New studies carried out on the Shroud, the upcoming canonization of an Italian teenager, the body of a saint that remains incorrupt after five centuries, the presence of the Virgin in a community affected by a hurricane in Mexico, and the Catholic response to mockery of the Last Supper at the Olympic Games, were some of the topics that aroused the greatest interest in ACI Prensa readers during this past year.
Below, we invite you to discover some of the most read ACI Prensa news in 2024.
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1. Blessed Carlo Acutis will be proclaimed a saint
On May 23, 2024, Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to the intercession of Carlo Acutisthe Italian teenager who died at the age of 15 and was beatified in 2020 in Assisi. With this decree, the young man who deeply loved the Eucharist will be proclaimed a saint. His canonization will be on April 27, 2025 in Rome.
2. Mockery against the Last Supper at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: the Catholic response
Starting with the French Episcopal Conference, host country of the sporting event, There were numerous criticisms and reactions from the Catholic Church to the representation of the Last Supper that included the participation of drag queens.
The French Episcopal Conference deeply deplored the “scenes of scorn and mockery against Christianity,” while thanking the solidarity of other faiths that joined the expressions of indignation.
“The intolerance of the ‘tolerant’ has no limit. This is not how a fraternal society is built,” said the Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Mons. Fernando Chomali; while the Bishop of Winona Rochester in Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron, described what happened as a “crude mockery against the Last Supper.”
3. After almost five centuries, the body of Saint Teresa of Jesús remains incorrupt
In August, the Diocese of Ávila (Spain) reported that the body of Saint Teresa of Jesús or Ávila, Doctor of the Church, remains incorruptafter his death on October 4, 1582.
The diocese explained that this event could be verified as part of the canonical recognition of the remains of Saint Teresa of Ávila, requested on July 1 from the Vatican by the Bishop of Salamanca, Mons. Luis Retana, authorization granted by Pope Francis through the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
4. New study reveals that blood stains on the Shroud are consistent with the torture of Christ
Last August, a new study by an Italian researcheranalyzed the blood on the Shroud of Turin and argued that the stains on the famous Shroud are consistent with the torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as described in the Gospels.
Giulio Fanti, professor of mechanical and thermal measurements at the University of Padua, stated that a macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the blood stains accurately reflects “the physical conditions related to Jesus Christ,” which are “consistent with the description of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible.”
5. Pope Francis: There is no dialogue with the devil
In his words prior to praying the Sunday Angelus on January 28, Pope Francis reflected on the chains that oppress man and pointed out that, when these appear, the worst thing you can do is dialogue with the devil because you always lose.
The Holy Father instead encouraged us to invoke Jesus, who came to free us from these oppressions.
6. The Vatican excommunicates Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò for the crime of schism
Last July 4, the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò guilty of the crime of schism and confirmed his excommunication.
Through a statement, the Dicastery reported the completion of the extrajudicial criminal process against Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former nuncio to the United States, accused of the reserved crime of schism.
7. Pope Francis: Everyone can have a dog, but it is necessary to have children
In January 2024, andPope Francis once again insisted on the importance of families, in addition to having pets, to have children.
Everyone can have a dog, the Holy Father acknowledged, but it is necessary to have children, especially in these times when there are few births, a situation that worries him.
“There is a ‘culture of depopulation’ that comes from the few births of children. It is true, everyone can have a dog, but it is necessary to have children. “Italy, Spain… they need children,” he noted.
8. Young Argentine catechist creates “panini” album of saints
The Argentine catechist María de la Candelaria Clausi, 24, created the Album of Saintsa “panini” style set with 117 collectible saint figures. Initially, the idea was to offer a tool for its students to play and learn, but it quickly spread and today it is very successful in different parts of the world.
9. They compensate a woman arrested for praying silently in front of an abortion clinic
West Midlands Police (United Kingdom) was ordered to compensate Isabel Vaughan-Sprucethe British woman arrested twice for praying silently outside an abortion clinic.
Justice ordered the police to compensate the woman with 13,000 pounds (about 16,925 US dollars) for violating her rights.
10. Image of the Virgin Mary walks through flooded streets after Hurricane John in Mexico
In September, An image of the Virgin of the Nativity toured the streets of Tixtla in processionin the Mexican state of Guerrero, a city affected by the flooding of Hurricane John, which caused severe damage throughout southwestern Mexico
The procession, according to a local priest, sought to “demonstrate that a mother always runs urgently to answer the call of a child who cries and suffers.”
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.