A Vatican commission studying the possibility of female deacons reported that the current state of historical and theological research “excludes the possibility of proceeding” toward admitting women to the diaconate, a conclusion that slows momentum on one of the church’s most debated questions while stopping short of a definitive no.

In a letter sharing the results of its work with Pope Leo XIV and released by the Vatican Dec. 4, the commission reported a 7-1 vote in favour of a statement concluding that the church cannot currently move toward admitting women to the third degree of holy orders, the diaconate. 

“In light of Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and ecclesiastical teaching, this assessment is strong, although it does not allow for a definitive judgment to be formulated at this time, as in the case of priestly ordination,” said the approved statement voted on in 2022.

Why only eight votes were recorded from the 10-member commission was not explained in the letter.

The “third degree” of the holy order refers to the diaconate as the foundational degree of ordained ministry. The episcopate (for bishops) and the presbyterate (for priests) represent the two other degrees which the church teaches are above the diaconate in the hierarchy of ordained ministry. 

Yet a “purely historical perspective does not allow us to reach any definitive certainty,” wrote Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, president of the commission, introducing the commission’s results. “Ultimately, the question must be decided on a doctrinal level. Therefore, issues relating to the ordination of women as deacons remain open to further theological and pastoral study.”

Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholic educators in Africa to help young people rediscover confidence in their future, especially those driven to leave the continent out of despair. His message, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, was sent to Archbishop Gabriel Sayaogo for the African Congress on Catholic Education held in Nairobi from 4 to 7 December. The congress, titled “Catholic Education and the Promotion of Signs of Hope in the African Context,” focused on revitalising formation grounded in Christ. The Pope expressed appreciation for ongoing efforts to advance the Global Compact on Education, a commitment strongly supported by Pope Francis.

Pope Leo recalls that Catholic education aims not only to develop “cultivated minds” but also “full hearts” capable of compassion and concern for others. Young people, he notes, are “the wealth of Africa,” and educators must find effective ways to guide students toward the future with confidence.

He warns that many youths, discouraged by limited opportunities, leave the continent at great personal risk. Educators, he says, can help restore in them the belief that “nothing is lost” when they are accompanied by mentors who help them recognise their talents and set ambitious goals rooted in Africa’s cultural and moral strengths.

Drawing on his homily for the Jubilee of Families, the Pope highlights the family as the place where “the future of peoples is built.” He calls for protecting the family as intended by the Creator and promoted by the Church, guarding it against harmful ideologies. Many African leaders were formed in Catholic schools, he notes, yet the continent still faces significant challenges. He encourages educators to nurture two qualities essential for responsible leadership: solidarity and a spirit of sacrifice—values deeply rooted in African tradition and central to the Church’s mission of forming people committed to the common good.

“Education is not only a job but an evangelising mission,” the Pope concludes. Recalling his predecessor’s description of young Africans as potential “ambassadors of peace,” he urges all involved in education to form men and women who can become the builders of the continent’s future.

At the Sunday Angelus on December 7 prayer following his visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV thanked the many people who made it possible and the faithful who accompanied him with their prayers.

In Türkiye, he prayed with his “beloved brother Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Representatives of other Christian confessions” at the site of the Council of Nicaea in 325, at modern-day Iznik. “Precisely today we mark the 60th anniversary of the Common Declaration between Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, which put an end to the mutual excommunications,” he said. “Let us give thanks to God and renew our commitment to the journey toward the full visible unity of all Christians.”

Pope Leo expressed his joy for the opportunity to meet with the Catholic community of Türkiye, which he said bears witness to the Gospel of love in its patient dialogue and service to those who suffer.

Turning to Lebanon, the Pope said the country continues to be “a mosaic of coexistence,” saying he was encouraged to hear many people bear witness to that model. “I met people who proclaim the Gospel by welcoming the displaced, visiting prisoners, and sharing bread with those in need,” he said. “I was heartened to see so many people in the streets greeting me, and I was deeply moved by the meeting with the relatives of the victims of the explosion at the port of Beirut.” Even as he brought a word of consolation, said the Pope, he in turn receive much greater consolation from the Lebanese people’s faith and enthusiasm.

