Every day that the National Parks are free in 2021

Every Day that the National Parks Are Free in 2021 | Outside Online: If you’re looking to get outside without dropping cash at the entrance station (which can cost as much as $35 per car, depending on the park), you’re in luck. We’ve compiled a list of all the days the national parks are free in 2021, with tips on how you can get involved and celebrate during these park-centric holidays.

5 hard truths we’ve come to see with 2020 vision

5%20Hard%20Truths%20We%u2019ve%20Come%20to%20See%20With%202020%20Vision%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPOPE: The year 2020 began with great hope and expectation. I distinctly remember welcoming in the new year just after the homily at our midnight Mass. Many remarked that because “20/20” is the term for perfect vision, the Lord would surely give us greater clarity and vision. We had no idea what we were saying! Though I was in exceedingly poor health from January through mid-February, the year still began with great hope.

15 points of Catholic apologetics you should brush up on

15 Points of Catholic Apologetics You Should Know| National Catholic RegisterSTAGNARO: Yes, the Albigensian Crusade did happen. Open conflict broke out immediately after the Albigensians broke a 75-year diplomatic détente with the Catholic Church when their leaders assassinated the pope’s ambassador. It’s what theologians call a “dealbreaker.”

Frodo Baggins and New Year's: How should we understand pagan overlap with our holidays?

Frodo Baggins and New Year's: How Should We Understand Pagan Origins of Our Holidays? | The StreamLONGENECKER: It’s usual this time of year for some folks to point out that the celebration of Christmas and Easter are “pagan.” Are they right? In fact, they are both right and wrong. They are right because much of what we take for granted in our Western culture has deep roots in the pre-Christian cultures of Europe, but does that mean we have to get rid of every trace of paganism?

A hymn for the end of the year

a: Someone on Twitter asked, “What is your favorite line from a hymn—one line that is so rich, you think on it over and over again?” How strange and wonderful to read the responses. I was familiar with some of the verses that people carried with them, and had never heard of others. Some seemed like things that any human would take comfort from...

Pope Francis on New Year’s Eve: At the end of a year of coronavirus pandemic, ‘‘We praise you, God, we proclaim you Lord’

Pope Francis on New Year's Eve: At the end of a year of coronavirus pandemic, 'we praise you, God': Pope Francis explained Thursday why the Catholic Church gives thanks to God at the close of a calendar year, even years that have been marked by tragedy, such as 2020’s coronavirus pandemic.

Man who killed Catholic roommate for praying at hospital to be arraigned on murder and ‘religion-motivated hate crime’

Man Who Killed Catholic Roommate for Praying at Hospital to be Arraigned on Murder, Hate Crime| National Catholic Register: Jesse Martinez, a COVID-19 patient who beat a fellow patient to death with an oxygen tank at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, will be arraigned on Dec. 31 for murder, elder abuse, and religion-motivated hate crime, authorities announced on December 28.

President Trump praises St. Thomas Becket as a “lion of religious liberty”

President Trump Praises St. Thomas Becket as Martyr for Religious Freedom| National Catholic Register: The White House on Tuesday issued a proclamation praising St. Thomas Becket, an English archbishop who was martyred 850 years ago after conflict with King Henry II over the rights of the Church.

With the latest shakeup, has the music stopped on Vatican financial reform?

With latest shakeup, has the music stopped on Vatican financial reform?ALLEN: Popes, like leaders of any sort, generally come into office with a few clear ideas about what they’d like to accomplish. How to get it done, however, often is something they have to figure out on the fly, and the difference between success and failure sometimes is how well they adapt to experience...

A new year and many old issues: Catholic storylines journalists need to keep an eye on in 2021

nLISI: I am not a very good prognosticator. Yet this is the time of year that forces many journalists to do just that. What will 2021 bring? That’s the big question following a 2020 that will forever remain a year where the world was held hostage by a pandemic. It was also a year where we had a combative presidential election...

The strange history of the Ghent Altarpiece, the most stolen painting in the world

New Advent: The strange history of the Ghent Altarpiece, the most stolen painting in the world: Throughout six centuries, the Ghent Altarpiece, also called “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” has been burned, forged, and raided in three different wars. It is, in fact, the world’s most stolen artwork, and is considered one of the most influential paintings ever made. What exactly makes the piece so special? Noah Charney digs into Jan van Eyck’s masterpiece.

Here are the world’s most restricted airspaces that you’ll never fly over

New%20Advent%3A%20Here%20are%20the%20world%u2019s%20most%20restricted%20airspaces%20that%20you%u2019ll%20never%20fly%20over: Courtesy of RealLifeLore...

Pope Francis appoints Bishop Dermot Farrell as the new Archbishop of Dublin

p: The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed the Most Reverend Dermot Farrell, until now Bishop of Ossory, as Archbishop of Dublin.

What does the Catholic Church actually say about “praying to the saints?”

wAKIN: Any informed, English-speaking Catholic will tell you that the Church says it’s both permissible and beneficial to pray to the saints. But is he right? Is that what the Church actually says? The topic most commonly comes up in dialogue with Protestant Christians. In the older branches of Christianity...

Reggie Littlejohn on China’s attacks on human rights, and what can be done

Reggie Littlejohn: China as human rights abuser (Part 1 of 2): Women's Rights Without Frontiers is "an international coalition to expose and oppose forced abortion, gendercide and sexual slavery in China." On this first part of a two-part interview, Reggie Littlejohn, the founder and president of the organization, describes the horrendous human rights violations in China and what can be done.

Whatever you are doing during this Christmas week, be sure to stop, turn, and bow to the baby Jesus...

Bowing to the Child | Parishable ItemsFELTES: When I was in seminary studying to become a priest, there was an older seminarian named Phil who years before had worked as a hospital orderly. An orderly does jobs around the hospital that the nurses and doctors don’t do, such as bringing people trays of food, tidying up rooms, or moving patients around the building...

Remembering Fr. Reginald Foster (1939-2020) — “I believe in the beauty of Latin, I've given my life to it, and I want to share it with you”

Remembering Fr. Reginald Foster (1939-2020) | John Byron Kuhner | First ThingsKUHNER: On December 25, shortly after midnight, while Catholics all over the Midwest were attending midnight mass, Fr. Reginald Thomas Foster, O.C.D., passed away in a Milwaukee nursing home, just a few miles from where he had been born 81 years before. He had earlier tested positive for COVID-19...

Spiritual direction: What is it, who needs it, and why?

Spiritual direction: What is it, who needs it, and why?: Chatting with Lee McDowell is a peaceful experience. Seated in a comfy leather chair in a rust-colored office near downtown Denver, McDowell serenely and thoughtfully explains the “art and science” of her particular trade - and it’s not surprising to learn that she has a background in clinical psychology.

Still disinfecting church pews and other surfaces? Experts tell NPR it’s overkill and not worth the effort...

Disinfecting Surfaces And Parcels To Fend Off The Coronavirus May Be Overkill: At the start of the pandemic, stores quickly sold out of disinfectant sprays and wipes. People were advised to wipe down their packages and the cans they bought at the grocery store. But scientists have learned a lot this year about the coronavirus and how it's transmitted, and it turns out all that scrubbing and disinfecting might not be necessary.

The practice of prudence sheds clear light on the truth of Christ

The Resolution of Prudence | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: The virtue of Prudence is one of the Cardinal Virtues or higher ordered virtues along with temperance, fortitude and justice. The exercise of Prudence allows man to exercise right reason and judgment in his daily actions. He uses his intellect and will in union with his soul to perform and act in accord with his baptismal identity under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

What the secular writer Dorothy Parker knew about Christmas that we often forget

What a New Yorker Writer Knew About Christmas That We Often Forget | The StreamMILLS: She wasn’t all that funny, though she got off some very good lines. The historian Will Durant said he dashed off his first novel “by a way of a holiday.” Dorothy Parker replied, “Dr. Will Durant should stick to business.” She seemed to have guessed that he was either playing a cheap trick to avoid criticism or bragging at how easily he wrote a novel. She nailed him for it...

Deciphering the Pope’s speech to the Roman Curia

mGAGLIARDUCCI: Pope Francis has turned the speeches to the Curia into an occasion to monitor who the Pope would attack. Since the address on the 16 curial diseases, the Pope has always maintained the line of teasing the Curia on various and different themes. The Christmas speeches also represent responses to the criticisms leveled at him...

If you’re out of work, surrender yourself to Christ, and don’t lose hope

tPERNA: On February 20, 2020, I was called into my Pastor’s office at the parish and was notified that I was being laid off due to budget cuts. Although my wife and I had a feeling this was coming based on some rumblings I sensed, it was still incredibly difficult news to bear, especially since I had worked at the parish since November 2013...

Pope Francis issues new law reorganizing Vatican finances, weakening Secretariat of State

Pope Francis Issues Law Reorganizing Vatican Finances| National Catholic Register: Pope Francis issued a new law Monday reorganizing Vatican finances following a series of scandals. In a document issued Dec. 28, the pope formalized the transfer of financial responsibilities from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which functions as the Holy See’s treasury and sovereign wealth manager.

