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Bishop of Columbus Grants Mass Dispensation to Immigrants Who Fear Deportation

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Pope Leo XIV: To Let God Work in Your Life, You Have to Empty Yourself

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Strive for Christian unity, Ecumenical Patriarch urges in Christmas encyclical (Ecumenical Patriarchate)

In his Christmas encyclical, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople described efforts to strive for Christian unity as “non-negotiable.”

“The Gospel of peace especially concerns us Christians,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches. “We consider it impermissible to remain indifferent before the fragmentation of Christendom, particularly when this attitude is accompanied by fundamentalism and explicit rejection of inter-Christian dialogue that ultimately aims at transcending division and achieving unity.”

“The obligation of striving for Christian unity is non-negotiable,” he continued. “The responsibility to continue the efforts of the pioneers of the Ecumenical Movement along with the justification of their vision and labor rest on the younger generation of Christians.”

Archpriests close jubilee holy doors at Lateran, St. Paul's basilicas (CWN)

As the 2025 jubilee year draws to a close, the archpriest of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran closed the holy door there on December 27. The archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls closed the holy door there the following day.

Ohio bishop grants Mass dispensation amid immigration enforcement actions (Diocese of Columbus)

Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, has granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days to “all those persons who reasonably fear being detained, even those with proper legal documentation, who fear separation from the families, experience intimidation because of their status or ethnic background, or other actions of immigration enforcement.”

The dispensation, issued on December 23, concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the last day of the Christmas season.

Amid pre-election violence, leading Ugandan prelate calls for repentance (@UgandaEpiscopal)

Amid violence ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general election, the chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference called for repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Violence, hatred, and other evils “represent a departure from the commands given by our Lord to his followers,” Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa of Kiyinda-Mityan wrote in his Christmas message. “The events we are witnessing around the campaigns and other forms of human interactions call for repentance, forgiveness, and conversion, knowing that God is always merciful and loving.”

Pope encourages youth at Taizé meeting to seek Christ (Taizé Community)

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, has written a papal message to the 15,000 people taking part in the Taizé Community’s 48th European Youth Meeting, held this year in Paris from December 28 to January 1.

“The theme of this year’s letter, ‘What are you seeking?’, written by Brother Matthew, Prior of Taizé, touches on an essential question that dwells in the heart of every human being,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “The Holy Father invites you not to be afraid of this question, but to carry it in prayer and silence, convinced that Christ is walking beside you and that he allows himself to be found by all those who seek him with a sincere heart.”

The Taizé Community, an ecumenical French monastic community, was founded by Brother Roger Schütz in 1940. Brother Matthew Thorpe, an Anglican, has led the community since 2023.

Let us be reborn, as St. Stephen was, Pope tells pilgrims (Dicastery for Communication)

In his St. Stephen’s Day Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV upheld the protomartyr as an example of following Jesus and forgiving others.

After reflecting on the opposition that following Jesus provokes, Pope Leo said:

Like Jesus, Stephen died forgiving others because of a force more real than that of weapons. It is a gratuitous force, already present in the hearts of all, and which is reawakened and shared in an irresistible way when we begin to look at our neighbor differently, offering them attention and recognition. Yes, this is what it means to be reborn, to come once more into the light, this is our “Christmas!”

“Let us now pray to Mary and contemplate her, blessed among all women who give life and counter arrogance with care, and distrust with faith,” the Pope concluded. “May Mary bring us into her own joy, a joy that dissolves all fear and all threats, just as snow melts before the sun.”

Pope Leo: Do not let the world's mirages suffocate Christian family love (Dicastery for Communication)

In his Sunday Angelus address for the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Leo XIV mused that “unfortunately, the world always has its ‘Herods,’ its myths of success at any cost, of unscrupulous power, of empty and superficial well-being, and it often pays the price in the form of loneliness, despair, divisions and conflicts.”

“Let us not allow these mirages to suffocate the flame of love in Christian families,” Pope Leo said yesterday to pilgrims who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “On the contrary, in our families, we should cherish the values of the Gospel: prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments—especially Confession and Communion—healthy affections, sincere dialogue, fidelity, and the simple and beautiful concreteness of everyday words and gestures.”

The Pope concluded, “Let us therefore ask our Father in Heaven, through the intercession of Mary and Saint Joseph, to bless our families and all families throughout the world, so that by following the model of his Son made man, they may be for all an efficacious sign of his presence and his endless charity.”

Dec. 29 Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas); Opt Mem of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr, Opt. Mem.

Today is the Fifth day within the Octave of Christmas. The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170), bishop and martyr. He was born in London and after studying in Paris, he first became chancellor to the king and then in 1162 was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury. He went from being "a patron of play-actors and a follower of hounds" to being a "shepherd of souls." He absorbed himself in the duties of his new office, defending the rights of the Church against Henry II. This prompted the king to exile him to France for six years. After returning to his homeland he endured many trials and was murdered by agents of the king.