Saturday, December 13, 2025
Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody
Illinois assisted suicide law signed by Gov. Pritzker ‘heartbreaking’
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| Pope Leo XIV entrusts pontificate to the Virgin of Guadalupe |
| On Dec. 12, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Mass on the solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom he asked to come to his aid. |
| Doug Keck honored with 2025 Mother Angelica Award |
| The EWTN Global Catholic Network presented the 2025 Mother Angelica Award to its longtime former president, Doug Keck. |
| Why Sweden honors St. Lucy, a beloved Italian saint |
| St. Lucy’s Day, also known as Lucia Day, is a traditional Swedish celebration filled with children in costumes, elaborate processions, and Swedish treats. |
Friday, December 12, 2025
Pictures of the year: Religion
Chicago’s Archbishop weighs in on a year of immigration enforcement
NPR: Chicago
Archbishop Blase Cupich speaks about immigration enforcement in his
city, the Trump administration’s immigration policy and the Catholic
Church’s position.
Why Mormonism may have an answer for our toxic politics*
The Washington Post:
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox draws on teachings from his Mormon faith to
“disagree better.” Studies show his approach could change public
attitudes.
Hanukkah celebrates both an ancient military victory and a miracle of light – modern Jews can pick from either tradition
The Conversation: How
do modern Jews pick and choose from the well of tradition to construct a
form of Jewishness they feel is authentic, a scholar of modern Jewish
religion and politics asks.
Church of England reviewing complaint against incoming archbishop of Canterbury
The Guardian: Sarah Mullally was accused of mishandling abuse complaint against priest in London, where she serves as bishop.
Pictures of the year: Religion
Reuters: Our top religion photos from around the world in 2025.
Our Lady of Guadalupe in light of doctrinal note on titles of Mary
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| Poll: Majority of U.S. Catholics support death penalty despite catechism |
| A majority of U.S. Catholics support the death penalty for convicted murderers in spite of Church teaching, according to a new EWTN News and RealClear poll. |
| U.S. bishops, Catholic groups denounce DHS rule change for migrant workers |
| U.S. Catholic bishops are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to rescind a rule change they say will “disproportionately harm immigrants.” |
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Why didn’t the Pope pray in a Turkish mosque?
Rome and the Church in the United States
ZENIT Staff
The canard about the bishops’ alleged disunity and fractiousness is typically accompanied by other fairy tales
What you should know about Pope Leo XIV’s letter on Christian archaeology
Jorge Enrique Mújica
The letter repeatedly emphasizes archaeology’s capacity to inspire hope. Modern technologies capable of recovering microscopic details or reconstructing damaged inscriptions remind scholars that even the most neglected materials can reveal unexpected depths
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris surpasses the Louvre Museum in visitor numbers: here are the figures
ZENIT Staff
Notre Dame is once again the beating heart of the city.
This is how the Venezuelan dictatorship revoked the cardinal’s passport and prevented him from leaving the country
Enrique Villegas
For now, Cardinal Porras remains in Caracas, deprived of his documents and unable to fulfill obligations abroad
The Pope’s advice to European parliamentarians on the art of debate (and on religious freedom and dialogue between faith and reason)
ZENIT Staff
Address by the Pope during the audience with members of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists group
What is death? A short but profound catechesis by Pope Leo XIV
ZENIT Staff
Pope’s general audience, December 10, 2025, on how Christ’s Resurrection sheds light on the mystery of death
The Gospel According to the Elves: Quebec Secularism Law Targets Even Baby Jesus
ZENIT Staff
Quebec’s new “Secularism 2.0” law is less about neutrality than about neutering religion, reducing faith to folklore while policing prayer out of public life.
China’s Reported Marriage Surge: A Turning Point or a Mirage of Reform?
ZENIT Staff
To address a significant demographic issue, the authorities promote marriage and report an improvement. It may not be real.
