Notre Dame hosts first Mass as spiritual heart of Paris is revived

Notre Dame Cathedral is hosting its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019, a moment that transcends religious significance to become a powerful symbol of the resilience of Paris.

For Catholics, it marks the revival of the city’s spiritual heart, a place where faith has been nurtured for centuries. For the world, it signals the rebirth of one of world heritage’s most famous landmarks.

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich is presiding over the Mass, including consecrating a new bronze altar.

The liturgy is being attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, clergy, dignitaries and guests, but is closed to the general public.

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world are taking part, along with one priest from each of the parishes in the Paris diocese and one priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic churches, accompanied by worshippers from these communities.

It is a milestone in Notre Dame’s journey from ruin to resurrection – a process defined by extraordinary craftsmanship, nearly £800,000,000 in global donations and an unyielding determination to rebuild what seemed lost.

Public viewing areas along the Seine are expected to draw thousands more who wish to witness the historic moment from afar.

Nathalie Martino, a retired event organiser visiting Paris to see family, recalled the anguish of watching the cathedral burn.

“I cried so much that day,” she said. “And now, here I am. I had to come. It was something I needed to do.”

Later on Sunday, an evening Mass will welcome members of the public who secured reservations last week.

Sunday’s Masses follow Saturday evening’s ceremonial reopening in which Archbishop Ulrich symbolically reopened the cathedral’s massive wooden doors by striking them three times with a crosier crafted from charred beams salvaged from the fire. As the doors swung open, choirs filled the cathedral with song and the cathedral’s great organ – silent since the fire – resounded with majestic melodies.

Inside, the restoration reveals a cathedral transformed with now-gleaming limestone walls cleaned of centuries of grime. The restored stained-glass windows project dazzling patterns of colour across the nave.

“No-one alive has seen the cathedral like this,” said the Rev Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, Notre Dame’s rector. “It is more than restored – it is reborn.”

CWI : Operation Ainmhian (13)

We find ourselves back on this particular investigation due to recent postings by the female at the centre of this investigation.

And it seems she cannot but help herself to stir it up and make up more as of yet unfounded allegations against other clergy.

In a recent Facebook posting, this person claims that she (quote) has kept all the receipts (unquote), and how happy that makes us here in CW...

So, if you have kept receipts KI, any chance that you could produce the receipts i.e. evidence for the following please...

1. the disgustingly defammatory and false allegations you made against a priest in the Diocese of Killaloe, despite you promising to do so on many a posting on a particular blog which no longer exists....alongside its publisher?

2. the pictures that you claimed were solid evidence of a relationship between you and aforementioned priest?

3. the false claims that you and your children were threatened by a relative of aforementioned priest with TUSLA?

4. further false claims that 'minions' of the aforementioned priest allegedly attacked 'your' property on two ocassions?

5. legally established false claims that your husband allegedly assaulted you last year which saw your husband arrested and effectively falsely charged by your corrupt An Garda Síochána officer friends in Shannon, and then find yourself before a judge who actually did send TUSLA into your family home (we have evidence of this ourselves KI)?

6. false claims you made against another female who had made a posting on their own account which you then managed to persuade some corrupt An Garda Síochána officers in Shannon to act upon?

We are only too well aware of you and your false allegations down through the years Ms KI, and we have our own evidence in relation to you going back many, many years.

One of interest is a receipt which shows your outstanding debt to a bank in Israel which remains unpaid to this day, but don't worry, the bank knows your address for quite some time...and we have a letter to verify that, a letter issued to us by the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland only last year.

Be very careful how you go about trying to undermine and make false allegations (as seems to be your very existence) as these matters will be back to bite you sooner than you think.

And before you go running and making further false claims to your corrupt friends in An Garda Síochána, we here in CW would advise same said officers to go check the PULSE system on this person before acting at her behest.

We also wish to advise that we will start publishing the truth of your allegations in due course, and expose you and your lies once and for all.

You are now on formal notice of such, and be advised, this is not a threat Ms KI....it is a promise.

It is the turn of those who you have borne false witness against to now have their voices - of truth - heard. 

We may not be the average Irish media, but we will publish verified truths, facts and evidence - without fear.

You once threatened to bring people to court KI, and believe us when we say this - we would love to go to court - and have no fear of such.

But you should!!

8th. December - Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September.

A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century (prior to the Great Schism of 1054).

It looked to the West in the eighth century.

In the eighth century it became a feast of the Roman Catholic Church.

It is the only one of Mary's feasts that came to the Western Church not by way of Rome, but instead spread from the Byzantine area to Naples, and then to Normandy during their period of dominance over southern Italy.

From there it spread into England, France, Germany, and eventually Rome.

Prior to Pope Pius IX's definition of the Immaculate Conception as Church dogma in 1854, most missals referred to it as the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The festal texts of this period focused more on the action of her conception than on the theological question of her preservation from original sin.

A missal published in England in 1806 indicates the same collect for the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was used for this feast as well.

The first move towards describing Mary's conception as "immaculate" came in the eleventh century.

In the fifteenth century Pope Sixtus IV, while promoting the festival, explicitly tolerated those who promoted it as the Immaculate Conception and those who challenged such a description, a position later endorsed by the Council of Trent.

