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-...

Virginia, New Jersey races deliver victory to Democrats amid Trump's second term

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger delivers remarks during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Virginia. / Credit: Win McNamee/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:17 pm (CNA).Off-year elections for state leadership roles in Virginia and New Jersey saw Democrats win key races in what pundits had predicted would be a referendum against Republican President Donald Trump's second term in the White House. Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, won the gubernatorial race in that state against current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the commonwealth's first woman governor, according to the Associated Press, while state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the race for lieutenant governor there. Democrat Jay Jones also won the state's attorney general race, beating incumbent Jason Miyares. In New Jersey, meanwhile, Democrat Mikie Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli, with ...

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral race

Democratic Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media during a press conference after voting on Nov. 4, 2025. / Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:25 pm (CNA).Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who promotes gender ideology and abortion access, won his bid for mayor of New York City on Nov. 4, decisively defeating his two main opponents: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and talk show host Curtis Sliwa.Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the New York State Assembly and the Democratic Party's nominee for mayor, took 50.4% of the vote on Tuesday. As of 9:42 p.m. ET, 75% of the vote had been tallied.Cuomo, who served as governor as a Democrat and ran as an independent for mayor, received 41.3% of the vote. Sliwa, the Republican nominee, finished third with 7.5% of the vote.Mamdani, set to be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2026, will be the city's first Muslim mayor. He will succeed Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who suspended hi...