Ahead of the Jubilee for Tourism on Monday, Roman tour guide Dr Elizabeth Lev speaks with Vatican Radio about the role of tour operators and tour guides during the Jubilee Year, and what it means to go from being a guide to a pilgrim.

Read all

 

Following the tragedy of the attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach in Australia, Vatican News speaks to the parish priest of the local community. The Archbishop of Sydney also issues a statement urging the Catholic community to end antisemitism through education and preaching.

Read all

 

Countless stories of courage go untold, but the book “Living Ancestors” emerges as a voice for the unseen, the unheard and the deeply faithful women who have shape Africa’s spiritual and social spaces through decades of consecrated service. This ground-breaking work has been brought to life by Sr. Mumbi Kigutha of the Sister of the Precious blood Dayton, Ohio, CPPS, offers a rare glimpse into their lived experiences.

Read all

 

Speaking with the groups that donated this year’s Vatican Christmas Tree and Nativity Scene, Pope Leo XIV highlights God’s closeness to humanity and calls for prayers for those who suffer on account of war and violence, especially the victims of Sunday’s terror attack on the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia.

Read all

 

EWTN News, Dec 14, 2025 / 23:02 pm (CNA).

Catholic leaders in Australia have issued strong condemnations of what they described as a “festering” atmosphere of antisemitism following a terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 16 people dead.

Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney issued a statement expressing “profound grief and righteous anger” at the violence.

“That a celebration of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah could end in at least 16 dead, including a young child, and many more injured, horrifies ordinary Australians,” Fisher said.

“The brazen and callous disregard for human life and the hatred of some people toward all Jews is an unspeakable evil that must be repudiated by every Australian.”

Personal connection for the archbishop

Fisher warned that an “atmosphere of public antisemitism has festered” in Sydney for more than two years, pointing specifically to inflammatory activity near the city’s Catholic cathedral.

“Opposite my own cathedral in Hyde Park there have been weekly demonstrations where inflammatory messages have been regularly articulated, which could only have ‘turned up the temperature’ and perhaps contributed to radicalization,” he said. “This must stop.”

The archbishop also revealed a personal connection to the tragedy, noting his own Jewish ancestry: “My great-grandmother was a Jew… Christians are children of the Jews,” he wrote. “And so, an attack on the Jews is an attack on all of us.”

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, SDB, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, joined Fisher in condemning “the scourge of antisemitism,” saying the violence had “shaken Australians to the core.”

“The twisted motives behind those who perpetrated these terrible acts are now clearly linked with the scourge of antisemitism,” Costelloe said. “This is a shocking and deeply distressing reality that calls into question our own understanding of ourselves as Australians.”

He warned that “blind prejudice and hatred point to a dark and destructive stain in our society that threatens not just our Jewish brothers and sisters but, in fact, all of us.”

Fisher announced that the Catholic community would “redouble its efforts” to combat antisemitism through education and preaching. He also offered Catholic educational and counseling services to the Jewish community while their own institutions are “locked down or overwhelmed.”

“We love our Jewish neighbors and friends, and we must do all we can to keep them safe,” Fisher said.

Terrorist incident declared

Authorities confirmed that a 10-year-old girl was among those killed when two gunmen opened fire on the “Chanukah by the Sea” gathering on Sunday evening. More than 40 others were injured.

New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed the attackers were a father and son, identified by local media and police sources as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that Naveed Akram had been investigated six years ago by Australia’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, for his links to a Sydney-based Islamic State cell.

ABC cited an unnamed senior official from the joint counterterrorism task force who said Naveed was believed to have had close ties to Isaac El Matari, an Islamic State member arrested in July 2019 and later convicted of preparing a terrorist act.

The elder Akram was shot and killed by police at the scene. His son remains in critical condition under police guard.

Authorities raided the family’s home in the Sydney suburb of Bonnyrigg on Sunday night, where police said they discovered improvised explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the attackers. The shooting has been formally declared a terrorist incident.

Costelloe praised the “remarkable courage of the police and other first responders.”

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns highlighted the actions of a bystander who tackled one of the gunmen, calling him a “genuine hero” who saved lives.

‘An act of evil’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the violence as a “targeted attack on Jewish Australians” and an “act of evil.”

“To the Jewish community, we stand with you,” Albanese said. “You have the right to worship and study and live and work in peace and safety. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”

This story was updated on Dec. 14, 2025, at 11:34 p.m. ET with further details.

