Hannah Brockhaus

The pontiff asked all Church realities, including movements, religious orders, and diocesan churches, to offer any vacant apartments or guesthouses to those who may need them.

An icon of St. Cecilia in the church dedicated to her in Trastevere in Rome Italy. According to the cultural custom of the time, Cecilia’s family betrothed her to a pagan nobleman named Valerian despite St. Cecilia’s consecration to God. On their wedding night, Cecilia told Valerian that she had sworn to remain a virgin before God and that an angel guarded her body, protecting her virginity from violation. She told Valerian that he would be able to see this angel if he went to the third milestone along the Via Appia and was baptized by Pope Urban I. Valerian went to the milestone as Cecilia had instructed and was baptized. She later converted his brother as well. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAA statue in the Church St. Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome, Italy. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

The traditional Nativity figures of Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus will be inside one of the fishermen’s huts, called a 'casone.'

On Dec. 15, Pope Francis will travel to Ajaccio, the capital of the French island of Corsica, for a less than nine-hour visit.

In his recent encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Francis asked people to take seriously the 'fervent devotion' of those who seek to console Christ through acts of popular piety.

A Nativity scene made by artisans from Bethlehem was the source of controversy this week for including a Palestinian keffiyeh with the child Jesus in the manger — but according to the project’s organizer, the headscarf was a last-minute decision meant only to represent Palestinians.

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, 13 December, 2024 / 4:00 pm (ACI Africa).

Two days before his 88th birthday, Pope Francis received a warm welcome on the Mediterranean island of Corsica for a one day visit to the city of Ajaccio, the capital of the French island region.

By Hannah Brockhaus Ajaccio, France, 15 December, 2024 / 7:20 pm (ACI Africa).

Christmas abroad for American seminarians studying in Rome can offer a chance to travel, serve Mass with the pope, or spend more time with their fellow students.