St. Mary's Church

El Secretario de Estado del Vaticano, el Cardenal Pietro Parolin, presidió una Misa de acción de gracias por la canonización de los dos primeros santos venezolanos en la que denunció la existencia de “prisiones injustas” y “oprimidos” en el país

Obispos católicos de EE.UU. han criticado las medidas tomadas por el gobierno de Donald Trump para ampliar el acceso a la fecundación in vitro, tratamiento contrario a la enseñanza de la Iglesia que de manera rutinaria descarta embriones humanos.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).

A poll released by the Pew Research Center found that most Catholics believe religion has a positive influence on life in the United States, and an increasing number of Catholics believe religious influence on everyday life is a growing force.

The data, published on Oct. 20, found that 71% of Catholics believe religion has a net positive influence on society, while 10% say it has a net negative influence on society. The other 19% said religion has a net neutral or unclear impact on society.

A minority of Catholics believe that religion’s impact on society is growing, but that number is much higher than it was in previous polls. The poll compared responses in February 2024 to responses in February 2025.

Pew found that in 2025, 27% of Catholics believe religion is gaining influence in American life compared with 73% who said religion is losing influence. This is, however, a strong shift from 2024 when only 15% of Catholics believed religion was gaining influence and 82% believed religion was losing influence.

According to the research, 13% of Catholics said their religious beliefs have a great deal of conflict with mainstream American culture, and 42% said their beliefs have some conflict with mainstream culture. About 45% said there is not much conflict between their religious beliefs and mainstream culture. 

The survey also found that 30% of Catholics said loving one’s country is essential to being a Christian. It also found that 65% of Catholics said many religions may be true, while only 19% said only one religion is true. About 13% said “there is little truth in any religion.” 

Influence on U.S. society

According to the Pew survey, the broader American public also has a positive view on religion’s impact on society. About 59% said religion has a net positive impact on society, while 20% said it had a net negative view, and about 21% said religion has a net neutral or unclear impact on society. 

Pew also found that 31% of the broader American public believes religion is gaining influence on society and 68% said it is losing influence in 2025. This is also a shift from 2024, when only 18% said religion was gaining influence and 80% said it was losing influence.

The poll also found a political divide surrounding the public’s views about whether the influence of religion is positive. About 78% of Republicans believe religion has a net positive impact on society, compared with just 40% of Democrats who said the same.

Han aflorado tensiones políticas subyacentes entre los venezolanos en Roma que celebran la reciente canonización de los dos primeros santos del país, José Gregorio Hernández y la Madre Carmen Rendiles Martínez.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 16:57 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Chicago has removed Father Xamie Reyes from Little Flower Parish in Waukegan, Illinois, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving seminarians.  

The archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, shared “the difficult news” in an Oct. 18 letter to parishioners. Cupich wrote the archdiocese “has received allegations against Father Reyes of grooming and sexual misconduct.” 

Cupich said the allegations against the pastor “do not involve children and youth, but they did involve seminarians.”

“This is a very serious matter,” Cupich wrote. “Father Reyes will live away from the parish pending the outcome of an investigation into these charges.”

The archdiocese reported it is taking all allegations of misconduct seriously and “encourages everyone experiencing it to come forward.” Anyone who chooses to come forward “will be received with dignity and compassion,” Cupich wrote. He also shared with parishioners how to report claims.

While the investigation is pending, Father Ismael Garcia, Little Flower’s associate pastor, will serve as pastor. Cupich wrote to parishioners: “Father Garcia knows the needs of your parish well and with the assistance of your episcopal vicar, Bishop Timothy O’Malley, will ensure that you continue to receive pastoral care.”

“I know that this is unsettling news, but I take seriously the responsibility to ensure those serving you are fit for ministry and that all are kept safe,” Cupich wrote. “I do appreciate your patience as we work to evaluate thoroughly these allegations. Only by doing so can we remain true to our promise to keep everyone safe.”

“I will inform you of any new developments and am grateful for your understanding,” Cupich wrote. “Please know the people of Little Flower Parish are in my prayers.”

Reyes did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

La nueva estación de metro "Virgen María" en Teherán (Irán) genera debate. Algunos la ven como un gesto de apertura, otros como propaganda. Refleja la compleja relación entre fe y política en la República Islámica.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 15:23 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has recognized an Australian bishop’s synodal plan to restructure the governance of his diocese. 

The Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod has officially recognized a pastoral plan laid out by Bishop Michael Kennedy of Maitland-Newcastle that will see the diocese adopting a governance structure that “will operate in synodal mode.”

In an Oct. 14 response to the pastoral letter on social media, the Vatican synodal office posted the letter. The social media post said the bishop invites the faithful to “embrace this vision more fully,” fostering a Church that listens, learns, and acts together in the service of the Gospel.

What’s in the plan? 

According to Kennedy’s missive, titled “Letter on Synodality and the New Diocesan Governance Framework for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle,” changes will be implemented on four levels. 

First, a diocesan pastoral council will be formed to lead the diocese’s synodal process through the revitalization of its pastoral planning cycle, which the letter said had been paused due to the death of Bishop Bill Wright in 2021. “The pastoral planning cycle allows significant synodal engagement in the future direction of the diocese,” he said. 

