Catholic News

The president of the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference, Bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez, announced that the Holy See has postponed the ad limina visit of the Central American country's bishops, citing a lack of "appropriate conditions" for the Nicaraguan prelates.

"The Holy See has postponed it until next year with no specific date set as of yet because the appropriate conditions do not exist for the bishops who are members of the episcopal conference," explained the prelate, who also serves as the bishop of Jinotega, in a statement to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

The "ad limina apostolorum" visit ("to the threshold of the apostles") is a visit made to the Vatican by bishops from around the world, organized by country and occurring every five years to report to the various dicasteries on the situation in their respective dioceses. These visits conclude with an audience with the pope, who recently met separately with the bishops from Honduras and Panama.

Herrera, who has been in exile since November 2024 after being expelled by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua, participated in a recent meeting regarding the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which brought together the presidents of bishops' conferences from around the world. In that context, the Nicaraguan prelate was able to meet personally with Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 12.

'We would be left without shepherds'

When asked about the suspension of the ad limina visit, a priest currently serving in Nicaragua, who requested anonymity to avoid reprisals from the regime, told EWTN News Español that there is a factor "related to the reality, the context in which we live here in Nicaragua, that must be taken into account: [the bishops] can't leave, and the fear is real. If someone leaves [to go to Rome], it's possible they might not be allowed to return."

"Imagine if all the bishops currently in the country were to leave, and the government suddenly decided not to allow them back in — we would be left without a single bishop. Therefore, it's a matter of prudence not to go on the ad limina visit, because we would be left without shepherds here in the Church" of Nicaragua, he added.

"In any case, the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference was already represented there, in a sense, through its president, Bishop Herrera," the priest said.

Another Nicaraguan priest in exile, who also requested anonymity for the safety of his family and friends in Nicaragua, concurred, stating that "the bishops did indeed have the visit scheduled, but there are two factors at play: government pressure against them and the fear of being stuck outside the country."

Nicaragua currently has nine active bishops, four of whom are in exile: Herrera; Bishop Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, who was forced to leave the country in 2019 for being critical of the dictatorship; Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna; and Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí. The latter two were expelled from the country in January 2024.

The dictatorship maintains a ban on the ordination of deacons and priests in the dioceses of Jinotega, Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí, where bishops are not present.

Furthermore, Bishop Abelardo Mata, the 80-year-old bishop emeritus of Estelí, has become the latest target of the dictatorship in recent months. He was arrested for praying for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua and confined to his home in Tisma (Masaya district), from which he is apparently not allowed to leave.

Dictatorship doesn't allow any mention of 'bishops in exile'

Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church," which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against the Catholic Church since 2018, told EWTN News Español that, according to her sources, "the visit was suspended because the relationship between the Church and the Nicaraguan dictatorship is undergoing serious problems, and for that reason, it was not considered appropriate to carry it out."

Molina also noted that the last ad limina visit by the bishops of Nicaragua took place nine years ago in 2017 and that "given the current context in which the Church in Nicaragua finds itself, it's impossible for the bishops to meet especially when the dictatorship doesn't even allow the names of the exiled bishops to be mentioned."

"If the bishops currently in Nicaragua were to travel, they would be denied reentry into the country. I believe the Holy See is aware of this situation and chose not to take that risk," she emphasized. Molina described this as a "prudent" decision, given the "severe conditions of religious persecution that our Church in Nicaragua is facing."

The Holy See Press Office has not yet responded to an inquiry from EWTN News Español regarding the suspension of the ad limina visit by the Nicaraguan episcopate.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope in Catholic Church history to cast a ballot in a U.S. election, the Vatican confirmed on Oct. 30.

Leo, who has mostly lived outside of the U.S. since the 1980s, "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so," the Holy See said in a statement provided to EWTN News.

The Vatican confirmed that "in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, [Leo] has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago" ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections.

Leo confirmed through the Vatican's statement that "during his years of residence in Peru he exercised his right to vote whenever he was eligible to do so."

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the statement added.

Leo's absentee ballot marks the first time a Catholic pope has voted in a U.S. election in Church history. The United States was established in 1776, about 18 centuries after the founding of the Catholic Church.

