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Swiss Guards model the new military dress uniform in a courtyard of the Swiss Guards' Vatican barracks during an Oct. 2, 2025, presentation. The uniform, an updated version of a historic uniform used from the late 1800s to 1976, will be used at important events. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNAVatican City, Oct 3, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).The Swiss Guards, who have protected popes for the last five centuries, now have a new uniform.The mostly wool uniform is the recreation of a historic military dress for use at galas and other important dinners and will not replace the iconic red, orange, and blue "grand gala" uniforms for which the guards are famous.The Swiss-made garments were paid for by a benefactor and cost 2,000 euros (around $2,300) apiece. According to Swiss Guard Commander Christoph Graf, they represent "a link between the present and the past."Examples of the 2015 version (left) and late 19th-century version (right) of the updated dress uniform presented by the Swiss Guards ...
null / Credit: Mike Blackburn via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)CNA Staff, Oct 3, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.Abortion declines even in states where it is still legalThe number of abortions in clinics in pro-abortion states saw a decline in the first half of 2025, according to a recent report.The report by the pro-abortion group Guttmacher found a 5% decrease in abortions provided by clinics from for the same period in 2024.The review found declines in clinician-provided abortions in 22 states, all states that did not have "abortion bans." The report also found an 8% decline in out-of-state travel for abortion to states with fewer protections for unborn children.States with protections for unborn children at six weeks, such as Florida and Iowa, also saw a decline in abortions so far this year.The report did not take mail-in or telehealth abortion pill numbers into account.Michael New, a professor at the Busch School of Business...
Timothy Schmalz works on the sculpture of Jesus covering Charlie Kirk's fatal wound. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Ave Maria UniversityCNA Staff, Oct 3, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The day after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, renowned Catholic sculptor Timothy Schmalz began working on a sculpture no one had commissioned: Jesus comforting the slain conservative Christian activist, the fatal wound on his neck covered by Christ's pierced hand. "Shocked and devastated" upon hearing of the Turning Point USA founder's assassination, in an exclusive interview Schmalz told CNA he entered his studio at 4 a.m. the following day and began building up the sculpture with his hands as "a form of prayer." "I had an audio recording of the Old Testament playing in the background and Charlie's voice debating at the same time as I sculpted," he said. When he first formed the face of Jesus, Schmalz said it was screaming with rage, reflecting the rage he himself felt at the time. "This ...
The FDA approved a new abortion pill this week made by a company seeking to "normalize abortion." / Credit: Postmodern Studio/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Oct 2, 2025 / 16:13 pm (CNA).The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved a new abortion pill made by a company that explicitly says it seeks to "normalize" abortion.A Sept. 30 letter obtained from the office of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, said the FDA approved the abbreviated new drug application for "mifepristone tablets" from Evita Solutions, a Virginia-based pharmaceutical company.The FDA said in the letter that it had "concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval" under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.On its website as of Oct. 2, Evita Solutions was advertising a "new generic mifepristone product" coming to the U.S. Mifepristone constitutes one of the major components of abortion pill prescriptions.The company says it "assis...
The bones and reliquary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux make their first stop at the Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, Michigan, on Oct. 1, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Detroit CatholicAnn Arbor, Michigan, Oct 2, 2025 / 17:02 pm (CNA).The faithful are gathering in Michigan, where the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux are on display at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, near Detroit. A Mass of installation was celebrated on Oct. 1 by Archbishop Edward Weisenburger and rector Father John Bettin as the beautiful, glass-encased reliquary was present near the altar. In an interview with CNA, Bettin said the saint's bones and reliquary first visited the United States and the basilica named for her over a quarter of a century ago, in 1999. The 2025 tour is the first stop of 40 in 11 states. According to the StThereseusa2025.com website, her relics will go to California; Washington, D.C.; Texas; Wisconsin; and various Carmelite convents ...
null / Credit: Petra Homeier/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Oct 2, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).During the month of October, the Catholic Church celebrates guardian angels. Guardian angels are instruments of providence who help protect their charges from suffering serious harm and assist them on the path of salvation.It is a teaching of the Church that every one of the faithful has his or her own guardian angel, and it is the general teaching of theologians that everyone has a guardian angel from birth.The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their [angels'] watchful care and intercession. 'Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.' Already here on earth, the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God" (No. 336).Several of our greatest saints have also shared their thoughts on guardian angels. Here's what they had to say:St. John Vianney"Our gua...
null / Credit: Photographee.eu/ShutterstockLondon, England, Oct 1, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).One of the United Kingdom's leading experts in bioethics has warned that hospices may be forced to offer assisted death out of fear of losing their funding.Pia Matthews, senior lecturer in health care ethics at St. Mary's University, London, told CNA on Oct. 1 that if assisted dying is legalized in the U.K. this November, "there is real risk that funding to a hospice will depend on whether the hospice engages in the practice of facilitating assisted deaths, and this will put further pressure not only on staff but also on the survival of some hospices, which are already underfunded… Given that the very nature of assisted dying means that it is the cheaper option, this will inevitably have serious consequences for the funding of hospice care."She continued: "The argument in favor of assisted dying is that assisted dying offers choice to patients. Purely on a cost basis, choice will be taken a...
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican aecretary for eelations with atates. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Oct 1, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).The Holy See's secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, decried that attacks on Christians have intensified in recent years and accused the international community of "turning a blind eye.""The data show that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide, and yet the international community seems to be turning a blind eye to their plight," the English archbishop declared during his Sept. 29 address to the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly."Christians across the world are subjected to severe persecution, including physical violence, imprisonment, forced displacement, and martyrdom," he added.The Vatican diplomat noted that more than 360 million Christians live in areas where they experience high levels of persecution or discrimination, "with attacks on churches, homes, and communities inte...
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield in IllinoisCNA Staff, Oct 1, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).Various U.S. bishops expressed relief and happiness after U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, announced his decision to decline an award from the Chicago Archdiocese following backlash over his pro-abortion views.Late Tuesday, Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich said Durbin had decided to back away from receiving the award after numerous U.S. bishops criticized the archdiocese for selecting Durbin to receive the honor.The Illinois senator was scheduled to receive a "Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants" at an archdiocesan event in November. Cupich described the senator as embodying "unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day."Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who presides over Durbin's home diocese, had in September said Durbin was "unfit to receive any Catholic honor." In an Oct. 1 statement o...
Pope Leo XIV answers questions during an impromptu Q&A with journalists outside Castel Gandolfo on Sept. 30, 2025. / Credit: EWTN NewsACI Prensa Staff, Oct 1, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).Late Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV answered several questions from journalists at Villa Barberini, the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, where he addressed various issues.Asked about the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the crisis in Gaza, the pontiff stated: "We hope they accept it. So far, it seems to be a realistic proposal.""It's important, nonetheless, that there be a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. But there are elements there that I think are very interesting, and I hope Hamas will accept it within the established time frame," he added.Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sept. 29 that they have agreed on a plan to end the war, although it is unknown whether Hamas will accept the terms. The 20-point plan seeks to halt the war between Isr...
