State-level Catholic conferences prepare the faithful for ballot initiatives
Across the country, state-level Catholic bishops’ conferences are producing guidelines to help Catholic voters consider the moral implications of voting for or against referendums appearing on their Nov. 3 ballots.
Bishops’ conferences at the state level are organizations jointly run by every diocesan bishop in that state, which are active in every state with more than one diocese. A conference will often comment on bills and referendums that implicate Catholic teaching and put out statements on matters specific to their state.
In some states with contentious referendums on the ballot, bishops’ conferences have taken a clear position on initiatives, urging Catholics to either support or oppose the measures. Some of these measures are related to abortion, gender and sexuality, human trafficking, and gambling.
American bishops do not campaign for specific candidates in elections. Yet, advocating for and against referendums is classified in the tax code as “lobbying” instead of campaigning, which is permitted for dioceses and jointly run Catholic conferences. However, there are legal restrictions on the amount of lobbying in which they can engage.
Taking on abortion
Three conferences have taken strong stances on ballot initiatives related to abortion: Virginia, Nevada, and Missouri. Diocese of Boise Bishop Peter Christensen also took a strong stance on an abortion referendum in Idaho, though the state has only one diocese and no conference.
In Virginia and Nevada, the bishops’ conferences are asking the faithful to vote no on proposed constitutional amendments to establish a legal right to abortion in their states. The conferences have produced printed material offered at parishes that discuss Church teaching on the sanctity of human life, and the bishops have released joint statements. Both states have two dioceses.
Amy McInerny, director of Respect Life at the Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Marriage, Family, and Respect Life, told EWTN News the dioceses coordinated on the referendum for two years, “coming up with a battle plan” to oppose the measure.
Las Vegas Archbishop George Leo Thomas told EWTN News that in Nevada, the bishops meet during years with legislative sessions. The conference contracts much of the work to attorneys who are aligned with the Church’s legislative priorities and follow the sessions.
Bishops in Missouri are urging voters to back a pro-life initiative to repeal a state constitutional right to abortion. This also includes producing printed material and offering joint statements by the bishops.
Jamie Morris, executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, told EWTN News “it has been a major focus of all four dioceses and of all four bishops.” He said the conference works directly with the bishops, providing them with information about legislative issues so they can take informed stances on the subjects.
Gender and sexuality
Several conferences have also taken positions on issues that implicate Catholic teachings on gender and sexuality, which includes same-sex marriage, transgender people participating in sports, and parental rights.
In addition to the abortion referendum in Virginia, the bishops are fighting against a referendum to enshrine same-sex marriage into the state constitution. Much of the material urging Catholics to oppose the abortion referendum also urges them to oppose this referendum.
The Colorado Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s three dioceses, has taken a stance on two referendums on this subject, encouraging the faithful to support two initiatives.
One referendum would ensure interscholastic and intramural athletics are separated on the basis of biological sex rather than purported gender identity. The other would ban surgeries on children meant to alter their sex characteristics to facilitate a gender transition.
Nebraskans will vote on a referendum to separate sports on the basis of biological sex rather than purported gender identity. The Nebraska Catholic Conference did not officially take a stance on this but did issue a statement that said the conference supported legislation that was nearly identical and urged the faithful to “please keep in mind Catholic social teaching on human sexuality” when voting on the measure.
The Washington State Catholic Conference has spoken positively of a proposed referendum to also separate athletics on the basis of biological sex as opposed to purported gender identity. In a statement to EWTN News, the conference called the initiative “consistent with Catholic teaching on the complementarity and divine design of women and men.”
The conference spoke positively about a separate referendum to restore parental rights to access information related to their child’s mental health, telling EWTN News it “ensures that parents are not kept in the dark about an issue that impacts their childʼs health.” This may include information about a child’s sexuality and gender identity.
Other issues on the ballot
The other issues bishops have taken positions on include human trafficking, gambling, and procedures for changing the state constitution.
The Colorado Catholic Conference has asked Catholics to support a referendum that would mandate life imprisonment for any person convicted of human trafficking of a minor.
The Nebraska Catholic Conference has encouraged Catholics to vote against two referendums that would legalize and regulate sports gambling in the state, warning it would “expand predatory online sports gambling in our state,” which “can lead to family problems, debt, bankruptcy, homelessness, and mental health issues.”
The South Dakota Catholic Conference has backed a referendum that would increase the threshold needed for adopting a constitutional amendment via referendum, from a majority vote to a 60% threshold. This is meant to prevent future referendums to establish legal rights to abortion from succeeding.
The North Dakota Catholic Conference backed a similar referendum to increase the threshold to adopt a constitutional amendment via referendum from a majority vote to 60%, citing the same concerns.
