Posted on 12/22/2025 11:25 AM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV addresses officials of the Roman Curia at the Vatican on Dec. 22, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Dec 22, 2025 / 06:25 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Monday called on officials of the Roman Curia to deepen both mission and communion, urging Vatican offices to be “more mission-oriented” and cautioning against the “forces of division” that can take root even “beneath an apparent calm.”
Speaking during his annual Christmas greetings with personnel of the Church’s central administration, the pope also paid tribute to Pope Francis, whom he described as his “beloved predecessor” who “this year concluded his earthly life.”
Leo said Francis’ “prophetic voice, pastoral style, and rich magisterium” encouraged the Church “to place God’s mercy at the center, to give renewed impetus to evangelization, and to be a joyful Church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest.”
Drawing on Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Leo focused his address on what he called “two fundamental aspects of the Church’s life: mission and communion.”
“By her very nature, the Church is outward-looking, turned toward the world, missionary,” the pope said, adding that the Church exists to invite people into “the good news of God’s love.”
He insisted that ecclesial structures should serve evangelization rather than slow it down. “Structures must not weigh down or slow the progress of the Gospel or hinder the dynamism of evangelization; instead, we must ‘make them more mission-oriented,’” he said.
Applying that principle directly to Vatican governance, the pope said: “We need an ever more missionary Roman Curia in which institutions, offices, and tasks are conceived in light of today’s major ecclesial, pastoral, and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration.”
Leo said the mystery of Christmas highlights not only the mission of the Son of God but also the purpose of that mission: reconciliation and a new kind of fraternity. “Christmas reminds us that Jesus came to reveal the true face of God as Father, so that we might all become his children and therefore brothers and sisters to one another,” he said.
The pope warned that communion within the Church requires ongoing conversion, especially when tensions arise in workplaces and debates about doctrine and practice.
“At times, beneath an apparent calm, forces of division may be at play,” he said. He cautioned against “swinging between two opposite extremes: uniformity that fails to value differences, or the exacerbation of differences and viewpoints instead of seeking communion.”
Such patterns, he said, can lead to “rigidity or ideology” and the conflicts that follow.
Yet, he continued, Christians are united in Christ even amid real diversity. “And in Christ, though many and diverse, we are one: ‘In Illo uno unum,’” he said.
Leo called Curia officials in particular to be “builders of Christ’s communion,” emphasizing a synodal Church in which “all cooperate in the same mission, each according to his or her charism and role.”
The pope acknowledged that long years of service can leave some Vatican employees disheartened by workplace dynamics, including “the exercise of power,” “the desire to prevail,” or “the pursuit of personal interests.”
He posed the question directly: “Is it possible to be friends in the Roman Curia? To have relationships of genuine fraternal friendship?” He said it is “a grace to find trustworthy friends, where masks fall away,” where “no one is used or sidelined,” and where each person’s “worth and competence are respected.”
Such relationships, he said, require personal conversion so that “Christ’s love” can be visible.
The pope also linked internal communion to the Church’s public witness in a world marked by violence and polarization. He said this conversion becomes a sign “ad extra” in “a world wounded by discord, violence, and conflict,” where there is “a growth in aggression and anger,” often “exploited by both the digital sphere and politics.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, mission and communion are possible if we place Christ at the center,” Leo said.
He also pointed to the significance of the Church’s current jubilee year, saying it underscores that Christ “alone is the hope that does not disappoint.”
The pope referenced two major anniversaries marked this year: the Council of Nicaea, which he said returns the Church “to the roots of our faith,” and the Second Vatican Council, which “strengthened the Church and sent her forth to engage the modern world.”
Leo closed by recalling the 50th anniversary of St. Paul VI’s apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, highlighting its emphasis that evangelization belongs to the whole Church and that the first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life.
“Let us remember this also in our curial service: The work of each is important for the whole, and the witness of a Christian life, expressed in communion, is the first and greatest service we can offer,” he said.
Quoting Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the humility of God revealed at Christmas, Leo prayed that the Lord would grant the Curia “his own humility, his compassion, and his love,” and he concluded by wishing all present “a holy Christmas” and asking God to “grant peace to the world.”
