Vatican City, Dec 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Just a few weeks remain until the closing of the holy year, which was inaugurated by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024. On Jan. 6, 2026, Pope Leo XIV will be the one to close the enormous bronze door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, through which nearly 30 million pilgrims have passed during the last 12 months seeking a plenary indulgence. 

This Holy Door is slated to be reopened in 2033, when the Church celebrates the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption.

The schedule for closing rites of the Holy Doors of the main papal basilicas in Rome is as follows:

The first Holy Door to be closed — and which will remain walled up until the next jubilee — is that of St. Mary Major Basilica. The rite will take place on Dec. 25, as reported by the Holy See Press Office. The ceremony will be begin at 6 p.m. local time, followed by Mass celebrated by the cardinal archpriest of the basilica, Rolandas Makrickas.

Two days later, on Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. local time, the closing ceremony at St. John Lateran Basilica will be presided over by the cardinal vicar of Rome, Baldassare Reina, who will celebrate the Eucharist, and will feature the participation of the diocesan choir, directed by Monsignor Marco Frisina.

On Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. local time, the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica will be closed. The solemn event will be presided over by Cardinal Archpriest James Michael Harvey.

Finally, on Jan. 6, 2026, the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before celebrating the Mass that will mark the concluding act of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. On that occasion, the pontiff will invite pilgrims to return to Rome in 2033 for the Extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption.

The Holy Doors, as is tradition, have been solely those of the four papal basilicas of Rome: St. Peter’s in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. However, on Dec. 26, two days after officially inaugurating the holy year, Pope Francis made an exception by traveling to the Rebibbia prison in Rome to repeat this gesture at another door as a symbol of hope.

The late pope wanted to extend this gesture of grace to prisoners by opening the door of this correctional facility in the Italian capital.

The date on which the closing ceremony for this fifth Holy Door will take place has yet to be announced.

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

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Just a few weeks remain until the closing of the holy year, which was inaugurated by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024. On Jan. 6, 2026, Pope Leo XIV will be the one to close the enormous bronze door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, through which nearly 30 million pilgrims have passed during the last 12 months seeking a plenary indulgence. 

This Holy Door is slated to be reopened in 2033, when the Church celebrates the Extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption.

The schedule for closing rites of the Holy Doors of the main papal basilicas in Rome is as follows:

The first Holy Door to be closed — and which will remain walled up until the next jubilee — is that of St. Mary Major Basilica. The rite will take place on Dec. 25, as reported by the Holy See Press Office. The ceremony will be begin at 6 p.m. local time, followed by Mass celebrated by the cardinal archpriest of the basilica, Rolandas Makrickas.

Two days later, on Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. local time, the closing ceremony at St. John Lateran Basilica will be presided over by the cardinal vicar of Rome, Baldassare Reina, who will celebrate the Eucharist, and will feature the participation of the diocesan choir, directed by Monsignor Marco Frisina.

On Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. local time, the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica will be closed. The solemn event will be presided over by Cardinal Archpriest James Michael Harvey.

Finally, on Jan. 6, 2026, the solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to close the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before celebrating the Mass that will mark the concluding act of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. On that occasion, the pontiff will invite pilgrims to return to Rome in 2033 for the Extraordinary Holy Year of Redemption.

The Holy Doors, as is tradition, have been solely those of the four papal basilicas of Rome: St. Peter’s in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. However, on Dec. 26, two days after officially inaugurating the holy year, Pope Francis made an exception by traveling to the Rebibbia prison in Rome to repeat this gesture at another door as a symbol of hope.

The late pope wanted to extend this gesture of grace to prisoners by opening the door of this correctional facility in the Italian capital.

The date on which the closing ceremony for this fifth Holy Door will take place has yet to be announced.

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

Dublin, Ireland, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Following a report in one of Ireland’s mainstream media publications, the Archdiocese of Dublin has moved to clarify questions raised about its financial security.

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The newly announced leader of the Catholic Church in New York expressed “heartfelt gratitude” on Dec. 18 for having been appointed to the post by Pope Leo XIV.

Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, who will head the Archdiocese of New York after leading the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, said at a Thursday press conference that he accepted the Holy Father’s appointment “with great humility” and “an open heart.” 

Hicks addressed media at St. Patrick’s Cathedral alongside outgoing Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who turned 75 earlier this year, the customary age at which a prelate submits his resignation to the Holy See. 

The new archbishop-designate reflected on his formation under past Church leaders in his hometown of Chicago, including Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Cardinal Francis George, and Chicago’s current archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich. “For all of them, I’m deeply grateful,” he said. 

