Vandals increasingly target Catholic churches (Newsweek) Attacks on church properties (arson; statues beheaded; limbs cut, smashed and painted; gravestones defaced with swastikas; satanic graffiti or anti-Catholic language) have been so pronounced in recent years that the USCCB began tracking them in May 2020…
Pope Francis: Ask for St. Joseph’s courage to trust in God (CNA) St. Joseph, who protected his family from the persecution of King Herod, teaches us how to respond to our difficulties with courage and to trust in God’s plan, Pope Francis said on Wednesday. During his weekly public audience Dec. 29, the pope spoke about the contrast between St. Joseph, who acted with courage in the face of hardship and fear, and Herod, who acted with arrogance and violence…
Pope laicizes Ohio priest (CNS) Pope Francis has dismissed from the priesthood a Cleveland man who is serving a life sentence in prison for sexually exploiting children. The action against Robert McWilliams, 41, means he will no longer be able to serve in any role as a priest, the Diocese of Cleveland said in a statement Dec. 21. “This dismissal is a penalty imposed directly by the pope. There is no possible appeal,” the diocese said…
Pontifical council begins planning Holy Year 2025 (CNS) Preparations for the Holy Year 2025 have already begun, and Pope Francis has asked the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization to take charge of the efforts. In a brief note Dec. 26, the Vatican press office said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the pontifical council, already has had meetings with officials of the Vatican Secretariat of State and with the offices that will be involved in funding Holy Year activities: the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See and the Secretariat for the Economy…
Mideast patriarchs urge hope amid misery (CNS) Patriarchs of the Middle East urged their faithful, overwhelmed with suffering, to hold on more tightly to hope this Christmastime. In Lebanon, collapsing since 2019 under financial and social disintegration in which nearly 80% of the population now lives below the poverty line, Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite Catholic patriarch, admonished the country’s officials for their “disdain” for their people. “If love existed … in the hearts of those responsible, the people would not be suffering under the worst tragedy in (Lebanon’s) history,” Cardinal Rai said in his Christmas message…
Spate of attacks on Christians in India (The Guardian) Festive celebrations were disrupted, Jesus statues were smashed and effigies of Santa Claus were burned in a spate of attacks on India’s Christian community over Christmas. Amid growing intolerance and violence against India’s Christian minority, who make up about 2% of India’s population, several Christmas events were targeted by Hindu right wing groups, who alleged Christians were using festivities to force Hindus to convert. In recent years, Christians have increasingly faced harassment around Christmas but this year saw a notable surge in attacks…
