Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm perform traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 11, 2025. / Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News

Rome Newsroom, Dec 13, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

A Swedish youth choir marked the feast of St. Lucy by singing at a Mass at the Vatican on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Students from Nordiska Musikgymnasiet — The Nordic Music High School — in Stockholm performed traditional Swedish “Lucia songs” during an afternoon Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of the Italian saint’s Dec. 13 feast day.

“It was just really amazing” singing in St. Peter’s Basilica, choir member Alfio Tota told EWTN News after the Dec. 11 Mass. “It’s so enormous … And the acoustics are very interesting.”

The student recalled that though Sweden is a very secular country, the tradition of St. Lucia, as they call her, is quite strong.

“I think everyone feels quite a lot of joy and nostalgia in singing” the St. Lucy hymns, he said.

Choir member Fabienne Glader told EWTN News that she always spends the feast of St. Lucy with her family.

St. Lucy “shows courage and patience and just to never [give up] on yourself,” Glader said. “Even if you’re not really religious in any way, you can look up to her as just a wonderful person.”

The choir’s conductor, Casimir Käfling, said as a Christian, the tradition of St. Lucy was always part of Christmas for his family.

He called it “an incredible honor to be able to sing and conduct” her songs in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Käfling also recalled the darkness Sweden experiences during the winter, especially in the month of December, and said St. Lucy brings light into that darkness.

“The story of St. Lucy really plays with these contrasts of light and dark, and most importantly, hope and despair,” Tota said.

Simon Schwarz, head of the Caritas Vilnius Convicts Consultation Center, talks to university students in Vilnius, Lithuania. / Credit: Caritas Lithuania

Vilnius, Lithuania, Dec 13, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The program provides counseling not only for those battling compulsive sexual behaviors but also for spouses and family members affected by them.

Children participate in the annual St. Lucy’s Day celebration in Sweden. / Credit: Claudia Gründer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Dec 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

St. Lucy’s Day, also known as Lucia Day, is a traditional Swedish celebration filled with children in costumes, elaborate processions, and Swedish treats.

Pope Leo XIV honors Our Lady of Guadalupe during the Mass on her feast day, Dec. 12, 2025, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

On Dec. 12, Pope Leo XIV presided over his first Mass on the solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom he asked to come to his aid “so that she may confirm in the one true path that leads to the blessed Fruit of your womb all those who have been entrusted to me.”

A large number of the faithful, mostly from the Mexican community residing in Rome as well as clergy and members of the Roman Curia, attended the ceremony held in St. Peter’s Basilica at 4 p.m. local time.

The Holy Father delivered a homily in Spanish in the form of a prayer addressed to the patroness of Mexico and empress of the Americas.

The pontiff recalled that Mary allows the Word of God “to enter her life and transform it,” bringing “that joy wherever human joy is insufficient, wherever the wine has run out.” 

For the Holy Father, at Tepeyac, the Virgin Mary “awakens in the inhabitants of America the joy of knowing they are loved by God.” Thus, “amidst ceaseless conflicts, injustices, and sorrows that seek relief,” Mary of Guadalupe proclaims the core of her message: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”

“It is the voice,” the pope continued, “that echoes the promise of divine fidelity, the presence that sustains us when life becomes unbearable.”

The pope then focused his message on the motherhood of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Before her image, he expressed his desire that the faithful might feel like “true children of yours,” and he asked for her guidance to maintain their faith “when strength fails and shadows grow.”

“Mother, teach the nations that wish to be your children not to divide the world into irreconcilable factions, not to allow hatred to mark their history nor lies to write their memory. Show them that authority must be exercised as service and not as domination. Instruct their leaders in their duty to safeguard the dignity of every person at every stage of life. Make these peoples, your children, places where every person can feel welcome,” he continued.

He also prayed to the Virgin for young people, “that they may obtain from Christ the strength to choose what is good and the courage to remain steadfast in the faith, even when the world pushes them in another direction.” He also prayed that nothing would trouble their hearts and that “they may embrace God’s plans without fear.”

“Protect them from the threats of crime, addiction, and the danger of a meaningless life,” he added.

The Holy Father turned to those who have distanced themselves from the Church and asked the Virgin Mary to bring them “back home” with the power of her love. He also prayed for those who sow discord, asking Mary to restore them to charity.

He also implored Our Lady of Guadalupe to strengthen families and, following her example, to help “parents educate with tenderness and firmness, so that every home may be a school of faith.”

