Catholic Community (English)

Across Europe, Catholic families are turning Halloween into a celebration of light, life and holiness. Known as “Holywins” – a play on “Holy” and “Halloween” – the movement began in Paris in 2002 and has since spread to Poland, Belgium, Italy, Spain and beyond.

Instead of dressing as ghosts or monsters, children appear as saints and angels, joining joyful parades, games and prayer services that highlight the joy of All Saints’ Day on 1 November. For over two decades, it has spread beyond Europe, inspiring families to rediscover the beauty of sainthood and becoming an opportunity to manifest faith in public.

At the Strumienie preschool in Józefów, outside of Poland’s capital, Warsaw, teachers and parents organise an All Saints’ ball that turns catechesis into play.

“The All Saints’ ball in our preschool began from a need to celebrate and share joy,” said Katarzyna Astrachancew, deputy director for education and development.

“Thanks to this event, children learn about their patron saints. It is not only a kind of catechesis, but also a space to build community and create unforgettable memories,” she told OSV News.

During the event, children come dressed as their favorite saints. Astrachancew said the activity unites entire families.

“We encourage families not to rent costumes but to make them themselves. Often older siblings prepare a costume for the younger ones, learning that a family is a team.”

While she admits the celebration naturally draws comparisons to Halloween, Astrachancew prefers a broader view. “In a sense, yes, it is an alternative,” she told OSV News. She said she wouldn’t say Holywins is something organised to contrast Halloween, but rather “it’s a way of fulfilling the need for joy within the culture in which we live.”

For her, the event is less a rejection of Halloween and more a positive expression of Catholic identity. “It shows the beauty of our culture and the universal call to holiness,” she added.

Elsewhere in Poland, towns and parishes have taken the celebration outdoors, calling public marches of children dressed as saints as “All Saints’ balls” that became a public manifestation of faith. In Libiaz, a town in southern Poland, more than a thousand children and families join a joyful Holywins parade each year.

Participants march through the streets dressed as saints, waving banners and singing hymns, before gathering for Mass and a community celebration with drinks and sweets. Organisers describe it as a “procession of life and light” meant to show that faith can be festive and public.

Similar scenes unfold further west, in Belgium, where Holywins has become an annual family festival. Jacques Galloy, a lay Catholic from Liège and longtime organiser, said the movement began in 2008 among families from the Emmanuel Community who wanted to “restore the true meaning of All Saints’ Day.”

“Children, parents and grandparents come together for a day of joy,” Galloy told OSV News.

The event in Hannut, a town in central Belgium, draws around 180 participants each year.

“In a society that often avoids speaking about death, Halloween at least opens a conversation,” he said. “But it does so through dark and morbid symbols. Holywins responds by presenting All Saints’ Day as a celebration of hope.”

Throughout the day, Belgian children visit game stations run by teens, learning about saints through skits, crafts and music. There’s adoration adapted for children – and, naturally, the “Holy Buffet,” featuring Belgian waffles, crepes and hot chocolate. The day ends with a concert of Christian music.

“It’s a real family feast,” Galloy said. “A celebration of life, not of fear.”

The idea is spreading quickly. Galloy noted that Holywins celebrations now appear in France, Spain, Italy and even Latin America. “It’s encouraging to see so many families rediscover the joy of sainthood,” he said.

In Italy, on 31 October, many parishes organise local initiatives as prayerful alternatives to Halloween. Across the country, parishes invite children to dress as saints or angels and join “processions of saints” through local streets. Some communities host evenings of adoration and music.

The parish of St Anthony the Great in Turin, for instance, launched the “Un santo per amico” initiative, or “A saint for a friend,” that invites families and children to choose a saint, learn about their life, and follow their example daily.

Spain, too, has embraced the idea of Holywins.

The Diocese of Getafe, outside of Madrid, launched its own edition of “Holywins”, or “la santidad gana” in Spanish, for 31 October, inviting “children, youth, families and adults to a day of joy, light and Christian witness” in multiple parishes of the diocese.

In the Diocese of Cordoba, the Gaudium school distributed catechetical materials for Holywins 2025, encouraging parishes and schools to prepare workshops, games and saint-related activities ahead of All Saints’ Day.

Themed “To be always united to Jesus, this is the plan for my life,” the school chose St Carlo Acutis – the author of those words and canonised 7 September – as the patron saint for 2025.

Across Europe, Holywins efforts share a common thread. They are not merely reactions against Halloween, but affirmations of hope, reminding both children and adults that Christian joy can shine in a culture. The tone is festive but rooted in belief.

As Belgian organiser Galloy put it, “We believe that death is not the end but a passage toward the light. Let’s honor our dead – but also celebrate life beyond death.”

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Pope Leo XIV encouraged an international group of young adults to reach out to their peers and invite them to be active members of a parish community rather than trying to live their faith alone.

The pope met 31 October with members of the International Youth Advisory Body, a group of 20 young adults from around the world who serve three-year terms as advisers to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life. The North American members are Sally Yasmine from the Archdiocese of Montreal and Wyatt Olivas from the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Pope Leo had a prepared speech for the group but handed them a copy of the text rather than reading it.

“You know that in recent years many young people have approached the faith through social media, successful programs and popular online Christian witnesses,” the pope wrote. “The danger is that a faith discovered online is limited to individual experiences, which may be intellectually and emotionally reassuring, but are never ’embodied.'”

The danger, he wrote, is that those spiritual experiences “remain ‘disembodied,’ detached from the ‘ecclesial body,'” which is the church.

Another danger, he said, is that they are not lived “alongside others in real-life situations, relationships or sharing. All too often, social media algorithms merely create a sounding board for individuals, picking up on personal preferences and tastes, and ‘sending them back’ magnified and enriched with appealing proposals.”

In that kind of digital echo chamber, he said, “everyone remains alone with themselves, prisoners of their own inclinations and projections.”

Young people are essential members of the church, the pope said, especially a church that is striving to be “synodal,” listening to all members, praying and discerning together and calling on each person to contribute their talents.

“Authentic synodality leads to mission,” the pope wrote. And part of that is being involved so that the church understands “how to bring the Gospel to everyone.”

 

“All of this requires that you, young people, have open hearts, ready to listen both to the ‘inspirations’ of the Spirit and the deep ‘aspirations’ of each person,” Pope Leo wrote.

“You must look beyond appearances in order to seek the true answers that give meaning to life. You must have hearts that are open to God’s call and not e

ngrossed in your own plans and are willing to understand and sympathise before forming judgments.”

Pope Leo asked the young people particularly to help the church “hear the voices of the weak, the poor and the lonely, refugees and those who struggle to integrate into society, or to access educational opportunities.”

“All too often,” he said, “these voices are drowned out by the noise of the powerful, the successful and those who live in ‘exclusive’ realities.”

Being missionary, the pope wrote, “entails freedom from fear, because the Lord loves to call us to forge new paths. In this sense, as young people, you can be leaders of creativity and courage.”

The post Faith thrives in community, not isolation, pope tells young adults appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

Brazilian Cardinal Orani João Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro appealed for peace after a police operation targeting a local drug trafficking gang resulted in the deaths of more than a hundred people.

In a statement released 28 October, hours after the deadly raid, Cardinal Tempesta said, “Violence and fear have wounded the heart of our city,” and he reaffirmed that human life “is a sacred gift from God and must always be defended and preserved.”

“It is urgent that we unite our forces for reconciliation, mutual respect, and, above all, the protection of life, the promotion of justice, and the building of a peaceful society that fosters the dignity of every person, especially the poorest and most vulnerable,” the cardinal wrote.

The Associated Press reported that an estimated 2,500 police officers descended on two slum neighborhoods, known as favelas, in a raid against the local drug trafficking gang Red Command.

The operation led to a shootout that local witnesses described as an all-out street war, resulting in 132 deaths, including four police officers. Police said the raid also led to the arrest of 113 suspects and the seizure of dozens of firearms and more than a ton of drugs.

While local authorities stated that those killed resisted or attacked police, local residents protested the police’s alleged use of excessive force. Residents lined the streets with the bodies of those killed.

Given the high death toll, human rights organisations, including the UN human rights body, called for investigations into the raid, according to the AP.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took to X 30 October and said he had instructed the government’s justice minister and the director general of the federal police to meet with Rio’s state governor, Claudio Castro, to investigate the circumstances of the raid.

“We cannot accept that organised crime continues to destroy families, oppress residents, and spread drugs and violence across cities,” he wrote. “We need coordinated work that strikes at the backbone of drug trafficking without putting police, children and innocent families at risk.”

In his message, Cardinal Tempesta said that as disciples of Jesus, Christians are “called to be builders of peace, to overcome the hatred, vengeance and indifference that corrode the social fabric.”

The cardinal said he believed “that love and goodness are stronger than any violence,” even in the face of chaos.

“I ask each of you to be an instrument of this peace,” Cardinal Tempesta wrote. “We cannot fuel hatred, nor respond with indifference. Rio de Janeiro was born with a vocation for joy and welcoming. May we, with faith and perseverance, return the glow of peace and the strength of fraternity to our city.”

Cardinal Tempesta called on the people of the city to “remain steadfast” in prayer and in rebuilding peace, urging them to “be seeds of reconciliation” through their words and deeds.

“May the Lord of life comfort our hearts, heal the wounds of violence, and make us instruments of his peace,” he wrote.

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The lives of St John Henry Newman and of all the saints teach Christians that “it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,'” Pope Leo XIV said.

Celebrating Mass 1 November, the feast of All Saints, Pope Leo concluded the Jubilee of the World of Education and proclaimed St Newman the 38th doctor of the church, including him among the men and women of the Christian East and West who have made decisive contributions to theology and spirituality.

Earlier in the week, Pope Leo had officially recognised St Newman as co-patron of education along with St Thomas Aquinas.

St Newman was born in London 21 February, 1801, was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825, became Catholic in 1845 and was made a cardinal in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. He died in 1890.

Leading members of the Anglican Church of England and the British government attended the Mass where he was declared a doctor of the church. The Anglican delegation was led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, currently the top-ranking prelate of the Church of England. The government delegation was led by David Lammy, deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and secretary of state for justice.

Greeting Archbishop Cottrell publicly at the end of Mass, Pope Leo prayed that St Newman would “accompany the journey of Christians toward full unity.”

The banner used during St Newman’s canonization Mass in 2019 hung from the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica during the Mass and his relics were placed on a table near the altar.

While St Newman’s theology, philosophy and thoughts about university education were cited in the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ presentation at the Mass, Pope Leo chose to quote in his homily from the British saint’s poem, “Lead, Kindly Light,” now a popular hymn.

“In that beautiful prayer” of St Newman’s, the pope said, “we come to realise that we are far from home, our feet are unsteady, we cannot interpret clearly the way ahead. Yet none of this impedes us, since we have found our guide” in Jesus.

“Lead, Kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on,” the pope quoted in English while reading his homily in Italian.

Speaking to the teachers, professors and other educators gathered for the Mass in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo said, “The task of education is precisely to offer this Kindly Light to those who might otherwise remain imprisoned by the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear.”

The pope asked the educators to “reflect upon and point out to others those ‘constellations’ that transmit light and guidance at this present time, which is darkened by so much injustice and uncertainty.”

He also encouraged them “to ensure that schools, universities and every educational context, even those that are informal or street-based, are always gateways to a civilization of dialogue and peace.”

Another quote from St Newman – “God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another” – expresses “the mystery of the dignity of every human person, and also the variety of gifts distributed by God,” the pope said.

Catholic educators, he said, have an obligation not only to transmit information but also to help their students discover how much God loves them and how he has a plan for their lives.

“Life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful or powerful,” the pope said. “Instead, it shines when we discover within ourselves the truth that we are called by God, have a vocation, have a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves.”

“Every single creature has a role to play,” he said. “The contribution that each person can make is uniquely valuable, and the task of educational communities is to encourage and cherish that contribution.”

“At the heart of the educational journey,” Pope Leo said, “we do not find abstract individuals but real people, especially those who seem to be underperforming according to the parameters of economies that exclude or even kill them. We are called to form people, so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.”

Lammy, the British government official, told Catholic News Service that he had had the “great honour and privilege” to meet Pope Leo before the Mass.

As a member of the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England, he said he believes “John Henry Newman really encapsulates the deep connections between our countries and between the Christian communities, across the Christian community.”

The proclamation was “a moment of unity and reflection,” Lammy said. “It’s not just a religious honor, but a powerful moment of cohesion that shows how engaging in our differences can also unite us.”

St Newman’s legacy, he said, “reminds us that Britain’s religious story is broader than one tradition. It’s been enriched by Catholic thought, courage and contribution.”

In addition, the deputy prime minister said, “I think his life and his writings show how belief and reason together can guide moral leadership, diplomacy, compassion, and I think in an age of polarisation, Newman’s insistence on moral reflection calls us back to what truly matters, which is leadership in the cause of what is right and just, which is a principle that should shape our politics.”

The post At education Jubilee, pope names St John Henry Newman ‘doctor of the church’ appeared first on The Catholic Weekly.

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NB Because this article is so long, yet so important for the month of November, it will be my only article this week (except for perhaps another one on the infrequently-viewed Life-Update pull-down.) November is the month where we pray for our faithful departed, for those who repose in the Lord.  Clearly, those in heaven [...]

Rome, Italy, Nov 2, 2025 / 12:40 pm (CNA).

Celebrating Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at Rome’s Verano Cemetery, Pope Leo XIV invited Catholics to contemplate death “not so much as a recollection of the past, but above all as a hope for the future.”

The pope said the Christian vision of death is not one of despair or nostalgia but of confident expectation rooted in the resurrection of Christ. “Our Christian faith, founded upon Christ’s Paschal mystery, helps us to experience our memories as more than just a recollection of the past but also, and above all, as hope for the future,” he said in his homily.

He encouraged the faithful not to remain “in the sorrow for those who are no longer with us,” but instead to look forward “towards the goal of our journey, towards the safe harbor that God has promised us, towards the unending feast that awaits us.”

“This hope for the future brings to life our remembrance and prayer today,” the pope continued. “This is not an illusion for soothing the pain of our separation from loved ones, nor is it mere human optimism. Instead, it is the hope founded on the Resurrection of Jesus who has conquered death and opened for us the path to the fullness of life.”

Pope Leo emphasized that love is the key to this journey. “It was out of love that God created us, through the love of his Son that he saves us from death, and in the joy of that same love, he desires that we live forever with him and with our loved ones,” he said.

