U.S.
Catholic K-12 excellence shows kids ‘the vision of life in Jesus Christ,’ says USCCB leader
WASHINGTON — Ahead of national Catholic Schools Week 2025, Jan. 26-Feb. 1, Mary Pat Donoghue, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Catholic Education, shared her insights with OSV News on the state of Catholic schools in the U.S. She said they have emerged strongly during the post-pandemic period. Special education experts are working to expand resources for students with disabilities, while diocesan bishops are opening dialogue with Catholic homeschoolers, who represent a “new frontier” in Catholic education. Donoghue shared how Catholic schools can help promote students’ mental health in an environment that addresses the human person’s needs. She also pointed to the potential of the Educational Choice for Children Act, a proposed federal school voucher program that could be enacted this year, to expand families’ access to K-12 Catholic education. Above all, she said, Catholic schools really show their excellence and distinction by embracing “the mission to transmit the vision of life in Jesus Christ to kids.” (OSV News)
Trump bars taxpayer funding for abortion in the U.S. or overseas
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Jan. 24 used executive authority to block taxpayer funds from paying for elective abortion procedures both in the U.S. and abroad. Trump signed a presidential memorandum to reinstate a global health assistance policy, commonly referred to as the Mexico City Policy, which bars taxpayer funds from going to nongovernmental organizations abroad that perform or promote abortions. He also signed a second executive order to further enforce a ban on federal funding for abortion in the U.S. known as the Hyde Amendment. In a Jan. 26 statement, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities, praised the actions saying that most Americans opposed “being forced to support abortion” through their tax dollars. “I am grateful for the strengthening of policies that protect us from being compelled to participate in a culture of death, and that help us to restore a culture of life at home and abroad,” he said in the statement. Trump also pardoned 23 pro-life activists convicted of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act on Jan. 23. The Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based public interest firm, had submitted requests for pardons for 21 activists, including prominent Catholic figures Lauren Handy and Father Fidelis Moscinski. Two additional individuals, Herb Geraghty and Jay Smith, were also pardoned. (OSV News)
Human dignity ‘not dependent’ on legal status, say Catholic leaders
WASHINGTON — Several Catholic leaders are speaking out against the Trump administration’s reversal of a longstanding policy limiting where immigration officials could make arrests. Allowing for immigration arrests at houses of worship and other previously protected locations threatens human dignity, religious liberty and society itself, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration; Sister Mary Haddad, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States; and Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, in a joint Jan. 23 statement. “All people have a right to fulfill their duty to God without fear,” they said. Through Catholic “parishes, shelters, hospitals, schools, and other Church institutions, we uphold the belief that all people are conceived with inherent dignity, reflecting the image of God,” they said. In addition, “we recognize that this dignity is not dependent on a person’s citizenship or immigration status,” they said. (OSV News)
WORLD
Bishops across Europe remember Holocaust victims, urge world to fight rising antisemitism
OSWIECIM, Poland — Church leaders across Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau German death camp Jan. 27 by calling for remembrance of Nazi-inflicted suffering and for a united fight against rising antisemitism and extremism. Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, emphasized the need to uphold human dignity and international law, warning against the growing influence of political movements that challenge democratic principles. Pope Francis echoed this sentiment, urging the eradication of antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. At the commemoration, which included global leaders from over 50 countries, Polish President Andrzej Duda highlighted Poland’s role in guarding the memory of the Holocaust. However, Jewish theologian Stanislaw Krajewski warned that rising anti-Jewish sentiments in Europe, especially post-October 2023 attacks on Israel, were concerning, despite these remembrance efforts. (OSV News)
Pope names Indian cardinal to lead Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has named Indian Cardinal George J. Koovakad to be the new prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The 51-year-old, who received his red hat from the pope in December, also will continue to be responsible for organizing papal trips abroad, Vatican News reported Jan. 24, the day his appointment was announced. The dicastery is responsible for dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and members of other world religions. Cardinal Koovakad succeeds Spanish Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot who died in November after dedicating his priestly life and ministry to building bridges between Catholics and Muslims. (CNS)
