Pope Leo XIV has “decreed that Saint John Henry Newman, Priest and Doctor of the Church, be inscribed in the General Roman Calendar, and that his Optional Memorial be celebrated by all on 9 October,” according to a curial decree made public on February 3.

“We encourage the faithful to consider the lessons of history, honoring our heroes of the past and learning from the mistakes of the past,” said Bishop Daniel Garcia of Austin and Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell of Washington, DC. “Although we may at times encounter people or situations in our country that seek to erase ‘memory’ from our minds and books, it can never be erased from our hearts.”

“Let us be courageous witnesses to truth,” the bishops added. “Let us pray and work to honor the inherent dignity of every person and the sacred stories of every people.”

WASHINGTON - “I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He called upon policymakers to pursue diplomatic negotiations, in anticipation of the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on February 5. New START is the last major nuclear arms control pact signed by the United States and Russia.

Archbishop Coakley’s statement follows:  

“The dangers posed by current conflicts around the world, including the devastating war in Ukraine, make the forthcoming expiration of New START simply unacceptable. I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace. In his address to the diplomatic corps this year, Pope Leo XIV specified the importance of renewing the pact, saying that there is a ‘need to follow-up on the New START Treaty,’ and warning that ‘there is a danger of returning to the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons, also by means of artificial intelligence.’ More broadly, in his message for the World Day of Peace, the Holy Father cited St. John XXIII’s call for ‘integral disarmament’ that includes adopting a mindset which realizes that ‘true and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust.’

“I call upon policymakers to courageously pursue diplomatic negotiations to maintain New START’s limits, opening pathways toward disarmament. International policy disagreements, as serious as they are, cannot be used as excuses for diplomatic stalemates; on the contrary, they should spur us on to more vehemently pursue effective engagement and dialogue. May the Prince of Peace enlighten our hearts and minds to pursue peace around the world in a spirit of universal fraternity.” 

Archbishop Coakley’s comments echo previous statements by the USCCB calling for progress in nuclear disarmament. For more information on USCCB’s policy positions on nuclear weapons visit: https://www.usccb.org/committees/international-justice-and-peace/nuclear-weapons. 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world's peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even amid conflict.

"They remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder -- more eloquent than words -- of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions," he said Feb. 2 in his homily for Candlemas -- the feast of the Presentation of the Lord -- which also marks the Catholic Church's celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

"Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail," he said, the presence of these consecrated men and women "proclaims the words of Jesus" in his parable of the lost sheep: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for ... their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

The pope's Mass began with the pope blessing with holy water the candles used for the entrance procession. Dozens of consecrated men and women led the candlelit procession while the lights in St. Peter's Basilica remained dimmed, and thousands of people who filled the basilica held lit candles as well. 

After the darkened basilica was filled with light, Pope Leo, who joined the Order of St. Augustine as a young man and served as a missionary in Peru for decades, reflected on the mission of religious men and women in the Church and in the world.

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Church asks you to be prophets -- messengers who announce the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for him," he said in his homily. "You are called to this mission above all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and in a readiness to be consumed by charity," he said.

Docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, the founders and foundresses of their religious orders and communities offer "wonderful models of how to fulfil this mandate faithfully and effectively," he said.

"Living in constant tension between earth and heaven, they allowed themselves to be guided with faith and courage," he said. Some founders "were led to the silence of the cloister, others to the demands of the apostolate," but all of them returned "humbly and wisely, to the foot of the cross and to the tabernacle, where they offered everything and discovered in God both the source and the goal of all their actions." 

Pope Leo highlighted those founders who "embarked on perilous undertakings."

"They became a prayerful presence in hostile or indifferent environments; a generous hand and a friendly shoulder amid degradation and abandonment; and witnesses of peace and reconciliation in situations marked by violence and hatred," he said. "They were ready to bear the consequences of going against the current, becoming, in Christ, a 'sign of contradiction,' sometimes even to the point of martyrdom."

One way to honor these brothers and sisters, he said, is "by carrying forward their legacy." 

"You are called to bear witness to God's saving presence in history for all peoples, even within a society in which false and reductive understandings of the human person increasingly widen the gap between faith and life," he said.

"You are called to testify that the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a sacred place above all else on God's altar and in his heart," he said, and to show how each of the least is "an inviolable sanctuary of God's presence, before whom we must bend our knee, in order to encounter him, adore him and give him glory."

Many religious communities have established "outposts of the Gospel ... in a wide variety of challenging contexts, even in the midst of conflict," he said. "These communities do not abandon their people, nor do they flee" as they seek to uphold the sacredness of human life in its most vulnerable conditions. 

"Consecrated life, in its serene detachment from all that is passing, reveals the inseparable bond between authentic care for earthly realities and a hope filled with love for what is eternal" and gives meaning to everything else, he said.

Through their promise to follow Christ more closely by professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, consecrated men and women "empty" themselves so that Christ, "the one eternal messenger of the covenant who remains present among humanity today, can melt and purify hearts with his love, grace and mercy," Pope Leo said.

