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Archpriest of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas blesses a Nativity scene in the recently reopened cathedral on Dec. 20, 2024, in Paris. / Credit: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 20, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has blessed the Nativity scene at the historic French landmark church ahead of the first Christmas celebrations since its restoration after a devastating 2019 fire.

“You know, for the past 10 days, we’ve been feeling very joyful,” said Notre Dame rector Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas during the ceremony. “My greatest joy is to see people happy because they have a cathedral again, not only because they see these stones again but also because it’s a place for prayer that they got back.”

During the ceremonial blessing of the 17th-century-style creche, Dumas shook an olive branch soaked in holy water over the Nativity scene, while those of the faithful in attendance prayed and sang hymns. 

“I am the rector of a cathedral that had burnt down,” Dumas said, adding: “and I am now the happy rector of a cathedral that has reopened to welcome all of those who will enter it: pilgrims, visitors, and believers.” 

Notre Dame Cathedral underwent five years of renovation after a fire in April 2019 broke out across its roof and spire, causing significant damage to the beloved cathedral and monument of French culture. 

The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, celebrated the first Mass at the cathedral on Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The altar of the restored cathedral was consecrated during the liturgy, and celebrants wore vibrant chasubles designed by Jean-Charles Castelbajac, a 74-year-old designer who has dressed the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna, and St. John Paul II. 

At the Mass, which was attended by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, some 170 bishops from the country and around the world concelebrated with Ulrich as well as one priest from each of the 106 parishes of the Archdiocese of Paris and one priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic churches.

Macron, initially scheduled to speak on the cathedral’s forecourt to respect the law of separation between the church and the state, wound up speaking inside the building due to inclement weather, as previously announced in a press release from the Archdiocese of Paris.

Expressing “the gratitude of the French nation” to the cathedral’s rebuilders during his address, Macron asserted that Notre Dame “tells us how much meaning and transcendence help us to live in this world.”

Pope Francis also sent his regards in a message read by the apostolic nuncio to France, Archbishop Celestino Migliore.

“May the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France,” the pontiff said. “I invite all the baptized who will joyfully enter this cathedral to feel a legitimate pride and reclaim their faith heritage.”

Christmas lights line a street in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Dec 20, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Rome during the Christmas season is a feast for the senses. Twinkling lights drape over the city’s cobblestone streets, towering Christmas trees adorn piazzas, and Nativity scenes beckon from churches and storefronts alike.

Against this dazzling backdrop, the first pilgrims for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, which begins on Christmas Eve, have the unique opportunity to enjoy the Eternal City’s many Christmas traditions. 

Pope Francis will open five jubilee Holy Doors in the Christmas season between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6.

And 38-year-old Immaculate Atieno, a jubilee pilgrim from Nairobi, Kenya, is hoping to witness all of the solemn door openings with the pope.

“It’s worth it,” Atieno told CNA. “This is a once-in-every-25-years thing to do. So why not give it your all?”

Atieno brought with her a long list of prayer intentions from family and friends in Africa in addition to her desire to pray for the needs of the world as she receives her jubilee indulgence.

“We are at a time where the world really needs lots of prayers,” she explained. “That is why we put forth our prayers, also praying for the intentions of the Holy Father in this time and remembering others.”

Jubilee pilgrims spending the Christmas season in Rome will also get to enjoy the Italian capital’s many culinary delights, including the ubiquitous Christmas bread, panettone.

Panettone, the egg-rich, butter-laden Italian bread speckled with candied fruit, is everywhere — stacked in brightly wrapped boxes in grocery stores, showcased in bakery windows, and served in slices at cafes. Some bakeries have taken things up a notch, crafting edible Nativity scenes out of panettone and chocolate.

And while many Italian families will sit down to elaborate seafood feasts on Christmas Eve, pilgrims and locals alike enjoy wandering through the city’s streets, soaking in the holiday atmosphere.

A group of Catholic sisters from Indonesia took in the lights of Via del Corso and snapped photos at the Spanish Steps, where a modern Christmas tree sparkled against the historic landmark.

