VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV called for an end to all antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution worldwide.

"I renew my appeal to the community of nations always to remain vigilant so that the horror of genocide never again befall any people and that a society based on mutual respect and the common good be built," he said Jan. 28.

The pope made his remarks during his greeting to Italian-speaking visitors after leading his general audience talk in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

The pope recalled the previous day's commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked Jan. 27 each year, the anniversary of the day in 1945 when Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex. The camp was the largest of the Nazi work and death camps; an estimated 1.1 million of the more than 6 million victims of the Holocaust died there. 

"On this annual occasion of painful remembrance, I ask Almighty God for the gift of a world without any more antisemitism, prejudice, oppression or persecution of any human being," Pope Leo said. 

The pope also commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day with a post on X Jan. 27, recalling "that the Church remains faithful to the unwavering position of the Declaration #NostraAetate against every form of antisemitism. The Church rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality or religion."

Later the same day, the pope underlined the importance of praying for peace when speaking to reporters as he was leaving the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.

When asked about the situation in the Middle East, specifically the arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is equipped with guided-missile destroyers, Pope Leo said, "I will just say that we must pray very much for peace."

Though regular, everyday people may seem "small" or insignificant, he said, "we can raise our voices and always seek dialogue rather than violence to resolve problems, especially on this day when we commemorate the Shoah."

"Let us fight against all forms of antisemitism," he said.

WASHINGTON – “Your faith matters. Your prayers matter. Your acts of love and works of justice matter,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel,” he continued, and as a step toward healing, invited bishops and priests across the United States to offer a Holy Hour for Peace.

Archbishop Coakley’s full reflection and invitation follow:

Many people today feel powerless in the face of violence, injustice, and social unrest. To those who feel this way, I wish to say clearly: your faithfulness matters. Your prayers matter. Your acts of love and works of justice matter. 

I am deeply grateful for the countless ways Catholics and all people of good will continue to serve one another and work for peace and justice. Whether feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, accompanying the lonely, visiting the imprisoned, or striving daily to love their neighbors, no work of mercy or act of justice is ever wasted in the eyes of God. While proper laws must be respected, works of mercy, peacefully assembling, and caring for those in your community are signs of hope, and they build peace more surely than anger or despair ever could. Christ reminds us that even ‘a single cup of cold water’ given in his name will not go unrewarded (cf. Mt 10:42).

The recent killing of two people by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and that of a detained man in Texas, are just a few of the tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life. We mourn this loss of life and deplore the indifference and injustice it represents. The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel.

As a step toward healing, I invite my brother bishops and priests across the United States to offer a Holy Hour for Peace in the days ahead. Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss. I encourage Catholics everywhere to participate, whether in parishes, chapels, or before the Lord present in the quiet of their hearts for healing in our nation and communities. 

May this Holy Hour be a moment of renewal for our hearts and for our nation. Entrusting our fears and hopes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us ask the Lord to make us instruments of his peace and witnesses to the inherent dignity of every person.

Let us pray together, confident that God hears the cry of his people and remains close to all who seek him. 

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WASHINGTON – “Consecrated men and women are a witness to the hope of a life lived in Christ that is awaited to be fully received in Heaven,” said Archbishop-designate Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. The committee assists bishops in promoting, supporting, and educating about the Church’s pastoral needs and concerns for the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life, and addresses issues concerning the life and ministry of bishops. Instituted by Saint John Paul II in 1997, the Catholic Church observes the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on February 2 each year. Dioceses, parishes, and schools take the opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and pray for those in consecrated life and those discerning this state of life. 

“By responding to the vocational call such as consecrated virginity, religious life, and members of secular institutes and societies of Apostolic life, consecrated men and women reveal God’s invitation to love him with one’s whole life even now while on Earth as it will be in Heaven. Living out this love can start before one enters into consecrated life through active participation in the Mass, such as being an altar server or lector, or parish ministry, and teaching the faith to God’s people,” said Archbishop-designate Hicks.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, in preparation for this celebration, commissions a study each year on newly professed men and women religious through the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. The full CARA report and profiles of the Profession Class of 2025 may be found here.   

Resources on the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life are available on the USCCB’s website World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Humanity must not allow technology, especially AI, to obscure, exploit or suppress human voices, needs, knowledge, talents, creativity and critical thinking abilities, Pope Leo XIV said.

Algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media can lock people into "bubbles" of easy consensus and rage, weakening people's ability to listen and think critically, and increasing polarization, the pope wrote in his message for the World Day of Communications.

"Added to this is a naively uncritical reliance on artificial intelligence as an omniscient 'friend,' a dispenser of all information, an archive of all memory, an 'oracle' of all advice," which can also further erode the ability to understand what things really mean and to think analytically and creatively, he wrote.

The pope's message was released Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. The Vatican and most dioceses will celebrate the World Day of Communications May 17, the Sunday before Pentecost. 

The theme for the church's 60th celebration of World Day of Communications is "Preserving human voices and faces," which the Dicastery for Communication announced Sept. 29.

The theme underlines the pope's focus on the need to respect the human person and each person's God-given uniqueness and diversity.

The challenge, he wrote, "is not technological, but anthropological. Protecting faces and voices ultimately means protecting ourselves."

Humanity can embrace the opportunities offered by digital technology and artificial intelligence "with courage, determination and discernment," he wrote, without hiding or ignoring the critical issues, problems and risks they pose.

The main concern is not what "machines" or technology can or will be able to do, Pope Leo wrote, "but what we can and will be able to do, growing in humanity and knowledge, with the wise use of such powerful tools at our service."

The heart of the problem, he wrote, is the human temptation to passively accept the fruits of knowledge without being an integral part of the technological process, without doing the needed research and without being held accountable and responsible regarding their use. 

"Giving up the creative process and surrendering our mental capacities and imagination to machines means burying the talents we have received to grow as people in relation to God and others," he wrote. "It means hiding our face and silencing our voice."

Without proper safeguards, he wrote, "digital technology risks radically altering some of the fundamental pillars of human civilization" since current technology is able to simulate "human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, awareness and responsibility, empathy and friendship."

"There has long been ample evidence that algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media -- which is profitable for platforms -- reward knee-jerk emotions and penalize more time-consuming human expressions such as the effort to understand and reflect," the pope wrote.

"By closing groups of people into bubbles of easy consensus and easy indignation, these algorithms weaken the ability to listen and think critically and increase social polarization," he wrote, adding his warning about any naive and uncritical reliance on AI for information, remembering the past, "friendship" and advice.

"Although AI can provide support and assistance in managing communication tasks, shirking the effort to think for ourselves and settling for an artificial statistical compilation risks eroding our cognitive, emotional and communication skills in the long run," he wrote.

Pope Leo flagged the danger of letting AI systems take control of producing text, music and video, and allowing "masterpieces of human genius in the fields of music, art and literature" to become "mere training grounds for machines."

"Much of the human creative industry is thus at risk of being dismantled and replaced with the label 'Powered by AI,' transforming people into mere passive consumers of unthought thoughts, anonymous products, without authorship, without love," he wrote.

Pope Leo also highlighted the increased presence of "bots" and "virtual influencers" on people's social media feeds, and their ability to influence public debate and people's choices. 

Another danger, he added, was "anthropomorphizing" Large Language Models, which can imitate human emotions and appear "affectionate," potentially deceiving or influencing vulnerable people and exploiting the human need for relationships.

If people replace real human relationships with AI-trained systems, where "everything is made in our image and likeness," he wrote, people can build a "world of mirrors" and be robbed of the opportunity "to encounter others, who are always different from us, and with whom we can and must learn to engage."

AI and its propensity to "hallucinate" as well as its ability to fabricate "reality" make it increasingly difficult to distinguish fact and fiction, thus posing a great risk to journalism, he wrote.

"A failure to verify sources, together with the crisis in on-the-ground journalism, which involves the continuous gathering and verification of information wherever events occur, can create even more fertile ground for disinformation, causing a growing sense of mistrust, confusion and insecurity," the pope wrote.

And finally, he warned about the danger of having a "handful of companies" be in control of so much data and be able to "subtly influence behavior and even rewrite human history -- including the history of the Church -- often without us even realizing it."

What needs to be done, he wrote, is "not stop digital innovation, but to guide it, to be aware of its ambivalent nature" and to "raise our voices in defense of human beings, so that these tools can truly be integrated as our allies."