Pope Leo XIV to return to Chiclayo in Peru and the places that shaped his ministry
The Chiclayo Cathedral, a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino, and the town of Zaña where St. Turibius of Mogrovejo died all have ties to the ministry of the then-Bishop Robert Prevost in the Lambayeque district of northern Peru.
Now, as Pope Leo XIV, he is scheduled to return to the city of Chiclayo on Nov. 13 during his apostolic journey to Peru. He served as bishop there from 2015 to 2023, during which time he traveled to communities across the coastal and highland regions of Lambayeque.
The official program includes events at the Chiclayo Cathedral and the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace as well as events in Pimentel, St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University, and in Zaña. Some of these locations were part of his ministry; others hold special significance for the history of the Church in the region.
The Chiclayo Cathedral
Facing the city’s main square stands St. Mary’s Cathedral, one of the central hubs of diocesan life during the years Prevost served as bishop and where he celebrated Mass every Sunday as well as other sacraments. The cathedral contains the bishop’s “cathedra” or chair, which symbolizes his governing authority.
During his upcoming visit on Saturday, Nov. 14, Leo XIV will preside over the rite of the coronation of the Immaculate Virgin at the cathedral. In preparation for the celebration, on Oct. 29 the new altar was consecrated and the ambo blessed.
A chapel where he used to pray to St. Nicholas of Tolentino
In the district of San Nicolás, near Zaña, there is a small chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino, an Augustinian friar for whom Leo XIV holds a special devotion.
Father David Farfán Guerrero, a friend of the pope, told EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that Prevost used to go there to pray before the image of the saint. “This is where, as I often say, he ‘put his knees to the test,’” he recalled.
The then-bishop also encouraged pilgrimages of Augustinian novices to the chapel as part of their spiritual formation. Although this site is not listed as a separate stop on the official itinerary, it helps in understanding a devotion that is important to the pontiff.
Zaña and St. Turibius of Mogrovejo
Zaña holds a special place in the life of Leo XIV and of the Church in Peru. It was there that St. Turibius of Mogrovejo died on March 23, 1606, after spending years traveling throughout his vast ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The saint served as archbishop of Lima from 1580 to 1606.
Prevost made a pilgrimage to this town before departing for Rome, following his election as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine. Farfán has noted his particular affection for Zaña and his devotion to St. Turibius, whom he regards as a model for pastoral life.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Leo XIV will return to the area to take part in a prayer gathering marking the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo at the shrine dedicated to the saint.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Peace
At the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace, Robert Prevost entrusted his episcopal ministry to the Virgin Mary, as noted in a handwritten message in the shrine’s guest book dated Oct. 21, 2015.
Furthermore, the then-bishop would frequently visit the shrine to pray and spend time with the religious there. He also took part in meetings and retreats there with priests and would visit the pre-seminary located next to the complex.
On Nov. 13, during his visit to Chiclayo, Leo XIV will meet with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians, and representatives of the Church’s pastoral life at this shrine.
St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Catholic University
The relationship between Leo XIV and St. Turibius Mogrovejo Catholic University (USAT, by its Spanish acronym) is also part of his years in Chiclayo. The institution awarded him an honorary doctorate in law and recognized him as grand chancellor emeritus.
According to the university itself, Prevost received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his accomplishments and service to the Church. In 2023, the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference also awarded him the Gold Medal of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, one of its highest honors.
On Friday, Nov. 13, he will meet there with representatives of the university community.
Pimentel and Santa Cruz de Succhabamba
The visit will also take the pope to other locations in the region. On Friday, Nov. 13, he will celebrate Mass on the esplanade of the Pimentel plains and make a private visit to St. Óscar A. Romero Chapel.
The following day, he will travel to Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, where he will celebrate another Mass. The town is within the Diocese of Chiclayo, and Prevost visited it regularly between 2015 and 2023. During his time there, he traveled throughout the province, administered the sacrament of confirmation to young people and students, and built and consecrated the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Remedies in the small rural community of Litcán.
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.
Leo XIV: Faith assures us that ‘our bond with the faithful departed has not been broken’
Continuing a tradition begun by St. John Paul II in the late 1970s, Pope Leo XIV visited a cemetery outside the Vatican on Nov. 2 — the day the Catholic Church commemorates All Souls’ Day — to celebrate Mass and pray for those who have died.
“We have gathered to celebrate the Eucharist in this place of prayer and remembrance, of affection and hope. We offer it in suffrage for the faithful departed, particularly for those who rest here and for those whom each of us carries in our hearts,” the pontiff said during Mass celebrated on the central avenue of Rome’s Verano Cemetery.
The altar from which he presided over the celebration was flanked by a row of tombs. Located in the Tiburtino neighborhood, the cemetery, built in the 19th century during the Napoleonic era, is Italy’s second-largest civil cemetery and the largest in Rome.
The grounds, which include an area designated for non-Catholics, suffered severe damage during the Allied bombing of Rome in 1943 and were rebuilt in 1949.
