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ACI Prensa's latest initiative is the Catholic News Agency (CNA), aimed at serving the English-speaking Catholic audience. ACI Prensa (www.aciprensa.com) is currently the largest provider of Catholic news in Spanish and Portuguese.

The ‘General of the Secret Church’: Remembering Vladimír Jukl a century after his birth
Mon, 27 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Rome, Italy, Oct 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A hundred years ago, Vladimír Jukl was born — a secretly ordained Catholic priest in communist Czechoslovakia who endured imprisonment and torture yet helped bring down the regime. A key figure in the underground Catholic resistance, he inspired thousands through faith, courage, and quiet leadership.

In 2022, a film titled “The Free Men: A Story of Friendship That Changed Slovakia” told his story. Among those who viewed it were then-Prime Minister Eduard Heger and President Zuzana Čaputová. The following year, former dissident František Mikloško published “Vladimír Jukl: In the Front Line of a Great Story.”

Born in Bratislava in 1925, Jukl was accused of “treason” — that is, of forbidden religious activity — during the communist era. He was tortured, imprisoned, and held in solitary confinement.

“The greatest crime of all was Catholic religious activity. Everyone suspected of it was, after some time, placed in maximum isolation called ‘The Vatican’ in various prisons,” wrote fellow dissident Silvester Krčméry in “Truth Against Power.”

“I was sentenced to 25 years in prison [and observed that] many people without faith touched electric wires to be killed by the current or found another way to disappear from life. I believed the Lord would help me and prayed,” Jukl recalled.

After his release, he continued his mission — this time underground.

The ‘general’ of the secret Church

Bishop Ján Korec, a Jesuit who was secretly ordained a bishop and was later named a cardinal, approved a plan to build a network of small prayer communities at every university faculty and even in individual classes in Bratislava, now Slovakia’s capital. Jukl and Krčméry oversaw the network.

The two regularly met with coordinators to foster spiritual formation and organize activities such as retreats and excursions outside the city — nicknamed “feasts.” Their leadership earned them the nickname “Generals of the Secret Church.”

These communities nurtured a generation of Catholics whose mature faith became a quiet force for cultural and spiritual renewal under the communist regime.

Bestselling author Rod Dreher later highlighted Jukl and Krčméry in “Live Not by Lies,” his book about Christian resistance under totalitarianism. Citing accounts from other dissidents, Dreher wrote that the pair were “like a magnet for the young idealists ready to absorb whatever they offered.”

Their clandestine activities required great caution. To protect one another, participants would never arrive or leave meetings all at once, and many knew only each other’s first names.

A mathematician by training, Jukl also wrote for samizdat publications and served as secretary of the Union of Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists. Korec later secretly ordained Jukl a priest — expanding his means of spiritual formation and ministry.

Contact with Karol Wojtyła

During a mountain trip near the Polish border, Jukl and Krčméry met a young priest named Karol Wojtyła. When he later became archbishop of Kraków, they visited him in Poland as travel restrictions eased.

After Wojtyła’s election as Pope John Paul II in 1978, Jukl reportedly told friends: “You cannot imagine what this will mean for us.”

Many later noted that the Polish pope’s moral and spiritual influence profoundly encouraged those resisting communism throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Through Wojtyła’s close friend Wanda Półtawska, the pope remained informed about the Church’s situation in communist Czechoslovakia. After the fall of the regime, he invited Jukl and his collaborators to the Vatican.

The ‘Candle Manifestation’

Jukl also co-organized the famous “Candle Manifestation,” a 1988 public prayer for religious freedom held in Bratislava’s Hviezdoslav Square.

On that rainy evening, thousands gathered with candles under umbrellas only to be dispersed by water cannons and police batons as loudspeakers ordered them to leave. The event became a symbol of nonviolent resistance that foreshadowed the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

“Our goal is not only the good of the Church but also of the whole of society. Christianity is misunderstood by those who see it as something passive, an escape from the world. The opposite is true. Christianity encourages action — lively participation in everything that creates true values,” Jukl said, as quoted in Mikloško’s book.

After the fall of communism, Jukl continued to lead prayer groups in democratic Slovakia until his death in 2012.

Pope Leo XIV: The first lesson for every bishop is humility
Sun, 26 Oct 2025 18:24:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2025 / 18:24 pm (CNA).

Bishops should be humble servants and men of prayer — not possession, Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass to consecrate a new bishop on Sunday.

“This is the first lesson for every bishop: humility. Not humility in words, but that which dwells in the heart of those who know they are servants, not masters; shepherds, not owners of the flock,” the pontiff said Oct. 26.

The pontiff personally consecrated Mons. Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski a bishop during a Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Wachowski was appointed apostolic nuncio — the pope’s diplomatic representative — to Iraq in September. Nuncios are usually also archbishops.

The 55-year-old Wachowski, originally from Poland, has been in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 2004. He has also served in the Secretariat of State in the section for relations with states, and was appointed undersecretary for relations with states — similar to a deputy foreign minister — in October 2019.

Reflecting on Wachowski’s background growing up in a farming family in the Polish countryside, the pope said, “From your contact with the earth, you have learned that fruitfulness comes from waiting and fidelity: two words that also define the episcopal ministry.”

“The bishop is called to sow with patience, to cultivate with respect, to wait with hope,” Leo continued. “He is a guardian, not an owner; a man of prayer, not of possession. The Lord entrusts you with a mission so that you may care for it with the same dedication with which the farmer cares for his field: every day, with constancy, with faith.”

The pontiff also reflected on the role of a nuncio, who, as the papal representative is “a sign of the concern of the Successor of Peter for all the Churches.”

“He is sent to strengthen the bonds of communion, to promote dialogue with civil authorities, to safeguard the freedom of the Church, and to foster the good of the people,” he underlined.

“The Apostolic Nuncio is not just any diplomat: he is the face of a Church that accompanies, consoles, and builds bridges,” he added. “His task is not to defend partisan interests, but to serve communion.”

The pope said, Wachowski is being asked to be a father, a shepherd, and a witness of hope in Iraq, “a land marked by pain and the desire for rebirth.”

“You are called to fight the good fight of faith, not against others, but against the temptation to tire, to close yourself off, to measure results, relying on the fidelity that is your hallmark: the fidelity of one who does not seek himself, but serves with professionalism, with respect, with a competence that enlightens and does not flaunt itself.”

He remarked on the longstanding presence of Christianity in Mesopotamia, which, according to tradition, can trace its roots to St. Thomas the Apostle, and his disciples Addai and Mari.

“In that region, people pray in the language that Jesus spoke: Aramaic. This apostolic root is a sign of continuity that the violence, which has manifested itself with ferocity in recent decades, has not been able to extinguish,” the pope said.

“Indeed, the voice of those who have been brutally deprived of their lives in those lands does not fail,” he added. “Today they pray for you, for Iraq, for peace in the world.”

Pope Leo: Don’t let tension between tradition, novelty become ‘harmful polarizations’
Sun, 26 Oct 2025 08:10:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2025 / 08:10 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass on Sunday that no one in the Church “should impose his or her own ideas” and asked that tensions between tradition and novelty not become “ideological contrapositions and harmful polarizations.”

“The supreme rule in the Church is love. No one is called to dominate; all are called to serve,” Leo said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 26.

“No one should impose his or her own ideas; we must all listen to one another,” he continued. “No one is excluded; we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together.”

The pontiff celebrated Mass on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time for the closing of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, part of the Church’s wider Jubilee of Hope in 2025.

In a call for communion, Pope Leo addressed all the participants in the synodality meeting and asked for their help to expand “the ecclesial space” and make it “collegial and welcoming.”

Leo also spoke about synodality with the jubilee pilgrims during an Oct. 24 event at the Vatican.

The Holy Spirit transforms ‘harmful polarizations’

“Being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with Love,” he emphasized.

The pontiff called on Christians to live “with confidence and a new spirit amid the tensions that run through the life of the Church: between unity and diversity, tradition and novelty, authority and participation. We must allow the Spirit to transform them, so that they do not become ideological contrapositions and harmful polarizations.”

It is not a question of resolving these tensions “by reducing one to the other, but of allowing them to be purified by the Spirit, so that they may be harmonized and oriented toward a common discernment,” he said.

He also made it clear that, “prior to any difference, we are called in the Church to walk together in the pursuit of God, clothing ourselves with the sentiments of Christ.”

Resolving tensions in the Church

In his homily on the day’s Gospel passage, the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, the pope warned of the danger of spiritual pride displayed by the pharisee: “The pharisee is obsessed with his own ego, and in this way, ends up focused on himself without having a relationship with either God or others.”

Leo pointed out that this can also occur in the Christian community.

For example, “when the ego prevails over the collective, causing an individualism that prevents authentic and fraternal relationships,” he said.

He also criticized “the claim to be better than others, as the pharisee does with the tax collector, [because it] creates division and turns the community into a judgmental and exclusionary place; and when one leverages one’s role to exert power rather than to serve.”

The pope highlighted the tax collector’s humility as an example for the entire Christian community: “We too must recognize within the Church that we are all in need of God and of one another, which leads us to practice reciprocal love, listen to each other, and enjoy walking together.”

Leo urged Catholics to dream of and build a more humble Church, capable of reflecting the Gospel in its way of living and relating.

“A Church that does not stand upright like the pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge like the pharisee does the tax collector but becomes a welcoming place for all,” he said.

He also invited the entire ecclesial community to commit itself to building a Church that is “entirely synodal, ministerial, and attracted to Christ,” dedicated to serving the world and open to listening to God and to all the men and women of our time.

Angelus

After the Mass on Oct. 26, Pope Leo led the Angelus prayer in Latin from a window of the Apostolic Palace, which overlooks St. Peter’s Square.

In his message following the Marian prayer, he expressed his closeness to the people of eastern Mexico, who were hit earlier this month by devastating floods and landslides, leaving 72 dead and dozens still missing.

“I pray for the families and for all those who are suffering as a result of this calamity, and I entrust the souls of the deceased to the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin,” the pope said.

Leo also renewed his call to “unceasingly” pray for peace, especially through the communal recitation of the rosary.

“Contemplating the mysteries of Christ together with the Virgin Mary, we make our own the suffering and hope of children, mothers, fathers, and elderly people who are victims of war,” he said.

“And from this intercession of the heart arise many gestures of evangelical charity, of concrete closeness, of solidarity. To all those who, every day, with confident perseverance carry on this commitment, I repeat: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers!’”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Influencer son of evangelical pastors shares how he embraced the Catholic faith
Sun, 26 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Jonatan Medina Espinal is a young Catholic influencer who, as the son of evangelical pastors, was considered unlikely to embrace the Catholic faith, but he did so five years ago after a long and intense spiritual journey.

Now, with clearer ideas about the faith, the young Peruvian has become a defender of Catholic doctrine, promoting it on his social media as well as in his Spanish-language book “Toward the Barque of Peter: My Journey from Protestantism to the Catholic Church.”

For Dante Urbina, a Catholic author, teacher, and lecturer who also influenced Medina’s conversion, the book is “a testimony of profound conversion and intellectual depth that invites us to enter and persevere in the Catholic Church.”

Medina is a professional audiovisual communicator and describes himself as “a truth seeker.” In an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, he shared that he had already felt Catholic “at heart” since 2017, when he “began this journey that took [him] about two or three years.”

On Dec. 8, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Medina received the sacrament of baptism, officially becoming part of the Catholic Church.

Medina pointed out that it was necessary for him to receive the sacrament in the Church, considering that the one he had received in his Christian group might not have been entirely valid.

The entire process that led to his conversion, continued Medina — who is part of the Catholic Advancement Movement — began “paradoxically, with a period of agnosticism ... I was agnostic for a good few years of my life, then tried to embrace a more reasonable faith, one based on evidence.”

Guided by various Christian figures such as Protestant C.S. Lewis and Catholic G.K. Chesterton, Medina questioned his affiliation with an evangelical church. “I began to embrace a more historical faith, with greater cogency.”

After “discovering all the fragmentations … of Protestantism, I said: How can the Gospel be so divided? And I saw that the Church appears with its unity, although obviously that doesn’t imply that there aren’t tensions or certain divisions, but there is a teaching that helps us to be bound together and gives us that guarantee of unity.”

Professor Scott Hahn’s influence

“I earned a master’s degree in theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. I was with Professor Scott Hahn. I remember hearing his conversion testimony… He was converted by starting to pray the rosary, because he was practically convinced by all the arguments, but he didn’t know what he was missing until someone gave him a rosary,” Medina recounted in the interview with “EWTN Noticias.”

“He prayed it, an impossible situation was resolved for him, and then he forgot about the issue. Then he realized he had been ungrateful and began praying it regularly, and that cemented his conversion,” he explained.

“Without a doubt, the subject of Mary is always important, because as a Protestant by birth, I’ve never had any affection for her,” Medina emphasized.

Hahn grew up in the Presbyterian Church, eventually becoming a theologian and minister in that Christian denomination. His journey of conversion began after he and his wife, Kimberly, became convinced that contraception is contrary to God’s law, a concept abandoned by many Protestants during the 20th century but always upheld by the Catholic Church.

Hahn converted to Catholicism at Easter 1986. His wife followed him four years later, in 1990. They have six children, one of whom, Jeremiah, has been a Catholic priest since 2021.

Medina also explained that another milestone in his conversion was overcoming the Protestant concept of “sola Scriptura” (“Scripture alone”), which postulates that the Bible is the sole source of Christian faith and practice, ignoring tradition, a source of revelation that is accepted by the Catholic Church.

“I had discovered the error of sola Scriptura: I remember when I discovered it and realized that obviousness, that lack of logic, was so clear,” he recounted, and he understood “that Scripture itself was already tradition, only written down. That’s when I said, ‘Hey, this makes sense to me.’ Sola Scriptura began to fall apart for me.”

Medina, also the author of the short Spanish-language film “Neighbors” about guardian angels, is grateful for having come to love the Virgin Mary through the example of another convert, Urbina, a Catholic professor and lecturer and author of several Spanish-language books such as “Does God Exist?” and “What Is the True Religion?”

“He also worked at the university where I work, and it was providential that we met one day, and I started asking him questions about Mary specifically, and he helped me a lot. I definitely believe that Mary has been key in my conversion,” Medina emphasized.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Hungarian cardinal tortured by communists remembered 50 years after his death
Sun, 26 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Rome, Italy, Oct 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Hungarian Church leaders recently gathered in Rome to commemorate Venerable Cardinal József Mindszenty, the persecuted prelate who died in exile 50 years ago and became an enduring symbol of resistance to totalitarian regimes.

“Rome and the homeland — these are the two stars, and two goals, which also indicate to me the direction to take.” This quote from Mindszenty is featured at an exhibition currently on display at the Hungarian Academy in Rome, highlighting the cardinal’s fidelity to the Holy See and his country during a time of brutal repression in Central Europe.

Mindszenty was imprisoned under multiple regimes in Hungary. He served as bishop of Veszprém during World War II and was later appointed archbishop of Esztergom before being elevated to the College of Cardinals. After the communist takeover in Hungary in 1948, he was arrested on charges of “anti-government activity,” tortured, and imprisoned.

“Before his arrest in 1948, he naturally sought connections with other prelates in neighboring communist-dominated countries,” said Cardinal Péter Erdő, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, in comments to CNA.

He named Cardinal Josef Beran of Prague, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński of Krakow, and Blessed Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac of Zagreb as part of what he called a “great symphony” of episcopal leadership during a time of persecution under communism.

“This is why Pius XII, in a solemn letter, mentioned all these witnesses to the faith. It was a powerful phrase that acknowledged their testimony,” Erdő added.

‘Witnesses of Faith — Ray of Hope’

The Embassy of Hungary to the Holy See paid tribute to Mindszenty at an event titled “Witnesses of Faith — Rays of Hope,” held in the context of the Jubilee 2025, the theme of which is “Pilgrims of Hope.”

“It is no coincidence that this event is part of the jubilee,” said Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. “Cardinal Mindszenty honored the dignity of the cardinalate through his life and willingness to sacrifice.”

“He was imprisoned under both Nazism and communism. This means he stood firm and challenged the mainstream,” emphasized Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See, who also revealed that he carries a relic of the cardinal with him.

During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, Mindszenty was freed and took refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, where he remained for 15 years. In 1971, he was permitted to leave the country and began traveling extensively, primarily to visit Hungarian communities in the diaspora, including in the United States.

“After forced isolation, meeting people and living my vocation through active engagement brought me joy,” Mindszenty once said.

He died in exile in Vienna, Austria, in 1975.

Anti-communist or good shepherd?

While some critics viewed Mindszenty as overly political in his anti-communism and antisemitism, Hungarian Church leaders emphasized his pastoral mission.

“He was a good shepherd who, while not loud, spoke clearly against communism,” Bishop György Udvardy of Veszprém told CNA.

Erdő and Udvardy, both of whom took part in the Rome commemoration, noted that Mindszenty has been declared venerable — the Church’s recognition of his heroic virtues.

“History is complex, but we pray for his beatification,” Udvardy said.

During his years in exile, Mindszenty reportedly disagreed with Pope Paul VI’s decision to declare the Archdiocese of Esztergom vacant.

However, Erdő clarified: “The media exaggerated the disagreement. He was never disobedient. Once the Holy Father made his decision, Cardinal Mindszenty accepted it without resistance.”

A display at the exhibition features a quote from the cardinal: “Whatever happens, never believe that a priest can be the enemy of his faithful. The priest belongs to every family, and you belong to the big family of your pastor.”

PHOTOS: Cardinal Burke celebrates Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 14:00:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Raymond Burke celebrated a special Traditional Latin Mass for hundreds of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 25 — a return to a prior custom, suspended since 2022, of an annual pilgrimage of Catholics devoted to the ancient liturgy

Burke celebrated the Solemn Pontifical Mass, a high Latin Mass said by a bishop, at the Altar of the Chair on the second day of the Oct. 24–26 Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage. The cardinal also celebrated a Latin Mass at the Altar of the Chair for the pilgrimage in 2014.

The Mass was preceded by a half-mile procession from the Basilica of Sts. Celso and Giuliano to St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage, in its 14th year, brings people “ad Petri Sedem” (“to the See of Peter”) to give “testimony of the attachment that binds numerous faithful throughout the whole world to the traditional liturgy,” according to the pilgrimage website.

The pilgrimage began on the evening of Oct. 24 with vespers in Rome’s Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, presided over by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, archbishop of Bologna. A solemn closing Mass of Christ the King will be celebrated at the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini on the final day of the pilgrimage, Oct. 26.

In 2023 and 2024, the pilgrimage was not able to receive authorization to celebrate the Latin Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica from the basilica’s liturgy office, according to organizer Christian Marquant.

The Office of Liturgical Ceremonies of St. Peter’s Basilica and the director of the Holy See Press Office did not respond to CNA’s request in September for comment on this assertion.

