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Jan 9, 2026 / 15:01 pm (CNA).

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surveilled St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Epiphany after deporting the parish's beloved maintenance worker to Mexico five weeks earlier.

The Trump administration last year eliminated a federal policy that generally prohibited immigration enforcement in "sensitive locations" such as schools, churches, and hospitals. Attendance at St. Gabriel's Spanish Mass has dropped by half since the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and parishioners have expressed fear of churchgoing about eight miles from where an ICE agent shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good on Jan. 7.

Father Paul Haverstock, pastor of St. Gabriel's, said he had vested for the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass Jan. 4 when a parishioner told him about men wearing ski masks in a car outside the church. He said he was disturbed to receive the report, went to the sacristy to get his cellphone, and placed it next to his chair in the sanctuary.

"If there is an incident of agents coming in, I want to make sure that it's recorded, and I want a clear recording of me letting the agents know that we're in the middle of a religious service," Haverstock said. 

It didn't come to that, but ICE's presence outside has impeded parishioners' free exercise of religion, Haverstock said. ICE agents camped outside the church felt like "a violation," he said.

"Who wouldn't feel intimidated by that?" he said.

"It felt like a violation of our constitutional rights, felt like a violation of civilization and good manners. It felt like we were not living in the United States of America but in some third world, violent place, somewhere else," Haverstock said. "Yeah, it feels like we're in a war zone here."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Arrest of church employee

Church employee Francisco Paredes, 46, was handcuffed by ICE Dec. 4, 2025. Eight federal vehicles pulled into a large parking lot adjacent to St. Gabriel's on 13th Avenue South after Paredes picked up coffee on his way to work, Paredes said, and he was driven to a processing facility.

About 2,000 immigration enforcement agents have come to Minnesota, according to government officials. On Jan. 4, "they were definitely out in front of the church, waiting in front of the church," Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon said in an interview.

Hanlon said he wants ICE to obey the laws of Hopkins, a community of about 19,000 people known for its lively "Mainstreet" and arts scene, and summertime Raspberry Festival.

Hanlon made an Instagram reel following the  shooting of Good urging ICE to obey Hopkins' traffic rules and other laws.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda? in his statement?after Good's death pleaded for "all people of goodwill to join me in prayer for the person who was killed, for their loved ones, and for our community."

'Surveilling us'

After observing ICE monitoring the church during Sunday Mass, Haverstock called Hebda and the mayor.

Haverstock told them: "They had out-of-state license plates, and they were just sitting outside our doors for a while." He added: "They came to our church, and even though they didn't enter, they were apparently surveilling us."

Until Paredes' arrest and before ICE parked outside St. Gabriel's, more than 400 people had usually attended the Spanish Mass, Haverstock said. Haverstock said he is considering offering a temporary Sunday Mass dispensation in his parish for those who are afraid.

"I think if I don't give them a dispensation, hardly any of them will be here anyway because of the fear factor. So out of consideration for their circumstances and their souls, I think it's likely I will give a dispensation for this coming Sunday, but I feel torn because we need God in this situation," Haverstock said.

'We've united to help our immigrant brothers and sisters'

ICE's presence has been "a real interference with our parishioners' right to worship and come to Mass," Haverstock said.

"They're also terrorizing anybody of goodwill just by their presence, masks, and idling outside of a church. It's frightening. I was frightened when I heard that they were there. I was frightened for the safety of the people in the church, including myself, and I was especially frightened for my immigrants," he said. 

Haverstock said he was "really blessed to see that our parish has not split on political lines in this situation, but we've united to help our immigrant brothers and sisters."

'Too afraid'

Fear is palpable, Haverstock said, with "people being detained, even after showing IDs, and people being harassed, even if they're here legally."

When maintenance employee Paredes was deported, "it really got my attention," Haverstock said.

Paredes, who sang in the church choir and had lived in the U.S. for 25 years with one conviction for driving under the influence, said he spent about a month incarcerated in the ICE detention system before being sent to Mexico. He said he had asked to make a phone call when he was arrested and was denied for several days so his U.S.-citizen daughter didn't know his whereabouts. Paredes spent Christmas imprisoned and said he had no access to any religious services.

