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Christmas Mass in St. Peter's Basilica Dec. 24, 2022.

Here are Pope Francis’ liturgies for Christmas 2023 at the Vatican

Nov 28, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

As the season of Advent draws near, the Vatican has published the schedule of Pope Francis’ liturgies for Christmas through... Read more

For Advent 2023, Blessed Is She created a devotional for women called "Found."

Advent 2023: 5 Catholic resources to help prepare your heart for the birth of Jesus

Dec 2, 2023

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

With the hustle and bustle of holiday festivities, it’s easy to lose track of what truly makes this time of... Read more

This photo taken on October 12, 2014, shows the exterior of a church in Loikaw, Kayah state, eastern Myanmar.

Catholic cathedral complex bombed, bishop flees with refugees in worsening Myanmar civil war

Nov 29, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

The pastoral center of Christ the King Cathedral in Loikaw, Myanmar, was bombed on Nov. 26 and occupied by the... Read more

Altar of the Child Jesus and the relic of the manger in the Church of Saint Catherine (Basilica of the Nativity) in Bethlehem.

New Holy Land virtual Advent pilgrimage hopes to fill ‘holy sites with peace’

Dec 2, 2023

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

With the Israel-Hamas war, pilgrims can’t get to many holy sites this Advent and Christmas, so the Magdala Tourist Center... Read more

Papal aide Monsignor Paolo Braida reads Pope Francis' prepared remarks for the Sunday Angelus on Dec. 3, 2023, from the chapel at the papal residence at Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis on first Sunday of Advent: ‘I’m improving, but my voice still doesn’t work’

Dec 3, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

Pope Francis, for the second consecutive Sunday, was assisted by an aide in praying the Angelus, as he continues to... Read more

Pope Francis meets with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Vatican on Oct. 4, 2021.

Pope to Orthodox patriarch: ‘Bonds of faith, hope and charity’ unite two churches

Nov 30, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

On the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, Pope Francis sent a message to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. Read more

Pope Francis meets with Father Federico Lombardi, president of the Ratzinger Foundation and Vatican spokesman during Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate (left), and the 2023 Ratzinger Prize recipients Father Pablo Blanco Sarto (center) and Professor Francesc Torralba (right) at the Vatican on Nov. 30, 2023.

2023 Ratzinger Prize reflects on theological legacy of late Pope Benedict XVI

Dec 1, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

The Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation awarded its annual Ratzinger Prize this week to two Spaniards. Read more

Archbishop Timothy Broglio blesses the doors to be used as a Holy Door for the 2025 Jubilee Year at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 3, 2023.

Holy Door sealed at nation’s largest Catholic church

Dec 4, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

A Holy Door, which is traditionally sealed prior to jubilee years, provides special graces for pilgrims who walk through them. Read more

Pope Francis speaks at his Wednesday audience in Paul VI Hall on Nov. 29, 2023.

Pope Francis says he is ‘still not well,’ has aide read general audience speech

Nov 29, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis, who turns 87 in December, spoke softly into a microphone as he explained that he was “still not... Read more

Indi Gregory.

Indi Gregory remembered as ‘true warrior’ at funeral

Dec 1, 2023

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

The funeral for the 8-month-old baby who lost her life after an end-of-life legal battle was held at Nottingham Cathedral... Read more

Pope Francis meets with professional soccer players from the Celtic Football Club, a team founded by an Irish Catholic religious brother, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, at the Vatican.

Pope Francis meets with professional soccer team founded by a Catholic religious

Nov 29, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis met Wednesday with professional soccer players from the Celtic Football Club, a team founded by an Irish Catholic... Read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Cardinal Parolin will represent Pope Francis at climate conference

Dec 1, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

The pope was advised by his doctors earlier this week not to travel to Dubai due to a bronchial infection. Read more

Pope Francis meets with the Spanish bishops at the Vatican on Nov. 28, 2023.

The pope didn’t summon Spain’s bishops to ‘chew them out,’ Cardinal Omella says

Nov 28, 2023

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

Pope Francis met with Spanish bishops at the Vatican today to inform them of the conclusions of the apostolic visit... Read more

Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium while police investigators (background) look for evidence after a bomb attack at Mindanao State University in Marawi in the southern Philippines on Dec. 3, 2023.

Pope Francis prays for victims of bombing of Catholic Mass in the Philippines

Dec 4, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Dec. 3 blast in a university gymnasium. Read more

Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

Witnesses testify to torture by Nicaraguan dictatorship at hearing on imprisoned Catholic bishop 

Dec 1, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Among the witnesses testifying at the hearing titled “An Urgent Appeal to Let Bishop Álvarez Go” were several Nicaraguan exiles.  Read more

A religious sister from the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, hand-paints a pitcher.

Christmas 2023: Handmade gifts from Catholic monasteries

Dec 2, 2023

By Zelda Caldwell

From soap and china to cakes and rosaries, these unique gifts are special to receive — and proceeds support the... Read more

President Ronald Reagan and his Supreme Court justice nominee Sandra Day O'Connor on July 15, 1981.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a swing vote on abortion, dies   

Dec 1, 2023

By Matt McDonald

President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court in July 1981, fulfilling a campaign promise to name the... Read more

Queen Isabella I of Castile, Spain.

More than 130 Masses celebrated in 5 countries to promote Queen Isabella’s canonization

Nov 29, 2023

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

This year, 133 Masses were celebrated with this intention, most of them in Spain but also in Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela,... Read more

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, (left) and Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki of Poznań, Poland.

Confronting controversy: German-Polish bishops’ dialogue highlights synodal way tensions

Nov 28, 2023

By AC Wimmer

A public dispute between the German Bishops’ Conference president and his Polish counterpart took another turn on Monday. Read more

Pope Francis greets members of the public attending his weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall in Vatican City on Nov. 29, 2023.

Pope Francis: Technological focus on efficiency dehumanizes today’s society

Nov 29, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

The desire for efficiency “absorbs the uniqueness of each into a bubble of uniformity,” Pope Francis warned. Read more