Posted on 01/1/2026 08:30 AM (USCCB News Releases)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The world is not saved by threatening violence or by judging, oppressing or getting rid of others, Pope Leo XIV said.
"Rather, it is saved by tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear," the pope said during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day Jan. 1.
Therefore, at the beginning of a new year with "new and unique days that await us, let us ask the Lord to help us experience at every moment, around us and upon us, the warmth of his fatherly embrace and the light of his benevolent gaze," he said in his homily.
The Mass marked the 59th World Day of Peace celebrated by the church. The pope's message for the world day, published in December, was dedicated to the humble, "unarmed and disarming" peace of the risen Christ who loves unconditionally.
Thousands of people were present in the basilica for the celebration on New Year's Day, including young people dressed as the three kings who visited Jesus. A figurine of the infant Jesus was before the altar, in keeping with the Christmas season of celebration, and an image of Our Lady of Hope was to the side of the main altar as a sign of the Jubilee of hope, which will end Jan. 6.
In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the mystery of Mary's divine motherhood, which "helped give a human face to the source of all mercy and benevolence: the face of Jesus. Through his eyes -- first as a child, then as a young man and as an adult -- the Father's love reaches us and transforms us."
By being born of Mary in a grotto, he said, "God presents himself to us 'unarmed and disarming,' as naked and defenseless as a newborn in a cradle."
"He does this to teach us that the world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing or eliminating our brothers and sisters," he said. Rather, the world is saved by seeking to understand, forgive, free and welcome everyone with love.
Mary bearing the Christ child represents "two immense, 'unarmed' realities" that come together, he said: "that of God, who renounces every privilege of his divinity to be born in the flesh, and that of a human person who, trustingly and fully, embraces God's will."
"Thus, at the dawn of the new year, the liturgy reminds us that for each of us, every day can be the beginning of a new life, thanks to God's generous love, his mercy and the response of our freedom," Pope Leo said. "It is beautiful to view the coming year in this way: as an open journey to be discovered."
"Indeed, through grace, we can venture forth on this journey with confidence -- free and bearers of freedom, forgiven and bringers of forgiveness, trusting in the closeness and goodness of the Lord who accompanies us always," he said.
Overlooking St. Peter's Square after Mass, Pope Leo urged Christians to help usher in "an era of peace and friendship among all peoples."
"The Jubilee, which is about to end, has taught us how to cultivate hope for a new world. We do this by converting our hearts to God, so as to transform wrongs into forgiveness, pain into consolation, and resolutions of virtue into good works," he said before praying the Angelus.
The Son of God also illuminates "the consciences of people of goodwill, so that we can build the future as a welcoming home for every man and woman who comes into the world," he said.
"The heart of Jesus, therefore, beats for every man and woman; for those who are ready to welcome him, like the shepherds, and for those who do not want him, like Herod," he said.
"His heart is not indifferent to those who have no heart for their neighbor: it beats for the righteous, so that they may persevere in their dedication, as well as for the unrighteous, so that they may change their lives and find peace," Pope Leo said.
Every unborn child reveals "the divine image imprinted in our humanity," he said, and he called for prayers for peace: "first, among nations bloodied by conflict and suffering, but also within our homes, in families wounded by violence or pain."
Celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day Jan. 1, 2026, Pope Leo reflected on Mary’s role in revealing the tenderness and mercy of God, urging believers to reject violence and embrace a path of...
Posted on 12/31/2025 20:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
Dec 31, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).
On New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, and the first day of 2026, the Catholic Church offers the opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences as a sign of God’s mercy and the desire for the sanctification of all her members.
A plenary indulgence is remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
On the eve of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to those Christian faithful who publicly recite the “Te Deum,” thanking God for the year that is ending. This blessing is extended especially on Dec. 31.
To recite the “Te Deum,” click here.
Likewise, on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, a plenary indulgence is granted to those who publicly recite the hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring blessings for the new year that is beginning.