In the Bloomington, Minnesota, immigration office, Paredes, who lacked legal permission to live in the U.S., said he was in a cell with 40 people. There was only one bathroom for the men to share, and "anyone can see when you go to the bathroom," Paredes said.

After about seven hours later, Paredes said he was transferred to the Crow Wing County Jail in Brainerd, Minnesota. Paredes said a government-financed plane later took him to Laredo, Texas, where he was imprisoned in the Webb County Detention Center. 

"They treat people like an animal," Paredes said. "I was there!"

Paredes said no hot meals were provided, only a sandwich, an orange, crackers, and water. In a large warehouse-like building, "we sleep on the floor. No blanket. They treat you like an animal," Paredes said.

When President Donald Trump talks about deporting "the worst of the worst," Paredes said, "he doesn't have any idea. All the people I met in the prison, they are hardworking people."

Haverstock said he misses Paredes, who was a "wonderful worker and one of those rare, fully bilingual people, so that was a huge help to have him around."

"We should be firmly resolved to do our part to obtain justice, not just for ourselves but for our brothers and sisters, and not even just those in the Church, but anyone's who's being persecuted, who happens to be our neighbor," Haverstock said. "Families should not be separated except for extremely grave reasons. And I can say from my personal experience, from what I've seen, and from what I've heard, that these deportations and this massive push by ICE is not just targeting drug cartels and violent criminals and repeat offenders of major crimes, but it's targeting moms and dads and families who have committed, in some cases, no crime except entering our country illegally, and separating a family because of that is unjust." 

At the end of Mass, Haverstock invites parishioners to learn how to "help immigrants in the parish who have been negatively impacted by recent events" and join an ad hoc team "to serve our brothers and sisters through works of mercy." 

Haverstock said the parish has used the same petition in the Prayer of the Faithful for several weeks: "For immigrants living in fear, for families that have been separated, and for wise immigration reform in our land, let us pray to the Lord."

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Jan 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 really God?' or 'How do we know God is real?' to more practical questions about the Catholic faith, such as 'Why do Catholics make the sign of the cross?' or 'What is happening during Mass?'"

In the same press statement, Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark said: "As someone who converted to Catholicism as a teenager myself, I know what it is like to search for answers, to thirst for the truth, which only the Lord Jesus offers. Every day, people are searching for the same answers I did, thirsting for the truth I found, and it is our job to guide them on the right path."

"As Catholics, leading people to Christ has to be at the heart of everything we do, because it is the Lord Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life," he continued. "It is the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus, where people will find the answers to their burning questions, where their thirst for truth will be sated."

"As the archbishop of the diocese, I am responsible for catechesis and ensuring the faithful know and understand their faith. That's why this project goes beyond providing answers; it is about building ambassadors for Christ in our parishes and schools."

"I want the faithful — from converts to cradle Catholics — to feel confident and assured of their faith, so that when they are asked the reason for the hope within them, they can confidently speak of the Lord Jesus and his saving work," he said.

The course is made up of 52 videos, which will be released each Monday on YouTube throughout 2026 and each topic is presented by a Catholic priest.

According to the Jan. 5 statement from the archdiocese, each video has been thoroughly checked by theologians to ensure accuracy and fidelity to Church teaching.

Father Dermott O'Gorman, the director of youth for the Archdiocese of Southwark, said: "We are often told that young people are not interested in religion or that they don't care about God. But this could not be further from the truth. In a world where they feel disillusioned and lost, our young people are searching for meaning."

He added: "The Church needs to meet them where they are, and that is what we're doing with 'Ambassadors for Christ.' By providing engaging content that directly answers their questions, we hope to help them discover meaning and purpose that can be found only in Jesus Christ and his Church."

Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion, welcomed the new initiative.

In an email to CNA on Jan. 9 commenting more generally on why Catholic congregations are growing in England and Wales, he said: "It's hard to know the full reasons for the new growth we're seeing, but there certainly does seem to a new cultural mood around Christianity."

"Feasibly, we've also hit a point, after decades of secularization, where a kind of 'herd immunity' to ever taking faith seriously — a resistance built up from lots of weak or dead strains of cultural Christianity — has now worn off," he continued. "So for the youngest generations, who have not been raised even 'nominally' Church of England or Catholic, it's now possible to encounter Christianity as something genuinely new, intriguing, and perhaps exciting."

