Change of heart key to Holy Year indulgence, Latin patriarch says in Nazareth
NAZARETH, Israel (OSV News) -- An indulgence granted during the Jubilee Year is not just an occasion to "get something" but rather is a sign of the Holy...
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Pope praises Jimmy Carter's 'deep Christian faith'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Offering his condolences, Pope Francis praised former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's Christian faith and his lifelong mission to advance...
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Vatican says 13 missionaries were killed in 2024
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thirteen Catholic "missionaries" were killed in 2024, most of them during the commission of a robbery, but several obviously were...
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Pope Francis, bishops pray for families of those who perished in South Korean plane crash
MUAN, South Korea (OSV News) -- A passenger plane arriving from Bangkok exploded after skidding off the runway at a South Korean airport in Muan Dec. 29,...
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Holy Family is a model of dialogue, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy Family, though made up of saints and God incarnate, faced real challenges and offers a model for navigating the "dramatic"...
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Gunmen shoot Catholic priest dead in Nigeria on Boxing Day
IHIALA, Nigeria (OSV News) -- In a dark sign of descending security in Africa's most populous country, a Catholic priest has been shot dead on the open...
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God wants all people to be saved; he forgives all who repent, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God wants to save each and every person, and Christians are called to give witness to that fact by praying even for people who have...
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Don't lose hope, pope says as he opens Holy Door at Rome prison
ROME (CNS) -- Wearing red vestments for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome's...
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For Holy Land Christians, Christmas means life, as patriarch preaches Jubilee hope
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (OSV News) -- The Christmas spirit in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, was festive yet overshadowed on Christmas Eve by the grim...
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Pope urges war-torn world to walk through door of peace on Christmas
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As millions of pilgrims prepare to cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis called on individuals, nations...
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Christians protest in Syria after Christmas tree burned
(OSV News) -- A Christmas tree was reportedly set ablaze in a Christian-majority town in Syria, prompting protests in the war-torn nation just two weeks...
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Pope at Christmas: Jesus' birth brings hope for world of justice, peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Celebrating Christmas Mass after opening the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis said the birth of Jesus fills Christians with hope and...
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Pope opens Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching 'Jubilee of Hope'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the quiet of Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching what he called a "Jubilee of...
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A visual tour of the Holy Doors Pope Francis will open for the 2025 Jubilee
The rite of opening the Holy Doors of the main basilicas of Rome to inaugurate the 2025 Jubilee Year is perhaps one of the most solemn events of the Catholic...
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Pope, suffering a cold, focuses on mothers and children before Christmas
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer from inside the chapel of his residence because of a cold, Pope Francis nevertheless...
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Pope, bishops, hundreds of faithful pray for victims of shocking Christmas market attack
MAGDEBURG, Germany (OSV News) -- Several hundred people gathered at Magdeburg Cathedral in the evening of Dec. 21 for an ecumenical prayer service to remember...
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Curia's role is to help bring God's blessing to the world, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laypeople who work in the Roman Curia are called to spread the blessings of God, but...
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Israeli minister asks pope to clarify remarks about genocide claims in Gaza
ROME (CNS) -- Israel's minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism asked Pope Francis to clarify his remarks about the need to investigate...
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Papal preacher tells Curia to rediscover power of 'littleness' during Advent
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With Christmas just days away, Christians must embrace the human quality of "littleness" as a path toward living out God's humility...
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Pope will receive outgoing US President Biden at Vatican Jan. 10
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will meet with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden at the Vatican Jan. 10 to discuss efforts to promote peace worldwide,...
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3,000 Catholic school kids, Black Eyed Peas members make new Christmas song
(OSV News) -- As many as 3,000 Catholic school children from poor families in the Philippines made their pop music debut in a new Christmas song by some...
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Support of pontifical missions reflects Jesus' love for poor, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis praised Catholics who support the Pontifical Mission Societies' work with the poor and those on the margins of society,...
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Pope declares 16 new saints killed during French Revolution
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has declared as saints 16 Carmelite martyrs executed by guillotine during the French Revolution and confirmed the martyrdom...
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Jesus is the path and destination for Jubilee pilgrims, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis called on Catholics to focus their Holy Year 2025 pilgrimages on Jesus Christ, who is both the path and destination...