The Holy Father, the first pope from the United States, is still a U.S. citizen and also holds Peruvian citizenship, though his election to the papacy raised esoteric questions about those national statuses, such as whether or not he would still pay taxes in the U.S. while serving as head of the Catholic Church.

A 2025 bill proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives moved to "protect the citizenship of, and provide tax-exempt status to, any American elected as the supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church," a clear reference to Leo's then-new papacy. The bill ultimately stalled in committee.

Unique among world leaders, the pope serves simultaneously as the universal spiritual head of the Catholic Church and as the head of the Holy See, a distinct sovereign entity under international law that serves as the central government of the Catholic Church.

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A Polish bishop has been convicted of failing to promptly notify law enforcement about the sexual abuse of minors by two priests of his diocese.

A district court in Tarnów, southern Poland, on Oct. 29 found Bishop Andrzej Jez of Tarnów guilty and sentenced him to two years' "restriction of liberty," a noncustodial penalty. Instead of prison, 1,000 zlotys (about $254) of his monthly salary will go to a children's charity.

The court also ordered him to pay 10,000 zlotys (about $2,538) on each count into a state victims' fund. Prosecutor Marcin Stepien had sought a suspended sentence and a fine of 20,000 zlotys (about $5,075).

The verdict is the outcome of the first criminal trial of a Polish bishop on that charge. The diocese has announced it will appeal.

The court's reasoning

"The court believes that the defendant's task was merely, and yet as much as, to file the appropriate notifications, not to assess individual cases," Judge Malgorzata Adamczyk said.

She found the bishop's testimony not credible.

The curia said it "does not agree with the court's decision" and stressed that, in both cases, the curia made formal notifications to law enforcement authorities. It expressed "deep regret for the harm and suffering of all persons harmed by sexual crimes."

At the trial's opening in February, Jez, who has led the diocese since 2012, pleaded not guilty and apologized to those harmed.

Since July 2017, Polish law has required that authorities be immediately informed of credible knowledge of the sexual abuse of a child under 15.

The first case concerns former priest Stanislaw P., who prosecutors found had harmed at least 95 children in Poland and Ukraine. Prosecutors closed the case in 2022 as time-barred.

The curia said the bishop had concrete information only in 2019 and notified prosecutors in 2020. Stepien countered that a Church tribunal had found the priest guilty in a 2013 decree issued by Jez and that this earlier finding meant the delay left the abuse of 23 boys time-barred.

The second case concerns a priest, Tomasz K., accused of abusing minors between 2008 and 2010. The curia said the bishop learned only in late 2021 that a victim may have been under 15 and reported it that December, while prosecutors said the curia knew in 2017. The priest's case is pending in Nowy Sacz.

Other Polish bishops, including Bishop Jan Tyrawa and Archbishop Andrzej Dziega, have resigned after Vatican inquiries into their handling of abuse claims. None faced criminal charges.

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Pope Leo XIV has appointed Italian Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa and Salesian Sister Elena Massimi, a professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, as the new undersecretaries of the General Secretariat of the Synod.

The appointments mark a leadership change at the body responsible for overseeing the Catholic Church's synodal process. They follow the departure of Sister Nathalie Becquart, who had served as undersecretary since February 2021.

In recent years, Becquart became one of the most prominent figures in the synodal process initiated by Pope Francis and continued by Leo XIV. She was also the first woman to have voting rights at an assembly of the Synod of Bishops, a milestone in the Church's recent history.

A Jesuit deeply involved in the synodal process

Costa, the new undersecretary, was born in Genoa in 1967 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1992. Trained as a sociologist, he earned a diploma of advanced studies in political and moral sociology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

Costa is well known in Italian Church circles. From 2010 to 2021, he served as editor of the journal Aggiornamenti Sociali, and from 2007 to 2025, he chaired the San Fedele Cultural Foundation in Milan.

He has been closely involved in the synodal process, serving as special secretary for both the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to young people in 2018, and the 16th Ordinary General Assembly on synodality, held from 2021 to 2024.

Until now, he had served as a consultor to the General Secretariat of the Synod.