To recite the “Veni Creator,” click here.
Additionally, those who devoutly receive the papal blessing “urbi et orbi” (“for the city and for the world”), either through radio, television, or the internet, as well as those who devoutly receive the blessing of the bishop of their diocese, will also be able to obtain these special blessings from the Church.
In addition to performing the specific work mentioned above, the following conditions must be met:
First, it is necessary to be detached from all sin, even venial sin.
Second, one must make a sacramental confession, receive Communion, and pray for the pope’s intentions. These conditions can be met a few days before or after carrying out the action prescribed to obtain the indulgence, but it is suggested that Communion and prayer be performed on the same day that the action is carried out.
It is important to note that several indulgences can be obtained through a single confession, although frequent participation in the sacrament of reconciliation is recommended in order to deepen one’s conversion and purity of heart.
As for receiving Communion and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father, it should be noted that with just one Communion and one prayer, made on the same day, a plenary indulgence is obtained.
Finally, the condition of praying for the intentions of the supreme pontiff is fulfilled by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. However, each Christian is given the right to use any other formula according to his personal piety and devotion.
A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin.
It is not a forgiveness of sin but the remission of punishment for sins already forgiven. It may apply either to oneself or to souls already in purgatory.
In order to obtain a plenary indulgence the faithful must — in addition to being in the state of grace — both have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin (even venial sin), have sacramentally confessed their sins and received the Eucharist (either within or outside of Mass), and must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.
The conditions for a plenary indulgence can be fulfilled a few days before or after performing the actions specified to gain the indulgence, but it is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 19:30 PM (CNA Daily News)
2025 was a complex and multifaceted year for Christians in the Middle East, oscillating between supportive initiatives and messages of hope alongside persistent challenges. | Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA
Dec 31, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).
2025 was a complex and multifaceted year for Christians in the Middle East. Across six pivotal countries, the contours of this reality reveal an uneven trajectory that is nevertheless unified in essence: a steadfast attachment to land and faith amid harsh circumstances and ongoing challenges.
Throughout the year, the Egyptian state continued its positive policies toward Christians, most notably through the development of the Holy Family Trail, the legalization of the status of 160 churches and related buildings, and the disbursement of a “Christmas grant” to informal workers. At the same time, Copts faced ongoing challenges, including the failure of some universities to take Christian feast days into account when scheduling examinations.
More profoundly, sporadic attacks led by extremists persisted, involving the abduction of girls, the displacement of families, and the vandalism of property, churches, and cemeteries, along with hate speech targeted at Christians. These incidents underscored a gap between official positions and certain societal practices.
Jordan remains among the safest countries in the region for Christians, with increasing official support.
This year, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities established eight Christmas celebration sites nationwide, launched the Baptism Route for Christian pilgrimage, and issued postage stamps featuring icons of Jordanian saints.
The country also hosted church-related intellectual conferences, and the king of Jordan held significant meetings this month with Church leaders from the region and from around the world.
Nevertheless, Christians continue to await the issuance of a new personal status law, while emigration persists, having significantly reduced their population over past decades to around 4%, according to some sources, which is down from nearly 12% in 1956.
Lebanon continues to grapple with the legacy of its civil war 50 years on, along with deep divisions and ongoing crises.
In 2025, the country suffered destruction from Israeli bombardment, particularly in the south, alongside security breakdowns that included the killing of a priest in his home and a spate of church thefts.
The pope’s visit offered a profound spiritual balm, carrying strong messages of peace, Lebanon’s role in the world, the responsibility of youth in shaping the future, and the imperative not to forget the poor and vulnerable.
Yet political and economic realities continue to weigh heavily on Christians, leaving emigration as an ever-present option.
Syria’s Christians endured a difficult year amid security breakdowns and scattered acts of vandalism targeting churches and religious symbols.
The most serious incidents occurred in the heart of Damascus with the bombing of St. Elias Church and in Suwayda, where at least six churches were vandalized, numerous properties looted, and several Christians killed.
