Lauttasaari, the island located three miles from Helsinki. | Credit: Public domainStarting with 12 children, like the apostlesThe school will initially offer grades 1 through 3 and will begin as a home school...

Nicaraguan researcher urges religious freedom commission to refocus attention on abuses

Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer and Catholic researcher, urges the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to "return your eyes to Nicaragua" at a Jan. 13, 2026, hearing. | Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAJan 13, 2026 / 17:58 pm (CNA).Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer and Catholic researcher, urged the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to "return your eyes to Nicaragua.""In Nicaragua, praying in public is considered a crime," Molina said at a Jan. 13 hearing in Washington, D.C.USCIRF heard testimony about freedom of religion or belief violations against Christians following the release of the 2025 USCIRF Annual Report. Witnesses recounted their experiences with religious freedom violations in Nicaragua, China, Nigeria, Algeria, Vietnam, Egypt, Burma, Eritrea, and Pakistan.The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hears testimony on Jan. 13, 2026. | Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAIn Nicaragua, M...