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December 1, 2019
Second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 8 (Year A) Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 The figure described in Isaiah seems too good to be true — in fact, impossible and non-existent.
One of the more encouraging signs for the Catholic Church in Canada may have been Cardinal Thomas Collins planting his foot on top of a shovel in the backyard of an old house on Toronto’s St. George Street in early November.
Catholics and Anglicans in Canada have been working on their relationship ever since Gen. James Wolfe surprised Gen. Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham in the fall of 1759.
December 2, 2019
VATICAN CITY -- A Nativity scene is a simple reminder of something astonishing: God became human to reveal the greatness of his love "by smiling and opening his arms to all," Pope Francis said in a letter on the meaning and importance of setting up Christmas cribs.
VATICAN CITY -- As Advent approached, Pope Francis gave a small fragment of Jesus' crib back to Catholics in the Holy Land.
VATICAN CITY -- The sounds of ululations and drums and a litany of saints filled St. Peter's Basilica Dec. 1 as Pope Francis celebrated Mass according to what is commonly called the Zairean Rite.
VATICAN CITY-- Pope Francis said he was concerned and saddened following two months of protests in Iraq that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. "I pray for the dead and the wounded; I am close to their families and to the entire people of Iraq, calling upon God for peace and harmony," the pope said Dec. 1 after praying the Angelus prayer with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. The pope's remarks came nearly four days after Iraqi security forces fired on unarmed protesters, leading to the deaths of 25 people and the wounding of dozens more, according to Amnesty International. Since the protests began Oct. 1, an estimated 400 demonstrators have been killed. Protesters have expressed anger at government authorities for widespread financial mismanagement, corruption and increasing poverty in the country. The protests resulted in the resignation of Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi Dec. 1 and for calls by international observers for investigations into the killing of protesters. Iraqi Cardinal Louis Sako, Chaldean Catholic patriarch, expressed his "solidarity with Iraqi Shias and Sunnis" and his concern for those who died or were wounded in the protests, said a statement on the patriarchate's website. He asked all Catholics to pray for the country at Masses Dec. 1. Cardinal Sako, in the statement posted Nov. 30, said he hoped that "the blood that has been shed as a price" for a free, dignified and secure life in Iraq, will be the seeds of an effort "to build a homeland of justice and independence, in which no one would be oppressed or treated unfairly."
MANCHESTER, England -- British bishops have made the right to life a priority for Catholics ahead of a general election in which two major political parties have promised to liberalize abortion laws.
December 3, 2019
NEWARK, N.J. -- A day after a New Jersey victims' rights law went into effect, a 37-year-old man represented by Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson has filed a lawsuit against Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal who was Newark's archbishop from 1986 to 2000.
CAIRO -- Amid deadly protests in Iraq, a people's uprising in Lebanon and continued suffering in Syria, Catholic leaders of the Middle East called upon officials of their homelands to "ensure safety, peace and tranquility and stability for their citizens."
VATICAN CITY -- The dignity and rights of people with disabilities are increasingly threatened by a society that discriminates and views them as a burden, Pope Francis said.
JERUSALEM -- The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land condemned vandalism attacks in two Arab villages and called on Israeli authorities to "investigate seriously" what they termed hate crimes.
VATICAN CITY -- God makes his presence known not by those who claim to have great faith but by those who are little and humble, Pope Francis said.
Joy Smith is pleased that the Ontario government has stepped up with $20 million in annual funding to fight human trafficking, but these dollars and more need to be replicated by other provinces in combatting the problem.
PEORIA, Ill. -- Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria said Dec. 3 Vatican officials have told him that the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been postponed.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone told Catholics Dec. 4 he asked Pope Francis to allow him to retire early so the people of the diocese "will be better served" by a new bishop who is "perhaps better able" to bring about "reconciliation, healing and renewal" in addressing the abuse crisis.
December 4, 2019
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis scolded people who consider themselves practicing Christians, but who turn to fortunetelling, psychic readings and tarot cards.
Taking time to reflect is one of the hallmarks of the Advent season, which prompted us to dig into The Catholic Register Archives to see how our Youth Speak News writers have tackled this special time of year. From the Dec. 19, 2010 issue, Jason Coelho, then a Grade 12 student at Brebeuf College in Toronto, presented his own timeless view of this special season:
INDIANAPOLIS -- Megan Davis, Elizabeth Eberhard and Allison Dible were fired up after the opening evening session of the biennial National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, but it was only a precursor to what was to come.
The two young people sitting in front of me were deeply in love. They stared into each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the world — which, come to think of it, is the very definition of being deeply in love. They did not speak at all. Just with their eyes. I watched them for a full hour.