U.S.
Charges for pro-life activists over disruption at abortion clinic dismissed in plea deal
MEDIA, Pa. — Six pro-life activists, most of them Catholics, arrested last year for disrupting the activities of an abortion clinic in Pennsylvania as part of a Red Rose Rescue, have had their charges dismissed in a plea deal. In order to get the dismissal on Jan. 12 in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in Media, all pleaded “nolo contendere,” or no contest. All had been charged with defiant trespass and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, that could have brought jail terms and fines. The group all had their charges dismissed with no fines, probation or requirement for community service. On Jan. 22, the day before the national March for Life in Washington, the group planned to co-sponsor a sidewalk protest against abortion pills at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (OSV News)
U.S. bishops praise DHS policy change on wait times for religious worker visas
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Jan. 14 it issued an interim final rule reducing wait times for religious worker visas. Catholic advocates were among those who pushed the Trump administration to address the backlog in their visa category. DHS said its regulation change would eliminate the one-year minimum wait time applicants are required to remain outside the U.S. before reapplying for the non-immigrant religious worker R-1 visa. A spokesperson for DHS said in a statement the department “is committed to protecting and preserving freedom and expression of religion” and was taking the necessary steps to ensure religious organizations can continue their mission that is “essential to the social and moral fabric of this country.” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, chairman of the USCCB’s migration committee, said it’s a “significant step” that will “help facilitate essential religious services for Catholics and other people of faith” in the U.S., but they encouraged Congress to provide permanent relief by enacting the bipartisan Religious Workforce Protection Act. (OSV News)
Rubio says U.S. closely working with Catholic Church to get Cuba humanitarian aid
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Jan. 14 that the first in a series of direct humanitarian shipments to Cuba “in close partnership with the Catholic Church” would take place the same day — as well as another Jan. 16 — as the island recovers from Hurricane Melissa. In a statement, Rubio called the shipments “part of the $3 million of disaster assistance committed by the Trump Administration” in the wake of the storm, which left extensive damage in eastern Cuba, as well as Jamaica and Haiti. “These shipments reflect our sustained commitment to the Cuban people as they continue to recover from the devastation,” Rubio said. “While the storm has passed, humanitarian needs remain acute, and recovery efforts are ongoing.” The State Department said the food kits include supplies like rice, beans, oil and sugar. The assistance will also include water purification tablets and storage containers, as well as household essentials like pots and pans, sheets, blankets and solar lanterns. “We are working in close partnership with the Catholic Church in Cuba to deliver aid transparently and effectively,” Rubio said. (OSV News)
WORLD
Pope ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly high-speed train collision in Spain
ADAMUZ, Spain — Pope Leo XIV has offered condolences and prayers following a deadly high-speed train collision in southern Spain that has left dozens dead and many more injured. In a Jan. 19 telegram sent through Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, the pope said he was “deeply saddened” by the accident in Adamuz, in the Andalusia region, and prayed for the eternal rest of the victims. He expressed spiritual closeness to grieving families, wished the injured a speedy recovery and invoked Our Lady of the Pillar while encouraging rescue teams to persevere. Spanish officials said 39 people were killed when a train traveling from Málaga to Madrid derailed and collided with another train heading toward Huelva. Forty-eight people remain hospitalized, including 12 in critical condition. Authorities say the cause is still unknown and the number of fatalities may rise. Church leaders across Spain echoed prayers and condolences, while the local parish in Adamuz opened its doors to shelter survivors, showing what one bishop called an outpouring of charity amid profound sorrow. (OSV News)
‘Truly historic’: Kuwait’s first church elevated to minor basilica
AL-AHMADI, Kuwait — Catholics in Kuwait marked a historic milestone Jan. 16 as Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, celebrated Mass at Our Lady of Arabia Church, officially elevating it to a minor basilica. Speaking to a packed congregation of local Catholics, diplomats, politicians and oil industry leaders, Cardinal Parolin called the moment significant not only for Kuwait, but for the entire Arabian Peninsula. The church traces its roots to 1948, when foreign Catholic workers in Kuwait’s growing oil sector opened a small chapel in Al-Ahmadi. As the Catholic population grew, so did the church’s importance. The basilica designation recognizes its liturgical and pastoral significance, as well as its historical and spiritual value. In his homily, Cardinal Parolin reflected on Mary’s presence in the desert and urged Christians to recognize and witness to Jesus Christ as true God and true man. He concluded by entrusting Kuwait and its Christians to Our Lady of Arabia’s protection. “Built upon the sands of the desert,” the cardinal said in Kuwait, “this basilica reminds us that Mary herself once found refuge in those same desert lands, where she cared for, raised and safeguarded the one Mediator between God and the human family, Jesus Christ.” (OSV News)
Algeria, Angola, Spain among 2026 papal trips, with invitation to Mexico on the table
ROME — A series of statements from bishops in Africa and Latin America suggest Pope Leo XIV is preparing for an ambitious travel schedule, with several international trips taking shape over the next year. Bishops in Algeria and Angola have confirmed plans for papal visits, although the Holy See has not yet issued formal announcements. Speaking earlier aboard a papal flight, Pope Leo said he hopes to visit Africa, specifically mentioning Algeria as a place to honor St. Augustine and to promote Christian-Muslim dialogue. Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers told the media the trip is “on track,” likely in early 2026. In Angola, the apostolic nuncio announced the pope has accepted an invitation to visit, coinciding with the 450th anniversary of the capital city, Luanda. Meanwhile, Mexico has reemerged as a possible destination. Church leaders say the pope expressed interest in visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, though no date has been confirmed. A trip to Spain in June was recently confirmed by Spanish Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid, with stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. (OSV News)
Surrogacy reduces children to products for sale, Vatican foreign minister says
ROME — The Vatican’s top diplomat is renewing calls for a global ban on surrogacy, warning that the practice violates human dignity by turning children and women into commodities. Speaking Jan. 13 at an event hosted by the Italian Embassy to the Holy See, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher said surrogacy “translates into the sale of a child” and exploits women by reducing pregnancy to a negotiable service. Archbishop Gallagher said the Church’s opposition centers on what he called the commodification of the human person, noting that some surrogacy contracts even specify conditions if a child is not healthy. He cited international law defining the sale of children, arguing surrogacy fits that description. The archbishop recalled recent condemnations by Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis, stressing continuity in Church teaching. In his speech, Archbishop Gallagher recalled Pope Leo’s Jan. 9 address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, in which the pope said: “By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a ‘product,’ and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family.” (OSV News)
