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More than 50 people meeting at St. John Neumann Church received briefings from experts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., known as CLINIC, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

An official of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said Pope Francis' decision to suppress Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was based on the fact that there was no authentic charism, or spiritual gifts, in the controversial lay movement founded by Luis Fernando Figari in 1971.
 

By the afternoon of Feb. 2, there were 67 crosses standing under a leaden gray sky — one for each victim from the Washington aviation disaster, 64 on the jet and three crew on the helicopter. Names will also be added to the crosses, crafted with concerned diligence by Dallas-based Roberto Marquez, a self-trained, immigrant artist originally from Mexico.

The long-awaited and elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has silenced bombs and halted air raids on the Gaza Strip, for the time being, but the humanitarian situation there is dire.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou wants to split an "end of life" bill to separate the issue of "active assistance in dying" from that of palliative care — a proposal seen as a smart attempt to give a pro-life approach to the legislation without antagonizing rival political sides.

The Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone in Italy made history Jan. 20 by publishing the country's first diocesan abuse report, titled "The Courage to Look." Experts called it a hopeful sign in a country where the Catholic Church has yet to tackle the abuse crisis and seek answers on the scale and scope of clergy abuse.

New York's fashion models — as some of the most visible faces of a $2.5 trillion global business — have long worked without the benefit of basic labor protections. The Fashion Workers Act, signed into law Dec. 21 by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, takes effect in June. It will afford models a host of employment safeguards in an industry where many say they have previously felt mute and isolated.

Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington, knows the gritty realities of the people he shepherds. The bishop's own diocese is located in central Washington, one of the world's leading sources of apples and other produce, largely harvested through migrant labor. On Jan. 27, Tyson offered a plenary policy session titled "Pope Francis' Vision for Ecology, Dialogue, and the Common Good" to hundreds of attendees at the 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. 

President Donald Trump Jan. 28 signed an executive order stating his administration would seek to prohibit certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.

Church leaders across Europe marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp with calls to remember German Nazi-inflicted sufferings and to counter a new rise in antisemitism and extremism.

At the opening general session of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, had a message to share from Pope Francis, saying that "It is important that our pro-life focus encompass the whole spectrum of life." 
 

On the eve of the national March for Life rally in Washington, President Donald Trump announced Jan. 23 he was issuing pardons for 23 protesters arrested for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act.

Displaying a despondent countenance before a throng of national media, University of Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman and two of his stalwart seniors — quarterback Riley Leonard and linebacker Jack Kiser — fielded numerous questions following a 34-23 loss to Ohio State University in the College Football Playoff national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and named as his successor Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas.

The controversial lay movement Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was forced to confirm news that it was suppressed by Pope Francis after two of its members leaked the news to a Catholic news outlet.
 

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims announced on Jan. 17 that a request to prosecutors had been sent on Jan. 14, following the revelation of new sexual assaults committed between the 1970s and early 2000s by Pierre.

As joy intertwined with trepidation both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories, Francis said that both Israelis and Palestinians need "clear signs of hope," as he trusted that their political leaders with the help of the international community would yet be able to reach "the right solution" for the two states.
 

Amid what a Catholic charity called "unimaginable" suffering of civilians trapped in civil war brutality in Sudan, the United States declared that one of the fighting factions is committing genocide in the country and slapped sanctions on its leader.

President Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation on Jan. 15 to warn against the concentration of power not only in government but also in other elements of society, such as in corporations and the technology industry.

In a statement released Jan. 16 by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said they hoped the ceasefire "will mark an important end to the violence that has caused immeasurable suffering."