January 4, 2026 // World News

News Briefs: January 4, 2026

OSV NEWS

Two unidentified Jesuit priests concelebrate Mass in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico Dec. 21, 2025, for a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman, whose remains were previously recovered in the area marked by the cross, and also for two women whose remains were found Dec 19. (OSV News photo/courtesy Collin Price)

Pope Releases Message for January 1 World Day of Peace

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The “confrontational” tone dominating both global and national politics is “deepening instability and unpredictability day by day,” Pope Leo XIV wrote in his message for World Peace Day. “It is no coincidence that repeated calls to increase military spending, and the choices that follow, are presented by many government leaders as a justified response to external threats,” he wrote in the message for the January 1 observance. But peace must be protected and cultivated, Pope Leo said. “Even when it is endangered within us and around us, like a small flame threatened by a storm, we must protect it.” Throughout the coming year, Pope Leo will give visiting heads of state signed copies of his message, which was released by the Vatican on December 18, and Vatican ambassadors will distribute it to government leaders in the countries where they serve.

As Holy Doors Close, Cardinals Emphasize God’s Arms Are Always Open

ROME (CNS) – The path to conversion, the door to God’s mercy, and the call to live in Christian hope all continue beyond the Jubilee Year, said the three cardinals who closed the Holy Doors at three major basilicas in Rome. On the feast of the Epiphany, Tuesday, January 6, Pope Leo will solemnly close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, formally concluding the Holy Year 2025, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve 2024. But diocesan and other local celebrations of the Jubilee concluded December 28. Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, presided over the rite of closing the basilica’s Holy Door at dusk on December 25 before celebrating a special Mass. Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar of Rome and archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, did the same there on December 27. And U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, presided over the closing of its Holy Door and the celebration of Mass on December 28. The Holy Doors are bricked up between Jubilee Years, which usually occur every 25 years. Pope Leo has indicated, however, that an extraordinary Holy Year will be celebrated in 2033, to mark the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Nigerian Catholic Church Leaders Give Mixed Reactions to U.S. Airstrikes

JABO, Nigeria (OSV News) – While some Nigerian Catholic leaders welcomed the U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State group militants in the northwest of the country, an outspoken bishop strongly opposed it, with some Church leaders questioning the religious framing behind the action. The U.S. carried out a deadly strike in northwestern Nigeria on December 25, with President Donald Trump stating the attack targeted Islamic State group terrorists who persecuted Christians in that nation. “It’s long overdue,” Auxiliary Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri told OSV News. “It is also good the Nigerian government is open to international assistance in the face of overwhelming insecurity.” The impact of strikes was not immediately known, but U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that more strikes were to come. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto opposed the strikes. “Violence cannot defeat violence,” he said, adding that Christianity has survived oppression through resilience, not force. “Let us heed those solemn words of Jesus to Peter: Put your sword back in its place.”

All Children Kidnapped from Nigeria Catholic School Return Home

KONTAGORA, Nigeria (OSV News) – Catholics in northwestern Nigeria are celebrating just days before Christmas as the last group of students kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri has been freed. Church officials confirmed that the remaining 130 students were released on December 21, ending a monthlong ordeal that began when more than 300 pupils were abducted. The school is owned by the Diocese of Kontagora and run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles. The diocese and the sisters thanked God and the global Catholic community for prayers and solidarity, while also acknowledging support from Nigerian authorities and security services. It remains unclear who carried out the abduction or whether ransom was paid. Government officials welcomed the release, calling it a hopeful close to the year. Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna said the children’s return is the greatest Christmas gift for families and the local Church, in a region increasingly plagued by violence.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: Gaza’s Christians Long to Rebuild Lives

JERUSALEM (OSV News) – At his annual Christmas news conference on December 22,  Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said people in Gaza, after two years of war, are deeply longing to return to ordinary life – even as the situation remains fragile and unresolved. Speaking after a Christmas visit to Gaza’s Holy Family Parish, the cardinal described a small Christian community of about 500 people emerging from “survival mode” and beginning to ask hard questions about the future and whether to stay or leave. Cardinal Pizzaballa reported widespread destruction, shortages of medical supplies, and families living in tents, while schools and hospitals struggle to function. At the same time, small signs of life are returning, with shops reopening and universities attempting to resume classes. He urged attention to rebuilding and unity, reaffirmed the Church’s rejection of violence, and cautiously supported ongoing ceasefire efforts as the only available roadmap forward. Despite the devastation, he said, Christmas reminds Christians that hope enters history even in darkness. “Jesus … didn’t wait for the history to be perfect and the human situation to be favorable. He entered history as it was. This is also a lesson for us,” said Cardinal Pizzaballa.

Pope Thanks Priests, Encourages Them to Share Responsibilities with Laity

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At a time when so much pressure and so many demands are placed on priests, they should find support, freedom, and relief in recognizing the gifts of laypeople and collaborating with them, Pope Leo XIV said. “The ministry of the priest must move beyond the model of exclusive leadership, which leads to the centralization of pastoral activities and the burden of all responsibilities entrusted to him alone,” the pope wrote in an apostolic letter titled “A Fidelity that Generates the Future.” The letter, released on December 22, marked the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s decrees on priestly formation and on the life and ministry of priests. Pope Leo used the letter to express his “gratitude for the witness and dedication of all priests throughout the world who offer their lives in celebrating the sacrifice of Our Lord in the Eucharist, proclaiming the word and absolving sins, as well as devoting themselves generously each day to their brothers and sisters, fostering communion and unity among them, and taking special care of those who suffer most and are in need.”

Ukrainian Bishop Issues
Letter to Americans Amid Trump-Zelenskyy Talks

ODESA, Ukraine (OSV News) – A Catholic bishop in Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa is urging Americans to continue standing for truth and justice amid renewed peace talks between the United States and Ukraine. Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk spoke after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met President Donald Trump to discuss a proposed U.S.-brokered plan to end Russia’s four-year invasion. The bishop said he was pained by what he described as U.S. voices appearing to excuse Russian aggression, but stressed his continued trust in ordinary Americans and gratitude for their long-standing support. He voiced skepticism about negotiations that might reward wrongdoing, insisting that evil must be confronted, not softened. Meanwhile, Russian attacks have left large parts of Odesa without basic services. Ukrainian Church leaders called for prayer, moral clarity, and global solidarity as the war grinds on.