Stories for December 2017

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Sunday, Dec. 31

 Background: papal message for January 1, the World Day of Peace

Released Saturday, Dec. 30

 Resignations and appointments (12/30)
 Resignations and appointments (12/29)
 Who will pay $100 billion to rebuild Iraq following defeat of Islamic State?
 Yemen: at least 109 civilians killed by Saudi coalition’s raids, UN says
 About 39,000 people killed In Syria in 2017, monitor group says

Released Friday, Dec. 29

 Pope tells theologians: be faithful to Vatican II
 Judge rejects bankruptcy plans for Minnesota archdiocese
 Gunmen attack Coptic church near Cairo; at least 10 killed
 Egypt teenager’s murder ‘aimed to intimidate Copts ahead of Christmas’, says his pastor
 Feast of Immaculate Conception becomes legal holiday in Philippines
 Catholic free medical clinic fills site of former abortion clinic in Virginia
 USCCB blog encourages readers to make ‘racial examination of conscience’
 For 1st time in 50 years, Myanmar’s Christians celebrate Christmas publicly
 The highest-paid Catholic college presidents
 How we ended up with 40% of children born out of wedlock
 Church in Philippines launches fund drive for typhoon victims
 US Catholics engage nation’s ‘transgender moment’
 Syriac Catholic patriarch issues Christmas message, calls for end of sanctions
 Over 3.4 million TV viewers saw Vatican Christmas concert
 UN General Assembly rejects ‘humanitarian abortion’
 Evangelical Christians ‘uncritical’ in support for Trump, UK Anglican bishop says
 +Father Maurice Borrmans, 92
 Putin says Saint Petersburg market explosion was ‘terror attack’
 Italian prime minister mourns failure to pass new citizenship law backed by bishops
 US promises to help Nigeria exterminate Boko Haram
 Ugandan army kills 100 ADF rebels in DR Congo
 New US airstrike in Somalia kills 13 al-Shabaab members
 Globalization has failed poor nations and factory workers, says Vatican newspaper editor
 New wave of violence in Central African Republic
 Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels swap prisoners before New Year
 South Sudan rebels, government accuse each other of breaking truce
 Vatican newspaper: ‘post-truth’ media are constructing image of ‘progressive and permissive Pope’
 Children under attack at shocking scale in conflicts around the world

Released Thursday, Dec. 28

 Peruvian bishops join protests after president pardons Fujimori
 Chinese officials demolish Catholic church without explanation
 Egypt’s Copts caution against US interference
 Papal greetings to young people at Taizé meeting
 Benedict XVI praises Cardinal Müller for continuing service to the Church
 23 Catholic missionaries killed in 2017
 Prince Charles laments persecution of Christians
 Abortion activists who disrupted Mass in Spain are sentenced to year in prison
 Priest on trial in Congo for calling for President Kabila’s departure
 Nigerian Catholic leaders call for end of special police units, action on kidnappings
 Middle East Catholic patriarchs express hope amid uncertainty at Christmas
 Archaeologists puzzled by Rosary beads in child’s grave at Anglican cathedral cemetery
 Nevada high court issues ruling on religious education in custody cases
 EU bishops’ commission weighs in on antibiotic resistance
 ‘Mission is the thermometer of the Church,’ says Pontifical Mission Societies’ new president
 Oklahoma’s only Catholic university closes doors
 Georgetown student group faces opposition for supporting Catholic teaching on marriage
 Catholic hospital in Bethlehem is regional leader in maternity care
 Thomas Aquinas College recovering after harrowing ‘Thomas’ fire
 Child who survived terrorist attack meets with Pope
 Christ must be at the center of Christmas, Pope says at general audience
 Theologian reflects on new Vatican instruction on relics
 Resignations and appointments (12/27)
 Leading Italian bishop highlights plight of unemployed, poor
 Church in Italy aids Iranian earthquake victims
 Patriarch celebrates 1st Mass in Mosul since 2014
 2 relics of St. Thomas Becket discovered in Italian church
 Russian warships pass close to British waters
 Spain’s king, in Christmas message to nation, urges Catalan lawmakers to avoid confrontation with Madrid
 Oil price at 2-1/2 year high following Libyan pipeline explosion
 Italy to send troops to Niger to fight Islamist militants, human trafficking
 255 migrants rescued in Mediterranean
 President Trump cuts funding to UN after Israel vote
 Russia, US discuss need for urgent North Korea negotiations