Upon his arrival, Leo XIV placed a bouquet of white and yellow roses on the marble headstone of a randomly chosen grave belonging to an Italian family and bearing the name Antonia Coccia Nicolini.
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During his homily, the pontiff explained that the commemoration of the faithful departed, celebrated the day after the solemnity of All Saints, guides the prayer of the Church.
“We turn to the heavenly Father so that the life of holiness and blessedness already enjoyed by so many of his sons and daughters may envelop the souls of those who sleep the sleep of peace,” said the pope, who wore purple liturgical vestments, a symbol of penance, prayer, and hope in the Resurrection.
He also emphasized that faith in Christ is illuminated “by the word that has been proclaimed and that strengthens our trust in God’s hands.”
The Beatitudes, the ‘self-portrait of Jesus’
About 1,500 people attended the celebration, according to figures provided by the Vatican.
Reflecting on the Gospel of the Beatitudes proclaimed during the Mass, Leo XIV said they constitute the “self-portrait of Jesus” and reveal the path to a fully realized life, both on this earth and in eternity.
“The risen Lord tells us: Blessed are those who live according to this path, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” he said.
He also observed that this message takes on particular force in a cemetery, which he described as “a threshold between this world and the next,” where faith enables believers to view death through the hope of the Resurrection.
In this context, he stressed that “faith in Christ tells us that our bond with the faithful departed has not been broken but transformed.”
‘The absurd violence of war’
The Holy Father also offered prayers for the deceased and made a special appeal for those suffering the consequences of armed conflicts.
He prayed that “the tears of so many mothers, so many children, and so many elderly people” would move the consciences of those who have the power to end wars.
Reflecting on the beatitude “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” he offered a special remembrance for those who have recently lost a loved one.
“At this moment we wish to pray for those who have recently lost a loved one, especially for those from whom a loved one has been taken by the absurd violence of war,” he said.
He then renewed his appeal for peace: “May the tears of so many mothers, so many children, and so many elderly people move the consciences of those who have the power to silence the weapons.”
Christian hope in the face of death
Speaking during the 800th anniversary year of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, Leo XIV recalled the praise the saint added to the “Canticle of Creatures” near the end of his life, when he referred to “Sister Bodily Death” and proclaimed blessed those who are found doing God’s will.
In his homily, the pontiff underscored Christian hope in eternal life and reaffirmed that God keeps forever those who have departed this world. Citing the Book of Wisdom, he recalled that the souls of the just are secure in the Lord’s hands and that “no torment shall ever touch them.”
The pope explained that this promise of salvation lies at the heart of the Church’s prayer on All Souls’ Day, when the faithful entrust their loved ones to divine mercy so that they may attain full communion with God.
Leo XIV also invoked the words of the Book of Revelation, which proclaims that God will dwell forever with his people, as well as the promise of the Good Shepherd that no one can snatch his sheep from his hand.
The pope concluded his homily with a reference to Revelation and God’s definitive promise for humanity: the day when “death shall be no more, neither mourning nor crying nor pain,” because all suffering will have been overcome forever.
With this Mass, Leo XIV, as he did last year, continued a tradition promoted by St. John Paul II, who visited the same cemetery on 12 occasions for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Pope Benedict XVI also celebrated a Mass at the Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls, located next to the cemetery, though without visiting its graves.
Pope Francis, for his part, maintained the custom of celebrating the All Souls’ Day Mass in various cemeteries throughout Rome during his pontificate.
In addition to Monday’s celebration, Leo XIV is scheduled to preside on Thursday, Nov. 5, at St. Peter’s Basilica, one day before departing on his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, at a Mass offered for the cardinals and bishops who have died during the past year.
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.
PHOTOS: Savannah gives thanks for newly beatified Georgia Martyrs
SAVANNAH, Georgia — Light drizzle fell outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist as a standing-room-only congregation gathered Nov. 1 to give thanks for the beatification of the five Georgia Martyrs, Franciscan missionaries killed in 1597.
By the conclusion of Mass, blue skies and large white clouds had replaced the rain. Inside the cathedral, a spirit of joy and thanksgiving marked the celebration, held on the solemnity of All Saints, one day after the friars were declared blessed at the Savannah Convention Center.
Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Atlanta presided, and Savannah Bishop Stephen D. Parkes delivered the homily. Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto, who had presided over Saturday’s beatification as Pope Leo XIV’s representative, was among the concelebrants. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, also attended.
Parkes urged those celebrating to consider how they would carry the gift of the martyrs’ witness beyond the weekend’s events.
“We have received a gift,” he said.
The bishop suggested introducing couples preparing for sacramental marriage to the newly beatified friars. He spoke of engaged couples learning their story, receiving an image of them and praying for their intercession for faithfulness in marriage. He also proposed prayers at weddings for the newly married couple.
