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Dublin, Ireland, Oct 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new poll commissioned by the Iona Institute has found a marked revival of interest in religion among young people in Northern Ireland. 

The results are a clear reversal of the previous continuous decline by age. The youngest age group polled, 18- to 24-year-olds, now say they are more likely to have a "very positive" attitude of Christianity (30% vs. only 4% with a "very negative" view) than any other age group, even those over 65.

David Quinn of the Iona Institute told CNA: "What we are seeing in both parts of the island is some kind of revival of interest in religion among a segment of the youngest adults, the 18- to 24-year-olds." He said a significant number of these young people are men.

The new poll, commissioned by the institute, was conducted by Amárach Research, a market research agency in Dublin, and based on a representative sample of 1,200 adults in Northern Ireland. It revealed that 40% of Catholics in Northern Ireland are regular Massgoers — which is double the percentage of Mass attendees in the Republic of Ireland, which was similarly surveyed earlier in the year by the same research agency.

The Iona Institute was keen to compare the findings in both the north and south of Ireland especially given the higher percentage of Protestant churches in the north.

One big finding of the poll is that Northern Ireland can no longer be viewed as being simply divided between Catholics and Protestants. The "Nones" — that is, those who say they don't belong to any religion — have become a major force as well. This finding challenges the traditional sectarian stereotypes in Northern Ireland.

Quinn said he believes that indications of some kind of revival of interest in religion among the youngest age group surveyed should encourage all the churches. The finding is not an outlier. The revival of interest among young adults is consistent with poll findings in the Republic of Ireland, Britain, and the United States. In Britain, the phenomenon has been termed the "Quiet Revival."

Will this growth in interest in the Catholic faith translate into active participation? 

Quinn is wary of making premature or rash claims about the poll results. He sees them as a challenge for the Catholic Church in Ireland. 

"I think the churches will need to get a lot better at finding ways to respond to this kind of revived interest… people like the Dominicans are able to do it, and some of the evangelicals are good at it as well," he said. "But I think it's something that the churches are going to have to have a real hard think about, because we're very much stuck in the 'decline stage' mentality that says we're all getting older and so what's the point?"

Quinn said he believes that in the future there will probably be fewer "cultural Christians" — those who "say they are Christian but don't practice." He said that instead, society could be divided between those who hold religious belief and those who don't, with few people in between.

"The overall conclusion, however, is that religion is not disappearing, contrary to past predictions," he said.

Quinn said that throughout Ireland there's "a lot of outright disengagement from religion," adding: "You've got a growing number of people who say 'I don't have any religion.' Cultural Christianity is beginning to fade — you know, the sort of person who said 'I used to go to Mass the odd time' isn't going at all. There's a growing number of people who don't even bother with the sacraments at all. So … this kind of nonpracticing … type of Christianity is failing, and the 'no religion' group is increasing."

The Iona Institute research shows that while the 18- to 24-year-old group had the highest number of respondents with a "very positive" attitude toward the Catholic Church (17%), half said they are neither religious nor spiritual. Those in this age group, however, said they are more likely to pray and read or watch religious content than people in the 25- to 34-year-old age group.

Of those surveyed in the poll, 28% said they are Catholic, 14% said they are Presbyterian, 11% said they are Church of Ireland, and 36% said they don't belong to any religion. The rest belong to other Christian churches or religions.

Nearly 50% of respondents said they view Christianity favorably, though percentages were lower when specifically asked about the Catholic Church (23%) and Protestant churches (30%). The most unfavorable attitudes toward religion in general are among the nonreligious.

Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they are religious and/or spiritual — a slightly lower percentage than in the Republic of Ireland. Of those surveyed, 51% said they pray, 44% said they attend religious services (which does not mean regularly), 33% meditate, and 38% read religious or spiritual books such as the Bible.

The poll also revealed that Catholics have more favorable views of Protestant churches than the other way around.

Not unexpectedly, the sex abuse scandals are a big driver of unfavorable attitudes toward the Catholic Church throughout Ireland.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 18, 2025 / 11:48 am (CNA).

On the occasion of the 99th World Mission Day, to be celebrated on Sunday, Oct. 19, with the theme "Missionaries of Hope among all Peoples," the Vatican news agency Fides presented some statistics that offer a general overview of the Catholic Church worldwide.