Burke — a champion of the Traditional Latin Mass and one of the most prominent critics in the hierarchy of the late Pope Francis, under whom he fell conspicuously out of favor — met Pope Leo in a private audience on Aug. 22.

Leo sent a letter of congratulations for Burke’s 50th anniversary of priestly ministry in July.

Rorate Caeli, a prominent website for devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass, called the celebration of a Solemn Pontifical Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica again an “important sign” of increased tolerance for the traditional liturgy. Pope Francis severely restricted the use of the Latin Mass in 2021 and with subsequent legislation.

Pope Leo XIV gives advice for living with hope in a ‘troubled era’
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:00:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday said the key to living in a difficult time, when the Church’s teachings are often challenged, is to embrace the hope that is “not knowing.”

“As pilgrims of hope, we must view our troubled times in the light of the resurrection,” the pope said in an audience with jubilee pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 25.

Leo brought attention to Nicholas of Cusa — a Catholic cardinal and theologian from Germany, who lived in the 15th century — as a model for how to live one’s faith “during a turbulent era that involved serious spiritual divisions.”

The pope described Nicholas of Cusa as “a great thinker and servant of unity” who “can teach us that hoping is also ‘not knowing.’”

“As St. Paul writes, ‘How can one hope for what one already sees?’” Leo said. “Nicholas of Cusa could not see the unity of the Church, shaken by opposing currents and divided between East and West. He could not see peace in the world and among religions, at a time when Christianity felt threatened from outside.”

But instead of living in fear like many of his contemporaries, Nicholas chose to associate with those who had hope, the pontiff explained.

Nicholas, Leo said, “understood that there are opposites to be held together, that God is a mystery in which what is in tension finds unity. Nicholas knew that he did not know, and so he understood reality better and better. What a great gift for the Church! What a call to renewal of the heart! Here are his teachings: make space, hold opposites together, hope for what is not yet seen.”

Pope Leo said the Church is experiencing the same thing today: questions challenging the Church’s teaching, from young people, from the poor, from women, from those without a voice or who are different from the majority.

“We are in a blessed time: so many questions!” he said. “The Church becomes an expert in humanity if it walks with humanity and has the echo of its questions in its heart.”

“To hope is not to know,” Leo underlined. “We do not already have the answers to all the questions. But we have Jesus. We follow Jesus. And so we hope for what we do not yet see.”

Pope Leo XIV: There’s no template for synodality across all countries
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

There is no single model for what synodality should look like in all countries and cultures, Pope Leo XIV said in a discussion with synod leaders from around the globe, held at the Vatican on Friday.

“We have to be very clear, we’re not looking for a uniform model. And synodality will not come with a template where everybody and every country will say this is how you do it,” the pope said in the Paul VI Hall Oct. 24.

“It is, rather, a conversion to a spirit of being Church, and being missionary, and building up, in that sense, the family of God.”

Leo spoke about synodality in unscripted remarks in English, Spanish, and Italian during the opening session of a meeting for the jubilee of synodal teams and participatory bodies, taking place in Rome Oct. 24-26, part of the Church’s wider 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

Around 2,000 people are attending the synod-focused jubilee, which includes a two-day meeting “aimed at translating the orientations of the [Synod on Synodality’s] Final Document into pastoral and structural choices consistent with the synodal nature of the Church,” according to the Vatican’s synod office.

The pope joined part of the program on Friday evening to listen to representatives from different regions give reports on the implementation of synodality in their parts of the world, and to answer their questions about the synodal process.

Synodality, Leo said, “is to help the Church fulfill its primary role in the world, which is to be missionary, to announce the Gospel.”

He added that synodality “is not a campaign. It’s a way of being and a way of being Church. It’s a way of promoting an attitude, which begins with learning to listen to one another.”

The pope recalled the value of listening, “beginning with listening to the Word of God, listening to one another, listening to the wisdom we find in men and in women, in members of the Church, and those who are searching who might not yet be members of the Church.”

He also addressed resistance to the synodal process, such as worry by some that it is an attempt to weaken the authority of the bishop.

“I would like to invite all of you … to reflect upon what synodality is about and to invite the priests particularly, even more than the bishops, to somehow open their hearts and take part in these processes,” Leo said. “Often the resistance comes out of fear and lack of knowledge.”

He emphasized the need to prioritize formation and preparation at every educational level.

“Sometimes ready answers are given without the proper, necessary preparation to arrive at the conclusion that maybe some of us have already drawn, but others are not ready for or capable to understand,” he said.

“We have to understand that we do not all run at the same speed. And sometimes we have to be patient with one another,” Leo said. “And rather than a few people running ahead and leaving a lot behind, which could cause even a break in an ecclesial experience, we need to look for ways, very concrete ways at times, of understanding what’s happening in each place, where the resistances are or where they come from, and what we can do to encourage more and more the experience of communion in this Church which is synodal.”

Asked if groupings of churches, such as regional bishops’ conferences, will continue to grow in the life of the Church, Leo said, “the brief answer is yes, I do expect that, and I hope that the different groupings of churches can continue to grow as expressions of communion in the Church using the gifts we are all receiving through this exercise if you will, this life, this expression of synodality.”

The pontiff also weighed in on the topic of women and their participation in the Church, though he set aside the most controversial questions, which he said are being examined in a separate study group.

“So leaving aside the most difficult themes,” he said, “there are cultural obstacles, there are opportunities, but there are cultural obstacles. And this has to be recognized, because women could play a key role in the Church, but in some cultures women are considered second-class citizens and in some realities they do not enjoy the same rights as men.”

“In these cases, there is a challenge for the Church, for all of us, because we need to understand how we can promote the respect for the rights of everyone, men and women,” he encouraged.

The Church can promote a culture in which there is co-participation of every member of society, each according to their vocation, Leo continued. “We have to understand how the Church can be a strength to transform cultures according to the values of the Gospel.”

Trump says he will ask Chinese president to release Jimmy Lai: ‘It’s on my list’
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump on Oct. 24 indicated that he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping about the possible release of long-imprisoned Catholic activist Jimmy Lai, suggesting he may bring pressure on the communist country's leadership to allow Lai to walk free ahead of his likely conviction in a national security trial.

Asked by EWTN News White House Correspondent Owen Jensen if he planned to speak with Xi on the topic of Lai, Trump — who was boarding Marine One at the White House en route to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland — responded: “I might do that, yeah.” Trump is scheduled to meet with Xi next week.

Earlier in the day a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, published an open letter urging Trump to use his meeting with Xi to advocate for Lai’s release. Trump on Friday acknowledged that letter.

“Well, I have a lot of respect for Rick Scott. And a lot of them that are asking me to do that,” he said. “And it’s on my list. I’m gonna ask.”

“Look, they’re big enemies,” he said of Lai and Xi. “But we’ll see what happens, you know. Jimmy Lai, Jimmy Lai and President Xi are big enemies but it’s been a long time and I will be … it’ll be on my list.”

Lai ‘must be released immediately,’ senators say

In their Oct. 24 letter, the U.S. senators — including Republicans Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz along with Democrats Tim Kaine and Raphael Warnock — praised Trump’s “outspoken advocacy” for Lai. The president earlier this year vowed to do “everything [he] can” to “save” Lai, who has been imprisoned for years and convicted of numerous charges including fraud and unlawful assembly.

“The humanitarian case for Mr. Lai’s release is stronger and more dire than ever, which is why this must be addressed at the highest possible level,” the senators wrote. They noted reports of Lai’s ongoing poor health and the threat that he may die in prison.

“We have great confidence that, should you, as the leader of the free world, raise Jimmy Lai’s case, President Xi will understand the importance of releasing Jimmy Lai now, before it is too late,” the lawmakers said.

Advocates of Lai have for years called for his release from prison. A longtime activist and advocate of democracy, Lai was first arrested in 2020 under China’s then-new national security law and has been arrested and convicted on numerous other charges since then.

Supporters have argued that China is targeting Lai for his criticism of communist politics and his support for democratic values. Lai himself pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the national security law.

Lai, who converted to Catholicism in 1997, has received global support amid his imprisonment and trials. A congressional commission in 2023 urged the United States government to sanction Hong Kong prosecutors and judges if they failed to release Lai.

That same year a global group of Catholic bishops and archbishops called for his release, arguing that his legal trials under the communist government had “gone on long enough.”

Lai has received multiple awards and accolades for his advocacy, including this year the 2025 Bradley Prize.

New York, California pour money into Planned Parenthood after federal defunding
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

New York and California are pouring taxpayer dollars into Planned Parenthood, joining several other states in counteracting the federal defunding of the abortion giant.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged $140 million to Planned Parenthood locations in California on Oct. 24. On the same day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul committed $35 million in funding to Planned Parenthood locations in New York.

Both states are known for their abortion shield laws, which protect abortionists who mail abortion pills into states where they are illegal. Several women are suing California and New York abortionists after being poisoned by or coerced into taking the abortion pill by the fathers of their children.

New York and California join several other states that have made similar moves in light of the yearlong federal defunding of Planned Parenthood. Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington have all taken similar steps to replace lost federal funding for Planned Parenthood over the past few months.

Newsom said on Thursday that California is “protecting access to essential health care” by providing funding for more than 100 locations across the state.

“Trump’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood put all our communities at risk as people seek basic health care from these community providers,” Newsom said in a statement.

Hochul in a similar vein said she is putting funding toward the 47 Planned Parenthood clinics in New York, alleging that pro-life politicians will “stop at nothing to undermine women’s health care.”

“In the face of congressional Republicans voting to defund Planned Parenthood, I’ve directed the state to fund these vital services, protecting access to health care that thousands of New Yorkers rely on,” Hochul said in a Friday statement.

Hundreds of alternative clinics exist in both states

A spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, a network that supports life-affirming pregnancy centers, told CNA there are many low-cost and even free alternatives to Planned Parenthood across the country — including hundreds of clinics and pregnancy centers in both New York and California.

Andrea Trudden said that “women in California and New York already have access to a vast network of life-affirming care.”

“California has more than 300 pregnancy help organizations and New York nearly 200,” Trudden said, citing Heartbeat International’s Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help.

“These centers offer practical support, compassionate care, and resources to women facing unplanned pregnancies, empowering them to choose life for their children and themselves,” she continued.

For women who need health care not related to pregnancy, Trudden noted that both states are “well served” by Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are centers that provide “comprehensive, low-cost medical care for women and families.”

As of 2024, California had more than 170 of these clinics, while New York had more than 60, Trudden said, citing a report by KFF, a health policy institute.

“If leaders truly cared about women’s health, they would invest in these community-based organizations that meet the needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy — not in the nation’s largest abortion provider,” Trudden added.

Kelsey Pritchard, a spokeswoman at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CNA that in California, Planned Parenthood “is choosing to shutter primary care rather than give up profiting from abortions.”

In Orange and San Bernardino counties, Planned Parenthood will continue to offer abortions while closing primary care facilities.

“In California, New York, and across the country, Planned Parenthoods are outnumbered by far better options and the pro-life movement is happy to help women locate the care they need,” Pritchard said, citing reports by the Charlotte Lozier Institute on community care centers and pregnancy centers for women.

Jennie Bradley Lichter, the president of the March for Life, criticized politicians for prioritizing abortion funding instead of care for women and children.

“Political leaders who prioritize funding for Planned Parenthood leave no doubt where their priorities lie: and it is not with women and children,” Bradley Lichter told CNA.

“It’s a shame that the leaders of states like California and New York aren’t choosing to pour their resources into institutions that truly support moms, like the huge number of pregnancy resource centers located in each of those states,” she said.

Women deserve better than the “tragedy” of abortion, Bradley Lichter said.

“We at March for Life want women to know that when their state leaders fall short and leave them in the hands of Big Abortion, pro-life Americans will stand in the gap and help them find the love and care they need,” she continued.

Defunding Planned Parenthood: a ‘life-saving’ act

A spokesman for Live Action called the defunding of Planned Parenthood “one of the most lifesaving acts Congress has taken in decades,” noting that the federal government stopped funding the organization that “kills over 400,000 children every year.”

“That victory must be made permanent when the one-year cutoff expires next July,” Noah Brandt told CNA. “Yet pro-abortion states like California and New York are working to undo that progress, using taxpayer money to expand abortion through all nine months and to ship abortion pills nationwide.”

“Federal funding for Planned Parenthood must never return, and states that promote abortion should be held accountable for enabling the mass killing and sterilization of American children,” Brandt said.

Pritchard added that although Planned Parenthood is “constantly scheming to grow their grip on taxpayer money,” the pro-life movement has seen wins around the nation — most especially, the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood.

“Make no mistake, they are losing big in Congress, in courts, and increasingly in the hearts and minds of Americans,” Pritchard said.

‘My songs will be sung in churches’: A Bangladeshi sister’s living legacy
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct 25, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Sister Mary Minoti still remembers the moment she first heard that voice in the convent — a melodious sound singing worship songs that captivated her immediately. The 63-year-old didn’t realize then that the singer was Sister Mary Amiya, whose hymns she had been singing since childhood during evening prayers and Sunday Mass.

Now, Minoti serves as house superior at St. Mary’s Convent in Toomilia, Bangladesh, and leads worship hymns herself, having once been Amiya’s student. She is a member of the Associates of Mary Queen of the Apostles congregation, known as the SMRA Sisters.

Sister Amiya, who also belongs to the congregation, spent 42 years as a teacher and has been a passionate composer of Christian hymns, writing lyrics for over 100 songs. Twenty of her compositions and melodies are included in Geetaboli, the official hymnbook used in Mass and other liturgical celebrations across Bangladesh.

The book, published by the Christian Communications Center under the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications, contains over 1,000 songs. Amiya is the most prolific contributor among religious sisters.

“Amiya is a gifted songwriter and singer,” Minoti said. “Now, due to age, she sings and conducts less.”

Minoti remembered how Amiya taught songs to the young sisters. “Her mastery of Christian music amazed me. My respect for her grew. She is a treasure for the Catholic community and for Bangladeshi church music.”

Touching hearts through beauty

Amiya’s hymns are known for deepening devotion and inspiring love for God, Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She still writes music and is often invited to compose for occasions like jubilees or ordinations.

“I love singing Amiya’s songs,” said Swapna Gomes, a housewife who leads church singing in Dhaka. “Her lyrics and melodies are sweet and harmonious. That’s why many have become popular across the country.”

“Amiya has great musical talent, which she has used beautifully,” said Father Kamal Corraya, former director of the Christian Communication Center and editor of “Geetaboli,” a Bengali Catholic (and broadly Christian) hymn book used for liturgy and worship. He is also a songwriter and serves as the parish priest of Solepur Parish in Munshiganj.

He added: “Her songs touch hearts. As a religious sister, her music feels even more perfect. She meditates and practices deeply before writing and singing. Her long teaching career has helped her understand people’s emotions.”

“My parents encouraged me to write songs,” Amiya said. “I’ve written more than 50 songs for schools, associations, birthdays, and jubilees. After singing, people have hugged me. That means a lot.”

In addition to her work in “Geetaboli,” she published a solo songbook titled “Amritta Sangit” (“Tasty Song”) in 2009. It features 27 of her compositions with musical notation.

In the introduction to that book, then-bishop of Dinajpur, Moses Costa, CSC — who later became archbishop of Chittagong — wrote that God had bestowed on Amiya “many gifts,” including the ability to compose and direct music. He recalled her musical direction at his priestly ordination with “gratitude and joy.” He hoped her work would enrich daily worship and foster personal prayer among the faithful.

Costa passed away from COVID-19 on July 13, 2020.

Advice for young musicians

When asked for advice from young musicians, Amiya said: “First, you must know whether you’re singing the song correctly. If you’re performing in public, practice it repeatedly before presenting it.”

She said she believes music can promote Christian values. “Songs are an art. They can win hearts and attract people. Sad songs can express sorrow and touch emotions. Joyful songs can uplift and draw attention.”

Inspired by her father

In Bangladesh, singing is a vital part of worship. Each Mass or prayer service includes six to 12 hymns. “Singing makes worship more lively. It enhances its beauty,” she said.

“Seeing my musical skills, Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC, added me to the worship committee in 1974.”

Ganguly was later declared a servant of God — the first from Bangladesh’s small Catholic community on the path to canonization.

Amiya was born in Tuital Parish, Dhaka. She passed her SSC (Secondary School Certificate, which is the nationwide Grade 10 public school-leaving exam) in 1964 and joined the SMRA congregation the same year. She took her final vows in 1973. From 1970 to 1972, she studied music at Sangeet College in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

She served on the Christian Community Building Commission at the CBCB Center from 2009 to 2011. Her writing journey began in high school, where she contributed stories, poems, and articles to the school publication. Her father was her inspiration.

Her elder sister joined Mother Teresa’s community. At age 6, Amiya visited Kolkata. “Mother Teresa held me in her arms, stroked my hair, and caressed me,” she recalled.

Later, she studied at the SMRA Sisters’ boarding school. “I admired the sisters and began preparing myself to serve humanity. My religious life has been long and joyful. I’ve been a sister for 58 years,” she said.

A living legacy

Now retired due to illness, Amiya lives at Shanti Bhabon in Gazipur. She suffers from breathing difficulties and spinal pain, and walks only within the convent. Every two years, her relatives take her to visit her village home in Tuital.

“I’m waiting for death,” she said softly. “I won’t remain, but my songs will be sung in churches. My memory will live on. That is my greatest achievement.”

Amiya served as an assistant teacher and headmistress in schools across the Mymensingh Diocese and the Archdiocese of Dhaka. She received the T.A. Ganguly Award and an award from the Bangladesh Christian Writers Forum for her contributions to Christian music and writing.

“My greatest reward as a lyricist is the love of countless people,” she said with a gentle smile.

How the ‘baseball priest’ uses the sport to spread the Gospel
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Father Burke Masters’ first dream was to be a major league baseball player, but after feeling a call from God to the priesthood he now uses the sport “to speak about Jesus and the Church.”

“I played college baseball at Mississippi State University, and then played briefly in the minor leagues,” Masters said. “That was my dream to be a major league baseball player, but that didn't work out.”

“God eventually called me to be a priest,” Masters said in an Oct. 24 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.” He added: “It really wasn’t what I wanted, but it was this persistent and gentle call from the Lord.”

“I went to seminary fully thinking I would go … not like it, and then go back to my plans,” Masters said. “Yet when I got to seminary I just felt this overwhelming peace, and that’s one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”

Masters was ordained in 2002, serving as priest in Illinois. Eventually though, baseball did become a part of his career when he was named the chaplain of the Chicago Cubs in 2013.

“God brought baseball back into my life in a way that I never expected,” Masters said. “Since then, people have called me the ‘baseball priest,’ because I love to connect faith with sports.”

While Masters’ “full-time job” was as a pastor in the Diocese of Joliet, he attended all the Cubs’ home games. As the “baseball priest,” Masters was chaplain when they won the World Series in 2016.

