Now I am going to tell you about something that until I did this article I knew next to nothing about — Advent fasting customs of the Eastern Rite. All I knew is that the period of Advent starts way sooner than Advent in the West. Instead of the Sunday after the Solemnity of Christ … Read more
The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552), who was born in the castle of Xavier in Navarre, Spain. In 1525 he went to Paris where he met St. Ignatius Loyola and with whom he received Holy Orders in Venice in 1537. In 1540 he was sent to evangelize India. He labored in … Read more
Pope Leo XIV interacts with a baby before celebrating Mass in Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media CNA Staff, Dec 2, 2025 / 17:34 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV’s first official papal trip from Nov. 27–Dec. 2 to Turkey and Lebanon has just ended. The wide-ranging international visit included historic ecumenical … Read more
Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Bibiana (died c. 361) who was martyred at Rome under Julian the Apostate around the year 361.
Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Nov. 19, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, Dec 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA). The pope has approved the new General and Personnel Regulations of the Roman Curia, which come into effect Jan. 1, 2026, and which … Read more
Pope Leo XIV speaks with reporters on his flight from Beirut to Rome on Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Elias Turk/EWTN Rome, Italy, Dec 2, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has begun conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the need to halt violence and seek … Read more
The Roman Martyrology commemorates today the St. Charles Eugène de Foucauld (1858-1916), a French Catholic religious and priest, who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for the protection of the Tuareg, and is a martyr. His inspiration and writings … Read more
Pope Leo XIV addressed Lebanon’s bishops, clergy, and pastoral workers at Harissa, Lebanon, on Dec. 1, 2025. / Credit: Elias Turk/EWTN Harissa, Lebanon, Dec 1, 2025 / 05:32 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV told Lebanon’s bishops, clergy, and pastoral workers on Monday that Christians can remain steadfast in hope “even when surrounded by the sound … Read more
Pope Leo XIV reflects on the enduring message of St. Charbel Makhlouf at the hermit’s tomb at the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, Lebanon, on Dec. 1, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media Annaya, Lebanon, Dec 1, 2025 / 03:37 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV began his second day in Lebanon on Monday with a … Read more