“There are many other ways we can continue to honor these holy men,” he said.
The newly beatified friars are Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodríguez de Cuacos, Miguel de Añón, Antonio de Badajoz, and Francisco de Veráscola. Four were priests; de Badajoz was a lay brother. All came from Spain and served in missions among the Indigenous Guale people in what is now coastal Georgia.
According to the Diocese of Savannah’s account, the violence began in 1597 after de Corpa opposed a baptized Guale leader’s decision to take a second wife. The account identifies Juanillo, who was in line for leadership, as the man who killed Pedro. Juanillo then led a war party against other missions. Five friars died during the uprising.
Pope Francis authorized recognition of their martyrdom on Jan. 27, 2025. The decree identified their deaths as having occurred in hatred of the faith, clearing the way for their beatification. The diocesan investigation had opened in 1984 and concluded in 2007.
Beatification confers the title “blessed” on a person and permits public veneration within the places or religious communities authorized by the Church. It is distinct from canonization, which extends that recognition to the universal Church.
The Georgia Martyrs’ liturgical memorial is Sept. 22.
The celebration also received attention in Rome. After the Nov. 1 Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo recalled the friars’ missionary service and their deaths.
“Let us invoke the intercession of these martyrs for all missionaries of the Gospel,” he said.
In Savannah, Parkes described the response to the beatification in terms of stewardship.
“We should always accept it with gratitude, with thanksgiving in our hearts,” he said.
“When we receive a gift, we should tend it responsibly,” he continued, “and also return it with increase.”
Polish bishops appeal for dialogue as constitutional court standoff deepens
Polandʼs bishops have appealed for de-escalation and prayer amid a deepening standoff over the countryʼs Constitutional Tribunal, warning that the dispute is driving a “deep crisis of the state.”
“It is not the role of the Church to adjudicate the causes of this dispute or the responsibility for the lack of its resolution,” the Presidium of the Polish Bishops' Conference, headed by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gdańsk, said in an Oct. 31 statement.
The Polish prelates called on politicians to calm the conflict and asked for “the initiation of constructive dialogue and the peaceful resolution of all difficulties."
The bishops appealed to the faithful to pray “for light and wisdom for the rulers and all those responsible for public life.”
Archbishop Wojciech Polak of Gniezno, Polandʼs primate, urged all sides of the political dispute to “seek a common solution” through talks. The heads of Polandʼs religious orders called for dialogue “on the basis of respect for the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the applicable legal order.”
Archbishop Andrzej Przybylski of Katowice and military Bishop Wiesław Lechowicz also urged prayer.
A fight over the bench
The tribunal decides whether Polish laws are constitutional. Who gets to sit on it has been contested since 2015.
This term the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, elected eight judges. President Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by the opposition Law and Justice party, swore in three. The other five took their oath in parliament instead, and Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski barred them from ruling.
On Oct. 30 one of the five, Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, struck back. She suspended Święczkowski and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański, for one month. The courtʼs official account on X replied that she “is not a judge of the Constitutional Tribunal.” Many legal experts doubt she had the power to issue the order, though some say it can be justified as a case of “higher constitutional necessity.”
Nawrocki turned his plane around on the way to Senegal and was inside the building in the early hours of Oct. 31. A statement in his name, read out by Paweł Szefernaker, head of the presidentʼs cabinet, called the nightʼs events “a forcible takeover of a constitutional body.” Hundreds of people gathered outside.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk was just as blunt in a televised address: “In certain matters, there can be no compromise.”
Others want to start over. Szymon Hołownia, whose Poland 2050 party sits in Tuskʼs coalition, has backed a “constitutional reset” — a move that would replace the entire bench. This idea has long been pushed by the opposition right-wing Confederation and left-wing Together parties.
Either way, Tuesday may not settle anything: The daily Rzeczpospolita reported that none of the judges seated before the current parliament will attend the assembly Korwin-Piotrowska has called for Nov. 3. Without them, it would fall short of its quorum of 10.
European Union reactions
In Brussels and Strasbourg, reactions split along political lines: Michael McGrath, the EU justice commissioner, told Politico the tribunal “needs to be able to function in accordance with the Polish constitution and the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU” and that “the Venice Commission has been clear that appointing the new judges lies within the power of the Sejm.”
The Venice Commission is the Council of Europeʼs advisory body on constitutional law.
However, McGrath stopped short of backing the suspensions, and conservatives in the European Parliament saw it the other way.
“The Tusk governmentʼs actions constitute a clear and grave violation of the rule of law,” said Nicola Procaccini, co-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists group. “We support President Nawrocki in defending Polandʼs constitutional order.”
‘Love transcends death’: How Singapore’s Chinese Catholics remember their dead
SINGAPORE — At some Catholic funeral wakes in Singapore, visitors are given red strings and invited to join in prayers for the souls of the dead. As they leave, they may be offered flower water to wash with, alongside holy water to sprinkle on the caskets.