The study is based on numbers from 2023, in which the world population rose to 7,914,582,000, with a positive trend on all continents, including Europe. The increase in Catholics was 15,881,000 over the previous year.

The most notable growth in Catholics is in Africa, with an increase of 8,309,000; and the Americas with 5,668,000; followed by Asia with 954,000; Europe with 740,000; and Oceania with 210,000.

The percentage of Catholics in the world's population increased by 0.1% compared to the previous year, reaching 17.8%.

The total number of bishops worldwide increased by 77 compared to the previous year's survey, reaching 5,430. Diocesan bishops also increased by 84, while religious order bishops decreased by seven. In total, there are 4,258 diocesan bishops and 1,172 bishops belonging to religious orders.

Falling number of priests

The number of priests worldwide continues to decline. According to data from Fides, in 2023 it decreased by 734 compared to the previous year, leaving a total of 406,996 priests.

The most significant decrease was again recorded in Europe, with 2,486 fewer priests, followed by the Americas, where the number fell by 800, and Oceania, with 44 fewer. However, the number of priests increased in Africa, with 1,451 more, and in Asia, which added 1,145 new priests.

The number of diocesan priests decreased by 429, leaving a total of 278,742. Religious order priests also registered a decline — reversing the previous year's trend — and now total 128,254, 305 fewer than in the last survey.

Meanwhile, the number of permanent deacons continues to increase, reaching a total of 51,433. Growth is mainly concentrated in the Americas (+1,257) and Oceania (+57), while slight declines are recorded in Asia (-1), Africa (-3), and Europe (-27).

The number of men in religious orders who are not priests also decreased, with 736 fewer than the previous year, standing at 48,748. The decreases are in Europe (-308), the Americas (-293), Asia (-196), and Oceania (-46), although Africa shows a slight increase (+107).

Likewise, the number of women in religious orders continued its years-long decline. Currently, there are 589,423, which means 9,805 fewer than in the previous report. They have increased in Africa (+1,804) and Asia (+46), but continue to decline in Europe (–7,338), the Americas (–4,066), and Oceania (–251).

Declining number of seminarians

The number of major seminarians, both diocesan and religious, also decreased, totaling 106,495 (the previous year was 108,481). Africa alone recorded an increase of 383.

Minor seminarians, both diocesan and religious, also decreased, reaching 95,021, a decrease of 140. Furthermore, Africa went from an increase in the 2022 survey to a slight decrease of 90.

Education and charitable works

Fides also reported that the Catholic Church operates a total of 74,550 kindergartens worldwide with 7,639,051 students; 102,455 primary schools with 36,199,844 students; 52,085 secondary schools with 20,724,361 students; 2,688,625 students in higher education institutions; and 4,468,875 students in Catholic universities.

In addition, in the field of health care and charitable works, there are 103,951 institutions affiliated with the Catholic Church, including 5,377 hospitals and 13,895 dispensaries; 504 leper colonies;. There are 15,566 homes for the elderly, chronically ill, or disabled; 10,858 daycare centers; 10,827 marriage counseling centers; 3,147 education or social reintegration centers and 5,184 other types of institutions.

Data on the total world population and the number of baptized Catholics are updated as of June 30, 2023, while other data are updated as of December 31, 2023.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 18, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Several hymns were temporarily banned last year in the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri after being found "to be insufficient in sound doctrine," with the action raising questions about what music is allowed at the Holy Mass.

In a special report for the Oct. 17, 2025 edition of "EWTN News In Depth," correspondent Mark Irons explored the subject. Archbishop Shawn McKnight, who implemented the brief ban, told Irons: "I would hope everybody else learns from my mistake."

McKnight, who was the bishop of Jefferson City at the time, now serves as the archbishop of Kansas City. The controversial ban in question encompassed 12 songs in total, including the popular hymns "I am the Bread of Life" and "All Are Welcome."

McKnight said the decree was implemented too quickly and without enough discussion among Catholics in the diocese. 

Currently, no particular hymns are excluded in the Diocese of Jefferson City, but parishes are required to evaluate Mass music using guidelines that were provided for archdioceses and dioceses across the nation by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The USCCB's 2020 "Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics" was created to make sure Mass hymns are in conformity with Catholic doctrine. The bishops list a number of specific concerns regarding hymns, including ones with "deficiencies in the presentation of Eucharistic doctrine," those "with a view of the Church that sees Her as essentially a human construction," or songs with "an inadequate sense of a distinctively Christian anthropology."