Released Wednesday, Dec. 27

 Cameroon: violence flares in Anglophone crisis; bishop urges prayers
 Chinese Communist Party orders members to boycott ‘Western religious activities’ at Christmas time
 Report: 5,000 Muslims attack, desecrate church in Egypt
 Ohio priest takes own life amid allegations
 Federal agents found fetuses in body broker’s warehouse
 China: university bans Christmas to resist ‘corrosion’ of Western culture
 Iranian Christian convert discusses Christmas in prison
 England’s Court of Appeal rejects religious objections to transgender parent’s contact with children
 Archbishop urges Nigerian government to invest in prisons, rehabilitation
 North Dakota county described as most Catholic place in US
 Priests reflect on Christmas and a free economy
 Pope Francis: video message to believers in Northern Peru
 German Catholics commemorate St. Stephen’s Day with prayer for persecuted Nigerian Christians
 Prayer vigils held all over Pakistan in memory of victims of recent church attack
 HHS mandate: judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s protection of conscience rights
 Holy Land Custos reflects on challenges, emphasizes importance of prayer
 Pope Francis makes Christmas visit to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
 Vatican Secretary of State affirms Church’s opposition to drugs
 Homily at Midnight Mass in Bethlehem

Released Tuesday, Dec. 26

 British public wants bishops out of House of Lords
 Vacation lodge used by St. John Paul II going on the market
 Irish primate: do not let Brexit debate rekindle passions in Northern Ireland
 Archbishop sees 2017 as ‘annus horribilis’ for Australian Church
 English court convicts former Benedictine abbot of molesting pupils
 Pope defends embattled Cardinal Maradiaga
 Christmas in North Korea: an inner celebration
 Prelate, Catholic organizations urge 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador
 Italian foreign minister recalls 800th anniversary of Franciscans in the Holy Land
 Pope exchanges Christmas greetings with Vatican employees
 Pope Francis: St. Stephen’s Day Angelus address
 Italian bishops, pro-life advocates decry new end-of-life law
 Bangladesh’s prime minister holds Christmas gathering for Christian leaders
 Diphtheria spreads in Bangladesh’s refugee camps
 Sri Lankan president: follow the spirit of Christmas to achieve reconciliation
 Cardinal Bo’s Christmas message urges healing, reconciliation and love in Myanmar
 Vatican Secretariat for Communication, Salesians agree to collaborate
 Church in Poland launches English-language Twitter account
 Undersecretary looks back on new dicastery’s 1st year
 +Bishop Matthias Yu Chengxin, 90
 Cameroon: Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim leaders call for peace and dialogue
 Respecting Sunday rest, large UK toy retailer was closed on Christmas Eve
 Macron: France ready to strengthen force in Sahel fighting Islamists
 Resignations and appointments (12/23)
 Pope Francis: 12/24 Angelus address on the Annunciation
 South Sudan cease-fire begins in attempt to calm civil war
 Docudrama featuring Franciscan scholars to appear on PBS
 UN votes for new sanctions against North Korea
 US national shrine rector discusses recently dedicated Trinity Dome
 Cardinal welcomes 162 refugees as Italy establishes humanitarian corridor
 Topless Femen activist tries to snatch Jesus statue from Vatican crib
 Israel announces exit from UNESCO

Released Monday, Dec. 25

 The Pope’s Christmas greetings in 7 languages
 Pope Francis: Christmas Message Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World)

