World News

In a pastoral letter released yesterday, the bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina, called for the routine distribution of Holy Communion by extraordinary ministers and banned the use of “altar rails, kneelers, and prie-dieus” during the distribution of Holy Communion. ... read more

The latest social media flare involving Donald Trump and filmmaker Rob Reiner arrived with a predictability that modern political culture has trained everyone to expect. Upon the news of Reiner’s passing from suspected homicide, a sharp post appeared, the tone was dismissive, and the timing coincided with a moment of public mourning connected to Reiner’s ... read more

On November 17, 2025, without explanation, the Supreme Court denied an appeal in Cambridge Christian School v. Florida High School Athletic Association. At issue was the refusal of state athletic association officials to allow representatives of the [...] ... read more

This winter, many families will have left cookies for St. Nicholas on his feast day, or plan to do so on the 24th. But leave them where, exactly? On the kitchen counter, perhaps. Near the refrigerator. Beneath electric lights and climate-controlled air. The gesture remains, but the proper place has vanished. The hearth—once the obvious ... read more

St. Gatian of Tours Feast date: Dec 18 Not much is known about the life of Saint Gatian, but we do know that he was the first bishop of Tours in France, and is said to be a disciple of Saint Denis of Paris. Arriving in Gaul, a pagan land, completely untouched by ... read more

Pope Leo XIV yesterday transferred one of Africa’s most prominent prelates to a far smaller diocese. ... read more

During his weekly visit to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV attended a Christmas concert at the Pontifical Paul VI School, a local primary school. “It was beautiful to listen to Christmas songs in Italian, Latin, English, and Spanish,” Pope Leo said at the conclusion of the December 16 concert. “God ... read more

Pope Leo XIV yesterday named Auxiliary Bishop Ramon Bejarano of San Diego as the new bishop of Monterey, California. ... read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, asked Italian lawmakers to put Christ at the center of their lives. “Christmas must serve to reaffirm the centrality of Christ in our lives,” Cardinal Parolin said to 400 legislators in the Sistine Chapel on the evening of December 16. “Advent is the time ... read more

Across Africa, faith is a profound source of hope, charity, and community. Yet in nations like Nigeria, it has also become the continent’s most volatile political fault line, often manipulated for power and dominance. In [...] ... read more

Sept. 30 marked the 100th anniversary of the Medical Mission Sisters, an international community of women whose outsized impact on the well-being of those made poor could be compared to the proverbial mustard seed. ... read more

As we face a changing past, Jason Berry looks back on years of reporting on clerical abuse, and reflects on the influence of the beloved dead: a jazz-playing Jesuit, and Berry's daughter Ariel, whose radical innocence radiates. ... read more

"We want to replant hope within the Christian community over here in the Holy Land," said Anton Asfar, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem. ... read more

The pontiff had barely stepped onto the loggia wearing the mozzetta and papal stole before social media was ablaze with traditionalists claiming "we're so back." ... read more

At a Dec. 8 press conference in Nashville, leaders noted that Pope Leo XIV — as well as his predecessors St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — has expressed opposition to the death penalty. ... read more