Jeanie Hannaman

By Brad Miner, The Catholic Thing - There’s a story (likely a legend echoing the earlier Roman tale of Androcles and the lion) that one day in his study, St. Jerome (c. 342-420), hard at work translating the Holy Bible into Latin, had a visit from a lion. The lion had a splinter in its paw and begged the saint to remove it, which Jerome did, after which man and beast became inseparable... Being a cat lover, I would very much like to have a lion as a friend, although not as a pet. I’ve seen videos of a South African “lion whisperer,” who raised some abandoned lion cubs and stayed friends with them over the years ....

By Tessa Gervasini, CNA - Abp. Paul Coakley said this week he is looking forward to speaking with Pres. Donald Trump in “the near future.”... Abp. Coakley, who was elected president of the USCCB in November, said he has “not had any personal conversations” with Trump or VP JD Vance but anticipates “engaging with them over matters of mutual concern.”... When Abp. Coakley meets with the administration, “undoubtedly, the question of immigration is going to come up,” he said in an interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Dec. 21. “I think we have opportunities to work together. We have opportunities to speak frankly with one another.”

The Pillar, by Staff, (Complicit Clergy) - The U.S. bishops’ conference is at the start of a restructuring process that could see its Washington, D.C. headquarters sold or leased, as the conference faces ongoing financial challenges and a recent round of layoffs... A task force of bishops was charged last month with leading a process to review the USCCB’s priorities and operations, in order to make concrete decisions about asset and resource allocation in future budget cycles... While conference leaders say that USCCB finances are healthy, the task force approaches its work after a significant loss of federal funds, and personnel cuts across several departments in recent years.