This Sunday, Jesus reconfigures family life and transforms family love

This Sunday, Jesus Reconfigures Family Life | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: Walking into a Catholic Church should feel like walking into your mother’s living room, and walking into your mother’s living room should feel like entering a domestic church. That is the ultimate meaning of Sunday’s celebration of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Top 5 Catholic dogs that didn’t bark in 2020

tALLEN: By the time a pope nears his mid-80s, usually Rome hangs on every minor up and down in his physical condition, and wherever Vatican-watchers gather, almost the lone topic of conversation is the succession. St. John Paul II, of course, died at 84, and for years prior to that was clearly in his twilight...

I will pray for my old friend Father Reginald Foster, who died on Christmas, and I commend him to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

rZUHLSDORF: Fr. Foster could veer from curmudgeon to Samaritan in an instant, and he could be both at the same time. Many were the times I spotted him in Rome sitting on a curb with a homeless guy or giving him his sandwich out of his briefcase. Affable and gruff. Chipper and brusque. And I found that, once you got past the first layer of the encounter and he relaxed a bit, the man truly was a priest down to his nails...

At Angelus for Feast of the Holy Family, Pope announces year of ‘Amoris Laetitia Family’ beginning March 19

a: Pope Francis urged families across the world Sunday to look to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph for “sure inspiration.” In his Angelus address Dec. 27, the feast of the Holy Family, the pope encouraged Catholics to seek the renewal of family life.

Pope Francis on the Feast of St. Stephen: ‘Be a witness to Christ in your ordinary life’

Pope Francis: Be a witness to Christ in your ordinary life: Be a witness to Jesus Christ in the way you conduct your ordinary, everyday life, and it will become a masterpiece for God, Pope Francis encouraged Saturday. Speaking on the Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr Dec. 26, he said, “the Lord wants us to make our lives masterpieces through the ordinary things, the everyday things we do.”

This year is a Christmas like no other

A Christmas Like No Other - Community in MissionPOPE: For many this fateful year, Christmas will be like no other. In previous years many of us would be asked, “Are you going somewhere for Christmas? Will you gather with family?” We often had many and rich answers to those questions. This year many of us will answer, “No, I am not going anywhere and will try to connect “virtually” with family...

Pope Francis gives Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing, calls for ‘vaccines for all, especially most vulnerable and needy’

p: Giving his traditional Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing Friday, Pope Francis called for coronavirus vaccines to be made available to the world’s neediest people. The pope made a special appeal to leaders to grant the poor access to vaccines against the virus which has claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide as of Dec. 25.

10 reasons to believe in Santa Claus

Ten Reasons to Believe In Santa Claus - Crisis MagazineFITZPATRICK: Without presuming to speak for the human race, but claiming what authority membership bestows, let it be said that there is no time when people are more susceptible to otherworldly interactions than at Christmas time. Marking the greatest spiritual Advent in history, the aura and traditions of Christmas have been alive with spirits ever since the Star danced over Bethlehem...

Pope Francis pens Christmas letter to ‘beloved sons and daughters of Lebanon’

Pope Francis pens Christmas letter to 'beloved people of Lebanon': Pope Francis has written a Christmas letter to the people of Lebanon encouraging them to trust in God during times of crisis. “Beloved sons and daughters of Lebanon, I am deeply troubled to see the suffering and anguish that has sapped the native resilience and resourcefulness of the Land of the Cedars,” Pope Francis wrote in the letter published Dec. 24.

If ever there was a year for news about the quiet Advent season, this was the one

iMATTINGLY: Here at the Mattingly abode in East Tennessee, the Christmas Tree is finally up and soon we will start playing our favorite playlists of Christmas music. In other words, this past Sunday was the final day of the ancient season that, for Orthodox Christians, is called Nativity Lent...

Soon-to-be-beatified Judge Rosario Livatino is the latest example of the Church’s new test for ‘martyrdom’

iALLEN: Rosario Livatino, 37 at the time of his death, will become the first Italian anti-mafia judge to be beatified, following in the footsteps of Father Giuseppe “Pino” Puglisi, the country’s best known anti-mafia priest, who was killed in 1993 and beatified shortly after Pope Francis’s election in 2013...

Jewish ritual bath dating to time of Jesus discovered in Garden of Gethsemane

Jewish ritual bath dating to time of Jesus found in Garden of Gethsemane: A ritual bath dating to the time of Jesus has been uncovered on the Mount of Olives at the site tradition says is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the Agony in the Garden before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

The birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem is an incomparable subject for meditation...

Christmas: The Perfect Subject for Meditation | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: For most of us meditation does not come easily. Meditation is a work of the mind, seeking to penetrate more deeply into the richness of reality. It is a kind of reasoning, moving from one thing to another, seeking connections and implications...

A map of the United States — drawn with just 3 lines

m: Artist Tyler Foust shared his latest work on reddit, a map of the USA drawn in only 3 lines, doing his best to separate states using gaps. When you realize 2 of the 3 lines are for Alaska and Hawaii, it makes the single continuous line used to draw the contiguous US all the more impressive...

“Are those table runners?” asked the woman who’d lost everything just before Christmas

'Are Those Table Runners?' Asked the Woman Who'd Lost Everything Just Before Christmas - Catholic HeraldMILLS: She had her left leg on one of those little scooters people use when they’ve broken an ankle. She’d asked the clerk at St. Vincent de Paul to take a drip coffee maker out of the box. It was new, still in the wrapping, and cost about $2.00, maybe $3.00. Everything’s sold as is and all sales are final. Many who shop there have to watch their money so carefully they inspect a cheap coffee maker...

Report: Australia’s Church Leaders Were Unaware of $1.7 Billion Transferred From Vatican

Report%3A%20Australia%u2019s%20Church%20Leaders%20Were%20Unaware%20of%20%241.7%20Billion%20Transferred%20From%20Vatican%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterPENTIN: The Vatican and its associated financial entities transferred a total of $1.7 billion (AUS $2.3 billion) to Australia since 2014 apparently without the knowledge of Church leaders in Australia, The Australian newspaper reported on Tuesday...

Analysis: Vatican decision on Indianapolis could impact pending lawsuit, and Catholic identity in Catholic schools

Analysis: Vatican decision on Indianapolis could impact pending lawsuit, and Catholic identity in Catholic schools: The outcome of a Vatican appeal involving same-sex civil marriage and the Catholic identity of an Indiana school could have effect on a pending religious liberty lawsuit, and on the way other Catholic schools approach the issue of Catholic identity among their faculty.

How to get rid of the Christmas clutter

hLONGENECKER: First, what do I mean by “Christmas Clutter”. I don’t mean the boxes of unwanted presents, extra Christmas lights that don’t work, abandoned wrapping paper, leftover food or your tree that’s dropping its needles. I’m talking about all the stuff that has accumulated around the simple stories of Christmas as recorded in the gospels...

5 things the Magi teach us

What the Magi teach us - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: What do the Magi teach us? First, they anchor Jesus in the human drama, in a real time and place, by putting these exotic pilgrims in contact with Herod the Great, about whose brutal reign we know a lot; the reference to Caesar Augustus in Luke 2:1 performs the same “anchoring” function. At the very beginning of the Jesus story, Matthew and Luke tell their readers...

Pope’s Wednesday Audience: ‘Christmas is the feast of love incarnate’

Pope Francis: 'Christmas is the feast of love incarnate': Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christmas brings joy and strength that can remove the pessimism that has spread in human hearts as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Christmas is the feast of love incarnate and born for us in Jesus Christ. He is the light of mankind shining in the darkness, giving meaning to human existence and to the whole of history,” Pope Francis said Dec. 23.

Israeli archaeologists recreate stone floor of the Roman-period Jewish Temple

Israeli archaeologists recreate stone floor of the Roman-period Jewish TempleMAURO: Drawing on references in religious texts and relics, a team of Israeli archaeologists has recreated a panel of flooring of the Roman-period Jewish Temple. The work is being praised for its accuracy. It shows details that Jesus himself might have seen when he walked the earth more than 2,000 years-ago.

A late Advent message from the Lord

A Late Advent Message From the Lord - Community in MissionPOPE: As the end of Advent approaches, the Office of Readings features some final admonitions from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. On the one hand they console; on the other, they challenge us to remain firm. Isaiah addressed a people in exile who still awaited the first coming of the Lord...

‘I AM the Life Who sends My Breath to resuscitate you in this valley of death’

I AM: A Poem Catholic Insight: An Advent poem by Maria Renate.

God yearns to forgive your sins, says St. John Vianney — so don’t be afraid to go to Confession!

God Yearns to Forgive You in Confession, Says St. John Vianney| National Catholic RegisterCLARK: The sacrament of Penance has become unpopular in recent decades. Pride, fear, embarrassment and the denial of sin itself keep many of the laity away. Simultaneously, especially considering its eternal ramifications, the topic of Confession rarely receives the attention it deserves from the pulpit...

Christ was ‘born to raise the sons of earth’ — so don’t be afraid to go to Confession!

cGRONDELSKI: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! is one of my favorite Christmas hymns, precisely because it showcases this notion of Jesus’ coming as the work of reconciliation. Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, the founders of Methodism, were its authors, publishing it in 1739. Sin as the problem that makes Christmas necessary is right up front.

