St. Maria Goretti Parish

WASHINGTON – Following the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, along with the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), issued a joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope. Calling for a renewed commitment to integral development and mutual solidarity between the peoples of the U.S. and Africa, their statemen offers guiding themes for strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and African countries, rooted in Catholic social teaching.

The bishops write: “The faithful of the U.S. and Africa are gifts to one another. Together, we call for robust lifesaving and life-affirming U.S. assistance to the continent, grounded in thoughtful partnership, and pray for the flourishing of an ever-deeper fraternity.”

The joint statement, Brothers and Sisters in Hope, may be read in full in English, French, and Portuguese.

In conjunction with the release of the statement, bishops representing the two committees will celebrate a Mass for Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa on February 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Information on the Mass can be found on the USCCB website.

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Israel reopens Gaza’s Rafah Crossing to Egypt, but restrictions remain. The full reopening of the Rafah crossing was part of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect in mid-October on condition that all living and deceased Hamas-held hostages were returned to Israel.

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Pope Leo XIV receives the President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the Vatican on Monday morning.

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Throughout the United States, the Catholic Church is using restorative approaches to transform historical injustices, respond to crime and incarceration in communities, and as a practical tool to heal wounds of division at the local and diocesan level, according to the Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network.

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Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nunico to Syriapapal representative in Damascus since 2008, whose mandate was extended by Francis—who created him cardinal in 2016—submitted his resignation Monday upon reaching the age limit. Over these nearly seventeen years, he has carried out intense diplomatic and humanitarian activity in the Middle Eastern country, becoming a steady point of reference for a population suffering from war, poverty, terrorism, sanctions, crises, and earthquakes.

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Presiding over Mass in Bratislava on the 25th anniversary of the Fundamental Treaty between the Holy See and Slovakia, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, insists that paths leading to peace must always be kept open.

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In a message to a commemoration one month after the deadly Crans-Montana fire, Pope Leo XIV reassures victims and their loved ones that nothing is over in Christ and that a better day will come, in which they will feel joy and experience their loved ones' closeness again.

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As the Holy See and Malta mark 60 years of diplomatic relations, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin celebrates Mass in Valletta, praising the relationship as “communion already lived” in dialogue and encounter.

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WASHINGTON – This week, the U.S. Department of State officially published three rules, significantly expanding the “Mexico City Policy,” which historically limited certain federal funds from going to foreign non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortion abroad. The State Department is referring to these three rules collectively as the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) Policy. Three bishop-chairmen of committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) responded:

“God entrusts us with a responsibility to share our blessings to help preserve the lives and dignity of our brothers and sisters in need. We support robust funding for authentic lifesaving and life-affirming foreign assistance and applaud new policies that prevent taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that engage in ideological colonization and promote abortion or gender ideology overseas. We also call for the implementation of any related policies to be carried out in a manner that recognizes the inherent dignity of every human person and does not harm those who are racially or ethnically marginalized.”

The bishop-chairmen were Bishop Edward J. Burns of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Committee on International Justice and Peace. Earlier in the week, Bishop Thomas had also offered a statement, in part, addressing the rule related to the performance and promotion of abortion.

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ROME (CNS) -- Thanks to a 17th-century Italian priest, skis made their way from their origin in Scandinavia to Central Europe.

Father Francesco Negri, born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1623, was a natural history and geography buff and longed to discover the secrets of the North. 

According to an article first published by the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire in 2006, Father Negri is thought to be the first tourist to travel to Norway's North Cape and the first Central European to don a pair of skis and spread this sleek, winter transport technology to Italy, host country to the Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina Feb. 6-22.

During the Italian priest's 1663-66 voyage to the snow-covered lands of Sweden and Norway, he met with and wrote extensively about the Scandinavian peoples, according to the article.

In his book, "Viaggio Settentrionale," he marveled at how the native hunters darted toward their reindeer prey using "two thin boards no wider than the foot, but 8 to 9 palms long, with the tip turned up a bit so as not to dig in the snow."

He also made drawings and described how the skier used sticks that had a round piece of wood driven into one end, so the poles would not perforate the snow.

Not the passive observer, Father Negri also strapped the unfamiliar "skie" to his feet and experimented. 

He noted that it was important to keep the skis straight and parallel. Possibly speaking from personal experience, he warned the user would fall if the skis spread too far apart or if the front tips or back ends crossed.

In his book, published posthumously in 1700, the Italian priest offered some other helpful hints for successful skiing.

It helps "to eat and drink abundantly," he wrote. He said it was best to fuel up on generous portions of distilled liquor, or "aquavit," early in the morning in order to burn through the deep, cold drifts.

Over the years, the pastime grew in popularity, becoming a more common hobby in middle-class society. Among the many Central Europeans who became avid skiers was St. John Paul II. Born in Poland in 1920, he loved the outdoors and would still go swimming, skiing and mountain climbing while he was bishop and cardinal of Krakow, Poland. 

He did not let becoming pope in 1978 and moving to the Vatican stop him from his love for sport. St. John Paul regularly left the Vatican unannounced and, in his early years, he would spend an afternoon skiing or hiking.

According to Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the late pope's private secretary, St. John Paul made more than 100 secret trips to ski or hike in the Italian mountains, particularly the Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo.

Another well-known saint-skier is St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, whom St. John Paul beatified in 1990, and Pope Leo XIV canonized Sept. 7, 2025. 

Born in Turin, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006, St. Frassati loved the outdoors and was an avid mountain climber. An iconic image of the young man shows him on a mountain summit with a hiking stick and smoking a pipe, illustrating the motto he was best known for, "Verso l'alto" ("To the heights").