Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament. / Credit: Comunidade Javé Nissi via Pexels Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 15:04 pm (CNA). The number of people who believe their faith does not depend on attending Mass has increased as more Catholics are cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus, according to a recent survey of U.S. Catholic beliefs.ACS Technologies, a church management software and data analysis company, investigated the trends in “American Beliefs Study: Religious Preferences and Practices.” The study researched the religious preferences, practices, beliefs, and media habits of Americans. Initially conducted in 2012-2013 and repeated in 2016-2017, 2020-2021, and 2024-2025, the study reflects the responses of roughly 60,000 participants over time. The most recent version of the study surveyed more than 15,000 Americans on Christian preferences, affiliations, values, and beliefs.ACST Catholic, a business of ACS Technologies, specifically examined the […]

Father Marko Rupnik, SJ, in an interview with EWTN in 2020. / Credit: EWTN Rome Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 16:02 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV asked accusers of Father Marko Rupnik to have patience as a trial on the priest’s alleged abuse begins at the Vatican.“A new trial has recently begun, judges were appointed. And processes for justice take a long time. I know it’s very difficult for the victims to ask that they be patient, but the Church needs to respect the rights of all people,” the pope said, addressing a question from Magdalena Wolinska-Reidi of EWTN News just outside his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, on Nov. 4.“The principle of innocent until proven guilty is also true in the Church,” he added. “Hopefully, this trial that is just beginning will be able to give some clarity to all those involved.”Leo answered questions from journalists as he left Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. He has spent almost every Tuesday at the papal retreat, located 18 […]

null / Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 16:32 pm (CNA). Claim: Primary care operations are closing because President Donald Trump defunded Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.CNA finds: Abortion providers prioritize abortion over primary care, causing closures. Community health clinics across the country continue to offer care without providing abortions.Breakdown: When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, taxpayer dollars were no longer allowed to be used to subsidize abortion providers for one year. Because of this, abortion providers don’t currently qualify for federal Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.Rather than giving up abortion offerings, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood and Maine Family Planning are closing their doors to primary care patients.Maine Family Planning provides abortions up to 14 weeks as well as birth control and “gender-affirming” health care. Across 18 clinics, Maine Family […]

Auxiliary Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado with eight spiritual leaders including Sister JoAnn Persch attempt to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, facility and were not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. / Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 16:52 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday said the spiritual rights of migrants in detention must be considered.“Many people who’ve lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what’s going on right now,” he said Nov. 4 outside Castel Gandolfo. “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people. Many times they’ve been separated from their families for a good amount of time. No one knows what’s happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to.”Catholic leaders in Chicago sought to bring holy Communion to detainees Nov. […]

Pope Leo answers questions from journalists as he leaves Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican on Nov. 4, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News Rome Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 17:17 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV said dialogue is the solution to rising tensions with Venezuela.There have been more than a dozen U.S. strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, often of Venezuelan origin. Dozens of deaths have been reported as a result, and the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.“A country has the right to have its own military to defend peace, to build peace,” Pope Leo XIV said Nov. 4 outside Castel Gandolfo. “In this case, however, it seems a bit different, with the tension increasing… Just five minutes ago I read some news saying that they are getting closer and closer to the coast of Venezuela. I think that with violence we do not win. The thing to do is to seek dialogue, to look for a just way to find solutions to the problems that may exist in a country. A […]

null / Credit: Harvepino/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA). U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders are offering “prayers of support and solidarity” for world leaders who will discuss climate change and other environmental matters at an upcoming conference.The 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled for Nov. 10–21 in Belém, Brazil. World leaders, scientists, and representatives from civil society will discuss ways to implement solutions to combat climate change and form new national action plans. Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace; and Sean Callahan, CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), are calling for “urgent, courageous action to protect God’s creation and people.” “This year’s COP30 convenes while the […]

