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...

Church in Venezuela could undergo more persecution in 2026, experts say

Caracas skyline. | Credit: Olga Berrios, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJan 1, 2026 / 10:00 am (CNA).2026 dawned in Venezuela in an atmosphere of ambivalence: sorrows and joys, tensions and consolations, and more questions than certainties. The work of the Catholic Church goes on within the country's turbulent reality, a task that is far from easy due to "the autocratic drift of national politics," as the bishops stated at the beginning of last year.This past December in their Christmas message, the Venezuelan bishops did not hesitate to reaffirm that the "joyful experience" of Jesus' birth is "overshadowed" by the turbulent national reality. Thus, people go about their daily lives enveloped in a barrage of news, rumors, and hardships.The collapse of the economy and basic services, which seems to have no solution, is causing great suffering for the most vulnerable. The latent threat of foreign military intervention on the national territory continues due to the severe tensions...

Leo XIV: The world is saved by welcoming all without fear

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Jan. 1, 2026. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Jan 1, 2026 / 07:05 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV called Catholics to a steadfast openness to other people, warning that peace will not be built through force or exclusion, as he celebrated his first liturgy of the new year on Thursday. "The world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing, or eliminating our brothers and sisters," the pope said in his homily for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Rather, he added, it is saved by "tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate, and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear." As is customary for the Jan. 1 Mass, a large group of diplomats accredited to the Holy See attended the liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica, underlining the international scope of the Church's prayer for peace on the World Day of Peace, observed each year on the first day of January. A blessing...

Pope Leo XIV urges prayers for peace in bloodied nations and wounded families

Pope Leo XIV addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for recitation of the Angelus on Jan. 1, 2026. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Jan 1, 2026 / 07:30 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Catholics to pray for peace, "first, among nations bloodied by conflict and suffering," and also "within our homes, in families wounded by violence or pain," during the Angelus address on the first day of 2026.Greeting pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the 59th World Day of Peace, the pope reflected on the start of a new year as a time to renew hope and reconciliation."While the rhythm of passing months repeats itself, the Lord invites us to renew our times by finally ushering in an era of peace and friendship among all peoples," he said. "Without this desire for the good, there would be no point in turning the pages of the calendar and filling our diaries."Leo also looked back on the jubilee, which he said "...

Christians in the Middle East in 2025: Signs of hope and the struggle to remain

2025 was a complex and multifaceted year for Christians in the Middle East, oscillating between supportive initiatives and messages of hope alongside persistent challenges. | Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENADec 31, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).2025 was a complex and multifaceted year for Christians in the Middle East. Across six pivotal countries, the contours of this reality reveal an uneven trajectory that is nevertheless unified in essence: a steadfast attachment to land and faith amid harsh circumstances and ongoing challenges.Egypt: Official support and societal challengesThroughout the year, the Egyptian state continued its positive policies toward Christians, most notably through the development of the Holy Family Trail, the legalization of the status of 160 churches and related buildings, and the disbursement of a "Christmas grant" to informal workers. At the same time, Copts faced ongoing challenges, including the failure of some universities to take Christian feast days into ac...

How to obtain a plenary indulgence for the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026

Credit: Wirestock Creators/ShutterstockDec 31, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).On New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, and the first day of 2026, the Catholic Church offers the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences as a sign of God's mercy and the desire for the sanctification of all her members.A plenary indulgence is remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.Indulgences on Dec. 31On the eve of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to those Christian faithful who publicly recite the "Te Deum," thanking God for the year that is ending. This blessing is extended especially on Dec. 31.To recite the "Te Deum," click here.Indulgences on Jan. 1Likewise, on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a plenary indulgence is granted to those who publicly recite the hymn "Veni Creator," imploring blessings for the new year that is beginning.To recite the "Veni Creator," click here.Additionally, those...

Pope Leo XIV ends 2025 urging Catholics to examine conscience and entrust new year to God

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican MediaDec 31, 2025 / 08:08 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV used the Vatican's final general audience of 2025 on Wednesday to invite Catholics to look back on the past year with gratitude and repentance, and to place what lies ahead in God's hands.In St. Peter's Square on Dec. 31, the pope said 2025 brought both joy and sorrow, citing the jubilee pilgrimage of the faithful as well as "the passing of the late Pope Francis" and "the scenarios of war that continue to convulse the planet.""At its end," Leo said, "the Church invites us to place everything before the Lord, entrusting ourselves to his providence, and asking him to renew, in us and around us, in the coming days, the wonders of his grace and mercy."Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile to pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the...

Bangladesh's first woman prime minister, Catholic school alumna, dies at 80

Begum Khaleda Zia, former Bangladesh prime minister and chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in 2010 at the Diploma Engineers Institute, Dhaka. | Credit: Mohammed Tawsif Salam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsDec 30, 2025 / 19:22 pm (CNA).Catholic leaders in Bangladesh are mourning the death of Begum Khaleda Zia, an alumna of Catholic-run St. Joseph's School who became the country's first woman prime minister and maintained a lifelong bond with the Catholic community. She died Tuesday morning local time at age 80 at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka following a prolonged illness."She knew us and we had a good relationship with her," said Bishop Gervas Rozario, vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. "She protected minorities when she was in power."The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which she led for decades, announced her passing. "Amma (Mother) is no more," acting chairman Tarique Rahman told senior leaders. The interim government, led by Chi...