Ahead of Pope’s visit, Iraqi parliament formally and unanimously declares Christmas a national holiday

Iraqi parliament formally declares Christmas a national holiday: In a move some have said is already a direct result of Pope Francis’s highly anticipated visit to the country in March, Iraqi parliament earlier this week voted to establish Christmas as an annual national holiday. The vote, which took place Dec. 16, was unanimous and goes into effect this year, meaning that for all of its woes, 2020 will have at least one silver lining for the Iraqi Christian community.

Two Vatican cardinals just tested positive for COVID-19. One of them had met the Pope on Friday, and is now in the hospital...

Cardinal who met pope on Friday hospitalized with COVID-19: Two top Vatican cardinals, one of whom was seen talking with Pope Francis on Friday, have tested positive for COVID-19. One of them is in the hospital, fighting off pneumonia.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann on the ethics of COVID-19 vaccines

Archbishop Naumann on the Ethics of COVID-19 Vaccines| National Catholic Register: EWTN Pro-Life Weekly host Catherine Hadro spoke Monday to the chair of the U.S. Bishops Pro-Life committee, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, about the ethical issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market. Archbishop Naumann addresses the questions and concerns many Catholics have about the abortion-tainted options.

How to object to the use of aborted fetal cell lines in the production of COVID-19 vaccines

How to Object to an Abortion-Tainted COVID-19 Vaccine| National Catholic RegisterTRASANCOS: The 2005 guidance from the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAL), “Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared From Cells Derived From Aborted Human Fetuses,” told us to end the practice of using abortion-tainted vaccines and demand ethical alternatives. These same principles are reaffirmed in the new statement the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has released regarding the new COVID-19 vaccines that are now becoming available.

Rosario Livatino, judge killed by mafia in 1990, to be beatified

Judge killed by mafia to be beatified: Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Rosario Livatino, a judge who was brutally killed by the mafia on his commute to work at a courthouse in Sicily thirty years ago.

Mary Eberstadt: “Behind these protests, behind these people screaming in the street, is a deep suffering that has been brought on by a crisis of fatherlessness”

Mary Eberstadt: Riots and the cry for the Father: This is not only about literal fatherlessness — although when 40 percent of kids are being raised without a dad at home, it's certainly partly about that...

Vatican issues statement, says COVID-19 vaccines are ‘morally acceptable’ when no alternatives are available

Vatican%20says%20COVID-19%20vaccines%20%u2018morally%20acceptable%u2019%20when%20no%20alternatives%20are%20available: The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith stated Monday that it is “morally acceptable” to receive COVID-19 vaccines produced using cell lines from aborted fetuses when no alternative is available. In a note issued Dec. 21, the CDF said that in countries where vaccines without ethical problems...

Vatican Note on the Morality of Using Some Anti-COVID-19 Vaccines [Full Text]

Vatican%20Issues%20Doctrinal%20Note%20in%20Anti-Covid-19%20Vaccines%20%u2014%20Full%20Text%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterCDF: The question of the use of vaccines, in general, is often at the center of controversy in the forum of public opinion. In recent months, this Congregation has received several requests for guidance regarding the use of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, which, in the course of research and production, employed cell lines drawn from tissue obtained from two abortions that occurred in the last century...

4 things you should know about the Incarnation, when God’s presence returned to the human family

sPOPE: In the Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we step back nine months to March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation, an all-but-hidden event that changed the world. God, whose focal presence departed the Temple just prior to the Babylonian invasion and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant...

Don’t get trapped in summer mode. Embrace winter, be less productive, and be more present with fewer people...

A Plan for Winter: Receive the Gift of Slowdown | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: The plan of nature for the good human life has much nuance. As Hesiod saw and expressed in Works and Days, this plan includes the gift of seasons, and how they can channel our lives into nourishing and fruitful rhythms. What I found most arresting in what I heard from Dallas Hartwig was the diagnosis that we are stuck in chronic summer. The summer mode is characterized by long hours of work...

Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Consumerism has stolen Christmas. Prepare your hearts to be ready to receive God’

p: Pope Francis advised Catholics Sunday not to waste time complaining about coronavirus restrictions, but to focus instead on helping those in need. Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square Dec. 20, the pope encouraged people to imitate the Virgin Mary’s “yes” to God at the Annunciation.

A corrective to Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s statement on the COVID-19 vaccines

A corrective to the Schneider statement on the COVID vaccines | Catholic CultureMIRUS: I wish to address the statement promulgated a week ago by five bishops insisting that it is in all cases immoral to allow oneself to be vaccinated with any vaccine which has been tainted by the use of fetal cell lines. This statement was apparently written by the very articulate Athanasius Schneider, an auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, and promulgated jointly by Bishop Schneider; Jan Pawel Lenga, the retired bishop of Karaganda, Kazakhstan; Archbishop Tomash Peta of Astana, Kazakhstan; Cardinal Janis Pujats, the 90-year-old former Archbishop of Riga in Latvia; and Joseph Strickland, bishop of Tyler, Texas.

12 examples of more proximate cooperation in evil than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

12 Things Less Remote Cooperation in Evil Than COVID Vaccines | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: In recent days, several vaccines for COVID have reached the final approval process. The USCCB indicated that Catholics can morally take the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. At least 28 other US bishops have issued concurring statements. There is a concern about remote material cooperation in evil...

Was Jesus born in a stable or a cave? The probable answer is “both”...

Was Jesus Really Born in a Stable? | The StreamLONGENECKER: If you have set up your nativity scene by now you probably put the figures in a quaint, wooden stable shed. With a rickety roof and rough beams, the ox and donkey shelter there along with the sheep, the shepherds, Mary and Joseph and the wise men.

The sentimental language about “preparing a home in your heart for baby Jesus” may be helpful, but it isn’t the full truth about Advent...

This Sunday, the Radical Promise of Christmas | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B, the Gospel has direct application to our lives as we prepare, not just to celebrate Christmas, but to become a dwelling place for the Son of God who wants to make us his adopted sons and daughters. In the final week of Advent, God asks each of us directly...

Bishop of Syracuse, New York, revives traditional Ember Days, calls for prayer and fasting

Syracuse bishop revives Ember Days, calls for prayer and fasting for vocations: In a revival of an historic custom of the Church, Bishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse has invited Catholics of his diocese to participate in the Ember Days, traditional days of fasting and prayer, for the intention of an increase in vocations.

Pope Francis names new bishop for Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Pope Francis names new bishop for Diocese of Greensburg: Pope Francis appointed Friday a new bishop of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The pope named Msgr. Larry J. Kulick Dec. 18 as the sixth bishop of the diocese founded in 1951. Kulick, a 54-year-old canon lawyer, has served as diocesan administrator since Sept. 15, when he was elected to the post by the diocese’s College of Consultors.

Because of the pandemic, the Vatican will permit priests to say up to four Masses on Christmas Day, January 1 and Epiphany

Vatican permits priests to say up to four Masses on Christmas Day: The Vatican’s liturgy congregation will permit priests to say up to four Masses on Christmas Day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Jan. 1, and Epiphany to accommodate more worshipers amid the pandemic. Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, signed a decree announcing the permission Dec. 16.

Music for all time: Reflections on Beethoven, on his 250th birthday

Music for All Time: Reflections on Beethoven, on His 250th Birthday ~ The Imaginative Conservative: “This wasn’t written for you!” Beethoven once stormed at string players who complained that one of his quartets was impossible to play. “It was meant for a later age!” And so all Beethoven’s works are. They are, indeed, music for all time. Please enjoy this symposium on Ludwig van Beethoven, with contributions from our distinguished panel.

Driving out love: The modern bureaucratic lifestyle

Driving out love: The modern bureaucratic lifestyle | Catholic CultureMIRUS: It is difficult to offer a comprehensive critique of our Godless modern culture simply because it is so difficult to know where to begin. In this instance, I will start at the top, so to speak, with a consideration of the absurdity of our captivity to the modern bureaucratic State.

5 Advent- and Christmas-inspired cocktails to enjoy during the holiday season

fPERNA: Before I get to the drinks to make this month, I want to briefly explain what I mentioned before: the art of Catholic drinking, or the method of drinking like a Catholic. Essentially, it means drinking with moderation, a balanced way of enjoying one’s time with friends, sometimes even in the state of mourning, but appreciating God’s gifts...

Let’s ask Our Lord to show us how to love a civilization into life with Him

A flourishing life - Our Sunday VisitorLOPEZ: Under a mask and a winter cap, a young Black woman stood across the street from Planned Parenthood in lower Manhattan. She has been directly outside the front door after her time inside, but there were two men there with a megaphone talking about babies dying and slaughter...

On cages and evangelization in China

On cages and evangelization in China - Denver CatholicWEIGEL: Joshua Wong is a young Chinese human rights activist, recently sentenced to 13 and a half months in prison on the Orwellian charge of “incitement to knowingly take part in an unauthorized assembly” – meaning, in Chinese Newspeak, urging others to protest peacefully the tyranny now throttling Hong Kong...

