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‘The family is the foundation of coexistence and a remedy against social fragmentation. Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity,’ Pope Francis said in 2014. Credit:: Unsplash

Holy Family Feast Highlights God’s Plan for Marriage and Domestic Life

Dec 30, 2024

User’s Guide to the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The altar placed at the center of the Cathedral of Notre Dame (photo: Guillaume Bardet, Ionna Vautrin and Sylvain Dubuisson / Archdiocese of Paris)

Notre Dame de Paris Deserves Better Than its New Furnishings

Dec 30, 2024

Instead of the rich symbolism envisioned by the Church, the altar at Notre Dame displays a misunderstanding of sacramental and liturgical theology.

Today, December 30, We Celebrate St. Anysius

Dec 30, 2024

Saint Anysius was a Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor.

Jean-Pierre Cardinal Kutwa (right) and Bishop Gaspard Béby Gnéba (left)

Retired Ivorian Cardinal Appointed Ivory Coast’s Man Apostolic Administrator amid Fall Out, “internal wounds, tensions”

Dec 29, 2024

Pope Francis has appointed Jean-Pierre Cardinal Kutwa, the Archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, to serve as Apostolic Administrator “Sede plena” of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Man.

Holy Doors at St. Peter's Basilica

Holy Door to Remain Open in Two Parishes in Ethiopia’s Awasa Apostolic Vicariate During Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year

Dec 29, 2024

The leadership of Ethiopia’s Apostolic Vicariate of Awasa has announced that the Holy Door will remain open throughout the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year in two places of worship, the Cathedral Parish, and the Parish church of Dilla.

Archbishop Djalwana Laurent Lompo of Niamey Archdiocese in Niger

Let’s Open Our Hearts to Be “more supportive” to Needy: Catholic Archbishop in Niger in Christmas Message

Dec 29, 2024

Archbishop Djalwana Laurent Lompo of Niger’s Niamey Catholic Archdiocese is calling upon the people of God to reach out to the needy in society, becoming “more supportive”.

Today, Wednesday, December 29, We Celebrate the Memorial of St. Thomas Becket

Dec 29, 2024

St. Thomas was born in London, England around the year 1117. He was the son of pious parents, and his mother converted to Christianity through the example and teachings of his father. From his early youth, Thomas was educated in religion and holiness. 

Catholic Bishops in Uganda with government officials at the end of the Eucharistic Celebration marking Martyrs Day 2023. Credit: Uganda Catholic Online

Uganda’s Catholic Bishops Urge Strengthening of “family as nucleus of society, Church” in Christmas Message

Dec 29, 2024

Members of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) are calling on Christians to reflect on the centrality of the institution of the family, which they term “the nucleus of society and Church”.

Africa’s Christian Professionals Urge Sierra Leonean Government to “withdraw or amend” Bill Seeking to Legalize Abortion

Dec 28, 2024

Members of the Africa Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF) are calling upon the government of Sierra Leone to “withdraw or amend” the proposed Bill dubbed “Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Act 2024”, which seeks to legalize abortion in the West African nation.

Recently arrived seminarians in Burkina Faso with new cassocks. / Credit: Aid to the Church in Need

Priestly Vocations Are Up in Burkina Faso Despite Islamic Terrorism

Dec 28, 2024

Despite constant terrorist attacks suffered by Catholics in Burkina Faso from Islamic fundamentalists, vocations to the priesthood have increased in recent years.

Today, Tuesday, December 28, We Celebrate the Holy Innocents' Day

Dec 28, 2024

The Holy Innocents are the children mentioned in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 2:16-18.

Catholic Priest in Nigeria Murdered by “unidentified assailants”, Diocese Appeals for Prayers “for his eternal joy”

Dec 27, 2024

The Catholic Diocese of Nnewi in Nigeria is appealing for prayers for the repose of the soul of Fr. Tobias Chukwujekwu Okonkwo, who was reportedly murdered on Thursday, December 26 by yet to be identified persons.

Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). Credit: SACBC

At Christmas, Southern Africa’s Catholic Bishops Call for “new humanity brought about by Jesus” amid Global Challenges

Dec 27, 2024

Members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) are calling for the realization of a “new humanity” that they say is the reason behind the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Bob John Hassan Koroma of the Catholic Diocese of Makeni in Sierra Leone. Credit: Catholic Diocese of Makeni

“Vote categorically against that bill”: Catholic Bishop to Sierra Leone’s Legislators on Bill to Legalize Abortion

Dec 27, 2024

Sierra Leone’s proposed Bill that is dubbed “Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Act 2024” should be rejected, Bishop Bob John Hassan Koroma of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Makeni has told Legislators of the West African nation. 

Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of Nigeria's Oyo Diocese. Credit: Oyo Diocese

In Christmas Message, Catholic Bishop in Nigeria Urges Christians to “embrace others in love, peace, reconciliation”

Dec 27, 2024

Christmas offers an opportunity for Christians to renew their commitment to the virtues of “love, peace, and reconciliation”, embracing the true spirit of the person of Jesus Christ,  Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Oyo has said.

Today, December 27, We Celebrate St. John the Apostle

Dec 27, 2024

St. John, the son of Zebedee and brother of St. James the Great, was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry. He became the "beloved disciple" and the only one of the Twelve who did not forsake the Savior in the hour of His Passion. He stood faithfully at the cross when Christ made him the guardian of His Mother.

Let’s Destroy “walls of separation”, Burkinabe Catholic Archbishop at Christmas, Urges “building bridges of communion”

Dec 26, 2024

The people of God in Burkina Faso need to embrace a lifestyle that fosters peaceful coexistence, abandoning behaviors, which contribute to prolonging violent conflicts in the West African nation that grapples with the challenge of “insecurity and other crimes”, Archbishop Prosper Kontiebo of the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou has said.

May Christmas 2024 Help Realize “hope that is active, transformative”: Catholic Bishops in Cameroon’s Troubled Region

Dec 26, 2024

Two Catholic Bishops ministering in the midst of the protracted Anglophone crisis in the Central African nation of Cameroon are praying that Christmas 2024 that started off with the official launch of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year may usher in “active (and) transformative” hope in their region and country.

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

U.S.-based Jubilee Network Partners with Caritas International in Debt Relief Campaign for Needy, Including in Africa

Dec 26, 2024

Representatives from Caritas Internationalis and Jubilee USA Network announced the five-year campaign, “Turn Debt into Hope,” on Dec. 23.

Three Kings. / Credit: NataBystrova/Shutterstock

When Does Christmas Actually End? Here Are the Different Views

Dec 26, 2024

Just how many days is Christmas? When should you take the tree down and remove the decorations?