Vatican says 13 missionaries were killed in 2024 December 30, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Missions, News, Religious Freedom, Vatican, World News Thirteen Catholic “missionaries” were killed in 2024, most of them during the commission of a robbery, but several obviously were targeted for the church work they did.
Pope praises Jimmy Carter’s ‘deep Christian faith’ December 30, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Obituaries, Vatican, World News Offering his condolences, Pope Francis praised former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s Christian faith and his lifelong mission to advance peace.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Don’t lose hope, pope says as he opens Holy Door at Rome prison December 27, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News Wearing red vestments for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome’s Rebibbia prison complex and walked over its threshold.
God wants all people to be saved; he forgives all who repent, pope says December 27, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News God wants to save each and every person, and Christians are called to give witness to that fact by praying even for people who have harmed them, Pope Francis said.
Pope urges war-torn world to walk through door of peace on Christmas December 25, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News As millions of pilgrims prepare to cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis called on individuals, nations and the global community to take a transformative step toward peace and reconciliation by walking through the “door of salvation” that is Jesus Christ.
Pope at Christmas: Jesus’ birth brings hope for world of justice, peace December 25, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News Celebrating Christmas Mass after opening the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis said the birth of Jesus fills Christians with hope and the courage to work for peace and justice.
Pope opens Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, launching ‘Jubilee of Hope’ December 24, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Christmas, Feature, Jubilee 2025, News, Vatican, World News In the quiet of Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, launching what he called a “Jubilee of Hope.”
