INTERNACIONAL
Pro-life leader praises Vatican’s ‘inspiring’ anti-abortion Nativity scene: ‘It’s really beautiful’
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FIRST ON FOX: The leader of an international pro-life organization lauded the Nativity scene set up by the Vatican that highlighted the more than 25,000 babies who were not aborted this year thanks to the group’s outreach initiatives.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life CEO and founder Shawn Carney said the Vatican reached out to his organization about creating a Nativity scene representing the babies he says were saved by the group’s pro-life activism, which includes prayer and vigils outside abortion clinics.
«It’s really beautiful,» Carney said.
«The artist made the straw in the manger where Baby Jesus is and Mary, and Joseph,» he continued. «The straw is made up of 25,000 ribbons. Each ribbon represents a baby boy or baby girl that was saved from abortion during a 40 Days for Life campaign.»
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A nativity scene donated by Costa Rica, in which the Madonna is represented pregnant, in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. (Getty Images)
Crafted by Costa Rican artist Paula Sáenz Soto and donated by the Central American country, it features a pregnant Virgin Mary, Joseph and thousands of colored ribbons dedicated to the babies who were not aborted.
Pope Leo XIV said at a recent audience with the donors of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations that a sign of life was reflected in the Nativity scene in the Vatican’s audience hall, which he described as a sign of «faith and hope.»
Each of the ribbons that decorate the scene «represent a life saved from abortion thanks to the prayer and support provided by Catholic organizations to many mothers in need,» said the pontiff, who personally blessed the display.
Leo also thanked the artist for the message affirming that «life is protected from conception.»
Carney said the Nativity was «inspiring» and «beautiful news,» particularly amid a series of recent bad news in the U.S. and around the world.
«It’s so inspiring, and frankly, we’ve had a lot of bad news lately in America and around the world, and this display represents good news,» he told Fox News Digital.
Pope Leo XIV prays in front of Nacimiento Gaudium, a nativity scene in which the Madonna is represented pregnant, at the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. (40 Days for Life)
«It represents babies that have been saved from abortion, and the artist who is a participant in 40 Days for Life who is from Costa Rica, did a wonderful job. She did a fantastic job making this beautiful display that really shows the dedication of so many pro-life volunteers around the world who take time out in the hopes of saving a baby. And now those saved babies are represented in the most important place in the world, which is the Nativity, which is what we pin our hope to, that Jesus came through the womb, that he came through a family to save us from our sins,» he continued.
«So it’s beautiful news, it’s good news, and I think it’s news that’s being well received as we’ve had so much bad news the last few weeks,» Carney added.
Carney went on to explain that the Nativity is «at the heart of Catholicism and all Christians, and certainly at the heart of the pro-life movement.»
«This is why we do what we do,» he said. «Our Lord could have popped out of an acorn and saved us from our sins. He didn’t do that. God chose a family, a holy family, a 14-year-old virgin, to bring his son into the world through the womb, which is statistically now the most dangerous place in the world. He chose the womb, he chose a family, and the family is under attack. So this is a beautiful nativity display, but I think it speaks to the heart of every Christian that looks for hope in the world, that looks for hope for us to overcome our own sins, and certainly hope that we can end the tragedy and the barbaric nature of abortion in our world. America is leading the way through that.» «We just had a historic year for the pro-life movement in 2025, and I think 2026 is going to be even better,» he added. «This display certainly inspires so much hope and confidence that if we pray, if we fast, if we’re faithful and we get to work, we can end abortion anywhere.»
Carney also stressed that the Nativity of a pregnant Mary with an unborn Jesus «speaks to the scientific reality of the unborn child and the Biblical reality that Our Lord came through the womb.»