“One of my big messages to the players then and to the players now would be: ‘Just remember your identity, you’re beloved sons of God. Your identity is not in the sport of baseball.’ And what I find that helps players … relax to say: ‘Yes, this is a big game. Millions of people are watching, but in the end, it’s still just a game. And life goes on,’” he said.

Connecting faith and sports

In 2023, Masters published a book, “A Grand Slam for God: A Journey from Baseball Star to Catholic Priest.” He wrote about his childhood outside of Chicago, his success in baseball, his conversion to Catholicism, and his acceptance of his vocation.

His story discusses his doubts and personal loss, and how he learned to embrace his identity not as an athlete but as a son of God and spiritual leader.

“Baseball taught me a lot of things, among them, discipline, hard work, and how to work with people of a lot of different backgrounds,” Masters said. “I find that to be so helpful in my life as a priest, as a vocation director, as a pastor, that I try to invest a lot of time in my spiritual life.”

“Also, baseball has given me a way to … reach people who are not close to God at the moment by bringing stories about baseball and my sports background,” Masters said. “It gives me an opening to speak about Jesus and the Church. It’s just been a great gift."

In homilies, Masters said he will “bring up the sport of baseball.” He added: “I can see some of the people who love the sport perk up and then can bring the Gospel message to them more easily.”

Ahead of the 2025 World Series on Oct. 24, Masters shared with EWTN his predictions for the outcome. He said: “If I go off my head, the Dodgers will win, but I love pulling for the underdog. So my heart is going with the Toronto Blue Jays.”

‘Every execution should be stopped’: How U.S. bishops work to save prisoners on death row
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishops in multiple U.S. states are leading efforts to spare the lives of condemned prisoners facing execution — urging clemency in line with the Catholic Church’s relatively recent but unambiguous declaration that the death penalty is not permissible and should be abolished.

Executions in the United States have been increasingly less common for years. Following the death penalty’s re-legalization by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, executions peaked in the country around the turn of the century before beginning a gradual decline.

Still, more than 1,600 prisoners have been executed since the late 1970s. The largest number of those executions has been carried out in Texas, which has killed 596 prisoners over that time period.

As with other states, the Catholic bishops of Texas regularly petition the state government to issue clemency to prisoners facing death. Jennifer Allmon, the executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, told CNA that the state’s bishops regularly urge officials to commute death penalty sentences to life in prison.

“We refer to it as the Mercy Project,” she said.

Though popular perception holds that the governor of a state is the ultimate arbiter of a condemned prisoner’s fate, Allmon said in Texas that’s not the case.

“The state Board of Pardons and Paroles has the ultimate authority,” she said. “The governor is only allowed to issue a 30-day stay on an execution one time. He doesn’t actually have the power to grant a permanent clemency.”

“We don’t encourage phone calls to the governor because it’s not going to be a meaningful order,” she pointed out. “The board has a lot more authority.”

Allmon said the bishops advocate on behalf of every condemned prisoner in the state.

“We send a letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles and copy the governor for every single execution during the time period when the board is reviewing clemency applications,” she said. “Typically they hold reviews about 21 days before the execution. We time our letters to arrive shortly before that.”

“We research every single case,” she said. “We speak to the defendant’s legal counsel for additional information. We personalize each letter to urge prayer for the victims and their families, we mention them by name, and we share any mitigating circumstances or reason in particular that the execution is unjust, while always acknowledging that every execution should be stopped.”

Some offenders, Allmon said, want to be executed. “We do a letter anyway. We think it’s important that on principle we speak out for every execution.”

In Missouri, meanwhile, the state’s Catholic bishops similarly advocate for every prisoner facing execution by the government.

Missouri has been among the most prolific executors of condemned prisoners since 1976. More than half of the 102 people executed there over the last 50 years have been under Democratic governors; then-Gov. Mel Carnahan oversaw 38 state executions from 1993 to 2000 alone.

Jamie Morris, the executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, told CNA that the state bishops “send a clemency request for every prisoner set to be executed, either through a letter from the Missouri Catholic Conference or through a joint letter of the bishops.”

“We also highlight every upcoming execution through our MCC publications and encourage our network to contact the governor to ask for clemency,” he said. Individual dioceses, meanwhile, carry out education and outreach to inform the faithful of the Church’s teaching on the death penalty.

What does the Church actually teach?

The Vatican in 2018 revised its teaching on the death penalty, holding that though capital punishment was “long considered an appropriate response” to some crimes, evolving standards and more effective methods of imprisonment and detention mean the death penalty is now “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

The Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the revision of which was approved by Pope Francis.

The Church’s revision came after years of increasing opposition to the death penalty by popes in the modern era. Then-Pope John Paul II in 1997 revised the catechism to reflect what he acknowledged was a “growing tendency, both in the Church and in civil society, to demand that [the death penalty] be applied in a very limited way or even that it be abolished completely.”

The Death Penalty Information Center says that 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment. Morris told CNA that bills to abolish the death penalty are filed “every year” in Missouri, though he said those measures have “not been heard in a legislative committee” during his time at the Catholic conference.

Bishops have thus focused their legislative efforts on advocating against a provision in the Missouri code that allows a judge to sentence an individual to death when a jury cannot reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty.

Brett Farley, who heads the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said the state’s bishops have been active in opposing capital punishment there after a six-year moratorium on the death penalty lapsed in 2021 and executions resumed.

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley and Tulsa Bishop David Konderla “have been very outspoken both in calling for clemency of death row inmates and, generally, calling for an end to the death penalty,” Farley said. The prelates have called for abolition via Catholic publications and in op-eds, he said.

The state’s bishops through the Tulsa Diocese and Oklahoma City Archdiocese have also instituted programs in which clergy and laity both minister to the condemned and their families, Farley said.

The state Catholic conference, meanwhile, has led the effort to pass a proposed legislative ban on the death penalty. That measure has moved out of committee in both chambers of the state Legislature, Farley said.

“We have also commissioned recent polls that show overwhelming support for moratorium among Oklahoma voters, which demonstrate as many as 78% agreeing that ‘a pause’ on executions is appropriate to ensure we do not execute innocent people,” he said.

Catholics across the United States have regularly led efforts to abolish the death penalty. The Washington, D.C.-based group Catholic Mobilizing Network, for instance, arose out of the U.S. bishops’ 2005 Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty.

The group urges activists to take part in anti-death penalty campaigns in numerous states, including petitioning the federal government to end the death penalty, using a “three-tiered approach of education, advocacy, and prayer.”

Catholics have also worked to end the death penalty at the federal level. Sixteen people have been executed by the federal government since 1976.

Executions in the states have increased over the last few years, though they have not come near the highs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Allmon said Texas is seeing “fewer executions in general” relative to earlier years.

The number of executions was very high under Gov. Rick Perry, she said; the Republican governor ultimately witnessed the carrying out of 279 death sentences over his 15 years as governor. Since 2015, current Gov. Greg Abbott has presided over a comparatively smaller 78 executions.

“It still shouldn’t happen,” she said, “but it’s a huge reduction.”

Federal judge strikes down Biden-era health care rule
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:31:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).

A federal judge struck down a regulation imposed by President Joe Biden’s administration, saying the administration was “redefining sex discrimination.”

The Biden administration adopted the rule through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The ACA authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement rules that prohibit “sex” discrimination as understood through the 1972 Title IX Education Amendments.

Biden’s administration interpreted the ban on “sex” discrimination to also imply a prohibition on discriminating against a person on the basis of sex characteristics, including “sexual orientation; gender identity; and sex stereotypes.” Neither Title IX nor the ACA define “sex” in this way.

U.S. District Court Judge Louis Guirola Jr. of the Southern District of Mississippi ruled HHS “exceeded its authority” because when Title IX was adopted in the 1970s, “Congress only contemplated biological sex.”

The judge said the Biden administration was not implementing the prohibition as intended by the authors of the law.

The ruling states that Congress “was particularly concerned with inequality that female students experienced” but that “it did not at that time contemplate gender identity, transgender status, or ‘gender-affirming care.’”

“Neither [the HHS] nor this court have authority to reinterpret or expand the meaning of ‘sex’ under Title IX,” Guirola wrote.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who helped lead the multistate effort to sue the Biden administration over the regulation, praised the ruling in a statement.

“When Biden-era bureaucrats tried to illegally rewrite our laws to force radical gender ideology into every corner of American health care, Tennessee stood strong and stopped them,” Skrmetti said.

“Our 15-state coalition worked together to protect the right of health care providers across America to make decisions based on evidence, reason, and conscience,” he added. “This decision restores not just common sense but also constitutional limits on federal overreach, and I am proud of the team of excellent attorneys who fought this through to the finish.”

At the time the “gender identity” rule was adopted, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed concern that it advanced an “ideological view of sex.”

USCCB Religious Liberty Commission Chair Bishop Kevin Rhoades said at the time that “health care that truly heals must be grounded in truth,” but this rule “denies the most beautiful and most powerful difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference.”

Torture intersects with religious freedom violations worldwide, commission says
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:37:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 15:37 pm (CNA).

Governments around the world continue to violate religious freedom and breach international law by engaging in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, according to a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

In an October USCIRF fact sheet, “Religious Freedom and the Prohibition of Torture and Ill Treatment,” the commission highlighted incidents of torture in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam, and recommended the United States designate each of them as countries of particular concern (CPCs) as they “engage in or tolerate ‘particularly severe violations’ of religious freedom.”

These designations are based on information from the USCIRF’s Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List, which is a database that tracks select victims targeted due to their religion. While the list does not necessarily reflect the exact accounts of torture abroad, at least 206 of the over 2,330 victims on the list have suffered torture or other ill treatment.

The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment’s (CAT) definition of torture outlines three elements that, when combined, “reach the threshold of torture.”

The definition states that torture is the “intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, for a specific purpose, such as to obtain information, as punishment, or to intimidate, or for any reason based on discrimination, and by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of state authorities.”

While 175 countries have enacted the CAT, the prohibition on torture is “a compulsory norm of international law,” the commission wrote. Torture methods vary and can be physical, sexual, or psychological including sleep deprivation or solitary confinement.

The CAT does not define ill treatment, but it requires states to prevent it. Acts that cause suffering or harm may be considered ill treatment and are still prohibited even if they do not meet the strict definition of torture. Examples of ill treatment might include “holding a prisoner in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions, public humiliation, verbal abuse, or denial of medical care.”

The U.S. government “should strengthen its advocacy on behalf of individuals persecuted in foreign countries on account of their religion or belief, including those who have suffered torture or other ill treatment,” USCIRF recommended.

Global case studies

The report highlighted previous findings to emphasize the instances of torture abroad and the need for designations of CPCs. In May, USCIRF reported “persistent reports of widespread torture and ill treatment in Turkmenistan, including severe beating and other serious abuse often used to extract confessions.”

The committee further noted its concern regarding a pattern of “institutional impunity,” given the lack of investigations and prosecutions in Turkmenistan and across the Central Asia region.

In Kyrgyzstan, USCIRF also documented alleged torture. Despite these allegations, the country recently abolished its independent torture prevention body.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban systematically imposes its interpretation of religion to restrict religious freedom. Authorities use corporal and capital punishment to penalize violations of their interpretation of Shari’a law.

For example, in April, the United Nations reported four public executions in a single day for violations of religious edicts. It also found there were at least 213 corporal punishments carried out in the first half of 2025, including lashings, floggings, beatings, and acts of public humiliation.

Taliban authorities also use torture as a tool for ideological punishment, often against detained religious minorities. USCIRF noted the “widespread methods include beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, simulated drowning, solitary confinement, sexual violence, and threats of execution,” often while authorities simultaneously use “religious insults.”

Cruel and degrading conditions have been reported including overcrowding, unsanitary environments, and insufficient access to food and medical care.

Iran and Saudi Arabia were also found to impose the death penalty and corporal punishment based on religious interpretation. Religiously based capital crimes include “waging war against God” and “corruption on Earth.”

In China, under the Chinese Communist Party, basic religious practices are considered “extremist” and can be grounds for imprisonment. USCIRF wrote: “It is not surprising that detainees in the internment camps are not able to freely practice their religion in any way. Through political indoctrination, China intends to erase ethnic and religious identities.”

Advocates call on Trump, Congress to permanently defund Planned Parenthood
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:22:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 24, 2025 / 14:22 pm (CNA).

Life-affirming organizations are calling on the Trump administration and Congress to permanently block funding to Planned Parenthood.

In an Oct. 22 letter, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins and more than 50 signers asked President Donald Trump to debar Planned Parenthood from federal funding because of reports of the trafficking of baby body parts as well as possible fraud and failure to report sex crimes, among other complaints.

In another letter sent the same day, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and more than 100 signers asked Congress to remove the loophole created by the Affordable Care Act that enables government money to go to Planned Parenthood.

While the Trump administration cut funding to the abortion giant for one year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, pro-life advocates say Planned Parenthood should go through debarment, a significant legal process to block businesses from receiving government funding due to misconduct, fraud, or other concerns.

“Planned Parenthood’s track record shows that they should not be allowed to receive a single penny of taxpayer support,” Hawkins said in the letter. “They are unqualified to work for the American taxpayer.”

More than 50 organizations and legislators signed the Students for Life letter, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, Americans United for Life, Family Research Council, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Live Action, and Center for Medical Progress.

“To debar Planned Parenthood — block them from all federal support — we simply need an honest look at their behavior and the kind of ‘service’ they are selling,” Hawkins said in a statement shared with CNA.

“Think of this like a long overdue job review after many complaints all leading to one conclusion — Planned Parenthood should be fired,” she said.

There are more than 5,300 federally qualified health centers that specifically provide women’s health services, while Planned Parenthood has less than 600 facilities in the U.S., according to Students for Life Action.

“Women and girls won’t miss Planned Parenthood,” Hawkins said. “Federally qualified health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood and can easily absorb their current traffic while providing women and families with the wide range of real health care they need.”

In the Susan B. Anthony group’s letter to Congress, signers urged Congress “to unequivocally oppose any consideration of extending the COVID-era subsidies without Hyde [Amendment] protections.”

The Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from directly funding abortion, but a plan by Democrats could expand Obamacare-funded abortions, permanently extending what was initially a temporary welfare program.

“Obamacare forces taxpayers to subsidize insurance plans that pay for abortion on demand,” SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said. “And under the guise of COVID relief, President Biden took it even further, massively expanding those subsidies and the flow of taxpayer dollars to abortion.”

“Extending these subsidies without the Hyde Amendment is a vote to expand abortion on demand,” Dannenfelser said.

Rebecca Weaver, the policy director for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, noted that abortion harms both the child and the mother.

“Induced abortion is not health care,” Weaver told CNA. “It ends the life of our fetal patient and often causes significant harm to our maternal patient.”

“As life-affirming medical professionals, we are joining the call against the renewal of the Obamacare subsidy for abortion (through the abortion surcharge) that forces American citizens to fund the harmful and deadly practice of induced abortion,” Weaver continued.

“We support, instead, life-affirming policies that improve the health care that all of our patients receive and their access to that health care,” Weaver said.

“The more Washington funds abortion, the more unborn children lose their lives, and the more moms are hurt,” Dannenfelser added. “This pro-life Congress must not extend the Obama-Biden legacy of taxpayer-funded abortion that ends the lives of countless innocent babies.”

Pope Leo XIV to John Paul II Institute: Your mission is to speak and live the truth
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 13:44:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2025 / 13:44 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV during a Friday audience at the Vatican reminded teachers and students from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family of their mission to both speak and live the “common witness to the truth.”

“Your specific mission concerns the search for and common witness to the truth: in carrying out this task, theology is called to engage with the various disciplines that study marriage and the family, without being content merely to speak the truth about them but living it in the grace of the Holy Spirit and following the example of Christ, who revealed the Father to us through his actions and words,” he said in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 24.

In Leo’s audience with the institute — controversially re-founded by Pope Francis in 2017 to include the study of social sciences in addition to moral theology — he said the faithful “cannot ignore the tendency in many parts of the world to disregard or even reject marriage.”

“Even when young people make choices that do not correspond to the ways proposed by the Church according to the teaching of Jesus, the Lord continues to knock at the door of their hearts, preparing them to receive a new interior call,” the pontiff said. “If your theological and pastoral research is rooted in prayerful dialogue with the Lord, you will find the courage to invent new words that can deeply touch the consciences of young people.”

He added that our time is marked not just by tension and confusing ideologies but also by “a growing search for spirituality, truth, and justice, especially among young people.”

“Welcoming and caring for this desire is one of the most beautiful and urgent tasks for all of us,” Leo said.

In May, Pope Leo made one of his first personnel appointments as pope when he named Cardinal Baldassare Reina grand chancellor of the John Paul II Institute, replacing Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who turned 80 on April 20.

Reina, 54, has been vicar general of the Diocese of Rome since 2024. As part of that role, he is also grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, the home of the John Paul II Institute.

Pope Leo’s appointment of Reina as grand chancellor appeared to be a return to the former practice of linking the leadership of the institute to the vicar general of Rome. This practice had been changed under Pope Francis, who named Paglia to the role in 2016.

In his address to students and teachers on Friday, Leo pointed out the institute’s commitment to deepening the link between the family and the social doctrine of the Church and urged them to let their studies of family experiences and dynamics enrich their understanding of the Church’s social teaching.

“This focus would allow us to develop the insight, recalled by the Second Vatican Council and repeatedly reaffirmed by my predecessors, of seeing the family as the first cell of society, as the original and fundamental school of humanity,” he said.

He also recalled Pope Francis’ encouragement to women expecting a child in his 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

“[Francis’] words contain a simple and profound truth: Human life is a gift and must always be welcomed with respect, care, and gratitude,” Leo said.

Recalling that many women face pregnancy in situations of loneliness or marginalization, the pontiff called on the civil and Church communities to “constantly strive to restore full dignity to motherhood” through concrete actions, including “policies that guarantee adequate living and working conditions; educational and cultural initiatives that recognize the beauty of creating life together; a pastoral approach that accompanies women and men with closeness and listening.”

“Motherhood and fatherhood, thus safeguarded, are not burdens on society but rather a hope that strengthens and renews it,” he said.

Catholic priest appeals for prayers for evangelical missionary kidnapped in Niger
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:32:00 -0400

ACI Africa, Oct 24, 2025 / 12:32 pm (CNA).

A Catholic priest in Burkina Faso has appealed for prayers for the safe release of an evangelical Christian missionary abducted in Niger on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary, was abducted from his home in the country’s capital, Niamey, by three unidentified armed men suspected to be jihadists, said a note shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa.

The note further said the American missionary is “dedicated to training missionary aviation pilots serving evangelical, medical, and church-planting ministries as well as providing emergency humanitarian air transport.”

“Preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that the kidnappers headed toward the Tillabéri region,” the note said.

In an interview with ACI Africa on Oct. 23, Father Etienne Tandamba, a member of the clergy of Burkina Faso’s Fada N’Gourma Diocese, appealed for prayers for the release of Rideout.