The proper title for the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Medieval Sarum Missal, perhaps the most famous in England, merely addresses the action of her conception.

The collect for the feast reads:

O God, mercifully hear the supplication of thy servants who are assembled together on the Conception of the Virgin Mother of God, may at her intercession be delivered by Thee from dangers which beset us.

In 1854, Pius IX made the statement Ineffabilis Deus: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin."

Cultural impact

It is a public holiday in Austria, Nicaragua, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Peru, and Paraguay.

In some countries, though December 8 is not a public holiday, their respective Bishops' Conference however declared this day as a Holy Day of Obligation, as it is in the United States, the Philippines and Ireland.

December 8th is also celebrated as mother's day in Panama in honor of this holiday and is therefore a national holiday.

Anglican Communion

In the Anglican Communion, the "Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary" may be observed as a Lesser Festival on 8 December.

Many Anglo-Catholic parishes observe the feast using the traditional Roman Catholic title, the "Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Eastern Orthodoxy

While the Eastern Orthodox Churches have never accepted the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, they do celebrate December 9 as the Feast of the Conception by St. Anne of the Most Holy Theotokos.

While the Orthodox believe that the Virgin Mary was, from her conception, filled with every grace of the Holy Spirit, in view of her calling as the Mother of God, they do not teach that she was conceived without original sin as their understanding of this doctrine differs from the Roman Catholic articulation.

The Orthodox do affirm that Mary is "all-holy" and never committed a personal sin during her lifetime.

The Orthodox feast is not a perfect nine months before the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos September 8) as it is in the West, but a day later.

This feast is not ranked among the Great Feasts of the church year, but is a lesser-ranking feast Polyeleos).

Church of England spending ‘excessively’ on HR and diversity officers, report warns

The Church of England is overspending on HR and diversity officers at the expense of parishes, a report has warned.

Research by the think-tank Civitas found that a “managerial turn” in the Anglican church in the past two decades had left ordinary parishes “struggling to survive”.

The report, released on Wednesday, said the Church’s 42 dioceses had taken on “large numbers of staff” since the turn of the millennium while merging parishes and reducing clergy numbers to cut costs.

These administrative positions include human resources jobs and a series of “politicised roles” such as diversity, social justice, LGBT and net zero officers, the report found.

It means that “dioceses across the country now employ so many people that, on average, there is one administrator to every three-and-a-half priests”.

In Truro, the diocese covering Cornwall, there are as many as 39 diocesan officers to 41 clerics.

Analysis conducted for the report went on to find that 21 per cent of diocesan spending is on administrative costs, almost double that of large charities like Oxfam (10 per cent) and the RNLI (12 per cent).

A spokesman for the Church of England said that “we don’t recognise the picture painted by this report”.

Esmé Partridge, the author of the report, told The Telegraph that the Church of England spends “millions of pounds” on bureaucracy at the “expense of parish churches”.

“In dioceses across the country, numbers of parish clergy are being cut, and those who remain tend to be thinly spread across large areas,” she said.

“The result is the disappearing presence of the Church within each community and, potentially, the loss of local heritage, charity and welfare.

“Against the CofE’s claim that the traditional parish model is unsuited to ‘the networks of contemporary life’, this report argues that there has never been a better time to revive the parish as a source of tradition, sanctity and community solidarity.”

The report also found that significant funds are being directed by the Church to “strategic mission and ministry investment” schemes which often involve the merging of parishes.

It pointed to one project in Wigan, Lancs, where the Diocese of Liverpool was given £1.2 million to reorganise churches into seven “hubs” accompanied by “worship communities” in unconventional settings.

In a report later commissioned by the diocese, it was found that churchgoing in the town declined by 30 per cent and donations from congregants fell by a third following the “pastoral reorganisation”.

“Both the expanding diocesan bureaucracies and new funding models are part of a managerial turn within the Church of England which has led ambitious new projects to be prioritised over support for existing congregations,” the report stated.

Presbyterian church accused of singling out LGBT people

The Presbyterian Church has been accused of an "obsessive preoccupation" with sexual identity and of singling out LGBT people.

The claim was made after a Presbyterian minister resigned after being investigated for attending the 2024 Pride parade in Dublin.

Reverend Dr Katherine Meyer was ruled by a church court to have failed to "yield submission in the Lord to the courts of the Church".

A Presbyterian Church spokesperson said the resignation of anyone from the Church was "a matter of regret".

'One of the most painful decisions of my life'

In a statement to BBC News NI, Rev Dr Meyer said resigning from her ministry was "one of the most painful decisions of my life".

"Like any intelligent woman of my generation, I have worked a lifetime in historically patriarchal institutions," she said.

Rev Dr Meyer also said that she had faced complaints because of "my pastoral support for members of the LGBTQ+ community and my appearance in public in their company".

Rev Dr Meyer was the minister emerita of Christ Church, Sandymount, in Dublin.

'A matter of regret'

Speaking about her resignation, a spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland said that the resignation of anyone from the Church was "a matter of regret", but added that it was "ultimately a personal decision for each individual".

"However, we recognise that this resignation was offered within the context of judicial processes within the Church," the spokesperson continued.

"During the course of a recent hearing regarding a further complaint concerning Dr Meyer, the Commission dealing with the matter was informed by her that she intended to resign as an ordained minister of the Church.

