Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on April 7, 2012. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Dec 31, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch celebrated a pontifical Mass at the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, marking the second anniversary of the pope emeritus’ death.

The pope from Bavaria, who died on Dec. 31, 2022, is buried just meters away from the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles in the Vatican grottos.

In his homily, which coincided with the liturgical reading of the prologue of John’s Gospel, Koch reflected on Benedict’s lifelong dedication to exploring the meaning of the Logos — the Word of God.

“In this hymn of praise to the Logos, to the Word that was with God and was God, the innermost core of the Christian faith is condensed,” Koch said during the Mass, which was streamed live by EWTN Germany.

Cardinal Kurt Koch prays at the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI on the second anniversary of the pontiff's death, Dec. 31, 2024. Credit: EWTN

“Joseph Ratzinger — Benedict XVI — reflected on this throughout his life and revealed it to us.”

The Swiss cardinal, who serves as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, emphasized that Benedict XVI’s primary concern was making God accessible to modern people at a time when many find God foreign or superfluous.

“For the faithful theologian on the chair of Peter, there could be no greater priority than to show people today an access to God, his truth and beauty,” Koch said.

He noted that Benedict XVI entered fully into the mystery of Easter on the day of his “second birth” during Christmas, which had always held special significance for him. The pope emeritus died at 9:34 a.m. in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, where he had lived since his historic resignation in 2013.

Benedict XVI’s pontificate lasted from 2005 to 2013, ending with the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years.

Even before his election as pope, he had profoundly influenced the worldwide Church, first as a young theologian at the Second Vatican Council and later as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Mass concluded with prayers at Benedict XVI’s tomb, where Koch paused for a moment of silent prayer.

This article was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA. 

Pope Francis prays at his general audience Dec. 20, 2023, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 31, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network has released the Holy Father’s list of prayer intentions for the year 2025.

Every month, Pope Francis asks Catholics around the world to pray for a particular intention. This initiative is accompanied by a video in which the pontiff expresses the reasons why he has chosen that particular intention.

Below is the complete list of Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for the coming year 2025.

January: For the right to an education

Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.

February: For vocations to priestly and religious life

Let us pray that the ecclesial community may welcome the desires and doubts of young people who feel called to serve Christ’s mission in priestly and religious life.

March: For families in crisis

For families in crisis. Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts even in their differences.

April: For the use of the new technologies 

Let us pray that the use of the new technologies will not replace human relationships, will respect the dignity of the person, and will help us face the crises of our times. 

May: For working conditions 

Let us pray that through work, each person might find fulfillment, families might be sustained in dignity, and society might be humanized.

June: That the world might grow in compassion

Let us pray that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus and, from his heart, learn to have compassion on the world. 

July: For formation in discernment

Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel. 

August: For mutual coexistence 

Let us pray that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons. 

September: For our relationship with all of creation 

Let us pray that, inspired by St. Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.

October: For collaboration between different religious traditions

Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice, and human fraternity.

November: For the prevention of suicide

Let us pray that those who are tempted to commit suicide might find the support, care, and love they need in their community and be open to the beauty of life. 

December: For Christians in areas of conflict 

Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope. 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

A wooden crucifix. / Credit: AC Wimmer/EWTN News

CNA Newsroom, Dec 30, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Thirteen missionaries and pastoral workers were killed in service to the Catholic Church in 2024, according to a new report published on Monday.

Eight priests and five laypeople lost their lives across three continents, according to the document released Dec. 30 by Agenzia Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency.

Africa and America each recorded five deaths, while two priests were killed in European countries.

Precarious conditions in conflict zones

In Burkina Faso, where persistent peril from jihadist groups continues to threaten Christian communities, two pastoral workers were murdered. François Kabore, a 55-year-old volunteer, was killed during a February attack while leading prayer and catechist Edouard Zoetyenga Yougbare was found tortured to death in April.

South Africa witnessed two priests murdered by gunfire within weeks. Father William Banda, 37, was shot dead on March 13 while preparing to celebrate Mass at Tzaneen Cathedral, followed by the killing of Father Paul Tatu, 45, in Pretoria on April 27.

Rising violence against Church workers

Several deaths occurred during robberies or attacks on Church property. In Poland, 72-year-old Father Lech Lachowicz died after being attacked by an axe-wielding intruder at his rectory. In Spain, 76-year-old Franciscan Father Juan Antonio Llorente died following an assault at his monastery in Gilet.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo saw the death of Edmond Bahati Monja, coordinator of Radio Maria/Goma, who was shot dead near his home amid rising violence from armed groups. At least a dozen journalists have been murdered in and around Goma in two years, Fides reported.

Pope Francis publicly mourned Juan Antonio López, a 46-year-old social pastoral coordinator killed in Honduras after denouncing alleged links between municipal officials and organized crime.

“I join in the grief of this local Church and in the condemnation of all forms of violence,” the pope said during his Sept. 22 Angelus address. “I am close to all those who see their basic rights trampled upon, as well as to those who work for the common good.”

Historical context

From 2000 to 2024, a total of 608 missionaries and pastoral workers were killed worldwide, according to Fides data, which notes these numbers represent only verified cases.

Speaking on the feast of St. Stephen Protomartyr last Thursday, Pope Francis recalled the witness of persecuted Christians around the world.

In his Angelus address on Dec. 26, Pope Francis reflected on Stephen’s last words while being stoned to death as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Pope Francis waves at pilgrims and visitors gathered for the Angelus on Dec. 29, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

On Sunday, the feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis highlighted the Family of Nazareth as a model of dialogue and mutual listening while warning against allowing mobile phones to disrupt family communication.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly Angelus prayer, the pontiff reflected on the Gospel account of the young Jesus being found in the Temple after his parents had searched for him anxiously.

“It is good when a mother does not start with a rebuke, but with a question,” the pope said, pointing to Mary’s response when finding Jesus. “Mary does not accuse and does not judge, but tries to understand how to accept this Son who is so different by listening.”

