Father Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty this week to kidnapping and raping a teenage boy in the 1970s, heading off a long-delayed trial that launched with an indictment last year. / Credit: New Orleans Police DepartmentCNA Staff, Dec 30, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).Lawrence Hecker, the disgraced Louisiana priest who was sentenced to life in prison this month over the rape of a teenage boy decades ago, died in prison at age 93 just days after his sentence was handed down.Ken Pastorick, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections, told CNA that Hecker "died at approximately 3 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, at Elayn Hunt Correction Center" in St. Gabriel. The priest "died of natural causes," Pastorick said.Hecker's death comes after a high-profile legal process in Louisiana that suffered repeated delays due to the elderly ex-priest's reported health problems. He was indicted in September 2023 on felony charges related to allegations that he r...
Father Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty this week to kidnapping and raping a teenage boy in the 1970s, heading off a long-delayed trial that launched with an indictment last year. / Credit: New Orleans Police Department
CNA Staff, Dec 30, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).
Lawrence Hecker, the disgraced Louisiana priest who was sentenced to life in prison this month over the rape of a teenage boy decades ago, died in prison at age 93 just days after his sentence was handed down.
Ken Pastorick, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections, told CNA that Hecker "died at approximately 3 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, at Elayn Hunt Correction Center" in St. Gabriel.
The priest "died of natural causes," Pastorick said.
Hecker's death comes after a high-profile legal process in Louisiana that suffered repeated delays due to the elderly ex-priest's reported health problems. He was indicted in September 2023 on felony charges related to allegations that he raped an underage teenage boy in the 1970s.
His trial was pushed back multiple times after his indictment as his attorneys claimed he was too sick to attend courtroom proceedings. State prosecutors vowed to bring him into the courtroom on a hospital stretcher in order to allow the trial to continue.
He ultimately pleaded guilty this month to kidnapping and raping the teenage boy. "I think he came to the realization of what that was going to look like, and he made the decision to enter the guilty plea," Hecker's attorney Bobby Hjortsberg said after the plea.
Hjortsberg told the media after the sentencing that the priest "took responsibility for [the crimes] and I believe that sparing the victims from having to go through the anguish of a trial should give them some closure and allow them to walk away from this knowing they got justice."
A wooden crucifix / AC Wimmer / EWTN NewsCNA Newsroom, Dec 30, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).Thirteen missionaries and pastoral workers were killed in service to the Catholic Church in 2024, according to a new report published on Monday.Eight priests and five lay people lost their lives across three continents, according to the document released Dec. 30 by Agenzia Fides, the Vatican's missionary news agency.Africa and America each recorded five deaths, while two priests were killed in European countries.Precarious conditions in conflict zonesIn Burkina Faso, where persistent peril from jihadist groups continues to threaten Christian communities, two pastoral workers were murdered. François Kabore, a 55-year-old volunteer, was killed during a February attack while leading prayer and catechist Edouard Zoetyenga Yougbare was found tortured to death in April.South Africa witnessed two priests murdered by gunfire within weeks. Father William Banda, 37, was shot dead on Mar. 13 while prepari...
A wooden crucifix / AC Wimmer / EWTN News
CNA Newsroom, Dec 30, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Thirteen missionaries and pastoral workers were killed in service to the Catholic Church in 2024, according to a new report published on Monday.
Eight priests and five lay people lost their lives across three continents, according to the document released Dec. 30 by Agenzia Fides, the Vatican's missionary news agency.
Africa and America each recorded five deaths, while two priests were killed in European countries.
Precarious conditions in conflict zones
In Burkina Faso, where persistent peril from jihadist groups continues to threaten Christian communities, two pastoral workers were murdered. François Kabore, a 55-year-old volunteer, was killed during a February attack while leading prayer and catechist Edouard Zoetyenga Yougbare was found tortured to death in April.
South Africa witnessed two priests murdered by gunfire within weeks. Father William Banda, 37, was shot dead on Mar. 13 while preparing to celebrate Mass at Tzaneen Cathedral, followed by the killing of Father Paul Tatu, 45, in Pretoria on Apr. 27.
