Month: September 2025

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois. / Credit: Public domain

CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 20:02 pm (CNA).

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, will decline an award from the Archdiocese of Chicago after global backlash over his strong pro-abortion views that included comments from Pope Leo XIV and criticism from U.S. bishops.

Chicago archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich announced Durbin’s decision in a Sept. 30 statement, revealing that Durbin informed the prelate that he “decided not to receive [the] award” at the archdiocesan Keep Hope Alive celebration on Nov. 5. Durbin was scheduled to receive a “Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants” at the event.

Cupich’s announcement brings an end to a chaotic late September in which his brother bishops in the U.S. criticized the decision to grant Durbin the award, citing the Democratic senator’s long track record of pro-abortion politics.

The controversy even reached the Vatican itself, where on Sept. 30 Pope Leo XIV — responding to a question from EWTN News — said it was “important to look at the overall work that a senator has done [during] 40 years of service in the United States Senate.”

“I understand the difficulty and the tensions,” the Holy Father said. “But I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it’s important to look at many issues that are related to the teachings of the Church.”

Multiple U.S. bishops and archbishops criticized the decision. Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who presides over Durbin’s home diocese, described the senator as “unfit to receive any Catholic honor.”

‘Total condemnation is not the way forward’

In his lengthy statement on Tuesday, Cupich said the decision to grant Durbin the award “was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day.”

The prelate said divisions within the Catholic Church have “dangerously deepen[ed]” over the course of the half-century that he has served as a priest and the more-than-quarter-century he has served as a bishop.

“The tragedy of our current situation in the United States is that Catholics find themselves politically homeless,” he said. “The policies of neither political party perfectly encapsulate the breadth of Catholic teaching.”

The archbishop argued against “total condemnation” of Catholic politicians who fail to adhere to the “essential elements” of Catholic social teaching. Such broad criticism, he said, “shuts down discussion.”

“But praise and encouragement can open it up, by asking their recipients to consider how to extend their good work to other areas and issues,” he said. “More broadly, a positive approach can keep alive the hope that it is worth talking to one another — and collaborating with one another — to promote the common good.”

Cupich said he had hoped that the Keep Hope Alive celebration would raise awareness of the similarity between the Church’s defense of migrants and its defense of “the vulnerable on the border between life and death.” He argued, meanwhile, that the Chicago Archdiocese was not “softening” its position on abortion.

“The Catholic bishops heroically responded when the right to life of the unborn was negated by the 1973 decisions of the Supreme Court,” he said. “That right to life still needs to be defended without compromise.” The U.S. bishops have likewise “long invested our energy and resources” in defending immigrants, he said.

The archbishop in his statement proposed “synodal gatherings” for Catholics “to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues, all the while remaining open to maturing more fully in their common identity as Catholics.” Cupich said he would be seeking input on those gatherings.

“We can move forward if we Keep Hope Alive,” he said.

Cardinal Robert McElroy gives his first homily as the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on March 11, 2025. / Credit: Patrick Ruddy/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 30, 2025 / 18:42 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Robert McElroy delivered a homily on Sunday urging Catholics to “embrace in a sustained, unwavering, prophetic, and compassionate way” migrants to the U.S. at a Mass for the 11th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. 

“For the past 110 years, Mass has been celebrated throughout our country to honor and support immigrants and refugees who have come to our nation as part of that stream of men and women from every land who have built up the United States into a great nation,” McElroy said in his homily at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Northwest D.C. on Sept. 28.  

“But this year is different from the 110 years that have preceded it,” he said, “for this year we are confronting — both as a nation and as a Church — an unprecedented assault upon millions of immigrant men and women and families in our midst.”

McElroy described the Trump administration’s approach to immigration as “a comprehensive campaign to uproot millions of families” that “relies on fear and terror at its core.” The Trump administration’s goal, he said, “is simple and unitary: to rob undocumented immigrants of any real peace in their lives so that in misery they will ‘self-deport.’” 

Addressing the administration’s assertion that all migrants who enter the country illegally should be removed, McElroy argued that the Gospel “proposes a far different measure” that migrants are “our neighbors.” 

Referencing the parable of the good Samaritan, McElroy argued that “the most striking element” of the story was “that the Samaritan was willing to reject the norms of society which said that because of his birth and status he had no obligation to the victim, who was a Jew.” 

