Catholic News

• Pope Leo recalls 60th anniversary of Polish bishops' reconciliation letter to German bishops (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))
  At the conclusion of his general audience yesterday, Pope Leo XIV recalled the 60th anniversary of the Letter of Reconciliation of the Polish Bishops to the German Bishops, written two decades after the conclusion of World War II. The message “changed the history of Europe,” Pope Leo told Polish-speaking pilgrims. “May the words of that document—“We forgive and ask forgiveness”—be for the peoples in conflict today a testimony that reconciliation and forgiveness are possible when they are born of a mutual desire for peace and a common commitment, in truth, for the good of humanity.” The Vatican omitted Pope Leo’s words from its English translation of his remarks.
• Discipleship is key for effective teaching, Pope tells Italy's Catholic Action movement (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name to participants in the recent national conference for the educators and leaders of the Italian Catholic Action movement. In the message, Pope Leo asked the 1,700 attendees to “consider how the life of the educator, his constant human and spiritual growth as a disciple of Christ, sustained by the grace of God, is a fundamental factor at his disposal to give effectiveness to his service to the younger generations.”
• Vatican releases schedule of papal Christmas liturgies (Dicastery for Communication)
  Archbishop Diego Ravelli, who leads the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, has released the schedule of Masses and other liturgies at which Pope Leo will preside during the Christmas season. Pope Leo is scheduled to celebrate two Christmas Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica: at 10:00 PM on December 24 and at 10:00 AM on December 25. In 2024, Pope Francis presided at one Christmas Mass, at 7:00 PM on December 24. As is customary, the Pope will also offer an Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas Day, preside at Vespers on December 31, and celebrate Masses on January 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God) and on January 6 (the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on the General Roman Calendar).
• In Immaculate Conception homily, Ukrainian Catholic leader reflects on life of human embryo (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
  Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Anne at a Divine Liturgy in Canberra, Australia. “By studying biology and modern science, you know that human life begins at conception,” he preached. “With the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems, the child in the womb enters into personal relationships. A newborn child recognizes the mother’s voice and feels her heartbeat.” “Today, with this solemn service, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of our Mother, the Heavenly Virgin Mary,” he continued. “The Virgin Mary entered into a special relationship not only with her mother [St. Anne], but also with the Holy Trinity.”
• Pope sees danger to US-European alliance (CNA)
  In comments to reporters on December 9, Pope Leo XIV said that some aspects of an American plan for peace in Ukraine could “make a huge change in what was for many years a true alliance between the EU and the US.” The Pope observed that some recent statements by President Donald Trump appear to be “trying to break apart what I think is an important alliance.” While expressing regret for that result, the Pontiff avoided criticizing Trump for putting forward his peace plan, noting that “he has a right to do that.” When questioned about the Vatican’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Ukrainian children held by Russia, the Pope said that progress was “very slow, unfortunately.”
• Recognize Europe's Christian roots, Pope urges politicians (Vatican News)
  Speaking on December 10 to a group of European political leaders from Conservative and Reform parties, Pope Leo XIV underlined the insistence of previous Pontiffs that “European identity can only be understood and promoted in reference to its Judeo-Christian roots.” The Pope added that the recognition of Christianity’s role in Europe is not a plea for special treatment but a “recognition of fact.” The purpose of that recognition, he continued, is “not about the restoration of a past epoch, but of guaranteeing that key resources for future cooperation and integration are not lost.”
• Papal audience message: Only Jesus overcomes death (Vatican News)
  Pope Leo XIV spoke about the importance of facing death squarely during his weekly public audience on December 10. “The desire for life and eternity that we all feel for ourselves and for the people we love makes us see death as a sentence, as a contradiction,” the Pope said. But only Christian faith “is capable of illuminating the mystery of death.” Through Christ’s Resurrection, the faithful recognize that “death is not the end, but the passage toward full light, toward a happy eternity.” Pope Leo cautioned against the rising influence of transhumanism, with its promise of “the prolongation of earthy life through technology.” Among other things, the Pope questioned: “could science itself guarantee us that a life without death is also a happy life?”
• Papal plea for peace on Thai-Cambodian border (Vatican News)
  At the conclusion of his weekly public audience on December 10, Pope Leo XIV issued a call for peace, pointing to a new trouble-spot in Asia. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict along the border between Thailand and Cambodia,” the Pontiff said. Clashes on that border have led to casualties among civilians, and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
• Pope Leo: Martyrs of Chimbote show what is essential in Christianity (Dicastery for Communication)
  The martyrs of Chimbote, Peru—slain by Communist rebels in 1991—“gave a glimpse of the essential message of Christianity,” Pope Leo XIV wrote in a message for the tenth anniversary of their beatification. The blood of the three missionary priests “was not shed to serve personal plans or ideas, but as a unique offering of love to the Lord and to his people,” Pope Leo wrote. “Their martyrdom shows us—with the authority of life given—what true communion is.” “As we face the pastoral and cultural challenges confronting the Church, their memory asks us to take a decisive step: to return to Jesus Christ as the measure of our choices, our words and our priorities,” the Pope added.