At the close of the exchange of greetings, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, offered Christmas wishes on behalf of Curia offices, the Vatican City State Governorate, and the Diocese of Rome, and the pope presented curial personnel with a copy of “The Practice of the Presence of God,” the spiritual classic he has recently recommended.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/22/2025 11:00 AM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV prays during his Wednesday general audience on Aug. 13, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Staff, Dec 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network has released Pope Leo XIV’s list of prayer intentions for the year 2026.
Every month, Pope Leo asks Catholics around the world to pray for a particular intention. This initiative is accompanied by a video in which the pontiff expresses the reasons why he has chosen that particular intention.
Below is the complete list of Pope Leo’s prayer intentions for 2026.
Let us pray that praying with the word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.
Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.
Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.
Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.
Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.
Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.
Let us pray for the respect and protection of human life in all its stages, recognizing it as a gift from God.
Let us pray that in large cities often marked by anonymity and loneliness we find new ways to proclaim the Gospel, discovering creative paths to build community.
Let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.
Let us pray that mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses.
Let us pray for the proper use of wealth, that not succumbing to the temptation of selfishness, it may always be put at the service of the common good and solidarity of those who have less.
Let us pray for families experiencing the absence of a mother or father, that they may find support and accompaniment in the Church, and help and strength in the faith during difficult times.
Posted on 12/22/2025 09:30 AM (USCCB News)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laypeople who work in the Roman Curia are called to be a "sign of a new humanity," founded on mutual love and solidarity, not selfishness and individualism, Pope Leo XIV said.
"We are not mere gardeners tending our own plot, but disciples and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, called in Christ to be leaven of universal fraternity among different peoples, religions and cultures," he told cardinals and top Curia officials Dec. 22 during a traditional pre-Christmas meeting with them.
"This happens if we ourselves live as brothers and sisters and allow the light of communion to shine in the world," the pope said. "Let us remember this also in our curial service: the work of each is important for the whole, and the witness of a Christian life, expressed in communion, is the first and greatest service we can offer."
The traditional Christmas greeting took place in the Vatican's Hall of Blessing, which was decorated with red poinsettias and Christmas trees adorned with sparkling lights and silver and gold ornaments.
While previous popes used the pre-Christmas meeting to review the past year, Pope Leo continued Pope Francis' practice of using it as an opportunity to reflect on what can help or hinder the Curia's mission of sharing the Gospel. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, offered a brief summary of the past eight months of Pope Leo's ministry in his opening remarks.
Speaking in Italian, Pope Leo said he wanted to take a moment to remember Pope Francis, who passed away April 21 after 12 years as head of the universal church.
"His prophetic voice, pastoral style and rich magisterium have marked the church's journey in recent years, encouraging us above all to place God's mercy at the center, to give renewed impetus to evangelization, and to be a joyful church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest," the U.S.-born pope said.
Pope Leo then focused his talk on two fundamental themes of Pope Francis' 2013 apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"): mission and communion.
He told the Curia officials that the church's very nature is to be "outward-looking, turned toward the world, missionary," in order to bring the good news of God's love to all people.
"The church exists to invite and gather all people to the festive banquet that the Lord prepares for us," he said, so "every person can discover their identity as a beloved child, a brother or sister to their neighbor, and a new creation in Christ."
"Transformed by this discovery, they become witnesses to truth, justice and peace," he said.
For that reason, he said, "we need an ever more missionary Roman Curia, in which institutions, offices and tasks are conceived in light of today's major ecclesial, pastoral and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration," to better serve local churches and their pastors.
When it comes to communion, he said, Christmas is an important reminder that "Jesus came to reveal the true face of God as Father, so that we might all become his children and therefore brothers and sisters to one another."
God's love, revealed by Jesus, enables all members of the Catholic Church "to be a sign of a new humanity -- no longer founded on selfishness and individualism, but on mutual love and solidarity," Pope Leo said.
The task of fostering greater communion both within the church and in the world "is urgent," he said.
