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Catholic News Agency
Should Catholics use AI to re-create deceased loved ones? Experts weigh in
By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Dec 27, 2025 / 07:00 am Apps that promise to help re-create digital versions of deceased family members using AI pose a “spiritual danger” to Catholics and others who may use the technology in place of healthy grief, experts say. The AI company 2wai ignited a …
In interview with Bishop Barron, Justice Barrett opens up about her faith
By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 26, 2025 / 15:00 pm U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett says her Catholic faith “grounds her” and gives her “perspective.” During an interview with Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Barrett tackled a number of topics including free speech, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, …
Chile’s president-elect on the decision that changed his life forever
By Julieta Villar Dec 27, 2025 / 08:00 am In an exclusive 2024 interview with Goya Producciones for the documentary “ Valientes” (Brave Ones), the now president-elect of Chile, José Antonio Kast, addressed topics such as defending life, his family history, and the problem of leftist ideological imposition on society. Discussing both …
St. Stephen: Visiting the spot where the first martyr died
By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Dec 26, 2023 / 04:00 am If “Good King Wenceslas” is one of the Christmas hymns you look forward to each year, you probably know which saint is celebrated today — St. Stephen, the first person to die for the risen Christ. Roman Catholics celebrate his feast on Dec. 26, …
The 8 days of Christmas? A look at the Christmas octave
By Kevin J. Jones Denver, Colo., Dec 25, 2024 / 04:00 am The Catholic calendar has several ways to divide the Christmas season. The Church’s Western liturgical tradition sees Christmas as an octave, an eight-day celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The octave of Christmas begins on Christmas itself, the feast of …
Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas night homily
By Pope Leo XIV Vatican City, Dec 24, 2025 / 17:31 pm Pope Leo XIV celebrated Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday. The Mass was attended by an estimated 6,000 people inside the basilica, while around 5,000 people gathered outside in St. Peter’s Square, according to …
The story behind Italy’s favorite Christmas carol
By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Dec 25, 2025 / 06:00 am If you spend any part of Christmas in Italy, you are sure to hear one of the country’s most beloved carols, “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle” (“From Starry Skies Descending”). The Christmas song, written and composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori in …
Pope Leo XIV revives tradition during first Christmas of his pontificate
By Victoria Cardiel Vatican City, Dec 24, 2025 / 06:00 am Pope Leo XIV will celebrate his first Christmas at the Vatican by reviving the tradition of offering Christmas Mass on Dec. 25 in St. Peter’s Basilica, something no pope has done since 1994. The Christmas celebrations — which will be …
Where does the ‘Feast of the 7 Fishes’ Christmas Eve tradition come from?
By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Dec 24, 2025 / 04:00 am There are numerous Christmas Eve traditions families around the world take part in, whether it’s watching a certain movie together, baking cookies for Santa, opening one present before going to bed, or eating a specific meal for dinner. The …
The History of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’
The song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is an English Christmas carol. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface …
