Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

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EWTN News, Dec 9, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Conservative factions across Europe have responded with concern to a recent ruling by the European Union’s Court of Justice requiring Poland to recognize “same-sex marriages” performed in other EU member states, despite such unions having no legal status under Polish law.

The situation arose when two Polish citizens who had “married” in Germany in 2018 returned to Poland and requested that officials register their union in the country’s civil records. Polish authorities declined, explaining that national law did not provide legal recognition for “same-sex couples.”

Following this legal challenge, a Polish court referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg for clarification on how EU law should be interpreted. It is a standard procedure available to national courts before issuing their own rulings.

In its November ruling, the CJEU determined that refusing to recognize a “marriage” between two EU citizens lawfully concluded in another member state violates EU law by infringing on freedom of movement and the right to respect for private and family life. The court stated that member states must recognize marital status lawfully acquired in another EU country for the purpose of exercising rights conferred by EU law.

Concerns over sovereignty

The ruling has sparked immediate and strong criticism from Polish leaders and advocacy organizations, who view it as a significant overreach into matters of national competence.

Olivier Bault, communications director for Ordo Iuris, an international institute focused on life, family, and national sovereignty issues, responded to the ruling as “yet another overreach by the Court of Justice of the European Union.”

Bault said that family matters are reserved for member states under EU treaties, stressing that all 27 nations had ratified through their democratic institutions the principle that “each of them has a right of veto over any decision regulating marriage or family matters at the EU level.” He contended the court invoked broadly interpreted rights like freedom of movement and private life to regulate areas meant to fall under national rather than EU law.

Addressing concerns about the precedent this decision may set, Bault noted that in theory the ruling should have no impact in Poland, where the constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. He pointed out that Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has previously affirmed the supremacy of the Polish Constitution over EU law and CJEU interpretations.

Going further, Bault added that similar constitutional supremacy positions have been taken by the highest courts in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Romania, particularly regarding CJEU rulings that imply sovereignty transfers not previously approved through democratic procedures.

Political reactions

These sovereignty concerns have been forcefully echoed by senior Polish political figures across the spectrum. Former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticized the CJEU ruling as a deep interference in member state affairs with significant implications for Polish families.

He drew a pointed analogy to drug legalization, arguing that the court’s logic would be equivalent to requiring Poland to accept drug imports simply because countries like the Netherlands have legalized them. Morawiecki said that Poland cannot consent to such impositions and that national sovereignty remains fundamental to member state functioning.

The criticism has extended to Poland’s representatives in Brussels. Polish members of the European Parliament also voiced strong opposition to the decision. Among them, Tobiasz Bocheński characterized the decision as “an example of the attack on the rule of law,” arguing that it deprives Polish citizens and others of the right to determine their own future and therefore fails to respect democracy or freedom.

Adding to the chorus of opposition, former Polish presidential candidate Krzysztof Bosak publicly reaffirmed the importance of the natural family in Polish society, stating that only a man and a woman can marry and start a family. Bosak stressed that opposing the legalization of “same-sex marriage” does not mean people living with same-sex attraction should be treated with disrespect or any type of aggression.

Regional implications

The ruling has prompted wider regional discussions across Eastern and Central Europe, where “same-sex marriage” remains either unrecognized or unregulated in most countries.

In neighboring Lithuania, which shares both a border and significant cultural ties with Poland, Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė addressed the decision by clarifying that “this obligation does not mean that national law must provide for same-sex marriage.” Tamašunienė belongs to the Lithuanian Polish Electoral Action-Union of Christian Families, a faction within the current ruling coalition that has explicitly carved out certain issues it will not support, including the legalization of partnerships and “same-sex marriage,” as part of the coalition agreement. The coalition receives strong support from Lithuania’s Polish minority.

The Catholic Church affirms that marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman, as the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, reiterated Nov. 25 during the presentation in Rome of the document titled “Una Caro (One Flesh): In Praise of Monogamy.”

The EU court’s decision highlights growing tensions between EU institutions and member states over issues touching on national identity and values. As similar cases may arise in other Central and Eastern European nations with traditional marriage laws, the ruling could become a flashpoint in ongoing debates about the limits of EU authority and the preservation of national sovereignty in matters of family law.

