We Are Catholic

As global conflict reaches levels unseen since the Second World War, Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Peace challenges a war-centred understanding of security. Neil Thorns, CAFOD’s Director of Advocacy, reflects on why redefining “realism” is now essential. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/world-day-of-peace-message-interview-cafod-neil-thorns-pope-leo.html

On the third anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s death, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, celebrates Mass in the Vatican Grottoes and recalls the German Pope’s desire for Christians to seek the face of God throughout our earthly lives. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/cardinal-kurt-koch-pope-benedict-xvi-third-anniversary-death.html

At the final General Audience of 2025, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to give thanks for the past, seek forgiveness, and entrust the journey ahead to God’s mercy. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-general-audience-31-december-2025.html

Data released by the Prefecture of the Papal Household shows that over 250,000 people attended papal audiences and liturgical celebrations in the Vatican in the period to April. Following the election of Pope Leo XIV in early May, nearly three million faithful took part in Masses and ceremonies. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/vatican-audiences-services-2025.html

The Jubilee Year for the particular Churches concluded worldwide on Sunday, 28 December 2025. In Guinea, however, the Church anticipated this conclusion by one day due to the national electoral calendar. Between spiritual fervour, homage to the pioneers of faith in the country, and a call to civic responsibility, Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly alluded to a church continuing its mission for the next 25 years and beyond. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/africa/news/2025-12/guinea-closes-2025-jubilee-year-with-an-appeal-to-citizens-emb.html

As the ongoing mental health crisis presents a significant pastoral challenge for the Church, US Bishop John Dolan of Phoenix calls for true support for people, rather than oversimplifications or quick solutions. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-12/bishop-dolan-faith-and-science-together-in-caring-for-mental-he.html

The leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces has rejected the possibility of reaching a political solution to end the brutal civil his army is waging against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/sudan-army-rsf-civil-war-humanitarian-emergency-funding-collapse.html

Pope Leo XIV encourages pilgrims from a parish in Spain to follow the witness of their namesake, St. Thomas of Villanova, in his love for the poor, profound interior life, tireless work, and apostolic zeal. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-spanish-pilgrims-follow-jesus-through-example-of-saints.html

The Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, USA, grants a dispensation to members of the faithful "who reasonably fear being detained" due to increased immigration enforcement activities in the area. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-12/bishop-grants-dispensation-from-mass-for-faithful-fearing-immigr.html

During the Angelus on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Pope Leo reflects on how families can be a light in a society often marked by loneliness, despair, divisions, and conflicts. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-angelus-holy-family-egypt-light-hope.html

The Holy Year concludes on Sunday, 28 December – the Feast of the Holy Family – in accordance with "Spes non confundit," the Bull of the Indiction of the 2025 Jubilee. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/jubilee-year-concludes-in-particular-churches.html

The two South-Asian countries agreed on Saturday to stop weeks of intense conflict over disputed borders, which has caused the death of just over 100 people and the displacement of more than half a million people. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/thailand-cambodia-ceasefire-deadly-clashes.html

Pope Leo XIV sends greetings to the 48th European Youth Meeting organized by the Taizé Community in France encouraging the participants to build peace among people and share humble and joyful hope with all those they encounter. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-to-taize-become-pilgrims-of-trust-creators-of-peace.html

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of Rome and Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, presides over the closing of the Holy Door and the subsequent Mass and invites the faithful to manifest the presence of God in the places where there is no fraternity, justice, truth and peace. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/closure-holy-door-st-john-lateran-cardinal-reina-rome-jubilee.html

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he plans to travel to the United States in the coming days for a key meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Washington pushes for possible peace talks to end the war. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/ukraine-s-zelenskyy-plans-u-s-trip-for-talks-president-trump.html

On the feast of the Church’s first martyr, Saint Stephen, Pope Leo XIV reflects on martyrdom as a “birth into heaven” and on Christmas joy as the choice to live fraternity, forgiveness and peace in a world marked by fear and conflict. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-angelus-saint-stephen-martyr-rebirth-26-dec-2025.html

In their annual Christmas message, Uganda’s Catholic Bishops have urged the Electoral Commission to take firm control of the electoral process and called on security forces to refrain from violence, as the country approaches the general elections scheduled for 15 January 2026. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/africa/news/2025-12/uganda-s-catholic-bishops-call-for-peaceful-elections-amid-risin.html