The Holy Father emphasized that mealtimes offer “a special moment for dialogue in the family” while specifically cautioning against digital distractions.

“Never, never this,” Francis said emphatically about using mobile phones at the family table. “Talk, listen to each other; this is the dialogue that is good for you and that makes you grow!”

Following the Angelus prayer, the pope offered special greetings to families connected via media. He also expressed particular concern for those suffering in war-torn regions, including Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and North Kivu.

The pontiff remembered families mourning in South Korea “following the dramatic air accident,” saying he was praying for both survivors and the departed.

At least 177 people died in South Korea’s deadliest air disaster Sunday when an airliner belly-landed, veered off the runway, and exploded at Muan International Airport, Reuters reported.

Pope Francis prays during his general audience on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 07:45 am (CNA).

Pope Francis expressed profound sorrow Sunday for the victims of South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster.

He also extended prayers for families affected by ongoing conflicts worldwide.

Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff particularly pointed to the plight of those mourning the loss of loved ones in the tragic air accident that claimed at least 177 lives when a commercial aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport.

“My thoughts go to the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic air accident,” the pope said, adding that he joins “in prayer for the survivors and for those who lost their lives.”

Addressing faithful gathered for the feast of the Holy Family, the Holy Father broadened his pastoral plea to encompass families enduring hardships in conflict zones, specifically mentioning Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and North Kivu.

“Let us pray for families suffering due to wars,” Francis urged the crowd, emphasizing the universal impact of armed conflicts on family life.

The pope’s prayers came as rescue operations continued at the site of the aviation tragedy in South Korea, where a Jeju Air flight carrying 181 people crashed earlier Sunday.

Pope Francis arrives in East Timor on Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Despite health challenges that led to a canceled trip to Dubai for COP28, Pope Francis maintained an ambitious travel schedule in 2024 that saw him draw large crowds in Asia and make his first-ever visit to Corsica as well as visiting Belgium and Luxembourg.

Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar kisses the head of Pope Francis after the signing of the Istiqlal Joint Declaration 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAAsia-Pacific journey draws historic crowds

The now-88-year-old pontiff’s longest apostolic journey was the 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania in September, where thousands of faithful attended papal events.

In Indonesia, Francis visited the grounds of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, where he joined Muslim leaders in discussing global challenges and signed a joint declaration condemning religious-based violence.

A young Catholic attends the papal Mass at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

“The path of interfaith collaboration is essential to addressing global crises,” Francis told his audience.

About 100,000 faithful later attended an outdoor Mass where the pope emphasized Catholic engagement in pluralistic societies.

In Papua New Guinea, Francis focused on Indigenous communities while blessing a new hospital for underserved populations.

The pope’s message of hope reached its numerical peak in Timor-Leste, where an estimated 750,000 people — nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population — gathered for Mass in Dili.

The faithful use umbrellas to beat the heat during Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAPapal journey in secular Europe

September also brought some controversy during the pope’s visit to Belgium, where Prime Minister Alexander De Croo strongly criticized the pontiff’s comments on abortion.

During his in-flight press conference, the pope had called abortion “homicide” and referred to doctors who perform the procedure as “contract killers,” prompting De Croo to call such remarks “absolutely unacceptable.”

The pope meets with academics at KU Leuven, a Belgian Catholic research university, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

The dispute distracted from the actual focus of the Belgium visit: the 600th-anniversary celebrations of the Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. Earlier in Luxembourg, Francis had challenged Catholics to evangelize an increasingly secular Europe, noting that “having wealth includes responsibility.”

Pope and president share a moment

The papal travel year concluded on a historic note Dec. 15 in Corsica, where Francis became the first pope to visit the French Mediterranean island. His participation in a diocesan conference examining popular piety emphasized the continued importance of local devotions in maintaining Catholic identity.

Pope Francis is seen among crowds on the island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Traditional Corsican hymns were featured throughout Pope Francis’ visit, especially at his Mass with an estimated 7,000 Catholics at Place d’Austerlitz, a park built as a memorial to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio.

At the conclusion of his visit, before returning to Rome, the pope met French President Emmanuel Macron. He shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Corsica on Dec. 15, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis called on Catholics to become “pilgrims of hope” in a BBC podcast on Friday, emphasizing that “hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel.”

Speaking just days after the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the pope emphasized that “kindness is not a diplomatic strategy” nor “a set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages” but rather “a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all to become more humble.”

“Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us toward skepticism and discouragement,” the Holy Father said in the audio message published Dec. 27.

The pope referenced G.K. Chesterton, noting that the British writer “was also held in high esteem by the Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges.”

Francis highlighted Chesterton’s autobiographical invitation to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted.”

Speaking about the recently begun jubilee year, Francis concluded with “a wish for hope, which is a theological virtue, together with faith and charity,” praying that “the new year bring us peace, fellowship, and gratitude.”

Pilgrims from around the world have been passing through the open Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica this week, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve to begin the 2025 Jubilee.

In his Christmas Day message, Pope Francis recalled, “the door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us.”

On Thursday, the Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison was opened, and other Holy Doors are being opened in Rome as the Jubilee Year 2025 gets underway.

The Catholic Church offers the faithful opportunities to grow in faith and spiritual renewal during this time, which is also known as a holy year.

An important part of the jubilee is the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence — a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.

Some of the most significant events of the Jubilee of Hope will be the canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers on April 27 and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the Jubilee of Young People on Aug. 3.

The Holy Door of the Jubilee “represents Jesus, the door of salvation open to all,” Pope Francis noted. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 26, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Pilgrims from around the world are passing through the open Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve to begin the 2025 Jubilee.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas in Rome is a central act of the jubilee. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

The faithful from different parts of the world and from different walks of life have already passed through the open Holy Door that symbolizes Christ.