A liturgy expert

Alongside Costa, the pope appointed Sister Elena Massimi, a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also known as the Salesian Sisters, as undersecretary.

Born in Rome in 1975, Massimi made her perpetual profession in 2009 and earned a doctorate in theology, specializing in pastoral liturgy, from the Santa Giustina Institute of Pastoral Liturgy in Padua, Italy, which is affiliated with the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm.

She currently teaches liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Salesian University, serves as president of the Italian Association of Professors and Scholars of Liturgy, and oversees music for the liturgy at the National Liturgical Office of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

Her appointment strengthens women's representation in one of the Roman Curia's most important bodies and brings recognized academic and pastoral expertise in liturgy to the synodal leadership team.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV has approved a reform of the disciplinary rules governing personnel of the Roman Curia, introducing new safeguards for employees facing proceedings for serious misconduct, including the possibility of legal representation and a longer period in which to submit their defense.

The changes were approved by the pontiff on Oct. 19 through a "Rescriptum ex Audientia Sanctissimi," a Latin expression referring to a decision or provision approved by the pope following an audience granted to a curial official or ecclesiastical authority.

The document is signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state, and amends Articles 62 §3, 68 §2, and 68 §4 of the Regulations for Personnel of the Roman Curia.

Changes to the role of the disciplinary commission

The reform introduces a clarification to article 62 §3 to define more precisely the responsibilities of the Roman Curia's Disciplinary Commission.

The new wording states that the commission shall act in determining certain disciplinary sanctions, "with the exception of suspension for a period of up to 30 days." As a result, shorter suspensions will no longer require the commission's involvement, while more serious sanctions will continue to be examined by the body.

The change means that, when an employee commits an offense, the head of a dicastery may now impose a sanction directly, including suspension from work for up to 30 days. Beyond that threshold, the Disciplinary Commission must be involved to assess the appropriateness of the sanction.

Previously, even suspensions of less than 30 days required review by the Disciplinary Commission. Under the new rules, such review is necessary only for suspensions exceeding 30 days.

Another significant change concerns proceedings that could result in a lengthy suspension or dismissal.

Until now, the regulations provided employees with 10 days to submit their explanations after receiving notice of the alleged violations.

The new rule maintains that deadline for ordinary cases but introduces an additional safeguard for more serious situations. Specifically, when the alleged conduct is considered by the head of the department to be "liable to result in a suspension exceeding 30 days or dismissal," the employee will be granted "15 days to present his or her defense."

Right to legal assistance

The reform also explicitly incorporates the employee's right to legal assistance in the most serious disciplinary proceedings.

The new text states that the employee may present a defense "making use, if appropriate, of a lawyer chosen from among the members of the Corps of Lawyers of the Holy See or the Register of Lawyers of the Roman Curia."

This is a significant innovation within the Curia's internal regulations, as it expressly provides for legal representation when the potential sanction could involve a lengthy suspension or termination of employment.

Obligation to inform the employee

The amendment to article 68 §4 also establishes new notification requirements for heads of Vatican departments and institutions.

When the head of an entity considers that a "suspension exceeding 30 days or dismissal" is warranted, he or she must forward the case file to the Roman Curia's Disciplinary Commission and inform the employee "of the measure adopted and of the possibility of making use of his or her own lawyer" from among those authorized under the regulations.

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sunday and on specific holy days of obligation. In 2026, one of those days also falls on a Sunday, and it's happening this weekend. On Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints will replace the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, and on Sunday, Nov. 1, Evening Prayer 1 of the Liturgy of the Hours is for All Saints and the vigil Mass on Saturday will observe the Mass of All Saints.

What is the solemnity of All Saints?

Solemnities rank above feasts and memorials and are the highest liturgical celebrations in the Catholic Church. They honor significant mysteries of the Christian faith, including events in the lives of Jesus and Mary, as well as key saints.

The solemnity of All Saints celebrates all Christian saints — those formally canonized by the Church and those who are not but have attained heaven. It is typically a holy day of obligation.

The observance of the solemnity begins with evening prayer (first vespers) the evening before on Oct. 31 — known as All Hallows' Eve or Halloween — and is followed on Nov. 2 by All Souls' Day, a day in which the entire Church prays for all of the dead.

