Fifty-three migrants, including two babies, drown after a rubber boat carrying fifty-five people capsized off the coast of Libya. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) releases data on the sheer number of migrants reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year:

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV will not travel to the United States this year, the head of the Holy See Press Office said Feb. 8.

Vatican observers had speculated about whether the first American pope would return to the United States during his first full year as pontiff, particularly as some news outlets reported that he might visit in September to coincide with the U.N. General Assembly in New York, a meeting attended by each of his three most recent predecessors during their pontificates.

But, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, told reporters that no U.S. trip is planned for 2026 when asked about the pope’s travel schedule.

Recent popes have all traveled to the United States at least once, making such visits an expected trip for modern papacies. 

St. John Paul II visited the United States frequently, traveling to the country seven times during his pontificate and making stops across the nation. During those visits, he met with President Jimmy Carter at the White House and President Ronald Reagan in Alaska.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States once, spending six days in April 2008, during which he met with President George W. Bush in Washington and addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Pope Francis also made a single six-day visit in 2015, becoming the first pontiff to address a joint session of Congress. He also traveled to Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia.

St. Paul VI was the first pope to visit the United States in 1965. He made a historic address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, met with President Lyndon B. Johnson and celebrated Mass at Yankee Stadium.

Since his election in May 2025, Pope Leo has taken one international trip to Turkey and Lebanon, a six-day trip previously planned before his predecessor's passing last year. The November trip included meetings with civil and religious leaders, visits to holy sites, and prayer at the Port of Beirut, where a 2020 explosion killed 218 people and injured more than 7,000.

While the Vatican has not made any official announcements, a number of local sources have suggested how Pope Leo’s 2026 calendar may already be taking  shape with potential trips to Africa, Spain and South America.

Last month, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers told reporters outside the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall Jan. 8 that a papal visit to Algeria was “on track” and would occur in “the first part of 2026.” Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel, the apostolic nuncio to Angola, has also said the pope accepted invitations from both Church and government officials to visit the country.

Spanish Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid told reporters in January that Pope Leo is also expected to visit Spain this year, and will likely include stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

The president of Peru's Catholic bishops, Bishop Carlos Garcia Camader, told reporters in Lima Feb. 4 that a papal trip to Peru was "very probable" in November or the first week of December, according to Reuters. The Vatican typically makes an official announcement of a papal trip at least a month before the expected departure.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference releases the first of two statements on social justice and the "cost of living crisis" and the President of the conference encourages everyone to “play some part in working for the common good amid the cost of living crisis.”

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Pope Leo has arranged for the delivery of 80 electricity generators, along with medicine and food supplies, to Ukraine.

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The president of Peru’s conference of bishops said a late 2026 papal visit to the country has a probability of approximately 80%.

On the occasion of a presbyteral assembly taking place in Madrid, Spain, Pope Leo XIV invites priests to not be daunted by challenges and secularism, but rather to realize that their prayerfulness and closeness to Christ can help others recognize that the Lord will help them fill their hearts' greatest desires.

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In a world where depression, addiction, and broken families are becoming increasingly common, Sr. Jacqueline Githiri, VDM, has made it her mission to be a beacon of hope and healing, quietly transforming lives through counselling, compassion, and spiritual restoration.

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The human rights advocate has been convicted and sentenced multiple times since 2020.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time As salt seasons in order to enhance the flavor of food, the blessings obtained as we live out the Beatitudes equip us to season those around us.

The pontiff is expected to travel to Africa in April, visit Peru later this year, and make a summer stop in Spain.