Stories for December 2023

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Dec. 29

 Unfinished business: the top CWN stories of 2023 [News Analysis]
 Christians arrested after clashes in Jerusalem’s Armenian quarter
 German diocese commissions lay people to administer Baptism
 Ukrainian leader thanks Pope for support
 Pope Francis laments slaughter of children in their mothers’ wombs and in war
 Israeli bombing destroys generator at Gaza’s Catholic parish
 FDA moves toward testing ‘gender-affirming’ drugs on children as young as 13
 Majority of priests in Syro-Malabar diocese obey Pope, celebrate Christmas liturgy ad orientem
 Cardinal Burke meets with Pope Francis
 Nicaragua arrests 2 high-ranking Managua priests as Christmas crackdown continues
 EEOC announces settlements in 2 religious discrimination lawsuits
 Leading pro-life obstetrician-gynecologist discusses challenges
 Hungary’s bishops: ‘Always avoid’ blessing same-sex couples and other couples in irregular situations
 At least 63 Catholic churches in US vandalized, attacked in 2023

Released Thursday, Dec. 28

 Build bridges, Pope encourages Taize community
 Pope Francis dishonors Benedict’s legacy, former Pontiff’s collaborator charges
 Religious orders worldwide weigh harmful impacts of green transition
 World Values Survey: Indonesia, Czechia are world’s most and least religious nations
 Papal letter marks 60th anniversary of Albanian cardinal’s arrest
 German bishop in Vatican newspaper: Cardinal Fernández has developed the Church’s teaching on blessings
 Fiducia Supplicans ‘creates confusion,’ Uruguayan cardinal says
 Cardinal Fernández: ‘It’s proper for each bishop’ to discern application of Fiducia Supplicans
 Over 6,600 international priests minister in US
 Pope Francis prays for victims of war and violence

Released Wednesday, Dec. 27

 Italian priest under fire for ‘blasphemous’ Nativity scene
 Convicted vandal sues pregnancy-help center for medical malpractice
 Massacre in Christian village in Nigeria
 Caritas staff convicted, ‘posadas’ forbidden amid Christmas crackdown in Nicaragua
 Nuns fail to block new Atlantic City pot dispensary just feet from convent
 Hezbollah rocket strikes Catholic church in northern Israel
 Michigan bishop on blessing same-sex couples: We lack charity if we foster confusion
 As war rages, Gaza’s Christian minority worries about survival
 Vatican to publish ‘private’ homilies of late Pope Benedict
 Renewed papal prayer for peace, invitation to pause in wonder before Nativity scene
 Pope begins series of general audiences on virtues, vices

Released Tuesday, Dec. 26

 Israeli envoy: Hamas does not want peace
 Pope, at St. Stephen’s feast, speaks on current persecution
 Cameroon’s bishops rip Vatican instruction, forbid all blessings of homosexual couples
 Same-sex marriage is an abomination, Ghana bishop says
 ‘One woman’s puzzle: who should get my embryos?’
 At Midnight Mass in Bethlehem, Patriarch laments suffering in Gaza
 Pope tells Rome priests: Blessings don’t affect Sacrament of Marriage
 New Zealand cardinal dies at 93
 Pope names 1st resident representative in Vietnam since 1975
 Be ‘enveloped by the shadow of the Holy Spirit,’ and be a refuge to the lonely, Pope tells pilgrims

Released Monday, Dec. 25

 Pope Francis: Christmas Message Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World)

Released Sunday, Dec. 24

 Pope Francis’s Christmas homily: ‘A census of the whole earth’

Released Friday, Dec. 22

 Fiducia Supplicans will not apply in Ukrainian Catholic Church, primate says
 Archbishop Chaput rips confused teaching in Vatican document
 DDF posts proof of meeting with Pope about Fiducia Supplicans
 Holy Land patriarchs issue Christmas message amid ‘inconsolable misery’
 Archbishop, Pontiff saddened by mass shooting in Prague
 Vatican Advent sermon: focus on Mary’s journey
 Papal sends cardinal to Jerusalem for Christmas in solidarity gesture
 Israel envoy charges ‘blood libel’ to say IDF intentionally shot Gaza civilians
 Spanish bishops’ audit finds 2,056 abuse victims, most of them male
 Spanish bishop criticizes Vatican for not acting in synodal manner in drafting new document
 Bishops of Burkina Faso, Niger: ‘The Church does not approve of irregular or same-sex unions’
 Indiana Catholic women’s college rescinds transgender admission policy
 Leading African prelate plans continental ‘synodal pronouncement’ on new Vatican document
 Bishop Barron says new Vatican document affirms Church’s timeless teaching on marriage