In response, cooperation between the state and the Church, along with meetings between political leadership — particularly President Ahmed al-Sharaa — and patriarchs, helped ease some concerns, alongside heightened security measures around churches on Sundays and feast days.
Still, Christians continue to face harsh living conditions and fears of an uncertain future, including those in eastern Syria under the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Holy Land Christians returned this year to celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem and elsewhere following a decline in the intensity of the war there, despite the destruction it left behind, especially in Gaza, where those who remain face the challenge of living with dignity.
In the West Bank, settler attacks escalated, particularly in the Christian town of Taybeh.
With ongoing unemployment and instability, Christian emigration continues from the Holy Land, reducing the Christian proportion to around 1%. Their numbers have declined sharply, especially in Jerusalem, where Christians now number no more than about 6,700.
In Bethlehem, emigration is no longer an individual phenomenon but increasingly affects entire families, fueling fears that the Holy Land could be emptied of its indigenous Christian population and transformed into little more than a living museum.
Iraq witnessed a stark paradox in 2025: repeated attacks on cemeteries and churches, and renewed waves of emigration that have cost the country nearly 90% of its Christian population.
The decline of the Christian population has taken place over two decades, alongside the reconstruction and reopening of monasteries and churches. These include the Monastery of Mar Oraha, the Chaldean Church of the Immaculate Conception, St. Thomas Syriac Orthodox Church in Mosul, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Light in Ankawa, and the consecration of the altar of Our Lady of the Syrians Church in Duhok for the Syriac Orthodox.
This year the Church of Abraham in the ancient archaeological site of Ur hosted its first-ever prayer service. Politically, the 2025 parliamentary elections revived debate over the Christian quota and representation, amid Church calls for unity and the defense of rights.
Emigration — especially among youth — remained the dominant theme.
The Vatican announced this year the canonization of the martyred bishop Ignatius Maloyan, a deeply symbolic step that once again cast light on the history of martyrdom that has shaped Christian presence in the region.
The resonance of the Roman pontiff’s message at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy in Beirut continues to echo among the peoples of the Middle East: “The Middle East needs new attitudes: a rejection of the logic of revenge and violence, a move beyond political, social, and religious divisions, and the opening of new pages in the name of reconciliation and peace. We have traveled the path of mutual hostility and destruction for far too long, and we all witness the painful results. We must change course and educate the heart for peace. To the Christians of the East, the sons and daughters of these lands, I repeat and say: Take courage.”
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 19:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV presides over first vespers (evening prayer) in St. Peter's Basilica in anticipation of the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Dec. 31, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media.
Dec 31, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV at a New Year’s Eve prayer service reflected on God’s divine plan of salvation for the world — and the hope of ordinary people.
“The world moves forward in this way, propelled by the hope of so many simple people — unknown to the world but not to God — who, despite everything, believe in a better tomorrow, because they know that the future is in the hands of the One who offers them the greatest hope,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 31.
Leo presided over first vespers (evening prayer) in anticipation of the Jan. 1 solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The liturgy included hymns, Psalms, readings from Scripture, and the singing of the “Te Deum,” a Latin hymn of thanksgiving from the early Church.
In his homily, the pontiff spoke about God’s plan versus the plans the world makes.
“In our own time we feel the need for a wise, benevolent, merciful plan — one that is free and liberating, peaceful and faithful, like the plan that the Virgin Mary proclaimed in her canticle of praise: ‘From generation to generation his mercy is upon those who fear him’ (Lk 1:50),” he said.
But, Leo noted, the world is enveloped in other plans: “Strategies aimed at conquering markets, territories, spheres of influence — armed strategies, cloaked in hypocritical rhetoric, ideological proclamations, and false religious motives.”
However, the holy Mother of God sees things with God’s eyes, the pope continued. She knows that “with the power of his arm the Most High scatters the schemes of the proud, casts the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly, fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty.”
The Holy Father referenced the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4, that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.”