Makes first ‘controversial statement’

At the press conference Hicks jokingly announced what he anticipated would be his “first controversial statement” by admitting his unending devotion to his hometown Chicago Cubs baseball team and his love of the Windy City’s iconic deep dish pizza. 

“I want you to know that I am going to remain a loyal Cubs fan,” he said. “However, I am going to start rooting for the New York sports teams. And I already love your pizza. I love it a lot.”

The prelate admitted he would miss the Joliet Diocese, at which he has served for the last five years. “I have felt happy, grateful, and blessed to be their bishop,” he said. “Together, we have worked with some missionary zeal to catechize, to evangelize, and to put our faith into action as disciples who make disciples.”

Describing New York City as “rich in energy, languages, cultures, and people,” he said he was excited to get to know the city, though he acknowledged that the archdiocese is facing “complex and challenging days” including issues of life, faith, and “healing.” 

Hicks specifically said he was committed to learning about the archdiocese’s efforts to compensate survivors of sexual abuse. The archdiocese is currently pursuing a settlement for victims that is expected to top $300 million.

“As a Church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children, and to care for survivors,” he said. 

The prelate said he looks forward to “working closely and collaboratively with the priests, the deacons, the religious, the lay leaders of [the] archdiocese” as well as working with the “great variety and diversity of faith leaders and civic leaders” that populate New York City. 

Addressing the archdiocese’s Spanish-speaking faithful, the archbishop-designate spoke in Spanish of his past ministry in Mexico and Central America, including five years in El Salvador. 

Saying he has “an enormous heart for Latino culture and Hispanic people,” he mentioned he has two Colombian nephews, Puerto Rican godparents, many Dominican friends, and that he intends “to walk with all of you, together, as brothers and sisters.”

Responding to speculation in the media and on the internet as to who he is as a bishop, Hicks said: “If you want to know the core of who I am and what I stand for, you should know this: I love Jesus with my mind, heart, and soul, and I strive to love my neighbor as myself.”

“My desire is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and to do the will of God, serving with a shepherd’s heart,” he emphasized.

This story was updated at 11:57 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2025.

Dublin, Ireland, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Dublin has dispelled concerns about its financial position, pointing to its healthy reserves, strong financial position, and the strict regulatory framework within which it operates as a charity.

Following a report in one of Ireland’s most prominent mainstream media publications, the Irish Times, the Archdiocese of Dublin has moved to clarify questions raised about its financial security over the next 15 years.

The archdiocese explained to CNA the context of its 2024 financial statements, which were the subject of a recent Irish Times report that has raised concern among the faithful in Ireland’s largest diocese. 

In the story titled “Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese Faces Financial Woes as Priests Age and Mass Numbers Decline,” the Dublin-based newspaper stated that the archdiocese’s cash reserves will be exhausted by 2041. It also pointed to a worrying decline in vocations, with actuarial predictions of 70% fewer priests within 20 years. The archdiocese had no ordination in 2024 and just two since 2020.

Both statements reflect what is stated in the report but neglect to include the archdiocese’s contextual notes in its financial statements on the subject of its reserves, including the funds generated by the sale of Clonliffe College in north Dublin. 

Ide Finnegan, the archdiocese finance administrator and head of operations, explained in response to CNA’s questions that its finances are governed by strict legislation relating to its charitable status. 

“In the financial statements, context and measures planned to address these factors are also outlined. For example, every effort is being made to sustain and indeed increase income and manage costs. The diocese is investing in new staff rather than planning staff reductions,” Finnegan said.

The Irish Times article reported the total income from the archdiocese’s 188 parishes, which in 2024 came to 31 million euros ($36.5 million), compared with 31.1 million euros ($36.4 million) the previous year. Total expenditure in 2024 was 34.2 million euros ($40.2 million), the same as in 2023.

The first collections held at weekend Masses, which support priests, totaled 14.1 million euros ($16.6 million) in 2024, a decrease of 200,000 euros ($235,000) from 14.3 million euros ($16.8 million) in 2023. Share collections in support of parishes raised 5.7 million euros ($6.7 million) in 2024, 100,000 euros ($117,500) less than the 5.6 million euros ($6.6 million) in 2023. 

The Irish Times report did not mention the fact noted in the financial statements that international fundraising firm CCS Consulting has been retained to advise and support fundraising strategies for the archdiocese.

Finnegan, referring to CCS, told CNA: “There is hope that the initiative will help with parish reserves. The diocesan balance sheet is very healthy, but it is important that this is protected by generating enough income to meet expenditure. The financial statements reflect all the steps being taken around financial sustainability, and we are currently implementing a strategic plan around this.”