This alliance must be based on responsibility, cooperation and education, he wrote,

"Media and communication companies cannot allow algorithms designed to win the battle for a few extra seconds of attention at any cost to prevail over their professional values, which are aimed at seeking the truth," he wrote. "Public trust is earned through accuracy and transparency, not by chasing after any kind of engagement." 

"Content generated or manipulated by AI must be clearly labeled and distinguished from content created by humans," the pope wrote. Authorship, ownership and copyright must be protected.

"Information is a public good. A constructive and meaningful public service is not based on opacity, but on transparency of sources, inclusion of stakeholders and high standards of quality," he said in his message.

The pope called for increased media, information and AI literacy on all levels. "As Catholics, we can and must make our contribution so that people -- especially young people -- acquire critical thinking skills and grow in freedom of spirit."

More should be done, too, he added, in protecting people's face, image and voice from being used in "the creation of harmful content and behaviors such as digital fraud, cyberbullying and deepfakes that violate people's privacy and intimacy without their consent."

"We need faces and voices to represent people again," he wrote. "We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should be oriented."

WASHINGTON - On Ash Wednesday, February 18, Catholics in dioceses across the United States are invited to give to the annual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

This collection, which is in its 35th year, continues its mission of helping churches in nearly 30 countries recover from militantly atheist communist rule, including ministry and relief efforts related to the war against Ukraine.

Bishop Gerald L. Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, witnessed the collection’s work in Ukraine last March. “I visited a shelter for families whose homes were destroyed and an orphanage for children whose parents were killed. Veterans I met with expressed their gratitude for therapy they have been able to receive for their post-traumatic stress,” he said.

“An elderly man who had survived a Siberian gulag told me, ‘What gives me hope is that, in the end, evil does not win.’ He is right – but that requires all of us to follow Christ’s call to build the kingdom of God. Pope John Paul II knew that in 1990 when he urged Catholics in the United States to join the great rebuilding effort in lands newly liberated from communist oppression – lands from which many of our families had immigrated,” continued Bishop Vincke.

The Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe was the U.S. bishops’ response to that call. Many dioceses take up this annual collection on Ash Wednesday, though some dioceses have different dates. The online giving site iGiveCatholic also accepts funds for the program.

In 2024, gifts to the collection funded 547 grants totaling more than $9.5 million. Examples of how donations are used include:

• In Kokshetau, Kazakhstan, sisters of the Community of the Beatitudes expanded their mission of evangelization by establishing a day center for preschool children with Down syndrome and their families.
• In the Slovak Republic, a multi-faceted outreach to vulnerable pregnant women provides material assistance, counseling, training in prevention of abuse, and “Evenings of Mercy” a gathering featuring Mass, confessions, and healing prayers.
• One of the many projects in Ukraine trains lay leaders in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Exarchate of Lutsk to develop new skills in pastoral and social ministry so they can help bring hope and comfort to people who have lost everything.
• A thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery in Hungary is helping clergy and laity discover the teachings of Vatican II on topics ranging from liturgy to interfaith relations.
• In Bulgaria, a village church has been able to engage in digital media evangelization and now offers a post-abortion healing ministry. They were also able to send young pilgrims to the Jubilee in Rome and financed English-immersion studies for a priest in order to reach non-Bulgarians.

“For 35 years, your contributions to the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe have made a profound difference. You have rebuilt cathedrals, renewed hope, healed the suffering and brought joy where there had been despair,” Bishop Vincke said. “As these churches continue to heal from old wounds and suffer new ones, it is my hope that you give generously and become part of our ongoing and loving response.”

Additional information on grants and impact is at www.usccb.org/ccee.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Peace is built on respect for all people, Pope Leo XIV said after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square Jan. 25.

The pope called for prayers for peace "in Ukraine, in the Middle East and in every region where, unfortunately, there is fighting going on for interests that are not those of the people."

"Peace is built on respect for peoples!" he said.

Greeting young people from Catholic Action who organized the annual "Caravan of Peace," the pope thanked them for helping "us adults to look at the world from another perspective: that of cooperation between people and among diverse peoples."

"Be peacemakers at home, at school, in sports, everywhere," he told the young people. "Never be violent, neither with words nor with gestures. Never!  Evil can only be overcome with good."

Speaking specifically about Ukraine, Pope Leo lamented the "continuous attacks" against the nation, which have left "entire populations exposed to the cold of winter."

