Ahead of the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, Pope Leo XIV has condemned the scourge of modern slavery, which has taken even more disturbing forms in our online societies.

The head of the Society of St. Pius X will meet with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Feb. 12 after the traditionalist group announced plans to consecrate bishops without papal approval, raising fears of a renewed schism.

More U.S. Catholic bishops have released messages of concern as tensions continue to soar amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with clashes between protestors and enforcement agents flaring into deadly violence in cities such as Minneapolis, and former detainees revealing inhumane conditions in migrant detention centers.

Just as the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina were about to begin, Pope Leo XIV called on the Catholic Church to recognize sport as an opportunity to offer much-needed human and spiritual guidance.

The 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games opening Feb. 6 are not merely a display of athletic prowess, but an opportunity to rediscover sports as a means of fostering peace in a fractured world, said an official of the Archdiocese of Milan.