Posted on 01/1/2026 07:05 AM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Jan. 1, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Jan 1, 2026 / 02:05 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV called Catholics to a steadfast openness to other people, warning that peace will not be built through force or exclusion, as he celebrated his first liturgy of the new year on Thursday.
“The world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing, or eliminating our brothers and sisters,” the pope said in his homily for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Rather, he added, it is saved by “tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate, and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear.”
As is customary for the Jan. 1 Mass, a large group of diplomats accredited to the Holy See attended the liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, underlining the international scope of the Church’s prayer for peace on the World Day of Peace, observed each year on the first day of January.
At the start of his homily, Leo XIV pointed to the ancient biblical blessing proclaimed in the liturgy: “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace” (Num 6:24-26). He recalled that this blessing was addressed to a people set free, Israel after slavery in Egypt, and he drew a parallel to the Christian life at the opening of a new year.
“For each of us, every day can be the beginning of a new life, thanks to God’s generous love, his mercy, and the response of our freedom,” he said. The coming year, he continued, can be seen “as an open journey to be discovered,” lived with confidence “free and bearers of freedom, forgiven and bringers of forgiveness,” trusting in “the closeness and goodness of the Lord who accompanies us always.”
The pope centered his reflection on the mystery of the Incarnation and Mary’s decisive role in salvation history. “By her ‘yes,’ she helped give a human face to the source of all mercy and benevolence: the face of Jesus,” he said.
Leo XIV invited the faithful to contemplate God’s love through Christ’s life: “Through his eyes — first as a child, then as a young man and as an adult — the Father’s love reaches us and transforms us.”
He urged Catholics to begin the year with renewed confidence in that love: “Let us ask the Lord to help us experience at every moment, around us and upon us, the warmth of his fatherly embrace and the light of his benevolent gaze.”
Echoing the theme he chose for this year’s World Day of Peace message, Leo XIV returned repeatedly to the image of God’s humility revealed in the Nativity. Citing St. Augustine, he emphasized “the complete gratuity of his love” and described God’s approach to humanity as one of radical vulnerability.
“As I emphasized in the message for this World Day of Peace, God presents himself to us ‘unarmed and disarming,’ as naked and defenseless as a newborn in a cradle,” the pope said.
That divine “style,” he suggested, is the model for Christian action in a world tempted by coercion, retaliation, and fear. Christian witness, he said, should reflect a God who does not overwhelm but invites, and who heals rather than humiliates.
Leo XIV also reflected on Mary’s path after Bethlehem, presenting her not only as mother but also as disciple. He described her as one who followed Jesus “with the heart of a humble disciple… all the way to the cross and the Resurrection.”
“To do so, she too laid aside every defense,” he said, renouncing “expectations, claims, and comforts,” and “consecrating her life without reserve to the son she had received by grace.”
In Mary’s divine motherhood, the pope added, the Church sees “the meeting of two immense, ‘unarmed’ realities”: God, who “renounces every privilege of his divinity to be born in the flesh” (cf. Phil 2:6-11), and the human person who embraces God’s will, offering “the greatest power she possesses: her freedom.”
Near the end of the homily, Leo XIV recalled a Jan. 1 homily of St. John Paul II that invited Christians to begin again with courage after the Jubilee of 2000. As the Church approaches the conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope, Leo XIV urged the faithful to return to the Nativity with faith and then step forward with renewed commitment.
“Let us approach it as the place of ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace par excellence,” he said, and then, “like the humble witnesses at the grotto,” to set out once more, “glorifying and praising God” (Lk 2:20) for what they have seen and heard.
“This be our commitment and our resolve for the months ahead, and, indeed, for the whole of our Christian lives,” he concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 21:00 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
Dec 31, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).
On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, and the first day of 2026, the Catholic Church offers the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences as a sign of God’s mercy and the desire for the sanctification of all her members.