“What has taken place in recent days in Türkiye and Lebanon teaches us that peace is possible,” concluded Pope Leo XIV, “and that Christians, in dialogue with men and women of other faiths and cultures, can help to build it.”

At the site of ancient Nicaea, Pope Leo XIV joined around 27 other leaders of Christian Churches to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in the Church’s history. The ecumenical prayer service took place on the second day of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Türkiye.

In his address, the Pope thanked Patriarch Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, for his “great wisdom and foresight” in calling for Church leaders to celebrate this important anniversary together. He also expressed appreciation to the Heads of Churches and Representatives of Christian World Communions for attending the event.

Pope Leo recalled that the Council of Nicaea was held in 325, saying it invites all Christians, even today, to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is for us personally. “This question is especially important for Christians,” he said, “who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion.”

The Council was held to respond to the Alexandrian priest Arius’ claim that Jesus was only an intermediary between God and humanity, saying He was not fully divine and ignoring the reality of the Incarnation. “But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in His immortal life?” asked Pope Leo. “What was at stake at Nicaea, and is at stake today, is our faith in the God who, in Jesus Christ, became like us to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’.”

The Council of Nicaea, he said, agreed upon the Christological confession we now call the Nicene Creed, which is professed by all Christian Churches and Communities.

The Symbol of Faith, as it is known, was of “fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making towards full communion.” “Faith ‘in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages… consubstantial with the Father’ (Nicene Creed),” he said, “is a profound bond already uniting all Christians.”

The Pope invited Christians to embrace that existing bond of unity and journey ever deeper in “adherence to the Word of God revealed in Jesus Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in mutual love and dialogue.” By overcoming divisions and reconciling with one another, Christians can bear more credible witness to Jesus Christ and His proclamation of hope for all, he said. Pope Leo XIV went on to say Christian unity is greatly needed in our world filled with violence and conflict.

In response to the increasing number of kidnappings of religious figures in the English-speaking region of Cameroon, Archbishop Andrew Nkea of ​​Bamenda has issued an unprecedented ultimatum. The latest kidnapping of a priest, Father John Berinyuy Tatah, prompted the Cameroonian Prelate to write a Pastoral Letter on November 23rd, threatening to close all Catholic institutions in the Ndop Deanery if the priest is not released by Wednesday, November 26th. On Saturday, November 15th, the priest and his assistant were kidnapped by a group of armed men, after the opening Mass of the Pax University Institute in Ndop. The kidnappers presented themselves as separatist fighters from «Ambazonia,» the self-proclaimed state that claims independence for the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. Days later, four priests and a layman attempted to negotiate the release of the hostages, but they too were taken captive. On the 20th , all were released except for Father John Berinyuy Tatah, for whom a ransom is being demanded. In response to this, the Archbishop of Bamenda declared in a Pastoral Letter that the position is clear: the Church never pays ransoms. The ultimatum issued by the Archbishop states that if the priest is not released, all parishes, schools, and Catholic institutions in the Deanery of Ndop — the northern part of the diocese where the kidnapping took place –, will be closed. Since neither the Archbishop himself nor the Christians he serves can guarantee the safety of the priests and religious personnel in the Deanery, the Blessed Sacrament will be removed from all churches, chapels, and oratories, leaving each tabernacle with its doors open.

Pope Leo XIV has issued a motu proprio to restore legal clarity to the Vatican’s civil administration by formally permitting Sister Raffaella Petrini FSE to serve as President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. The document, signed on 19 November and released 21 November, amends the 2023 Fundamental Law so that the Commission “is composed of Cardinals and other members, including the President, appointed by the Supreme Pontiff for a five-year term”.

The motu proprio – Latin for “on his own impulse”, and which in Vatican parlance describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party – allows lay men, lay women, or religious sisters to lead the Commission by abrogating the Fundamental Law of Vatican City State Article 8, Section 1.

