In wake of Omicron, Catholic colleges go online (CNS) In response to the current spike in COVID-19 cases across the United States due to the omicron variant, many colleges and universities have changed plans for the spring semester — making much of January, or even just a few weeks of it, a back-to-virtual learning experience. Some Catholic colleges and universities are among those shifting plans for the academic year that begins after a winter break…

Pope on Epiphany: Like the magi, may we dream, seek, adore (Vatican News) On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Francis calls on us to lift our eyes up to heaven, like the Magi, to listen to the desire lodged in our hearts, and follow the star that God makes shine above us…

Philippines cancels Black Nazarene festivities (CNS) Philippine authorities have canceled the famous Black Nazarene festivities, usually attended by millions of devotees, due to a surge in coronavirus cases, reported ucanews.com…

Pope: society loses when “dogs and cats take the place of children” (CNA) Pope Francis said on Wednesday that it is a civilizational loss when dogs and cats replace children in society, encouraging couples to “take the risk” to become parents. “The other day, I was talking about the demographic winter that we have today … many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one — but they have two dogs, two cats,” Pope Francis said at his general audience on Jan. 5…

Surge in evangelicals in Spain (AP) The steady growth of the Protestant population coincides with a steady drop in the number of churchgoing Catholics. According to the Sociological Research Center, a public institute, 62% of Spaniards define themselves as Catholics, down from 85% in 2000 and 98% in 1975. Only about a third of those Catholics say they’re actively practicing the faith. It’s a striking development in a country where Catholicism, for centuries, was identified with near-absolute power — from the long, often brutal era of the Spanish Inquisition to the 36-year dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, who called his regime National-Catholic, in the 20th century…

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