An Arizona legislator, Rep. Stacey Travers, has filed a bill that would require priests to violate the seal of Confession when a penitent confesses “ongoing abuse.”

Last year, the State of Washington enacted, and then agreed not to enforce, similar legislation.

The president of the US bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities affirmed the importance of the Hyde amendment, which forbids federal funding of most abortions.

“Authentic health care upholds the dignity of all human life, and health care policy must not violate this dignity,” said Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio. “In upholding this core principle, the U.S. bishops have long opposed any proposals to expand taxpayer funding of abortion and will continue to do so, including, if necessary, in the current debates in Congress over health care affordability plans.”

President Donald Trump recently called on Republican lawmakers to be “flexible” about the Hyde amendment, provoking criticism from pro-life organizations.

Writing in L’Osservatore Romano, a history professor at the University of Molise critiqued the portrayal of Venerable Pius XII, who reigned as Pope from 1939 to 1958, in the 2025 film Nuremberg.

Matteo Luigi Napolitano examined the “clear distinction between the theatrical invention proposed by [James] Vanderbilt’s film and the historical truth now established by the documents.”

A group of self-styled Tanzanian Catholics attempted to deliver a petition to Pope Leo via the apostolic nunciature criticizing the leaders of the nation’s episcopal conference for alleged political interference.

“Severe doubts have been raised on social media as to whether the petition signatories actually belong to the Catholic Church,” the Fides news agency reported. Last fall, the bishops criticized the violent suppression of political protests and called for an independent investigation.

During an audience with Pope Leo on January 9, Cardinal Roberto Repole of Turin presented Avvolti (“Wrapped”), a website that allows for the digital examination of the Shroud of Turin.

“Each enlargement is accompanied by explanations and links to passages from the Gospels that describe the passion of Jesus,” L’Osservatore Romano reported. “Despite the scientific rigor of the texts and images, the aim was to create a product accessible to all, thus bringing the general public closer to the image of the Shroud.”

The Diocese of La Rioja, Argentina, has begun a jubilee year in commemoration of the martyrdoms of Blessed Enrique Angelelli and his companions.

Bishop Dante Braida of La Rioja “emphasized how the martyrs’ witness continues to inspire a faithful listening to the Gospel, along with a concrete commitment to justice, reconciliation, and closeness to the poor,” the Fides news agency reported.

Commemorating the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, OFM, celebrated an outdoor Mass at Qasr al-Yahud in the West Bank, on the western side of the Jordan River.

In the 14th century, the Holy See entrusted the care of the holy sites in the Holy Land to the Franciscan order. Before the Mass, the consuls of Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium joined the custos, or Franciscan provincial, for a meeting with local officials.

Pope Leo XIV received Matteo Rossi and Lorenzo Bugli, the two captains regent, or heads of state, of San Marino.

Following yesterday’s papal audience, Rossi and Bugli met with Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The parties discussed international crises, “with particular reference to the conflict in Ukraine, collaboration in the sphere of multilateral diplomacy, and the importance of interreligious dialogue in promoting peace,” according to the Holy See Press Office.

The nation of 35,000 (map) is 91% Catholic.

The Holy See Press Office announced yesterday that the Vatican’s highest appellate court ruled against prosecutor Alessandro Diddi in his appeal of the 2023 court ruling in the “trial of the century.”

The 2023 ruling in the financial crimes trial saw the conviction of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and eight other defendants. Diddi appealed the court’s rejection of his charge that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy. The defendants’ appeals of the 2023 ruling are pending.

Pope Leo XIV received Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

“I briefed him on the immense suffering endured by Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as on the political & financial challenges confronting UNRWA,” Lazzarini said following yesterday’s audience. “I stressed that the attacks on UNRWA are an assault on the multilateral system and a defiance of international law with reverberations far beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“I also stressed that bringing back to a learning environment the more than 600,000 girls and boys currently living in the rubble of Gaza should be our common priority to avoid a lost generation,” he added. “I sought the Holy Father’s support to preserve UNRWA’s critical services, primarily in the area of education, public health and safety nets for Palestine Refugees in Gaza and across the region until a just and fair political solution is in place.”

Lazzarini subsequently spoke with Vatican News about the audience and the UNRWA. The agency is facing a “dire” financial crisis, The Times of Israel reported.