He urged Christians to anticipate eternal life by practicing charity in their daily lives. “Whenever we dwell in love and show charity to others, especially the weakest and most needy, then we can journey towards our goal, and even now anticipate it through an unbreakable bond with those who have gone before us.”

“Love conquers death,” he said simply. “In love, God will gather us together with our loved ones. And, if we journey together in charity, our very lives become a prayer rising up to God, uniting us with the departed, drawing us closer to them as we await to meet them again in the joy of eternal life.”

Concluding his homily, the pope invited those mourning loved ones to turn to the Risen Christ as their sure source of comfort and promise. “Even as our sorrow for those no longer among us remains etched in our hearts, let us entrust ourselves to the hope that does not disappoint,” he said. “Let us fix our gaze upon the Risen Christ and think of our departed loved ones as enfolded in his light.”

“The Lord awaits us,” he added. “And when we finally meet him at the end of our earthly journey, we shall rejoice with him and with our loved ones who have gone before us. May this promise sustain us, dry our tears, and raise our gaze upwards toward the hope for the future that never fades.”

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

Pope Leo XIV presides over the Mass for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at Rome’s Monumental Verano Cemetery. He recalls that "Christian faith, founded upon Christ’s Paschal mystery, helps us to experience our memories as more than just a recollection of the past but also, and above all, as hope for the future.” Later, he visited the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica to pray for the deceased Popes.

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Vatican City, Nov 2, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV issued urgent appeals for peace and humanitarian access in Sudan and Tanzania on Sunday, decrying escalating violence that has left civilians dead and aid blocked in parts of Africa.

“With great sorrow I am following the tragic news coming from Sudan, especially from the city of El Fasher in the war-torn region of North Darfur,” the pope said after leading the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on November 2. He condemned “indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on unarmed civilians, and serious obstacles to humanitarian aid,” and called for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

“I renew my heartfelt appeal to all parties involved to agree to a ceasefire and to urgently open humanitarian corridors,” he said, urging the international community “to act with determination and generosity” to support relief efforts.

Turning to Tanzania, the pope expressed sadness over deadly clashes following recent elections, encouraging citizens “to avoid all forms of violence and to follow the path of dialogue.”

The pope also greeted pilgrims from Italy and abroad, including youth and religious groups, and said that he would celebrate Mass that afternoon at Rome’s Verano Cemetery in remembrance of the faithful departed. “In spirit, I will visit the graves of my loved ones, and I will also pray for those who have no one to remember them,” he said. “Our heavenly Father knows and loves each of us, and he forgets no one.”

Earlier, before the recitation of the Angelus, the pope reflected on the meaning of All Souls’ Day, telling the faithful that “the resurrection of the crucified Jesus from the dead sheds light on the destiny of each one of us.”

Quoting from the Gospel of John, he said: “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” From this, the pope explained, “the focus of God’s concerns is clear: that no one should perish forever and that everyone should have their own place and radiate their unique beauty.”

He linked this hope to the previous day’s feast of All Saints, calling it “a communion of differences that extends God’s life to all his daughters and sons who wish to share in it.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI, he described eternal life as “being so immersed in an ocean of infinite love that time, before, and after no longer exist.”

Concluding his reflection, the pope invited Christians to live this day as a remembrance filled with hope. “Let us commemorate, therefore, the future,” he said. “We are not enclosed in the past or in sentimental tears of nostalgia. Neither are we sealed within the present, as in a tomb.”

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

More than 62,000 people are believed to have fled El-Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized control of the city.

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CNA Staff, Nov 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican on Saturday named St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church. The 19th-century English saint — a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism — joined 37 other saints who have been given the same honor.

Born in London and baptized into the Church of England in 1801, Newman was a popular and respected Anglican priest, theologian, and writer among his peers prior to his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847 and later made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879.

As a Catholic, Newman deepened and contributed to the Church’s teaching, thanks to his broad knowledge of theology and his keen insight into modern times, grounded in the Gospel. His body of work includes 40 books and more than 20,000 letters.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 19, 2010, and canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019.

What is a ‘doctor of the Church’?

The title “doctor of the Church” recognizes those canonized men and women who possessed profound knowledge, were superb teachers, and contributed significantly to the Church’s theology.

Traditionally, the title has been granted on the basis of three requirements: the manifest holiness of a candidate affirmed by his or her canonization as a saint; the person’s eminence in doctrine demonstrated by the leaving behind of a body of teachings that made significant and lasting contributions to the life of the Church; and a formal declaration by the Church, usually by a pope.

While their teachings are not considered infallible, being declared a “doctor” means that they contributed to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one significant area and this teaching has impacted later generations. 

Not quite half of the saints revered as doctors in the Catholic Church are also honored in the Orthodox church since they lived before the Great Schism in 1054.

The most recent doctor of the Church to be named was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, with the title “doctor unitatis” (“doctor of unity”), in 2022. Pope Francis had previously in 2015 named as a doctor of the Church St. Gregory of Narek, a 10th-century priest, monk, mystic, and poet beloved among Armenian Christians.

Other notable saints who are doctors of the Church include St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales, among others.

This story was first published on Aug. 1, 2025, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV appeals for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian corridors in Sudan, calling for international action and prayer for the victims. Speaking during the Angelus address he also calls for peace and dialogue in Tanzania following post-election clashes that have caused hundreds of deaths.

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During his Angelus on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the hope of the resurrection and the importance of remembering those who have gone before us.

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CNA Staff, Nov 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

When a 93-year-old Catholic father from New Orleans had a stroke, he knew he was prepared to die.

Clinton Jacob attended adoration and Mass daily and was “rarely without a prayer book or rosary in hand,” according to his daughter, Kim DeSopo.

“[He] never spoke of death with fear or sadness,” she told CNA. “He would simply say, ‘I’ll be going home.’”

But not everyone feels prepared for death.

The Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick, is a Catholic community of sisters who dedicate their lives to caring for the sick and dying in New Orleans and around the world. As nurses, they are at the bedside of the dying through the long nights, whether their patients are lifelong Catholics or have never thought about religion.

The sisters often encounter patients as well as family members who are struggling to accept “an illness or imminent death,” Sister Catherine Bussen, a Servant of Mary, told CNA.

“Many times, there is a need for reconciliation within the family, for a return to their faith, for acceptance of their condition, etc.,” Bussen said.

As medical professionals, the sisters provide physical treatment, but they also walk with their patients throughout their illnesses, encouraging patients and families “always with the hope of eternal life,” Bussen said. 

DeSopo, Jacob’s daughter, called the sisters for support. The next day, Bussen arrived at their doorstep, and every night for two weeks, she sat at Jacob’s bedside. 

Bussen’s presence was “a gift,” DeSopo said. “Sister Catherine brought peace and calm into a time filled with stress and sorrow.”

“Her prayers, patience, and care provided comfort not only to my father but also to my mother, who could finally sleep knowing someone trustworthy and compassionate was by his side,” DeSopo said, recalling Bussen’s “selfless dedication” and “unwavering faith.” 

Bussen was with Jacob when he died on Sept. 26, 2024. She prepared his body, cleaning him and sprinkling him with holy water, and then prayed with his wife and daughter.

“I will never forget the care and dignity she gave him, even after his final breath,” DeSopo said.

Mary at the foot of the cross 

“I was sick and you visited me.”

This Scripture verse, Matthew 25:36, summarizes the charism of the Servants of Mary, according to Bussen. 

When they care for the sick, they care for Christ.

The sisters will care for anyone in need, preferably within the sick person’s own home. In those who are suffering, the sisters “discover Jesus carrying his cross,” Bussen explained. 

“By caring for the sick, we believe that we are caring for Christ himself, who still suffers today in the suffering mystical body of Christ,” she said.

Founded in Madrid, Spain, in the 1800s, the sisters care for the sick and dying in Louisiana, Kansas, and California as well as throughout Central and South America, Spain, France, England, Italy, Cameroon, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They run a hospital for the poor in Bamenda, Cameroon, as well as two missionary houses in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The sisters look to Mary as an example as they accompany those who are suffering.

“Although we are not able to take away someone’s cross, we are present to them, offering all to the Father, like Mary did at the cross of Jesus, that all suffering may be redemptive and fruitful,” Bussen said.

“Every one of us sisters would tell you that it is an absolute privilege to be able to enter into the intimacy of a family’s home, listening to the dying, praying with them, and encouraging them on the final stage of their journey as their soul passes into eternity,” she said.

“Our Catholic Christian faith is a beautiful comfort during these times because it is all about looking forward to the promised life to come, the whole goal of our lives, eternal life,” Bussen said.

One woman from New Orleans received news no one wants to hear — she had a terminal illness. Though she was not religious, she knew she needed help and did not know who else to turn to, so she called the Servants of Mary.

As they cared for her and helped her deal with her terminal diagnosis, the sisters learned the woman was “completely alone in the world,” said Bussen, who took care of her. Other people from the surrounding Catholic community volunteered to stay with her.

During that time, the woman found a home in the Catholic Church and received the sacrament of baptism.

Her “anxiety was transformed into peace,” said Bussen, who was with her as she died.

“As the end drew near, she had a new faith family,” Bussen said. “She was no longer alone.”

Remembering the dead 

The life of a sister Servant of Mary is “contemplative in action.” 

The sisters unite “our prayer life with our work — going about what we are doing, in all the business of daily life, in a prayerful spirit,” Bussen said.

The sisters have time set aside for prayer and work, “but these two aspects cannot be separated from one another,” she continued. “The grace and light received in prayer flows into our work and ministry, and everything we experience in our ministry is taken to prayer.”

Throughout the year, the sisters take special care to remember the dead. 

In November especially, Bussen said the sisters “remember all our patients who have died with us by placing their names in our chapel and offering Masses for their eternal happiness.”

“Even after a patient has passed,” she said, “and they no longer need physical care, our ministry continues by praying for their soul.”

ROME (CNS) -- As Christians visit cemeteries on the feast of All Souls and remember their loved ones who have died, they do so with faith that at the end of this life they will be together again with the Lord, Pope Leo XIV said.

The pope celebrated Mass Nov. 2, the feast of All Souls, at Rome's largest cemetery, Verano, which covers more than 200 acres.

"The Lord awaits us, and when we finally meet him at the end of our earthly journey, we shall rejoice with him and with our loved ones who have gone before us," the pope told about 2,000 people who had gathered on a road among the tombs for the Mass.

"May this promise sustain us, dry our tears and raise our gaze upward toward the hope for the future that never fades," he said.

Arriving at the cemetery, he set a bouquet of white roses on one of the tombs, and at the end of the Mass he blessed the graves with holy water before leading the traditional prayer, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." 

The pope began his homily by speaking about the loved ones buried at Verano, telling the congregation that "we continue to carry them with us in our hearts, and their memory remains always alive within us amid our daily lives"

"Often," he said, "something brings them to mind, and we recall experiences we once shared with them. Many places, even the fragrance of our homes, speak to us of those we have loved and who have gone before us, vividly maintaining their memory for us."

For those who believe that Jesus conquered death, the pope said, "it is not so much about looking back, but instead looking forward toward the goal of our journey, toward the safe harbor that God has promised us, toward the unending feast that awaits us."

"There, around the Risen Lord and our loved ones, we hope to savor the joy of the eternal banquet," he said. 

Belief in eternal life, the pope said, "is not an illusion for soothing the pain of our separation from loved ones, nor is it mere human optimism. Instead, it is the hope founded on the Resurrection of Jesus who has conquered death and opened for us the path to the fullness of life."

After the Mass, Pope Leo visited the tombs of the popes buried in the grotto under St. Peter's Basilica.

Earlier in the day, the pope led the recitation of the Angelus prayer with thousands of visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square.

He told them he would be going to the cemetery to celebrate Mass for all the faithful departed. 

"In spirit, I will visit the graves of my loved ones" -- his mother died in 1990 and his father in 1997 -- "and I will also pray for those who have no one to remember them. But our heavenly Father knows and loves each of us, and he forgets no one!"

Citing Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on hope, Pope Leo said that "eternal life" can be thought of not as "a succession of time without end, but being so immersed in an ocean of infinite love that time, before and after no longer exist."

Such a "fullness of life and joy in Christ is what we hope for and await with all our being," Pope Leo said.

Praying for the dead, he said, is not just about remembering a loss, but it is a sign of belief that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, no one will be lost.

Pope Leo prayed, "May the familiar voice of Jesus reach us, and reach everyone, because it is the only one that comes from the future. May he call us by name, prepare a place for us, free us from that sense of helplessness that tempts us to give up on life."
 

The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day.

Reading I Wisdom 3:1-9

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Reading II Romans 5:5-11

Or: Romans 6:3-9

Alleluia Matthew 25:34

Gospel John 6:37-40

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Chicago, Illinois, Nov 1, 2025 / 17:29 pm (CNA).

Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado celebrated a Mass on Nov. 1 outside the Broadview facility in Chicago where immigration advocates allege federal authorities inhumanely treat detainees.

Maldonado, an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, and a group of eight spiritual leaders sought to bring holy Communion to detainees and were not admitted. Mass organizers said they followed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s guidelines to obtain access and submitted the request weeks in advance.

An estimated 2,000 Catholics attended the outdoor Mass including Sister JoAnn Persch, 91, a Sister of Mercy and longtime advocate for immigrant rights in the Chicago area.

Persch said in previous years she was granted access to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and brought Communion to detainees, but access has ceased. Obtaining access initially took time when she first began visiting the facility a decade ago, she said.

“Our motto is peacefully, respectfully, but never take no for an answer, so we kept working with ICE,” Persch said. “Finally, we got inside.”

Father David Inczauskis, SJ, who worked with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership and Broadview, Illinois’ mayor to request access, said: “On a day of All Saints, people should be able to receive Communion. That’s a reasonable request to make, fitting with our Constitution and with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.”

A full slate of information about who is inside the facility is lacking, he said. But family members of detainees say their loved ones are inside desiring Communion, he said. Authorities cited “safety reasons” for denying the group access, Inczauskis said.

“The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. It’s such an important thing for people to be able to receive Communion. To be denied that right, that opportunity, as Catholics, is devastating,” Inczauskis said.

Michael Okinczyc-Cruz, executive director of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, cited media reports saying people are being kept at the Broadview facility for days, sleeping on floors, having medications withheld, with no showers.

The American Civil Liberties Union and MacArthur Justice Center sued the federal government Oct. 31, saying migrants are housed in inhumane conditions at Broadview and denied their right to access counsel. The Department of Homeland Security has vigorously denied the allegations of subprime conditions.

Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office and lead counsel on the suit, said in a statement: “Community members are being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights. This is a vicious abuse of power and gross violation of basic human rights by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. It must end now.”

The suit alleges ICE agents at Broadview deny detainees sufficient food, water, hygiene, and medical care. The suit alleged detainees are deprived of sleep, privacy, menstrual products, and the ability to shower.

President Donald Trump expanded use of deportations without a court hearing this year and ramped up federal law enforcement efforts to identify and arrest immigrants lacking legal status. The administration set a goal of 1 million deportations this year.

Genin De la Peña is a Chicago resident who said she attended the Mass at Broadview “because others cannot, I want to support,” she said.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 1, 2025 / 12:58 pm (CNA).

Graphic evidence emerged Friday of large-scale massacres of civilians in Sudan, including satellite imagery of bodies and blood-stained ground taken outside a hospital in Darfur.

More than 460 patients and their family members were reported shot and killed in the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, Tuesday, after the Sudanese army surrendered the city to paramilitary fighters on Sunday following an 18-month siege.

The government’s forces remain in control of the capital city of Khartoum, according to news reports.

The massacre is the latest tragedy in the conflict that has consumed the western Darfur region since full-scale civil war broke out in 2023. 

The war between rival military factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has claimed the lives of an estimated 150,000 people and displaced as many as 14 million, according to the Council on Foreign Relation’s Global Conflict Tracker.

UN: It's the world's 'most devastating' humanitarian crisis

In January, the U.S. State Department declared that the RSF had committed genocide against non-Arab ethic groups in Sudan. The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as “most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world.” 

Former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, earlier this year, said that “men and boys ¾ even infants ¾ on an ethnic basis” had been killed and that the RSF fighters “deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence,” CNN reported.

The atrocities that have taken place in Sudan constitute ethnic cleansing, according to Human Rights Watch, which in its 2024 report said “crimes against humanity and widespread war crimes were committed in the context of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the ethnic Massalit and other non-Arab populations.” 

The Republic of Sudan, in northeastern Africa, has a population of about 50 million people, 90.7% of whom are Muslim, with Christians forming the largest minority. In 2019, a revolution toppled President Omar al-Bashir, ending decades of authoritarian rule. Two years later, military leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ousted civilian leaders and seized power. Their forces turned on each other in April 2023, plunging the country into war.

In September, Pope Leo XIV called on Sudan’s warring leaders to end the violence in the country in order to get much-needed humanitarian assistance to the 260,000 people said to be trapped in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in el-Fasher. 

“Dramatic news is coming from Sudan, particularly from Darfur,” Pope Leo said. “In el-Fasher many civilians are trapped in the city, victims of famine and violence. In Tarasin, a devastating landslide has caused numerous deaths, leaving behind pain and despair. And as if that weren’t enough, the spread of cholera is threatening hundreds of thousands of people who are already exhausted.”

“I make a heartfelt appeal to those in positions of responsibility and to the international community to ensure humanitarian corridors are open and to implement a coordinated response to stop this humanitarian catastrophe,” the Pope said.

“It is a forgotten war because the people are really forgotten,” Bishop Christian Carlassare of Bentiu in South Sudan told OSV News.

“Unfortunately, it’s a forgotten war for the international community, but it’s not forgotten for the weapon merchants, who are making a lot of profits out of this war,” he told the outlet.

According to the United Nations, Sudan is becoming “the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history.” As many as 24.6 million people ¾ more than half the population ¾ are “food insecure,” according to the U.N.

In February of this year, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas agencies warned that the Trump administration’s freezing of assistance through U.S. Agency for International Development would exacerbate an already dangerous situation.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register.

Vatican City, Nov 1, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

St. John Henry Newman, the Anglican clergyman who converted to Catholicism but whom many in both London and Rome distrusted for years, stands today as a beacon that continues to inspire many to embrace the Catholic faith as he did.

“I am personally grateful for the testimony of Newman’s life, because without his legacy I might not be Catholic today,” confesses Ryan “Bud” Marr, a renowned scholar of the English saint, upon whom Pope Leo XIV conferred Saturday the title of doctor of the Church.

Newman's memorable quote — "to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant" — was pivotal in Marr’s personal conversion. When he first read it, "I was studying to be a Protestant pastor," he revealed in a conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

"I immediately understood that I had to read the rest of Newman's essay to put to the test the truth of his statement. I couldn't simply ignore that challenge and continue on the path I was on," he explained.

The expert, a former associate editor of the Newman Studies Journal, added that "there are countless similar testimonies" to his and that they will continue to grow in the coming years in light of Newman’s designation as the 38th doctor of the Church.

For Marr, Newman possessed a singular gift: “Expressing fundamental truths in brief and memorable phrases,” capable of transcending time and touching consciences. This is why so many people, over more than a century, have found in his writings a path to conversion.

Development of doctrine, a decisive contribution

For Marr, Newman’s most significant contribution to contemporary Catholic theology is on the subject of the development of doctrine. “It’s not that Newman wrote something entirely new,” he explained.

“Other Catholic theologians, especially St. Vincent of Lérins, had already addressed the topic of doctrinal development. But Newman synthesized diverse ideas into a unified and compelling theory, so that any subsequent theologian has had to start from his “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine” when addressing this topic,” he pointed out.

This vision, he added, was decisive for 20th-century thought. Newman showed that “the Church’s understanding of revealed truths deepens over time.” “In some cases, the Church offers new formulations — as happened with the Nicene Creed — but these developments always affirm and clarify what has been handed down,” he emphasized.

“The deposit of faith is immutable, but our understanding of that deposit actually expands,” he added. Each generation, Marr emphasized, must “proclaim the truth of the faith within its own linguistic categories,” but always preserving the “essential while facing the challenges of its time.”

Conscience and the sensus fidei as means of Christian discernment

When it was announced that Newman would be proclaimed a doctor of the Church, Marr recalled, “some observers predicted that Pope Leo XIV might bestow upon him the title of Doctor of Conscience.” This is no coincidence. Newman, he noted, dedicated some of his most influential writings to the “centrality of conscience in the journey to God,” both during his Anglican period and in his new life as a Catholic.

Like St. Thomas Aquinas, Marr explained, “Newman believed that a person should never act against the dictates of their conscience,” because doing so “would undermine the very coherence of the moral life.”

However, the former champion of Anglicanism, who converted to Catholicism at the age of 45, also warned about the human tendency toward “self-deception,” Marr explained. The scholar noted that Newman insisted on the need to “form the conscience according to divine and natural law.”

In his 1874 “Letter to the Duke of Norfolk,” one of his most celebrated essays, Newman cautioned against a “false notion of conscience,” identified with the right to one’s own will, an idea that, according to Marr, “reflects the modern mindset” that values ​​subjective independence over objective truth.

He therefore pointed out that “as Catholics, we must work to restore the true vision of conscience, in line with the teaching of theological giants like Aquinas and Newman.”

The sensus fidei is not ‘a populist counterweight to the hierarchy’

This theme is intertwined with the concept of the sensus fidei, the supernatural sense of the faith bestowed upon the baptized: “Newman was ahead of his time in recognizing that the lay faithful have an essential role in the defense and transmission of tradition. The priesthood of all believers means, in part, that the baptized possess a special sense of the faith, a capacity that we must strengthen through devotion and study.”

Marr noted that, for Newman, this sense also had a communal dimension, the sensus fidelium, or sense of the faithful. “He did not understand it as a populist counterweight to the hierarchy,” he clarified. “He knew that the pope and the bishops exercise a divinely instituted authority, but he remembered that there have been times in history — such as during the Arian controversy — when the laity defended the faith, even when some pastors wavered.”

A prophet in the face of modern apostasy

With prophetic clarity, the expert noted, Newman “foresaw the growing irreligion of the modern world.” In his 1873 sermon “The Infidelity of the Future,” Newman warned that the trials of the future would be so great “that they would shake even hearts as valiant as those of St. Athanasius or St. Gregory the Great,” Marr said.

Newman, he explained, perceived that the greatest danger of modernity would be precisely the spread of unbelief, a society that is “simply irreligious.”

However, faced with this bleak outlook, “Newman neither called for retreat nor proposed authoritarian strategies.” He courageously confronted the philosophical ideas of his time and offered a compelling explanation of the “reasonableness of the Christian faith,” deeply rooted in Catholic tradition and in dialogue with modern philosophy, he noted.

Newman and the intellectual mission of the laity

Newman, the expert continued, understood the life of the Catholic Church as something “dynamic,” where “all members of the Body of Christ have an active role in the proclamation of the truth.”

The fathers of the Second Vatican Council took up this vision, presenting it as an urgent call to contemporary Catholics. The expert warned that it is important to understand this call well: “The laity do not fulfill their vocation by becoming more clerical, but by sanctifying the world according to their own specific mission, bringing the Gospel to education, law, medicine, and culture.”

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

Horrifying accounts of reported atrocities allegedly carried out by RSF militia in and around the Sudanese city of El Fasher highlight an ongoing war that caused tens of thousands of deaths and the world’s biggest humanitarian emergency.

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Vatican City, Nov 1, 2025 / 08:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has declared St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and theologian—one of the most influential converts from Anglicanism—as a towering figure of faith and intellect in modern Catholicism.

The declaration took place at the beginning of Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Education. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, read Newman’s biography and formally requested that the Pope proclaim the saint a Doctor of the Church.

Pope Leo then read in Latin the solemn formula declaring Newman the 38th doctor of the Universal Church. The pope also named Newman co-patron of Catholic education, putting him alongside St. Thomas Aquinas in that role.

“An inspiration to new generations”

“Newman’s impressive spiritual and cultural stature will surely serve as an inspiration to new generations whose hearts thirst for the infinite, and who, through research and knowledge, are willing to undertake that journey which, as the ancients said, takes us per aspera ad astra, through difficulties to the stars,” the pope said in his homily.

“The lives of the saints teach us that it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present, without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,'” the pope continued, quoting St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “On this solemn occasion, I wish to say to teachers and educational institutions: ‘Shine today like stars in the world’ through your authentic commitment to the collective search for truth and to sharing it with generosity and integrity.”

Referring to Newman’s famous hymn “Lead, Kindly Light," Leo added: “The task of education is precisely to offer this Kindly Light to those who might otherwise remain imprisoned by the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear. For this reason, I would like to say to you: let us disarm the false reasons for resignation and powerlessness, and let us share the great reasons for hope in today’s world.”

Pope Leo also emphasized that “life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful or powerful. Instead, it shines when we discover within ourselves the truth that we are called by God, have a vocation, have a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves.”

Finally, he recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s words to young people: “‘What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine.’ This is the universal call to holiness that the Second Vatican Council made an essential part of its message. And holiness is intended for everyone, without exception, as a personal and communal journey marked out by the Beatitudes.”

“I pray that Catholic education will help each person to discover their own call to holiness,” the pope said.

What is a Doctor of the Church?

The title “Doctor of the Church” is given to saints recognized for their eminent learning, deep holiness, and significant contribution to Catholic theology.

To receive the title, a saint must have demonstrated outstanding sanctity confirmed by canonization, excellence in doctrine through writings of lasting influence, and a formal declaration by the Pope.

The most recent Doctor of the Church before Newman was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, proclaimed by Pope Francis in 2022 as the “Doctor of Unity.”

Other Doctors of the Church include St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales.

Who is St. John Henry Newman?

St. John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb. 21, 1801. Originally an Anglican priest, he became one of the leading figures of the Oxford Movement, which sought to return the Church of England to its ancient roots. His theological reflections led him ever closer to Catholicism, and in 1845 he entered the Catholic Church.

In remarks after Saturday's Mass, Pope Leo welcomed an official delegation of the Church of England, led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, and prayed that Newman might "accompany Christians on their journey towards full union."

Ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, Newman founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England and went on to produce an immense body of work — more than 40 books and some 20,000 letters — spanning theology, philosophy, and education.

Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879. Newman chose as his motto Cor ad cor loquitur (“Heart speaks to heart”), reflecting his conviction that true conversion is a return to the innermost dwelling of God in the heart.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2010, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2019. His remains rest in the Catholic cemetery of Rednal, Birmingham.

---

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

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 1, 2025 / 08:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has declared St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and theologian — one of the most influential converts from Anglicanism — as a towering figure of faith and intellect in modern Catholicism.

The declaration took place at the beginning of Mass for the solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Education. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, read Newman’s biography and formally requested that the pope proclaim the saint a doctor of the Church.

Pope Leo then read in Latin the solemn formula declaring Newman the 38th doctor of the universal Church. The pope also named Newman co-patron of Catholic education, putting him alongside St. Thomas Aquinas in that role.

‘An inspiration to new generations’

“Newman’s impressive spiritual and cultural stature will surely serve as an inspiration to new generations whose hearts thirst for the infinite and who, through research and knowledge, are willing to undertake that journey which, as the ancients said, takes us ‘per aspera ad astra,’ through difficulties to the stars,” the pope said in his homily.

“The lives of the saints teach us that it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present, without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,’” the pope continued, quoting St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “On this solemn occasion, I wish to say to teachers and educational institutions: ‘Shine today like stars in the world’ through your authentic commitment to the collective search for truth and to sharing it with generosity and integrity.”

Referring to Newman’s famous hymn “Lead, Kindly Light,” Leo added: “The task of education is precisely to offer this Kindly Light to those who might otherwise remain imprisoned by the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear. For this reason, I would like to say to you: let us disarm the false reasons for resignation and powerlessness, and let us share the great reasons for hope in today’s world.”

Pope Leo also emphasized that “life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful, or powerful. Instead, it shines when we discover within ourselves the truth that we are called by God, have a vocation, have a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves.”

Finally, he recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s words to young people: “‘What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine.’ This is the universal call to holiness that the Second Vatican Council made an essential part of its message. And holiness is intended for everyone, without exception, as a personal and communal journey marked out by the beatitudes.”

“I pray that Catholic education will help each person to discover their own call to holiness,” the pope said.

What is a doctor of the Church?

The title “doctor of the Church” is given to saints recognized for their eminent learning, deep holiness, and significant contribution to Catholic theology.

To receive the title, a saint must have demonstrated outstanding sanctity confirmed by canonization, excellence in doctrine through writings of lasting influence, and a formal declaration by the pope.

The most recent doctor of the Church before Newman was St. Irenaeus of Lyon, proclaimed by Pope Francis in 2022 as the “Doctor of Unity.”