Javier del Río Alba, archbishop of Arequipa, with the youth at the 13th Youth Festival of Faith. / Credit: Archdiocese of Arequipa ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA). Archbishop Javier Del Río Alba of Arequipa in southern Peru shared the keys to holiness with more than 8,500 young people at the Shrine of Our Lady of Chapi during the 13th Youth Festival of Faith, held over the weekend of the solemnity of All Saints.The gathering, which took place Oct. 31–Nov. 1, was led by the archbishop, accompanied by the auxiliary bishop of Arequipa, Raúl Chau Quispe, along with priests, nuns, seminarians, and catechists.The celebration began around 10:30 p.m. with the procession of the image of Our Lady of Chapi, which was received with applause from the young people, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Arequipa sent to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.Del Río delivered a homily on the Gospel passage of the wedding feast at Cana, reflecting on the […]

null / Credit: Zolnierek/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:10 pm (CNA). Pennsylvania voters elected to retain three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court following a campaign with outside groups casting the vote as a referendum on abortion access, election integrity, and the future balance of the court.The outcome means Democrats will maintain their 5-2 majority on the court.With more than 54% of the vote tallied, 62.3% voted to retain Christine Donohue, 62.5% voted to retain Kevin Dougherty, and 62.4% voted to retain David Wecht. None of the other justices were on the ballot for 2025.The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee celebrated the victory on X. “Thanks to tonight’s victories, the court’s Democratic majority will continue to protect fair maps, voting rights, and reproductive freedom for Pennsylvanians for years to come,” the post read.In Pennsylvania, state Supreme Court justices are chosen through partisan elections to […]

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger delivers remarks during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Virginia. / Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:17 pm (CNA). Off-year elections for state leadership roles in Virginia and New Jersey saw Democrats win key races in what pundits had predicted would be a referendum against Republican President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House. Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, won the gubernatorial race in that state against current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the commonwealth’s first woman governor, according to the Associated Press, while state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the race for lieutenant governor there. Democrat Jay Jones also won the state’s attorney general race, beating incumbent Jason Miyares. In New Jersey, meanwhile, Democrat Mikie Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli, […]

Democratic Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media during a press conference after voting on Nov. 4, 2025. / Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:25 pm (CNA). Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who promotes gender ideology and abortion access, won his bid for mayor of New York City on Nov. 4, decisively defeating his two main opponents: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and talk show host Curtis Sliwa.Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the New York State Assembly and the Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor, took 50.4% of the vote on Tuesday. As of 9:42 p.m. ET, 75% of the vote had been tallied.Cuomo, who served as governor as a Democrat and ran as an independent for mayor, received 41.3% of the vote. Sliwa, the Republican nominee, finished third with 7.5% of the vote.Mamdani, set to be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2026, will be the city’s first Muslim mayor. He will succeed Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who suspended […]

Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė attends the March for Life in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 4, 2025. / Credit: Erlendas Bartulis Vilnius, Lithuania, Nov 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). The appointment of Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė, a mother of six and longtime advocate for life, family, and human dignity, as Lithuania’s new vice minister of justice has drawn warm attention from the country’s Catholic community. For many, her rise from civic activism to national leadership embodies what it means to live one’s faith in public life.Zamarytė-Sakavičienė joins fellow vice minister Barbara Aliaševičienė under Minister of Justice Rūta Tamašunienė, who assumed office in August following a coalition reshuffle that brought the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families Union into the ruling government.Recalling the moment she received the offer to serve, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė said she accepted it with “calm joy,” recognizing it as at once “a professional […]

Cardinal Dominik Duka. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA Prague, Czech Republic, Nov 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA). Cardinal Dominik Duka, one of the last cardinals from former Czechoslovakia, passed away at the age of 82 on Nov. 4. He was known for his orthodoxy in the Catholic faith and his resistance against the communist regime that jailed him for religious activity.With the death of Duka, the only living cardinal from Czechoslovakia is Michael Czerny, who emigrated to Canada.Duka, born in 1943, was baptized Jaroslav but took the religious name Dominik when he secretly entered the Order of Preachers and was ordained a priest in 1970.He taught other Dominicans, spread samizdat (the secret copying and distributing of literature banned by the state), and cooperated with people abroad, which was illegal during communist rule in Czechoslovakia. The regime jailed him for more than a year. According to a memorial letter by the master of the Order of Preachers, Father Gerard Francisco Timoner […]