Solemnities that fall on Saturdays and Mondays

Sometimes a solemnity that falls on a Sunday will be moved to a Monday.

For example, in 2024, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8 fell on a Sunday in Advent so the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) transferred the solemnity to the Monday.

The Vatican has clarified that Catholics in the United States must still attend Mass on holy days of obligation even when they are transferred to Mondays or Saturdays, correcting a long-standing practice in the U.S. Church.

The USCCB liturgical calendars for 2026 and 2027 can be found here and here.

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Only a week remains until Pope Leo XIV's arrival in Uruguay, and anticipation is growing among locals: For many, it will be their first experience of this kind, while others recall the visit of St. John Paul II in 1987, the last time a pontiff visited the country.

The date is not just another day on the calendar: The Holy Father's visit to Uruguay coincides with the feast day of the country's patroness, Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, a figure deeply rooted in the spirituality and history of the most secular republic in the region.

Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Uruguay experienced an unusually harsh process of separating church and state, which is why there are officially no religious holidays or symbols in public institutions. In Uruguay, presidents do not take their oath of office on the Bible, there are no chaplains for the armed forces, Holy Week is referred to as "Tourism Week," and Christmas is called "Family Day."

Nevertheless, in anticipation of the pope's arrival, the Church and the state are currently working side by side and with "great expectation" to welcome him and to offer the best possible experience, explained the archbishop of Montevideo, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, during a conference titled "Pope Leo XIV's Visit to South America," organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International).

In a continent with a strong Catholic presence, the cardinal acknowledged, "Uruguay is the exception, a country that has experienced intense secularization for over 100 years."

Citing data from the latest survey, while noting that survey results should be viewed with some caution, Sturla explained that "only 33% of Uruguayans identify as Catholic; 28% believe in God but do not belong to any specific church or religion; 11% follow other religions; and 28% are agnostics or atheists." These figures "set it apart from the rest of Latin America," he observed.

However, he described Uruguayan society as "pluralistic and democratic," with 3.5 million inhabitants, nearly half of whom live in the city of Montevideo.

In Uruguay, "the Church has freedom of action," he acknowledged. "Although it has often been sidelined, there are high expectations; in fact, the current president of Uruguay himself traveled to Rome and extended an invitation to Pope Leo to come and visit us," he noted.

When addressing the reasons for the country's extensive secularization, he acknowledged that there are several, some rooted in history, among other factors, and noted that this process "has taken deep root among the population; it has been very intense and has left its mark on Uruguayan culture." Nevertheless, he observed that, within this context, "the Church proclaims Jesus Christ and maintains a presence throughout the entire national territory."

A Church that works tirelessly

"I like to say that in this context, the Church in Uruguay 'keeps on rowing,' [works tirelessly]. It is a Church that I describe as poor and free, small and beautiful," he noted.

In Uruguay, "being a priest is not, let's put it this way, a badge of honor; ambition is not involved. Rather, it is a service rendered with great simplicity. It's not necessarily a position of prestige simply by virtue of being a priest, but rather through how he lives his life and his self-giving," he explained.

"We await the pope with great affection, while also working, as I mentioned, in coordination with the state," he said, noting that the visit "will have a civic dimension, but it will be, above all, a pastoral visit."

One aspect of the visit that the cardinal said he finds particularly beautiful is that "in Montevideo, the pope will visit a very needy, impoverished neighborhood, the area with the highest concentration of the Catholic Church's presence in the entire country," he said, referring to the Borro neighborhood, located in the Casavalle basin.

"There, in the parish that the pope will visit [Our Lady of Guadalupe] within an area spanning just a few blocks, a few hundred meters, there are around 20 Catholic initiatives, including parishes and chapels, but above all social projects that address issues such as housing, education, care for the elderly, and vocational training," he enumerated. "In other words, there is a very tangible, very vibrant reality."

In Uruguay, Sturla noted, "there is an expectation that extends beyond the 33% who are Catholic. Surveys indicate that 60% of Uruguayans are very hopeful about the pope's visit; there is virtually no opposition to it — on the contrary, there is a desire to welcome him in the best way possible."

