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U.S.
Advocate sees progress, hope in the fight against human trafficking
CHICAGO — Ahead of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11, Katie Boller Gosewisch, executive director of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking, reflected on the progress made in combating modern slavery. She noted that two decades ago, the understanding of human trafficking, its language and available resources were limited, but today there is greater awareness, research and numerous nonprofit efforts. Founded in 2013, the alliance, originally U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, includes over 200 religious congregations and various coalitions dedicated to eradicating trafficking through education, advocacy, survivor support and faith-based resources. Modern slavery affects an estimated 27.6 million people in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriages. The Chicago-based alliance’s toolkit features a number of Catholic resources. Gosewisch highlights the importance of Pope Francis’ 2025 Jubilee Year theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” in energizing efforts against trafficking. While acknowledging the challenge ahead, Gosewisch emphasized the need to address the root causes of trafficking and to recognize and honor the humanity of all people. (OSV News)
Pope appoints three U.S. experts as dicastery members
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has named three U.S. experts — two women and an abbot — to be members of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a position once reserved for cardinals and bishops. The three whose appointments were announced by the Vatican Jan. 11 were: Mary Healy, a biblical scholar and professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit; Donna Orsuto, a theologian and co-founder and former director of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas in Rome; and Benedictine Abbot Jeremy Driscoll of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. All three had been serving as consultors of the dicastery and become the first non-bishops to join the more than 40 cardinal- and bishop-members. Their appointments come less than a week after the pope appointed the first female prefect of a dicastery, a possibility opened by “Praedicate Evangelium,” the pope’s 2022 constitution reforming the Roman Curia. (CNS)
WORLD
Kidnapped Nigerian nuns released unconditionally, congregation says
UFUMA, Nigeria — Two Nigerian women religious who were kidnapped Jan. 7 as they returned home from a meeting in Ogboji, a town in Anambra state in Nigeria, were freed Jan. 13 with no conditions, their congregation said. Sister Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Sister Grace Mariette Okoli, who were returning from a vocational associations’ meeting and were taken along Ufuma Road, are members of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ of Onitsha, in southern Nigeria. “We are happy to announce that our dear Sisters … have been released without any conditions and are in good health,” the congregation wrote in a statement, expressing gratitude “to God and all of you for your prayers and support during these difficult and uncertain days.” Sister Vincentia Maria is principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School in Ufuma, and Sister Grace Mariette is principal of Immaculate Girls Model Secondary School in Nnewi. (OSV News)
Russia killing clergy, banning religions in occupied territory, says Ukraine’s foreign minister
KYIV, Ukraine — As Russia cracks down on religious freedom in occupied areas of Ukraine, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs is calling on the international community to condemn “flagrant human rights violations” while tightening sanctions and expediting justice for breaches of international law by Russia. In a Jan. 10 statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said that since the start of their February 2022 full-scale invasion, Russian forces have killed close to 70 clergy and destroyed more than 630 places of worship in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been banned by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine, and two UGCC priests, Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levitsky and Bohdan Geleta, endured 18 months of Russian captivity and torture prior to a June 2024 prisoner exchange. Researcher Felix Corley of Forum 18 recently said that religious freedom in Russia itself is declining. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Russia has weaponized the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has staunchly supported Russia’s invasion. “Despite the war conditions, Ukraine remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting and upholding religious freedom, adhering to the principles of international law that govern freedom of religion or belief,” said Ukraine’s foreign ministry. (OSV News)
Black Nazarene draws massive crowds to Philippine procession
MANILA, Philippines — Manila was packed Jan. 9 with an ocean of 2 million Catholics participating in the annual procession of the Black Nazarene. This year, the event was an official part of the Philippine liturgical calendar. The procession, which features the iconic statue of a suffering Jesus Christ kneeling under the weight of the cross, draws fervent devotion from Filipinos who believe the statue holds miraculous powers. The procession kicked off with a midnight Mass at Luneta Park, where Cardinal Jose Advincula reminded the crowd that true hope comes not from money or worldly pleasures, but from Jesus: “As long as there is hope, there is life,” he declared. From there, the procession snaked through the streets toward Quiapo, growing exponentially in numbers as the day went on. For centuries, the Black Nazarene has been a powerful symbol of faith and hope. Many devotees claim to have experienced miraculous healings after praying to the statue. Michael Chua, a history professor, called the devotion a profound, communal expression of faith — a spiritual journey where the struggle itself brings believers closer together and closer to God. (OSV News)
