St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church

The Sister Servants of Mary hold a procession with the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption at Mary Health of the Sick Convalescent Hospital in Newbury Park, California. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick

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.”

Scene from Nov. 1, 2025, Mass outside the Broadview facility in Chicago where immigration advocates allege federal authorities inhumanely treat detainees. / Credit: Kathleen Murphy/CNA

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.

null / Credit: SibRapid/Shutterstock

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.

Finish line of the A-Cross America Relay, hosted by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. / Credit: Photo courtesy of LIFE Runners.

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!

An African nun prays the rosary. On Jan. 7, 2025, two religious sisters were kidnapped in the Archdiocese of Onitsha in Nigeria. / Credit: Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.

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.

President Donald Trump says he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about imprisoned pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai in October 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of the Bradley Foundation

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.”

Authorities say the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty, raped and murdered in a Pennsylvania Catholic church 63 years ago, was identified in October 2025 as William Schrader, who died in 2002. / Credit: Courtesy of Buck's County District Attorney's Office

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.”

null / Credit: Shutterstock

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. 

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago describes artificial intelligence (AI) as Pope Leo XIV’s  “industrial revolution” at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30, 2025. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

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.” 

Electrical poles are down as a man bikes through the destroyed neighborhood of North Street following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica on Oct. 29, 2025. / Credit: Ricardo Makyn/ Getty

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.