Vatican newspaper leads with U.S. attack on Venezuela

A highway sits empty in Caracas after U.S. strikes in the area and the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. | Credit: FEDERICO PARRA/Getty ImagesJan 3, 2026 / 11:56 am (CNA).The Vatican's daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano opened its Saturday edition with news of U.S. airstrikes against Venezuela, reporting attacks in the capital, Caracas, as well as on several military bases around the country.The main image on the paper's front page showed a dense column of smoke rising over an urban area, reflecting what the paper described as the impact of the military offensive and the sudden escalation of the regional crisis.The newspaper said air raids hit Caracas overnight and several military installations, and it referred to a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and removed from the country.The paper said the situation remains "highly volatile," with growing uncertainty about the political,...

Seminarian says 'God will give you the grace to say yes'

Xavier Polisetty, a seminarian for the Diocese of Fort Worth from Grapevine, Texas, attends SEEK 2026 on Jan. 2, 2026. | Credit: Amira Abuzeid/CNAJan 3, 2026 / 12:26 pm (CNA).Xavier Polisetty, 25, a seminarian from Texas, encouraged men considering the priesthood to trust that God will give the grace to continue."I always felt the call at the back of my heart. It never went away," he said with a smile.Hundreds of seminarians are attending the SEEK 2026 conference being held in Grapevine, Texas, this week with thousands of other young Catholics from around the country.As a child, "I played Mass like a lot of other Catholic boys," said Polisetty, who grew up in Grapevine. He also noticed that his parents, whose faith he described as devout, admired the priests they knew, and he felt from the beginning that he wanted to be one of them.While studying computer science at Texas A&M University, he participated in several ministries through St. Mary's Catholic Center, including a w...

Trump says U.S. will 'run' Venezuela until 'transition' to new president

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a press conference after the capture of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, Washington, D.C., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Credit: JIM WATSON / Getty ImagesJan 3, 2026 / 12:56 pm (CNA).U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 3 said the United States would "run" Venezuela until a replacement for President Nicolás Maduro can be found, with the U.S. leader vowing a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" after American forces arrested Maduro and brought him to New York State for indictment. The U.S. launched strikes in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Jan. 3 before capturing Maduro and transporting him to the U.S., where he was indicted on drug and weapons charges in a New York district court.In a press conference on Jan. 3, Trump revealed that the U.S. would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition." "We don't want to be involved with having somebody else get...

Breaking: Explosions rock Caracas and other cities in Venezuela

Breaking News - CNAJan 3, 2026 / 02:50 am (CNA).Multiple explosions rocked Caracas and several other Venezuelan cities early Saturday, Jan. 3, accompanied by the sound of apparent military aircraft flyovers.Residents reported shaking windows and columns of smoke rising from strategic locations, including military bases."The explosions were so strong they made the windows of my house shake. When we looked outside, numerous plumes of smoke were rising over Caracas," said Andrés Henríquez, a correspondent for ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner."There were many, countless. Then, videos and reports began to emerge of explosions in other cities."Regime calls on citizens to mobilizeIn a furious response issued Saturday, the Maduro regime denounced the blasts as "extremely grave military aggression" by the United States, alleging an attempt to seize Venezuela's strategic resources. Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto announced that President Ni...

Historic Dutch former Catholic church destroyed by fire on New Year's Day

A fire tears through the Vondelkerk church tower in Amsterdam on New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2026. | Credit: Remko DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images/Netherlands OUTJan 2, 2026 / 12:10 pm (CNA).A Jan. 1 fire destroyed a historic Dutch former Catholic church building in Amsterdam, reducing the famed 150-year-old building mostly to ash in a matter of hours.Firefighters reportedly responded to a fire at the Vondelkerk, or Vondel Church, around 1 a.m. on New Year's Day, with the blaze ultimately consuming nearly all of the building and mostly leaving burned walls behind.The burned walls of the Vondelkerk are seen in Amsterdam, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. | Credit: KOEN VAN WEEL/Getty ImagesThe historic church was built in 1880 by Pierre Cuypers, a famed Dutch architect known for designing dozens of churches in the Netherlands. Formerly of the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, the building was sold in 1979 and deconsecrated, a formal act by the Church to remove the sacred character of the church ...