He also asked her to sustain the clergy and consecrated life “in daily fidelity” and to renew their first love. “Guard their inner lives in prayer, protect them from temptation, encourage them in their weariness, and comfort those who are discouraged,” he added.

“Assist us so that we may not tarnish with our sin and misery the holiness of the Church, which, like you, is a mother,” he said.

In his conclusion, the Holy Father asked that the mother “of the true God for whom we live come to the aid of the successor of Peter, so that he may confirm in the one path that leads to the blessed Fruit of your womb all those entrusted to me.”

“Remember this son of yours, ‘to whom Christ entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven for the good of all,’ that these keys may serve ‘to bind and loose and to redeem all human misery,’” he said, quoting a 1994 homily by St. John Paul II.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Detail of the commemorative painting of the 124 martyrs of Jaén, Spain, beatified in 2025. / Credit: Diocese of Jaén

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 12, 2025 / 16:03 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Jaén in Spain will celebrate on Dec. 13 the beatification of 109 priests, 14 laypeople, and one Poor Clare nun martyred during the Spanish Civil War.

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square during his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 10, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2025 / 11:42 am (CNA).

On the centenary of the founding of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, Pope Leo XIV published a new apostolic letter in which he praised Christian archaeology as a work capable of “giving a voice to the silence of history” and of “bringing to light the anonymous holiness of many faithful who have contributed to building up the Church.”

“In today’s fast-paced world, there is a tendency to forget and to consume images and words without reflecting on their meaning. The Church, on the other hand, is called to educate people in memory, and Christian archaeology is one of its most noble tools for doing so — not in order to take refuge in the past, but consciously to live in the present and work towards an enduring future,” the pope stated in the document, published on Dec. 11.

This is the third magisterial publication of this kind by Leo XIV in his eight months as pontiff, following “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” a document focused on education, and In Unitate Fidei on the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, in which he explored the unity of Christians.

For Leo XIV, Christian archaeology allows the Church to “remember its origins” and “recount the history of salvation not only through words but also through images, forms, and spaces.” In a time that “often loses sight of its roots,” it is “a valuable instrument of evangelization.”

Thus, he emphasized that archaeology speaks to believers and nonbelievers, young people, scholars, and pilgrims, because it illuminates the meaning of the journey and evokes an “echo of eternity.”

‘Christianity is not an abstract concept’

Each archaeological discovery, he explained, demonstrates that “Christianity is not an abstract concept but rather a body that has lived, celebrated, and inhabited space and time.”

For the Holy Father, archaeology shows that faith “has already survived difficult times and resisted persecution, crises, and changes. Faith has been renewed and regenerated,” and has “flourished in new forms.” Hence, he described it as “a ministry of hope.”

The pope said the discipline allows people to intuit the “power of an existence that transcends time,” to read in burials the “expectation of the Resurrection” and in apses “the orientation toward Christ.”

The pope emphasized that archaeology also plays a decisive role in the theology of revelation, since God “has in time spoken through events and people.” Therefore, understanding revelation requires knowing its historical contexts: Archaeology “illuminates the texts,” he affirmed, and also “completes written sources.”

In the document, the pope distanced himself from any idealization of the past and called for understanding the true history of the Church — made up of “greatness and limitation, holiness and fragility, continuity and rupture” — which will allow for a more authentic theology.

‘Living memory,’ not ‘a cult of the past’

Leo XIV warned against a merely conservationist vision of archaeology. “True Christian archaeology is not a matter of sterile conservation but of living memory,” he emphasized after pointing out that Christian archaeology must foster a “reconciled memory” and promote spaces for dialogue.

Likewise, the pope recalled the value of academic communion and cooperation among archaeological institutions, describing this field as “a resource for everyone.”

In affirming the fundamental role of Christian archaeology, the pope underscored that “theological studies that disregard archaeology run the risk of becoming disembodied, abstract, or even ideological.”

According to the pontiff, archaeology not only provides historical data but also allows theology to remain rooted in the concrete reality of the people of God. Thus, he affirmed that a theology that “embraces archaeology ... listens to the body of the Church, assesses its wounds, reads its signs, and is touched by its history.”

In his reflection, Leo XIV highlighted the human and pastoral dimension of archaeological work. He described it as an essentially “hands-on” profession in which researchers “are the first to handle buried material that conserves its vitality even after centuries.”

But the contribution of the Christian archaeologist, Leo XIV added, goes beyond material recovery: “They study not only the artifacts but also the hands that forged them, the minds that conceived them, and the hearts that loved them.”

