![Catholic group praises California for ‘largest commutation in history’ as hundreds spared execution #Catholic The prominent anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Nov. 5 for his commutation of the death sentences of every prisoner on the state’s death row. In a publicly released letter, Newsom said he had “decided to exercise [his] constitutional clemency authority to commute all California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole.”The Democratic governor, who identifies as Catholic, said in the letter that he had come to “firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values,” that it “undermines the foundations of our legal system,” and that it “diminishes each of us.” The governor described life in prison without parole as “the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose.” The convicted criminals “will die in prison but not by our hand,” he said. The commutation covered all 548 prisoners condemned to death in the state. Newsom’s executive order in 2019 ensured executions would not occur while he remained governor.Responding to the news on Nov. 5, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, called the decision “an incredibly encouraging and historic witness for life and human dignity.” She described the order as “the largest commutation in world history.”The Catholic group regularly advocates death sentence commutations and the national abolition of the death penalty itself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states bluntly that the death penalty is “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”Vaillancourt Murphy in her statement said the mass clemency “demonstrates how justice can be rooted in mercy and restoration instead of death and retribution.”Newsom “has given each of [the condemned criminals] a tangible sign of hope and a chance for rehabilitation,” she said.The decision “underscores the sacred value” of the lives of the prisoners, she said, though she stressed the need to “bear witness to the incomparable suffering that the families and loved ones of murder victims endure.” “We hear the cry for justice and accountability that grave harm rightly deserves, and we continue to hold them in prayer,” Vaillancourt Murphy said. Newsom in his statement noted that the state Supreme Court will have to weigh in on some of the commutations according to the state constitution, though the governor said he was “confident that this act of categorical clemency” was in line with state law.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/catholic-group-praises-california-for-largest-commutation-in-history-as-hundreds-spared-execution-catholic-the-prominent-anti-death-penalty-group-catholic-mobilizing-network-praised.jpg "Catholic group praises California for ‘largest commutation in history’ as hundreds spared execution #Catholic The prominent anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Nov. 5 for his commutation of the death sentences of every prisoner on the state’s death row. In a publicly released letter, Newsom said he had “decided to exercise [his] constitutional clemency authority to commute all California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole.”The Democratic governor, who identifies as Catholic, said in the letter that he had come to “firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values,” that it “undermines the foundations of our legal system,” and that it “diminishes each of us.” The governor described life in prison without parole as “the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose.” The convicted criminals “will die in prison but not by our hand,” he said. The commutation covered all 548 prisoners condemned to death in the state. Newsom’s executive order in 2019 ensured executions would not occur while he remained governor.Responding to the news on Nov. 5, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, called the decision “an incredibly encouraging and historic witness for life and human dignity.” She described the order as “the largest commutation in world history.”The Catholic group regularly advocates death sentence commutations and the national abolition of the death penalty itself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states bluntly that the death penalty is “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”Vaillancourt Murphy in her statement said the mass clemency “demonstrates how justice can be rooted in mercy and restoration instead of death and retribution.”Newsom “has given each of [the condemned criminals] a tangible sign of hope and a chance for rehabilitation,” she said.The decision “underscores the sacred value” of the lives of the prisoners, she said, though she stressed the need to “bear witness to the incomparable suffering that the families and loved ones of murder victims endure.” “We hear the cry for justice and accountability that grave harm rightly deserves, and we continue to hold them in prayer,” Vaillancourt Murphy said. Newsom in his statement noted that the state Supreme Court will have to weigh in on some of the commutations according to the state constitution, though the governor said he was “confident that this act of categorical clemency” was in line with state law.")
California Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted the death sentences of nearly 550 prisoners on the state’s death row on Nov. 5.
A standing-room-only congregation filled the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist on All Saints’ Day as Bishop Stephen D. Parkes proposed ways to carry the friars’ witness.
A Lilly Endowment grant is open to Catholic campus ministries, St. Carlo Acutis’ mother gifts Franciscan University with a relic of her son, and more in this week’s Catholic education new roundup.