The apostle presents the mystery of Christ as “a great plan for human history,” Leo said. “A mysterious plan, yet one with a clear center, like a lofty mountain illuminated by the sun in the midst of a dense forest: This center is the ‘fullness of time.’”
On the vigil of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, he emphasized Mary’s motherhood and her role in the revelation of the great mystery and paradox of “a God who is born of a virgin.”
“The mother of Jesus is the woman with whom God, in the fullness of time, wrote the Word that reveals the mystery,” he said. “He did not impose it; he first proposed it to her heart, and once her ‘yes’ was received, he wrote it with ineffable love in her flesh,” he said.
“Thus God’s hope became intertwined with Mary’s hope,” he added.
Pope Leo pointed out that the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, concludes the Octave of Christmas and “spans the passage from one year to the next and extends over it the blessing of the One ‘who is, who was, and who is to come’ (Rv 1:8).”
“The liturgy of the first vespers of the Mother of God possesses a singular richness, deriving both from the dizzying mystery it celebrates and from its placement at the very end of the solar year,” he said.
Recalling that the Church is at the end of the Jubilee Year 2025, he added that the “Te Deum” prayer, to be sung at the end of the liturgy, “seems to expand so as to give voice to all the hearts and faces that have passed beneath these vaults and through the streets of this city.”
“We thank God for the gift of the jubilee, which has been a great sign of his plan of hope for humanity and for the world. And we thank all those who, during the months and days of 2025, have worked in service to the pilgrims and to make Rome more welcoming,” he said.
“What can we wish for Rome?” he continued. “That it may be worthy of its smallest ones: of children, of elderly people who are alone and frail, of families who struggle most to make ends meet, of men and women who have come from afar hoping for a dignified life.”
After the prayer service, Pope Leo visited the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, a papal custom, while the Swiss Guard Band gave its annual Christmas concert.
He then personally greeted the band and some of the people gathered in the square.
Pope Leo celebrates First Vespers of the Feast of Saint Mary, Most Holy Mother of God and Te Deum of Thanksgiving on New Year’s Eve in St. Peter’s Basilica, emphasizing in his homily the paradox of “a God born of a virgin, blessing the passing of one year to the next with Him,… pic.twitter.com/nKFQuNCDgh
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) December 31, 2025
Posted on 12/31/2025 18:30 PM (CNA Daily News)
A Planned Parenthood facility in Minneapolis. | Credit: Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
Dec 31, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
Here’s a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:
A federal appeals court will allow federal funding cuts to Planned Parenthoods that provide abortion, permitting a key Trump administration policy to go forward after a lower court blocked it.
The Dec. 30 ruling held that the federal government had likely not exceeded its authority when it ordered Medicaid funding cuts to certain nonprofit groups that perform abortions, many of which constituted Planned Parenthoods.
The suit against the Trump administration was brought by nearly two dozen states. The policy had originally been passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Louisiana government is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to block a Biden-era rule allowing for the mailing of abortion pills.
State Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office announced the lawsuit against the FDA, with Murrill arguing that “unfettered and unsupervised access to these pills is dangerous.”
A 2023 policy from the Biden administration had allowed for the “dispensing of mifepristone through the mail ... or through a mail-order pharmacy,” part of the White House’s efforts to increase abortion access after the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade.
A hearing for the lawsuit is set for Feb. 24.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has instituted a near-total abortion ban in its facilities following guidance from the Department of Justice.
The Trump administration had proposed the rule change first in August, moving to prohibit medical centers operated by the veterans department from performing both surgical and chemical abortions in most cases and from providing counseling that encourages abortion.
Department spokesman Pete Kasperowicz told the Military Times on Dec. 29 that the ban was officially in effect after guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The veterans department was “complying ... immediately” with the Justice Department’s directive, Kasperowicz said.
