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Copies of the Italian version of Pope Benedict XVI's new book, "The Infancy of Jesus," are seen during their release to journalists at the Vatican press office Nov. 20. (CNS/Paul Haring) By Carol Glatz and Francis X. RoccaCatholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Nativity story, like the whole story of Christ, is not merely an event in the past, but has unfolding significance for people today, with implications for such issues as the limits of political power and the purpose of human freedom, Pope Benedict writes in his third and final volume on the life and teachings...

...Conservatives are shell-shocked. The event in Palm Beach drew no consensus for the future of conservatism. After four years of economic, political and moral depredations, it becomes increasingly difficult to predict when the pendulum will swing back or if it will at all. We wander along a desolate path of stupefaction, adrift in our bumping and stammering hallucinations. Can a moribund culture ever be revived to resemble the best times in America's past? When Tuesday (11/19/2012), US District Court Judge Audrey B Collins delivered a 28-page ruling denying my client the right to continue a 59-year-old tradition of exhibiting Nativity...

The nearly 60-year tradition of a Nativity scene displayed at a park and hosted by a coalition of churches in Santa Monica, Calif., has ended after a federal judge ruled on Monday that the city can ban such displays. A controversy over the display about the birth of Jesus at Palisades Park erupted last Christmas season when an atheist group "manipulated" the city's lottery system for spaces, according to a nonprofit, resulting in only two booths for the Christian group that normally uses 14 booths for the various Nativity-related scenes. "It's a very sad day when a small number of...

Churches are going to federal court to reclaim their freedom of speech after the city of Santa Monica, Calif., decided to end a nearly 60-year tradition of having Christian displays of the nativity in a public park due to an uproar caused by atheists' anti-God signs. Behind the trouble in Santa Monica is a member of the American Atheists, Damon Vix, who applied for and was granted a booth in Palisades Park alongside the nativity display three years ago. He erected a sign quoting Thomas Jefferson: "Religions are all alike -- founded on fables and mythologies." Another sign read, "Happy...

An unusual nativity display at a Claremont church that portrayed gay couples was vandalized over the weekend in an incident authorities are investigating as a hate crime.

Why would Joseph, “of the lineage of David,” in the city of his family’s origin have to seek shelter in an inn and be turned out into a stable? Recently this question was put to me here in Beirut. This paper presents an answer. In this brief study I will attempt to demonstrate that Jesus was born in a private home and that the “inn” of Luke 2:7 is best understood as the guest room of the family in whose house the birth took place. Recent studies have primarily focused on Luke’s theological interests.1 The concern here is the Palestinian...

What If Mary Said “No”? October 13th, 2009 by Gary ZimakMost of us are familiar with the story of the Annunciation as told in Chapter 1 of Luke’s gospel. The angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and informed her that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the Savior. Mary agreed, Jesus was born and the entire human race was redeemed. Sounds simple, right? Did you ever consider what would have happened if Mary said, “no”? Sometimes we forget that Mary had free will and wasn’t forced to go along with the plan that would result in...

The Tradition of Midnight Mass   The History of Midnight Mass Throughout the years, Midnight Mass has been a popular Christmas Mass choice for many Catholics. But how did the tradition of this Mass begin?In the early history of the Church, vigils were held before every feast for the purpose of preparing for the feast itself. Mass would be held in the evening, followed by a period of prayer and contemplation. Solemn services were then held the next morning. As more feasts arose, the number of vigils kept was decreased. In the current Roman Calendar, there are six Masses...

It’s always interesting to track down the origins of holiday traditions. Now that Christmas is upon us, many are putting out their Nativity scenes with the usual stable, wise men and donkey. Some interesting facts:

Leave a Comment Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:Today we erected a life-size nativity scene in Central Park, on the corner of 59th and 5th; it will be up until January 3. Moreover, we did not surround it with secular symbols.Every year we get a permit from the New York City Parks Department to display our nativity scene. We choose Central Park because it is a public forum, a place where concerts, marathons and all sorts of festivities take place. We do not seek to display our crèche on public property adjacent to City Hall, because that is...

