The Latin Cardinal Patriarch of Jerusalem presides at mass in the Gaza Strip

 

Mass in Gaza presided over by Patriarch Pizzaballa with the community led by parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli 

CHURCH

• Pierbattista Pizzaballa
• Palestine
• christmas
• mass
• christians
• war

Patriarch Pizzaballa visits Gaza Christians

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa enters the Gaza Strip and presides at Mass with the parish community of Fr. Gabriel Romanelli. The Patriarch: "We are proud of you because you have remained what you are: Christians with Jesus." On Tuesday he will go to Bethlehem for the celebration of Christmas Mass at St Catherine's.

By Roberto Cetera

"The whole world is with you" the Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said this morning while visiting the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza. He visited the small Christian community in the Gaza Strip who have taken refuge in the parish compound for more than 14 months. It was the first light of dawn when the Patriarch left Jerusalem to enter Gaza, escorted by Israeli soldiers, through the Eretz crossing.

The visit was eagerly awaited by the faithful who hoped to be able to celebrate Christmas with their bishop in an atmosphere of serenity and joy, at least for one day. This is the second time that Cardinal Pizzaballa has managed to enter Gaza and visit the community led by the parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, following his visit on 16 May last. To ensure maximum security on the route, news of the visit was only given after arrival in the community.

Solidarity with Gaza Christians

Cardinal Pizzaballa then presided over the Mass, celebrated with white vestments in a foretaste of Christmas joy. During the Mass he also imparted the Sacrament of Confirmation to a number of young people.

In his homily, the Patriarch congratulated the resilience of the Christian community: "You are the light of our Church and Christmas is precisely the feast of Light," the Light that is Jesus, and "Jesus who, never forget, is also here with you." "We are proud of you," continued the Cardinal, “not because of anything in particular, but because you have remained what you are: Christians with Jesus”. And again, "just as all the people of the world, not only Christians, are with you, so too you can give something to the world that looks at you, bringing the light of Christ to everyone with your example."

Visit to Bethlehem

After his visit to Gaza, the day after tomorrow, Christmas Eve, the Patriarch will make his solemn entry into Bethlehem, where he will be welcomed by another suffering community and where he will celebrate Christmas Eve Mass in St. Catherine's Church.

After encouragement from Pope Francis, President Biden commutes federal death penalty sentences

 

US President Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 convicted felons to life imprisonment 

WORLD

• United States
• death penalty
• Pope Francis
• prisons
• human rights

President Biden commutes sentences of prisoners on death row

US President Joe Biden commutes the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row to life imprisonment without parole, expressing his conviction that “we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” Pope Francis, who had a telephone conversation with the US leader in recent days, had launched an appeal to pray for the prisoners on America's death row, an appeal supported by the US bishops and humanitarian associations.

By Christopher Wells

In an act of clemency prior to the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said in a statement announcing the decision. “But guided by my conscience and my experience ... I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
 

Read also

20/12/2024

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Biden’s decision to commute death sentences cannot be overturned by his successor, despite a pledge by Donald Trump to resume executions at the federal level after his inauguration as president in January. In his previous term of office, Trump restarted federal executions after a nearly twenty-year moratorium; a decision reversed by Biden when he took office.

Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of death row inmates does not include three prisoners convicted of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder; nor the more than 2,200 inmates sentenced to death at the state level, over whom the president has no authority.

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Appeals by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has often appealed for the abolition of the use of the death penalty, most recently in his Message for the World Day of Peace 2025.

Earlier this month, during the Angelus on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Father urged prayers for death row prisoners in the United States, “Let us pray that their sentences may be commuted or changed,” he said. “Let us think of these brothers and sisters of ours and ask the Lord for the grace to save them from death.”

Later, Pope Francis followed up on his appeal during a phone call with Joe Biden on 19 December.

The Bishops of the United States had likewise appealed for Biden to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates, echoing calls from Catholic organizations such as the Catholic Mobilizing Network and other religious and humanitarian advocacy groups.

Monday Saint of the Day

 

St. John of Kanty

The people of Olkusz in Bohemia in 1431 had every reason to be suspicious of their new pastor. They knew what a Cracow professor would think of their small rural town. But even more insulting, their town was once again being used as a dumping ground for a priest who was "in disgrace."

John had indeed been kicked out of his university position -- unjustly. Rivals who resented John's popularity with the students had cooked up a false charge against him. John was not even allowed to appear at his own hearing or testify in his own defense. So at age 41, he was shipped off to be an apprentice pastor.

Certainly no one would have blamed John if he was furious at such injustice. However, he was determined that his new parishioners would not suffer because of what he happened to him.