Ex-nuncio to France given suspended 8-month prison sentence

Ex-nuncio to France given suspended 8-month prison sentence: A Paris criminal court on Wednesday gave a former nuncio to France an suspended 8-month prison sentence for sexual assault. The court found Archbishop Luigi Ventura guilty of placing his hands on the buttocks of five men while conducting his public diplomatic duties. He was ordered to pay 13,000 euros ($15,800) to four of the men and 9,000 euros ($10,900) in legal costs, reported AFP.

Poor Clare nuns’ chart-topping debut album is ‘light for the world’ this Christmas

p: Life at the Poor Clare Convent at Arundel in Sussex, England, is one of prayer, work, silence and solitude. Unexpectedly, the religious community has now become a chart-topping sensation with the release of its debut CD, Light for the World.

We unite our heavy hearts with the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God

We Unite Our Heavy Hearts With the Immaculate Heart of the Mother God| National Catholic RegisterCARDINALBURKE: We come to Our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day with troubled and heavy hearts. Our nation is going through a crisis which threatens its very future as free and democratic. The worldwide spread of Marxist materialism, which has already brought destruction and death to the lives of so many, and which has threatened the foundations of our nation for decades, now seems to seize the governing power over our nation.

Churches closed on Christmas? Catholics around the world react...

Churches Closed on Christmas? Catholics Around the World React| National Catholic RegisterTURLEY: In 1656, Oliver Cromwell, then lord protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, canceled Christmas. Legislation was enacted to ensure that every Sunday was strictly observed as the Lord’s Day, but shops and markets were ordered to stay open on Dec. 25. Soldiers patrolled the streets with orders to seize any food discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations.

How aborted children are used in medical research in 2020

How Aborted Children Are Used in Medical Research in 2020| National Catholic RegisterTRASANCOS: You don’t need to go undercover and follow around employees from Planned Parenthood like David Daleiden at the Center for Medical Progress to find out how the remains of aborted children are used in research. All it takes is a look at scientific reports. The methods are detailed in the words of the scientists themselves, who depend on abortion to design experiments.

‘Feliz Navidad’ singer José Feliciano on music, God’s goodness, and why he became pro-life

uGRAVES: A half-century ago, in 1970, performer José Feliciano wrote and began to perform his hit Christmas song, “Feliz Navidad.” He’s been a popular entertainer ever since; other hits for which he is known include his renditions of The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and The Mamas and The Papas’ “California Dreamin’...

4 ways to teach the sanctity of life and raise pro-life kids

Raising Pro-Life Kids: 4 Ways to Teach the Sanctity of Life - Focus on the FamilyBECKER: It was Nick’s golden birthday. He turned seventeen-years-old on October 17th, and we celebrated in style. My wife made a special teriyaki chicken dinner at Nick’s request. The decorations were Notre Dame football, Nick’s favorite team. The plates, napkins, tablecloths, and helium balloons were Fighting Irish top to bottom...

Monsters and monks in Star Wars

mLONGENECKER: One of the riveting themes within the Star Wars saga is the existence of monasticism. The Jedi Knights are also monks. Connecting with the warrior monks of Eastern religions, they also connect with the religious orders of knights in medieval Christendom. The Jedi clearly remind of the spiritual truths of the New Testament...

The Washington Post explores Joe Biden’s faith, while embracing the language of the Catholic left

wMATTINGLY: Any serious discussion of Catholicism and national politics has to include material from the 1960 speech by Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. This would certainly be true of discussions of the life and times of President-elect Joe Biden...

We don’t need a president to save us. We need to be heroes ourselves — and St. Joseph can help us...

We Need to Be Heroes. St. Joseph Can Help | National ReviewLOPEZ: Remember that Eighties’ song “I Need a Hero”? This whole year has been quite the exercise in longing for one. That’s why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.” Time thinks they have one there — and I suspect it’s actually Harris. Meanwhile, the fact of the matter is...

Ralph Martin’s new book, ‘The Church in Crisis,’ is a tour de force

The Church in Crisis - The Catholic Thing: Ralph Martin, president of Renewal Ministries, director of graduate theology programs in evangelization and a professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, has written an extraordinary book, A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward. His analysis of this crisis, in a time of confusion and division...

Beauty needs more than lip service, and the papacy needs to set the example

bSTAUDT: On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Francis gave remarks to artists on the importance of beauty, particularly “on art and its role at this critical moment in our history.” He notes three movements of beauty and its role in our current crisis, while citing the example of the nativity scene. Beautiful words, although they are contradicted by the actual nativity scene sitting in St. Peter’s Square...

“Hideous,” “abhorrent,” “disgrace” — Post-modern Vatican Nativity scene provokes wave of criticism

Post-Modern Vatican Nativity Scene Provokes Wave of Criticism| National Catholic RegisterPENTIN: This year’s Vatican Nativity scene has drawn fierce criticism for its post-modern artistic look, which critics say radically breaks with traditional Nativity scenes and fails to evangelize or inspire others about the mystery of the Incarnation. The Christmas presepio in St. Peter’s Square contains 20 modernistic ceramic objects...

The real reason why no photography is allowed in the Sistine Chapel

The Reason Why No Photography is Allowed in the Sistine Chapel | Mental Floss: As the home of some of the greatest works of art produced by humanity, the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City is a popular tourist destination (to put it mildly). If you've been one of the 4 million visitors to the famous landmark each year, you've probably learned of one aspect of the room filled with Michelangelo's beautiful, biblical frescos that tends to come as a surprise to first-time guests.

Every time he speaks out against abortion, Pope Francis is systematically ignored by the media

pMAGISTER: “Aware that hearing a pope return to this topic will annoy many...” It is with this caveat that Pope Francis introduces the tough words he dedicates to abortion in his latest book “Let Us Dream,” which on December 1 hit store shelves all over the world. And that’s the way it is. Whenever he touches on this subject, Francis by no means enjoys good press.

Being in church is essential. Virtual is not the same as real...

Being in Church is Essential, Governor. Virtual is Not the Same as Real. - Community in MissionPOPE: Many of us have heard expressed the formulaic regret by someone declining to attend an event: “Though I can’t be there, I’ll be there with you in spirit!” Two reactions usually occur to us who receive such a reply: First, that’s unfortunate. Second, whatever the phrase “there in spirit” means, they probably won’t be present in spirit either. We human beings are body and soul...

Department of Justice probe of Catholic Church abuse goes quiet 2 years later

DOJ probe of Catholic church abuse goes quiet 2 years later: Two years ago, the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia joined the long line of ambitious prosecutors investigating the Catholic Church’s handling of priest-abuse complaints.

“First, do no harm.” Other countries should learn from a transgender verdict in England

First, do no harm - Other countries should learn from a transgender verdict in England | Leaders | The Economist: What should you do if a 12-year-old girl says: “I am a boy”? If the answer were simple or obvious, the question would not be so explosively controversial. A good place to start, if you are a parent, is to affirm that you love the child. It should go without saying, too, that no child should be bound by gender stereotypes.

U.S. bishops give approval to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but say AstraZeneca vaccine ‘should be avoided’

Catholic bishops approve use of coronavirus vaccines with 'remote connection' to abortion: The United States bishops' conference has said that Catholics can take two of the three available COVID-19 vaccines, even though they were developed with a “remote connection” to “morally compromised” cell lines.

Skilled artists are renewing the majesty of traditional Catholic statues

Restoring Church Beauty: Artists Mend Statues in an Age of Vandals| National Catholic RegisterPETERSMITH: St. Michael’s Catholic Church stands like its namesake sentinel over a city that needs the church’s presence. For the faithful who cross the threshold, the doors of this neo-Gothic church open wide to reveal a pageant of color and light. Around the Rochester, New York, sanctuary and upon the altar are the statues...

The Nativity set is alive and well, whatever you think of the Vatican’s

The%20nativity%20set%20is%20alive%20and%20well%2C%20whatever%20you%20think%20of%20the%20Vatican%u2019sALLEN: For more than twenty years, no matter where travels may take me the rest of the year, I’ve always made a point of being in Rome for Christmas and New Year’s. You’d think nothing about the holiday season in the Eternal City would surprise me anymore, yet somehow I always manage to be blindsided when the annual fracas over the Vatican’s nativity set breaks out.

Biden’s pick of Xavier Becerra for HHS has nothing to do with health care, and everything to do with a radical abortion agenda

Why Biden Picked Xavier Becerra | Kenneth Craycraft | First ThingsCRAYCRAFT: Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden is fulfilling predictions that his administration will be the most militantly pro-abortion of any in American history. His nomination of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for Secretary of Health and Human Services is an expression of Biden’s commitment to force extreme, oppressive abortion policy on the American public...

Pope’s Gaudete Sunday Angelus: Christian joy is not easy, but with Jesus it is possible

Pope Francis on Gaudete Sunday: Christian joy is not easy, but with Jesus it is possible: Arriving at Christian joy is no cakewalk, but if we put Jesus at the center of our lives, it is possible to have a joyful faith, Pope Francis said on Sunday.

