December 2024

Christians protest in Syria after Christmas tree burned

Gina Christian · December 25, 2024

A Christmas tree was reportedly set ablaze in a Christian-majority town in Syria, prompting protests in the war-torn nation just two weeks after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad and his regime.

Pope Francis at Christmas: Jesus' birth brings hope for world of justice, peace

Cindy Wooden · December 25, 2024

Celebrating Christmas Mass after opening the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis said the birth of Jesus fills Christians with hope and the courage to work for peace and justice.

God wants all people to be saved; he forgives all who repent, Pope Francis says

Cindy Wooden · December 26, 2024

God wants to save each and every person, and Christians are called to give witness to that fact by praying even for people who have harmed them, Pope Francis said.

Christians in Iraq 'tense' after Syria regime change, patriarch says

Justin McLellan · December 26, 2024

After Pope Francis prayed on Christmas Day for Syrian Christians facing uncertainty amid the country's regime change, the leader of the Catholic Church in neighboring Iraq said the toppling of the regime left Christians in the region feeling "tense."

We all belong to the Lord

Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week, Sunday, December 29, 2024, to Saturday, January 4, 2025.

Lea Karen Kivi · December 27, 2024

Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week, Sunday, December 29, 2024, to Saturday, January 4, 2025.

In Bethlehem's empty streets, a shopkeeper fights to keep hope alive

Father Patrick Briscoe · December 27, 2024

Christmas marked by uncertainty as war leaves shop empty

Pope Francis accepts invitation to Ukraine, major archbishop says, but nothing is 'guaranteed'

OSV News · December 27, 2024

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych set Ukrainian hopes high for the Jubilee Year by saying that Pope Francis accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine in 2025.

Cardinal Leo launches a Jubilee year of renewal

Luke Mandato · December 30, 2024

Toronto Catholics welcomed Cardinal Francis Leo back to Toronto following his journey to Rome earlier this month where he was elevated to the College of Cardinals.

Vatican says 13 missionaries were killed in 2024

Cindy Wooden · December 30, 2024

Thirteen Catholic "missionaries" were killed in 2024, most of them during the commission of a robbery, but several obviously were targeted for the church work they did.

A year of living hopefully despite petty political bullying

A look back at 2024 and the events that defined a year in the Canadian Catholic Church

Mickey Conlon · December 30, 2024

A look back at 2024 and the events that defined a year in the Canadian Catholic Church

MAiD toll almost five per cent of deaths

Quinton Amundson · December 30, 2024

Health Canada’s new annual report about medical assistance in dying (MAiD) revealed that euthanasia now accounts for nearly five per cent — 15,343 people — of the nation’s total fatalities (326,571) in 2023.