"The door is open, wide open. There is no need to knock,” Pope Francis declared. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

In his Christmas Day message, Pope Francis recalled that “the door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us.”

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“Let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by him, let us allow ourselves to be reconciled with him. God always forgives, God forgives everything; let us allow ourselves to be forgiven by him,” the Holy Father urged.

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

“This is the meaning of the Holy Door of the jubilee,” Pope Francis emphasized. “It represents Jesus, the door of salvation open to all.”

“Jesus is the door that the merciful Father has opened in the midst of the world, in the midst of history, so that we can all return to him,” he added.

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. The door is open, wide open. There is no need to knock,” the pope said, only to walk through.

On Thursday, the Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison was also opened. In the coming days, other Holy Doors are also being opened in Rome.

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

The dates for opening the Holy Doors of the other three papal basilicas in Rome, in addition to St. Peter’s, are St. John Lateran on Dec. 29; St. Mary Major on Jan. 1, 2025; and St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5, 2025.

The Jubilee of Hope, which celebrates the 2,025th anniversary of the birth of Jesus, will officially end on Jan. 6, 2026.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and delivers an address from a window in the Apostolic Palace on Dec. 26, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 26, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis recalled the witness of persecuted Christians around the world on Thursday as he celebrated the feast of St. Stephen, the Church’s first martyr.

In his Angelus address on Dec. 26, Pope Francis reflected on Stephen’s last words as he was being stoned to death as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and delivers an address from a window in the Apostolic Palace on Dec. 26, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis said: “Even though at first sight Stephen seems to be helplessly suffering violence, in reality, as a truly free man, he continues to love even his killers and to offer his life for them, like Jesus; he offers his life so that they may repent and, having been forgiven, be given eternal life.”

“Today there are, in various parts of the world, many men and women who are persecuted, at times up to death, because of the Gospel,” the pope added. “What we have said about Stephen applies to them too. They do not allow themselves to be killed out of weakness, nor to defend an ideology, but to make everyone participants in the gift of salvation. And they do so first and foremost for the good of their killers … and they pray for them.”

Francis pointed to the example of Blessed Christian de Chergé, one of the French Trappist monks kidnapped from Algeria’s Tibhirine abbey in 1996 who is now counted in the Church among the “Martyrs of Algeria.”

Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square as Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and delivers an address from a window in the Apostolic Palace on Dec. 26, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

In de Chergé’s last testament left with his family “to be opened in the event of my death,” he contemplated what he would say to his killer if he were to become “a victim of the terrorism which now seems ready to encompass all the foreigners living in Algeria.”

“And you also, the friend of my final moment, who would not be aware of what you were doing. Yes, for you also I wish this ‘thank you’ — and this adieu — to commend you to the God whose face I see in yours. And may we find each other, happy ‘good thieves,’ in paradise, if it pleases God, the father of us both. Amen,” the Trappist monk wrote.

Pope Francis lauded this “beautiful example” left by the 20th-century Trappist martyr as well as St. Stephen 19 centuries prior who likewise prayed for those who killed him.

“Stephen appears to us as a witness of that God who has one great desire: that ‘that all men be saved’ (1 Tm 2:4) — this is the desire of God’s heart — that no one be lost (cf. Jn 6:39; 17:1-26),” the pope said.

“Stephen is a witness to the Father — our Father — who wants good and only good for each of his children, and always; the Father who excludes no one, the Father who never tires of seeking them out and of welcoming them back when, after having strayed, they return to him in repentance (cf. Lk 15:11-32) and the Father who does not tire of forgiving.”

The pope offered this reflection from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square shortly after he returned from offering Mass and opening a jubilee Holy Door in Rebibbia Prison Complex, one of the largest prisons in Italy.

“This morning, I opened a Holy Door, after that of St. Peter’s, in the Roman Rebibbia prison. It was, so to speak, ‘a cathedral of pain and hope,’” he said.

In addition to clemency, the forgiveness of debts is also a special characteristic of jubilees historically. 

Pope Francis expressed hope that during the jubilee year people will support the Caritas Internationalis campaign titled “Turn Debt into Hope,” which aims to promote development by offering relief to countries oppressed by unsustainable debts.

“The question of debt is linked to that of peace and the ‘black market’ of weapons,” the pope said. “No more colonizing peoples with weapons. Let us work for disarmament, let us work against hunger, against disease, against child labor. And let us pray, please, for peace throughout the world! Peace in tormented Ukraine, in Gaza, Israel, Myanmar, North Kivu, and in so many countries that are at war.”

At the end of the Angelus, the pope offered a greeting to all of the pilgrims who will visit Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, which officially began on Christmas Eve.

“I think that many of you have made the pilgrim journey that leads to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is a good sign, a sign that expresses the meaning of our life: going toward Jesus, who loves us and opens his heart to let us enter into his kingdom of love, joy, and peace,” Pope Francis said.

“May Mary, queen of martyrs, help us to be courageous witnesses of the Gospel for the salvation of the world,” he said.

Pope Francis walks through the Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 26, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

From inside the walls of Rome’s largest prison, Christmas hymns rang out as inmates and prison guards together sang “Silent Night” and exchanged the sign of peace during an intimate Mass led by Pope Francis to mark a historic moment — the first opening of a jubilee Holy Door within a prison.

The pope’s Thursday Mass in Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen — the first Christian martyr — marked a profound beginning to the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Hope, symbolizing redemption and the possibility of new beginnings for the inmates.

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

The pope’s visit began with a solemn ritual as he stood from his wheelchair to knock six times on the bronze Holy Door of the prison chapel, the “Church of the Our Father.” On the other side of the threshold, the church was filled with about 100 inmates as well as police officers, chaplains, volunteers, prison guards, and their families who had all been eagerly awaiting the pope’s arrival since before sunrise. 

“The first Holy Door I opened at Christmas in St. Peter’s. I wanted the second one to be here, in a prison,” Pope Francis told the inmates on Dec. 26. “I wanted each of us here, inside and out, to have the possibility of throwing open the door of our hearts and understanding that hope doesn’t disappoint.”