A plenary indulgence is remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
On the eve of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to those Christian faithful who publicly recite the “Te Deum,” thanking God for the year that is ending. This blessing is extended especially on Dec. 31.
To recite the “Te Deum,” click here.
Likewise, on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a plenary indulgence is granted to those who publicly recite the hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring blessings for the new year that is beginning.
To recite the “Veni Creator,” click here.
Additionally, those who devoutly receive the papal blessing “urbi et orbi” (“for the city and for the world”), either through radio, television, or the internet, as well as those who devoutly receive the blessing of the bishop of their diocese, will also be able to obtain these special blessings from the Church.
In addition to performing the specific work mentioned above, the following conditions must be met:
First, it is necessary to be detached from all sin, even venial sin.
Second, one must make a sacramental confession, receive Communion, and pray for the pope’s intentions. These conditions can be met a few days before or after carrying out the action prescribed to obtain the indulgence, but it is suggested that Communion and prayer be performed on the same day that the action is carried out.
It is important to note that several indulgences can be obtained through a single confession, although frequent participation in the sacrament of reconciliation is recommended in order to deepen one’s conversion and purity of heart.
As for receiving Communion and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father, it should be noted that with just one Communion and one prayer, made on the same day, a plenary indulgence is obtained.
Finally, the condition of praying for the intentions of the supreme pontiff is fulfilled by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. However, each Christian is given the right to use any other formula according to his personal piety and devotion.
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.
It is not a forgiveness of sin but the remission of punishment for sins already forgiven. It may apply either to oneself or to souls already in purgatory.
In order to obtain a plenary indulgence the faithful must — in addition to being in the state of grace — both have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin (even venial sin), have sacramentally confessed their sins and received the Eucharist (either within or outside of Mass), and must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
The conditions for a plenary indulgence can be fulfilled a few days before or after performing the actions specified to gain the indulgence, but it is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 20:00 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV presides over first vespers (evening prayer) in St. Peter's Basilica in anticipation of the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Dec. 31, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media.
Dec 31, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV at a New Year’s Eve prayer service reflected on God’s divine plan of salvation for the world — and the hope of ordinary people.
“The world moves forward in this way, propelled by the hope of so many simple people — unknown to the world but not to God — who, despite everything, believe in a better tomorrow, because they know that the future is in the hands of the One who offers them the greatest hope,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 31.
Leo presided over first vespers (evening prayer) in anticipation of the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The liturgy included hymns, Psalms, readings from Scripture, and the singing of the “Te Deum,” a Latin hymn of thanksgiving from the early Church.
In his homily, the pontiff spoke about God’s plan versus the plans the world makes.
“In our own time we feel the need for a wise, benevolent, merciful plan — one that is free and liberating, peaceful and faithful, like the plan that the Virgin Mary proclaimed in her canticle of praise: ‘From generation to generation his mercy is upon those who fear him’ (Lk 1:50),” he said.
But, Leo noted, the world is enveloped in other plans: “Strategies aimed at conquering markets, territories, spheres of influence — armed strategies, cloaked in hypocritical rhetoric, ideological proclamations, and false religious motives.”
However, the holy Mother of God sees things with God’s eyes, the pope continued. She knows that “with the power of his arm the Most High scatters the schemes of the proud, casts the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly, fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty.”
The Holy Father referenced the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4, that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.”
The apostle presents the mystery of Christ as “a great plan for human history,” Leo said. “A mysterious plan, yet one with a clear center, like a lofty mountain illuminated by the sun in the midst of a dense forest: This center is the ‘fullness of time.’”
On the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, he emphasized Mary’s motherhood and her role in the revelation of the great mystery and paradox of “a God who is born of a virgin.”
“The mother of Jesus is the woman with whom God, in the fullness of time, wrote the Word that reveals the mystery,” he said. “He did not impose it; he first proposed it to her heart, and once her ‘yes’ was received, he wrote it with ineffable love in her flesh,” he said.
