Catholic News

• 45 states are seeking Church documents on abuse, Pennsylvania attorney general says (USA Today)
  A landmark state grand jury report found that more than 300 Pennsylvania priests abused over 1,000 minors since the 1940s.
• Report: home on Gonzaga University's campus housed at least 20 accused Jesuits (Reveal)
  “The abusive Jesuits at Cardinal Bea House were part of the Oregon Province’s outsized problem with sexual misconduct,” according to the report. “The province had 92 Jesuits accused of sexual abuse, by far the most of any province in the country.”
• 'I'm not a dictator,' Texas bishop says in response to public criticism (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
  Bishop Michael Olson, 52, was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fort Worth in 1994 and Bishop of Fort Worth in 2014.
• Primate chosen for independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church (CWN)
  Meeting in Kiev on December 15, Ukrainian Orthodox bishops elected Metropolitan Epifanyj of Perejasalv-Khmel'nitsky to become the primate of an autocephalous (self-governing) Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
• Pope sharpens attack on death penalty, a 'state crime' (CWN)
  Pope Francis has sharpened his criticism of the death penalty, saying that previous Church teachings in support of capital punishment were “more legalistic than Christian.”
• On Gaudete Sunday, Pope blesses statues of Child Jesus, invites pilgrims to joyful gratitude (Vatican News)
  “When you gather in your homes in prayer before the manger, looking at the Child Jesus, you will feel amazement at the great mystery of God made man; and the Holy Spirit will give your heart the humility, tenderness, and goodness of Jesus,” Pope Francis said during his December 16 Angelus address (video).
• Cardinal Nichols apologizes for withholding evidence of child abuse allegations (The Telegraph)
  Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster testified before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales.
• Vatican delegation in China for 'practical steps' to implement bishop agreement (Global Times)
  The Global Times, based in Beijing, reflects the views of China’s Communist government.
• Pope Francis celebrates 82nd birthday (Vatican News)
  
• Pope Francis receives Italian Prime Minister Conte (Vatican News)
  “We discussed issues such as social inequalities, migration, the environment, and peace,” said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who assumed office in June.
• Former Archbishop Nienstedt prohibited from celebrating Mass (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
  Click here for the full text of the letter from Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, who succeeded Archdiocese John Nienstedt.
• Pope emphasizes education of refugee children in address to Christmas concert artists (Vatican Press Office)
  The theme of the concert was “refugees.” Dee Dee Bridgewater, Anastacia, and Alessandra Amoroso were among the artists at the concert (Italian media report).
• Cardinal Müller strongly criticizes 'party spirit of progressivism' in Church in Germany (LifeSite News)
  Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, 70, served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017.
• French police kill Strasbourg Christmas market shooting suspect (New York Times)
  On December 11, a terrorist, shouting “Allahu akbar” (Allah is great), killed five and injured 11 during an attack on the Christmas market in front of Strasbourg Cathedral (photograph). Strasbourg is a city of 275,000 in eastern France and headquarters of the European Parliament, which Pope Francis visited in 2014.
• Pope accepts invitation to visit Slovakia (Rome Reports)
  On December 14, Pope Francis received Andrej Kiska, Slovakia’s president since 2014. The Central European nation of 2 million is 58% Catholic.
• Vatican delegation heads to Hanoi to continue bilateral talks (Vatican News)
  A delegation from the Vatican will be in Hanoi this week, to continue talks aimed at establishing formal diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The Holy See has set an agreement with Vietnam governing the appointment of new bishops—a deal that has been seen as prelude to the more recent deal with China—but has not established diplomatic relations.
• Egyptian prosecutors investigate killing of two Coptic Christians by police sergeant (Al-Ahram)
  The killings took place in Minya, a city of 260,000 (map).
• Argentine bishops follow Pope's lead with major interreligious declaration (Crux)
  Click here for the full text of the “Declaración por el diálogo y la convivencia,” signed by Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim leaders.
• Papal Christmas greetings to Santa Marta dispensary (Vatican News)
  “Working with children is not easy, but it teaches us a lot,” the Pope told workers at the dispensary, which provides medical assistance to children in need. “It teaches me one thing: that in order to understand the reality of life, you have to lower yourself.”
• Papal preacher devotes second Advent sermon to 'the living God and the living Trinity' (Cantalamessa.org)
  Capuchin Franciscan Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household since 1980, delivered his sermon on December 14 in the presence of Pope Francis. The overarching theme of his Advent sermons this year is “My soul thirsts for the living God.”
• More...