Other doctors of the Church include St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis de Sales.

Who is St. John Henry Newman?

St. John Henry Newman was born in London on Feb. 21, 1801. Originally an Anglican priest, he became one of the leading figures of the Oxford Movement, which sought to return the Church of England to its ancient roots. His theological reflections led him ever closer to Catholicism, and in 1845 he entered the Catholic Church.

In remarks after Saturday’s Mass, Pope Leo welcomed an official delegation of the Church of England, led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, and prayed that Newman might “accompany Christians on their journey towards full union.”

Ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, Newman founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England and went on to produce an immense body of work — more than 40 books and some 20,000 letters — spanning theology, philosophy, and education.

Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879. Newman chose as his motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”), reflecting his conviction that true conversion is a return to the innermost dwelling of God in the heart.

He died in Edgbaston, England, in 1890. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2010, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2019. His remains rest in the Catholic cemetery of Rednal, Birmingham.

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

Before the recitation of the Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV recalled the “great celebration” to which the human family is destined—so different from the tragedies it endures because of present injustices. He also greeted the Delegation of the Church of England, in Rome for the proclamation of Saint John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Church.

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During the Mass on the Solemnity of All Saints, also the culmination of the Jubilee of the World of Education, Pope Leo XIV proclaims Saint John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church. His legacy, the Pope emphasized, is to form people "so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity.�

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Denver, Colorado, Nov 1, 2025 / 07:19 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

7 in 10 voters support requiring doctor’s visit for abortion pills 

More than 7 in 10 voters believe a doctor’s visit should be required for a chemical abortion prescription, a recent poll found. 

The McLaughlin & Associates poll of 1,600 participants found that 71% of voters approved of a proposal “requiring a doctor’s visit in order for the chemical abortion drug to be prescribed to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.” 

The poll also found that 30% of voters had "significant concerns” about the safety of the abortion pill.  

Current federal regulations allow providers to prescribe abortion drugs through telehealth and send them by mail. 

States like California even allow anonymous prescription of the abortion pill, and states including New York and California have “shield laws” that protect abortion providers who ship drugs into states where it is illegal. 

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said this week, “The harmful impact of Biden’s FDA removing safeguards on abortion drugs, like in-person doctor visits, is an issue that overwhelmingly unites voters of all stripes.”

“As a growing body of research indicates these drugs are far more dangerous than advertised, and new horror stories emerge day after day of women coerced and drugged against their will, landing in the ER and even dying along with their babies, Americans’ concerns are more than valid,” she said in an Oct. 28 statement.

Dannenfelser urged the Trump administration to “heed the emerging science and the will of the people and immediately reinstate in-person doctor visits.” 

Texas AG Paxton secures win in Yelp's targeting of pregnancy centers

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an appellate court victory against Yelp, Inc. for allegedly adding misleading notices to pro-life pregnancy centers. 

Paxton filed the lawsuit after misleading notices were attached to the pages of crisis pregnancy centers. The 15th U.S. Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s dismissal, which had concluded that Texas did not have jurisdiction over Yelp because it is based in California. 

The 15th U.S. Court of Appeals concluded this week that the company is still “subject to specific jurisdiction in Texas” and that the concern is relevant to other states as well. 

“As evidenced by the number of attorneys general who signed the letter sent to Yelp, several states share Texas’s interest in ensuring that Crisis Pregnancy Centers are not the targets of actionable misleading statements,” Justice April Farris wrote in the opinion. 

Paxton said in a statement that Yelp tried to “steer users away from pro-life resources,” noting that Texas will keep Yelp accountable. 

Paxton pledged to “continue to defend pro-life organizations that serve Texans and make sure that women and families are receiving accurate information about our state’s resources.”

Virginia superintendent denies that staff facilitated student abortions

A Virginia public school district has denied allegations that staff at a high school facilitated student abortions without parental consent or knowledge.

In an Oct. 16 letter to families and staff at Centreville High School, Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid said that internal investigations found that the “allegations are likely untrue” as “new details have emerged.” 

In the wake of an investigative report by a local blogger and accusations by a teacher on staff, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin instructed police to launch a criminal investigation. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee as well as the U.S. Department of Education also launched investigations. 

Reid said that “such behavior would never be acceptable” in the school district, which “is fully cooperating with these government investigations.” 

Planned Parenthood Wisconsin resumes abortions

After a temporary pause this month, Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumed providing abortions in the state by giving up its designation as an “essential community provider” under the Affordable Care Act. 

Planned Parenthood Wisconsin stopped offering abortions on Oct. 1, after President Donald Trump cut federal Medicaid funding for abortion providers. The yearlong pause is designed to prevent federal tax dollars from subsidizing organizations that provide abortions. 

Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said, “Planned Parenthood’s abortion-first business model underscores why taxpayer funding should never support organizations that make abortion a priority.”

“Women in difficult circumstances deserve compassionate, life-affirming care — the kind of support the pro-life movement is committed to offering,” she said in an Oct. 27 statement.  

Ohio cuts medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood 

Ohio has terminated Medicaid provider contracts with Planned Parenthood, preventing state funds from going to the abortion giant there.

The Ohio Department of Medicaid cited Trump’s recent yearlong pause on Medicaid reimbursements to abortion providers as the reason for termination. Planned Parenthood has since requested a hearing with the department to oppose the termination. Whether the state’s decision to end the agreement will extend longer than the federal pause is unclear.

Dublin, Ireland, Nov 1, 2025 / 06:08 am (CNA).

The election of left-wing Catherine Connolly last week as Ireland’s 10th president was marked by low voter turnout, a narrow field of candidates, and an unprecedented number of 213,738 spoiled ballots, representing 12.9% of votes cast.

Many of the spoiled ballots, which are ballots that cannot be counted due to errors in marking or deliberate defacement, were from Catholic voters protesting the government parties’ interference in candidate selection, which resulted in the prominent Catholic figure, Maria Steen, not appearing on the ballot.

The election outcome reflects the current secular makeup of the Republic of Ireland, a sharp contrast to the devout sacramental Catholicism practiced by the founding fathers of modern Ireland, which include the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising who faced execution by British forces.

Capuchin accompaniment

The Capuchin friars played a central role in the 1916 Easter Rising, first in helping communicate a ceasefire to the British forces and among groups of Irish rebels; and subsequently, in ministering to the rebels facing execution.

Capuchin friars’ eyewitness accounts of the condemned men’s final hours and the immediate aftermath of that rising detail the devout Catholic faith of its leaders.

The friars recollected the men praying the rosary, confessing their sins, receiving holy Communion, and attending Mass in the hours and days before their deaths.

Moving descriptions include those of leader Pádraig Pearse praying in his cell before a crucifix; of Thomas MacDonagh shot at dawn wearing a rosary given to him by his sister, who was a nun; and an already fatally wounded James Connolly making a final act of contrition before being executed tied to a chair.

Of Connolly’s death, Capuchin friar Father Aloysius recalled that he strongly insisted that the soldiers leave him alone with Connolly so that he could hear his confession. 

He recounted at the time: “He was brought down and laid on a stretcher in an ambulance. Father Sebastian and myself drove with him to Kilmainham. Stood behind the firing party during the execution. Father Eugene McCarthy, who had attended Seán Mac Dermott before we arrived, remained and anointed Connolly immediately after the shooting.” 

Though sacramental devotion in the face of certain death may seem remarkable to the contemporary reader, Jesuit historian Father Fergus O'Donoghue told CNA it was simply characteristic of the time.

Leader Joseph Mary Plunkett’s mother recalls her son’s last few minutes with a Capuchin named Father Albert: “Father, I want you to know that I am dying for the glory of God and the honor of Ireland,” Plunkett told the priest.

“That’s all right, my son,” Father Albert answered. In a few minutes, the firing squad carried out its orders. 

The ‘skirl of the pipes’ heard in the Vatican

Among the leaders executed was Éamonn Ceannt from County Galway.

Ceannt was an Irish-language activist, athlete, keen musician — and a devout Catholic.

One of the highlights of his life that he contemplated in his final hours was a visit to Rome in 1908 as official piper for a visiting group of Irish athletes, where he performed for Pope Pius X.

In a book titled “The Glorious Seven,” Seamus G. O’Kelly wrote: “His Holiness the Pope heard of the sensation which the Irishman had created at the Roman Stadium, and summoned the young piper to appear before him, and to play for him.”

“Two days later as His Holiness waited at the Vatican … the skirl of the pipes was heard again, this time in the Vatican chambers, and very soon Éamonn Ceannt marched up to the feet of the Holy Father playing ‘The Wearing of the Green,’ knelt, and kissed the pope’s ring.”

After the performance, the pope bestowed his apostolic blessing on the piper and the Irish athletic team.

O’Donoghue reminded CNA that seeing a pope, let alone meeting him, would have been remarkable during the “Prisoner in the Vatican” era, when pontiffs did not even venture out onto the balcony.

Ceannt was not the only person associated with the Easter Rising to meet a pope. Count Plunkett was the father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, another of the executed leaders.

The elder Plunkett was dispatched to Rome to notify the pope of the forthcoming insurrection. Pope Benedict XV listened and gave his blessing to the participants.

O’Donoghue told CNA that he was the first pope to support Irish nationalism: “He wasn’t open to pleasing English aristocrats the way the previous popes had been.”

The Irish Republic envisaged in 1916 would guarantee religious and civil liberty, equal rights, and equal opportunities to all its citizens, cherishing all the children of the nation equally. For the executed leaders and their Capuchin confessors, Irish Republicanism and Catholicism were interwoven. 

The question remains: How would they view the recent election and a secularized Ireland?

CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2025 / 05:55 am (CNA).

A pro-life relay with more than 10,000 participants came to a joyful conclusion in Kansas last Saturday after runners made the shape of a cross as they ran across the U.S.

The 5,124 mile “A-Cross America Relay,” organized by pro-life group LIFE Runners, kicked off in September in four cities around the country and ended at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas on Oct. 25.

The starting points were San Francisco, California; New York City, New York; Austin, Texas; and Fargo, North Dakota, but participants around the world also joined to witness to life in their own nations. 

With more than 25,000  “teammates” in nearly 4,000 cities across 50 countries, LIFE Runners aim to raise awareness for unborn children during their annual relay.

Patrick Castle, president and founder of LIFE Runners, spoke with CNA about what inspires participants to run for the unborn.  

CNA: What inspires the mission of LIFE Runners? 

Castle: LIFE Runners is inspired by the obvious responsibility of Christians to reach the youth, pregnant mothers, fathers, and influencers with God's love and the truth that abortion isn't a solution to anything, it is the greatest problem, the greatest evil by definition, by the numbers. 

Abortion claims more American lives in one year than all combat casualties in the history of America.  With the 250th anniversary of our country next year, may we reflect on who we are as Americans and as Christians. 

We are people who stand for God and His gifts of life and liberty. Amen!

How does the relay help raise awareness for the unborn?

Castle: The LIFE Runners A-Cross America Relay helps raise awareness for the unborn through our public witness [of] wearing “REMEMBER The Unborn” shirts.  

Eighty-two percent of post-abortion mothers said if they had encountered one supportive person or encouraging message, they would have chosen life. 

For example, two mothers saw our “REMEMBER The Unborn” witness outside of the Omaha Planned Parenthood, asked for help, and chose life. 

Thousands of people witnessed thousands of LIFE Runners wearing "REMEMBER The Unborn" shirts across America and around the world during the 5,124 mile relay that made a cross over America.  

With access to abortion in the mail and across state lines, LIFE Runners wear life-saving messages everywhere to inspire a culture of life at work, school, walking, running, grocery store; everywhere! 

What stood out to you from the finish line relay at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas? 

Castle: I am so encouraged by the authentic, Catholic, pro-life identity of Benedictine College … While running up the hill, students invited other students to join us, like a scene out of the "Rocky" movie when the local community joined him on a training run. 

The last mile ended on the main campus drive with President [Stephen] Minnis leading a large crowd with cheering. The finish was immediately followed by a beautiful prayer from Archbishop [Joseph]Naumann.

What is the significance of having a national relay across the United States? 

Castle: The significance of having a relay that makes a cross over America is unity. [The relay] connects everyone in a pro-God way, allowing faith and light to overcome the darkness to end abortion — all in Christ for pro-life! 

Teammates in other countries adopt segments, knowing that America can and should lead the way in ending abortion around the world.  

The relay is an inspiring light for the world. The cross is the greatest symbol of love, bringing hope that life will prevail!

In an interview with Vatican News, Guila Clara Kessous, a UNESCO Artist for Peace, social entrepreneur and executive coach, talks about her recent proposal at the United Nations to implement quotas of women in peace negotiations.

Read all

 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The lives of St. John Henry Newman and of all the saints teach Christians that "it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present without neglecting the apostolic mandate to 'shine like stars in the world,'" Pope Leo XIV said.

Celebrating Mass Nov. 1, the feast of All Saints, Pope Leo concluded the Jubilee of the World of Education and proclaimed St. Newman the 38th doctor of the church, including him among the men and women of the Christian East and West who have made decisive contributions to theology and spirituality.

Earlier in the week, Pope Leo had officially recognized St. Newman as co-patron of education along with St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Newman was born in London Feb. 21, 1801, was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825, became Catholic in 1845 and was made a cardinal in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. He died in 1890. 

Leading members of the Anglican Church of England and the British government attended the Mass where he was declared a doctor of the church. The Anglican delegation was led by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, currently the top-ranking prelate of the Church of England. The government delegation was led by David Lammy, deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and secretary of state for justice.

Greeting Archbishop Cottrell publicly at the end of Mass, Pope Leo prayed that St. Newman would "accompany the journey of Christians toward full unity."

The banner used during St. Newman's canonization Mass in 2019 hung from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during the Mass and his relics were placed on a table near the altar.

While St. Newman's theology, philosophy and thoughts about university education were cited in the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints' presentation at the Mass, Pope Leo chose to quote in his homily from the British saint's poem, "Lead, Kindly Light," now a popular hymn. 

"In that beautiful prayer" of St. Newman's, the pope said, "we come to realize that we are far from home, our feet are unsteady, we cannot interpret clearly the way ahead. Yet none of this impedes us, since we have found our guide" in Jesus.

"Lead, Kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on," the pope quoted in English while reading his homily in Italian.

Speaking to the teachers, professors and other educators gathered for the Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo said, "The task of education is precisely to offer this Kindly Light to those who might otherwise remain imprisoned by the particularly insidious shadows of pessimism and fear." 