Rising violence against Church workers
Several deaths occurred during robberies or attacks on Church property. In Poland, 72-year-old Father Lech Lachowicz died after being attacked by an axe-wielding intruder at his rectory. In Spain, 76-year-old Franciscan Father Juan Antonio Llorente died following an assault at his monastery in Gilet.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo saw the death of Edmond Bahati Monja, coordinator of Radio Maria/Goma, who was shot dead near his home amid rising violence from armed groups. At least a dozen journalists have been murdered in and around Goma in two years, Fides reported.
Pope Francis publicly mourned Juan Antonio López, a 46-year-old social pastoral coordinator killed in Honduras after denouncing alleged links between municipal officials and organized crime.
"I join in the grief of this local Church and in the condemnation of all forms of violence," the pope said during his Sept. 22 Angelus address. "I am close to all those who see their basic rights trampled upon, as well as to those who work for the common good."
Historical context
From 2000 to 2024, a total of 608 missionaries and pastoral workers were killed worldwide, according to Fides data, which notes these numbers represent only verified cases.
Speaking on the feast of St. Stephen Protomartyr last Thursday, Pope Francis recalled the witness of persecuted Christians around the world.
In his Angelus address on Dec. 26, Pope Francis reflected on Stephen's last words while being stoned to death as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."
Catholic Land Movement co-founders Andrew Ewell (top left) and Michael Guidice (top right), pictured here on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew EwellAnn Arbor, Michigan, Dec 30, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Going back to the land is a newfound reality for Catholic families who are part of a movement seeking to glorify God, foster family life, and create a network of homesteads in rural communities. Michael Guidice, known online as Michael Thomas of Sharon, co-founded with Andrew Ewell the Catholic Land Movement (CLM), an initiative that traces its lineage to the Catholic Land Associations of 100 years ago in the United Kingdom. In an interview with CNA, Guidice said the movement is tailored to modern needs among Catholics living in rural areas. It is a lay movement, he said, imbued with Catholic teachings regarding work, social justice, and family life."This movement is growing by leaps and bounds" Guidice told CNA. "The Spirit is moving am...
Catholic Land Movement co-founders Andrew Ewell (top left) and Michael Guidice (top right), pictured here on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Andrew Ewell
Ann Arbor, Michigan, Dec 30, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Going back to the land is a newfound reality for Catholic families who are part of a movement seeking to glorify God, foster family life, and create a network of homesteads in rural communities.
Michael Guidice, known online as Michael Thomas of Sharon, co-founded with Andrew Ewell the Catholic Land Movement (CLM), an initiative that traces its lineage to the Catholic Land Associations of 100 years ago in the United Kingdom.
In an interview with CNA, Guidice said the movement is tailored to modern needs among Catholics living in rural areas. It is a lay movement, he said, imbued with Catholic teachings regarding work, social justice, and family life.
"This movement is growing by leaps and bounds" Guidice told CNA. "The Spirit is moving among laity, religious, and parish communities, and we're doing our best to put it together."
Faithful Catholics in the U.S. are seeking to reclaim not only timeless farming methods, he said, but also to foster autonomy in providing for their families, not only physically but also spiritually.
The movement now has 30 chapters in the U.S. and foreign countries and has held conferences this year and in 2023. It also holds regular online leadership meetings.
Guidice, Ewell, and other CLM members, accompanied by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, New York, recently returned from a trip to Rome where they met with Pope Francis and presented the movement's principles and goals at the Vatican.
In an interview with CNA, Scharfenberger said he considers CLM an essential component because it incorporates Pope Francis' focus in his Laudato Si'encyclical on caring for creation and justice. Groups like CLM represent, Scharfenberger said, new paths toward evangelization.
Pope Francis is pictured here with Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, New York, and several members of the Catholic Land Movement during a recent visit to the Vatican. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Catholic Land Movement
During the visit, Guidice had the opportunity to greet Pope Francis personally and give him a package of informational materials. Among CLM's goals is a renewal of the 1946 apostolic blessing bestowed by Pope Pius XII on the rural life movement.
