Catholic News

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea has elected Bishop Augustine Kim Jong-su of Daejeon as its new president and approved guidelines on sexual violence in the Church in the country, CPBC, the South Korean Catholic broadcaster, reported Oct. 22.

Kim, 70, chaired the conference's special committee on sexual violence in the Church, which drew up the guidelines. At their Oct. 19–21 plenary assembly in Seoul, the bishops also elected Bishop John Baptist Jung Shin-chul of Incheon as vice president and Archbishop Simon Ok Hyun-jin of Gwangju as secretary, each for a three-year term.

The bishops also approved a question-and-answer guide on artificial intelligence and a sign-language Order of Mass. They asked all dioceses to join a year of prayer for peace on the Korean Peninsula from Dec. 8 ahead of World Youth Day Seoul 2027. Asked about potential plans to introduce abortion pills in South Korea, Kim told reporters that people have "no right to lay a hand on life itself," Yonhap reported.

Catholic Church in Burundi supports over 80,000 Congolese refugees

The Catholic Church in Burundi is working with humanitarian organizations to support more than 80,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the local ordinary of the Diocese of Bururi said.

The Catholic Church in Burundi is providing assistance to the refugees in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Children's Fund, ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, reported Oct. 23. "Until recently, my diocese was hosting more than 30,000 of them, but they have since been transferred to other parts of the country," Bishop Salvator Niciteretse said in the report.

"We are seeking to heal the social fabric through meetings and initiatives aimed at forming consciences to respect life, human dignity, and the common good," he said. "At the national level, we have organized gatherings attended by several thousand young people, who have been hosted by families."

Scotland bishop steps back from ministry due to medical advice

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland announced that its president, Bishop John Keenan, would be "stepping back from his daily duties until further notice, following medical advice."

"Bishop Keenan has been undergoing medical investigations and will require further tests and examinations over the coming weeks," the conference said in an Oct. 22 statement. "During this time, Vicar General Monsignor Joe Burke will oversee the day-to-day running of the Diocese of Paisley. Bishop Keenan hopes to provide a further update once these investigations are concluded and is grateful for your prayers at this time."

Maronite patriarch ends historic Greece visit with pilgrimage route launch

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai concluded the first visit to Greece by a Maronite patriarch, strengthening relations with the Orthodox Church and meeting the local Maronite community.

During visits to Mount Athos, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Corinth, Rai explored the shared Christian heritage of Greece and Lebanon, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Oct. 20. The visit led to plans for a pilgrimage route linking Corinth with Lebanon's Qadisha Valley (the holly valley), building on cooperation established in 2019. Comparing Mount Athos with Lebanon's historic monasteries, Rai lamented the neglect and emigration affecting the Qadisha Valley and called attention to the government's responsibility for preserving its heritage and supporting local communities.

Catholics in Egypt celebrate 100 years of World Mission Sunday

Marking the centenary of World Mission Sunday, Catholics of the Latin rite in Egypt gathered for Mass in Cairo under the theme "One in Christ, United in Mission."

Monsignor Antoine Tawfik reminded the faithful that every Christian shares responsibility for spreading the Gospel through prayer, love, and service, ACI MENA reported Oct. 20. Drawing on the examples of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, he warned that neglecting this mission threatens the Church's ability to pass on the faith to future generations.

Catholic child beaten with pipes by sectarian gang in Northern Ireland

A sectarian gang in Northern Ireland targeted a 13-year-old Catholic boy in a random attack, beating the child with metal pipes until he crawled under a car to escape, Irish News reported Oct. 23.

The attack took place in Derry following rising tensions among Protestants and Catholics over a planned unionist march through a Catholic neighborhood, which was eventually blocked by the U.K. government. The boy suffered injuries to his face and was rushed to the hospital, the report said, noting that the attack appeared to have been carried out by adult masked men. The boy did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.

Catholic schools in Syria invest in early childhood education

Around 115 kindergarten teachers from 18 Catholic schools in Syria participated in a new training initiative organized by the General Secretariat of Catholic Educational Institutions in cooperation with Shaghaf Academy and with support from L'Œuvre d'Orient.

