Catholic bishops of the Philippines tap veteran EWTN executive for communications post
http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=291230&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Veteran EWTN executive Edwin Lopez is the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Commission on Social Communications. | Credit: EWTNJan 14, 2026 / 12:35 pm (CNA).Edwin Lopez, who for more than two decades has served as EWTN's regional manager for Asia-Pacific, has been appointed as the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission on Social Communications.Lopez's appointment was announced during a recollection of CBCP personnel and volunteers in Manila. He is the first married layman to serve in the role.In this capacity, Lopez, who will continue in his long-standing Asia-Pacific management role at EWTN, will serve as the CBCP commission's primary operational and coordinating leader, turning the bishops' pastoral goals into practical projects and activities.Commenting on the appointment, EWTN Chairman of the Board and CEO Michael Warsaw celebrated the fact that "Edwin will continue in hi...
Veteran EWTN executive Edwin Lopez is the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Commission on Social Communications. | Credit: EWTN
Jan 14, 2026 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
Edwin Lopez, who for more than two decades has served as EWTN's regional manager for Asia-Pacific, has been appointed as the new executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission on Social Communications.
Lopez's appointment was announced during a recollection of CBCP personnel and volunteers in Manila. He is the first married layman to serve in the role.
In this capacity, Lopez, who will continue in his long-standing Asia-Pacific management role at EWTN, will serve as the CBCP commission's primary operational and coordinating leader, turning the bishops' pastoral goals into practical projects and activities.
Commenting on the appointment, EWTN Chairman of the Board and CEO Michael Warsaw celebrated the fact that "Edwin will continue in his leadership role at EWTN while also supporting the CBCP in this important responsibility, further strengthening the Church's communications at a critical time."
"We are proud that he has been asked to place his experience and expertise at the service of Church leaders in this new capacity," Warsaw continued, noting that Lopez is "a strong advocate for the Church in Asia and the Philippines who has served EWTN faithfully for more than 25 years, and his leadership continues to be an extraordinary gift to both the Catholic Church and our global mission."
For his part, Lopez told CNA: "I hope to contribute what over 25 years in social communications across the Asia Pacific region has taught me: Digital tools can broaden contact and strengthen connection, but they cannot replace relational communion."
"God did not merely send a message, he sent himself — in person. When we confuse means and end, we deepen the crisis of intimacy; when communion remains the end, even AI and digital media become faithful servants that lead people back to relationships, communities, and the Eucharist," Lopez emphasized.
Lopez succeeds Father Ildefonso "Ilde" Dimaano, who was tapped by CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa to serve as his spokesperson.
Lopez is also a professor in the philosophy and theology department of San Carlos Seminary in Makati City. He holds graduate degrees in business administration, international management, and development communication.
Full Article
http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&url=10&view=post&articleid=291234&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. | Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.Jan 14, 2026 / 20:49 pm (CNA).The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, called for finding peaceful solutions to the events unfolding in Iran, where he sees the population's yearning to live in "peace, justice, and dignity."On Dec. 28, 2025, protests erupted in the capital, Tehran, as Iranians demonstrated against rising prices of basic goods such as chicken and cooking oil, due to inflation. In the following days, the demonstrations spread to more than 180 cities.These protests are considered the most severer the Islamic Republic has faced since it came to power in 1979. However, authorities have responded with a crackdown that has resulted in more than 2,500 deaths, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that he sees in Iran "the yearning of the entire Iranian population, but als...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&url=10&view=post&articleid=291224&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The HDMS Niels Juel (F363) warship, an Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate of the Royal Danish Navy, is moored in Nuuk, Greenland, on June 15, 2025. | Credit: Ludovic MARIN/AFP via Getty ImagesJan 14, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).Greenlandic Catholics are reportedly expressing opposition to United States plans to acquire the territory, while Nordic Catholic leaders are waiting to see how the situation develops amid potential U.S. military intervention. U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled repeatedly that he wants the U.S. to annex Greenland in some form, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the matter as a "national security priority." Utilizing the military to that end "is always an option," Leavitt said on Jan. 6. The apparent threat of military action on Greenland touched off a global controversy, with U.S. advocates praising the White House's ambitions and critics decrying it as an aggressive power move. Trump on Jan. 11 indicated again that the effort was mot...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&url=10&view=post&articleid=291223&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Pope Leo XIV gives the first general audience of 2026 in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: Vatican Media.Jan 14, 2026 / 06:20 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV urged Christians Wednesday to set aside time in their daily lives to speak with God in prayer and warned about the harm to one's relationship with him when this is ignored."Time dedicated to prayer, meditation and reflection cannot be lacking in the Christian's day and week," the pontiff said during the catechesis at his general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Jan. 14.The pope devoted the second week of his series of teachings on the documents of the Second Vatican Council to a closer examination of the dogmatic constitution "Dei Verbum," dedicated to divine revelation.Pointing to the document, he highlighted listening and dialogue with God as foundations of a Christian life."From this perspective, the first attitude to cultivate is listening, so that the divine Word may penetrate our minds an...