Released Thursday, Dec. 21

 Catholic priests remain missing in Russian-occupied Ukraine
 Appeals loom for convicted defendants in Vatican trial
 Chicago archdiocese will rely solely on renewable energy
 Cardinal Müller rips ‘unprecedented’ Vatican stand on same-sex blessings
 German Catholics to prepare texts for blessing same-sex unions
 Pope thanks Vatican employees for ‘hidden’ service
 Avoid rigidity, Pope urges Roman Curia in annual address
 California governor wins ‘Ebenezer Award’ for canceling, skipping state holiday celebrations
 Papal prayer for victims of earthquake in China
 ‘Walk together in justice,’ Chad’s bishops urge in Christmas message
 Strong USCCB support for Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
 Bishops differ sharply in reaction to new Vatican document
 Pope calls for international humanitarian response to Darién migration tragedy
 Pope asks for prayers for Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel
 Nicaragua jails another bishop as crackdown intensifies

Released Wednesday, Dec. 20

 Church of England vicar faces complaint for ‘misgendering’ archdeacon
 Arrests follow lynching of Christian man in India’s Jharkhand state
 Biden team to highlight abortion in re-election campaign
 At audience, Pope renews pleas for peace
 Vatican expert fears imminent schism in Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
 Austrian archbishop: priests cannot refuse same-sex blessings
 Kazakhstan: archbishop prohibits priests from performing ‘any form of blessing’ of same-sex couples
 Pope, at general audience, recalls St. Francis of Assisi’s crèche, ‘school of simplicity and joy’
 A quarter of Methodist congregations abandon church as schism grows over LGBTQ issues
 Leading Ghana bishop: ‘You are blessing the people and not the union’
 Cardinal Becciu retains luxury Vatican apartment after conviction
 Gaza parish priest: victims of Israeli sniper attack were active parishioners
 4 USCCB committee chairman weigh in on immigration, abortion in national security funding bill
 Pope celebrates 87th birthday with children of families in need

Released Tuesday, Dec. 19

 Cardinal Becciu insists he is innocent
 Archbishop Chaput on restoring the papacy
 Portrait of Vatican art restorers
 Father Martin, other advocates welcome new Vatican document; Archbishop Cordileone: read it in continuity with Church teaching
 USCCB statement: ‘The Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed’
 Police arrest 3 after Catholic man lynched in India
 Catholic leaders try to refocus attention on Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children
 Indonesian delegation, Pope Francis discuss peace, interfaith harmony
 Vatican releases guidelines for synodal process between now and October 2024
 Health care must put human person at the center, Pope tells hospital staff

Released Monday, Dec. 18

 Irish diocese to arrange funeral services without priests
 US State Department urges release of Jimmy Lai
 US bishops’ leader calls for ceasefire in Gaza
 German bishop hospitalized after assault at home
 French diocese severs ties with Fraternity of St. Peter
 Jerusalem patriarchate reports deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza parish
 Vatican allows blessings for same-sex couples outside liturgy
 Pope Francis deplores Israeli killings of civilians in Gaza Catholic church
 Testify to the light as St. John the Baptist did, Pope tells pilgrims
 Apostolic visitator named for Coptic Catholics in United States
 Cardinal Parolin meets with delegation from Arab League
 Argentine nun to be canonized in February
 Papal letter recalls ‘double jubilee’ in German diocese
 Holy Land war in thoughts of Vatican Christmas concert singers
 Sant’Egidio founder, Pontiff discuss migrants, peace
 Think of Bethlehem, Pope tells living Nativity scene performers
 Pope: Concert with the poor shows true meaning of Christian message

