Catholic News

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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.

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Jan 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 motivated by security concerns. "If we don't [acquire Greenland], Russia or China will, and that's not going to happen when I'm president," he told reporters on Air Force One.

'Too early to make any definitive statements'

A sparsely populated landmass home to about 55,000 permanent residents, Greenland is among the least Catholic territories in the West, with the vast majority of Greenlanders belonging to the Lutheran church.

Catholics in the area are served by the Diocese of Copenhagen, located approximately 2,000 miles east of Nuuk, the most populous city on the island. Though mostly self-administered, the region falls under the authority of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Sister Anna Mirijam Kaschner, CPS, the secretary-general of the Nordic Bishops' Conference, told CNA that the bishops — who serve Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland — will be holding a plenary meeting in March.

"By then we expect to have a clearer understanding of the situation," she said. "It is very likely that the matter will be discussed at that time."

It is "too early to make any definitive statements," Kaschner said, though she added that there is some consternation already among Greenland's small Catholic population, which is almost entirely concentrated in a single parish, Christ the King Church in Nuuk.

"Parishioners in Greenland have expressed concern about the situation involving the United States," she said. "According to the parish priest, many have said that Greenland is their land, their country, and their home, and that they do not wish to become Americans."

That sentiment has been echoed by political leaders in Greenland, a territory that has developed a distinct identity quite apart from its North American geography and its European administration.

A Jan. 9 joint statement from the country's major political parties said bluntly: "We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes — we want to be Greenlanders."

"The future of our country is for the Greenlandic people themselves to decide," the leaders said, vowing to "independently decide what our country's future should look like — without pressure, without delays, and without interference from others."

The territory's leaders have considerable latitude for self-governance, particularly after a self-rule law in 2009 established local control of the legal system and law enforcement, among other jurisdictions. Greenland is also permitted to seek full independence from Denmark if its people desire to do so.

With Catholic representation on the island sparse, the Church's role in any future deliberation may be limited. Still, Kaschner said, Church leaders in Europe may develop a stance on the issue in the near future.

"Generally, Catholic leaders in the Nordic countries handle issues like this with caution, stressing respect for local people, existing sovereignty, and the dignity of affected communities," she said.

Ahead of a clearer picture of the international dispute, she said, "there's no single official stance beyond a focus on the well-being and wishes of Greenland's people."

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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 and our hearts; at the same time, we are required to speak with God, not to communicate to him what he already knows, but to reveal ourselves to ourselves," Leo said.

The Holy Father also drew on the human experience of friendship to warn about the dangers of neglecting one's spiritual life: "Our experience tells us that friendships can come to an end through a dramatic gesture of rupture, or because of a series of daily acts of neglect that erode the relationship until it is lost."

"If Jesus calls us to be friends, let us not leave this call unheeded. Let us welcome it, let us take care of this relationship, and we will discover that friendship with God is our salvation," he said.

The pope insisted that this living relationship with God is cultivated above all through prayer, understood as an authentic friendship with the Lord.

This experience, he explained, is achieved first of all in liturgical and community prayer, "in which we do not decide what to hear from the Word of God, but it is he himself who speaks to us through the Church." It is also achieved in personal prayer, which takes place "in the interiority of the heart and mind," and which should form part of every believer's day and week.

'Only when we speak with God can we also speak about him'

The pontiff stressed that only from a personal relationship with God is it possible to bear authentic witness to the faith: "Only when we speak with God can we also speak about him."

Referring to the dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum, promulgated by St. Pope Paul VI in 1965, Leo emphasized that Christian revelation is grounded in a living and personal dialogue between God and humanity. Through this dialogue, God reveals himself as an ally who invites each person into a true relationship of friendship.

The pope noted that divine revelation has a profoundly dialogical character, proper to the experience of friendship: it does not tolerate silence, but is nourished by the exchange of true words capable of creating communion.

Leo XIV also distinguished between "words" and "chatter," explaining that the latter remains on the surface and does not create authentic relationships. In genuine relationships, he said, words do not serve merely to exchange information, but to reveal who we are and to establish a deep bond with the other.

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

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Jan 13, 2026 / 14:55 pm (CNA).

A state senator in New York is pushing for increased security after multiple crimes at Catholic parishes.