The program focused on child psychology, classroom management, and effective communication, helping teachers better understand children's emotional and educational needs, ACI MENA reported Oct. 19. Church leaders emphasized that education is not simply about delivering information but also about building character, confidence, and values. They expressed hope that the initiative would strengthen Catholic education in Syria and eventually expand to other grade levels.

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SINGAPORE — As smoke from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia blanketed Singapore this month, parishioners at the Church of the Holy Family turned to a prayer written by one of their own.

"As you calmed the winds and the waves on the Sea of Galilee, we humbly ask ..." the prayer begins, before asking Jesus to clear the haze from the region. It was prayed at a faith formation session at the parish on Oct. 13.

At 7 p.m. on Oct. 16, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index stood at 225 in Singapore's central region, with three of the city-state's five regions in the "very unhealthy" range, according to the National Environment Agency. The same day, Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu said some of the haze had come from fires on the lands of seven companies in Indonesia, which would receive preventive measure notices under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

Reports from Kalimantan

The haze was discussed at the assembly of the Franciscan Network for Peace and Integral Ecology in Asia, held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from Oct. 5–11, said Friar John Wong, OFM, general definitor for Asia-Oceania of the Order of Friars Minor. Participants discussed how the haze affects the most vulnerable communities and how Franciscans are responding, he said.

A Capuchin Franciscan from Kalimantan, Indonesia, told the assembly that in one area, schools had been closed for a month because of the haze and that in other areas, poor families had lost their homes to the peatland fires, Wong said.

Friar Taucen Girsang, OFM, the order's assistant general director for justice, peace, and integrity of creation, reported that friars in Indonesia have been working with local bishops and governors, and that the Order of Friars Minor and the Capuchins are cooperating to provide clean water and help rebuild homes destroyed by fire in Kalimantan, according to Wong. The assembly focused on natural disaster management, preventing environmental destruction, and reducing disaster risks.

Capuchin Father Pionius Hendi, who chairs Inter-Franciscans for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Indonesia, said the Church's response must go beyond relief. "The Church is not called only to be present when disaster strikes but also to fight so that disasters that can be prevented do not keep happening," he said in written answers in Indonesian.

"We are not called only to help people survive in the midst of the ecological crisis but also to fight for a world in which people and all creation can live with dignity," he said.

"The Franciscan response always begins with fraternal solidarity with those who suffer, especially the poor and vulnerable," said Wong, who is based in Rome.

"Laudato Si' [Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical] reminds us that care for creation and care for people belong together," he said. "The poor are often the first to suffer from environmental damage, even though they may have contributed least to the problem."

St. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures, he said, calls Franciscans "to a change of heart, but also to a change in how we live, produce, consume, and care for the world entrusted to us."

"The effects of these fires cross national borders. This makes the haze a shared regional concern that calls for solidarity, cooperation, and a sense of shared responsibility," he said. Caring for our common home "is a matter of faith, justice, and our responsibility to future generations."

A friar in Assisi

Writing from Assisi, Italy, Friar John-Paul Tan, OFM, a Singaporean Franciscan friar and director of Fraternitas, the order's ministry to young adults, said: "These last days, the thought of the haze and the sufferings of so many people have been on my mind."

"How can the natural resources be seen as a blessing and a collective asset that is to be cared, managed, and protected from exploitation and abuse?" he asked.

He suggested that old oil palm trees could be used for pulp and paper, mulch, and chipboard rather than being disposed of by fire. "There is a ready source of renewable material from old palm trees," he said.

"The conversion of these individuals that have the agency and resources, and the collective mindsets, is critical if we are to have an effective response to this ecological crisis at our doorsteps," he said.

'A common good'

G. Clare Westwood, regional director of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, said: "The haze is air pollution. Air pollution is a violation of our right to a safe environment and our right to health. When it prevents people from working or children from going to school, then it also affects our right to livelihood and education."

She too cited Laudato Si', which raises concern over air pollution and describes climate as a common good.

"We stand in solidarity with those who suffer, and we seek to work with others to prevent further harm, care for those affected, and build a more sustainable future," Wong said.