This story was updated at 9:22 a.m. ET on Jan. 9, 2026, with the comments from Stephen Bullivant.

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Jan 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 conference, in which he asserted that his country would govern Venezuela and dismissed opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential leader.

Many questions about the immediate future

The entire Catholic community is experiencing, like the rest of the country, "a tense calm," the archbishop said. "Many questions are arising among the population about the immediate future," he added.

On the day of the military intervention, in the afternoon, people took to the streets and supermarkets to stock up on supplies, but since Sunday, "vehicle traffic and work activities have been gradually resuming," he stated.

Before Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who has called for cooperation with Washington, was sworn in before the new National Assembly on Jan. 5 as acting president following a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice, the Venezuelan bishops issued a statement to express their solidarity and support for the Venezuelan people.

Faith will get the country through these difficult times

In their prayers, González noted they also included "the families of those who have been injured or have lost their lives."

"To all of them, we say that faith gives us reasons to live through these difficult times, trusting in God's love, and with strength and hope."

Another of his concerns is the 7.9 million Venezuelans who have left their country seeking protection and a better life, according to data from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

"The Venezuelan bishops have spoken out on many occasions about the reality of the migration of millions of our compatriots to other countries. It is an issue that worries us, especially because in recent times public policies have been implemented that significantly affect them," he explained.

Beyond these considerations, the president of the Venezuelan bishops said he prefers not to comment officially on the political situation until a "clearer" picture emerges.

"The bishops have maintained constant monitoring and discernment of these events, in a spirit of faith and in a climate of prayer, guided by the great principles of the Church's social doctrine. When we have a more comprehensive and accurate understanding, we will be able to comment on them," he added.

González said that the Church's perspective aligns with Pope Leo XIV's call to "guarantee the national sovereignty" of the country.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Jan 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 historic anniversary, the National Eucharistic Congress wanted "to lean into that moment in our Church and in our country to highlight how Catholics have contributed to this great American experience," said Shanks during a Jan. 8 interview with "EWTN News Nightly."

Cabrini Route

The 2026 pilgrimage is set to kick off on May 24 in St. Augustine, Florida, and conclude on July 5 in Philadelphia.

The pilgrimage will pass through most of the original 13 colonies. Pilgrims will travel the Eastern Seaboard along the Cabrini Route in honor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American citizen to be canonized.

As an Italian immigrant, Cabrini "really gave her life, her heart, her passion to serving immigrants in New York," Shanks said during the interview. "We just thought that she was a good representation, particularly as we focused on a national moment to think about how the United States is made up of a variety of cultures and diversity. She also gives us a real sense of what it looks like to be Catholic and to be patriotic."

"It gives us a moment to reflect on her service and her life as we process to Philadelphia," Shanks said. "We're asking for her blessing and her intercession as we embark on this great pilgrimage."

Throughout the pilgrimage, 18 dioceses will host public events as pilgrims make their way up toward Pennsylvania. The procession will pass through the dioceses of St. Augustine, Florida; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond and Arlington, Virginia; Washington D.C.; Baltimore; Wilmington, Delaware; Camden and Paterson, New Jersey; Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; Boston, Springfield, and Fall River, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Philadelphia.

Pilgrimage highlights

Bringing Jesus' presence to the streets is an opportunity to "pray for unity and healing in our great country," Shanks said.

In light of the United States Conference Bishops' (USCCB) decision to consecrate America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the 2026 pilgrimage brings Jesus himself directly to the American people with opportunities for public participation in processions, Masses, devotionals, service projects, and more.

The journey will begin with an opening Mass at Our Lady of La Leche Shrine in Florida, the site of the first Mass celebrated on American soil. Other events include commemorations of the Georgia Martyrs and a celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi in the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Arlington.

A national prayer campaign and a digital lecture series also will be launched highlighting themes of America through a Catholic lens.

While all Catholics are invited to join for part of the journey, eight young adult perpetual pilgrims and a media missionary will travel the full route. They will partake in a private midpoint retreat at the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine in New York City.

