Pope to make St. John Henry Newman co-patron of Catholic education with St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Henry Newman. / Credit: Public domainACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV declared St. John Henry Newman, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, as a patron saint of the Catholic Church's educational mission in his recent apostolic letter on education, "Drawing New Maps of Hope."In the letter, the pontiff draws a connection between the two saints, separated by six centuries but united by the same mission: teaching within the Catholic Church.Paul Gordon, professor of Catholic social doctrine and contemporary history and literature at the Ángel Ayala Institute of Humanities, reflected on the Holy Father's letter in a recent conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.Union between faith and reasonAs the Scottish professor noted, both Newman and Aquinas were theologians who promoted dialogue between the sciences, especially between faith and reason, positioning the gift of faith as a guide in the search for truth.&n...

Pope Leo XIV grants plenary indulgence at Schoenstatt shrines

Shrine of the Queen Mother in Atibaia, Brazil. / Credit: Schoenstatt Apostolic MovementACI Prensa Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).On the occasion of the centenary of the Secular Institute of the Sisters of Mary of Schoenstatt, Germany, Pope Leo XIV has granted a plenary indulgence to anyone who visits the original Schoenstatt shrine or any shrine, church, or chapel under the care of this community.The indulgence can be obtained throughout the community's jubilee, which began on Oct. 1 and will conclude on Nov. 4, 2026."For our community, this gift of indulgence in our jubilee year is an invitation from God, through the Church, for a deeper purification of our hearts," the Schoenstatt Movement said on its website, adding: "We trust that God's grace will sustain us in a more perceptible way at the beginning of a new era for our family."The decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See states that the indulgence is granted "to members of the institute and to all the ...

CPAC Summit focuses on ending Christian persecution

Mercedes Schlapp, Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) senior fellow (left), and conservative political commentator and practicing Catholic Jack Posobiec (right) discuss Christian persecution at the Summit on Ending Christian Persecution on Oct. 30, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. / Credit: CPACWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 30, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) launched an initiative to combat Christian persecution domestically and abroad, a subject at the heart of its latest summit in Washington, D.C. CPAC hosted a Summit on Ending Christian Persecution at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 30 as a part of its wider effort to collaborate with its coalition partners to raise awareness and identify policy solutions to religious targeting of Christians."As Catholics, we are all called to help those most in need, those who are facing persecution here and across the globe," Mercedes Schlapp, CPAC senior fellow, told C...

'Don't let the algorithm write your story,' Pope Leo XIV exhorts young people

"Use technology wisely, but don't let technology use you," Pope Leo XIV said during his address to hundreds of university students gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Oct. 30, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged young people to cultivate their "interior life" and to listen to their restlessness without "fleeing from it" or "filling it" with things that don't satisfy, lest they fall into existential emptiness."Having a great deal of knowledge is not enough if we do not know who we are or what the meaning of life is," the pope told the hundreds of university students he received Oct. 30 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican for an event held as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education.In his message, he invited the students to rediscover the inner dimension of life and pointed out that "without silence, without listening, without prayer, even the light of the stars goes out.""We can know a great ...

The Vatican and Andorra discuss decriminalization of abortion

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with the head of government of Andorra, Xavier Espot, on Oct. 22, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of government of AndorraACI Prensa Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 10:09 am (CNA).A delegation from the Andorran government met on Oct. 22 with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to continue discussions on the decriminalization of abortion in Andorra, a country whose co-heads of state are the bishop of the Diocese of Urgell in Spain, Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat, and French President Emmanuel Macron.The boundaries of the diocese also encompass Andorra, which is a small principality situated in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, roughly halfway between Toulouse and Barcelona.The prime minister of Andorra who heads the executive branch, Xavier Espot, and the minister of institutional relations, Ladislau Baró, traveled to the Vatican, accompanied by the country's ambassador to the Holy See, Carlos Álvarez.The ...