Posted on 12/31/2025 18:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Downtown Indianapolis is seen on March 10, 2021. | Credit: John McDonnell/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Dec 31, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
Leaders overseeing an empty parish in downtown Indianapolis are demanding to be allowed to destroy the building, arguing that the parish is “unused and unusable” even after the local government declared it a protected landmark.
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, alleging that the city had engaged in an “unlawful landmarking” of the Parish of the Holy Cross.
The Holy Cross parish was formally merged with St. Philip Neri in 2014; it has stood unused for years due to structural deterioration.
Indianapolis Archbishop Charles Thompson had relegated the building in 2019. Relegation is the process by which the Church “desacralizes” a Church building, allowing it to be turned over for secular usage, though not for “sordid” activities. Thompson issued the relegation for St. Philip Neri that year due to the building’s significant structural instability.
In the lawsuit, St. Philip Neri says the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission engaged in “unconstitutional interference” when it issued an emergency historic designation for Holy Cross in 2024, removing the ability of the parish to demolish the building.
A local neighborhood association had brought the issue before the commission, looking to preserve the building before its intended demolition.
The preservation group, along with the city Metropolitan Development Commission — which accepted the preservation committee’s recommendation to preserve the church — violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by “intrud[ing] on the religious decision making” of the parish and “substitut[ing] the religious judgments of government actors for those of religious officials,” the lawsuit claims.
The suit asks the federal court to declare the historical designation “unconstitutional and illegal.” It further asks the court to allow the parish to tear down the unused building.
The city government did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit. The Indianapolis Archdiocese also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Posted on 12/31/2025 17:30 PM (CNA Daily News)
Prayer for the New Year 2026. | Credit: ACI Prensa
Dec 31, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
The end of 2025 is at hand and the world is set to welcome the new year with parties and fireworks, but many forget to celebrate it with God, the Lord of life and time. We therefore share this prayer for you to recite with your family, community, or friends before the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31.
If a Nativity scene is present, it is recommended to gather around it. Begin with the Sign of the Cross: “In the name of the Father…”
Then recite the following prayer:
Reader 1: “Lord God, master of time and eternity, yours is today and tomorrow, the past and the future. As this year comes to an end, we want to thank you for everything we have received from you.
Thank you for life and love, for the flowers, the air, and the sun; for joy and sorrow; for all that was possible and for what could not be. We offer you all that we have done this year, the work we were able to accomplish, the things that passed through our hands and what we were able to build with them.
Reader 2: We present to you the people we have loved throughout these months, the new friendships and the old ones we have known, those closest to us and those more distant, those who lent us a hand and those we were able to help, with whom we shared life, work, sorrow, and joy.
But also, Lord, today we want to ask for your forgiveness — forgiveness for the time that was wasted, the money that was ill-spent, the unhelpful words, and for the love that was squandered.
All: Forgive me for my work poorly done, and for when I lived without enthusiasm. Also for the prayer that I kept putting off little by little, and which I am only presenting to you now. For all the forgetfulness, carelessness, and and for not speaking to you, I ask for your forgiveness once again.
Before the new year starts, I take a moment to offer you the days ahead, which only you know if I will live to see.
Today I ask for myself and for my loved ones peace and joy, strength and prudence, clarity and wisdom. I want to live each day with a bright outlook and kindness, bringing with me everywhere I go a heart full of understanding and peace.
Close my ears to all falsehood and my lips to lying, selfish, biting, or hurtful words. Open my being instead to all that is good, that my spirit may be filled only with blessings and that I may shower them down wherever I go. Amen.
(To conclude, proceed to hold hands and pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be. Then give each other a hug and greet one another: “Peace be with you! Happy New Year!”)
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 15:58 PM (CNA Daily News)
Afternoon prayers for the ecumenical youth gathering are taking place in the Accor Arena, which can accommodate more than 20,000 people. Credit: Taizé Community
Dec 31, 2025 / 11:58 am (CNA).
Thousands of young Catholics and other fellow Christians from various traditions are in Paris this week ushering out 2025 and ushering in 2026 as part of an ecumenical gathering organized by the Taizé Community.