The group's itinerary in Rome included a meeting with Cardinal Michael Czerny, who heads the Dicastery for Promoting Human Integral Development. Giudice characterized the discussions with Czerny and Father Shawn Conoboy of the dicastery as "warm and fruitful."
Historical trajectory
Father Vincent McNabb (1868–1943), an Irish Dominican friar lauded by beloved English Catholic writers G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc, was well known for numerous works, including "The Church and the Land." It was this book that gave impetus to land associations in England and Wales that promoted land ownership and self-reliance among the rural poor in response to Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum.
Pope Pius XII would later call on "every minister of holy religion ... to bring to the struggle [for broad distribution of property] the full energy of his mind and all his powers of endurance." McNabb cited the following motives for the movement: love of God, love of Christ, family love, love of chastity, love of justice, love of liberty, and love of the fatherland. The movement also cites Quadragesimo Anno among its intellectual underpinnings.
McNabb, Belloc, and Chesterton were associated with the political and economic theories of distributism, which calls for productive assets, such as land, to be owned by the many rather than the few. McNabb wrote about distributism in his book "Old Principles and the New Order."
"The Catholic Land Movement pushes to create homesteads. Its focus is on instruction and organization so that people can return productivity to the household. It is putting households and families back into the production of primary things," he said.
Referring to his own family farm, Guidice said: "Sometimes, affiliated people are commercial farmers, but my farm is a homestead, which means that my primary focus is to produce the primary things for my own sustenance." Affiliated families get together to help each other and teach skills such as breadmaking, canning, carpentry, and sewing, among others.
CLM's four pillars are support for agriculturally and domestically productive Catholic homesteads, training laity in agricultural and craft traditions, encouragement of fellowship and a network of practical and spiritual support among homesteads, and the glorification of God.
"The point of the CLM is not to serve the market economy. It's more to teach people to return production to their own property and household, which is a core tenet of Catholic social teachings going back to Pope Leo XIII and elsewhere," Guidice said.
The CLM is partnering with ecclesiastical authorities to ensure prayer, sacraments, and the Mass are part of its events and conferences. In particular, Giudice said that CLM is renewing its historic relationship with the Order of Preachers — the Dominicans — of which McNabb was a prominent member. The movement encourages the reading of Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno,as well as McNabb's writings, as part of creating new chapters.
A married father of five, Guidice said the CLM is not seeking a top-down approach to transforming rural life but starting from the bottom-up among families. He added that CLM is interested in collaborating with other Catholic groups that have overlapping interests.
"It would be a misunderstanding to say that we want to become Catholic Amish," he said, underscoring that the CLM seeks to both deepen the faith among Catholics in rural settings and bolster connections between like-minded people.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter makes a short speech from the stage during the Billy Graham Library Dedication Service on May 31, 2007 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / Credit: Davis Turner/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 17:33 pm (CNA).A lifelong Baptist, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100 on Sunday, held views that differed from Catholic teaching on a number of controversial social and doctrinal issues, including abortion, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of female pastors.Nonetheless, perhaps more than any other president in American history, a clear and consistent profession of Christian faith, both in word and deed, characterized Carter throughout his life.In a chapter titled "My Traditional Christian Faith" in his 2005 book "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," Carter pointed out that "most of the rudiments of my faith in Christ as Savior and the Son of God are still shared without serious question by Protestants...
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter makes a short speech from the stage during the Billy Graham Library Dedication Service on May 31, 2007 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / Credit: Davis Turner/Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 17:33 pm (CNA).
A lifelong Baptist, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100 on Sunday, held views that differed from Catholic teaching on a number of controversial social and doctrinal issues, including abortion, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of female pastors.
Nonetheless, perhaps more than any other president in American history, a clear and consistent profession of Christian faith, both in word and deed, characterized Carter throughout his life.
In a chapter titled "My Traditional Christian Faith" in his 2005 book "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis," Carter pointed out that "most of the rudiments of my faith in Christ as Savior and the Son of God are still shared without serious question by Protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Copts, Seventh-day Adventists, and many other religious people."
