Archive for December 20, 2023

A migrant carries a baby in the Darien Province in Panama on Sept. 22, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered Panama through this jungle so far this year.?w=200&h=150

By Eduardo Berdejo

Pope Francis urges humanitarian response to Darien migration tragedy

“We need the joint effort of the most directly affected countries and the international community to prevent this tragic reality,”... Read more

Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Orihuela-Alicante, Spain.?w=200&h=150

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

Same-sex blessings: Sinners can be blessed but not their sin, Spanish bishop says

For Bishop Munilla, it’s important to “stick to what is clear and ask the Lord to clarify what is not... Read more

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By Tyler Arnold

Bishops around the world are divided over Vatican’s same-sex blessing declaration  

Some bishops are welcoming the news, some are approaching it with caution, while others are outright refusing to implement it. Read more

A liturgy at St. Mary’s Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, Arakuzha, India.?w=200&h=150

By Anto Akkara

Dissenting priests in Syro-Malabar Church protest Pope Francis’ Christmas deadline 

Tensions have risen in the Eastern Catholic Church in the Indian state of Kerala as the deadline approaches to implement... Read more

The Missionaries of Charity convent located on the compound of Holy Family Parish, the only Catholic church in Gaza, was damaged by rocket fire on Dec. 16, 2023.?w=200&h=150

By Marinella Bandini

Convent in Gaza uninhabitable after taking fire; residents take refuge in parish church

The convent, which was home to over 54 disabled persons as well as three religious sisters, was greatly damaged by... Read more

A blessing service at St. Augustin Catholic church in Würzburg, Germany, for couples, including those of the same-sex, May 10, 2021.?w=200&h=150

By Tyler Arnold

TIMELINE: What has the Catholic Church said about same-sex ‘blessings’?

Here’s a timeline of how the controversy over same-sex blessings has unfolded. Read more

Members of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM).?w=200&h=150

By ACI Africa

Bishops in Malawi declare ‘blessings for same-sex unions of any kind are not permitted’

Bishops in Malawi have prohibited the implementation of the Vatican declaration on the blessing of “same-sex couples” and couples in... Read more

Jonathan Price, a member of Jimmy Lai's international legal team, appears on “EWTN News Nightly” with host Tracy Sabol on Dec. 19, 2023.?w=200&h=150

By Daniel Payne

Jimmy Lai unlikely to receive a fair trial from Hong Kong judges, lawyer says

Catholic democracy activist Jimmy Lai was arrested in August 2020 under that year’s controversial national security law. Read more

Pope Francis speaks at his general audience Dec. 20, 2023, at Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.?w=200&h=150

By Matthew Santucci

Pope Francis: The Nativity is an example of ‘joy’ and ‘amazement’

Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke during his general audience on the importance of approaching the coming of Christ with “joy”... Read more

Appalachian folk band Scythian.?w=200&h=150

By Peter Pinedo

Rediscover ‘original beauty’ of Christmas music with Scythian’s new ‘Christmas Out at Sea’

Scythian, an Irish folk band headlined by two Catholic brothers, wants to help you “rediscover the original beauty” of Christmas... Read more