Every day, trillions of things go right while only a few go wrong. That’s not an exaggeration. Rejoice in the Lord always!

sPOPE: This Sunday is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday, based on the Introit for the day: Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico, Gaudete (Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, Rejoice). Today, this theme is developed most fully in the 2nd reading, which is from 1 Thessalonians. It also begins with the salutation...

Our Lady and the conversion of Muslims

Our Lady and the Conversion of Muslims| National Catholic RegisterSIMONSON: I was praying in a New York apartment on an afternoon during the spring of 2008. I’d been baptized at a non-denominational church less than a year before that, and had been in a financial strain for most of that time since. It was a grace to learn, early on, that much of what Prosperity Gospel books and hokey Christian films taught about the “abundant” Christian journey wasn’t all that accurate...

When my wife died at age 27, these two Christian recording artists helped me through my grieving

Music%20and%20Grieving%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: After my wife, Renee, passed on from cancer in 1992, at the startlingly young age of 27, I did a lot of grieving. One of the things that helped me through that process was listening to the music of two Christian recording artists. I’ve mentioned them a few times on Catholic Answers Live when people call in who are dealing with personal losses, and I thought I’d blog about them in hopes that the information could be helpful to others.

Archdiocese of Washington sues DC mayor over ‘arbitrary’ and ‘illegal’ coronavirus restrictions as Christmas approaches

Catholic Church sues DC mayor over 'illegal' coronavirus restrictions as Christmas approaches: The Catholic Church in the nation’s capital filed a federal lawsuit against Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday evening.

5 reflections on St. Joseph

Five Reflections on St. Joseph | Parishable ItemsFELTES: This week, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the Universal (that is, the entire) Church, Pope Francis declared this “The Year of St. Joseph” through December 8th, 2021. The Holy Father also published an apostolic letter about Jesus’ beloved foster-father entitled “Patris Corde” (or “With a Father’s Heart”)...

From a religious sister: “Being a bride in a culture that is obsessed with weddings”

Being a Bride in a Culture that is Obsessed with Weddings: “If you like it then you should have put a ring on it,” so sings our dearly beloved Beyoncé whom I pray finds her way to true femininity and womanhood. I regret to say that I sang this song many a time with my high school friends. I never took the time to read the lyrics until now. It returned to consciousness after a dormant 5 years of living in the convent...

Pope Francis: The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe points us to God’s ‘gift, abundance, and blessing’

Pope Francis: The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe points us to God: The Virgin Mary teaches us about God’s gift, abundance, and blessing, Pope Francis said Saturday on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

After NYTimes columnist’s exposé of child abuse on Pornhub, Mastercard and Visa stop allowing their cards to be used on megasite

Visa and Mastercard Block Use on Pornhub - The New York Times: Mastercard and Visa said they had prohibited the use of their cards on the adult website Pornhub, after the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reported that the platform included videos of child abuse and rape.

6 points the U.S. bishops should consider about Biden and Communion

Biden and Communion: 6 Points for the US Bishops to Consider| National Catholic RegisterDESOUZA: Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington offered a welcoming smile to presumptive President-elect Joe Biden, promising dialogue on matters of mutual agreement instead of disagreement over abortion and religious liberty. In return, Biden kicked the Catholic Church in the teeth.

This Sunday, the humble rejoice and the proud complain

This Sunday, the Humble Rejoice; the Proud Complain | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: This Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B, Gaudete Sunday, Jesus is still absent from Sunday’s Gospel, but nonetheless the Church says “rejoice.” The readings even give the key to rejoicing: humility. It’s a paradox we easily miss. We can’t be joyful without being humble — and we can’t be humble unless we are “humiliated” according to Mother Teresa and “despised” according to St. Gregory the Great.

Let’s explore a nearly-indecipherable Gospel passage that is difficult but rich in blessings

Nearly Indecipherable! Exploring a Gospel Passage that is Difficult but Rich in Blessings - Community in MissionPOPE: There is a passage read at yesterday’s Mass that is complex, to say the least. A footnote in the Ignatius Study Bible calls a phrase in it, “nearly indecipherable.” So, let’s wade into the text and see what we find. At the center of this reading is St. John the Baptist and the setting forth of his role by Jesus. The first difficulty in the text is most easily overcome...

Gallup survey: Only frequent churchgoers avoided downward mental health trend in 2020

Only frequent church attendees avoided downward mental health trend in 2020: Americans who attend religious services weekly are the only demographic group appearing to show improved mental health in 2020, despite the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and other events, says a new survey.

‘All Are Welcome’ is not a welcome hymn at Mass, USCCB doctrine committee says

'All are Welcome' not a welcome hymn at Mass, USCCB committee says: The doctrine committee of the US bishops’ conference (USCCB) earlier this year produced a guide to evaluating the lyrics of hymns on the basis of their doctrinal content, noting that Vatican II declared sacred music’s purpose to be “the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.”

We all experience a range of stirrings in our heart. That’s why St. Ignatius’ 14 rules for the discernment of spirits is such a treasure...

Desolation and consolationCONLEY: St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, wrote a great spiritual work entitled Spiritual Exercises. In the Spiritual Exercises, he gave 14 rules for the discernment of spirits. For St. Ignatius, the goal of the discernment of spirits was the identification of the spiritual realities happening within the soul.

Dogsledder Blair Braverman shares her top 10 tips for keeping warm in frigid temperatures...

A Beginner's Guide to Staying Warm Outside | Outside Online: As a dogsledder, one of the biggest misconceptions I’ve encountered is that I must be made of sterner stuff than other people, or that I simply don’t mind being cold. In fact, I am a baby. I like soft and comfortable things, and my circulatory system is decidedly average. But staying warm in deep cold—or even, say, shallow cold—isn’t something that most people are born good at...

From closets to subway tile: How previous epidemics shaped the design of your home

From Closets to Subway Tile: How Previous Epidemics Shaped Design | Architectural Digest: If you’re doing your part and social distancing from inside your home, you may start to notice small details of your house or apartment you hadn’t thought about before—like why your older home doesn’t have a closet, or how white subway tile became so ubiquitous. You may also be wondering if there’s anything you can do—aside from the usual cleaning and disinfecting process—to help keep your home as virus-free as possible during the coronavirus outbreak.

What novels can teach us about evangelization

What Novels Can Teach Us About EvangelizationCLARK: After years of producing apologetics, I recently learned something new about evangelizing others. Over my career, I’ve written books, speeches, articles, blogs, advertisements, and academic courses, but up until recently, I had never attempted to write a novel. If only to improve my apologetic writing, I should have done this long ago...

Ken Craycraft: The Biden administration will put Christians on notice

Ken Craycraft: The Biden administration will put Christians on notice: President-elect Joe Biden "certainly has no interest in following the Church's teaching on anything. Even to the extent that it might coincide — some of his positions — with Catholic Church teaching, it's not informed by Church teaching, it's informed rather by [the] Democratic Party platform," said Ken Craycraft...

Someone redid ‘Every Breath You Take’ as an old-timey honky-tonk song and the result is genius

n: Courtesy of the YouTube channel ‘There I Ruined It’

Philip Kosloski on Voyage Comics, the state of comic book culture, and comics as a tool for evangelization

Voyage Comics: Evangelizing the Culture Through Heroic Stories - Word on Fire: As a longtime comic book fan, I’m always on the lookout for exciting new stories. While the “Big Two” comic publishers, DC and Marvel, are the homes of some of my favorite superhero characters (Batman, Superman, Captain America, Spider-Man), I also firmly believe in supporting the often underappreciated work of independent comic book publishers...

A mid-Advent picture of what Our Savior offers

A Mid-Advent Picture of What Our Savior Offers - Community in MissionPOPE: The Gospel for last Monday’s Mass (Monday of the Second Week of Advent) is the well-known story of the paralytic. There are many wonderful details that I could discuss, but I’d like to focus today on Jesus’ command: “Rise, take up your stretcher, and go home.” It is a small picture of the grace unto salvation offered to us by the Lord...

Some motivation to say the Liturgy of the Hours

Motivation%20to%20Say%20the%20Liturgy%20of%20the%20Hours%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: We all go through periods of spiritual dryness in which particular activities do not seem fruitful to us and more like a checklist. Do not worry about this. Accomplishing our duties even when they do not seem personally rewarding actually increases the merit of doing them, as it is persevering in spite of difficulty...

Can Christians go woke?

cMERING: There is a recurring movie scene, some version of which might be familiar to most, where a woman, fed up and visibly disgusted, gets in a car and tells the driver to take her anywhere but here. Her aversion to what she is leaving behind is palpable and her destination is irrelevant. It’s a funny encapsulation of that feeling...

Do personal devotions distract us from Christ?

Do personal devotions distract us from Christ? | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: A significant and often ignored gift of the Advent season is that of deliverance. What I mean by deliverance is the renunciation of human habits that prohibit an authentic devotion to Christ. And, when one begins to identify the gift of deliverance it is often predicated with a request for guidance in order to deliver oneself from these spiritual habits of distraction...

Wage theft in the gig economy

Wage Theft in the Gig Economy | Matthew SchneiderSCHNEIDER: Wage theft has been a serious issue in the US, with a 2009 estimate putting it at $40-60 billion a year. This is about $120-$180 per person. As it is distributed overwhelmingly on certain people and often on the poorest, a person working around the poverty line in certain jobs might have $1000 or more stolen from them by their employer...

