Catholic Church

By Peter Pinedo, Catholic World Report, Catholic News Agency - Catholic and Nigerian leaders are demanding government action as Christian villages in the central Nigerian state of Plateau are reeling from a series of Christmas weekend attacks that left nearly 200 Christian Nigerians dead... “This indeed has been a gory Christmas for us,” Plateau governor Caleb Mutfwang said in a Tuesday statement that noted the attacks were “well-coordinated” and carried out using “heavy weapons.”

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing - St. Stephen, the protomartyr, whose death by stoning is recorded in Acts, is celebrated on December 26. On December 27, the Church celebrates St. John the Apostle, who, though he did not die a martyr’s death... And today, the 28th of December, the Church marks the Feast of the Holy Innocents, who were martyrs in deed though not, being infants, in will.

By Msgr. Charles Pope - Many are shocked to walk into daily Mass on December 26 and instead of hearing more of the “Baby Jesus” we are confronted with Martyrdom, “The Feast of Stephen” is ancient on the Church’s calendar. More ancient than the Christmas cycle and hence it was not removed to another time... Bu the martyrdom does not stop there. We are in the midst of the Christmas Octave, an Octave filled with blood as we shall see.

By Madalaine Elhabbal, Catholic Vote - The Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a stern directive in wake of the controversy generated by the Vatican’s latest declaration on blessings for same-sex couples... In the statement, the Hungarian bishops reminded clergy and laypeople that the Vatican’s declaration “does not change the Catholic Church’s belief and perennial teaching on marriage and sexual morality.”