"This was stated before the Commission had completed its consultation, let alone come to any conclusions.

"Having been informed of Dr Meyer's intention to resign, the Commission chose not to issue any formal sanction."

Dr Meyer had, though, recently been censured and rebuked by the church for taking part in a Pride church service shown by Irish broadcaster RTÉ in 2023.

But she also faced the further church investigation into complaints that she attended the Dublin Pride parade in 2024.

That investigation led to a hearing by a Presbyterian Church in Ireland Judicial Commission—a church court—held in Belfast on 29 November.

"The Judicial Commission concludes that the primary issue is Dr Meyer's ongoing failure to "yield submission in the Lord to the courts of the Church", verging on defiance of the very courts to which in her ordination vows she has promised to yield submission," their subsequent judgement said.

Following that hearing on 29 November, Rev Dr Meyer decided to resign from her ministry at a meeting of Dublin and Munster Presbytery.

Some Presbyterian ministers from that Presbytery had made some of the complaints against her.

As a result of her resignation, Rev Dr Meyer can no longer do things like officiate at weddings or conduct services of baptism or communion.

In 2018, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) adopted a new policy that meant that anyone in a same-sex relationship could not be a full member of the Church.

Rev Dr Meyer had previously also faced a disciplinary investigation by PCI in 2021 for "endorsing a homosexual relationship".

An elder at Christ Church, Sandymount, Steven Smyrl, had been sacked by PCI for being in a same-sex marriage.

When contacted by BBC News NI, Rev Dr Meyer gave a statement in response confirming she had resigned.

"It has become impossible for me to cooperate any further with the enquiry and disciplinary processes to which I have been subjected and which, in my experience, have been so flawed and destructive," she said.

"Over recent years, a series of complaints have been lodged against me, resulting in a number of disciplinary actions.

"The particular claim which has been the common theme of these acts of discipline, as best as I can determine, is that by my teaching and actions I have disrupted the peace and unity of the Church.

"And further, that following censure, I failed to seek to preserve that peace and unity."

Rev Dr Meyer said that "precisely how [she] did this was never clearly stated but assumed".

She said the trigger for the complaints seemed to have been her "pastoral support for members of the LGBTQ+ community and [her] appearance in public in their company, although this was never specifically stated".

Resigning was the 'only path'

Rev Dr Meyer said that she had "co-operated fully, thoughtfully, and clearly" with each investigation.

"However, in the wake of the most recent complaint, I could have no further illusions about where the latest enquiry was heading," she continued.

"To my great sorrow, therefore, I decided that the only path forward for me was to resign from ordained ministry.

"It was not a decision I welcomed, but on this occasion I could only follow my conscience."

'Obsessive preoccupation'

Professor Ruth Whelan is a Presbyterian who accompanied Rev Dr Meyer to the Judicial Commission hearings she faced.

Professor Whelan had also attended the Dublin Pride Parade in 2024.

Professor Whelan told BBC News NI that Rev Dr Meyer had told the church court of "the rights of conscience in matters of ethical decision making, and the tradition of loyal dissent within the Reformed and specifically Presbyterian church tradition."

"There seems to be a new sin in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland: the sin of public truth-telling," Professor Whelan continued.

"Since 2018, the PCI has become a sect rather than a church."

Professor Whelan said the Church "no longer recognises the legitimate rights of conscience of church members who dissent from clearly controversial decisions".

She added that its leaders "move to silence any minister or elder who dissents from their highly conservative views".

"To my eyes, the leadership of the PCI have imported into the Church the culture wars that prevail in the wider society," she continued.

"The common denominator in all the documents is an obsessive preoccupation with those in and around the church who claim minority sexual identities.

"Hidden here in plain sight are the people some rarely dignify with a name, the people singled out in 2018, the people who call themselves LGBTQ+."

Pope: Religious life is a total gift of self to God through others

Pope Francis met Thursday with the Canoness Sisters of the Holy Spirit in Saxony, which were founded in Rome by Blessed Guy de Montpellier.

The audience comes after the Pope extended the title “Blessed” to the 12th century French religious on May 18, 2024, calling him a “humble and modest servant” of the poor.

Speaking to the Canoness Sisters on Thursday, the Pope recalled their mission to “devote themselves primarily to the care and service of the poor.”

Blessed Guy de Montpellier, he said, began his Rule for the community in the name of the Holy Trinity and sought to respond to the reform of religious life called for by Pope Innocent III.

“It is fascinating to see how God’s plan matures in the ‘kitchen’ of the heart,” said the Pope, “and how the flavors and colors gradually permeate the rules of life, eventually spreading their fragrance throughout the Church.”

Evangelical poverty that creates communion

Pope Francis highlighted the importance of communion, poverty, and service, as well as the connection between them.

The Canoness Sisters make a vow of poverty that requires them to live without anything of their own.

This vow, noted the Pope, goes beyond the modern understanding of a rigorously sober and detached life.

“It means recognizing that we are guests in the house of the Trinity, which welcomes us and shares its dwelling with the poor we are called to serve.”

The vow of poverty connects closely with communion, he said, adding that it involves a “total gift of ourselves to God through our brothers and sisters, without reservation.”