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Montse Alvarado came to EWTN in 2021 as the founding host of the global Catholic network's weekly news magazine show "EWTN News In Depth." Just a few years later, in 2023, she was promoted to president and chief operating officer of EWTN News.

Now she is preparing to begin, on Nov. 1, another challenging new role, one that is taking her to the Eternal City as prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication.

In an "EWTN News In Depth" interview with Colm Flynn, Alvarado reflected on where her life has taken her so far, her vocation, and what's ahead.

Since 2023, Alvarado has led EWTN News' global and multilingual news operations across television, radio, print, digital, and social media platforms.

Before joining EWTN, she spent 14 years at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where she also rose to a position of leadership and worked extensively on issues related to religious freedom and human dignity.

Born in Mexico City, Alvarado came to the United States as a young girl. She studied at Florida International University and The George Washington University, served her church, and even discerned religious life.

She shared that she's "done none of this alone" and that as she has walked into each new chapter, "there's an incredible team there to work with, mentors that are more generous than I could ever deserve."

After ending her time at Becket, she recalled "thinking about the importance of religious freedom and the Constitution and the American Dream and I said, 'Well, what's it all for if not for heaven?'"

"I looked at EWTN and Mother Angelica and she spoke to my heart. That desperate desire for people to go to heaven … and so coming in here and having an environment where I was only talking about Jesus every day and only trying to communicate him to the world was a great honor for me and my spiritual life, but also seemed like a very logical thing to do when I thought about it from a calling and spiritual perspective," she explained.

Alvarado credited Mother Angelica and EWTN for playing a major role in the lead-up to her appointment to her new position.

She explained that due to EWTN's role in collaborating with the Holy See for several large events — including Pope Leo XIV's first-ever live dialogue with young people in Indianapolis in November 2025 and EWTN's collaboration with the dicastery to create a video reflection ahead of the release of the Holy Father's first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas — she was able to meet with the pope and "get to know the inner workings."

Alvarado will be making history as she takes on this new responsibility — becoming the first laywoman appointed prefect of a dicastery of the Holy See. She said she believes she was chosen for the position because "we are in a moment where digital communications and traditional communications are coming together," and the Holy Father "was looking for a next-generation professional, that's clear, and God willing, I'll be able to fill those shoes."

When asked if her response to the Holy Father's reaching out to her about the appointment prompted an immediate yes, Alvarado admitted that it "took a little more prayer than I would care to admit."

"My entire life has been a surrender to Jesus Christ and his Church in the hopes that others would have a relationship with him. But I'm human, Colm, and moving to a new country, learning a new language, all of those pieces, leaving everything behind, they're big to overcome," she said. "And so I think it took a little more prayer than I would care to admit. I'm a little more human than I would care to admit in my willingness to say yes."

As prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, Alvarado will oversee all of the Holy See's media and communication outlets, which include Vatican News, Vatican Media, Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican publishing house, the Vatican internet service, the Vatican printing press, and the Vatican's photography service.

"It's enormous," Alvarado said.

"Communicating Christ to the world is the mandate of the communications dicastery, and it will be done in concert with the Holy Father … We're getting to know what this is, what it should be, what the desire of his heart is, and what the Holy Spirit has really given him as the mandate for his pontificate," she added. "And my job is to serve him and the Church and to serve the dicasteries and serve the Curia. In no way am I imposing a vision. I'm very much receiving one and executing it."

She shared that while people have been telling her that by going into the Vatican she has to be careful "because I might lose my faith seeing the humanity of the Church," that excites her and she prefers to "turn that on its head and say I'm going to see the humanity of the Church, which for me has always been an affirmation that Jesus Christ is real and his Church is the true Church. Because in seeing the way things work, I actually find that it's miraculous."

"I feel like seeing the inner workings and the reality, even overcoming my own imperfections and sinfulness, as a child of God, the fact that God could use me as an instrument for something so great is incredibly humbling."

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Catholic social scientists are gathering near Cleveland this weekend for a conference on topics that blend Catholic theology and social teachings with the academic work in their various disciplines.