God has truly entered history, and faith is not a philosophy

The pope recalled that from its origins, the Christian faith was transmitted through the memory of places and signs. “Christian communities safeguarded not only Jesus’ words but also the places, objects, and signs of his presence,” he stated.

Places such as the empty tomb, Peter’s house in Capernaum, and the Roman catacombs not only served as historical testimony but also “all testify that God has truly entered history and that faith is not a mere philosophy but a tangible path within the reality of the world,” the Holy Father wrote.

The pope affirmed that the Church needs to “search for a profound wisdom capable of preserving and passing on to future generations what is truly essential” and emphasized that archaeology has “an essential role in understanding Christianity and, consequently, its application within catechetical and theological formation.”

Citing Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution Veritatis Gaudium, Leo recalled that archaeology is part of the fundamental disciplines of theological formation, because “it does not merely tell us about artifacts but about people: their homes, tombs, churches, and prayers” and about “how faith shaped their spaces, cities, landscapes, and mentalities.”

The pope also emphasized that archaeology “is not just a specialized discipline reserved to a few experts” but rather a path accessible “to anyone who wishes to understand how faith is embodied in time, place, and culture.”

Archaeology as a ‘school of hope’

In his view, studying and narrating history helps to keep “the flame of collective conscience” alive. Otherwise, he warned, “all that remains is the personal memory of facts bound to our own interests or sensibilities, with no real connection to the human and ecclesial community in which we live.”

Leo XIV recalled that the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology was established by Pius XI’s motu proprio Primitivi Cemeteri (“Primitive Cemeteries”) of Dec. 11, 1925, with the task “of directing studies on the monuments of ancient Christianity with the utmost scientific rigor” in order to “reconstruct the lives of the early communities.”

The institute has participated in crucial excavations, such as that of the tomb of the apostle Peter beneath the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica, and in recent investigations at St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The pope asked: “How fruitful can the role of Christian archaeology still be for society and the Church in an age marked by artificial intelligence and by the exploration of the innumerable galaxies of the universe?”

He himself offered the answer: Contemporary methods “enable us to glean new information from findings once considered insignificant,” reminding us that “nothing is truly useless or lost.” Even the marginal, he affirmed, can “reveal profound meaning in the light of new questions and methods. In this respect, archaeology is also a school of hope.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Official appearance of the exhibition in Vienna from Vienna Künstlerhaus website. / Credit: Vienna Künstlerhaus website

CNA Deutsch, Dec 12, 2025 / 10:11 am (CNA).

Protesters who rallied outside at the Vienna Künstlerhaus on Monday said an exhibit at the cultural center is an attack on the Catholic faith.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to people who work in Italy’s intelligence sector in the Vatican’s Hall of Blessings on Dec. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2025 / 09:11 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV warned that intelligence agencies in some countries work against the Catholic Church, “oppressing its freedom” by using confidential information for “nefarious purposes.”

In an audience at the Vatican on Friday with people who work in Italy’s intelligence sector, the pope recalled the importance of conducting their jobs both ethically and morally.

“We must be vigilant to ensure that confidential information is not used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail, or discredit politicians, journalists, or other actors in civil society. All of this also applies to the ecclesial sphere,” he said on Dec. 12.

Speaking in the Hall of Blessings, Leo urged those engaged in national security intelligence work to act with professionalism, to have respect for human dignity, and to engage in ethical communication.

“Security agencies often have to collect information on individuals and therefore have a strong impact on individual rights,” he noted. “It is therefore necessary that limits be established, according to the criterion of human dignity, and that we remain vigilant against the temptations to which a job like yours exposes you.”

The pope urged them to ensure that the protection of national security “always and in all cases guarantees people’s rights, their private and family life, freedom of conscience and information, and the right to a fair trial.”

Leo recalled the massive changes to digital communications in recent decades and warned that the arrival of new and increasingly advanced technologies “offers us greater possibilities but, at the same time, exposes us to constant dangers.”

“The massive and continuous exchange of information requires us to be critically vigilant about certain issues of vital importance: the distinction between truth and fake news, the undue exposure of private life, the manipulation of the most vulnerable, the logic of blackmail, and incitement to hatred and violence,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV meets with the committee that chooses recipients of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity at the Vatican on Dec. 11, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2025 / 06:52 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged concrete acts of charity and solidarity in a world marked by conflict as he met with the committee that chooses recipients of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.

“In a time marked by increased conflict and division, we need authentic testimonies of human kindness and charity to remind us that we are all brothers and sisters. Words are not enough,” the pope told the delegation at the Vatican on Dec. 11.