“Thus God’s hope became intertwined with Mary’s hope,” he added.
Pope Leo pointed out that the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, concludes the Octave of Christmas and “spans the passage from one year to the next and extends over it the blessing of the One ‘who is, who was, and who is to come’ (Rv 1:8).”
“The liturgy of the first vespers of the Mother of God possesses a singular richness, deriving both from the dizzying mystery it celebrates and from its placement at the very end of the solar year,” he said.
Recalling that the Church is at the end of the Jubilee Year 2025, he added that the “Te Deum” prayer, to be sung at the end of the liturgy, “seems to expand so as to give voice to all the hearts and faces that have passed beneath these vaults and through the streets of this city.”
“We thank God for the gift of the jubilee, which has been a great sign of his plan of hope for humanity and for the world. And we thank all those who, during the months and days of 2025, have worked in service to the pilgrims and to make Rome more welcoming,” he said.
“What can we wish for Rome?” he continued. “That it may be worthy of its smallest ones: of children, of elderly people who are alone and frail, of families who struggle most to make ends meet, of men and women who have come from afar hoping for a dignified life.”
After the prayer service, Pope Leo visited the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, a papal custom, while the Swiss Guard Band gave its annual Christmas concert.
He then personally greeted the band and some of the people gathered in the square.
Pope Leo celebrates First Vespers of the Feast of Saint Mary, Most Holy Mother of God and Te Deum of Thanksgiving on New Year’s Eve in St. Peter’s Basilica, emphasizing in his homily the paradox of “a God born of a virgin, blessing the passing of one year to the next with Him,… pic.twitter.com/nKFQuNCDgh
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) December 31, 2025
Posted on 12/31/2025 16:58 PM (Catholic News Agency)
Afternoon prayers for the ecumenical youth gathering are taking place in the Accor Arena, which can accommodate more than 20,000 people. Credit: Taizé Community
, Dec 31, 2025 / 11:58 am (CNA).
Thousands of European youth are in Paris for an ecumenical event organized by the Taizé Community.
Posted on 12/31/2025 15:50 PM (Catholic News Agency)
“When I began hearing the confessions of the faithful, I understood that there can be no inner peace without forgiveness," said Father Pero Miličević.| Credit: Vatican Media
, Dec 31, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).
Twenty years after his father and other relatives were murdered by Muslim militiamen in Bosnia, Father Pero Miličević was finally able to forgive the perpetrators.
Posted on 12/31/2025 13:08 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media
Dec 31, 2025 / 08:08 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV used the Vatican’s final general audience of 2025 on Wednesday to invite Catholics to look back on the past year with gratitude and repentance, and to place what lies ahead in God’s hands.
In St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 31, the pope said 2025 brought both joy and sorrow, citing the jubilee pilgrimage of the faithful as well as “the passing of the late Pope Francis” and “the scenarios of war that continue to convulse the planet.”
“At its end,” Leo said, “the Church invites us to place everything before the Lord, entrusting ourselves to his providence, and asking him to renew, in us and around us, in the coming days, the wonders of his grace and mercy.”
He tied that end-of-year spiritual “dynamic” to the Church’s Te Deum observance, saying the hymn of praise and thanksgiving helps believers recognize God’s gifts and renew hope. Leo noted that the prayer includes lines such as: “You are God: We praise you,” “In you, Lord, is our hope,” and “Have mercy on us.”
According to the Vatican’s published schedule, Leo was set to celebrate first vespers for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, at 5 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by the Te Deum.
In his catechesis, the pope encouraged an honest examination of conscience, calling the faithful to reflect on God’s action over the past year, to evaluate their response to his gifts, and to ask forgiveness for times they failed to follow his inspirations or invest well the talents entrusted to them.
Leo also returned to a core jubilee image, describing life as a pilgrimage. “This reminds us that our whole life is a journey,” he said, one that reaches its true fulfillment in “the encounter with God and in full and eternal communion with him.”
