English diocese responds to rising conversions with evidence-based faith training

More than 500 candidates and catechumens were welcomed at the Rite of Election in the Diocese of Westminster, England, on March 8, 2025. | Credit: Diocese of WestminsterJan 9, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).A diocese in England and Wales has launched a pioneering apologetics project aimed at empowering Catholics to talk more authoritatively about their faith.The project, titled "Ambassadors for Christ," is a fresh approach to apologetics in England and Wales and takes an evidence-based approach to the big questions surrounding the Catholic faith.In a Jan. 5 statement, the Archdiocese of Southwark explained that it has launched the project in response to the rise in people joining the Catholic Church."As more people become interested in the faith, practicing Catholics are experiencing more questions from their family, friends, and colleagues but often remain unsure where to look for evidence-based answers," the statement said."These can range from fundamental questions like 'Is Jesus rea...

President of Venezuelan bishops' conference: We are living in a 'tense calm'

Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference | Credit: Venezuelan Bishops' ConferenceJan 9, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).The president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Jesús González de Zárate, experienced hours of anxious concern Jan. 3 when the United States launched a military operation in Venezuela that included bombing strategic military installations and culminated in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.Almost a week has passed, but "a comprehensive understanding of the events of last Saturday and their consequences is difficult, because new information is emerging every day and new dynamics are developing around these events, which advises us to exercise prudence and patience," González told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.He noted that the way things were assessed on Saturday morning was not the same as in the afternoon, because "many questions arose" after Trump's press con...

'One Nation Under God:' 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage inspired by 250th anniversary of U.S.

Map of the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage route. | Credit: Courtesy of the National Eucharistic CongressJan 9, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).In celebration of the United States of America's 250th anniversary, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage's theme is "One Nation Under God." Pilgrims will journey on the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route to honor the first American citizen to be canonized."One Nation Under God is not a borrowed slogan; rather, it is an invitation to realign our lives, our communities, and our country under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ," said Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress, in a press release.The 2026 pilgrimage will take place 75 years after the phrase "One Nation Under God" was officially added to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. On June 14, 1954, Flag Day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the law adding "under God," completing a campaign launched in 1951 by the Knights of Columbus.Inspired by the nation's h...

Pope Leo condemns 'zeal for war,' weak multilateralism in speech to diplomats

Pope Leo XIV addresses ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives to the Holy See in the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: Vatican MediaJan 9, 2026 / 10:17 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV condemned the weakening of international multilateralism and the increased use of force in a speech to diplomats at the Vatican on Friday.He also said states should respect fundamental human rights, such as religious freedom and freedom of speech, and comply with international humanitarian law in the lengthiest speech to date of his pontificate."A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading," he told ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives to the Holy See in the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 9. Currently, 184 states have diplomatic relations with the Holy See."Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable...

Supreme Court asked to block California school gender secrecy rules amid ongoing lawsuit

Credit: Wolfgang Schaller/ShutterstockJan 9, 2026 / 10:47 am (CNA).The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to block the state of California from allowing schools to hide student "gender transitions" from parents amid an ongoing federal lawsuit.The Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based legal group, asked the high court to intervene in the case Mirabelli v. Bonta while the dispute works its way through a federal appeals court. The suit was originally brought by two Christian teachers in California. U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez on Dec. 22, 2025, issued a ruling in the class action lawsuit, striking down the secretive school gender policies on First Amendment grounds and holding that parents "have a right" to the "gender information" of their children, while teachers themselves also have the right to provide parents with that information. In a Jan. 5 ruling, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit blocked Benitez's order, holding in part that the "pub...

'Pray with the Pope': Leo XIV proposes monthly prayer for the challenges of the world

Official image of the "Pray with the Pope" campaign for January 2026. | Credit: World Prayer NetworkJan 8, 2026 / 17:40 pm (CNA).The Vatican's Dicastery for Communication has launched a new prayer campaign in which Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to pray with him for the great challenges facing the world.The "Pray with the Pope" initiative is part of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, which, during the pontificate of Pope Francis, launched the project known as "The Pope's Video," through which the faithful were invited each month to unite in prayer for a specific intention.Continuing this mission, the new campaign not only invites people to pray but also offers a specific prayer from Leo XIV, who will present his monthly intention from a renewed perspective, encouraging an intimate and serene experience with Christ.Transforming life from withinAccording to Jesuit Father Cristobal Fones, international director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, who presented the initiative...

After Maduro's capture, there's hope for Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, leader says

Artist's sketch of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores at the New York courthouse where they appeared Jan. 5, 2025. Photos and videos are prohibited, hence this illustration, but journalists are allowed to be present. | Credit: CNNJan 8, 2026 / 18:10 pm (CNA).Arturo McFields, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), stated that, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, "winds of hope are blowing" for Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba."At this moment, it's impossible not to share the joy of the Venezuelan people, the hope for a new day, although it's complex because democracy is not easy, but hope has strongly resurged among Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans, the hope that no dictatorship is eternal, and today that hope is more alive than ever," the exiled former diplomat told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, on Jan. 6."We are seeing right now, in real time, how the powerful figures who thought they were gods or demigods are now ...

Indian Church takes up mental health ministry as 'major concern'

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, mother church of the Archdiocese of Bangalore in India. | Credit: Saad Faruque via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 2.0)Jan 8, 2026 / 11:22 am (CNA).The Catholic Church in India has launched a systematic campaign to address growing mental illness in groups including families and religious communities."We decided to take up mental health as a major concern and set up the structure in response to increased family conflicts, death by suicide among young adults, and even among religious," said Archbishop Thomas Tharayil, the chairman of the Mental Health Ministry of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India."Mental health issues are on the increase both in personal lives and in families and service fields. The Church has to reach out to those in trouble at different levels from diocese to parishes," Tharayil told CNA from Changanacherry in southern Kerala state.After informal consultations and discussions, the ministry emerged at the national convention jointly org...

Czech town may build world's largest 3D-printed church in historic reversal

An architectural rendering shows the planned Church of the Holy Trinity in Neratovice, Czech Republic. The Noah's Ark-inspired design by architect Zdenek Fránek features a green roof and may become the world's largest 3D-printed church. | Credit: The Neratovice Community Center FoundationJan 8, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).Communists in former Czechoslovakia wanted to turn Neratovice into the first church-free city. Now, in democratic Czech Republic, which banned the promotion of communism starting this January 2026, the city may become home to the world's largest 3D-printed church.The tower will be constructed using 3D printing technology, but whether the entire church will be printed is to be decided soon based on calculations and estimation of the building's vault."The decision to 3D-print the entire above-the-ground part of the building should be made in the near future, that is at the beginning of 2026," Marek Matocha, member of the board of directors of the Neratovice Community ...

Late vocations program in Austria allows priest to keep his current job

Vienna Skyline with St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria. | Credit: mrgb/shutterstockJan 8, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).The Catholic Church in Austria has launched a new formation program to promote late vocations, aimed at men between 45 and 60 years old who are currently employed and can complete the process without having to leave their jobs.The initiative, promoted by the Conference of Rectors of Austrian Seminaries, breaks with the traditional model of formation and preparation for priestly ordination and opts for a more flexible model as a response to the shortage of vocations.Under the name " Zweiten Weg für Spätberufene" ("Second Path for Late Vocations"), the program is specifically aimed at men with professional experience and offers the possibility of pursuing theological studies remotely, without requiring community life in the seminary or exclusively in-person formation, adapting to the professional demands of each candidate.This new program also allows them to co...