Kevin Callahan, who serves as the music director at Sacred Heart Parish in Glyndon, Maryland, told Irons: "We believe…the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ is here at the Mass, in the Eucharist. The songs, of course, should reflect that." 

Callhan explained that he understands why the bishops would create the aid. The bishops "want the right thing to be said in Church, they don't want the wrong idea to get tossed around." Callahan said he does believe there are certain hymns that could be misleading. 

The 'pride of place" of Gregorian chant

Over time, Callahan said, Gregorian chant has earned pride of place within the liturgy of the Mass.

This was reflected in the Second Vatican Council document Sacrosanctum Concilium, which explains: "The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy." 

Sara Pecknold, a professor of liturgical music at Christendom College, noted that "Gregorian chant, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was developed with and for the liturgy."

"The Second Vatican council teaches us that the more closely tied the music is to the liturgical action…the more sacred it is," she pointed out.

Recommendations

If Gregorian chant is unfamiliar to a parish, Pecknold recommends small steps that could be taken. She said: "I would first start with the very simplest chant melodies, for the ordinaries of the Mass."

Beyond Gregorian chant, the Second Vatican Council decided that the Church approves "of all forms of true art having the needed qualities, and admits them into divine worship."

Pecknold explained: "Liturgical music should glorify God and it should sanctify and edify all of us who are present at this great sacrifice."

Welcoming a diversity of styles

Dave Moore, the music director at the 2024 U.S. National Eucharistic Congress, was in charge of bringing together a wide variety of Catholic musicians from across the country for the event.

Moore said the musical goal of the Congress was to create a unity rooted in Christ, through different styles of music.

"I don't know how you find unity without diversity," Moore said. "There's a lot of people who do things differently than we're used to, but what we're looking for is the heart, like are you pursuing the heart of God?"

Archbishop McKnight also noted the need for variety.

"Catholicity means there's a universality to who we are, that we're not of just one kind or one culture, but there's a diversity of charisms and a diversity of styles," he said. "The fact that there are different ways of entering into the mystery of Christ, actually increases the unity we have, otherwise we're just a church of some, and not the Church of all."

Music is "often associated with memories and emotions, too," he said. "That's a part of our celebration of the Eucharist. It's not just a thing of the mind. It's not just a doctrinal assent. It's also a movement of the heart and ultimately it's active prayer."

"Hymns that are liked by the people are a good choice, but it's also important that they convey the Catholic faith," McKnight said. "It's about discernment of the will of God and what the Holy Spirit wants."

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Vatican City, Oct 18, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

At the Vatican's Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Travelers, Pope Leo XIV praised pilgrims for their deep trust in God despite centuries of exclusion, telling thousands of participants that their witness renews the Church's own faith.

"Today we all feel renewed by the gift you bring to the pope: your strong faith, your unshakeable hope in God alone, your solid trust that does not yield to the hardships of a life often lived on the margins of society," Pope Leo said during the jubilee audience in the Paul VI Hall on Saturday.

About 4,000 pilgrims from more than 70 countries in Europe and beyond took part in the event, according to the Vatican. Musicians and dancers from Italy, Romania, France, Spain, and Slovenia filled the Vatican hall with lively music during the vibrant Jubilee celebration.

Pope Leo urged participants to continue placing their faith and hope entirely in God, saying they "can be living witnesses to the centrality of these three things: trusting only in God, not attaching yourself to any worldly possessions, and demonstrating exemplary faith in words and deeds."

He added that the "heart of the Church, by its very nature, is in solidarity with the poor, the excluded, and the marginalized, with those considered society's 'discard.'"

"For nearly a thousand years, you have been pilgrims and nomads in a context that has progressively constructed development models that have proven to be unjust and unsustainable in many respects," Leo said.

He added that so-called "progressive" societies have often relegated them "to the margins of cities, the margins of rights, the margins of education and culture," even while those same societies have created "enormous economic inequalities… financial crises, environmental disasters, and wars."

During the audience, the pope also spoke to pastoral workers who serve Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti communities, urging them "to carry forward with renewed energy the objectives formulated by the Fifth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Gypsies," particularly in education, family ministry, and intercultural dialogue.