Released Saturday, Dec. 16

 Cardinal Becciu convicted; faces 5-1/2-year sentence

Released Friday, Dec. 15

 Papal preacher reflects on role of St. John the Baptist
 Pope laments warfare in meeting with Italian youth
 Buenos Aires archbishop rebukes new Argentine president
 Vatican closing religious community Rupnik founded
 Wire services anticipate verdict in Vatican trial
 Myanmar bishop seeks safety in forest after army attacks cathedral
 Pope Francis will join very different Pontiffs buried in St. Mary Major
 Former nun speaks of repeated attempts to warn Church officials about Rupnik
 USCCB committee chairmen lend support to anti-deforestation bill
 US lawmakers call for release of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez
 Catholic climate advocates say COP28 deal ‘encouraging’ but ‘not fast enough’
 Pope approves decrees for new blesseds, including 6 martyrs
 Pope thanks volunteers who transport infirm pilgrims to Marian shrines
 Do not repatriate refugees to countries where they face persecution, Pope urges global forum
 On Bill of Rights Day, President Biden rips pro-life, ‘anti-LGBTQI+’ legislation

Released Thursday, Dec. 14

 French government moves to dissolve Catholic youth association
 Australian priest removed from Latin-Mass community
 Belgian priest killed in Democratic Republic of Congo
 Vatican says single mothers should seek sacraments
 Pope calls for international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence
 Vancouver archbishop is ‘voice in the wilderness’ against anti-Semitism, rabbi says
 Kenyan priest assaulted by mob for attempting to rescue girls from genital mutilation
 Kansas City archbishop ‘single-handedly torpedoed’ Medicaid expansion, ex-lawmaker charges
 Newly appointed Argentine bishop resigns before installation
 Pope renews appeal for immediate Gaza cease-fire
 Unemployment is a wound to human dignity, Pope says in message
 Supreme Court will hear case on mail-order abortion pill

Released Wednesday, Dec. 13

 Spread of Christianity slowing in China?
 Nearly $2 billion federal funds annually to abortion advocacy
 Pope plans to be buried in St. Mary Major basilica
 Illinois will not enforce law against pregnancy-help centers
 ‘Ephphatha, be opened, Church’: Pope concludes general audience series on apostolic zeal
 Israeli airstrike damages Gaza’s only Catholic church
 Steubenville and Columbus diocesan merger back on the table
 ‘Deal with the priests’: Cardinal Gregory criticizes priests who promoted traditional Latin Mass
 English Catholics say immigrant’s suicide shows ‘cruelty’ of government policy
 Catholic group opposes ‘buffer zone’ legislation for abortion in Scotland
 NY ban on firearms in houses of worship violates 1st Amendment, court rules
 US bishops’ migration chairman urges ‘unconditional respect for human life and dignity’ of migrants
 Message of Guadalupe based in simplicity, not ideology, Pope says

Released Tuesday, Dec. 12

 Jailed priest accepts punishment for child-porn crimes
 Secretary of State backs prosecution in Vatican trial
 New gene-editing therapy wins endorsement from Catholic moralist
 Wall Street Journal outlines case of Cardinal Becciu at Vatican trial
 Vatican approves communal preservation of cremated remains
 Pope thanks donors of Vatican creche
 Retired Brazilian bishop ordered to leave prelature
 Pope names South American priest a Quebec bishop
 Ghana’s bishops reaffirm support for legislation that criminalizes homosexual acts
 USCCB calls for federal funding for security for houses of worship
 ‘In persona episcopi’: Pope Francis continues to unite Italian dioceses
 Pope hails 60 years of Vatican-Korea diplomatic ties
 Pope thanks Italian prefects for contributing to social peace
 Supreme Court rejects challenge to Washington state ‘conversion therapy’ ban

Released Monday, Dec. 11

 Pope urges ‘absolute transparency’ in Vatican finances
 Former papal secretary named nuncio to Morocco
 Kidnapped priest released in Nigeria
 Jailed Nicaraguan bishop is declining health
 Fomer envoy to Vatican: ‘There’s Life Yet in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’
 Sacramento diocese to file for bankruptcy
 Nebraska priest stabbed to death; Iowa man arrested
 On Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope reflects on the Virgin Mary’s amazement, fidelity
 Pope presents golden roses to Roman Marian image, prays for peace
 Papal gratitude to Italian Air Force for defending peace
 Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for Holy Land
 Papal tribute to Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 ‘Let us value silence, sobriety and listening,’ Pope tells pilgrims

