Puebla, Mexico, Dec 11, 2025 / 07:10 am (CNA).

Although millions of faithful recognize Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City as the site of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, not many know that the miracle of the imprinting of her image did not occur there, but in a place that is now practically forgotten.

According to tradition, in December 1531, the Virgin appeared to an indigenous man named Juan Diego and asked him to request that the first bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga, build a "sacred little house," a chapel at the foot of Tepeyac.

As a sign for the bishop, the Virgin Mary caused roses to bloom in the middle of winter on the arid hill and asked Juan Diego to carry them in his cloak. When he arrived at the bishop's residence to show the bishop the roses, he unfolded his cloak, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted on it.

After the miracle, the cloak was placed under the care of Friar de Zumárraga in this house, while a small chapel was ordered to be built at Tepeyac, which would be the first shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The old archbishop's palace

Father José de Jesús Aguilar, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mexico and a researcher of the Guadalupe event, posted a video in which he pointed out that "many people know that the Virgin appeared at Tepeyac, but they don't know where the miracle of the imprinting of the image occurred."

He explained that in 1529, Friar de Zumárraga acquired the so-called Casa de Medel, located in what is now known as the Old Archbishop's Palace, next to the metropolitan cathedral of Mexico City, which was under construction at the time.

He established his residence at that site in 1530, and it was there that he received Juan Diego. However, he noted that "it is necessary to understand that, although the location is the same, we won’t see the building as it [appeared] in Juan Diego's time because it has undergone changes."

In 1629, the edifice was damaged by a flood that affected Mexico City. Almost a century later, in 1720, it was expanded by Archbishop José Pérez de Lanciego Eguiluz y Mirafuentes. Between 1730 and 1747, the building was completely rebuilt by Archbishop and Viceroy Juan Antonio Vizarrón y Eguiarreta.

Currently, the building where 33 archbishops once resided retains its red façade, and on either side of the main entrance, it features Latin inscriptions from the Book of Revelation. On the left, it reads, "He who sat on the throne said," and on the right, "I am making all things new."

Restoration efforts

According to Aguilar, this building served as the residence of the archbishops until the Reform Laws, in the mid-19th century, forced the Church to vacate it. In 1867, it housed the offices of the Chief Accounting Office, and later the Treasury Archives, the Pension Payment Office, and a printing press.

Currently, the building functions as the Museum of the Secretariat of Finance.

Aguilar recounted that an effort was made to recognize the religious value of the site, for which a sculpture of Juan Diego and Friar Juan de Zumárraga was commissioned. He said that it was blessed by St. John Paul II and "was made with the intention of placing it somewhere in the former archbishop's palace, or even on the street in front of it, to commemorate that it was the site of the miracle."

“Unfortunately, the civil authorities did not allow it,” said the priest, who was the deputy director of radio and television for the Archdiocese of Mexico at the time. The artwork was finally installed on the side of the metropolitan cathedral, a location that, in his opinion, “loses its meaning.”

“But with or without the sculpture, with or without a plaque, let's hope that little by little, the news that the image was imprinted on the tilma in this place will lead more and more people to learn about this fact,” he added.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Intentions of this novena: For an increase in personal prayer in our parish For the success of the 150th parish anniversary celebration in 2028 For the success of With One Heart in our parish For the private intentions of the...

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2025 / 06:30 am (CNA).

Congress is set to vote on two plans regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2025. 

The Senate is expected to vote Dec. 11 on a Democratic proposal to extend existing ACA tax credits for three years, as 24 million Americans use ACA marketplaces for health insurance. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters Tuesday after a Senate Republican meeting that lawmakers also will vote on a Republican alternative measure. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who leads the Finance panel, announced the legislation on Monday. 

The measure (S. 3386) would set requirements for Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions and direct that the money cannot be used for abortion or “gender transitions.” It would require states to verify citizenship and immigration status before coverage.

Catholic bishops weigh in

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have said they favor extending the taxpayer subsidies that lower health insurance costs under the ACA, but said lawmakers must ensure that the tax credits are not used for abortions or other procedures that violate Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life. 

The enhanced premium tax credits “should be extended but must not continue to fund plans that cover the destruction of human life, which is antithetical to authentic health care,”  the bishops wrote in an Oct. 10 letter to members of Congress. 

There needs to be a policy that serves “all vulnerable people – born and preborn” and applies full Hyde Amendment protections to them, ensuring not only that government funding does not directly pay for the procuring of an abortion, but also that plans offered by health insurance companies on ACA exchanges cannot cover elective abortion,” they wrote. 

The Hyde Amendment, passed by Congress in 1977, prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk.

Activists respond

A coalition of more than 300 faith leaders including NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Church Of God In Christ Social Justice Ministry, Faith in Action Network, and  Franciscan Action Network, delivered a joint letter to Congress Dec. 8 urging legislators to pass a bipartisan bill that protects and expands the ACA premium tax credits.

“Each life is sacred, therefore, there is a moral imperative to provide care for the sick and alleviate suffering particularly for those who lack resources to pay,” the letter wrote. There must be action to ensure everyone has “the health care they need to live and thrive, as people are currently making choices about coverage for 2026.”

“The letter notes that renewing the tax credits will keep healthcare premiums under the ACA from spiking by an average of 114 percent in 2026,” NETWORK reported. “This would cause an estimated 4.8 million people to lose their health coverage because they cannot afford it. Subsequently, some 50,000 people could lose their lives without their health coverage.”

Other pro-life organizations have warned against expanding the subsidies. 

