While Edmond Halley is credited as the first to determine that the comet that bears his name reappears cyclically, new research indicates that a medieval monk may have first noted the pattern.

Ahead of the "International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking", the Philippine bishops are calling for stronger diocesan structures to combat the scourge and warn that the country is suffering from multiple forms of exploitation.

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WASHINGTON — “Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, and Bishop Roy E. Campbell, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on African American Affairs, marking 100 years of commemorating Black history in the United States.

Their statement is as follows:

“This February marks one hundred years of commemorating Black history in the United States. This milestone is an opportunity for us to prayerfully reflect on the ways history has been preserved, honored, and passed on across generations. In Open Wide Our Hearts, the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter against racism, we recognized that the lived experience of the vast majority of African Americans bears the marks of our country’s original sin of racism. During this year’s observance of Black History Month, we encourage the faithful to consider the lessons of history, honoring our heroes of the past and learning from the mistakes of the past. Although we may at times encounter people or situations in our country that seek to erase ‘memory’ from our minds and books, it can never be erased from our hearts. May our reflections strengthen our faith and communities. Let us be faithful stewards of memory. Let us be courageous witnesses to truth. Let us pray and work to honor the inherent dignity of every person and the sacred stories of every people.”

Read more from Bishop Garcia and Bishop Campbell in their reflection, “The Treasures of Memory.”

For more information about the Subcommittee on African American Affairs and the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, please visit their respective webpages.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV praised consecrated men and women for going to the world's peripheries and refusing to abandon their people, even amid conflict.

"They remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder -- more eloquent than words -- of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most vulnerable conditions," he said Feb. 2 in his homily for Candlemas -- the feast of the Presentation of the Lord -- which also marks the Catholic Church's celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

"Even where weapons roar and arrogance, self-interest and violence seem to prevail," he said, the presence of these consecrated men and women "proclaims the words of Jesus" in his parable of the lost sheep: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for ... their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

The pope's Mass began with the pope blessing with holy water the candles used for the entrance procession. Dozens of consecrated men and women led the candlelit procession while the lights in St. Peter's Basilica remained dimmed, and thousands of people who filled the basilica held lit candles as well. 

After the darkened basilica was filled with light, Pope Leo, who joined the Order of St. Augustine as a young man and served as a missionary in Peru for decades, reflected on the mission of religious men and women in the Church and in the world.

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Church asks you to be prophets -- messengers who announce the presence of the Lord and prepare the way for him," he said in his homily. "You are called to this mission above all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and in a readiness to be consumed by charity," he said.

Docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, the founders and foundresses of their religious orders and communities offer "wonderful models of how to fulfil this mandate faithfully and effectively," he said.

"Living in constant tension between earth and heaven, they allowed themselves to be guided with faith and courage," he said. Some founders "were led to the silence of the cloister, others to the demands of the apostolate," but all of them returned "humbly and wisely, to the foot of the cross and to the tabernacle, where they offered everything and discovered in God both the source and the goal of all their actions." 

Pope Leo highlighted those founders who "embarked on perilous undertakings."

"They became a prayerful presence in hostile or indifferent environments; a generous hand and a friendly shoulder amid degradation and abandonment; and witnesses of peace and reconciliation in situations marked by violence and hatred," he said. "They were ready to bear the consequences of going against the current, becoming, in Christ, a 'sign of contradiction,' sometimes even to the point of martyrdom."

One way to honor these brothers and sisters, he said, is "by carrying forward their legacy." 

"You are called to bear witness to God's saving presence in history for all peoples, even within a society in which false and reductive understandings of the human person increasingly widen the gap between faith and life," he said.

"You are called to testify that the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a sacred place above all else on God's altar and in his heart," he said, and to show how each of the least is "an inviolable sanctuary of God's presence, before whom we must bend our knee, in order to encounter him, adore him and give him glory."

Many religious communities have established "outposts of the Gospel ... in a wide variety of challenging contexts, even in the midst of conflict," he said. "These communities do not abandon their people, nor do they flee" as they seek to uphold the sacredness of human life in its most vulnerable conditions. 

"Consecrated life, in its serene detachment from all that is passing, reveals the inseparable bond between authentic care for earthly realities and a hope filled with love for what is eternal" and gives meaning to everything else, he said.

Through their promise to follow Christ more closely by professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, consecrated men and women "empty" themselves so that Christ, "the one eternal messenger of the covenant who remains present among humanity today, can melt and purify hearts with his love, grace and mercy," Pope Leo said.

Through this self-emptying and life in the Spirit, he said, consecrated men and women "can show the world the way to overcome conflict, sowing fraternity through the freedom of those who love and forgive without measure."

"Dear consecrated men and women, today the Church gives thanks to the Lord and to you for your presence," he said, encouraging them "to be leaven of peace and signs of hope wherever Providence may lead you."

WASHINGTON - “I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He called upon policymakers to pursue diplomatic negotiations, in anticipation of the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on February 5. New START is the last major nuclear arms control pact signed by the United States and Russia.

Archbishop Coakley’s statement follows:  

“The dangers posed by current conflicts around the world, including the devastating war in Ukraine, make the forthcoming expiration of New START simply unacceptable. I call on people of faith and all men and women of good will to ardently pray that we, as an international community, may develop the courage to pursue an authentic, transformative, and lasting peace. In his address to the diplomatic corps this year, Pope Leo XIV specified the importance of renewing the pact, saying that there is a ‘need to follow-up on the New START Treaty,’ and warning that ‘there is a danger of returning to the race of producing ever more sophisticated new weapons, also by means of artificial intelligence.’ More broadly, in his message for the World Day of Peace, the Holy Father cited St. John XXIII’s call for ‘integral disarmament’ that includes adopting a mindset which realizes that ‘true and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust.’

“I call upon policymakers to courageously pursue diplomatic negotiations to maintain New START’s limits, opening pathways toward disarmament. International policy disagreements, as serious as they are, cannot be used as excuses for diplomatic stalemates; on the contrary, they should spur us on to more vehemently pursue effective engagement and dialogue. May the Prince of Peace enlighten our hearts and minds to pursue peace around the world in a spirit of universal fraternity.” 

Archbishop Coakley’s comments echo previous statements by the USCCB calling for progress in nuclear disarmament. For more information on USCCB’s policy positions on nuclear weapons visit: https://www.usccb.org/committees/international-justice-and-peace/nuclear-weapons. 

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With the violence escalating, UNICEF reports that more than 450,000 children are currently at risk of acute malnutrition in South Sudan. The organization's representative in the country appeals for “rapid, unimpeded, and safe access for humanitarian aid and workers to reach highly vulnerable displaced groups.”

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In County Wicklow, Ireland, three young men decided to sidestep the secular Christmas season tradition of visiting 12 pubs and instead visited 12 different churches for Sunday Mass.

As Zambia prepares for the August Presidential and General Elections, the Catholic Bishops have issued a Pastoral Letter advising politicians, the faithful, and all Zambians of goodwill to work towards creating a peaceful and civil electoral environment. Zambian Bishops have pledged that the Church will remain non-partisan, asserting, “Church premises must not be used for political campaigns.”

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The Vatican releases the calendar for Pope Leo XIV’s liturgical celebrations through Easter, which includes his five scheduled visits to parishes in Rome.

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An Italian aid group says that scores of people are unaccounted for after many boats left during a fierce storm.

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