Every five minutes a Christian dies in the Middle East, Woman plunges to death in Manhattan, Washington economy built on fraud, Acid attack on Jewish family, Yazidis STILL in need of rescue and more ..

VATICAN CITY
Pope says Salvation Army and Catholics meet at peripheries of society — In the first private audience in the Vatican with a Salvation Army General, Pope Francis said theological differences do not impede the witness of a shared love of God and neighbor 
RADIO VATICANA

New secretary of Pontifical Biblical Commission — Pope Francis has named an Italian Jesuit as the new secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

American nuns resisted Vatican investigation into religious life, admits head of inquiry 
THE TABLET

Argentine ambassador risks row by giving Pope Francis a book about the Falklands 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Woman plunges to her death in the middle of Manhattan in street packed with Christmas shoppers 
DAILY MAIL

How I serve my country:
Convicted terrorist and retired professor Bill Ayers sat down with Fars News, a state-controlled media outlet that serves the Islamic Republic of Iran, where he 
proclaimed that the United States is a “terrorist nation” that is the 
“greatest purveyor of violence on earth and the foremost threat to world peace.” 
BREITBART

Washington state economy "built on fraud"—Bishop Joseph Tyson 
NCR

The New America: Bah Humbug! 
Anti-homeless laws taint the season
CBN

The New America: 
Michigan says "NO" to Catholics — Officials have denied a nursing home’s request to create a guest house in a Grand Rapids neighborhood for visiting nuns and family members of people in hospice care 
DETROIT FREE PRESS

Texas and 
"The Merry Christmas Law"
CHARISMA

North Carolina businessman counters atheist billboard with Christmas Message 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

The New America: 
Reduced jail time law increases crime rate — A recently passed California initiative, endorsed by the state’s Democratic party, the ACLU, and George Soros, is responsible for an increase in Fresno crime figures, according to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer 
BREITBART

America: The "other" side — 
Cop who caught starving mother stealing eggs gives her two truckloads of food to feed her family 
DAILY MAIL

Is Israel a fulfillment of prophecy? — Israel’s increasingly vocal Christian antagonists have been trying to blunt support for the Jewish state by Christian Zionists by teaching that it must not be viewed as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. This despite the wholly unprecedented survival of an exiled people for 2,000 years and the eventual rebirth of their nation, and the fact that all this appears to line up pretty neatly with what the prophets foretold. 
ISRAEL TODAY

Russia says US destroying cooperation with new Ukraine law 
JERUSALEM POST

Mark Stricherz’s article entitled 
"Porn Wreaking Quiet Havoc" is a 
must read for all parents, or indeed anyone struggling with pornography. In his piece, Mark interviews Bishop Paul Loverde who has been leading the fight against pornography for the better part of a decade. Referring to the "plague" of pornography Loverde says,  
"I see the devastating effects it has on couples. I say as a pastor that people need to wake up. People have bought into the idea of, ‘Well, it’s a personal problem for someone else’s kid.’ Parents need to wake up to see how pernicious this is." 
ALETEIA

Read about the "dilemma" surrounding the growing acceptance of the 
"Chinese Celebrating Christmas" as the government ponders their response. Perhaps in the midst of the materialism which currently surrounds Christmas in China, may emerge a curiosity as to the origins of the Feast? We can but pray. 
ALETEIA

In the Canonry of St. Leopold’s 
"How much longer?" we read about the wonder represented in Gaudete Sunday as we progress towards the celebration of Christ’s coming. "May the joyful, growing, gently insistent rhythm of Advent, bursting out for this one day into joyful color, together with the faithful proclamation and the heartfelt yearning of "Maranatha" be for us the definitive answer to the Great Question of the excited child within each of us!" 
ALETEIA

Parents’ dismay after council wrongly took their baby girl away for nine months .. and offered just £500 in damages 
DAILY MAIL

Fleeing persecution, 
Christian converts find safe houses in England
RELIGION NEWS

The New Britain: 
Newborn baby found dead on moving conveyor belt at waste recycling plant after he was thrown out with the rubbish — and he can’t be identified 
DAILY MAIL

Britain Today: 
Muslim pensioner, 80, who arranged for acid to be thrown in his 20-year-old Islamic convert ex-girlfriend’s face
DAILY MAIL

Britain must ban veil in courtroom — Women must not hide behind the veil in court says, a top judge after struggling to tell witness was lying because "she couldn’t see her eyes" 
DAILY MAIL

Scottish monk arrested for distributing leaflets promoting sexual morality — (Nice though to see the clergy operating on the front line) 
LIFE SITE

Church anger at Catholic primary school closure — The Catholic Church has described the closure of a denominational primary school on the outskirts of Glasgow as a "hammer blow" to the local community
EVENING NEWS

Nationwide general strike in Italy leads to violent clashes as demonstrators throw fireworks at riot police 
DAILY MAIL

Kenyan Christian leaders appeal for Islamic community efforts to stop terror attacks 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

Tanzania’s proposed constitution pushes population control — Tanzania will have no future without citizens, "We must oppose in every way possible the government’s tainted anti-life constitution proposed for April.” 
LIFE SITE

"Every five minutes, a Christian dies in the Middle East"—Fr. Gabriel Nadaf 
CNA

Iran: US Military option is off the table — "A credible US military option against Iran is off the table and something the Obama administration can “no longer even think about,” according to one of Iran’s top military leaders." (Watch out for "new levels" of alliance between Iran and Russia in the coming years) 
FREE BEACON

"I realized this is not about God"—Captured ISIS member 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Four men beheaded by ISIS for blasphemy 
JERUSALEM POST

Surrounded by ISIS and forgotten by the world, but thousands of 
Yazidis STILL need rescue from Mount Sinjar as militants close in 
DAILY MAIL

Missionaries startle gunman by praying to God instead of giving in to demands 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Nine North Korean orphans who attempted to flee with help of Christian Missionary 
may have been killed
CHRISTIAN POST

Feature: 
Serving the Church in China
CATHOLIC ONLINE

Following on from John Burger’s coverage of 
ministry to prostitutes in California, 
Why hasn’t anyone tried this before?
BCN

The price of supporting Christ in traditional marriage 
CHARISMA

Insurers in New York must cover gender reassignment surgery, says Governor Cuomo (
Really? I wonder whether the insurers will impose limitations on the number of times a person may request this type of "surgery," in case, for example, someone may wish to revert back to their original gender, and then maybe even switch back again! All part of our "wonderful" new world!)  
NEW YORK TIMES

Minnesota High School target of backlash from humanist group over abstinence talk by Christian chastity group 
GOSPEL HERALD

How to protect your children from anti-Catholic myths 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Ambulances transport two women in one day from Ohio late-term abortion clinic 
LIFE SITE

~ ~ ~

Unseen CS Lewis letter discovered in secondhand book 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Angelina Jolie defends decision to avoid "Christian" label in WWII movie "Unbroken"  
GOSPEL HERALD

Atheist invokes Mother Earth, Zeus, Allah, Satan, Krishna and Jesus during City Commission "prayer" 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Grinch steals Christmas gifts from Church 
FOX

Today in Church history: The resignation of Pope Celestine V 
CHRISTIANITY