Communion in the church is always a challenge, he said, because of "forces of division" that may sometimes be at play. "We can fall into the temptation of swinging between two opposite extremes: uniformity that fails to value differences, or the exacerbation of differences and viewpoints instead of seeking communion."
"Thus, in interpersonal relationships, in internal office dynamics, or in addressing questions of faith, liturgy, morality and more besides, there is a risk of falling into rigidity or ideology, with their consequent conflicts," Pope Leo said.
Members of the church are called to "conversion," and to remember, "though many and diverse," they are members of the one body of Christ as "brothers and sisters in him," he said.
"This communion is built not so much through words and documents as through concrete gestures and attitudes that ought to appear in our daily lives, including in our work," he said.
Pope Leo warned against "bitterness" that may build up in those who, after many years of service in the Curia, "observe with disappointment that certain dynamics -- linked to the exercise of power, the desire to prevail, or the pursuit of personal interests -- are slow to change."
He encouraged officials to seek "genuine fraternal friendship" and to pray for personal conversion and the "grace to find trustworthy friends, where masks fall away, no one is used or sidelined, genuine support is offered, and each person's worth and competence are respected, preventing resentment and dissatisfaction."
When members of the Curia and the wider church live this way, he said, it also becomes a sign to "a world wounded by discord, violence and conflict, where we also witness a growth in aggression and anger, often exploited by both the digital sphere and politics."
"The Lord's birth brings the gift of peace and invites us to become its prophetic sign in a human and cultural context that is too fragmented," he said.
After meeting with the Curia leaders, the pope went to the Vatican audience hall where he greeted hundreds of employees of the Vatican and the Diocese of Rome and their families. He spent almost 30 minutes walking along the barriers, greeting and speaking with those in attendance, and blessing babies and children.
In his speech, he encouraged employees and their families to learn from Jesus "the style of simplicity and humility, and let us all work together to ensure that this is increasingly the style of the church in all its expressions."
"Sometimes we are so caught up in our activities that we do not think about the Lord or the church," he said. "But the very fact of working with dedication, trying to do our best, and also -- for you lay people -- with love for your family, for your children, gives glory to the Lord."
Pope Leo XIV offered Christmas greetings to officials of the Roman Curia Dec. 22, 2025, encouraging the Curia leaders to recognize that they are called to be builders of communion. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)
Posted on 12/22/2025 09:30 AM (USCCB News)
WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Reverend James A. Misko, a priest of the Diocese of Austin, as the Bishop of Tucson. Father Misko currently serves as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Austin. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on December 22, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Misko was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Father Misko was born on June 18, 1970, in Los Angeles, California. He received a bachelor’s degree in communications from St. Edward University in Austin (1993). Between 1991 and 2000, he had a career in the restaurant industry. He earned a Master of Arts in theological studies, a Master of Divinity, and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 2007 at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. Father Misko was ordained to the priesthood on June 9, 2007.
Bishop-elect Misko’s assignments include: parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Pflugerville (2007-2010); administrator (2010-2011) and then pastor (2011-2014) of Christ the King parish in Belton; and pastor of St. Louis King of France parish in Austin (2014-2019). Since 2019, he has served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Austin. From March to September 2025, he also served as diocesan administrator for the diocese. Bishop-elect Misko is a native speaker of English and is proficient in Spanish.
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Posted on 12/21/2025 14:15 PM (CNA Daily News - Vatican)
Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus on Dec. 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 21, 2025 / 09:15 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday highlighted four virtues of St. Joseph — “piety and charity, mercy and trust” — as guides for Catholics in the final days of Advent leading up to Christmas.
Speaking during his Angelus address from the window of the Apostolic Palace on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the pope said the day’s liturgy invited the faithful to reflect on St. Joseph, especially “at the moment when God reveals his mission to him in a dream.”
Calling the Gospel episode “a very beautiful page in salvation history,” Leo described Joseph as a man who is “fragile and fallible — like us — and at the same time courageous and strong in faith.”
Referring to the Gospel of Matthew, the pontiff recalled that Joseph of Nazareth was a “just man,” a devout Israelite who observed the law and frequented the synagogue, while also being “extremely sensitive and human.”