The city of Paris and the entire Île-de-France region are the setting for the 48th European Meeting, a pilgrimage from Dec. 28, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2026, in which 15,000 young people ages 18–35 are participating, including 1,000 Ukrainians.
The event includes the participation of nearly 60 brothers out of the 80 who make up the Taizé Ecumenical Community, founded in 1940 with the mission of “being a sign of unity in the Church and in the human family.”
The program includes communal prayer in the large churches of Paris, various local initiatives, testimonies of hope, and workshops. The afternoon prayers take place in the Accor Arena, which can accommodate more than 20,000 people.
Numerous families in Paris and the Île-de-France region have generously welcomed the young people into their homes while various parishes, schools, and sports centers have also made their facilities available.
For Brother Mathew Thorpe, current prior of the community, this event is a call “to break free from our algorithms and experience mutual listening, an opening of the heart to welcome others as they are,” he told the French newspaper La Croix.
He also noted that this year’s gathering includes a psychological support center located in the Notre-Dame de l’Arche d’Alliance (Our Lady Ark of the Covenant) church to provide assistance to young people who have been victims of abuse.
The Taizé brother emphasized that this encounter also offers “a space for young people to listen to Christ in the depths of their being” and expressed his hope that it would help them “go forward in their journey with Christ.”
“The important thing is that they receive something that inspires them to become pilgrims of peace and hope, wherever they are, in their local church, in their places of commitment, to help others eliminate the barriers that divide our society,” he said.
From Spain, 22-year-old Pedro del Río Granado arrived in Paris with other youth from the Archdiocese of Madrid. For this student, the Taizé European Meeting “is a very important experience” and an opportunity to begin the year with God.
Brother Alois, who succeeded Brother Roger, the founding prior of Taizé, said on behalf of the community that this experience “helps us understand the Gospel.”
“We Christians can show that there is something that unites us in Europe, something that keeps us together,” he emphasized.
A few days before the meeting began, Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople in a message addressed to young people reminded them that “the world needs your clear vision, your courage, and your capacity for hope.”
“It needs young peace builders, capable of resisting violence, exclusion, and contempt for others. It needs witnesses of a humble faith, understood not as power but as service,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 14:50 PM (CNA Daily News)
“When I began hearing the confessions of the faithful, I understood that there can be no inner peace without forgiveness," said Father Pero Miličević.| Credit: Vatican Media
Dec 31, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).
Father Pero Miličević witnessed the cruelest face of war when he was just a child. On July 28, 1993, a group of Muslim militiamen from the Bosnia and Herzegovina army stormed his native village, Dlkani, in the Jablanica district. In just one morning, 39 people were killed, including his father and several members of his family.
“It was the experience of the darkness and evil of war,” he summarized to journalists at the Holy See Press Office during the recent presentation for the pope’s message for the 2026 World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated on Jan. 1.
Thirty-two years after that day of terror, that boy, who instantly lost his innocence, speaks today with the serenity of a priest. Miličević was only 7 years old when the gunfire shattered his childhood. He was playing with his twin brother and another of his older brothers when the bursts of gunfire began. “The bullets flew over our heads,” he recalled.
His mother and sister pulled them inside the house to safety. His father, Andrija, wasn’t there. He had gone out to the fields to help an aunt, but he was also murdered. He was 45 years old. Miličević’s mother, Ruža, was left a widow with nine children, seven of them minors.
That same day, two of his mother’s sisters and several cousins were also murdered. “When one person dies, it’s already terrible; when three children die, as happened to my aunt, I don’t know how a mother’s heart doesn’t break,” the priest confessed, his voice trembling.
The devastation of that July 28 did not end with the massacre. His mother and siblings were deported to a prison camp known as the “Museum” in Jablanica, along with about 300 Croatian Catholics. They remained there for seven months.
The conditions were extreme. “We didn’t have enough food, there was no hygiene, and we slept on cold granite slabs,” he recounted. Death was a part of daily life, but, he explained, the physical pain and hunger were not comparable to the anguish of not knowing what would become of them.