The pope asked the educators to "reflect upon and point out to others those 'constellations' that transmit light and guidance at this present time, which is darkened by so much injustice and uncertainty."

He also encouraged them "to ensure that schools, universities and every educational context, even those that are informal or street-based, are always gateways to a civilization of dialogue and peace."

Another quote from St. Newman -- "God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another" -- expresses "the mystery of the dignity of every human person, and also the variety of gifts distributed by God," the pope said.

Catholic educators, he said, have an obligation not only to transmit information but also to help their students discover how much God loves them and how he has a plan for their lives.

"Life shines brightly not because we are rich, beautiful or powerful," the pope said. "Instead, it shines when we discover within ourselves the truth that we are called by God, have a vocation, have a mission, that our lives serve something greater than ourselves." 

"Every single creature has a role to play," he said. "The contribution that each person can make is uniquely valuable, and the task of educational communities is to encourage and cherish that contribution."

"At the heart of the educational journey," Pope Leo said, "we do not find abstract individuals but real people, especially those who seem to be underperforming according to the parameters of economies that exclude or even kill them. We are called to form people, so that they may shine like stars in their full dignity."

Lammy, the British government official, told Catholic News Service that he had had the "great honor and privilege" to meet Pope Leo before the Mass.

As a member of the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England, he said he believes "John Henry Newman really encapsulates the deep connections between our countries and between the Christian communities, across the Christian community."

The proclamation was "a moment of unity and reflection," Lammy said. "It's not just a religious honor, but a powerful moment of cohesion that shows how engaging in our differences can also unite us."

St. Newman's legacy, he said, "reminds us that Britain's religious story is broader than one tradition. It's been enriched by Catholic thought, courage and contribution."

In addition, the deputy prime minister said, "I think his life and his writings show how belief and reason together can guide moral leadership, diplomacy, compassion, and I think in an age of polarization, Newman's insistence on moral reflection calls us back to what truly matters, which is leadership in the cause of what is right and just, which is a principle that should shape our politics."
 

Reading 1 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Reading 2 1 John 3:1-3

Alleluia Matthew 11:28

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Nov. 1 is the solemnity of All Saints — known more popularly as All Saints’ Day — the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates all who have attained eternal life with God in heaven. 

The Catholic Church formally recognizes thousands and thousands of saints. But how exactly does the Church come to declare someone a saint in heaven? The process has been developed and refined throughout the centuries, starting from the earliest days of Christendom to the present day. 

Early Church’s canonization was local, bishop-led

The Christian communities of early centuries were nascent, decentralized, and often persecuted. The formal procedures of the Church in these years often developed in relative isolation.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says on its website that in the first 500 years of the Catholic Church, there was “no formal canonical process as understood by today’s standards.” 

“Beginning in the sixth century and continuing into the 12th century, the intervention of the local bishop was required before someone could be canonized,” the bishops’ website says. Local Christians often requested for their bishop’s intervention to determine the sainthood of a faithful departed. 

The bishop would study both the request and the biography of the candidate in question; if deeming the request “favorable,” he would “typically issue a decree, legitimize the liturgical cult, and thereby canonize the person.”

As the decades and centuries went on, the process became more formalized. In addition to the earlier modes of review, starting in the 10th century, the bishop would “collect eyewitness testimony of those who knew the person and who had witnessed miracles” associated with the candidate. 

The entire petition would be provided to the pope, who would rule on the matter himself. This process led to the first official papal canonization, that of Swiss bishop St. Ulric in 993, by Pope John XV.

This process remained the same for several more centuries; in the late 1500s, Pope Sixtus V established the Congregation for Sacred Rites, one of the functions of which was to “assist the pope with reviewing causes.”

The process remained largely unchanged from then until 1917 with the promulgation of the universal Code of Canon Law. A new promulgation in 1983 gave the Church the code still in effect today. 

Modern 3-stage process

The present process for canonization by the Catholic Church plays out across three stages.

First, in stage 1, Church authorities examine “the life of a candidate for sainthood.” The process, which generally may only begin five years after a candidate’s death, is first enacted at the diocesan or eparchial level. 

After receiving a petition, consulting with the episcopal conference and the local faithful, and permission from the Holy See, the bishop will convene a tribunal, which will investigate the life of the candidate (or his/her potential martyrdom). “Witnesses will be called and documents written by and about the candidate must be gathered and examined,” the USCCB notes. 

The diocese subsequently sends its report on to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints; nine theologians subsequently “vote on whether or not the candidate lived a heroic life or suffered martyrdom.” 

If they vote favorably, and after an examination by cardinals and bishops who are members of the dicastery, the prefect of the dicastery “presents the results of the entire course of the cause to the pope,” who gives his approval and directs the congregation to draft a decree declaring the candidate either ”venerable” (if ”they have lived a virtuous life”) or ”blessed” (“if they have been martyred”). 

In stage 2, a venerable is beatified when he or she has “a miracle attributed to [his or her] intercession.” The miracle “must be proven through the appropriate canonical investigation.” Upon beautification, a venerable is given the title blessed (that title is automatically granted to a martyr upon determination of his or her martyrdom). 

In stage 3, a blessed is officially canonized with the determination of another miracle “attributed to the intercession of the blessed and having occurred after his or her beatification.”

Canonization “allows for the public veneration of the saint by the universal Church,” the USCCB notes.

The first saints to be canonized by Pope Leo XIV were St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati on Sept. 7.

This story was first published on Nov. 1, 2023, and has been updated.

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).

The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) minor basilica in Barcelona is now the tallest church in the world, standing at 535 ft., surpassing Ulm Germany’s main church, whose construction began in the 14th century.

According to the Sagrada Familia Expiatory Church Construction Board Foundation, as reported Oct. 30 by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, ​​"the first element that forms part of the cross on the tower of Jesus Christ" was installed, marking the beginning of the final phase of construction of the church’s central tower.

This latest addition consists of the lower portion of the cross, measuring over 20 ft. high and weighing 24 tons. “With a double-twist geometry, the lower portion has a square shape at the base that transforms into an octagonal shape at the top,� whose exterior is “clad with white glazed ceramic and glass, materials that stand out for their reflective properties and resistance to atmospheric conditions,� the news brief explains.

The tower of Jesus Christ is the tallest of the central towers of the church designed by Antoni Gaudí, who died a century ago. The completion of this structure “will be a historic milestone for Sagrada Familia and a tribute to its architect.�

More than 140 years of history

The first stone of Sagrada Familia Basilica was laid on March 19, 1882, according to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. The following year, Antoni Gaudí took over the project, modifying it according to his architectural genius and renowned Modernist style. From 1914, Gaudí dedicated himself exclusively to this church until his death on June 10, 1926.

On April 14, 2025, Pope Francis declared the architect venerable, in accordance with the criteria set by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

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

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump said he is designating Nigeria a "country of particular concern."

In a social media post Oct. 31, Trump said, "Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a 'COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN'".

Under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the U.S president must designate countries that engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as CPCs. Violations include torture, prolonged detention without charges, and forced disappearence, according to the State Department. 

The last CPC designations were made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December 2023, when Blinken revoked Nigeria’s CPC designation that was put in place by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020. 

Christian leaders delivered a letter to Trump on Oct. 15 that said 52,000 Christians have been killed and over 20,000 churches attacked and destroyed in Nigeria since 2009. In addition, it said, thousands of Christians have been murdered and raped in 2025, and “over 100 Christian pastors and Catholic priests have been taken hostage for ransom.”

Trump said in the social media post, "But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” 

The president said he will charge Rep. Riley Moore, R-WVa., along with Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., “to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.” 

The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump stated, adding: “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”

Members of Congress and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also had sought to designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation in September that would require the Trump administration to adopt the CPC designation in addition to imposing targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials who facilitate or permit jihadist attacks against Christians and other religious minorities. 

Republican Senators Ted Budd of North Carolina, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and James Lankford of Oklahoma endorsed redesignating Nigeria in a Sept. 12 letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Budd posted on X.

Similarly, the USCIRF also recommended the State Department designate Nigeria as a CPC in its latest update on religious freedom in the country in late July. 

USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler welcomed the designation on social media: "We applaud @POTUS for making Nigeria a CPC.” Hartzler said, “The Trump admin can now use the various presidential actions outlined in IRFA to incentivize Nigeria to protect its citizens and hold perpetrators accountable."

ADF Senior Counsel Sean Nelson told CNA, "We at Alliance Defending Freedom International are deeply grateful for President Trump's recognition of the grave persecution of Christians ongoing in Nigeria and worldwide.”

Nelson added, “We hope that the Country of Particular Concern designation moves Nigerian officials to stop the denials and work strenuously to end the religious persecution happening in so much of the country.”

Trump’s announcement to move forward with the CPC designation comes amid the ongoing government shutdown that has left legislation on the matter in limbo. 

Moore, who was a staff member and national security adviser for the House Foreign Affairs Committee before being elected to Congress, celebrated the designation on social media, writing: “Thank you @POTUS for your incredible leadership by designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. You have always been a champion for Christians around the world, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with you and Chairman Cole @houseappropsgop to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being slaughtered by radical Islamists in Nigeria.”

This story was updated on Oct. 31, 2025, at 5:35 p.m. ET.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:10 pm (CNA).

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

White House official: Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Jimmy Lai’s release

A White House official told EWTN News White House Correspondent Owen Jensen that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about imprisoned pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai. 

According to Jensen, the official stated: "As President Trump said, Jimmy Lai should be released and he wants to see that happen.”  Prior to leaving for Asia, Trump had told Jensen that he would appeal to the Chinese leader for Lai’s release amid concerns for his health while in solitary confinement.

Lai is a Catholic entrepreneur and founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy tabloid paper known for its critical reporting on China and the Hong Kong government who was arrested in December 2020 for charges including unauthorized assemblies, protesting, fraud, and participating in the 2020 Tiananmen Square vigil, a service commemorating those who died in the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

EWTN Poland honored with ‘Christoforos’ award 

EWTN Poland was honored with a “Christoforos” (Bearer of Christ) award at the 25th anniversary Gala of MIVA Poland, an organization dedicated to supporting missionaries by providing them with means of transportation. 

The award, which was co-granted by the Polish Bishops’ Conference Commission for Missions, was received by Piotr M. Pietrus, CEO and editor-in-chief of EWTN Poland. “We see this distinction as a confirmation of our mission. Through the media, we strive to carry Christ to places where it is often difficult to reach otherwise — just as missionaries do, thanks to MIVA Poland’s help,” he said upon being presented with the award. 

Syrian-Armenian foundation in Aleppo marks step toward broader social partnership

In a sign of renewal in northern Syria, Aleppo has witnessed the founding of the Syrian-Armenian Community Foundation, the first civil organization established by the Armenian community to reach beyond its own circles and serve all components of Syrian society, CNA’s Arabic language news partner, ACI Mena, reported on Oct. 28.

The foundation aims to strengthen social cohesion, preserve both tangible and intangible heritage, and empower women and youth through cultural and developmental programs. “We wanted to affirm our place within the Syrian social family,” said Ohannes Shahrayan, chairman of the board, explaining that post-war openness to civic initiatives made it possible to bring the idea to life.

Vice Chair Sonia Kabrielian emphasized that diversity of gender, age, and denomination is one of the foundation’s strengths. She said the foundation seeks to make Armenian heritage a living part of Syria’s national culture, not just through remembrance but through creative renewal that transforms tradition into a source of shared identity and opportunity.

Philippines bishop voices concern over dwindling vocations, says priests are ‘rare sight’

Bishop Roberto Gaa of Novaliches is expressing concerns about the dwindling number of priestly vocations in the Philippines. 

“Ordinations have become a rare sight not only in Novaliches but also in other places because no one wants to become a priest anymore,” said Gaa, according to a CBCP News report on Oct. 29. The remarks came as Gaa ordained two priests and two deacons in his diocese for the first time in roughly three years. The diocese of Novaliches, he said, has about one priest for every 70,000 parishioners. 

Bahrain to consecrate its oldest Catholic parish as apostolic shrine

Sacred Heart Church, the oldest Catholic church in Bahrain, will be consecrated as the official shrine of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia on Nov. 8, ACI Mena reported Oct. 27. The date will mark the church’s elevation and its 85th anniversary. 

Bishop Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, issued a decree raising the church to shrine status “to preserve its historical symbolism and strengthen its spiritual role.” The faithful attending the inaugural liturgy will be granted a partial indulgence under the usual conditions.

Built in 1940 on land donated by Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Sacred Heart Church has long served as a beacon of coexistence for Catholics of many nationalities. With its new designation, it is expected to become a center of devotion, pilgrimage, and interreligious understanding in the Gulf region.

Sudanese woman shares how she hid Bible pages in her hair during imprisonment

Mariam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman who was arrested and imprisoned for being a Christian, shared how she hid pages of her Bible in her hair so that she could sneak them into prison. 

“Prayer was my strength in prison,” she said, according to a report from ACI Africa on Oct. 31. In her testimony at the launch of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report, she described how she managed to keep her Bible in prison. Mariam said, “I had to cut its pages and hide them in my hair so I could read them in the bathroom. That was the only place I could open it without being discovered. I still carry that prison Bible with me everywhere I go.” 

Apostolic administrator appointed for Libya

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization has appointed Father Magdi Helmy Ibrahim Mansour, OFM, as apostolic administrator of the Latin Vicariate of Tripoli, Libya, ACI Mena reported this week. The move, following Bishop George Bugeja’s resignation, underscores the Catholic Church’s enduring pastoral and humanitarian mission in the country.

Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV honored Helmy with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal for his service and his collaboration with Vatican diplomacy. Serving in Libya since 2006, Helmy has ministered to migrant communities and described the local church as a “modern Pentecost,” a gathering of languages and cultures united in faith. Despite dwindling numbers after the 2011 conflict, Mass continues in St. Francis Church in Tripoli, one of the few Catholic sites still active in the country.

Myanmar bishops express closeness with faithful amid war

Catholic bishops of Myanmar issued a statement expressing their closeness with the country’s people as elections organized by the ruling military junta approach. 

“In these times of great pain, uncertainty, and confusion, we may not be here in person, but we are with you in spirit. From north to south, from east to west, our beloved country is facing a crisis unprecedented in history,” the bishops said in a message published by Asia News on Oct. 30, citing war, displacement, economic crisis, and social breakdown. “This is not the time to give up,” they continued: “Peace is possible, peace is the only way. Let us not let hatred define us. Let us not let despair conquer us. Let us simply carry out our actions with the principles of “compassion in action, truth in gentleness, and peace without rest.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 16:48 pm (CNA).