Several Catholic churches on Staten Island have been vandalized or attacked in recent weeks in what State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton described as "vile" acts of defacement and theft.

St. Sylvester's Church was defaced with human feces on Christmas Day, according to local news reports, with camera footage capturing the vandal committing the act during the morning Christmas Mass.

Father Jacob Thumma told local media that the perpetrator "[looked] like he may be a homeless or disturbed person."

"I feel sorry for him and wonder why he did that on the joyful day of Christmas," the priest said at the time.

At. St. Roch's Roman Catholic Church on Dec. 28, meanwhile, a criminal broke into the church rectory and reportedly stole a towel.

At St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in the Dongan Hills neighborhood, an assailant reportedly interrupted a 7 a.m. Mass by breaking an angel statue, snatching the missal and a cross from the altar, tearing down flowers, and damaging the sanctuary's marble floor.

Two responding police officers were reportedly injured during the incident.

'Nobody should feel unsafe where they pray'

Scarcella-Spanton said in an interview Jan. 13 she has reached out to the churches and the local police precinct regarding the attacks, which have occurred within her district.

The senator said it does not appear as if the incidents were coordinated. "It does seem as if they were unique incidents and not an organized effort," she said.

Still, "we want a meeting with the police precinct and with clergy," she said, "just to see if there's anything we can do to help them."

Scarcella-Spanton pointed to the New York government's Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program, which distributes government grants to protect vulnerable institutions. Houses of worship are able to access those funds, she said.

"This is for security, whether it's people or cameras — just in any way, shape, or form," she said.

The senator said the attack on St. Ann's particularly affected her.

"I grew up in Dongan Hills where St. Ann's is," she said. "My kids went to preschool there. I went there for CCD."

"I can't imagine how scary that must have been for people" during the attack, she said.

In her statement, Scarcella-Spanton said she was "extremely troubled" by the incidents.

"Church is a place of peace and reflection; nobody should feel unsafe where they pray," she said.

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Jan 13, 2026 / 15:36 pm (CNA).

Scott Adams, the creator of the long-running "Dilbert" comic strip whose art satirized the typical American workplace, died on Jan. 13 at 68 years old after a battle with cancer.

Adams, who became known later in his career for espousing conservative and at times controversial political views, revealed in May 2025 that he was suffering from prostate cancer. The disease spread in the coming months, with Adams passing away after a short stay in hospice.

On Jan. 13, shortly after his death, Adams' X account posted a "final message" from the renowned cartoonist in which he recalled that many of his Christian friends had urged him to convert to Christianity.

"I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him," Adams declared in the message, adding that he hoped he was "still qualified for entry" into heaven upon his death.

"I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had," he wrote in the statement. "If you got any benefits from my work, I'm asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is the legacy I want."

Adams had previously announced his intent to convert on Jan. 1, admitting that "any skepticism I have about reality would certainly be instantly answered if I wake up in heaven."

Born June 8, 1957, in Windham, New York, Adams began drawing from a young age. His work at the Pacific Bell Telephone Company in the 1980s and 1990s inspired many of the humorous office stereotypes portrayed in "Dilbert."

A send-up of many of the tropes that continue to define U.S. office work, "Dilbert" became wildly popular into the 2000s and eventually included a brief television series.

Later in his career he launched the video talk series "Real Coffee With Scott Adams," which he continued until just several days before his death.

In his final message released after his death, Adams told his fans: "Be useful."

"And please know," he added, "I loved you all to the end."

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Jan 13, 2026 / 17:16 pm (CNA).

A "dream" that could soon become a reality is how the bishop of Helsinki, Raimo Goyarrola, described the founding of the first Catholic school in Finland, where the Catholic Church practically disappeared after the state adopted Lutheranism in the 16th century as a consequence of the Protestant Reformation.

Placing his trust in God's hands and in providence, Goyarrola plans to open the school in August on the second floor of a Lutheran church dedicated to St. James the Apostle and located on the island of Lauttasaari, just three miles from the Finnish capital. His intention, "if the finances allow," is to acquire the building within three years.

Starting with 12 children, like the apostles

The school will initially offer grades 1 through 3 and will begin as a home schooling model, a form of education recognized by the state. The Catholic character of the school will be reflected in its educational approach, in holistic formation based on Christian values, and in the celebrations of the main feasts of the liturgical calendar.