The pope pointed to another emblematic jubilee practice, the passage through the Holy Door, describing it as a concrete sign of conversion and of the believer’s yes to God, who “invites us to cross the threshold of a new life, animated by grace, modeled on the Gospel.”
Looking to Christmas, Leo recalled St. Leo the Great’s preaching on the universal joy of Christ’s birth: “Let the saint rejoice … let the sinner rejoice … let the pagan take courage.” The pope said that invitation extends to all, including those who feel weak or fragile, because Christ has taken human frailty upon himself and redeemed it.
To close, Leo cited St. Paul VI’s reflection at the end of the 1975 Jubilee, saying its core message can be summed up in a single word: “love.” He then repeated Paul VI’s emphatic profession of faith, including: “God is love! … God is mercy! God is forgiveness! … God, yes, God is life!”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 13:00 PM (CNA Daily News - US)
Pope Leo XIV greets a girl in a wheelchair during an audience with members of Italian Catholic Action on Dec. 19, 2025 at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Dec 31, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
2025 was filled with impactful moments — from the death of Pope Francis to the election of the first American-born pope, Leo XIV, to hundreds of thousands of young people who gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth to the canonization of the Church’s first millennial saint.
Here are some of the top Catholic moments of 2025:
The new year began with Catholics around the world uniting in prayer for Pope Francis’ health as he entered the hospital on Feb. 14. He was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome due to a respiratory infection that progressed to bilateral pneumonia, requiring a prolonged hospitalization that lasted almost six weeks.
On March 23, Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital and gave a blessing from the hospital window to the faithful who were gathered.
Soon after, on March 29, the late pontiff was readmitted to the hospital with difficulty breathing. On April 21, the day after Easter, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88 from a stroke, coma, and irreversible cardiovascular collapse, according to the death certificate published just over 12 hours after Francis’ death.
More than 400,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26 as the world said goodbye to the first Latin American pope, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years.
On May 7, 133 cardinal electors gathered in the Sistine Chapel for the start of the conclave. After four ballots, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected on May 8 as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church and took the name Pope Leo XIV. A Chicago native, he became the first American pope in Church history.
Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the bells of the basilica began to toll, confirming the election of a new pontiff. The crowds gathered as word spread throughout Rome that a new pope had been chosen.
One of Pope Leo’s first major events was the Jubilee of Youth, which was held in Rome from July 28 to Aug. 3. Roughly 1 million young adults from around the world filled the streets of Rome as each day was filled with different opportunities and events for the young people to experience the richness of the Catholic faith.
On Aug. 2, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by the largest crowd he had addressed during his pontificate thus far for the evening vigil at Tor Vergata, an outdoor venue 10 miles east of Rome. An estimated 1 million people were in attendance. The Holy Father arrived by helicopter and then drove through the grounds on the popemobile, waving to the cheering young people before the prayer service began.
The Catholic community was shaken when a school shooting took place on Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Two children were killed and 20 were injured. The shooter was identified as Robin Westman — who was born “Robert” and identified as a transgender woman — who died by suicide shortly after shooting through the windows of the church during a weekday school Mass.
The Holy Father sent his condolences and offered prayers for the victims. He described the event as an “extremely difficult” and “terrible” tragedy.
On Sept. 7, two of the Church’s most beloved blesseds became saints: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. The canonizations of the two men, promulgated before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, were the first of Leo XIV’s pontificate.
During his homily, the pope said: “Today we look to St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis: a young man from the early 20th century and a teenager from our own day, both in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for him.”
“Dear friends, Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces,” he added.
The Catholic Church gained a new doctor of the Church on Nov. 1 , when Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and theologian — one of the most influential converts from Anglicanism — as a towering figure of faith and intellect in modern Catholicism.
“Newman’s impressive spiritual and cultural stature will surely serve as an inspiration to new generations whose hearts thirst for the infinite and who, through research and knowledge, are willing to undertake that journey which, as the ancients said, takes us ‘per aspera ad astra,’ through difficulties to the stars,” the pope said in his homily.