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly (right) speaks at the Symposium on Young American Men, a national conversation on restoring purpose, flourishing, and belonging, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, 2025. Looking on is Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. / Credit: Matthew H. Barrick CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA). At the Symposium on Young American Men in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus said that young men are “lost” and need “purpose and mission.” The symposium highlighted the mental health crisis, social isolation, digital addiction, and other struggles young men face today.Panelists — including Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; and other experts — discussed ways to address these challenges by helping young men build community. “Many young men are lost and disconnected,” Kelly said in an opening statement at the beginning of the […]

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience on Nov. 5, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, Nov 5, 2025 / 08:20 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV appealed on Wednesday for the international community not to abandon the people of Myanmar as the country remains gripped by civil war and severe humanitarian need. He made the appeal during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, which also included a catechesis on how the resurrection of Christ sheds light on suffering and death.“Brothers and sisters, I invite you to join me in prayer for those who suffer as a result of armed conflicts in different parts of the world. I am thinking in particular of Myanmar and I urge the international community not to forget the Burmese people and to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance,” the pope said before thousands of pilgrims.Leo expressed his concern for the long-running violence in the Asian nation, where civilians […]

Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino is the auxiliary bishop of Madrid. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA). Following the publication of his Spanish-language book on the 1934 revolution that took place in Asturias province in northwestern Spain, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino of Madrid noted that “if we know the history of the martyrs, we will recover evangelical strength.”In “The 39 Martyrs of 1934 in Spain,” Martínez recounts the stories of those who were murdered out of hatred for the faith within a very specific context in the country’s history.In October 1934, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE by its Spanish acronym) along with anarchist and communist groups launched an uprising against the legality of the Second Spanish Republic, hoping to emulate the revolution that triumphed in Russia in 1917.Among those martyred in the conflict — 37 religious and two laypeople — were nine De La […]

The Ten Commandments outside the Texas capitol. / Credit: BLundin via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Houston, Texas, Nov 5, 2025 / 10:47 am (CNA). Texas voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 15, the Parental Rights Amendment, with more than 72% in favor.The measure, which passed alongside all 16 other constitutional amendments on the ballot, enshrines parents’ fundamental authority over their children’s upbringing directly into the Texas Constitution, marking the first such explicit protection in any U.S. state charter.The amendment adds language affirming that parents have the right “to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing,” alongside their responsibility “to nurture and protect the parent’s child.” It takes effect immediately upon certification by the Texas secretary of state, expected within weeks.Texas already ranked among the 26 states with a Parents’ Bill […]

Cardinal Robert McElroy at the Church of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali in Rome on April 23, 2023, when he took possession of his titular church as a cardinal. / Credit: Pablo Esparza/CNA Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2025 / 11:11 am (CNA). Cardinal Robert McElroy, the 71-year-old archbishop of Washington, D.C., has been diagnosed with cancer but has a good prognosis for recovery, according to an archdiocesan announcement on Wednesday morning, Nov. 5. According to the statement, McElroy’s cancer will be surgically removed on Nov. 13, and his doctors “are in consensus that his prognosis is very good.”“The precise diagnosis is that Cardinal McElroy has well-differentiated liposarcoma, which is a nonaggressive cancer that tends not to metastasize,” the statement read.“Last night Cardinal McElroy spoke with the priests of the archdiocese about this diagnosis during their annual convocation and said to them that ‘I am at peace with this challenge and hope and believe […]

Group photo of Congregation of Jesus (CJ) sisters and Father Arturo Sosa after Mass on Nov. 4, 2025. The CJ and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) have officially merged into one congregation. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Congregatio Jesu Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2025 / 11:56 am (CNA). The Congregation of Jesus (CJ) and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) unified about 1,800 sisters across 40 countries after officially merging into one congregation on Tuesday.The two congregations of apostolic women merged “after years of prayer, collaboration, and shared ministry,” IBVM said in a statement. “We now share one name, one vision, and one spirit — continuing Mary Ward’s legacy together as a single, international congregation.”The merger decree became official on Nov. 4 at a Mass and celebration in Loyola, Spain, presided over by Father Arturo Sosa, the general superior of the Jesuits. The Mass will be followed by a Nov. 5 symposium called: […]

Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dubuque, Iowa, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA). The Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, is in the midst of a restructuring plan called the “Journey in Faith” initiative that will result in parish mergers and other major changes due to declining church attendance, financial pressures, and priest shortages.At a homily he gave at the beginning of September, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula cited “dramatic shifts in population, culture, and finances within our archdiocese. We are using only 37% of our church capacities each weekend. Since 2006, Mass attendance is down 46% throughout the archdiocese.”According to archdiocesan data, Catholic marriages have declined 57% and infant baptisms are down 22% since 2006. The only liturgical celebration that has increased is Catholic funerals, up 3% in the same time period.Regarding the priest shortage, […]

On Nov. 4, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria announced the release of two seminarians who were abducted in July during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi while confirming the death of a third victim. / Credit: Catholic Diocese of Auchi ACI Africa, Nov 5, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA). The Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria has announced the release of two seminarians who were abducted in July during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi while confirming the death of a third victim.In a statement issued Tuesday, the assistant director of communications of the diocese, Father Linus Imoedemhe, recalled that during the July 10 incident, seminarians Japhet Jesse, Joshua Aleobua, and Emmanuel Alabi were abducted.“We are grateful to God for the safe release of Japhet Jesse much earlier and, most recently, Joshua Aleobua, who regained his freedom on Nov. 4,” Imoedemhe said in the statement shared with ACI Africa, […]

Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses of Seville, Spain. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Archdiocese of Seville ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA). The Archdiocese of Seville in Spain has announced that a young woman with Down syndrome who was initially prohibited from being a godmother at a baptism will be able to fulfill that role after “high-level” consultations with experts in canon law and pastoral care.In late October, the offended family took their case to the media because a priest had refused to accept Noelia, a 19-year-old woman with Down syndrome, as a godmother.In a Nov. 4 statement, the archdiocese explained that since the controversy broke out, it has gathered “all the relevant information and testimonies,” and “in agreement with the pastor and the family of the child being baptized, the archdiocese authorizes the celebration of the sacrament of baptism on the scheduled date, allowing the parents to put forward the godparents they had initially […]

Pope Leo XIV leads the faithful in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in reciting the Angelus on Nov. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, Nov 5, 2025 / 16:33 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday addressed a letter to seminarians of the Archdiocese of Trujillo, Peru, reminding them of the need to be close to Christ while discerning a vocation to the priesthood.In a long letter to men studying at the “San Carlos y San Marcelo” major seminary, who celebrated the institution’s 400th anniversary on Nov. 4, the Holy Father emphasized that prayer and the search for truth are not “parallel journeys” but a single path that leads to God.‘Nurture both’“A piety without doctrine becomes fragile sentimentality; doctrine without prayer becomes sterile and cold,” he wrote. “Nurture both with balance and passion, knowing that only in this way can you authentically proclaim what you live and live coherently what you proclaim.”As an Augustinian missionary, Leo XIV once […]

Empty wheelchairs were used during a Nov. 4, 2025, anti-assisted suicide event in Rome. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ProVita & Famiglia Rome, Italy, Nov 5, 2025 / 17:03 pm (CNA). The Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square), one of Rome’s most iconic and monumental spaces, became the stage on Nov. 4 for a powerful campaign against a bill currently under consideration in the Italian Senate to decriminalize assisted suicide. Two hundred empty wheelchairs with a rose-colored balloon floating above each one were arranged in meticulously ordered rows in the center of the Italian capital’s expansive urban space by the pro-life ProVita & Famiglia association as part of a flash mob with a direct and unsettling message: “Non mi uccidere” (“Don’t kill me”).The initiative aimed to denounce what the organization considers a “drift toward assisted suicide” in Italy.Legislative backgroundCurrently in Italy, anyone who “causes the death of a man with his consent” is […]

Father Guillermo Treviño Jr.’s national profile stemmed from his immigrant rights work with Escucha Mi Voz Iowa (“Hear My Voice Iowa”), a group aiding Latino workers, including immigrants. He is shown here during a meeting earlier this year with U.S. Sen.Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Escucha Mi Voz Iowa CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 17:33 pm (CNA). Father Guillermo Treviño Jr., a 39-year-old priest who advocated for the rights of immigrants in the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, passed away suddenly on Oct. 31, just hours after returning from a trip to the Vatican. His death from sepsis after a fatal stomach perforation was a complication of undiagnosed diabetes, according to his sister, Mariela Treviño-Luna, who had traveled with him to Italy.Due to a shortage of priests in Iowa, Treviño served as a pastor of St. Joseph Church in Columbus Junction as well as St. Joseph Church in West Liberty, southeast of Iowa City.Treviño’s national profile stemmed from […]

