December 14, 2022

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 - Yesterday, December 13, marked Pope Francis’ fifty third anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Happy anniversary, Pope Francis. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253064/pope-francis-celebrates-53-years-as-a-priest The pope is inviting everyone to have “a more humble Christmas” this year. At the end of his weekly general audience on December 14, the pope asked people to consider spending less on gifts and parties in order to help the people of Ukraine. “It is good to celebrate Christmas, to have parties — but let’s lower the level of Christmas spending,” he encouraged. “Let’s send what we save to the Ukrainian people, who are in need, suffering so much; they go hungry, they feel the cold, and so many die because there are no doctors, nurses at hand." “Let’s have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts,” he said. He said the ongoing war in Ukraine does not mean we should forget about celebrating Christmas altogether, but we should do so “with Ukrainians in our hearts.” Pope Francis encouraged everyone to increase their spiritual preparation as Christmas quickly approaches. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253071/this-is-why-pope-francis-wants-you-to-spend-less-money-this-christmas President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) into law Tuesday during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. The bill repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and recognizes same-sex marriages on a federal level. The bill has drawn criticism from Catholic leaders for not providing strong enough protections for those who believe marriage is between one man and one woman — a belief in line with Church teaching. While it would not require any state to allow same-sex couples to marry, the RFMA would require states to recognize any and all marriages — regardles