“Every store, every church has also prepared really wonderful decorations to welcome in Christmas,” Sister Angela of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary told CNA.

“I’m really excited to be welcoming the jubilee here. I’m also feeling so lucky because this year will be the opening of the holy doors.”

Her companion, Sister Tarcisia, shared that she is praying for all of the jubilee pilgrims who will be coming to Rome during the Christmas season as well as for people in the world to experience peace and justice.

This year, large Christmas trees are displayed in Rome’s Piazza di Popolo, the Spanish Steps, and St. Peter’s Square.

Pilgrims strolling through Piazza Navona can browse Rome’s small-scale Christmas market, where vendors sell Nativity figurines, ornaments, and Befana dolls — Italy’s traditional Christmas witch. 

Over in St. Peter’s Square, visitors marvel at the Vatican’s grand Nativity scene, which this year features a replica of the lagoon of Grado, a picturesque Italian town on the Adriatic Sea.

Under Bernini’s colonnade, the Vatican’s “100 Nativity Scenes” exhibit draws visitors with its international collection, including Nativities made from coral, pine cones, papier-mâché, and even pasta.

Nearby the Basilica of Sant’Andrea della Valle also showcases an array of Nativity scenes and the Basilica of Saints Cosma and Damiano features a monumental display of historic Neapolitan figurines.

At the Basilica of St. Mary Major, pilgrims can venerate a relic of Christ’s manger and pray at the site where St. Cajetan had a vision of the Virgin Mary handing him the infant Jesus. 

For those willing to venture beyond Rome, Assisi is illuminated during the Christmas season with light displays of Giotto’s famous frescoes, while the nearby town of Greccio is the site of the first Nativity scene created by St. Francis.

For Atieno, the spiritual aspect of the season is central to her pilgrimage. She said her favorite Christmas tradition is the great homilies that she looks forward to every Advent and Christmas. 

“It’s a time when we have to remember peace, joy, and prepare ourselves to welcome Our Lord,” she said.

Pope Francis, who celebrated his 88th birthday on Dec. 17, has a packed liturgical schedule for the first few weeks of the jubilee. 

On Christmas Eve, he will preside over the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica at 7 p.m. followed by the Christmas “Mass during the Night.”

Pilgrims unable to secure tickets for the Christmas Eve Mass told CNA that they plan to gather in St. Peter’s Square, hoping to witness the historic opening of the Holy Door from outside.

The following day, Francis will deliver his “urbi et orbi” blessing to the city and the world from the basilica’s central balcony.

The pope’s jubilee itinerary also includes opening the Holy Door at Rome’s Rebibbia prison on  the Dec. 26 feast of St. Stephen; at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran on the Dec. 29 feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; at St. Mary Major on the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; and at St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5.

Pope Francis asked pilgrims to spiritually prepare for Christmas in his last general audience before the start of the jubilee.

“Christmas is now here and I’d like to think that there is a Nativity scene in your homes,” the pope said. “This important element of our spirituality and culture is a wonderful, wonderful way to remember Jesus who came to dwell among us.”

Praying alongside pilgrims crowded inside the Vatican hall, Pope Francis asked the “Prince of Peace” for his grace and peace to fill the world.

null / Credit: pim pic/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 20, 2024 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

Many women who undergo chemical abortions experience more pain than they were prepared for and more than 40% go through “severe” pain, according to a peer-reviewed study of British women conducted by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS).

The study, published in the BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health online journal, notes that women who seek out chemical abortions are often advised that the pain from chemical abortions will be similar to “period pain,” but the researchers note that the pain experienced can vary widely and be much more severe.

“Many felt unprepared for the level of pain they experienced,” the study notes, adding that in many cases, there is “a lack of detailed, realistic anticipatory pain counseling.”

The survey found that 48.5% of respondents experienced more pain than they expected. About 92% of the women who underwent chemical abortions rated their pain level at least “4” on a scale of 1 to 10, with 41.5% rating their pain as “8” or higher, which designates “severe” pain.

According to the study, some women told researchers that the pain described in consultations or information leaflets was “washed over,” “downplayed,” or “sugarcoated.” 

