The News You May Have Missed: January-February 2026

Swimmers of the Tiber

Hundreds of Anglican vicars have converted to Catholicism since the early 1990s, a study found, and roughly a third of all Catholic priests ordained in the United Kingdom between 1992 and 2024 were former Anglican clergymen. During that period, some 700 former Anglican laymen were received into the Church (The Telegraph, Nov. 20). The study, carried out by St. Mary’s University in London, identified 16 Anglican bishops and two Continuing Anglican bishops who converted during that time span. There was “unequivocally a surge” in conversions to Catholicism following the General Synod’s 1992 approval of the ordination of women as Anglican vicars, said study co-author Stephen Bullivant. He also cited Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 visit to the U.K., during which the Pontiff beatified John Henry Newman, as another event that spurred Anglican conversions. “However, most of these people have a long and very personal journey,” he said. In another blow, this October the Church of England appointed its first female archbishop of Canterbury, the principal leader of the Anglican Communion.

Big Time in the Big Apple

A growing number of New Yorkers are converting to Catholicism, with some New York City parishes experiencing year-over-year double or even triple the number signing up for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Interest tripled at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, with about 130 people signing up, while at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral numbers doubled to about 100. Many converts cite the September assassination of Charlie Kirk as motivation. In addition to his political activism, Kirk, an evangelical Protestant, often spoke about the importance of faith in God. The news out of New York follows a nationwide trend. During their annual fall assembly, the U.S. bishops discussed the influx in the context of the National Eucharistic Revival. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who spearheaded the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, called it “a time of great grace for the Church in the United States.” His diocese, he said, had its largest OCIA class in 20 years. “Praise God,” he said. “Let’s hope that this trend continues” (Catholic News Agency, Nov. 18).

Away from the Manger

The pre-Christmas theft of a baby Jesus figurine from a nativity scene mystified Belgian authorities. Snatched from the crib on the Grand Place in historic Old Brussels, the figurine is part of a controversial nativity scene in which the faces of the statues lack eyes, noses, and mouths. Artist Victoria-Maria Geyer, a self-professed devout Catholic, crafted the figures out of cloth so that “every Catholic, regardless of their background or origins can identify themselves” in the scene. But Georges-Louis Bouchez, head of the ruling center-right MR party, said Geyers’s cloth Christ “in no way represents the spirit of Christmas.” He compared the figures to “zombie-like” drug addicts found at train stations. Authorities quickly replaced the baby Jesus and promised to keep a closer eye on the manger, though they did not take additional security precautions. In 2024 more than four million people visited the Christmas market in the center of Brussels’s historic old city to sip mulled wine and hot chocolate and shop at 238 vendors of toys, clothes, and ornaments (Associated Press, Dec. 2).