As many as 3,000 Catholic school children from poor families in the Philippines made their pop music debut in a new Christmas song by some members of the multi-platinum hip-hop/pop group Black Eyed Peas.
International News
’Tis the Season: Exploring the Saints of the Christmas Season
Contrary to what marketers and corporations may imply, the actual Christmas season begins with the vigil Mass on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after Epiphany. The Twelve Feast Days of Christmas include several important saints, solemnities, and memorials during this period.
Jubilee Mascot Is Having Its Viral Moment
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.
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.