Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy takes book about Jesus to prison with him

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. / Credit: Thomas Bresson from Belfort, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsACI Prensa Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).On Oct. 21, Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former French president to walk through a prison gate to begin serving a sentence behind bars.The former president arrived at La Santé prison in Paris to serve a five-year sentence for illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign through the regime of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy notably took with him two books: "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Jesus of History."The choice of these two titles has not gone unnoticed. In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, the author of the second book, historian and theologian Jean-Christian Petitfils, explained that Sarkozy confessed to him that he had been "deeply affected by reading" the book about Jesus, which was published in 2011.Petitfils said when he met Sarkozy in person about f...

Vatican nixes use of 'Co-Redemptrix,' 'Mediatrix' as titles for Mary

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, prays before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Child during the rosary vigil for Pope Francis at the Vatican on Feb. 28, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Nov 4, 2025 / 08:15 am (CNA).The Vatican's doctrinal office said Tuesday the titles of "Co-Redemptrix" and "Mediatrix" are not appropriate ways to describe Mary's participation in salvation.In Mater Populi Fidelis ("The Mother of the Faithful People of God"), the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) said when an expression requires frequent explanation to maintain the correct meaning, it becomes unhelpful."In this case, the expression 'co-redemptrix' does not help extol Mary as the first and foremost collaborator in the work of redemption and grace, for it carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ," according to the doctrinal note, released Nov. 4.Pope Leo XIV approved the document, sign...

Image of Argentina's patroness destroyed, chapel burned down

Skyline view of Buenos Aires, Argentina. / Credit: Sebasiddi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsBuenos Aires, Argentina, Nov 4, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).The destruction of an image of Our Lady of Luján, the patroness of Argentina, and the burning of a chapel has shocked two communities in Argentina. Authorities are currently investigating the acts of vandalism. Father Lucas Arguimbau, a priest at St. Cajetan Shrine, a church in Buenos Aires, announced Nov. 2 that the outdoor small shrine to the Blessed Mother located down the street was the target of vandalism this past weekend in which the image of Our Lady of Luján kept there was smashed to pieces.The news shocked the community, as the small shrine is located in a busy area monitored by security cameras and near a police station. A woman who lives in the neighborhood found fragments of the destroyed image and brought them to the shrine.After the 11 a.m. All Souls' Day Mass on Nov. 2 at St. Cajetan's, the parochial vicar sa...

Trump administration will partially fund SNAP as Catholic groups try to fill gap

President Donald Trump's administration says Nov. 3, 2025, that it will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after several states sued to force a court order. / Credit: Jonathan Weiss/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 17:08 pm (CNA).President Donald Trump's administration will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing government shutdown as Catholic nonprofits are working to accommodate people's needs through charitable giving.Food stamp benefits from SNAP came to a temporary halt Nov. 1 after Congress failed to reach an agreement to end the government shutdown or approve a stand-alone SNAP funding bill.Several states sued, which led a federal court to order the administration to fully or partially fund the program. According to a Nov. 3 court filing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to drain the SNAP contingency fund to ensure some benefits are received this m...

Heritage Foundation wades into Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes debate

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts during a September 2025 interview with CNA. / Credit: Jack Haskins/EWTN NewsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 17:52 pm (CNA).The Heritage Foundation is receiving backlash after Kevin Roberts, its president, defended Tucker Carlson's recent controversial interview with Nick Fuentes. Roberts said in a video message on social media Oct. 30 that "the venomous coalition attacking [Carlson] are sowing division" and that "their attempt to cancel him will fail." While the Heritage Foundation president said he disagreed with and abhorred Fuentes' views, he said "canceling him is not the answer." "When we disagree with a person's thoughts and opinions, we challenge those ideas and debate," Roberts said. "And we have seen success in this approach as we continue to dismantle the vile ideas of the left." During the interview, Fuentes, who said he is Catholic, at one point said he admired Joseph Stalin and lamented against "o...

Trump threatens military action if Nigeria fails to end religious persecution of Christians 

President Donald Trump holds a press briefing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in August 2025. / Credit: Joey Sussman/ ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action against Nigeria if it fails to end Christian persecution."If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities," Trump said in a social media post Nov. 1.The commander-in-chief further revealed he has instructed the Pentagon to "prepare for possible action.""If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!" he added: "WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the post on Satur...

Mexican bishops say root causes of crime must be addressed after another mayor is murdered

Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez of Uruapan, a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, was murdered Nov. 1, 2025. / Credit: Uruapan Municipal GovernmentACI Prensa Staff, Nov 3, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).After Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, was assassinated Nov. 1, the Mexican Bishops' Conference strongly condemned the act, calling for the government to address the root of the violence plaguing the country.The murder occurred during the Day of the Dead celebrations in the city's main square, when an armed man approached the mayor and shot him at point-blank range. The assassin was killed at the scene.Manzo, who died minutes later, had repeatedly denounced the presence of criminal groups in the area and requested support from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch to curb organized crime.In a September interview, Manzo had denounced the fact that the violence is caused not only by gangs but als...

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in suffrage for deceased prelates

Pope Leo XIV leads the Church's commemoration for his papal predecessor and 142 other bishops who died in the past year on Nov. 3, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Nov 3, 2025 / 11:04 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV on Monday presided over a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in suffrage for the late Pope Francis and for deceased cardinals and bishops.One day after celebrating Mass for all the faithful departed at Verano Cemetery in Rome, the Holy Father led the Church's commemoration for his papal predecessor and 142 other bishops who died in the past year.In the presence of members of the Roman Curia and hundreds of Catholic faithful, the pope said his first Mass commemorating the Church's deceased cardinals and bishops had the "savor of Christian hope" because their ministry had guided many "on the path of the Gospel.""Dear friends, our beloved Pope Francis and our brother cardinals and bishops for whom we offer the Eucharistic sacrifice tod...

Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

null / Credit: ShutterstockProfessional, ShutterstockCNA Staff, Nov 3, 2025 / 11:37 am (CNA).The Catholic Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, Oct. 31, making it the 41st U.S. diocese to seek court-supervised reorganization in the wake of clergy sexual abuse claims.Bishop Robert Marshall Jr., who has led the 50-parish diocese in central Louisiana since 2020, announced the petition in a letter and video posted to the diocese's website. "As your bishop, I apologize to abuse survivors for the harm, pain, and suffering they experienced and continue to experience in their lives," Marshall wrote. "This action is occurring because some past priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors, actions that are evil, sinful, and go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent."Eighty-five survivors have already filed claims, according to the diocese, with more expected after the court sets a bar date. More than half the allega...

7 fascinating facts about St. Martin de Porres, the first Black saint of the Americas

St. Martin de Porres. / Credit: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Nov 3, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).On Nov. 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Martin de Porres, a Peruvian Dominican brother who lived a life of humble service and charity and became the first Black saint of the Americas.Here are seven fascinating facts about this inspiring saint:1. His father refused to acknowledge him. De Porres was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. He was the son of a Spanish nobleman and former Panamanian Black slave. His father, Don Juan de Porres, refused to publicly acknowledge the boy as his own because Martin was Black, like his mother. Being biracial would prove challenging for Martin de Porres throughout his life. 2. He started practicing medicine before he was 13. De Porres served as an apprentice to a doctor, and before the age of 13 he began to learn the practice of medicine. He would eventually become a barber, which at the time perfo...