Released Sunday, Dec. 24

 Christmas in St. Peter’s Basilica: full text of Pope Francis’s homily

Released Saturday, Dec. 23

 Yemen’s Hadi says no talks until rebels surrender arms
 Separatist parties in Spain’s Catalonia win majority in election
 Defying Trump, over 120 countries at UN condemn Jerusalem decision
 ‘Napalm girl’ discusses conversion to Christianity
 Papal audiences (12/22)
 Papal preacher’s 2nd Advent sermon: ‘Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’ (full text)
 Vatican’s Secretary of State renews plea for dialogue in Holy Land
 Italy: Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants issue joint statement on Reformation
 +Father Piero Gheddo, 89

Released Friday, Dec. 22

 Miracle approved, canonization next for Paul VI
 John Allen explains Vatican choice of funeral in St. Peter’s for Cardinal Law
 Papal preacher delivers second Advent Sermon
 Papal master of ceremonies appointed for new term
 New Egyptian ambassador welcomed by Pope
 New US ambassador, Callista Gingrich, presents credentials to Pontiff
 Cardinal Maradiaga decries charges as ‘half-truths worse than lies’
 ‘There is a climate of greater hope,’ Aleppo bishop says a year after Assad victory
 Venezuela’s brutal crime crackdown: executions, machetes and 8,292 dead
 Former USCCB president recalls ‘my friend and brother bishop, Bernie’
 Catholics of the Year 2017
 Guatemala: Supreme Court strikes down UNFPA pro-abortion manual
 Worldwide round-up of journalists killed, detained, held hostage, or missing in 2017
 13th-century basilica reopens 7 years after earthquake
 UN war crimes court that prosecuted Milosevic closes doors
 Poland remains defiant as EU threatens sanctions
 Catalan pro-independence group claims election victory
 Prelate says President Trump should work with Congress toward ‘acceptable tax bill’
 USCCB president on the passing of Cardinal Law
 Philippines’ coast guard rescues 252 passengers from capsized ferry
 South Korea asks US to delay joint military drills
 Thousands flee violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone region
 Pope sends 350 cakes to Roman prison for Christmas
 Children’s drawings for Pope Francis on display at pediatric hospital
 India’s interior minister promises nation’s bishops a safe Christmas
 Capuchins provide welcome and hope to Dublin’s homeless this Christmas
 Pope, at weekday Mass, preaches that Christians should be joyful
 Vatican newspaper editor: Pope is calling Curia to turn its gaze outward
 Jerusalem bishop: Catholic youth concerned about rising Islamic fundamentalism
 Ecumenical Patriarch’s 2017 Christmas proclamation
 Yemen’s 1000-day war hitting children the hardest
 Tighter security mixes with festive spirit at German Christmas markets this year

Released Thursday, Dec. 21

 Cardinal Maradiaga, top adviser to Pope, embroiled in financial scandal
 Cardinal Sodano invokes God’s mercy at funeral for Cardinal Law
 Vatican envoy at UN repeats plea to preserve ‘status quo’ in Jerusalem
 Pope rips ‘traitors’ in Christmas message to Roman Curia
 Phil Lawler reflects on the death of Cardinal Law
 Department of Justice drops appeal to prevent immigrant teen’s abortion
 FDA approves gene therapy for inherited forms of vision loss
 India: Hindu extremists warn Christian schools not to celebrate Christmas
 Pakistan: Methodist leader responds to attack on church
 Turkmenistan’s tiny Catholic community prepares for Christmas
 Indonesian authorities on maximum terror alert over Christmas
 Scholar critiques book that argues Christians destroyed the classical world
 Christians ready for Christmas after the caliphate’s collapse
 Vatican astronomer’s 2017 Christmas message
 Christian satellite TV station brings hope, healing, and education to Middle East
 Cardinal Gracias: Pope’s visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh was successful yet challenging
 English bishops: ‘we stand at odds with President Trump’s recognition’ of Jerusalem
 Chaldean Catholic patriarch releases 2017 Christmas message
 Iraq: Advent among Mosul refugees sees solidarity stronger than hardships
 Coptic Orthodox patriarch says Pope Francis called him during recent hospitalization
 Ecumenical Patriarch, in Jerusalem, delivers lecture on religion and fundamentalism
 Leading Canadian bishop releases Christmas message
 Catalonia votes in new election pivotal for independence campaign
 Number of migrants worldwide rises to 258 million
 Jerusalem archbishop, at press conference, reviews events of 2017
 Vatican Nativity scene sparks controversy
 Yemen’s children risk death as fuel shortage creates water crisis
 US Ambassador Haley: we ‘will be taking names’ of countries that vote against US on Jerusalem recognition
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and her community
 Resignations and appointments (12/20)
 Pope Francis: general audience on the introductory rites of the Mass (full text)

