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Every 25 years, the Pope opens five “sacred portals” at Christmas. The portals, or doors, are meant to symbolize the doorway to salvation. The tradition goes back all the way to 1300, but this year’s door opening ceremony will have a first: one of the doors opened will be in a prison. The Holy Doors,…

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Christmas Nativity scenes are as commonplace in December as fireworks in July and apple orchards in the fall. The symbols are universal: a babe in a manger, a doting mother and father, shepherds, a star… but this year some Nativity scenes, including one previously displayed at the Vatican, have included a new feature. The keffiyeh…

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In a move symbolic of his vision for a simpler, more grounded Catholic Church, Pope Francis has announced his intention to forgo the traditional, ornate burial rites observed by his predecessors. The 87-year-old pontiff’s decision reflects his commitment to humility and a focus on Christ-centered faith, challenging centuries of Vatican tradition. The Vatican revealed that…

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According to Pope Francis, “sexual pleasure is a gift from God,” but Catholics should avoid pornography. He made the remarks during a catechesis devoted to the “vice of lust” at his general audience in Saint Peter’s Square. He said sexual pleasure was something to be cherished, but it was being “undermined by pornography,” and “satisfaction…

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For over a decade, Ellie Hidalgo has been campaigning to expand the role of women in the Catholic Church. The Miami woman is co-director of a nonprofit, Discerning Deacons, which invites other Catholics to consider ordaining women as deacons, a clergy role that has always been opened to married men. That would allow women, for…
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