He said he hopes "every diocese will develop adequate pastoral attention dedicated to the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti communities, for true integral human growth."

At the end of his speech, Pope Leo took the time to answer a few questions from children taking part in the Jubilee. When asked how young people can be better friends with Jesus, he said that "seeking the help of the Church is a very important path to always being a friend of Jesus."

"Jesus, through the Church, presents himself to us, and therefore loving Jesus, being a friend of Jesus, means being a friend in the Church: and so life in the Church, the Sacraments, the Holy Mass," he said.

To another child who asked how it could be possible for children to grow up in a world without war, Pope Leo said peace begins with us.

"If we want to change the world, we must start with ourselves, with our friends, our classmates, in our families," he said. "It's very important that we always seek this capacity for dialogue, for mutual respect, and to promote the values that help us build a world of peace."

The Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Traveling Peoples was organized in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Migrantes Foundation, the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Vicariate of Rome, and representatives of the Pastoral Care of Roma and Sinti.

Celebrations will continue Sunday with a Mass at Rome's Sanctuary of Divine Love, presided over by Cardinal Fabio Baggio and accompanied by Roma and Sinti musicians. A prayer service will follow in honor of Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla, the first Roma martyr of the faith.

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CNA Staff, Oct 18, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Officials in New Jersey have charged a former parish financial director with the theft of more than half a million dollars in church funds.

Joseph Manzi has been charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking after he allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft.

Manzi was the subject of an August lawsuit by the parish in which he was alleged to have "systematically, secretly, and dishonestly utilized parish funds for his own personal benefit." The civil suit claimed he had stolen upwards of $1.5 million.

In an Oct. 17 press release, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office said Manzi had been officially criminally charged with the theft. Platkin in the release said Manzi used the funds "not to feed his family or for some kind of emergency, but to live a more lavish lifestyle."

Manzi stopped working at the Lincroft parish in June of this year, the office said. Afterwards, church staff reviewed credit card statements and found "numerous unauthorized charges that were determined to allegedly be for Manzi's personal benefit."

The state alleged that Manzi used stolen funds for "event vendors, vehicle repairs, financing, and purchases, including a Cadillac SUV," as well as purchases such as luxury clothing, sports event tickets and "chartered fishing trips."

Manzi is facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $150,000.

It was not immediately clear why the prosecutor's office charged Manzi with about $1 million less in theft than the August civil suit alleged. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Oct. 18 seeking clarification on the figures.

On its website, the St. Leo parish said the controversy "will not prevent Saint Leo the Great Parish from working every day to live our mission – to serve Parishioners and the community in God's name with the greatest of love and compassion."

"We ask you all to stand together in our shared faith and to pray for a swift and just conclusion to this troubling chapter," the parish said.

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CNA Staff, Oct 18, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 18, Catholics and other Christians around the world celebrate the feast of St. Luke, the physician and companion of St. Paul whose Gospel preserved the most extensive biography of Jesus Christ.

St. Luke, who is also the author of the Acts of the Apostles, wrote a greater volume of the New Testament than any other single author in the earliest history of the Church. Ancient traditions also acknowledge Luke as the founder of Christian iconography, making him a patron of artists as well as doctors and other medical caregivers.

Luke came from the large metropolitan city of Antioch, a part of modern-day Turkey. In his lifetime, the city emerged as an important center of early Christianity. During the future saint's early years, Antioch's port had already become a cultural center, renowned for arts and sciences. Historians do not know whether Luke came to Christianity from Judaism or paganism, although there are strong suggestions that Luke was a Gentile convert.

Educated as a physician in the Greek-speaking city, Luke was among the most cultured and cosmopolitan members of the early Church. Scholars of archeology and ancient literature have ranked him among the top historians of his time period, besides noting the outstanding Greek prose style and technical accuracy of his accounts of Christ's life and the apostles' missionary journeys.

Other students of biblical history deduce from Luke's writings that he was the only evangelist to incorporate the personal testimony of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose role in Christ's life emerges most clearly in his Gospel. Tradition credits him with painting several icons of Christ's mother, and one of the sacred portraits ascribed to him — known by the title "Salvation of the Roman People" — survives to this day in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Some traditions hold that Luke became a direct disciple of Jesus before the Ascension, while others hold that he became a believer only afterward. After St. Paul's conversion, Luke accompanied him as his personal physician — and, in effect, as a kind of biographer, since the journeys of Paul on which Luke accompanied him occupy a large portion of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke probably wrote this text, the final narrative portion of the New Testament, in the city of Rome, where the account ends.