Pope Francis concelebrates Mass at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

While the other four Holy Doors open to jubilee pilgrims visiting Rome are all in the Eternal City’s historic basilicas, this fifth Holy Door stands alone, accessible to only inmates and staff at the prison, which Pope Francis called “a cathedral of pain and hope.”

Paolo Impagliazzo, secretary-general of the Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio, has served as a volunteer in the prison ministry at Rebibbia for the past 20 years. 

“We have more than 1,500 inmates here in Rebibbia,” Impagliazzo told CNA. He noted that a group of inmates who participate in the prison chaplaincy and who usually attend the prison Mass were selected from different parts of the prison facility to take part in the papal Mass. 

Pope Francis poses with inmates at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

He described how one of the prison ministers had formed a small choir among the inmates who had been practicing together in the weeks leading up to the pope’s visit.

Prisoners also participated in the liturgy by bringing up the gifts during the offertory, while prison guards read the Scripture readings.

For Impagliazzo, this moment in the Jubilee of Hope is a reminder that the prisoners are not “confined to their mistakes.”

“They are a part of a journey, of a Christian journey together with the other Christian people all over the world,” he said.

The outside of Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

During the pope’s off-the-cuff homily, Francis spoke directly to the prisoners, emphasizing how one of the graces of the jubilee is “to open hearts to hope.”

“Do not lose hope. Hold on to the anchor of hope,” Pope Francis underlined.

At the end of the Mass, the pope took the time to personally greet each prisoner present and extended his greetings to those who remained in their cells.

Pope Francis greets an inmate after Mass in Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“I pray for you every day,” Pope Francis told the inmates.

“I really do. It is not a figure of speech. I think of you and I pray for you,” he continued. “I wish you much peace.”

The prisoners presented the pope with a series of gifts, including a miniature reproduction of the prison’s Holy Door, crafted from wood salvaged from migrant boats, and a basket containing handmade items from the women’s section of the prison. In return, Pope Francis gave a parchment bearing a message of hope.

The Chiesa del Padre Nostro, "Church of Our Father," at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison Complex on the feast of St. Stephen, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Bishop Benoni Ambarus, an auxiliary bishop of Rome who oversees the diocese’s charitable initiatives, called the day a “dream we’ve been cultivating for a long time.” Ambarus served as the celebrant at the altar for the Mass, which was concelebrated by the pope.

Pope Francis announced his intention to open a Holy Door in a prison for the first time during an ordinary jubilee in his papal bull Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), in which he called for the Church’s holy year to be a moment when “governments undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope; forms of amnesty or pardon … and programs of reintegration.”

“During the holy year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind. I think of prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, daily feel the harshness of detention and its restrictions, lack of affection and, in more than a few cases, lack of respect for their persons,” Pope Francis wrote in the papal bull. 

“In order to offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would myself like to open a Holy Door in a prison, as a sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence,” he said.

As the pope left the Rebibbia prison, he stopped to greet the 300 inmates and staff who had waited outside of the crowded chapel on the cold December morning. 

The pope also gave an impromptu interview to an Italian TV journalist whom he met on the side of the road outside of the prison from the window of the white Fiat 500 car bringing him back to Vatican City.

Reflecting on his visit, Pope Francis said in the interview: “Every time I come to a prison, I ask myself: Why them and not me?” 

“Because we all can fall, the important thing is to not lose hope, to hold onto that anchor of hope,” he said.

“We have to accompany the prisoners,” he added. “Jesus says that on the day of judgment we will be judged on this: ‘I was in prison, and you visited me.’”

Pope Francis delivers the urbi et orbi address in St. Peter's Square, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Dec 25, 2024 / 12:54 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Christmas Day delivered the traditional urbi et orbi address and blessing in Vatican City, inviting all individuals and nations to “silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.”

Delivering his Christmas Day message overlooking crowds of thousands of international pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square from the Central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope insisted that a “just and lasting peace” can only be achieved in our world if people first turn to the “Father of Mercies.” 

Pope Francis delivers the urbi et orbi address in St. Peter's Square, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

“Let us be reconciled with God,” he said. “Then we will be reconciled with ourselves and able to be reconciled with one another, even our enemies.”

“God’s mercy can do all things. It unties every knot. It tears down every wall of division.”

Having opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve to usher in the 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis continued his plea on Wednesday to all people of goodwill to be “pilgrims of hope.” 

“Let’s open to him the doors of our hearts as he has opened to us the doors of his heart,” he said during his Dec. 25 message.  

‘Boldness’ needed to negotiate peace in Ukraine and the Middle East

The Holy Father used the address to call on country leaders to “open the door” to dialogue and encounter, voicing his particular concern for vulnerable communities daily impacted by war, violence, and political unrest. 

“May the sound of weapons be silenced in Ukraine,” the pope urged. “May there be the boldness needed to open the door to negotiation and to gestures of dialogue and encounter.”

The Holy Father also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and his spiritual closeness with Christian communities spread across Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Libya. 

“May the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region devastated by conflict!” he said.

Calls for end to ‘scourge of terrorism’ in Africa

The pope also prayed for a “new season of hope” for populations in the Horn of Africa, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mozambique, and Sudan.

“The humanitarian crisis that affects them is caused mainly by armed conflicts and the scourge of terrorism aggravated by the devastating effects of climate change,” he said.

For Sudan, the Holy Father prayed especially that God “sustain the efforts of the international community to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the civilian population” and for renewed negotiations toward a ceasefire between warring factions.

Respecting the rights and dignity of each person

Drawing upon the theme of “hope,” Francis prayed for political authorities in Myanmar, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Cyprus to bring back peace in their countries.

“May they work, especially in this jubilee year, to advance the common good and respect the dignity of each person overcoming political divisions,” he said.