Speaking about his Baptist convictions, in that same book Carter stated that "as evangelicals, we were committed to a strong global mission to share our Christian faith with all other people, without prejudice or discrimination."
Throughout his adult life, Carter demonstrated a personal commitment to evangelization by witnessing publicly to his faith, participating in missions, and most famously through teaching Sunday school for nearly four decades on most Sundays, year in and year out, at his hometown Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.
Faith and works
In addition, Carter's humanitarian work building homes for the poor every year for nearly 40 years as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer was an integral part of his lived faith.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on the Habitat for Humanity worksite in San Pedro, California, on Oct. 29, 2007. Credit: Charley Gallay/Getty Images
Carter's sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton, who died in 1983, was herself an evangelist, and the 39th president credited her with having had a major influence in bucking up his faith and practice after his first defeat for the office of Georgia governor in 1966.
That same year, Carter helped lead a Billy Graham evangelistic crusade in his home county. Later, as governor of Georgia, he also served as honorary chairman of Graham's Atlanta crusade.
For Catholics, Carter was also celebrated as the first American president to welcome a pope to the White House. That milestone came in 1979 during newly elected Pope John Paul II's first papal trip to the United States.
As a beaming U.S. President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter look on, Pope John Paul II greets then-11-year-old First Daughter Amy Carter upon arriving at the White House on Oct. 6, 1979. Credit: U.S. Government Printing Office
According to a National Archives summary of their conversation, the pope and president connected over their shared faith in Christ. The National Archives said that "these two deeply religious men — each at the pinnacle of power in their respective spheres — agreed to speak not as diplomats but as Christian brothers."
Abortion stance
Although Carter expressed a personal aversion to abortion, as governor of Georgia and then as president he supported legal abortion in accordance with the then-recent Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. He also believed that abortion should be available to victims of rape and incest.
In a 1976 NBC News interview, then-candidate Carter said: "Under the Supreme Court ruling [Roe v. Wade], I will do anything I can as president to minimize the need for abortions. I think abortions are wrong and I think that we ought to have a comprehensive effort made by the president and Congress with a nationwide law perhaps, adequately financed to give sex instruction and access to contraceptives for those who believe in their use, better adoptive procedures."
As president, in 1977 Carter signed into law the Hyde Amendment, a policy that bans federal tax dollars from being used for abortions, except to save the life of the mother, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape. Since being signed into law, the Hyde Amendment has saved over 2.5 million unborn lives, according to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
In recent years, Carter expressed support for homosexual marriage. In a 2018 Huffington Post interview the then-93-year-old former president said he believed "Jesus would approve of gay marriage" and that "Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else."
In this last book, Carter wrote: "I consider myself to be an evangelical Christian … the basic elements of Christianity apply personally to me, shape my attitude and my actions, and give me a joyful and positive life, with purpose."
He also affirmed his belief "that Christians are called to plunge into the life of the world and to inject the moral and ethical values of our faith into the processes of governing."
Carter's unabashed articulation of his Christian faith and inspiration was seen as a breath of fresh air and a boon to his presidential candidacy in the wake of the disgrace and corruption of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
"I will never lie to you," Carter memorably promised during his successful 1976 campaign.
China breakthrough
Among Carter's most notable accomplishments to advance religious liberty and reopen space for evangelization were his negotiations with then-Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping leading up to the December 1978 reestablishment of full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China.
As Carter later recounted, as part of the deal he pressed for the Chinese government "to let people worship freely, to own Bibles, and for our missionaries to return." Deng ceded the first two requests but not the third. Carter recalls that when he and his wife, Rosalynn, subsequently visited China in 1981, "there was a new law that guaranteed freedom of worship, Bibles were plentiful, and overcrowded Christian churches were thriving."
After being defeated in the 1980 presidential election by pro-life candidate Ronald Reagan, Carter and Rosalynn, who died on Nov. 19, 2023, started the Carter Center, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to combating disease and promoting health, peace, and democracy worldwide.
