Biden’s faith will be on display, as the first publicly churchgoing president in decades (CNN) For Biden, who next month will become the second Catholic president in US history, attending weekly Mass is expected to be a fixed part of his schedule. And while it’s unclear whether he will adopt a permanent parish in Washington during his term, Biden’s churchgoing will not only provide a window into his spiritual side. It will also be core to his political brand — apparent not just in the pursuit of his policy agenda but even in his schedule as President. “For Joe, faith is both a private devotion — he prays regularly, he goes to church. But it’s also public. He’s open about and proud that he’s a Catholic,” said Fr. Kevin O’Brien, a friend and spiritual adviser to Biden and his wife Jill…
Archdiocese of Washington sues over virus restrictions (The Washington Post) The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington on Friday sued D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and the city over Washington’s coronavirus attendance limits, saying they are “chilling” and harm hundreds of thousands of Catholics as Christmas approaches. The suit was filed as the region has added to its growing list of restrictions and closures. This week saw the largest number of coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic. The seven-day average of new cases across Virginia, Maryland and D.C. stood Friday at 6,887, down slightly from Thursday’s record high…
Vatican will offer Pfizer COVID vaccine to employees (CNS) The Vatican health service will begin vaccinating employees and Vatican citizens against COVID-19 using the Pfizer vaccine, the director of the Vatican health service told Vatican News. “Only through a widespread and capillary immunization of the population will it be possible to obtain real advantages in terms of public health to achieve control of the pandemic,” Dr. Andrea Arcangeli said Dec. 11. “Therefore, it is our duty to offer all residents, employees and their families the opportunity to be immunized against this dreaded disease,” he said…
Hundreds of professors sign appeal defending John Paul II (CNA) Hundreds of professors have signed an appeal defending St. John Paul II following criticism of the Polish pope in the wake of the McCarrick Report. The “unprecedented” appeal was signed by 1,700 professors based at Polish universities and research institutes. The signatories include Hanna Suchocka, Poland’s first female prime minister, former foreign minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, physicists Andrzej Staruszkiewicz and Krzysztof Meissner, and film director Krzysztof Zanussi…
Pope Francis celebrates 51 years of priesthood (Vatican News) Ordained a priest on 13 December 1969, the future Roman Pontiff discovered his vocation sixteen years earlier, on 21 September 1953, on the feast of Saint Matthew…
Help keep the lights on this Christmas season!