In his letter, Pope Leo speaks of “governance needs that are proving increasingly complex and pressing”, arguing that the governorate must operate in “a form of shared responsibility” consonant with the principles of Praedicate Evangelium.

The change by Leo replaces the previous wording, which required the president to be a cardinal, a stipulation that rendered Sister Petrini’s appointment in February legally irregular.

Her elevation was first revealed live on Italian television, before being confirmed officially on 15 February. It was widely noted at the time that the law, as it stood, did not permit a woman religious to hold the office.

Observers pointed out that the appointment was, in the words used by commentators close to the process, legally unthinkable. Even within the Vatican, concern focused less on the suitability of Sister Petrini, who is widely respected for her administrative expertise, and more on the suddenness of the decision and the absence of the necessary juridical framework.

By issuing the new motu proprio, Pope Leo has now regularised the situation and implicitly acknowledged the flaw. The revision solves the problem by, in effect, confirming that no such amendment had been promulgated, while also tackling the issue that the original text basically did not allow a president who was not a cardinal.

The Pontifical Commission has long been associated with the legislative life of the world’s smallest state. Its presidency has until now been tied to the cardinalate, reflecting both tradition and assumptions about seniority.

The motu proprio only took a sentence to amend the irregularity, but it marks a decisive early step in the pontificate of Leo in terms of trying to restore order and clarity with the Vatican.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith unveiled a newly approved text on marriage, it did so with a disarming simplicity: the mystery of two lives becoming one. Yet behind that biblical intuition lies a complex cultural moment that the Holy See considers too critical to ignore. The document, titled “Una caro (one flesh). In Praise of Monogamy,” was endorsed by Pope Leo XIV on November 21 and later presented to the press, marking a deliberate intervention in the global conversation on love, commitment, and the human desire for belonging.

The Note proposes a vision of monogamy rooted not in rule-making but in anthropology. Marriage, it states, is built on an unbreakable exclusivity, the kind that turns two people into a single story without dissolving their individual identities. In an era fascinated by limitless autonomy and ever-expanding relational models, the text argues for the enduring value of a love that chooses one person—and continues choosing them across time.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery, outlines three motivations behind the document. First is the technological ethos shaping contemporary culture, a worldview that risks convincing individuals that boundaries are simply obstacles and that relationships can be endlessly customized. Second is an honest dialogue with African bishops, who have insisted that the continent’s cultures, commonly associated with polygamous traditions, in fact contain profound testimonies favouring monogamous union. Third is the Western rise of polyamory, no longer hidden but increasingly promoted as a public alternative to traditional partnership. Against this backdrop, the Note offers a counterproposal: the beauty of unity. Drawing from Christian theology, it connects the marital bond to the love between Christ and the Church, not as an abstract metaphor but as a source of strength for daily fidelity. Though primarily addressed to bishops, the Dicastery hopes the text will also serve engaged couples, young adults navigating relational complexity, and spouses seeking depth in their commitment.

Nils de Jesús Hernández, 56, has lived in the United States for 36 years, far from his native Nicaragua. Forced to leave the country in 1988 in the midst of the civil war, he serves a parish in Iowa where he ministers to the Hispanic community and speaks out for the Nicaraguan people.

Hernández, known as the “vandal priest” for having led a student strike and supporting the 2018 protests in Nicaragua, is now the parish priest at Queen of Peace Church in Waterloo, Iowa, in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. “Vandal priest” was the defamatory, derisive label the dictatorship gave to him for his role in the protests, but the title has now turned into a sort of badge of honour.

After being declared a target of the government at the age of 19 when he was a candidate for the priesthood, Hernández said in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, that leaving the country “meant that I was never going to return to Nicaragua. Leaving my parents, my family, everything that was familiar to me: my language, my culture, my food, everything; that is, everything that is one’s own … that was the cruelest thing I was experiencing.” The priest said he inherited his fighting spirit from his mother, who also helped with the student protests at the time.