For his efforts in advancing peace and human rights, including the historic 1978 Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt, in 2002 Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school on Easter Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church on April 20, 2014, in Plains, Georgia. Credit: Chris McKay/Getty Images
Core Christian faith
In his 2018 book "Faith: A Journey for All," Carter recounted that "people in my Bible class often ask what it means to be a Christian. My best explanation is that a Christian is a person professing Jesus Christ as personal savior and striving to have the human qualities demonstrated by Jesus."
Carter went on to extol the Lord of his life as "both God and man, all-powerful but gentle and loving, all-knowing, compassionate, suffering, despised, burdened with the sin of others, abandoned by his followers, publicly executed but resurrected, and now worshipped by billions of believers throughout the world. Personal faith in Christ and a special reverence for him help us comprehend God's transcendent love."
"Convinced as we are that the miracle of Christ's resurrection really happened some 2,000 years ago, we must consider this the most important event in the history of the universe," Carter wrote in his 1997 book "Sources of Strength." "For us, it means that Christ still lives, that his spirit is still with us, and that we can build our lives around him as our Savior."
Cardinal Baldassare Reina ceremonially pushes open the Holy Door at St. John Lateran on Dec. 29, 2024. / Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican PoolCNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).On the feast of the Holy Family, Cardinal Baldassare Reina opened the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, the third such ceremony since Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year of 2025 on Christmas Eve.Reina, Pope Francis' vicar for the Diocese of Rome, described the event as "a gesture that renews our profession of faith in Christ." The ceremony on Dec. 29 took place during a solemn Mass attended by families, priests, and pilgrims from around the world.Cardinal Baldassare Reina enters the opened Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican PoolIn his homily, the cardinal emphasized the symbolism of the Holy Door, saying: "This door, now opened wide, has led us not only into the house of the Lord but also into the depths of his heart."Cardi...
Cardinal Baldassare Reina ceremonially pushes open the Holy Door at St. John Lateran on Dec. 29, 2024. / Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican Pool
CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
On the feast of the Holy Family, Cardinal Baldassare Reina opened the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, the third such ceremony since Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year of 2025 on Christmas Eve.
Reina, Pope Francis' vicar for the Diocese of Rome, described the event as "a gesture that renews our profession of faith in Christ."
The ceremony on Dec. 29 took place during a solemn Mass attended by families, priests, and pilgrims from around the world.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina enters the opened Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican Pool
In his homily, the cardinal emphasized the symbolism of the Holy Door, saying: "This door, now opened wide, has led us not only into the house of the Lord but also into the depths of his heart."
Cardinal calls for support of families
Reflecting on the challenges faced by families, Reina appealed for greater societal support. "Families experiencing difficulties and suffering should be at the center of attention of those responsible for civil life and receive adequate support for a more dignified future," he urged, emphasizing the importance of families as "a testimony of a shared mission" and "urgent in our time."
The feast of the Holy Family provided what the cardinal called a "providential coincidence" for the event.
He described the Holy Family of Nazareth as "the model of every domestic community and mirror of Trinitarian communion."
The ceremony on Sunday marked the third Holy Door opened in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, following the openings at St. Peter's Basilica and Rebibbia prison.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina waves at the faithful gathered for Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Two more Holy Doors are scheduled to be opened in the coming days: the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1 and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5.
Reminder from Pope Francis
The Holy Doors serve as spiritual thresholds through which pilgrims pass, signifying their journey toward conversion and renewal.
Visitors have been arriving at St. Peter's Basilica to pass through the Holy Door that Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve, which officially began the jubilee year. In his Christmas Day address, the Holy Father reminded the faithful: "The door of God's heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us."
Priests and faithful gather in Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Holy Door opening ceremony on Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Looking ahead: Jubilee of Hope
The Catholic Church offers the faithful opportunities for spiritual renewal and growth during this special holy year.
A key aspect of the jubilee is the chance to obtain a plenary indulgence, a grace that removes the temporal punishment due to sin, available through fulfilling the required conditions, including passing through a Holy Door.
The Jubilee of 2025, officially titled the Jubilee of Hope, will include numerous significant events. Among them are the canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers on April 27 and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the Jubilee of Young People on Aug. 3.
