On a Christmas like no other, Pope Francis prayed for people who could not be with their families because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he urged everyone to recognize and help those who are suffering even more.
World News
Pope at Christmas: Jesus’ birth brings hope in troubling times
The birth of Christ is a gift from God that brings people hope and courage in troubled times, Pope Francis said Christmas Eve.
Christmas ‘hijacked’ by consumerist mentality, pope says
While Christmas has become a universal holiday, even for many nonbelievers, its celebration always should focus on the reality that God sent his son into the world to save humanity, Pope Francis said.
Two Vatican cardinals test positive for COVID-19; one hospitalized
Two top Vatican officials — Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello — have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, Italian media reported, and a Vatican source confirmed.
Nativity light-sound show projected on U.S. cathedral called joyful, hopeful
The gentle and hopeful show came as the nation grapples with COVID-19, stark political divisions and racial tensions brought by the death of George Floyd.
Vatican: Without alternatives, current COVID-19 vaccines are morally acceptable
The Vatican’s doctrinal office said that when alternative vaccines are not available, it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines developed or tested using cell lines originating from aborted fetuses.
Frankincense’s future: Ancient gift endangered, risks depletion
A study published last year in the journal, Nature Sustainability, predicted frankincense resin production will be halved in the next 20 years.
Christmas is sign of God’s preferential love for the poor, cardinal says
Reaching out to and helping the poor “is to imitate God; it is to make oneself small out of love in order to raise up the other,” the preacher of the papal household told Pope Francis, officials of the Roman Curia and Vatican employees.
Death penalty hits historic low in U.S. ‘despite federal execution spree,’ says report
A new report Dec. 16 by the Death Penalty Information Center said the use of capital punishment reached a historic low this year in the United States even with the return of federal executions by the Trump administration.
Netflix to release series illustrating pope’s call for ‘alliance’ of young, old
Netflix has announced that in 2021 it will release a documentary series based on “Sharing the Wisdom of Time,” a book in which Pope Francis called for creating “an alliance between the young and old people” by sharing their stories.
Away with the manger? Nativity scene at Vatican generates controversy
The human figures in the Nativity scene are made of rings of ceramic stacked on top of each other. They are cylindrical, not curvy like a natural human form. And the presence of an astronaut and a knight carries the whole thing to another level of untraditional.
In Nigeria, nun cares for abandoned children labeled as witches
Throughout Africa, a witch is culturally understood to be the epitome of evil and the cause of misfortune, disease and death. Consequently, the witch is the most hated person in African society and subject to punishment, torture and even death.