With pews emptied by COVID-19, a Catholic researcher asks, ‘What if they never come back?’

w: COVID-19 safety measures and social distancing have put further strain on many Catholic churches and parishes that have already seen their flocks dwindling. While many still hope things will go back to “normal” once a vaccine is widely available, one researcher is asking a tough question: “What if they never come back?”

The art of being human in a culture of noise

t: None of us will quickly forget what it felt like as churches closed, the economy shut down, and entire countries went into self-quarantine amidst the initial outbreak of the coronavirus. Such drastic measures had never been seen before in human history, especially on such a large scale...

Why ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ remains beloved by both Christians and non-believers

Why 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' remains beloved by both Christians and non-believersLISI: There were many things in my home growing up that were part of my family’s Christmas tradition. Like millions of Americans, we had a tree in the living room, adorned with lights and ornaments. As Catholics, we had a nativity creche under that tree. While my sister and I loved the decorations and traditions, what was on TV was a big part of the weeks leading up to Christmas Day.

How ‘Sola Scriptura’ keeps people from knowing the Bible

hLONGENECKER: A dogma, especially if it a foundational dogma, becomes not just an abstract theory or belief, but a way of life. It determines a whole world view. Take, for example, the Catholic dogma of the Infallibility of the Pope. This is meant to be a limited dogma defining how and why the successor of Peter exercises supreme authority in the Church.

Vatican congregation issues new norms for ecclesiastical institutions of higher learning

Vatican Congregation Issues New Norms for Ecclesiastical Institutions of Higher Education| National Catholic Register: The Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education issued Wednesday three new instructions on ecclesiastical institutions of higher education.

26 patron saints to help you around the kitchen

26 Patron Saints to Help You Around the Kitchen| National Catholic RegisterSTAGNARO: I don’t need to remind everyone that Christmas is around the corner, and Christians all know that that means food — and lots of it. I love cooking. I love everything about it except for the washing up afterward. I love the preparation and serving at table. I love dinner conversations. I love the compliments I get before, during and after the meal...

What the Year of St. Joseph means, and how to gain the indulgences

What the Year of St. Joseph Means, and How to Gain the Indulgences| National Catholic RegisterPRONECHEN: Cardinal George Pell, falsely imprisoned for some 400 days, emerged from his ordeal ready to remind the world that “the key to life is found in Christ’s words.” This week on Register Radio we talk to Register Rome correspondent Edward Pentin about his interview with Cardinal Pell, the first since his acquittal and release from prison. And then, a new liturgical year has begun, and with it a new cycle of readings. We talk with John Bergsma about Advent, Christmas and the Gospel of Mark.

In memory of Walter Hooper (1931-2020), secretary and literary executor of C.S. Lewis — and a man who had nearly 50 godchildren

Walter%20Hooper%2C%201931%u20132020%20%u2014%20NEWPOLITY: When I was a junior in undergraduate, I went off to Oxford for a term abroad. It was early January and the August or September prior I had begun catechesis to enter the Catholic Church. Now, having travelled in the middle of it, I was keen to find a good priest to prepare me.

8 ways to gain a plenary indulgence in the Year of St. Joseph

Pope Francis Declares Year of St. Joseph: 8 Ways to Gain a Plenary Indulgence Over the Next Year |: Pope Francis also added indulgence opportunities to the decree. The decree explains four ways to obtain a plenary indulgence throughout this liturgical year.

Jesus is the Master of brevity, precision, and strategic planning

Spiritual Strategic Planning | Catholic CulturePOKORSKY: There is clarity in brevity. Isaiah’s prophecy is clear and punchy: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” General Grant won the Civil War using simple directives. We see the precision and brevity of his masterful command in his famous order: “Lee’s army will be your objective point. Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.”

China’s jailing of Jimmy Lai, a Catholic layman, has been widely condemned. But there’s one place where China’s bullying elicits only silence: the Vatican...

The Silence of Pope Francis - WSJ: Jimmy Lai has embraced his destiny. Last Wednesday the founder of one of Hong Kong’s most popular newspapers, Apple Daily, was arrested on ginned-up fraud charges. On Thursday he was clapped into jail as a national security risk. Thus did a man who started the week a Hong Kong billionaire end it a Chinese dissident.

Why do you need a priest for Confession?

Why%20Do%20You%20Need%20a%20Priest%20for%20Confession%3F%20%u2013%20Jimmy%20AkinAKIN: John’s Gospel avoids the term “apostle(s).” This term never appears in John. Instead, he refers on a few occasions to “the Twelve.” However, his preferred term for Jesus’ close circle of followers is “the disciple(s).” This appears over and over again, and it is clearly his favorite designation for people who have close ties with Jesus...

Cardinal Ruini: ‘Those who question the sanctity of John Paul II don’t know what they’re talking about’

tWEIGEL: From 1991 until 2005, Cardinal Camillo Ruini served Pope John Paul II as the papal Vicar for Rome – the man who handled the daily affairs of the diocese of which the Pope was, of course, bishop. Ruini was a creative cardinal, vicar who energized the Diocese of Rome for the New Evangelization, a concept he grasped perhaps better than any other Italian prelate...

Use this method from a former NASA engineer to defog your windshield in no time

How to Defog Your Windshield in No Time This Winter: One of the more annoying parts of colder weather is all the extra work it means for those who drive. Between putting snow tires on, scraping snow and ice off, and waiting for your vehicle to warm up, everything takes a little bit longer. And even though not as many people are making their daily commute to work, that doesn’t mean everyone will escape the dreaded feeling of going to start the car and realizing their windshield is all fogged up...

Pope’s Wednesday audience: ‘Even death trembles when a Christian prays’

p: Speaking via livestream from the library of the Apostolic Palace due to coronavirus restrictions, the pope cited the example of the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.

When crises come, the Church is not supposed to cower on the sidelines, seemingly useless...

Acting on Lessons Learned| National Catholic RegisterLANDRY: On May 1, as the initial panicked phase of the battle against COVID-19 was concluding, I wrote that the most important and urgent lesson Church leaders needed to learn coming out of the first phase was the disaster of acquiescing as various civil leaders attempted to treat the Church’s activity and worship as a “non-essential” service.

When was Jesus born? Italian researcher puts Christ’s birth in December, 1 BC

wPENTIN: As Christmas approaches, debate often arises over when exactly Jesus was born. Did the Nativity really happen during winter in Bethlehem 2,020 years ago? Recent research by a group of Italian researchers suggests that it did. Liberato De Caro proposes that the date of Jesus’ birth can be ascertained through an understanding of the Jewish pilgrimages that took place at that time...

Why does Our Lady wear blue? And do we still possess her veil and belt?

xSCHIFFER: Why did Mary wear blue? First, there’s her closet full of tunics! Classical artists like Botticelli, Raphael and DaVinci frequently depict Mary wearing a red tunic topped by a blue mantle. The Flemish High Renaissance painter Jan Gossaert uses the red/blue scheme in some works, but also envisions her in blue over blue, with a white veil...

Here are the plenary indulgences that the Church has granted for the Year of St. Joseph

Church grants plenary indulgence for year of St. Joseph - Vatican News: The Apostolic Penitentiary issues a Decree granting plenary indulgences for the year of St. Joseph proclaimed by Pope Francis on Tuesday. The special year will last from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021.

Apostolic Letter ‘Patris Corde’ on the 150th Anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church

Apostolic Letter Patris Corde of the Holy Father Francis on the 150th Anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church (8 December 2020) | FrancisCOATOFARMS: With a father’s heart: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as “the son of Joseph”. Matthew and Luke, the two Evangelists who speak most of Joseph, tell us very little, yet enough for us to appreciate what sort of father he was, and the mission entrusted to him by God’s providence. We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter, betrothed to Mary...

St. Joseph, proclaimed Patron of the Universal Church 150 years ago, is needed today more than ever

St. Joseph, Proclaimed Patron of the Universal Church 150 Years Ago, Is Needed More Than Ever| National Catholic RegisterPRONECHEN: Dec. 8, 2020, marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pius IX proclaiming St. Joseph as “Patron of the Universal Church.” The timing was providential, for several reasons. The date also celebrated the 16th anniversary of Pius IX’s proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Pope makes surprise announcement on Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, proclaims Year of St. Joseph

Pope Francis Proclaims Year of St. Joseph| National Catholic Register: Pope Francis announced a Year of St. Joseph Tuesday in honor of the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the universal Church. The year begins Dec. 8, 2020, and concludes on Dec. 8, 2021, according to a decree authorized by the pope.

Report: Vatican seeks eight-year jail sentence for ex-Vatican bank president Angelo Caloia

Report: Vatican seeks eight-year jail sentence for ex-Vatican bank president Angelo Caloia: The Vatican’s Promoter of Justice is seeking an eight-year jail term for a former president of the Institute for Religious Works, according to Italian media reports.

