Christians violently beaten for singing Carols in India, US asks Vatican to “solve” Guantanamo, and more ..

New Canadian ambassador seeks collaboration for "betterment of humanity" — Pope Francis received the new Canadian Ambassador to the Holy See, Dennis Savoie, on Monday. During an interview, Ambassador Savoie said his “first priority” is to establish a network within which to identify areas of collaboration between Canada and the Holy See 
RADIO VATICANA

Pope Francis meets Croatian member of Bosnia’s Presidency — In a statement following an audience in the Vatican, the Holy See press office said the two leaders talked about bilateral relations and other common concerns, particularly regarding the contribution that Catholics make towards society 
RADIO VATICANA

China will continue to hold constructive dialogue with the Holy See — "China is
always sincere about improving relations with Vatican," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has said 
VATICAN INSIDER

Avoid the "sins of the media," Pope urges Italian journalists — Catholics in the media should have the 
“courage to speak directly, telling the truth and working to preserve it from all that distorts and twists it for other purposes.”
CATHOLIC CULTUREVATICAN INSIDER

People are more valuable than "hits"—Pope Francis 
CNA

Schönborn disturbed by bishops who wanted Putin-style leadership at family synod 
THE TABLET

"Count down to Christmas by counting your blessings"—Pope Francis 
CNS

"I don’t understand why people want to take away our love of Christ": Indiana town fights atheists to keep Nativity scene  
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Ramos: 
"Pressure from journalists may have changed Obama on Executive Amnesty"
BREITBART

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is creating a new 
Office of Catholic Identity Assessment for Catholic high schools starting January 1st – an initiative that may be the first in the country 
PATHEOS

Arizona biology teacher mocks Christ’s Biblical creation in lecture 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Virginia attorney wants ALL public schools to stop renting to Churches — Attorney John Flannery, a former federal prosecutor and congressional chief of staff, recently wrote on the blog “Loudon Progress” that he found it problematic that 34 out of 87 schools in Loudoun County allow churches to host services on the premises each Sunday and is now seeking to have the practice stopped
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Anti-religion bullies switch targets — Two atheists who recently targeted churches in Hawaii that rent space from public schools are continuing their assault on religious liberty—this time, in Michigan 
CHL

Is Obama about to destroy the cross? — President Obama’s signature is the only thing standing between the Mt. Soledad memorial cross in San Diego and its destruction 
CBN

McDonald’s and Starbucks resist calls for them to install "porn-free" filter on WiFi service 
CHL

Payday loans are a mean holiday trap — Payday loans, and car title loans are quick ways to get money without the hassle of a credit check. But these popular loans are trapping many Americans in a crushing cycle of debt. (If you are reading this and considering a payday loan I encourage you to do 
all you can to avoid this option. You would rather speak with your family and arrange to participate in some special treat after the holidays once you’ve been able to accumulate sufficient funds. I cannot count the number of families I have counselled through debt issues in which payday loans were the proverbial "nail in the coffin." Please try and avoid them at all cost! Remember, Christmas is not about "stuff;" it’s about our love for each other, something Pope Francis recently emphasized) 
CBN

Canada’s new prostitution law takes effect amid backlash from media, Ontario’s premier, and activists 
LIFE SITE

Dominican President using abortion for re-election: Priest resigning as Church’s presidential liaison 
LIFE SITE

Palestinian and Israeli kids play soccer match to mark 100th anniversary of "Christmas truce" 
JERUSALEM POST

Tom Hoopes looks at Pope Francis and the 
"Year of Misunderstandings" and explains how the media managed to get
the wrong end of the stick time and again. "If it felt like 2014 was the year the media joined the Pope Francis misunderstanding-of-the-month club, that is probably because, well, they did."  
ALETEIA

If you want to brighten-up your day then I recommend you have a read of Jeff Ostrowski’s 
"Is There Any Hope For Modern Catholic Liturgical Music?" in which he sets out to identify the insipidness associated with some of today’s hymns. Jeff’s critique of wanting verse and hyper-linked evidence of modern melodic miscarriages is fair amusing! His piece ends with an invitation to participate in a project he is working on involving the development of a new hymnal. In the meantime, and recalling Tom’s advice that 
"the inherent qualities of the hymn are what should matter," I submit for your listening pleasure 
this music clip. 
Enjoy!
ALETEIA

Duncan Smith defends benefit cuts criticized by Cardinal Nichols — (The strife with benefits will 
never be resolved, unless the government takes drastic steps towards stemming the tide of abuse which has swept over the entire system in recent decades) 
THE TABLET

Midwives’ ruling due on Wednesday — The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the conscientious objection to abortion case of the two Glasgow Catholic midwives on Wednesday 
SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER

WWI Christmas truce football match reenacted in Glasgow 
COS

South Sudan: 1st anniversary of war, people continue to suffer — 
South Sudan currently facing the world’s worst food crisis
RADIO VATICANA

Chaldean Patriarch urges pre-Christmas fast for Iraqi Christian refugees (We 
should be fasting in any case in advent!) 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

ISIS, Assad, and what the West is failing to see about Syria — "If the  insurgents win the war, there will be no Christian churches in Syria any more (just as there aren’t in Saudi Arabia at the moment). Life will be similarly terrible for many of the ordinary Muslims who make up the great majority of the population" 
CWR

Olympics now banned from any country restricting spread of homosexuality — A decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will apply new restrictive anti-family pressure on nations wanting to host the Olympic Games. On December 8, the IOC unanimously approved a wide-ranging package of 40 recommendations, the Olympic Agenda 2020, that includes a rewording of its anti-discrimination Principle 6 clause to include a reference to "sexual orientation" as a protected category 
LIFE SITE

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Catholic rebel: 
Becoming a female priest
DW

Church History: 
The consecration of Eusebius, Bishop of Vercelli, in 340AD 
CHRISTIANITY