Pope Leo XIV has eliminated the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, established by Pope Francis in November 2024. In a decree published on Feb. 13, the Holy Father reaffirmed the importance of the Church giving special attention to children, in continuity with the intention expressed by his predecessor. However, with the aim of “fostering…

Lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to offer government exceptions for international adoption visas so that children can be united with their adoptive families and “welcomed into safe and stable homes.” U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer and Amy Klobuchar, along with U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt and Danny Davis, asked the Department of State to restore a…

Pope Leo XIV on Monday warned that modern conflicts and widening social disparities are eroding respect for human life and equal access to health care, telling members of the Pontifical Academy for Life that “all lives are not equally respected and health is neither protected nor promoted in the same way for everyone.” Addressing participants…

Pope Leo XIV told the prelate of Opus Dei on Feb. 16 that “the process of updating Opus Dei’s statutes continues in its study phase and that no publication date can yet be foreseen,” according to a statement from the prelature. The pope received Opus Dei’s prelate, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, in audience at the Vatican…

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 12 strongly condemning Turkey’s expulsion of Christian missionaries under what lawmakers described as opaque “national security” pretexts. The resolution urges the capital city of Ankara to respect freedom of religion and allow those affected to return. The European Parliament, the EU’s directly elected legislature,…