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Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York announced on December 8 that the archdiocese is entering into mediation in lieu of court proceedings and is raising $300 million to fund abuse settlements with 1,300 plaintiffs. The anticipated funds are coming from budget cuts and property sales.

In a two-page document entitled “Asylum Update,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Migration and Refugee Services addressed four questions about the federal pause in applications for asylum.

The questions include “What is the status of asylum adjudications by USCIS [ US Citizenship and Immigration Services]?” and “Does this pause on the adjudication of asylum claims apply to noncitizens in immigration court proceedings?”

Stating that “the light of Christ shines in our darkness,” the bishops of strife-torn Haiti called for hope and change in their Christmas message, released on December 8.

The bishops called upon leaders to “rise above partisan interests” and ensure security for scheduled elections in February.

The Vatican’s Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for Communication have, for the first time, made the Annuario Pontificio [Pontifical Yearbook] available online—for a fee of 68.10 euros per year ($79, before processing fees).

“In a time when communication is ever faster and more global, offering immediate and reliable access to information on the life of the Church—with certified data—means putting technology at the service of the ecclesial mission,” said Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. “It is a sign of attentiveness, transparency, and responsibility towards the Catholic community and towards all those who seek to understand the reality of the Church in the world.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, is visiting Mozambique to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations.

On December 8, he visited Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, the site of a brutal Islamist insurgency. “The Holy Father does not forget Cabo Delgado,” Cardinal Parolin said.

Mozambique, a Southeast African nation of 33.4 million (map), is 58% Christian (31% Catholic), 18% Muslim, and 24% ethnic religionist. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2019.

In a message commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, Pope Leo XIV said that the university has the “distinction of being the only institution of higher learning established by the Holy See in the Mandarin-speaking world.”

The Pontiff expressed hope that the “seeds of faith, knowledge, and service that were planted a century ago will continue to bear fruit for future generations.”