“The pain was intense and constant, in my lower back,” one of the women explained. “It hurt so much that it made me throw up several times. I felt shaky and faint at points.”

“Pain was so much stronger than period pain,” another woman described. “It was like having contractions in labor. I’ve given birth three times and the pain really wasn’t too much different from that pain, the cramping contraction pain.”

Another woman surveyed told researchers “the pain was really a lot worse than I expected, perhaps because it was compared to bad period pain and my periods have always been fairly pain-free.”

“Pain was so severe, and yet everything I read or heard, and what little there was about the pain on the internet was [that] it was slight cramping, like a bad period … [which] couldn’t be further from the truth,” she continued. 

“… The amount of pain you could go through is completely played down. … I understand they probably don’t want to scare many women, but I’d rather know how bad the pain can get.”

The researchers wrote in the study that “setting realistic expectations” about pain levels is needed for women to support “informed” decisions.

“Benchmarking against period pain has long been used as a way to describe the pain associated with medical abortion, despite the wide variability of period pain experienced,” Hannah McCulloch, the lead author of the study, said in a statement.

“For many respondents, using period pain as a reference point for what to expect was not helpful for managing expectations, or in line with their experiences,” she added.

Nearly 1,600 women who underwent chemical abortions in England and Wales responded to the survey. Chemical abortions are prescribed for British women up to 10 weeks’ gestation, which is the same standard approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

At 10 weeks’ gestation, an unborn child has a fetal heartbeat, early brain activity, and partially developed eyes, lips, and nostrils. The abortion pill mifepristone kills the child by blocking the hormone progesterone, which cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients. A second pill, misoprostol, expels the child’s body from the mother, essentially inducing labor.

Pro-life pregnancy resource centers often offer abortion pill reversal (APR) medicine, which is meant to reverse the effects of mifepristone by increasing progesterone levels.

St. Januarius and the miracle of the liquefaction of his blood contained in a relic. / Credit: Louis Finson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Photo2023, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 18, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

The faithful of the city of Naples in Italy experienced profound relief when they witnessed the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius, the miracle that kept the city in suspense during the day on Dec. 16.

The extraordinary event, which did not occur in the morning as usual, finally happened at 5:40 p.m. (local time) in the Naples cathedral.

Since 9 a.m., the reliquary containing the blood of the saint had been exposed to the faithful by Father Gregorio Vincenzo, but it remained solid until the afternoon. 

After the miracle, the liquefied blood of the patron saint of the city was taken to the Treasury Chapel of the cathedral, where a Mass was celebrated.

The miracle consists of the mass of blood adhering to one side of the ampoule turning into completely liquid blood, covering the entire glass.

This extraordinary event has occurred since 1389 on three occasions: every Sept. 19, the feast day of the saint; on Dec. 16, the anniversary of his intervention to prevent the effects of an eruption of the Mount Vesuvius volcano in 1631; and on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, in memory of the transfer of his remains to Naples.

Tradition has it that on Dec. 16, 1631, the faithful of Naples carried the relics of their patron saint in a procession to prevent the eruption of Mount Vesuvius volcano from destroying the city. During the procession, the lava miraculously stopped. Since then, this event has been known as the “laypeople’s miracle.”

The liquefaction process sometimes takes hours or even days, and sometimes it doesn’t happen at all, which Neapolitans interpret as a bad omen, as happened in 1939 before the outbreak of World War II.

The Catholic Church believes that the miracle, without scientific explanation, happens thanks to the dedication and prayers of the faithful.

With the exclamation “The miracle has happened!”, the faithful go to the altar to kiss the relic and sing the Te Deum in thanksgiving after the archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, has walked around the church holding the relic.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 9, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Madrid, Spain, Dec 17, 2024 / 17:10 pm (CNA).

Did you know Pope Francis was a nightclub bouncer, his favorite movie is “La Strada” by Federico Fellini, and that he doesn’t watch television? On the occasion of his 88th birthday, these and other interesting facts about Pope Francis are highlighted below.

