Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church

Our words have power. The way we talk about something, even casually, affects how we — and others — think about it. One way we can build a culture of life — a culture where children are welcomed as a blessing from God, a culture that stands up to the throwaway culture about which Pope Read More…

5 Quick phrases to build a culture of life

Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the biggest pro-life demonstration in his homeland, the annual March for Life (and the west coast Walk), which are under way. The events coincide each year with the January 22 anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. The Pope’s message is below: ~ To the Participants in the 2026 March Read More…

Pope Leo’s message to U.S. March for Life (full text)

The situation for Palestinian Christians living in the Middle East is one fraught with trauma and the threat of extremism, said a group of mostly European bishops who recently returned from a pilgrimage. The pilgrimage, said the group, was “to a Land where people are suffering trauma.” The bishops compose the membership of the Co-ordination Read More…

Bishops describe “extremist settlers” targeting Palestinian Christians

Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, until now Apostolic Nuncio to Croatia, is becoming the new Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine. The Holy See Press Office announced the change on January 22, 2026. Pope Leo XIV has chosen an experienced Italian archbishop, who was apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Cuba, to succeed Read More…

New apostolic nuncio in Holy Land: Archbishop Giorgio Lingua

His name is everywhere these days — the quarterback who earned the Heisman and led his Hoosiers to their first-ever national championship. Fernando Mendoza rapidly became a sports celebrity and a household name. Even people who don’t follow sports can’t seem to get enough of his inspiring story. Curious what all the hype is about? Read More…

5 Things even non-sports fans can learn from Fernando Mendoza

On January 22, Pope Leo XIV authorized the beatification of Fr. Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio, a Franciscan priest who was killed in Guatemala in 1983. According to VaticanNews, “The decree recognizes that he was killed in hatred of the faith.” This is an important step in the beatification and canonization process of Fr. Augusto, as Read More…

Pope Leo authorizes beatification of recent Guatemalan martyr

The year 2025 began for Agata Tyrpa and her husband with two lines on a pregnancy test: a new life had begun! Soon, however, joy turned to fear and anxiety. The first prenatal results showed that there was a high risk of the child having a genetic defect. “The mid-pregnancy tests brought an unambiguous and Read More…

“My daughter was under my heart until the 37th week”

Jan 23, 2026 / 06:27 am (CNA).

Archbishop Georg Gänswein says last year's change of popes has brought a "whole new positive dimension" to the Vatican.

"Above all, there has been a change for the better in the atmosphere" with Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican’s nuncio to the Baltic states and Pope Benedict XVI's former secretary told Rudolf Gehrig of EWTN News during a Jan. 20 interview in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Gänswein said he met Leo twice last year, most recently in mid-December.

"Both meetings went very, very well. And the intervening period has made it very clear to me that — to put it somewhat idiosyncratically — normality is slowly returning," he said, calling it a sign for him that "faith and the Holy Spirit are indeed at work."

"I used the term normalization. For me, it is important to see that Pope Leo has simply emphasized some matters that are not new, but which have been completely overlooked in recent years."

Gänswein has been nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, based out of Vilnius, since 2024. The archbishop’s diplomatic post follows 17 years as the personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI and 11 years as the Vatican’s prefect of the Papal Household.

The nuncio, originally from Germany, also praised Leo's "clear line when it comes to proclaiming the faith," which he does "joyfully and convincingly."

"When you read his catechesis or sermons, you can sense that this is a man who lives and proclaims the faith with an Augustinian spirit," Gänswein said.

German Synodal Way

The archbishop also addressed the Synodal Way in Germany, also known as the Synodal Path, which is set to hold its sixth and final assembly starting Jan. 29.

Gänswein expressed concern that the process will lead to deeper division in society and the Church, and underlined that any possible reforms must always adhere to established Church teaching.

"Anyone who has followed the events surrounding the Synodal Path from the beginning to the present day can see one important thing, namely that a number of the demands of the Synodal Path lead away from the faith," he said.

"There is no doubt that there is indeed a need to change and reform certain things here and there. I agree with that," the nuncio said. "However, what has been shown so far on the Synodal Path is, for me, clear evidence that this is not about a return to a deepening of the faith, but about a watering down of the faith."

He said any changes cannot differ from the Catholic Church's position on morality, ethics, the sacramental structure of the Church, or the official authority of bishops.

"I can only hope and pray that this wrong path will simply come to an end soon," he added.

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Catholics should seek to preserve the practice of giving their children a saint’s name, said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of New York, in a recent video posted on social media. “I just read a poll that kind of made me bristle,” said Cardinal Dolan, revealing that parents today largely look Read More…

Cardinal Dolan: Parents, name your kids after saints!

History is full of countries taking over other countries, but *how* a country is taken over matters a great deal, morally speaking.