But there was no overnight miracle waiting of him in Olkusz. He was nervous and afraid of his new responsibilities. And, despite the energy he put into his new job, the parishioners remained hostile. But John's plan was very simple, and came not from the mind but from the heart. He let his genuine interest and concern for these people show in everything he did. Despite working for years without any sign of success, he was very careful not to demonstrate impatience or anger. He knew that people could never be bullied into love, so he gave them what he hoped they would find in themselves.

After eight years, he was exonerated and transferred back to Cracow. He had been so successful that these once-hostile people followed him several miles down the road, begging him to stay.

For the rest of his life, he was professor of sacred Scripture at the university. He was so well-liked that he was often invited to dinner with nobility. Once, he was turned away at the door by a servant who thought John's cassock was too frayed. John didn't argue but went home, changed into a new cassock, and returned. During the meal, a servant spilled a dish on John's new clothes. "No matter," he joked. "My clothes deserve some dinner, too. If it hadn't been for them I wouldn't be here at all."

Once John was sitting down to dinner when he saw a beggar walk by outside. He jumped up immediately, ran out, and gave the beggar the food in his bowl. He asked no questions, made no demands. He just saw someone in need and helped with what he had.

John taught his students this philosophy again and again, "Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause."

Pope calls for Christmas ceasefire wherever there is war and conflict

 

POPE

• Pope Francis
• appeal
• Angelus
• Mozambique
• Palestine
• Middle East
• Ukraine
• Holy Land
• children
• war
• peace

Pope expresses sadness for children gunned down in war, prays for ceasefire

At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis calls for a Christmas ceasefire on all war fronts and repeats his message of peace, hope and reconciliation for lands such as Mozambique, suffering Ukraine and the Holy Land.

Vatican News

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Pope Francis expressed his profound concern for all those enduring the suffering caused by war and violence. His words came in his greetings to the faithful immediately following the recitation of the Angelus on Sunday, just three days to Christmas. The Pope remembered Mozambique, caught between poverty and violence, noting his "attention and concern," and praying that "dialogue and the quest for the common good, supported by faith and good will, may prevail over mistrust and discord." He denounced how "so much cruelty" is inflicted on innocent children in other conflict zones.

“Tormented Ukraine continues to be struck by attacks against the city, which at times damage schools, hospitals, and churches. May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound! Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas. And with sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machine-gunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals... So much cruelty!”

Children a gift of God

Broadcasting from the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta from where he led the Angelus prayer due to a cold, the Pope also recalled how on Sunday morning he had the joy spending time with children, their mothers, and those who attend the Santa Marta Dispensary in the Vatican. The charitable service is hosted and run inside the Vatican by the Vincentian Sisters. The Dispensary has a 102 year-long history. Pope Francis paid tribute to Sister Antonietta Collacchi whom he described as a "grandmother" of everyone there thanks to her loving service. The Pope descrdibed how his heart was filled with joy and he underscored how every child is a gift of God. 

Blessing of the 'Bambinelli'

And finally, the Pope give his customary blessing of the ‘Bambinelli’, Christ-child figurines, brought by children and their families to Saint Peter's Square for the occasion, ones that they place in their own nativity scenes at home. The Pope described it as a "simple but important gesture" and concluded by expressing hopes that everyone remembers their grandparents and "may no one remain alone during these days."

Papal Sunday Angelus 12.22.2024

 

POPE

• Pope Francis
• Angelus
• protecting life
• advent
• virgin mary

Pope celebrates motherhood: Let us praise God for the miracle of life

As Christmas approaches, Pope Francis focuses on the gift of motherhood and “the miracle of life” at the Angelus for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

By Christopher Wells

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, just a few days before Christmas, Pope Francis invited the faithful to recognize God’s presence and God’s love for each one, especially “in the gift of every life, of every child carried in its mother’s womb.”

The Holy Father based his reflection on the encounter between the Virgin Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist – a meeting “of two women rejoicing at the extraordinary gift of motherhood.

Bless mothers, praise God for life

In St Peter’s Square, too, the Pope said, there are expectant mothers and mothers with their children. “Please, let us not remain indifferent to their presence,” he said. “Let us marvel at their beauty, and, as Elizabeth and Mary did, bless mothers and give praise to God for the miracle of life.”

Amidst the joyful celebrations of Christmas, the Pope said, “Let us remember to express the feelings of joy every time we meet a mother who is carrying a child in her arms or in her womb… so that every motherhood may be blessed, and the Name of God thanked and exalted in every mother of the world.”

Do I support the sacred value of life?