Bishop John Keenan speaks at the First Saturdays Conference in Knock, Ireland, on Dec. 6, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of First Saturdays Conference

Dublin, Ireland, Dec 9, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

At Knock Shrine on Saturday, Dec. 6, hundreds came from across Ireland to mark the centenary of the First Saturdays devotion and the promises given by Our Lady to Sister Lucia at Fátima in an apparition on Dec. 10, 1925.

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, Scotland, told participants: “We need to respond to Our Lady not with half-measures.”

Urging a wider devotion in parishes worldwide to the First Saturdays, Keenan said: “A mother’s gut reaction is very visceral, the desire to save and to protect. We need to respond to Our Lady not with ‘half-measures’; we need to respond to her wounded Immaculate Heart and practice the First Saturdays.”

The five First Saturdays devotion is an act of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which requires devotees on five consecutive first Saturdays to go to confession, receive holy Communion, pray five decades of the rosary, and keep Mary company for 15 minutes of meditation.

Conference organizer Father Marius O’Reilly told CNA: “The First Saturdays seem to be the forgotten part of the Fátima message. Our Lady promises that there will be peace in the world and that many souls will be saved if we do what she asks. The consecration was, of course, fulfilled by St. John Paul II in 1984, but we have not responded to Our Lady’s call in relation to the First Saturdays. The effect of this is seen everywhere.”

Christine O’Hara, First Saturday Apostolate and conference chair, told CNA about the First Saturdays in her own parish. “One simple but powerful message that we hope will come out of our conference is that people will take Our Lady’s promise to heart and consider starting a group within their own parishes to observe the First Saturdays devotion,” she said. “I started a group in my own parish in 2022, and it has been a great success. Parishioners have received great graces from practicing the devotion.”

O’Hara’s parish group prays the rosary before Saturday vigil Mass, completing the 15-minute meditation afterward. “Meditation brings us into deeper communion with the Lord. I feel that I am honoring Our Lady by responding to her plea for the First Saturdays.”

The Five Saturdays devotion can be practiced privately or publicly. A priest does not need to be present for the rosary and meditation.

Robert Nugent, who runs a popular YouTube channel called “Decrevi Determined to be Catholic,” told CNA he was encouraging people to do the First Saturdays in their parish. “By starting in January you’ll finish in the month of May, which is the month of Mary. We encourage people to pray this devotion and also to come to the All Ireland Rosary Rally here in Knock.”

Keenan explained how St. John Paul II and St. Louis de Montfort emphasized “devotion to the heart of Mary is devotion to Jesus. When someone you love is hurt; that hurts you more than if you are hurt yourself.”

Damien Philpott of the First Saturday Apostolate told CNA: “I think it is a very important event simply because Our Lady told Sister Lucia 100 years ago at Pontevedra that peace in our world depends on the First Saturdays devotion. We want to establish it in parishes all around Ireland. Sometimes people feel alone and isolated in starting up the First Saturdays. At this event you can meet people who are involved in the First Saturdays.”

Antonia Moffat, formerly with the Walsingham Shrine, spoke about the urgency of this message to bring peace to the world and how the plight of the 300 children abducted from St. Mary’s School in Nigeria would greatly wound the tender and compassionate heart of Mary.

She said: “Heaven’s peace plan is the daily rosary and the First Saturdays each month.”

Representatives from many apostolates and First Saturday groups were at Knock to share their experiences and learn. Karen Clancy of Totus Tuus magazine told CNA: “I’m here to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the First Saturdays; it’s such a great movement and so important in the times we are living in with all the disruptions in our world these days with wars in various places. Our Lady has told Sister Lucia that it’s a matter of war or peace if the First Saturdays are completed or not. I would encourage more people to come to events like this, to learn more about the First Saturdays and promote it more in our parishes and get more people involved.”

Karen Brady of Human Life International explained to CNA that she was there to learn more about First Saturdays. “I already follow them but I would like to have a greater in-depth understanding. It is something that is so important for us to know about as Catholics.”

In his address, Father Philip Kemmy made a powerful connection between Jesus’ words to his friends the night before he died, “keep watch with me,” and Our Lady’s request to “keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the rosary.”

Kemmy said: “This is such a beautiful connection to make between son and mother. The 15-minute meditation can be a neglected aspect of Our Lady’s request but it is a very powerful part. Meditating on the mysteries of Jesus’ life brings us into deeper communion with him.”