Released Thursday, Dec. 7

 New spire raised over Notre Dame in Paris
 Irish bishops issue cautious statement on racial conflicts
 US bishops tabled sensitive statement on indigenous peoples
 Climate is top priority, Pope tells new envoys
 Pope pleads for unity, obedience as embattled head of Syro-Malabar Church resigns
 Refugees of ethnic clash in India find open arms in majority-Christian state
 Caritas, Catholic Relief Services call for end of fossil fuel extraction by 2050
 Italian progressive, conservative writers agree: Pope Francis made unprecedented claim about papal power
 Brazilian bishops’ commission: Israel is committing a ‘true genocide’ in Gaza
 USCCB decries Biden administration’s proposed changes to federal grant agreements
 Pope renews prayers for war-torn countries

Released Wednesday, Dec. 6

 Council of Cardinals discusses feminine role, Ukraine war, abuse prevention
 German cardinal sees Church ‘more polarized than ever’
 Denouncing ‘right-wing extremists,’ Bavaria’s bishops criticize political party after election success
 Nuns sue Smith & Wesson to halt its assault-style weapons sales
 Relic of St. Jude drawing thousands to Long Island churches
 FBI director spars with GOP senators about memo on ‘radical traditionalist Catholics’
 Australian state’s Religious Vilification Act takes effect
 USCCB, Catholic Charities warn: HHS regulations on unaccompanied migrant children facilitate abortion
 St. Peter’s Basilica unveils charity projects ahead of 2025 Jubilee
 Pope, at general audience, reflects on the Holy Spirit and evanglelization

Released Tuesday, Dec. 5

 In Vatican trial, defense protests ‘outrage against the truth’
 CELAM bishops back Guatemalan cardinal, threatened with arrest
 Mexican presidential candidate blasts gender ideology
 Archbishop seals ‘holy doors’ of national basilica, anticipating Jubilee Year
 Texas magazine investigates battle between bishops, nuns
 Notre Dame introduces new university president
 Thousands of charismatic Catholics gather in Dubai
 Mexican bishop announces excommunication of thief who stole Blessed Sacrament
 House Judiciary Committee releases report on ‘weaponization of law enforcement’ against Catholics
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman explains why abortion is a genuine ‘priority’ amid elections
 Ignored by nunciature, group meets with Vatican officials about black Catholics’ sainthood causes
 Christian non-profit may not rescind job offer because of same-sex marriage, court rules
 USCCB distributes over $10M from national collections
 Pope renews call for ‘concrete political changes’ on climate

Released Monday, Dec. 4

 Italian authorities investigating migration activist favored by Pope
 Milwaukee priest under investigation after media reports
 Council of Cardinals meets to discuss feminine role
 Denver archbishop explains why he wrote pastoral letter on marijuana
 Witnesses say imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop suffering mistreatment
 Pope says health improving
 Another Nigerian priest kidnapped
 Climate activists disrupt Mass in Turin cathedral
 Brazilian priest under investigation for using traditional rite
 Cardinal Burke officially notified of Pope’s decision on Vatican apartment
 USCCB committee chairman backs Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
 Papal video calls for ‘big hearts’ toward the disabled
 God’s justice is indissolubly united with mercy: papal message to canon lawyers
 Grand imam, Pope inaugurate faith pavilion at UN climate conference
 Pope calls world leaders to end divisions to fight climate change
 4 dead, 54 injured during bombing of Mass in Philippines; ISIS claims responsibility
 Pope deplores end of Israel-Hamas truce, voices hope for new cease-fire
 ‘Prepare a welcoming heart for the Lord,’ Pope advises as Advent begins

Want more news? Visit the Archives.

Tue30 December
Christmas

Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas

Image for Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas

The Christmas Octave with its variety of feasts and rich liturgy gives great opportunity to invite us for quiet contemplation. We can take this time to enter…

Learn more about this day.

December Calendar ›
Subscribe to Insights...free!
News, analysis & spirituality by email twice-weekly from CatholicCulture.org.
First name:
Last name:
Email address: