Holy Door is symbol of God’s arms open to all, cardinal says December 30, 2024By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News A Holy Door is an image of God, who awaits the return of his children with open arms, said the archpriest of Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Holy Family is a model of dialogue, pope says December 30, 2024By Justin McLellan Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News The Holy Family, though made up of saints and God incarnate, faced real challenges and offers a model for navigating the “dramatic” moments that test all families, Pope Francis said.
FEMEN activist stages protest in Vatican Nativity scene December 30, 2024By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, World News A member of the protest group FEMEN was arrested after she jumped the barricade around the Vatican Nativity scene, took off her shirt and tried to grab the statue of the baby Jesus.
Pope Francis prays for families of those who perished in South Korean plane crash December 30, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News A passenger plane arriving from Bangkok exploded after skidding off the runway at a South Korean airport of Muan Dec. 29, crashing into a concrete fence, claiming the lives of most of the 181 people on board.
Gunmen shoot Catholic priest dead in Nigeria on Boxing Day December 30, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, World News In a dark sign of descending security in Africa’s most populous country, a Catholic priest has been shot dead on the open road in southeast Nigeria on Boxing Day.
African bishops cry out for their people amid horrific persecution in 2024 December 30, 2024By Frederick Nzwili OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News From Nigeria to Mozambique, Sudan and Congo to Burkina Faso, Christians across Africa were victims of horrific persecution in 2024, mainly because of their faith.
Jimmy Carter, the first president to host a pope at the White House, dies at 100 December 29, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Obituaries, World News Former President Jimmy Carter died Dec. 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia, his presidential library announced. At 100, Carter, who had been in hospice care since February 2023, was the longest-living U.S. president.
European Catholics take stock of year’s mixed progress on life issues December 29, 2024By Jonathan Luxmoore OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, World News When British parliamentarians approved a law to allow physician-assisted suicide on Nov. 29, it followed a year of legislative inroads against Catholic social teaching across Europe.
How Father Tolton handled travails, transitions is model for living out the faith, says bishop December 29, 2024By Jay Nies OSV News Filed Under: Black Catholic Ministry, Feature, News, Racial Justice, Saints, World News A Missouri native, Father Augustus Tolton is recognized as the first African American to be ordained a priest. A candidate for sainthood, he has the title of “Venerable.”
As ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ marks 1 year, divisions over Vatican document persist December 28, 2024By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: Marriage & Family Life, News, Vatican, World News A year after “Fiducia Supplicans” whipped up a firestorm of controversy in the days before Christmas, the Vatican declaration remains a point of division in the U.S. church and worldwide. Meanwhile, it is unclear whether it has freshly prompted many Catholics in “irregular situations” to seek the kind of blessings it permits.
Report: Most US executions in 2024 come down to 4 states December 28, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News Just four states were responsible for three-quarters of the executions that took place in the U.S. in 2024, according to a new report by the Death Penalty Information Center.
Pope Francis’ 2024: Turning 88, praying for peace, presiding over synod December 28, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Francis, who celebrated his 88th birthday Dec. 17, mostly uses a wheelchair instead of walking and presides over rather than concelebrates most public liturgies. Still, he had a 2024 full of important engagements, the longest trip of his papacy and major preparations for the Holy Year 2025, which he is set to open Dec. 24.
