Pope Leo XIV sends a telegram of condolences read out at the funeral of Angelo Gugel, who served three Popes as Papal Chamber Assistant, recalling his “exemplary Christian witness” and generous service to the Vatican.

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Jan 17, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).

An artificial intelligence (AI) marketplace launched by a business professor at The Catholic University of America seeks to offer products and services in a venue consistent with the social teachings of the Catholic Church — it is called Almma AI.

Lucas Wall, who teaches finance at the university and has led several entrepreneurial ventures, began building Almma AI in mid-2023. The marketplace facilitates transactions for AI-related products, allowing people to upload their creations to be purchased or, in some cases, used for no charge.

The types of products that can be offered on the marketplace include Large Language Models (LLMs) — similar to ChatGPT and Grok — along with AI prompts, personas, assistants, agents, and plugins.

Although other marketplaces exist, Wall told EWTN News that Almma AI is designed to ensure the average person can “benefit from this new revolution that is coming” by selling or purchasing products in the marketplace.

“With most technological revolutions and changes, there are only a handful of people who make fortunes,” Wall said.

Almma’s mission statement is “AI profits for all,” and Wall said it is meant to “help people monetize their knowledge.” He said the marketplace can “build bridges across cultures” because people anywhere can access it, and “allows people to make solutions for their neighbors or for their parishes.”

Almma does not exclusively offer Catholic-related products, but it does block the sale of anything that is immoral or could provoke sin, which Wall said was another major contrast with other AI marketplaces.

“I want to be part of the group of people who help innovation meet morality,” he said.

Among the examples of problems within larger AI companies, he noted, are the development of artificial romantic chatbots and the creation of erotica and artificial pornographic images and videos. He also expressed concern about AI consultation in end-of-life care.

“I refuse to believe we don’t have enough imagination as a Catholic community and the courage to build something better,” Wall said.

AI and Catholic social teaching

Wall said the development of Almma AI was “responding to the call of Pope Francis that he very clearly outlined in [the 2025 doctrinal note] Antiqua et Nova” and also took inspiration from Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum.

In Antiqua et Nova, the Vatican holds that the development of AI should spur us to “a renewed appreciation of all that is human.” It teaches that AI should be used to serve the common good, promote human development, and not simply be used for individual or corporate gain.

That note builds on the framework provided in Rerum Novarum, which expressed Catholic social teaching in the wake of the industrial revolution. At the time, Pope Leo XIII emphasized a need to seek the common good and safeguard the dignity of work when many laborers faced poor working conditions.

“Wages ought not to be insufficient to support a frugal and well-behaved wage-earner,” Leo XIII writes. “... If a workman’s wages be sufficient to enable him comfortably to support himself, his wife, and his children, he will find it easy, if he be a sensible man, to practice thrift, and he will not fail, by cutting down expenses, to put by some little savings and thus secure a modest source of income.”

Wall said Almma AI follows those guidelines by “trying to help people earn a decent living and keeping their dignity.” He added: “If you want to monetize a skill, we have the tools for you.”

When the current pontiff Leo XIV chose the name “Leo,” he said he did so to honor Leo XIII, who “addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.” He chose the name, in part, because AI developments pose “new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor,” Leo XIV explained.

Leo XIV has spoken at length about AI. This includes warnings about anti-human ideologies, the threat to human connections and interactions, and concern about the displacement of workers. However, he has also highlighted the potential benefits of AI if used to advance humanity and uphold the dignity of the human person.

Wall welcomed continued guidance from the Vatican, saying the Church has “moral foundations … beyond what anyone in secular society can point at.” He expressed hope that Leo XIV will author a document similar to Rerum Novarum that addresses the changes AI is bringing about to the global economy

“I pray daily for it,” Wall said.

Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, reflects on the Holy See’s diplomatic mission, the role of Apostolic Nunciatures, and the work of Pontifical Representatives in a world marked by conflict and rapid change.

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Pope Leo XIV received Prince Albert II of the principality of Monaco in the Vatican on Saturday morning.

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In an interview with Vatican News, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, discusses the situation in the country after Russian strikes that damaged energy infrastructures.

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As the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy celebrates its 325th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV invites his diplomats to embrace their pastoral vocation to seek paths of reconciliation in light of the Gospel.

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As the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica seals the last Jubilee Holy Door, Msgr. Orazio Pepe, Secretary of the Fabric of St. Peter, explains the solemn rite of sealing and the spiritual legacy of the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

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Jan 16, 2026 / 18:29 pm (CNA).

U.S. bishops and Catholic pro-life organizations will be watching to see if President Donald Trump’s health care plan includes pro-life language.

Trump has faced criticism over the past week from pro-life activists after he urged Republican lawmakers to be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment when negotiating extensions for health care subsidies related to the Affordable Care Act.