“May this jubilee be an opportunity to tear down walls of separation and the ideological walls that so often mark political life,” he added.

Pope Francis carries the statue of the Child Jesus to place in the Nativity scene inside St. Peter's Basilica at the end of Mass on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, surrounded by children dressed in traditional clothing from their countries. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 24, 2024 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

Hope lives, Pope Francis said in his homily for Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican as he reflected on the incredible fact that the infinite God became a small Child.

“God is Emmanuel, he is God-with-us,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24. “The infinitely great has become small; the divine light has shone through the darkness of the world; the glory of heaven has appeared on earth. And how? In the littleness of a Child. And if God comes, even when our hearts resemble a poor manger, then we can say: Hope is not dead, hope is alive, and it envelops our lives forever.”

The 88-year-old Pope Francis presided over Mass during the Night for the feast of the Nativity of the Lord after opening the Holy Door of the basilica to officially start the 2025 Jubilee Year.

With the opening of the Holy Door, the pontiff said, “each of us can enter into the mystery of this proclamation of grace.”

“This is the night when the door of hope has opened wide on the world; this is the night when God says to each one: There is hope for you too!” he said in his Christmas homily.

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before Mass on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, officially launching the Jubilee Year 2025. Credit: Vatican Media

Francis said the jubilee, which has the theme “pilgrims of hope,” is an opportunity for all people to have hope in the Gospel, hope in love, and hope in forgiveness.

“It invites us to rediscover the joy of the encounter with the Lord, calls us to spiritual renewal, and commits us to the transformation of the world, so that this may truly become a jubilee time,” he underlined.

The world really needs hope right now, Pope Francis continued, especially amid wars, the bombing of hospitals and schools, and the machine-gunning of children.

While symptoms of a cold kept the pope indoors on the weekend before Christmas, he was well enough on Tuesday to open the Holy Door and preside over Christmas Eve Mass. It was also one of his first public appearances sporting hearing aids.

During the rite of opening of the Holy Door, Francis, seated in his wheelchair, leaned forward to knock on the gold door, which had been sealed since the last jubilee. As assistants opened the two sides of the door, the choir sang in Latin: “This is the Lord’s own gate. Where the upright enter. I enter your house, O Lord.”

The pope then passed through the door and into the basilica, followed by cardinals, bishops, priests, and ministers for Christmas Mass, as well as representatives of other Christian churches and Catholics from five continents wearing traditional clothing from their countries.

“On this night it is for you that the ‘holy door’ of God’s heart opens,” the pontiff said in his homily. “Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for me, for us, for every man and woman. And, you know, with him joy flourishes, with him life changes, with him hope does not disappoint.”

He said the task of Christians during the jubilee year is to bring hope into different situations of life, because Christian hope “is not the happy ending of a movie” to be passively awaited. “It is the Lord’s promise to be welcomed here, now, in this suffering and groaning earth.”

“Let us learn from the example of the shepherds: The hope born on this night does not tolerate the indolence of the sedentary and the laziness of those who have settled into their comforts — and so many of us, we are in danger of settling into our comforts,” Pope Francis warned.

“Hope,” he continued, “does not admit the false prudence of those who do not get off the hook for fear of compromising themselves and the calculation of those who think only of themselves; hope is incompatible with the quiet life of those who do not raise their voices against evil and against the injustices consummated on the skin of the poorest.”

A marble sculpture of St. Cajetan holding the infant Jesus identifies the spot where the saint’s vision occurred in the crypt of the Chapel of the Nativity, the side chapel to the right of the main altar of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Vatican City, Dec 24, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Christmas Eve in 1517, a saint experienced a mystical vision in which the Blessed Virgin Mary placed the Christ Child in his arms as he offered his first Mass in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The little-known but profound experience of the newborn Jesus occurred within the storied walls of the Marian basilica’s Chapel of the Nativity, where St. Cajetan of Thiene prayed before the relics of Christ’s manger.

“In the hour of his most holy birth, I found myself in the true and material most holy Nativity,” St. Cajetan wrote to Sister Laura Mignani, an Augustinian nun and spiritual confidant. 

“From the hands of the timid Virgin, I took that tender child, the Eternal Word made flesh.”

Statuary of St. Cajetan of Thiene receiving the Christ Child in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

St. Cajetan also recounted that St. Jerome, whose relics are said to rest in the basilica, appeared in the vision and encouraged him to embrace the child. 

“To encourage me was the most blessed Jerome, my father, a great lover of the Nativity, whose remains rest at the entrance of the same crib,” he wrote.

The vision, which St. Cajetan said occurred again on Jan. 1 and Jan. 6 during the feast days of the Circumcision and Epiphany, has remained a central spiritual moment for Congregation of Clerics Regular, or Theatines, the order of priests he co-founded.

Statuary of the Christ Child is seen in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

In an interview with CNA in Rome, Father Juan Roberto Orqueida, the Theatine order’s chief archivist, revealed a copy of St. Cajetan’s letter, the original of which is housed in Naples.

Father Juan Roberto Orqueida, the Theatine order’s chief archivist, is pictured inside the archive in the General House of the Theatine order in Rome, Italy. Credit: Courtney Mares

Orqueida noted that St. Cajetan was ordained on Sept. 30, the feast of St. Jerome, and deliberately waited for three months in order to celebrate his first Mass on Christmas Eve in the Chapel of the Nativity.

The choice was deeply symbolic. The Basilica of St. Mary Major has long been a cornerstone of devotion to the Nativity of Christ. Known as “the Bethlehem of the West,” it houses a relic believed to be fragments of the manger in which Jesus was laid, which can now be venerated in the crypt beneath the basilica’s main altar.

A painting of St. Cajetan of Thiene's vision is seen in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Credit: Courtney Mares

Orqueida underlined that devotion to the Nativity of Christ remains a central part of the spirituality of the Theatine order today, “especially to see in the child Jesus, God who becomes part of our humanity, becomes man.”