Third Sunday of Advent The joy of the preparation for Christ may be difficult spiritually, but it will make us better people.

Vatican City, Dec 14, 2025 / 08:05 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday voiced deep concern over renewed fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, urging an immediate end to violence and a return to dialogue in line with ongoing peace efforts.

After leading pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square in praying the Angelus on the third Sunday of Advent, the pope said he was “following with deep concern the resumption of fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

“While expressing my closeness to the people, I urge the parties in the conflict to cease all forms of violence and to seek constructive dialogue, respecting the ongoing peace process,” he said.

The pope’s appeal came amid reports of intensified clashes involving the M23 rebel group in the mineral-rich eastern region, despite a recently signed peace agreement between Congolese and Rwandan leaders.

Pope Leo also recalled recent beatifications of martyrs in Spain and France, praising their fidelity to the faith amid persecution. “Let us praise the Lord for these martyrs, courageous witnesses to the Gospel, persecuted and killed for remaining close to their people and faithful to the Church,” he said.

Earlier, in his catechesis before leading the Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Advent, which presents John the Baptist imprisoned for his preaching yet still seeking the truth about Jesus.

From prison, John hears “about the works of Christ” and sends his disciples to ask whether Jesus is truly the one who is to come, the pope noted. Jesus’ response, he said, points not to abstract claims but to concrete signs.

“Christ announces who he is by what he does. And what he does is a sign of salvation for all of us,” Pope Leo said. Encountering Jesus, he explained, restores meaning to lives marked by darkness and suffering: “The blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear… Even the dead, who are completely lifeless, come back to life. This is the Gospel of Jesus, the good news proclaimed to the poor.”

“The words of Jesus free us from the prison of despair and suffering,” the pope said, adding that Christ “gives voice to the oppressed and to those whose voices have been silenced by violence and hatred” and “defeats ideologies that make us deaf to the truth.”

Concluding his reflection, Pope Leo said that Advent calls Christians to unite their expectation of the Savior with attentiveness to God’s action in the world. “Then we will be able to experience the joy of freedom in encountering our Savior,” he said, echoing the Church’s celebration of Gaudete Sunday.

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

Puebla, Mexico, Dec 14, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The perennially popular representation of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, held every Holy Week in the Iztapalapa sector of Mexico City, has been declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The decision was made during a UNESCO meeting in New Delhi, India, where the nomination of the Iztapalapa Way of the Cross was reviewed and approved.

Speaking at the event, Edaly Quiroz, deputy director of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, said that Holy Week in Iztapalapa is not merely a theatrical performance but a manifestation “of unity, faith, and resilience that brings together thousands of people in a collective exercise of memory, identity, and participation.”

On its website, UNESCO states that this list includes “practices, knowledge, and expressions that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity” and emphasizes the need to protect them for future generations.

Juan Pablo Serrano, custodian of the image of the Lord of the Little Cave in the Iztapalapa Cathedral, explained in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that this tradition is closely linked to the origin of the image and a 19th-century promise made by the community.

He recounted that in 1687, an image of Christ was being transported from Oaxaca to Mexico City for restoration. During the journey, those carrying it rested in a cave in the Hill of the Star, and when they tried to resume their trip, “they could no longer move the image.”

“It was understood that the image representing Christ in the tomb wanted to remain there. [Being in a cave] a very particular devotion began to develop,” he noted.

Serrano explained that the direct connection with the depiction of the Stations of the Cross arose in 1833 during a cholera epidemic. Faced with the high death toll, the inhabitants carried the image in procession and asked for Christ’s intercession. After several days of prayer, the plague ceased, an event that was interpreted as a miracle.

Approximately 2 million attendees in 2025

Following that event, the community vowed to reenact the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ every year as a sign of gratitude, and each year the tradition has grown, both in the number of participants and the audience. In Holy Week 2025 alone, it drew approximately 2 million people.

Serrano expressed his joy at the recognition, which he said “is something we [the residents] always boast about with pride and honor.”

He noted that during the years he has been in charge of the image he has witnessed the arrival of thousands of visitors, including people who do not identify as Catholic, who “when drawn by the representation, visit the image, visit the church, and experience a true reflection in their hearts and a real conversion.”

Serrano emphasized that this new status represents a greater commitment for the community so the celebration can continue to be “an expression of gratitude to God. Everything done as an offering to God ultimately becomes [a form of] catechesis and evangelization.”

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...