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Ribbons representing lives saved from abortion according to Catholic organizations are seen on Nacimiento Gaudium, a Nativity scene set in the Paul VI Hall during an audience led by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. (AP)
«The Nativity is one of the most depicted scenes in the history of the world, and it represents that great meeting between Heaven and earth, Christ coming into the world through a child nine months after the Annunciation,» he said. «So it’s absolutely beautiful. It puts emphasis on how we treat our unborn children with 72 million abortions around the world every year. It is by far the greatest moral crisis of our time, and we have to respond to that. We have to respond with great hope, and you don’t find a greater hope than Jesus coming into the world and being with us on Christmas Day.»
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The pro-life leader also stated that the pope «is going to be a stronger voice than most people think» on the issue of abortion.
«I think he’s righting the ship,» Carney said. «I think he’s speaking with a little bit more clarity than what we saw from Pope Francis. Pope Leo has been very supportive of the pro-life movement. He’s certainly been very supportive of 40 Days for Life with this beautiful Nativity at the Vatican, so I’m very encouraged.»
abortion,pope leo xiv,vatican,roman catholic,world,christmas,politics
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The number of American citizens arrested and held in Venezuela has risen in recent months, according to a new report.
Several Americans have been detained by Venezuelan security forces as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to isolate President Nicolás Maduro, including sanctions enforcement and an expanded military presence in the Caribbean, The New York Times reported.
A U.S. official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the outlet that while some detainees face what Venezuelan authorities describe as legitimate criminal charges, Washington is considering designating at least two Americans as «wrongfully detained.»
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Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simón Bolívar during a civic-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
This can speed up diplomatic efforts to secure their release.
Those arrested are said to include three Venezuelan-American dual nationals and two U.S. citizens with no known ties to Venezuela, the official told the outlet.
Maduro’s government has long been accused by U.S. officials and critics of using detained foreign nationals as leverage in negotiations with the U.S.
President Trump has made the release of Americans held overseas a priority during both of his presidencies. During his first term, he followed a campaign of maximum pressure against Maduro.
On his return to office in January, Trump also sent envoy Richard Grenell to Caracas to push for a prisoner agreement.
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Joseph St. Clair has been released by the Venezuelan government, his family said Tuesday. (Courtesy of the St. Clair family)
Grenell met Maduro in person and was tasked with securing the return of detained Americans, announcing he was bringing home six who had been imprisoned, per Reuters.
In May, Venezuela also released a U.S. Air Force veteran who had been detained for roughly six months.
Joseph St Clair, who served in Afghanistan, had traveled to South America for treatment for PTSD.
In July, as reported by Fox News Digital, 10 more Americans and U.S. permanent residents were released after a prisoner swap that saw more than 250 Venezuelans held in El Salvador also returned home. The U.S. State Department confirmed that release July 18, 2025.
«Our commitment to the American people is clear: We will safeguard the well-being of U.S. nationals both at home and abroad and not rest until all Americans being held hostage or unjustly detained around the world are brought home,» Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time.
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Nicolás Maduro and Marco Rubio (Fox News)
That diplomatic push led to talks between U.S. and Venezuelan officials and resulted in the release of at least 16 American citizens and permanent residents by mid-2025.
Those negotiations were later suspended as the administration shifted toward broader pressure.
The U.S. began expanding sanctions enforcement, redeploying naval assets to the Caribbean and increasing operations targeting vessels allegedly linked to drug-trafficking networks tied to Maduro’s regime.
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The USS Iwo Jima sits at a dock on a cold winter morning. (Getty Images)
The New York Times reported Wednesday that among those Americans currently reported missing is James Luckey-Lange, 28, of Staten Island, New York, who went missing after crossing Venezuela’s southern border in early December.
Luckey-Lange is the son of musician Diane Luckey, known as Q Lazzarus.
Another former detainee, Renzo Huamanchumo Castillo, a Peruvian-American, told the outlet he was arrested last year and accused of terrorism and plotting to kill Maduro.
«We realized afterward, I was just a token,» he said. He was released in the July prisoner swap after months of harsh detention.