“Without holding back anything ‘of our own’ in the hidden chambers of worldly securities—whether tucked away in our cells, pockets, or, worse, in our hearts,” said the Pope. “Only in this freedom can we embark on a shared project that becomes an eschatological sign of the journey toward the eternal dwelling places to which God calls us.”

Servants who welcome the poor in charity

In conclusion, Pope Francis invited the Canoness Sisters of the Holy Spirit in Saxony to work to make their hearts and communities living temples of the Trinity.

Religious life, he said, “is a journey toward God, moved by the Holy Spirit, in which we become followers of Christ the Redeemer—who ‘came not to be served but to serve’—and teachers of life, if we can make ourselves small and servants of all, welcoming the poor and offering them the comfort of our charity.”

Pope to Sicilian Theological Institute: “Be missionaries of hope”

“Continue to walk together, offering a broad-based formation able to impact ecclesial and social life,” because “Sicily needs men and women who can look to the future with hope”.  

Pope Francis gave this strong encouragement as he met on Friday morning with some 200 formators, staff and students of the San Paolo Theological Institute of Catania, Sicily.

The institute was founded in 1969 when, following the Second Vatican Council, the dioceses of eastern Sicily decided to join forces to establish a center for the theological formation of Sicilian priests, religious and lay people.

Working together 

Beginning his address, Pope Francis acknowledged the significant contribution of the Institute to the local Church, remarking that its collaboration with the Theological Faculty of Palermo to which it is affiliated, “represents a model that can inspires other Churches to journey together in this domain.”

Indeed,” he said “when we speak of communion, we must also include relationships among formative institutions, which become laboratories of communion and mission, animated by theological reflection.”

Serving Sicilian society

Highlighting the regional context, Pope Francis underscored the importance of the Institute's deep connection to Sicily’s cultural and spiritual heritage, which includes martyrs such as St. Agatha and Lucy, and modern-time martyrs such as Fr. Giuseppe Puglisi and judge Rosario Livatino, both killed by the mafia.

Through this connection, the Pope observed,  "you experience ecclesiality, which places you alongside one another and in the search for new ways of evangelization.”

He also noted that the increased number of female students in the Institute reflects the cultural and societal changes taking place in Sicilian society, “where women have often been undervalued in their social roles.”

Sicily needs men and women of hope, not resignation 

Referring to the region’s ongoing challenges, including widespread corruption, organized crime which hinder the region’s development, Pope Francis remarked that “Sicily needs men and women who can look to the future with hope and train the new generations to be free and transparent in caring for the common good, to eradicate both old  and new poverty.”  

The Pope therefore urged the Institute to engage with these social issues by promoting a culture of “welcome and fraternity” toward the poor and the marginalized  along with the integration of migrants in Sicilian society, which, he recalled, "has always been a crossroads of peoples" and cultures. 

Commending its academic collaboration with the University of Catania,  Pope Francis then encouraged the Institute to dialogue with the broader cultural context of Sicily, with its rich literary heritage, to inspire hope and resilience in the face of ongoing challenges. "In dialogue with this culture, bring hope and commitment, “ he urged.

“Go forward with hope, and be missionaries of hope”

Working for Christian unity

The Pope concluded his address by invoking Saint Nicholas, a saint who unites East and West, urging the Institute to take up the call he made in view of the 1.700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea to advance on the path toward  "visible" Christian unity.

Pope to artists: A true symphony comes through differences

On the morning of December 7, ahead of the Concert with the Poor at the Vatican, Pope Francis praised the “beauty of music that unites hearts and elevates the spirit” in an audience with the promoters and artists of the event.

The beauty of music

As the audience opened, a child began to cry and, in response, the Pope used it as an exampe that "even children, when they cry, make music."

A concert, he described, is “a beautiful parable, a parable of harmony” that the Church is “striving to live more fully.” 

In an orchestra, there are multiple instruments and voices each with their own part. But, each member “must harmonize with the others” to make the beauty of music.

Pope Francis likened the world to an orchesta where “each person is called to express themselves, to play their part alongside everyone else.” 

He stressed that silences and dissonances are just as important because “God does not create waste.”

Harmony requires presence

Yet this parable of harmony can only be achieved when each person chooses to be present. “It is not a given,” the Pope said. 

He acknowledged that everyone at the audience has chosen to “take part in this event with people in need, who struggle every day to move forward.” 

This choice, he explained, “creates a sign of hope.” 

This is the message of the upcoming Jubilee: to make signs of hope starting from love. 

Differences make a true symphony

A true symphony can only be achieved through the collaboration of everyone, Pope Francis encouraged. Only when a concert consists of different people can a harmony that "builds up and comforts everyone" be achieved. 

Tying it all together, Pope Francis pointed out that the Concert with the Poor is a prime example of synodal harmony as it is “in communion with our most vulnerable brothers and sisters.” 

These “friends of ours” are the protagonists of the concert. Beauty, the Pope described, “is a gift from God for all human beings, united by the same dignity and called to brotherhood.”

FF Minister “very honoured” to have private meeting with Pope

Fianna Fáil Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Sean Fleming, says he is “very honoured” to have a private audience with Pope Francis this week as he visits Rome and Vatican City on a diplomatic mission over the next few days.

“I am very honoured to have a private audience with the Holy Father and to have the opportunity to recognise the role he and the Holy See plays in building peace,” Fleming said ahead of the trip, adding: “In an uncertain world, this work is more important than ever.”

