President Trump meets with Archbishop Coakley
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Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops, meets with President Donald Trump on Jan. 12, 2026. | Credit: Archdiocese of Oklahoma CityJan 12, 2026 / 18:07 pm (CNA).Archbishop Paul Coakley and President Donald Trump met on Jan. 12 to discuss areas of "mutual concern," which likely included topics related to immigration enforcement and Venezuela's sovereignty. The archbishop of Oklahoma City, Coakley, who was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025, visited with Trump at the White House on Monday.Chieko Noguchi, USCCB spokesperson, said in a statement after the meeting: "Archbishop Coakley had the opportunity for introductory meetings with President Trump, Vice President [JD] Vance, and other administration officials, in which they discussed areas of mutual concern, as well as areas for further dialogue. Archbishop Coakley is grateful for the engagement and look...
Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops, meets with President Donald Trump on Jan. 12, 2026. | Credit: Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Jan 12, 2026 / 18:07 pm (CNA).
Archbishop Paul Coakley and President Donald Trump met on Jan. 12 to discuss areas of "mutual concern," which likely included topics related to immigration enforcement and Venezuela's sovereignty.
The archbishop of Oklahoma City, Coakley, who was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025, visited with Trump at the White House on Monday.
Chieko Noguchi, USCCB spokesperson, said in a statement after the meeting: "Archbishop Coakley had the opportunity for introductory meetings with President Trump, Vice President [JD] Vance, and other administration officials, in which they discussed areas of mutual concern, as well as areas for further dialogue. Archbishop Coakley is grateful for the engagement and looks forward to ongoing discussions."
The meeting was closed to the press, but White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told EWTN reporter Owen Jensen she would ask the president about providing a readout of the meeting.
Pope Leo XIV has said immigrants must be treated with dignity and encouraged all people in the United States to heed the U.S. bishops' message on immigration.
Coakley, appearing on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Dec. 21, 2025, predicted immigration would be a discussion topic with Trump and said: "I think we have opportunities to work together. We have opportunities to speak frankly with one another."
After U.S. military action to capture Venezuela's president, the pope on Jan. 4 called for full respect for Venezuela's national sovereignty and for the human and civil rights of its people.
Earlier in the day on Jan. 12, Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the Vatican.
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St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. | Credit: CCN Photo/Terry O'NeillJan 12, 2026 / 13:29 pm (CNA).In a case with implications for religious freedom, institutional autonomy, and health care access across Canada, a British Columbia Supreme Court trial starting Jan. 12 will consider whether faith-based hospitals can be forced to provide euthanasia on site.The case, Gaye O'Neill et al. v. His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and Providence Health Care Society, arises from the death of a terminally ill woman who sought medical assistance in dying (MAID) while receiving care at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. Because St. Paul's is a Catholic facility that does not provide assisted suicide, the patient was transferred to another health care facility that offered MAID. Her family and co-plaintiffs allege the transfer caused "unnecessary pain and distress" and argue that the policy allowing fait...
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Credit: CDC/Debora CartagenaJan 12, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).Catholic medical professionals and ethicists had mixed reactions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) announcement last week that it has revised the recommended childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule.In a press release on Jan. 5, the CDC announced a revised recommended childhood immunization schedule, which reduces the number of universally recommended vaccines from 18 to 11. It retains routine recommendations for all children against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).Vaccines for rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, and RSV now shift to recommendations for high-risk groups or after "shared clinical decision-making" between providers and families.According to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) memo, the CD...
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Pope Leo XIV meets Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican on Jan. 12, 2026. / Credit: Vatican Media.Vatican City, Jan 12, 2026 / 06:50 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the Vatican on Monday, in an audience that was not initially included in the official schedule for the day.The meeting was added to the pontiff's agenda in the Holy See's 12:00 p.m. news bulletin. The Vatican has not released any details about the audience.Machado, one of the leading figures of the Venezuelan opposition, has been a prominent voice in denouncing the institutional, economic, and humanitarian crisis facing the country.The Venezuelan politician, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in December, is also expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump this week.Nicolás Maduro is being held in a New York prison after appearing before a federal judge on various charges related to drug trafficking and terrorism following his capt...