1. How did he discover his vocation?

On the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, Pope Francis discovered his vocation to the priesthood after going to confession when he was 16 years old. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953. It was Student Day in Argentina, which coincides with the day when spring begins in the southern hemisphere and is celebrated with a big party.

“Before going to the party, I passed by the parish I attended and I found a priest I didn’t know and I felt the need to go to confession. This was for me an experience of encounter: I found Someone who was waiting for me.”

“I don’t know what happened, I don’t remember, I don’t know why that priest was there, whom I didn’t know, why I had felt that desire to go to confession, but the truth is that Someone was waiting for me. He had been waiting for me for a long time. After confession I felt that something had changed,” the Holy Father shared.

He said that after that confession he said that he was no longer himself: “I had heard something like a voice, a call: I was convinced that I had to be a priest.”

2. What is his favorite dish?

Nov. 19, 2022, was one of those rare occasions when Pope Francis left the Vatican without an official program. The reason? A family reunion in Asti, the Italian city where his cousin Daniela di Tiglione lives, who was celebrating her 90th birthday.

On that occasion, Pope Francis was able to enjoy his favorite dish: Bagna Cauda, ​​a typical Piedmont dish prepared with anchovies, oil, and garlic and used as a sauce for vegetables.

3. A passion for tango

Before being ordained a priest, especially during his youth, Pope Francis enjoyed tango, one of the most emblematic dances of Argentina. He also liked the milonga, another typical dance from his homeland.

4. He was a bouncer in a nightclub

Like any young man, Jorge Bergoglio worked various jobs to earn his first salary. Although his first job was scrubbing the floors of the hosiery company where his father worked, in 2013 he confessed to a group of young people that he was also a bouncer at a nightclub. Thanks to that experience, he began “to guide the disillusioned to the Church.”

5. He’s missing a lung

When he was 21, he had to have a lung removed due to an infection, which has caused him to suffer from some breathing difficulties in recent years.

6. He has refused forgiveness only once

On more than one occasion, Pope Francis has encouraged priests to forgive “everything” in the confessional and to “not torture” the faithful in the confessional.

During an interview on Italian television in January, he stated that in his more than 50 years as a priest he has refused forgiveness only once, “because of the hypocrisy of the person.”

7. The prayer he says every day to keep his good humor

On several occasions, Pope Francis has praised a good sense of humor and stressed that sadness is not a Christian disposition. He has even gone so far as to say that the “hallmark of a Christian” is joy and not being a sourpuss. 

To be good-humored, he says a prayer from St. Thomas More every day, a prayer he has referred to in numerous public appearances, most recently with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

“Lord, give me a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and be able to share it with others,” the Holy Father prays every day.

8. St. Joseph, his help in difficulties

There is an image of St. Joseph that Pope Francis is very fond of that shows the “silent” saint  lying down asleep.

During his apostolic trip to the Philippines, the pontiff referred to St. Joseph as “a strong man of silence” and said that he keeps this figurine on his desk. “Even when he sleeps, he takes care of the Church,” he said.

“When I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and put it under St. Joseph so that he can dream about it. In other words, I tell him: Pray for this problem!” the Holy Father confessed.

9. Pope Francis favors taking a daily nap

Pope Francis usually goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up around 4 a.m. He sleeps about six hours a day, as he usually reads for an hour after going to bed, until 10 p.m.

“Later I need a nap. I have to sleep for 40 minutes to an hour. I take off my shoes and fall into bed. And I also sleep deeply and wake up alone. On days when I don’t take a nap, I notice it,” he once said.

10. What is his favorite soccer team?

Even though he no longer lives in Argentina, Pope Francis continues to root for the San Lorenzo de Almagro team from Buenos Aires. He keeps up to date thanks to a Swiss Guard who informs him of the team’s news every week, since the pope doesn’t watch the games.

In fact, during an audience at the Vatican in September, a delegation from the San Lorenzo club asked the Holy Father for his blessing to name the club’s next stadium after him.

11. The day his life was saved

At the age of 44, Pope Francis suffered from gangrene of the gallbladder, a serious complication that occurs when the tissue of this organ of the digestive system becomes necrotic due to an interruption of blood flow.