When you’re tempted to sin, follow St. Francis de Sales’ advice

When tempted to sin, follow St. Francis de Sales' adviceKOSLOSKI: When we feel an overwhelming temptation to commit a particular sin, it can be difficult to resist. We may know it is bad, but our passions drive us to do it anyway. St. Francis de Sales, in his book Introduction to the Devout Life, explains what you should do when you are initially tempted. Besides his basic tips, another effective way to combat temptation...

Read a preview of Cardinal Pell’s ‘Prison Journal,’ which comes out Dec. 15

pMAGISTER: Set free on April 7 by the High Court of Australia, which unanimously judged the accusations as baseless, Cardinal George Pell, 79, sent off his prison journal for publication by Ignatius Press, the American publishing house founded and directed by the Jesuit Joseph Fessio, a veteran disciple of Joseph Ratzinger and member of his “Schulerkreis.”

Pope to visit Iraq in March, ending COVID-19 travel hiatus

Pope to visit Iraq in March, ending COVID travel hiatus: After a year of no travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis will make a three-day visit to Iraq in March – a trip he had hoped to take last year to support the nation’s small Christian minority, but which was deemed impossible due to security concerns and COVID-19.

Biden picks “aggressively pro-abortion” Xavier Becerra to head HHS

Pro-life leaders react to Biden's 'extreme' HHS pick: Pro-life leaders have warned against Joe Biden’s “aggressively pro-abortion” pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has a long track record in taking legal action against pro-life organizations.

C.S. Lewis offers some guidance on how to live knowing we are going to die

CS Lewis on Facing a Pandemic, or, How to Live Knowing We Will Die | The StreamMILLS: You don’t expect an apologist to write much about dying and death. That’s for the evangelist trying to close the sale. But the great apologist C. S. Lewis wrote surprisingly often about the death that awaits us all. Lewis wrote so much about death because he believed so strongly in the reality of Heaven and Hell, and wanted his readers to get to the first and not the second...

These mysterious bronze objects from Ancient Rome have baffled archeologists for centuries

The Mysterious Bronze Objects That Have Baffled Archeologists for Centuries | Mental Floss: One August day in 1987, Brian Campbell was refilling the hole left by a tree stump in his yard in Romford, East London, when his shovel struck something metal. He leaned down and pulled the object from the soil, wondering at its strange shape. The object was small, smaller than a tennis ball, and caked with heavy clay...

The bittersweet reason Boston receives a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia every year

The bittersweet reason Boston receives a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia every year: On December 6, 1917, as local children busily prepared for Christmas and the city’s people went about their day, two ships collided in the Halifax harbor in Nova Scotia, Canada. At first, people were unaware of the danger that was about to come. However, as the Canadian Forces shared on their Twitter account...

Midnight Mass kerfuffle offers vintage ‘only in Italy’ moment

mALLEN: Although nobody really has paper filing cabinets anymore, we all carry around their virtual equivalents in our heads. Mine contains a gigantic folder, literally groaning with material, which I call my “only in Italy” file. Over the course of twenty-plus years of visiting and living here, I’m often amused by the foibles and idiosyncrasies of Italian life...

“The Fire Next Time” — God will restore all things in Christ!

tPOPE: The second reading for Sunday Mass speaks to us of “the fire next time” and reminds us of the need to be ready for the coming of the Lord. In this homily I will focus on that reading, in which St. Peter reminds us of the passing that will come for us all one day. Because Advent is a time to prepare, through prayer and repentance, we do well to heed this sacred teaching and warning. It is echoed by St. John the Baptist, of whom the Gospel today says

Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Conversion means suffering for your sins, desiring to be free of them, excluding them from your life forever’

VATICAN Pope: John the Baptist points us to conversion, to change direction and way of thinking: "Changing direction ... and therefore also changing one’s way of thinking" is the meaning of the word conversion, which John the Baptist indicated to his contemporaries and which is "a journey of faith similar to that which 'Advent proposes to us ”. Thus Pope Francis introduced his reflections on today's Gospel...

God wants to meet you at the point of your greatest fear

The Point of Greatest Fear - The Catholic Thing: A few years ago, I attended a Mass at which the homilist was a newly ordained young Jesuit. The homily was his first sermon, and I assume that the Lord gives a profound anointing to a priest’s first sermon. I never learned the priest’s name, or spoke a word to him, but the sermon he preached on that occasion has affected me every day since.

How an agnostic med student’s refusal to train for abortion ended up leading her to the Catholic Church...

"I Couldn't Perform Abortions." - Dr. Alicia Thompson - The Coming Home Network: Dr. Alicia Thompson didn’t grow up with any kind of religious background, but when she went to med school to become an OB/GYN, and was met with the decision of whether or not to train to do abortions, she found herself at a moral crossroads. She began to dig deeper to better understand her own conscience...

COVID vaccines and fetal tissues: the moral calculus

Covid vaccines and fetal tissues: the moral calculus | Catholic CultureLAWLER: Set aside, for a moment, the practical and medical questions about any Covid vaccine. (Will it work? Will it be safe? Will it have serious side effects?) Let me return to a question that I raised in in April and again in May: Should Catholics accept a vaccine that has been developed using fetal tissue from abortions? Since Catholic moralists have expressed contradictory answers to this question...

Bishop’s election in the Swiss diocese of Chur highlights local Catholic divisions

Bishop%u2019s%20Election%20in%20the%20Swiss%20Diocese%20of%20Chur%20Highlights%20Local%20Catholic%20Divisions%7C%20National%20Catholic%20RegisterTADIE: Switzerland’s Diocese of Chur, which was supposed to welcome a new bishop following the vote of the cathedral chapter on Nov. 23, is still vacant — because the cathedral’s 22 canons unexpectedly have rejected all three candidates proposed by the Vatican. A year and a half after Bishop Vitus Huonder retired at the conclusion...

Bishops who say they’ll give Communion to Biden are giving scandal to their brother bishops, to priests, and to the Catholic faithful

Mr. Biden and the Matter of Scandal | Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. | First ThingsCHAPUT: Readers may recall that during the 2004 presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry led the Democratic ticket. As a Catholic, Kerry held certain policy views that conflicted with the moral beliefs of his Church. This led to internal tensions among U.S. bishops about how to handle the matter of Holy Communion for Catholic public officials who publicly and persistently diverge...

Pope Francis approves overhaul of Vatican’s financial watchdog

Pope%20Francis%20approves%20overhaul%20of%20Vatican%u2019s%20Financial%20Information%20Authority: Pope Francis approved Saturday sweeping changes to the Vatican’s financial watchdog authority. The Holy See press office announced Dec. 5 that the pope had ratified new statutes for the Financial Intelligence Authority, renaming the agency created by Benedict XVI in 2010 to oversee Vatican financial transactions. The body, which ensures that the Vatican complies with international financial standards...

This Sunday, a hard hope that shakes the world

This Sunday, A Hard Hope That Shakes the World | The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine CollegeHOOPES: This Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent (Year B), the Gospel prepares us for all three comings of Christ: In our lives, at the Second Coming, and at Christmas. What we need for each is hope, but not the sunny optimism we associate with the word “hope.” We need the serious hope of John the Baptist, St. Peter and Isaiah.

Analysis: Is there a road back for Cardinal Becciu?

Analysis: Is There a Road Back for Cardinal Becciu?| National Catholic RegisterCONDON: Two months since his fall from grace, Cardinal Angelo Becciu remains in the news, and out of any future papal conclave. And despite the disgraced cardinal’s attempts to fight his way back to credibility, there seems little prospect of a return to favor for Cardinal Becciu, who is now effectively a cardinal-in-name-only. Cardinal Becciu, the former sostituto at the Secretariat of State and prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints...

Satanism is growing in Western societies, says longtime exorcist

Longtime Exorcist: Satanism Is Growing in Western Societies| National Catholic RegisterTADIE: The “death” of the devil in people’s minds is accelerating the “death” of God in de-Christianized Western societies. For this reason, Dominican Father François-Marie Dermine decided 20 years ago to recatechize Catholic people through different initiatives. A Canadian by birth, Father Dermine has been an exorcist for several Italian dioceses since 1994. In 2003, he contributed to the creation of the “Course on Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation” a weeklong...

Something must be done about porn. Our culture is sick, but rigorous virtue has more power than we realize...

Joe Biden, Want to Save Some Lives? Think about a Porn Commission in the Justice Department. | National ReviewLOPEZ: “I have to thank Ed Meese for saving my life,” that’s what former porn star Traci Lords said about the Reagan administration’s efforts to regulate the porn industry. Nicholas Kristof’s piece in the New York Times this morning is an agonizing read. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize just how bad. I thought everyone used Amazon at this point...

New Vatican guide for bishops addresses common challenges to Christian unity

Ecumenical vademecum: New Vatican guide for bishops addresses common challenges to Christian unity: The Vatican published Friday a guide with suggestions for Catholic bishops to promote unity with other Christian communities, offering practical advice for how to overcome common challenges to ecumenism. The 26-page “ecumenical vademecum” was approved by Pope Francis and issued Dec. 4 by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Think of the godliest person you know. Then think of the meanest person you know. Which one seems happier and more “authentic?”

cMILLS: She’s a footnote in history, but she still makes the news. A few days ago, California’s governor blocked Leslie Van Houten’s release from prison for the second time. His predecessor did the same thing, also twice. She’s been in jail for almost fifty years, for something she did in 1969. Seems extreme to keep a little old lady in prison. Especially when the parole board wants to let her out...

