St. Francis de Sales

Feast date: Jan 24

The new law, approved by the Knesset (parliament), “prevents graduates of universities that follow the curriculum of the State of Palestine from teaching in schools in Israel, unless they also possess a specific accreditation from the Israeli authorities,” the Vatican newspaper reported.

Father Ibrahim Faltas, OFM, of the Custody of the Holy Land, said that “all Palestinians from the West Bank who studied at Palestinian universities, such as the one in Bethlehem, which is Christian, or Hebron, will no longer be able to teach in schools in Israel: this is truly very serious.”

The 15 Christian schools in Jerusalem, with 12,000 students, “are the ones that will primarily bear the consequences of this decision,” Father Faltas added. “There are many teachers who come from the West Bank and especially from the Bethlehem area: as many as 235. It would mean closing all these schools because there are no teachers in Jerusalem, they cannot be found.”

L’Osservatore Romano devoted a special section in its January 23 edition to the theme of “Geopolitica Artica” (Arctic Geopolitics).

“In every article, John combined rigor and careful attention to sources with interpretive frameworks, analysis, and context, and he insisted on using quotations “on the record,” always accompanied by full names.” said Tornielli. “Another defining feature of his work was that he never took anything for granted and therefore never wrote only for insiders: he knew how to speak to his audience—not composed solely of Catholics, nor only of believers.”

The chairmen of three committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lent their support to the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, sponsored by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, sponsored by Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN).

“Only by being united can we overcome the evil that has come upon our land today,” said Archbishop Agapit of Vyshgorod. “I want to wish that the Lord, through our prayers and seeing our intentions, will help us Ukrainians to unite first and foremost—to unite around Christ, around God.”

The prelate made his remarks at a January 22 service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service, led by the apostolic nuncio, took place in a Latin-rite church whose stained-glass windows were shattered in a recent Russian attack.

“They will be real pastoral visits,” said Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome. “Pope Leo XIV will meet with participatory bodies, pastoral animators and some youth organizations. The culmination of the visit will be the Eucharistic celebration with the entire parish community.”

Archbishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez, SJ, also called for prayers for peace. The prelate subsequently discussed the violence in the Central American nation in an interview with Vatican News.

Auxiliary Bishop Tomás González made his remarks in an interview with Vatican News following the January 23 audience.

Bishop González also said that synodal meetings in Puerto Rico’s dioceses have “blessed us enormously as we live this process as children of God, all the baptized, faithful and pastors together.”

The Grand Duke subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “social cohesion, the education of young people, and the safeguarding of the dignity of life and of the human person,” as well as international affairs.

The Western European nation of 690,000 (map) is 72% Christian (70% Catholic) and 4% Muslim.