Archive for December 22, 2023
Yes, you need to go to Mass twice this weekend — for Sunday and for Christmas
The fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve. That means the faithful must attend two Masses in a row... Read more
8 classic Christmas movies to watch with your family this year
If you’re a Catholic parent looking for a classic Christmas movie — especially a classic that’s appropriate and enjoyable for... Read more
Is it okay to write ‘Merry Xmas’?: Inside the thousand-year-old Christian tradition
Contrary to what many believe, the term “XMas” is a Christian innovation meant to preserve Christ as the center of... Read more
European Union says Pornhub must comply with age verification, safety rules
The ruling by the EU means Pornhub and other high-traffic porn sites will have to “adopt specific measures to empower... Read more
Israeli ambassador accuses Latin patriarch of Jerusalem of ‘blood libel’
In an interview with Crux published Dec. 22, the ambassador, Raphael Schutz, denied that IDF soldiers targeted the women. Read more
Pope Francis ‘deeply saddened’ by shooting at Prague university
A 24-year-old student opened fire in the university’s philosophy department building after first killing his father outside of Prague. The... Read more
Experts announce latest in restoration work on Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher
New updates on the ongoing work at one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem were presented recently to leaders of... Read more
New U.K. draft guidelines say teachers should not be forced to use students’ transgender pronouns
Draft guidelines issued this week by the U.K. Department for Education state that schools should only support student pronoun changes... Read more
Pope Francis sends papal almoner to Holy Land for Christmas as a sign of solidarity
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski will spend Christmas in Jerusalem, where he will join the local Christian community in praying for peace. Read more
Polish bishops: Church does not have authority to ‘bless same-sex unions’
The Polish bishops’ statement did not expressly criticize the Vatican declaration on blessing same-sex couples but appeared to conflict with... Read more
Indian priest jailed under ‘anti-conversion’ laws is released
Father Babu Francis was detained by the police on Oct. 1 after he sought information on the arrest and detention... Read more
Revealed: the future of Father Rupnik’s dissolved community
The assets in the name of the Loyola Community will be used to create a compensation fund for the nuns... Read more
Ukrainian archbishop says same-sex blessings document doesn’t apply to Eastern Churches
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said that his statement was in response to numerous appeals from bishops, clergy, monastics, and individual... Read more
Christmas 2023: Unusual back-to-back Mass schedule could hurt parishes’ collections this year
The worry is that some parishioners will fulfill their Sunday or Christmas Day obligation but not both. Read more