Pilgrims gather for Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon in Normandy, France, on Nov. 16, 2025, during the annual “Heaven’s Pilgrimage,” dedicated to prayer for the souls in purgatory. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon

EWTN News, Dec 9, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon in rural Normandy, workers restore its century-old slate roof and windows. Inside the neo-Gothic basilica, pilgrims arrive and light candles, enroll loved ones in Masses, and pray for the souls of the dead — and, increasingly, to seek hope for themselves.

Known internationally for its mission of prayer for the deceased and its archconfraternity for the souls in purgatory, Montligeon welcomes pilgrims year-round and hosts “Heaven’s Pilgrimages” each November. Shrine staff say interest is steadily growing, especially among young people and those approaching or returning to the Catholic Church.

“Yes, indeed, the shrine seems to have gained notoriety in the past 20 years,” said Father Paul Denizot, rector of the shrine, in a statement shared by Marie Houdebert, who works in its international office. 

“I believe it stems from a growing interest in topics like death, the afterlife, and praying for the dead. Among the increasing number of young people rediscovering the Catholic Church and asking to get baptized, many are wondering about hope in the face of death. They are deeply touched by the message of Montligeon.”

Denizot said those coming to Montligeon are diverse — practicing Catholics, the non-baptized, “lapsed” believers, tourists, and organized pilgrimages — many of whom carry grief. 

“I think there are two main reasons for today’s youths’ return to the Catholic Church,” he said. “First, a need for identity, for roots in an ever-changing world where family isn’t always a safe space to grow. Second is a need for hope. A lot of people go back to Church following the death of a loved one.”

“Believing that there is a way for them to help their deceased through prayer brings them hope in a seemingly hopeless world.”

While pilgrims seek consolation within, the basilica’s exterior is undergoing major restoration. The project — expected to take another three years — includes replacing the roof and repairing the stained-glass windows in the choir at an estimated cost of 3.6 million euros (about $4.2 million), much of it funded by the shrine itself.

“I was pleasantly surprised that so many people, rich or poor, came together to support this project,” Denizot said.

“People feel responsible for the basilica because they feel at home there. We’ve had support from many different countries.”

Montligeon’s local experience echoes a broader development in France: a notable rise in adult baptisms. 

At Easter 2025, more than 10,384 adults were baptized across the country — a 45% increase over the previous year and the highest figure in decades. Many catechumens are in their late teens or 20s, often discovering the faith through personal exploration and contact with vibrant Catholic communities.

Every November, the month the Church dedicates to prayer for the dead, Montligeon hosts its annual pilgrimages to commend the departed to God’s mercy. Denizot encourages the faithful to see this intercession as both a duty of charity and a source of hope.

For many burdened by loss, the shrine dedicated to the dead has become a place where the living encounter renewed faith.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former secretary of Pope Benedict XVI. / Credit: Alan Holdren/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, said he hopes the beatification process will begin soon for the German pontiff, who died on Dec. 31, 2022.

“Personally, I have great hopes that this process will be opened,” the archbishop and current apostolic nuncio to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia said in an interview with the television channel K-TV, which aired Dec. 7.

According to current Church regulations, a potential beatification process for Pope Benedict XVI could only begin five years after his death unless the current pope grants special authorization before then, as Joseph Ratzinger himself did with John Paul II, waiving this waiting period.

In the excerpt from the interview, published by the German Catholic media outlet Katholisch, Gänswein emphasized that one of Pope Benedict’s essential qualities for understanding the faith was joy.

The archbishop noted that, for the German pontiff, if faith does not lead to joy, “something is not right in one’s life of faith. Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, is a theologian of joy.”

Gänswein also said that another important lesson from the late pope is that “we must not compromise on the essentials; rather, we must allow ourselves to be shaped by the Lord, by the faith of the Church.”

In the interview, Gänswein also spoke about the tensions that arose after the publication of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes — with which Pope Francis restricted the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass — and encouraged efforts to overcome these tensions.

In 2007, Pope Benedict liberalized the opportunities to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass with his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

“I believe that Pope Benedict’s wise decision was the right one, and this path should be continued without difficulty or restriction,” Ratzinger’s former secretary said. 

On Oct. 25 of this year, Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura, celebrated a solemn Traditional Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, an event that seemingly demonstrated Pope Leo XIV’s openness to this rite.