St. Cajetan was one of the great reformers of the Church during the period of the Reformation. He is remembered as the “saint of divine providence,” a title reflecting his unwavering trust in God. He co-founded the Theatine order in 1524 to counter the corruption of his time, combining monastic poverty with active ministry caring for the poor and marginalized.

The Nativity is pictured in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Father Enrico Danese described St. Cajetan’s humility and austerity: “He was blameless, chaste, meek, merciful, and full of all pity toward the sick. With his own hands he fed them and served them. As for his room, it was poor. There was a poor straw sack where he rested … His dress was of coarse cloth.”

St. Cajetan, canonized in 1671, is often depicted in art holding the infant Jesus, as is St. Anthony of Padua, who also had a mystical experience involving the Christ Child.

A painting of St. Cajetan of Thiene's vision is seen in the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome. Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Near Rome’s Piazza Navona, the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle, the Theatine order’s basilica in the Eternal City, a grand altarpiece painting and a statue depict St. Cajetan holding the infant Jesus.

At Christmastime, the Sant’Andrea basilica hosts an elaborate display of dozens of Nativity scenes, a tradition that echoes St. Cajetan’s devotion to the Christ Child.

Hidden in the crypt of the Chapel of the Nativity, to the right of the main altar in St. Mary Major, a marble sculpture of St. Cajetan holding the infant Jesus identifies the sacred spot where the vision occurred. (St. Ignatius of Loyola also chose to offer his first Mass in the same chapel in 1538.)

As pilgrims gaze upon the marble statue of Cajetan holding the Christ Child, they are invited to enter the mystery of the Nativity and, like the saint himself, embrace the tender and eternal Word made flesh.

The Theatine Order has offered this prayer to St. Cajetan to be prayed in front of any image of the baby Jesus during the Christmas season:

“Gentle baby Jesus, you, in an admirable vision, wanted to come from the embrace of your mother to those of your priest St. Cajetan, who was pleasing to you because of the holiness of his life and the great faith he always had in your providence. Through his intercession, turn to us your glance, which is part of the delight of the blessed in heaven, and listen to the prayer we send to you from the bottom of our hearts. We present to you the filial abandon which St. Cajetan had in you, confident that, through his intercession, everything we ask in front of your venerated image will be granted to us. Amen.”

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, speaks with EWTN News during an interview at the Vatican on Dec. 11, 2024. / Credit: EWTN News

CNA Newsroom, Dec 23, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The head of the Vatican’s office for Eastern Catholic Churches offered a stark assessment of the situation facing Christians in the Holy Land and Syria, warning of increasing instability and humanitarian challenges across the region.

“They need everything and we cannot give anything,” Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, told EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser in a recent interview. 

“Look at the Gaza Strip. Who is entering when the bombs are falling? People are starving.”

The Italian cardinal, who maintains daily contact with bishops in the region, expressed particular concern about Syria’s future amid shifting political dynamics following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

“Assad has of course created numerous problems. However, he was open to working with minorities,” Gugerotti said. “We will see in the coming months what is going to happen.”

The cardinal noted that new power groups emerging in Syria include former members of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. However, he highlighted how local Church leaders are working to establish a dialogue with these groups, particularly through Bishop Hanna Jallouf in Aleppo.

“He understands these new groups in power quite well. He has become a kind of bridge between the Church and these groups, and some of them accepted to go and speak to him about their intentions toward the Catholics,” the cardinal told EWTN News.

Gugerotti warned that without international cooperation, the situation could deteriorate further. “If the United States, Russia, Iran, Israel, and all the others, Turkey in particular, if they cannot find a common language or at least share some basic principles, we will see further division, further destruction.”

The ongoing instability has accelerated the exodus of Christians from the region, according to the cardinal. He explained that Christians, who often have higher education and international connections, can more easily integrate into Western societies.

“It is a problem for us because they lose their own identity,” he said. The dicastery is working with Latin-rite bishops to preserve these communities’ Eastern Catholic identity in the diaspora, he said, hoping they might eventually return to their homelands.

The cardinal also expressed concern about broader regional destabilization, suggesting conflicts could spread beyond their current boundaries. “If a bomb falls outside the war zone, it could mean that the day after everyone will be involved,” he warned.

Despite these challenges, Gugerotti highlighted the Eastern Churches’ strong religious identity as a positive element. “Wherever they go, they are a model, an example for everybody, for all the other Christians, because they are very solid in their faith,” he said.

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches oversees the Catholic Churches of the Eastern traditions in communion with Rome, including those in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa. The office also administers the annual worldwide Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land.

null / Credit: AstaforovE/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Dec 23, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis expressed his appreciation for the ball sport of bocce during an audience with representatives of the Italian Bowling Federation on Dec. 20, praising its social aspects and emphasizing that, unlike other sports dominated by billionaire stars, bocce allows “normal people” to excel.

“I admit that I am fond of the game of bowls, for two reasons: the first, because it is a ‘poor’ sport, compared to those of the ‘stars’ with billionaire contracts, who always fill the media. I think that bowling champions are people who work as clerks, or teachers, or plumbers,” the pope said.

“In short, normal people who have a passion for this game that is perhaps a little unfashionable, but so rich in humanity,” the pope explained.

The Holy Father recalled the popularity of the sport in rural villages in the past and its tendency to help foster a sense of community.

Pope Francis receives a gift during an audience with representatives of the Italian Bowling Federation on Dec. 20, 2024, praising its social aspects and emphasizing that, unlike other sports dominated by billionaire stars, bocce allows “normal people” to excel. Credit: Vatican Media

“It is a sport that I associate with a certain type of sociality, of social friendship… It used to be very widespread in villages, in the rural world. There were bowling greens everywhere, even in the parishes. It was a way of being together, of passing the time in company, a healthy and calm entertainment,” Pope Francis said.

He also applauded the organization for making the sport, which was once dominated by older men, more inclusive.  