A holiday display at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield might inspire a seasonal spirit in some viewers, but it's stirring up less-than-jolly resentment in others. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a national group, has written to the base, arguing that the display's inclusion of a large menorah and nativity scene implies an endorsement of some religions. The display also includes other items, including reindeer, Christmas trees and airplanes.

For nearly 60 years at Christmastime, Christian congregations from Santa Monica have come together to organize a life-sized Nativity scene, using 14 display areas in a city park to illustrate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. This year, however, the story had to be abridged. Because of a city lottery system to dole out available spots in Santa Monica's Palisades Park, along Ocean Avenue, atheists have been able to claim most of the display spaces traditionally used for the Nativity, leaving room for only three of the scenes. Damon Vix, an atheist, had a display last year that...

A conservative group has set up a nativity scene at the Capitol building in Madison, and an atheists' group is seeking its own permit for an opposing display. A WISC-TV report says Wisconsin Family Action has been granted a permit to display its scene until the end of the month. The six statuettes that sit on a table depict the birth of Jesus Christ. Group spokeswoman Julaine Appling says the display is tasteful. She says there's room for a number of different voices. But the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says a nativity scene isn't appropriate for a state building....

As many of you already know, the parish church burned to the ground back in the 60's. The small parish lacked sufficient funds to rebuild. Instead, they raised enough money to convert an outdoor shrine into a new place of worship, slapping up some walls and raising a roof. That structure has served as their place of worship ever since, requiring renovations over the course of time to install air conditioning and, more recently, renovate the interior, following a freak ice storm that perforated the roof and flooded the church. Despite the small church, the 60 family community approach Christmas...

This is a Christmas story about a priest and his dog — and it is the heartwarming tale of this year’s holiday season. It began shortly before Christmas 15 years ago, when a yellow Lab puppy nuzzled and licked the hand of Msgr. Robert Ritchie in a Manhattan pet shop. And now, Ritchie, rector of famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral, has given his beloved pup a near sacred honor — placing a statue of the dog beside the figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the sanctuary’s Christmas crèche. ...

"Oh Come Let Us Adore Him," a display of more than 100 creches, Nativities and angels, is being held this weekend at the Connellsville Presbyterian Church, in conjunction with "It's A Connellsville Christmas." The hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday."We are pleased that we get so many new pieces to add each year. We like to make changes and create new arrangements each holiday. New this year, we are adding a Christmas tree to hang the many little Nativity ornaments on. It will look beautiful," said Teri Montgomery, event co-coordinator along with Nancy...

PLANTATION— At the height of hurricane season, city officials are looking ahead to the holidays and putting their faith in something larger than snowmen, penguins and toy soldiers. Since the Broward chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union complained – twice – about the city's "inappropriate" holiday display in Liberty Tree Park, city officials have been trying to avoid another December dilemma.

Marks on White House image align with document claiming African birthHONOLULU, Hawaii – Could it be that the document released by the White House as President Obama's "Certificate of Live Birth" from the state of Hawaii is linked with a well-known forgery that states Obama was born in Kenya and his Hawaiian birth was registered by his grandmother? An analysis posted on Facebook by GoodTryBarry shows that markings on the Kenya document appear to be the same as markings on the White House release. The image below, for example, shows a "2" penciled in on the green White House document...

"Well I've been told very recently, Anderson, that the birth certificate is missing," Trump told CNN's Anderson Cooper Monday. "I've been told that it's not there or it doesn't exist. And if that's the case it's a big problem."

A bill pending with the state House of Representatives would require presidential primary candidates to prove they are natural-born U.S. citizens by showing their birth certificate to the election board. Sen. Ralph Shortey, R-Oklahoma City, amended Senate Bill 91 to add the requirement. He says he isn't a conspiracy theorist, but questions about President Barack Obama's birth point out the need to protect against unqualified presidential candidates. "The situation with our president has instigated this fear," Shortey said. "I'm trying to quash this fear with this legislation." SB 91 passed the Senate on March 14 by a 34-10 vote. It...