Catholic News

SANTA CRUZ DE SUCCHABAMBA, Peru — Pope Leo XIV, who served for two decades as a missionary in Peru, traveled on Saturday to a remote mountain corner of his former diocese and paid tribute to the missionaries who had evangelized the land for centuries. 

"Time and again, they came without provisions or letters of recommendation, to proclaim the name of Jesus and spread devotion to the Lord of Miracles of Andabamba and his Immaculate Mother," the pope said in his homily at an open-air Mass, referring to the two parishes in Santa Cruz, a town in the Andean highlands.

Leo arrived on Saturday by military helicopter, but he acknowledged that much of the congregation had made a more difficult trip.

"Many of you have traveled long distances to be here. Some have come from rural communities, leaving behind your families, farms and daily occupations. The journey you made is not only a passage along difficult roads, but also a pilgrimage of faith," the pope said.

More than 20,000 people attended the Mass on the town's esplanade, according to local authorities. 

Leo praised the popular piety of the high Andes, where he said faith "has grown simply and genuinely, founded on the daily living of Gospel values and expressed in traditions and festivals that bring peoples and generations together."

Speaking to a largely poor congregation, the pope stressed "how important it is to pray without ever losing heart," but he said that did not preclude taking action to relieve hardship and injustice. He specifically mentioned the problems of economically driven emigration from rural areas and inequities in the distribution of natural resources.

"In the face of so many difficulties, we may be tempted to give in to discouragement, resentment or even violence. Yet this will never lead to progress and peace," Leo said.

"Selfishness, injustice and evil are not overcome by brutality, but by prayer, patience and perseverance in denouncing what is wrong, by making our pleas with determination and working diligently to bring about the necessary changes, while never losing trust in God."

During his time as a missionary in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, the future pope witnessed and protested against both left-wing terrorism and right-wing counterterrorism, a conflict whose legacy the country is still reckoning with today.

"There is a close relationship between faith, prayer and action. Where there is faith, there is prayer; and where there is prayer, there is the capacity to commit oneself to others," Leo said.

In particular, he commended "those who, with ingenuity and an entrepreneurial spirit, strive to provide people with dignified jobs: farmers, shopkeepers, small business owners and so many others who, here day after day, put their God-given talents at the service of their communities."

Later in the day, Leo was scheduled to address a prayer meeting near Chiclayo at the shrine of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, a Spanish missionary who served as archbishop of Lima from 1581 until his death in 1606.

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The first three episodes of the highly anticipated sixth season of the hit series "The Chosen" will be released on Prime Video on Nov. 15.

The upcoming season focuses on the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Season 6 of "The Chosen" will include six episodes — the first three of which will debut on Nov. 15 on Prime Video, followed by the release of a weekly episode through Dec. 6. The season finale will be a stand-alone theatrical release on March 12, 2027.

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the series, has spoken openly about how difficult filming the sixth season was and the impact it had on him, not only professionally but also personally.

"Portraying Jesus' suffering has given me deeper insights into the concept of redemptive suffering and how do you offer your suffering up so that God can use it in a way that can save souls," he told EWTN News in an interview.

Roumie shared that portraying this difficult moment during Jesus' life on Earth has given him "a little more insight" into questions like "How do you find grace in suffering? Where do you get it from?"

"I don't claim to know how all of it works, or what all of it means, or that I even understand it really completely, but I think I've been given at least an opportunity to have a deeper insight to it, because of how it's changed how I see the cross now and how I experience the cross just as a Catholic," he said.

During the filming of Season 6, Roumie said he relied heavily on prayer to get him through the tough moments.

"Prayer became a sort of a constant conversation throughout the process because of the difficulties of filming and the challenges and the physical, kind of, what I refer to as these micro mortifications that persisted for weeks and then over the course of months at a time," he recalled.

While the sufferings Roumie experienced were an "indefinably modest version comparative to what he [Jesus] actually went through," the actor said "for me it was enough."

He added: "It was a continual dialogue of just 'help me get through this. This is for you. It's for the salvation of souls. I give it back to you … Help me figure out how to understand the scene. Help me figure out how to have these conversations and ultimately let your heart and voice and face and spirit shine through so that I am not there but you are there and you are present in the scene and I'm just a vessel for that.'"

Bringing Judas and Pontius Pilate to life

The heaviness and difficulties of Season 6 were not only felt by Roumie.

