Diocese of Peoria breaks ground on center honoring Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

The Spalding Institute in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, is being transformed into "The Fulton J. Sheen Experience," an expansion of the Sheen museum, which has been open since 2008.  / Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/ScreenshotCNA Staff, Nov 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The Diocese of Peoria in Illinois on Oct. 19 broke ground for a cultural center honoring Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The Spalding Institute is being transformed into "The Fulton J. Sheen Experience," an expansion of the Sheen museum, which has been open since 2008. The new center has an estimated construction cost of $9 million to $11 million, all of which is being raised from private donations. Visitors will be able to see interactive exhibits, artifacts, and large archives of television and radio work from the archbishop's life. "We are thrilled to transform the historic diocesan high school building into this new facility," Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said in a press release. "We believe this project wi...

Fact check: Do parental notification laws for abortion harm minors?

null / Credit: Photographee.eu/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Nov 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Claim: Laws requiring minors to notify their parents if they are getting an abortion "threaten young people's health and safety and undermine their human rights," claims a report by the Human Rights Watch.CNA finds: CNA finds a strong pro-abortion bias in the report. Experts say parental notification laws help protect girls from predators and put girls in a better situation by ensuring family support. Breakdown: Parental notification laws vary across states, but most require the abortion provider to notify a parent before the abortion takes place, unless it's a medical emergency or the minor obtains a court order.For instance, in Colorado, a written notice must be delivered to the parent's home by someone from the abortion clinic, a sheriff, a clergy member, or other person. The law contains a built-in exemption if the minor is in an abusive home.Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Montana, a...

Pope Leo XIV to seminarians: 'Piety without doctrine becomes fragile sentimentality'

Pope Leo XIV leads the faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in reciting the Angelus on Nov. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Nov 5, 2025 / 16:33 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday addressed a letter to seminarians of the Archdiocese of Trujillo, Peru, reminding them of the need to be close to Christ while discerning a vocation to the priesthood.In a long letter to men studying at the "San Carlos y San Marcelo" major seminary, who celebrated the institution's 400th anniversary on Nov. 4, the Holy Father emphasized that prayer and the search for truth are not "parallel journeys" but a single path that leads to God.'Nurture both'"A piety without doctrine becomes fragile sentimentality; doctrine without prayer becomes sterile and cold," he wrote. "Nurture both with balance and passion, knowing that only in this way can you authentically proclaim what you live and live coherently what you proclaim."As an Augustinian missionary, Leo XIV once served as the semina...

'Don't kill me': Empty wheelchairs dramatize campaign against assisted suicide in Italy

Empty wheelchairs were used during a Nov. 4, 2025, anti-assisted suicide event in Rome. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ProVita & FamigliaRome, Italy, Nov 5, 2025 / 17:03 pm (CNA).The Piazza del Popolo (People's Square), one of Rome's most iconic and monumental spaces, became the stage on Nov. 4 for a powerful campaign against a bill currently under consideration in the Italian Senate to decriminalize assisted suicide. Two hundred empty wheelchairs with a rose-colored balloon floating above each one were arranged in meticulously ordered rows in the center of the Italian capital's expansive urban space by the pro-life ProVita & Famiglia association as part of a flash mob with a direct and unsettling message: "Non mi uccidere" ("Don't kill me").The initiative aimed to denounce what the organization considers a "drift toward assisted suicide" in Italy.Legislative backgroundCurrently in Italy, anyone who "causes the death of a man with his consent" is punishable by six to ...

A beloved Iowa priest and immigrant advocate dies at 39

Father Guillermo Treviño Jr.'s national profile stemmed from his immigrant rights work with Escucha Mi Voz Iowa ("Hear My Voice Iowa"), a group aiding Latino workers, including immigrants. He is shown here during a meeting earlier this year with U.S. Sen.Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Escucha Mi Voz IowaCNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 17:33 pm (CNA).Father Guillermo Treviño Jr., a 39-year-old priest who advocated for the rights of immigrants in the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, passed away suddenly on Oct. 31, just hours after returning from a trip to the Vatican. His death from sepsis after a fatal stomach perforation was a complication of undiagnosed diabetes, according to his sister, Mariela Trevin~o-Luna, who had traveled with him to Italy.Due to a shortage of priests in Iowa, Trevin~o served as a pastor of St. Joseph Church in Columbus Junction as well as St. Joseph Church in West Liberty, southeast of Iowa City.Treviño's national profile stemmed from his ...