The Society of Catholic Social Scientists (SCSS), founded in 1992 by political scientist Stephen M. Krason, will hold its 34th National Meeting on Oct. 23–24 at John Carroll University, located in University Heights, Ohio, a suburb east of Cleveland.

Ahead of the conference, Krason — professor emeritus of political science at Franciscan University of Steubenville — told EWTN News a primary goal of SCSS is to "bring Catholic teaching and a Catholic understanding and a Catholic worldview to the work they do in their disciplines."

Conference talks will include discussions on hot-button issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), immigration policy, just war doctrine, and euthanasia. There are also discussions about Catholic history in the United States, in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the founders signing the Declaration of Independence.

According to SCSS' website, the organization seeks to follow St. John XXIII's instruction in his encyclical Mater et Magistra for Christians to "conform their behavior in economic and social affairs to the teachings of the Church."

Krason said SCSS reaches out to members ahead of the conference for proposals on papers, which constitute the subject of the talk and are often submitted to SCSS' scholarly journal, the Catholic Social Science Review (CSSR).

To be a full member, Krason said, "you have to sign a profession of faith [that] you accept the Church's teachings" and noted that people come to the organization "looking for a solid orthodox Catholic organization." Before the talks, papers are reviewed to ensure faithfulness to Catholic teaching, though he said this is typically not an issue for members.

Krason said most presenters are SCSS members, but sometimes a few are not. He said SCSS also accepts associate members who are not Catholic. They also accept student members who are working toward their master's degrees.

The organization, which states that its programs are designed to reflect views "compatible with Catholic orthodoxy," welcomes scholars from various social sciences, including political science, economics, history, psychology, sociology, counseling, and law, among others.

Upcoming conference

Scholars will discuss a broad range of topics. Krason noted that topics are decided based on the submissions, but the conference is not built around specific themes.

One topic is Pope Leo XIV's recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which focuses on AI and other elements of Catholic social teaching. The talks will discuss concerns about human dignity, along with an Augustinian approach to concerns about transhumanism — a movement to blend humanity and machine.

The conference includes talks about immigration, in light of President Donald Trump's policy of mass deportations. This includes discussions about balancing national sovereignty and human dignity and the social impact of migration.

Other talks delve into political theory and the subjects of natural law and labor, as well as a Thomistic analysis of usury and modern banking. A few talks are focused on the American South, including one about the principle of subsidiarity in Catholic social teaching and the political theory of John C. Calhoun, who favored strong decentralization of government.

There are talks on just war doctrine, one of which looks into the approaches of various popes in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The organization will also give out the Blessed Frederic Ozanam Award for Catholic Social Action, which will be received by Clark Massey, founder of A Simple House, which is a missionary organization.

Another award, the Pope Pius XI Award for Contributions Toward the Building Up of a True Catholic Social Science, will be given to Notre Dame political scientist and author Patrick J. Deneen.

Deneen told EWTN News he's "honored to receive" the award and "grateful for the existence and work of the SCSS in fostering and advancing a true science of social phenomena."

"Those who work in the largely disfavored school of Catholic social science understand that its object of study is neither the determined and unfree entities studied by natural science, nor the infinitely malleable substances that modern technology claims to command, but creatures — men and women — who are simultaneously free and subject to natural laws not of our making," Deneen said.

"A true social science recognizes that we are most free when we acknowledge and follow those laws within even the wide boundaries they establish," he said. "How much healthier our society would be if more of our social science began with these premises, and suffused our social and political order with its findings."

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Pope Leo XIV on Friday said that although it is "impossible" to translate the image of the Church perfectly into canonical language, canon law is called to "reflect it."

He made the remark during an audience with participants in an international congress organized on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University, one of the most influential academic institutions in the formation of canon lawyers throughout the world.

In his Oct. 23 address, the pontiff recalled that the study of the Church's law can only be fully understood in light of the ecclesial mystery described by the Second Vatican Council, especially in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.

Citing St. John Paul II and the apostolic constitution Sacrae Disciplinae Leges, through which he promulgated the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Leo XIV stressed that while "it is impossible to translate the image of the Church perfectly into canonical language," the Church's legal system nevertheless has the duty to reflect it.