“I felt like I was dying,” said the Holy Father, referring to the night in 1980 when he was operated on by Dr. Juan Carlos Parodi, an eminent Argentine surgeon who saved the life of then-Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio. In 2014, 34 years later, the two held a private meeting in the Vatican.

12. Where does he want to be buried?

Unlike many pontiffs throughout the history of the Church, whose coffins are in the crypts of the Vatican in the grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father revealed that he has had his tomb prepared in St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome due to the great devotion he has to the Virgin Salus Populi Romani (protectress of the Roman people), to whom he made a promise.

In addition, in December 2022, the pontiff gave an interview in which he announced that he had signed his resignation in case his health did not allow him to continue exercising his ministry.

13. What is his favorite movie?

“La Strada” by Federico Fellini, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film in 1957.

14. He doesn’t watch television because of a promise to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Pope Francis says he hasn’t watched television since July 15, 1990, when he promised Our Lady of Mount Carmel that he would no longer do so. The Holy Father made this promise because he “felt that God was asking me to do it.”

15. He went to therapy at age 42

In the book interview “Politics and Society” by Frenchman Dominique Wolton, Pope Francis recounted that, when he was provincial of the Society of Jesus in Argentina, he went to therapy for six months with a Jewish psychologist. “She was very good, very professional,” the Holy Father said.

16. An ‘incognito’ pope on the streets of Rome

In 2013, the year he was elected bishop of Rome, a Vatican source informed the Huffington Post that Pope Francis went out at night dressed as a priest to give alms and help the poor on the streets of Rome.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Members of the German Synodal Committee meet for their third session at the Wilhelm-Kempf-Haus in Wiesbaden-Naurod, Dec. 13, 2024. / Credit: Deutsche Bischofskonferenz/Ewelina Sowa

Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2024 / 11:40 am (CNA).

Following a series of meetings at the Vatican this year, the German Synodal Committee took further steps toward establishing a national synodal body after the Vatican rejected a permanent council.

At a meeting Dec. 13–14 in Wiesbaden, delegates discussed drafting the composition, competencies, and decision-making processes of a body that initially was proposed to be a synodal council — while facing renewed internal tensions, including the withdrawal of spiritual advisers, CNA Deutsch reported.

Tailwind from the synod

Pointing to the recent Synod on Synodality in Rome, Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, expressed optimism about the latest developments in Germany.

“We feel tailwind for our proceedings in Germany through the results of the world synod,” he said at the meeting, according to CNA Deutsch.

Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), said that the final document of the synod in Rome required broader outreach in Germany: “It needs mediation to the parishes, to the grassroots,” she said during the committee’s third session.

Confrontations with spiritual advisers

The departure of two spiritual advisers overshadowed the recent developments.

CNA Deutsch reported that Sister Igna Kramp from the Diocese of Fulda and Peter Hundertmark from the Diocese of Speyer stepped down following what sources described as “confrontations between participants” during preparatory meetings.

According to the organizing committee’s statutes, the presidium is meant to appoint “two spiritual companions of different genders who are not members of the synodal committee” to provide spiritual guidance and reflection. Replacements were swiftly appointed.

Meetings in Rome

Warning of a threat of a new schism from Germany, the Vatican intervened as early as July 2022 against plans for a German synodal council.

The interventions were followed by several meetings between German bishops and high-ranking Vatican officials earlier this year.

Most recently, on June 28, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandéz, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; Cardinal Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops; and Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, met with a German delegation. 

Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, joined the cardinals.

Bishops Bätzing, Stephan Ackermann, Bertram Meier, and Franz-Josef Overbeck represented the Synodal Way on the German side.

The talks centered on the proposed synodal council: According to a joint press release, both sides want to “change the name and various aspects of the previous draft” for the controversial body.

Both sides also agreed that the synodal council would not be “above or equal to the bishops’ conference.”

The committee now setting up a “national synodal body” is scheduled to meet again in early 2025.