Luke Dimyan, who plays Judas, and Andrew James Allen, who plays Pontius Pilate, also felt the immense weight through the portrayals of their characters.

Allen described Pontius Pilate in Season 6 as having an "internal conflict."

"We see him in a very different place than he started," he said. "In the beginning, he's very, sort of, light and funny and petulant and then as the weight on his shoulders grows, he's more and more conflicted about what to do."

Allen pointed out that in many depictions of Pontius Pilate in media he's typically "in the background a bit and he comes into this one big scene and then kind of leaves." However, in "The Chosen," Allen said he believes audiences get to see Pontius Pilate "as a human being for the first time."

"I hope the audience sees that he's a real person and that he's actually in some ways going through the same thing that Jesus is," he added. "He is being persecuted by the people around him and by the people of Judea in the same way, not to the same degree, but in his own way, he's suffering."

Dimyan echoed similar sentiments regarding his character, saying he hopes Judas' story will leave audiences with "a sense of understanding and with patience, not only with others but with themselves."

"I understand how people easily connect to Judas with the idea of betrayal. It's very common. It's very easy," he said. "But I hope, especially with this his final chapter, that they see it's less so much about the betrayal and it's more about learning and hopefully knowing to forgive yourself because that's what ultimately leads to redemption."

He added: "I'll be surprised to meet a singular person on this earth who hasn't made a mistake that they regret. But it's knowing that that mistake doesn't have to define you forever, which I hope that's what they take away from Judas. That even though you have done something horrible and you've lost your way and you do truly regret your decision that you're not past being forgiven."

Dimyan then posed a question that he hopes audiences will consider when watching Judas' final moments: "Is there a doubt in anyone's mind that if he [Judas] had waited, that if he had lasted three days, and asked forgiveness from Jesus, that Jesus wouldn't forgive him?"

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A bill introduced in Congress on Nov. 5 would require abortion providers to facilitate and ensure the burial or cremation of the remains of babies that are aborted by abortion medications.

Introduced by Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-South Carolina, the bill would require abortion drugs to have a warning against flushing remains of unborn babies down the toilet. Abortion drug providers would be required to include with the medication catch kits for fetal remains.

Documentation provided with the medication's accompanying catch kit would include the nearest abortion facility or other facility equipped to receive aborted human fetal remains and solid medical waste.

The bill states that "Clear and conspicuous packaging notices on chemical abortion drugs can reduce undignified disposition of aborted human fetal remains and improper disposal of solid medical waste."

"If at-home abortion pills can be provided under current law, then I am going to make sure they are regulated responsibly," Biggs said in a statement.

"Abortion pill providers have allowed countless women to abort their children at home without advising on proper disposal, leading to fetal, medical, and other biological remains entering our sewer systems."

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas.

The requirement would only apply to the intentional ending of pregnancy; the bill specifies that it would not apply to live births, miscarriage care, or ectopic or molar pregnancies.

National Prayer Vigil for Life set for Jan. 21

The U.S. Catholic bishops announced plans for the annual national prayer vigil for life, set for Jan. 21, the eve of the March for Life.

Hosted each year at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., the vigil is focused on praying "for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life," according to the bishops' announcement.

Mass will begin at 5 p.m. local time on Jan. 21, with Bishop Daniel Thomas, who heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' pro-life committee, giving the homily.

There will also be a 7 p.m. Holy Hour in the lower level of the basilica. The vigil will conclude at 8 a.m. the following day with a closing Mass.

Both the vigil's opening and closing Masses will be broadcast by EWTN.

New York court rules in favor of abortion pill reversal

A New York court ruled in favor of pro-life pregnancy centers' right to tell clients about abortion pill reversals.

The New York federal district court ruled on Nov. 6 to protect speech about the effectiveness of abortion pill reversal through the use of the naturally occurring hormone progesterone.

In 2024 New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against pregnancy centers in New York for promoting abortion pill reversal, launching the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. James case.

Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Gabriella McIntyre welcomed the decision, saying: "The district court was right to allow women to hear about this option and make that choice."

"Many women regret their abortions, and some change their minds after taking the first abortion drug and want to try to save their unborn babies' lives," McIntyre said. "The New York attorney general has desperately tried to censor and keep women in the dark about abortion-pill reversal, but they have every right to be empowered with information about this potentially life-saving option."