The pope's words carry particular significance in light of his academic background. Leo XIV holds a doctorate in canon law and has extensive experience as a specialist in ecclesiastical legislation, a formation that has profoundly shaped his approach to governing the Church.

In this regard, he explained that canon law provides an "essential service in safeguarding ecclesial communion" and is therefore "extremely necessary for the Church." Its purpose, he added, is "to create such order in ecclesial society that, while giving primacy to love, grace, and charism, it makes their organic development easier."

The pontiff also insisted that the juridical and pastoral dimensions cannot be separated. "The good of the person and that of the ecclesial community cannot exist independently of one another," he said.

Heirs to a long canonical tradition

During his address, Leo XIV paid tribute to the Faculty of Canon Law at the Gregorian University, founded on Aug. 16, 1876, by decision of Blessed Pius IX.

The pope noted that the anniversary represents "a fundamental milestone in a history that began centuries ago" and praised the many scholars who have contributed to the development of canon law. Thanks to them, he said, the institution has consolidated an academic tradition that continues to bear fruit for the universal Church.

"They constitute a kind of unbroken thread linking generations and still today transmit a valuable scientific and ecclesial heritage," he said.

He also recalled that the Faculty is an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus and shares the Ignatian spirituality summarized in the principle "Non multa, sed multum" ("Not many things, but much depth").

"What matters is not knowing many things, but penetrating reality deeply, understanding it, and interiorizing it," he explained, recalling the teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Forming jurists with an ecclesial sense of justice

In the final part of his address, the pope insisted that the teaching of canon law cannot be limited to the transmission of norms. Its goal, he said, is "to form persons who possess the ecclesial sense of what is just ('iustum'), acquired through rigorous study of the sources, the canonical tradition, and the theological principles that illuminate the norm."

Leo XIV also recalled that the Faculty's own academic program states that "the law of the Church must always tend toward the supernatural good of each of the faithful and the building up of ecclesial communion."

For this reason, he urged professors and students to work in pursuit of "true justice, never separated in the Church from truth and mercy."

Drawing on a famous expression of St. Augustine, he added: "Ordinata dilectio est iustitia" — "Ordered love is justice."

He then encouraged them to offer students "a living experience of the universal Church," recalling that it finds "in the bishop of Rome the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity."

Addressing students from various countries, he asked them to live the universality of the Church during their years of formation and, upon returning to their dioceses and communities, to bring that experience with them "as a treasure to be shared."

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Catholic campus ministries such as Newman Ministry and FOCUS are eligible to participate in the Lilly Endowment's "National Initiative to Strengthen Christian Campus Ministries at Colleges and Universities," the charitable organization confirmed.

The Lilly Endowment told EWTN News that archdioceses and church-related networks that minister to students on multiple college and university campuses are eligible to apply for grants through the initiative.

According to the grant page, the Lilly Endowment "intends to award grants of up to $7.5 million each to approximately 20 national and regional charitable organizations."

Matt Zerrusen, Newman Ministry co-founder and chief innovative discipleship officer, told EWTN News that Newman Ministry is in the process of applying for the grant now.

"We're grateful for the opportunity," Zerrusen said. "There's not many times where something like this opens up in campus ministry just because it's been an overlooked part of ministry in the Church."

Zerrusen expressed hope that other Catholic campus ministries like FOCUS, St. Paul's Outreach, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association would apply for the program as well, calling for ministry organizations to unify their efforts.

"There's so much competition in the Catholic world that it's like, 'Well, hang on here. What are we doing?'" he said. "We're both trying to solve the same problem."

Pope Leo XIV appoints Catholic University of America professor to pontifical academy

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Gregory Doolan, the Monsignor John F. Wippel chair in Thomistic metaphysics at The Catholic University of America (CUA), to serve on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.

"It is a great honor to have been named to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas," Doolan said in a CUA press release on Oct. 16. "The Academy brings together philosophers and theologians from around the world in conversation about Aquinas, and I am grateful for the opportunity both to learn from its members and to contribute my own work in Thomistic metaphysics, showing its enduring relevance in the 21st century."