“We pray for his safe release. Burkina Faso just like Niger faces insecurity challenges due to jihadists’ presence,” Tandamba, the director of communications for the Diocese of Fada N’Gourma, told ACI Africa.

Rideout’s abduction in Niger comes amid worsening insecurity in the Sahel region, where Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have all fallen under military rule following coups in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

Rideout since 2010 has lived in Niamey, where he worked as a pilot for the U.S.-based Serving in Mission organization.

In response to the abduction, the U.S. Embassy in Niger issued a security alert on Oct. 22, saying: “American citizens remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city.”

“Due to heightened concern about the threat of kidnapping, the embassy has modified its security posture to require armored vehicles for all travel of embassy personnel and family members, restricted movements of embassy personnel and family members, and instituted a mandatory curfew and routine accountability,” the embassy said.

It added that “all restaurants and open-air markets are off limits to U.S. embassy personnel and family members.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Prayers answered: Annunciation shooting survivor Sophia Forchas finally comes home
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:02:00 -0400

National Catholic Register, Oct 24, 2025 / 12:02 pm (CNA).

Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas is finally home after spending 57 days in the hospital with severe injuries sustained from the deadly shooting on Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis during the first school Mass of the year that claimed the lives of two students.

Sophia received a fond farewell outside the hospital on Oct. 23.

In a statement posted to the family’s GoFundMe page, Sophia’s parents, Tom and Amy Forchas, wrote: “Today marks one of the most extraordinary days of our lives! Our beloved daughter, Sophia, is coming home!!”

Speaking with gratitude for the team of doctors that worked diligently to save their daughter, the couple wrote: “We thank you from the depths of our hearts. We will never forget your world-class care that sustained her. Your commitment carried us through.”

Sophia still has a long road ahead with outpatient therapy, but her parents said “our hearts are filled with indescribable joy as we witness her speech improving daily, her personality shining through once more, and her ability to walk, swim, and even dribble a basketball. Each step she takes is a living testament to the boundless grace of God and the miraculous power of prayer.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner: “I celebrate with the Annunciation community the return to home of Sophia Forchas. It was very moving that she was able to join us last evening for the daily 9:00 rosary outside of the Church. She and her father thanked the community for the many prayers that they have received throughout the time that Sophia had been in the hospital and at the rehabilitation center. Please join me in continuing to pray for the ongoing recovery of all of those affected by the tragedy at Annunciation, and especially for the families and loved ones of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.”

In a news conference Sept. 5, neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich of Hennepin County Medical Center told reporters that in treating Sophia’s injuries he would attempt to “go through the normal brain to get there” and potentially cause more damage. Given the pressure in her brain, Sophia’s survival was extremely low.

The neurosurgeon led a team in performing a decompressive craniectomy, which removed the left half of her skull to allow the pressure in her brain to be relieved.

“If you had told me at this juncture that, 10 days later, we’d be standing here with any ray of hope, I would have said, ‘It would take a miracle,’” Galicich said tearfully to reporters back in September.

Sophia’s mother, who works as a pediatric nurse in the critical care unit at the hospital where the victims were taken, had no idea that it was her children’s school that had been attacked that fateful day. She initially had no idea that one of the three patients was her own daughter.

Sophia’s younger brother also witnessed the school shooting that day; by the grace of God, he was left unscathed, though he is still suffering from the trauma, given the horrific event and his sister’s dire injuries.

After Sophia’s 57-day stint in the hospital, Galicich gave his young patient a big hug as she walked out of the Hennepin County Medical Center to cheers and applause from her family and classmates. Even the city’s police chief was present, taking her on a ride through the city in a stretch limo to mark the occasion.

Speaking to The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Police Chief Brian O’Hara called Sophia’s homecoming “nothing short of a miracle.”

Ecstatic parents Tom and Amy also noted how crucial prayer was in their daughter’s healing, writing in their statement: “Those prayers came from family, friends, and countless souls around the world; many of whom have never met Sophia, yet lifted her spirit with unconditional love. Your prayers have been a wellspring of comfort, hope, and healing for our entire family. We are certain that God heard every single one.”

The Forchases expressed condolences to the families who lost their children during the shooting, saying: “We continue to pray for those whose lives were tragically lost on that heartbreaking day. May their memory be eternal.”

“We also hold close those who were injured and bear lasting scars, and the families and loved ones forever changed,” the Forchases continued. “May God grant healing, consolation, and his peace to all who grieve. To those whose hearts are hardened in despair, may the grace of the all-Holy Spirit soften them. We pray that the Trinity fill the world with compassion and love.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

Alabama executes man by nitrogen gas after Supreme Court denies request for firing squad
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:32:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 24, 2025 / 11:32 am (CNA).

The state of Alabama on Thursday executed convicted murderer Anthony Boyd by nitrogen gas just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider requiring the state to execute him by firing squad instead.

Boyd reportedly took around 20 minutes to die from the execution method, according to the Associated Press. The news wire said he “clenched his fist, raised his head off the gurney slightly, and began shaking,” after which he became still but continued with a series of “heaving breaths” for “at least 15 minutes.”

The Alabama man was convicted of capital murder in the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County. Huguley was taped up, doused with gasoline, and set on fire.

Boyd proclaimed his innocence until the last minutes of his life. “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t participate in killing anybody,” he said on Oct. 23 prior to being executed.

The protracted execution came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider whether the execution by nitrogen gas violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

Nitrogen gas is a relatively new execution method in the U.S. In January 2024 Alabama executed Kenneth Smith with gas, the first time in U.S. history that such a method was used.

Witnesses said Smith writhed for several minutes while being administered the gas and was observed breathing for a considerable amount of time during the execution itself. Advocates have warned that the process is drawn-out and painful for victims of execution.

Boyd had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider requiring Alabama to execute him by firing squad. The Supreme Court declined to consider the case.

In a scathing dissent ahead of the execution, Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused the high court of “turn[ing] its back” on Boyd and on the Constitution.

Sotomayor, who was joined by Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, pointed to several other executions by nitrogen gas, including Kenneth Smith’s, noting reports that inmates have been seen “violent[ly] convulsing, eyes bulging, [and] thrashing against the restraints” while they are killed.

All condemned prisoners suffer “distress” ahead of their executions, Sotomayor said. But drawn-out methods of execution like that of nitrogen gas create suffering “after the execution begins and while it is being carried out to completion.”

Prisoners are not guaranteed a painless death under the Eighth Amendment, Sotomayor acknowledged.

“But when a state introduces an experimental method of execution that superadds psychological terror as a necessary feature of its successful completion, courts should enforce the Eighth Amendment’s mandate against cruel and unusual punishment,” she said.

Ahead of Boyd’s execution, the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network said capital punishment “remind[s] us how critically important it is that we include the abolition of the death penalty in our respect life advocacy.”

“May we see the dignity of [Boyd] and of every individual sentenced to death, remembering always that no person is defined by the worst thing they’ve ever done,” the group said.

‘Bishop in overalls’: Cardinal Ján Korec’s witness remembered 10 years after his death
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:44:00 -0400

Rome, Italy, Oct 24, 2025 / 10:44 am (CNA).

Cardinal Ján Korec, a Jesuit and secret bishop during the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, died 10 years ago on Oct. 24, 2015. He was 91. Even nonbelievers have recognized his life as a heroic testimony of faith.

Born in democratic Czechoslovakia in 1924, Korec witnessed the imposition of communism in 1948. He joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained a priest. In 1951, at age 27, he was secretly consecrated a bishop — making him, for a time, the youngest bishop. Later in his life, he would become the oldest serving bishop in the world.

Under communism, the regime worked to suppress the traditionally strong Catholic Church in the country systematically. Bishops were imprisoned or silenced, many priests jailed, religious orders dissolved, and Church property confiscated. Religious publications were banned or censored. Public ministry for bishops such as Korec was impossible.

Once his identity was discovered, Korec was arrested and accused of “treason” for his religious activity. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. After his release, he was permitted only to work in manual labor, earning him the nickname “the bishop in overalls.” Despite surveillance and constant threats, he clandestinely ordained approximately 120 priests.

Korec took extraordinary precautions. When meeting guests in his apartment, he sometimes spoke in a whisper through a plastic tube — one person speaking at one end, the other listening at the other — to avoid detection by listening devices. He would also turn on the television and radio to mask their voices.

In 1969, he was allowed to travel to Rome, where Pope Paul VI received him. “He gave me his ring, golden pectoral cross, miter, and crosier that he had received as archbishop of Milan,” Korec later recalled. “I was told that was a historical event — it had never happened before.”

‘He spilled blood and ink’

Korec helped build a network of small student prayer groups in Bratislava, guided by lay Catholic leaders and fellow dissidents Silvester Krčméry and Vladimír Jukl. These communities nurtured young people’s faith under the hostile regime.

Despite severe restrictions, Korec became the most prolific Slovak author of samizdat (underground) literature, writing extensively on theology, philosophy, and society. “He spilled blood and ink,” said historian Ján Šimulčík. Korec managed to write numerous books despite the communist authorities’ attempts to block his access to information.

After the fall of communism in 1989, Korec continued to write — eventually authoring about 70 books, some of which were translated into other languages. He once visited a Christian bookstore to count how many of his books were in stock.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of Nitra — the oldest diocese in the Slavic world — and made him a cardinal in 1991. In 1998, he was invited to lead the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia, a high honor.

Reflecting on this, Korec said: “After 50 years of life in the catacombs, after years of civilian life as a worker in factories and prisons, I am not in a position to present either grand visions of the world or theologically elaborated reflections. I can only do what I have striven to do since 1951, through 48 years of episcopal vocation … to present some truths, mysteries, situations, ideas — to be a simple witness of faith and devotion to the One who has chosen us, who gathers us in the great family of his Church.”

Pope Francis and Cardinal Korec

On Jan. 22, 2024, Pope Francis received journalists accredited to the Holy See and when the pope was informed that it was the 100th anniversary of Korec’s birth, the Holy Father’s face lit up and he nodded in recognition.

Both men were Jesuits. In fact, Pope Francis quoted Korec during his 2021 apostolic journey to Slovakia: “I am always struck by an incident in the history of Korec. He was a Jesuit cardinal, persecuted by the regime, imprisoned, and sentenced to forced labor until he fell ill. When he came to Rome for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, he went to the catacombs and lit a candle for his persecutors, imploring mercy for them. This is the Gospel! It grows in life and in history through humble and patient love.”

After Tunisian shipwreck kills 40, archbishop urges world to tackle migration crisis
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:14:00 -0400

EWTN News, Oct 24, 2025 / 10:14 am (CNA).

The sinking of yet another migrant boat off the coast of Tunisia must spur leaders in Europe and Africa to address the root causes of migration that compel innocent people to embark on often deadly journeys, Archbishop Nicolas Lhernould of Tunis said.

In an interview with SIR — the news agency of the Italian bishops’ conference — published Oct. 24, Lhernould said the Oct. 22 sinking of a migrant boat off the coast of Tunisia that killed 40 people, including several infants, cannot be viewed as just “one more shipwreck” but as a loss of “unique people” whose “lives were extinguished.”

“As Pope Francis has said, we must never get used to these things,” the French-born prelate said.

“Unfortunately, shipwrecks have been recurring for years, and this one has had a very high number of victims. But these are not just statistics: They are men, women, and children.”

According to the Associated Press, investigators were still working to determine the cause of the shipwreck. The Tunisian Coast Guard nevertheless rescued 30 survivors who were reportedly attempting to reach Europe.

The migrants hailed from sub-Saharan Africa, AP reported.

Lhernould told SIR that many of those arriving in Tunisia on their way to Europe “have already crossed the Sahara Desert, which has now become the world’s largest cemetery.”

“The reasons driving people to leave are many: poverty, insecurity, lack of prospects,” he said. “Some leave out of desperation, others out of naivety, because someone promises them a better future that does not exist.”

While relieved that rescuers had saved 30 people, Lhernould lamented the pain and fear felt by those who embarked on such a dangerous journey in search of a better life.

“The tragedy is that these departures happen completely clandestinely, and we only become aware of them after the tragedy has occurred. It is painful because no one should be forced to risk their life for a hope that is often just a mirage,” he said.

Acknowledging that the political issues European institutions face in addressing the migrant crisis are “complex,” the archbishop said the situation must be rooted in “the unconditional respect for the human person.”

“It is not enough to be moved by tragedies,” Lhernould said. “We must address the causes that push people to leave, with sincere collaboration between the North and South.”

“We also need to listen to the fears of European public opinion,” he added.

“Only in this way can fear be transformed into a human and rational relationship, oriented toward the common good. Managing the emergency is not enough; we must build a shared future.”

Pope Leo XIV approves decrees for 11 martyrs killed by Nazi Germany, communists
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:44:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2025 / 09:44 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday authorized decrees recognizing 11 new martyrs as well as four new venerables to be honored by the Church.

With this declaration, the pope has cleared the way for them to be declared “blessed,” but a date has not been set for their beatification.

During his Oct. 24 audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Holy Father approved the designation of 20th-century European martyrs killed “in hatred of the faith” under Nazi and communist regimes.

Polish Servants of God Jan Świerc, Ignacy Antonowicz, Ignacy Dobiasz, Karol Golda, Franciszek Harazim, Ludwik Mroczek, Włodzmierz Szembek, Kazimierz Wojciechowski, and Franciszek Miśka were killed in concentration camps in Auschwitz, Poland, and Dachau, Germany, between 1941 and 1942.

Victims of the Nazi regime following the 1939 German occupation of Poland, the nine religious priests — who belonged to the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco — were tortured and executed for being Catholic clergy.

Other martyrs approved by Pope Leo are Servants of God Jan Bula and Václav Drbola, diocesan priests from former Czechoslovakia who were executed between 1951 and 1952 following the communist takeover of the country in 1948.

On Friday, the Holy Father also approved decrees for four servants of God to be declared “venerable” by the Church in recognition of their “heroic virtues.” Among the new venerables, three are professed religious from Europe.

Spanish Servant of God José Merino Andrés, OP, born 1905 in Madrid, was known for his missionary and pastoral zeal and faithfulness to the Dominican charism, and trained approximately 700 priests in Palencia, Spain, as a novice master for the Order of Preachers before his death on Dec. 6, 1968.

Before joining the Discalced Carmelites, Servant of God Gioacchino della Regina della Pace, OCD, was a custodian of the Sanctuary of the Queen of Peace in Liguria, Italy. He was a third-order Carmelite for 10 years before making his solemn profession in the order in 1967. He died at the age of 95 on Aug. 25, 1985.

Servant of God Maria Evangelista Quintero Malfaz, OCist, joined the Cistercian order as a religious sister in Spain in the early 17th century with a reputation for being a mystic. Through monastic life and intense prayer, she offered her life for the conversion of sinners and was revered by her religious sisters who sought her counsel. She died in Spain in 1648.

Founder of the Missionary Institute of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Servant of God Angelo Angioni is the only diocesan priest among the four venerables approved by Pope Leo on Friday.

Born in Italy on Jan. 14, 1915, Angioni was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ozieri in 1938. He spent several years supporting parishioners, seminarians, and other priests of the diocese before being sent as a “fidei donum priest” to serve the Diocese of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil, in 1951.

Known for his love for the poor and the Gospel, Angioni’s reputation for his humble and serene holiness spread in Brazil and Italy before his death on Sept. 15, 2008.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the martyrs as “martyr saints.” They should just be referred to as martyrs. (Published Oct. 24, 2025)

Author of religious freedom report weighs in on Cardinal Parolin’s Nigeria comments
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:14:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 09:14 am (CNA).

The author of Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report, Marta Petrosillo, is coming to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s defense after remarks he made regarding persecution of Nigerian Christians prompted pushback.

Parolin sparked pushback after stating at a press conference on Tuesday that ongoing violence and unrest in Nigeria is a “social conflict” rather than a religious one. He told Vatican reporters during the presser for Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report release event: “I think they’ve already said, and some Nigerians have already said, that it’s not a religious conflict but rather a social conflict, for example, between herders and farmers.”

“Let’s keep in mind that many Muslims who come to Nigeria are victims of this intolerance,” he continued.” So, these extremist groups, these groups that make no distinctions to advance their goals, their objectives, use violence against anyone they perceive as an opponent.”

The remarks prompted immediate pushback, including from Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International, who called them “particularly shocking.” Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute further characterized them as “repeating the Nigerian government’s talking points that obfuscate and downplay the persecution of the Catholic faithful and other Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” in comments to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.

As author of the report, Petrosillo weighed in on the controversy in an Oct. 23 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” telling Arroyo: “Cardinal Parolin didn’t say [the conflict was solely between farmers and herders] in his speech in our conference. His speech was really strong, underlining the importance of religious freedom.”

“I know that Cardinal Parolin is one of the most important people on religious freedom,” she continued. “He has a huge knowledge on this.”

Regarding the controversy that has ensued over Parolin’s comments, Petrosillo said: “I can only suppose that … it was referring to the complex situation there.”

She added: “I think that this topic [is] too complex and too elaborate, just for one journalist to take one sentence outside a conference in a very rushed way. So I would not consider that as a statement from his eminence.”

Petrosillo further pushed back against claims that the focus of the ACN report was to highlight Christian persecution alone, stating: “No, the focus of our report is not that Christians are the only group affected.”

“In our report, we [documented] a violation of religious freedom against all the religious groups,” she told Arroyo. “Of course, in the case of Nigeria, there are specific anti-Christian incidents, but we are not saying that only Christians are targeted in Nigeria, because as I also said before, in some cases, we have also many Muslims that refuse extremist ideology ... being killed.”

Consultant to European bishops: Attacks on places of worship are ‘pandemic’
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The rise in violence and attacks against places of worship and believers, traditionally associated with regions of conflict, has seen a worrying upturn in recent years in Europe, South America, and North America.

According to the latest report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), in 2023, France recorded nearly 1,000 attacks on churches, and more than 600 acts of vandalism were documented in Greece.

Similar increases were observed in Spain, Italy, and the United States, where attacks not only target church property but also include disruptions of worship services and attacks on clergy.

“These attacks reflect a climate of ideological hostility toward religion,” said José Luis Bazán, one of the report’s authors, in a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

For Bazán, the incidents are no longer just isolated episodes: “Attacks or acts of vandalism against places of worship are pandemic.”

Bazán focused on a phenomenon that crosses continents: “I’m talking basically about Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world — Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia — and, by extension, also Latin America, particularly the Southern Cone: Chile and Argentina.”

In Chile, he explained, approximately 300 attacks of vandalism against churches have been recorded, some linked to far-left groups and associated with times of social tension, with examples such as fires being set and attacks in the country’s south.

“We have fragmentary elements here and there, but if you put them all together, you realize the upward trend,” he said.

Bazán also mentioned coordinated episodes of vandalism on occasions such as International Women’s Day on March 8 in various Latin American and European countries. He noted that in Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, “there are radical feminist attacks against churches.”

