The offices of CWN are closed on Monday, December 9, so that our staff can celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose observance this year was transferred to December 9.

The Vatican has not announced plans for such a pilgrimage, nor is it included on the current schedule of events for the Jubilee.

According to Il Messagero, the “LGBTQ pilgrimage” will include an evening of prayer on September 5 in the Gesu, the main Jesuit church in Rome, followed by a Mass at the same church, celebrated by Bishop Francesco Savino, the vice-president of the Italian bishops’ conference

The need for the strong voice of the OSCE is acute today, the archbishop said, at a time marked by “breakdown of mutual trust between some participating States, an increase in ideological aggression, and a flagrant disregard” for the principles on which the OSCE was established.

Those principles, the Vatican’s “foreign minister” said, reflected a recognition “that peace is not merely the absence of war or the maintenance of a balance of power, but rather the fruit of friendly relations, constructive dialogue and co-operation among states in upholding obligations under international law and respect for all universal human rights.”

“It is interesting to see how God’s plan simmers in the kitchen of the heart?something the nuns and sisters know well?and the notes of flavor and color gradually infuse the rules of life, then spread their perfume to the whole Church,” the Pope said.

Noting that Blessed Guy’s rule speaks of the dedication of oneself “mainly to the care and service of the poor,” the Pope emphasized three themes in his address: “poverty as communion,” “with nothing of one’s own,” and Jesus as the model of serving.

“The Mafia always impoverishes,” the Pontiff added.

Saying that the Studium was one of the “first fruits of Vatican Council II,” the Pope encouraged members to “go forward together on this path.” He observed with satisfaction that the number of female students had grown, “a sign of the times, in an area where women have often been devalued in their social role.”

167 grants totaling $8,636,100 were awarded by the US bishops’ Subcommittee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in 2022-23. 141 grants totaling $7,434,000 were awarded in 2023-24.

The publication of the grants lists follows the release of the controversial anti-poverty program’s annual report. CCHD had $7,284,574 in revenue and $18,696,903 in expenses in 2023, leading to an operating deficit of $11,412,329. CCHD’s net assets, which stood at nearly $8.5 million at the beginning of 2023, stood at negative $2.3 million at the end of 2023.

Ralph McCloud, who was named director of CCHD in 2008, resigned from his position in April.

No explanation was given for the exile of the priest, who is now reportedly in Panama.

“The Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Kingdom pledged to respect the ‘independence, sovereignty, and the existing borders of Ukraine,’” Archbishop Broglio recalled. “France and China variously echoed these promises. Unfortunately, this pledge was broken by the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion in 2022.”

“As the bitter conflict rages, with mounting civilian deaths and widespread displacement, we commemorate the time when the Ukrainian people opted for life, liberty, and peace, courageously envisioning a world free of nuclear weapons,” the prelate added.

The Capuchin friar, preaching in the Paul VI auditorium to Pope Francis and leaders of the Roman Curia, said that “at times, it is necessary to interrupt the flow of events to open oneself to God’s newness.”

This new feature in St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne is the result of a program in which the resident theologian, Marco Schmid, worked with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The “Deus ex machina” program gives users the experience of a “conversation” with a computer-generated image of Jesus.

Although the encounter takes place in a confessional, the chapel administrators emphasize that it should not be confused with sacramental confession.

Idaho law states that “an adult who, with the intent to conceal an abortion from the parents or guardian of a pregnant, unemancipated minor, either procures an abortion ... or obtains an abortion-inducing drug for the pregnant minor to use for an abortion by recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor within this state commits the crime of abortion trafficking.”

While holding that the word “recruits” is a broad word that risks violating constitutionally protected free speech rights, the appeals court permitted the enforcement of the other provisions of the law.

Bishop Oscar Solis has ordered that the newly baptized children should be entered into “the faith-formation class appropriate for their age,” to begin a two-year process that would lead to Confession and Communion.

“And there is only, in this case, one head that rolls well enough,” said Dr. Justin Welby.

Spokesmen for sex-abuse victims reacted angrily to the prelate’s remarks, saying that he had inappropriately made a joke of their suffering.

The priest was set free by his captors on December 4.

Reflecting the network’s long association with the Society of Jesus, the network’s new president is Father Cristóbal Fones, a 49-year-old Chilean Jesuit, following a decade of leadership by Father Frédéric Fornos, SJ.

The two new deputy presidents are Father Miguel Pedro Melo, SJ, 38, from Portugal, and Bettina Raed, a 55-year-old Argentine laywoman. Raed has also been named the coordinator of international formation for the network.

Pohrens lobbied the Pope for the canonization of Blessed Raymond Llull (or Lull), a native of the islands (Encyclopaedia Britannica, New Catholic Encyclopedia). She said after the meeting that the Pope believes “that the blessed meets the conditions to be canonized by the Holy See.”

According to a government statement, Prohens and the Pope also discussed various saints associated with the islands, as well as “the importance of the family, the protection of the birth rate, and the need to reinforce the values of Christian humanism and Catholicism in society.” She invited the Pontiff to return to the islands, which he visited in 1983.

Prohens also shared a video of the meeting in a tweet.

“The Jubilee 2025 will be filled with our hope in God, which does not fade,” he wrote. “May it help us renew our trust in the Church, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of every person and respect for creation.”