"My appointment by Pope Leo XIV has a fitting connection to The Catholic University of America, since another Leo, Leo XIII, founded the Academy in 1879 and also granted Catholic University its pontifical charter just a decade later," he said.

St. Carlos Acutis' mother gifts Franciscan University with first-class relic of her son

The mother of St. Carlo Acutis, Antonia Salzano, has given the president of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a first-class relic of her son.

"We're deeply grateful to Antonia for this extraordinary gift and for sharing her son's witness with the Franciscan University community," the university said in an Oct. 15 social media post announcing the gift to Father Dave Pivonka, TOR. The university said Salzano shared a message with the university: "Holiness is for everyone."

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"Carlo became a saint not because he lived an extraordinary life by the world's standards, but because he made Jesus the center of his ordinary life," the university said. "His secret? The Eucharist. His mother's advice? Start small. Make time for prayer. Receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Love the people around you. And remember that you, too, are called to become a saint."

Archbishop Sample urges 'significant renewal of Catholic education' in Portland, Oregon

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, is calling for the revitalization of "mission passionate Catholic education" in his archdiocese.

"Would we call a Spanish-language immersion school successful if its graduates could barely understand Spanish?" Sample wrote in an Oct. 15 social media post. "We should take the mission of our Catholic schools just as seriously. Academic excellence matters. So does forming students who know Jesus Christ and can understand, articulate and live the faith."

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"Therefore, I am calling for a significant and genuine renewal of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Portland, beginning in our Catholic elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools and eventually extending to the religious education and faith formation programs in our parishes," he said.

Sample's message comes as part of a wider mission renewal initiative in the archdiocese announced on Oct. 1.

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On Monday, Oct. 19, Pope Leo XIV appointed new members to the International Theology Commission (ITC) for the 2026–2031 cycle. Compared with previous years, the number of women has increased from five to eight, including five laywomen, raising the total number of lay representatives to eight — double that of the previous term.

Each member of the ITC is a scholar in various fields, as reported in the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, "including biblical studies, patristics, dogmatics and moral theology, but with some publicly holding views that conflict with established Church teaching, such as on women's ordination and the theology of salvation."

The commission, founded by Pope Paul VI in 1969, is made up of 30 individuals and is tasked with assisting the Holy See — particularly the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith — with the study of theological questions and publishing official advisory documents.

The group meets once a year for a week to discuss their work and tackle any ongoing discussions and global theological demands. Made up of both laypeople and members of the clergy, the ITC brings together a wide range of scholars from around the world including those from Asia, Africa, and South America.

Pope Leo has asked the new ITC members and six returnees to focus on the topics of tradition and enculturation of the faith over their term.

The commission's lay membership

The following lay scholars — five women and two men — are new members of the ITC:

Professor Teresa Hyeon Soon Choi — South Korea

Teresa Hyeon Soon Choi is an associate professor at the Institute for Whole Person Education Center of Sogang University in Seoul.

Professor Maria Teresa Fattori — Italy

Maria Teresa Fattori is a researcher at the University of Teramo, Italy, specializing in early modern papal history, the governance of Pope Benedict XVI, and provincial councils in polycentric Catholicism. Her current work focuses on the relationship between the Catholic Church and slavery in the early modern period. She has published extensively on the history of the early modern Roman Curia, the development of canon law after the Council of Trent, and the history of global Catholicism.

Professor Claudia Leal Luna — Chile

Claudia Leal Luna is a full professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences in Rome. With a niche in understanding the fragility of the human hallmark and the methodology of social morality, Luna is also an alumna of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue.

Professor Sara Parvis — Great Britain/Scotland

Sara Parvis is an associate professor at the University of Edinburgh's School of Divinity and was appointed for her expertise in early Christianity and theology. Her contributions draw on her experience as a lay Dominican, her studies in early Christian theological development, and her writings on Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'.

Professor Anne-Sophie Vivier-Muresan —  France

Anne-Sophie Vivier-Muresan is dean of the faculty of theology at the Catholic Institute of Paris. Holding doctorates in social anthropology, ethnology, and Catholic theology, she is a specialist in dogmatic and Trinitarian theology working on contemporary Orthodox theology and theology of religions.