Pope Francis waves at pilgrims and visitors gathered for the Angelus on Dec. 29, 2024 on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican / Vatican MediaCNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).On Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis highlighted the Family of Nazareth as a model of dialogue and mutual listening while warning against allowing mobile phones to disrupt family communication.Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly Angelus prayer, the pontiff reflected on the Gospel account of the young Jesus being found in the Temple after his parents had searched for him anxiously."It is good when a mother does not start with a rebuke, but with a question," the pope said, pointing to Mary's response when finding Jesus. "Mary does not accuse and does not judge, but tries to understand how to accept this Son who is so different by listening."The Holy Father emphasized that mealtimes offer "a special moment for dialogue in the family," while specifically c...
Pope Francis waves at pilgrims and visitors gathered for the Angelus on Dec. 29, 2024 on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican / Vatican Media
CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).
On Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis highlighted the Family of Nazareth as a model of dialogue and mutual listening while warning against allowing mobile phones to disrupt family communication.
Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the weekly Angelus prayer, the pontiff reflected on the Gospel account of the young Jesus being found in the Temple after his parents had searched for him anxiously.
"It is good when a mother does not start with a rebuke, but with a question," the pope said, pointing to Mary's response when finding Jesus. "Mary does not accuse and does not judge, but tries to understand how to accept this Son who is so different by listening."
The Holy Father emphasized that mealtimes offer "a special moment for dialogue in the family," while specifically cautioning against digital distractions.
"Never, never this," Francis said emphatically about using mobile phones at the family table. "Talk, listen to each other, this is the dialogue that is good for you and that makes you grow!"
Following the Angelus prayer, the pope offered special greetings to families connected via media. He also expressed particular concern for those suffering in war-torn regions, including Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and North Kivu.
The pontiff remembered families mourning in South Korea "following the dramatic air accident," saying he was praying for both survivors and the departed.
At least 177 people died in South Korea's deadliest air disaster Sunday when an airliner belly-landed, veered off the runway, and exploded at Muan International Airport, Reuters reported.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina ceremonially pushes open the Holy Door at St. John Lateran on Dec. 29, 2024. / Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican PoolCNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).On the feast of the Holy Family, Cardinal Baldassare Reina opened the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, the third such ceremony since Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year of 2025 on Christmas Eve.Cardinal Reina, Pope Francis' vicar for the Diocese of Rome, described the event as "a gesture that renews our profession of faith in Christ." The ceremony on Dec. 29 took place during a solemn Mass attended by families, priests, and pilgrims from around the world.Cardinal Baldassare Reina enters the opened Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican PoolIn his homily, the cardinal emphasized the symbolism of the Holy Door, saying, "This door, now opened wide, has led us not only into the house of the Lord, but also into the depths of his heart."Car...
Cardinal Baldassare Reina ceremonially pushes open the Holy Door at St. John Lateran on Dec. 29, 2024. / Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican Pool
CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
On the feast of the Holy Family, Cardinal Baldassare Reina opened the Holy Door at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran, the third such ceremony since Pope Francis inaugurated the Jubilee Year of 2025 on Christmas Eve.
Cardinal Reina, Pope Francis' vicar for the Diocese of Rome, described the event as "a gesture that renews our profession of faith in Christ."
The ceremony on Dec. 29 took place during a solemn Mass attended by families, priests, and pilgrims from around the world.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina enters the opened Holy Door at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Credit: Evandro Inetti/EWTN/Vatican Pool
In his homily, the cardinal emphasized the symbolism of the Holy Door, saying, "This door, now opened wide, has led us not only into the house of the Lord, but also into the depths of his heart."
Cardinal calls for support of families
Reflecting on the challenges faced by families, Cardinal Reina appealed for greater societal support. "Families experiencing difficulties and suffering should be at the center of attention of those responsible for civil life and receive adequate support for a more dignified future," he urged, emphasizing the importance of families as "a testimony of a shared mission" and "urgent in our time."
The feast of the Holy Family provided what the cardinal called a "providential coincidence" for the event.
He described the Holy Family of Nazareth as "the model of every domestic community and mirror of Trinitarian communion."