“Sometimes what they do is vandalize them with slogans, as in Spain as well, like ‘Get your rosaries off our ovaries,’ or an even harsher one, which said something like ‘You will drink the blood of our abortions.’ They put this in front of the Logroño co-cathedral,” he lamented.

Bazán also mentioned the case of artist Abel Azcona, who “stole from churches, attended more than 200 Masses, and stole the consecrated hosts,” writing the word “pedophilia” on the ground with them.

“The case reached the European Court of Human Rights, which unfortunately doesn’t fully understand the meaning of consecrated hosts to Christians and thought it was simply an object like any other,” he explained.

The expert emphasized the seriousness of the fact that this judicial interpretation has given “room for desecration, and from now on, anyone can steal consecrated hosts.”

Most attacks go unpunished

Bazán, who is a legal adviser on religious freedom for COMECE (Commission of the Episcopal Conferences of the European Union), also decried the fact that most attacks go unpunished.

He noted that in the case of vandalism, “it is sometimes difficult to know who is doing it.”

“These are attacks that occur at night, in remote churches, without cameras,” pointing out just how vulnerable religious heritage is.

“We’re talking about tens of thousands of churches in Europe, many of them vulnerable and in areas with difficult access,” he explained, after noting that the large number of farflung churches, small shrines, and chapels in rural areas makes prevention and investigation difficult.

‘Soft persecution’

The ACN report also warns of growing pressure on freedom of conscience in Europe. To explain this, the expert echoed the definition given by Pope Francis: “He denounced this [soft] persecution. Basically, what’s happening is an attempt to hijack people’s consciences,” Bazán pointed out.

As he explained, this form of harassment “goes unnoticed, because in general, in the West, people can go to church, practice rituals, sacraments, and so on.” However, “the question is what also happens in social life.”

Freedom of conscience under pressure

The jurist offered concrete examples of these restrictions: “What happens, for example, in universities when there is a professor who defends a position in accordance with religious principles, or a doctor or nurse who decides not to perform an abortion and does not want to be, let’s say, subject to any victimization or sanction?” he explained, citing the example of Spain, where an attempt is being made to create a list of doctors who object to abortion, which would have practical consequences for their careers.

“They probably won’t be able to serve on the hospital’s ethics committee, they probably won’t ever be considered to head a department [of] for example gynecology. In other words, there are many consequences,” he explained, extending this to any professional field.

Self-censorship: The most sophisticated form

Another worrying area in the West is “indirect censorship or self-censorship” in which the person, on his or her own and without the intervention of censors, “understands that it’s better not to [speak out] because otherwise there will be consequences.”

Bazán identified these new forms of indirect censorship, which he characterized as the most sophisticated form of classic censorship, “through proxies, for example, or through online platforms that are forced to establish a content moderation policy that introduces prohibitive elements imposed by the state.” In these cases, “it’s not the state that censors, it’s the platform.”

The result, he explained, is that “the censored person will simply see that the message no longer appears because it has disappeared from the platform. And he may even receive a message stating that he will not be able to post anything on social media for x amount of time.”

In many cases, he added, “fact-checkers, who are often ideologically biased NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], simply try to censor certain types of messages that go against a particular way of understanding society.”

‘An invisible wall’ and restrictive European rules

Bazán pointed out that “dissent is avoided” and that Christians “can see how they find themselves up against a kind of invisible wall, which no one denounces. In many cases, the wall isn’t even established by the state but is rather a combination of state and non-state elements in which it is very difficult to determine who is ultimately creating this situation.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Healing, women, and youth are priorities as Irish Church plans renewal
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Dublin, Ireland, Oct 24, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Seven pivotal priorities emerged from the Irish bishops’ Pre-Synodal Assembly meetings on Oct. 18 in Kilkenny, reflecting the hopes and concerns of the Irish faithful, drawing upon a series of gatherings held throughout the country from February to May.

The assembly brought together delegates from parish communities across Ireland to discern how the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church today.

Father Gerry O’Hanlon, SJ, one of the delegates, welcomed the process. “Building on the trust that has been established, we need to face difficult issues and embrace conflict and difference on the way,” he told CNA. “The Pre-Synodal Assembly was characterized by a constructive spirit of speaking and listening in a spirit of prayer. As we go forward, we probably need a more concrete focus, with input from theology and the other sciences. We have made a good start.”

Of the priorities under discussion, three emerged as particularly strong: healing, the role of women in the Church, and youth engagement. The assembly discernment process identified these as areas that demand urgent attention as the Church seeks to navigate the complexities of modern life while remaining true to its mission.

The focus on healing was emphasized as was the need to acknowledge wounds, especially those caused by abuse; committing to accountability, justice, and reconciliation; and ensuring safe spaces for survivors and all who carry pain.

“The priority attached to healing all of the hurt caused by abuse in the Church, as part of the path to renewal, is welcome,” Aidan Gordon, another delegate, said. “A recognition that the healing must be authentic and rooted in a commitment to justice reflects a genuine listening to the voices of victims and survivors.”

The role of women in the Church and the importance of recognizing and including women’s gifts, leadership, and co-responsibility at every level of Church life as a matter of justice and credibility was also emphasized.

The assembly additionally recognized the importance of youth engagement, highlighting the need to connect with young people in authentic and meaningful ways.

“These kinds of events really allow young people to have their voice heard, and that’s what gives a whole new energy and perspective to the Church in Ireland today,” Natalie Doherty, a delegate at the assembly, told CNA.

In addition to these three focal areas, the assembly identified several other significant priorities for the Irish Church:

— Belonging: fostering a Church of welcome, inclusion, and safety where every person finds a home in community and in Christ

— Co-responsibility and lay ministry: empowering all the baptized, men and women alike, to share responsibility for leadership and mission through new models of ministry and decision-making

— Family: supporting the domestic Church as the primary place of faith transmission and strengthening its connection with parishes and schools

— Formation and catechesis: deepening faith through lifelong formation that is Christ-centered and equips the baptized for discipleship in today’s world

In embracing these priorities, the Irish Church hopes to not only address the needs of its members but also reaffirms its commitment to living out the Gospel in a way that resonates with the realities of today.

Welcoming the attendees to the Kilkenny meeting, Bishop Niall Coll of Ossory said: “A synodal Church encourages a more open culture of debate, discussion, and discernment within the Church. Our presence here today means that there are voices in Ireland attuned to the need to read the ‘signs of the times’ and anxious to follow the direction for renewal and reform that Pope Francis charted.”

Bill proposed in Hungary could require priests to violate seal of confession
Fri, 24 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Bill proposed in Hungary could require priests to violate seal of confession

The Permanent Council of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has expressed shock over the proposition of a bill that would require Catholic priests to violate the seal of confession.

“This is in serious conflict with the agreement between the Republic of Hungary and the Holy See of Feb. 9, 1990, which states that the Catholic Church in our county operates on the basis of [canon law],” the council stated in an Oct. 17 press release.

The council expressed regret over “extremely crude” and “baseless sentiment-mongering and slander” that has occurred during the ongoing election cycle. “We emphasize to our priests, all believers, and society that we are not a political organization, we do not wish to participate in the campaign,” it stated. “Our mission is to serve the salvation of souls.”

Church in South Korea pledges help for Timorese migrants

The Catholic Church in South Korea has pledged to help improve the situation for migrants from the small Catholic-majority island country of Timor-Leste.

During an Oct. 11–15 visit to the island, a 12-member delegation of South Korean Catholics from the Committee for Pastoral Care for Migrants of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea visited with groups that send migrant workers to South Korea, Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, as well as President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, according to UCA News.

The delegation pledged to help bring about “better protection and welfare of migrant communities” and to “improve better pastoral care program[s] for Timor-Leste migrants,” of which there are approximately 7,000 living in South Korea.

Australian archbishop renews commitment to safeguarding children

Archbishop Tony Ireland of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia, has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring all Catholic communities and workplaces throughout his diocese uphold safe environment standards.

“The safety and well-being of all who engage with the Church is foremost in my mind and heart,” the archbishop said in an Oct. 17 statement. “Ensuring that every person — regardless of age or circumstance — feels safe, valued, and respected is an essential part of our mission and witness.”

On behalf of his archdiocese, Ireland endorsed the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, stating: “Our commitment to these standards is unwavering, reflecting zero tolerance of any form of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.” The archdiocese has remained engaged in its safeguarding measures since 2017.

Madagascar cardinal urges international community to refrain from sanctioning country

Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana of Toamasina, Madagascar, is appealing to the international community not to sanction Madagascar in wake of a coup staged by military-backed youth protesters.

The cardinal told Vatican media that imposing sanctions “would be illogical and immoral.”​​

“Supporting young people who demand a better life and then killing them with sanctions would make no sense,” Vatican News Italy reported.

Religious conversion case against Christian university officials in India dropped

The Supreme Court of India has dropped a criminal case against three Christian university officials in Uttar Pradesh who were accused of violating the state’s stringent anti-conversion laws.

The court dropped the case on Oct. 17, citing “legal defect” in the allegations filed by Himanshu Dixit, vice president of the World Hindu Council, according to UCA News. The Hindu leader had accused officials from the Presbyterian Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences of “unlawful conversion activities” in addition to “cheating, criminal intimidation, and forgery,” according to the report.

The judges noted that under Uttar Pradesh law, only an “aggrieved” person — that is, a victim or close relative — of the violation is permitted to lodge a complaint. The court declined to dismiss charges related to cheating and forgery but ordered protection of the accused from arrest.

Church in Mozambique proposes political guide for dialogue

The Episcopol Justice and Peace Commission in Mozambique has proposed a document outlining “concrete proposals for reforms of the state, the electoral system, natural resource policies, economic inclusion, and national reconciliation.”

The document, “A Political Guide for National Dialogue,” proposes limited power for the president in appointing heads of state, that judges be elected among their peers, and that the position of secretary of state be eliminated in provinces for the sake of the country’s budget, according to an Oct. 20 report from Vatican News.

The guide also recommends the elimination of electronic voting to combat fraud as well as economic and natural resource reforms.

To address the county’s unrest, the document proposes “building a collective memory based on truth, exercising forgiveness and mutual listening, promoting a culture of dialogue and trust, and changing mentalities to value differences while combatting prejudices.”

Latin American bishops host ‘virtual jubilee’ for Indigenous people

The Episcopal Conference of Latin America hosted a virtual jubilee event for Indigenous people of Latin America and the Caribbean on Oct. 14–16.

Organized by the Advisory Team on Indian Theology, together with the Pastoral Care of Indigenous People of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council and the Latin American Ecumenical Articulation of Indigenous Pastoral Care, the event centered on sharing experiences “as pilgrims of hope together with our Indigenous people, authentic custodians of culture, and our common home,” according to a message from Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect of the dicastery for promoting integral human development.

“Your love for the earth, your respect for the elderly, your sense of community, and your ability to live in harmony with creation are a gift to the whole Church. You teach that life is best understood when lived simply, in relationship with God, with nature, and with others,” he said.

Prominent Northern Ireland cleric calls for King Charles to abdicate after prayer with pope
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:04:00 -0400

Dublin, Ireland, Oct 23, 2025 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

King Charles III has acted contrary to the oath made at his coronation and should now “let someone else take his place, who is a true Protestant and who will take their vows seriously,” a prominent Free Presbyterian minister from Northern Ireland said after the king prayed with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

Rev. Kyle Paisley, the son of firebrand Democratic Unionist Party founder Ian Paisley, made the statements in a letter to Newspapers in Northern Ireland and subsequently in an interview on BBC Radio as well as other media outlets.

In the Sistine Chapel prayer service, King Charles, the supreme governor of the Church of England, accompanied by Queen Camilla, sat at Pope Leo’s left-hand side as the pope and Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell led prayers.

The historic meeting and prayer service was also publicly lamented by the Orange Order, an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. The group decried the ecumenical prayers as a “sad day for Protestantism,” expressing “great sadness” and raising its objections in the “strongest possible terms.”

In his comments, Paisley questioned whether the historic prayer in Rome was “cynical timing” coming 500 years after the printing of the New Testament in English by William Tyndale, something he claims still has the papacy “licking its wounds.”

“At his coronation, the king affirmed that he was a true Protestant and promised to uphold the religion of the established church in England as well as that of the Church of Scotland, which is historically Protestant,” Paisley said. “Our king has denied the Christian Gospel, flown in the face of holy Scripture, given the lie to his oath, and shown that he is not at all what he says he is — a true Protestant.”

He added: “Protestantism takes the Bible as the sole rule of faith and practice. Romanism does not. Her rule of faith and practice is the Scriptures as interpreted by the Church — that is, by the Roman Catholic Church — and tradition. This effectively makes the Church the rule of faith and practice. God’s word on its own is not enough for her.”

Wallace Thompson of the Evangelical Protestant Society in Northern Ireland agreed with Paisley, though he did not call for the king’s abdication. He told the BBC: “The issues that were there at the time of the Reformation are still there — deep, deep doctrinal differences. The two churches are so far apart that you shouldn’t feel you can engage in joint prayer — conversation, yes. This is symbolic. The king gives certain values at his coronation to maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant reformed religion established by law. He is sending out a signal now that really deep down, he doesn’t want to do that.”

Paisley’s statements also took issue with King Charles and other British royals attending the recent Requiem Mass for the Duchess of Kent, herself a Catholic.

Doubling down on his views, Paisley posted a statement on social media ahead of the Sistine Chapel prayer: “It is a crying shame that no evangelical Christian MP [member of Parliament], or member of the House of Lords, has spoken out publicly about the king’s blatant compromise of his oath, evidenced in the planned act of corporate worship with the pope.”

He continued: “The chair in St. Paul’s Basilica, which has the king’s emblem on it, is not an empty ornament but is there for him to use on any occasion he visits.”

Seeing in this honor Rome’s long-term aim of a complete reversal of the Reformation, Paisley said: “The deadly beast has been licking the wounds inflicted on it by the Reformation and now sees her way to complete healing, aided and abetted by a king who is not true to his word and by a British government and foreign office, and a British prime minister, who are about as godless as they come.”

Paisley’s father, the late Rev. Ian Paisley — the fiery Ulster evangelical Protestant and politician — was virulently anti-Catholic. In 1959 following the visit of the Queen Mother, King Charles’ grandmother, and Princess Margaret, his aunt, with Pope John XXIII in Rome, he accused them of “fornication and adultery with the antichrist.”

Upon the death of John XXIII, the senior Paisley proclaimed: “This Romish man of sin is now in hell.”

In 1988, Ian Paisley was physically ejected from the European Parliament for bellowing: “I denounce you, antichrist” at Pope John Paul II during his official visit. Pope John Paul II watched calmly as the Ulsterman was removed from the building.

Afterward Paisley told reporters he had been “assaulted” by Roman Catholic deputies. He added: “The European Parliament is Roman Catholic dominated. Mary is the Madonna of the Common Market.”

Despite his similar views of the Catholic faith, Kyle Paisley on the death of Pope Francis offered his sympathy to “devout Roman Catholics who looked up to him as the head of their Church and the guide of their faith.”

King Charles III has met the last three popes — most notably meeting Francis shortly before his death in April.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI both traveled to Britain, but meetings with the members of the royal family did not include joint prayers.

Prince William, the heir to the throne, attended the funeral of Pope Francis, and Prince Edward, brother of the king, was present at Pope Leo’s inauguration Mass in May.

Pope Leo XIV encourages Order of the Holy Sepulchre in its mission in the Holy Land
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:34:00 -0400

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 17:34 pm (CNA).

In an audience with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Pope Leo XIV thanked them for their humble service to the communities of the Holy Land, where they are called to bear witness “that life conquers death.”

At the beginning of his address, the pope recalled the mission with which the order was established in 1098: to protect the Holy Sepulchre, care for pilgrims, and sustain the Church of Jerusalem.

The Holy Father thanked the members of the order present for continuing the work they do “with the humility, dedication, and spirit of sacrifice that characterize chivalric orders,” especially for their witness and solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land.

In particular, the pontiff emphasized that even today they help the communities of the Holy Land “without any fanfare or seeking publicity” and support the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in its various activities, such as charitable works and humanitarian projects.

“You show that protecting the sepulchre of Christ does not simply mean preserving a historical, archaeological, or artistic heritage — no matter how important that may be — but rather sustaining a Church made of living stones, which was born around it and still lives today as an authentic sign of Easter hope,” he noted.

Leo XIV then reflected on the order’s mission and affirmed that remaining at the sepulchre of the Lord “means renewing one’s faith in the God who keeps his promises, whose power no human force can overcome.”

“In a world where arrogance and violence seem to prevail over charity,” he continued, “you are called to bear witness that life conquers death, that love conquers hatred, that forgiveness conquers revenge, and that mercy and grace conquer sin.”

He also exhorted the members of the order to preside over the holy places with faith, thus helping the faithful “to pause with their hearts at Christ’s tomb, where pain finds its answer in trust.”

To achieve this, he advised them to have an “intense sacramental life” as well as to listen to and meditate on the word of God through personal and liturgical prayer and spiritual formation.

The pope also reflected on the hope embodied in the women who went to the tomb to seek Jesus, which he described as “the face of service,” reiterating his gratitude to the order “for the great good you do, following the ancient tradition of assistance that characterizes you.”

“How often, thanks to your work, a ray of light opens for individuals, families, and entire communities who risk being overwhelmed by terrible tragedies, at every level, especially in the places where Jesus lived,” he noted.

He also noted that the image of St. Peter and St. John rushing to the sepulcher and finding Jesus’ tomb empty represents “the gesture of pilgrimage, a symbol of the search for the ultimate meaning of life.”

Pope Leo thus invited them to experience their pilgrimage to Rome “as a stage from which to resume the journey toward the only true and definitive goal: full and eternal communion with God in paradise.”

The pontiff asked them to bear witness and to invite the faithful “to experience the things of this world with the freedom and joy of those who know they are on their way toward the infinite horizon of eternity.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

In Virginia, a Founding Father’s Catholic daughter is laid to rest after 185 years
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:04:00 -0400

Richmond, Virginia, Oct 23, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

Nearly two centuries after her death, the daughter of American Founding Father James Monroe has been laid to rest in Richmond, Virginia, joining her family’s historic burial plot in the city’s famed Hollywood Cemetery.

The Diocese of Richmond held Eliza Monroe Hay’s reinterment at the top of Hollywood Cemetery overlooking the James River on Oct. 23. Hay, who died in 1840, converted to Catholicism several years before her death.

State Sen. Bryce Reeves, who worked with the Eliza Project to repatriate Hay’s remains, said she was “far more than the daughter of a president.”

He described Hay as strong-willed and intelligent. “She served this nation quietly but powerfully in its formative years,” he said.

The historic reinterment came about from a yearslong effort by the Eliza Project to bring Hay’s mortal remains home from the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, a cemetery on the outskirts of Paris.

Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1786, Hay grew up in both the U.S. and Paris, where her father was the American ambassador amid the ongoing French Revolution.

She would later be known for serving as an unofficial First Lady of the White House during James Monroe’s presidency, as her mother Elizabeth’s health regularly kept her away from state functions.