"These are young people from all walks of life in our country. Typically, what we see post-pilgrimage is their lives are transformed," Shanks said. "Some join seminary, others join religious life. But they're a real inspiration to all of us. But they're like all of us. Their lives are there to be transformed by the Lord."

The pilgrims final stop will be in Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The concluding weekend will feature all-day Eucharistic adoration on July 4, a closing Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, and a final Eucharistic procession to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann.

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Jan 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 good in itself," the pontiff continued. "Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one's own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence."

The Holy Father called for concern for the common good of peoples to take precedence over "the defense of partisan interests" amid escalating tensions, pointing in particular to Venezuela, for which he reiterated an appeal "to respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all."

Leo framed his speech, part of the annual new year greeting to the diplomatic corps, within St. Augustine of Hippo's work of Christian philosophy "De Civitate Dei" ("City of God").

"The 'City of God' does not propose a political program. Instead, it offers valuable reflections on fundamental issues concerning social and political life, such as the search for a more just and peaceful coexistence among peoples. Augustine also warns of the grave dangers to political life arising from false representations of history, excessive nationalism and the distortion of the ideal of the political leader," the pope said.

He called "City of God," written in the fifth century, highly relevant to the present time, marked by widespread migration and the "profound readjustment of geopolitical balances and cultural paradigms."

Human rights short-circuited

Leo lamented what he called a "short circuit" of human rights around the world today, especially the right to life.

"We firmly reiterate that the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right. A society is healthy and truly progresses only when it safeguards the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it," he said.

He also called out the restriction of the right to freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, religious freedom, and the right to life in favor of other "so-called new rights," so that "the very framework of human rights is losing its vitality and creating space for force and oppression."

"This occurs when each right becomes self-referential, and especially when it becomes disconnected from reality, nature, and truth," he added.

Christian persecution

Pope Leo said Christian persecution is one of the most widespread human rights crises today, with over 380 million believers around the world suffering high or extreme levels of discrimination, violence, and oppression.

He recalled the victims of religiously motivated violence in Bangladesh, in the Sahel region, in Nigeria, and those killed or injured in the terrorist attack on the parish of St. Elias in Damascus in June.

The pontiff also decried "a subtle form of religious discrimination against Christians" taking place even in Christian-majority countries in Europe and the Americas.

"There, they are sometimes restricted in their ability to proclaim the truths of the Gospel for political or ideological reasons, especially when they defend the dignity of the weakest, the unborn, refugees and migrants, or promote the family," he said.

Leo also called for respect for the freedom of other religious communities and the rejection of all forms of antisemitism.

The meaning of words

The Holy Father also spoke about debates over the meaning of words and how they are tied to attacks on freedom of expression.

"Rediscovering the meaning of words is perhaps one of the primary challenges of our time. When words lose their connection to reality, and reality itself becomes debatable and ultimately incommunicable," he said.

"We should also note the paradox that this weakening of language is often invoked in the name of freedom of expression itself. However, on closer inspection, the opposite is true, for freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed precisely by the certainty of language and the fact that every term is anchored in the truth," he noted.

He called it painful to see the space for genuine freedom of expression rapidly shrink, especially in the West.

"At the same time, a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it," he said.

A consequence of this, Leo said, is that the freedom of conscience, another fundamental human right, is increasingly questioned by states.

The freedom of conscience, which "establishes a balance between the collective interest and individual dignity," protects individuals "to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict with moral, ethical, or religious principles deeply rooted in their personal lives," such as military service, abortion, or euthanasia.

"Conscientious objection is not rebellion but an act of fidelity to oneself," he underlined.

Life and the family

Pope Leo urged states to protect the institution of the family as "the vocation to love and to life" manifested in the "exclusive and indissoluble union between a woman and a man" and implying a "fundamental ethical imperative for enabling families to welcome and fully care for unborn life."

Noting the increasing priority of raising birth rates, he emphasized life as a gift to be cherished and said "we categorically reject any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life and its development," including abortion and surrogacy.

He added that the Holy See is also concerned about projects aimed at financing cross-border mobility to increase access to abortion and "considers it deplorable that public resources are allocated to suppress life rather than being invested to support mothers and families."