Professor Boyd Taylor Coolman — USA

Boyd Taylor Coolman is an associate professor in the theology department in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College. He is a historical theologian of medieval Catholicism and founder of the Boston Colloquy in Historical Theology.

Professor Jan-Heiner Tück — Austria

Jan-Heiner Tück is a German theologian who has served as a professor of dogmatics and dogmatic history since 2010 at the University of Vienna, where he also heads the Department of Dogmatic Theology.

Rounding out the number of laypeople on the commission for the new term to eight is Professor Reinhard Huetter, a visiting professor of theology at Duke Divinity School in the United States, who was confirmed for a second consecutive five-year term.

The full list of membership for this next five-year cycle can be found at the Holy See Press Office website.

Pope Paul VI established the ITC in 1969, and its status was further defined in 1982 by Pope John Paul II. Throughout its active years, the commission has published 33 documents with the approval of its president, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which aid in the work of the dicastery for the year.

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Can embryo adoption be considered morally licit by the Catholic Church? The John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C., hosted a debate between two Catholic ethicists Oct. 22 in an event marking the feast of St. John Paul II.

The Catholic Church has not issued a definitive judgment that embryo adoption is morally licit. The issue remains debated among Catholic theologians. In the 2008 Vatican document Dignitas Personae, the Church affirmed the dignity and rights of frozen embryos and expressed reservations about proposals for prenatal adoption.

John Haas, president emeritus of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, argued that embryo adoption is morally illicit as it requires the artificial transfer of a frozen embryo into the womb of a woman who is unrelated to the unborn child — a practice he said both violates the Church's teachings about sexual ethics in marriage and deliberately endangers the lives of embryos in the thawing process.

Haas further argued that the only moral solution to the question of what to do with frozen embryos is to keep them frozen, as bringing them to life or disposing of them in any way would always be considered illicit. To support this claim, he cited the 1987 Vatican document Donum Vitae, which states: "In consequence of the fact that they have been produced in vitro, those embryos which art not transferred into the body of the mother and are called 'spare' are exposed to an absurd fate, with no possibility of their being offered safe means of survival which can be licitly pursued."

Organized by the pro-life organization Defend Life, the event took place after a Mass in honor of St. John Paul II and was livestreamed on the organization's website.

Elizabeth Rex, an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, argued in favor of embryo adoption, saying that neither the Vatican nor the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have "ever formally ruled against embryo transfer or embryo adoption."

While acknowledging the Church's teaching that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is immoral, Rex argued that the process of IVF and the transfer of the embryo into a mother's womb should not be separated.

"They go together. You don't do IVF just to leave [the embryo] in the petri dish or put it in the freezer. That would be an abortion," she said. "The baby would die. So, the baby now has been conceived, and it needs to be transferred into the womb. It's a person. It's a child. It's a patient, and it needs medical assistance. And that is what the Church teaches there."

Haas countered Rex's argument that the Church has not ruled out embryo adoption, saying: "The only statement from the magisterium of the Church that has fueled this debate is one half of one sentence from Dignitas Personae that the supporters of embryo adoption often don't bother to finish when they quote it."

The paragraph he cited in the document states: "It has also been proposed, solely in order to allow human beings to be born who are otherwise condemned to destruction, that there could be a form of 'prenatal adoption.' This proposal, praiseworthy with regard to the intention of respecting and defending human life, presents however various problems not dissimilar to those mentioned above. All things considered, it needs to be recognized that the thousands of abandoned embryos represent a situation of injustice which in fact cannot be resolved."

Haas argued that the ends do not justify the means with regard to embryo adoption and that the Holy See has not made "a single statement on behalf of embryo adoption."

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Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron this week issued a sharply critical statement of what he described as "inane" controversy involving a German Catholic institution from which he received an award in 2025.

Barron received the Josef Pieper Prize in Münster in July 2025, a decision that generated protests from Catholic groups and political organizations. The protesters criticized the bishop as promoting "exclusionary identity politics," among other allegations.