The passage of Hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction in Cuba, significantly damaging the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the country's patroness.

The hurricane made landfall in Cuba on Oct. 29 at 3:05 a.m. striking the Guamá area in Santiago de Cuba province as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph, primarily affecting the eastern part of the country.

The town of El Cobre, located at the foot of the Sierra del Cobre mountains, about 12 miles west of the city of Santiago de Cuba, was one of the hardest-hit areas.

Father Rogelio Dean, rector of the shrine, said on Facebook that during the hurricane there were “extremely tense, stressful and worrisome moments.” Speaking on behalf of the community, the priest explained that “they had never seen anything like it.”

Regarding the damage to the church, Dean explained that Melissa “tore up the shrine…some stained-glass windows are unfortunately damaged. Water came in, and well, it has been a very difficult time.”

Despite precautionary measures, such as mounting aluminum frames to protect the stained-glass windows, “this hurricane tore down masonry from the walls.” 

Regarding the consequences for the population, the priest noted that making his rounds he has observed that “people have lost practically everything. We are experiencing a very painful situation right now. Very, very painful.”

In addition, Caritas Cuba reported the overflowing of local rivers in the wake of the hurricane, flooding a high percentage of homes and institutions in the eastern region.

Faced with this emergency, Dean called on society and institutions to “turn their attention to eastern Cuba at this time.”

“We are activating parish-based Caritas to provide food, which is what we can do for the moment. Obviously, we still have no electricity,” the priest explained.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba called Melissa’s impact “a catastrophe of enormous proportions” and noted that this disaster adds “to the already difficult daily reality of our people.”

The prelates asked for “everything” for the victims: food, clothing, mattresses, household items, and shelter, “especially for the many elderly people living alone and all those who are naturally experiencing this time with sadness and discouragement.”

Finally, they appealed for solidarity “from Cubans in other parts of the world and throughout the country, to all those who with goodwill want to and are able to help us.”

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

Vatican City, Oct 31, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said Catholic educators can learn four fundamental values from St. Augustine’s teachings: interiority, unity, love, and joy.  

During his Oct. 31 audience with teachers in Rome for the Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 Jubilee of the World of Education, the Holy Father said these four values, taught by the “Doctor of Grace,” are key elements to be incorporated into the mission and work of all educators. 

Regarding the value of interiority, Pope Leo said both teachers and students need to “get in touch with their inner selves” in order to discover truth and overcome superficiality in a world dominated by “technological screens.”

According to the Holy Father, the lack of material resources in classrooms is not the main obstacle for teachers, but rather the “real risk” is becoming “tired and overburdened with bureaucratic tasks.”

“Truth does not spread through sounds, walls, and corridors, but in the profound encounter between people, without which any educational endeavor is doomed to fail,” he said.

On the value of unity, Pope Leo said the “dimension of ‘with’ is consistently present in the writings of St. Augustine” and is fundamental as it challenges educators to “de-center” themselves and focus on their pupils.

“‘Your soul belongs not just to you but to your brothers and sisters,’” he said, quoting St. Augustine.

According to Pope Leo, the third value, love, should never be separated from teaching.

“Sharing knowledge is not enough for teaching: Love is needed. Only then will knowledge be beneficial to those who receive it, in itself and above all, for the charity it conveys,” he said.

“The love of God is the First Commandment, the love of neighbor is the first practice,” he said, quoting St. Augustine’s work, “Ten Sermons on the First Epistle of John.”

The fourth and last value Pope Leo asked teachers to consider during their jubilee journey was joy. He said true teachers “educate with a smile” in order to “awaken smiles in the depths of their students’ souls.” 

Noting the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and its capacity to impart knowledge in a technical, cold, and standardized way, the pontiff warned teachers to not “further cut off students who are already isolated.”

“The role of educators, on the other hand, is a human endeavor; and the very joy of the educational process is a fully human engagement, a ‘flame to melt our souls together, and out of many to make but one,'” he said, quoting St. Augustine’s “Confessions.”

Australian pilgrim Clare Andreallo, a senior institutional researcher and insights analyst for the University of Notre Dame Australia, attended the papal audience and said it was “affirming to see Catholic education academics, professional staff, students from around the world come together” in St. Peter’s Square on Friday morning.   

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 15:48 pm (CNA).

Authorities announced this week that the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty, raped and murdered in a Pennsylvania Catholic church 63 years ago, has finally been identified as William Schrader, who died in 2002.

The Bucks County Investigation Grand Jury found that Schrader is “definitively linked” to the murder “through the combination of decades-old evidence” and a recent breakthrough in the case, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

The breakthrough came last year when Pennsylvania State Police interviewed Schrader’s stepson, Robert Leblanc, in November 2024, who said Schrader “confessed to him on two separate occasions that he murdered a little girl in a Pennsylvania church.”

Schrader allegedly told his stepson he lured Carol Ann inside the church, raped her and “had to kill the girl in Bristol to keep her from talking.”

“We believe it may be the only rape and murder of a little girl in a church in the United States,” Bucks County D.A. Jennifer Schorn said at a news conference on Oct 29.

In 1962, a witness reported seeing Schrader — who lived a block and a half from the church — outside the church around the time of the murder, and police initially questioned him, the D.A.’s office said. 

Schrader failed a polygraph test and lied to investigators about his alibi, saying he had been at work at the time of the murder. He also provided a pubic hair sample, authorities said. 

Knowing he was under investigation, Schrader fled Pennsylvania and moved to Florida and then Texas, eventually settling in Louisiana.

The pubic hair was tested in 1993, and it showed “significant similarities” to hair found in Carol Ann’s hand, according to the DA. Of samples collected from 176 men over the years, 141 pubic hair samples were tested during the decadeslong investigation, and “all other individuals were eliminated,” officials said.

The grand jury’s findings, detailed in a 53-page report approved this week by Judge Raymond McHugh, identified Schrader as an “absolute predator” whose criminal history included assaults with deadly weapons in multiple states.  

According to the prosecutor, “Schrader’s life was marked by a pattern of violence and sexual violence, particularly against young, pre-pubescent, and adolescent females.”

The grand jury found that Schrader also “sexually abused nearly every female child he lived with or had access to, including his own biological daughter and granddaughters.”

He was convicted in 1985 in Louisiana for the death of 12-year-old Catherine Smith after he intentionally set fire to his own house, knowing she and her family were still inside.

On Oct. 22, 1962, Carol Ann, an avid reader excited to check out the next book in a mystery series she was reading, was riding her bike to the Bristol Borough Free Library to meet her friends, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s office. 

On her way, she had stopped to buy a soda and candy and was last seen alive outside of the doors to St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in Bristol, where she was raped and strangled to death. 

Her parents began to look for her when she did not return home for dinner. Her father found her body inside the church.

Carol Ann’s sister, Kay Dougherty, speaking at Wednesday’s news conference, expressed her gratitude to Vincent Faragali, the Bristol police chief at the time of her sister’s murder, who kept a framed photograph of Carol Ann on his desk throughout his career to remind him of “a promise he made to seek justice for her.”

She also thanked Faragali’s nephew, Mike Misanelli, a journalist who in 2024 produced a podcast that brought attention to the case. 

Doughterty said :“My parents both passed away without knowing on this earth who murdered their daughter. ... After so many decades of unknowing, this finding finally brings closure and a truth to a wound that never healed.”

“Our family lived without answers,” Dougherty said, crying, “and the uncertainty surrounding Carol’s death became a part of who we were, a shadow that touched every day of our lives.”

“Though I know nothing can bring Carol back,” Dougherty said, “we can finally let her rest in peace knowing that her story has been told, her truth revealed, and her memory honored.”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 14:53 pm (CNA).

The Illinois State Senate passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the state. 

The legislation (SB 1950), known as the "End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act,” would authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults in Illinois if signed into law by Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The House passed the bill in May 2025, and it stalled in the Senate during the regular session. It was taken up during the Fall veto session, and senators passed it early in the morning of Oct. 31. Pritzker will have 60 days to decide whether to sign or veto the bill before it automatically becomes law.

The bill would allow individuals to request and self-administer medication to end their lives. According to the bill, anyone requesting medically assisted suicide must be at least 18 years old, a resident of Illinois, and have a terminal disease with a prognosis of six months or less to live.

The bill also requires two verbal requests for the medication from the patient, with a five-day waiting period between the first and second request. The death certificates of individuals using physican-assisted suicide in the state would list the terminal disease as the cause of death, not suicide. 

“Please continue to pray for vulnerable populations and for those who feel hopeless and are near end-of-life,” the Catholic Conference of Illinois, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in the state, wrote in a post to the social media platform X.

"It is quite fitting that the forces of the culture of death in the Illinois General Assembly passed physician-assisted suicide on October 31—a day that, culturally, has become synonymous with glorifying death and evil,” said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in a statement. “It's also ironic that these pro-death legislators did it under the cloud of darkness at 2:54 a.m.”

“Doctors take an oath to do no harm. Now, they can prescribe death. There are documented cases of patients being denied treatment and instead offered life-ending drugs,” Paprocki said. “Individuals could also be coerced into taking the lethal drug.”

The bishop called for prayers for Pritzker to reject the legislation as “physician assisted suicide undermines the value of each person, especially the vulnerable, the poor, and those with disabilities.”

The anti-assisted suicide group Patients Rights Action Fund called on Pritzker to veto the legislation. 

“We encourage lawmakers to instead prioritize expanding access to mental health services, hospice care, and palliative support,” the advocacy group said in a statement. “Every patient deserves compassionate care and a full spectrum of options to live with dignity. The passage of SB 1950 introducing the use of lethal drugs in Illinois compromises that fundamental right. “

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, strongly criticized the bill in May after it passed the House.

“I speak to this topic not only as a religious leader but also as one who has seen a parent die from a debilitating illness,” Cupich said, recalling his father’s death. Cupich urged Illinois to promote “compassionate care,” not assisted suicide. 

“There is a way to both honor the dignity of human life and provide compassionate care to those experiencing life-ending illness,” Cupich said. “Surely the Illinois Legislature should explore those options before making suicide one of the avenues available to the ill and distressed.” 

The Catholic Conference of Illinois also asked the governor to veto the bill and improve palliative care programs “that offer expert assessment and management of pain and other symptoms.”

“The Illinois General Assembly has put our state on a slippery path that jeopardizes the well-being of the poor and marginalized, especially those in the disability community and have foreseeable tragic consequences,” the conference said in a statement. 

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 14:17 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago described artificial intelligence (AI) as Pope Leo XIV’s  “industrial revolution” at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30.

The event, “Pope Leo XIV’s New Challenge and Moral Leadership on Poverty, Work, and Artificial Intelligence,” examined the impact of AI and the guidance provided by Catholic Social Teaching, as a part of the university’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. 

“Pope Leo XIV's pontificate began during what Pope Francis often called a change of effort, with major changes transforming our world, among them the rise of AI and the effects it would have on work and the economy, something Pope Leo has called another ‘industrial revolution,’” said Kim Daniels, the director of the initiative, at the event. 

Discussing the impact of AI on society, Cupich said the “entry point” to discernment on the topic is whether or not it “creates the possibility of everyone having human flourishing.” 

“You accept that the economy belongs to everybody, then you have to be very careful of allowing the technologies to be used in a certain way that gives people more power and control over the economy than they should have,” Cupich said. “The economy should allow for the human flourishing of everyone. It's like health care. Everyone has a right to health care.”

Panelists included Cecilia Flores, executive director of the Catholic Volunteer Network; Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO; Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkeley chair at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business; and the initiative’s founder, John Carr. 

Against the backdrop of the government shutdown and the resulting expected lapse in food assistance, with increasingly heightened political division, Carr said, “many poor and working people are falling further behind or just struggling to keep up.” 

“At the same time, a new elite is moving forward with new technology, new wealth, and new power,” he said, “some of it related to artificial intelligence with its possibilities and dangers for work, the economy, and our society.” 

Cupich, who was described by Daniels as a “close advisor to Pope Francis and now Pope Leo,” said: “I think the Holy Father has already indicated how the Church should respond and what he's already done, namely to make sure that the inspiration of Rerum Novarum, which is about the defense of human dignity of the worker, but also human dignity at large, should all begin with preferential option for the poor. “

Cupich emphasized the need to view the poor not as “subjects,” but as “agents,” who “have something to offer us,” and underscored Catholic Social Teaching as being at the heart of “who we are.” 

Flores, who was part of a delegation that went to the Vatican last week to meet with Pope Leo for the World Meeting of Popular Movements, echoed this sentiment, saying: I'm sure many of you have heard a lot of people say it's the best kept secret of the Catholic Church. I think that's categorically untrue…This is who we are.” 

Flores told CNA that the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching requires Catholics to approach compassion for migrants without discernment. “There should be an element that does not need to be discerned because it's a gospel response,” she said. “I see a person that's suffering, what does the gospel require me to do? That shouldn't have to be discerned.” 

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 13:31 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio called this week for “prayer and action” as Hurricane Melissa devastated the Caribbean region.

Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urged Catholics in an Oct. 29 statement to pray for and support the people and communities affected by the Category 5 storm.

“Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, has made landfall in Jamaica, had an impact in Haiti, and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands in Cuba,” Broglio wrote. 

With sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Hurricane Melissa has swept through the region, causing destruction and claiming up to 50 lives since making landfall on Oct. 28.

“The Church accompanies, through prayer and action, all people who are suffering,” Broglio wrote. “I urge Catholics and all people of good will to join me in praying for the safety and protection of everyone, especially first responders, in these devastated areas.”

As effects of the hurricane expand, “families face severe risk of flooding, landslides, displacement, and infrastructure damage with little resources to respond,” Broglio wrote. “Our brothers and sisters in small island nations like Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti are the most vulnerable to the impact of such strong storms, often intensified by a warming climate.”

Jamaica has suffered the greatest impact. While the hurricane did not make direct landfall in Haiti, the storm has produced heavy rains that have led to flash flooding and landslides in many areas and blocked major national routes. 

“Let us stand in solidarity by supporting the efforts of organizations already on the ground such as Caritas Haiti, Caritas Cuba, and Caritas Antilles, as well as Catholic Relief Services (CRS), who are supplying essential, direct services and accompaniment to those in need,” Broglio wrote. 