For the sick and elderly, "civil society and states also have a responsibility to respond concretely to situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering, such as palliative care, and promoting policies of authentic solidarity rather than encouraging deceptive forms of compassion such as euthanasia," he said.

The pontiff underlined the inalienable dignity of every person and that migrants, as people, have "inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation."

"I renew the Holy See's hope that the actions taken by states against criminality and human trafficking will not become a pretext for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees," he said.

Pride and self-love

Leo recalled that in Augustine's "City of God," the saint interprets events and history according to a model of two cities. The city of God is characterized by God's unconditional love and love for one's neighbor, especially the poor, while the earthly city "is centered on pride and self-love ('amor sui'), on the thirst for worldly power and glory that leads to destruction."

"While St. Augustine highlights the coexistence of the heavenly and earthly cities until the end of time, our era seems somewhat inclined to deny the city of God its 'right of citizenship,'" the pope noted.

"Yet, as Augustine notes, 'Great is the folly of pride in those individuals who think that the supreme good can be found in this life and that they can become happy by their own resources,'" Leo said. "Pride obscures both reality itself and our empathy towards others. It is no coincidence that pride is always at the root of every conflict."

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Jan 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 "public interest in protecting students and avoiding confusion among schoolteachers and administrators" justified a stay.

In an emergency application to the Supreme Court, lawyers with the Thomas More Society argued that the rights of parents, and the health and safety of children, are "too precious" to wait for the appeal to play out.

The high court should strike down the block by the appeals court, the attorneys said, in part because it "strips parents of their core authority with respect to an issue with significant religious and developmental impact."

Disputes over hiding a student's "gender identity" from parents have played out in schools around the country in recent years. LGBT advocates claim that teachers and administrators should be allowed to hide student "transitions" in order to keep children safe from parents who may not "affirm" an LGBT identity.

Critics have countered that parents have a right to know important and health-related decisions of their children, particularly concerning "gender identity" beliefs, which often compel young people to seek out drugs and surgeries.

The debate has reached the highest levels of U.S. government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in August 2025 directed U.S. states to remove gender ideology material from their curricula or face the loss of federal funding, while in February of that year the Department of Education launched an investigation into several Virginia school districts to determine if they violated federal orders forbidding schools from supporting the so-called "transition" of children.

Thomas More Society attorney Paul Jonna this week said California's "parental deception scheme" is "keeping families in the dark and causing irreparable harm," necessitating the intervention of the Supreme Court.

"The state is inserting itself unconstitutionally between parents and children, forcing schools to deceive families, and punishing teachers who tell the truth," he said, adding that "no parent should learn their child was in crisis because the government ordered schools to keep secrets."

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Jan 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 within

According to Jesuit Father Cristobal Fones, international director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, who presented the initiative Jan. 7 in Rome alongside Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, the initiative proposes "a shared inner experience that aspires to transform life from within."

The focus of this new phase, as the Jesuit priest explained, "will be more centered on supporting a spiritual experience, which often becomes difficult amidst our busy and noise-filled daily lives."

"The pope is very aware of this and wants to help us, inviting us to pray together for others," he added. The "update" of the initiative, according to Fones, stems "from the profound need we have to slow down in order to achieve greater depth in our decisions and relationships."

With a simple and accessible format, "Pray with the Pope" aims to allow anyone, wherever they are, to join in the Holy Father's prayer intention, which this year 2026 begins with the invitation to "learn to pray with the most definitive Word, which is not our own, so full of empty promises, but Jesus Christ."

In this month's video, Pope Leo XIV is seen silently reading a passage from the Bible in the presence of the Lord, and then he recites a short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, living word of the Father, in you we find the light that guides our steps.

"We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning, and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness.

"Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by your voice, and to discern our decisions from the closeness to your heart.

"May your word be nourishment in weariness, hope in darkness, and strength in our communities.

"Lord, may your word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts — the word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of your kingdom.

"Make us a Church that prays with the word, that builds upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again.

"May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life. Amen."

Countering the globalization of indifference

For Fones, this January's intention will be the basis for the rest of the year's intentions, which will include children with incurable diseases, the end of war, priests in crisis, respect for human life, and families experiencing the absence of a mother or father, among others.

