Italian family preserves 300-year tradition of handmade Nativity scenes

Bottega Ferrigno is located in the iconic "Christmas Alley," part of the southern Italian city of Naples' historic San Gregorio Armeno neighborhood. / Credit: Gianpiero Passalia/EWTN NewsRome Newsroom, Dec 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).On a small street in the center of Naples, Italy, artisans like Giovanni Giudice work to preserve the custom of handcrafted Neapolitan Nativity scenes, a tradition dating back more than 300 years."The story of the Neapolitan Nativity scene begins with the Bourbon domination, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and between them … a competition of who made the most beautiful and unique Nativity scene," Giudice, a third-generation artisan, told Valentina Di Donato of EWTN News. "So from there, the whole story began here in Naples."Artisan Giovanni Giudice speaks to EWTN News' Valentina Di Donato about his hand-crafted Neapolitan Nativity scenes, a tradition dating back more than 300 years, at Bottega Ferrigno in Naples, Italy. Credit: Gianpiero Passalia/EW...

2025 saw expanded access to physician-assisted suicide 

Empty wheelchairs used during the Nov. 4, 2025, anti-assisted suicide event in Rome. / Credit: Courtesy of ProVita & FamigliaWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Despite opposition from advocacy groups and Catholic leaders, multiple states and countries advanced legislation in 2025 to expand access to physician-assisted suicide.Delaware Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed a bill in May legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, allowing patients to self-administer lethal medication. After the bill was signed, several disability and patient advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Delaware on Dec. 8 alleging that the law discriminates against people with disabilities. Illinois The House passed a bill in May to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois, and it stalled in the Senate during the regular s...

Vatican expert: Co-Redemptrix title of Mary not absolutely prohibited

Monsignor Maurizio Gronchi. Credit: EWTN NoticiasDec 28, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).Monsignor Maurizio Gronchi, an expert consultant for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, clarified that the measure established last month regarding the use of the titles "Co-Redemptrix" and "Mediatrix" for the Virgin Mary is "not an absolute prohibition" and that these titles can still be used in popular piety, provided their meaning is understood."It's not an absolute prohibition, but it will no longer be used in official documents or in the liturgy. But if used in popular devotion, understanding its meaning, no one will be reprimanded for it," the expert said in an interview with "EWTN Noticias," the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.The interview took place after the Nov. 4 publication of the doctrinal note " Mother of the Faithful People" in which the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by Cardinal Víctor Fernández, stated that the use of the tit...

Pope Leo XIV urges families to keep the flame of love alive

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus on Dec. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Dec 28, 2025 / 09:49 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged Christian families to "cherish the values of the Gospel" and protect the "flame of love" in their homes against modern myths of success, power, and comfort that he said often leave people isolated and divided.Speaking to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square before the Angelus on Dec. 28, the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the pope reflected on the Gospel account of the family's flight into Egypt and contrasted the trust of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with what he called the fear-driven cruelty of King Herod."It is a moment of trial for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Leo said, adding that "the bright image of Christmas is suddenly almost eclipsed by the disturbing shadow of a deadly threat."The pope described Herod as "a cruel and bloodthirsty man" who is "deeply lone...

Pope Leo XIV sends 3 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Pope Leo XIV addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for recitation of the Angelus on Dec. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Dec 28, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV has sent three trucks carrying humanitarian aid to parts of Ukraine hit hardest by bombardments, where residents are facing severe shortages of electricity, water, and heat.Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the pope's almoner, disclosed the delivery to Vatican media on Dec. 27, saying the convoy carried special food that can be dissolved in a small amount of water to produce energy-rich soups with chicken and vegetables.Krajewski described the shipment as a small gesture of closeness from the pope to Ukrainian families on the feast of the Holy Family, celebrated Dec. 28.The trucks, he said, arrived in the Vatican shortly before Christmas loaded with supplies donated by South Korean food company Samyang Foods. As had happened on previous occasions, including during the pontificate of...

Trump vows more strikes on Nigerian militants due to Christian persecution

Flag of Nigeria on soldiers arm. / Credit: Bumble Dee/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 26, 2025 / 18:22 pm (CNA).After launching an attack on ISIS militants in Nigeria, President Donald Trump vowed that the United States would wage more military strikes if the ongoing persecution of Christians persists in the country.The U.S. military coordinated with the Nigerian government in the joint operation, which targeted camps in the Sokoto state, where military officials said ISIS militants were based. The state is a predominantly Sunni Muslim region in the northwestern corner of Nigeria, bordering Niger.Gen. Dagvin Anderson of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement that U.S. forces are "working with Nigerian and regional partners to increase counterterrorism cooperation efforts related to ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives.""Our goal is to protect Americans and to disrupt violent extremist organizations wherever they are," he said.The Nigeria...

Sudanese bishop delivers Christmas message in midst of war

Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku of Sudan's El Obeid Diocese. Credit: CRNACI Africa, Dec 26, 2025 / 15:37 pm (CNA).In a country battered by violence, displacement, and fear, the 2025 Christmas message of Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku Andali of Sudan's Catholic Diocese of El-Obeid addressed the people of God in the midst of their suffering and the fragile hope still carried by the celebration of Christmas.For Trille, the Christmas proclamation is rooted in God's fidelity, since "the birth of Christ is the manifestation of the glory of our God," revealing his promise of salvation and peace for the whole of creation.Through Christ's birth, he explained, "the gate of heaven is opened for us" and reconciliation becomes possible because "the birth of Christ opens the way for our reconciliation with our Creator."He drew a parallel between the manger and Sudan's humanitarian crisis, saying: "Seeing the baby Jesus in the manger describes the situation of all those of us in our c...

First Holy Door closed: 'Special time for the Church is closed, but not God's grace'

Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas closes the Holy Door at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome on Dec. 25, 2025. | Credit: Vatican MediaDec 26, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).With the closing of the Holy Door of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, the Vatican began on Dec. 25 the gradual conclusion of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope convened by the Church.The rite was presided over by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of the Marian basilica, who emphasized that "it is not divine grace that is being closed but a special time for the Church, and what remains open forever is the merciful heart of God."St. Mary Major is the first of the four papal basilicas in Rome to close its Holy Door. This Saturday, Dec. 27, the Holy Door of St. John Lateran will be closed by Cardinal Baldassare Reina; on Sunday, Dec. 28, that of St. Paul Outside the Walls by Cardinal James Michael Harvey; and finally, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV will close the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica...

In interview with Bishop Barron, Justice Barrett opens up about her faith 

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. / Credit: Rachel Malehorn/wikimedia CC BY SA 3.0Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 26, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett says her Catholic faith "grounds her" and gives her "perspective."During an interview with Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Barrett tackled a number of topics including free speech, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and her law career. The U.S. Supreme Court justice also opened up about her Catholic faith, including how she prays and her relationship with the saints.A 'love for the saints'When asked which spiritual figures have influenced her, Barrett shared about her relationships with the saints, specifically her love for St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thérèse of Lisieux."My favorite was Thérèse of Lisieux. We have a daughter named Thérèse," Barrett said. "I was captivated when I was young by how young she was when she just completely gave her life over to the Lord.""...

CNA explains: How does 'Mass dispensation' work, and when is it used?

null / Credit: FotoDax/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Dec 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Amid heavy immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, several bishops in the U.S. have recently issued broad dispensations to Catholics in their dioceses, allowing them to refrain from attending Mass on Sundays if they fear arrest or deportation from federal officials.Bishops in North Carolina, California, and elsewhere have issued such dispensations, stating that those with legitimate concerns of being detained by immigration agents are free from the usual Sunday obligation.The Church's canon law dictates that Sunday is considered the "primordial holy day of obligation," one on which all Catholics are "obliged to participate in the Mass." Several other holy days of obligation exist throughout the liturgical year, though Sunday (or the Saturday evening prior) is always considered obligatory for Mass attendance.The numerous dispensations issued recently in dioceses around the country have under...