Catholic News

  • Ukraine's Zelenskyy again meets with Pontiff (Vatican News)
    Pope Leo XIV met on December 9 with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss prospects for a peace accord in Ukraine. During the meeting, which took place at Castel Gandolfo, the Pope “expressed his urgent desire that the current diplomatic initiatives bring about a just and lasting peace,” the Vatican reported. This was the third meeting between Zelenskyy and Pope Leo, and the second to take place at the papal summer residence, devoted to the same search for peace.
  • Renew Mary's 'yes,' Pope tells pilgrims (Dicastery for Communication)
    On December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo XIV asked pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to renew Mary’s “yes” to God. “Dear friends, how great is the gift of the Immaculate Conception, but so also is the gift of Baptism that we have received,” Pope Leo said during his Angelus address. “The ‘yes’ of the Mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed faithfully each day, with gratitude, humility and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service.” “In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed and loved everywhere and salvation can come to everyone,” the Pope added.
  • Pope Leo: Let us arise and walk in Christ's light (Dicastery for Communication)
    Reflecting on the Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Pope Leo XIV said, “Let us prepare ourselves for his Kingdom, let us welcome it. The little child, Jesus of Nazareth, will lead us!” “He who placed himself in our hands, from the night of his birth to the dark hour of his death on the cross, shines upon our history as the rising Sun,” he continued, as he addressed pilgrims during his December 7 Angelus address. “A new day has begun: let us arise and walk in his light!” At the conclusion of his address, the Pope recalled his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon and prayed for the people of South Asia and Southeast Asia, “who have been severely tried by recent natural disasters.”
  • 100 abducted Nigerian children freed (Aid to the Church in Need)
    One hundred of the 315 students and teachers abducted from a Catholic school in Nigeria last month have been freed, Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora told Aid to the Church in Need. Earlier, 50 of the kidnapped victims had escaped.
  • The Church 'consistently affirms the vocation of scientific inquiry,' Pontiff tells cardiologists (Dicastery for Communication)
    Pope Leo XIV received cardiologists associated with the Paris Course on Revascularization and told them that “the Church consistently affirms the vocation of scientific inquiry, which opens the human person to truth and to a deeper service of the common good.” “You embody this spirit whenever you seek to heal the heart, both physically and metaphorically, bringing relief to those who suffer and bringing hope to their families,” Pope Leo continued. “Indeed, the ‘service of life’ is foundational to every authentic medical act, for it reflects the tenderness with which Christ himself drew near to the sick and the vulnerable.”
  • Irish teacher faces Christmas in prison in dispute over gender ideology (RTE)
    An Irish schoolteacher who was dismissed for refusing to accept gender ideology has been warned that he faces a Christmas in prison for contempt of court. Enoch Burke was fired in 2022 from Wilson’s Hospital School, after he refused to use a student’s “preferred pronouns.” When he insisted on reporting for work despite his dismissal, the school obtained a court order barring him from the school grounds. He has repeatedly defied that order and been charged with contempt. At Burke’s latest court hearing, Justice Brian Cregan accused Burke of a “deliberate, sustained, and concerted attack” on the rule of law, and called the dismissed teacher a “baleful and malign presence” at the school. He said that Burke would be held in jail until he purges himself of contempt of court, by promising not to appear on the school’s grounds.
  • USCCB committee chairman reacts to President Trump's comments on Somalis (USCCB)
    Reacting to “recent statements regarding the Somali community in the United States,” the chairman of the US bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation said that “each child of God has value and dignity,” and that “language that denigrates a person or community based on his or her ethnicity or country of origin is incompatible with this truth.” “I call on all—public officials, community leaders and individuals—to refrain from denigrating and dehumanizing language,” said Bishop Daniel Garcia of Austin, whose statement followed comments on Somalis by President Donald Trump.
