December 25, 2016 Text of Pope Francis' Christmas day message The following is the Vatican's official translation of Pope's Francis' traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas day message, delivered in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica Sunday: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Christmas! Today the Church once more experiences the wonder of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and the shepherds of Bethlehem, as they contemplate the newborn child laid in a manger: Jesus, the Savior.
December 25, 2016 Father Jonathan Morris shares his Christmas message Fox News religion contributor weighs in
December 25, 2016 Pope celebrates Christmas Eve Mass after year of peace pleas Pope Francis is celebrating Christmas Eve Mass in a packed St. Peter's Basilica, rounding out a year marked by his pleas for the world to better protect the innocent people caught up in wars, migrations and abject poverty.
December 24, 2016 Catholic envoy to Holy Land expresses hope for Aleppo The top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land says he's glad that "at least the military war" in the Syrian city of Aleppo is over and that Christians there can celebrate Christmas "without fear." Rev. Pierbattista Pizzaballa traveled from Jerusalem in a traditional Christmas Eve procession on Saturday ahead of midnight mass in Bethlehem.
December 24, 2016 Knights of Malta to pope: Stay out of our internal affairs The Order of Malta, the ancient Roman Catholic aristocratic lay order, has told Pope Francis that his decision to launch an investigation into the ouster of a top official over a condom scandal is "unacceptable." In an extraordinary rebuke of the pontiff, the group said the replacement of its grand chancellor was an "act of internal governmental administration of the Sovereign Order of Malta and consequently falls solely within its competence." Francis on Thursday appointed a five-member commission to investigate the ouster of Albrecht von Boeselager amid evidence that Francis' own envoy to the group helped engineer it without his blessing.
December 24, 2016 Singapore teen critic held in US while appealing for asylum A Singaporean teenager whose video posts and blogs mocking his government and its late founder landed him in jail twice has been detained in the U.S. where he is seeking asylum, his lawyer and a human rights group said Saturday.
December 24, 2016 2 dead in Bangladesh raid on suspected militant hideout Bangladesh's government says a woman and a teenager thought to be linked to a banned Islamist militant group have blown themselves up during a police raid on a two-story house in the nation's capital.
December 24, 2016 For Iraq's Christians, Christmas cheer tinged with despair The Nativity scene and Christmas tree are in place on the corner of the street.
December 24, 2016 Top Catholic cleric in Holy Land expresses hope for Aleppo The top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land says he's glad that "at least the military war" in the Syrian city of Aleppo is over and that Christians there can celebrate Christmas "without fear."
December 24, 2016 Order of Malta to Pope Francis: Stay out of our internal affairs The Order of Malta, the ancient Roman Catholic aristocratic lay order, has told Pope Francis that his decision to launch an investigation into the ouster of a top official over an old condom scandal is "unacceptable."