Historic Dutch former Catholic church destroyed by fire on New Year's Day

A fire tears through the Vondelkerk church tower in Amsterdam on New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2026. | Credit: Remko DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images/Netherlands OUTJan 2, 2026 / 12:10 pm (CNA).A Jan. 1 fire destroyed a historic Dutch former Catholic church building in Amsterdam, reducing the famed 150-year-old building mostly to ash in a matter of hours.Firefighters reportedly responded to a fire at the Vondelkerk, or Vondel Church, around 1 a.m. on New Year's Day, with the blaze ultimately consuming nearly all of the building and mostly leaving burned walls behind.The burned walls of the Vondelkerk are seen in Amsterdam, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. | Credit: KOEN VAN WEEL/Getty ImagesThe historic church was built in 1880 by Pierre Cuypers, a famed Dutch architect known for designing dozens of churches in the Netherlands. Formerly of the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, the building was sold in 1979 and deconsecrated, a formal act by the Church to remove the sacred character of the church ...

Dublin archbishop challenges politicians to show leadership in promoting peace

Archbishop Dermot Farrell of the Dublin Archdiocese speaks at a Mass at St. Mary's in Dublin on Nov. 14, 2025. Farrell spoke at a Mass on Jan. 1, 2026, the World Day of Peace, calling on politicians to promote peace. | Credit: John McElroy/Dublin ArchdioceseJan 2, 2026 / 12:58 pm (CNA).In his New Year's Day homily at Newtownpark Avenue Church in Dublin, Archbishop Dermot Farrell called upon Ireland's politicians to show leadership in promoting peace and in how they communicate and articulate it.The archbishop was speaking at a Mass for the World Day of Peace where apostolic nuncio Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor and Archbishop Emeritus Diarmuid Martin were among the concelebrants.His appeal comes at a time when Ireland's traditional neutrality has come under scrutiny and as the country prepares to take over the EU presidency in the second half of 2026, where defense will be high on the agenda. The presidency of the Council of the European Union is a role that rotates...

Food assistance, housing top Catholic Charities' policy wish list in 2026

Credit: Jonathan Weiss/ShutterstockJan 2, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).Many people who receive assistance through anti-poverty programs faced disruptions in 2025, and Catholic Charities' wish list for 2026 includes government support for food assistance and housing.The largest disruption came in October when food stamps received through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were delayed amid the government shutdown. Funding for rental and heating assistance were also disrupted.Confusion about how to implement a memo in January from the Office of Management and Budget calling for a grant freeze also caused delays in funding related to health care, housing affordability, and food assistance.Luz Tavarez, vice president of government relations at Catholic Charities USA, said "people get nervous and scared" amid disruptions.Many Catholic Charities affiliates saw an influx in clients, especially during the shutdown, but Tavarez said there are "very poor people who rely on...

U.S. sanctions against Nigeria expected in 2026

Nigerian security officers during a military operation ahead of the gubernatorial elections in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria, on Sept. 17, 2020. | Credit: Oluwafemi Dawodu/ShutterstockJan 2, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).Following U.S. military strikes on Christmas, targeted sanctions and further U.S. action to end persecution of Christians is expected in Nigeria in 2026, according to members of Congress and advocates familiar with the situation. Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, has said he will present a report to U.S. President Donald Trump that "outlines concrete ways the United States can partner with Nigeria to bring an end to this bloodshed and protect our brothers and sisters in Christ."Moore's office said the congressman would meet with Trump sometime in January and present him a report including 30 possible ways the administration could act to end the persecution of Christians in Nigeria in accordance with Trump's designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC...

5-year-old son of Catholic speaker Paul Kim passes away

Micah Kim, the 5-year-old son of Catholic speaker and influencer Paul Kim, passed away Dec. 31, 2025. | Credit: Screenshot of Paul Kim's Facebook page, last visited Jan. 1, 2026Jan 1, 2026 / 16:24 pm (CNA).Micah Kim, the 5-year-old son of popular Catholic speaker Paul Kim, has passed away, Kim announced in a tearful social media post Thursday afternoon.Micah died on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, after more than a week on life support following a rare medical emergency brought on by a severe case of the flu."Micah Joseph is beginning the new year basking in the never-ending glory, love, and peace of God," Kim wrote in the post, which was accompanied by a two-part video. "Micah has been very busy already, as I see the Lord using him and sending him on missions to bring millions of people closer to God."Kim asked for privacy for his family as they grieve but said he felt he had to provide an update to the millions of people praying for Micah and his family throughout the orde...