The upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year will be an opportunity for Catholics of all ages and backgrounds worldwide to embark on a journey — literally and spiritually — that can redefine their understanding of the faith.
International News
Holy Land Patriarchs Call for Christmas Ceasefire Throughout Middle East
In their Christmas message this year, the church leaders and patriarchs of Jerusalem voiced gratitude for the recent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and called for the truce to be expanded throughout the region.
Banks Driven by Profit-At-All-Costs Hurt People, Economy, Pope Says
When the world of banking and finance crushes people instead of helping them, it betrays its very purpose and promotes an “uncivilized economy,” Pope Francis said.
Jesus’ Crown of Thorns Returns to Notre Dame Cathedral
Firefighters and police officers formed a human chain to rescue the crown of thorns from the inferno at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019. On Dec. 13, this holiest relic of Paris’ cathedral was returned to its proper home on the Île de la Cité.
Oldest Known Ten Commandments Tablet Expected to Fetch Up to $2 Million at Auction
The oldest known stone tablet featuring the Ten Commandments, believed to date between 300 and 800 A.D., is set to go up for auction this month in Manhattan, according to Sotheby’s New York.
Pope Skips Inflight Presser, Applauds Corsica for Having Kids
For the first time in his nearly 12-year papacy, Pope Francis skipped his customary inflight press conference at the end of an overseas voyage, this time a whirlwind daytrip to French Mediterranean island of Corsica.
Pope Praises Popular Piety During First-Ever Papal Mass in Corsica
As Pope Francis became the first pope to celebrate Mass on the French island of Corsica Dec. 15, the usual excitement of an open-air Mass with the pope was combined with the flair and pageantry of a Renaissance fair.
Mexican Bishops Urge Truce as Country Celebrates Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mexico’s Catholic clergy have called for a truce on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and on Christmas Day as criminal violence wracks swaths of the country and clergy working in conflictive regions come under threat.
With Assad’s Fall, Syria’s Papal Nuncio Prays for Nation’s Reconciliation, New Prosperity
The apostolic nuncio to Syria says he hopes the war-torn nation will “move toward reconciliation” and at least “some prosperity” under democratic rule, following former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ouster in a lightning offensive by rebel groups.
With Inaugural Mass, Notre Dame Reveals ‘The Lord Does Not Abandon His Own’
Chilling rain and the “City of Lights” completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close to Notre Dame Cathedral as possible for its inaugural Mass celebrated Dec. 8. The beloved Paris icon also opened its doors to the public for the first time after the devastating fire in 2019, with the second Mass that Sunday for Parisians and tourists.