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Read more: The historic pontificate of Pope Leo XIV
Read more: The historic pontificate of Pope Leo XIV

Washington roundup: State of the Union; Turkey religious freedom concerns; bishops flag Farm Bill

by Kate Scanlon

The same week as the State of the Union in Washington, an international religious freedom watchdog flagged Turkey and bishops addressed the 2026 Farm Bill.

Vatican stamp depicts Ukrainian Catholic cathedral as witness to ‘the light of Christ’
Diocese of Syracuse wraps $176 million bankruptcy settlement in ‘journey of reparation’
Church leaders call for healing, reconciliation at Mass of solidarity with migrants in Minneapolis
US bishops among supporters of lawsuit against Trump birthright citizenship executive order
Augustinian shares how Pope Leo fought evil in Peru as new bust unveiled in Chicago

U.S. Church

Minnesota Jesuit priest, clergy of other faiths sue DHS over denied entry to ICE facility

by Simone Orendain

“We want to be there, for people especially at the most vulnerable times of their lives, and this is certainly one of them,” the priest said of ICE detention.

Mother Cabrini garners most votes as person to be depicted in planned statue for Chicago park

Prolific catechist Paul Thigpen, who mused on extraterrestrial life, dies at 71

Here are 12 new resources to encounter Christ this Lent 2026

‘Chosen’ actor Jonathan Roumie honors 21 Christian martyrs at Museum of the Bible event

‘Christ is my identity, my foundation,’ says Catholic player on US women’s hockey team

Border bishops urge immigration reforms before State of the Union

World

Bill to allow assisted dying in UK expected to fail in Parliament, but local measures advance

by Junno Arocho Esteves

While the general legislation may not pass in the British Parliament, local measures supporting the bill move on across Great Britain.

Inviting pilgrims back is more than business, it’s family history, Holy Land shop owners say
Pope Leo’s visit to Spain could spark a much-needed ‘spiritual revival’
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the model of ‘perfect inculturation,’ Pope Leo says
Sydney Archdiocese welcomes record numbers at Rite of Election
Spanish bishops clarify Pope Leo XIV’s remarks following media reports

Pope Leo XIV says he considered a vocation with the Salesians as a boy

German bishops’ conference elects proponent of controversial Synodal Way as president

Father Zollner: Catholics need to pray more for survivors of sexual abuse

Vatican

Why do the bones of St. Francis draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims?

by Josephine Peterson

Opinion

A new heart this Lent

by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe

The ‘winter flower’ and her shower of Olympic blessings

by Lauretta Brown

Of mountaintops and Lent

by Deacon Greg Kandra

Reviews

Historical novel pitches Christian compassion against ideologies of hatred

by Madelyn Reichert
Crime 101
Meditating on Christ’s passion with St. Thomas More
Hamnet
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