Such wakes show how Chinese and Catholic customs around death sit side by side, said Bryan Goh, a historian at the National University of Singapore who studies the history of Christianity in insular Southeast Asia.
Catholics, he said, “find no problem offering joss-sticks at Taoist/Buddhist funeral wakes, focusing on the prayers they say in their heart rather than the form of the action.”
Clergy in Singapore did not see these customs as “something in dire need of correction,” Goh said, “mostly because they viewed certain actions and rituals as performance of filiality, rather than religiosity.”
‘Love transcends death’
Father John Chen, a priest of the Archdiocese of Singapore, told EWTN News that the Catholic faith and Chinese culture share one attitude toward the dead: “Love for our departed loved ones does not end with death. Indeed, love transcends death,” he said.
Students from Buddhist or Taoist families often ask him: “If my parents or grandparents are not Catholic, how can I show them respect without compromising my faith?”
Becoming Catholic means “discerning which cultural practices express values compatible with the Gospel and which may need to be reinterpreted or modified in the light of Christian faith,” he said.
Father Luke Zhang, of the Church of the Holy Trinity, a priest of the Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord, founded in China in 1928 by Archbishop Celso Costantini, who later became a cardinal, said some Catholics keep ancestral tablets at home because they live with relatives who are not Catholic. He encourages them to bow before the tablets, offer flowers and fruit, light candles, and pray for the dead with Catholic prayers.
“Through these practices, we express our respect for and remembrance of the deceased, pray for them, and entrust them to Godʼs merciful hands,” he said.
Burning joss paper or spirit money, however, is “strictly prohibited,” he said.
‘Simply go along’
Matthew Tserng Jia Uei, 61, a semi-retired shipping container assistant who leads the Mandarin-language Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, grew up in a Taoist family and was baptized in 1984. His relatives never insisted that he bow before the family altar.
“They only asked me to do my duty as one of the younger generation and simply go along as a gesture,” he said in written answers in Chinese.
Polly Ng Eng Lan, 65, a retired clerk who accompanies catechumens in the Mandarin-language RCIA at the Church of St. Alphonsus (Novena Church), said priests and catechists generally teach Catholics not to take part in rites of worship, and “only to offer incense to the deceased and pray.”
Michael Robert Tan, 57, an IT director baptized in April 2024, said his RCIA classes touched on what was allowed, including taking part in other faiths' ways of remembering the dead. He keeps no altar or photographs at home. “Nothing, only in my memories,” he said.
Serene Xu, 63, an administrator baptized in 1991, still visits the temple where her familyʼs ashes are kept each Qingming (a traditional Chinese holiday observed to honor ancestors and welcome spring) and on death anniversaries, “to pay my respects and remember them.” Her children, baptized as infants, join the familyʼs Buddhist and Taoist funerals.
“I firmly believe that faith and family traditions can coexist harmoniously when there is mutual respect, understanding, and acceptance,” she said.
Prayer ‘on the couch’
“There has never been a single Chinese way of practicing ancestral worship,” said Michel Chambon of the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics.
“Increasingly, people seem to prefer praying privately, in the intimacy of their own hearts, whether on the couch or in bed, rather than gathering before a formal altar,” he said.
Zhang said young Catholics seem “less enthusiastic about memorial activities for the deceased” than their parents' generation, but “perhaps they have their own ways of remembering them, such as a simple prayer in the heart.”
Chen said younger Catholics may seek “to preserve the values of filial piety, gratitude, and family unity while finding contemporary ways to express them.”
For Xu, one hope remains. “Deep in my heart, I continue to hold on to the hope that one day, we will be reunited in our Heavenly Fatherʼs house,” she said.
Notre Dame bests Villanova in Eternal City Tip-Off basketball games
ROME — Notre Dame defeated Villanova in the D1 college basketball season openers on Sunday, Nov. 1, with final scores of 74-72 for the men’s game and 99-75 for the women’s. The Eternal City Tip-Off games, held in Rome, pitted two schools with “shared faith-based traditions and championship pedigrees” against each other in the historically Catholic capital of Italy.
Fans, students, faculty, staff, and alumni from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame filled Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport, a massive arena that seats more than 11,000, to cheer on their men’s and women’s teams in a matchup that was inspired by Pope Leo’s election as the first American pope. After a weekend of welcome receptions, tourism opportunities, and scheduled events, including a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and a papal audience, energy in the stadium was high before the men’s tipoff at 3:30 p.m. local time.
Before the game, Villanova fans confidently expected a Wildcat win: Tom McKernan, a Villanova alumnus from Philadelphia, joked: “We’re not playing [Notre Dame] in football, so I think we have the upper hand. We definitely have more crowd support today, so I’m looking for a big Villanova win.”