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

Sister Lucia of Fátima, left, and Dr. Branca Pereira Acevedo, her doctor for 15 years. / Credit: Sanctuary of Fatima/ HM Television/Home of the Mother

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

“I was her doctor for her body, but she was my spiritual doctor,” said Dr. Branca Pereira Acevedo while describing her relationship with Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the visionaries of Our Lady of Fátima, whom she cared for during the last 15 years of Sister Lucia’s life.

Lucia — the only one of the three shepherd children still alive at the time — moved in 1925 to the Spanish city of Tui in Pontevedra province, where she lived for more than a decade before returning to Portugal and professing her vows as a Carmelite nun in 1949. In this city in northwestern Spain, the visionary received “a new visit from heaven” with apparitions of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus.

Dec. 10 marks the centenary of these apparitions, an occasion for which the Holy See has granted a jubilee year in the place where they occurred, the “House of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” in reference to the devotion that the little shepherdess of Fátima promoted until the end of her days.

A witness to that fervent testimony was her physician, Pereira, who shared her experiences Nov. 29 at the presentation of the short film titled “The Heart of Sister Lucia” at the archbishop’s palace in Alcalá de Henares. This film is a project of HM Television.

Pereira accompanied Sister Lucia at the Carmelite convent in Coimbra, Portugal, until her death on Feb. 13, 2005, at the age of 97, a time during which she experienced a profound conversion thanks to the example and witness of her patient. “It was a period of my life that is difficult to explain, due to the intensity of the experiences I had with her,” the Portuguese doctor said.

Sister Lucia’s humility and good humor

Pereira described the visionary’s personality in detail, like someone describing a dear childhood friend: “She was a person just like all of us; those who didn’t know her wouldn’t have distinguished her from anyone else. There was nothing proud or vain about her; she used to say that she was simply an instrument of God.”

The doctor particularly emphasized her humility and obedience, especially to God and to the Carmelite order, “which she loved so much.”

At that time, Pereira said her faith had grown cold: “I didn’t go to Mass, I didn’t receive the sacraments… my career, my work, and my family took up all my time, and I used that as an excuse not to go to church,” she explained.

Serenity and steadfastness in difficulties

“She taught me that through God and through the Church, we can do everything well. I experienced very close moments with her, I think even closer than with the sisters she lived with,” the doctor said.

One of the most significant moments she experienced alongside Sister Lucia was the publication in 2000 by the Vatican’s Secretary of State at the time, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, of the third part of the secret of Fátima, revealed on July 13, 1917, to the three shepherd children in Cova da Iria and transcribed by Sister Lucia in 1944.

The doctor witnessed what she called the seer’s serenity and steadfastness in the face of the insistence of those who claimed that part of the secret still remained to be revealed. “She told us that what mattered most was written in the word of God, in the Bible. She encouraged us to obey God, which was what was truly important, and that everything else was secondary.”

Even at these times, the doctor revealed, Sister Lucia maintained a cheerful disposition. “Her good humor was very constant. She lived in faithfulness and truth. And she remained that way, lucid and faithful until the hour of her death, at which I was present.”

“She received many insulting letters at the Carmelite convent, from various parts of the world. But she said that there was no problem, that we had to pray for those people, that they were children of God, so that they would convert,” she commented.

A beacon of light that illuminates all of humanity

Pereira shared that Sister Lucia prepared for the beatification of her cousins, the shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto, “with an intensity and an indescribable joy.” Since that ceremony in 2000, presided over by Pope John Paul II in Fátima, Sister Lucia seemed “more joyful and more transcendent” than ever. “She was always aware of her physical limitations and fulfilled her duties, but she seemed totally detached from this world,” her doctor related.

In the final stages of Sister Lucia’s life, Pereira recounted, the visionary always remained cheerful, never ceasing to be attentive to those around her, despite her suffering. Up to her last days, she noted, Sister Lucia lived a life of prayer and penance “to spread the message that Our Lady had asked of her: the consecration to her Immaculate Heart on the first five Saturdays of the month.”

“The Virgin asked her to make reparation for offenses and outrages and that her Immaculate Heart be venerated,” the doctor recalled. She also had the mission of praying for the Holy Father: “She shared a very intense friendship and a real intimacy with St. John Paul II,” Pereira noted.

“The Heart of Sister Lucia” will premiere in Spanish on YouTube on Dec.10, the centenary of the apparitions in Pontevedra, at 9:30 p.m. local time in Spain. The film shows how the simple woman led an intense battle in which there was no shortage of adversities, “becoming for the popes and for the entire Church a beacon of light that will illuminate all of humanity.”