“Society has changed, and so has the sport of bowls: Women and young people also play it; many people with disabilities practice it, and I congratulate you on all this,” he said. 

The Italian sport of bocce, in which players take turns rolling heavy balls toward a smaller target “palinno” ball, has its origins in ancient Rome by way of Greece. It is similar to other outdoor bowling games, such as boules in France, and the Provençal game of pétanque. Today, an estimated 25 million people play the sport around the world. 

Recent years have witnessed a surge in the popularity of bocce with the formation of numerous clubs around the United States. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times suggested that the pastime has supplanted pickleball as the hot sport for wealthy retirees.  

In the pope’s native Argentina, a game called “tejo” in which players throw metal discs toward a target placed on a sand-filled field is similar to the Italian bocce. 

Credit: Casimiro PT/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Dec 23, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus have donated a state-of-the-art mobile broadcasting van to the Vatican, just in time for the start of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. 

The new vehicle, unveiled on Dec. 21, was blessed by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in a ceremony attended by Paolo Ruffini, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and Patrick Kelly, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus.

Ruffini expressed his gratitude for the donation, which he said makes it possible “to broadcast the images from the Vatican, the heart of our Catholic Church,” and to “share the images of the jubilee, to narrate our pilgrimage of hope,” according to Vatican News.

“It really is an honor for us to be able to do this, to provide a van like this, which is top-notch technology and really is able to reach so many people who may never have the chance to come to Rome,” Kelly said in an interview with Vatican Radio. 

“We are so pleased, as Knights, to partner with the Church on something that is so important to get the message of Christ to the world,” he said.

With Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly and the Paolo Ruffini, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication present, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro blessed a new, state-of-the-art broadcasting van donated to the Vatican by the Knights of Columbus.

Read more: https://t.co/8AqQzzi3QS

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) December 21, 2024

This is the fourth broadcasting van donated to the Vatican by the Knights of Columbus in the 60 years of collaboration between the Knights and the Vatican’s communication office.

“It’s been a tremendously beneficial collaboration that has brought the message of the Church, the message of the vicar of Christ, and the message of Christ to the world,” Kelly said.

The Knights’ support of the Vatican is not limited to broadcasting technology. The organization also funded a significant restoration in St. Peter’s Basilica of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s baldacchino and the Cathedra of St. Peter, a project originally valued at more than $760,000. 

With over 2 million members, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization and a powerful force for charitable work.

“We always say, ‘Where there’s a need, there’s a Knight,” Kelly said.

As Supreme Knight, Kelly recently had a private audience with Pope Francis on Dec. 20, which he described as “a very warm meeting.”

“The Holy Father was in very good spirits,” Kelly said. “[We] talked about the worldwide reach of the charitable side of the Knights of Columbus, what we do for charity around the world.”

“Since our very founding by Blessed Michael McGivney, we’ve always been in solidarity with our bishops and priests, and we’ve always enjoyed a very strong union with the Holy Father, the vicar of Christ on earth,” he added.

Looking ahead, Kelly expressed excitement for the 2025 Jubilee Year, which begins on Christmas Eve and is expected to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome. 

He expressed hope that the new restorations in St. Peter’s Basilica will “really inspire pilgrims who come here to see the beauty of the Church and to lift their hearts and their spirits to the Lord in this great Jubilee of Hope.”

“Because hope is our anchor. And I think at this point in our culture, in our history, we could all use some hope,” Kelly said.

Papal preacher Father Roberto Pasolini on Dec. 20, 2024, urged Church leaders to embrace the quality of “littleness” ahead of the Christmas holiday, calling on the faithful to imitate Christ and arguing against the need to feel “important in the eyes of others.”  / Credit: Courtesy of Festival Bíblico

CNA Staff, Dec 23, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Papal preacher Father Roberto Pasolini urged Church leaders to embrace the quality of “littleness” ahead of the Christmas holiday, calling on the faithful to imitate Christ and arguing against the need to feel “important in the eyes of others.” 

Pasolini, who was appointed to the role of papal preacher last month, told members of the Roman Curia on Dec. 20 that God “sees littleness not as a limitation but as a precious resource.”

He cited the teachings of Christ, who stipulated clearly that “only those who make themselves small, like little children, will enter the kingdom of God,” reported Catholic News Service (CNS), the news agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

The preacher’s remarks came as part of Advent reflections given in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. The Capuchin priest has given similar remarks regularly throughout the Advent season, with Friday’s address the last before Christmas on Dec. 25.

Pasolini pointed to the example of St. Francis of Assisi — from whom Pope Francis drew his pontifical name — as one who “took seriously this destiny of littleness.”

The earlier Francis “understood that the primary task of the Church was not just to do good for others but to allow others to do good for us,” Pasolini said, according to CNS. 

Pride, the priest said, “has created a discomfort toward our littleness.” 

“At first, we were all naked and unashamed, but now this littleness has become a source of embarrassment,” he said. 

“The fear and shame of not being enough, of not being capable, drive us to assume roles and actions to feel important in the eyes of others.”

Pasolini urged leaders to “take the liberty to present ourselves with a little less fear and without the unnecessary shame of being smaller than what we once were, or perhaps even than what we thought we should be, to manifest ourselves as witnesses of the Gospel.”

“In Christ Jesus, we can present ourselves to one another and to God in one spirit, to share the same inheritance and to be partakers in the same promise through the Gospel,” he said.

King Baudouin salutes during the playing of the Belgian national anthem on March 31, 1981. / Credit: Marcel Antonisse/Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Dec 23, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

The Vatican this month officially opened the beatification process of King Baudouin of Belgium, remembered as the humble leader willing to abdicate his throne rather than approve the decriminalization of abortion in his country.