“As Congress continues to face pressure to extend Obamacare’s abortion-funding premium subsidies, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA) is making the facts clear on how Obamacare does not include the Hyde amendment and forces Americans to pay for abortions,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

“The enactment of Obamacare ruptured the bipartisan legacy of the Hyde amendment and resulted in the largest expansion of abortion funding since the 1970s,” she said. “Obama and the Democratic leadership at the time intentionally drafted the program to avoid annual appropriations bills, bypassing the Hyde amendment.”

“Instead of stopping funding for health insurance plans that cover elective abortion, Section 1303 of Obamacare expressly permits subsidies for Obamacare plans that cover abortion using elaborate accounting requirements and an abortion surcharge to justify the funding,” she said.

SBA and more than 100 other pro-life organizations are demanding that any extensions to Obamacare include a complete application of the Hyde policy. The groups sent a September letter and an October letter to lawmakers calling on Congress to ensure pro-life provisions. 

“Preventing taxpayer funding of abortion is a minimum requirement for any new Obamacare spending advanced by a Republican Congress and Administration,” Dannenfelser said.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christian archaeology seeks to see, hear and touch the Word made flesh, Pope Leo XIV said, inviting the world's bishops and others to encourage young people, lay people and priests to study archaeology.

Ancient relics, catacombs, artifacts and ruins from the early Christian communities help the faithful "rediscover the roots of their faith," and they speak "to those who are distant, to nonbelievers and to those who question the meaning of life, because they find an echo of eternity in the silence of the tombs and in the beauty of the early Christian basilicas," the pope wrote in a new document.

"Moreover, archaeology speaks to young people, who often seek authenticity and significance; to scholars, who view faith as a historically documented reality rather than an abstraction; to pilgrims, who find in the catacombs and shrines a sense of purpose and an invitation to pray for the Church," he wrote.

The Vatican released Pope Leo's apostolic letter "on the importance of archaeology," Dec. 11, "on the occasion of the centenary of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology," which was founded by Pope Pius XI in 1925. The pope also met with members of the institute in an audience at the Vatican the same day.

The institute is a graduate-level research and teaching institution that offers degrees in Christian archaeology and has trained hundreds of archaeologists who specialize in ancient Christianity.

In the six-page letter, Pope Leo reaffirmed "the essential role of archaeology in understanding Christianity and, consequently, its application within catechetical and theological formation."

"This is not about reducing ecclesial life to a cult of the past," he wrote. True Christian archaeology is about making "the past speak to the present" and recognizing "the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding history."

"In today's fast-paced world, there is a tendency to forget and to consume images and words without reflecting on their meaning," Pope Leo wrote. "The Church, on the other hand, is called to educate people in memory, and Christian archaeology is one of its most noble tools for doing so."

Archaeology is "a ministry of hope, for it shows that faith has already survived difficult times and resisted persecution, crises and changes," he wrote. "Those who study the origins of Christianity discover that the Gospel has always had a generative force, that the Church is always reborn," and that the faith "has been renewed and regenerated, taking root in new peoples and flourishing in new forms."

"We live in an age in which misuse and overconsumption have taken precedence over preservation and respect," he wrote. "Archaeology, on the other hand, teaches us that even the smallest piece of evidence deserves attention, that every detail has value and that nothing can be discarded."

Archaeologists, he wrote, "do not destroy, but decipher," identifying "the spirit of an era, the meaning of faith and the silence of prayer on a piece of pottery, a corroded coin or a faded engraving." This kind of attitude and approach of respect "can teach us a great deal about pastoral care and catechesis today."

"Christian communities safeguarded not only Jesus' words, but also the places, objects and signs of his presence," he wrote. "The empty tomb, Peter's house in Capernaum, the tombs of the martyrs and the Roman catacombs all testify that God has truly entered history, and that faith is not a mere philosophy, but a tangible path within the reality of the world."

"In an era when culture often loses sight of its roots, archaeology becomes a valuable instrument" for evangelization, he said in the new document.

Christian archaeology does not simply look at the past, he wrote, but it also speaks to all people in the present day: the faithful, those who are distant, nonbelievers, young people and even scholars.

"It is still the mission of Christian archaeology to help the Church remember its origins, preserve the memory of its beginnings and recount the history of salvation not only through words, but also through images, forms and spaces," he wrote. 

Christian archaeology "seeks to touch, see and hear the Word made flesh," he wrote. "By concentrating on the physical traces of faith, archeology educates us in a theology of the senses: a theology that knows how to see, touch, smell and listen."

"Do we too believe in the power of study, formation and memory? Are we willing to invest in culture despite today's crises, to promote knowledge despite indifference and to defend beauty even when it seems irrelevant?" Pope Leo asked.

He invited "bishops, as well as leaders and guides in the areas of culture and education, to encourage young people, lay people and priests to study archaeology."

"Christian archaeology is a service, a vocation and a form of love for the Church and for humanity," he wrote, encouraging the pontifical institute to "continue your excavations. Continue to study, teach and recount history" to others as well as to "make visible the Word of life, bearing witness that God became flesh, that salvation has left its mark, and that this Mystery has become a historical narrative."

The Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology was founded to complement the work of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, which oversees the protection, conservation and administration of Christian catacombs and other sacred archaeological sites in Italy; the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology, which promotes scholarly lectures and study on archaeology spanning from ancient Roman to Medieval times; and the Pontifical Academy "Cultorum Martyrum," which promotes the veneration, historical study and liturgical memory of Christian martyrs.

Pope Leo urged the different bodies to cooperate, communicate and mutually support one another.

Christian archaeology is "a resource for everyone," he wrote, by promoting culture and inspiring "respect for diversity."

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