A Catholic delegation attempts to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, immigration facility and was not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. / Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2025 / 18:58 pm (CNA). A Chicago-based federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to maintain strict cleanliness and hygiene requirements for migrants detained at an Illinois facility.The court also ordered the administration to provide detainees with access to legal representation.The temporary restraining order entered Nov. 5 by Judge Robert W. Gettleman, who was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, did not address the plaintiff’s concerns about a lack of religious accommodations, including the ability to receive holy Communion.Gettleman’s order Nov. 5 directed the administration to provide adequate food, water, and hygiene […]

The Spalding Institute in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, is being transformed into “The Fulton J. Sheen Experience,” an expansion of the Sheen museum, which has been open since 2008.  / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot CNA Staff, Nov 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). The Diocese of Peoria in Illinois on Oct. 19 broke ground for a cultural center honoring Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The Spalding Institute is being transformed into “The Fulton J. Sheen Experience,” an expansion of the Sheen museum, which has been open since 2008. The new center has an estimated construction cost of $9 million to $11 million, all of which is being raised from private donations. Visitors will be able to see interactive exhibits, artifacts, and large archives of television and radio work from the archbishop’s life. “We are thrilled to transform the historic diocesan high school building into this new facility,” Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said in a press release. “We believe this […]

null / Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Nov 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA). Claim: Laws requiring minors to notify their parents if they are getting an abortion “threaten young people’s health and safety and undermine their human rights,” claims a report by the Human Rights Watch.CNA finds: CNA finds a strong pro-abortion bias in the report. Experts say parental notification laws help protect girls from predators and put girls in a better situation by ensuring family support. Breakdown: Parental notification laws vary across states, but most require the abortion provider to notify a parent before the abortion takes place, unless it’s a medical emergency or the minor obtains a court order.For instance, in Colorado, a written notice must be delivered to the parent’s home by someone from the abortion clinic, a sheriff, a clergy member, or other person. The law contains a built-in exemption if the minor is in an abusive home.Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, […]

null / Credit: Ivonne Wierink/Shutterstock ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 6, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA). Catholics in the United States will have an opportunity to support more than 21,000 retired priests and men and women religious from various orders during the weekend of Dec. 13–14 with the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious.According to a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), this collection, organized by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO), “helps provide critical financial assistance to eligible religious institutes caring for their retired members.”For decades, consecrated men and women in the U.S. have served in multiple ministries — schools, hospitals, parishes, and social service organizations — often with little or no compensation. Today their communities face a serious imbalance between the rising costs of elder care and limited resources.In 2024, religious over the age of 70 outnumbered the young by nearly 3 to 1, […]

Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) strongly condemned attacks in the Oromia Region in late October 2025 that claimed lives and destroyed property belonging to members of the Catholic community. / Credit: World Council of Churches ACI Africa, Nov 6, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA). Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) have strongly condemned attacks in the Oromia region that claimed lives and destroyed property belonging to members of the Catholic community.In a statement issued Nov. 4, CBCE members called on the government to take urgent measures to protect citizens from further violence.“The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia expresses deep sorrow over the recent killings and destruction of property that occurred in October in the vicinity of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Harerghe, Oromia region,” the bishops said of the Oct. 25 and 27 attacks.They added: “The attacks have resulted in the loss of lives and the […]

Pope Leo XIV speaks with President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine during a private audience in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Nov. 6, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media. Vatican City, Nov 6, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV received President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine for an audience in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Thursday, almost a month after the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip came into effect.According to the Holy See Press Office, during the meeting “it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution.”This is the first in-person meeting between Leo XIV and the 90-year-old Palestinian leader, who was also received at the Vatican by Pope Francis on Dec. 12, 2024, and on prior occasions.Abbas spoke with Leo by phone on July 21. The conversation focused on the evolution of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the violence in the West Bank.Thursday’s meeting […]