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Pope Francis leads the Angelus from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square Dec. 18 at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: Take a break from busy holidays to prepare for real Christmas

VATICAN CITY – Make time to get ready for what Christmas really is about – the child born in Bethlehem signalling that "God is with us," Pope Francis said.

Art restorer Stefania Culesanti puts finishing touches on a red robe in the music section of the Hall of the Liberal Arts in the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican Museums on Dec. 12, 2016.

Vatican restoration uncovers work of Renaissance master

VATICAN CITY – Art restorers toiling on the sumptuous 500-year old apartments of Pope Alexander VI, are rediscovering a Renaissance artist who left his mark on the pontificate of a controversial pope.

Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-secretary for relations with the States, says Western Nations face a push to eliminate religion from public life.

Vatican official: Religion in public has never been more at risk

VATICAN CITY – While violent persecution against Christians assails swaths of territory the Middle East and Africa, one Vatican official says that Western nations face a different type of oppression, marked by the push to eliminate religion from public life.

Pope Francis leads a special audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 15 for patients and workers of Rome's Bambino Gesu children's hospital.

Corruption is cancer to health industry, Pope tells hospital staffers

VATICAN CITY – Corrupt business practices that seek to profit from the sick and the dying are a cancer to hospitals entrusted with the care of the most vulnerable, especially children, Pope Francis said.

South Sudan's Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala says his country, ravaged by war and famine, especially needed the Year of Mercy this year.

Year of Mercy was especially needed in South Sudan, bishop notes

YAMBIO, South Sudan – The Jubilee Year of Mercy was observed throughout the world but one bishop in South Sudan, suffering from war and famine, said it was especially needed in his country.

Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, the Prelate of Opus Dei, died at the age of 84 on Dec. 12.

Pope remembers Opus Dei head as 'paternal and generous' witness

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis expressed condolences to the members of Opus Dei following the death of Bishop Javier Echevarria, who led the prelature for over 20 years.

Syro-Malankara Bishop Jacob Barnabas Aerath and Msgr. John E. Kozar, head of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, pose with village children during a visit to northeast India in late November.

Indian missionaries teach faith by living among poor in remote areas

WASHINGTON – In remote northeastern India, where Christianity is largely unknown, members of two Eastern Catholic churches are taking people on a journey of faith simply by living with them.

It will be business as usual as Pope Francis turns 80 years-old on Dec. 17.

This is how Pope Francis will celebrate his 80th birthday

VATICAN CITY – On Saturday, Dec. 17, Pope Francis will celebrate his 80th birthday, which he will spend doing what he normally does: offering Mass and meeting with various heads of State and members of the Roman Curia.

Pope Francis leads a prayer service at a statue of Mary overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Pope Francis prays for Aleppo, victims of recent terrorist attacks

VATICAN CITY – During the Angelus for the third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, Pope Francis made a special appeal for prayers for the people of Aleppo and Syria, and for all those affected by the recent terrorist attacks which have taken place in places such as Turkey and Egypt.

Many LGBT rights activists were disappointed that Pope Francis had approved the new priest guidelines published Dec. 7, which reaffirms the Church's ban on gay priests.

Outcry greets Vatican decision to reaffirm ban on gay priests

VATICAN CITY – A Vatican decision to reaffirm its opposition to gay priests has angered activists who thought Pope Francis was changing Rome’s attitudes toward homosexuality.

The Vatican has updated its guidelines for priests for the first time since 1985 titled 'The Gift of the Priestly Vocation,' which was released Dec. 7.

Vatican's new guidelines for priests talks clericalism, homosexuality, abuse prevention

VATICAN CITY – The updated version of the Vatican's document on priestly formation, released Wednesday, deals with issues of clericalism, homosexuality, and the protection of minors, among other things.

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