World News

With women now occupying more than a third of all college presidencies, the feminization of higher‑education leadership is no longer a trend but a governing paradigm. It is likely that the shift has accelerated the drift toward process‑heavy, conflict‑averse administrative cultures that impede institutional clarity. It has also entrenched a politicized culture that prizes emotional ... read more

The Leo Chronicles: Who are the diplomats and the peacemakers? ... read more

The only way to prevent further tragedies like the horrific killing of Renee Good is to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. And that requires consciously reaching out to those voters who backed him. ... read more

If ecological sin is real, then ecological repentance must be real, too: pipes that work, standards that bite, and the stubborn, persistent work of repair. ... read more

St. Paul of Thebes Feast date: Jan 15 On Jan. 15, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Paul of Thebes, whose life of solitude and penance gave inspiration to the monastic movement during its early years. Surviving in the Egyptian desert on a small amount of daily food, St. Paul the Hermit lived ... read more

How old is the Hail Mary? It depends. If you mean the words addressed to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth by the Archangel Gabriel — which will be referenced in the gospel assigned for Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God — then the Hail Mary is 2,025 years old, more ... read more

When it is time for me to leave [the Eucharist], I have to tear myself away from his sacred presence. — St. Anthony Clare ... read more

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Maurus (512-584), one of the first disciples of St. Benedict. In this son of a patrician Roman family, entrusted by his parents to the father of western monasticism, Benedictine tradition celebrates the perfect monk, and the model of childlike obedience. Many monasteries, particularly in France, adopted him as patron. He ... read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. | Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Jan 14, 2026 / 20:49 pm (CNA). The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, called for finding peaceful solutions to the events unfolding in Iran, where he sees the population's yearning to live in "peace, justice, and dignity."On Dec. 28, 2025, protests ... read more

Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock Jan 14, 2026 / 17:55 pm (CNA). Twelve states filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Jan. 13, seeking to block what they call unlawful “gender conditions" imposed on billions of dollars in federal health, education, and research grants.The plaintiff states — ... read more

Scripture for Life: How are we called to be hot peppers in society? Surely, we don't lack for situations begging for the spice of the Gospel. ... read more

Credit: Lars Hallstrom/Shutterstock Jan 14, 2026 / 17:04 pm (CNA). A total of 4,849 Christians were murdered for their faith worldwide between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, 373 more than in the same period the previous year, according to the 2026 World Watch List (WWL).According to an annual report presented ... read more

Scripture for Life: The more we learn to humbly accept what we do not deserve, the more natural it will be for us to give lavishly with humble, compassionate, generous and merciful love. ... read more

Republicans say they are crafting a bill to permanently defund Planned Parenthood Jan. 13, 2026. | Credit: usarmyband, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Jan 14, 2026 / 16:19 pm (CNA). House Republican lawmakers unveiled a framework that outlines their budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes permanently defunding large ... read more

Scripture for Life: Looking at those first disciples challenges us. It's easy to go to Mass, to sing with a great choir and eat donuts with people afterward. There's no danger in that. But is that all that we are invited to as disciples? ... read more