The ceremony on Sunday marked the third Holy Door opened in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee Year, following the openings at St. Peter's Basilica and Rebibbia prison.
Cardinal Baldassare Reina waves at the faithful gathered for Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Two more Holy Doors are scheduled to be opened in the coming days: the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Jan. 5 and the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Jan. 1.
Reminder from Pope Francis
The Holy Doors serve as spiritual thresholds through which pilgrims pass, signifying their journey toward conversion and renewal.
Visitors have been arriving at St. Peter's Basilica to pass through the Holy Door that Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve, which officially began the Jubilee Year. In his Christmas Day address, the Holy Father reminded the faithful: "The door of God's heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us."
Priests and faithful gather in Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran during the Holy Door opening ceremony on Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Looking ahead: Jubilee of Hope
The Catholic Church offers the faithful opportunities for spiritual renewal and growth during this special Holy Year.
A key aspect of the jubilee is the chance to obtain a plenary indulgence, a grace that removes the temporal punishment due to sin, available through fulfilling the required conditions, including passing through a Holy Door.
The Jubilee of 2025, officially titled the Jubilee of Hope, will include numerous significant events. Among them are the canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers on Apr. 27 and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the Jubilee of Young People on Aug. 3.
Pope Francis prays during his general audience on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 07:45 am (CNA).Pope Francis expressed profound sorrow Sunday for the victims of South Korea's deadliest aviation disaster.He also extended prayers for families affected by ongoing conflicts worldwide.Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff particularly pointed to the plight of those mourning the loss of loved ones in the tragic air accident that claimed at least 177 lives when a commercial aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport."My thoughts go to the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic air accident," the pope said, adding that he joins "in prayer for the survivors and for those who lost their lives."Addressing faithful gathered for the Feast of the Holy Family, the Holy Father broadened his pastoral plea to encompass families enduring hards...
Pope Francis prays during his general audience on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Newsroom, Dec 29, 2024 / 07:45 am (CNA).
Pope Francis expressed profound sorrow Sunday for the victims of South Korea's deadliest aviation disaster.
He also extended prayers for families affected by ongoing conflicts worldwide.
Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff particularly pointed to the plight of those mourning the loss of loved ones in the tragic air accident that claimed at least 177 lives when a commercial aircraft crashed at Muan International Airport.
"My thoughts go to the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic air accident," the pope said, adding that he joins "in prayer for the survivors and for those who lost their lives."
Addressing faithful gathered for the Feast of the Holy Family, the Holy Father broadened his pastoral plea to encompass families enduring hardships in conflict zones, specifically mentioning Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and North Kivu.
"Let us pray for families suffering due to wars," Francis urged the crowd, emphasizing the universal impact of armed conflicts on family life.
The pope's prayers came as rescue operations continued at the site of the aviation tragedy in South Korea, where a Jeju Air flight carrying 181 people crashed earlier Sunday.
Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis called on Catholics to become "pilgrims of hope" in a BBC podcast on Friday, emphasizing that "hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel."Speaking just days after the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the pope emphasized that "kindness is not a diplomatic strategy" nor "a set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages" but rather "a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all to become more humble.""Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us toward skepticism and discouragement," the Holy Father said in the audio message published Dec. 27.The pope referenced G.K. Chesterton, noting that the British writer "was also held in high esteem by t...
Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer and gives an address from the chapel of Casa Santa Marta on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media
CNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis called on Catholics to become "pilgrims of hope" in a BBC podcast on Friday, emphasizing that "hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel."
Speaking just days after the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, the pope emphasized that "kindness is not a diplomatic strategy" nor "a set of rules to ensure social harmony or to obtain other advantages" but rather "a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all to become more humble."
"Wars, social injustices, and the many forms of violence we are exposed to every day should not dishearten us nor draw us toward skepticism and discouragement," the Holy Father said in the audio message published Dec. 27.
The pope referenced G.K. Chesterton, noting that the British writer "was also held in high esteem by the Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges."
Francis highlighted Chesterton's autobiographical invitation to "take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted."