"I am following the situation with sorrow, and I am close to and pray for those who suffer," he said.

"The continuation of hostilities, with increasingly serious consequences for civilians, widens the rift between peoples and pushes further back the opportunity for a just and lasting peace," he said, inviting everyone "to intensify their efforts to end this war."

WASHINGTON – Echoing the message Pope Leo XIV delivered at the Sunday Angelus today, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminded the faithful: “Peace is built on respect for people.” 

“Today, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that ‘the Gospel must be proclaimed and lived in every setting, serving as a leaven of fraternity and peace among all individuals, cultures, religions and peoples.’ 

“It is with this in mind that I prayerfully urge calm, restraint, and respect for human life in Minneapolis, and all those places where peace is threatened. Public authorities especially have a responsibility to safeguard the well-being of people in service to the common good. 

“As a nation we must come together in dialogue, turning away from dehumanizing rhetoric and acts which threaten human life. In this spirit, in unity with Pope Leo, it is important to proclaim, ‘Peace is built on respect for people!’”

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Pope Leo XIV sits during the Jan. 21, 2026, general audience alongside a Swiss Guard at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media

Jan 24, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV warned of the risks that go hand in hand with information in the digital age and urged journalists never to succumb “to the temptation of the trivial” or to fake news that creates confusion about what’s true or false.

The pope made his comments in a message sent on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of “Porta a Porta” (“Door to Door”), a program on RAI 1 Italian public television, in which he addressed to the show’s host, Bruno Vespa, the editorial team, and the viewers.

Leo XIV recalled the three decades of the “Porta a Porta” program’s history as a period marked by “wars and peace agreements, crises and recoveries, joyful and sad events.”

At the same time, he emphasized that the medium itself has also changed: television and, with it, all communication. “Today we have new tools and new possibilities for informing ourselves, learning, and interacting,” the pope wrote, “but along with them, new risks have also emerged.”

Among these dangers, the Holy Father listed the exchange of fake news for real news, “compulsive channel surfing” instead of attentive listening, “doom scrolling” instead of intentional reading, superficial curiosity instead of a genuine desire to learn, and monologues instead of dialogues in which no one truly listens.

‘Quality television’

In the face of these trends, the pontiff advocated patience and a long-term perspective as necessary conditions for building lasting relationships. He also urged that technological innovations not lead to the loss of “the uniqueness of our humanity.”

“Communication challenges us all never to succumb to the temptation of the banal,” Pope Leo XIV emphasized. Finally, he encouraged television professionals to “always offer the world, which thirsts for beauty and truth, quality television.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Franciscan Father Augusto Ramírez Monasterio is shown after his initial interrogation and torture; he is hiding the wounds on his hands and wrists. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Ana Morales Ramirez

Jan 23, 2026 / 12:34 pm (CNA).

On Jan. 22, Pope Leo XIV approved the decree recognizing the martyrdom of Servant of God Augusto Ramírez Monasterio, a Franciscan priest murdered in Guatemala in 1983, and the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Maria Ignazia Isacchi, foundress of the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola in Italy.

Murdered in the street during the Guatemalan Civil War

Monasterio was last seen trying to escape his killers on one of the busiest streets in downtown Guatemala City. With his hands tied, he was crying out for help while dodging traffic going in the opposite direction. His desperate efforts were in vain: He was struck by eight bullets.

The future blessed thus joined the long list of priests murdered — apparently at the hands of Guatemalan security forces — during the 1960–1996 civil war that pitted the official security forces against the Catholic clergy, Marxist guerrillas, political dissidents, and the poor.

His murder was the culmination of months of persecution, death threats, and torture for refusing to break the seal of confession after hearing the confession of Fidel Coroy, a catechist and member of the Kaqchikel Maya people known for his involvement in peasant organizations such as the Committee of Peasant Unity and the Guerrilla Army of the Poor.

Accounts following Ramírez’s murder revealed that he had been tortured by his military captors, who stripped him naked and hung him by his wrists, subjecting him to beatings and burns and breaking several of his ribs.

At the time of his death, Ramírez was the superior of the Franciscans and a priest at St. Francis the Great Parish in the city of Antigua, known for its colonial churches. He was remembered as an exemplary priest and for his service to and protection of the poor of Guatemala.