DOJ to take over Texas Planned Parenthood lawsuit

The U.S. Justice Department plans to join a state lawsuit against Planned Parenthood over $10 million in alleged Medicaid fraud.

The DOJ's Nov. 6 announcement that it would intervene came on the heels of the election of a new attorney general in the state, Democrat Nathan Johnson.

The lawsuit accuses Planned Parenthood of improperly billing Medicaid when Texas had acted to remove it as a Medicaid provider. The lawsuit seeks more than $1.8 billion. The lawsuit is proposed to go to trial in April 2027.

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Pope Leo XIV returned to his former cathedral in Peru on Nov. 14 to take part in the crowning of a Marian statue while urging Catholics to pursue "a world marked by love and compassion."

"I give thanks to God for being here with you today to celebrate
our faith as we have so often done, and in the same cathedral in which I began my episcopal ministry," the pope told Catholics at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Chiclayo.

In crowning the statue of the Blessed Mother, the Holy Father said the gesture "is intended to symbolize the tribute of gratitude and filial love offered to her by the pope, together with you and the whole Church."

Addressing the Chiclayo Diocese — which Leo led as Bishop Robert Prevost for years before being appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome — the pope described devotion to the Immaculate Virgin as "part of the Christian roots that shape your identity and strengthen your faith."

"With loving care, the Mother of God has accompanied this people for generations and continues to accompany you today," he said. "Trusting in her intercession and protection, I invite you to keep walking forward together, as one family of God."

'Still the same Father Prevost we've always known'

The streets around the cathedral were filled with Catholics who turned out to witness the ceremony, which was richly significant as the return of a former bishop, now the Vicar of Christ, to his onetime cathedral.

The cathedral itself has a rich history: It was built over the course of roughly 70 years, starting in 1869 before halting in 1871. Construction resumed in 1928 and was finished in 1939. It was notably designed by Gustave Eiffel, the namesake of the world-famous tower in Paris.

One attendee, Rosa Valdivia, told EWTN News that she knew Pope Leo XIV when he served as bishop of the diocese.

"He was a mentor to my son, who is also part of the church community here at the Chiclayo Cathedral," she said.

"They had a good relationship; I knew him personally. He was very kind and very sensitive — I had the chance to get to know him."

She said witnessing her former bishop become pope was "truly moving." She described him as "one of our own from Chiclayo."

Though he has risen to the Chair of Saint Peter, "he still has that same simplicity and sensitivity," Valdivia said.

"He's still the same Father Robert Prevost we've always known," she said.

Another attendee, Esperanza de Rellido Solano, was serving as a volunteer doctor for the event. She said people in Chiclayo were "very happy" with the pope's visit.

"We are looking forward to all the upcoming events with great joy and faith, and we hope that everything continues to go as smoothly as it has so far," she said.

Echoing Valdivia's remarks, Solano said Leo "is still the same person we once knew — very compassionate and very humble."

"Just seeing him inspires a sense of love for humanity and for our neighbors," she said.

Addressing Mary at the ceremony, Leo told the Blessed Mother: "I lift my gaze and my heart today with filial affection."

"At your side I learned to be the shepherd of Chiclayo," he said. "You accompanied me through its towns and cities. You taught me to meet its people and to be attentive to their needs, as you did at the Wedding Feast of Cana."

"To your Immaculate Heart I entrust today my life and my ministry as Successor of Peter," he said.

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BRUSSELS, Belgium — As Europe accelerates military spending in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees to NATO allies, the Vatican's ambassador to the European Union has warned that rearmament must serve peace, not war.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio to the European Union, addressed the Nov. 11–12 Brussels conference of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, organized at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the EU by the foundation's German chapter with its Netherlands chapter and the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE). It followed a first conference in Luxembourg in January and a seminar in Ventotene, Italy, in October.

Auza warned that Europe faces a "profound and multidimensional crisis" involving security, economic competitiveness, and the erosion of its founding values.

"In face of a crisis in peace, security, and multilateralism, the Church teaches the unarmed and disarming peace," he said, stressing that security "cannot be separated from the culture of peace and dialogue."

The conference featured an opening video address by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and brought together prominent political and diplomatic figures, including Herman Van Rompuy, the former Belgian prime minister and president of the European Council, and Thomas Antoine, a Belgian diplomat and former secretary-general of the Benelux Union.

