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Archbishop of Lima says Jesus died as a layman and without offering a sacrifice

Archbishop Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru, has yet to clarify remarks he made in a pre-Christmas Mass that contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about Jesus’ death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that Jesus is “the true priest” whose death is “a redemptive sacrifice.” Speaking on Dec. 19, however, Castillo stated […]

Italian Bishop Gives Children Harsh News: There Is No Santa Claus

All that separated the giddy Sicilian school children from meeting Old Saint Nick — arriving on horseback with his long white beard, crimson robe and bag full of gifts — was a Christmas message from the bishop of Noto. “Santa Claus,” thundered Bishop Antonio Staglianò, “is an imaginary character.” Children’s jaws dropped and the holiday […]

Sunday Worship Comes to the Gulf

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) wants to create a more friendly financial climate. Christians, say local evange-lical leaders, are among the unintended beneficiaries. “The business of Dubai is business, even though they are committed Muslims,” said Jim Burgess, evangelical representative to the Gulf Churches Fellowship, referencing the UAE’s economic hub. “But worshiping on Sunday—our traditional […]

Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing 2021: Pope Francis asks world leaders to be open to dialogue

Giving his traditional Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on Saturday 25th Decemebr, Pope Francis urged leaders to be open to dialogue to resolve the world’s many “con-flicts, crises, and disagreements.” Speaking from the central balcony overlooking a rainy St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 25, the Pope said that people had become so accustomed to disputes […]

EU draft pulled after Vatican complains Christmas ‘cancelled’

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin smiles as he is welcomed by German President Frank-Walter Stein-meier for a meeting at the Belle-vue palace in Berlin, Germany on June 29, 2021. The European Commission on Tuesday Nov. 30, 2021, retracted internal communication guidelines that had proposed substituting the “Christmas period” with “holiday period” after an outcry by […]

Two German bishops question church’s teaching on LGBT relationships

Two Catholic bishops in Germany, Franz-Josef Over-beck of Essen and Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden, have called for major changes in the church’s teachings on sexual morality as part of contributions to a new book called Catholic and Queer. Homosexual partnerships, transgender issues and diversity must be re-evaluated on the basis of new understandings of sexuality, Timmerevers […]

ABp Aupetit at Paris farewell Mass: ‘I lost my life for the love of Christ’

At a farewell Mass in Paris on December 10 , Archbishop Michel Aupetit directly addressed media reports claiming that he had “lost himself for love.” Preaching at a Mass of thanksgiving at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in the French capital on Dec. 10, the archbishop referred to a headline published by the magazine Paris Match. […]

In Athens, Pope Francis sounds alarm over the ‘retreat from democracy’

As Pope Francis arrived in the birthplace of democracy on Dec. 4, he immediately sounded the alarm that democracy is under threat across the globe, as authoritarian leaders fuelled by populist and nationalistic interests are on the rise. “Today, and not only in Europe, we are witnessing a retreat from democracy,” the pope said, warning […]