Gloria.TV News on the 10th of Jenuary 2014

Black Nazarene: Thursday, millions of Filipino Catholics jammed the Manila streets to parade a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ in a famous annual procession. The wooden statue of Christ, crowned with thorns and bearing a cross, was brought from Mexico to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries. The ship that carried it caught fire but the charred statue survived and was named the Black Nazarene. Through the centuries the statue survived fires, earthquakes and intense bombings during World War II.

Birthday: Next Wednesday, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, the brother of Benedict XVI, celebrates his 90th birthday in the Vatican. Ratzinger is especially pleased to be able to spend the day at his brother's side. He hopes that the celebration will be simple - quote: “First is the Holy Mass in the house chapel. Then there is breakfast. Lunch will also have a special accent. That's enough.”

The Pope in his nightgown: Elmar Mäder, former Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, spoke during a reception in the Swiss town Arbon about his time in the Vatican. Concerning the Pope’s travels he recalled: “In a small hotel, it could happen that you meet the Pope on the floor in his nightgown.” About Benedict XVI Mäder recounted: “One morning, the Pope asked a Swiss guard who had watched in front of his bedroom if he had slept well. The guard’s answer of course was a clear no.

Francis-Mania: Catholic conservatives such as Representative Paul Ryan or Fox News pundits Sean Hannity and Judge Andrew Napolitano face difficult times according to Tom Deignan in the The Star-Ledger. According to him, Pope Francis is proving to be a theological thorn in the side of right-leaning Catholics. And – quote: “The elite mainstream media — so loathed by the right — is in the clutches of what can only be described as Francis-mania.”