![Vice President Vance to EWTN: ‘We are God’s ambassadors on Earth’ #Catholic Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 22 told Raymond Arroyo on EWTN News’ “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” that God calls Christians to be “humble in the face [of] uncertainty” and that Christians walking in faith often “take two steps toward Jesus and one step back” before arriving at Christ. Vance spoke with Arroyo in a wide-ranging interview that included politics, immigration, economics, and faith. The vice president has been especially forthcoming about his own faith journey, one which began in Appalachian Protestant churches and eventually led him to the Catholic Church. He attended Christian churches while growing up but was drawn to what in June he described as the “beautiful ancient Church” of Catholicism. Speaking with Arroyo, Vance described a religious experience in which he was driving on mountain roads back from his grandmother’s funeral and nearly drove off the road. “And just like right at that point where Iʼm like, all right, Iʼm about to go over the side of the mountain, the car just comes to a completely restful stop,” he said. “Like God put his hand on that car and made it stop.”The experience “gnawed at me,” Vance said, describing the event as “a door opening.” “[W]e are ultimately Godʼs ambassadors here on Earth,” he said, describing what he said is the “powerful” witness of Christians “doing good things.” Arroyo and Vance discussed several other topics in the interview, including the ongoing civil unrest and rioting in France. “I donʼt think you can talk about whatʼs happening in France without acknowledging the role of migration,” Vance said. “Because in the neighborhoods where you see the most significant violence, the most significant outburst, the burning of these beautiful historical buildings — you often have neighborhoods with extremely high immigrant populations.”Western societies “want to be welcoming to people,” the vice president said. But “when we allow someone into our country, are they culturally compatible? Are they willing to assimilate into Western values and Western society?”Asked about Church leadership on immigration issues, Vance — who has publicly disagreed with the U.S. bishops on some aspects of the immigration debate — said he would “never accuse the Church of being naive.” The Church “will say two things that I fundamentally believe in and agree with, but I think 90% of people agree with, which is: One, you must be welcoming towards a stranger. On the other hand, nations are allowed to control their borders.” As Vance sees it, the Church leadership in the U.S. has “missed an opportunity” to strike a balance on immigration in an age of high migration. He noted that the airplane is “less than 100 years old” and that rapid large-scale immigration is “a very new phenomenon.” “I do think the Church has to figure out what should the immigration policy of an advanced economy be in a world of mass transit,” he said. He noted that Christians are called “to be fundamentally hopeful [of] the future.” He disputed arguments that France is on the verge of “civilizational death,” describing it instead as “civilizational risk.” “[I] think that if France returns to its Christian roots, it can be welcoming to the stranger. It can also protect its borders and in a way that preserves its civilization,” he said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/vice-president-vance-to-ewtn-we-are-gods-ambassadors-on-earth-catholic-vice-president-jd-vance-on-oct-22-told-raymond-arroyo-on-ewtn-news-the-world-over.png "Vice President Vance to EWTN: ‘We are God’s ambassadors on Earth’ #Catholic Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 22 told Raymond Arroyo on EWTN News’ “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” that God calls Christians to be “humble in the face [of] uncertainty” and that Christians walking in faith often “take two steps toward Jesus and one step back” before arriving at Christ. Vance spoke with Arroyo in a wide-ranging interview that included politics, immigration, economics, and faith. The vice president has been especially forthcoming about his own faith journey, one which began in Appalachian Protestant churches and eventually led him to the Catholic Church. He attended Christian churches while growing up but was drawn to what in June he described as the “beautiful ancient Church” of Catholicism. Speaking with Arroyo, Vance described a religious experience in which he was driving on mountain roads back from his grandmother’s funeral and nearly drove off the road. “And just like right at that point where Iʼm like, all right, Iʼm about to go over the side of the mountain, the car just comes to a completely restful stop,” he said. “Like God put his hand on that car and made it stop.”The experience “gnawed at me,” Vance said, describing the event as “a door opening.” “[W]e are ultimately Godʼs ambassadors here on Earth,” he said, describing what he said is the “powerful” witness of Christians “doing good things.” Arroyo and Vance discussed several other topics in the interview, including the ongoing civil unrest and rioting in France. “I donʼt think you can talk about whatʼs happening in France without acknowledging the role of migration,” Vance said. “Because in the neighborhoods where you see the most significant violence, the most significant outburst, the burning of these beautiful historical buildings — you often have neighborhoods with extremely high immigrant populations.”Western societies “want to be welcoming to people,” the vice president said. But “when we allow someone into our country, are they culturally compatible? Are they willing to assimilate into Western values and Western society?”Asked about Church leadership on immigration issues, Vance — who has publicly disagreed with the U.S. bishops on some aspects of the immigration debate — said he would “never accuse the Church of being naive.” The Church “will say two things that I fundamentally believe in and agree with, but I think 90% of people agree with, which is: One, you must be welcoming towards a stranger. On the other hand, nations are allowed to control their borders.” As Vance sees it, the Church leadership in the U.S. has “missed an opportunity” to strike a balance on immigration in an age of high migration. He noted that the airplane is “less than 100 years old” and that rapid large-scale immigration is “a very new phenomenon.” “I do think the Church has to figure out what should the immigration policy of an advanced economy be in a world of mass transit,” he said. He noted that Christians are called “to be fundamentally hopeful [of] the future.” He disputed arguments that France is on the verge of “civilizational death,” describing it instead as “civilizational risk.” “[I] think that if France returns to its Christian roots, it can be welcoming to the stranger. It can also protect its borders and in a way that preserves its civilization,” he said.")
JD Vance spoke with EWTN News anchor Raymond Arroyo in a wide-ranging interview that included politics, immigration, economics, and faith.