In his Christmas Urbi et Orbi address, Pope Leo XIV renews his plea for peace, reminding the world that it is both God’s gift and humanity’s shared responsibility. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-urbi-et-orbi-message-christmas-2025-peace-christmas.html

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Christmas morning Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, recalling in his homily that in the Word of God made flesh, “humanity now speaks, crying out with God’s own desire to encounter us.” Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-since-the-word-was-made-flesh-humanity-speaks.html

During the Christmas Mass during the Night on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV encourages us to announce "the joy of Christmas" and to celebrate it as "a feast of faith, charity and hope." Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-announce-joy-christmas-feast-of-faith-charity-hope.html

A 15-metre Christmas tree lights up Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem this year after a two-year pause from all festivities in solidarity with the city’s fellow Palestinians in Gaza. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-12/bethlehem-christmas-pizzaballa-mayor-canawati-economy-peace.html

For the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we look back at the Christmas reflections of previous popes, which renew hope even in the midst of suffering. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/christmas-sorrowing-humanity-and-the-voice-of-the-popes.html

Seven months after the beginning of his Pontificate, Pope Leo XIV prepares to preside over the Christmas celebrations for the first time, starting with the Midnight Mass in the evening of December 24 in St. Peter’s Basilica. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-christmas-events-mass-liturgies-peace-greetings.html

On Tuesday, December 23, Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, visited the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital and highlighted how Jesus is present every time attention and care is given to sick children and their families. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/cardinal-parolin-bambino-gesu-children-hospital-christmas.html

The Nuncio to Israel and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, comments on the recent arson attack on the Christmas tree of the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Jenin, West Bank. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-12/west-bank-jenin-christmas-tree-fire-attack-peace-joy.html

In an interview with Vatican Media, the prefect for the Dicastery for Clergy, Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, explains that Pope Leo’s Apostolic Letter on priestly ministry points out the way to “preserving, proclaiming, and fostering the beauty of a priesthood faithful to Christ, His Word, and the Church.” Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/cardinal-you-heung-sik-pope-invites-priests-to-fraternity.html

The Cardinal Secretary of State has returned from a visit to Mozambique where he met with displaced people fleeing armed Islamist militias. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/cardinal-parolin-may-we-not-forget-victims-conflict-cabo-delgado.html

Civilians have been threatened by both the military government, which called the elections, and armed groups opposing the current regime, according to the UN’s Human Rights Office. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/un-violence-myanmar-elections.html

The fifth edition of the international kitesurfing event is set to take place on 7 February 2026 in Zanzibar, Tanzania, with the deadline for participation on 6 January. The competition aims to build on social, cultural, and humanitarian dimensions that convey a strong message of peace and fellowship, in addition to good sportsmanship and an exciting race in a stunningly beautiful part of the world. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/zanzibar-cup-2026-aims-to-build-on-global-fraternity-and-peace.html

At the heart of the visit were the Simbang Gabi celebrations of the Filipino community, the largest in the area. The visiting included a meeting with Bishop Paolo Martinelli and the pastoral council of Saint Mary’s Church in Dubai, considered the largest Catholic parish in the world. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2025-12/cardinal-tagle-visits-the-vicariate-of-southern-arabia.html

Pope Leo XIV meets his closest collaborators for the exchange of traditional Christmas greetings. The Pope recalls his 'beloved predecessor' Francis and his encouragement to be a Church that is 'welcoming to all,' urging them consider the 'major ecclesial, pastoral, and social challenges' and to become a sign of peace for a world marked by conflict. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-a-more-missionary-curia-is-needed-witnessing-to-communion.html

In the traditional Christmas greeting to Vatican employees, Pope Leo invites them to learn simplicity and humility from Jesus’ birth this Christmas, and to ensure that this becomes the style of the Church. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-christmas-greeting-vatican-employees-diocese-rome.html

This image is preserved in the Church of San Vital, built in 386, in Rome. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA). The Church of St. Vitale, built in 386, is the oldest Christian church still standing in the center of Rome. It is the “only place of worship from the fourth century that has remained intact throughout the centuries,” emphasized its parish priest, Father Elio Lops. This early Christian church, discreet and given little attention on typical tourist routes, safeguards an artistic and devotional treasure that is practically unknown: the first image of Our Lady of Guadalupe painted in the Italian capital. “It has never been given the importance it deserves,” Lops told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, referring to a representation of the Virgin Mary that immediately brings to mind the image imprinted on St. Juan Diego’s tilma in 1531. The similarities are striking. “There is no doubt about its identity,” the pa...