Leo praised the committee for continuing the legacy of Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in promoting compassion and fraternity, calling their work a “noble service of human fraternity.”

The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, named after the late United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was established following the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and Al-Tayyeb during Francis’ 2019 apostolic journey to Abu Dhabi.

“This prize not only embodies the legacy of Sheikh Zayed and these other leaders, it also emphasizes that every human being and every religion is called to promote fraternity,” Leo said.

The pope stressed that ideals must be matched by action, telling the committee that building a society founded on love and respect requires “concrete actions.”

“Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away,” he said, quoting his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te.

Leo encouraged the committee to persevere in its work, expressing confidence that its efforts would “continue to bear fruit for the good of the human family.”

The Zayed Award association has received nominations from individuals and institutions worldwide whose work aims to foster solidarity and human connection across national, ethnic, and religious lines. For its 2026 edition, the award received more than 350 nominations from over 75 countries, with winners to be announced in January.

Award recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4, coinciding with the anniversary of the Document on Human Fraternity and the U.N. International Day of Human Fraternity. A $1 million prize will be divided among the winners.

Earlier this week, the Zayed Award delegation met with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in Cairo.

Pope Leo XIV receives members of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology on Dec. 11, 2025, in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 11, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Dec. 11 emphasized the academic, cultural, and ecclesial value of archaeology and called for the promotion of “cultural diplomacy” to overcome borders and prejudices.

Receiving members of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology in an audience, the pope emphasized that its literary and monumental sources constitute an essential part of the “roots” of European society and nations.

“Take part through your studies in that cultural diplomacy that the world so desperately needs in our day,” the pope urged, addressing the faculty, students, and staff of the center.

To introduce his reflection, he referenced the motu proprio I Primitivi Cemeteri (“Primitive Cemeteries”), published exactly a century ago by Pius XI, in which he emphasized the Church’s responsibility for protecting its sacred heritage.

Pius XI then decided to add a new body to the work of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology and the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology: the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, created to “guide willing young people from all countries and nations toward the study and scientific research of the monuments of Christian antiquity.”

A century later, Leo XIV affirmed, this mission remains fully relevant.

The scientific dignity of Christian archaeology

The pope took the opportunity to present to those present his new apostolic letter, in which he emphasizes the importance of Christian archaeology. He pointed out that this field, focused on the monuments of the first centuries of Christianity, possesses its own “epistemological status,” with specific “chronological, historical, and thematic coordinates.”

However, he lamented that in some circles it continues to be included without distinction within medieval archaeology.

“In this regard, I suggest that they become upholders of the specificity of their discipline, in which the adjective ‘Christian’ is not intended to be an expression of a confessional perspective but rather a qualifier of the discipline itself with scientific and professional dignity,” he urged.

A bridge to ecumenism

Leo XIV emphasized the ecumenical nature of Christian archaeology, alluding to its capacity to recall a time when the Church remained united. Its study, he affirmed, is “a valuable instrument for ecumenism,” as it allows the various Christian traditions to recognize a common heritage.

He also recounted that during his recent apostolic journey to İznik — ancient Nicaea — in Turkey, where he commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council with representatives of other churches, he was able to personally witness this reality: “The presence of the remains of ancient Christian buildings was moving and motivating for all of us.”

The pope also welcomed the fact that the institute had dedicated a day of study to the topic, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Evangelization.

The power of ‘cultural diplomacy’

For the pope, rigorous study and historical research constitute a privileged way of building bridges: “Through culture, the human spirit transcends the boundaries of nations and overcomes the barriers of prejudice to place itself at the service of the common good. You too can contribute to building bridges, fostering encounters, and nurturing harmony.”

He also noted that the institute is symbolically situated between two major jubilee themes: peace, the central theme of the holy year of 1925, and hope, the focus of the current jubilee. “And, in fact, you are bearers of peace and hope wherever you operate with your excavations and research, so that, recognizing your white and red banner with the image of the Good Shepherd, doors may be opened wide to you not only as bearers of knowledge and science but also as heralds of peace.”

Christianity, the root of Europe

Finally, Leo XIV recalled the words of St. John Paul II on the Christian roots of Europe, remembering his affirmation that the continent “needs Christ and the Gospel, because here lie the roots of all its peoples.”

“Among the roots of European society and nations is undoubtedly Christianity, with its literary and monumental sources; and the work of archaeologists is a response to the call I have just evoked,” he stated.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.