Vatican City, Dec 14, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Governorate of Vatican City State has announced the origins of the fir tree and Nativity scenes that will adorn St. Peter’s Square and the Paul VI Audience Hall this Christmas as well as those who prepared the tree’s decorations.

The decorations in St. Peter’s Square will once again have an Italian touch.

The chosen tree, an imposing 80-foot Norway spruce, comes from the town of Val d’Ultimo in Ultental, one of the most picturesque and lesser-known valleys of South Tyrol in the Alto Adige region of Italy. Along with the large tree, 40 smaller trees destined for Vatican offices and buildings will arrive soon.

In a novel initiative to ensure environmental sustainability and respect for nature, after Christmas, the main fir tree will be used to produce essential oils — a process that will be handled by the Austrian company Wilder Naturprodukte — and the rest of the wood will be donated to a charitable organization.

The Nativity scene, which is more of a village scene and will include life-size figures, will also be monumental in size. It measures 56 feet in length and is nearly 40 feet wide with a height of 25 feet and comes from the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, one of the oldest in Italy whose origins date back to the third century, when Nuceria Alfaterna — the ancient Roman city in the Sarno Valley — already had an organized Christian community.

The scene recreates emblematic elements of early Christian art from this region of Italy and includes a reproduction of the sixth-century baptistery from St. Mary Major Basilica, one of the best-preserved in the country. It also features an octagonal baptismal pool and frescoes that reveal Byzantine influences.

Also represented is the Helvius Fountain (“Fons Helvii”), an ancient monumental Roman fountain built between the first and second centuries A.D. associated with a local aqueduct that supplied water to the Roman population.

Upon this symbolic architecture unfolds a narrative that fuses sacred art, cultural heritage, and local identity.

The life-size figures of the Holy Family have been created by craftsman Federico Iaccarino, and the rest of the Nativity scene will include characters inspired by saints associated with this Italian region.

For example, among those represented are St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, who in 1732 founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), dedicated to evangelizing the most abandoned, especially in rural and marginalized areas; and a shepherd inspired by the Servant of God Don Enrico Smaldone, a priest who dedicated his life to caring for orphans, poor young people, and people with intellectual disabilities, for whom he created educational initiatives and welcoming spaces within the Church.

Around them, shepherds and animals parade across a pavement that evokes the ancient Roman roads.

In the central scene, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus are accompanied by the ox and the donkey, the three Wise Men, and a shepherdess offering local produce — artichokes, San Marzano tomatoes, and dried fruit — as a tribute to the land that inspired the work.

The ensemble includes elements that invite spiritual reflection: a pendulum clock that alludes to the passage of time, an observer leaning over a balcony representing the human perspective on the mystery, and a fisherman holding an anchor, a symbol of faith and the spiritual journey of the jubilee.

The luminous star with a tail in the shape of an anchor that crowns the composition stands out, uniting the celestial and the earthly in a single gesture of hope.

The dedication will take place Monday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m. local time in a ceremony presided over by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, accompanied by Archbishop Emilio Nappa and lawyer Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, general secretaries of the Vatican body.

The day will begin with several audiences with Pope Leo XIV, who will receive in the morning the delegations that donated the tree and those responsible for the huge Nativity scene that will adorn the square.

Among others, the afternoon ceremony will be attended by Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone; the mayor of Lagundo, Alexandra Ganner; and the mayor of Ultimo, Stefan Schwarz.

During the morning, the official presentation of a Nativity scene from Costa Rica, which will be installed this year in the Paul VI Audience Hall, will also take place.

Titled “Nacimiento Gaudium” (“Nativity of Joy”), the work by Costa Rican artist Paula Sáenz Soto, is an “affirmation of life from conception.” The piece consists of a figure of a pregnant Virgin Mary and 28,000 colored ribbons that symbolize lives preserved thanks to the support provided by Catholic organizations to pregnant women in vulnerable situations.

The Nativity scene — 16 feet long, 10 feet high, and 8 feet deep — will feature two interchangeable representations of the Virgin Mary: an image of her pregnant during Advent and another of her adoring the newborn child from Christmas Eve onward. In addition, 400 ribbons with prayers and wishes from children at the National Hospital of San José, Costa Rica, will be placed in the manger on Dec. 24.

The Costa Rican delegation that will meet with the pope will be composed of First Lady Signe Zeicate; her daughter, Isabel Chaves Zeicate; and the country’s ambassador to the Holy See, Federico Zamora.

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