But while Notre Dame trailed Villanova for most of the men’s game, they came back with a minute left, pulling ahead for a score of 72-70 after Logan Duncomb’s three-point shot. After a suspenseful final minute, the Fighting Irish secured the game, upsetting the Wildcats by two points. Notre Dame fans erupted into cheers and chants of “Let’s go, Irish!” as Villanova’s much larger fan section sat in shock.
The Fighting Irish win came as a surprise for even Notre Dame fans, since the Wildcats came into the weekend with a few advantages: Besides boasting a storied basketball program, their fan presence in the stadium outnumbered Notre Dame’s supporters by a staggering majority. Most importantly for Villanova, however, was feeling that the pope was on their side: Pope Leo XIV, who graduated from the university in 1977, jokingly told both teams on Saturday that while “the pope doesn’t take sides… Prevost has another opinion.”
But whichever team Pope Leo was rooting for, fans of both sides were thrilled to see the pope during this weekend’s events, with Wildcats and Fighting Irish alike emphasizing that a visit to the Vatican was what made the Eternal City Tip-Off truly special.
Allen and Joanne Herda, parents of a Notre Dame senior from Dallas, said that when they bought their tickets for the game in Rome, they “knew that it would be a pilgrimage.” And while the Herdas were excited to cheer on their basketball team, they said the real main event of the Eternal City Tip-Off was the papal audience Oct. 31.
During the audience, Joanne was able to shake Pope Leo’s hand as he exited the audience hall, a moment she recalled with excitement.
“You got a reflection, a shock of gentleness and peace,” she said. “For me, [this weekend] has been otherworldly and extremely spiritual. I never dreamt that I would have touched the Holy Father, and we went to Mass this morning, and that was so spiritual too. … It’s hard to find the words.”
Father Francisco Carrillo, a priest from Mexico City who lives in Rome while studying for his master’s degree in biblical theology, was invited to the game by friends who are Villanova alumni. “For today, I’m a Villanova fan,” he said. But like the Herdas, Carrillo described the events of the weekend as more than simply a basketball game, calling them “providential.”
He said: “The first time that there’s an American pope, and that he studied in a Catholic university in the States, and then the fact that they organized this NCAA game here in Rome for the pope… it’s a huge event, not only on a human level but also spiritually.”
Second win for Notre Dame
The weekend got even better for the Irish when the women’s game ended in a second victory for Notre Dame — this time more expected. The Indiana school is known for having a higher-ranking women’s basketball team than its men’s team, in large part due to senior guard Hannah Hidalgo, who is expected to be a top lottery pick in the 2027 WNBA draft. Hidalgo contributed 32 of Notre Dame’s 99 points against Villanova.
Notre Dame fans celebrated their second win of the night with cheers as the buzzer sounded, the culmination of a victory that was more than just a basketball win: Opening the college basketball season with a triumph in the storied city of Rome, just kilometers away from Pope Leo, was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling for the excited Notre Dame teams, fans, and students present.
Hidalgo’s parents, Tamara and Orlando Hidalgo, were thrilled with Notre Dame’s season opener win. And while watching their daughter play will always be reason enough for them to travel around the world, Tamara commented that their experience in Rome has been “spectacular” for more reasons than basketball.
“I was actually taken to the prison where Paul was held,” she said. “For me, it was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime [experience]. It really touched my heart to know that I’m standing right above where he wrote the Book of Timothy. So I’ve had a phenomenal experience.”
For Villanova, the evening certainly held a fair share of disappointment from the basketball loss. But despite inevitable regret at the games’ outcome, Wildcat fans won’t be going home despondent.
Linda Hodgson, a Villanova alumna who was at the game with her daughter, shared her mixed feelings after the game: “[I’m] very disappointed. What else can I say? We were really expecting a Villanova win, especially with the pope’s blessing,” she said.
But, Hodgson added, “it was great meeting the pope. It was fun walking around Rome and seeing all the landmarks and coming to the basketball game. It was a great trip.”
For Hodgson and the other Villanova fans, the Eternal City Tip-Off loss may have been disappointing, but the weekend remained an amazing opportunity to be present in Rome for a historic visit to the Vatican, a competitive matchup with another Catholic school, and a chance to experience the excitement of basketball in the context of the faith.
In a statement to EWTN News before the game, Notre Dame president Father Robert Dowd, CSC, described the weekend as an expression of “shared commitment” to Catholic higher education between the universities, saying: “[W]e are united in our deep devotion to our faith and appreciation for the power of sport to elevate the human spirit.”
His hope that the matchup would deepen “a spirit of joy and communion” between Notre Dame and Villanova echoed the words of Pope Leo, who said on Saturday that “the members of two teams, even when they have a competitive rivalry, are certainly not enemies” and encouraged the “fraternity, solidarity, and peace” that athletics can promote.
