Top CWN headlines for 2024 in review
December 31, 2024
Any list of the “top 10” news stories of the year will naturally reflect the editor’s own interests. With that caveat, herewith my list of the most important CWN headlines of 2024, counting down to #1. PFL
#10 (October) Pope Francis issues Dilexit Nos, his fourth encyclical, encouraging the traditional Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart. (October)
#9 (February) The German bishops back away from a direct confrontation with the Vatican over their plans to establish a “Synodal Council” to form Church policies—but continue with preparations for that body.
#8 (April) The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues Dignitas Infinita, a 20-page document that denounces contemporary attacks on human dignity, strongly opposing gender ideology and sex-change operations.
#7 (October) The Vatican renews the secret agreement with China governing the appointment of new bishops, despite the painfully slow progress in filling dozens of vacant episcopal sees.
#6 (January) African bishops take a united stand against church blessings for same-sex couples, declaring that the proposals set for in 2023 in Fiducia Supplicans could not be carried out in Africa without creating scandal.
#5 (May) The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) releases new norms for discerning the authenticity of Marian apparitions and other reports of supernatural phenomena. In the following months the DDF releases its findings on several reported apparitions, most notably giving cautious approval for pilgrimages to Medjugorje.
#4 (December) Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s basilica, formally inaugurating the Jubilee Year 2025 (which qualifies as a 2024 headline story, since it began on Christmas Eve.)
#3 (December) The Pope presides at a consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals. There are now 139 cardinals eligible to vote in a papal conclave, of whom 110 have been named by Pope Francis.
#2 (December) The basilica of Notre Dame in Paris reopened, five years after a devastating fire, in a triumph of restoration that combined traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to recapture the original beauty of the beloved cathedral.
#1 (October) The Synod on Synodality concluded, wrapping up a three—year process of consultations with the release of a 53-page final document that contained few controversial passages—in part because Pope Francis had established separate “study groups” to explore those issues.
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