Pope Francis will meet with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden at the Vatican Jan. 10 to discuss efforts to promote peace worldwide, the White House’s press secretary said.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the nation’s patronal church, has been named a special place of pilgrimage for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025, the theme for which is “Pilgrims of Hope.”

A historic year in American politics saw former President Donald Trump elected to a second term in the Oval Office four years after he lost his run for a consecutive term. Trump’s second election to the White House concluded a tumultuous campaign season that included two assassination attempts against him, his original Democratic rival President Joe Biden stepping down in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee, and his own continued claims, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Police in Madison, Wisconsin, said they are investigating a mass shooting at that city’s Abundant Life Christian School Dec. 16 that left at least two killed and six injured, authorities said. The gunman is also dead, they said.

State laws of interest to Catholics spanned policy areas from abortion to IVF to immigration in 2024. An expected ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025 could have an impact on state laws across the country banning certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.

The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump plans to rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals, according to a report by NBC News.