On Nov. 21, Pope Leo took part in his first digital encounter with American youth during the National Catholic Youth Conference, which took place Nov. 20–22 in Indianapolis.
The conference featured Catholic speakers, daily Mass and adoration, music and worship, breakout groups and workshops, and interactive exhibits with games, vendors, meetups, and live radio shows.
The main attraction of the conference was the hourlong live, virtual dialogue the pope had with those in attendance. Five young people were chosen to ask the Holy Father questions, which ranged from prayer to technology to friendships and the future of the Church. Pope Leo gave those gathered invaluable advice regarding the several different topics discussed.
Pope Leo visited Turkey and Lebanon during his first papal trip from Nov. 27–Dec. 2. The wide-ranging international visit included historic ecumenical encounters, deeply symbolic gestures of prayer, and pastoral visits to Christian communities under pressure. The Holy Father highlighted the importance of unity, peace, and fraternity, and brought encouragement to a region marked by ancient faith and present suffering.
Posted on 12/31/2025 11:00 AM (CNA Daily News - US)
Credit: udra11/Shutterstock
Dec 31, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The past year has seen several notable Catholics pass away — from public officials to the vicar of Christ himself.
Here’s a rundown of some prominent Catholics around the world who left us in 2025:
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, passed away at 7:35 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 21, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. The 88-year-old pontiff led the Catholic Church for a little more than 12 years.
The first Latin American pope in history as well as the first Jesuit pope, Francis led the Church through significant canonical and catechetical reforms, urging the faithful to reach out and minister to those on the margins of society while preaching the mercy of God.
Upon his death he left the legacy of what Cardinal Kevin Farrell said was a life “dedicated to the service of God and his Church,” one that urged the faithful to “live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized.”
Pope Francis was succeeded in the chair of St. Peter by Pope Leo XIV on May 8.
Mabel Landry Staton, a trailblazing athlete who briefly set an Olympic record at the 1952 Summer Olympics, died on Feb. 20 at age 92.
Representing the United States at the Olympic games in Helsinki in 1952, Staton — known as “Dolly” after a nickname from her father — set a record in the long jump category at 19 feet 3.25 inches. Though the record only lasted for several minutes before New Zealand athlete Yvette Williams bested it, Staton would go on to win medals in the 1955 Pan American Games.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Staton served as a Eucharistic minister at St. Thomas More Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, as well as on the board of the Black Catholic Ministry of the Diocese of Camden.
According to the Inquirer, Staton “could still outsprint some of the local high school boys in her 70s.”
Alasdair MacIntyre, a towering figure in moral philosophy and a Catholic convert credited with reviving the discipline of virtue ethics, died on May 21 at age 96.
His seminal 1981 work “After Virtue” reshaped contemporary moral and political philosophy, emphasizing virtue over utilitarian or deontological frameworks.
Known by many as “the most important” modern Catholic philosopher, MacIntyre’s intellectual and spiritual journey spanned atheism, Marxism, Anglicanism, and ultimately Roman Catholicism.
James Hitchcock — a noted historian of the Catholic Church, popular author, and longtime college professor — died on July 14 at age 87.
Hitchcock was remembered by friends and colleagues as a man of prophetic insight who defended Church teaching and helped to make the Catholic intellectual tradition accessible for his students and readers.
Hitchcock taught history at Saint Louis University from the late 1960s until 2013. Some of the most popular of the dozen books he wrote include his one-volume “History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium,” published in 2012 by Ignatius Press.
Frank Caprio, who served as a Providence, Rhode Island, municipal court judge for nearly 40 years and came to be known as “America’s nicest judge,” passed away on Aug. 20 from pancreatic cancer.
Caprio gained worldwide fame for a lenient judicial style that blended justice, extreme empathy, and mercy when his courtroom was televised in a program called “Caught in Providence.”