German dioceses will reportedly be surveyed about the implementation of resolutions in February and March of next year.

null / Credit: BAUER Alexandre/Shutterstock

Madrid, Spain, Dec 17, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

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 Dec. 9 decision by the country’s First Chamber of the high court determined that “it is contrary to public order” to recognize a ruling by a foreign court (Bexar County, Texas) that validates a surrogacy contract and attributes the paternity of the children born to the intended [contracting] parents.”

The decision is based on the “fundamental rights and constitutional principles” of the Spanish legal system, which include “the rights to physical and moral well-being of the pregnant woman and the child, and respect for their dignity.”

“Surrogacy violates the moral well-being of the pregnant woman and the child, who are treated as things up for sale, deprived of the dignity proper to the human being,” the Supreme Court stated.

This practice also “deprives the minor of his right to know his biological origin” and threatens “the physical well-being of the mother, who may be subjected to aggressive hormonal treatments to get her pregnant,” the ruling explained.

At the same time, the Supreme Court stated that this practice also means “threatening the physical and moral well-being of the minor, given the lack of control over the suitability of the intended parents.”

According to the judges, “a surrogacy contract such as the one validated by the American court’s ruling entails exploitation of the woman and harms the best interests of the child.”

Consent vitiated by payment

The Spanish Supreme Court also pointed out that “surrogacy is a huge business in which the commissioning parents pay significant amounts of money, part of which goes to the surrogate mother.”

This circumstance means that her consent to hand over the child she is gestating in her womb, “given before birth, has been obtained through payment or compensation of some kind.”

Regarding the determination of the best interests of the child in these cases, the Supreme Court pointed out that “it should not be done in accordance with the interests and criteria of the [contracting] parents.”

Nor should it be done because of “the existence of a surrogacy contract and of filiation in favor of the intended parents provided for by foreign legislation.”

The criteria for determining the best interests of the child must be based on “the severance of all ties between the child and the woman who gestated and gave birth to him, the existence of a biological paternal filiation and a family unit in which the child is integrated into,” according to the court.

Finally, the Supreme Court stated that the fundamental rights of mothers and children “would be seriously violated if the practice of commercial surrogacy were to be promoted.”

In the court’s opinion, this “will facilitate the action of surrogacy intermediation agencies, in the event that they could assure their potential clients the almost automatic recognition in Spain of the filiation resulting from the surrogacy contract,” despite violating the rights of the gestating women and the children “treated as mere merchandise.”

The Supreme Court had also previously ruled, in April 2022, against surrogacy.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

A sister kneels before the tabernacle after inviting a group of women donating Christmas gifts to pray in the Missionaries of Charity house in Rome. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Dec 16, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

On a crisp December morning in Rome, a group of women gathered not for their usual Bible study but to bring Christmas gifts to a homeless shelter run by the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa.

The women were greeted at the door by a petite Indian sister dressed in the familiar white sari trimmed with blue. With a gentle smile, she welcomed them inside and led them through the modest shelter into a small chapel. At the center was a simple tabernacle, flanked by a crucifix and the words “I thirst.” The sister gestured for them to sit and pray, then spoke quietly.

“Ask the Lord,” she said, “How can I be a channel of peace to people? … How can I be a sign of hope to people around me?”

“How can I become a sign of hope to my family, where I may be struggling with my husband, children, friends? How can I become the sign of hope in the place where we are?”

The Advent season, rooted in hope and longing for the Messiah, is a time when Christians prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ. It’s also a time for almsgiving and acts of charity to bring hope to a world filled with struggle and need. For the Missionaries of Charity, whose charism is to serve “the poorest of the poor,” this isn’t just for a liturgical season — it is a way of life.

The transformational power of charity

María Teresa Ávila Fuentes, a doctoral student at the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, has spent years studying the ripple effects of the Missionaries of Charity’s work. She calls it the “transformational power of charity,” a concept she is exploring in her dissertation.

“My doctoral research is around the transformative power of charity, and it’s a study through the prism of the missionaries of Mother Teresa,” Fuentes explained.

Fuentes’ research examines how the sisters’ simple yet profound acts of love impact not only the communities they serve but also the volunteers and laypeople who witness and participate in their work.

“It’s this idea that love is expansive,” Fuentes said, referencing Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate. 