“I believe that the persecution against the Church in Nicaragua is becoming much more aggressive, with confiscations [of Church property] that they have carried out and continue to carry out,” the priest lamented. According to Hernández, the dictatorship wants to “eradicate the Church.”

“But I always say the following: They will steal all the buildings, they can close all the churches they want to close … but they cannot take away the faith from the hearts of every Nicaraguan, because wherever there is a Nicaraguan in Nicaragua, even though they are being repressed and oppressed, there is the Catholic faith, because all of us Nicaraguans are devoted to Mary and we trust in the will of God.”

“We also have great faith that the Lord will prevail and will be victorious, because the Lord triumphed on the cross and overcame death with his resurrection,” he said. “We will be returning to Nicaragua triumphantly, because we will indeed return to Nicaragua, because this dictatorship will not last forever. They’re old and they’re not going to continue [in power] for all eternity,” he predicted.

More than 300 students and teachers at the Catholic school of St. Mary in the Agwara district were forcibly taken and abducted by masked militiamen who stormed in on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. The mass abduction, in Niger State, in western Nigeria, carried out by an unidentified armed commando, marks the latest such tragedy. The episode comes just one week after the kidnapping of 25 female students in Kebbi State and the attack on the Church of Eruku, in the western state of Kwara, on 18 November. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the act committed during the night or issued ransom demands, but it is plausible that Boko Haram terrorists are behind it.

In a statement of the Diocese of Kontagora, sent to the Vatican’s Fides news agency, Diocesan Secretary Jatau Luka Joseph states that a security staff member was seriously injured during the attack, which is believed to have occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. local time. “The Diocese of Kontagora,” the statement reads, “strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families. Security agencies were immediately informed and have launched coordinated efforts to ensure that the hostages may return safely.”

In Nigeria, mass kidnappings for extortion are quite frequent. In the central and north-western states of the country, Africa’s most populous nation and also one of its richest in oil, they are usually committed by criminal gangs that authorities generically refer to as “bandits.” The northern part of the country has also been grappling for nearly twenty years with a jihadist insurgency that, according to the United Nations, has caused 40,000 deaths and over two million displaced people.

A new study has revealed the scale of Anglican clergy who entered into full communion with the Catholic Church over the past three decades, with hundreds of vicars and even entire groups of ministers making the journey to Rome.

The research, published on 20 November by St Mary’s University, Twickenham, shows that roughly a third of all Catholic priests ordained in England and Wales between 1992 and 2024 were formerly Anglican, marking what scholars describe as one of the most significant shifts in the religious landscape since the Oxford Movement.

The report finds that about 700 clergy and religious from the Church of England, the Church in Wales and the Scottish Episcopal Church, have been received into the Catholic Church since the early 1990s. Among them were 16 Anglican bishops and two from the Continuing Anglican movement, a cluster of churches with an Anglican identity but outside the Anglican Communion. The trend is long-running but began in earnest following the Church of England’s vote in 1992 to ordain women priests, an event that the study identifies as a watershed moment for many.

Prof Stephen Bullivant, co-author of the study from the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society, said the findings showed “unequivocally a surge” in conversions after the contentious Synod vote. The legislation passed by a margin of just two votes after hours of debate, as demonstrators gathered outside Church House in Westminster to voice both support and opposition.

Prof Bullivant said those Anglcian priests who subsequently entered the Catholic Church did so “for various reasons”, but acknowledged that “the Synod vote on women priests was a big one in the 1990s”. For others, he said, the decision emerged from deeper spiritual reflection: “Some had reached a point in their lives where they felt that the time was right, this was something which had been on their conscience for a long time.”

The report also points to Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to Britain in 2010 as another catalyst. During that visit, he beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman, himself a former Anglican priest whose reception into the Catholic Church in 1845 reshaped the ecclesial landscape of Victorian England. “Cardinal Newman is a real hero among Anglicans and Catholics,” Prof Bullivant said. “However, most of these people [converts] have a long and very personal journey.”