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By Holly Meyer and David Crary |
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Greeting, World of Faith leaders,
A day after Christmas, we share holiday-related news from the Vatican, Westminster Abbey, Syria, and a Nigerian village where families rejoiced at the Christmas Eve return of 130 children and teachers who were kidnapped from a Catholic school on Nov. 21. We also share a gallery of some of AP's most eye-catching Christmas photographs. |
Pope Leo XIV waves after delivering his Christmas Day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) |
Pope Leo urges the faithful on Christmas to shed indifference in the face of suffering |
Pope Leo XIV, during his first Christmas Day message, urged the faithful to shed indifference toward those who are suffering. The first U.S. pontiff highlighted the suffering of people in Gaza and Yemen, as well as migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent. Read more.
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Addressing 26,000 people from the loggia overlooking St. Peter's Square, the pope called for peace, justice, and stability in troubled regions such as Lebanon, Ukraine and Syria.
- Leo emphasized that everyone can contribute to peace through humility and responsibility.
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He received especially warm cheers when he made his greetings in his native English and in Spanish, the language of his adopted country of Peru, where he served as a missionary and then as archbishop.
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Tears of joy as Nigerian families reunite with kidnapped schoolchildren |
In a Christmas Eve reunion, villagers in north-central Nigeria cried and hugged schoolchildren who were held for a month after being seized in one of the largest mass abductions in the country’s history. The 130 schoolchildren and teachers were brought home in Niger state’s Papiri community late Wednesday, four days after their release, marking the last batch freed since the Nov. 21 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School. Read more.
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School kidnappings driven by ransoms have become a major security issue in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
Authorities earlier said 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were seized in the Niger state attack but later revised the number to 230, adding that all had now been released.
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Most of the children were between 10 and 17 years old, the school said. Onyeka Chieme, one of the students, earlier told The Associated Press that gunmen threatened to shoot them during the attack.
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How Christian artists are winning over listeners and entering pop's mainstream |
Christian music is growing in popularity while other genres struggle to draw new listenership. Experts and artists say there are a variety of reasons why this religious music is connecting. Social media and streaming are factors. So is the music's hopeful lyricism, which has evolved to reflect real life. Read more.
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Christian music has begun embracing many different genres of music, and industry professionals say the quality has improved.
Christian artists have begun to crossover into mainstream music, like Brandon Lake and Lauren Daigle. Lake has a Grammy-nominated song in “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with the country singer Jelly Roll.
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Daigle suggests that because Christian music points to God — instead of focusing on individual issues or the ego of the performer — it evens the playing field between listener and artist, giving both a sense of purpose.
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