Ahead of the traditional blessing of the “Bambinelli” – the baby Jesus figures that will be placed in Nativity scenes throughout Italy and around the world – Pope Francis asked the faithful to reflect, “Do I thank the Lord because He made Himself a man like us, to share in all of our existence, apart from sin? Do I praise Him and bless Him for every child who is born? Do I support and defend the sacred value of the life of the little ones ever since their conception in the maternal womb?”

And he concluded with the prayer that “Mary, blessed among women, might make us capable of experiencing wonder and gratitude before the mystery of nascent life.”

Saint of the Day for Sunday

 

                    St. Hunger

Hunger (died 866), also known as Hungerus Frisus, was the Bishop of Utrecht from 854 to 866. He is a saint of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Born around 800, Hunger became a Benedictine.[1] After the death of his predecessor Liudger of Utrecht, Liudger's nephew Craft was offered the seat. However, Craft, a very wealthy person, refused because he was afraid that he would attract Viking raids. Instead, Canon Hunger was appointed.[2]

At first his relations with the Vikings were peaceful, but eventually Utrecht was threatened by the Vikings, which caused the bishop and the entire clergy of Utrecht to flee to Sint Odiliënberg, near Roermond.[1] In 858, the Lotharingian king Lothair II made a monastery available for them. Later the bishop settled in Prüm and then in Deventer.

Hunger seems to have been a godly man who, unlike his predecessors, did not engage in nepotism. In the case of the childless marriage between Lothair II and his wife Teutberga, he defended the sanctity of their marriage on biblical and theological grounds, but to secure his succession, Lothair II repudiated his wife and married Waldrada, with whom he had a son.

Hunger died in Prüm in Germany. His feast day is 22 December.

Pope Francis shares Christmas greetings with Vatican staff and families

 

Pope Francis in a group photo with the children of employees working for the Vatican and the Vicariate of Rome  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

POPE

• christmas
• Pope Francis
• Holy See
• Vatican
• work

Pope thanks Vatican employees for service during Christmas greetings

Pope Francis meets with employees of the Holy See, the Governorate of Vatican City State, and the Vicariate of Rome for the annual Christmas greetings. He describes their service as precious for spreading the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

By Tiziana Campisi

Pope Francis welcomed employees of the Holy See, the Governorate of Vatican City State, and the Vicariate of Rome with their families in the Paul VI Hall for the annual exchange of Christmas greetings. The Pope expressed his gratitude for the work they do for the Vatican and the universal Church.

He observed how in the streets and courtyards of Vatican City, and in the corridors and offices of the various Dicasteries "it feels like being in a large beehive" with all the activities taking place. He thanked those who are working now and unable to be present, but making this gathering possible. 

Dialogue in the face of challenges

The Pope also urged dialogue in the face of problems in the workplace so that solutions can be found. He encouraged everyone to speak to those in charge in their places of work so that "there is dialogue, always."

In the hidden Nazareths

In the tiny Vatican state, one "builds with others and for others something good for all" the Pope emphasized, recalling that even Jesus, "the Son of God", worked a job, becoming a humble apprentice carpenter in the workshop of Joseph and out of love for us. 

He added that "in Nazareth few knew it, almost no one, but in the carpenter's workshop, together with and through so many other things, the salvation of the world was built by craftsmen!" He said in a similar way, this "applies to you, who through your daily work, in the hidden Nazareths of your particular tasks, help to bring all humanity to Christ and spread His Kingdom throughout the world."

Growing as a family community

The Pope then reflected on the value of the family as he welcomed the festive atmosphere and the presence of so many children. "Love the family", he exhorted,  which “founded and rooted in marriage, is the place where life is generated.” He said the family is also the first community where “from childhood, one encounters the faith" that is transmitted, the Word of God, the Sacraments, and learning to care for one another and grow in love. 

“I therefore encourage you - parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, grandparents are of great importance - I encourage you to always remain united, close to each other and around the Lord: in respect, in listening, in caring for each other.”

Concern for grandparents

Turning then to parents, the Pope encouraged them to spend time with their children, and as for grandparents, he asked that they not be neglected.

“Do you visit your grandparents? Are grandparents living in the family or do they live in a retirement home without anyone visiting them? Grandparents may be in a nursing home, but visit them!”

Pray together as a family

The Pope then recommended prayer together as a family, especially during these Christmas holidays gathering in front of the nativity scene.

“Without prayer one does not go forward, not even in the family. Teach your children to pray...During these days I recommend you find a few moments to gather together around the crib to give thanks to God for His gifts, to ask Him for help for the future, and to renew your affection for each other before the Child Jesus.”

A moment of celebration

Having finished his talk, the Pope paused to greet all those present, especially the children to whom he gave treats and small gifts. Arriving amidst those in attendnance in the large hall, he shook hands, blessed many little ones and exchanged a few words.