The priest explained that the initiative also seeks to "highlight important and crucial issues for everyone, opening our hearts to urgent realities and transforming our environment to counteract the globalization of indifference."

The campaign can be followed on the pope's prayer website in several languages, and will also be available in audio format through Vatican Radio and partner platforms such as Pray as You Go, RezandoVoy, and Hallow. The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network is currently present in more than 90 countries and reaches over 22 million people.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Jan 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 brought to their knees and dressed in prison uniforms," McFields said in reference to Maduro's appearance this week in New York, where he pleaded not guilty.

Maduro has been accused of narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.

After stating that the most important thing for a people is their faith in God, the former ambassador emphasized that "all these earthly gods, these Baals, are transient, and we are seeing this in real time. That is a very important message, a very important message of hope for the people of Nicaragua as well, because we know that one day we will see justice, not only divine justice, but in some way even earthly justice."

Dictatorships are not eternal

"A very important message to consider is that dictatorships are not eternal: We have the dictatorship of the socialist bloc, which lasted more than 70 years. Then we have Syria, more than 50 years. Then we have the dictatorship of Evo Morales [in Bolivia] and the socialist movement, more than 20 years. And each and every one of them eventually fell, and now we are seeing the collapse in Venezuela of more than 26 years of 21st-century socialism, Chavismo, and Maduroism," McFields continued.

The former ambassador was referring to the socialist political and economic policies of former presidents Hugo Chávez and his successor Maduro.

Great empires like the Roman one, McFields pointed out, "or great dictatorships, fall, and some are more complex, like the socialist dictatorship or the dictatorship in Syria, or the Roman Empire itself, which fell. So, if all those great regimes fell, how could a simpler and less sophisticated regime like Nicaragua's not fall?"

International law must change to confront 'criminal dictatorships'

"Under international law, it's not legal to invade a country, nor is what Maduro was doing legal," Nicaraguan researcher Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church," told ACI Prensa. Her latest report documented that more than 16,500 religious processions were banned by the dictatorship and nearly 1,000 attacks were carried out against Catholics.

"The domestic law of several countries establishes that when someone needs help because they are in imminent danger, you can enter a house without authorization to save the person who needs help. In international law, it's not like that," the author continued, addressing those who criticize the Jan. 3 U.S. military intervention during which Maduro was captured in Caracas.

"I believe that international laws are not suited to the criminal dictatorships of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua but rather to countries that respect the rule of law. Current international laws must change and adapt to reality to allow this type of intervention against perpetrators of crimes against humanity," she emphasized.

In her opinion, an intervention in Nicaragua, like the one the United States carried out in Venezuela, would not happen because "we are not a country of interest to the international community."

Tyrants feign courage but live in fear

"The one who is most afraid is the most powerful. Tyrants feign courage and present themselves as high and mighty and aggressive, but they live constantly threatened by fear and turn others, even those in their own inner circle, into rivals or enemies to be eliminated. And they don't hesitate to do so when they see their power threatened," said Silvio Báez, the exiled auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, in his Sunday, Jan. 4, homily for the Mass for the Epiphany of the Lord.

Speaking about the capture of Maduro, but without mentioning him by name, the bishop emphasized that "this is the world of the powerful and of tyrants. [King] Herod and his court personify the dark world of power, where everything is justified and anything goes: calculation, cynicism, lies, cruelty, contempt for life. However, and you will agree with me, ancient history, let's think of Herod, and recent history, let's think about what happened yesterday, teaches us that all tyrants pass away, all of them, and end up condemned by God and by history."

Regarding the Three Wise Men who came to adore the newborn baby Jesus, the Nicaraguan prelate said this act of adoration "transforms us and gives us strength, because only God is to be worshipped; it gives us the strength never to kneel down or be subservient to any idol or power of this world."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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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 organized by the India chapter of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and the Indian bishops' health care commission in April 2024 in Bangalore.

The two-day conference, which was attended by half a dozen bishops besides more than 250 religious, clergy, experts, and professionals, examined "the role of the Church as a healing community and the difference between mental health and spiritual well-being."

The conference called for "spiritually accompanying individuals suffering from mental illness at the grassroots level — the diocese, parish, and community level."