The German news website katholisch.de reported on Oct. 21 that Barron's 2025 receipt of the award was "still having repercussions." It cited the Josef Pieper Foundation as reportedly having "acknowledged mistakes" in how it handled the controversy; the foundation is also reportedly developing a conference "on Barron and his theology."

In a statement posted to X on Oct. 22, Barron quipped: "Gosh, I'd love to attend this debate. But I'm pretty sure I have a MAGA rally to attend that night…"

"If you have any doubt that the German Catholic academy has fallen into clownish irrelevance, look no further than this inane and ginned-up 'controversy,'" the Chicago-born prelate wrote.

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He critically dismissed the "protest" over his receipt of the award as having consisted of "25 desultory septuaginarians holding signs and a statement from the theological faculty of the University of Munster."

He described that faculty statement as "an undergraduate level of sophistication … which betrayed not the slightest indication of any familiarity with my work."

The bishop, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Oct. 23 via a spokesman, further suggested that the German foundation's namesake Josef Pieper was "turning in his grave" over the controversy. The foundation also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News.

The Josef Pieper Prize honors the legacy of the German Catholic philosopher (1904–1997), who was renowned for his accessible writings on Thomistic philosophy and his insights into leisure, contemplation, and the relationship between faith and reason.

Amid the July 2025 controversy, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau in Bavaria delivered a defense of Barron while sharply condemning what the Bavarian bishop called "beige Catholicism" in Germany.

The country has been home to "a mostly well-financed Catholicism of appeasement," he argued, which "has essentially lost its spiritual power and attraction."

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More than 100 Catholic churches sustained varying degrees of damage following the earthquake that shook Panama on Oct. 9, according to a preliminary report released by the country's bishops' conference.

The 7.5-magnitude earthquake impacted various sectors throughout the country, including in the nation's capital city.

According to an Oct. 19 statement from the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC, by its Spanish acronym), the earthquake injured 27 people and immediately killed one person. More than 9,000 homes sustained some form of damage.

The natural disaster also caused damage to Catholic Church properties. On Oct. 19, the Panamanian Bishops' Conference (CEP, by its Spanish acronym) published a report detailing the condition of the country's cathedrals, parishes, and chapels.

The document classified the damage to two churches in the Diocese of Santiago de Veraguas as "totally destroyed": St. Isidore the Farmer parish church in Soná, and Jesus of Nazareth Minor Basilica in the district of Atalaya.

The report classifies the damage of several churches in other regions of the country as serious. For example, in the Diocese of Penonomé, St. John the Baptist Parish has "damage to the bell tower, debris on the ground, and cracks in the side walls and the choir balcony."

In the Diocese of Chitré, St. Athanasius Church "suffered the loss of the top level of its tower, debris on the ground, and cracks in its walls"; while in the Diocese of David, "subsidence [some sinking] and cracks in the tower, as well as outward tilting of walls," were recorded at Our Lady of Remedies Parish.

The list of affected buildings also includes churches of high historical value. Among them is the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in the Diocese of Penonomé, which suffered the "partial loss of the upper section of its oldest tower," while the other tower is tilted and has severe damage to its cupola and cross.

Another site affected was Old St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Panama City, where cracks, severe fissures, and damage to the sacristy dome were identified. According to the report, one issue that "requires special attention" is the "apparent leaning of the bell in the south tower, accompanied by cracking at its base."

According to the tally mentioned in the report, the Diocese of Chitré accounts for 118 damaged sites, primarily rural chapels. It is followed by the Diocese of Penonomé with 13, the Archdiocese of Panama and the Diocese of Veraguas with eight each, and the Diocese of David with two.

The CEP clarified that the data presented are "preliminary" in nature, and many church-owned properties still require "specialized technical inspections" to determine the exact extent of the damage.

The report concludes by noting that Catholic Church buildings possess more than just "architectural value"; they serve as "meeting places, the celebration of faith, and collective memory, and are closely linked to the history and identity of Panamanian communities."

The Panamanian episcopate expressed its closeness to the affected communities and highlighted the importance of "protecting people's lives, addressing the safety conditions of the buildings, and ensuring the preservation of these places of worship."

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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