Released Wednesday, Dec. 20

 Milwaukee’s Archbishop Listecki supports priest who announced he is gay
 Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned amid abuse scandal, dead at 86
 Cardinal Parolin opens exhibit of children’s portraits of Pope—fundraiser for Bambino Gesu hospital
 32 Planned Parenthood clinics have been closed in 2017
 Christians say no to the Christmas event organized by Jakarta’s Islamist governor
 Pakistan: mourners bury 11 killed in attack on Methodist church
 Kentucky commission reprimands judge for concerns about adoption by homosexual persons
 2018 Catholic social ministry gathering will focus on racism, environment, immigration
 Pope holds video discussion with Japanese university students
 Vatican prefect: God sometimes upsets our plans
 In Myanmar, Cardinal Bo visits displaced Kachin
 Vatican newspaper highlights Philippine cardinal’s book on evangelization
 Peru: indigenous community names its forests in honor of Pope Francis
 South Africa ruling party’s election exposes divisions, Jesuit says in analysis
 At general audience, Pope reflects on Mass as an encounter of love with Christ
 Beatification process begins for Romano Guardini, Fritz Gerlich
 Geneva: Catholics, Protestants, and Old Catholics issue joint statement on Reformation
 German churches warn of increasing oppression of Christians worldwide
 +Arseny Roginsky, 71
 Resignations and appointments (12/19)
 Papal audiences (12/18, 12/19)
 Fighting in eastern Ukraine at its worst since February
 Italian court: best interests of child should prevail in surrogacy disputes
 West African leaders resolve to fight terrorism, political instability
 UN leader appeals for solidarity with migrants
 Trump national security strategy sees US confronting China and Russia
 Vatican official discusses net neutrality, artificial intelligence
 UN Security Council takes aim at US recognition of Jerusalem

Released Tuesday, Dec. 19

 Reporter offers a glimpse of how Pope’s airplane interviews are conducted
 Sterility by choice is a disease, Pope says
 Cardinal Nichols congratulates London’s first female Anglican bishop
 Jordan’s King Hussein speaks with Pope about Jerusalem
 Cardinal Wyszynski, Father Peyton advanced toward beatification
 Vietnam: government demand for removal of Nativity scene sparks tension
 Why are Chile’s churches under attack?
 US religious leaders sign interfaith letter criticizing gender ideology
 Vatican prelate exhorts youth to overcome indifference to migrants, work for peace
 Vietnamese Catholics serving the poor and children at Christmas
 Vatican newspaper tribute to saints who ministered to migrants
 Papal prayers for victims of French school bus tragedy
 India’s vice president commends Christian contribution to nation
 Indian cardinal explains how Council of Cardinals (C9) works
 Jerusalem archbishop lauds Jordan’s king, renews criticism of Trump decision
 The 2017 Christmas message of the heads of churches in Jerusalem
 Papal almoner visits earthquake victims in southern Italy
 Children serenade Pope on 81st birthday; he appeals for release of kidnapped nuns
 Pope at Mass: Joseph, example of a man who took nothing for himself
 Macron, Merkel lend support to anti-jihadist peacekeepers in Mali
 Boko Haram militants attack food aid convoy in Nigeria
 Over 5000 migrant fatalities reported worldwide in 2017
 Russia: CIA information thwarted ISIS attack on Kazan Cathedral
 9 killed in suicide attack on Methodist church in Pakistan
 Libyan army commander: nation is entering ‘dangerous phase’ as UN agreement expires

