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.

Pope Francis prays during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 21, 2024 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his shock at the deadly attack at a Christmas market in eastern Germany that claimed five lives, including that of a child, and left more than 200 injured.

In a telegram sent to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on behalf of the pontiff, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed the Holy Father’s “spiritual closeness” to all those affected by the tragedy.

The pope “prays for the deceased and entrusts the people to Christ, our hope, whose light may shine in the darkness,” the cardinal wrote, expressing gratitude to emergency responders helping victims in “this difficult moment.”

According to officials, the attack left 205 victims in total, with four adults and a 9-year-old child dead. Authorities reported 41 people suffered serious or life-threatening injuries.

The suspect, identified as Taleb A., a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia who had been granted asylum in Germany in 2016, drove a black rental car into crowds at a Christmas market in the heart of Magdeburg, a city of 240,000 people located about two hours west of Berlin.

While authorities are investigating the incident as an attack, Chief Public Prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said it remained unclear whether they deemed it an act of terrorism, local media reported.

The Diocese of Magdeburg announced that St. Sebastian’s Cathedral would be open Saturday for prayer and reflection. A memorial service was scheduled for Saturday evening at Magdeburg Cathedral.

Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg issued a statement immediately after the attack Friday evening: “I think of those affected, their relatives, and the emergency services and include them in my prayers.”

The local bishop added: “Especially in these days and before a feast where the message of God’s love, human dignity, and the longing for a healed world particularly move us, such an act is all the more frightening and abysmal.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited the city to meet with local officials and pay their respects at the site of the attack.

The German Bishops’ Conference president, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said the “attack in Magdeburg leaves us speechless. The horror, grief, and sympathy are felt today by many people throughout Germany and worldwide.”

The suspect had previously worked as a psychotherapist and, according to German media reports, had been posting increasingly erratic messages on social media in recent months, including threats of bloodshed and “war” against German authorities. In a 2019 interview, he had described himself as an “ex-Muslim.”

According to a police spokesman, authorities had received a criminal complaint against the suspect a year ago. While a preventative intervention was planned at the time — a measure intended to preemptively combat potential crimes — this apparently never took place.

The attack occurred at a location that was not protected by concrete barriers, which have been installed at Christmas markets across Germany following several Islamist terror attacks at public events, including at a Berlin Christmas market in 2016 that killed 12 people.

Pope Francis addresses cardinals and senior Vatican officials during his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, Dec. 21, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Dec 21, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis delivered two Christmas messages at the Vatican on Saturday, warning against gossip’s “destructive effects” while celebrating the importance of family life and humble service.

“An ecclesial community lives in joyful and fraternal harmony to the extent that its members walk in the way of humility, refusing to think and speak ill of one another,” the pope said in his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia on Dec. 21.

The pope warned that gossip “damages social bonds, poisons hearts, and leads nowhere” as he addressed cardinals and senior Vatican officials. He urged them to practice self-accusation rather than accusation of others, drawing on the teachings of early Christian spiritual masters.

The Vatican announced late Saturday that due to inclement weather and cold symptoms that manifested in recent days, Pope Francis will lead the Sunday Angelus prayer from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta rather than the usual Apostolic Palace window, also in view of next week’s commitments.

Pope Francis speaks during the annual Christmas gathering with employees in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

Before beginning his reflection on Dec. 21, the pontiff addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, deploring suffering and “cruelty.”

Praying together during Christmas season

In a separate address to Vatican employees and their families, the pope compared Vatican City to “a large beehive” bustling with activity in its streets, courtyards, corridors, and offices. He thanked those working and unable to attend the gathering but made it possible.

The pope emphasized the theological virtue of humility, connecting it to the mystery of the Incarnation and particularly the Lord’s birth. He encouraged Vatican workers to see their daily tasks as participating in “the hidden Nazareths of your particular tasks” that help bring humanity to Christ.

Speaking to employees and their families gathered in the Paul VI Hall, Francis stressed the importance of family life, particularly urging attention to grandparents. “Do you visit your grandparents? Are your grandparents living in the family, or do they live in a retirement home without anyone visiting them?” the pope asked.

Pope Francis greets children of Vatican employees during the annual Christmas gathering in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, Dec. 21, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

He encouraged families to pray together during the Christmas season, particularly before the Nativity scene. “Without prayer one does not go forward, not even in the family,” Francis said. “Teach your children to pray.”

The pope described the Roman Curia as a “workshop” where various roles contribute to spreading God’s blessings throughout the world. He emphasized that humble service reflects “the way of God himself, who in Jesus condescends to share in our human condition.”

Pope Francis addresses cardinals and senior Vatican officials during his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 21, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The rite of opening the Holy Doors of the main basilicas of Rome to inaugurate the 2025 Jubilee Year is perhaps one of the most solemn events of the Catholic Church, with centuries of tradition.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Doors of the papal basilicas in Rome is a central act of the jubilee. Passing through them during the holy year symbolizes entry into a new life in Christ and the beginning of a journey of conversion.

On Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. local time, Pope Francis will open the first and most important of them, that of St. Peter’s Basilica, beginning the Jubilee of Hope 2025, in which 30 million people are expected to participate. Later that evening he will celebrate Christmas Mass, the Nativity of Our Lord.

Pope Francis is scheduled to officially inaugurate the 2025 Jubilee with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

With this gesture, the faithful around the world are invited to experience a renewed encounter with the “Lord Jesus, ‘door’ of salvation; with him, whom the Church has the mission to announce always, everywhere, and to everyone as ‘our hope,’” says the bull of convocation of the Jubilee 2025.

On Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, Pope Francis will open the Holy Door in the Rebibbia prison in Our Father church.

In order to become a “pilgrim of hope,” the pope will go to the Rebibbia prison to fulfill the recommendations contained in the bull Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”) “to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”

In particular, the bull mentions “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.”

The Holy Door of Rebibbia prison in Our Father church. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

On Sunday, Dec. 29, the Holy Door of Rome’s cathedral, St. John Lateran Basilica, will open, which on Nov. 9 celebrated the 1,700th anniversary of its dedication.

On Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Pope Francis will also open the Holy Door of St. Mary Major Basilica.

The last door to open will be that of the fourth main basilica of the Eternal City, St. Paul Outside the Walls, on Jan. 5.

The Holy Door of the papal basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, outside Rome. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

These latter will close on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, while the jubilee will officially conclude on Jan. 6, 2026, with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

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

Pope Francis blesses small mobile medical unit being donated to Ukraine. / Credit: Dicastery for the Service of Charity

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 19, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

“Martyred” Ukraine has occupied a special place in Pope Francis’ heart since the Russian army invaded the country in February 2022.

The pontiff has regularly called for prayer for the Ukrainian people and appealed for peace. But not only that, the Holy Father has also made concrete gestures of solidarity with the victims of the conflict.

The latest is a special gift as Christmas draws near: a vehicle converted into a small mobile hospital to care for the inhabitants of this country devastated by war.

The person in charge of delivering the vehicle where the injured can be operated on will be the pope’s almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajweski.

In addition, the Holy Father is sending six ultrasound machines that will be donated to destroyed and bombed hospitals.

During his trip to Ukraine, Krajewski will visit several communities to meet the suffering people, to bring them hope and the closeness of Pope Francis.

The cardinal has already visited the most affected areas on at least eight occasions at the request of the Holy Father.

In June, he brought the third ambulance donated by the pope to Ukraine. On that occasion, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity visited the district of Zboriv ​​in the Ternopil region.

He also brought with him a large quantity of essential medicines from the Vatican Pharmacy and the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic Pharmacy.

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