News Briefs

Pope Francis appoints Austin, Texas Bishop Joe Vásquez as archbishop of Galveston-Houston

January 20, 2025 Catholic News Agency 1
Deacon Ronnie Lastovica, right, and Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin celebrate Mass in the Mountain View Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas, which houses the state’s female death row, on Dec. 1, 2023. / Credit: Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition/TDCJ Communications

Vatican City, Jan 20, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In an important move for the Catholic Church in Texas on Monday, Pope Francis named Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez to replace 75-year-old Cardinal Daniel DiNardo as head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

DiNardo, who was made a cardinal in 2007 and who led the U.S. bishops’ conference as president from 2016-2019, turned 75 — the standard retirement age for Catholic bishops — in May of 2024.

The 67-year-old Vásquez is returning to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, where he served as an auxiliary bishop from 2002-2010. The bishop is coming back to the archdiocese almost exactly 15 years after moving 160 miles to the northwest to lead the Diocese of Austin.

The Mexican-American bishop also served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler from November of 2023 to December of 2024, after Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland. 

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston serves 1.7 million Catholics in 146 parishes across 10 counties in southeastern Texas. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S.

According to the archdiocese, the local Church is multicultural, with members coming from every continent. Liturgies are held in 14 different languages.

Vásquez, whose seminary education included five years in Rome studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo in 1984.

He grew up the oldest of six children in the small town of Stamford, in west-central Texas.

Vásquez has served as a consultant to the U.S. bishops’ conference committee on pro-life activities and as lead bishop for Region X for the V National Encounter for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (V Encuentro).

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Pope Francis invokes blessings on U.S. as Trump begins presidency

January 20, 2025 Catholic News Agency 0
Former U.S. President Donald Trump walks on stage to deliver the keynote address at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. / Credit: Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

CNA Newsroom, Jan 20, 2025 / 06:29 am (CNA).

Pope Francis sent a message to Donald Trump on the occasion of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, offering prayers for “wisdom, strength and protection” in the exercise of his duties and invoking blessings upon the “beloved American people”.

In the message, released by the Holy See Press Office on Jan. 20, the pontiff expressed hope that under Trump’s leadership, the American people would “prosper and always strive to build a more just society.”

“Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion,” Francis wrote.

The pope acknowledged the “numerous challenges” facing the human family, including “the scourge of war,” and asked God to guide Trump’s efforts in “promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples.”

The message concluded with the Holy Father invoking “an abundance of divine blessings” upon President Trump, his family, and “the beloved American people.”

One day earlier — on Sunday — Pope Francis criticized potential plans for mass deportations in the United States during a wide-ranging Italian television interview.

“If this is true it is a disgrace because it makes the poor unfortunate who have nothing pay the price of imbalance. This is not how things are solved,” the pope said on Italian broadcaster Nove’s “Che tempo che fa” program on Jan. 19, speaking about plans to deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

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Cardinal Parolin ordains new bishop of Oslo, highlighting Holy Spirit’s guidance

January 18, 2025 Catholic News Agency 2
The newly ordained Bishop Frederik Hansen is presented to the congregation at St. Olav’s Cathedral in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. / Credit: Diocese of Oslo / Katolsk.no / EWTN

Oslo, Norway, Jan 18, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, ordained a Norwegian prelate as the new Bishop of Oslo at St. Olav’s Cathedral on Saturday.

Frederik Hansen, who selected “Lex tua veritas” — Your law is truth — as his episcopal motto, succeeds Bishop Bernt Ivar Eidsvig CRSA in leading the increasingly diverse Catholic community within predominantly Lutheran Norway. The 45-year-old served in the Vatican’s diplomatic service under Parolin until 2022.

‘The first duty of a bishop’

In his sermon on Jan. 18, Parolin thanked Bishop Eidsvig, who had led the diocese for almost 20 years with his “generous service.”

The cardinal emphasized that “unceasing prayer and invocation of the Holy Spirit” constitute “the first duty of a bishop.”

“We cannot fully comprehend the enormity of His transforming power, but we can experience it in some measure if, like the Apostles, we remain open and docile to His action,” Parolin said.

Prelates from across Northern Europe attended the ordination, including bishops from all Nordic countries, Germany, and the United Kingdom. EWTN streamed the ordination in several languages, including German and Polish.

Bishop-designate Frederik Hansen (center) before his episcopal ordination as bishop of Oslo on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Credit: Rudolf Gehrig / EWTN News
Bishop-designate Frederik Hansen (center) before his episcopal ordination as bishop of Oslo on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Credit: Rudolf Gehrig / EWTN News

From diplomat to diocesan leader

Born to Lutheran parents in Drammen, Norway, in 1979, Hansen converted to Catholicism at age 20 and was ordained a priest almost eight years later by then-Bishop Eidsvig.

The prelate’s path to the priesthood led him through studies in Rome and work in the diplomatic service of the Holy See before joining the Sulpician order in 2022.

Pope Francis appointed him as coadjutor and eventual successor to Bishop Eidsvig last year.

In an interview with the National Catholic Register in November, Hansen said: “The international reality of the Catholic Church is mirrored in the Catholic Church in Scandinavia, which is very multicultural and multilingual. Our cathedral parish in Oslo, for example, has Sunday Masses in 11 languages.”

“We are the world Church on a local level,” he explained, referencing the large groups of Polish, Lithuanian, Filipino, Vietnamese, African and Latin American Catholics in the Nordic dioceses. 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin ordains Msgr. Frederik Hansen as bishop of Oslo at St. Olav's Cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Credit: Diocese of Oslo/Katolsk.no/EWTN
Cardinal Pietro Parolin ordains Msgr. Frederik Hansen as bishop of Oslo at St. Olav’s Cathedral on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Credit: Diocese of Oslo/Katolsk.no/EWTN

A multicultural Church

Speaking about the Church in Norway, Parolin emphasized how Catholics from more than 150 countries have enriched the local church community.

“This diversity is both a challenge and a gift from God,” he said, noting how different cultural traditions contribute to creating “a unique and singular Church.”

The cardinal praised the Church in Scandinavia‘s commitment to charitable works and evangelization, particularly highlighting their welcome of refugees and immigrants. He also commended the “fraternal love” demonstrated in ecumenical cooperation with Lutheran Christians.

Before the ordination, Parolin met with Norway’s King Harald V and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

“These were very cordial meetings,” the cardinal told EWTN News, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. Parolin emphasized the importance of strengthening relationships with civil authorities.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks to EWTN News in Oslo, Norway, on Jan. 17, 2025. Fabio Gonella / EWTN News
Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks to EWTN News in Oslo, Norway, on Jan. 17, 2025. Fabio Gonella / EWTN News

Pilgrims of hope

Looking toward the future, Parolin highlighted the significance of the jubilee year 2025, calling it an opportunity for “returning to the heart of Jesus.”

He encouraged the faithful to become “pilgrims of hope,” praying especially for regions affected by conflict, mentioning Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and Sudan.

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