This story was first published by EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The U.S. bishops' opposition to proposed rule changes affecting the 2030 census has provoked sharp criticism from U.S. historians and scholars, especially concerning the assertion that excluding noncitizens in the census count denies their personhood.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the proposed rule changes would remove demographic questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and would count for congressional apportionment only citizens and lawful permanent residents.

The proposal says "illegal aliens (among others) should not be included in the apportionment count, as they are not true inhabitants, members of the body politic, or persons with a 'usual residence' in the United States."

In an Oct. 20 letter submitted to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among other points, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' general counsel argued that excluding noncitizens from the apportionment count "is effectively to deny they are 'persons'." They wrote that this "denial of personhood recalls the 'overtly sinful and gravely unjust' Three-fifths Compromise."

The Three-fifths Compromise was the political deal reached at the 1787 U.S. Constitutional Convention that held the nascent Union together. It set a formula for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is determined by each state's population: free persons, including free Black people, counted fully, and "all other persons" (the enslaved population) counted as three-fifths.

Several legal scholars and other experts strongly disagreed with the bishops' comparison.

Historian Susan Hanssen of the University of Dallas told EWTN News she thinks the bishops' reference to the Three-fifths Compromise is "an egregious mis-reading of American history."

"That compromise did not aim at the denial of the personhood of slaves," she argued, pointing to the compromise's text, which consistently calls both free and enslaved people "persons."

She said the compromise was intended to mitigate "the power of the slave-owning states in the national government, refusing to award them greater political weight based on subjugated populations without a voice or vote."

Hanssen said the Census Bureau's aims regarding the proposed changes are similarly aimed at mitigating political power, arguing that the bureau is refusing "to grant political clout to states that allow a larger number of undocumented illegal workers to be used for labor without the protection of the law."

David Upham, a constitutional law scholar at the University of Dallas whose work focuses heavily on the 14th Amendment — which established citizenship rights, including the rights to due process and equal protection under the law, particularly for recently freed slaves — told EWTN News that the proposed rule changes do not mean noncitizens are not persons. He called the bishops' interpretation of persons an "overstatement."

"If that's the case, every human being not being counted in the census is not a person," he said, noting that the principal purpose of the census is to count people in order to determine the allocation of political power in the U.S. House of Representatives, whose members are supposed to be selected by the citizens.

"The question really is, besides bona fide citizens, what other human beings within the state's border are counted as members of the people," he said, and noted the president has the constitutional authority to address the question.

"The executive branch has substantial authority to determine whether an individual who isn't a citizen" should be counted in the census for the purpose of political representation, he said.

"I think the danger the Trump administration is seeking to redress is that those states most enthusiastic about encouraging unlawful migrants will, as result of their disinterest in enforcing federal law, receive more votes in Congress and the electoral college," he said.

Harvard Law School constitutional law professor Adrian Vermeule also weighed in, writing on X: "The analogy to slavery is utterly absurd unless the USCCB believes that all distinctions based on citizenship are unjust."

"With all due respect, 'personhood' is not a magical trump card that overrides the basic principles of the republican form of government," he wrote. "One cannot conclude from the bare fact of personhood that anyone and everyone has a right to be counted in the census, to vote, or to stand for office."

"Why exactly should noncitizens with no status be counted for the apportionment of seats in the representative body?" he asked. He suggested the bishops' public comment "really should be withdrawn" and added that he hopes "cooler heads prevail."

Scholars at various major think tanks were also quick to take aim at the bishops' personhood argument.

Mike Fragoso, a scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center's Constitution, the Courts, and the Culture program, called the bishops "unserious," while Jay Richards, vice president of social and domestic policy and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called the bishops' position "absurd."

Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told EWTN News that "our inherent recognition as persons — personhood — does not come from the government's census as to who is in the country."

"As Catholics, we believe that unborn children are people," he continued, "but the bishops do not extend their logic to demand that the unborn be counted in the census notwithstanding the fact that a killing that results in the death of a pregnant mother is, in many places, considered to be two murders. Why not?"

