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U.S.
US bishops’ Lenten message to those grieving an abortion: Jesus’ love is unconditional
WASHINGTON — Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, used the U.S. bishops’ 2025 Lenten message to reach out to those affected by abortion. In his Feb. 19 message, Bishop Thomas assured individuals carrying the sadness and guilt of abortion that Jesus’ love is unconditional. He highlighted the meaning of Ash Wednesday, noting that the ashes remind people of their need for repentance and God’s love. Ash Wednesday this year is March 5 and marks the start of Lent in the Latin Church. Bishop Thomas invited those suffering from abortion to return to Jesus and the Church, emphasizing the healing available through the sacrament of reconciliation. Bishop Thomas pointed to the Church’s Project Rachel Ministry, offering compassionate help and resources. “This Lent, the Lord’s mercy awaits you,” he said. “Allow Him to heal you and lift your sadness into joy.” (OSV News)
Judge blocks policy permitting ICE arrests at some places of worship
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland halted a Trump administration policy rescinding longstanding restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals for a group of faith communities who sued in response. The judge’s action means that about 1,700 places of worship associated with the plaintiffs’ organizations in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will be temporarily spared from immigration enforcement operations in their places of worship. The policy change, issued by the Department of Homeland Security, was among the Trump administration’s immigration actions criticized by the U.S. bishops’ conference, although that organization did not join multiple lawsuits brought by faith communities. (OSV News)
Trump orders expanded access to IVF, a practice contrary to Church teaching
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a Feb. 18 executive order that aims to expand access to in vitro fertilization, or IVF, a practice contrary to Catholic teaching. The order seeks to make the procedure more widely available arguing it would counter declining fertility rates, although pro-family demographers have disputed the claim. IVF treatments are opposed by the Catholic Church because they frequently involve the destruction of human embryos, in addition to other ethical and moral issues. A month earlier, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, the former chair of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, warned that IVF poses both an “obvious” and “subtle” threat to human dignity. Citing extensive Church teaching, he warned IVF threatened the eugenic destruction of millions of embryonic children, the unraveling of the integral bond between childbearing and marital love, the erosion of a child’s right to natural parents, and dangers to health, safety and religious liberty. (OSV News)
Air Force veteran named auxiliary bishop for U.S. military archdiocese
WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has appointed Father Gregg M. Caggianelli, a nearly 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, as auxiliary bishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. Bishop-designate Caggianelli, a priest of the Diocese of Venice, Florida, is currently at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he serves as the mobilization assistant to the U.S. Air Force Academy chaplain. He holds the military rank of colonel. The bishop-designate is also a vice rector of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. The appointment was publicized in Washington Feb. 21 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop-designate Caggianelli’s episcopal ordination will take place sometime in the next few weeks. His appointment brings to five the total number of auxiliary bishops serving under Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. (OSV News)
WORLD
A silent genocide is unfolding in Congo, Church sources warn
MAIBA, Congo — A brutal massacre in the North Kivu province of eastern Congo, which left 70 people beheaded by Islamists in a Protestant church on Feb. 15, has drawn international condemnation. The victims, mostly women, children and the elderly, were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia linked to the Islamic State group. The attack, described as an egregious violation of human rights, highlights a broader, long-running crisis in the region, with some Catholic sources calling it a “silent genocide” reminiscent of the 1994 Rwandan massacre. For decades, eastern Congo has been plagued by conflict, fueled by competition for valuable minerals like cobalt and coltan. This violence has resulted in the death of over 6 million people since the mid-1990s. The ADF and other rebel groups continue to terrorize communities, forcing many to flee their homes. (OSV News)
Deacons are called to selflessness, men ordained at Jubilee Mass are told
VATICAN CITY — “Being ordained is not an ascent but a descent, whereby we make ourselves small, lower ourselves and divest ourselves,” Pope Francis said in a message to 23 men from eight countries, including three from the United States, who were ordained permanent deacons in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Feb. 23 ordination Mass at the Vatican was the culmination of a three-day Holy Year celebration that drew thousands of deacons, plus their wives and others, from more than 100 countries to Rome for communal prayer, discussion and celebration of the diaconate. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated the Mass with 2,500 deacons and delivered the homily prepared by Pope Francis. The pope was originally scheduled to preside over the Mass but remained hospitalized. In his prepared homily, the pope reflected on three essential dimensions of the diaconate: forgiveness, service and communion. “Forgiveness means preparing a welcoming and safe future for us and our communities,” the pope wrote. (CNS)