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Pope Francis pens essay on humor: 'Irony is a medicine'
Pope Francis on Tuesday penned an essay for the New York Times on the importance of fostering a sense of humor, of quelling narcissism through "appropriate...
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Spanish Supreme Court rules surrogacy exploits women, harms children's rights
A ruling by the Supreme Court of Spain states that surrogacy exploits the woman who rents her womb and harms the dignity and rights of the children conceived. The...
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Archbishop Gänswein reflects on his new diplomatic role
VILNIUS, Lithuania (OSV News) -- Archbishop Georg Gänswein, appointed in June as apostolic nuncio to the Baltic states, has shared his insights on...
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Top DDF official says truth in abuse cases is 'critical' as Father Rupnik investigation continues
(OSV News) -- Transparency and truth are of "critical importance" in the work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) and the...
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Iraqi police intercepted terrorists planning to assassinate him, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On Pope Francis' 88th birthday, two major newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean published two different excerpts from his...
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Jesus' crown of thorns returns to Notre Dame Cathedral
PARIS (OSV News) -- Firefighters and police officers formed a human chain to rescue the crown of thorns from the inferno at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019....
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Pope praises popular piety during first-ever papal Mass in Corsica
AJACCIO, France (CNS) -- As Pope Francis became the first pope to celebrate Mass on the French island of Corsica Dec. 15, the usual excitement of an open-air...
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Nativity scenes are reminder of Lord's love and tenderness, pope says
ROME (CNS) -- Making his customary visit to the Rome Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before his trip to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis also...
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Pope says there's no religious justification for Russia's war on Ukraine
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a letter to his nuncio in Russia, Pope Francis called out those who would claim Russia's war on Ukraine had any spiritual justification. Saying...
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Two women join Vatican council that implements synod, prepares next one
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For the first time, women will serve on the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the committee that oversees...
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With inaugural Mass, Notre Dame reveals 'the Lord does not abandon his own'
PARIS (OSV News) -- Chilling rain and the "City of Lights" completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close...
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With Assad's fall, Syria's papal nuncio prays for nation's reconciliation, new prosperity
(OSV News) -- The apostolic nuncio to Syria says he hopes the war-torn nation will "move toward reconciliation" and at least "some prosperity" under democratic...
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Pope: Wealth, power mean nothing when the heart is cold, closed
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to be more like Mary: generous and loving servants of the Lord, Pope Francis said. "Sadly, if we look around...
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Thanking donors for Vatican creche, Christmas tree, pope prays for peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "With tears in our eyes, let us raise our prayer for peace," Pope Francis said as he thanked the people of Bethlehem and Palestinian...
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'Long live Notre Dame de Paris!' Jubilation as iconic Catholic cathedral reopens
PARIS (OSV News) -- The solemn reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral put Paris in the center of the Catholic world on the evening of Dec. 7 as the archbishop...
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Christmas consistory: Big crowds, festive air for well-wishers of new cardinals
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Moments after Pope Francis placed red hats on the heads of 21 new cardinals, the newest members of the College of Cardinals, many...
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New cardinals from 17 nations are called to build church unity, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Becoming a cardinal is an insistent call to put Jesus at the center of one's life, to love the poor as he did and to strengthen the...
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New papal preacher tells pope, cardinals: Don't be closed to change
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At 53 years old, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini, the new preacher of the papal household, was among the youngest in the Vatican...
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Pilgrims walk miles to pay homage to St. Francis Xavier in a once-in-a-decade exposition of relics
(OSV News) -- Michael Fernandes has walked 68 miles through jungles across hills and crossed a river in the blazing sun to honor St. Francis Xavier on...
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Homilies must be short, about Jesus, inspired by the Spirit, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Homilies must be prepared with the help of the Holy Spirit, be shorter than 10 minutes and put the spotlight on the Lord, not oneself,...
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Notre Dame shines bright as French president visits days before the 'grande réouverture'
PARIS (OSV News) -- The world was left stunned when the first images of the rebuilt Notre Dame were published and spread with viral speed as President...
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Nicaea and synodality: Pope talks about both with patriarch, theologians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Focusing again on the fundamental Christian beliefs outlined by the Council of Nicaea almost 1,700 years ago can help Christians...
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