“Charity has an impact not only in micro relations but also in macro relations — society, culture, economy. Everything gets impacted by charity because charity is agape love.”

She shared stories of lives transformed by the sisters’ witness. “I’ve interviewed people who have adopted children because of the sisters’ testimony, people who have changed careers completely after volunteering, people who have founded NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] or schools. Volunteers often say that seeing the sisters’ relationship with the poor — and experiencing their relationship with the volunteers themselves — is what transforms them.”

The Missionaries of Charity, with their radical simplicity, live a profound trust in God’s providence. They do not fundraise, nor do they accept recognition for their work. Even their presence in this article is mediated by lay witnesses like Fuentes, as the sisters themselves are not allowed to be quoted by name or photographed.

“Precisely because they become so small and so empty, God is able to fill them so generously,” Fuentes told CNA.

This approach reflects Mother Teresa’s belief that small acts of love, done with great devotion, have the power to transform hearts and communities. 

One sister explained: “We don’t have to do big things to be a sign of hope. A smile, a compassionate look, just a listening attitude, a welcoming attitude. … We’ll be happy if we’ve given five minutes to someone patiently and lovingly, so at the end of the day, I was able to do something good with God’s grace. So we hope to be a sign of hope to others, especially this year of hope.”

Advent: a season of hope and charity

Advent, a time of joyful expectation, calls Christians to embody hope in their families, workplaces, and communities. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes Advent as a season to renew the “ancient expectancy of the Messiah … by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming.”

This year, Advent also leads up to the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee, themed “Pilgrims of Hope,” which will begin on Christmas Eve. For the Missionaries of Charity and their collaborators, this theme resonates deeply. Their work is a tangible expression of hope — bringing dignity to the destitute, companionship to the lonely, and a home for the neglected and abandoned.

“What is beautiful,” Fuentes reflected, “is that since they live this total surrender, you ring the doorbell and you just say, ‘I want to volunteer,’ and God will have something prepared for you there with the sisters.”

Fuentes herself experienced this transformation firsthand. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, she spent five months volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, an experience that she said changed the course of her life.

“I was teaching high school, but I quit, and my best friend and I went to Calcutta to volunteer in a house for kids with disabilities,” she said. “It transformed me.”

For those inspired to volunteer with the sisters, the order has launched a website listing the contact information for some of their missions.

At the time of Mother Teresa’s death in 1997, there were nearly 4,000 sisters in 594 missions in 123 countries. Today, the Missionaries of Charity are also present in some of the most dangerous and war-torn places in the world, including Gaza, Kiev, and Syria.

The Missionaries of Charity Fathers have also created the “I Thirst” apostolate, a movement for laypeople to grow in the charism of Mother Teresa to deepen their faith and learn how to serve others with love and humility.

“Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity,” Benedict XVI wrote in Caritas in Veritate.

“Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth.”

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Corsica on Dec. 15, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 16, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Sunday during the pontiff’s visit to Corsica, where they discussed international concerns and shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.

The 40-minute private meeting took place in a room at Ajaccio’s Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, where the two leaders addressed several pressing international issues, including conflicts in the Holy Land, Lebanon, and Ukraine. 

Both expressed their desire for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and discussed the situation in Syria, advocating for a “just and inclusive” political transition that would protect minorities.

During their exchange, Macron presented the pope with a book about Notre-Dame Cathedral, while Francis reciprocated with papal medals and magisterial documents. The pope specifically recommended that Macron read his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, drawing attention to the passage referencing St. Thomas More’s prayer for a sense of humor.

“Lord, give me a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others,” reads the prayer, which Pope Francis has previously described as “very beautiful” and recites daily.

The meeting came just a week after the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, an event the pope declined to attend. Instead, he presided over a consistory at the Vatican, where he created 21 new cardinals on the same day, Dec. 7.

The brief but significant visit marked Francis’s 47th apostolic journey abroad. Earlier Sunday, the pope participated in a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean region, where he advocated for “healthy secularism” that ensures political action without instrumentalizing religion.

