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...

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...