January 12, 2024

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 - The Vatican announced on Thursday that the soaring baldacchino over the main altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini 400 years ago will undergo a major restoration. The ambitious restoration and conservation project, expected to be completed just before the start of the Catholic Church’s jubilee year in December, will require scaffolding to be set up around the canopy of the basilica’s main altar for nearly a year. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of Saint Peter’s Basilica, has assured that papal liturgies will still be able to take place in the basilica amid the restoration work. The 700,000 euro (about $768,000) restoration is being funded by the Knights of Columbus and will be carried out by the Vatican Museums’ expert art restorers. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256515/vatican-announces-major-restoration-project-in-st-peter-s-basilica The Dominican Church of Our Lady of the Hour, one of the most emblematic in Mosul, northern Iraq, has been completely restored after the destruction carried out by Islamic State terrorists 10 years ago. The church was rebuilt with the collaboration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256504/church-destroyed-by-isis-in-iraq-completely-restored-10-years-later In the midst of war and suffering, the Catholic faithful of Holy Family Parish in northern Gaza continue to walk in the light of faith. Eight children received their first holy Communion this past Sunday in the church. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256510/walking-in-faith-eight-children-receive-first-communion-in-northern-gaza The bishops of Ecuador published a statement titled “Violence will not prevail” following recent disturbances that occurred in the country including the takeover of a television station in the city of Guayaquil in the midst of a state of emergency that began on January 8. The bishops encouraged Ecuadorans not to fall “either into the fruitless panic that the game played by the violent [perpetrators] creates by giving credence to any alarmist image shared on social media, nor into the naivete of standing idly by believing that this fight is only for those who govern us.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256502/ecuador-gang-violence-will-not-prevail-bishops-say The criminal sexual assault case against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick in Wisconsin has been suspended after a psychologist hired by the court found that McCarrick is not competent to stand trial. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256505/breaking-mccarrick-found-incompetent-to-stand-trial-in-wisconsin-case-suspended Today, the Church celebrates Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, who not only founded a religious congregation, but was also instrumental in establishing the Canadian city of Montreal. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-marguerite-bourgeoys-114