The program began in 1999 and went viral in 2017, achieving hundreds of millions of views since then. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021 and has a YouTube channel with nearly 3 million subscribers.
Caprio told EWTN News in February that he always kept in mind something his father, a hardworking Italian immigrant with a fifth-grade education, had impressed upon him: “What might seem like a small fine to some was something that many couldn’t afford.”
“Your case is dismissed” became Caprio’s signature phrase.
Thomas A. Nelson, the founder of TAN Books — a Catholic publishing house known for its books promoting traditional Catholicism in the post-Vatican II era — died Aug. 16 at age 88.
Nelson, who had previously worked as a teacher, founded TAN Books and Publishers Inc. in Rockford, Illinois, in 1967 and an accompanying printing plant in 1978. In addition to being Nelson’s initials, TAN is an acronym for the Latin phrase “Tuum Adoramus Nomen” (“Let Us Adore Thy Name”).
Under Nelson’s ownership, TAN became known for publishing orthodox Catholic books, including reprints of classic Catholic works on theology, Scripture, traditional devotions, the Traditional Latin Mass, and the lives of the saints as well as new titles on these subjects by contemporary authors.
The Duchess of Kent, who became the first senior British royal to be received into the Catholic Church since the 17th century, died on Sept. 4 at the age of 92.
Renowned for her natural charm, compassion for the sick and downtrodden, and commitment to serving others, the duchess was a much-loved and hardworking British royal whose popularity was enhanced by her own personal suffering and self-effacing nature.
She was received into the Church in January 1994 by Cardinal Basil Hume. Up until then, no senior royal had publicly been received into the Church since 1685.
Katharine spoke favorably of the Church’s moral precepts. “I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines,” she once told the BBC. “I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know what’s expected of me.”
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved Catholic nun who became known across the country at the age of 98 as the chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team, died Oct. 9 at the age of 106.
Sister Jean was born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on Aug. 21, 1919, to Joseph and Bertha Schmidt. She was raised in a devout Catholic home in San Francisco’s Castro District.
In 1937, she joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and took the name Sister Jean Dolores. In 1991, she joined the staff at Loyola Chicago and three years later became part of the basketball team, first as an academic adviser before transitioning to chaplain.
Sister Jean led the team in prayer before each game — praying for her players to be safe, for the referees to be fair, and for God’s assistance during the game.
She also admitted to praying for the opposing team, though “not as hard.”
Sister Mary Michael of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, PCPA, died on Nov. 10 at age 94 after roughly three-quarters of a century of religious life.
Sister Mary Michael was the last of the original five nuns who, along with EWTN foundress Mother Angelica, began the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama.
Born Evelyn Shinosky on Feb. 25, 1931, to Joseph and Helen Shinosky, she entered Sancta Clara Monastery in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 15, 1951, and received the habit and her new name the following May.
Her passing marked the end of an era at EWTN and at the monastery — one that saw both the launch of the global Catholic network and the expansion of the religious community to include the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.
Paul Badde, author of many well-known books such as “Benedict Up Close,” “The Face of God,” and “The True Icon,” died on Nov. 10 at the age of 77 after a long illness. Badde was also a veteran contributor to EWTN and CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
Born in Schaag, Germany — a small village on the Lower Rhine — he studied philosophy and sociology in Freiburg as well as art history, history, and political science in Frankfurt. Before embarking on a journalistic career, Badde worked as a teacher for several years.
A founding editor of Vatican Magazine, Paul and his wife, Ellen, had five children.
Longtime immigrant rights advocate Sister JoAnn Persch died on Nov. 14 at age 91.
Two weeks before her death, Persch attempted to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility where for decades the Sisters of Mercy ministered to migrants and refugees. Officials denied her entry.