What sustained them was a simple faith, inherited from their mother: the daily recitation of the rosary. “We would never have survived without faith, prayer, and the need for peace,” he related.
During that imprisonment, the temptation for revenge was constant. However, Miličević said he left the camp with a firm conviction: “We had to maintain peace in our hearts and not think about revenge.”
When they were finally released, another devastating blow came. His father’s body had remained exposed to the elements for seven months without being interred. Only then were they able to lay him to rest. “His body had been left unburied; what we buried were his bones,” he explained.
Miličević is often asked how he was able to endure so much suffering. His answer hasn’t changed over the years: faith. “That upbringing in God nourished us and helped us get through horrors that no child should ever see,” he said.
Forgiveness, however, was a process. He couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive right away. Miličević readily admitted that at first, he was consumed by rage. For years, it remained an open wound. However, the true turning point came when he decided to become a priest. He was ordained in 2012.
“When I began hearing the confessions of the faithful, I understood that there can be no inner peace without forgiveness and that it was necessary to deal with what I went through,” he explained. Only then did the wound begin to heal.
In 2013, 20 years after his captivity, he returned to the former prison camp. “I returned in tears,” he recounted. It wasn’t about settling scores but a decisive step toward inner liberation.
Today, his story embodies the message that Pope Leo XIV is proposing for the Jan. 1 World Day of Peace. “Peace must be lived, cultivated, and protected,” the priest emphasized, adding: “Evil is overcome with good, not with revenge or weapons.” Quoting the pontiff, he recalled that “goodness is disarming.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 12/31/2025 13:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Young people at the 2023 SEEK conference in St. Louis. | Credit: Photo courtesy of SEEK
Dec 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
The annual SEEK conference is set to simultaneously get underway Jan. 1–5 in three U.S. cities: Columbus, Ohio; Denver; and Fort Worth, Texas.
“To the Heights!” is the theme of this year’s conference, which is organized by FOCUS. The theme was inspired by the recently canonized St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
“As St. Pier Giorgio reminds us, we are called to the heights — to live lives of holiness, joy, and mission. SEEK is a time for renewal, for community, and for reigniting our passion to share Christ with the world,” said FOCUS founder Curtis Martin.
According to the organizers, the gathering will bring together tens of thousands of Catholics to “encounter Christ through prayer, adoration, [and] the sacraments” as well as take in inspirational talks and performances from an extensive lineup of Catholic speakers and entertainers.
Bishop Earl Fernandes, who presided over a Mass at a SEEK conference in St. Louis three years ago, was so inspired by his experience there that he returned home with the desire to bring SEEK to the Diocese of Columbus.
“Our team at the diocese has worked very hard to bring SEEK here,” Fernandes told ETWN News, “and we hope to show the new, young face of the Church, ablaze with hope and enthusiasm for Christ, the Church, and the Gospel.”
“My hope is that young people will have a life-changing encounter with Christ and will broaden their experience of the Church in the United States,” he continued.
“Columbus is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and our Catholic population has nearly doubled in my three and a half years as bishop. I’m hoping that this will be a mini World Youth Day for us and be a catalyst for evangelization.”
Fernandes is scheduled to celebrate the opening Mass and give talks to seminarians as well as priests in attendance at the conference.
In an email this week to conference attendees, the conference organizers wrote that “SEEK promises to be a transformative experience on so many levels — and the most important thing to remember is to let the Lord lead the way.”
“God longs to speak to you and make himself known to you in an ever-growing, ever-deepening relationship. We invite you to say a prayer before you leave and offer up this special time at SEEK to God, inviting the Holy Spirit to move in you throughout the week. Pray that he will give you the courage to respond boldly to his call and the strength to journey ‘To the Heights!’”
EWTN will offer live coverage of the SEEK 2026 conference beginning Jan. 1, streaming on YouTube and EWTN Plus.