Luke was also among the only companions of Paul who did not abandon him during his final imprisonment and death in Rome. After the martyrdom of St. Paul in the year 67, Luke is said to have preached elsewhere throughout the Mediterranean and possibly died as a martyr. However, tradition is unclear on this point.

Fittingly, the evangelist whose travels and erudition could have filled volumes, wrote just enough to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

This story was first published on Oct. 17, 2010, and has been updated.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 17, 2025 / 18:29 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., expressed concerns about increasing political polarization in the United States and urged Americans to remember "that which binds us together as a people."

McElroy made the comments at the University of Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 17. He spoke with University President Rev. Robert Dowd in a conversation titled "Healing Our National Dialogue and Political Life." The event was part of the university's 2025-26 Forum on the theme "Cultivating Hope." McElroy holds doctorates in sacred theology and political science.

"The conflict between the two parties has done, I think, terrible damage to us," McElroy said, and noted that a "notion of warfare, of tribalism has seeped into us" when discussing political disagreements.

A person's political beliefs, the cardinal explained, "has become shorthand now for worldview in the views of many, many people," which he warned "is a very damaging development in our society" because it moves Americans away from focusing on a "shared purpose and meaning" when crafting political solutions. 

The United States, McElroy said, is not bound by blood or ethnicity, but rather "bound together by the aspirations of our founders."

'What binds us'

"What binds us is the aspirations of freedom, human dignity, care for all, the rights of all, the empowerment of all, democratic rights," he said. "...We're proud to be Americans because of what our country aspires to be and to do."

McElroy said "much of this needs to take place at the parish level" to facilitate dialogue among those who disagree with each other, and argued that the founders "believed on a very deep level [that the country] could only succeed if religion flourished."

"They believed that only religion could genuinely bring from the human heart a sense of the willingness to look past self-interest or group interest to a wider sense of what the common good is," McElroy said.

"So for that reason, they thought religion was essential, not as a direct force in politics, certainly, or governance, but rather in contributing in the human heart and in the understanding of the issues that come forth," he added.

Although McElroy said the Church does not have a specific political role, he said it does have "a moral role within the political and public order," which "needs to be rooted in the moral understanding." If a political question has a moral component, the cardinal said "the Church contributes to the public debate."

"It speaks not in terms of the politics — or it should not speak in terms of the politics — but rather solely the moral questions involved," McElroy said.

McElroy was appointed in January of this year by Pope Francis to serve as the archbishop of the nation's capital and assumed the position on March 11. He succeeded Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who retired.

In his installation Mass, McElroy emphasized the importance of respecting the human dignity of all people, particularly the unborn, migrants, and the poor.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 17, 2025 / 12:42 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday asked a group of Catholic pilgrims from Russia, in Rome on a Jubilee pilgrimage, to be an example of love and brotherhood upon their return home.

In his Oct. 17 address at the Vatican, the Holy Father emphasized that the presence of the Russian pilgrims "is part of the journey of so many generations" who have traveled to Rome. 

For the Holy Father, "this city can be a symbol of human existence, in which the 'ruins' of past experiences, anguish, uncertainty, and anxiety are intertwined with the faith that grows every day and becomes active in charity."

"And with the hope that does not disappoint and encourages us, because even on the ruins, despite sin and enmity, the Lord can build a new world and renewed life," he added.

Bishop Joseph Werth of the Diocese of the Transfiguration in Novosibirsk, Russia, told EWTN News after the meeting that Pope Leo took the time to greet the entire group of around 100 pilgrims, despite being scheduled to only greet the people in the front rows. 

"It's a sign that the pope wanted to dedicate time to us," Werth said.

Leo encouraged the Catholics from Russia to continue the path of Christian life upon returning home, appealing to their responsibility in their local Church.

"From your families, from your parish and diocesan communities, may an example of love, fraternity, solidarity, and mutual respect emerge for all the people among whom you live, work, and study," he urged them. 

In this way, he affirmed that "the fire of Christian love can be kindled, capable of warming the coldness of hearts, even the most hardened."