The USCCB called on Catholics and people of good will to support “the urgent and ongoing relief efforts, and long-term recovery work of CRS.” The agency is providing “lifesaving support—including emergency shelter, clean water and essential supplies—to families most at risk,” CRS reported. 

"The Pope reminded us of the real purpose of Catholic education. The Jubilee can be a transformative experience,” said Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of the Diocese of Columbus, U.S., in an interview with Vatican News. He came to Rome for the Jubilee of the World of Education, leading a 30-person delegation of educators from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Columbus.

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The Pope meets with 15,000 teachers and students in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the Jubilee of the World of Education and calls on teachers to connect with the "inner selves" of their students, because without a profound encounter with them, "any educational proposal is doomed to failure."

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CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of New Orleans secured nearly unanimous approval for a $230 million bankruptcy settlement on Thursday, paving the way for payouts to over 650 victims after five years of contentious litigation in the nation’s second-oldest Catholic archdiocese.

The vote, which closed at midnight on Oct. 30, saw 99.63% of creditors — including hundreds of abuse survivors — endorse the plan in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, according to The Guardian.

Only the bondholder class, owed $30 million, opposed it, voting against the plan by a vote of 59 to 14, according to court documents. In 2017, bondholders lent the Church $40 million to help refinance parish debt and have been repaid only 25% of the outstanding balance. They have alleged fraud against the Church after it withheld promised interest payments. Legal experts say their “no” vote will not derail confirmation of the settlement, however. 

“Your honor, there is overwhelming support for this plan,” archdiocese attorney Mark Mintz said in court on Thursday. The plan required that two-thirds of voters approve it.

Final tallies of the votes will be filed next week, and a hearing before Judge Meredith Grabill is set for mid-November, potentially ending the archdiocese’s Chapter 11 case filed in May 2020 amid a flood of abuse claims.

In a statement to CNA, the archdiocese said: “Today we have the voting results of our proposed settlement and reorganization plan, which has been overwhelmingly approved by survivors and other creditors. We are grateful to the survivors who have voted in favor of moving forward with this plan and continue to pray that both the monetary settlement and the nonmonetary provisions provide each of them some path towards their healing and reconciliation.”

Archbishop Gregory Aymond originally told the Vatican in a letter that he thought he could settle abuse claims for around $7 million. The archdiocese has spent close to $50 million so far on legal fees alone.

The settlement going to abuse victims breaks down to $130 million in immediate cash from the archdiocese and affiliates, $20 million in promissory notes, $30 million from insurers, and up to $50 million more from property sales, including the Christopher Homes facilities, a property that has provided affordable housing and assisted living to low-income and senior citizens in the Gulf Coast area for the last 50 years.

Payout amounts to individual claimants will be determined by a point system negotiated by a committee of victims and administered by a trustee and an independent claims administrator appointed by the court. 

The point system is based on the type and nature of the alleged abuse. Additional points can be awarded for factors like participation in criminal prosecutions, pre-bankruptcy lawsuits, or leadership in victim efforts, while points may be reduced if the claimant was over 18 and consented to the contact. The impact of the alleged abuse on the victim’s behavior, academic achievement, mental health, faith, and family relationships can also adjust the score.

Abuse victim Richard Coon cast his vote on Monday. “I voted ‘yes’ to get Aymond out of town. I just think he’s been a horrible leader,” Coon said.

In September, Pope Leo XIV named Bishop James Checchio as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans. Checchio has been working alongside Aymond and will replace him when he retires, which Aymond has said he plans to do when the bankruptcy case is resolved.

The $230 million deal is significantly higher than the initial $180 million proposal in May, which drew fire from attorneys like Richard Trahant, who criticized it for being “lowball.”

The initial settlement was “dead on arrival,” according to Trahant, who, along with other attorneys, urged his clients in May to hold out for a better offer, saying they deserved closer to $300 million, a figure similar to the $323 million paid out to about 600 claimants by the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York in 2024. 

“There is no amount of money that could ever make these survivors whole,” Trahant said in a statement Thursday.

In the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy settlement, attorneys reportedly collected about 30% of the $323 million, or approximately $96.9 million. Similarly, the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s $660 million settlement in 2007 saw attorneys receiving an estimated $165-$217.8 million, or 25%-33% of the payout.

The bankruptcy stemmed from explosive revelations in 2018, when the Archdiocese of New Orleans listed over 50 credibly accused priests. In 2021, the Louisiana Legislature eliminated the statute of limitations for civil actions related to the sexual abuse of minors. 

The new law allows victims to pursue civil damages indefinitely for abuse occurring on or after June 14, 1992, or where the victim was a minor as of June 14, 2021, with a three-year filing window (which ended June 14, 2024) for older cases.

The Diocese of Lafayette, along with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Catholic Charities, the Diocese of Lake Charles, and several other entities challenged the law’s constitutionality, arguing it violated due process, but the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld it in June 2024 in a 4-3 decision.

Critics argued the retroactive nature of the law risks unfairness to defendants unable to defend against decades-old abuse claims due to lost evidence and highlighted the potentially devastating financial impact.

Catholic Youth under the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) gathered in Nairobi from 23 October to 27 October for a seminar under the theme: “Youth Apostolate and the Vision of the Church in Africa.”

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The sainthood of John Henry Newman, who will be declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, rested on two inexplicable healings that the Catholic Church officially recognized as miracles that paved the way for his beatification in 2010 and his canonization in 2019.

The second and most recent of these miracles was lifesaving. During her fifth pregnancy, Melissa Villalobos, a lawyer from Chicago, suffered severe internal bleeding caused by a partial placental abruption, a condition that seriously endangered both her life and that of her unborn child.

The day it happened, Villalobos, alone at home and without the strength to call for help, turned to prayer. “Please, Cardinal Newman, stop the bleeding,” she said with difficulty. As she later recounted: “Just as I finished those words, the bleeding stopped, and I noticed in the bathroom the strongest scent of roses in my life. When it stopped, I asked, ‘Cardinal Newman, did you do this?’ and the scent returned a second time. I knew it was him.”

That same afternoon, the doctors confirmed what they could not explain: The tear in the placenta had disappeared. Months later, Villalobos gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl, whom she named Gemma.

Five years later, Gemma and her entire family participated in the canonization ceremony for Newman officiated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 13, 2019.

For Sister Kathleen Dietz, FSO, a renowned specialist on St. John Henry Newman, the healing of the pregnant woman should be seen as a “sign of the times” when “the culture of death permeates everything.”

“He performed this miracle for the sake of life, not only the life of the young mother but also that of her child. It’s very significant,” she told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Unexplained healing of a debilitating spinal disorder

The first miracle attributed to Newman’s intercession was on behalf of American deacon Jack Sullivan, who was suffering from a severe degenerative spinal cord disease that had left him almost paralyzed.

In great pain and with little hope of recovery, he prayed for Newman’s intercession. According to his own testimony, on Aug. 15, 2001, he experienced a sudden and complete recovery, which allowed him to walk unaided and shortly afterward to be ordained a permanent deacon.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially recognized the healing as scientifically inexplicable, and on July 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced that it constituted a genuine miracle. It led to Newman’s beatification on Sept. 19, 2010, in Birmingham, England, the city where the saint lived for much of his ministry.

Sullivan served as deacon and read the Gospel at the Mass celebrated by Benedict in Rednal, England, very near Newman’s burial site.

Sullivan, who has the only first-class relic of Newman outside the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, has given numerous presentations with it and has held healing prayer services. 

Dietz — who has collaborated on various studies on the spirituality and legacy of St. John Henry Newman — emphasized that miracles authenticate Newman’s holiness and reflect his ongoing mission within the Church.

“Miracles show that Newman continues to have a role as an example and intercessor. He will soon be named a doctor of the Church and thus will also be a teacher of truth,” she noted.

Inspiration for daily life

For the religious, Newman can inspire the faithful in their daily lives with a faith “lived in everyday circumstances.”

Dietz cited Newman’s 1856 work “A Short Road to Perfection” in which he points out that to be saints, “we need nothing more than to fulfill the ordinary duties of the day well.”

“It’s not a matter of heroic or extraordinary feats but of performing the actions of each day with rectitude and consistency: getting up on time, dedicating one’s first thoughts to God, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Angelus and the rosary, keeping one’s thoughts in order, examining oneself daily, and going to bed at a reasonable hour. If this is done consistently, one is already on the path to perfection,” the saint counseled.

Joy: An essential Christian virtue

Dietz emphasized that Newman saw joy as an essential Christian virtue, even in the midst of sadness, and that his example can guide believers to live their faith in a “practical, tangible, and consistent” way in daily life.

For Dietz, Newman’s life and miracles remind us that holiness is not an unattainable ideal but a “reality accessible to all” through faithfulness to small daily acts and trust in God’s providence.

“His teaching combines theological depth with pastoral application, showing how a saint can be a model and guide for the contemporary Church and for every believer in their daily life,” she explained.

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

As the Church marks the Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time, Fr Luke Gregory reflects on "Hope in the Resurrection: God's mercy for the living and the dead."

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The Vatican has announced the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for World Missions Day 2026: "One in Christ, united in mission." The worldwide celebration in 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Day's establishment by Pope Pius XI at the suggestion of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

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"He who sings, prays twice," is a quote widely attributed to St. Augustine and one that resonates deeply in the context of liturgical music. Recently, in the Diocese of Katsina, Malamawa, various choirs gathered to exchange music notes and share insights on the role of liturgical music in worship.

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CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

After a homily inspired a group of parishioners to live out their pro-life beliefs and start a maternity home in Springfield, Virginia, for mothers with crisis pregnancies, one woman shared her experience working there.

Kathleen Moyer, president of the Mary’s Comfort Board of Directors and a dedicated volunteer, shared about what it is like to volunteer with the maternity home in an interview with CNA.

CNA: What inspired you to volunteer at the maternity home? How does your faith play a role in your volunteer work?

Moyer: My faith is at the core of my volunteerism and specifically my involvement in Mary’s Comfort. Let me explain: The call to serve others is one I take seriously as a Christian and Catholic. As for Mary’s Comfort, the initial inspiration for a small group of volunteers to take on the challenge of creating it came from my pastor at St. Bernadette, Father Don Rooney, who challenged the congregation to live out our pro-life beliefs. 

He noted that pregnant women in crisis — whether financial, physical, or otherwise — don’t really have a viable option to bring new life into this world. They need to know there is support out there. They need to be given a reason to hope. So, that’s how it all started. 

That was three years ago. I’m sometimes amazed by how far we’ve come. I want to be clear, though, that we welcome women of all backgrounds and creeds. We are fortunate to have donors and supporters from several faiths, as well as secular groups. Our volunteers are diverse, too. Many of us are Catholic, but certainly not all. I think it speaks volumes that it is an interfaith effort.

What would you say to a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy? What would you say to someone considering volunteering at a maternity clinic?  

Here’s what I would like to say to women facing unexpected pregnancies: We’re here for you. There is reason to hope. There are people who care. Mary’s Comfort is a safe haven where you can take a deep breath, regroup, reassess, and contemplate the future with a clear mind. Of course, there are other shelters for pregnant moms waiting to welcome you, too. You are not alone.

To those considering volunteering at a home for pregnant moms, I would say take the leap — you’ll never regret it. You might miss a rerun of your favorite TV show, have a little less time to read, or slow your ascent to becoming a pickleball pro, but I would ask you to stack any of those sacrifices against the joy of knowing you helped bring hope to someone desperately in need of it. 

Even more special, you may get the chance to play a role in welcoming a new life into this world. There are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me the first time I held one of the babies born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. It’s powerful.

What is it like to be with these women as they choose life? Is there a particular moment that stands out to you?  

There isn’t just one single moment that stands out to me because there are so many important moments between the time our guests arrive and when we get to welcome new life into this world. For example, one of our guests walked into Mary’s Comfort for the first time and just cried. They were tears of joy. She said she never expected it to be so nice and welcoming. 

Another guest kept asking, “Why would you do this for me?” Their utter disbelief that strangers would care so deeply about them was striking. 

We helped another guest attend a class to achieve a higher level of certification and get a better job. When she passed the test, a collective cheer rang out among the volunteers. It was a small but critical milestone on the road to independence and self-sufficiency.

Of course, the crowning moment was when I met the first baby born to a Mary’s Comfort mom. As I said before, there are no words to describe the emotions that flooded over me. It’s powerful stuff.

What is it like to volunteer at a maternity home? What is a day or week in your life like? How do you balance volunteering with your other responsibilities? 

Volunteering at a home for pregnant moms is incredibly rewarding and also full of surprises — no two months have been the same. The needs and challenges each guest faces have been different, so we must be nimble and creative to provide the level of support needed to give them hope and confidence. 

Similarly, there is no typical week for me. I work a full-time job in addition to being president of the Mary’s Comfort board of directors and an active volunteer who jumps in when needed. 

If I had a message for those who might be thinking about volunteering but worry it would be too much with a full-time job, I’d say go for it! Many of our volunteers work full time and still find ways to contribute in very meaningful ways. As an all-volunteer-run charity, we are very flexible and, frankly, wouldn’t succeed without volunteers of many different backgrounds and stages in life — working and retired.

You asked how I balance volunteering and other parts of life. I guess my mindset is that volunteering is an important part of life if I’m living the life I believe I was called to live. But volunteering is not just about checking the box on a moral obligation, it’s about doing something that brings joy to others, and in this case, has played some small role in new life being welcomed into this world. 

It has brought new perspective and new joy to the rest of my life, so finding balance isn’t so hard.

If you could put your experience at Mary’s Comfort into one word, what would that word be and why?  

Grateful. Why? Because this experience has taught me to be grateful on so many levels: grateful for all the blessings in my life; grateful to work alongside such committed volunteers who just don’t give up no matter what challenges lie before us; grateful for the opportunity to serve others in this consequential way. 

CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Michael Iskander, the actor who portrays King David in the hit Prime Video series “House of David,” announced earlier this year that he had converted to Catholicism. Born and raised as a Coptic Orthodox, he does not see his conversion as a rejection of his roots; instead, it is “answering a calling from God.”

The 24-year-old actor, who was born in Egypt but came to the United States as a child, sat down with CNA for an exclusive interview in October and spoke candidly about his recent conversion and faith. 

Iskander’s journey toward Catholicism started several years ago when he happened to stumble into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. Although tourists filled the historic cathedral, Iskander went in, sat down in a pew, put his head down, and felt “as if nothing existed.”

