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U.S.
SEEK25 conferences energize young Catholics to share hope in Jesus
SALT LAKE CITY — Over 17,000 Catholics gathered in Salt Lake City for the SEEK25 conference, hosted by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, from Jan. 1-5. Another 3,000 attended SEEK in Washington from Jan. 2-5. This year also marked SEEK’s first foray into Europe as several hundred joined the FOCUS-run event in Cologne, Germany, from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2. Key moments at SEEK included daily Mass, eucharistic adoration, evangelizing session tracks and powerful talks by figures like Father Mike Schmitz. The priest behind “The Bible in a Year” podcast reminded attendees that true happiness is found in Christ, not in seeking fulfillment apart from God. SEEK25 also helped participants explore deep themes like healing relationships, addressing issues like gender identity and fostering missionary discipleship. For many participants, SEEK was transformative, sparking conversions among some and energizing faith among others. Next year, SEEK will be held Jan. 1-5, 2026, in three U.S. cities: Columbus, Ohio; Denver and Fort Worth, Texas. (OSV News)
Catholic high schools mourn alums among New Orleans victims
NEW ORLEANS — Several Catholic high schools are mourning former students among the victims of a Jan. 1 terrorist attack in New Orleans. Fourteen people were killed and dozens wounded after a rented pickup truck driven by suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran born and raised in Texas, was also killed in a subsequent gunfire exchange with police. Two of those killed in the New Orleans attack, Martin “Tiger” Bech Jr. and Hubert Gauthreaux, had attended Catholic high schools in Louisiana, while Ryan Quigley — one of the injured, who was a former college teammate of Bech and his current coworker in New York — was a graduate of a suburban Philadelphia Catholic high school. (OSV News)
Cdl. McElroy chosen to succeed Cdl. Gregory as Washington’s shepherd
WASHINGTON — Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego has been appointed the next archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, following Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation of Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the first African American cardinal, the Vatican announced Jan. 6. Canon law required Cardinal Gregory, 77, to submit his resignation to the pope when the cardinal turned 75, which was Dec. 7, 2022. The 70-year-old Cardinal McElroy — a San Francisco native who pursued degrees at Harvard and Stanford before his 1980 priestly ordination — was appointed as bishop of the San Diego Diocese in 2015. Pope Francis named him a cardinal in 2022. Cardinal McElroy will be installed as Washington’s eighth archbishop on March 11. (OSV News)
WORLD
Religious freedom ‘getting worse’ in Russia, Belarus and central Asia, says expert
LONDON — Researcher Felix Corley of Forum 18 — a news service that partners with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in defending freedom of religion, thought and conscience — reflected in an interview with OSV News on religious freedom in Russia, Belarus, occupied Ukraine and other nations in the region. Overall, said Corley, “the message seems to be that the situation is getting worse in many or most of the countries” his organization monitors. From Russia to central Asian nations such as Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, from Azerbaijan to Belarus and Russia’s temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine, authoritarian regimes are using strict laws to “trip up,” pressure and even eradicate religious communities, Corley said. Staying informed and alerting elected officials to take action against such restrictions is crucial, he said. (OSV News)
Christian village in Bangladesh burned to the ground on Christmas
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Just after midnight on Christmas Day, an Indigenous Christian village in Bangladesh was burned to the ground, displacing 19 families. The attack occurred in the Bandarban district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering Myanmar, while residents attended midnight Mass in a nearby village. Seventeen Christian homes were destroyed in the arson, leaving the victims homeless. Father Rocky Costa, parish priest of the local St. Peter’s Catholic Church, confirmed that only one Catholic family lived in the village, with the rest being Protestant. Archbishop Lawrence Subrata Howlader of Chattogram called for justice for the affected Christian community. The village, home to the Tripura Indigenous Christian community for generations, has faced historical oppression, including forced eviction a few years ago. Local police have arrested seven suspects, and authorities are investigating the attack’s motive. Human rights activists have warned that such attacks are part of a broader pattern of ethnic cleansing, fueled by state policies. (OSV News)
Pope urges war-torn world to walk through door of peace
VATICAN CITY — As millions of pilgrims prepare to cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis called on individuals, nations and the global community to take a transformative step toward peace and reconciliation by walking through the “door of salvation” that is Jesus Christ. “Jesus is the door of peace,” he said from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 25. “This Christmas, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, I invite every individual, and all peoples and nations, to find the courage needed to walk through that door, to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions!” Prior to offering his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world), the pope prayed for various countries grappling with conflict and crisis. (CNS)