Trump’s health plan, outlined in a four-point memo, will be negotiated with Congress over whether to include the strongest possible pro-life protections and prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. The Hyde Amendment, long included in federal spending bills, prevents tax dollars from being used on elective abortions.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has urged Congress to uphold the Hyde Amendment amid the negotiations, saying: “Authentic health care upholds the dignity of all human life, and health care policy must not violate this dignity.”

Health initiatives

The White House published a one-page memo that details some of the president’s priorities for the health care plan, although details have yet to be released. There was no mention of the Hyde Amendment in the 827-word memo.

According to the White House, the plan focuses on four issues: lowering drug prices, lowering insurance premiums, holding big insurance companies accountable, and maximizing price transparency.

“You’re going to get a better deal and better care,” Trump said in a video message. He urged the Republican-controlled Congress to take swift action to draft and pass legislation to achieve these goals.

To lower drug prices, the memo states Congress should allow more medicine to be sold over the counter and codify the administration’s recent deals with drug companies that require them to sell medicine in the United States at rates that are comparable to other developed countries.

According to the memo, the plan would lower health care premiums by providing health care subsidies directly to Americans rather than to insurance companies and support a cost-sharing reduction program to lower the most common Affordable Care Act premiums by more than 10%.

The plan would seek to hold insurance companies accountable by forcing insurance companies to publish rate and coverage comparisons in “plain English” that is easier to comprehend and by requiring them to publish the percentage of their revenues that are paid out in claims compared with overhead costs and advertise the percentage of insurance claims they reject.

According to the White House, the plan would improve transparency by requiring that insurance companies prominently display their pricing and fees to prevent surprise medical bills.

“Instead of putting the needs of big corporations and special interests first, our plan finally puts you first and puts more money in your pocket,” Trump said. “The government is going to pay the money directly to you. It goes to you, and then you take the money and buy your own health care.”

Catholic Health Association reacts

At least one Catholic health group has welcomed some of the priorities included in the plan. The Catholic Health Association of the United States generally aligns with Church teaching but has faced criticism for its stances on issues such as abortion.

Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, which represents numerous Catholic hospitals, said in a statement that the organization welcomes the initiative.

“We welcome the administration’s engagement in the vital work of expanding access to quality, affordable health care,” she said. “Ensuring that individuals and families can obtain the care they need is central to the mission of Catholic health care.”

Haddad asked Congress and the administration to advance a bipartisan deal on the Affordable Care Act subsidies, which narrowly passed in the House with broad support from Democrats and only a little support from Republicans. A key point of contention was the Hyde Amendment, which was not included in the House-passed version and could complicate the Senate negotiations.

“Renewing them would immediately ease financial pressures on households while helping ensure people maintain their health coverage,” Haddad said. “We will continue to work with the administration and with Congress to strengthen health care access for communities across the country.”

Jan 16, 2026 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

The New York Police Department (NYPD) says it will increase officer presence at local churches after several crimes committed at Catholic parishes on Staten Island.

Several Catholic churches on Staten Island have been vandalized or attacked in recent weeks, including a robbery and a violent incident during a morning Mass in which two police officers were injured.

State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton called for increased police presence at churches in the area after the incidents. At a Jan. 15 press conference, local leaders including NYPD Staten Island Borough Commander Melissa Eger said police presence would be heightened at churches across the borough.

Eger said at the press conference that none of the incidents indicated that the Catholic churches had been targeted due to religion, describing the crimes as “acts ... of opportunism and theft" as well as one incident involving a mentally ill person.

“That said, any incident, especially a disruption of service that occurs at any house of worship, generates serious concern from our community and we know that,” the commander said.

Scarcella-Spanton said at the press event that “nobody should feel unsafe where they are praying.”

Addressing the Catholic community, she said: “I just want you to know that we stand with you.”

“We’re going to be making sure that this issue is highlighted, because I think it’s important to bring light to the fact that this has happened now four times,” the state senator said.

Also at the press conference was Father Jacob Thumma, the pastor of both St. Ann’s Church and St. Sylvester’s Church, both of which were the site of recent criminal incidents.

Referring to the incident at St. Ann’s on Jan. 9 where a man violently disrupted morning Mass and injured two responding officers, Thumma said the altercation “highlights an urgent societal concern — the need for enhanced services and compassionate care for those suffering from mental illness.“

“We must continue to invest in mental health resources that support families [and] provide timely interventions before crises occur,” the priest said.

He further called on the public “to join us in prayer for the individual involved in this incident, that he may receive the healing he needs, [as well as for] for the injured police officers and their families.”

Jan 16, 2026 / 17:10 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Dutch conservative activist and Catholic convert barred from entering UK

Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a 28-year-old Dutch lawyer, activist, and Catholic convert, announced on X that her Electronic Travel Authorization was revoked as of Jan. 13 and she may not enter the U.K. The U.K. government said her “presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good” and that she may not appeal it. The notice came just days after she accused Britian’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer of allowing “the ongoing rape and killing of British girls by migrant rape gangs” and criticized Starmer for threatening to block X in the name of “safety.”