“I looked at the altar knowing that’s where the Eucharist lies and I’m like, ‘I want the Eucharist.’ And I remember feeling this moment of extreme holiness,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘This is where the Eucharist is.’ And I put my head down and I started weeping for an hour straight — not praying, nothing, just weeping. And it felt like nobody else was there except for me and God.”

He credited that day with planting the seed of his interest in Catholicism. From then on, he began attending Mass. As he learned more about King David in preparation for the show, that interest, which became a calling, kept growing. 

“I was like, ‘This is home, God is calling me here,’ and it just kept getting louder and louder and louder,” he said. 

After he finished filming Season 2 of “House of David,” Iskander got in contact with a priest in his area to go over questions he had about Catholicism. After a nearly two-hour conversation, he told the priest he wanted to convert. 

Because the Catholic Church recognizes sacraments from the Coptic Orthodox church as valid, Iskander took part in a profession of faith during a Mass for him held on Aug. 21. 

One part of the Mass in particular stood out to Iskander: when the priest read the responsorial psalm, which was Psalm 89 and included the verses that talk about the anointing of David. 

“He’s reading this and I’m thinking, ‘Father, thanks for setting that up. That’s very sweet. Thanks.’ And so he goes up for the homily and he goes, ‘So just in case you’re wondering, Michael, if I chose that for you, no. You happen to pick the day where this is the reading … so I think God is trying to speak to you and telling you that you are home,’” he recalled.

Iskander added: “It was just a beautiful day and I felt like I was home … It felt like the prodigal son who returned and his father accepted him with open arms.”

The Catholic actor said playing the role of King David has impacted his faith “in every way,” sharing that reading Scripture affects how he portrays the Jewish king. 

“​​I inform everything about David from Scripture and looking at not only his great moments but his tough moments,” he said. 

“The more you keep reading about him, the more the more we understand David; the more we ponder about the actions that he took, the more we understand his heart. He truly was a man who loved God with every part of his being,” Iskander added. “And just like all of us, we fall and we falter, but David is one who came back and recognized his mistakes and recognized his sins in front of God and asked for forgiveness and repented.”

The actor explained that one of the biggest ways his faith has been impacted is in learning why God chose David yet rejected Saul, reflecting on the humble heart of David and the prideful heart of Saul. 

“God chose David because of his humble heart. And a humble heart is a heart that’s willing to follow God. It’s a heart that’s willing to listen to him and do as he commands,” he said. “A prideful heart is going to choose my wants, my needs, my selfish desires over him. A selfish heart is going to place yourself even with God, which is what happened with Saul, [and is] ultimately why he was rejected.”

Iskander added: “Once that clicked, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not about me. It’s about him. I need to follow him and I need to listen to his commandments and I need to put myself aside. I need to not think about myself.’ And really it’s freeing. It’s a freeing thing to just put yourself aside and live for Christ.”

“I think that’s the most beautiful thing, to put ourselves aside and to live for him. So, thinking about that and understanding that in my life, I just need to follow God and follow his commandments and follow what he wants for me,” he said.

Season 2 of "House of David" is streaming now on Prime Video with a Wonder Project subscription. 

Croatian President Zoran Milanović was received this morning at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. During talks at the Secretariat of State, discussions focused on various international and regional issues, with particular attention to the Western Balkans region and regional cooperation.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, as a patron saint of the Catholic Church’s educational mission in his recent apostolic letter on education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope.”

In the letter, the pontiff draws a connection between the two saints, separated by six centuries but united by the same mission: teaching within the Catholic Church.

Paul Gordon, professor of Catholic social doctrine and contemporary history and literature at the Ángel Ayala Institute of Humanities, reflected on the Holy Father’s letter in a recent conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Union between faith and reason

As the Scottish professor noted, both Newman and Aquinas were theologians who promoted dialogue between the sciences, especially between faith and reason, positioning the gift of faith as a guide in the search for truth. 

In the apostolic letter, published on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis, the pope recalls the words of Newman, who will also be declared a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1: “Religious truth is not only a part, but a condition of general knowledge.”

According to Pope Leo, this involves an invitation to “renew the commitment to knowledge that is as intellectually responsible and rigorous as it is profoundly human.”

A keen insight into modern times

Aquinas, known as the “angelic doctor,” plumbed the depths of the Christian faith “in the light of Aristotle’s philosophy” and Christianized the ideas of the Greek philosopher, Gordon explained.

“St. Thomas Aquinas introduced Aristotle’s philosophy into the Catholic Church at the beginning of the modern world, in the 13th century,” he added.

For his part, Newman, who was the first rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, “unified faith and reason” with his keen insight into modern times.

Gordon also noted that Newman is one of the most celebrated converts to Catholicism in recent times, making the pope’s gesture “another milestone marking the return to Rome” that Newman himself experienced.

Though criticized by many at the time, Newman “was among the first” who ”dared to leave Anglicanism, which is still the official and established Church” in Great Britain, and go “over to the Catholic Church because he knew that’s where the truth resided,” Gordon said.

Newman’s conversion paved “the way for many other converts in my country and in English-speaking countries.”

Gordon said he thinks Pope Leo XIV intends to emphasize the importance of ecumenism in light of Newman’s courageous and brave example: “He shows us that we must pray for the unity of the body of Christ, because division is a sin.” 

A light for teaching today

Both saints can serve as a light for the teaching profession in today’s world, Gordon emphasized, where “education, especially at the university level, has become a kind of utilitarian vocational training where spirituality has no place.”

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

Speaking with Vatican News, Regina Lynch—Executive President of the international organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International)—reflects on the Christians in Pakistan who embrace their suffering by saying they are nothing compared to the suffering of Christ; as well as the more than 5,500 aid projects run by her organization, and Pope Leo XIV’s words that resonate even with people of other faiths.

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Pope Leo XIV speaks extemporaneously, in English, with members of the International Youth Advisory Body. In prepared remarks consigned to the young people. the Holy Father encouraged them to focus on synodality, mission, and participation, in order to counter isolation and help the Church reach out to those in need.

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CNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

When a religious sister felt inspired to write a Catholic vampire trilogy, she knew the inspiration came from Jesus — but she did not know if the other sisters would think she was “crazy.”

Vampire novels are not known for inspiring teens to become Eucharistic ministers, attend Eucharistic adoration, or discern religious life. But the “In Aeternum” series is different. The books aim to draw their fans to Christ.

After she felt Jesus “stir up the story idea,” Sister Allison Regina Gliot, a Daughter of St. Paul, got to writing.

“The nuns are going to think I’m crazy that I wrote a vampire book,” Gliot remembered telling Jesus in prayer.

But after the leap of faith, Gliot’s story has made it into print.

The “In Aeternum” trilogy begins with “The Curse He Chose,” which centers on Elizabeth, a Catholic teenager who gets caught up in a fight between vampires and is forced to go on the run with a vampire outcast named Christopher. The story continues in the second book, “The Light They Left” — announced Oct. 31 — which will be released on Jan. 2, 2026, by Pauline Books and Media, the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul.

Why a vampire novel? 

The Daughters of St. Paul, also known as the “media nuns,” evangelize through media — from social media to storytelling to, apparently, young adult Catholic vampire books.

“There are a lot of teens and young adults who love fiction, who love supernatural fiction, who love urban fantasy and sci-fi stories,” Gliot said. “And so if we can provide a Catholic option, it can genuinely move them forward in their relationship with God and their relationship with the Church.” 

Besides being hugely popular among young adults — especially with the “Twilight” craze of the early 2000s — vampire novels have something else to offer. 

Classic vampire stories had explicitly Catholic elements, Gliot noted. In Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” for instance, the Eucharist, holy ground, and a crucifix all help protect against vampires.

Gliot, who grew up reading vampire stories, wondered: “Why did that get cut out?”

The “deep devotion” that the Daughters of St. Paul have for the Eucharist first drew her to the community. By interweaving spiritual realities throughout the novel, Gliot hoped her writing could support young readers in their faith regarding things like the Eucharist.

“By having characters like vampires who are super attuned to invisible spiritual realities, it helps readers see and realize that those realities are actually real,” she explained.

“Vampires are not real, but the Eucharist actually is Jesus,” she said.

Her books deal not only with vampires but also with having a relationship with God — and all the challenges that come with it.

The main character, Elizabeth, struggles with things that Gliot herself has wrestled with in her faith.

“One of the things that Elizabeth fears in showing her anger towards God is: What does that say about her?” Gliot said. “If some part of her hates God, is she going to run into the limits of God’s love? Or is God only helping her because she’s doing what he says?”

Meanwhile, the outcast vampire Christopher “has to learn how to experience” God’s love and forgiveness.

In the story, vampires have “rejected their humanity” to the point that they forget their human past. But in Book 2, Christopher’s memories start to come back.

“He struggles a lot with forgiving himself and struggles to accept forgiveness from others,” Gliot said. “And so accepting forgiveness from God is an even harder thing in some ways for him.”

The story has “organic Catholicism woven in,” she explained. The power of the sacraments and other theological elements are “all wrapped up into the action and the emotional stakes of what’s going on in the story.”

Several other sisters and a priest reviewed the manuscripts to make sure “that readers are not going to walk away with any misconceptions about Catholicism,” Gliot said. The book even includes a “fact or fiction” section at the end as a resource for readers.

The biggest theological idea that comes up in the series is that “God never gives up on us — that you are never so far gone or so far fallen that you can’t come back to him, but you have to make that choice to come back,” Gliot said.

“He’s there, he wants you, but it’s up to you to start taking those steps towards him and responding to that grace,” she said.

For future readers 

As she wrote, Gliot felt a call from Jesus to pray for her future readers. 

“What future readers?” she remembered asking herself. 

But she prayed anyway. 

When the first book came out, Gliot began to see these prayers coming to fruition. 

Readers have reached out to Gliot over social media and through handwritten letters “to share how much they love the book and cannot put it down and how they’re sharing it with all their friends,” she said. 

But what has moved her most is when readers have reached out saying that the book “changed their relationship with God” for the better. 

“I’ve had readers share that they have become Eucharistic ministers at their parish after reading my book or that they’ve started discerning religious life or going to daily Mass,” Gliot said. 

“God is present with the reader, just like he was present with me when I was working on the book,” she said.

In a meeting with members of the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean, Pope Leo says “the proposal of Catholic higher education is none other than to seek the integral development of the human person.”

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WASHINGTON - “With the Administration signaling a severely limited continuation of this historically bipartisan program, we urge due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief,” said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration. Bishop Seitz’s remarks follow the Administration’s formal publication of the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, which allows up to 7,500 refugees to be resettled over the next year. This is the lowest ceiling since the program was created by Congress in 1980. 

At the start of this year, over 100,000 people had already undergone extensive screening by the U.S. government and were conditionally approved for refugee status in the United States, including vulnerable children and those seeking to reunify with family members. However, on the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order indefinitely suspending refugee resettlement. Since then, very few refugees have been permitted to travel to the United States as exceptions to the executive order, largely consistent with recent presidential actions prioritizing Afrikaners from South Africa under Executive Order 14204. 

Bishop Seitz’s full statement follows: 

“For over 45 years, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has been, and continues to be, a safe and secure legal pathway for people from around the world who meet the requirements for humanitarian protection. It is a vital mechanism through which our nation can exist as a beacon of hope for those facing persecution and promote respect for the sanctity of human life. What President Reagan said in 1981 about refugee policy being ‘an important part of our past and fundamental to our national interest’ very much rings true today. With the Administration signaling a severely limited continuation of this historically bipartisan program, we urge due consideration for all those who have long awaited their opportunity for relief. We also pray for the broad, indefinite suspension of refugee admissions to be lifted, and we implore the President to make the program available to those truly in need. 

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the disparate treatment of refugees currently taking place. As exemptions are considered, it is essential that they be applied consistently and without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin, in accordance with longstanding domestic and international norms. Resettlement tainted by the perception of unjust discrimination is contrary to Catholic teaching and quintessential American values, grounded in our Constitution and refugee laws, including the equality of every person from the moment of their creation by God.”

Earlier this year, the USCCB announced that it would discontinue its role as a national resettlement agency. However, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB, emphasized that the decision would not mean the Catholic Church would be walking away from helping refugees and others, but rather, that the USCCB would find other ways to uphold the Gospel’s call to do what we can for the least among us.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV encouraged an international group of young adults to reach out to their peers and invite them to be active members of a parish community rather than trying to live their faith alone.

The pope met Oct. 31 with members of the International Youth Advisory Body, a group of 20 young adults from around the world who serve three-year terms as advisers to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

The North American members are Sally Yasmine from the Archdiocese of Montreal and Wyatt Olivas from the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Pope Leo had a prepared speech for the group but handed them a copy of the text rather than reading it. 

"You know that in recent years many young people have approached the faith through social media, successful programs and popular online Christian witnesses," the pope wrote. "The danger is that a faith discovered online is limited to individual experiences, which may be intellectually and emotionally reassuring, but are never 'embodied.'"

The risk, he wrote, is that those spiritual experiences "remain 'disembodied,' detached from the 'ecclesial body,'" which is the church.

Another danger, he said, is that they are not lived "alongside others in real-life situations, relationships or sharing. All too often, social media algorithms merely create a sounding board for individuals, picking up on personal preferences and tastes, and 'sending them back' magnified and enriched with appealing proposals."

In that kind of digital echo chamber, he said, "everyone remains alone with themselves, prisoners of their own inclinations and projections."

Young people are essential members of the church, the pope said, especially a church that is striving to be "synodal," listening to all members, praying and discerning together and calling on each person to contribute their talents.

"Authentic synodality leads to mission," the pope wrote. And part of that is being involved so that the church understands "how to bring the Gospel to everyone." 

"All of this requires that you, young people, have open hearts, ready to listen both to the 'inspirations' of the Spirit and the deep 'aspirations' of each person," Pope Leo wrote.

"You must look beyond appearances in order to seek the true answers that give meaning to life.  You must have hearts that are open to God's call and not engrossed in your own plans and are willing to understand and sympathize before forming judgments."

Pope Leo asked the young people particularly to help the church "hear the voices of the weak, the poor and the lonely, refugees and those who struggle to integrate into society, or to access educational opportunities."

"All too often," he said, "these voices are drowned out by the noise of the powerful, the successful and those who live in 'exclusive' realities."

Being missionary, the pope wrote, "entails freedom from fear, because the Lord loves to call us to forge new paths. In this sense, as young people, you can be leaders of creativity and courage."