Although it will be open to children of any faith, the main challenge — as the bishop explained to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner — is to gather a sufficient number of students from Catholic families. "I am praying to start out with 12 children, like the apostles," he explained.

"I'm excited, even though it's a bit of a marathon, because in Finland you have to obtain many permits; it's a country that operates on a lot of bureaucracy," said Goyarrola, a Spaniard who is the pastor of a small Catholic community in a nation deeply marked by Lutheranism.

'I trust in God, and this will move forward'

When Pope Francis entrusted him with leading the Diocese of Helsinki in 2023, the Basque bishop who, before arriving in cold Finland, served for four years in Seville in southern Spain, began compiling a "long list" of the needs of God's people in Finland.

Among the first projects, he told ACI Prensa, was the construction of a Catholic school. "It's something I've had in my heart for a long time. I transformed the needs into dreams, and little by little we are moving forward with faith. I trust in God, and this will go forward," he said with a smile.

The prelate affirmed that "in life, you have to be courageous and pioneering" and that he will not stop despite the difficulties. "You have to be all in," Goyarrola, who is a member of Opus Dei and holds a degree in medicine and surgery, emphasized.

"We already have two excellent teachers with extensive experience. We also have the classroom, the tables, the chairs — we have everything ready, so now we just need to find the children, and I hope it will start in August," he said.

There are approximately 20,000 Catholics in Finland, which has a population of about 5.5 million. However, the Catholic Church in the country is growing year after year, not only due to the arrival of immigrants and refugees but also because of the increase in baptisms of children and the growing number of adults converting from other Christian denominations.

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 13, 2026 / 17:58 pm (CNA).

Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer and Catholic researcher, urged the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to "return your eyes to Nicaragua."

"In Nicaragua, praying in public is considered a crime," Molina said at a Jan. 13 hearing in Washington, D.C.

USCIRF heard testimony about freedom of religion or belief violations against Christians following the release of the 2025 USCIRF Annual Report. Witnesses recounted their experiences with religious freedom violations in Nicaragua, China, Nigeria, Algeria, Vietnam, Egypt, Burma, Eritrea, and Pakistan.

In Nicaragua, Molina said, "the measures that must be taken need to be more aggressive. Sanction the army. Impose direct economic sanctions. Bring [President] Daniel Ortega and [his wife, Vice President] Rosario Murillo and their collaborators before international justice and prosecute them for crimes against humanity. This year has proven that it is possible."

Molina has conducted a study, " Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church," to show "the horrors done" at the hands of the dictators. Molina said since April 2018 she has documented 19,836 attacks "perpetrated by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in Nicaragua against priests, nuns, and laypeople."

"In Nicaragua, altar boys … are harassed and monitored by the national Nicaraguan police and forced to sign documents whose contents they do not understand. Their parents are harassed and threatened with imprisonment if they speak to the media," she said.

The Nicaraguan dictatorship "prohibits the entry of Bibles into Nicaragua and also controls the workshops where the images that Catholics use for veneration are made," she said.

Nicaraguan Catholics are as "afraid as when the disciples of Jesus were afraid after his killing," Molina said.

In Nicaragua, "the lack of religious freedom has profoundly limited the pastoral work of priests," she said. "They are literally forced to be careful about how to proceed when they preach for fear of being in prison or exiled."

Ortega and Murillo have "arbitrarily closed 13 universities and institutes," she said. "With hatred, they have shut down centers for young people who were studying to become priests, and 304 priests and nuns have been exiled from Nicaragua. They are being expelled or prevented from entering the country."

Due to the lack of priests now, "there are dioceses in Nicaragua that are surviving only with 30-40% of their priests," Molina said. "As a consequence, communities in the interior of Nicaragua see their religious practices limited. They can no longer go to confession regularly."

She added: "It is with urgency that we need to stop the criminals or they will continue to advance, which will eventually reach us in the United States."

U.S. leadership

"At a time when Christians abroad face attacks simply for their faith, U.S. leadership is critical now more than ever," Commission Chair Vicky Hartzler said during the Jan. 13 hearing.

Hartzler said in an interview after the hearing: "We want to have more countries designated as countries of particular concern, as special watch lists, that entity is of particular concern. We work tirelessly, constantly visiting with people on the ground, the countries hearing their stories."