And while Notre Dame has the scoreboard as proof of its victory, the moments of fraternity, joyful competition, and prayer shared between both schools during the Eternal City Tip-Off weekend made the season opener a historical moment for Notre Dame and Villanova alike.
Theology of the body meets psychology: Catholics seek healing through JPII’s personalism
In a culture marked by rising rates of anxiety and a loss of meaning, a growing number of Catholics are seeking ways to promote human flourishing by integrating the best in psychological science with the personalist philosophy of St. John Paul II.
Catholics gathered at the CatholicPsych Institute’s Summit of Integration from Oct. 20–23 in Dallas. Its founder, Greg Bottaro, whose work centers on the integration of St. John Paul II’s teachings on the meaning and purpose of the body with the practice of psychology, told attendees that “St. John Paul II has written more for psychologists than any other psychologist in the last 150 years.”
“John Paul II didn’t use the language of psychology in his theology of the body, but everything he talked about was relatable to the field,” Bottaro told EWTN News. “Faith, reason, and science all come together in his work.”
The theology of the body teaches that the human person is a unity of body and soul, created male and female in the image of God and called to communion through the sincere gift of self. The body has a “nuptial” or spousal meaning: It expresses the person and is ordered toward loving self-gift, which is fully realized either in the permanent, exclusive, and life-giving union of marriage or in the celibate gift of self for the kingdom.
Speakers at the conference, which was timed to coincide with St. John Paul II’s feast day on Oct. 22, tied the saint’s writings to their own work and personal lives.
A love that is ‘stronger than death’
Christopher West, a Catholic author and educator who specializes in the theology of the body, gave an address called “My Interior Journey with St. John Paul II.”
West said the saint’s writings helped him make sense of a yearning that began when he was a child, a yearning that he explained was for a love that would never end.
He described this yearning as beginning with an innocent crush on a girl in his third grade class, but as he grew up, it led him to a disordered view of sexuality and the body: “I wanted a beauty; I wanted a joy; I wanted happiness that lasts forever, that does not die.”
“The Church calls this yearning eros,” the Greek word for romantic love, he said. “Eros cries out for a love that is ‘stronger than death,’” he continued, quoting the Song of Songs in the Old Testament.
“Christianity is an invitation to a wedding feast that corresponds to that cry of the heart,” he said.
St. John Paul II taught that “Christianity is not redemption from the body and sexuality. It is the redemption of the body and sexuality. Christ came into the world, not to condemn those whose eros is distorted, but to untwist it.”
“The most disastrous mistake of Christians is to view sexuality as trash and throw it away rather than redeem it,” he continued. “We have three choices with eros: Repress it, aim it at finite pleasure, or, by the grace of God, learn how to aim our desire for the infinite toward the infinite.”
He said he sees St. John Paul II not primarily as a theologian but as a spiritual father whose writings helped him confront his own fear of death.
“This boundless demand of eros expresses the basic problem of human existence: The heart demands infinity but cannot grant it. It claims eternity but is bound by death,” West continued. “Our deepest fear is staring into our own death.”
“John Paul II truly fathered me,” West said. “This is the gift of this man in my life: He has helped me face my deepest fear and gave me courage.”
West said he needed that courage to confront difficulties that fear caused in his 31-year marriage to his wife, Wendy, who sat in the front row as he spoke.
He said he had discovered “deep, unconscious wounds of rejection” he’d received from his brother during his childhood but that ultimately came from a fear of death that led him to “rejecting the true heart of my wife.”
“When I have caused you so much sorrow and suffering, it’s because I wanted you to do something you couldnʼt possibly do for me, which is to take away my fear of death,” he said. “I wanted you to take that existential threat away.”
“And weʼre aging, haven’t you noticed?” he asked her, laughing. “Weʼre in our late 50s, and all the gray hair is a reminder that weʼre dying; weʼre all on this conveyor belt, and weʼre all gonna fall off.”
An ‘inheritance to life’
In his keynote, Bottaro repeatedly returned to the idea that Christians receive an “inheritance to life” from God rather than an inheritance of fear and death.
“The inheritance of life, the legacy of life, of the Resurrection is the answer to the deepest fear in the human heart: death,” he said, pointing to St. John Paul II’s admonition to “‘Be not afraid!’”
Bottaro also described the saint as a spiritual father who shaped his life.
He spoke of a visit to Poland during a time he was struggling with discouragement in his work. He was sitting at the kitchen table where a young Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) had discovered his father dead. As Bottaro sat, he said he felt “John Paul II just put his arms around me,” after which he was able to return to his professional efforts with a renewed purpose.
He spent the next five years writing “The Personalist Cure,” a book that integrates the saint’s theological teachings with psychology. It was released during the conference, on St. John Paul II’s feast day.
Bottaro said the book is a manual for how to understand healing and mental health through a Catholic lens and is intended for anybody studying mental health or human formation.