Released Monday, Dec. 18

 Local diocese: Medjugorje pilgrimages still not approved
 Former Archbishop of Canterbury angry at successor’s criticism
 New Vatican rules for relics
 Milwaukee priest announces to parish that he is gay and proud
 Pope will extend mandate of abuse commission, but may replace members?
 Papal greetings to children at Rome pediatric clinic
 Duterte will push for same-sex marriage in Philippines
 Pope’s Angelus message: constant joy, prayer, and thanksgiving
 Vatican unveils streamlined news site
 Ecuador’s president meets with Pope
 Report the truth and avoid disinformation, Pope tells Italian journalists
 Be attentive to the forgotten poor, Pope tells youth of Italian Catholic Action
 Resignations and appointments (12/16)
 Papal audiences (12/16)
 Cardinal: Pope Francis seeks to restore Confession to central place in Church’s life
 As Christians leave Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Church creates new French diocese
 Leading Russian prelate calls for expanded religious instruction, laments West’s rejection of God
 European Christian, Muslim groups decry violence against women
 20,000 youth from 45 nations expected at Taizé gathering
 Malaysian religious leaders deplore human trafficking
 India: Catholic university leaders discuss ‘saffronization’ of schools
 Catholics in Pakistan celebrate Year of the Eucharist
 Southeast Asian prelate calls for ecological conversion to protect mankind from destruction
 Indonesia’s Christian leaders warn of rising fanaticism, societal divisions

Released Saturday, Dec. 16

 Vatican newspaper: funerals are crucial moments in the new evangelization
 Syria missed ‘golden opportunity’ at peace talks, says UN mediator
 FCC repeals net neutrality rules
 Trump says US wants Russia’s help on North Korea
 Resignations and appointments (12/15)
 Papal audiences (12/15)
 Papal preacher devotes 1st Advent sermon to Christ and creation, recalls Teilhard de Chardin (full text)

Released Friday, Dec. 15

 Nigerian prelate urges appointment of new bishop for troubled diocese
 Pope thanks performers for Christmas concert
 Papal preacher delivers first Advent sermon
 Bolivia’s president meets with Pope Francis
 Italian lawmakers back ‘right-to-die’ legislation despite Church opposition
 Priests jailed for caroling in India’s Madhya Pradesh state
 Catholic cardinal named “Swede of the Year’
 Nazareth’s mayor cancels Christmas events to protest Trump embassy move
 Vatican statement responds to Australian Royal Commission
 Australian panel blasts Catholic hierarchy, urges end to celibacy and confessional seal
 Protestant pastor in Indonesia charged with blasphemy
 Indonesian children still in recovery mode 1 year after church bombing
 +Father Andrew Apostoli, 75
 Indian prime minister attacks archbishop over pastoral letter on state election
 How does an astronomer explain the science behind the Christmas phenomenon?
 2 companies reach $7.7M settlement over allegations of selling fetal tissue
 Nigeria: 2 catechists murdered by Boko Haram suicide bomber
 Priest discusses silent missionary witness in Afghanistan
 Mali bishops’ official warns of rising jihadist influence in region
 Post-ISIS, the first Catholic church is reconsecrated on Nineveh Plains
 +Archbishop Alphonsus Penney, 93
 North American Orthodox-Catholic dialogue critiques document on primacy, synodality
 Pope thanks his envoy to UN for promoting Vatican viewpoint
 Pope Francis preaches on God’s tenderness
 Pope Francis meets with evangelical leaders to discuss religious freedom
 Europe’s growing Muslim population
 Resignations and appointments (12/14)
 Papal audiences (12/14)
 Arkansas abortion clinics face suspension over health codes
 Marcus Grodi reflects on 20 years of “The Journey Home”
 Hormonal birth control is linked to a higher risk of suicide, study says
 What big companies oppose a small business’ case for religious freedom?