In the face of Mary’s mysterious pregnancy — a situation that was difficult to understand and accept — the pope noted that Joseph did not choose “the way of scandal” or public condemnation. Instead, he opted for the discreet and benevolent path of planning to divorce her quietly.
In doing so, Leo said, Joseph demonstrated he had grasped the deepest meaning of religious observance: mercy.
The pope added that Joseph’s purity and nobility became even clearer when the Lord revealed his plan of salvation in a dream, showing Joseph the unexpected role he would assume as the husband of the Virgin Mother of the Messiah.
Leo pointed to Joseph’s “great act of faith,” saying the saint left behind the last of his certainties and set out into a future fully in God’s hands.
Referring to St. Augustine, the pope said that from Joseph’s piety and charity, “a son was born of the Virgin Mary — Son at the same time of God.”
“Piety and charity, mercy and trust,” Leo said, are the virtues the liturgy proposes for the faithful today so that they may accompany Christians through these final Advent days toward “holy Christmas.”
The pope emphasized that these attitudes “educate the heart” for encountering Christ and one another and can help believers become for each other “a welcoming manger, a comfortable home, a sign of God’s presence.”
He urged Catholics not to miss opportunities during this season of grace to put the virtues into practice — forgiving, encouraging, offering hope to those they live with and meet — and renewing in prayer a childlike trust in the Lord and in his providence.
Leo concluded by entrusting the faithful to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, who were the first to welcome Jesus, the Savior of the world, “with great faith and love.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/21/2025 13:00 PM (Catholic News Agency)
null / Credit: Zyabich/Shutterstock
London, England, Dec 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
On Dec. 9 the Guardian U.K. reported that 40% of 13- to 17-year-olds in England and Wales affected by violence are turning to AI companions for support.
Posted on 12/21/2025 11:00 AM (Catholic News Agency)
Giotto’s Nativity fresco projected on the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. / Credit: Buffy1982/Shutterstock
Rome Newsroom, Dec 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
One of the world’s most beloved saints, St. Francis of Assisi, loved Christmas so much that he created the first Nativity scene to make the birth of Jesus more real.
Posted on 12/20/2025 14:00 PM (CNA Daily News - US)
Downtown Kansas City, Kansas. / Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty
CNA Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
Multiple Catholic schools in Kansas were targeted by what were apparently hoax bomb threats this week, according to authorities.
Law enforcement agencies in the Kansas City area reported investigating threats at numerous Catholic schools on Dec. 19. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas confirmed in a press statement that “several” Catholic schools in the archdiocese had “received bomb threats” on both Dec. 18 and Dec. 19.
“At this time, students and staff are safe,” Archdiocesan Superintendent Vince Cascone said in the statement. “Law enforcement continues to investigate, and we are following their guidance closely.”
The archdiocese did not post a list of the schools affected by the bomb threats, though local media reported at least 13 schools targeted, 12 of which were Catholic.
The Olathe, Kansas, Police Department posted on Facebook that it had investigated a threat at the city’s Prince of Peace Catholic School. “The threat was unfounded, and it was determined that other cities in the metro were receiving similar hoax calls,” the police department said, adding that it was investigating the origin of the call.
Roeland Park Mayor Michael Poppa similarly wrote on Facebook that the threats were “unfounded.” The mayor described the hoaxes as “cowardly and deplorable attempts to spread fear and disrupt our community.”
Poppa praised authorities as well as staff at St. Agnes Catholic School “for jumping into action immediately to prioritize student safety.”
Multiple local outlets, meanwhile, reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is participating in the investigation.
Posted on 12/20/2025 13:00 PM (Catholic News Agency)
The pope with boys and girls from Italian Catholic Action on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV told the young people of Italian Catholic Action that they can perform a simple gesture that would be the best gift this Christmas: make peace.
Posted on 12/20/2025 12:00 PM (CNA Daily News - US)
null / Credit: Chinnapong/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
In an era when artificial contraception often dominates public discussions on family planning, the Catholic Church continues to champion natural family planning (NFP).