Rearmament and the right to self-defense

While advocating peace and dialogue, Auza also acknowledged the right of nations to self-defense.

"The Church is not a naive pacifist," he said.

"I believe that the theory or doctrine of just or justified war cannot be abandoned, because in essence it means the right of self-defense and the defense of fundamental values worth the sacrifice."

Auza recalled Pope Leo XIV's Sept. 28 Metz address in France, where the pope praised European integration pioneer Robert Schuman's commitment to reconciliation and warned against relying on military force rather than dialogue to secure peace.

Speaking exclusively to EWTN News, Auza reflected on the challenges of international intervention, drawing on his six years as apostolic nuncio to Haiti, where successive United Nations peacekeeping missions have struggled to deliver lasting stability.

When asked about Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's recent military intervention against gangs in Haiti, Auza stressed that Haitians must lead their country's reconstruction but said the international community has a moral obligation to help, even when its strategic interests are limited.

"They are my brothers and sisters. I must be in solidarity with them," he said.

Migration challenges in the social media age

The conference also examined Europe's migration pressures, including the surge in arrivals in Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, in late July, and the continuing dangers of Mediterranean crossings.

EU lawmaker Lena Düpont described how the movement into Ceuta gathered momentum "within roughly two and a half days, via social media," questioning whether international agreements such as the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention are equipped to address such rapid mobilization in the digital age.

"We need to find new ways of actually making sure that we close our own vulnerabilities," she said, while stressing that Europe must not abandon its humanitarian and Christian values.

Corinna Ullrich, a European Commission director for migration and home affairs, highlighted the economic incentives driving migrant smuggling.

She explained that families often pool their savings to pay thousands of euros for dangerous crossings to Europe, expecting young relatives to find work and send money home.

"They think once the people are here, they work, they will pay them back 10 times," she said.

However, Ullrich warned that smugglers profit regardless of whether migrants survive the crossing or ultimately have their asylum claims rejected.

Putting Catholic social teaching into practice

Founded by St. John Paul II more than three decades ago, the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation is now adopting a deliberate continental strategy to apply Catholic social teaching to today's security, economic, and social challenges, its president said.

Speaking exclusively to EWTN News, foundation president Paolo Garonna outlined plans for initiatives across Asia-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa. The principles remain the same, he said, but their concrete application must respond to the distinct realities of each region.

In Asia, Garonna stressed the importance of interfaith dialogue, given the region's religious diversity, in contrast to predominantly Catholic Latin America. Against this backdrop, the foundation plans to explore Islamic and Christian approaches to finance.

"Through an interfaith engagement we can bridge the financing gaps," he said.

In Africa, Garonna emphasized the need for locally led economic development, with international partners playing a supporting role. "It's the Africans" who must lead, he stressed, noting that African Catholics bring their own distinctive perspectives to Catholic social teaching.

Garonna also highlighted the importance of cooperation between governments and businesses.

"Rather than opposing the public and the private, we need an ethical framework that helps the two join together," he said.

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The Diocese of Pittsburgh said this week that it is establishing an emergency initiative called the "Cabrini Fund" to help immigrant families address what Bishop Mark Eckman called their "hardest moments" including the loss of household providers.

The announcement, made on Nov. 13 — the memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini — said the fund is meant to address what the diocese said is a "growing need" to help immigrants in crisis in western Pennsylvania.

It will offer "temporary emergency assistance" to immigrant families in the diocese who are facing "extraordinary hardship." The diocese said that the fund is meant to function as a last resort after "other sources of assistance" have already been utilized.

It will offer immigrant families money for rent, utilities, medical care, food, clothing, diapers and other essentials.

The families served by the fund will also be connected with "trusted partners" to help address long-term needs, including "employment, schooling, health care, and qualified legal help."

"The Church cannot solve every difficulty a family may face, but we can make sure that no family faces its hardest moments alone," Eckman said in announcing the fund.

The diocese will begin distributing funding on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will be administered by the diocesan Catholic Charities affiliate and funded by donations through either the charity or via individual parishes.

As with much of the rest of the country, Pennsylvania has seen an uptick in immigration enforcement over the last few years, with authorities there detaining and at times deporting immigrants in the country illegally.

The diocese said immigrant families in Pennsylvania are facing crises that include "the loss of a Household's provider" as well as "fear and uncertainty for their children."