Devotion of Maria Ignazia to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Following Thursday morning’s audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the pope also approved the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Ignazia Isacchi, founder of the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola, Italy.

As highlighted by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Isacchi distinguished herself by a profound life of prayer and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, demonstrating heroic virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and dedicating her life to educational services and to those in need. Her reputation for holiness remains alive within the congregation she founded.

Miracle attributed to her intercession

In 1950, at age 23, Sister Maria Assunta became seriously ill with tuberculosis and did not respond to medical treatment. After a novena of prayer invoking Isacchi and a medal with her image was placed on Sister Maria Assunta, she experienced a sudden and complete recovery from Sept. 27–29, 1950. The healing was medically confirmed and considered miraculous, becoming one of the steps toward Isacchi’s beatification. Maria Assunta lived to be 92 years old, passing away in 2018.

New venerables

The Holy Father has also recognized the heroic virtues of Servant of God Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, co-founder of the Congregation of the Pious Sisters Workers of the Immaculate Conception in Italy.

The pope recognized the heroic virtues of Italians Servant of God Crocifissa Militerni, a religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, and Servant of God Nerino Cobianchi, a lay member of the faithful and father of a family.

Pope Leo XIV also recognized on Jan. 22 the heroic virtues of Maria Immaculata of the Blessed Trinity, a Brazilian Discalced Carmelite and a key figure in the founding of the Carmel of the Holy Family in Pouso Alegre, Brazil, in 1943.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Father Philip Goyret, an ecclesiology professor at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Philip Goyret

Jan 23, 2026 / 12:04 pm (CNA).

Ecumenical dialogue is especially important in a time when Christian belief and practice are on the decline, said one Catholic expert during the Jan. 18–25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

“What is happening today is that the secularization [of society] is incredibly strong … and the temptation among Christian traditions is to step back,” Father Philip Goyret, an ecclesiology professor at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, told EWTN News.

“But if [Christians] step back, we lose our identity, and we cannot be united,” he said. “That is a serious concern.”

Goyret said it is evident that the theological principles of “unity” and “communion” have become important policies of Leo’s pontificate, as summarized in his papal motto, “In Illo uno unum” (“In the one Christ we are one”).

“Leo, from the very beginning, has said that he wants to be the pope of unity, and that is extremely linked with ecumenism,” he added.

When Leo first stepped out onto the Loggia of Blessings of St. Peter’s Basilica in May last year, he said humanity needs God and stressed the need for a “united Church” in Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward,” the pope said in his May 8 address. “We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light.”

Two months after his election, Pope Leo shed further light on his desire to forge the belief, identity, and mission of the Church.

“I believe very strongly in Jesus Christ and believe that that’s my priority, because I’m the bishop of Rome and successor of Peter, and the pope needs to help people understand, especially Christians, Catholics, that this is who we are,” the pope told the Catholic website Crux in July 2025.

Noting the Holy Father’s particular emphasis on Christian identity and witness as key to advancing ecumenical relations among churches, Goyret said Leo’s predecessors have also shown commitment to promoting unity among the faithful through different approaches.

Pope Francis placed great attention to engaging in dialogue with Eastern and Orthodox Churches, while Pope Benedict XVI is recognized for his 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which structurally supported Anglicans seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

“Pope Francis presented himself as ‘bishop of Rome,’ and that’s very significant because that title is the way that Eastern non-Catholic Christians understand the Petrine ministry,” he said, recalling the late pope’s first urbi et orbi address in 2013. “It was an invitation for dialogue.”

By focusing on the Vatican II documents Unitatis Redintegratio (Restoration of Unity) and Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations), Goyret said Pope Benedict’s approach to ecumenical dialogue encouraged academic study and the faithful living of Christian traditions.

“If you dig and dig into these different traditions, you will eventually discover the Church as Jesus Christ wished it,” he said.

Speaking on the theme of the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “One Body, One Spirit,” Goyret said there is a great need for Christians to be united in prayer and hope to strengthen faith in God in a secularized world.

“Pope Leo said that we have to pray in this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” he said. “The Church needs our prayers especially because the unity of the Church is a gift of God.”

“We don’t build it ourselves through negotiation. It’s not diplomatic and it’s not political,” he added. “If we want to restore unity to the Church, we have to ask God for it.”