"We are very thankful the president designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern and is starting to take action to help people there," she said. "But there are many other countries who are repressing their people, and we need to act on those countries as well. The United States has a tremendous amount of influence and opportunity to make a difference, and we should use our voice and our spot in the world to be able to help others."

The commission also heard from U.S. representatives and senators who shared their support for the mission of USCIRF and legislation to protect religious freedom in the U.S. and abroad.

"The United States is a Christian nation," said Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia. "We have a unique duty to defend Christians wherever they are being persecuted, and I will never stop fighting for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ."

Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri, said China under Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party "does not hide its actions." He added: "Officials openly tell religious leaders that loyalty to the party is more important than loyalty to God Almighty." He touted legislation to reinforce China's designation as a country of particular concern.

Hartzler said: "Religious leaders and laypersons, including Jimmy Lai, faced furious charges of fraud and subversion. In recent years, the government has demolished churches and removed crosses from public view."

Grace Drexel testified about her father, Pastor Ezra Jin, who is imprisoned in China.

Jin "was arrested by the Chinese authorities, along with 27 other pastors and church leaders from Zion Church; 18 total remained imprisoned," she said. The October "crackdown represents the largest takedown of an independent Christian population in China since the Cultural Revolution."

"I urge this commission to recognize that what is happening in China is not merely a domestic matter but a global threat to religious freedom and human dignity," Drexel said. "If the international community remains silent, we signal acceptance and impunity for such traveling of universal human rights. And unfortunately, what happens in China does not stay in China."

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Jan 13, 2026 / 18:45 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether to uphold state laws banning transgender athletes from competing on women's sports teams, and Catholic athletes outside the court said they hope justices keep the laws on the books.

Mary Pennefather, captain of the women's basketball team for Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, said: "If these court cases are allowed to happen, then say goodbye to all women's sports, because then all the transgender athletes will just come and play in the women's sports and get their national champion championships and NCAA titles from there."

Standing among her teammates outside the Supreme Court, Pennefather said: "I can work as hard as I can to be good at my sport, and a man can come in and work half as hard, and he will always be bigger, faster, and stronger than me. It totally goes against God's natural law. He made humans male and female. And now you have these people coming in here and saying, 'That's not right,' that men could be women and vice versa … it's totally disrupted and disordered, and it's a breakdown of the family."

The court heard more than three hours of arguments regarding two cases originating from Idaho and West Virginia in which lower courts upheld challenges by transgender athletes to statewide bans under the U.S. Constitution and federal anti-discrimination law. Supreme Court justices including Brett Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch appeared to back the bans at several points during the oral arguments.

The challenges were brought by two transgender athletes: 15-year-old West Virginia high school student Becky Pepper-Jackson, and Boise State University student Lindsey Hecox of Idaho, who had attempted to withdraw the case but was ultimately denied.

Bishops weigh in

U.S. bishops submitted an amicus brief in support for the petitioners in Idaho v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., stating that if Catholic schools were forced to allow transgender athletes in women's sports, they would need to halt all athletic programs or stop accepting funding "because allowing such competition would undermine fundamental Catholic teachings regarding the immutable, God-given differences between the sexes."

Idaho and West Virginia both have laws that ban transgender athletes from competing on sports teams at public schools and universities that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. There are 25 other states that have such laws.

"There are an awful lot of female athletes who are strongly opposed to participation by trans athletes in competitions with them," Alito said at one point during the oral arguments. He then asked whether girls who express these opinions should be regarded as "bigots." He added: "Are they deluded in thinking that they are subjected to unfair competition?" He also questioned whether transgender athletes hold an unfair advantage over biological women in sports at other points during the hearing.

Alito further insisted that a definition of sex is necessary in order to prove that transgender athletes are being discriminated against, stating: "How can a court determine whether there's discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?" Alito posed this question in response to ACLU lawyers' position that a definition of sex is not legally necessary.

Kavanaugh emphasized the importance of Title IX and sex-based distinctions, stating: "One of the great successes in America over the last 50 years has been the growth of women and girls' sports. And it's inspiring."

He said allowing transgender people to compete in women's sports would "undermine or reverse that amazing success and create unfairness."

"For the individual girl who does not make the team or doesn't get on the stand for the medal or doesn't make all-league," he said, "there's a harm there, and I think we can't sweep that aside."