In Rome, the pontiff specified, "the heart of the Christian soul beats" and it is where "the events of the faith — received and transmitted since apostolic times, from which so many peoples and nations have drunk abundantly and from which they still live today — are intertwined with the concerns and commitments of daily life."

Leo XIV also pointed out the monuments scattered throughout the Eternal City, "tangible signs of living faith, rooted in the hearts of people, capable of transforming consciences and motivating them to do good." 

He emphasized that every Catholic "is a living stone in the building of the Church" who, even if small, placed by the Lord in the right place, "plays an important role in the stability of the entire structure."

Alexey Gotovskiy of EWTN News contributed to this report.

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CNA Staff, Oct 17, 2025 / 13:19 pm (CNA).

A federal judge in California will allow a class action lawsuit to proceed for potentially millions of parents and teachers regarding school district rules that hide child "gender transitions" from parents. 

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled Oct. 15 that the lawsuit Mirabelli v. Olson will proceed as a class action, becoming what the Thomas More Society said is potentially "one of the largest civil rights class actions" in California history. 

Peter Breen, the head of litigation at the Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm, said in the group's Oct. 16 press release that parents have a "fundamental right" to direct their children's education and moral upbringing, and that California school officials "cannot override that right by keeping parents in the dark about major issues and developments in their child's life." 

In his ruling, Benitez said the lawsuit satisfies the criteria for class action status. School districts in California, he said, "are ultimately state agents under state control," and thus the issue of settling "statewide policy" means the class action structure is "superior to numerous individual actions by individual parents and teachers."

The class action ruling comes ahead of a Nov. 17 hearing in the same court, one that the Thomas More Society says may "potentially deliver a final ruling" on the dispute, including whether secretive school transgender policies violate parents' constitutional rights. 

"Parents should never be treated as strangers in their own children's lives," Breen said. 

The legal group said the suit will now represent "all California parents and teachers affected by school district policies that conceal children's gender transitions from their families." 

Those policies have been at the center of ongoing debate over transgenderism and gender ideology in recent years. LGBT advocates and school leaders around the country have argued that teachers and school administrators should be permitted to exclude parents from knowing if their children begin "identifying" as the opposite sex. 

Activists have also argued that school officials should be allowed to facilitate child "gender transitions" without informing parents. 

Rules allowing teachers to hide such sensitive information from parents have come under fire from advocates in recent years, including the Trump administration. 

In February the White House launched an investigation into five school districts in northern Virginia to determine whether their transgender policies violated executive orders forbidding schools from facilitating "gender transitions."

In 2023, meanwhile, Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued directives affirming that parents in the state would enjoy broad oversight of their children while they are enrolled in public schools, reversing earlier rules that allowed teachers to keep children's transgender "identities" secret from parents.

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CNA Newsroom, Oct 17, 2025 / 13:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has responded to a letter from a grieving father with the encouragement that "death never has the last word."

In the October issue of Piazza San Pietro magazine, the pontiff penned a letter to Francesco, a father of four, who wrote to the Holy Father about the death of his 12-year-old son, Domenico Maria, from a sudden illness 18 years ago.

Despite the time that has passed, the father said he still felt like his son's premature death happened only yesterday. 

"Holiness, this letter of mine is intended only as a thought, as well as a remembrance for our son, so that God, in his infinite goodness and mercy as a Father, may welcome him into the kingdom of heaven…" Francesco wrote.

In his response, Leo reminded the father that "the important thing is to always remain connected to the Lord, going through the greatest pain with the help of His Grace, which always comes — be sure of that — even in the darkest moments."

The pope also recalled the light of the love of God, who walks with us throughout our life, starting at our Baptism. 

"All this begins with our Baptism and will never end," he said. "Baptism introduces us into communion with Christ and gives us true life, committing us to renounce a culture of death that is very present in our society."

"But death never has the last word! The last word, which opens the doors to eternity and joy that lasts forever, is the resurrection, which knows no discouragement or pain that imprisons us in the extreme difficulty of not finding meaning in our existence," the pontiff added.

In his letter, Francesco described his son's love of soccer and the community of friends he found through playing the sport.

Pope Leo said "authentic prayer, like authentic sport, practiced together, creates bonds and unites forever, as it united Domenico Maria with all those on his 'team' of true friendship, with bonds that go far beyond death."

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