Clergy had argued they “have lost their own religious freedom, by blanket denial of any opportunity to provide spiritual consolation.”

The Archdiocese of Liverpool says it’s ditching X, kidnappings continue in Nigeria, and World Youth Day preparations are in full swing. All this and more in this week’s world news roundup.

Multiple U.S. bishops have criticized the school’s decision and urged it to rescind the appointment.

Pope Leo XIV publishes a chirograph abolishing the Pontifical Committee for the World Children’s Day, established by Pope Francis in 2024.

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About 600 participants from 10 pastoral centers come together in Siem Reap, Cambodia for the first pastoral gathering of clergy, religious, and lay leaders for “communion, mission and shared service”.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican released Pope Leo XIV's message for Lent, which begins Feb. 18 on Ash Wednesday.

Titled, "Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion," the papal message asked Catholics to come together as a community to listen to the word of God and to the vulnerable.

The pope also invited the faithful to engage in a "very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor."

Instead, he asked, "let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace."

Lent is a time to "place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life," the pope wrote. 

The pope's full message can be found in English and in Spanish. 

 

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore releases a pastoral letter inviting Americans to thank God for their nation while working for political renewal.

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A United Nations aid worker has been killed in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli military.

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Pope Leo XIV appoints Sister Nina Benedikta Krapić, MVZ, an official of the Dicastery for Communication, as Deputy Director of the Holy See Press Office, taking the place of Cristiane Murray, who has stepped down from the position she has held since July 2019.

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In a meeting with Italian law enforcement officers, Pope Leo XIV stresses the importance of performing duties with an “upright conscience”.

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