"The setting up of the Mental Health Ministry is the fruit of this conference," Medical Mission Sister Joan Chunkapura told CNA.

"Depression and anxiety and other personality disorders are also on the increase due to stress and uncertainty and work pressure. Increasing numbers of suicides challenge us to set up more systems to serve those in mental crisis," said the nun, who serves as the ministry secretary and who has done psychological counseling for four decades.

Dozens of priests and nuns have died by suicide in the past two decades due to depression, other mental health issues, or sexual exploitation, she said.

Conferences and seminars are being held in different parts of the country, Chunkapura said.

"We have been looking at setting up a national framework to address mental health effectively amid increasing challenges," Carmelite Father Shinto Thomas told CNA. The priest, based in Bangalore, has been appointed president of the mental health ministry.

Thomas has worked with the U.S.-based Deacon Ed Shoener in setting up the ministry. The deacon had addressed the national conference in 2024.

Shoener, who was ordained a permanent deacon in 2004 at St. Peter's Cathedral in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, is the founding president of the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers. He was drawn to that mission following the death by suicide of his daughter Kathleen in 2016.

"The Indian Bishops' Conference is setting an example to inspire other countries," Shoener told CNA.

"Though our Mental Health network is associated and working in 75 countries, India is one of the countries where [the bishops have] taken it up seriously and set up a program for it," the deacon said.

"I have met representatives from the CBCI in my trips to India in 2024 and then again in 2025. They have embraced mental health ministry and have taken important steps to develop the ministry for the Indian context," he added.

"Mental health remains a serious problem in families, among the youth ,and at work place and religious life with nuns and priests facing mental problems and depression," Father Santhosh Dias, the secretary of the Indian bishops' health care commission, told CNA.

"Unless the Church is fully involved in this mission, there will be apprehension about the work of such centers. So the health care commission is fully with the mental health ministry and we are preparing guidelines for the whole Church in India," he said.

Dias said the final guidelines for the mental health ministry will be presented at the Indian bishops' national assembly in February.

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Jan 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 Center Foundation, confirmed to CNA. The foundation, which facilitates the construction, was created by the Archdiocese of Prague since Neratovice is in its territory.

Architectural innovation

In December, the Czech version of Forbes hailed the future "exceptional church, which has an ambition to change the foundations of construction." It can "put Czechia back on the architectural map of the world after a long time," the business magazine wrote.

The founding stone of the Church of the Holy Trinity and of Cardinal Josef Beran Community Centre was blessed by Archbishop of Prague Jan Graubner in 2024. The future church is modeled on Noah's Ark by award-winning architect Zdenek Fránek, who has constructed religious buildings previously.

Both buildings will be energy efficient, covered by green roofs irrigated by means of rainwater retention tanks. A park with a pond and a children's playground nearby are planned, too.

Financial considerations

Local parish administrator Father Peter Kovác said that 3D printing could bring savings and a unique solution — possibly the largest 3D-printed church in the world.

"It is important that the project is sustainable and meaningful financially," he told a local Catholic weekly. Various donors have already contributed several millions and the whole project is estimated to cost 204 million Czech crowns (more than $8 million).

For the time being, the parishioners go to Mass in a chapel.

The church design consists of an ark-like structure made up of 520 3D-printed blocks, assembled like a puzzle. These blocks are generatively designed and are characterized by a wavelike structure that has an acoustic function.

Historical significance

Among the patrons of the project is Member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský. The Czech Christian Democrat sees the construction as "absolutely great news" because the church "will be a unique building that will be visited by people from all over the country."

The town of Neratovice, an industrial community with a population of about 16,000, was founded by the communist regime in 1957 and has never had a church. The creation of the 3D-printed structure is thus significant for local Roman Catholics, who have been trying to have a church built for decades.

Cardinal Josef Beran (1888–1969) was an archbishop of Prague who suffered in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau before World War II. When the communists took over Czechoslovakia, he refused to pledge loyalty to the atheist regime. He was interned for 14 years in several locations, including complete isolation from the outside world.

When he was created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1965, he was allowed to travel to Rome but was unable to return. The prelate spent the rest of his life in exile, visiting compatriots in Europe and the U.S. His beatification process is currently underway.

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