Disabilities advocates in Buffalo, New York, during a candlelight vigil in opposition to assisted suicide. / Credit: New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA). New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will sign into law an assisted suicide bill that Catholic leaders have ardently opposed, making New York the 13th state to allow the practice.  Hochul, who called it an “incredibly difficult decision,” said she will sign the bill after lawmakers add some “guardrails.” The bill allows doctors to give terminally ill patients drugs to end their lives. Hochul’s additions to the law include requiring a waiting period, a recorded oral request for death, and a health evaluation. The law will go into effect six months after signing.     Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and other New York bishops have been outspoken against the legislation, issuing several statements opposing it. In a brief meeting with Hochul over the summer, Dolan ...

Church of the National Vow in Bogotá, Colombia. / Credit: Eduardo Berdejo ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA). The Colombian Senate passed a law on Dec. 15 that recognizes the historical, religious, and cultural value of the Church of the National Vow, a symbol of the country’s consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The passage of Bill 131-2025, introduced by Sen. Mauricio Giraldo, “is an act of gratitude and spiritual remembrance. Colombia cannot renounce its roots or the symbols that have sustained the nation. Legislating also means caring for the soul of a country,” the senator stated. In a video posted on social media, Giraldo also recalled that the Church of the National Vow “was the national symbol of reconciliation” in Colombia after the 1899–1902 Thousand Days’ War, which pitted liberals against conservatives. The conflict left more than 100,000 dead and was won by the conservative side. While many other factors were involved, including the role of the ...

Ukraine's president says the United States has proposed a format for peace talks that would place Ukraine and Russia at the same table, but he doubts such a meeting would bring real progress. Zelenskyy spoke as a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa in southern Ukraine killed at least eight people and wounded twenty-seven, while Ukrainian drones hit several Russian targets. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/ukraine-president-peace-talks-russia-us-deadly-clashes.html

Illinois state capitol in Springfield. / Credit: Paul Brady Photography/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 12:34 pm (CNA). Catholic leaders in Illinois are backing a coalition of pro-life pregnancy centers and doctors suing the state government over a law that requires them to refer women to abortion providers even if they object to the procedure on religious grounds.  The lawsuit, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Treto, challenges a 2016 Illinois rule that requires health care providers who refuse to perform abortions to nevertheless tout the “benefits” of the procedure and refer women to abortion clinics.  In April the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois partly blocked the law, ruling that it violates freedom of speech in forcing providers to relay the alleged benefits of abortion. The court, however, held that the abortion referral requirement is legal.  The case is currently at appeal from both sides in the 7th U.S...

Army personnel stand guard in front of St. Mary’s Cathedral Church in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 23, ahead of Christmas 2024. / Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec 17, 2025 / 11:32 am (CNA). Recent attempts to sabotage Catholic churches, threats to Catholic educational institutions, and the current political context of the country mean the upcoming Christmas will be a time of concern for Catholics in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. “There is a sense of fear among us and from that point, all our parish priests have been warned,” Bishop Sebastian Tudu of the Dinajpur Diocese told CNA. The prelate said that in recent weeks there have been crude bomb explosions targeting churches and church-run institutions in Dhaka and threats to Catholic educational institutions through letters. It is natural to be concerned, he said. However, he noted that local law enforcement agencies have been active much earlier than in other years and are investigating various church institut...

San Diego Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano celebrates Mass at St. Augustine’s School on Dec. 5, 2021, to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. / Credit: John Gastaldo/Catholic Diocese of San Diego Vatican City, Dec 17, 2025 / 10:18 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Ramón Bejarano, currently auxiliary bishop of San Diego, as the next bishop of Monterey in California. The appointment was publicized on Dec. 17 by the Holy See Press Office at the Vatican and by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bejarano succeeds Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, who led Monterey before being appointed bishop of Austin, Texas, on July 2 and installed there on Sept. 18. Bejarano was born July 17, 1969, in Laredo, Texas, and completed ecclesiastical studies at the diocesan seminary in Tijuana, Mexico, and at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, the Vatican said. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Stockton on Aug. 15, 1998. Named titular bishop of Carpi and auxiliary bishop...

Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Joliet YouTube video Vatican City, Dec 17, 2025 / 09:58 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has chosen Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, to be the next archbishop of New York — the most consequential U.S. episcopal appointment of Leo’s pontificate thus far. The appointment was confirmed by EWTN News with two independent sources with direct knowledge of the appointment. Hicks, 58, will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has led New York, the second-largest U.S. archdiocese by population — with 2.5 million Catholics — since 2009. The choice of Hicks for one of the most important U.S. archdioceses is likely to be heavily scrutinized for the insight it may give into the direction Pope Leo wishes to take the Church in the U.S. A native of Illinois, Hicks has led the Joliet Diocese since September 2020. He was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago from 2018 to 2020, following three years as th...

Father Deusdedit Ssekabira of the Catholic Diocese of Masaka in Uganda is in police custody for alleged “violent subversive activities against state” following his abducted from his office in Katwe, Masaka city, by men wearing Uganda Army uniform on Dec. 3, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Masaka ACI Africa, Dec 17, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA). Uganda’s defense authorities have confirmed that a priest serving the Catholic Diocese of Masaka , whose disappearance earlier this month sparked concern and prayers from the bishop, is in the custody of security forces over alleged criminal activities. In a Dec. 12 statement, the acting director of defense public information, Col. Chris Magezi, said Father Deusdedit Ssekabira was arrested in connection with what the military says is “involvement in violent subversive activities against the state.” Magezi added that Ssekabira is being held as investigations continue. “Reverend Father Deusdedit Ssekabira is currently in lawful ...

Carolers outside Planned Parenthood in Aurora, Illinois, on Dec. 13, 2025. / Credit: John Jansen/Courtesy of the Pro-Life Action League CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA). When a pregnant woman at an abortion facility heard distant carolers singing “Silent Night,” she got up and left. The mother, back in 2003, decided to keep her baby after a pro-life group’s first Christmas caroling event outside a Chicago abortion clinic struck her heart. “The memories of Christmases past stirred in her and she decided she couldn’t go through with the abortion and kept her child,” said Matthew Yonke, a spokesman for the Pro-Life Action League, the group that coordinates these events.  She would be the first of many women who chose life after hearing carols. Now, the tradition extends across the nation — and babies continue to be saved.  As Christmas Day approaches, nearly 100 caroling groups across the U.S. are gathering at various abortion facilities to sing.  Through t...

Pope Leo XIV spoke about the solution for restless hearts in his catechesis at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 17. 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA Vatican City, Dec 17, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV said Wednesday true satisfaction is found not in the accumulation of money or things, or by “too much doing,” but by returning to Jesus Christ, the source of hope, love, and joy. “We are absorbed by many activities that do not always leave us satisfied … We have to assume responsibility for many commitments, solve problems, face difficulties,” the pope said at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 17.  “Yet,” he added, “we often perceive how too much doing, instead of giving us fulfillment, becomes a vortex that overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives.” In his catechesis, the pontiff stressed that the true value of life is not measured by “days full of activit...

Pope Leo XIV looks out from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election on May 8, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA). Although “papal fashion,” meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail, has evolved over time, the popes’ attire still holds profound symbolism that continues to capture the attention of many. Proof of this is the recent naming of Pope Leo XIV as one of the 55 best-dressed people of 2025 by Vogue magazine, one of the most prestigious and recognized fashion and beauty publications in the world. Pope Leo XIV shares this distinction with athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and models, including Rosalía, Rihanna, Bad Bunny, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and tennis player Venus Williams. Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square after the announcement of his election on May 8, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media The American magazine, founded in 1892, highlights in its annual ranking t...

Schoolchildren attend a ceremonial welcome and tree planting at Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of the president of Ireland, during a state visit by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee, Charlene Wittstock, on April 4, 2011, in Dublin. / Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Dublin, Ireland, Dec 17, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). A U.K. Supreme Court ruling has found that Christian religious education taught in schools in Northern Ireland is unlawful.  In its judgment, the court found that the current approach lacks an “objective, critical, and pluralistic” framework and leans more toward indoctrination than fostering a diverse understanding of beliefs. Responding to the ruling, which does not apply to Catholic schools, Bishop Alan McGuckian, SJ, of the Down and Connor Diocese firmly challenged the idea that Christianity should be given no priority in all schools, stating that anyone seeking to do so is “cutting off their nose to spite their ...

