World News

Cardinal Blase Cupich led a Mass in Chicago, which was attended by relatives of those who have been detained or deported. Cardinal Joseph Tobin celebrated Masses inside an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey.  ... read more

A delegation supporting families of missing and captured Ukrainian soldiers shared their concerns and presented the pontiff with symbolic gifts. Pope Leo XIV greets Ukrainian women related to prisoners of war following his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Feb. 18, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media ... read more

Leading Ash Wednesday rites, the pontiff linked the call to repentance with the devastation of war, broken justice, wounded creation, and a fading sense of the sacred. Pope Leo XIV leads the traditional Ash Wednesday penitential procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill on Feb. 18, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News ... read more

Katie Yoder/Archdiocese of Washington Virginia Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond. Legislative committees in both chambers of the Virginia Legislature chose not to advance bills to legalize physician assisted suicide. Both Catholic bishops in the commonwealth praised the decision. ... read more

MARCO BERTORELLO Elana Meyers Taylor waves a U.S. flag after winning gold in the bobsled women's monobob during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 16, 2026. As a mother of two young sons with disabilities, the Olympian’s Christian faith has guided her through a remarkable bobsledding career. ... read more

Saul Loeb Claire Lai, daughter of jailed Hong Kong publisher and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, speaks during a press briefing on Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C. COMMENTARY: As Lent begins, I share my father’s witness from prison, where he has come to embody humility and trust in God’s grace. ... read more

Detail from the theatrical poster for "Wuthering Heights" (2026). (Image: Wikipedia) Editor’s note: This review contains some strong language and descriptions relating to sex. Last week, I attended the New Year’s celebration at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. It was paradoxical: the cultural program included a majority of works from classical ... read more

Joseph Prezioso Police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena where a shooting occurred in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. Authorities said a father shot and killed multiple members of his family at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket. ... read more

ACdP Portrait of Jesuit Father Ángel Ayala, founder of the Catholic Association of Propagandists. A private association of lay faithful that serves students in Spain will begin the cause for the canonization of its founder, a Jesuit priest. ... read more

Daniel Ibáñez Pope Leo XIV leads the traditional Ash Wednesday penitential procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill on Feb. 18, 2026. In his homily, the Pope urged Catholics to treat Lent as a time when the Church is renewed as a true community, even as modern society finds it harder to come together in ... read more

Toglenn Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer who headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show. Bad Bunny’s halftime show at Super Bowl LX drew mixed reactions. For some, it was a Latino triumph while for others it contained obscene lyrics that did not represent the best of Latin America. ... read more

Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the association Pro Petri Sede at the Vatican on Feb. 18, 2026. The pontiff said he must be free to denounce injustice amid today’s challenges. ... read more

During his first Ash Wednesday as pope, Leo framed Lent as a communal reckoning with personal and structural sin. ... read more

ZeroEyes A still image from a ZeroEyes camera feed demonstrates the AI’s gun-detection system. The system uses artificial intelligence to detect shooters and alert school officials and law enforcement. ... read more

Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV greets Ukrainian women related to prisoners of war following his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Feb. 18, 2026. A delegation supporting families of missing and captured Ukrainian soldiers shared their concerns and presented the pontiff with symbolic gifts. ... read more