Hay’s husband, Virginia attorney George Hay, died in 1830, as did her mother. James Monroe died in 1831 and was by then one of a dwindling number of prominent U.S. citizens who had led the country through its founding and earliest years.

Hay herself subsequently returned to Paris, where she converted to Catholicism before she died.

A happy ending

Delivering Hay’s eulogy at the event, Virginia resident Barbara VornDick described Hay as “my friend from the past.”

VornDick said in an Oct. 21 press release that the effort “has been a fascinating, enriching journey in many ways,” though she said the “most amazing aspect was how it enriched my faith.”

She told the Arlington Catholic Herald in August that she spent years researching Hay’s life. She discovered that a popular family legend that Hay became a nun was untrue, but her conversion to Catholicism was confirmed by records at St.-Philippe-du-Roule Church in Paris, where her funeral Mass was held in 1840.

Hay also reportedly received a piece of jewelry from the Vatican — a cameo of the head of Christ — along with a note from Pope Gregory XVI’s secretary of state.

During her years at the White House, Hay gained a reputation as an unpleasant, demanding hostess. Reeves said at the Oct. 23 ceremony that Hay was at one time described by John Quincy Adams as an “obstinate little firebrand.”

The Eliza Project, however, says she had a record of “good deeds and generosity” that history has largely forgotten.

“She gained increasing admiration for her nursing of the sick: for family, for friends, and, during two epidemics, for the people of Washington,” the project said.

She also exhibited “a sense of duty and loyalty, strength of character and fortitude, and compassion for the sick and suffering.”

The Diocese of Richmond had earlier held a memorial Mass for Hay at the nearby Cathedral of the Sacred Heart before the interment at Hollywood Cemetery. Father Tony Marques, the rector of the cathedral, presided over the Rite of Committal on Oct. 23. The cathedral’s choir performed at the ceremony.

Describing the yearslong project to repatriate Hay’s remains as a “grassroots effort,” Reeves told the assembled crowd on Tuesday: “The Virginian thing to do was bring Eliza home.”

VornDick told the Herald that the yearslong effort to “bring Eliza home” was motivated by the likelihood that she “never intended to die” in Paris.

“I just wanted to make it right for her,” she said.

At the reinterment, meanwhile, VornDick described Hay as a “daughter, sister, wife, and grandmother,” one who stands out in history for her devotion, service, and forceful personality.

“Today marks the end of the Bring Eliza Home Project,” she said. “But it is a happy ending.”

Pope Leo XIV criticizes pharmaceutical industry’s role in scourge of opioid addiction
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:26:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2025 / 15:26 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday decried the devastating impact of opioid addiction in the U.S., criticizing the pharmaceutical industry for its lack of “a global ethic” for the sake of profits.

In an Oct. 23 meeting with participants of the fifth World Meeting of Popular Movements held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the pope directly spoke out against “unbridled consumerism” and its negative impacts on people living in both poor and wealthy nations.

“In the current culture, with the help of advertising and publicity, a cult of physical well-being is being promoted, almost an idolatry of the body and, in this vision, the mystery of pain is reduced to something totally inhuman,” he said.

“This can lead also to dependence on pain medications, the sale of which obviously goes to increasing the earnings of the same pharmaceutical companies,” he continued. “This also leads to dependence on opioids, as has been devastating particularly in the United States.”

Describing fentanyl as the “drug of death” and the “second most common cause of death among the poor” in the U.S., the pope said the harm of such synthetic drugs extends beyond the country’s borders.

“The spread of new synthetic drugs, ever more lethal, is not only a crime involving trafficking of drugs but really has to do with the production of pharmaceuticals and their profit, lacking a global ethic,” he said on Thursday.

Besides the pharmaceutical industry, the Holy Father also criticized the influence of big tech in promoting unhealthy, consumerist behaviors among people of all ages.

“How can a poor young person live with hope and without anxiety when the social media constantly exalt an unbridled consumerism and a totally unrealizable level of economic success?” he said.

“Another problem not often recognized is represented by the dependency on digital gambling,” he continued. “The platforms are designed to create compulsive dependence and generate addictive habits that create addiction.”

Throughout the Oct. 23 gathering, the Holy Father expressed his solidarity with social leaders who are “moved by the desire of love” in order to “find solutions in a society dominated by unjust systems” present in the world today.

“Your many and creative initiatives can become new public policies and social rights. Yours is a legitimate and necessary effort,” he told those present at the audience.

“This makes you champions of humanity, witnesses to justice, poets of solidarity,” he added.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance attends Mass at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:20:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 23, 2025 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, attended a private Mass celebrated by Franciscan monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Thursday during a three-day diplomatic trip to Israel.

Vance, the nation’s second Catholic vice president, met with a group of bishops and went to confession prior to Mass, according to the White House Pool Report.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was constructed in the early fourth century during the reign of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. It is jointly operated by the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and four Oriental Orthodox churches.

According to tradition, the church is built on the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. It is a premier pilgrimage destination for Christians who visit the Holy Land.

“What an amazing blessing to have visited the site of Christ’s death and resurrection,” Vance later said in a post on X. “I am immensely grateful to the Greek, Armenian, and Catholic priests who care for this most sacred of places. May the Prince of Peace have mercy on us and bless our efforts for peace.”

During his visit, Vance knelt in silent prayer in front of The Stone of Anointing. Many believe this to be the stone on which Jesus Christ’s body was anointed with oils and balms before his burial.

He also prayed before the Calvary Altar, which is believed to be the location where Christ was crucified.

According to the pool report, Vance and his wife both lit candles in the church. Vance also lit two candles with fire from Christ’s tomb to bring back to the United States.

“We are sending these lights to the White House,” an Armenian Orthodox bishop said, according to the pool report. “May God bless America, the United States, and Armenia and our friendship.”

Vance’s trip to Israel comes as the White House is working with Israel and Hamas to maintain a ceasefire, which halted a two-year-long war in Gaza. Earlier during his trip, he asked Christians to pray for peace in the region.

“Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ — and one of them is the Prince of Peace,” the vice president said. “And I’d ask people of all faiths, in particular my fellow Christians, to pray that the Prince of Peace can continue to work a miracle in this region of the world.”

“I think with your prayers and with God’s providence, and with a very good team behind me, I think we’re going to get it done,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III make history with first joint prayer since Reformation
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:34:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2025 / 09:34 am (CNA).

History was made in the Sistine Chapel on Thursday as Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III prayed side by side, marking the first time since the Protestant Reformation that a reigning British monarch and a pope have prayed together during a royal state visit to the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV led the midday prayer of the Divine Office, standing beneath Michelangelo’s fresco of “The Last Judgment” and flanked by Anglican Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, King Charles, and Queen Camilla.

The ecumenical prayer service featured the Sistine Chapel Choir along with the choirs from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and His Majesty’s Chapel Royal.

The choirs sang “Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One,” a hymn by St. Ambrose translated into English by St. John Henry Newman. Pope Leo will declare Newman, the 19th-century English cardinal and Anglican convert, a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1.

King Charles attended Newman’s canonization in 2019 and recently became the first British monarch to visit the Birmingham Oratory, which Newman founded in 1848.

During the prayer, the choirs sang verses of Psalms 8 and 64 in Latin and English. A reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8:22–27) was read aloud before Pope Leo and Cottrell offered the closing prayer together in English.

Cardinals, bishops, and Anglican representatives attended the prayer service, which was the highlight of the king’s first state visit to the Holy See since his accession in 2022.

As part of the state visit, Pope Leo approved the conferral of a new title on the monarch: “Royal Confrater” of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Cardinal James Michael Harvey, the basilica’s archpriest, will formally bestow the honor during an afternoon ecumenical service at the tomb of St. Paul.

In return, Pope Leo XIV was offered the title of “Papal Confrater” of St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, an invitation Pope Leo accepted.

“These mutual gifts of ‘confraternity’ are recognitions of spiritual fellowship and are deeply symbolic of the journey the Church of England (of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor) and the Roman Catholic Church have traveled over the past 500 years,” the British Embassy to the Holy See said in a statement.

Before the prayer service, King Charles and Queen Camilla met privately with Pope Leo in the Apostolic Palace. The king also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister. The Vatican said discussions focused on environmental protection, fighting poverty, and promoting ecumenical dialogue.

“Particular attention was given to the shared commitment to promoting peace and security in the face of global challenges,” the Holy See Press Office said.

King Charles also conferred on the pope the honor of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Bath, while the pope conferred on the king the honor of Knight Grand Cross with the Collar of the Vatican Order of Pope Pius IX and on Queen Camilla the honor of Dame Grand Cross of the same order.

The royal visit comes as King Charles continues treatment for cancer, first diagnosed in early 2024.

Buckingham Palace said that the king’s state visit — postponed earlier this year due to the poor health of Pope Francis — celebrates both the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year and “the ecumenical work between the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’”

Following the Sistine Chapel service, Pope Leo and King Charles met business and church leaders in the Apostolic Palace’s Sala Regia for a discussion on environmental sustainability and care for creation.

After the Vatican meetings, King Charles is scheduled to visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, reviving the historic ties between England and the papal basilica. After the arrival in England of Roman monk-missionaries such as St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Paulinus of York in the sixth and seventh centuries, Saxon rulers including Kings Offa and Æthelwulf contributed to the upkeep of the apostles’ tombs in Rome.

By the late Middle Ages, the kings of England were recognized as “protectors” of the Basilica of St. Paul and abbey, and its heraldic shield came to include the insignia of the Order of the Garter. That tradition was interrupted by the Reformation and the ensuing centuries of estrangement.

A newly commissioned chair bearing the royal coat of arms and the Latin phrase “Ut unum sint” (“That they may be one”) has been installed in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for King Charles and his successors to use during future visits.

King Charles visited the Vatican several times as Prince of Wales, including for the funeral of John Paul II and for Newman’s canonization. His last papal audience was with Pope Francis in April, shortly before Francis’ death, though that was not an official state visit.

Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, met five popes during her 70-year reign but never participated in a public prayer with any of them.

French bishop denounces euthanasia as contradicting ‘immemorial law’: ‘You shall not kill’
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The bishop of Chartres, France, Philippe Christory, addressed a letter to the senators of Eure-et-Loir, a region belonging to his diocese, in which he stated that assisted suicide and euthanasia contradict “an immemorial law: You shall not kill.”

The French prelate’s letter comes at a crucial moment as the “end-of-life” bill is under legislative review after years of political pressure to legalize euthanasia in the country.

The bill, filed last May, introduces the concept of “assistance in dying,” a term that encompasses both euthanasia — where a third party directly administers the lethal substance — and assisted suicide, in which the patient performs the final act.

Although the procedure must be subject to a medical evaluation, the legislative proposal also provides that adults suffering from a serious and incurable condition that causes unbearable physical or psychological suffering could be eligible.

On May 24 of this year, members of the National Assembly approved the creation of an offense for obstructing access to “assistance in dying,” which would criminalize any attempt to prevent the act itself or access to information about it.

In this context, Christory appealed to the right to conscientious objection of those doctors who “cannot contemplate committing a lethal act,” as it would go against their conscience “and the very purpose of their profession, which is to care for and support patients in their life project even if this is moving toward its physical end.”

The bishop denounced the French Legislature’s lack of support for these professionals as “unacceptable,” since “freedom of conscience should never be taken away or limited; it’s a fundamental right of every person.”

After lamenting the high suicide rate in France — more than 8,000 suicides were recorded in 2023 — Christory recalled that the essence of an advanced civilization “is to promote life and support the lives of those who suffer” and noted that those who ask to end their lives often lack support.

“The end of life can be a decisive moment for reconsideration, reconciliation, and sharing with loved ones,” he added. At the end of his letter, he urged the senators to “promote a plan for life, not a plan for death that would stain our culture.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Self-care is stewardship, not selfishness, Catholic therapist tells chaplains
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

During Pastoral Care Week, celebrated Oct. 19–25, a Catholic psychotherapist encouraged a group of Catholic chaplains and ministers to pursue prayer, rest, and self-care in light of burnout — a challenge that often accompanies their unique work.

At an Oct. 22 webinar, “Carrying the Cross Without Burnout: Self-Care for Catholic Chaplains,” Adrienne Koller, a Catholic psychotherapist and founder of Strong Self Psychotherapy, encouraged chaplains to make time for spiritual and emotional renewal.

The webinar, organized by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), a group that educates and supports Catholic chaplains across the country, highlighted the importance of finding rest amid the emotional toll of ministry.

“God doesn’t call us to self-erasure,” Koller told the nearly 100 chaplains who attended the webinar. “He calls us to stewardship of our bodies, our minds, and spirits.”

Koller described self-care as “stewardship” and “caring for the vessel God entrusted to you.”

“One of the most powerful mindset shifts I’ve seen in ministry is this: Self-care is not selfishness; it’s stewardship,” Koller said. “You are the vessel God entrusted with the work he gave you, and taking care of that vessel honors him.”

“You’re not taking away from your calling. You’re strengthening it,” she said. “Renewal isn’t an indulgence — it’s obedience.”

Erica Cohen Moore, executive director of NACC, highlighted the importance of caring for chaplains, both during Pastoral Care Week and throughout the year.

“Our chaplains are often called into spaces where few others are willing or able to go,” Cohen Moore told CNA. “They serve people in some of the most marginalized and challenging situations, where grief and suffering can be profound.”

Pastoral Care Week “gives opportunities for organizations and institutions of all types to recognize the spiritual caregivers in their midst and the ministry that the caregivers provide,” according to the NACC’s website.

Chaplains are often priests, but seminarians, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and laymen and laywomen can all serve as chaplains, providing professional spiritual and emotional support in a range of areas — often in prisons, hospitals, fire departments, and campuses.

To help prepare and support chaplains, the NACC offers a variety of resources, training, community, and support for chaplains, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

What does burnout look like?

“Over the years, I’ve walked with countless individuals who appear incredibly strong on the outside yet wrestle with exhaustion, doubt, or the feeling that their work has taken more from them than they have time to replenish,” Koller told attendees.

Koller noted that the “emotional weight” of service can lead to burnout.

“That emotional weight, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong; it means you’re human,” she said. “But we do take on that emotional weight, and that can lead, if unchecked, to burnout.”

“Burnout doesn’t happen because we’re weak or we’re incapable,” Koller continued. “It happens because we care deeply, we give fully, and sometimes we forget to refill our own cup.”

To combat the weight of service, Koller encouraged ministers to pray before and after each difficult meeting or encounter, and to offer the weight of those challenges to the Lord. She also led the group in grounding prayer exercises that incorporate breathing into prayer.

Cohen Moore noted that burnout is a “very real concern” that chaplains face — one that her organization works to combat through the resources they provide.

The association educates chaplains with a program called Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), which is “a process that equips them to manage burnout and care for themselves and one another,” according to Cohen Moore.

The group also offers webinars on topics such as self-care, mental illness and trauma, and mental health, as well as networking groups and in-person gatherings, and publishes a magazine called Works of Hope.

The association plans to launch a learning institute early next year to include a course on “sustaining pastoral ministers and helping them avoid burnout,” Cohen Moore said.

“Burnout is a very real concern in our field, and we take it seriously as we continue exploring new ways to provide care and connection,” Cohen Moore said.

‘I will give you rest’

When Koller speaks with “those in service, especially chaplains and first responders,” she said that one verse “always comes to mind.”

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Koller noted that Christ “doesn’t say: ‘Keep pushing, work harder, work harder, deplete yourself, run yourself into the ground.”

“No — he says, ‘Come to me,’” she said.

“That invitation isn’t to perform,” Koller continued. “It’s to rest, in a way, to surrender the illusion that we have to carry everything alone. That’s where our renewal begins.”

St. Carlo Acutis’ mother on what it’s like to be the mother of a saint
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Antonia Salzano, the mother of St. Carlo Acutis, who was present with the rest of her family at his canonization on Sept. 7, recently shared what it’s like to be the mother of a saint and offered valuable advice to other mothers who, like her, have gone through the painful experience of the death of a child.

Salzano shared having had the opportunity to attend the canonization with Assunta Carlini Goretti, the mother of St. Maria Goretti, who saw the child martyr of purity declared a saint on June 24, 1950.

When asked what it is like to be the mother of a saint, Salzano in an interview with “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, said: “Naturally, it’s a privilege, but also a duty, because first and foremost, I have to become a saint myself, because the call is also for me. I have to set an example.”

The mother of St. Carlo Acutis, who died at age 15 in 2006 from leukemia, emphasized that being the mother of a saint is also “a call to help others, because people are in darkness. Many people haven’t found God.”

The saint’s parents — Salzano and her husband, Andrea Acutis — accompanied by his younger twin siblings, Michele and Francesca, brought the offertory gifts to Pope Leo XIV during the canonization Mass.

“If I can give advice, speak a good word to help souls, I do it gladly, with great love, because I think the most important thing is to find God in our lives and live in God’s light,” emphasized the mother of St. Carlo, the “Apostle of the Eucharist” who created a virtual exhibition on Eucharistic miracles around the world.

Salzano’s counsel to those who have suffered the death of a child

“The important thing is to understand that what matters is loving God [and] our neighbor. This is the most important thing. If you lose your child, it’s not that you’ve lost him or her for eternity. It’s not goodbye. It’s to find yourself in another, more beautiful life, with God, with God’s light,” Salzano said.

“Carlo said that death is the passage to true life. Whoever is afraid of death does so because they don’t trust in God, they don’t have faith in God. Because if we have trust in God, we cannot be afraid of death,” she continued.

The only thing we should fear, Salzano pointed out, “is sin, because this can separate us forever from God. Death is ultimately the encounter with the beloved, the encounter with the most beautiful thing in the universe, with God.”

“Carlo began going to Mass every day when he was 7 years old. He wrote on that occasion: ‘To always be united to Jesus, this is my life plan,’” Salzano recalled.

“The encounter with Jesus was the most important part of his day. Naturally, this didn’t prevent Carlo from having a normal life, like all young people — his studies, his sports, all his friends — but for Carlo, the central focus was the encounter with Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament,” Salzano said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

St. John of Capistrano: Franciscan priest and missionary who achieved military victory
Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:00:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the life of St. John of Capistrano, a Franciscan priest whose life included a political career, extensive missionary journeys, efforts to reunite separated Eastern Christians with Rome, and a historically important turn at military leadership.

Invoked as a patron of military chaplains, St. John of Capistrano was praised by St. John Paul II — whose feast day was yesterday, Oct. 22 — in a 2002 general audience for his “glorious evangelical witness” and as a priest who “gave himself with great generosity for the salvation of souls.”

Born in Italy in 1385, John lost his father — a French or possibly German knight who had settled in Capistrano — at a young age. John’s mother took care to have him educated, and after learning Latin he went on to study both civil law and Church law in Perugia. An outstanding student, he soon became a prominent public figure and was appointed governor of the city at age 26.