He went on to highlight the deep historical connections between the Catholic faith and Irish culture.

“The people-to-people links between Ireland and Italy and the Vatican go back centuries,” he said.

“From St. Columbanus, to the Ulster Earls Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell, Franciscan Luke Wadding to Monsignors John Hagan and Hugh O’Flaherty, Irish people, both religious and lay, have made enormous contributions to Italy, the Holy See, and to Ireland across multiple fields.

“It is especially pleasing to see that continue today with some 5,000 Irish people living in Italy. I look forward to meeting some of them during my visit and also visiting Rome GAA Club to hear how Italy has welcomed them.”

Minister Fleming is also set to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to discuss bilateral relations and geopolitical matters.

The Minister’s visit aims to highlight the deep and historic connections between Ireland and Rome through the launch of the “Ireland in Rome – Religious and Historical Connections” Map. 

This map outlines 12 significant sites in Rome that hold enduring ties to Ireland.

Additionally, the Minister will observe the signing of an agreement between the Irish College and the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See for the digitisation of Monsignor John Hagan’s papers. 

Monsignor Hagan served as Vice Rector and Rector of the Pontifical Irish College from 1904–1930, prior to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Holy See.

The Minister will also meet with members of the Irish community in Rome and visit the training ground of the Rome Hibernia GAA Club, founded in 2015. 

This is one of two active GAA clubs in Italy, alongside another based in Milan.

Pope: Gossip undermines preaching of the Gospel

“The words of St. Paul should resonate in the heart of every baptized person: ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!’”

Pope Francis offered that reminder on Friday as he held an audience with the Carmelite Sisters Messengers of the Holy Spirit, many of whom traveled on pilgrimage from Brazil and parts of Europe.

He recalled that this year has seen the institute celebrate their 40th anniversary and elect a new leadership team during their 4th General Chapter.

The Pope said the year offers the religious sisters a “beautiful reminder of the daily commitment to the service of evangelization and the spreading of the Word of God, which must reach everyone.”

He added that all Christians have the duty to preach the Gospel to the whole world, urging religious to always avoid the temptation to gossip.

"Gossip is opposed to preaching the Gospel, because gossip leads us to condemn others," he said. "The Gospel, however, is always welcoming."

As Carmelites, said the Pope, the religious have a special mission to lead of life of evangelization and prayer.

“In your Institute,” he concluded, “this missionary drive for evangelization in various fields is closely connected with contemplation and a life of prayer that follows the ancient and beautiful Carmelite tradition.”

The Papal Foundation marks 25 years of scholarships benefiting 2,000 students

The Papal Foundation, established in the United States in 1988, has extended its reach globally, aiding in areas such as building schools in Africa, providing medical care in Latin America, and funding scholarships.

December 5 marked the 25th anniversary of the John Paul II Scholarship Fund, which has enabled nearly 2,000 individuals to pursue studies in Rome.

A global mission

In 2024 alone, The Papal Foundation supported 118 projects across more than 60 countries. 

These initiatives address essential needs, including access to clean water, school construction, and classroom renovations.

Funds have also been allocated for translating Church teachings for evangelization, restoring churches, monasteries, and seminaries, constructing medical facilities, and providing scholarships. Each project follows priorities set by the Pope.

Since its inception, the Foundation has dedicated over $225 million to these causes as part of its mission to support the Popes in their pastoral and charitable endeavors worldwide.

Their work is made possible through the contributions of the "Stewards of Saint Peter," generous donors whose financial gifts drive the Foundation's projects.

A pivotal year: 1998

1998 was a milestone year for The Papal Foundation, marking the launch of the John Paul II Scholarship Program.

The initiative emerged from a conversation between Pope St. John Paul II and then-chairman Cardinal Francis O'Connor. John and Carol Seaman provided the initial funding to establish the program.

"Pope John Paul II's request for a scholarship program was deeply personal,” Mr. Seaman told Vatican News. “He himself had been a scholarship recipient during his studies at the Angelicum in Rome. He wanted the same opportunity to be made available to other needy men and women religious and lay leaders."

Over the past 25 years, the scholarship fund has provided $16 million to students, enabling 1,959 individuals to study in Rome.

Transforming lives

Sister Anna Kapounamai of India, a scholarship recipient, said her studies in Rome will help her better train young people in the proper use of social media.

"Today, the influence of social media is growing among youth and children,” she said. “My vision is to help young people become literate and responsible social media users while preserving their personal and social values. We extend our gratitude and prayers to The Papal Foundation and to Mr. John and Mrs. Carol Seaman for their support."

A Call to Responsibility

Cardinal Seán O'Malley, chairman of The Papal Foundation's Board of Trustees, quoted the Gospel of Luke: "To whom much is given, much will be required." He also emphasized the organization's role in addressing global inequality.

"In a society where the gap between rich and poor continues to grow, the Stewards of Saint Peter recognize their responsibility to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable," Cardinal O'Malley said.

David Savage, the Foundation's executive director, added, "These grants, scholarships, and charitable initiatives are our organization's gift to the Catholic Church."

Papal acknowledgment

In April, members of The Papal Foundation met with Pope Francis in Rome.

In his address, the Holy Father underscored the importance of prayer and adoration as sources of inspiration for helping those in need.

