The news that the buyer of Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The painting is destined to hang in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

But Salvator Mundi is also an interesting painting for Prince to buy for several reasons. Firstly, Saudi Arabia is not as rich as it was, thanks to low oil prices, so it represents a considerable outlay even for the Prince. Secondly, the Leonardo is not just a portrait (something that the strictly aniconic Muslims have never historically appreciated, given the Koran’s condemnation of images), it is a portrait of Christ the Saviour of the World. To import such a picture into Saudi Arabia, where rosary beads are banned, along with any other Christian paraphernalia, would presumably be illegal. That the Prince has bought the picture may be a tangible sign of his moving towards a more moderate form of Islam, as he has spoken of doing. This could mean that the buying of the painting is a sign of hope for many Christians who live and work in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps they are going to be granted some form of religious toleration.

Thus we should be extremely pleased that a Prince from a country that bans Christianity should have bought a Christian picture: it could be a sign of better things to come.

Meeting with Myanmar’s Buddhist leaders in Yangon, Pope Francis again pleaded for interreligious dialogue. Repeating what he had earlier told 150,000 faithful at a papal mass, he emphasized that religions need to work to “heal the wounds” of a still divided nation.

In a meeting at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon on November 29, Pope Francis challenged Myanmar’s Buddhist monks by comparing Buddha and St Francis of Assisi.

“Overcome anger with non-anger; overcome wickedness with goodness; overcome the miser with generosity; overcome the liar with truth,” Pope Francis said, quoting the Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha.

He illustrated the parallel with the prayer of St Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, let me bring pardon… This witness, Francis said, is particularly needed at a time when, despite technological progress and a rising awareness in society of our common humanity, “the wounds of conflict, poverty and oppression persist, and create new divisions. “In the face of these challenges, we must never grow resigned,” Francis said.

Showing respect to his hosts, upon arriving to the Kaba Aye Centre, Francis took his shoes off but kept on his black socks, in itself an exception, since both monks and visitors always walk barefooted in the Pagodas.

The overwhelming majority of the population in Myanmar is Buddhist, and religious and ethnic minorities often complain of oppression and second-class citizenship. In that context, Francis told the Buddhist monks that the whole of society is called to work to overcome conflict and injustice, adding that civil and religious leaders have a responsibility to ensure that every voice is heard. The official name of the group Francis met with is State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, a government-appointed body of 47 high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the Buddhist clergy in Myanmar.

There are an estimated 500,000 Buddhist monks and 70,000 nuns in Myanmar.

In a telephone survey of 1,503 U.S. adults conducted on Nov. 28 – Dec. 4 for the Pew Research Centre, 55% said they mark Christmas as a religious holiday. The figure in 2013, when Pew last asked this question, was 59%.

“Nine in 10 U.S. adults say they celebrate the holiday, which is nearly identical to the share who said this in 2013,” said the survey, whose results were released on Dec. 12. “About eight in 10 will gather with family and friends. And half say they plan to attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day,” it said. Those numbers, Pew added, are roughly the same as those of 2013.

“Most respondents in the new poll say they think religious aspects of Christmas are emphasized less in American society today than in the past. But relatively few Americans both perceive this trend and are bothered by it,” the Pew survey said.

“Overall, 31% of adults say they are bothered at least ‘some’ by the declining emphasis on religion in the way the U.S. commemorates Christmas, including 18% who say they are bothered ‘a lot’ by this. But the remaining two-thirds of the U.S. public either is not bothered by a perceived decline in religion in Christ-mas or does not believe that the emphasis on the religious elements of Christmas is waning,” it added. One flashpoint is how Americans think store clerks should greet customers at this time of the year. “Merry Christmas” is the preferred choice of 32%, down from 43% in 2012, the last time Pew asked the question. The generic “Happy holidays” or “Season’s greetings,” went up from 12% to 15%, while 62% said it doesn’t matter, up from 45% in 2012. “One of the most striking changes in recent years involves the share of Americans who say they believe the birth of Jesus occurred as depicted in the Bible,” the Pew survey said.

As the drumbeats grew louder at the Jerusalem Church, members of the Legio Maria movement bowed in unison before they began speaking in tongues, praying and singing. Their “cardinal,” Raphael Midigo, dressed in a purple gown, appeared from behind a curtain near the pulpit and began to pray for the sick, the blind, deaf, disabled, the mentally ill and couples who could not bear children. Worshippers responded in shouts as others fainted, overcome with emotion.

“I can now hear. I can speak. I thank God,” shouted 30-year-old Jacinta Atieno, who claimed to be deaf in both ears for 10 years. “I came all the way from Nairobi to receive a miracle,” she said. “I have suffered for a long time. I thank the man of God for healing me.”

