Archbishop Broglio urges faithful to aid victims of Hurricane Melissa

Electrical poles are down as a man bikes through the destroyed neighborhood of North Street following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica on Oct. 29, 2025. / Credit: Ricardo Makyn/ GettyWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 13:31 pm (CNA).Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio called this week for "prayer and action" as Hurricane Melissa devastated the Caribbean region.Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urged Catholics in an Oct. 29 statement to pray for and support the people and communities affected by the Category 5 storm."Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, has made landfall in Jamaica, had an impact in Haiti, and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands in Cuba," Broglio wrote. With sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, Hurricane Melissa has swept through the region, causing destruction and claiming up to 50 lives since making landfall on Oct. 28."The Church accompanies, ...

Cardinal Cupich at Georgetown panel: AI is Pope Leo XIV's 'industrial revolution'

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago describes artificial intelligence (AI) as Pope Leo XIV's  "industrial revolution" at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30, 2025. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 14:17 pm (CNA).Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago described artificial intelligence (AI) as Pope Leo XIV's  "industrial revolution" at a Georgetown University forum Oct. 30.The event, "Pope Leo XIV's New Challenge and Moral Leadership on Poverty, Work, and Artificial Intelligence," examined the impact of AI and the guidance provided by Catholic Social Teaching, as a part of the university's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. "Pope Leo XIV's pontificate began during what Pope Francis often called a change of effort, with major changes transforming our world, among them the rise of AI and the effects it would have on work and the economy, something Pope Leo has called another 'industrial revolution,'" said Kim Daniels, ...

Illinois Senate passes assisted suicide measure

null / Credit: ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 14:53 pm (CNA).The Illinois State Senate passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the state. The legislation (SB 1950), known as the "End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act," would authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults in Illinois if signed into law by Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker.The House passed the bill in May 2025, and it stalled in the Senate during the regular session. It was taken up during the Fall veto session, and senators passed it early in the morning of Oct. 31. Pritzker will have 60 days to decide whether to sign or veto the bill before it automatically becomes law.The bill would allow individuals to request and self-administer medication to end their lives. According to the bill, anyone requesting medically assisted suicide must be at least 18 years old, a resident of Illinois, and have a terminal disease with a prognosis of six months or less t...

Killer, rapist of girl in Catholic church identified more than 60 years later

Authorities say the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty, raped and murdered in a Pennsylvania Catholic church 63 years ago, was identified in October 2025 as William Schrader, who died in 2002. / Credit: Courtesy of Buck's County District Attorney's OfficeCNA Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 15:48 pm (CNA).Authorities announced this week that the killer of 9-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty, raped and murdered in a Pennsylvania Catholic church 63 years ago, has finally been identified as William Schrader, who died in 2002.The Bucks County Investigation Grand Jury found that Schrader is "definitively linked" to the murder "through the combination of decades-old evidence" and a recent breakthrough in the case, the district attorney's office said in a statement.The breakthrough came last year when Pennsylvania State Police interviewed Schrader's stepson, Robert Leblanc, in November 2024, who said Schrader "confessed to him on two separate occasions that he murdered a little girl i...

Pope Leo XIV gives Catholic educators lessons from St. Augustine

As part of Jubilee of the World of Education, Pope Leo XIV held an Oct. 31, 2025 audience with teachers. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Oct 31, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV said Catholic educators can learn four fundamental values from St. Augustine's teachings: interiority, unity, love, and joy.  During his Oct. 31 audience with teachers in Rome for the Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 Jubilee of the World of Education, the Holy Father said these four values, taught by the "Doctor of Grace," are key elements to be incorporated into the mission and work of all educators. Regarding the value of interiority, Pope Leo said both teachers and students need to "get in touch with their inner selves" in order to discover truth and overcome superficiality in a world dominated by "technological screens."According to the Holy Father, the lack of material resources in classrooms is not the main obstacle for teachers, but rather the "real risk" is becoming "tired and overburdene...

Cuba's national Marian shrine damaged by Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa severely damaged the Cuban shrine to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. / Credit: Courtesy of Diocese of CienfuegosACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 16:48 pm (CNA).The passage of Hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction in Cuba, significantly damaging the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the country's patroness.The hurricane made landfall in Cuba on Oct. 29 at 3:05 a.m. striking the Guamá area in Santiago de Cuba province as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph, primarily affecting the eastern part of the country.The town of El Cobre, located at the foot of the Sierra del Cobre mountains, about 12 miles west of the city of Santiago de Cuba, was one of the hardest-hit areas.Father Rogelio Dean, rector of the shrine, said on Facebook that during the hurricane there were "extremely tense, stressful and worrisome moments." Speaking on behalf of the community, the priest explained that "they had never seen anything like it."Regarding...

White House official: Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Jimmy Lai's release

President Donald Trump says he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about imprisoned pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai in October 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of the Bradley FoundationWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:10 pm (CNA).Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.White House official: Trump spoke with Xi Jinping about Jimmy Lai's releaseA White House official told EWTN News White House Correspondent Owen Jensen that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about imprisoned pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai. According to Jensen, the official stated: "As President Trump said, Jimmy Lai should be released and he wants to see that happen."  Prior to leaving for Asia, Trump had told Jensen that he would appeal to the Chinese leader for Lai's release amid concerns for his health while in solitary confinement. Lai is a Catholic entrepreneur and founder of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy tabl...

UPDATE: Trump says he will designate Nigeria 'country of particular concern'

An African nun prays the rosary. On Jan. 7, 2025, two religious sisters were kidnapped in the Archdiocese of Onitsha in Nigeria. / Credit: Diego Cervo/Shutterstock.Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:30 pm (CNA).President Donald Trump said he is designating Nigeria a "country of particular concern."In a social media post Oct. 31, Trump said, "Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a 'COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN'".Under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the U.S president must designate countries that engage in or tolerate "particularly severe violations of religious freedom" as CPCs. Violations include torture, prolonged detention without charges, and forced disappearence, according to the State Department. The last CPC designations were made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December 2023, w...

Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona is now tallest church in the world

Tourists take photos as they visit the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, on August 2, 2025. / Credit: Manaure QUINTERO/AFP.ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) minor basilica in Barcelona is now the tallest church in the world, standing at 535 ft., surpassing Ulm Germany's main church, whose construction began in the 14th century.According to the Sagrada Familia Expiatory Church Construction Board Foundation, as reported Oct. 30 by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, ??"the first element that forms part of the cross on the tower of Jesus Christ" was installed, marking the beginning of the final phase of construction of the church's central tower.Working at a height of more than 150 metres, the crane operators also make it possible for the Sagrada Família to keep growing and rising up towards the Barcelona sky. ?? This video takes a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of the Basilica's crane operators. Don't miss… pic.twitter.c...

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...