He highlighted the Foundation's critical role in supporting worldwide educational, humanitarian, and pastoral projects.

The Pope also expressed gratitude for the aid provided to the Church and those on the spiritual and social margins, urging continued efforts to foster solidarity and peace.

As recipients of its generosity attest, The Papal Foundation offers a testament to the power of faith, generosity, and global cooperation in addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges.

LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO THE NEW CARDINALS

Dear Brother,

With your elevation to the College of Cardinals, you will become a member of the Roman clergy.  Welcome!  

That membership is an expression of the Church’s unity and of the bond that unites all the Churches with this Church of Rome.

I urge you to make every effort as a Cardinal to embody the three attitudes with which an Argentinian poet (Francisco Luis Bernárdez) once characterized Saint John of the Cross, and which are also applicable to us: “eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare”.

Eyes raised, because your service will require you to lengthen your gaze and broaden your heart, in order to see farther and to love more expansively and with greater fervour.  To sit with John of the Cross “at the school of his gaze” (Benedict XVI), which is the pierced side of Christ.

Hands joined, because what the Church most needs – together with the preaching of the Gospel – is your prayer to be able to shepherd well the flock of Christ.  Prayer is the realm of discernment that helps me to seek and discover God’s will for our people, and to follow it.

Feet bare, because they touch the harsh realities of all those parts of the world overwhelmed by the pain and suffering due to war, discrimination, persecution, hunger and many forms of poverty; these will demand from you great compassion and mercy.

I thank you for your generosity and I assure you of my prayers that the title of “servant” (deacon) will increasingly eclipse that of “eminence”.

Pray for me, and may Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin accompany you.

Fraternally,

FRANCIS

Pope Francis appears with bruised chin at ceremony for new cardinals

Pope Francis led a ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday to install 21 new Catholic cardinals with what appeared to be a bruised chin. 

The Vatican said it would not comment on the matter.

Francis, who turns 88 this month, appeared otherwise on good form, leading a ritual-filled ceremony to elevate churchmen from 17 countries to the College of Cardinals, the elite group that will one day elect his successor.

A purplish blotch could be seen on the right side of the pope's face, around his lower chin and upper neck. 

The Vatican's press office said it would not comment on what had happened.

Francis, pope since 2013, has suffered occasional bouts of ill health in recent years, and now uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain.

Cardinals are the highest-ranking officials in the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church beside the pope. 

At the pontiff's death or resignation, cardinals under the age of 80 are tasked with entering a conclave and choosing the next pope.

Francis has now installed about 80% of the prelates who will elect the next pope, increasing the likelihood that the next pontiff might share his vision for a Church that is more inclusive and engaged with the wider world.

MORE GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY

Francis, originally from Argentina and the first pope from the Americas, has focused on strengthening geographic diversity among the cardinals.

At least 67 countries now have cardinals who can vote in a conclave, according to Vatican statistics, compared to fewer than 50 when Francis was elected.

The newest appointees come from countries including Peru, Argentina, Japan, the Philippines, Algeria, India and Serbia.

In his homily for Saturday's service, Francis said the new cardinals "come from different backgrounds and cultures", urging them to be "witnesses of fraternity, artisans of communion and builders of unity".

Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, one of the new cardinals, praised the pope's efforts to boost geographical diversity.

"Having cardinals from every part of the world truly translates the universality of the Church," Bessi Dogbo, from Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, told Reuters.

Italy remains the country with the most cardinals, counting 17 under the age of 80. Four of those were installed on Saturday, including the archbishops of Turin, a northern business hub, and Naples, the country's third-largest city.

Among the other new cardinals, one is a Belgian friar serving as archbishop of the Tehran-Isfahan archdiocese in Iran. Another is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic ministering in Australia.

Pope to new ambassadors: ‘The world is weary of war'

Pope Francis accepted the Credential Letters presented by eleven new Ambassadors to the Holy See. The nations they represent are India, Jordan, Denmark, Luxembourg, São Tomé and Principe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Welcoming the diplomats to the Vatican on Saturday, the Pope remarked that their mission begins at a particularly critical time for international diplomacy as the world faces pressing challenges such as the devastating impact of climate change, especially on developing nations and the poorest members of society, armed conflicts, and the plight of migrants and refugees.

The patient work of diplomacy

These issues, he remarked "have no simple solution, nor are they able to be resolved by the actions of one nation or a small group of states,“ but only through a concerted effort of all nations which requires a “patient work of diplomacy.”

“Our world is increasingly beset by problems that affect the entire human family and call for concerted action by all who are concerned for the future of our planet.”

The Holy See's "positive neutrality" to resolve conflicts

In this context,  Pope Francis reminded the ambassadors of the Holy See's ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue, reconciliation, mutual understanding, respect for the dignity and rights of each individual and people and its diplomatic efforts to contribute to the resolution of conflicts through the exercise of "positive neutrality," by making clear their intrinsic ethical dimension.

“By its presence in the international community, the Holy See, in accordance with its specific nature and mission, seeks to promote such dialogue in the service of the common good, without advancing political, commercial, or military goals.”

He recalled that history has shown that “quiet, patient and persistent diplomatic efforts inspired by mutual respect, goodwill and moral conviction” can contribute to resolving even “seemingly intractable situations”. 

