Archive for December 25, 2023

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By Jonah McKeown

Jesuit astronomer remembers the first Christmas in space

In the midst of the chaos of 1968, three men left the earth behind, trading the strife of the world... Read more

Standing 100 feet tall, the Christmas Star overlooks the little town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (aka “Christmas City, USA”).?w=200&h=150

By Jonah McKeown

O Little Town of Bethlehem… Pennsylvania? The story of ‘Christmas City USA’

Perhaps the most famous town called Bethlehem in the U.S. is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a town of 75,000, just a short... Read more

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, presides over the Christmas Midnight Mass in the Church of St. Catherine in Bethlehem. With him, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal envoy, H. E. Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine, and the bishops of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem concelebrated. Dec. 25, 2023.?w=200&h=150

By Marinella Bandini

Midnight Mass in Bethlehem: Patriarch addresses Gazan Christians, calls for end to war

“It is not enough to talk about a cease-fire; we don’t want a cease-fire, we want the hostilities to end,”... Read more

Pope Francis delivers his annual “urbi et orbi” address on Christmas from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 25, 2023.?w=200&h=150

By Jonathan Liedl

Pope Francis on Christmas: Saying ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace means saying ‘no’ to war 

In his annual “urbi et orbi” address, Pope Francis called for an end to war in the Holy Land and... Read more

Latest news

Georgetown University President John DeGioia attends a ceremony at which an honorary degree was bestowed on AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Sept. 3, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

Georgetown president John DeGioia to step down after 23 years

Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Nov. 20, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Pope Francis calls for study of Church history free from ideologies

Indian Christians pay their respects to the remains of St. Francis Xavier during the 17th exposition of the saint's body at the Se Cathedral in Goa on Nov. 22, 2014.

St. Francis Xavier’s relics draw 12,000 in Goa, India, for decennial exposition

Pope Francis signs two bottles of bourbon presented to him by Father Jim Sichko at the Vatican on May 1, 2024.

Bottles of bourbon signed by Pope Francis expected to fetch up to $20,000 for charity

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No, ‘AI Jesus’ isn’t actually hearing confessions: fact check

Pope Francis meets with the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the Vatican on Nov. 21, 2024.

Pope Francis: Desire and Christian hope can overcome ‘dangerous plague’ of nihilism

From left: John Hinshaw, Jonathan Darnel, Lauren Handy, Joan Bell, and Jean Marshall are among the pro-life activists who are still in prison or awaiting prison sentences on federal charges brought by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice for protests at abortion clinics — but President-elect Donald Trump has signaled he will likely grant them presidential pardons.

Meet the pro-life prisoners whom Trump is expected to pardon

St. John’s Cathedral in the Netherlands is lit up for Red Wednesday on Nov. 23, 2022.

Churches around the world lit up red in honor of persecuted Christians

Despite an online petition posted to change.org in mid-October that garnered over 53,000 signatures in protest of the evergreen to be used for the Vatican Christmas tree being chopped down, the tree arrived as scheduled in St. Peter’s Square at 7 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2024.

Vatican Christmas tree wreathed in controversy over environmental objections

Father Max Josef Metzger, a Catholic priest executed by the Nazi regime in 1944 for his peace activism and ecumenical work, was beatified Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Freiburg, Germany.

Church beatifies German priest who was executed by Nazis in 1944

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