Francis, the comic strip
Francis, the comic strip: How do you get through an impossible pile of work before New Year’s Day?
Pope entrusts 2025 Holy Year preparations to Pontifical Council for New Evangelization (Vatican News)
Since the 15th century, it has been customary for the Church to celebrate a jubilee every 25 years. The Church has also celebrated extraordinary jubilee years, most recently the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2015-16).
‘The last thing to die is hope’: Chaldean Patriarch issues Christmas message (Chaldean Patriarchate)
Born in 1948, Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako became Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 2013. The church (CNEWA profile) is among the Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with the Holy See.
Christmas in Bethlehem: true peace requires rights, not concessions, Patriarch preaches (AsiaNews)
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, of Jerusalem celebrated Christmas Mass in Bethlehem. The Latin Patriarchate described the celebrations that took place in Bethlehem and published the Patriarch’s homily at Midnight Mass.
‘Stories of a Generation — with Pope Francis’ premieres on Netflix (Netflix)
The four-part series, inspired by a 2018 book, features “stories from people over 70 from all quarters of the globe, including the Pontiff himself, as they impart their life experiences to youthful filmmakers.” The series “isn’t designed to blow you away with twists and turns, but the stories are inspirational, the cinematography is stunning, and […]
Laying ground for papal visit, Vatican foreign minister travels to South Sudan (Vatican News)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, traveled to South Sudan (map) from December 21-23 in preparation for a possible papal trip. In 2017, Pope Francis announced that he hoped to join Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury in a visit to South Sudan, but plans for a trip have […]
Look to the horizon, Pope tells Holy Land youth (Vatican News)
“in the midst of poverty, in a time of wars, of limitations, of barriers, of lack of freedom, think of the crib of Jesus,” Pope Francis said in a message to the young people of the Holy Land. “And just as He did what He did from a manger, you too in situations of contradiction […]
Ethiopian Bishops renew call for peace
Ethiopian bishops have focused their recent Plenary Assembly on the humanitarian crisis caused by the 13-month war in the country, calling on the faithful to pray for and foster peace. They have also pledged to raise US$2 million to support people in the crisis. Read all
Open Letter to Confused Catholics: Chapter 19
“The Seminary of Econe and Rome” You are perhaps, perplexed readers, among those who observe the course of events with sadness and anguish but are nevertheless afraid to attend a true Mass, in spite of the desire to do so, because they have been persuaded that this Mass is forbidden. You may be one of […]
Have a Spiritual Plan for a Victorious New Year
One of the concrete manifestations of growing in good will towards God is by formulating and writing out, in a clear and practical way, a “Plan of Life”. The variety of ways to hammer out a Plan of Life are limitless; the one proposed in this article focuses on the various areas in life and […]