“Indeed,” he said, “many current global problems are longstanding, which rather than discouraging us should prompt us to look for new and innovative solutions. “

Sow seeds of hope in our war-weary world

Concluding his speech, Pope Francis called for hope which will be the central theme of the 2025 Jubilee and encouraged the diplomatic community accredited to the Holy See to continue working with courage and creativity in promoting bonds of friendship, cooperation and dialogue in the service of peace.  

“Your work, often quiet and hidden, will help to plant the seeds of a future of hope for our war-weary world,” he said.

Pope: ‘Enough with wars and violence in the world!’

“Enough with wars! Enough with violence!”: these poignant words resonated again in the Paul the VI Hall on Saturday where Pope Francis received in audience the delegations that gifted this year's Nativity Scene and Christmas Tree.

The Nativity has been crafted in the city of Grado, in the northern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, while the majestic 29-meter spruce tree comes from the forests of Ledro, in the Trentino Region.

Attending the audience were also representatives from the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Holy See on the occasion of the inauguration of the “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024"  crafted by local artisans and displayed in the Paul VI Hall.

The tree: a metaphor of the Church

Reflecting on the towering Christmas tree, which he noted was harvested in respect of ecological principles for natural forest regeneration, Pope Francis highlighted its deeper spiritual meaning. 

With its interwoven old and young branches reaching skyward, he said, it serves as a powerful metaphor for the Church: “a people and a body through which the light of Christ spreads into the world, thanks to the succession of generations of believers united around a single source: Jesus.”

The Nativity is a message of humility and communion

Turning to Nativity scene displayed in Saint Peter’s Square , modeled after a traditional “casone” from the Grado Lagoon, Pope Francis, observed that these humble fisherman’s huts, built with simple materials like mud and reeds, speak to us of Christmas, “when God became man to fully share in our poverty, building His Kingdom on earth not with powerful means but through the humble resources of our humanity, purified and strengthened by His grace.”

The Church has room for everyone

He also drew a parallel between the "batela," the typical flat-bottomed boats used for navigating the lagoon and the Church as a vessel leading people to Christ.

Jesus cannot be reached “alone,” but together, in community, aboard that small yet great vessel that Peter continues to guide, where there is always room for everyone, as long as we come together.

“In the Church there is always room for everyone. Someone might say: ‘But what about sinners?’. They are the first ones because Jesus came for sinners, for all of us, not for saints.”

No more war!

Finally, turning to the Nativity crafted in Bethlehem, Pope Francis remarked that it reminds of our brothers and sisters whosuffer the tragedy of war in the Holy Land and other parts of the world and once again invoked peace.   

“Enough with  wars, enough of violence!”, he pleaded, reiterating his strong condemnation of the arms industry that thrives on war and death

“You know that one of the most profitable investments is in the weapons industry? They earn money to kill. But why? No more wars!”

The "Nativity of Bethlehem 2024"

The "Nativity of Bethlehem 2024" displayed in the Paul VI Hall was designed by two artists from Bethlehem, Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi. 

The main structure is 3 meters tall, consisting of a circular base with shelves displaying various nativity scenes, and, at the top, the famous Star of Bethlehem.

The representation blends centuries-old traditions of local artisans with contemporary elements. 

The materials used include iron for the main structure, olive wood for the statues of the Holy Family and other depictions, as well as mother-of-pearl, stone, ceramic, glass, felt, and fabric. 

During the preparation, collection, and construction of the artwork, the artists collaborated with several local Christian institutions.

The inauguration of the Christmas tree and Nativity in St. Peter’s Square

The inauguration of the Christmas tree and Nativity in St. Peter’s Square will be presided over at 6:30 pm on Saturday by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and Sister Raffaella Petrini, respectively the president and secretary-general of the Governorate of Vatican City State. 

Participants in the ceremony will include the Bishop Carlo Roberto Redaelli of Gorizia  Bishop Lauro Tisi of Trento; the mayors of Grado and Ledro and the president of the Province of Trento.

The Nativity scene from Grado reflects an aspect of city’s unique lagoon, a vibrant and historic part of the city’s identity and will have love as its guiding theme.

The choice of the Christmas spruce tree from Ledro was based not only on its aesthetic value  but also on ecological responsibility. In fact its  removal  ensures the natural regeneration of the forest for decades to come. 

The local forests are PEFC-certified, meaning they are managed according to the strictest environmental, social, and economic standards.

Pope tells new Cardinals never to stray from the path of Jesus

Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged the group of twenty-one new cardinals from across the globe to “walk in the way of Jesus: together, with humility, wonder and joy.”

Presiding at Holy Mass for the Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope reminded the prelates receiving the red hat, that just as Jesus’ ascent to Jerusalem was not an ascent to worldly glory but to the glory of God, they too must put the Lord at the centre and be builders of communion and unity.

Pope Francis announced the Consistory at the beginning of October pointing to the fact that the origins of the cardinal-elects “express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God's merciful love to all people on earth.”

Stand before God in humility

Recalling the Gospel of Mark, the Pope said that in Jerusalem, Jesus would die on the cross to restore us to life. He took a “difficult uphill path that would lead him to Calvary,” he explained, while the disciples were thinking of a “smooth downhill path for the triumphant Messiah.”