The proposed rule changes, published Sept. 10, are open to public comment until Nov. 2. The U.S. bishops did not respond to requests for comment on the backlash.

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Pro-life activists will publicly protest the Archdiocese of Chicago's Rerum Novarum Banquet based on objections to an award recipient who has donated more than $1 million to organizations that promote abortion access, including Planned Parenthood.

The archdiocese announced it will give the Nostra Aetate Award to the billionaire businessman and philanthropist Michael Sacks at the Oct. 29 banquet. He is CEO of the investment firm GCM Grosvenor, the president of Sacks Family Foundation, and a board member of the Obama Foundation.

Sacks, through his foundation, has donated to philanthropic efforts related to education, arts, veterans, and other issues. His contributions also include $500,000 to Planned Parenthood of Illinois from 2020 to 2022 and $600,000 to the Prairie State Access Fund in 2026, which was created by Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker with the help of philanthropists to support the "reproductive health ecosystem" of the state and combat federal restrictions "on abortion and gender affirming care."

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, has not publicly referenced Sacks' support for these organizations. Rather, in a statement, he described Sacks as a "well-respected leader in Chicago and in the Jewish community."

His statement explained the Nostra Aetate Award is named after the Second Vatican Council document of the same name, which was intended to build stronger relations with non-Christian religions, including Judaism.

"Honoring a leader, shaped by his Jewish faith, for the gifts he brings to society through his leadership, generosity and talent, acknowledges this shared divine heritage, distinct from specific contemporary political or doctrinal disputes," Cupich said in his statement.

Cupich said the honor "recognizes [the person's] dignity" and role in the community "without implying an endorsement of every statement or stance" the person has. He said the recognition helps bring about "conditions necessary for principled dialogue" and that such dialogue "cannot occur if respect is contingent upon complete agreement on Church doctrine or political policy."

The primary purpose of the banquet is to raise money for seminarians.

'Scandalizing the faithful'

Pushback against Cupich for his decision to give the award to Sacks has come from the Chicago-based Illinois Right to Life, which was founded in 1968 to "honor the dignity and sanctity of human life at all stages."

The pro-life group launched a petition "demanding [Cupich] withdraw his award to Planned Parenthood Financier Michael Sacks," which has garnered nearly 4,000 signatures as of the day of the banquet.

Illinois Right to Life President Mary Kate Zander told EWTN News that the archdiocese has not responded to the petition. Because Cupich stood by his plan to give Sacks the award, the group will hold a protest outside of the IBEW Local 134 in Chicago, where the banquet will be held.

"We're concerned about the scandal that it creates," Zander, who is Catholic, told EWTN News when asked about the primary motivation for the protest.

In addition to concerns about the funding of organizations that promote abortion access, Illinois Right to Life has noted Sacks in 2013 signed a letter endorsing same-sex marriage and helped organize business leaders to advocate for it, according to local media reports. Equality Illinois, an LGBT advocacy group, gave Sacks its 2015 Equality Illinois Business Leadership Award in recognition of his role.

Zander said Cupich is "leading people astray and is scandalizing the faithful" by honoring Sacks. She said "we're also concerned with this man's soul" and said the cardinal has a responsibility to "hold people accountable … on their public stances."

Illinois Right to Life alleged granting Sacks the award violates rules set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The USCCB document "Catholics in Political Life" states: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

The USCCB did not immediately reply to a request for comment on whether Cupich's decision violates any USCCB rules. EWTN News also reached out to GCM Grosvenor to request a comment from Sacks but did not receive a response.

Cupich doubles down

In his Oct. 26 statement about the Nostra Aetate Award, Cupich acknowledged his decision created backlash but did not mention any concerns related to Sacks' position on abortion or same-sex marriage.

Rather, Cupich said the archdiocese received criticism for its decision to "honor a person who does not hold to core beliefs of the Catholic Church, primary among them being the divinity of Jesus Christ" and said the backlash was about Sacks' Jewish faith.

"Refusing to honor or engage with Jews solely because they hold conflicting religious or political positions can risk mimicking historic patterns of antisemitism through exclusion and bigotry, which, frighteningly, is on the rise," he said. "Nostra Aetate urges us to be proactive in separating personal and community respect from doctrinal agreement, ensuring that disagreement does not regress into hostility or social ostracization. This we cannot tolerate."