Judge orders halt to alleged 'inhumane' conditions for Illinois detainees

A Catholic delegation attempts to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, immigration facility and was not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. / Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public LeadershipWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2025 / 18:58 pm (CNA).A Chicago-based federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to maintain strict cleanliness and hygiene requirements for migrants detained at an Illinois facility.The court also ordered the administration to provide detainees with access to legal representation.The temporary restraining order entered Nov. 5 by Judge Robert W. Gettleman, who was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, did not address the plaintiff's concerns about a lack of religious accommodations, including the ability to receive holy Communion.Gettleman's order Nov. 5 directed the administration to provide adequate food, water, and hygiene prac...

Archdiocese of Dubuque restructures amid declining Catholic population

Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dubuque, Iowa, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 12:50 pm (CNA).The Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, is in the midst of a restructuring plan called the "Journey in Faith" initiative that will result in parish mergers and other major changes due to declining church attendance, financial pressures, and priest shortages.At a homily he gave at the beginning of September, Archbishop Thomas Zinkula cited "dramatic shifts in population, culture, and finances within our archdiocese. We are using only 37% of our church capacities each weekend. Since 2006, Mass attendance is down 46% throughout the archdiocese."According to archdiocesan data, Catholic marriages have declined 57% and infant baptisms are down 22% since 2006. The only liturgical celebration that has increased is Catholic funerals, up 3% in the same time period.Regarding the priest shortage, ther...

2 Nigerian minor seminarians released months after kidnapping, 1 killed in captivity

On Nov. 4, 2025, the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria announced the release of two seminarians who were abducted in July during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi while confirming the death of a third victim. / Credit: Catholic Diocese of AuchiACI Africa, Nov 5, 2025 / 14:04 pm (CNA).The Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Nigeria has announced the release of two seminarians who were abducted in July during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivianokpodi while confirming the death of a third victim.In a statement issued Tuesday, the assistant director of communications of the diocese, Father Linus Imoedemhe, recalled that during the July 10 incident, seminarians Japhet Jesse, Joshua Aleobua, and Emmanuel Alabi were abducted."We are grateful to God for the safe release of Japhet Jesse much earlier and, most recently, Joshua Aleobua, who regained his freedom on Nov. 4," Imoedemhe said in the statement shared with ACI Africa,...

Archdiocese of Seville permits woman with Down syndrome to be a godmother

Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses of Seville, Spain. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Archdiocese of SevilleACI Prensa Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).The Archdiocese of Seville in Spain has announced that a young woman with Down syndrome who was initially prohibited from being a godmother at a baptism will be able to fulfill that role after "high-level" consultations with experts in canon law and pastoral care.In late October, the offended family took their case to the media because a priest had refused to accept Noelia, a 19-year-old woman with Down syndrome, as a godmother.In a Nov. 4 statement, the archdiocese explained that since the controversy broke out, it has gathered "all the relevant information and testimonies," and "in agreement with the pastor and the family of the child being baptized, the archdiocese authorizes the celebration of the sacrament of baptism on the scheduled date, allowing the parents to put forward the godparents they had initially chosen."ACI Pren...

Pennsylvania votes to keep high court majority that has upheld abortion access

null / Credit: Zolnierek/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:10 pm (CNA).Pennsylvania voters elected to retain three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court following a campaign with outside groups casting the vote as a referendum on abortion access, election integrity, and the future balance of the court.The outcome means Democrats will maintain their 5-2 majority on the court.With more than 54% of the vote tallied, 62.3% voted to retain Christine Donohue, 62.5% voted to retain Kevin Dougherty, and 62.4% voted to retain David Wecht. None of the other justices were on the ballot for 2025.The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee celebrated the victory on X. "Thanks to tonight's victories, the court's Democratic majority will continue to protect fair maps, voting rights, and reproductive freedom for Pennsylvanians for years to come," the post read.In Pennsylvania, state Supreme Court justices are chosen through partisan elections to 10-...