Through this self-emptying and life in the Spirit, he said, consecrated men and women "can show the world the way to overcome conflict, sowing fraternity through the freedom of those who love and forgive without measure."

"Dear consecrated men and women, today the Church gives thanks to the Lord and to you for your presence," he said, encouraging them "to be leaven of peace and signs of hope wherever Providence may lead you."

Pope praises religious for courageous witness serving the marginalized

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the World Day for Consecrated Life, Feb. 2, 2026. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

WASHINGTON — “Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, and Bishop Roy E. Campbell, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on African American Affairs, marking 100 years of commemorating Black history in the United States.

Their statement is as follows:

“This February marks one hundred years of commemorating Black history in the United States. This milestone is an opportunity for us to prayerfully reflect on the ways history has been preserved, honored, and passed on across generations. In Open Wide Our Hearts, the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter against racism, we recognized that the lived experience of the vast majority of African Americans bears the marks of our country’s original sin of racism. During this year’s observance of Black History Month, we encourage the faithful to consider the lessons of history, honoring our heroes of the past and learning from the mistakes of the past. Although we may at times encounter people or situations in our country that seek to erase ‘memory’ from our minds and books, it can never be erased from our hearts. May our reflections strengthen our faith and communities. Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth. Let us pray and work to honor the inherent dignity of every person and the sacred stories of every people.”

Read more from Bishop Garcia and Bishop Campbell in their reflection, “The Treasures of Memory.”

For more information about the Subcommittee on African American Affairs and the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, please visit their respective webpages.

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WASHINGTON – Following the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, along with the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), issued a joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope. Calling for a renewed commitment to integral development and mutual solidarity between the peoples of the U.S. and Africa, their statemen offers guiding themes for strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and African countries, rooted in Catholic social teaching.

The bishops write: “The faithful of the U.S. and Africa are gifts to one another. Together, we call for robust lifesaving and life-affirming U.S. assistance to the continent, grounded in thoughtful partnership, and pray for the flourishing of an ever-deeper fraternity.”

The joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope, may be read in full in English, French, and Portuguese.

In conjunction with the release of the statement, bishops representing the two committees will celebrate a Mass for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa on February 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Information on the Mass can be found on the USCCB website.

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VATICAN CITY  (CNS)-- As the Olympic flame continued its journey toward the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Games, Pope Leo XIV shared his blessing, welcoming the event as an opportunity to promote peace, solidarity and encounter through sport.

Ahead of the opening of the Olympic Games in Milan Feb. 6, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent a telegram to the Diocese of Como, where some of the Olympic competitions will be held, as well as where a Olympic Village is located, and another to Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan, as that city welcomed the "Cross of Athletes."

In a telegram Jan. 30, Cardinal Parolin said Pope Leo was sending warm wishes and an apostolic blessing to the Catholic community in Como. The Vatican released copies of the telegrams the same day.

"He expresses his deep appreciation for their fervent cooperation in this sporting event and hopes that it will be an opportunity to promote the authentic values of sport: loyalty, respect, team spirit and sacrifice, as well as social inclusion and the joy of encounter," the telegram said in Italian. 

The telegram went on to say that the pope "encourages the parish communities of the territory to experience this significant event with willingness, offering a generous Christian witness so that they may be a bright sign of the presence of Christ who calls all to fraternity ."

The cardinal also sent a telegram to Archbishop Delpini Jan. 29 on behalf of the pope, stating that Pope Leo "hopes that this important event will awaken feelings of friendship and fraternity, strengthening awareness of the value of sport in the service of the integral development of the human person." 

He wrote that the pope was sharing his apostolic blessing and prayed that "these days of healthy competition will contribute to building bridges between cultures and peoples, promoting welcoming, solidarity and peace."

Pope Leo reiterated that the Olympics sends a powerful message of fraternity and hope for peace after praying the Angelus  Feb. 1. He also shared his best wishes to the organizers and athletes. 

"I hope that all those who care about peace among peoples and are in positions of authority will take this opportunity to make concrete gestures of détente and dialogue," he said. 

The Olympic Cross, sent by the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education, has been delivered to the local diocese of every city hosting the international sports competition since the London Olympics in 2012.

Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican's official sports association, presented the cross to Milan's Basilica of San Babila during an evening Mass Jan 29. Recognized in 2019, the co-ed organization includes Vatican employees, both lay and clergy and promotes sport as a tool for education, inclusion and peace. It also represents the Holy See in international sporting events. 

The cross was placed on the altar of the basilica, where it will remain until the end of the Paralympics, the archdiocese of Milan said in a press release.  

During the Mass, the telegram from Pope Leo was read aloud, and Archbishop Delpini said in his homily that sports were a "school of asceticism, morality, humanity, life, courage, and imagination," according to the press release.

"In this church, we welcome the sign of the crucified body. The Athletes' Cross is more of a crack of light than a figure: the body of Christ, crucified for love, is the opening to go beyond and embrace the mystery," Archbishop Delpini said in his homily. "The absent body encourages questions, observation and attention."