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Vix Pervenit: On Usury and Other Dishonest Profit was an encyclical, promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on November 1, 1745, which condemned the practice of charging interest on loans as usury. Because the encyclical was addressed to the Bishops of Italy, it is generally not considered ex cathedra. The Holy Office applied the encyclical to the whole of the Roman Catholic Church on July 29, 1836, during the reign of Pope Gregory XVI. The encyclical codified Church teachings which date back to early ecumenical councils, at a time when scholastic philosophy (which did not regard money as a productive input) was increasingly coming into conflict with capitalism. Though never formally retracted, the encyclical's relevance has faded as the Church retreated from actively enforcing its social teachings in the financial sphere, and as the practice of charging interest on loans became almost universally accepted—legally and ethically.
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The Trevi Fountain is the largest — standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide — and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome. Competitions had become the rage during the Baroque era to design buildings, fountains, and even the Spanish Steps. In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei — but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway. Work began in 1732, and the fountain was completed in 1762, long after Clement's death, when Pietro Bracci's 'Neptune' was set in the central niche.

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James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701)was King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685 to 11 December 1688. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Many of his subjects distrusted his religious policies and autocratic tendencies, leading a group of them to depose him in the Glorious Revolution in 1688. He was replaced not by his Roman Catholic son, James Francis Edward, but by his Protestant daughter and son-in-law, Mary II and William III, who became joint rulers in 1689. James made one serious attempt to recover his crowns, when he landed in Ireland in 1689. After his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne in the summer of 1690, James returned to France, living out the rest of his life under the protection of his cousin and ally, King Louis XIV.
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• ... that St Mary's Cathedral (pictured) in Perth, Western Australia, was completed in 2009, almost 80 years after expansions were halted due to the Great Depression?
• ... that in his account of the Christian expeditions into China (first published in 1615), Matteo Ricci strongly criticized feng shui practices?
• ... that missionary Father Aengus Finucane, C.C.Sp. often flew with Mother Teresa while delivering food supplies to Bangladesh?

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Anthony the Great (Greek: Ἀντώνιος Antṓnios; Arabic: القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; Latin: Antonius; Coptic: Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲛⲧⲱⲛⲓ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as Anthony of Padua, by various epithets: Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony the Hermit, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast day is celebrated on 17 January among the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Coptic calendar. (Full article...)

Attributes: Bell; pig; book; Tau Cross; Tau cross with bell pendant
Patronage: Animals, skin diseases, farmers, butchers, basket makers, brushmakers, gravediggers; Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Rome;

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“

Every prophet, every ancient writer, every revolution of the state, every law, every ceremony of the old covenant points only to Christ, announces only him, represents only him.

”

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22 December 2023 – Catholic Church and homosexuality

A number of Catholic bishops around the world, including in Africa and Poland, say they will not implement the new Vatican policy allowing blessings for same-sex couples announced by Pope Francis. (AP)

17 December 2023 – 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Pope Francis accuses the IDF of committing war crimes, in response to Israeli snipers killing two Palestinian Christians and injuring seven others who were taking refuge in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City yesterday. (Reuters)

16 December 2023 –

A court in the Holy See sentences Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu to five and a half years in prison for embezzlement. (Reuters)

3 December 2023 – Moro conflict, Terrorism in the Philippines

Four people are killed and around 50 others are injured in a bombing during a Catholic Mass at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Bangsamoro, Philippines. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the bombing. (Reuters)