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WASHINGTON - “There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time,” said Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, together with Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

The bishops’ statement follows U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, effective February 3, based on a determination the country no longer meets the conditions for the designation. Over 300,000 Haitians in the United States are covered by the current designation. 

The U.S. Department of State’s own travel advisory for Haiti is Level 4, the highest level, because of “life-threatening risks” that include kidnapping, terrorist activity, and civil unrest; meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is currently prohibiting any flights from the United States to Haiti’s capital.

Bishop Cahill and Bishop Zaidan’s full statement follows: 

“We are deeply concerned about the plight of our Haitian brothers and sisters living in the United States who will soon have their legal status and work authorization revoked due to the Administration’s termination of TPS for Haiti. There is simply no realistic opportunity for the safe and orderly return of people to Haiti at this time. 

“We do not dispute that TPS is intended to be ‘temporary,’ as is often pointed out as a rationale for ending it, which is why we have reaffirmed on so many occasions the need for Congress to create viable opportunities for longtime residents with TPS, regardless of nationality, to request a more durable legal status. However, so long as Congress fails in this regard, and the current conditions in Haiti persist, the onus is on the executive branch to act in a just and merciful way.

“The Trump Administration still has the opportunity to do the right thing—to safeguard human life, to uphold the law, and to promote greater stability for people in this country and beyond. TPS was created by Congress with these very goals in mind, and the ongoing conditions in Haiti are precisely the sort warranting TPS. We urge the Administration to act accordingly by extending this vital relief for Haitians. 

“Most importantly, we reaffirm the U.S. Church’s solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters, wherever they may be. We turn to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, for her intercession; may she always be a source of strength and comfort for the Haitian people.”

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Translation of Bishops’ statement in Haitian Creole:

Men Deklarasyon konplè Evèk Cahill ak Evèk Zaidan: 

“Nou enkyete anpil pou frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo ki ap viv Ozetazini e ki kapab pèdi estati legal yo ak otorizasyon pou travay akòz desizyon Administrasyon an pran pou mete fen nan TPS pou Ayiti. Pa gen okenn opòtinite reyalis pou retounen moun Ayiti san danje ak nan lòd kounye a.

“Nou pa kont lide ke TPS fèt pou l ‘tanporè,’ jan sa souvan itilize kòm rezon pou mete fen nan li. Se poutèt sa nou toujou repete anpil fwa bezwen pou Kongrè a kreye opòtinite solid pou rezidan ki gen TPS depi lontan, kèlkeswa nasyonalite yo, pou yo mande yon estati legal ki pi dirab. Sepandan, toutotan Kongrè a pa reponn a bezwen sa a, e toutotan kondisyon aktyèl yo Ayiti kontinye egziste, se devwa pouvwa egzekitif la pou l aji avèk jistis ak mizèrikòd.

“Administrasyon Trump toujou gen chans pou l fè sa ki dwat—pou l pwoteje lavi moun, pou l respekte lalwa, epi pou l ankouraje plis estabilite pou moun nan peyi sa a ak lòt kote. TPS se Kongrè ki te kreye li ak objektif sa yo, e sitiyasyon Ayiti jodi a montre byen klè rezon ki fè TPS egziste. Nou ankouraje Administrasyon an pou l aji kòmsadwa lè l pwolonje sekou vital sa a pou Ayisyen yo.

“Pi enpòtan toujou, nou renouvle solidarite Legliz Katolik Ozetazini ak frè ak sè ayisyen nou yo, kèlkeswa kote yo ye. Nou vire je nou sou Notre Dame du Secours Pèpétuel, Patronn Ayiti, pou entèsesyon li; ke li toujou yon sous fòs ak rekonfò pou pèp ayisyen an.”

View this release in Haitian Creole.

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ROME (CNS) -- Asked about the deadly shootings by U.S. federal agents in Minneapolis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the violence unfolding there is "unacceptable."

"The position of the Holy See is always to avoid any kind of violence, obviously, and therefore we cannot accept episodes of this kind. That is our position, as you know," he told reporters when asked about operations underway by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, which have led to the shootings and deaths of two U.S. citizens.