“The piercing insight and glory of the Samaritan was that he rejected the narrowness and myopia of the law to understand that the victim he was passing by was truly his neighbor and that both God and the moral law obligated him to treat him as neighbor,” he stated. 

McElroy referenced the Catholic community in Washington, D.C., who he said has witnessed many migrants of faith who “have been swept up and deported in the crackdown which has been unleashed in our nation.”

“We are witnessing a comprehensive governmental assault designed to produce fear and terror among millions of men and women who have through their presence in our nation been nurturing precisely the religious, cultural, communitarian, and familial bonds that are most frayed and most valuable at this moment in our country’s history,” McElroy said.

McElroy noted that Catholic social teaching categorizes border security and the deportation of criminals convicted of “serious crimes” as legitimate national goals.

However, he said, “at times, our government asserts that these goals constitute the essence and scope of its immigration enforcement efforts, and if that were true Catholic teaching would raise no objection.”

Ultimately, the cardinal called on Catholics to “form our stance and action as people of faith,” to “stand in solidarity with the undocumented men and women whose lives are being upended by the government’s campaign of fear and terror.”

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia. / Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 30, 2025 / 18:22 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday said the U.S. Department of Defense secretary’s way of speaking about war is “worrying.”

Addressing an audience of military brass summoned to Virginia, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sept. 30 urged senior officers to lead with an eye on more “lethality.” President Donald Trump this month signed an executive order changing the department’s name to Department of War, although it has not been officially changed by Congress.

Asked about the secretary’s meeting with the generals and comments about readiness for war, Pope Leo said: “This way of speaking is worrying, because it shows each time an increase in tensions — this vocabulary, even shifting from ‘Minister of Defense’ to ‘Minister of War.’ Let’s hope it is only a way of speaking. Certainly, they have a style of government where they want to show strength, to put pressure, and we hope it works, but that there will not be war. One must always work for peace.”

The Chicago-born Pope Leo spoke to reporters as he was leaving the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo near Rome, where in recent weeks he has made it a practice to spend Tuesdays before returning to the Vatican.

The pope’s comments were translated from Italian.

The Defense Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

null / Credit: Zack McCarthy via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

ACI Africa, Sep 29, 2025 / 15:24 pm (CNA).

Members of the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) marked the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 with an appeal to the international community to cancel Zimbabwe’s debt, saying such a step would help revive the country’s economy, reduce poverty, and build lasting peace.

Zimbabwe is struggling with an $8.3 billion debt (in U.S. dollars), mostly in arrears, which blocks access to affordable international financing and slows economic recovery.

In a joint statement published on Twitter by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the ZHOCD body, which consists of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, and the Union for Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa, the Christian leaders stressed that peace cannot be separated from social and economic well-being.

“On this International Peace Day, we urge international partners to consider debt cancellation to alleviate the economic burden on our nation and local leadership to alleviate the situation and arrest the social evils that threaten the very fiber of our society,” members of ZHOCD said in their collective Sept. 21 statement.

“Such a step could enable Zimbabwe to redirect critical resources towards vital sectors like health care, education, and infrastructure development, addressing poverty and inequality,” they added.

The Christian leaders reflected on the state of peace in the Southern African nation, saying that despite the country’s good security, the people of God are still experiencing injustices and inequalities.

They noted that while Zimbabwe is not embroiled in outright violence or war, the situation of the country can be characterized as a “negative peace,” a concept they said highlights the “absence of direct violence but presence of underlying structural injustices and inequalities.” They said the country is grappling with economic hardships, political polarity, and social injustices.

They specifically pointed out social ills like drug and substance abuse, widespread domestic violence, and armed robberies that they described as “a worrisome phenomenon” all impact the well-being of the people, particularly vulnerable groups like women, youths, and persons with disabilities.

The members of ZHOCD called upon all political leaders in Zimbabwe to prioritize peace, justice, and the human rights of Zimbabweans, especially the vulnerable.

“Let us work together to promote dialogue and understanding, address root causes of conflict, and protect human dignity and rights,” they said in their message.

The Christian leaders in Zimbabwe referred to the words of Mahatma Gandhi on poverty and stated their support for structural issues to be addressed to restore positive peace “marked by justice, equity, and human dignity for all Zimbabweans.”

“Let us work together to build a more peaceful, just, and stable society in Zimbabwe and contribute to global peace efforts,” they said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the European Parliament’s Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue on Sept. 29, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2025 / 14:52 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday said European institutions need “people who know how to live a healthy secularism” while urging recognition that religion has value both on a personal and social level.