The Pope noted that the same thing can happen to us: “Our hearts can go astray, allowing us to be dazzled by the allure of prestige, the seduction of power, by an overly human zeal for the Lord.”

“That is why,” he continued, “we need to look within, to stand before God in humility (…) and ask: Where is my heart going?  Where is it directed?  Have I perhaps taken the wrong road?”

“We need to look within, to stand before God in humility.”

Return to the heart

The Holy Father focused the rest of his homily on how the new Cardinals are called to make every effort to walk in the path of Jesus.

“To walk in the path of Jesus means above all to return to him and to put him back at the centre of everything,” he said, warning them to look out for secondary things and external appearances that can overshadow what truly counts.

The very word “Cardinal”, he explained, refers to a hinge inserted into a door to secure, support and reinforce it. 

[ Dear brothers: Jesus is our true support, the “centre of gravity” of our service, the “cardinal point” which gives direction to our entire life. ]

A passion for encounter

“To walk in the path of Jesus also means to cultivate a passion for encounter,” Pope Francis continued, noting that “Jesus never walked alone.”

Jesus came, he added, “to heal our wounded humanity, to lighten the burdens of our hearts, to cleanse the stain of sin and to shatter the bonds of enslavement.”

On his path, the Pope said, he “encountered the faces of those who were suffering and those who had lost hope”. He raised the fallen and healed the sick and the brokenhearted.

Builders of communion and unity

“To walk in the path of Jesus means, in the end, to be builders of communion and unity,” the Pope said, warning against “the worm of competition” and “the dividing wall of hostility” that prevents us from seeing ourselves as children of the same Father.

He urged the new cardinals – whom he noted come from different backgrounds and cultures, and represent the catholicity of the Church – to be “witnesses of fraternity, artisans of communion and builders of unity.”

Quoting St Pope Paul VI’s address during a consistory, Pope Francis said: “It is our desire that everyone feel at home in the ecclesial family, that there will be no exclusion or isolation, which proves so harmful to our unity in charity, or efforts to make some prevail to the detriment of others.”

Concluding, he told the 21 new cardinals to “Love one another with fraternal love and be servants to one another, servants of the Gospel.”

“Walk in the way of Jesus, together, with humility, wonder and joy.”

Religious sisters face government pressure to leave Nicaragua

Pressure against religious sisters in Nicaragua grows amid rumors that the remaining religious sisters in the country will be forced out of the country by the end of the year.

Officials from the Ortega regime had a meeting two months ago with the superiors of religious congregations in the country, in which they were told that residency permits would not be renewed for foreign priests and sisters once they expired, local sources told The Pillar.

“They also said that those who insisted on renewing their permits would be charged more than usual for the process and still be denied, so that they should not even bother,” a source close to the bishops’ conference told The Pillar.

Persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua began during the 2018-2019 protests against the Ortega regime.

However, the dictatorship intensified the persecution two years ago, with a systematic campaign against religious congregations, starting with the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity from the country.

A March 2022 law gives Nicaragua’s government new latitude to close civilly registered non-profits in the country and to limit the activity of foreign NGOs. The Ortega regime has used the law to expel various congregations from the country and see the country’s Catholic Charities operation dissolved.

Under this law, four Catholic universities, dozens of Catholic non-profits, and the legal entities under which many religious congregations operated were closed.

Under the law’s provisions, the assets of organizations that are voluntarily dissolved can be distributed to other organizations. But if the government dissolves an organization for any reason, its property can be seized, which has been the case for many institutions.

Many congregations have been expelled from the country under the 2022 law, including the Franciscans, Jesuits, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and a female Trappist community.

In some instances, some members of these institutions remain in the country, but without any legal structure to support them. For example, a small number of Jesuits remain in Nicaragua.

Other congregations have silently left the country amid pressure and persecution.

Human rights activist Martha Patricia Molina told The Pillar that she is in touch with religious sisters in the country, who told her that they have received an ultimatum from the government - they must leave the country by December.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re foreign or nationals, they must leave,” she told The Pillar.

“Many congregations started slowly leaving recently, there are not many anymore in Nicaragua; in many cases, the government is not allowing them to take their religious belongings, such as pious images, they’re being forced to do an inventory of everything they’re leaving behind,” she added.

“These religious had their non-profits canceled, and most already fled the country. Their properties will be seized,” Molina warned in a post on twitter.com

News of the renewed persecution comes days after Pope Francis published a pastoral letter to the Nicaraguan people. In it, the pope encouraged trust amid difficulty, saying “precisely in the most difficult moments, when it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called not to doubt His care and mercy.”

Since the start of the persecution against the Catholic Church, the Nicaraguan regime has forced the closure of dozens of Catholic TV and radio stations, the dissolution of the legal structures of religious congregations, Catholic universities, and Catholic foundations, and the seizure of their properties.

More than 250 clergy and religious have been forced into exile, including four bishops and almost 20% of the country’s priests.

On November 12, the president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference, Bishop Carlos Herrera, OFM, was forced into exile after criticizing a pro-regime mayor during Sunday Mass in the Jinotega cathedral.

In recent weeks, the regime has faced criticism for forbidding priests from accessing public hospitals, not allowing them to visit people who have requested pastoral visits or the reception of the sacraments of anointing of the sick or penance.