A young woman becomes emotional at a makeshift memorial in Minneapolis Jan. 25, 2026, at the site where a man was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him Jan. 24. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, along with other Church leaders, have called for peace amid growing tensions. (OSV News photo/Tim Evans, Reuters) 3 U.S. Bishops Applaud House for Supporting Pregnant Women WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Three U.S. bishops who chair committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are applauding two pieces of legislation designed to support pregnant women through an array of resources, including continued access to higher education. “We were grateful to see the U.S. House of Representatives pass the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act and the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act,” said Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, in a January 23 joint statement. The three prelates respectively chair the USCCB’s committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Catholic Education, and Pro-Life Activities. The Pregnant Students’ Rights Act would require colleges and universities that participate in federal student aid programs to provide both prospective and current students with information on rights and resources for carrying a baby to term while enrolled. The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act would allow states to use low-income support funds for pregnancy centers that support protecting the life of the mother and her unborn child, and that offer services such as pregnancy testing, prenatal and pregnancy education, counseling, diapers, baby clothes, and other material resources. To Know God, We Must Welcome Jesus’ Humanity, Pope Says VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV said that God is revealed through Jesus’ humanity, not solely through a “channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” It is through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that one can come to know God. Pope Leo continued his series of talks during his weekly general audience on Wednesday, January 21, revisiting Vatican Council II with a speech on Dei Verbum, the Church’s teaching on divine revelation. By knowing Jesus, the pope said we can enter into a relationship with God as His adopted children, which was revealed through Jesus’ humanity. “In order to know God in Christ, we must welcome His integral humanity: God’s truth is not fully revealed where it takes something away from the human, just as the integrity of Jesus’ humanity does not diminish the fullness of the divine gift,” he said. “It is the integral humanity of Jesus that tells us the truth of the Father.” He went on further to say that in becoming man, Jesus “is born, heals, teaches, suffers, dies, rises again, and remains among us. Therefore, to honor the greatness of the Incarnation, it is not enough to consider Jesus as the channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” God communicates with us, the pope said, and at the same time, Jesus is the Word of God incarnate. Through this corporal form, the truth of God is revealed. Pope Evaluating Trump’s Invitation to Join Board of Peace ROME (OSV News) – Vatican officials are weighing whether Pope Leo XIV should accept an invitation from the U.S. President Donald Trump to join his newly announced Board of Peace, a body meant to oversee governance and reconstruction in Gaza. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed on Wednesday, January 21, that the Holy See received the invitation and is reviewing it carefully. Speaking to journalists in Rome, Parolin said the decision “requires some time” and stressed that any Vatican involvement would not include financial contributions. The board, unveiled by the White House on January 16, is part of Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” and would oversee the plan’s second phase. Membership would typically last three years, though media reports say some countries have been offered permanent seats in exchange for major financial commitments. Norway and France have already declined to participate. Cardinal Parolin noted that the Holy See’s unique status calls for special consideration and reiterated the Vatican’s call to respect international law and reduce growing tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Russia Aims to ‘Freeze’ Ukrainians, Prelate Says KYIV, Ukraine (OSV News) – Russia’s latest missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities deliberately targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure and show clear signs of crimes against humanity, according to Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Speaking as Ukraine entered the 206th week of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Major Archbishop Shevchuk said attacks have intensified along the entire front line, with Kyiv emerging as a major epicenter. He noted that 12 missiles struck the capital in a single assault, a scale not seen for months. Major Archbishop Shevchuk said the goal is to destroy Ukraine’s energy system and freeze the population during winter, warning that power outages quickly turn apartment buildings into deadly “cold traps.” Despite the hardship, he praised civilians for their resilience and faith, saying attacks have only strengthened national unity. New Partnership Aims to Support Church’s Ministry to Migrants, Refugees WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – On Wednesday, January 21, a group including Catholic organizations announced a new partnership – The Catholic Immigrant Prophetic Action Project – that aims to assist the Catholic Church in the United States in organizing a robust response on behalf of migrants and refugees in the country, including those with legal status who are affected by mass deportation efforts. The project – a partnership between the Hope Border Institute, a group that works to apply the perspective of Catholic social teaching in policy and practice to the U.S.-Mexico border region and the Center for Migration Studies – aims to assist the U.S. Catholic Church in offering a robust response on behalf of migrants and refugees through research, communications, and other support. The project will directly support dioceses and archdioceses to strengthen the Church’s response to mass deportations, organizers said. On a call announcing the partnership, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration, pointed to the “special pastoral message on immigration,” issued by the bishops at their annual fall plenary. He said it “showed the unity of the bishops on the dignity, God-given, of every human person, and our almost unanimous desire to take that public.” White House Ends Federally Funded Research with Fetal Tissue from Elective Abortions WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – The Trump administration on Thursday, January 22, announced a policy ending the use of fetal tissue from elective abortions in federally funded research. The National Institutes of Health announced that “funds will no longer be used to support research involving human fetal tissue from elective abortions. The policy applies across the NIH Intramural Research Program and all NIH-supported extramural research, including grants, cooperative agreements, other transaction awards, and research and development contracts.” “NIH is pushing American biomedical science into the 21st century,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. He said the decision is “about advancing science by investing in breakthrough technologies more capable of modeling human health and disease” and added that “under President Trump’s leadership, taxpayer-funded research must reflect the best science of today and the values of the American people.” The post News Briefs: February 1, 2026 appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less