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At least two others with U.S. ties remain imprisoned, according to their families: Aidel Suarez, a U.S. permanent resident born in Cuba, and Jonathan Torres Duque, a Venezuelan-American, according to reporting by The New York Times.
The exact number of newly detained Americans has not been publicly disclosed by U.S. officials.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of State for comment.
state department,venezuelan political crisis,donald trump,marco rubio,missing persons
INTERNACIONAL
El Gobierno de Taiwán mantiene la alerta máxima tras las masivas maniobras militares de China
Las autoridades de Taiwán mantuvieron este miércoles un estado de alerta máxima tras las maniobras militares a gran escala efectuadas por China alrededor de la isla, según informó la guardia costera taiwanesa. El centro de respuesta marítima de emergencia del país continuó operativo mientras se monitoreaban los movimientos navales chinos, luego de que la víspera se lanzaran decenas de cohetes hacia territorio taiwanés y se desplegara un considerable número de buques de guerra y aeronaves en las inmediaciones.
Los ejercicios, denominados “Justice Mission 2025”, concluyeron oficialmente el miércoles por la noche, tras un anuncio de Beijing en el que se aseguró que sus fuerzas armadas permanecerán en estado de alerta y reforzarán su preparación para el combate. Según la declaración recogida por la guardia costera taiwanesa, aún se mantenía una presencia significativa de barcos y aviones chinos en la zona de respuesta, por lo que las fuerzas armadas de Taiwán continuarían aplicando un “mecanismo de contingencia adecuado”. No se ofrecieron detalles adicionales.
A través de un comunicado, el Ministerio de Defensa de Taiwán denunció que “las provocaciones agresivas y militaristas del Partido Comunista Chino ponen en peligro la seguridad y estabilidad regional, y han sido condenadas por aliados democráticos de la comunidad internacional”. En su discurso de Año Nuevo, el presidente Xi Jinping insistió en el mensaje de reunificación nacional, transmitido por la cadena estatal CCTV. “Los compatriotas a ambos lados del Estrecho de Taiwán están unidos por lazos de sangre más fuertes que el agua, y la tendencia histórica hacia la reunificación nacional es imparable”, afirmó.
El régimen chino reiteró que considera a Taiwán parte de su territorio y no descarta el uso de la fuerza para lograr su control. Por su parte, la isla rechaza los reclamos de soberanía de Beijing y calificó los recientes ejercicios militares de amenaza a la seguridad regional y provocación directa.
El martes por la noche, los buques chinos comenzaron a alejarse de las aguas próximas a Taiwán, según declaró Kuan Bi-ling, titular del Consejo de Asuntos Oceánicos de Taiwán, en una publicación en Facebook. Un funcionario de la guardia costera informaba a Reuters que los 11 barcos de la guardia costera china habían abandonado la zona y se alejaban del área circundante. Otro funcionario de seguridad taiwanés confirmó que los centros de respuesta de emergencia tanto de las fuerzas armadas como de la guardia costera seguían activos.
Durante la jornada, dos funcionarios de seguridad regionales señalaron a Reuters que habían detectado más de 90 buques de la marina y la guardia costera chinas en la región, incluyendo despliegues en el mar de China Meridional, las cercanías de Taiwán y el mar de China Oriental. Los mismos funcionarios, que solicitaron anonimato por la sensibilidad del asunto, aseguraron que el tamaño del despliegue marítimo chino había ido aumentando desde principios de semana.
El Ministerio de Defensa taiwanés detalló el miércoles que en las últimas 24 horas se registraron 77 aeronaves militares y 25 embarcaciones de la marina y la guardia costera chinas operando en torno a la isla, con 35 aviones cruzando la línea media del estrecho de Taiwán.