“When the religious dimension is authentic and well cultivated, it can greatly enrich interpersonal relationships and help people live in community and society. And how important it is today to emphasize the value and importance of human relationships!” he noted.

Leo XIV made his remarks on Sept. 29 when receiving at the Vatican the European Parliament’s Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue. The objective of this structure, an initiative of the European People’s Party (EPP) coaltion, is to promote dialogue between different cultures, religions, philosophical beliefs, and nondenominational communities within Europe.

The pope also emphasized that participation in interreligious dialogue, by its very nature, “recognizes that religion has value both on a personal level and in the social sphere.”

“Being men and women of dialogue means remaining deeply rooted in the Gospel and the values ​​derived from it and, at the same time, cultivating openness, listening, and dialogue with those from other contexts, always placing the human person, human dignity, and our relational and communal nature at the center,” the pope explained in his address.

The Holy Father emphasized that promoting dialogue between cultures and religions is a “fundamental objective for a Christian politician” and cited as examples Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, and Alcide De Gasperi, considered the founding fathers of what eventually became the European Union, who also lived their faith as a sociopolitical commitment.

Thus, he urged the cultivation of a style of thought and action that affirms the value of religion, while “preserving its distinction — not separation or confusion — with respect to the political sphere.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Statue of St. Michael the Archangel in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies on Aug. 12, 2025. / Credit: Kayo Magalhães/Chamber of Deputies of Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sep 29, 2025 / 14:17 pm (CNA).

St. Michael the Archangel’s feast day was officially incorporated into Brazil’s national calendar following the enactment of a law approved by acting President Geraldo Alckmin and published on Sept. 25 in the official government gazette.

The date established is Sept. 29, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the holy archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and in particular St. Michael, venerated as the protector and defender of the faith.

“The date established by this law aims to pay tribute to St. Michael the Archangel, recognizing his historical importance and relevance to the Catholic faith of the Brazilian people,” Law No. 15.219 states.

The website of the presidency of the republic noted that St. Michael is “a symbol of protection and defense of the faith, and patron saint of the military police and various Brazilian cities, such as Uberaba, Nova Iguaçu, São Miguel do Oeste, and São Miguel do Iguaçu.”

A deeply rooted devotion in Brazil

St. Michael is celebrated in Brazil with Masses, processions, and religious festivals in various regions. The institution of the date in the national calendar, the authorities explained, has a symbolic and cultural character, has no budgetary impact, and officially recognizes a devotional practice already widespread in Brazilian society.

In recent years, the practice of St. Michael’s Lent has grown, which begins on Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and concludes on Sept. 29. Thousands of faithful participate in this devotion, especially through online broadcasts led by Friar Gilson Azevedo of the Carmelite Messengers of the Holy Spirit and the Hesed Institute.

A national pilgrimage

Since late July, a statue of St. Michael the Archangel from the Mount Gargano shrine in Italy has been on a pilgrimage through Brazil. The statue has traveled through the five regions of the country and will conclude its journey on Sept. 29.

On Aug. 12, during a solemn session in the national congress, the pilgrim statue was presented, and St. Michael was proclaimed spiritual commander of the Brazilian nation.

This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.

Pope Leo XIV hands a crucifix to a newly instituted catechist during Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sept. 28, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2025 / 07:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday entrusted the ministry of catechist to 39 men and women in St. Peter’s Square, personally handing each one a crucifix as a sign of their mission during the Jubilee of Catechists.

The candidates, representing several countries, were called by name and responded “Here I am” before receiving the crucifix. The rite took place during a Mass that highlighted both the vocation of teaching the faith and the Church’s universal call to hand it on.

Among those commissioned was Catherine Miles-Flynn, an American mother of eight who has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 1995. For two decades she has served as director of Christian formation in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. “There is a lot of joy in my work because I get to talk about Jesus all day,” she told reporters ahead of the jubilee, noting that Catholic churches in Abu Dhabi are “packed all the time.”

The Jubilee of Catechists is one of several thematic celebrations taking place during the Holy Year 2025, which has as its central theme hope. More than 20,000 pilgrims from 115 countries traveled to Rome for the weekend gathering, which included a prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica and pilgrimages to the Holy Door before Sunday’s Mass.

