On solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, pope encourages renewing our 'yes' to God
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Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus prayer on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus prayer Dec. 8 from the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.Addressing the faithful and pilgrims in attendance in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff commented that on Dec. 8 we express our joy because the Father of heaven wanted her to be "preserved immune from all stain of original sin.""The Lord has granted to Mary the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart, in view of an even greater miracle: the coming of Christ the Savior," he added.The pope also noted that the gift of the fullness of grace in the young woman of Nazareth "was able to bear fruit because she in her freedom welcomed it, embracing the plan of God."He emphasized that "the Lord always acts in this way: He gives us great gifts, but he leaves ...
Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus prayer on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus prayer Dec. 8 from the window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
Addressing the faithful and pilgrims in attendance in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff commented that on Dec. 8 we express our joy because the Father of heaven wanted her to be "preserved immune from all stain of original sin."
"The Lord has granted to Mary the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart, in view of an even greater miracle: the coming of Christ the Savior," he added.
The pope also noted that the gift of the fullness of grace in the young woman of Nazareth "was able to bear fruit because she in her freedom welcomed it, embracing the plan of God."
He emphasized that "the Lord always acts in this way: He gives us great gifts, but he leaves us free to accept them or not."
For the Holy Father, this feast also invites us to "believe as she believed, giving our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us."
In this way, he pointed out that the miracle that happened for Mary at her conception was "renewed for us in baptism: Cleansed from original sin, we have become children of God, his dwelling place and the temple of the Holy Spirit."
"The 'yes' of the mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed faithfully each day, with gratitude, humility, and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service. In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed, and loved everywhere and salvation can come to everyone," he emphasized.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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A view of St. Patrick's Cathedral near Rockefeller Center in Manhattan on Feb. 2, 2023, in New York City. The cathedral was completed in 1878 the Gothic Revival style by architect James Renwick Jr. / Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Dec 9, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).The Archdiocese of New York will pay out nearly a third of a billion dollars to victims of clergy sex abuse, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said this week, offering one of the biggest Church payouts in U.S. history in order to compensate for the "horror of abuse" by clergy there. Cardinal Dolan said the archdiocese will pay out "a total of more than $300 million" to abuse survivors as part of a "global settlement" with victims. The archdiocese has made "a series of very difficult financial decisions" to help fund the settlement, Cardinal Dolan said in the Dec. 8 statement, including staff layoffs and a 10% reduction in the archdiocese's operating budget. "We are also working to finalize the sale of...
