Jan 14, 2026 / 09:21 am (CNA).

Just miles from Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis — the site of a deadly school shooting during the summer of 2025 — a bishop this week led the local Catholic community in a reflection on how to heal and to bring grief before God.

In a presentation on Jan. 13 at St. John the Baptist Church in New Brighton, Minnesota, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, encouraged the community to pour out their pain to God in faith.

Bookended by Mass and adoration, the presentation, “A Wounded Church: Finding Peace and Healing,” was streamed online.

During the talk, Cozzens discussed how to reconcile faith in God with horror that takes place in a Catholic church, such as the Aug. 27 shooting, which claimed the lives of two children and injured many others.

He noted that God “doesn’t will evil” but that he brings good out of it “always.”

“We were not made for death; we were made instead for eternal life,” he said. “But this is also why trite answers won’t help us when it comes to facing the problem of evil.”

“Jesus was wounded by evil,” Cozzens continued. “We know that, but we also know that Jesus allowed his wounds to become a place of grace, or of life.”

“It’s one of the great mysteries of our faith that Jesus still has his wounds when he rises from the dead,” he pointed out.

Cozzens, who served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 2013 to 2021, shared some of his personal struggles with faith that he dealt with as the local Church confronted years of sexual abuse by Catholic leaders.

The bishop talked about the importance of bringing struggles to God in prayer.

In that place of pouring out his struggles, Cozzens has found that “that’s the place where God has to speak.”

“The real thing that’s bothering me — that’s the only place his word can meet me,” Cozzens said.

“It’s actually after pouring out my feelings that then I can receive the truth of what God wants to say to me,” he said. “Because now I’ve opened up the wound and that place is ready, and I see it, and he can speak to it.”

In response to the problem of evil, Cozzens said: “There’s not a simple answer, but there is an answer.”

“God’s answer to evil is the cross,” he said.

“Now I appeal to you, brothers and sister, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Cor 1:10) Forgive me, at the start of a new […]

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Jan 14, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the Cristero War, also known as the Cristiada, more than 45,000 young people from all over Mexico will participate on Jan. 31 in the National Youth March to the monument to Christ the King on Cubilete Hill in Guanajuato state.

The organizers announced at a Jan. 12 press conference that the activities will begin on the evening of Friday, Jan. 30, with Cubifest, a youth gathering that will take place in the small town of Aguas Buenas and will continue throughout the night. The event will feature performances by nationally known bands.

At dawn on Saturday, a Holy Hour will be held, followed by the official start of the ascent to the Christ the King monument atop the hill.

The day will culminate with the celebration of Holy Mass celebrated by the apostolic nuncio to Mexico, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, and concelebrated by the archbishop of León, Jaime Calderón Calderón, along with other bishops and priests.

The 2026 edition of the youth pilgrimage coincides with the centenary of the beginning of the Cristero War, one of the most significant episodes in the religious and social history of Mexico.

The conflict originated after the so-called “Calles Law” went into force on July 31, 1926, which tightened restrictions against the Church and led to the Mexican bishops deciding to suspend public worship.

These provisions resulted in a spontaneous armed uprising of Catholics in different regions of the country. The conflict formally ended on June 21, 1929, although the persecution and killings of those who had participated in the Cristero War continued for several more years.

Current persecution

During the press conference, leaders of the Witness and Hope group, responsible for organizing the annual march, stated that one of the purposes of this year’s event is to denounce what they described as a “subtle but growing censorship” against Catholic expression.

They cited attacks on churches, the increase in the number of priests murdered in recent years, and “attempts at reforms that seek to limit religious life” as signs of this censorship.

“We raise our voices against a reality that deeply wounds the soul of Mexico. We are living in times when there is an attempt to silence faith, to silence pastors, and to relegate Christ to the private sphere, as if faith were an obstacle in public life,” they stated.

The organizers noted that this is a form of persecution in which, although the authorities “don’t wear a uniform or carry a rifle, they inflict wounds with the same contempt as in the past.”

“Mexico is not experiencing true secularism,” they said. “It is experiencing a climate that seeks to uproot the presence of Christianity from the social, cultural, and political life of our country.”

They emphasized that the march does not seek to rekindle an armed conflict but rather to demand respect and freedom to proclaim Christ peacefully, “with the cross, the rosary, and prayer as instruments of peace.”

A form of ‘resistance’

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Rubén Loya, a member of Witness and Hope, said that rather than commemorating a war, the march seeks to remember “the beginning of the Cristero resistance.”

He explained that while war involves armed conflict, “resistance goes far beyond that,” as it includes the testimony of thousands of martyrs who lost their lives for their faith, as well as that of the families who remained in their homes “praying and reciting the rosary for the end of the war.”