  • Israeli settlers again attack Palestinian Christian village (Vatican News)
    Setting cars on fire and vandalizing property, Israeli settlers have again attacked the predominantly Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank. The attack on the night of December 4-5 followed similar attacks in July and November. “Taybeh is the last Christian village in the area, and we need global cooperation to help it survive,” said Father Bashar Fawadleh, pastor of the town’s Latin-rite parish.
  • Pope tells new envoys: Church diplomacy strives for peace (Crux)
    In a December 6 meeting with new ambassadors from several different countries, Pope Leo XIV vowed: “The Holy See will not be a silent bystander to the grave disparities, injustices and fundamental human rights violations in our human and global community, which is increasingly more fractured and conflict-prone.” Vatican diplomacy, the Pope said, is “shaped by the values of the Gospel,” and guided primarily by the pursuit of peace, which is “built in the heart and from the heart.” The Pontiff was speaking with newly accredited ambassadors to the Holy See from Bahrain, Fiji, Finland, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Micronesia, Moldova, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Uzbekistan.
  • Italian bishops publish 34-page document on peace (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana)
    The Italian Episcopal Conference has published “Educare a una pace disarmata e disarmante” [Educating for a disarmed and disarming peace], a 34-page pastoral note on peace. The conference’s president, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, said that the document invites us to rediscover the centrality of Christ “our peace” in every proclamation and commitment to promote reconciliation and harmony, and is part of the Social Doctrine of the Church, with a careful analysis of the current situation marked by numerous conflicts; by the “useless slaughter” of people, mostly civilians and children; by a mentality that pursues the strategy of arms deterrence, which can change the economy and culture of our countries; from widespread violence that risks becoming a culture that fascinates especially the youngest.
  • Archbishop Gänswein: 'never understood' restrictions on traditional liturgy (Rorate Caeli)
    In a German television interview, Archbishop Georg Gänswein said that it “remains a mystery to me” why Pope Francis imposed restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. “Have we not seen, especially in the English-speaking world, the difficulties that arose from this?” asked the former secretary to Pope Benedict XVI. He said that even in the letter from Pope Francis accompanying the release of Traditionis Custodes, “It is impossible to discern what purpose his restrictions serve.” “I have never understood why Pope Francis introduced this restriction,” said Archbishop Gänswein, who now serves as papal nuncio in Lithuania.
  • New York archdiocese building fund to pay abuse claims (New York Times)
    The Archdiocese of New York is raising a $300-million fund to settle the claims of abuse victims, and agreed to mediation by a retired judge to help reach agreement on over 1,000 claims. The archdiocese hopes the $300-million figure will cover the remaining claims. A lawyer for plaintiffs notes that no agreement has yet been reached.
  • Court approves settlement between New Orleans archdiocese, abuse victims (Washington Times)
    A federal bankruptcy-court judge has approved an agreement under which the Archdiocese of New Orleans will pay $230 million to sex-abuse victims. Welcoming the court approval, which should allow the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy after a contentious 5-year process, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said that he hoped the victims would “find some closure” in the accord. In September, Pope Leo XIV named Bishop Jame Checchio, currently head of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, as coadjutor for New Orleans, to replace Archbishop Aymond when he retires. At 76, Archbishop Aymond is already beyond retirement age.
  • Boston pastor refuses to remove anti-ICE sign from Nativity display (WCVB)
    A pastor in the Boston archdiocese has declined to remove an sign protesting Trump immigration policy from a Nativity display, despite a rebuke from the archdiocese. The figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are no longer visible in the Nativity display outside St. Susannah’s church in Dedham, Massachusetts; instead passersby see a sign: “ICE was here”—a reference to immigration-enforcement agents. Father Stephen Josoma said that the display was intended to provoke reactions, like any work of art. The Boston archdiocese has issued a statement decrying the “divisive political messaging” in the Nativity display. The statement read: “The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.” But the parish has not followed that directive. Father Josoma said that he is “waiting for an opportunity to dialogue and clarify” with Boston’s Archbishop Richard Henning before taking any action.
