December 21, 2023

Catholic News

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - On Sunday, mother and daughter Nahida and Samar Anton, who were killed at Holy Family Parish in Gaza, were laid to rest in the small cemetery located within the parish compound. A statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem released the evening of their deaths, December 16, reported that they were killed by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sniper, though the IDF has denied responsibility. On the same Saturday, rockets were reportedly fired from an IDF tank and hit the convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity, on the parish compound, rendering the home uninhabitable, according to the Latin Patriarchate. The images of the attack on the convent, taken on cellphones by eyewitnesses and sent to Father Gabriel Romanelli of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, pastor of Holy Family Parish, depict a massive column of smoke rising from the building within the parish compound. The photos show that inside the convent, the flames darkened walls and destroyed large areas of the building. All the guests of the house “are unharmed and have been relocated to another area within the compound, but their conditions are very precarious. Some of them, requiring respirators, are at risk of not surviving for long,” the priest said. Unable to move the elderly and disabled or to evacuate safely to the south at the beginning of the war, the sisters chose to remain by the side of those they serve. In Holy Family Parish, prayers and liturgies continue without interruption. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256328/missionaries-of-charity-convent-in-gaza-unhabitable-after-taking-fire-residents-take-refuge-in-parish-church Bishops in Malawi have prohibited the implementation of the Vatican declaration on the blessing of “same-sex couples” and couples in other “irregular situations,” which came out this week. In a statement dated December 19, members of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi stated that they prohibit the practice of such blessings in the southern African nation. The bishops said they offered the clarifications “having noted certain erroneous interpretations of this declaration that have generated interest, fears, and worries among Catholics and people who look up to the Catholic Church for moral, spiritual, and doctrinal guidance.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256327/bishops-in-malawi-declare-blessings-for-same-sex-unions-of-any-kind-are-not-permitted Today, the Church celebrates Saint Peter Canisius, an important figure in the Catholic counter-reformation that responded to the 16th century spread of Protestantism, a priest and a Doctor of the Church. His efforts as a preacher, author, and religious educator strengthened the Catholic faith in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Central Europe during a period of doctrinal confusion. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-peter-canisius-91