Gorsuch said "bottom line, sports are assigned by sex because sex is what matters in sports," adding that separation based on sex "is the fairest and the safest and the most administrable way to assign sports teams."

"It's been widely accepted for many decades because it's necessary for fair competition because, where sports are concerned, men and women are obviously not the same," he said during the hearing. "If Idaho can't enforce a sex-based line here in sports, where nobody disputes that biological differences matter, then no line based on biological sex can survive constitutional scrutiny."

"The court should uphold the Fairness in Women's Sports Act and reverse," he concluded.

Outside the court, Matt Sharp, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, highlighted the importance of the court "protecting fairness in women's sports."

"If young women are made spectators in their own sports," Sharp said, "we know they're going to lose medals, they're going to lose scholarships, they're going to have their privacy violated."

Steve Ward, a board-certified internal medicine physician with Do No Harm, said: "I think this issue is representative of a much deeper concern that I have about the medical profession," he said. "We're here to support women's sports, and that's certainly important, but to my mind, we really have to think more carefully about what this means for the future of science and scientific research."

Ward emphasized the importance of scientific research based on "objective and fixed" reality. "All of these great great scientists of the past understood that, that the world could be studied because they had a Judeo-Christian worldview understanding that we live in a world that you can approach and you can make objective observations, perform the scientific method and so forth and reach some type of a conclusion that you can repeat and move forward with, develop technologies and all sorts of things," he said, adding: "If we discard all of that history in favor of psychological categories, then you really can no longer do science at all, and you have to throw that away."

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Jan 13, 2026 / 11:11 am (CNA).

The Order of Malta's Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem is facing severe operational constraints and its mobile clinics remain unable to reach Bedouin villages in the West Bank due to movement restrictions and violence, the order's grand master told diplomats Jan. 10.

Fra' John Dunlap said in his annual address to the diplomatic corps that the 900-year-old Catholic order is committed to help reconstruction efforts in Gaza City led by Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and other partners.

Middle East operations central

The ties to the Middle East are central to the order's mission, particularly in Lebanon and the Holy Land, Dunlap told the diplomatic corps accredited to the order at the Magistral Villa on Rome's Aventine Hill.

He expressed concern about restrictions on movement, violence, and persistent shortages of essential services in the West Bank, citing the operational challenges facing Holy Family Hospital and the inability of mobile clinics to reach Bedouin communities.

Latin America remains a region of paramount importance, Dunlap said, announcing a regional conference of the Order of Malta for the Americas in Buenos Aires in autumn 2026 to streamline regional humanitarian initiatives.

Africa continues to receive substantial investment through specialized programs of Ordre de Malte France and Malteser International, with newly established relations with Gambia and Burundi yielding rapid progress, he said.

Ukraine constituted a major focus, with Dunlap calling for hostilities to cease and full protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. The order expressed readiness to support dialogue initiatives "in full respect of its principles of neutrality and impartiality."

UN status sought

The order aspires to attain "enhanced status" within the United Nations that more accurately reflects the nature and breadth of its worldwide activities, Dunlap concluded.

The order currently holds permanent observer status at the U.N. and maintains diplomatic relations with 115 countries.

Ambassador Antoine Zanga of Cameroon, dean of the diplomatic corps, praised the order's "humanitarian diplomacy" in his response speech and invited Dunlap to continue promoting "charity, solidarity, peace, and defense of international humanitarian law in a world where the rules are fading."

Dunlap described 2025 as a year of exceptional intensity, marked by the jubilee, the death of Pope Francis, and the election of Pope Leo XIV, which "profoundly resonated across both the life of the universal Church and the broader international community."

"The order is truly the institution of the Gospel, which it follows as Jesus taught it through his apostles," Bolivian Ambassador Teresa Susana Subieta Serrano shared with CNA after the speech of the grand master. She noted that the grand master mentioned Latin America as a region of paramount importance for the order.

"We recognize many good things that the order is doing. I am also the special envoy of my country to Africa, so I appreciate the particular mention of this continent. My intention is to do projects in Africa together with the order," Slovenian Ambassador Franc But told CNA.

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Jan 13, 2026 / 11:41 am (CNA).

Reacting to Bishop Michael Martin's Dec. 17, 2025, pastoral letter announcing the impending abolishment of altar rails and kneelers in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, 31 of the diocese's priests have signed a letter to the Vatican's Dicastery for Legislative Texts containing a set of questions, or "dubia," related to the matter.