John showed high standards of integrity in his civic career, and in 1416 he labored to end a war that had erupted between Perugia and the prominent House of Malatesta. But when the nobles had John imprisoned, he began to question his life’s direction. Encountering St. Francis of Assisi in a dream, he resolved to embrace poverty, chastity, and obedience with the Franciscans.

Abandoning his possessions and social status, John joined the religious order in October 1416. He found a mentor in St. Bernardine of Siena, known for his bold preaching and his method of prayer focused on the invocation of the name of Jesus. Taking after his teacher in these respects, John began preaching as a deacon in 1420 and was ordained a priest in 1425.

John successfully defended his mentor from a charge of heresy made against his way of devotion, though he found less success in his efforts to resolve internal controversy among the followers of St. Francis. A succession of popes entrusted important matters to John, including the effort to reunite Eastern and Western Christendom at the Ecumenical Council of Florence.

Drawing immense crowds in his missionary travels throughout Italy, John also found success as a preacher in Central Europe, where he opposed the Hussites’ error regarding the nature and administration of the Eucharist. After Constantinople fell to Turkish invaders in 1453, Pope Nicholas V sent John on a mission to rally other European leaders in defense of their lands.

Nicholas’ successor Pope Callixtus III was even more eager to see the Christian world defend itself against the invading forces. When Sultan Mehmet II sought to extend his territorial gains into Serbia and Hungary, John joined the celebrated general Janos Hunyadi in his defense of Belgrade. The priest personally led a section of the army in its historic victory on Aug. 6, 1456.

Neither John nor the general, however, would survive long past the battle.

Weakened by the campaign against the Turks, Hunyadi became sick and died soon after the victory at Belgrade. John survived to preach Hunyadi’s funeral sermon, but his own extraordinary life came to an end after a painful illness on Oct. 23, 1456. St. John of Capistrano was canonized in 1724.

This story was first published on Oct. 21, 2012, and has been updated.

Military archdiocese: Army’s response to canceled religious contracts ‘inadequate’
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:04:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, expressed concern that the U.S. Army is not adequately addressing its discontent with canceled religious contracts, which the archdiocese said is straining its ability to minister to Catholics in the armed forces.

This month, the Army canceled all contracts for three roles: coordinators of religious education (CRE), Catholic pastoral life coordinators (CPLC), and musicians. The contract terminations affected Catholics and those of other faiths.

CREs served as catechists trained by the archdiocese to assist the priests in religious education in the military chapels. The archdiocese also trained CPLCs who offered administrative support such as liturgy coordination, assistance with sacramental record documentation, and weekly bulletin preparation. Contracts also included musicians, usually pianists who played music during Mass.

Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 17 saying Army officials assured him that religious affairs specialists (RAS) and directors of religious education (DREs) — federal employees — would accommodate the needs of the archdiocese amid the canceled contracts but that he believes this is not possible.

Neither an RAS nor a DRE is a trained catechist, he explained, and neither are properly trained or qualified to perform the roles of people who served in the canceled contracts. There is no requirement for a DRE to be Catholic or for an RAS to have any faith.

In response to the archdiocesan complaint, an Army spokesperson told CNA it would reexamine its contract support for RASs and DREs “to mitigate any potential impact during this period.“

Archdiocese: Response is ‘wholly inadequate’

Elizabeth A. Tomlin, a lawyer for the archdiocese, told CNA that the Army’s response is “wholly inadequate” and “demonstrates the spokesperson’s total lack of understanding of the issue.”

“Merely eight DREs across the entire Army are Catholics, so most DREs are not qualified to direct Catholic religious education,” Tomlin said.

“[RASs] are soldiers, [usually] anywhere from private first class to staff sergeant in rank,” she explained. “There is no requirement whatsoever for RASs to be Catholic or have any training in catechesis or catechetical methodology that could possibly equip them to coordinate religious education.”

Tomlin rejected the Army’s assertion that people in these positions could fulfill the work of the CREs, CPLCs, or musicians.

“Without meeting the basic requirement of a catechist, namely, to be a confirmed Catholic, these people are not qualified to be involved in Catholic religious education programs whatsoever,” she said.

Tomlin said the only way to have music during Mass is if someone volunteers.

“It is factually inaccurate that DREs or RASs are fulfilling the duties of CREs, CPLCs, or liturgical musicians,” Tomlin said.

‘No knowledge of our faith’

Jena Swanson — who worked as a Catholic CRE at Fort Drum from August 2024 until her contract was canceled on March 31, 2025 — told CNA she agrees with the archdiocese’s assessment that those employees cannot fulfill the roles of those whose contracts were canceled.

She said she helped facilitate religious education classes, Bible studies, sacrament preparation classes, and retreats, and collected sacramental records, among a variety of other tasks. She said she mostly worked independently of the DRE because that employee did not have much knowledge about the Catholic faith.

“The DRE is not guaranteed to be Catholic depending on the installation military families are stationed at,” Swanson said. “In our 13 years of military family life (my husband is active duty Army), we’ve experienced one Catholic DRE and only for two years.”

She said in her experience, RASs “are as helpful as they can be” but often “have no knowledge of our faith.”

Swanson said the Catholic community at Fort Drum “was thrown into a bit of chaos” once her contract ended. Some weeks there were no teachers for religious education, families did not know whom to direct questions to, and weekly Mass attendance dropped about 50%.

“Our families want answers and want to continue coming to our parish, but if these options are not open it will drastically affect attendance and faith formation,” Swanson said.

Venezuelan president accuses cardinal of plotting against saint’s canonization
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:34:00 -0400

Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 22, 2025 / 17:34 pm (CNA).

Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, accused Cardinal Baltazar Porras of conspiring to prevent the canonization of Venezuela’s first male saint, José Gregorio Hernández.

“There were many people who conspired from the highest [levels of the] Curia against José Gregorio,” Maduro said on an Oct. 20 television program.

“Some priests, like Baltazar Porras, dedicated their lives to conspiring against José Gregorio Hernández. I say this by name: Baltazar Porras dedicated his entire life to ensuring that José Gregorio would not [be declared a saint], but Baltazar Porras has been defeated by God, by the people, and today José Gregorio is a saint despite you [Porras] and your people,” said the president, who did not attend the canonization ceremony at the Vatican.

On Oct. 19, along with Venezuelan nun Carmen Rendiles and five others, Hernández, known as the “doctor of the poor,” was canonized by Pope Leo XIV.

Those close to Porras told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the cardinal will not respond to Maduro’s accusations.

Maduro holds the leadership of Venezuela’s government but is accused, nationally and internationally, of committing fraud in the 2024 presidential election, in which he was allegedly reelected for a third six-year term.

The controversial Venezuelan leader is facing accusations of drug trafficking and terrorism by the U.S. government, which accuses him of heading a criminal organization known as the Cartel de los Soles.

In addition, the U.S. State Department has offered a $50 million reward “for information leading to the arrest or conviction” of the socialist leader. It is the largest reward offered for the capture of a criminal in the history of the United States.

Maduro’s verbal attack on the archbishop emeritus of Caracas is part of a long history of abuses and threats by the socialist government against the Catholic Church in Venezuela, a practice that appears to be intensifying with the canonization of the country’s first two saints.

The socialist leader’s reaction comes after Porras called last week for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela, who currently number more than 800, according to the organization Foro Penal.

“We live in a morally unacceptable situation; the decline in the exercise of civil liberties, the growth of poverty, militarization as a form of government that incites violence and introduces it as part of daily life, corruption and the lack of autonomy of public institutions, and the disrespect for the will of the people create a panorama that does not contribute to peaceful coexistence or to overcoming the structural shortcomings of society,” Porras said at an event held at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

At the same event, Venezuelan Vatican journalist Edgar Beltrán was assaulted by businessman Ricardo Cisneros, a member of the Venezuelan government delegation.

During the event, Beltrán’s interview with the Vatican’s substitute for the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Robinson Peña Parra, was forcibly interrupted by Cisneros after the prelate was asked about the Maduro government’s “apparent politicization” of the canonizations, according to Catholic news outlet The Pillar.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin offered a Mass of thanksgiving on Oct. 20 for the canonization of the first two Venezuelan saints, during which he also denounced the existence of “unjust imprisonment” and “oppression” in the country.

Shortly before the canonization Mass on Oct. 19, Porras expressed his “deep joy” and described the event as a “historic moment” for all of Venezuela.

“I give thanks to God for allowing me to share it with all of you,” the archbishop emeritus said at the time.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cleveland Diocese extends Latin Mass
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:04:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Cleveland has confirmed that the Vatican granted permission for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at two diocesan churches for an additional two years.

The extension applies to St. Mary’s Church in Akron and St. Stephen’s in Cleveland, both of which, according to the Catholic Herald, had previously been granted limited approval to continue celebrating the extraordinary form of the Roman rite.

At both parishes, diocesan priests say the Masses, rather than priests from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter or the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, as sometimes occurs in other dioceses.

In an email to CNA, Nancy Fishburn, executive director of communications for the Diocese of Cleveland, said: “The Holy See granted a two-year extension of permission for the two remaining diocesan celebrations of the Latin Mass within the Diocese of Cleveland.”

Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes has restricted the use of the pre-Vatican II Mass by requiring Vatican approval for its celebration in parish churches, placing oversight directly under the Holy See. Bishops must now obtain authorization from the Vatican to permit the older form of the Roman rite in their dioceses.

It is unclear when Cleveland Bishop Edward C. Malesic requested the extension. Fishburn told CNA she had no further information.

The extension of the TLM in Cleveland comes even as other dioceses are seeing its cancellation.

In the Diocese of Knoxville last week, Bishop Mark Beckman informed the TLM community in an Oct. 14 letter that “by Jan. 1, 2026, every Latin Mass in the diocese will be celebrated using the 2002 Roman Missal ensuring consistency with the Church’s approved liturgical books while preserving the beauty and reverence you cherish.”

Beckman wrote that he had consulted with the three pastors in the diocese who currently celebrate the TLM, assuring parishioners that the transition away from the extraordinary form was “being handled with utmost pastoral sensitivity and care, honoring both your devotion to the sacred liturgy and the Church’s living tradition.”

In the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, meanwhile, Bishop Michael Martin said in September that the TLM would cease at four parishes and would only be permitted at one chapel beginning Oct. 2.

Brian Williams, a leader of the TLM community in Charlotte, spoke with CNA in September.

“Why is going to the Latin Mass a bad thing? It’s no different from the Ordinariate, or Byzantine, or any other rite. It’s all still Catholic,” he said.

Williams said he and other members of the TLM community are still hopeful that Pope Leo’s pontificate will be more welcoming of the TLM and that things can change, citing a post on X on Sept. 29 showing a priest at the St. Michael’s chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica saying the Mass in the extraordinary form, as well as the recent granting of an exemption to the restrictions imposed by Traditionis Custodes in the San Angelo Diocese in Texas, the first exemption granted under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.

Bishop Bullock, local Jesuits criticize Hegseth’s honor of Wounded Knee soldiers
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:24:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 15:24 pm (CNA).

Rapid City, South Dakota, Bishop Scott E. Bullock and South Dakota Jesuit leaders criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for honoring U.S. soldiers who carried out an 1890 assault on a Lakota reservation near the Wounded Knee Creek.

“Those who died at Wounded Knee are sacred,” the joint statement read.

“Jesus stands with all who suffer and die at the hands of others,” the statement added. “Those who committed the violence are also sacred; for this reason, Jesus offers them mercy and healing. Yet the acts themselves were grave evils and cannot be honored.”

On Dec. 29, 1890, U.S. soldiers killed nearly 300 Lakota people in an assault now known as the “Wounded Knee Massacre” or the “Battle of Wounded Knee” in South Dakota. Most of the Lakota killed were civilians, including unarmed women and children, and 31 American soldiers were killed.

After a review, Hegseth announced last month that 20 U.S. soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor for actions at Wounded Creek will retain those honors. The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military honor, awarded by Congress for risk of life in combat beyond the call of duty. A review panel commissioned by former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recommended they retain their honors in October 2024.

“That panel concluded that these brave soldiers should, in fact, rightfully keep their medals for actions in 1890,” Hegseth said in a Sept. 25 post on X.

Hegseth criticized Lloyd for not issuing a final decision on the inquiry last year, saying “he was more interested in being politically correct than historically correct.”

“We’re making it clear — without hesitation — that the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 will keep their medals, and we’re making it clear that they deserve those medals,” Hegseth said. “This decision is now final and their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate. We salute their memory, we honor their service, and we will never forget what they did.”

Bishop, Jesuits call for ‘prayerful correctness’

Bullock, whose diocese serves western South Dakota where the assault took place, was joined in his statement by the De Smet Jesuit Community of West River, South Dakota.

They said their opposition to the Medals of Honor is not rooted in “political correctness,” as Hegseth called it, but rather in “prayerful correctness, grounded in truth, conscience, and compassion.”

Bullock and the Jesuits said soldiers massacred civilians: “This was not a battle. To recognize these acts as honorable is to distort history itself.”

“We acknowledge the government’s intent to honor its troops, yet we reject any narrative that erases the humanity of the victims or glorifies acts of violence,” they said.

The statement said as Catholics and followers of Christ, “we proclaim the infinite dignity of every human life. We confess that humanity — capable of love and goodness — is also capable of terrible evil.” It added that the Crucifixion and Resurrection “reveal that true victory comes not through killing but through suffering love, mercy, and truth.”

“If we deny our part in history, we deepen the harm,” they said. “We cannot lie about the past without perpetuating injustice and moral blindness. Even if we are not personally responsible for Wounded Knee, we bear a moral responsibility to remember and speak the truth.”

Susan Hanssen, a history professor at the University of Dallas (a Catholic institution), told CNA Wounded Knee “was a complex historical event” that had “many conflicting narratives.” She said military records show conflicting accusations, investigations, and personal rivalries among military officers.

She said, with historical events, there is not always “easy moral clarity.”

She said the events “cannot simply be viewed as an unprovoked massacre, racially motivated against all Native Americans indiscriminately.”

Hanssen expressed concern that the effort to revoke the honors for soldiers at Wounded Knee is part of an ongoing effort to target “American and Western culture,” which includes destroying statues of Christopher Columbus and attacks on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, among others.

“It is perfectly reasonable for the United States government to refuse to revoke Medals of Honor from over a hundred years ago,” she added.

No Medals of Honor have been revoked for any reason in more than a century. The only time medals were revoked was in 1917, when Congress commissioned a comprehensive review of Medal of Honor recipients and revoked more than 900.

Cardinal Cupich pledges support for migrants as Catholics across U.S. rally in solidarity
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 13:14:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 13:14 pm (CNA).

In a new video, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago has once again pledged his support for undocumented migrants.

“Let me be clear: The Church stands with migrants,” Cupich said in a video message on Oct. 21. Citing family separation and “communities shaken by immigration raids and detentions,” he said ongoing deportation efforts in Chicago “wound the soul of our city.”

Cupich emphasized that “in the enforcement of the law, it is essential that we respect the dignity of every human being,” and noted parishes and schools in the archdiocese will neither turn away migrants seeking aid nor “be silent when dignity is denied.”

He continued: “I want to say something directly to those immigrants without documents: Most of you have been here for years, you have worked hard, you have raised families, you have contributed to this nation, you have earned our respect.”

“As the archbishop of Chicago, I will insist that you be treated with dignity,” he stated, concluding: “Americans should not forget that we all come from immigrant families. You are our brothers and sisters. We stand with you. God bless you all.”

The video message comes amid the “One Church One Family” initiative spearheaded by the western Jesuits to hold national days of prayer and public witness for migrants on Oct. 22 and Nov. 13, the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron of migrants.

The initiative calls on dioceses, parishes, schools, religious communities, and other Catholic institutions to host and promote “public actions that lift up the dignity of migrants,” such as “a vigil in front of a detention center, a prayer service at a place where migrants were publicly detained, or a rosary accompanying people who are going to immigration court hearings.”

The initiative’s website includes, along with other resources, instructions on how to organize and implement a vigil, prayer service, or march in support of migrants, which includes a welcome letter from Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas.

“As Catholics and people of deep faith, we reject the culture of fear and silence that dehumanizes, and we choose instead to stand with migrants,” the initiative’s website reads. “Together, our voices will send a powerful message in defense of the dignity of our neighbors, family members, fellow parishioners, classmates, co-workers, and friends.”

Cupich was appointed by Pope Leo XIV to the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State on Oct. 15. It is unclear whether the post will entail a relocation to the Holy City.

During a visit on Oct. 9, Leo expressed his “appreciation” to Chicago leaders, including Cupich, for their “welcome of immigrants and refugees.” This came shortly after the controversy surrounding Cupich’s attempt to honor Illinois pro-abortion Sen. Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement award for his work with immigrants.

After losing to Catholic charity at Supreme Court, Wisconsin seeks to end religious tax break
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:44:00 -0400

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2025 / 12:44 pm (CNA).

The state of Wisconsin is attempting to eliminate a tax exemption for religious organizations after it failed at the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year when trying to block a Catholic charity from claiming that tax break.

The Supreme Court in June unanimously ruled that the state violated the First Amendment when it denied a tax exemption to the Diocese of Superior’s Catholic Charities Bureau. The state had argued that the group’s charitable undertakings were not “primarily” religious and thus failed to qualify for the tax break.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court had earlier ruled against the Catholic charity before the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision. But in an Oct. 21 press release, the religious liberty legal group Becket said that the state government is now asking the state Supreme Court to “eliminate the exemption entirely.”

“Rather than following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Wisconsin officials are now trying to avoid it by attacking the religious exemption itself,” the group said.

The tax exemption directs that organizations “operated primarily for religious purposes” can be exempt from paying into the state’s unemployment system. In a brief to the state Supreme Court, state officials said the tax exemption itself is “discriminatory” and that ending the policy would “avoid collateral damage to Wisconsin workers” while satisfying the U.S. Supreme Court’s order.

State officials did not respond to requests for comment from CNA on Oct. 22. Nick Reaves, a senior attorney with Becket, told CNA that eliminating the tax exemption would “just replace one unconstitutional rule after another.”

Reaves said the U.S. Supreme Court justices in their ruling “clearly contemplated extending the benefit to Catholic Charities” rather than eliminating the benefit altogether.

“If you eliminate the exemption, it doesn’t solve the constitutional problem, because the state has something like 40 other exemptions for secular groups,” he said. Union groups and organizations that do work in prisons are among the entities that have access to the exemption, he said.

“The First Amendment prohibits favoring secular activity over religious activity” in such cases, he said. “Our view is Wisconsin just can’t eliminate the exemption.”

Reaves said the Catholic charity has a high likelihood of getting its case before the Supreme Court again. “The chance of getting a hearing at the Supreme Court is low, initially,” he said. “But they’re much more likely to take a case again if the lower court gets it wrong again.”

“Obviously the Wisconsin Supreme Court will weigh in on this first,” he said. “We’re hoping our arguments are persuasive there.”