![Falling cross that killed priest a punishment from God? A priest reflects #Catholic The death of Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari on Saturday, Oct. 17, which occurred when a cross fell on him while he was celebrating Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has left Catholics in shock.In response to comments on social media questioning whether the incident was a punishment from God, Father Juan Carlos Vásconez, a priest and rector of St. Josemaría Escrivá Church in Guayaquil, pointed to a passage from the Gospel to explain why it should not be interpreted in that way.In comments to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Vásconez spoke about the collapse of the tower of Siloam, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people (cf. Luke 13:4-5). He explained that Jesus made it clear that the victims were no more sinful than the other inhabitants of Jerusalem. Rather than assigning them blame, the Lord called everyone to repentance.“In the face of death, there is a message of equality. Life is fragile, and we will all go through that moment,” he said.The priest recalled that Sánchez was very well loved in Guayaquil and noted his piety. In February, he had led a retreat that was attended by other priests.A cross falls during MassFor Vásconez, the circumstances surrounding the Redemptorist priest’s death also invite reflection on the Christian faith.“The Mass is the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, and it is the greatest thing we Christians have here on earth,” he noted.Vásconez shared in the grief caused by Sánchez’s passing, affirming that even in the midst of a tragedy, the faithful can find strength in God. He also asked for prayers for the Redemptorists and for the community of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, which has lost its parish priest.“I would say that this will serve as a seed, inspiring [more men] to also want to dedicate themselves,” he added, referring to the possibility that the priest’s witness might encourage new vocations.Reviewing safety in churchesVásconez also called for an inspection of objects installed within churches to prevent accidents. He emphasized the need to ensure that crosses and religious images are securely fastened and that items attached to walls and ceilings are also checked.He mentioned that he recently learned of another incident in which a piece of marble detached from a wall. Consequently, he explained that at the church where he serves, they will inspect the ceiling lights to ensure they are securely anchored.“These are safety matters which incidents like this serve as a reminder to pay attention to such things,” he noted.The priest asked for prayers for the parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and for the Redemptorist family following the death of Sánchez.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.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/falling-cross-that-killed-priest-a-punishment-from-god-a-priest-reflects-catholic-the-death-of-father-patricio-alfredo-sanchez-molinari-on-saturday-oct-17-which-occurred-when-a-cross-fell-on-him-scaled.jpg "Falling cross that killed priest a punishment from God? A priest reflects #Catholic The death of Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari on Saturday, Oct. 17, which occurred when a cross fell on him while he was celebrating Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has left Catholics in shock.In response to comments on social media questioning whether the incident was a punishment from God, Father Juan Carlos Vásconez, a priest and rector of St. Josemaría Escrivá Church in Guayaquil, pointed to a passage from the Gospel to explain why it should not be interpreted in that way.In comments to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Vásconez spoke about the collapse of the tower of Siloam, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people (cf. Luke 13:4-5). He explained that Jesus made it clear that the victims were no more sinful than the other inhabitants of Jerusalem. Rather than assigning them blame, the Lord called everyone to repentance.“In the face of death, there is a message of equality. Life is fragile, and we will all go through that moment,” he said.The priest recalled that Sánchez was very well loved in Guayaquil and noted his piety. In February, he had led a retreat that was attended by other priests.A cross falls during MassFor Vásconez, the circumstances surrounding the Redemptorist priest’s death also invite reflection on the Christian faith.“The Mass is the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, and it is the greatest thing we Christians have here on earth,” he noted.Vásconez shared in the grief caused by Sánchez’s passing, affirming that even in the midst of a tragedy, the faithful can find strength in God. He also asked for prayers for the Redemptorists and for the community of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, which has lost its parish priest.“I would say that this will serve as a seed, inspiring [more men] to also want to dedicate themselves,” he added, referring to the possibility that the priest’s witness might encourage new vocations.Reviewing safety in churchesVásconez also called for an inspection of objects installed within churches to prevent accidents. He emphasized the need to ensure that crosses and religious images are securely fastened and that items attached to walls and ceilings are also checked.He mentioned that he recently learned of another incident in which a piece of marble detached from a wall. Consequently, he explained that at the church where he serves, they will inspect the ceiling lights to ensure they are securely anchored.“These are safety matters which incidents like this serve as a reminder to pay attention to such things,” he noted.The priest asked for prayers for the parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and for the Redemptorist family following the death of Sánchez.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.")
Father Juan Vásconez said the death of Father Patricio Sánchez resulting from a large cross falling in him should not be interpreted as a punishment but as a call to repent, as we will all die.
“In a world connected online and disconnected offline, be people of presence,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin said. “In a world asking whether we can remain human, answer with the witness of your lives.”
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Famous sanctuary of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which took about twenty years to build, was completed around year 24 of the reign of Ramesses the Great (which corresponds to 1265 BC). It was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the deified Ramesses himself. It is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. In the sanctuary are rock cut sculptures of four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah, the main divinities in that period. It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22 (allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day, respectively), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark. People gather at Abu Simbel on these days to witness this.
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A flash of lightning, and then—something else. High above a storm, a crimson figure blinks in and out of existence. If you see it, you are a lucky witness of a sprite, one of the least-understood electrical phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
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