“The Holy Father Francis, during his recent apostolic journey to Belgium, announced the opening of the cause of beatification and canonization of Baudouin, king of the Belgians,” said a Dec. 21 statement released by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The dicastery established a historical commission Dec. 17, composed of experts “in archival research and in the history of Belgium,” tasked with collecting and evaluating documentation regarding the life and virtues of the late king.

Baudouin, who witnessed a Belgium transformed by periods of social upheaval and growing secularism, was publicly recognized as a devout Catholic committed to both the Church and his country throughout his more than 40 years on the throne from 1951–1993.

Up until his death in July 1993 at the age of 63, Baudouin had reigned continuously for 42 years except for 36 hours in April 1990, when he refused to sign a law decriminalizing abortion in Belgium and was subsequently deposed from the throne with his consent.

However, due to his enormous popularity, the Belgian Parliament returned the crown to him just 36 hours later.

Remembered as a humble leader and a defender of the most vulnerable, especially unborn children, St. John Paul II described the fifth king of Belgium as a “great guardian of the rights of the human conscience.”

“[He was] ready to defend the commandments, and especially the Fifth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’” especially with regard to the protection of the life of unborn children,” John Paul II said during a 1995 general audience.

During his apostolic visit to Belgium in September, Pope Francis visited Baudoin’s tomb in the royal crypt at Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels and praised him for the courage to choose to “leave his place as king in order not to sign a murderous law,” Vatican News reported.

According to Baudoin’s relatives, the late king’s “whole life was a testimony to the living Christ,” whose life of prayer and kindness particularly struck those who knew him. 

“It was his life of prayer, his spiritual maturity, and his love for God, which prepared him, without knowing it, to make such a decision [to abdicate his throne]. It was not something sudden,” they shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“As he said, what we have to aspire to is to be saints. So he really wanted that and he tried to live that holiness throughout his life,” one of Baudoin’s relatives added.

Pope Francis delivers his Angelus address via a video livestream from his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 22, 2024 / 11:50 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday lamented the ongoing war and violence affecting families in Gaza and other parts of the world in the lead-up to Christmas and called for a “ceasefire on all war fronts.”

“With sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machine-gunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals... So much cruelty!” the pope remarked during his Angelus address, which he gave via a video livestream from his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold.

More than 28 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed — including four children at the Musa Bin Nusayr school repurposed as a shelter for displaced families — after Israeli airstrikes hit the city overnight and early Sunday morning, The Guardian reported.

“Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas,” the Holy Father urged.

Pope Francis decried all violent attacks in “tortured Ukraine, particularly those that have damaged schools, hospitals, and churches throughout the Eastern European nation since it was invaded by Russia in 2022.

“May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!” he insisted on Sunday.

At least 147 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been killed since February 2022, 127 of whom were killed in 2024 alone, according to a BBC report.

Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Pope Francis has repeated calls to free prisoners of war and assured the Holy See’s readiness to assist in such efforts.

In September, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova via video conference to discuss matters including the mutual exchange of soldiers detained in Russia and Ukraine.

Since the 2022 Russian invasion, Pope Francis has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on four separate occasions, three of which took place in the Vatican.

During the Angelus address, the pope also expressed his concern and closeness for the people of Mozambique who are this month expecting a formal ruling on the outcome of the country’s contested Oct. 9 elections.

“I wish to reiterate my message of hope, peace, and reconciliation to that beloved people,” Francis said. “I pray that dialogue and the quest for the common good, supported by faith and goodwill, may prevail over mistrust and discord.”

Since October, dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in the East African nation. Amnesty International reported more than 30 people were killed in a single week earlier this month.

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. The pope delivered his marks indoors due to the intense cold, combined with cold symptoms that have manifested in recent days, the Holy See Press Office said. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 22, 2024 / 11:20 am (CNA).

Pope Francis emphasized that “no child is ever a mistake” during his last Angelus address before Christmas Day.

“A child is a gift of life,” the Holy Father told crowds of pilgrims on Sunday via a video livestream. “Here, in St. Peter’s Square, there are mothers with their children, and perhaps there are some who are expecting a child.” 

Keeping indoors in his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold, the pope urged his listeners to not remain indifferent to the presence of mothers and children.

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. The pope delivered his marks indoors due to the intense cold, combined with cold symptoms that have manifested in recent days, the Holy See Press Office said. Credit: Vatican Media

“Let’s bless mothers and give praise to God for the miracle of life!” the pope said. 

Marvelling at the beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, the Holy Father asked his listeners to reflect on St. Luke’s Gospel account of the Annunciation and share in the joyful encounter of these two expectant mothers.

“Let’s pray in our heart and let us say, too, like Elizabeth: ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’” he said. “Let’s sing like Mary: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.’”

Visit with children from Santa Marta Pediatric Dispensary

Pope Francis shared with the crowds in St. Peter’s Square that he visited with a group of children and mothers to offer them his personal Christmas greetings.

“This morning, I had the joy of being with the children, with their mothers, who attend the Santa Marta Dispensary in the Vatican, run by the Vincentian Sisters,” he said.

Pope Francis visits a group of children and mothers from the Santa Marta Dispensary to offer them his personal Christmas greetings on Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“These children — there were many of them! — filled my heart with joy. I repeat: ‘No child is a mistake,’” he said. 

Blessing of the Bambinelli

Continuing St. John Paul II’s Advent tradition of blessing statues of the child Jesus to be placed in Nativity scenes on Christmas Day, the Holy Father blessed his and pilgrims’ statues on Sunday, thanking them for their “simple but important gesture.”

“I will bless the ‘Bambinelli’: I have brought mine,” he said while glancing at a statue of the child Jesus given to him by the archbishop of Santa Fé and made by native Ecuadorian people.

Continuing St. John Paul II’s Advent tradition of blessing statues of the child Jesus to be placed in Nativity scenes on Christmas Day, Pope Francis blesses his and pilgrims’ statues on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“I heartily bless all of you, your parents, your grandparents, your families! And please, do not forget your grandparents! May no one remain alone during these days,” he added.