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

Statue of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Bari, Italy, at the Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas. / Credit: Veronica Giacometti/ACI Stampa

ACI Stampa, Dec 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The people of Bari, a city in southern Italy, have a deep devotion to St. Nicholas, their patron saint and beloved protector.

“How can you not love St. Nicholas? And how can you not feel loved by St. Nicholas?” Father Giovanni Distante, the rector of Bari’s Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas, told ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner.

“The relationship between the people of Bari and St. Nicholas is one of love,” the rector continued, “a relationship that began in 1087 and continues to this day.”

It all began in 1087 when 62 brave sailors managed to rescue the relics of St. Nicholas, bringing them from the city of Myra in Asia, St. Nicholas’ hometown, to their beloved city in southern Italy, Bari, in Puglia. The Basilica of St. Nicholas was built to hold the relics, which it still does today. Every year, countless pilgrims continue to pay homage at the tomb of St. Nicholas, the saint of Christmas, who is loved by adults and children alike.

St. Nicholas is also an important figure in ecumenical dialogue, uniting Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Protestants.

“St. Nicholas, as bishop of Myra, naturally influenced millions of faithful in the East and West, not only as bishop of Myra but also as patron, if we may say so, of Eastern and Western Christianity.  So much so that St. Nicholas is venerated as the ‘Saint of Ecumenism,’ because he manages to unite the two realities, the two Christian traditions, both Eastern and Western,” Distante said.

St. Nicholas occupies a special place in everyone’s hearts in December. Considered the saint of Christmas and remembered for his care for children, he was much loved for the protection he offered them. Many miracles are attributed to his intercession, particularly for the benefit of young women and children.

“St. Nicholas intervenes where concrete action is needed in love, practicality, justice, and, of course, sharing,” Distante explained.

St. Nicholas is celebrated twice a year in Bari: on Dec. 6 and on May 9.

“Dec. 6 is the liturgical feast of the saint, commemorating the day of his death, which becomes the new birth of St. Nicholas in heaven,” the rector of the Basilica of St. Nicholas explained. 

On May 9, he continued, “we celebrate the event of the transfer of St. Nicholas’ relics to Bari with a large procession by sea.”

On Dec. 6, Bari is filled with “illuminations,” a choreographed display of lights in the narrow streets of the city that are lit up for the feast of St. Nicholas and also for Christmas. This year’s program is once again full of events and celebrations.

The Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari opened at 4 a.m. on Dec. 6. At 5 a.m., the first Mass was celebrated, presided over by Distante, and followed by five more Masses throughout the morning.

The start of the first Mass was preceded, at 4:30 a.m., by the sounding of reveille and the arrival of the St. Nicholas torchlight procession. In the early hours of the day, a group of bagpipers will enliven the alleys of the old town around the basilica. At 6 p.m., there will be a solemn Mass celebrated by Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi of Cagliari and Archbishop Giuseppe Satriano of Bari-Bitonto. At the end of Mass, the procession with a statue of the saint will pass through the streets of the old town. In the evening, at 8:30 p.m., there will be a fireworks display from the Sant’Antonio pier.

One of the essential customs of the feast of St. Nicholas for the people of Bari is hot chocolate, enjoyed in the alleys of old Bari to warm up after Mass in the basilica.

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

Pope Francis receives the bishops of England and Wales for their ad limina visit at the Vatican, Sept. 28, 2018. / Credit: Vatican Media

London, England, Dec 4, 2025 / 13:07 pm (CNA).

A policy change concerning restrictions on the old Mass is relevant to the whole of the universal Church, not just England and Wales, the head of the Latin Mass Society in England said.

In a telephone interview with CNA, Joseph Shaw said a leaked report stating that the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain had told English and Welsh bishops that they can apply for two-year exemptions to license the celebration of the old Mass in their dioceses was a “universal” change in policy.

“The nuncio’s alleged comments are very positive, and I hope they are true. It indicates the confidence that the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales [CBCEW], to be pastoral and sensitive,” he said.

“Is this development special to England and Wales? The response from the nuncio and from the dicastery suggest that this is now a universal policy and that is very significant because it removes the most consequential element of Traditionis Custodes; namely the demand that every Mass in a parish church must have special permission from the dicastery. This is a significant step which will make a huge difference, and I would expect further developments over time from Pope Leo along these lines.”

The CBCEW met for its yearly fall plenary meeting Nov. 10–13, and since then several publications have reported that the bishops were told by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, that bishops could be granted renewable two-year exemptions that would enable them to permit the celebration of the Latin Mass within their dioceses.

CNA approached the CBCEW for clarification as to whether the reports were accurate. In an email, Stephanie MacGillivray, senior press officer at the CBCEW, said: “We’re not able to comment further at this stage except to say we take our lead from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.”

A Nov. 14 communique from the CBCEW expressed regret that Maury Buendía’s statement had been leaked, leading to “confusion to the faithful.” When CNA approached Maury Buendia’s office for further clarity, it was referred back to the same statement. 

Catholics who attend the old Mass in England and Wales have experienced a tumultuous period since the new Roman Missal was introduced in 1970, overriding the 1962 missal.

Due to the upset among traditional Catholics following the change, Pope Paul VI permitted the use of the 1962 missal in England and Wales, and this permission was extended across the whole Church in 1984 during the papacy of St. John Paul II.

The hopes of traditional Catholics were raised further when Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum in 2007, further easing restrictions on the old Mass. However, in 2021, Pope Francis introduced new restrictions on the celebration of the old Mass via his motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, stating that previous concessions regarding the old rite were exposing the Church to the “peril of division.”

Poster for the St. John of the Cross 2026 Jubilee. / Credit: Iberian Province of the Discalced Carmelites

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 4, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Iberian Province of the Discalced Carmelites is preparing to celebrate the jubilee year of St. John of the Cross, marking the 300th anniversary of his canonization and the 100th anniversary of his proclamation as a doctor of the Church.

The jubilee year dedicated to St. John of the Cross was approved by the Apostolic Penitentiary at the request of the Order of Discalced Carmelites and the dioceses of Ávila, Jaén, and Segovia in Spain, which are particularly linked to the life and work of the mystic and reformer of the Carmelite order, along with St. Teresa of Ávila.

The superior of the Iberian Province of the Discalced Carmelites, Friar Francisco Sánchez Oreja, stated in a message commemorating the jubilee that “the centenaries serve to confirm that St. John of the Cross, whom we are celebrating, is still alive and has a word he continues to speak” to today’s world.

“The message he has left us is one of seeking the divine, calling us to immerse ourselves in God in a lived experience of theological life. The message of an eminent witness of the living God who speaks of him and the things of God. A message to forge and form believers in mature faith, in a greater intimacy with God,” the priest noted.

For Sánchez, this jubilee “should be a time to deepen our knowledge and study of St. John of the Cross,” who is “a living image of the authentic Carmelite” not only because of his doctrine or as the founder of the Discalced Carmelites but also “because with his concrete existence, with the events of his life, he has manifested the Carmelite vocation and shows us the image of the Carmelite religious.”

Sánchez described the patron saint of Spanish poets as a discreet and virtuous man who “did not seek to act for reward but as an act of gratitude to God.”

St. John of the Cross is also portrayed as an ascetic man who rejected society’s honors, a spiritual person “who lived in an atmosphere of prayer,” a witness of God with a “great capacity for interiority and contemplation” who seeks the truth “that lies beyond what we perceive at first glance.”

Poor ever since he was a child, he embraced ‘evangelical’ poverty

The superior of the Carmelites also emphasized in his biographical sketch that the founder of the Discalced Carmelites knew poverty from childhood, to the point that “he saw his father and his brother die of hunger.”

This reality was a school of life that led him to move from place to place, beg in the streets, and perform the most menial jobs: “All of this helped him to be a humble and simple person,” even when he held positions of authority in the order.

The friar also emphasized that the saint “voluntarily took up evangelical poverty, embracing the poor Christ, which translates into a life based on work, sobriety, and detachment from riches.”

Fundamental attitudes of St. John of the Cross

Among these, he highlighted “faith in the living and true God found in the person of Jesus Christ,” hope “that helps us understand that not everything ends here and now, but that we are called to communion of life with him,” and charity, which “gives life and value to the works of faith and hope.”

“His example is an ideal for life, his writings, a treasure to share with all those who seek the face of God today, and his doctrine is also a word for us today,” Sánchez emphasized.