Since COVID-19, there has been a shift in the number of Mass attendees and the amount donated in Sunday collections. It is also clear that the archdiocese is taking proactive steps to manage its financial position. 

Parishes in the Dublin Archdiocese are responsible for their own financial management. Parish employees are directly employed by parishes, and any decisions on staffing levels are made locally.  

Finnegan told CNA: “Parishes are encouraged to generate income, but as the accounts state, there are parishes that are running a financial deficit, and this will need to be monitored into the future. The Share fund provides financial support to disadvantaged parishes where local contributions can be lower.”

The archdiocese has begun implementing a new strategy, titled Building Hope, which includes priorities such as management, ministry, the role of laypersons, and finance. 

The archdiocese is structured into five pastoral areas, within which are 15 deaneries nurturing 53 partnerships of parishes. 

Altogether, the Catholic population recorded in the 2022 census was 996,000 out of a total population of approximately 1.6 million.

In offering reassurance and confidence in the archdiocese’s position, Finnegan highlighted one key section of the financial statements that provides essential context for any concerns about the potential depletion of reserves by 2041.

“While it is unlikely that all the identified risks will materialize simultaneously, the trustees must ensure adequate reserves are available to address potential challenges. The primary risk lies in the charity’s ability to successfully navigate these issues, which vary in severity and impact. The trustees are committed to maintaining a present level of unrestricted and designated preserves, enabling the charity to remain resilient in the face of both anticipated and unforeseen challenges.”

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The newly announced leader of the Catholic Church in New York expressed “heartfelt gratitude” on Dec. 18 for having been appointed to the post by Pope Leo XIV.

Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, who will head the Archdiocese of New York after leading the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, said at a Thursday press conference that he accepted the Holy Father’s appointment “with great humility” and “an open heart.” 

Hicks addressed media at St. Patrick’s Cathedral alongside outgoing Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who turned 75 earlier this year, the customary age at which a prelate submits his resignation to the Holy See. 

The new archbishop-designate reflected on his formation under past Church leaders in his hometown of Chicago, including Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Cardinal Francis George, and Chicago’s current archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich. “For all of them, I’m deeply grateful,” he said. 

Makes first ‘controversial statement’

At the press conference Hicks jokingly announced what he anticipated would be his “first controversial statement” by admitting his unending devotion to his hometown Chicago Cubs baseball team and his love of the Windy City’s iconic deep dish pizza. 

“I want you to know that I am going to remain a loyal Cubs fan,” he said. “However, I am going to start rooting for the New York sports teams. And I already love your pizza. I love it a lot.”

The prelate admitted he would miss the Joliet Diocese, at which he has served for the last five years. “I have felt happy, grateful, and blessed to be their bishop,” he said. “Together, we have worked with some missionary zeal to catechize, to evangelize, and to put our faith into action as disciples who make disciples.”

Describing New York City as “rich in energy, languages, cultures, and people,” he said he was excited to get to know the city, though he acknowledged that the archdiocese is facing “complex and challenging days” including issues of life, faith, and “healing.” 

Hicks specifically said he was committed to learning about the archdiocese’s efforts to compensate survivors of sexual abuse. The archdiocese is currently pursuing a settlement for victims that is expected to top $300 million.

“As a Church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children, and to care for survivors,” he said. 

The prelate said he looks forward to “working closely and collaboratively with the priests, the deacons, the religious, the lay leaders of [the] archdiocese” as well as working with the “great variety and diversity of faith leaders and civic leaders” that populate New York City. 

Addressing the archdiocese’s Spanish-speaking faithful, the archbishop-designate spoke in Spanish of his past ministry in Mexico and Central America, including five years in El Salvador. 

Saying he has “an enormous heart for Latino culture and Hispanic people,” he mentioned he has two Colombian nephews, Puerto Rican godparents, many Dominican friends, and that he intends “to walk with all of you, together, as brothers and sisters.”

Responding to speculation in the media and on the internet as to who he is as a bishop, Hicks said: “If you want to know the core of who I am and what I stand for, you should know this: I love Jesus with my mind, heart, and soul, and I strive to love my neighbor as myself.”

“My desire is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and to do the will of God, serving with a shepherd’s heart,” he emphasized.

This story was updated at 11:57 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2025.

I like snakes, which is a good thing, since I’ve encountered a lot of them, often in unexpected places. Most memorable was the black rat snake that got into our bathroom and coiled majestically around the toilet. There was also the rat snake that chased a mouse through the kitchen and the garter snake that […]

The post Advent challenges us to shed harmful misconceptions appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The "confrontational" tone dominating both global and national politics is "deepening instability and unpredictability day by day," Pope Leo XIV wrote in his message for World Peace Day.