In an unprecedented break from tradition, Pope Francis did not hold his usual in-flight press conference with journalists on the return journey to Rome. He did, however, thank the press corps for its presence and commented on Corsica being a land “of children,” stating: “I was happy to see a people that makes children: This is the future.”

The pope will celebrate his 88th birthday on Dec. 17.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis presides over Mass on Gaudete Sunday on the island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Ajaccio, France, Dec 15, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Two days before his 88th birthday, Pope Francis received a warm welcome on the Mediterranean island of Corsica for a one-day visit to the city of Ajaccio, the capital of the French island region.

During the Dec. 15 trip, the pontiff encouraged the island’s Catholic majority to continue to foster its traditional piety as secular culture grows in Europe — and to use their devotion as fuel to serve others in charity.

The papal visit touched the peripheries of France, where a strongly Catholic population is steeped in Corsican traditions, including songs, both sacred and secular, linked to confraternities.

These religious associations, which have a long history in Corsican culture, continue to pass down the custom of singing. The hymns are usually sung a capella and in Latin.

Traditional Corsican hymns were featured throughout Pope Francis’ visit, especially at his Mass with an estimated 7,000 Catholics at Place d’Austerlitz, a park built as a memorial to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio. Authorities estimate another 8,000 people were following the Mass on jumbo screens around the city.

In his homily for the third Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis said too much time thinking about ourselves and our own needs is why “we lose the spirit of joy.”

Distress, disappointment, and sadness are widespread spiritual ills, he noted, especially where consumerism is prominent.

“If we live only for ourselves, we will never find happiness,” the pope said, pointing to the recitation of the rosary and the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of the confraternities as an example of how to cultivate faith.

The Mass in a mix of French and Corsican took place as the sun set over Ajaccio, ending by candlelight with purple skies behind the hills bordering the port city.

“May the Gospel of Jesus Christ help you to have hearts open to the world: Your traditions are a richness to be cherished and cultivated, but never in order to isolate yourselves; indeed they are always for encounter and sharing,” Pope Francis said in his closing message of thanks to the community.

Pope Francis is the first pope to visit Corsica, which is situated west of the mainland of Italy and north of the Italian island of Sardinia, the nearest land mass.

According to the latest Vatican statistics, the Diocese of Ajaccio, the Mediterranean island’s only diocese, has nearly 344,000 inhabitants, about 85% of whom are Catholic.

Approximately 400 people, many of them members of confraternities, were in the auditorium hall for Pope Francis’ first meeting of the day, the closing speech of a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean region.

While extolling the French system of “läicité” and the “constructive citizenship” of Christians, Pope Francis underlined that “faith may not be reduced to a private affair, restricted to the sanctuary of the individual’s conscience.”

Francis warned against pitting Christian and secular culture against one another and praised the “beauty and importance of popular piety” in an increasingly faithless Europe.

After leaving the conference center, Pope Francis stopped along the road to pray and light a candle at a statue of the “Madunuccia,” or “little Madonna,” kept in a niche of a building.

The patroness of Ajaccio, honored under the title of Our Lady of Mercy, protected the city from plague in 1656, a day the city marks with grand festivities every year on March 18.

Pope Francis greeted enthusiastic locals lining the streets of Ajaccio as he traveled in an open-air popemobile to the 16th-century Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, just steps from the sea in the city’s historic center.

Inside the Baroque cathedral, Francis prayed the Angelus with French bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and religious.

Addressing the island’s clerics and religious before the traditional Marian prayer, the pope emphasized the need for those whose lives are devoted to service to also spend time in “care for themselves” — including daily time for prayer, Mass, solitude, heartfelt exchanges with a person of trust, and a healthy hobby.

He also encouraged the priests, bishops, and religious to find the most efficacious routes for evangelization today.

“Do not be afraid of changing, of reassessing the old methods, of renewing the language of faith and realizing that the mission is not a question of human strategies but above all a question of faith, of passion for the Gospel and God’s kingdom,” the pontiff said.

After a day surrounded by the warmth of the people of Corsica, Pope Francis concluded his trip with a brief one-on-one meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron before returning to Rome.