The Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Kirkuk, Iraq, for the first time in memory canceled Christmas Masses because of insecurity and attacks against Christians. • In a statement on Dec. 23, Federico Lombardi, S.J., argued that Jewish groups should not see Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to advance the sainthood cause of Pope Pius XII as a “hostile act.” • The FBI's report on hate crime statistics for 2008, released in late November, showed that the majority of hate crimes in the U.S. were motivated by racial bias but that religious groups and homosexuals were the next largest targets. • Orthodox Christians in predominantly Muslim Turkey "don't feel that we enjoy our full rights as Turkish citizens," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the spiritual head of the world's 300 million Orthodox told "60 Minutes," adding that he and other Christians in Turkey sometimes feel "crucified" by the actions of the Turkish government. • Members of Holy Family Parish in the Gaza Strip received only 10 of the 300 travel permits Israel issued to Gaza residents over the Christmas period, said the parish priest, Rev. Jorge Hernandez.
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Pope Leo XIV urged new archbishops to help him foster unity in a church rich in diversity. Eight of those new archbishops are from the United States, and they spoke to Catholic News Service about how they can help promote fraternity in today’s polarized world.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Christopher White about his new book, ‘Pope Leo XVI: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.’
Kerry Weber is an executive editor for America. On May 20, 2025, the Catholic Media Association announced that she was elected president,
"The whole church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between lay people and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the pope," he said during his homily at Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29.