“This will be a significant milestone in our synodal journey,” Kennedy added, “but not its conclusion — the synodal journey is ever ongoing.” 

The pastoral planning cycle will also be implemented on a parish level, “adapted to the circumstances of each community,” Kennedy said, noting: “It is intended that the 2025 revised statuses for parish pastoral and finance councils will assist.” 

The diocesan curia will be restructured to reflect synodal “structures of participation.” Namely, Kennedy emphasized that “the governance of the bishops’ role has to be constitutional, follow the laws and customs of our Church, and be consultative (synodal); hearing those who need to be heard before decisions are made, which in some instances also requires receiving consent before acting.” The letter does not clarify what instances would constitute such procedures. 

Lastly, the plan stipulates the formation of “new advisory groups that will adopt synodal working methods.” The groups will include three civil councils and four canonical councils. Among the civil councils will be the bishop’s senior leadership group, a governance council, and a safeguarding council. Canonical councils include a council of priests, pastoral council, college of consultors, and a finance council. 

The advisory groups will provide advice to the bishop and diocesan trustees “for critical discernment” in their respective areas of expertise, Kennedy’s letter said.

A call to action

“In the coming months, we will invite expressions of interest from those who feel called to contribute their insight, skills, and experience as members of these advisory boards and councils,” Kennedy wrote.

“Whether your background is in pastoral life, education, social services, finance, governance, community leadership, or good plain commonsense problem-solving and decision-making,” he continued, “your perspective can help us faithfully serve our communities into the future.” 

The Maitland-Newcastle bishop concluded the letter noting more information about the nature and scope of the advisory groups will be posted to the diocese’s website in the near future. 

“I thank you for your ongoing commitment to the life and mission of our diocese,” he wrote. “Together, guided by the Holy Spirit, we will continue our journey as a local Church, faithful to the Lord” and focused on synodal listening, communion in faith and love, and mission to spread the Gospel.

El Papa León XIV se reunió este lunes 20 de octubre en el Vaticano con miembros de una organización internacional de sobrevivientes y defensores de víctimas de abusos cometidos por el clero.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 13:53 pm (CNA).

U.S. Catholic bishops are criticizing President Donald Trump’s effort to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) — a fertility treatment contrary to Church teaching that routinely discards human embryos.

Trump announced on Oct. 16 that the government entered an agreement with a pharmaceutical company to lower the cost of some IVF drugs and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working to expedite the review of a new drug.

IVF is a fertility treatment in which doctors fuse sperm and eggs in a laboratory to create human embryos to implant in the mother’s womb. Millions of excess embryos not implanted have been destroyed or used in scientific research. Some are indefinitely frozen.

“We strongly reject the promotion of procedures like IVF that … freeze or destroy precious human beings and treat them like property,” three bishops said in a joint statement released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“Every human life, born and preborn, is sacred and loved by God,” they continued. “Without diminishing the dignity of people born through IVF, we must recognize that children have a right to be born of a natural and exclusive act of married love rather than a business’ technological intervention. And harmful government action to expand access to IVF must not also push people of faith to be complicit in its evils.”

The bishops added: “We will continue to review these new policies and look forward to engaging further with the administration and Congress, always proclaiming the sanctity of life and of marriage.”

The statement was signed by Bishop Robert Barron, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Bishop Kevin Rhoades, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty; and Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, also released a statement criticizing the effort to expand IVF, calling such treatments “unethical and unjust.”

“God authors and blesses the life of every child born of IVF even as he wills the true good and thriving of all persons,” said Burbidge, who previously chaired the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

“The stark reality, however, is that IVF subverts the dignity of parents as well as the lives of unborn children,” he said. “Every child born by means of IVF will one day learn he or she has many missing brothers and sisters, who, although equal in dignity and rights, were conceived but deliberately denied their right to life. This is because many of the embryonic children brought about by every IVF process will either be discarded, having been deemed undesirable, or frozen, having been deemed unnecessary. By its nature, IVF both creates and destroys human lives.”

Pro-life fertility treatments also included

Regulators are also working to expand options for employers to offer fertility coverage for both IVF and treatments “that address the root causes of infertility.” 

Although IVF is contrary to Church teaching, some of the latter treatments may include options compatible with Catholic teaching, such as natural procreative technology and fertility education and medical management.

In the joint USCCB statement, the bishops wrote that they are “grateful” the administration included non-IVF fertility treatments that provide “comprehensive and holistic restorative reproductive medicine, which can help ethically to address infertility and its underlying causes.”

Similarly, Burbidge called the inclusion “a welcome opportunity for all employers, and especially for the Church and its apostolates, to enhance their health care coverage by offering new or expanded coverage for ethical fertility care.”

“It is my hope that, by God’s grace and with time, all Christians and people of goodwill, especially including our civil authorities, will come to encourage and favor ethical and life-affirming fertility care that is conducive to the true health and flourishing of American families,” Burbidge wrote.

El colegio católico Irlandesas Loreto de Sevilla (España) ha pedido el fin actos violentos en su entorno, días después del suicidio de una alumna que habría padecido acoso escolar.