For 40 years, Leonardo and Patti Defilippis have been touching souls with their professional Catholic theater group

Forty years of touching souls: It was October 1980 and Leonardo Defilippis had “a crazy dream”: to use his training as a Shakespearean actor to bring St. Luke’s Gospel to life in a one-man production at churches around the Pacific Northwest.

Why are we Catholic, and why did Christ institute the papacy?

Respect Life Radio Podcast - Joe Heschmeyer: Why are we Catholic and why the papacy? | Free Listening on Podbean App: “It is a time where a lot of people are asking hard questions about the papacy. At the same time, people are asking ordinary Catholics, 'Well, why are you still Catholic?' I think it's a really good question to ask. And I think it's a question that [as] Catholics, we should embrace that opportunity to really share: why are we Catholic and what does the papacy have to do with that?” said Joe Heschmeyer...

‘The Lord of the Rings’ stars back effort to help buy J.R.R. Tolkien’s former home

"The Lord of the Rings" stars back effort to help buy J.R.R. Tolkien's former home - CBS News: Several "The Lord of the Rings" actors, including Sir Ian McKellen, John Rhys-Davies and Martin Freeman, are joining forces in an effort to help purchase the former home of famed author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Cardinal Pell on what he learned from his time in prison: ‘The Christian package works’

cPENTIN: For Cardinal George Pell, being falsely imprisoned and suffering great trials for the past three years taught him that Jesus’ teaching “on many things is absolutely true” and that “the key to life is found in Christ’s words.” Speaking to the Register Dec. 1 in his first lengthy interview with a Catholic publication...

Why would CBS News say that Archbishop Wilton Gregory was the first ‘black’ cardinal?

wMATTINGLY: It was the kind of newsroom error that lights up Twitter, while also inspiring more than a few folks in cyberspace to say to themselves, “I need to let GetReligion know about this!” I am referring to the headline at CBSNews.com that currently proclaims: “First Black American Cardinal said he hopes to begin on ‘positive’ note with Biden after contentious relationship with Trump.”

Of preludes, postludes, and appreciation for sacred liturgy

Of Preludes, Postludes, and Appreciation for Sacred Liturgy - Community in MissionPOPE: Recently, preludes and postludes (usually played by organists) seem to be making a bit of a comeback. They help to remind the faithful that a sacred place is being entered or a sacred event is being ended with joy and solemnity. They are like bookends or boundaries...

Supreme Court vacates ruling on California church closures

Supreme Court vacates ruling on California church closures: In an apparent victory for religious freedom during state efforts to impose necessary COVID restrictions, the Supreme Court on Thursday vacated the Ninth Circuit’s ruling against California churches.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the coming of the Lord

sLONGENECKER: I am reading up on the history of the Benedictine movement in preparation for a new class I will be teaching at the Avila Institute starting in January. It is How St Benedict Changed the World. As a Benedictine oblate, I am biased, but the writings of the Benedictine masters of spirituality always have such beauty and balance.

In this ancient Italian monastery, Byzantine monks defend a dying tradition

In ancient Italian monastery, monks defend a dying tradition | Reuters: In an ancient monastery behind huge medieval battlements in a hilltop town just south of Rome, 10 monks are striving to keep alive a 1,600-year-old spiritual tradition against increasing odds. Aged between 23 and 89, they are among Italy’s last remaining Byzantine-rite monks. They are inspired by the teachings of fourth-century St. Basil, following an ascetic regimen of prayer and work.

Hardship is the kiln that forges relationships of the richest kind...

Certain Things in Uncertain Times | LifeCraftCUDDEBACK: I think I am not alone in feeling unsettled these days. I experience a subtle, low-grade but constant stress, a sense of foreboding that tends toward fear. Where are things going in our nation and our communities, and what does it mean for me and my loved ones? While remaining vigilant and appropriately engaged...

The best meteor shower of the year starts Friday. Here are the best ways to watch...

Geminids meteor shower to start Friday, will peak in two weeks: One of the strongest meteor showers of the year is set to begin this week, and sky watchers are eagerly awaiting their peak in two weeks because there will be no moonlight then to obscure viewing.

Father George Rutler accused of sexual assault, denies allegation

Father George Rutler Accused of Sexual Assault, Denies Allegation| National Catholic Register: A well-known New York City priest is maintaining his innocence amid an investigation into an allegation that he sexually assaulted a female security guard earlier this month. Father George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in Manhattan, on Nov. 20 voluntarily stepped aside from his pastoral duties...

What are the signs of a culture committing suicide?

The Suicide of a Civilization - Crisis MagazineESOLEN: Suppose an anthropologist were asked, apart from the sound and fury of current politics, what were the signs of a dying culture, or a culture committing suicide? What might he respond, as following from human nature and from the terms of the question itself? What might he notice in our own? Such a culture would be more preoccupied with death than with life...

Pope’s Wednesday audience: “God did not wait for us to convert ourselves before beginning to love us”

p: Pope Francis said Wednesday that God does not wait for us to stop sinning to start loving us, but always holds out hope for the conversion of even the most hardened sinner. “There is no sin that can completely erase the image of Christ present in each one of us,” the pope said at his general audience Dec. 2.

Today is the birthday of Nicholas Black Elk, “Holy Man of the Lakota”

Cause Opens for Nicholas Black Elk, Holy Man of the Lakota| National Catholic Register: Basil Brave Heart remembers the day his father pointed him to the great Lakota holy man and Catholic catechist, Nicholas Black Elk, whose cause for canonization was formally opened Saturday by the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota. At a potato farm in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Brave Heart’s family...

2 things to do when shepherds don’t shepherd

tGRESS: A couple of years ago, my husband and I had dinner with a wonderful bishop at a trendy restaurant in Washington, D.C. It was the first time I recall actually sensing just how out of favor bishops are in an urban setting. Between then-Cardinal McCarrick in the news and the seeming triumph of the LGTB movement, my husband and I confided to each other afterward...

Do not let the Advent of the Incarnation pass you by

Do not let the Advent of the Incarnation pass you by | Knowing Is DoingTORRE: The art of communication one may argue rests on the ability to deliver and demonstrate objective truth. If we take this premise at face value it would mean that the content of the communication has authentic value and thus is true. In other words, a honest communicator would in effect be able to persuasively present a piece of information and reveal its genuine value...

5 reflections for the season of Advent

Five Advent Reflections - Community in MissionPOPE: Autumn and early winter are times of great seasonal change. The leaves turn brilliant colors then fade and fall. The shadows lengthen as the days grow shorter and colder. The warmth of summer and vacations seem distant memories and we are reminded once again that the things of this world last but a moment and pass away. Even so, we look forward as well. Christmas can be a wonderful time of year...

It was a scene from hell

A scene from hell - Our Sunday VisitorLOPEZ: It will be hard to forget the man with a sign that read “Abortion is a gift.” It certainly does turn out to be convenient for a man who simply wants to use women for sex. “Abortion is freedom” was one of the other typical signs. Believe me when I tell you that I’ve been to some dark rallies in my time — including the time I took the train back to New York from Washington...

Cardinal Pell on his vindication and Vatican corruption: “I didn’t know that there was so much criminality involved”

Cardinal Pell on the Vatican and vindicationWINFIELD: The pope’s former treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, said Monday he feels a dismayed sense of vindication as the financial mismanagement he tried to uncover in the Holy See is now being exposed in a spiraling Vatican corruption investigation. Pell made the comments to The Associated Press in his first interview since returning to Rome after his conviction-turned-acquittal on sexual abuse charges in his native Australia...

Video: When a professional musician sits down at a public piano

New Advent: When a professional musician sits down at a public piano: Henri Herbert plays “Gettin’ On Down.” This is a clip from Street Pianos: Instrument of Change, a documentary about street pianos...

Oxford University study says the likelihood of life naturally evolving on Earth is even less than we thought

Does Intelligent Life Exist Anywhere Else? Here Are the Chances: In newly published research from Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute, scientists study the likelihood of key times for evolution of life on Earth and conclude that it would be virtually impossible for that life to evolve the same way somewhere else.

Catholic diocese prays for the dead and injured after car plows into pedestrians in Trier, Germany

Catholic diocese prays for the dead and injured after car plows into pedestrians in Trier, Germany: A Catholic diocese said Tuesday that it was praying for the dead and injured after a car plowed into pedestrians in the city of Trier in southwest Germany. CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported that the Diocese of Trier wrote on its Twitter account Dec. 1: “We pray for the victims and all those affected.”

Pope Francis names new bishop of scandal-ridden Buffalo diocese

Pope Francis names new bishop of scandal-ridden Buffalo diocese: Pope Francis Tuesday appointed Bishop Michael Fisher, an auxiliary of Washington, to be the next bishop of the scandal-ridden Diocese of Buffalo, New York. Fisher, 62, will take over leadership of Buffalo as the diocese faces a new lawsuit from the State of New York for failing to protect children from clergy sex abuse...