"It is no coincidence that repeated calls to increase military spending, and the choices that follow, are presented by many government leaders as a justified response to external threats," he wrote in the message for the Jan. 1 observance.

But peace must be protected and cultivated, Pope Leo said. "Even when it is endangered within us and around us, like a small flame threatened by a storm, we must protect it."

Throughout the coming year, Pope Leo will give visiting heads of state signed copies of his message, which was released by the Vatican Dec. 18, and Vatican ambassadors will distribute it to government leaders in the countries where they serve.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presented the message at a Vatican news conference. 

"In some ways we have been beaten into accepting the logic of war, the logic of armaments, the logic of enemies," the cardinal said. Pope Leo's message recognizes that "the first triumph of the logic of war is that we give up our hope for peace."

"I am not a soldier, I have never been a soldier," the cardinal said, but "even a soldier can be comforted" by Pope Leo's appeal to cultivate "peace in his heart and in his relationships and in his prayer and in his aspirations."

While the message "does not diminish in any way the horrors that we are surrounded with," he said, "it puts an enormous part of the responsibility on ourselves."

The theme of the pope's message, "Peace be with you all: Towards an 'unarmed and disarming' peace," begins with the first words he said to the crowd in St. Peter's Square May 8, the night of his election.

Pope Leo wrote in the message that he and all religious leaders have an obligation to teach and preach against "the growing temptation to weaponize even thoughts and words" and to condemn the use of religion to justify violence and exaggerated forms of nationalism. 

"Unfortunately, it has become increasingly common to drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence and armed struggle in the name of religion," the pope wrote.

"Believers must actively refute, above all by the witness of their lives, these forms of blasphemy that profane the holy name of God," Pope Leo said.

What is needed instead, he said, is prayer, spirituality and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue "as paths of peace and as languages of encounter within traditions and cultures."

The message echoed what Pope Leo had told reporters Dec. 2 after meeting Christian, Muslim and Druze leaders in Turkey and Lebanon during his first foreign trip: "The more we can promote authentic unity and understanding, respect and human relationships of friendship and dialogue in the world, the greater possibility there is that we will put aside the arms of war, that we will leave aside the distrust, the hatred, the animosity that has so often been built up and that we will find ways to come together and be able to promote authentic peace and justice throughout the world."

The first step in sowing peace, the pope wrote, is to believe that peace is possible and that all people desire it.

"When we treat peace as a distant ideal," he wrote, "we cease to be scandalized when it is denied, or even when war is waged in its name."

"When peace is not a reality that is lived, cultivated and protected, then aggression spreads into domestic and public life," he said. When that happens, "it could even be considered a fault not to be sufficiently prepared for war, not to react to attacks, and not to return violence for violence."

Statistics show that is already happening, the pope said.

Global military expenditures "increased by 9.4% in 2024 compared to the previous year, confirming the trend of the last ten years and reaching a total of $2718 billion -- or 2.5% of global GDP," he wrote, citing studies by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 

Pope Leo also decried a shift in education and in the media that instead of focusing on achievements in peacemaking and diplomacy since World War II and on remembering with horror just how many people died in that war, "we now see communication campaigns and educational programs -- at schools, universities and in the media -- that spread a perception of threats and promote only an armed notion of defense and security."

That shift becomes especially frightening given advancements in weapons technology, particularly the development of drones, robots and other automated lethal weapons systems that can be controlled by artificial intelligence.

"There is even a growing tendency among political and military leaders to shirk responsibility, as decisions about life and death are increasingly 'delegated' to machines," he wrote.

Pope Leo called on Christians and all people of goodwill to join forces "to contribute to a disarming peace, a peace born of openness and evangelical humility."

"Goodness is disarming," he wrote. "Perhaps this is why God became a child."

Pope Leo prayed that as the Jubilee Year draws to a close, its legacy would be a "disarmament of heart, mind and life."
 

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of His Eminence Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 75, from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of New York, and has appointed Most Reverend Ronald A. Hicks, currently Bishop of Joliet, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of New York.

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on December 18, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The Archdiocese of New York is comprised of 4,683 square miles in the State of New York and has a total population of 5,445,700, of which 1,572,580, are Catholic.

###

As I drove through the neighborhood after dropping my daughter off for a babysitting job, I saw a couple attempting to blow up a gigantic slide and bouncy house for a child’s birthday party. This giant inflatable playground in the front yard of their modest home almost looked comical because it dwarfed their house. I ... Read more