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December 2023

December 7

Presence of indifference reveals failure to love

December 7, 2023

Recently, I have been thinking about indifference, which seems to me to be the defining attitude of our times. At least, I thought of indifference as an attitude. Then I was asked to reflect on a statement by St. Teresa of Kolkata which included these words: “The greatest evil in the world is the lack of love, the terrible indifference towards one’s neighbour.”

December 8

Bishops seek dialogue as French anti-Semitism rises

December 8, 2023

The Oct. 7 killing of about 1,200 people in Israel by armed Hamas militants represented the biggest killing of Jews since the Holocaust. It also started the war that has killed nearly 16,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run health ministry, followed by massive pro-Palestinian protests around the globe. What it also did was spark unprecedented instances of anti-Semitism.

A side of health care on St. Francis Table menu

December 8, 2023

After having for years helped to deliver daily nourishment to those in need, St. Francis Table is now offering free health services to that same clientele.

God's Word on Sunday: On our tough road, God is with us

December 8, 2023

Second Sunday of Advent (Year B) Dec. 10 (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8 ) What would “comfort” and “good tidings” sound like in 2023? To whom would they be directed? To be at all meaningful, the message cannot be only for believers and churchgoers. Although originally given to the people of Israel in Babylonian exile, our own times call for a more universal application.

Russia bans Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Catholic ministries in occupied region of Ukraine

December 8, 2023

Russian occupation authorities have banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, according to the church's main communications office in Kyiv.

Senate Republicans block Ukraine-Israel emergency aid over border, raising Catholic concerns

December 8, 2023

Senate Republicans Dec. 6 blocked an emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in wartime aid to Ukraine and Israel while calling for strict new policies at the U.S.-Mexico border opposed by some Catholic immigration advocates.

December 9

Church fights Uganda’s child marriage ‘plague’

December 9, 2023

Lala Mbabazi, who is three months pregnant, sat on a sofa in her one-bedroom mud house on the outskirts of Soroti, a town in eastern Uganda.

Indigenous inspiration drawn from Our Lady

December 9, 2023

Graydon Nicholas, the Wolastoqey Indigenous elder, chancellor of St. Thomas University and member of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle, will deliver a presentation about the patroness of Indigenous peoples in North and South America on Dec. 12 at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Halifax.

December 10

Storm-ravaged steeple back above St. Martin of Tours, PEI

December 10, 2023

An early Christmas gift arrived Nov. 30 for the people of Cumberland, P.E.I, a county municipality devastated by post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022.

December 11

Nebraska priest dies after attack during apparent rectory break-in

December 11, 2023

A Nebraska priest has died after being attacked in the rectory of his parish in the early morning before he was to celebrate Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent.

December 12

Vatican Museums share hidden images, details found by art restorers

December 12, 2023

The Vatican Museums has launched an initiative to give visitors -- online and in person -- a "backstage" peek into the secrets, curiosities and insights discovered by their art restorers.

Vatican offers further guidance on handling cremains

December 12, 2023

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has upheld a rule mandating that the ashes of the deceased be preserved in a consecrated place, but it also said family members could request "a minimal part of the ashes" be kept in a sacred place "of significance for the history of the deceased person."

Synod council to ask Pope Francis to authorize studies on key synod topics

December 12, 2023

The council of the Synod of Bishops will ask Pope Francis to authorize studies on the need to update canon law, revise the rules for priestly formation, deepen a theological reflection on the diaconate -- including the possibility of ordaining women deacons -- and consider revising a document that provides norms for the relationship of a bishop with members of religious orders in his diocese.

Ukraine's war-torn Christians look ahead to first Christmas shared with West

December 12, 2023

When Ukraine's embattled citizens gather this Christmas, their rich festivities will feel symbolically different -- as the festival is celebrated for the first time on Dec. 25, in line with the Western calendar.

December 13

Pope Francis plans to be buried outside the Vatican, is simplifying papal funeral rites

December 13, 2023

Pope Francis said he has decided to be buried in Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican and that he has simplified the rites for a papal funeral.

Ireland plans to dramatically cut welfare benefits for Ukrainian refugees

December 13, 2023

Plans to dramatically cut welfare benefits for refugees from Ukraine who flee to Ireland to avoid Russia's war are causing anxiety, according to a priest who works with the new arrivals. Officials in Dublin say that they want to "slow" the number of people arriving from Ukraine.

369 abuse claims filed against St. John’s Archdiocese

December 13, 2023

More than 350 people have stepped forward with a claim of being sexually abused by the Christian Brothers of Ireland at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in the 1940s through ’60s or by Archdiocese of St. John’s clergy over time.

Tears fall as graces flow from students

December 13, 2023

Emotion filled the eyes of Kathryn Oswin-Groh and Michelle Perkins-Ball throughout their joint interview with The Catholic Register as the educators at Toronto’s St. Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School shared how they have become better people because of the school’s annual Share Christmas community outreach campaign, a tradition.

December 14

Verbatim: The Gospel according to Luke

December 14, 2023

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register.

Editorial: Charity instilled in Catholic hearts

December 14, 2023

Through the spring and fall of 2023, The Catholic Register and our partners at The B.C. Catholic, Catholic Conscience and the Religion & Journalism Project taught on-line classes in Catholic journalism.