100 children kidnapped from Catholic school in Nigeria are freed… hostages remain
ZENIT Staff
For the families of Papiri, the road to recovery is only beginning. Children who escaped or were freed have returned home carrying deep emotional scars, and educators warn that repeated attacks are discouraging school attendance across entire regions
Why didn’t the Pope pray in a Turkish mosque? Trump, Ukraine, and Pope Leo XIV’s next residence
Valentina di Giorgio
Questions from the press inevitably turned to his recent visit to Turkey, and specifically to the now-viral discussion about whether he prayed during his stop at Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque
Juanito.ai Takes a Bold Leap: From Guadalupan AI to Platform for Catholic Formation
Jorge Enrique Mújica
What distinguishes this new stage is its pedagogical vocation. Juanito.ai presents itself as an ally for those who dedicate their lives to educating and accompanying others: teachers, catechists, pastoral agents, and evangelizers.
Japanese court reaffirms natural marriage, creating new tensions in Japan’s LGBT debate
ZENIT Staff
Presiding judge Ayumi Higashi argued that the current statutory language, which describes marriage as the mutual consent of “both sexes,” cannot be stretched to include same-sex couples without legislative intervention
In defense of the Virgin Mary? International Marian Association against document by Cardinal Fernández and Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Jorge Enrique Mújica
At the center of the dispute is Mater Populi Fidelis, the note released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in early November under the signature of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández
Polish bishops speak out against attacks on the legacy and figure of Saint John Paul II
Joachin Meisner Hertz
Scrutiny of John Paul II has become increasingly visible in digital spaces, where detractors highlight his conservative positions on moral issues
For the third time and in the midst of war, the president of Ukraine meets with Pope Leo XIV
Valentina di Giorgio
Zelenskyy highlighted this dimension after the meeting, thanking the Pope for his continued prayers and for the Holy See’s assistance. He confirmed that the Vatican remains involved in efforts to reunite abducted children with their families and added that he had invited the Pope to visit Ukraine
A Tested Church in a Tense Land: Beijing’s Recognition of a Detained Bishop Rekindles Debate Over the Vatican–China Deal
ZENIT Staff
Whether the events of December ultimately strengthen trust or deepen mistrust within China’s Catholic circles will depend on what follows: the transparency of authorities regarding Bishop Zhang’s status
Here’s what you need to know about the new “Google of the Vatican”: the Pontifical Yearbook Online blessed by Pope Leo XIV
Jorge Enrique Mújica
Beyond the technical details lies a more consequential development: a Church of more than a billion people now has immediate access to its own structural map, updated continually and accessible from virtually any corner of the world
2025 Became The Death Year For Thousands Of Churches
Thursday, December 11, 2025
100 years ago today Our Lady appeared to Fatima visionary Sister Lucia in Pontevedra, Spain
| Venezuelan authorities prevent Cardinal Porras from traveling, cancel passport |
| On Dec. 10 Venezuelan immigration police confiscated and invalidated the passport of Cardinal Baltazar Porras, the archbishop emeritus of Caracas. |
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| U.S. House passes defense bill stripped of IVF provision |
| The House passed a defense authorization bill Dec. 10 without a provision to allow health care coverage of in vitro fertilization for active-duty military. |
| Top health officials delayed abortion pill safety review, report claims |
| Pro-life advocates are calling for action as top health officials deny reports that they are delaying a promised safety review of the abortion pill. |
| Rights group hails release of 100 children abducted from Nigerian Catholic school |
| Christin Solidarity Worldwide has welcomed the release of 100 school children, who were among 303 children abducted on Nov. 21 from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools. |
Half of the world’s population lives in just seven countries
Many religions are heavily concentrated in a few countries
Pew Research Center:
Half of the world’s population lives in just seven countries. But some
of the world’s religious groups are even more concentrated than that.
Christ Church at 50: How Doug Wilson pushed Christian nationalism to the center
Religion News
Service: The pastor, celebrating 50 years in his pulpit, has never had
more influence than he does under the current presidential
administration.
What 38 million obituaries reveal about how Americans define a ‘life well lived’
The Conversation:
Obituaries preserve what families most want remembered about the people
they cherish most. Across time, they also reveal the values each era
chose to honor.
Lobster Jesus: Sacrilege or the most New England Nativity ever?
Religion News
Service: Inspired by Cape Cod cuisine and a beloved holiday movie, the
Lobster Nativity portrays the characters of the Christmas story as
crustaceans.
Zoning Islam out
ARC: In suburban Long
Island, a seven-year battle over parking and congestion masked a fight
over who belongs in Bethpage — and how far towns can go to keep Muslim
houses of worship from growing.