In its filing, meanwhile, Becket said Wisconsin’s “animus” toward the Catholic charity group is “anything but subtle.”

“The only constitutional approach is to grant Catholic Charities an exemption, as the U.S. Supreme Court’s order requires,” the filing said.

Diocese of Palayamkottai in India launches inaugural altar server program
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:03:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 12:03 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Palayamkottai in India launched its first altar server training program, teaching 1,570 children across five parishes more about the sacred role.

With the support of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, the Diocese of Palayamkottai created a program for altar servers to build awareness of their role; to instill reverence, discipline, and good behavior; and to deepen their spiritual growth.

“The altar servers’ training has proven to be a landmark initiative,” the Diocese of Palyamkottai wrote in a letter thanking the Diocese of Columbus. “It has not only strengthened the children’s faith and discipline but has also made parish liturgies more prayerful and meaningful for the wider community.”

The Diocese of Palayamkottai in southern India encompasses the Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Tenkasi districts with a Catholic population of nearly 138,500. The diocese provides education to more than 65,000 children through 108 diocesan schools and schools managed by religious congregations.

About 75% of the Catholic population in the diocese are landless laborers, 15% are small farmers, and nearly 80% of families live on just two euros a day. Despite the majority of the faithful coming from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, the diocese said the Catholic population is deeply dedicated to its faith and dedicated to advancing the mission of the Church.

Faith formation in the diocese and in schools follows the Christian Life Commission (CLC), coordinating Bible, catechetical, and liturgical ministries. The diocese carries out vacation Bible schools, seminars for catechists, and liturgical ministries focused on the Eucharist and sacraments.

With help and guidance from the Diocese of Columbus, the Diocese of Palayamkottai began a program in June to help altar servers better understand the importance of their duties and rediscover the sacredness of their calling. The initiative includes audiovisual presentations, demonstrations, printed guides, and group discussions for the altar servers, often referred to as “little angels” in the area.

The altar servers told the diocese they have “become more prayerful” through the training. One child shared that he “began organizing altar server meetings in his parish.” Another said he “now serves with devotion,” having realized the importance of the role.

By working together, the Diocese of Palayamkottai and the Diocese of Columbus made the “milestone” project possible. “With great hope, the diocese assures that such collaboration will continue in forming young faithful and advancing the mission of the Church,” the Diocese of Palayamkottai wrote.

Pope Leo XIV: Sadness in life can be healed through Christ
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 11:24:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 11:24 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV at his general audience on Wednesday said sadness and disappointments can give rise to unexpected joys and hope when one discovers that Christ “walks with us and for us” in life.

Continuing his jubilee catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope” in a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said the mystery of Christ’s resurrection can “change one’s outlook on the world,” especially in times when one experiences a “paralysis of the soul.”

“It is the Risen One who radically changes our perspective, instilling the hope that fills the void of sadness,” he said in his Oct. 22 catechesis.

“On the paths of the heart, the Risen One walks with us and for us. He bears witness to the defeat of death and affirms the victory of life, despite the darkness of Calvary,” he continued.

In his reflection on the two disciples of Emmaus who had left “behind the hopes they held in Jesus” after his crucifixion and death, the Holy Father said the Gospel passage recorded by St. Luke can “be a gentle reminder to us when the going gets tough.”

“History still has much goodness to hope for,” he said.

Addressing thousands of pilgrims donning raincoats and holding umbrellas in St. Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione, the pope said sadness, which he described as one of the “malaises of our time,” can be healed when one is able to recognize the presence of the risen Christ in our lives.

“Intrusive and widespread, sadness accompanies the days of many people,” he said. “It is a feeling of precariousness, at times profound desperation, which invades one’s inner space and seems to prevail over any impetus to joy.”

“Sadness robs life of meaning and vigor, turning it into a directionless and meaningless journey,” he added.

Noting that Christians can at times have “sadness clouds their gaze,” Leo said Jesus can rekindle their hearts with the “warmth of hope,” like what he had done through a gentle, humble, and hidden way for his two followers from Emmaus.

Toward the end of his Wednesday audience, the Holy Father urged Christians, particularly families, to be “missionaries of the Gospel” and to offer their support to those who dedicate their lives to the service of evangelization.

“Dear friends, the month of October invites us to renew our active cooperation in the Church’s mission with the strength of prayer, with the potential of married life, and with the youthful energy that is yours,” he said.

Cardinal, Vatican journalists condemn threat to free press after assaults on journalists
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 10:54:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 10:54 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and an organization of Vatican-accredited journalists have spoken out in support of a free press after the recent attacks on two journalists in Italy.

In a statement released Tuesday, the International Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican (AIGAV) condemned last week’s assault on Venezuelan Vatican journalist Edgar Beltrán by businessman Ricardo Cisneros, a member of the Venezuelan government delegation present in Rome for the Oct. 19 canonization of two Venezuelan saints.

During an Oct. 17 event at the Vatican-connected Lateran University in Rome, Beltrán’s interview with the Vatican’s substitute for the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Robinson Peña Parra, was forcibly interrupted by Cisneros after the prelate was asked about the Maduro government’s “apparent politicization” of the canonizations, according to Catholic news outlet The Pillar.

In its statement, AIGAV condemned “this act of violence against a fellow journalist who was simply doing his job.”

“The recent incident, which occurred during an official reception attended by various civil and ecclesiastical representatives, confirms the need to continue supporting the free gathering of news. We therefore call upon all individuals and competent authorities to defend and promote this freedom,” it continued.

The statement was sent to event organizers — the Pontifical Lateran University and the Archdiocese of Caracas — and to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.

The Holy See has not yet issued an official comment on the incident. However, several Vatican-accredited correspondents expressed their concern over what they consider a serious and unprecedented event in an environment generally characterized by respect and open reporting.

Parolin also weighed in on the issue on the sidelines of a Rome event promoting religious freedom Oct. 21.

Asked about the recent violent intimidation on Italian journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, host of the investigative TV program “Report,” he said: “We are increasingly at risk of living in a climate of intolerance where free expression is no longer accepted.”

“It is a source of great concern that acts of intimidation against the press may occur,” Parolin added, expressing his solidarity with the journalist, who was threatened when bombs exploded on his car outside his home on the evening of Oct. 16.

“I’m truly concerned; I express my sympathy to anyone who has been the target of this intimidation. We want everyone to be able to express their point of view without falling victim to this type of threat,” the cardinal added.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Catholic college graduates leading in purpose, belonging, financial stability, report says
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 10:07:00 -0400

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 10:07 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:

Catholic college graduates leading in purpose, belonging, financial stability, report says

Graduates of Catholic colleges and universities are outperforming other students in purpose and belonging and are reporting higher levels of mental health and financial stability, a report has found.

Students from Catholic institutions of higher education are 7% more likely to view their careers as meaningful, 14% more likely to report a strong sense of belonging, and 17% more likely to say they are satisfied with their mental health, according to this year’s Holistic Impact Report.

The annual report is published by the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University (San Antonio) in partnership with YouGov.

The report also found that Catholic university graduates are more than 50% more likely to say their education encouraged them to engage in faith-based conversations and 12% more likely to say their courses promoted dialogue across differing perspectives.

“Higher education has been disrupted by political battles and financial pressures,” stated Jason King, the Beirne director and chair of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University.

But “Catholic higher education does not appear to be caught in those tides,” he said.

“With two years of data, we can see that it continues to form graduates for meaningful lives, community engagement, and ethical decision-making. And, because of this focus, it also supports graduates’ mental, financial, and social well-being.”

Los Angeles-area school aims to ‘raise’ 1 million prayers by All Saints’ Day

A Catholic school in California is leading an initiative to “raise” 1 million prayers by All Saints’ Day.

“This special initiative began on the eve of the canonizations of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, two modern witnesses who remind us that holiness is possible for everyone, especially the young,” St. Joseph School explained in a Facebook post on Oct. 3.

“Inspired by their example, our students, families, and faculty have already prayed more than 150,000 prayers… and we’re just getting started!” the school said.

“During this month of the holy rosary,” the school continued, “we are dedicating ourselves to praying the rosary together each day as a school community. Families are also recording their prayers at home; rosaries, Masses, traditional devotions, and personal prayers spoken from the heart.”

Three schools — Epiphany Catholic School in South El Monte, St. Anthony School in San Gabriel, and Santa Clara Elementary School in Oxnard — have also joined the initiative, according to the school.

San Antonio Catholic schools to start accepting education saving accounts

The Archdiocese of San Antonio says its Catholic schools will now officially accept tuition from the Texas education savings account (ESA) program.

“Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio are strongly promoting and participating in the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program, which provides funds for tuition at Catholic schools,” the archdiocese said in a statement to local media.

Under the program, students at Catholic schools will be able to receive $10,000 to cover tuition costs that will be placed in a savings account, providing increased flexibility to parents.

Inga Cotton, the founder and executive director of the San Antonio-based School Discovery Network, told media: “Catholic schools are some of the most affordable private schools in our region.”

She added that for “so many of them, the annual tuition is already below what the ESA will cover. It makes it more affordable for families.”

“Across the archdiocese, schools are preparing to welcome many new families through the launch of this effort,” the archdiocese said.

The legislation “was the result of hard work from many people through the years, who have been consistently advocating to give parents a true choice in education for their children.”

Pennsylvania diocese: State tax policy allows major break for donating to Catholic schools

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is encouraging residents to take advantage of the state’s tax policy, which grants major tax breaks to those who donate to Catholic schools.

“The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is making it easier than ever for individuals and businesses to transform their Pennsylvania state tax dollars into tuition assistance for Catholic school students, at no additional cost to them,” the diocese said in a statement this month.

“When you participate, you’re transforming lives,” Pittsburgh Bishop Mark Eckman said. “Every dollar given through this program helps open doors to a Catholic education that forms hearts, minds, and futures. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful ways to make a lasting difference for our children and our Church.”

According to the diocese, the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit programs enable participants to receive a 90% state tax credit when they contribute to the diocese’s approved scholarship fund.

The diocese has launched an online resource that offers step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

Pope Leo XIV to name St. John Henry Newman a patron saint of Catholic education
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:07:00 -0400

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 09:07 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will name St. John Henry Newman a patron saint of Catholic education in a document to be published on Oct. 28 for the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education.

The Holy Father will designate Newman as an official co-patron saint of education, together with St. Thomas Aquinas, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Education from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, which is expected to draw 20,000 pilgrims.

The saint will also be declared the 38th doctor of the Church by Leo at the jubilee’s closing Mass on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints.

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, the prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, announced the upcoming designation during an Oct. 22 press conference.

Newman, de Mendonça said, is an “extraordinary educator and great inspiration for the philosophy of education.”

The pope will also publish a document on Oct. 28 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis.

Leo’s document will “reflect on the topicality of the declaration and on the challenges that education must confront today, in particular the Catholic schools and universities,” de Mendonça said.

Gravissiumum Educationis, the cardinal said, is a “fundamental document with a strong impact on the contemporary vision of education. The document had a fundamental role in and outside of the Church, and it should be recognized.”

In addition to reaffirming the universal right to education, the Vatican II declaration marked “an important change in the language, that is, the mentality, for speaking about school, not in terms of institutions but rather in terms of educational communities,” he added.

The cardinal quoted at length from the pope’s document to be published Oct. 28, which says that Gravissimum Educationis “has lost none of its bite” since its publication.

“Since its reception, a constellation of works and charisms has been born ... a spiritual and pedagogical heritage capable of crossing the 21st century and responding to the most pressing challenges,” the pope says in the document.

“This heritage is not set in stone: It is a compass that continues to point the way,” Leo says. “Today’s expectations are no less than those the Church faced 60 years ago. Indeed, they have expanded and become more complex. ... History challenges us with new urgency. Rapid and profound changes expose children, adolescents, and young people to unprecedented fragility. It is not enough to preserve: We must relaunch.”

“I ask all educational institutions to inaugurate a season that speaks to the hearts of the new generations, recomposing knowledge and meaning, competence and responsibility, faith and life.”

According to the latest Vatican statistics shared at the Oct. 22 press conference, there are 230,000 Catholic universities and schools present across 171 countries, serving almost 72 million students.

Report warns revoking churches’ charitable status in Canada could devastate faith sector
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Vancouver, Canada, Oct 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A new report from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy warns that removing the “advancement of religion” from Canada’s list of recognized charitable purposes could have far-reaching social and financial consequences for churches and other faith-based organizations.

The 38-page report, “Revoking the Charitable Status for the Advancement of Religion: A Critical Assessment,” by senior fellow Pierre Gilbert, responds to a December 2024 recommendation from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to amend the Income Tax Act and eliminate the long-standing charitable category.

If adopted, the recommendation in the committee’s pre-budget report could strip churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues of charitable status — ending their ability to issue tax-deductible receipts and, in many cases, their income-tax exemptions. Gilbert warns that the change could also trigger a one-time revocation tax equal to most of their assets, effectively “wiping out what they own.”

“The committee’s recommendation, driven by lobbying from the BC Humanist Association, represents a direct threat to religious freedom and the vital role faith communities play in Canadian society,” Gilbert said.

He cites research estimating that religious organizations contribute about $16.5 billion annually to Canada through education, social services, community programs, and cultural activities. The report argues that revoking charitable status would be “fiscally shortsighted and socially destructive.”

Gilbert traces charitable status for religion to English common law and the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses, noting that Canada inherited this framework. He outlines how churches historically provided education, health care, and welfare long before the modern state assumed those roles, and says the decline of church influence has paralleled the rise of secularism in public life.

The report describes the finance committee’s proposal as part of a broader movement among secular and humanist groups seeking to eliminate tax benefits for religious institutions. It notes that the BC Humanist Association, which supports ending property tax exemptions for places of worship, is itself a registered charity.

Gilbert estimates that eliminating charitable status for religion would yield between $1.7 billion and $3.2 billion annually in federal revenue but warns this “low-hanging fruit” would come at the cost of social cohesion and community support networks.

He argues that congregations’ economic “halo effect” — the measurable community benefit of their programs and facilities — outweighs foregone tax revenue roughly tenfold. Faith groups also risk a 100% revocation tax under existing Income Tax Act provisions unless their assets are transferred to another registered charity within a year.

Father Deacon Andrew Bennett, an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada and director of faith community engagement at Cardus, echoed those warnings in a Sept. 11 Financial Post commentary that begins: “When Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduces his federal budget this fall, there’s at least one item he should leave out: eliminating the ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose.”

Bennett noted that about 38% of Canadian charities are registered under the advancement-of-religion category and that removing it would have “significant sector-wide implications.”

“Atheist activists have long sought to eliminate charities’ ability to issue tax receipts to donors if their primary purpose is the advancement of religion,” Bennett wrote. “Minister Champagne should reject the idea explicitly.”

Faith communities, he said, clearly serve the common good — providing both spiritual and material support “from birth to death.”

Research cited by Cardus links participation in religious communities with lower social isolation, reduced mortality, and improved quality of life.

“Faith-based charities have never been the initiative of the state but rather the initiative of religious people who sought to improve their and their neighbors’ lives,” Bennett wrote. “These Canadians do not undertake this work for the good of their own faith group but for the good of all.”

He added that Canada’s intricate network of faith-based charities could never be replaced by government. “The state could not fill that void, given the breadth and depth of these charities’ activities, nor could it do so as efficiently and effectively as these charities do,” he said.

“For the good of all Canadians,” he said, “the advancement of religion should remain a charitable purpose.”

The Frontier Centre report is urging churches to prepare for potential legislative changes by educating members, engaging in advocacy, and reaffirming their public mission. It recommends collaboration with organizations such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, and the Christian Legal Fellowship to defend the current legal framework.

Gilbert said churches must “reclaim their prophetic mission” and respond boldly to cultural and political challenges. “Only by embracing such audacious action,” he writes, “can the church restore its status as an important and relevant institution within Canadian society.”

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.

New bishop announced for Plymouth, England, after long vacancy
Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Plymouth, England, Oct 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop Nicholas Hudson, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, as the next bishop of Plymouth, England.

The news comes after the installation of a bishop in the Diocese of Plymouth was twice deferred last year. Canon Christopher Whitehead was due to be installed as the bishop of Plymouth on Feb. 22, 2024, but a diocesan statement suddenly announced on Feb. 1 that it was canceled, explaining that “a canonical process” had been started and that Whitehead had stepped back from active ministry.

In September 2024, Pope Francis appointed Philip Moger as Plymouth’s new bishop, but a “delay” to his installation was suddenly announced just days before it was due to take place on Nov. 9.

Now Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday announced that Hudson, who was named by Pope Francis as a papal nominee to the Synod on Synodality, will take charge of the Diocese of Plymouth, which serves the Catholic community across Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset in the southwest of England.

Aware of the previous delays and the long wait endured by his new diocese, Hudson said: “I am aware how long the clergy, religious, and laity of Plymouth Diocese have waited for a bishop.”

Referring to his links with the Synod on Synodality, Hudson added: “I come with a desire to listen and to learn. I hope we can apply all the strengths of synodality to discern together ways to deepen the diocese’s outreach, mission, and presence to the people of Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset.”

Hudson, 66, has served the Archdiocese of Westminster as an auxiliary bishop since 2014 while also serving as rector of the Venerable English College in Rome. In 2024, he was elected as episcopal secretary for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

The news has been welcomed by the Diocese of Plymouth.

Speaking to CNA, Plymouth’s diocesan administrator, Canon Paul Cummins, said: “It’s fantastic news. It’s so good that we have a bishop. We needed that. We do need a pastor with vision, with energy, who can shepherd the flock in a way that only a bishop can.”

Cummins, who has served as administrator for three years, highlighted Hudson’s prayerfulness as a key element of his new ministry, saying: “He’s a really good man. He seems to me to be very much a man of prayer. The first thing he did was come to the cathedral [and kneel before] the Blessed Sacrament.”

Pinpointing Hudson’s links with synodality, Cummins added: “Synodality is about listening. It’s such a vital part now of Church teaching. My hope is that he can … deepen our synodality.”

One parishioner, who did not want to be identified by name, shared her joy at the news, telling CNA: “I was in a meeting when we heard the news and we all cheered. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our new bishop.”

“We have been praying for such a long time, so this is a great answer to prayers,” she said.

Within the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Hudson serves as chair of the Department for International Affairs and is also moderator of the Holy Land Coordination Group. The Bishops’ Conference paid tribute to Hudson’s skills for the new appointment.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: “Bishop Hudson will serve the Diocese of Plymouth with great generosity and sensitivity, bringing to that leadership his wide experience of the Church both at home and abroad.”

Archbishop John Wilson, the metropolitan archbishop of Southwark, where Hudson was ordained in 1986, said: “Bishop Nicholas brings great experience as a former priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark, rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, and auxiliary bishop in Westminster. His personal gifts and passion for sharing the Gospel of Christ will bring encouragement to the clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful of the Church in Plymouth.”

Hudson will be installed on Nov. 29 at the Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. Boniface in Plymouth.