Nostra Aetate states that the Church "decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone." On the 60th anniversary of the document, Pope Leo XIV said "all of my predecessors have condemned antisemitism with clear words" since the Second Vatican Council, "and so I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself."

Cupich's statement does not name the critics he is referring to. The archdiocese did not immediately respond to an inquiry for clarification.

Zander said Illinois Right to Life is "the only organization that has formally put out any kind of statement" about the award and their concern "has nothing to do with that." She said Cupich's statement "is confusing for people" who may infer that his decision to double down "is a response to antisemitism" and the disagreement is "an issue of this man not being Catholic."

"[Cupich is] distracting from the fact that this man is clearly a supporter of abortion at a very grand scale," Zander said. "... He's trying to distract from the fact that [he is also] a same-sex marriage supporter."

"The cardinal doesn't want that to be the conversation," she said. "He wants the conversation to be about that man's faith background; his ethnic background."

None of the criticisms published by Illinois Right to Life comment on Sacks' Jewish faith or ethnic identity.

Last year, Illinois Right to Life launched a similar campaign against Cupich's decision to give an award to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who consistently voted in favor of abortion access. Durbin, who is Catholic, declined the award amid the backlash, which included criticisms from other bishops.

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A conference in Rome this week examined how the Church addressed totalitarian regimes in the 20th century.

The conference "The Holy See in the Face of Totalitarian Systems in the 20th Century: New Perspectives and Research Directions" was held at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from Oct. 28–29. Over the two days, scholars discussed how the Vatican responded to oppressive governments, particularly from the time of Pope Pius XII to the Second Vatican Council.

The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation and the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences, which organized the event, also presented a new exhibit at the Gregorian on the 1966 celebrations of the 1,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland in 966.

Totalitarianism: Temptation to be like God

As reported by Vatican News, the conference opened with a keynote address from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who warned nations against asserting themselves in the place of God.

"[Totalitarianism] arises from the human temptation to want to 'be like God,' to control how humanity lives and thinks, and to impose one's own ideological convictions on it," Parolin said.

He also criticized the tendency of countries to elevate the state and certain constructs in place of religion.

"By elevating social class, race, or the state to the altar in God's place, [totalitarian regimes] sacralized their ideological concepts and created political religions, with their own 'liturgies,' prophets, martyrs, and ethical norms," Parolin added.

Pius XII's Vatican and the Nazi regime

Among the topics discussed at the conference was the Holy See's stance under Venerable Pius XII toward Nazi Germany during the Second World War, including the Holocaust.

Parolin maintained that Pius XII condemned wars in a way "that would not provoke even greater persecution" and that he displayed "a diplomacy of charity on an unprecedented scale."

Others at the conference described the Church's stance during this period as "sustainable."

"I would say that the Church, and the Holy See in particular, did what it considered possible and sustainable during the periods we have discussed, just as it does today," said Father Nicola Spinato, a theologian from Padua, Italy.

"The Holy See and the Church are not simply political actors competing within the political arena. Their role is pastoral and ecclesial," Spinato added.

Vatican totalitarian resistance under Vatican II and John Paul II

During the conference, several participants presented on the influence of the Second Vatican Council on the Holy See's vocal resistance to totalitarian regimes.

Spinato presented on how the Church, through the council, formulated its opposition to racism and all forms of discrimination.

"The confrontation with the totalitarianism and racism of the 20th century contributed to the development of the Church's social teaching," Spinato said.

Others noted St. John Paul II's influence on Vatican diplomacy, particularly in Poland and Latin America.

"John Paul II actively intervened to end dictatorships and to promote the return to democracy. From April 1-6, 1987, he visited Chile — a trip that would change the country's history," Gianni La Bella, a member of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences, said.

"Following John Paul's pilgrimages to Poland in 1983 and 1987, efforts began to overcome the crisis. His influence and laws guaranteeing religious freedom paved the way for Poland and the Holy See to restore full diplomatic relations on July 17, 1989," Father Albert Warso, a professor at John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, said.

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