"Difficulties, problems and contradictions must be resolved in other ways," he said Jan. 28, describing the situation as "unacceptable" and agreeing with recent statements by U.S. bishops. 

The cardinal spoke with reporters on the sidelines of an evening event at LUMSA University in Rome Jan. 28.

Asked about the possibility of the U.S. sending ICE agents to the Winter Olympics in northern Italy as part of security measures for the U.S. delegation, the cardinal said he was aware of the proposal, "but I know there is also controversy surrounding it. We don't get involved" in such controversies.

Meanwhile, secretary-general of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi, told reporters during a news conference Jan. 28 that "We hope that respect for public order will be ensured as much as possible by our own (Italian) authorities," adding that there has been no official statement from the conference on the issue.

The Archdiocese of Paris has convened a four-month consultation on the rising number of persons seeking baptism.

17,800 catechumens were baptized in France during the Easter Vigil in 2025, including more than 7,400 young people between the ages 11 and 17.

“The subject is extremely joyful and motivating,” said Father Maximilien de La Martinière, who is organizing the consultation. “These converts bring a new dynamism and energy to our communities.”

The priest added:

With the revelation of the abuse crisis, we could have predicted that it was the end of the end,” of vibrant church life in France. But today God is showing us something else. The catechumens have of course heard about the abuse and what followed. But what stands out is that they consider what the Church is doing today in response to this issue as a sign of the seriousness of this institution ...

Many of them talk about how important their grandparents were to them. These grandparents went to church, and sometimes still do, but their children have abandoned the faith, or have not passed it on. This phenomenon is occurring at a time when we have not yet progressed too far in de-Christianization, since there is still a generation of grandparents for whom faith is important.

The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has published a brief letter to consecrated men and women, “Prophecy of presence: consecrated life where dignity is wounded and faith is tested.”

The dicastery’s letter, published yesterday, referred to the “many consecrated persons called to share complex situations: contexts marked by conflict, social and political instability, poverty, marginalization, forced migration, religious minority status, violence, and tensions that test people’s dignity, freedom, and sometimes even their faith.”

“These experiences,” the letter continued, “reveal how strong the prophetic dimension of consecrated life is as a ‘presence that remains’: alongside wounded peoples and individuals, in places where the Gospel is often lived in conditions of fragility and trial.”

“Consecrated life, when it remains close to the wounds of humanity without yielding to the logic of conflict, yet without renouncing speaking God’s truth about humanity and history, becomes—often without fanfare—an artisan of peace,” the dicastery added. “Dear consecrated women and men, we thank you for your perseverance when the fruits seem distant, for the peace you sow even when it is not recognized.”

Eight members of For Family Values, a Ukrainian women’s organization, met with Pope Leo XIV yesterday at his general audience.

“We are here to ask the Pope to continue to invoke peace and pray for our suffering land.” said Natalia Fedorchuk, founder of the organization, which has over 3,000 members. “We promote solidarity initiatives and interfaith days in the name of family values, founding values ​​of a vibrant society, providing assistance to women, mothers and children, as well as spiritual and psychosocial help to those who have experienced losses and trauma due to the war.”

The Conference of European Churches stated in a recent letter that “Greenland’s future can only be decided by its own people.”

“Any change of status without their consent would violate international law, including the UN Charter and the principle of self-determination, and would disregard the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” stated the CEC, a fellowship of over 100 Orthodox and Protestant communities.

Citing a Greek Father (St. Gregory of Nazianzen) and a contemporary author (Eric Greitens), the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church delivered an address to the National Defense University of Ukraine entitled “Spiritual Resilience and Christian Perfection: Being a Christian in Time of War.”

In his January 23 address, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk recalled that he once served in the Soviet army as he decried “Soviet-style dehumanization.” He concluded:

I am convinced that you will become leaders of global thought in the modern art of victory, in the art of waging a just war—a war whose purpose is to create space for peace. Wherever the Ukrainian soldier stands, there is space for peace and freedom. I often say that our servicemembers are today the foremost and best peacekeepers.

I am a witness to this, having lived through these difficult weeks, months, and years here in Kyiv together with your faculty and colleagues during the full-scale invasion—from the very beginning, from the siege of Kyiv, to the future victory. May the Lord God help us all.

Glory to Ukraine! Christ is born!