Catholic News Service

Pope Francis told Uruguay's new ambassador to the Holy See that a future visit to the country as well as to his native Argentina is still very much on the table.

In one day, the Catholic Church on two continents lost two leaders to COVID-19. 

For a variety of reasons, "especially in relation to the political situation" in the United States, the Legionaries of Christ university in Rome will not honor Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said the head of the university's bioethics faculty.

The Supreme Court Jan. 12 reinstated a federal requirement that women who are seeking abortion-inducing drugs must do so in person, not by mail, as a federal judge had allowed last year due to the pandemic and the high court had let stand.

Jesus and the saints "show us that we can always give praise, in good times and bad, because God is the faithful friend — this is the foundation of praise, he is the faithful friend and his love never fails. He is always by our side; he always waits for us," the pope said Jan. 13 during his weekly general audience.

Australia's financial crime watchdog agency said it over-estimated by the equivalent of more than U.S. $1.5 billion the amount of money transferred from the Vatican to Australia between 2014 and 2020.

The constant comparison as well as false reports of division between Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI by both secular and Catholic media outlets threaten the dignity of the papacy and the faith of many, former top Vatican official Cardinal Gerhard Müller said.

The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Just days after the siege on the U.S. Capitol, several bishops, priests and deacons across the country used their pulpits during Jan. 9–10 weekend Masses in cathedrals, parishes and converted outdoor worship spaces to address what happened in Washington and how people of faith should respond.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Jean-Pierre Cattenoz of Avignon amid ongoing questions about his management style and handling of archdiocesan finances.

Pope Francis called on Christians to guarantee equal access to health care for all people. "The current pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in our health care systems and exposed inefficiencies in the care of the sick," he wrote in his message for the 2021 World Day of the Sick.

The U.K. should "forsake" its nuclear arsenal and spend the money it saves on helping the poorest people of society, Scottish and English Catholic bishops said.

House Democrats introduced a single article of impeachment, charging President Donald Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in a riot at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6.

"The political process is an extension of living out our faith," said Mike Harris, a longtime member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Atlanta. "We must engage and stand for what is right, stand for the poor, stand for the needy, stand for the imprisoned, for those people who have no other voice. We are called to be the voice of God for the people of God."

The Catholic Health Association issued an extensive list of priorities it would like President-elect Joe Biden's administration to pursue.

Christians are called to lead and lift people up by being close to them and sharing God's love, not by judging them, Pope Francis said.

Several prominent individuals who participated in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by pro-Trump insurrectionists have been fired, including a Catholic college professor.

Pavone has said President Trump is the "greatest political leader" in U.S. history and that those who vote Democratic have blood on their hands.

A federal circuit court said a Trump administration executive order to allow state and local government officials to reject refugees in their jurisdiction violated long-standing resettlement practices.

"Something is happening here which is undermining democracy," said Sr. Anna Mirijam Kaschner, general secretary and spokeswoman of the Nordic bishops' conference.