The European Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. / Credit: Ala z via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) EWTN News, Dec 17, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA). In a strongly secular European Union, the Balkans’ complex religious reality plays an important role as officials and diplomats gather on Wednesday to discuss the membership plans for six nations. The EU-Western Balkans summit on Dec. 17 brings together European Union representatives and their counterparts from six Western Balkan nations: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. As officials discuss EU enlargement and current challenges, religious leaders and analysts underscore that the churches — deeply woven into the region’s national identities, geopolitics, and social fabric — will be crucial to the success of both European integration and regional stability. The EU considers itself the main trading partner, investor, and donor for the Western Balkans and provides substantial assistance and ...

Pope Leo XIV presides at the jubilee Mass for prisoners on Dec. 14, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 16, 2025 / 15:11 pm (CNA). The last major event of the Jubilee of Hope was dedicated to prisoners around the world, some of whom during the past weekend were able to experience freedom and fulfill a dream: to go see Pope Leo XIV. Víctor Aguado, director of prison ministry in Valencia, Spain, accompanied a group of prisoners to the Eternal City, many of whom had spent more than 12 years behind bars. Thanks to special permission, they were able to travel and become living witnesses that “hope breaks down walls and that dignity cannot be taken away.” In a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Aguado recounted the details of the “intense, emotional, and spiritual” trip that will forever mark the lives of the men and women who have been incarcerated.  The group was composed of a total of 13 people from Valencia, including prisoner...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court building in Madison, Wisconsin. / Credit: Richard Hurd/Wikimedia Commons CNA Staff, Dec 16, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA). The Wisconsin state government lost decisively a second time in what has become a convoluted effort to block a Catholic charity from receiving a long-running state tax exemption. The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Dec. 15 blocked state Attorney General Josh Kaul’s attempt to fully eliminate an unemployment tax exemption after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Diocese of Superior’s Catholic Charities Bureau was entitled to the tax break. The U.S. Supreme Court in June had ruled that Wisconsin violated the First Amendment when it denied the tax exemption to the Catholic group on the grounds that the group’s charitable undertakings were not “primarily” religious. The state responded in October by moving to eliminate the exemption entirely , arguing that the tax break is “discriminatory” and that ending the policy would “avoid collateral d...

St. Januarius (left) and the relic of the blood of St. Januarius. / Credit: Chapel of St. Januarius ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 16, 2025 / 12:58 pm (CNA). The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius , patron saint of the Italian city of Naples, occurred again on Tuesday, Dec. 16. According to the Archdiocese of Naples, the miracle took place after Mass in the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius on the feast of the patronage of St. Januarius. “At 9:13 a.m. local time, the blood already appeared semi-liquid. At 10:05 a.m., the complete liquefaction was announced,” the archdiocese reported. “Dec. 16 is the third of three annual celebrations in honor of the martyred saint. This date commemorates the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1631, when the Neapolitans requested and obtained the miraculous intervention of St. Januarius to prevent the lava from engulfing the city,” he explained. The announcement of the miracle was made by Monsignor Vincenzo De Gregorio, abb...

As the Jubilee Year draws to a close, Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that its deepest gift endures. Hope, he says, continues to shape the Church’s journey, calling all to remain pilgrims who generate life and renewal. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/pope-leo-xiv-jubilee-audience-pilgrims-hope.html

The Michigan government released another report on diocesan abuse in December 2025, detailing dozens of allegations against more than 50 priests in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. / Credit: Snehit Photo/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Dec 16, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA). The Michigan government this week released its fifth report on diocesan abuse in the state, detailing dozens of allegations against more than 50 priests in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.  The report from the attorney general’s office, released on Dec. 15 , comes after four other reports detailing abuse allegations in the dioceses of Lansing , Kalamazoo , Gaylord , and Marquette .   As with the other reports, the allegations detailed in the Grand Rapids investigation go back decades. The Dec. 15 report encompasses abuse allegations against “priests or deacons who are current or former clergy for the Diocese of Grand Rapids, that occurred in the diocese from Jan. 1, 1950, to the present,” the review says.  The a...