This image is preserved in the Church of San Vital, built in 386, in Rome. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN News Rome Newsroom, Dec 17, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA). The Church of St. Vitale, built in 386, is the oldest Christian church still standing in the center of Rome. It is the “only place of…

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (at right) is shown here during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (at left) and then National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (at center). / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 20:05 pm (CNA). U.S. Secretary of War…

Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Joliet YouTube video Vatican City, Dec 17, 2025 / 09:58 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV has chosen Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, to be the next archbishop of New York — the most consequential U.S. episcopal appointment of Leo’s pontificate…

Army personnel stand guard in front of St. Mary’s Cathedral Church in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 23, ahead of Christmas 2024. / Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec 17, 2025 / 11:32 am (CNA). Recent attempts to sabotage Catholic churches, threats to Catholic educational institutions, and the current political context of the country mean…

Illinois state capitol in Springfield. / Credit: Paul Brady Photography/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 12:34 pm (CNA). Catholic leaders in Illinois are backing a coalition of pro-life pregnancy centers and doctors suing the state government over a law that requires them to refer women to abortion providers even if they object to the…

Church of the National Vow in Bogotá, Colombia. / Credit: Eduardo Berdejo ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA). The Colombian Senate passed a law on Dec. 15 that recognizes the historical, religious, and cultural value of the Church of the National Vow, a symbol of the country’s consecration to the Sacred…

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, (pictured on Nov. 25, 2025, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan at a Catholic Charities Thanksgiving event to hand out turkeys and other foods), said she will sign a bill legalizing assisted suicide in the Empire State. / Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images CNA Staff, Dec 17, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA)….