• Vatican publishes online edition of Annuario Pontificio (Vatican News)
  The Vatican’s Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for Communication have, for the first time, made the Annuario Pontificio [Pontifical Yearbook] available online—for a fee of 68.10 euros per year ($79, before processing fees). “In a time when communication is ever faster and more global, offering immediate and reliable access to information on the life of the Church—with certified data—means putting technology at the service of the ecclesial mission,” said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. “It is a sign of attentiveness, transparency, and responsibility towards the Catholic community and towards all those who seek to understand the reality of the Church in the world.”
• USCCB publishes asylum update (USCCB)
  In a two-page document entitled “Asylum Update,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Migration and Refugee Services addressed four questions about the federal pause in applications for asylum. The questions include “What is the status of asylum adjudications by USCIS [ US Citizenship and Immigration Services]?” and “Does this pause on the adjudication of asylum claims apply to noncitizens in immigration court proceedings?”
• Bishops of Haiti issue Christmas message, call for hope and change (Vatican News)
  Stating that “the light of Christ shines in our darkness,” the bishops of strife-torn Haiti called for hope and change in their Christmas message, released on December 8. The bishops called upon leaders to “rise above partisan interests” and ensure security for scheduled elections in February.
• Pope encourages Rorate Masses (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))
  At the conclusion of his recent jubilee audience, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the practice of the Rorate Mass, the pre-dawn Advent Mass. “Frequent participation in the Holy Masses of Rorate may help, especially children and young people, to develop the virtue of hope in anticipation of Holy Christmas,” Pope Leo told Polish-speaking pilgrims. The Holy See Press Office did not include these words of the Pope in its English translation of his remarks.
• Vatican spokesman recalls 60th anniversary of Second Vatican Council's conclusion (Vatican News)
  Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, published an editorial yesterday marking the 60th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). “In the decades following Vatican II, its effects have been the subject of ideological debate and controversy—many of them still unresolved—between those who blame the Council for the Church’s crisis and for dechristianization, and those who believe the answer lies in adapting to the world,” Tornielli wrote. A central insight of the Council, he added, is that “the Church does not shine with its own light; it does not radiate a light of its own; it is not the source of the proclamation. The Church can only seek to be transparent—allowing the light of Christ to pass through and shimmer.”
• South Korean bishops warn against false AI-generated messages (Fides)
  South Korean Catholic bishops have warned that videos produced by artificial intelligence, using their faces and voices, are circulating on social media in support of various causes. Videos that appear to be messages from Archbishop Jeong Soon-taek of Seoul and Bishop Lee Seong-hyo of Masan are fraudulent, the bishops’ conference said.
• Pope, at jubilee audience, pays tribute to Blessed Alberto Marvelli (CWN)
  In the tenth special jubilee audience of 2025, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Alberto Marvelli (1918-1946).
• Minnesota archbishop leads rite of reparation after church shootings (CNA)
  Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul-Minneapolis, accompanied by his two auxiliary bishops, has led a rite of reparation at Annunciation church, the site of a mass shooting in August. In his remarks the archbishop said: This safe haven, this place of refuge, this foretaste of the order of the heavenly kingdom, was disturbed by a chaos that no one could have imagined. It’s for that chaos that we’ve come together to engage in this act of penance and reparation this day.
• Papal message marks centenary of Taiwanese university (Vatican News)
  In a message commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, Pope Leo XIV said that the university has the “distinction of being the only institution of higher learning established by the Holy See in the Mandarin-speaking world.” The Pontiff expressed hope that the “seeds of faith, knowledge, and service that were planted a century ago will continue to bear fruit for future generations.”
• Cardinal Parolin visits Islamist insurgency hotspot (Pillar)
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, is visiting Mozambique to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations. On December 8, he visited Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, the site of a brutal Islamist insurgency. “The Holy Father does not forget Cabo Delgado,” Cardinal Parolin said. Mozambique, a Southeast African nation of 33.4 million (map), is 58% Christian (31% Catholic), 18% Muslim, and 24% ethnic religionist. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2019.
• NY archdiocese raising $300M to fund abuse settlements (Our Sunday Visitor)
  Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York announced on December 8 that the archdiocese is entering into mediation in lieu of court proceedings and is raising $300 million to fund abuse settlements with 1,300 plaintiffs. The anticipated funds are coming from budget cuts and property sales.
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