Released Thursday, Dec. 14

 New ambassadors to Holy See present credentials
 Two Raphael paintings discovered at Vatican Museums
 Belgian bishop who resigned after abuse complaint plans suit against new accuser
 Ousted Vatican bank official seeks explanation for removal
 Author of critical book on Pope says Vatican is anxious to identify him
 Abuse survivor quits papal commission after months of leave
 Vatican preparing to launch new media web site
 Washington March for Life announces location and speakers
 Largely Catholic Asian nation elects Muslim prime minister
 Mexico: 2 dancers murdered while honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe
 Faith amid the flames: California Catholics recount stories of survival
 Belarus: Baptists maltreated, fined for offering religious literature
 Iraqi bishop recalls his abduction, torture in new book
 Shrinking majority of Americans believe that biblical account of birth of Jesus depicts actual events
 UK: ‘draconian’ education act would see local authorities policing homeschoolers
 Zambia’s leading prelate emphasizes traditional teaching on remarriage and the Eucharist
 Hong Kong Bishop declares 2018 ‘Year of Youth’
 Msgr. Luigi Ligutti’s legacy recalled
 India’s coastal archdiocese appeals for help for people hit by cyclone
 Prelate outlines Holy See’s position on current trade-related issues
 US bishops’ marriage initiative announces podcast
 Resignations and appointments (12/13)
 Holding infants (or not) can leave traces on their genes
 Papal audiences (12/13)
 Video of Pope’s 12/13 general audience
 Connecticut: group opposes senator’s bell-ringing for Salvation Army

Released Wednesday, Dec. 13

 Irish legislative committee proposes legalizing abortion
 Papal message lauds work of Populorum Progressio Foundation
 Maronite Patriarch: Trump’s move of embassy to Jerusalem damages peace prospects
 ‘Underground’ Chinese Bishop Mattias Yu Chengxin, labor-camp survivor, dead at 89
 Council of Cardinals hears plan for reorganization of Vatican communications
 Sunday rest, worship are focus of Pope’s public audience
 Tajikistan: Protestant pastor receives 3-year sentence for singing ‘extremist songs’ in church
 Renewed violence against Nigerian Christian farmers
 El Salvadoran poet wins world prize for mystical poetry
 Italy tells the story of its Jewish people in new museum
 Saudi crown prince buys da Vinci painting of Christ for $450M
 USCCB president: pray for California fire victims, firefighters
 Pope Francis: crisis and foreign debt impoverish Latin America
 Defend Latin America’s diversity from ‘ideological colonization,’ Pope preaches on Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
 Melkite patriarch reconsecrates cathedral altar in Homs
 Pope’s Twitter account marks 5 years
 China’s Communist party tolerates Santa, but clamps down on Jesus
 Catholic leaders call for ‘repentance and atonement’ between North Korea and South Korea
 South Korea president says anti-missile system will not be ‘invasive’ of China’s security
 Vatican conference highlights role of laity in addressing modern challenges
 French President Macron calls for ‘much stronger mobilization’ on climate
 UN: 4,500 civilians killed, wounded in Somalia since 2016
 Patriarchate calls on Israelis, Palestinians to reach agreement on Jerusalem
 Russia’s Putin: US decision on Jerusalem is destabilizing Middle East
 Facing student pressure, Georgetown continues contraception coverage in insurance plans
 Bishop Henry criticizes removal of God, parents from education

Released Tuesday, Dec. 12

 Cardinal Pell faces March hearing on abuse charges
 Cardinal Kasper: debate on Amoris Laetitia should be ended
 Bermuda restores traditional definition of marriage
 Australian archbishop urges calm as same-sex marriage moves forward
 Mexican diocese may alter Mass times at Christmas to avoid violence
 DC archdiocese loses case on Christmas ads for city buses; will appeal
 Bishop Morlino explains policy on funerals for active homosexuals
 Archbishop challenges Malawi’s leaders on abortion law
 97 years later, the largest Catholic church in America is finally finished
 After 40 years, priest who used to be in KKK apologizes to couple he targeted in cross burning
 30 pro-life leaders sign pledge to uphold Catholic doctrine
 Pope Francis: leave behind bitterness, be consoled by God
 Updated program released for Pope’s trip to Chile, Peru
 Vatican’s Populorum Progressio Foundation turns 25, has granted $41M to 4300 projects
 Pope issues message for 2018 World Day of the Sick
 Resignations and appointments (12/11)
 Council of Cardinals holding 22nd meeting
 Vatican issues new statement on Jerusalem
 Catholic Charities USA: advocate on behalf of DACA on Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
 Advance final tax reform bill only if it meets key moral concerns, says prelate
 NY archdiocese pays over $40M to 189 abuse victims
 New York Port Authority attack: Akayed Ullah inspired by ISIS
 World leaders, high security at Paris climate summit
 In one corner of Afghanistan, America is beating Islamic State
 EU’s Federica Mogherini rebuffs Netanyahu on Jerusalem
 Leading European bishops: respect status quo of Jerusalem