Mientras se desarrollaban los ejercicios, los embajadores ante China de los países miembros del grupo Quad—Estados Unidos, Australia, Japón e India—se reunieron en Beijing. El embajador estadounidense David Perdue compartió en X una fotografía junto a sus homólogos, indicando que el Quad representa “una fuerza para el bien” que busca mantener un Indo-Pacífico libre y abierto, aunque no ofreció más detalles acerca del encuentro. La embajada estadounidense no respondió de inmediato a las consultas de Reuters sobre la reunión.
Debido a la magnitud de las maniobras, consideradas por China las más extensas hasta la fecha en cuanto a cobertura territorial, Taiwán se vio obligada a cancelar decenas de vuelos internos y desplegar cazas y buques para seguimiento y respuesta, además de ejecutar ejercicios rápidos de defensa y levantar barricadas en diversos puntos.
La Oficina de Asuntos de Taiwán de China, a través de su portavoz Zhang Han, calificó las maniobras como “una medida necesaria y justa” para salvaguardar la soberanía nacional y la integridad territorial, agregando que constituyen “una severa advertencia contra las fuerzas separatistas de la independencia taiwanesa y la interferencia externa”.
La agencia oficial Xinhua publicó que la simulación de “cerco” demostró la capacidad del Ejército Popular de Liberación para “presionar y contener a las fuerzas separatistas mientras se niega el acceso a interferencias externas”, citando al profesor Zhang Chi de la Universidad Nacional de Defensa de la PLA.
A pesar de la creciente intensidad de los ejercicios, el director del programa Asia del centro de estudios estadounidense Defense Priorities, Lyle Goldstein, opinó a Reuters que es improbable que Beijing inicie una guerra abierta, debido al elevado coste político y militar que supondría.
(Con información de Reuters)
Asia / Pacific,Defense
INTERNACIONAL
Zohran Mamdani will be first mayor to be sworn in on Quran during New York City inauguration
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New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign confirmed on Wednesday he will make a historical move on New Year’s Day, using the Quran during his swearing-in ceremony.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old Ugandan-born socialist, will be the first Muslim mayor of New York City and the first mayor to be sworn in using the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.
New York Attorney General Letitia James will host a private midnight ceremony at Old City Hall Station, a historical decommissioned subway station, before he is sworn in during a public inauguration on the steps of City Hall by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Thursday afternoon.
He will use two family Qurans, as well as one that belonged to writer and Puerto Rican activist Arturo Schomburg, who built the foundation for Harlem’s Schomburg Center for research in Black culture.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount on November 4, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Mamdani defeated Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the closely watched election for New York City mayor. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty)
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Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is expected to deliver opening remarks at the latter event, which will be free and open to the public.
Mamdani defeated former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican gubernatorial candidate Curtis Sliwa in November, after campaigning on affordability and socialist policies including rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, and free buses and childcare.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., refused to endorse Mamdani during his campaign, though it is unclear if the choice was tied to Mamdani’s 2023 arrest while protesting the war in Gaza outside Schumer’s Brooklyn home.
Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds hands with his wife Rama Duwaji after they voted at a polling location at Frank Sinatra School of Arts in the Queens borough of New York City on Nov. 4, 2025. (LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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Mamdani has openly voiced his belief that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is «genocide,» denying Israel is a Jewish state and failing to condemn the violent slogan «globalize the intifada.»
During his time at Bowdoin College, he founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
Though he promised to protect Jewish New Yorkers, he announced on Tuesday the city’s next top attorney would be Ramzi Kassem, who defended convicted al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, who is accused of leading antisemitic demonstrations on campus.
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani supporters gather outside 30 Rock in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
Al-Darbi was convicted of conspiracy in connection with the fatal 2017 al Qaeda terrorist bombing of a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, and was transferred in 2018 by the Trump administration into Saudi Arabian custody. Khalil was released, but his case remains ongoing.
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During a news conference announcing Kassem’s appointment, Mamdani said, «I will turn to Ramzi for his remarkable experience and his commitment to defending those too often abandoned by our legal system.»
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller, Deirdre Heavey and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
zohran mamdani,new york city,islam
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