He also remembered the priests who continued to celebrate Mass clandestinely during the persecution as an expression of fidelity and hope.

Loya said the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Cristero War aims to be a call for peace and unity, “not as a milestone [marking the beginning] of war but as a moment in which we as a Church come together again and find the transcendent meaning of what we do.”

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

Jan 14, 2026 / 06:20 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged Christians on 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 on 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. 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 story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Jan 14, 2026 / 06:20 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged Christians on 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 on 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. 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 story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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.”

WASHINGTON - “We are tremendously grateful for the Administration’s work to address certain challenges facing foreign-born religious workers, their employers, and the American communities they serve,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration. 

Today, the Trump Administration issued an Interim Final Rule that will soon be published in the Federal Register, which will impact foreign-born religious workers seeking to continue their ministries in the United States. Catholic priests, religious, and others who hold religious worker (R-1) visas are generally required to depart the United States upon reaching the maximum period of stay for that visa (five years) and then can possibly return to the country on a subsequent R-1 visa. Previously, they were required to spend at least one full year outside of the United States between R-1 visas. The rule announced today amends federal regulations to require no minimum time outside of the country before religious workers can return on a subsequent R-1 visa, provided they meet all other requirements. 

This modification gives relief to religious workers and the communities they serve while the religious workers await legal permanent residency (commonly referred to as a “green card”). The wait time for a green card for religious workers has grown to several decades long. For multiple years, the USCCB has been alerting policymakers to the hardship this situation creates for religious organizations and people of faith, especially in more isolated or rural parts of the country. Together with interfaith partners, the bishops have been advocating since 2023 for the specific regulatory change published today. 

Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Cahill’s full statement follows: 

“We are tremendously grateful for the Administration’s work to address certain challenges facing foreign-born religious workers, their employers, and the American communities they serve. The value of the Religious Worker Visa Program and our appreciation for the efforts undertaken to support it cannot be overstated. This targeted change is a truly significant step that will help facilitate essential religious services for Catholics and other people of faith throughout the United States by minimizing disruptions to cherished ministries. 

“In order to provide the full extent of the relief needed and truly promote the free exercise of religion in our country, we continue to urge Congress to enact the bipartisan Religious Workforce Protection Act.” 

### 
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If Christians are to speak about God, then they must dedicate time each day and week to listening to God's word in prayer and the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV said.

"We are called to live and cultivate friendship with the Lord" through prayer, he said Jan. 14 during his weekly general audience.

"This 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," he said. "It is then achieved in personal prayer, which takes place in the interiority of the heart and mind."

"Time dedicated to prayer, meditation and reflection cannot be lacking in the Christian's day and week," he said. "Only when we speak with God can we also speak about him." 

Speaking to visitors gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall for the general audience, the pope continued a new series of talks dedicated to the Second Vatican Council, which "rediscovered the face of God as the Father who, in Christ, calls us to be his children," Pope Leo said in his first talk introducing the series Jan. 7.

He dedicated his Jan. 14 catechesis to the Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, "Dei Verbum," calling it "one of the most beautiful and important" documents of the council.

The document, published in 1965, affirms "a fundamental point of Christian faith," that "Jesus Christ radically transforms man's relationship with God," who is no longer invisible or distant, but has been made flesh, he said.

Out of the abundance of his love, the Lord "speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that he may invite and take them into fellowship with himself," he said. "The only condition of the New Covenant is love." 

While the Covenant is eternal, and "nothing can separate us from his love," the revelation of God has "the dialogical nature of friendship," which "does not tolerate silence, but is nurtured by the exchange of true words," he said.

Just as human friendships can end with "a dramatic gesture of rupture or because of a series of daily acts of neglect that erode the relationship until it is lost," one's friendship with Jesus must be cultivated and cared for daily, Pope Leo said.

Therefore, the first step is to cultivate an "attitude of listening, so that the divine Word may penetrate our minds and our hearts," he said. "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."

"If Jesus calls us to be friends, let us not leave this call unheeded," he said.

"Let us take care of this relationship, and we will discover that friendship with God is our salvation," he said.

With upwards of a third of Catholics having experienced divorce—and around 9-15% currently going through divorce at any given time—chances are you will run into a divorced Catholic. In fact, you’re running into one now, as I myself am one of them. There is a lot of discourse on divorce within the Church today, but ... Read more

Evolution has not disproved the existence of God; it has proved that it could not take place without God.  G.K. Chesterton made the point with his accustomed wit and clarity:  “It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then ... Read more