Released Monday, Dec. 11

 Incoming Polish prime minister hopes to “re-Christianize the EU”
 New study shows contraceptive use heightens breast-cancer risk
 Ukrainian Orthodox Patriarch ready to talk with Moscow, but insists on autonomy
 In Cameroon, English- and French-speaking bishops differ on ethnic violence
 Ex-priest who counseled abusers is found guilty of 1960 murder
 Medjugorje pilgrimages now allowed, says papal delegate
 Pope questions translation of the Lord’s Prayer
 Advent is time of purification, Pope Francis says during Angelus address
 Pope Francis appeals for nuclear disarmament and climate change action
 Resignations and appointments (12/9)
 Papal audiences (12/9)
 Prelates comment on religious freedom of Colorado baker in Supreme Court case
 Pope prays for Rome, recalls Ratisbonne’s conversion in traditional homage to Immaculate Mary
 Vatican foreign minister calls for dialogue, commitment to human rights in order to promote peace, security
 Resignations and appointments (12/8)
 The Blessed Virgin is full of grace and all-beautiful, Pope says on Feast of Immaculate Conception
 Moneyval offers mixed assessment of Holy See’s efforts to combat money laundering
 Papal praise for Italian children’s choir
 Resignations and appointments (12/7)
 Papal audiences (12/7)
 Pope calls for ecumenical cooperation to help Asia’s less fortunate

Released Thursday, Dec. 7

 Pope thanks Polish donors of Vatican Christmas tree
 Praise from Pontiff at 90th birthday celebration for Cardinal Sodano
 Pope meets with president of Bosnia-Herzegovina
 New Jersey archdiocese in court challenge to state law on cemetery-headstone sales
 Filipino bishop denounces killing after priest is gunned down by vigilantes
 Australian lawmakers approve legal recognition of same-sex marriage
 Pope Francis names new Archbishops of Mexico City, Paris
 Pope receives international Lutheran leaders, calls for renewed efforts to promote Christian unity
 Cardinal Cipriani: Peru and Chile will greet Pope Francis with ‘lively faith’
 Canadian government may expand euthanasia to teens, mentally ill
 15,000 victims of euthanasia in Belgium since 2002 legalization
 Prelates disappointed by US government’s withdrawal from process to develop migration treaty
 ‘Stand for DREAMers,’ Catholic Charities urges in advocacy alert
 Vatican newspaper highlights international concern about Trump decision on Jerusalem
 UN rights chief calls for probe into attacks against Rohingya, says genocide ‘cannot be ruled out’
 Resignations and appointments (12/6)
 Papal audiences (12/6)
 Pope Francis: general audience on apostolic journey to Myanmar, Bangladesh (full text)
 Jerusalem’s Christian leaders decry Trump decision on city
 Pope meets with Palestinian religious leaders, encourages dialogue