Preaching in his homily on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the pope said that “the words of Jesus convey to us how God sees the world, at every moment and in every place.” He warned that the passage remains “very relevant today” as “at the doorstep of today’s opulence stands the misery of entire peoples, ravaged by war and exploitation.”

The pope reminded the catechists that their ministry is rooted in witness: “The name of your ministry comes from the Greek verb ‘katēchein,’ which means ‘to teach aloud, to make resound.’ This means that the catechist is a person of the word — a word that he or she pronounces with his or her own life. Just as we learned our mother tongue, so too the proclamation of the faith cannot be delegated to someone else; it happens where we live, above all in our homes, around the family table.”

Leo also described the catechism as a “travel guidebook” that protects believers from “individualism and discord” because it expresses the faith of the entire Church. He urged Christians not to fall into greed and indifference, saying the “many ‘Lazaruses’ of today remind us of Jesus’ words” and serve as a catechesis of conversion, forgiveness, and hope.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

St. Thomas Mission service at Mar Qardakh International School. / Credit: Alex McKenna

ACI MENA, Sep 28, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Every day people from around the world visit Iraq — some to explore an ancient civilization, others as tourists drawn to its natural beauty, and still others seeking work opportunities. But for one group of young Americans, experiencing Iraq has been especially unique, “filled with lessons, encounters, and blessings.”

After joining St. Thomas Mission, an initiative run in partnership with the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Alex McKenna, along with fellow students from Ohio’s Franciscan University of Steubenville, arrived in Iraq to teach in the archdiocese’s schools and experience life and faith there.

At Mar Qardakh International School, the young adult missionaries engage in a wide variety of activities: teaching subjects like history and science, assisting in administration, and leading classes in English and religion.

“I didn’t know much about the Christians of Iraq or their lives beyond what the media reported about their suffering — especially during the ISIS invasion, when so many were forced from their homes to preserve their faith,” McKenna told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.

“In this mission, we work hard to strengthen Catholic education in a land that first received the Gospel in the first century, where Christians are still striving to hold on to their faith and identity despite many challenges. We pray that the light of Christ continues to shine in this holy land,” he said.

The St. Thomas Mission’s service emphasizes strengthening students’ faith first. Through their personal witness as committed Catholics, the missionaries hope their lives become a model of faith for the young people of Iraq.

“Some of my peers found the early days of teaching very difficult; it was a completely new experience for them, as it was for me. But over the years, I’ve learned from the children, from the teachers, and from the priests and bishop of the archdiocese how to draw closer to God,” McKenna said.

The missionaries’ service extends also to the Catholic University in Erbil, which McKenna called “a beacon of hope,” an institution fostering coexistence among religions and ethnicities in an environment of pluralism and dialogue, deeply rooted in Catholic values.

Living in Iraq has also brought unexpected joys. “We spent our holidays in what I would call educational trips more than tourism, where we experienced the generosity and hospitality of the Iraqi people,” McKenna said.

In Ankawa, the Christian neighborhood of Erbil, “the ringing of church bells calling people to prayer and Mass fills us with joy. Here, you truly sense the love, faith, and deep attachment to the Church.”

Although the Chaldean Church is in full communion with Rome, its liturgy is distinct from the Latin rite. For McKenna, attending Chaldean liturgies has been an unforgettable experience. 

“It was extraordinary to pray in the very language spoken by Christ and to witness a liturgy that traces back to the earliest centuries of Christianity,” he explained.

Now in its fourth year, the St. Thomas Mission continues to serve the schools of the Erbil Archdiocese. For McKenna, the past three years of service have been a treasure, an experience he now carries with him as he begins graduate studies in law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He said he hopes to return to Iraq one day. 

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

St. John Henry Newman near the end of his life, in 1887. / Credit: Babouba, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2025 / 06:25 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV announced on Sunday that he will proclaim St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints.

“I will confer the title of doctor of the Church on St. John Henry Newman, who gave a decisive contribution to the renewal of theology and to understanding Christian doctrine in its development, in the context of the Jubilee of the World of Education,” the pope said after celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists in St. Peter’s Square.

With the proclamation, Newman will become the 38th doctor of the Church, joining a select group of saints recognized for their enduring contribution to Catholic theology and spirituality. He is especially noted for his insights on the development of doctrine and the role of conscience.

A 19th-century English theologian, Newman was first a renowned Anglican priest before entering the Catholic Church in 1845 under the guidance of Blessed Dominic Barberi. Ordained a Catholic priest two years later, he founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England and was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.