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The Berlaymont building in Brussels, seat of the European Commission. / Credit: EmDee/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 23, 2025 / 16:25 pm (CNA).The European Commission has decided to withdraw funding from the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), an organization founded in 1997 to promote and defend the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, before European institutions.The decision comes at a time when the European Union has recently given the green light to initiatives that promote so-called abortion tourism financed by European funds and the imposition of the recognition of homosexual unions on all member states.In contrast, funding is being denied to this Brussels-based Catholic federation, which brings together 33 associations from 20 European countries and is currently active with EU institutions, the Council of Europe, and the U.N.At the end of November, the EU froze the funds allocated to projects submitted by FAFCE wi...
After delaying restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass for three months, Bishop Michael Martin said in a Sept. 26, 2025, letter that the Chapel of the Little Flower in the St. Therese Parish in Mooresville, North Carolina, which was recently renovated by the diocese and can seat just over 350 people, will have two Masses each Sunday and on holy days of obligation, / Credit: Diocese of CharlotteCNA Staff, Dec 23, 2025 / 16:55 pm (CNA).Priests as well as the lay faithful are voicing criticisms after Bishop Michael Martin of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, issued a pastoral letter last week prohibiting the use of altar rails and kneelers in the reception of Communion in the diocese.In the Dec. 17 letter, Martin said that by Jan. 16, 2026, the use of altar rails, kneelers, and prie-dieus (movable kneelers) will no longer be permitted in the diocese, and any "temporary or movable fixtures used for kneeling for the reception of Communion" must be removed.In the letter, M...
The secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Father Michael Banjo. / Credit: Ijebu-Ode Catholic DioceseACI Africa, Dec 23, 2025 / 11:37 am (CNA).The secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged Nigerians to safeguard their future by making informed choices especially during elections and amid the country's security crisis.In his message for Christmas delivered during the festival of Lessons and Carols at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Father Michael Banjo highlighted vices such as dishonesty, corruption, and exploitation as major obstacles to peace, warning of the dangers of ungodliness."If we want peace in Nigeria, we must stop trading our future for crumbs and begin to give glory to God by voting for leaders of integrity, compassion, and proven character, leaders who fear God and truly serve the common good," Banjo said during the Dec. 14 event.He added: "When leaders govern without fear of God, consci...
Father Manuel Chouciño. / Credit: ACI PrensaMadrid, Spain, Dec 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Father Manuel Chouciño, an expert in new evangelization who has surprised many by organizing an escape room in a Spanish monastery, is convinced that Catholics "are in vogue" because people "are tired of feeling so empty."Having arrived just three months ago at the parish-monastery of the Divine Savior of Lérez, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, Chouciño saw in the place, an old Benedictine monastery, great possibilities for evangelization.The monastery had been empty since 1835 due to the forced expropriation of Catholic Church property known as "the ecclesiastical confiscations," but in the eyes of a priest with more than 40 years of experience in youth ministry and recreational activities it was full of possibilities. And the parishioners were ready to follow him.Chouciño, on the left, in white, with some of the actors in the "escape room." Credit: Photo courtes...
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski serves on the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. / Credit: "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo"/EWTN News screenshotWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 22, 2025 / 16:52 pm (CNA).The bishops of the Catholic Church in Florida have asked President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis "to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays.""We request that the government pause apprehension and roundup activities during the Christmas season. Such a pause would show a decent regard for the humanity of these families," the bishops said in a Dec. 22 statement."Don't be the Grinch that stole Christmas," Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said in a news conference. "Give people these two weeks to be with their families without fear of being arrested or taken into custody and ending up at Alligator Alcatraz or at Krome or other places to await deportation."Along with Wenski, other prelates including Bishop...
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley preaches during a Mass in the Oklahoma City cathedral in 2021. / Credit: Archdiocese of Oklahoma CityWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 22, 2025 / 13:07 pm (CNA).Archbishop Paul Coakley said this week he is looking forward to speaking with President Donald Trump in "the near future."Coakley, who was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November, said he has "not had any personal conversations" with Trump or Vice President JD Vance but anticipates "engaging with them over matters of mutual concern."When Coakley meets with the administration, "undoubtedly, the question of immigration is going to come up," he said in an interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Dec. 21. "I think we have opportunities to work together. We have opportunities to speak frankly with one another."In regard to immigration, Coakley said there is a lot of "anxiety" among migrants, but the situation "varies from place to place." He said: "...
Pope Leo XIV prays during his Wednesday general audience on Aug. 13, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Staff, Dec 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The pope's Worldwide Prayer Network has released Pope Leo XIV's list of prayer intentions for the year 2026.Every month, Pope Leo asks Catholics around the world to pray for a particular intention. This initiative is accompanied by a video in which the pontiff expresses the reasons why he has chosen that particular intention.Below is the complete list of Pope Leo's prayer intentions for 2026.January: For prayer with the word of GodLet us pray that praying with the word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.February: For children with incurable diseasesLet us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and...
Pope Leo XIV addresses officials of the Roman Curia at the Vatican on December 22, 2025. / Vatican Media (screenshot)Vatican City, Dec 22, 2025 / 06:25 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Monday called on officials of the Roman Curia to deepen both mission and communion, urging Vatican offices to be "more mission-oriented" and cautioning against the "forces of division" that can take root even "beneath an apparent calm."Speaking during his annual Christmas greetings with personnel of the Church's central administration, the pope also paid tribute to Pope Francis, whom he described as his "beloved predecessor" who "this year concluded his earthly life."Leo said Francis' "prophetic voice, pastoral style and rich magisterium" encouraged the Church "to place God's mercy at the center, to give renewed impetus to evangelization, and to be a joyful Church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest."Drawing on Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium," Leo focused his address on...
The ancient Aqaba Church witnesses to early Christianity in Jordan. / Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENAACI MENA, Dec 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).In Aqaba, a port city on the Red Sea in Jordan, an archaeological church site dating to the late third or early fourth century is being highlighted as one of the world's oldest purpose-built Christian worship spaces, constructed before Christianity received official recognition in the Roman Empire.Discovered in 1998 during excavations led by a team under American archaeologist Thomas Parker, the structure is being considered a significant milestone in early Christian history.The ancient church of Aqaba is a silent relic bearing witness to early Christianity in Jordan. Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENAThe team of researchers described a basilica-style layout, central nave, side aisles, and an eastern apse, suggesting an already organized local Christian community.Artifacts reported at the site include preserved walls, glass lamps, pottery, an...
The pope with boys and girls from Italian Catholic Action on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV told the young people of Italian Catholic Action that they can perform a simple gesture that would be the best gift this Christmas: make peace."Before the holy night of Christmas, think of someone with whom you can make peace," the pontiff urged members of the organization, founded in 1868, which has established itself as one of the main lay organizations of the Church in Italy.'A gift more valuable than those you can buy in stores'"It will be a gift more valuable than those you can buy in stores, because peace is a gift that is truly found only in the heart," he added.He said peace is the "Catholic action par excellence," because it is "the gesture that transforms us as witnesses of Jesus, the redeemer of the world."In this way, Leo made it clear that peace "is not only the absence of war" but above all "a friendship be...