Meet St. John Henry Newman's biggest fan in Taiwan

Kao Chih Hao, a recent Taiwanese convert to Catholicism, at Holy Rosary Parish in Taipei, Taiwan, in October 2025. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNATaipei, Taiwan, Oct 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).St. John Henry Newman has inspired many "Newman converts" to follow his path of conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism, including a 24-year-old Taiwanese man who is an ardent devotee of the 19th-century English saint.When Kao Chih Hao, a recent convert to Catholicism living in Taipei, heard the news that Pope Leo XIV had decided to name Newman a doctor of the Church, he said the announcement moved him deeply."After hearing this news, I almost cried," Kao said. "It's the happiest news for me in this year since I admire him so much."Kao, who works in sales for a computer hardware manufacturer and goes by the English name "Newman" after his favorite saint, spoke recently after Sunday Mass at Holy Rosary Parish in Taipei about how St. John Henry Newman helped inspire his conversion.A l...

'People shouldn't go hungry': SNAP halt sparks concern among Catholic charitable groups

About 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will lose those benefits Nov. 1. 2025, without enactment of a spending bill. / Credit: Jeff Bukowski/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 29, 2025 / 12:27 pm (CNA).Catholic charitable groups that provide food to needy families are voicing concern about the expected stoppage of federal food assistance programs as the government shutdown continues.The shutdown reached Day 29 on Oct. 29, and unless lawmakers come to an agreement by the end of the week or the executive branch finds a solution, 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will lose those benefits.Congress can solve the problem by either passing a stand-alone bill to fund SNAP or by passing a bill that funds the entire government. Without any action, those who would normally receive food stamps on the first of the month will not receive any ...

Texas voters to decide on parental rights amendment in November

Texas state capitol. / Credit: Inspired By Maps/ShutterstockHouston, Texas, Oct 29, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Texas voters will head to the polls next week to consider Proposition 15, the Parental Rights Amendment, a constitutional amendment aimed at enshrining parents' rights in the state constitution.The measure, if approved, would add language to the Texas Constitution affirming that parents have the right "to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent's child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child's upbringing" and the responsibility "to nurture and protect the parent's child." Texas already ranks among 26 states with a Parents' Bill of Rights enshrined in state law. That existing statute grants parents a right to "full information" concerning their child at school as well as access to their child's student records, copies of state assessments, and teaching materials, among other provisions.The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops told CNA it su...

Syrian bishop kidnapped by ISIS in 2015 explains challenges facing the Church in his country

The archbishop of Homs for the Syriac Catholics, Jacques Mourad, speaks with ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, about the challenges to the Church in Syria. / Credit: ACI MENAACI MENA, Oct 29, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).The archbishop of Homs for the Syriac Catholics, Jacques Mourad, said Islamic-Christian dialogue in Syria is facing a challenge arising from the official stance of Muslim sheikhs, who refuse to open the door to meeting and dialogue with other communities.The sheikhs consider Sunni Islam, he said, to be the only true religion and the sole religion of the state while viewing others merely as guests.In a recent interview with ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, Mourad explained that this attitude is adopted by some official Muslim religious authorities. He described this reality as both a test and a call for perseverance and continuity, affirming his reliance on Muslims and officials of goodwill to move forward together on the path of understanding....

Pope Leo XIV: 'The Church does not tolerate antisemitism'

Pope Leo XIV arrives in St. Peter's Square for his weekly general audience on Oct. 29, 2025. / Daniel Ibanez/EWTN NewsVatican City, Oct 29, 2025 / 08:55 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday strongly condemned antisemitism during his general audience in St. Peter's Square marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council document on the Church's relations with other religions.The pope underlined that since the publication of Nostra aetate, "all of my predecessors have condemned antisemitism with clear words." "And so I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself," Leo said on Oct. 29.The pope expressed thanks for what has been achieved in the past 60 years of Jewish-Catholic dialogue while acknowledging the challenges that have arisen along the way. "We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties and conflicts in this period, but these have never prevented the ...