Speaking about the recently begun jubilee year, Francis concluded with "a wish for hope, which is a theological virtue, together with faith and charity," praying that "the new year bring us peace, fellowship, and gratitude."
Pilgrims from around the world have been passing through the open Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica this week, which Pope Francis opened on Christmas Eve to begin the 2025 Jubilee.
In his Christmas Day message, Pope Francis recalled, "the door of God's heart is always open; let us return to him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us."
The Catholic Church offers the faithful opportunities to grow in faith and spiritual renewal during this time, which is also known as a holy year.
An important part of the jubilee is the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence — a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.
Some of the most significant events of the Jubilee of Hope will be the canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers on April 27 and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the Jubilee of Young People on Aug. 3.
Pope Francis arrives in East Timor on Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNACNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).Despite health challenges that led to a canceled trip to Dubai for COP28, Pope Francis maintained an ambitious travel schedule in 2024 that saw him draw large crowds in Asia and make his first-ever visit to Corsica as well as visiting Belgium and Luxembourg.Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar kisses the head of Pope Francis after the signing of the Istiqlal Joint Declaration 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAAsia-Pacific journey draws historic crowdsThe now-88-year-old pontiff's longest apostolic journey was the 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania in September, where thousands of faithful attended papal events.In Indonesia, Francis visited the grounds of Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, where he joined Muslim leaders in discussing global challenges and signed a joint declaration condemning religious-based violence.A young Catholic ...
Pope Francis arrives in East Timor on Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
CNA Newsroom, Dec 28, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).
Despite health challenges that led to a canceled trip to Dubai for COP28, Pope Francis maintained an ambitious travel schedule in 2024 that saw him draw large crowds in Asia and make his first-ever visit to Corsica as well as visiting Belgium and Luxembourg.
Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar kisses the head of Pope Francis after the signing of the Istiqlal Joint Declaration 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Asia-Pacific journey draws historic crowds
The now-88-year-old pontiff's longest apostolic journey was the 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania in September, where thousands of faithful attended papal events.
In Indonesia, Francis visited the grounds of Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, where he joined Muslim leaders in discussing global challenges and signed a joint declaration condemning religious-based violence.
A young Catholic attends the papal Mass at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
"The path of interfaith collaboration is essential to addressing global crises," Francis told his audience.
About 100,000 faithful later attended an outdoor Mass where the pope emphasized Catholic engagement in pluralistic societies.
In Papua New Guinea, Francis focused on Indigenous communities while blessing a new hospital for underserved populations.
The pope's message of hope reached its numerical peak in Timor-Leste, where an estimated 750,000 people — nearly two-thirds of the nation's population — gathered for Mass in Dili.
The faithful use umbrellas to beat the heat during Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Papal journey in secular Europe
September also brought some controversy during the pope's visit to Belgium, where Prime Minister Alexander De Croo strongly criticized the pontiff's comments on abortion.
During his in-flight press conference, the pope had called abortion "homicide" and referred to doctors who perform the procedure as "contract killers," prompting De Croo to call such remarks "absolutely unacceptable."
The pope meets with academics at KU Leuven, a Belgian Catholic research university, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
The dispute distracted from the actual focus of the Belgium visit: the 600th-anniversary celebrations of the Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. Earlier in Luxembourg, Francis had challenged Catholics to evangelize an increasingly secular Europe, noting that "having wealth includes responsibility."
Pope and president share a moment
The papal travel year concluded on a historic note Dec. 15 in Corsica, where Francis became the first pope to visit the French Mediterranean island. His participation in a diocesan conference examining popular piety emphasized the continued importance of local devotions in maintaining Catholic identity.
Pope Francis is seen among crowds on the island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Traditional Corsican hymns were featured throughout Pope Francis' visit, especially at his Mass with an estimated 7,000 Catholics at Place d'Austerlitz, a park built as a memorial to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio.
At the conclusion of his visit, before returning to Rome, the pope met French President Emmanuel Macron. He shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.
Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Corsica on Dec. 15, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool
Father Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty this week to kidnapping and raping a teenage boy in the 1970s, heading off a long-delayed trial that launched with an indictment last year. / Credit: New Orleans Police Department