The St. John of the Cross Jubilee Year will be inaugurated on Dec. 13 with the opening of the holy door at the Church of the Sepulchre of St. John of the Cross in Segovia and will extend until Dec. 26, 2026, when the closing ceremony will take place in Úbeda, the town in the province of Jaén where he died.

The jubilee churches that can be visited on pilgrimage during these months are: St. Cyprian Parish in Fontiveros, the saint’s birthplace; St. Teresa of Jesus Basilica in Ávila; and the conventual church of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Duruelo in the Diocese of Ávila.

In the Diocese of Jaén, the jubilee church will be the church-oratory of the Discalced Carmelite convent in Úbeda and in the Diocese of Segovia, the church of the Discalced Carmelites in Segovia, where the tomb of St. John of the Cross is located.

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

Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, the only Catholic bishop in Finland, speaks with CNA in Houston in November 2025 on a fundraising trip for his “mission” Church. / Credit: Amira Abuzeid/CNA

Houston, Texas, Dec 4, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The bishop of Helsinki in Finland, Raimo Goyarrola, the only Catholic bishop in the Nordic country that shares a 1,000-mile border with Russia, has been traveling in the U.S. to raise funds to support the small Catholic population there, which has seen explosive growth in the last five years. 

Goyarrola, originally from Bilbao, Spain — along with Father Jean Claude Kabeza, a genocide survivor from Rwanda and the vicar general and pastor of St. Henry’s Cathedral in Helsinki — spoke with CNA in Houston recently as the two made their way through Texas seeking to raise funds for the Finnish Church.

“It’s a growing Church, but it’s very poor, and filled with immigrants and refugees,” Goyarrola told CNA. “There are 125 different nationalities, and many different rites … Maronites, Chaldeans … It’s a richness, but also a pastoral challenge.”

There are currently more than 300 unbaptized adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church in Finland, according to Kabeza. With Catholics making up about 0.2% of the country’s 5.6 million people, he called the growth “booming.” 

Goyarrola explained that the Catholic Church in the country is “a mission Church.” There are no Catholic schools in the country, so he is seeking to build one in the capital city of Helsinki, along with a pastoral center from which to coordinate catechetical and charitable works. 

Currently, there are eight parishes in the entire country, which is about the size of Montana, and four of those parishes cannot meet expenses. While Masses are being said in 33 cities, Goyarrola said some families still must travel 200 miles to attend Mass because there are not enough churches or priests, which he refers to as a “blessed problem.”

The diocese rents space from 20 Lutheran churches and five Orthodox churches in 25 of the 33 cities.

In Helsinki, the Catholic Church pays 12,000 euros ($14,000) a month to rent a larger and empty Lutheran church in order to say Masses and for other church activities. 

St. Henry’s Cathedral is “too small,” its pastor, Kabeza, said. “We were saying eight Masses a day, and people were still standing outside.”

In a country with frigid winters, Kabeza said that “as their pastor and father, I hated to see my children outside in the cold when they came to Mass.”

Although 65% of the population is nominally Lutheran, the country is very secular, according to the two men. About 0.3% of the population are Orthodox. These two denominations, along with Catholicism at 0.2% of the population, are the largest religious groups in the country.

A ‘paradise of ecumenism’

Because the different churches rely on one another, Goyarrola called the country a “paradise of ecumenism.” 

“We are very close,” the bishop said of his Lutheran and Orthodox compatriots. Last year, almost 400 Orthodox, Catholics, and Lutherans attended a Marian procession in Helsinki on the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

“The Orthodox brought their icons and we brought our statues,” the bishop said. “Two choirs, one Orthodox and one Catholic, and both bishops along with several Lutheran pastors participated in the procession.”

Both men joked that when just 50 people attend an outdoor event in Finland, it makes the news. Hundreds of Christians walking through the streets honoring the Virgin Mary did not, however. 

The bishop said a 160-page joint declaration on Church ministry and the Eucharist signed in 2017 between the Catholic and Lutheran churches was met with amazement by the Vatican. 

The growing ecumenism there “is amazing. It is a new page in the history of the Church,” he said.

A ‘free hand’ during COVID led to growth

Goyarrola, who joined Opus Dei at 18 and eventually became a priest and a trained surgeon, first arrived in Finland in 2006 and was made a bishop in 2023. 

He said the Church began to grow quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government gave “a free hand to the churches during that time,” the bishop said. “The Catholic Church opened its doors while the rest of the churches kept theirs closed. We continued to say Masses, and our buildings were always physically open and people were coming in to pray.”