Released Wednesday, Dec. 6

 LA archdiocese wins court case on sale of convent to Katy Perry
 Cardinal encourages broad investigation of human-rights violations in Central African Republic
 Denmark: nearly all Down Syndrome babies aborted
 Australian archbishop, found competent for trial, appears in court
 Pope signals opposition to Trump plan for Jerusalem embassy
 Brazilian court convicts man in 1987 murder of Spanish Jesuit missionary
 4 gunmen kill priest in Philippines
 Vice President Pence meets with Iraqi archbishop ahead of Middle East trip
 Thomas Aquinas College evacuated as wildfire spreads
 Canadian bishops, rabbis discuss Psalm 23, Israel
 Indian archdiocese ready to gather evidence on Kandhamal martyrs
 South Sudan: leading prelate addresses governors, pleads for peace
 Trinity Dome completed at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
 Pope preaches on gifts of the Holy Spirit, humiliations
 Pope Francis: ‘safeguard the treasure of the incredible patrimony of the Latin tradition’
 Pope reflects on apostolic journey to Myanmar, Bangladesh
 Italian doctor who called homosexuality a ‘health hazard’ cleared in defamation case
 Relic of St. Francis Xavier set for cross-country tour, will get its own seat on Air Canada
 US bishops’ subcommittee awards grants for 187 projects in Latin America
 Resignations and appointments (12/5)
 Supreme Court weighs Colorado baker’s refusal to make cake for same-sex marriage

Released Tuesday, Dec. 5

 Patriarch’s message to Moscow raises hope for reunion among Ukrainian Orthodox
 Orthodox churches see decline in numbers, little growth outside Europe
 Priest, two others arrested at DC abortion clinic
 Croatian bishops charges UN tribunal is unjust in war-crimes trials
 Archbishop Naumann speaks about priorities as chairman of US bishops’ pro-life committee
 Bolivian archbishop: pro-democracy protests should be peaceful
 Bangladesh: priest in state of shock following apparent abduction, release
 Missionary sister discusses bubonic plague in Madagascar
 Church in Philippines: 2018 is Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons
 Bishops call on UK Government to help Calais migrants
 Israeli missiles target Syrian military facility near Damascus: Syrian state media
 UN relief wing appeals for record $22.5 billion in aid for 2018
 Australian bishop: young Catholics are creating a resurgence in the Church
 The best pictures from Pope Francis’s trip to Burma
 New interview with Cardinal Raymond Burke
 In letter to priests, Vatican cardinal extols Sacrament of Penance
 Resignations and appointments (12/4)
 A first: European Parliament holds hearing on persecution of Christians
 Papal audiences (12/4)
 Congress must change ‘fundamentally flawed’ tax policies in final bill, says prelate
 Refugee admissions to US down 83% so far in FY18
 Nearly 30 religious leaders unite in support of Bears Ears National Monument
 Apostolic journey to Myanmar and Bangladesh: full text of Pope’s talks, homilies

Released Monday, Dec. 4

 Thomas More College Launches new initiative with Phil Lawler, Anthony Esolen
 Priest in Bangladesh freed after reported kidnapping; police say report untrue
 Austrian cardinal co-hosts AIDS memorial service, urges non-judgmental attitude
 In airplane press conference, Pope defends handling of Rohingya crisis
 Ecuador’s new ambassador to Holy See presents credentials
 Pope’s monthly prayer intention: for the elderly
 Australian prosecutor doubtful on archbishop’s Alzheimer’s claim
 Pope’s letter to Argentine bishops is magisterial teaching, Cardinal Parolin says
 Peru to withdraw Its ‘gender Ideology’ school curriculum
 Pope pays homage to Mary after journey to Myanmar, Bangladesh
 Pope Francis: Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations
 USCCB committee chair, Catholic Relief Services CEO call for ‘robust funding’ of anti-HIV programs
 Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking advocates for slave-free seafood label
 Sicilian priest arrested for sexual abuse of minors
 Resignations and appointments (12/2)
 Columnists defend Pope Francis on Rohingya, St. John Paul’s teaching on women
 Pope challenges Latin American politicians to serve the common good
 Welcoming converts and reverts: The Journey Home at 20
 Holy See, at UN panel discussion, emphasizes importance of Christians, other minorities in post-ISIS Iraq
 In preview of synod, Pope Francis outlines vision of vocational ministry
 Pope Francis: Angelus address on Advent and watching
 50 million children are migrants, 28 million of them displaced by conflict
 Death toll in Iran earthquake rises to 521

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Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Junípero Serra, Priest (USA)

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Today the United States celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784). Miguel Jose Serra was born on the island of Mallorca, Spain. He took the name Junípero when he entered the Franciscan Order in 1730. Ordained in 1737, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua for…

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