KYIV, Ukraine (CNS) — Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, met with top Ukrainian military chaplains Dec. 29 in Kyiv. The archbishop’s meeting with the chaplains at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection took place the day after he participated in funeral services in Lviv for three Ukrainian soldiers killed in battle. Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, welcomed the archbishop to the cathedral and gave him a tour, which incl ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The day after Pope Francis told people retired Pope Benedict was “very sick” and in need of prayers, the Vatican said he had had a restful night and described him as being in serious, but stable condition. “I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for emeritus Pope Benedict,” Pope Francis had said at the end of his weekly general audience Dec. 28. The 95-year-old retired pope “is sustaining the church in silence,” Pope Francis said. “Remember him. He is very sick.” “Ask the Lord to console him and sustain him in his witness of love for the church until the very ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The most important question a Christian can ask when making any decision in life is “where the greatest love is to be found,” Pope Francis wrote in a letter marking the 400th anniversary of St. Francis de Sales, a doctor of the church. Thinking about the legacy of St. Francis, who was born in France in 1567 and died in 1622, Pope Francis said he was convinced that the French saint’s “flexibility and his farsighted vision have much to say to us,” especially in recognizing the real-life struggles of ordinary people and judging faith by love. The pope’s letter was titled “To ..read more

The Christmas song “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”) may have put the town of Oberndorf, Austria, on the map, but it’s the chapel memorializing the beloved carol that is the town’s main attraction. Best seen blanketed in snow, the small octagonal-shaped chapel, just 13 miles from Salzburg, is a tourist destination any time of year. With a storied past, the song plays a key role in a small Alpine town, a brief ceasefire during World War I and a beloved local debut. An often-shared legend says Father Joseph Mohr wrote the lyrics because his parish organ was broken. He asked Francis Xavier Gruber ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Every Christian and every Christian community is called to conversion, a process that lasts a lifetime and is needed even more by people who think they are firmly on the path to holiness, Pope Francis told officials of the Roman Curia. “The opposite of conversion is ‘immobility,’ the secret belief that we have nothing else to learn from the Gospel,” the pope told the cardinals and other top aides Dec. 22 as he met them for his traditional pre-Christmas speech and review of the past year. Pope Francis went from the meeting in the Hall of Blessings to the Vatican audience h ..read more

CHICAGO (CNS) — Private citizen groups have arranged for Nativity scenes to be on display at 43 state capitols around the country, a record number, according to a not-for-profit law firm’s tally. The Chicago-based Thomas More Society said Dec. 20 that the number of displays is notable despite the secularization of Christmas throughout the U.S. Four new displays depicting the biblical description of the birth of Jesus in a manger have been erected this year, the society said: Alaska, New York, Utah and Virginia. “The message of hope delivery by the baby Jesus celebrates the joy of new life. Th ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The interconnected “moral, social, political and economic crises” facing the world cannot be solved if individuals and nations continue to focus only on their own, immediate interests, Pope Francis said in his message for World Peace Day 2023. “The time has come for all of us to endeavor to heal our society and our planet, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common,” the pope wrote in the message, which was released at the Vatican Dec. 16. The Catholic Church celebrates World Peace D ..read more

JUBA, South Sudan (CNS) — Even amid an economic crisis, political confusion and ongoing violent conflicts, Christians in South Sudan must live in hope and proclaim Christmas joy to the world, said the leaders of the South Sudan Council of Churches. One major sign of hope, they said, is the first ever “ecumenical pilgrimage of peace” being led by Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, who are scheduled to visit Juba together Feb. 3-5. “They come to support and encourage the continued unity o ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The day after he turned 86, Pope Francis met with volunteers, family members and children receiving care from a Vatican pediatric clinic. The group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican’s St. Martha Dispensary, a maternal and pediatric clinic, were treated to a show by circus performers in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall Dec. 18, and to a large white sheet cake adorned with one tall candle. The pope thanked his guests for their visit and for a “day of joy that helps us prepare for Christmas.” He also reminded everyone to not forget to pray for the children of Ukrai ..read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis asked thousands of people joining him in St. Peter’s Square to pray for peace in the Caucasus region, in Peru and, of course, in Ukraine. As tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued and the Lachin Corridor, a road linking Armenia and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, remained closed, Pope Francis said Dec. 18 he was particularly worried “about the precarious humanitarian conditions of the population which risk further deterioration during the course of the winter season.” “I ask everyone involved to ..read more