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’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.”

“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.”

“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.

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!

Cardinal Tagle, a native of the Philippines, discussed devotion to the saint there. Sister Petrini spoke about a statue that of the saint that will be placed in the Vatican Gardens.

The conference took place at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Other speakers included Cardinal Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, archbishop of Lima and Primate of Peru, and Jorge Ponce San Román, ambassador of Peru to the Holy See.

Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana of Bangkok, the conference’s president, described voting as a “moral requirement” in which “citizens take a common responsibility for the common good.” The prelate called for “monitoring, verifying, and maintaining moral truth at every stage” of the election.

Archbishop Arpondratana added:

The foundation of leadership qualities is clearly laid in the Bible. When Moses was instructed by God to choose a ruler, “Choose from among the people a man who is able, God-fearing, faithful, and does not take bribes, and makes him his leader” (Exodus 18:21).

Corruption, the prelate warned, “destroys the nation. Political corruption is a betrayal of the people and a serious violation of social justice.”

Thailand, a Southeast Asian nation of 70 million (map), is 87% Buddhist, 6% Muslim, and 2% ethnic religionist.

“As I pray for the victims, I express my closeness to those who have been displaced and to all who are offering them support,” the Pope added. “May the Lord help you and bless you!”

BBC reported that the flooding in the southeastern African nation is the worst in a generation and has affected over 640,000 people.

Pope Leo XIV praised St. Thomas Aquinas’s commentary on Scripture on January 28, the saint’s liturgical memorial.

Pope Leo XIV received Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, on January 28.