The title of the fund refers to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American to be canonized and the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII officially named her the patron saint of immigrants, recognizing her lifelong dedication to displaced and marginalized communities.

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CHICLAYO, Peru — Pope Leo XIV ended his first day back in his former diocese on Friday, Nov. 13, at dinner with about 140 of its priests, one of whom said the pope "was very happy" to be with them.

"There were about 140 of us priests. He arrived very cheerful and told us that he was very glad to be with us, that he wanted to see us," Father Jorge Millán told EWTN News. Millán was pastor of Chiclayo's cathedral when Leo was bishop of the diocese.

The dinner took place at the Colegio Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo in Chiclayo.

'A beautiful gesture'

Millán said the Holy Father made "a beautiful gesture" toward the priests at the end of the meal.

"Instead of us asking him for a photo, he said, 'I want to take a photo with each one of you.' And one by one we went up, and he greeted us with great patience and affection, with a welcoming look, recognizing us by our names. He hasn't lost his memory. He was very content and happy," the priest said.

Leo "wanted to stay, I think," Millán added, "but we were happy with this gesture, because he was the one who asked us to have dinner with him."

'A task'

According to Millán, the pope encouraged the priests "to keep the parishes alive, to love one another very much, to stay together and to always work for evangelization and for the love of God."

A cake served at the dinner showed the pope beside Chiclayo's cathedral with the inscription "Leo XIV, Messenger of Peace."

It was "a very familial dinner, very much among brothers," Millán said. "And of course we had to remind ourselves that the one there with us is the pope, nothing more and nothing less."

Leo led the Diocese of Chiclayo as bishop from 2015 to 2023. Earlier on Friday, he celebrated Mass for about 500,000 people in the Pampas de Pimentel, crowned the image of Our Lady of Peace at her shrine and addressed students and professors at Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, he is scheduled to crown the image of the Immaculate Virgin at Chiclayo's cathedral, celebrate Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba in the Cajamarca region and close the jubilee year of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo in Zaña.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español and has been adapted by EWTN News English.

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Joaquín José Martínez takes the long view when it comes to abolishing the death penalty: "One step at a time."

Convicted of murder in 1997 and sentenced to death, Martínez — a Catholic — was exonerated in 2001. Since then he has spent years advocating against the death penalty in Florida and elsewhere.

At a press conference on Nov. 12, Martínez urged Florida's Gov.-elect Byron Donalds to halt executions in the state, something Catholics and other advocates have been calling on the government to do for years.

The advocate said the sociopolitical landscape around capital punishment has changed radically over the years, particularly in schools, where Martínez himself regularly speaks to students about abolishing the death penalty.

"We didn't have anyone come out [when I was a child] to teach us and speak to us about how horrible the death penalty was," he said. "To see this change now, I'm overwhelmed by it."

Florida is among the most active states in putting prisoners to death. Data from the Death Penalty Information Center show 23 executions there over the last year alone.

Catholic bishops in the state have been active in speaking out against executions, urging the government to halt death sentences in part by regularly pointing to the humanity of the condemned.

In 2025, for instance, the bishops called for the commutation of one death sentence by arguing that the governor should "recognize with awe that God is the author of life, and to reserve to him the taking of human life except where it is otherwise impossible to maintain the common good."

In the press conference, Martínez — who was joined by his fellow exonerees Herman Lindsey and Seth Penalver — acknowledged that it is "difficult" for people to "accept that the death penalty is not perfect."

"It has faults," he said. But "I'm one more reason why we should abolish the death penalty."

A native of Spain, Martínez told EWTN News that he loves his adopted home of the United States. "And I would really love to see the United States put an end to the death penalty," he said.

"I think we're an example to the rest of the world. The rest of the world looks to the U.S. for what they do."

At the press conference he compared executions in the U.S. to those carried out in ancient Rome's Colosseum.

"I mean, how barbaric!" he said at the conference. He argued that the U.S. and Florida are "not barbaric," but he argued of the country: "It just needs to evolve. It just needs to grow."

He told EWTN News, meanwhile, that anti-death penalty advocacy is much more united and focused than it was years ago when he himself was on death row.

"When I was sentenced to death, we didn't have so many organizations working together against the death penalty," he said. The media, too, now offers much fairer coverage of that advocacy than it used to, he said.

He also pointed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent historic exoneration of every prisoner on that state's death row.

"It's going to take a long time to change," he said. "But we do see change. It's good."

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