World News

Breaking News / CNA Vatican City, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, as the next archbishop of New York — the most consequential U.S. episcopal appointment of Leo’s pontificate thus far — the Vatican announced Thursday.The appointment ... read more

Catholic faithful gather on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin to celebrate two milestones: a decree from Pope Leo XIV formally designating St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Dublin and the cathedral’s bicentenary. / Credit: John McElroy/Dublin Archdiocese Dublin, Ireland, Dec 18, ... read more

The Vatican closed 2024 with a budget surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.85 million), it said on Wednesday, signalling a turnaround after years of deficits that had frustrated Church leaders, including the late Pope Francis.In its first budget report since 2022, the Vatican said it had seen a "significant recovery" in its accounts last year, ... read more

“What most attracts God’s graces is gratitude,” says the Little Flower, “because if we thank him for a gift, he is touched and hastens to give us ten more, and if we thank him again with the same enthusiasm, what an incalculable multiplication of graces! I have experienced this; try it yourself and you will ... read more

Addressing a UN meeting devoted to the 20th anniversary of the World Summit on the Information Society, a Vatican diplomat said that it is “important that the benefits of the Information Society are accessible to all, particularly in developing countries.” “Enhanced international cooperation, conditions and policies that foster economic growth and development by ... read more

Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement and expressed gratitude to the International Union of Superiors General as the organization of women religious marked its 60th anniversary. “In a time marked by rapid change and many urgent needs, your commitment to cooperation and your willingness to stand at the frontiers of mission remain a powerful testimony ... read more

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