Persch and Sister Pat Murphy were founding members of the Su Casa Catholic Worker House in Chicago, serving refugees from Central America who were survivors of war, torture, and political persecution.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Posted on 12/30/2025 20:56 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Aerial view of St. Peter’s Square filled with thousands of mourners including clergy and dignitaries gathered for Pope Francis’ funeral Mass under a clear blue sky on April 26, 2025, in Vatican City. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
Dec 30, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).
During the year 2025, the participation of the faithful in audiences and liturgical celebrations at the Vatican reached a total of 3,176,620 people.
The Vatican released on Dec. 30 the attendance figures for liturgical celebrations in 2025, a year marked by the Jubilee of Hope, the death of Pope Francis, and the election in May of Pope Leo XIV.
Under the pontificate of Pope Francis, who died on April 21, a total attendance of 262,820 faithful was recorded. The largest crowds were at the Angelus, with 130,000 people, followed by the liturgical celebrations, which drew 62,000 faithful.
The general and jubilee audiences were attended by 60,500 people, while the total for special audiences was 10,320. The months with the highest attendance were January and February, especially for the Angelus and liturgical celebrations.
Pope Francis did not preside over any ceremonies or hold any meetings or audiences during the month of March due to his extended stay at Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
For Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, which began on May 8, a total of 2,913,800 faithful attended various events. General and jubilee audiences had the greatest participation, drawing 1,069,000 people, followed by the Angelus, with 900,000 in attendance, and liturgical celebrations, which drew 796,500 faithful.
Special audiences brought together 148,300 people. The months with the highest attendance were September, October, and December, with October standing out for the large number of attendees at general audiences.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/30/2025 15:45 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Credit: Zolnierek/Shutterstock
Dec 30, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV warned about the danger that gambling poses to many families during a Dec. 29 audience with members of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.
At the beginning of his address, delivered in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, the Holy Father explained that “the incarnation of the Son of God brings us face to face with a child, whose gentle fragility is in stark contrast to the crushing power of King Herod.”
In this context, he emphasized that “the massacre of the innocents ordered by him not only represents a loss of a future for society but is also a manifestation of an inhuman power that does not know the beauty of love because it disregards the dignity of human life.”
On the contrary, the pope explained that the birth of the Lord “reveals the most authentic aspect of all power, which is above all responsibility and service,” and noted that all authority must “embody the virtues of humility, honesty, and communion.”
The pontiff thus alluded to the public commitment of the Italian association, reminding them of the importance of listening “as a social dynamic that activates these virtues,” specifically “to the needs of families and individuals, especially caring for the most vulnerable, for the good of all.”
Pope Leo XIV focused his attention on certain realities that require special attention, such as the difficulties faced by families and young people as well as the loneliness of the elderly and the “silent cry of the poor.”
In this regard, he emphasized that “our cities are not anonymous places but rather faces and stories that must be safeguarded like precious treasures.”
He also quoted Venerable Giorgio La Pira, known as “the holy mayor” of Florence, who maintained that his fundamental duty was to care for and alleviate anyone who was suffering. In this way, the pope stated that “social cohesion and civic harmony require, first and foremost, listening to the least among us and the poor.”
He then urged the members of the National Association of Italian Municipalities to “become models of dedication to the common good, fostering a social alliance for hope.”
After lamenting that cities are experiencing forms of marginalization, violence, and loneliness “that demand to be addressed,” Pope Leo specifically warned against gambling, “which ruins many families.” Citing the latest report from Caritas Italy, he emphasized that this type of gambling addiction is a “serious problem of education, mental health, and social trust.”
“We cannot forget other forms of loneliness from which many people suffer: mental disorders, depression, cultural and spiritual poverty, and social abandonment. These are signs that indicate how much hope is needed. To bear witness to it effectively, politics is called to forge authentically human relationships among citizens, promoting social peace,” the pontiff said.
He also urged that administrative activity promote “the talents of individuals, giving cultural and spiritual depth to cities.”
At the end of his address, he asked the members of the association to have “the courage to offer hope to the people, planning together the best future for their lands, in the logic of integral human development.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.