According to The Pillar, which obtained a leaked copy of the diocesan priests' letter last week, the priests directly question "whether a diocesan bishop may prohibit the use of kneelers to assist members of the faithful who, of their own accord, wish to receive holy Communion kneeling."

In December, Martin issued a pastoral letter saying that by Jan. 16, the use of altar rails, kneelers, and "prie-dieus" (movable kneelers) will no longer be permitted in the diocese, and any "temporary or movable fixtures used for kneeling for the reception of Communion" must be removed.

In his pastoral letter, Martin said while an "individual member of the faithful" is free to kneel to receive and should not be denied Communion, the "normative posture for all the faithful in the United States is standing," per guidelines from the U.S. bishops.

"The faithful who feel compelled to kneel to receive the Eucharist as is their individual right should also prayerfully consider the blessing of communal witness that is realized when we share a common posture," he wrote.

In their letter to the Vatican, the diocesan priests specifically question the bishop's actions to impede the faithful from kneeling at built-in altar rails when that is the norm for a parish, a practice the bishop has insisted upon when he celebrates Mass at such churches in the diocese, according to Brian Williams, an advocate for Charlotte's Traditional Latin Mass community.

When Martin concelebrated a Mass with several other bishops last summer at a parish whose commmunicants usually kneel at an altar rail to receive, per the bishop's direction, according to Williams, Communion was distributed in front of the altar rail to discourage parishioners from kneeling.

"Since an altar rail is a common and traditional 'structure and ornamentation' that marks off the sanctuary from the body of the church within the Roman rite, it is asked whether a diocesan bishop has the legitimate authority to prohibit the erection of altar rails within churches or other sacred places in his diocese," the diocese's priests query in their letter, as reported by The Pillar.

A priest in the Charlotte Diocese who wished to remain anonymous due to an alleged "atmosphere of fear, retaliation, and mistrust" told CNA that the actual number of the dubia's supporters is "well north" of the 31, or a quarter of all priests in the diocese, who actually signed it.

"Certain priests have prudentially decided to withhold their signature," he told CNA.

According to a social media post by the Traditional Latin Mass community in Charlotte: "Several diocesan sources in Charlotte have confirmed that the actual support for the dubia is closer to 50% of priests, nearly double the number of signers."

In his December pastoral letter, Martin also specified norms for extraordinary ministers, prohibited the practice of intinction (when the consecrated bread is dipped into the wine before being placed on the tongue), and encouraged the reception of Communion under both kinds — the bread and the wine — which he says fell out of practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2025, a draft of a letter detailing several other of Martin's intended reforms of traditional practices in the diocese was leaked. In that letter, the bishop said that because "there is no mention in the conciliar documents, the reform of the liturgy, or current liturgical documents concerning the use of altar rails or kneelers for the distribution of holy Communion, they are not to be employed in the Diocese of Charlotte."

The diocesan priests' Jan. 5 letter to the Vatican manifests that "both the leaked letter from this past summer and the pastoral letter of Dec. 17 have caused a great deal of concern amongst the priests and faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte, especially in those parishes that have allowed the faithful to use an altar rail or prie-dieu for the reception of holy Communion."

The diocesan priests' letter also addresses issues from Martin's leaked May letter in which the prelate suggested that certain liturgical practices and elements such as the use of Latin, ornately decorated vestments, certain prayers, and altar ornaments will be prohibited because they are not in accord with changes made after the Second Vatican Council.

Asked about the Jan. 5 letter containing the dubia, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Charlotte told CNA that the bishop "has not 'restricted kneeling.'"

In a Jan. 8 statement to CNA, Martin stated: "My brother priests are always welcome to ask questions and seek clarification about the application of liturgical norms. To be clear, the only modifications that have been made since the Diocese of Charlotte last updated its liturgical norms in 2011 involve the distribution of holy Communion, as spelled out in my letter to the faithful in December."

Apparently referring to the leaked May letter, Martin continued: "Questions arising from the internal and confidential conversations of the Presbyteral Council are premature and lack substance, since no definitive action has taken place outside of the December 2025 letter. The norms highlighted in the letter keep our diocese aligned with the broader norms of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the universal Church."

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