Vlaardingerbroek was received into the Catholic Church, along with her father, in April 2023 in London by Father Benedict Kiely, a priest in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. 

Sydney Archdiocese wades into ‘globalize the intifada’ debate 

The Archdiocese of Sydney has waded into the debate surrounding an inquiry by the New South Wales government into a law banning phrases such as “globalize the intifada” in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack in December 2025.

The archdiocese pushed back against the prospect of hate speech laws, according to a Catholic Weekly report on Tuesday, writing in a submission regarding the inquiry: “Our first response to bad speech should be better speech … Engaging in respectful civil discourse should be possible without the threat of arrest and prosecution.”

The submission continued: “The better way to protect against hateful rhetoric is to educate people in civil discourse and positive human behavior.”

Maronite warning over land purchases in Lebanon

Lebanon’s Maronite League has issued a sharp warning over what it describes as an organized effort to purchase land in several key districts, including Baabda, Jezzine, Zahle, and the coastal Chouf, according to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News.

In a statement from Beirut, the league stressed that land in Lebanon is not merely a commercial asset but a core element of historical and cultural identity, particularly for the country’s Christian presence. The council cautioned that unregulated or distress-driven land sales could undermine Lebanon’s delicate demographic balance and erode long-standing communal roots. It called for clear legal safeguards to prevent indiscriminate transactions. 

The league urged Christian youth to engage with state institutions despite long-standing governance challenges, reaffirmed its support for President  Joseph Aoun, and reiterated its position that all weapons must remain exclusively in the hands of the state to preserve sovereignty and stability.

Bishop Chami calls for prayer and fasting amid regional turmoil

Against the backdrop of escalating instability across the Middle East, Bishop Jean-Marie Chami, Melkite Catholic patriarchal vicar for Egypt, Sudan, and South Sudan, has issued a spiritual appeal for peace. Addressing both believers and people of goodwill, he called for fasting, prayer, and extended periods of Eucharistic adoration, ACI MENA reported.

Acknowledging widespread feelings of helplessness in the face of violence and uncertainty, the bishop emphasized that faith remains a powerful response when human solutions falter. He encouraged a 40-day spiritual commitment as a preparation for Lent, offered specifically for unity among peoples and healing for a wounded humanity.

Christian schools in Jerusalem suspend classes amid permit crisis

Christian educational institutions in Jerusalem have suspended classes in an unprecedented move highlighting mounting pressure on faith-based schooling in the city, ACI MENA reported.

Fourteen schools affiliated with the Christian Educational Institutions Secretariat, along with several independent schools, halted operations after Israeli authorities restricted teacher access permits. School leaders warn that the measures threaten their ability to continue a centuries-old educational mission that has served students of all backgrounds. According to the schools, more than 170 teachers and staff have been affected, preventing the start of the second academic term. Church officials stress that these schools are not only academic centers but also vital pillars of Jerusalem’s cultural and social fabric, and caution that continued restrictions risk undermining the city’s pluralistic character.

Ethiopian Catholic eparchy celebrates 10th anniversary 

The Eparchy of Bahir Dar-Dessie, the youngest ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the Ethiopian Catholic Church, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

Despite ongoing instability in the region, Eparch Lisane-Christos described the milestone, which comes along with the construction of the eparchy’s first cathedral, as “a sign of a new era of grace,” according to a report from Fides News Agency. “While the foundation stone will be laid during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Eparchy of Bahir Dar-Dessie, the construction of the cathedral is a long-term project that will require ongoing support after the festivities end,” he said. 

Backlash ensues over Egypt holiday policy that excludes Catholics, Protestants

The Egyptian minister of labor is facing backlash after announcing his decision to grant five paid holidays to Orthodox Christians in Egypt but only three to Catholics and Protestants in the country.

“The Catholic Church in Egypt follows with great concern the recent government decision regarding holidays for Christian citizens,” said Bishop Ibrahim Ishaq, patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church, according to a  Manassa News report.

The bishop further emphasized his “deep regret at the lack of full equality among Christian denominations, especially regarding the celebrations of the Catholic Church’s children.” The bishop noted he is in talks with the Egyptian government to change the policy to include Catholics and Protestants. 

Church in Sri Lanka ‘making significant contribution to rekindling hope’ after cyclone

The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is providing hope for people affected by Cyclone Ditwah and flooding that swept through the country late last year, Fides News Agency reported.

“The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is making a significant contribution to rekindling hope,” said Father Basil Rohan Fernando, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Colombo, in the report.

“The Catholic community in Sri Lanka has become involved and is committed to a single goal: to instill new hope,” he continued. “We have assumed a special responsibility; namely, to keep hope alive. This is being done by supporting many people with material, financial, but also spiritual, psychological, and social assistance, as was the case during the Christmas season and continues to be the case today.”