Far from merely another birth control technique, NFP invites couples to cooperate with God’s plan for married love, which “is a ‘great mystery,’ a sign of the love between Christ and his Church (Eph 5:32),” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
NFP — also known as a fertility awareness-based method (FABM) — relies on observing and measuring a woman’s natural signs of fertility, such as basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and hormone levels, in order to identify fertile and infertile phases of her menstrual cycle.
Unlike chemical or mechanical contraceptives, which suppress or block fertility, NFP respects the woman’s body and its natural rhythms and allows spouses to achieve or postpone pregnancy, after mutual discernment, through informed abstinence during fertile windows.
Most importantly, NFP honors the sacredness of the unitive and procreative aspects of the conjugal act, which the Church teaches must always be a total gift of self between the spouses and open to the gift of new human life.
“Suppressing fertility by using contraception denies part of the inherent meaning of married sexuality and does harm to the couple’s unity,” according to the USCCB. “The total giving of oneself, body and soul, to one’s beloved is no time to say: ‘I give you everything I am — except…’ The Church’s teaching is not only about observing a rule but about preserving that total, mutual gift of two persons in its integrity.”
In his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, St. Paul VI affirmed that couples may space births for serious reasons, using natural methods that honor the “inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative meanings” of the marital act.
The USCCB explains that “NFP is not a contraceptive, it does nothing to suppress or block conception.”
“On the surface, there may seem to be little difference (between NFP and contraception),” according to the bishops. “But the end result is not the only thing that matters, and the way we get to that result may make an enormous moral difference. Some ways respect God’s gifts to us while others do not.”
The bishops continue: “When couples use contraception, either physical or chemical, they suppress their fertility, asserting that they alone have ultimate control over this power to create a new human life. With NFP, spouses respect God’s design for life and love. They may choose to refrain from sexual union during the woman’s fertile time, doing nothing to destroy the love-giving or life-giving meaning that is present. This is the difference between choosing to falsify the full marital language of the body and choosing at certain times not to speak that language.”
The practice of NFP traces its modern roots to the mid-20th century, evolving from early, relatively unreliable calendar-based methods in the 1930s to the smartphone app-based approaches of today.
Common methods include the Billings Ovulation Method, which tracks cervical mucus changes, and sympto-thermal methods, which combine the charting of mucus observations, temperature shifts, and cervical changes. The Marquette Model uses “several different biomarker devices to detect urinary biomarkers (estrogen, LH, and progesterone),” according to its website.
Per USCCB data, NFP, with perfect use, yields 88% to 100% effectiveness in avoiding pregnancy, with imperfect use at 70% to 98%. For couples trying to achieve pregnancy, it typically occurs in about one year for approximately 85% of couples not using NFP, and within three to six months for those who are.
Pope Francis praised the Billings method in 2023 as “a valuable tool” for “responsible management of procreative choices,” urging a “new revolution in our way of thinking” to value the body’s “great book of nature.” He noted its simplicity amid a “contraceptive culture,” promoting tenderness between the spouses and an authentic freedom.
Beyond efficacy at planning, preventing, or postponing pregnancy in a morally licit way, couples who use NFP acknowledge that it can be difficult but say it improves communication as well as self-mastery, transforming what can be otherwise difficult times of periodic abstinence into opportunities for deeper intimacy.
Jessica Vanderhyde, a nurse and mother of seven who is using the Marquette method because she and her husband do not feel ready to welcome another child, told CNA that while NFP can be frustrating because of the periods of abstinence it requires, it also “leads to a lot more closeness in the marriage.”
“If it’s been a long period of abstinence, we try to come up with other ways to be close. I need to make sure I’m more affectionate with him because sexual intimacy is one of the primary ways he feels I love him. If that can’t happen, I have to be conscious of that,” she said.
“We have become good at taking each other’s feelings and needs into consideration. I work at providing what he needs as much as I can.”
Vanderhyde also noted how charting symptoms can bring the couple closer as it allows the husband to really appreciate his wife’s body as well as her needs.
“The husband should be involved in the tracking of it,” she continued, “so that he fully participates in the process and doesn’t feel like he’s at the whims of his wife’s moods.”
She said it can also reveal underlying health issues like infertility or hormonal imbalances, which artificial forms of birth control can mask.