Such supposed miracles in the Legio Maria sect have raised concerns among Catholic parish leaders in western Kenya. Thousands of Catholics have joined the sect in search of healing. “This is worrying because leaders from this church (Legio Maria) have their own selfish agendas, which they achieve by making people believe that they have power to heal and provide solutions,” said Geofrey Omondi, a catechist of the Nyatike Catholic church in Migori, a nearby town.

Ingesting hormonal contrace-ption for 10 years increases the risk of breast cancer by 38%, according to a new study in The New England Journal of Medi-cine. “This is the first study that had shown intrauterine devices with hormones having associa-tion with breast cancer in large numbers,” Dr David Agus, a University of Southern California physician, explained on CBS News.

“With the lower dose of oral contraceptives, we thought there wouldn’t be as much of a risk as the higher dose but it turns out to be the same – about a 20% increa-se in breast cancer overall,” said Agus.
This study shows the risk increases by “9% if you’re on it for a year, and up to 38% if you’re on it for ten years or more,” he said.

The oncologist who founded breastcancer.org, Dr Marisa Weiss, told the New York Times the study’s results show “a significant public health concern.”

The study, titled Contemporary Hormonal Contraception and the Risk of Breast Cancer, reveals that newer, lower-hormone dose forms of contraception still increase the risk of breast cancer.
The New York Times called this risk created by birth control “a small but significant increase.”

“A slippery slope. ” When asked about the evolution of the practice of euthanasia in his country, Father Marc Desmet Jesuit and chief of a palliative care service in one of the biggest hospitals in Belgium, Hasselt, answer without hesitation. Fifteen years after the decriminalization of euthanasia, this Flemish doctor can only see the evolution of the law. Initially conceived in 2002 as a possibility open to people suffering in an unbearable and constant way from an incurable serious illness, it has since continued to expand: people with mental disorders represent 19% of patients euthanized, and it is possible since 2014 to euthanize minors, even if they are not able to give their consent. As for the figures – 15,000 people in total have been euthanized – they have steadily increased, from 235 euthanasia in 2003 to 2024 in 2016 (2% of deaths in the country).

To reflect on these developments, several researchers met last month at the University of Antwerp, for a colloquium intended to establish a critical assessment of fifteen years of application of this law in the country. This state of affairs was organized while the Belgians have been debating for several weeks a new evolution of the law, to allow “the elderly who have the feeling of a fulfilled life,” also called “tired of living,” even if they do not suffer from any pathology, to access euthanasia. Seven out of ten Belgians are in favour of such an evolution, according to an RTL / Le Soir / Ipsos poll published in mid-September.

Following days of violence and backlash after US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Vatican appealed for “wisdom and prudence” to prevail.

The Holy See “reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace and guarantee the peaceful coexistence of two states within internationally recognised borders,” the Vatican said on 10th December statement.

President Trump announced his decision on 6th Dec. to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, fulfilling a promise he made during his presidential campaign.

The announcement sparked anti-US protests throughout Asia and the Middle East, including a four-day protest in the Palestinian territories, Reuters reported. An Israeli security guard in Jerusalem, the report said, was in critical condition after he was stabbed by a Palestinian man at the city’s bus station.

Pope Francis expressed his “sorrow for the clashes in recent days” and called for world leaders to renew their commitment for peace in the Holy Land, the Vatican said.

The Pope “raises fervent prayers so that the leaders of nations, in this time of special gravity, commit themselves to avert a new spiral of violence, responding with words and deeds to the desires of peace, justice and security for the populations of that battered land,” the Vatican said.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has condemned President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In a statement, he said: ‘Those who claim divine rights for themselves to physical property on earth are false prophets.God does not discriminate between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Taos, atheists – or any other people.’

The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, joined an ecumenical group of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in a statement issued shortly before the President’s Speech. “We are fully aware and appreciative of how you are dedicating special attention to the status of Jerusalem in these days.” they said.

The statement, signed by 13 Church leaders, continued: “Our land is called to be a land of peace. Jerusalem, the city of God, is a city of peace for us and for the world. Unfortunately, though, our holy land with Jerusalem the Holy city, is today a land of conflict.”

Poland’s new Prime Minister has called on the European Union to return to its “proper values” and traditional Christian roots. A Western-educated former banker who was sworn in on Dec 11, Mateusz Morawiecki said his dream was to “re-Christianise the EU” in an interview with a Catholic channel. Poland is a “great, proud nation,” he told TV Trwam, adding that it would not submit to “blackmail” from European leaders. His comments come after the European Parlia-ment passed a resolution threa-tening sanctions against Poland if it passed a series of measures, one of which is a plan to restrict abortions for foetal impairment. The EU parliament also criticised proposed judicial reforms that would force two fifths of the Supreme Court’s judges to retire and overhaul the body that appoints new judges. When asked about the risk of the EU cutting funds to Poland, Morawiecki recalled former French president François Hollande, saying: “I do remember one former president telling us earlier this year ‘you have values, we have funds.’ Well, I would love to help the West with proper values.”