Luke Somers executed by Al-Qaeda, “We should show respect to our enemies”—Hillary Clinton, a sad day for British soldiers, Mary as you’ve rarely seen her and more ..

A daily roundup of news stories you don't want to miss

VATICAN CITY

“Never forget the victims of trafficking”—Pope Francis
CCIEAW

Vatican clarifies: Off-budget accounts were not corrupt
CATHOLIC CULTURE

Lay, independent general auditor being added to Vatican’s reform team
CNS

"Listen to and treasure God’s Word"—Pope Francis
CATHOLIC CULTURE

Pope did not call Quran "prophetic"
ALETEIA

Married couples would bring greater understanding to Vatican
THE TABLET

Benedict’s quiet counsel to the synod
FIRST THINGS

Pope Francis rummages through Vatican basement
ONION

NORTH AMERICA

American hostage Luke Somers executed by Al-Qaeda captors during rescue attempt
NEW YORK TIMES

GOP lawmakers highly critical of Petraeus’s
Benghazi explanation
FOX

Florida joins Texas-led lawsuit against Obama’s Executive Amnesty — Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that Florida would be joining the lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against the Obama administration for the President’s executive immigration action to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants
BREITBART

Car strikes four policemen at Denver racial discrimination protest as students yell
"Hit them again
"
CHL

The United States of Debt: A Ticking Time Bomb (Some predict a woeful year in 2015 for the US economy)
CBN

Florida Baptist Church loses pastor and nursery director in triple homicide
GOSPEL HERALD

Ben Carson’s latest comments on running for President
CHARISMA

Rick Warren on Roman Catholicism:
"We have more in common than what divides us"
CHRISTIAN TODAY

The Archbishop of Oklahoma, Paul Coakley, has received a Catholic leadership award for his opposition of Satanism as well as his work with Catholic Relief Services
CNA

Hillary Clinton under fire after saying America should "empathize" and "show respect" to its enemies
DAILY MAIL

Funeral Mass held for beloved priest: Hundreds of people gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Friday night to celebrate the life of and mourn the death of Father Peter Kovarik
FOX

I enjoy being a nun!
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

LATIN AMERICA

Christ in Colombia
CBN

ISRAEL

White House statement ignores Muslim’s Brotherhood’s continuing support for Hamas
BREITBART

Hamas shoots seven test rockets in two days
INN

Herzog: "I will be Israel’s next Prime Minister"
TIMES OF ISRAEL

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

The Canonry of St. Leopold’s
"Misspent Advent"
offers a perspective on the Christmas season providing sage advice and thought-provoking observations;
"The voice crying in the wilderness did not tell people that they were all right or that everything was fine. It shook them up and shocked them: doom was unavoidable unless they change their ways."
Today such voices are needed more than ever before, but are we ready to listen?
ALETEIA

Steven Mosher’s
"No Such Thing as Free Birth Control" lifts the lid on the alarming side-effects of "the pill" and other forms of contraception.
"Those who claim that birth control is simply ‘preventative care,’ like those in the Obama administration, are deceiving the public."
ALETEIA

Greg Daly reports on the recent vandalism of
"Ireland’s Highest Cross" and discovers wide-ranging support, from Catholics and non-Catholics alike, towards the restoration of the icon atop Ireland’s highest summit
ALETEIA

BRITAIN & IRELAND

Britain is ashamed of its imperial past It shouldn’t be. The right kind of empire has a noble and powerful impact on this world!
THE TRUMPET

Archbishop of Canterbury blames TV for making the culture of abuse acceptable (The Archbishop might better address his energies towards the lamentable Church of England and its abysmal failure to pastor Britain since the end of WW2)
DAILY MAIL

Christians should be more humanist (Why don’t we concentrate on trying to be effective Christians first?)
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Lord Mayor walks out of Islamic charity lunch after his lady consort was told she had to sit downstairs at the event (Well done John)
DAILY MAIL

Plea to stop Groves Chapel in Clarence Street being turned into a Sainsbury’s supermarket
YORK PRESS

A sad day for British soldiers in the war on terror
DAILY MAIL

New British military base to be established in Bahrain
DAILY MAIL

Britain is in danger of becoming a police state warns chief constable (Something I have been saying for years, but for slightly different reasons than those given here)
DAILY MAIL

Homeless Latvian mother admits burying her newborn baby alive in London park
— and it was only found after it was dug up by a fox
DAILY MAIL

Scathing cinematic indictments of the Church in Ireland
CRUX

14 year old charged in connection with fire at St. Paul’s Church Edinburgh
SCONEWS

A look at Dunglass Collegiate Church Scotland
BSB

EUROPE

Jewish couple attacked in Paris
—
for being Jewish
BREITBART

Is communism returning to Germany?
REUTERS

Belgium’s former Queen Fabiola dies at age 86
DAILY MAIL

AFRICA

Is God doing something in Egypt?
FAITHIT

Al-Azhar condemns Islamic State: Cairo-based Al-Azhar University, the world’s leading Muslim institution of learning, has condemned ISIS
CATHOLIC CULTURE

MIDDLE EAST

International response to Syrian refugees "truly shocking," says Amnesty
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Iraqi soldiers incapable of defending Iraq
THE TRUMPET

ASIA & CHINA

Senior al-Qaeda militant accused of plotting to bomb London Underground and New York Metro is killed in raid by Pakistan military
DIALY MAIL

China’s currency rise continues
THE TRUMPET

FAMILY MATTERS

Minnesota schools allow male athletes who say they are female to shower with girls
LIFE SITE

Books that teach children to know and love their faith
CATHOLIC HERALD

"Thank God I Didn’t Do It": Woman changes mind about abortion after Christians reach out
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Abortionist: Seeing an arm pulled out was "shocking".. this isn’t "tissue"
LIFE SITE

Evangelicals to hold world’s largest pro-life event in January
CHARISMA

Alberta government delays bill removing parental right to protect children from gay lessons after liberals complain it doesn’t go far enough
LIFE SITE

~ ~ ~

ADDITIONAL

Picturing Mary: The Virgin as You’ve Rarely Seen Her
CBN NATIONAL MUSEUM CNA

Joe Mantegna to make film about Padre Pio
CATHOLIC HERALD

Why Angelina Jolie’s latest film ‘Unbroken’ may disappoint Christian moviegoers
CHARISMA

Angelina shows compassion
DAILY MAIL

Francis: The Great Reformer — Another perspective on the new book about Pope Francis
RELIGION NEWS

What’s in a name?
CATHOLIC HERALD

What do Obama, the Pope and Erdogan have in common?
THE WASHINGTON POST

A look at the Monastery of St. Patapios in Greece
LONDINOUPOLIS

The Body of St. Nicholas Lay in Myra
CHRISTIANITY

Beatus weekend!