According to Kabeza, “the people were looking for something because they were afraid.” 

The vicar general said many young men who are interested in the faith are talking to him about their desire for the sacraments and the importance of tradition.

“The young men want to have something that is very strong, something which is stable,” he said.

The Catholic Church is ‘a family’

Kabeza’s father was shot to death in front of Kabeza’s mother and sisters after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Kabeza, along with his mother and five of his siblings, lived in a refugee camp for six years before moving to Finland through a United Nations program for genocide survivors. 

“Faith, forgiveness, and family are the basis of life, which cannot be lived without those three things,” he said. “After the genocide, if you still had a mother and so many siblings, you have to give thanks because others lost everybody.” 

Goyarrola said he hopes his fundraising trips to the U.S., made possible through friendships with other bishops and cardinals, will be fruitful. He referred to something he heard Pope Leo XIV say recently: “Christians are brothers and sisters who need to support each other.”

“We are children of the same Father and the same Mother, the Church,” the bishop said.

He said he hopes “our Catholic family around the world” will help him as he works to take care of “his children” in one of the world’s most secular and expensive countries.

“It’s a spiritual tsunami,” he said of the growing Finnish Church. 

“We have a lot of faith, happiness, and joy. We have a lot of dreams, but we have no money,” he said, laughing. 

Bishop Simon Kulli of Sapë, Albania. / Credit: ACN

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 3, 2025 / 18:51 pm (CNA).

The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) announced the sudden death of Bishop Simon Kulli of Sapë in northern Albania on Saturday, Nov. 29, at the age of 52.

The prelate, a close collaborator of ACN and one of the most prominent voices in the Albanian Church, belonged to the first generation of priests formed after the fall of the communist regime, considered the most atheist and repressive of the 20th century.

In a statement, the pontifical foundation said that it received ”with deep sorrow the news of the sudden death of Bishop Kulli, who has been a project partner of ACN … He rendered an invaluable service not only to the Church but also to his country and to humanity.”

A vocation born from the suffering of the Albanian martyrs

During a visit to the international headquarters of ACN earlier this year, Kulli recounted the origin of his priestly vocation, which was inspired by “seeing one of those old priests [who had been in prison for 28 years] celebrating Mass in Latin in my parish for the first time” after the fall of communism and the restoration of religious freedom in Albania.

“That was the exact moment I felt my vocation. Seeing that suffering priest, who found it so difficult to celebrate Mass, who was bent over at the altar because of the years in prison, I thought I could replace him,” the bishop recalled.

His personal story reflected the drama and hope of the Church in Albania. He was secretly baptized a few days after birth by the Stigmatine nun Sister Marije Kaleta, who risked her life secretly bringing the Eucharist to the sick and baptizing children all while keeping out of sight of the communist police.

“This baptism that I received was a great gift that the Lord wished to give me, in secret, at the height of the communist regime. If somebody were to discover that I had been baptized, my grandparents and the rest of my family would have been thrown into jail,” he explained in an interview with ACN in February.

A pastor marked by the suffering of the martyrs 

Kulli was part of a generation that personally knew the so-called “living martyrs” of Albania: priests, men and women religious, and laypeople who endured years of imprisonment and torture for remaining faithful to their religion. Their testimonies profoundly impacted the future bishop.

“They filled me with great hope. Even though I was never in prison, I felt what it was like to live in a country in which man is deprived of his main sustenance: faith. And these testimonies were a great source of hope for me and my future,” he said.

The bishop also served as the Albanian Bishops’ Conference’s commissioner for the pastoral care of health care workers and was a member of the executive committee of the European Federation of Catholic Medical Associations.

In 2024, he actively participated in promoting the Albanian martyrs, 38 of whom were beatified in 2016 and two more in 2024. “Their blood will produce many vocations,” he said at the time.

A year before his death, representatives from ACN visited four Albanian dioceses and met with Kulli in Sapë. There, the bishop reiterated his gratitude for the assistance provided to the Church in Albania.

During his last interview with the pontifical foundation, the bishop gave a powerful message addressed to persecuted Christians: “After death, there is always resurrection … Stay strong, with no fear… because Christ always wins… with Christ you can overcome any difficulty.”

ACN noted that “his testimony of faith, humility, and joy will surely be a fruitful seed for the Catholic Church in Albania. May he rest in eternal peace!”

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