  • European bishops' conference questions court decision on same-sex marriage (COMECE)
    The bishops’ conference of the European Union nations has issued a statement questioning a European court decision that requires member-nations to recognize same-sex marriages. The Commission of the Episcopates of the European Union (COMECE) said that the decision—which requires EU countries to recognize marriages contracted in other EU countries, even if their own laws do not allow such recognition for same-sex unions—undermines the right of member-states to set their own marriage laws. COMECE noted that the court decision has an “impact upon questions that are at the core of national competence.” The statement from the bishops’ commission observed with concern that this decision could “give rise to anti-European sentiments in Member States.”
  • President Trump issues message for feast of Immaculate Conception (White House)
    President Donald Trump issued a message yesterday for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. “Today, I recognize every American celebrating December 8 as a Holy Day honoring the faith, humility, and love of Mary, mother of Jesus and one of the greatest figures in the Bible,” the message began. “On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Catholics celebrate what they believe to be Mary’s freedom from original sin as the mother of God.” “Today, we look to Mary once again for inspiration and encouragement as we pray for an end to war and for a new and lasting era of peace, prosperity, and harmony in Europe and throughout the world,” the president added.
  • Cardinal McElroy says cancer surgery successful (National Catholic Reporter)
    Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, DC, who was hospitalized in November for cancer surgery, has announced that the procedure was successful and he is now “cancer free” and expects no need for further medical treatment.
  • Croatian prime minister, Leo XIV discuss Ukraine war (@AndrejPlenkovic)
    Pope Leo XIV received Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia on December 5. “We discussed global challenges that require our firm commitment to peace, democratic values, solidarity, and respect for international law,” Prime Minister Plenković said. “We emphasized the urgency of bringing the war in Ukraine to an end and achieving a just peace, and we expressed our support for stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.” After the papal audience, the prime minister met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Msgr. Mihăiță Blaj, the recently appointed Undersecretary for Relations with States. The parties discussed Church-state relations, regional cooperation in the Balkans, and the war in Ukraine, according to a Vatican statement. Croatia, a Southeast European nation of 4.2 million (map), is 94% Christian (87% Catholic) and 2% Muslim.
  • Papal preacher reflects on the Parousia of the Lord (Vatican News (full text))
    The Preacher of the Papal Household preached his first weekly Advent sermon in Paul VI Audience Hall on December 5, in the presence of Pope Leo, the Roman Curia, and staff of the Vatican City State and the Vicariate of Rome. The title of Father Roberto Pasolini’s sermon was entitled “The Parousia of the Lord: An expectation without hesitation.” The sermon had three sections, devoted to recognizing grace, eliminating evil, and dedicating oneself to salvation. The overall theme of the Capuchin Franciscan’s series of sermons is “Awaiting and hastening the coming of the day of God: Jubilee hope between waiting for the Lord and the universality of salvation.”
  • Vatican commission says No to female deacons (Vatican News)
    A top-level Vatican commission ordered by Pope Francis to study the possibility of ordaining female deacons has issued a report that “excludes the possibility” of diaconal ordination for women. But the commission cautions that its conclusion “is not a definitive judgment” on the idea of a female diaconate. The commission, chaired by Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, concluded that Catholic doctrine bars women from priestly ministry, and “if the admission of women to the first degree of Holy Orders were approved, exclusion from the others would become inexplicable.” The group called for the development of new ministries which “could contribute to synergy between men and women.” The commission—one of three studies of the female diaconate formed by Pope Francis—acknowledged that at times in Church history women have been identified as deacons. But in those cases, the commission concluded after study of the history that these female “deacons” served in charitable work rather than priestly ministry: a distinction that is crucial to the theology of Holy Orders. The commission’s report—which was presented to Pope Leo in September, but made public on December 4—quotes an earlier study’s conclude: “The status quaestionis of historical research and theological investigation, as well as their mutual implications, rules out the possibility of moving in the direction of admitting women to the diaconate understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders.”
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