Michelle Gardiner, a mother of four who attended the conference, told EWTN News the summit “surrounded me with the reality John Paul II gave his life to: Authentic healing begins with reverencing and protecting the inviolable gift of myself and every other human person.”
“We inadvertently turn away from God, the supreme lover who created us for delight, when we reject the gift because of interpersonal wounding,” she said. “John Paul II knew this: Authentic human flourishing requires receiving and protecting the inviolable gift of the human person.”
EWTN News explains: What’s the difference between canon law and sharia law?
Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed generated controversy in August of this year when he made a pointed comparison to Islamic sharia law and Catholic canon law.
El-Sayed was responding to a question from Fox News host Jesse Watters about 2022 remarks in which El-Sayed appeared to equate opposition to sharia law with “white supremacy.” The Senate candidate said he wishes to “practice my faith as I choose.”
“Nobody is trying to push sharia law on anyone else,” he said. “Just like I hope nobody is trying to push canon law on anybody else, because we live in America, where you should have the freedom of your religion.”
El-Sayed brought the comparison up again during a campaign town hall in Muskegon, Michigan, telling a voter that the Constitution protects the right to live by canon law while barring anyone from enforcing it on others.
The remarks have generated controversy for El-Sayed’s apparent equation of sharia law to canon law — two disparate forms of socio-ecclesial governance that help govern the lives of billions of religious adherents worldwide.
Sharia law vs. canon law
Sharia law, which governs Islamic religious practice along with family matters and financial transactions, also deals with aspects of political governance and public law, forming part or all of the political and legal systems in several Muslim-majority countries.
Canon law, on the other hand, regulates only the Catholic Church’s internal structure and functions, including rules about clergy, sacraments, and other ecclesiastical and administrative norms. It does not function as a civil or political legal code for the state or for non-Catholics, as sharia can for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
David Long, dean of the school of professional studies at The Catholic University of America and an assistant professor in the university’s school of canon law, told EWTN News that canon law “governs an identifiable ecclesial community and orders the Church’s life and mission, including sacramental discipline and the exercise of ecclesiastical office.”
Canon law provides a framework for the Church to live out its identity and mission. Sharia, meanwhile — though it is often appended with the word “law” — actually has a broader scope than religious governance, Long said. It directs “life according to God’s will,” including both worship and moral conduct.
Sharia law is applied in various ways in numerous countries throughout the world through the principle of “fiqh” — Islamic jurisprudence that interprets sharia and puts it into practice. It is seen particularly in the Middle East and Africa, though no local or state government in the U.S. practices it.
There is “no single worldwide Islamic legislator,” Long said, and thus there is no “single, universally promulgated code” that can be described as a comprehensive sharia.
Both canon law and sharia can have civil implications, the professor said, noting that Catholic canon law affects issues that cross with civil law, such as marriage contracts.
He pointed to a 2020 Maryland court case, meanwhile, which found that a financial stipulation in an Islamic marriage contract could be enforced, though only if it “satisfied secular contract principles.”
Civil courts in such cases “can recognize legal arrangements made for religious reasons without deciding whether a religion’s teachings are true or binding on the public.”
He noted that Muslims “have the same right as other citizens to bring religious convictions into public debates” and that a law cannot be ruled unconstitutional simply because it happens to agree with a religious teaching.
He acknowledged the appropriateness of being concerned if “a proposal under sharia uses governmental authority to compel religious observance or deny equal citizenship.” But he noted that such concerns should apply equally to all religions.
“I would … resist both blanket reassurance and blanket suspicion when it comes to applying religious-law elements in political discourse, including sharia,” Long said. “Specific proposals deserve scrutiny on their merits.”
“A religious population deserves neither a presumption of political innocence for everything done in its name nor a presumption of collective intent to impose its faith,” he said.
Peru loses second bishop in 2 days as Pope Leo’s visit nears
Bishop Jorge Pedro Carrión Pavlich of Puno, Peru, died at age 76, just two days after the death of Archbishop Richard Daniel Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco, Peru, and less than two weeks before Pope Leo XIV arrives in the country.
His death was announced Sunday, Nov. 1, during a Mass at the Shrine of the Virgin of Candelaria in Puno. He had been hospitalized at a clinic in Lima.
The Peruvian bishops' conference issued a statement of condolence shortly afterward. “We join in prayer with the Church of Puno, his family and the entire Catholic community, thanking God for his life and his dedication to the service of the Church,” the bishops said, asking prayers for his eternal rest and for the consolation of his family.
Alarcón, 74, died Friday, Oct. 30, after a battle with cancer. He had been helping prepare for the popeʼs stop in Cusco on Nov. 15, and Pope Leo expressed sorrow at his death. Meanwhile, Leo, who served for two decades in Peru as a missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo, will visit the country Nov. 11–16, according to the published schedule. Puno is not on the itinerary.
5 decades of service
Carrión was born in Tarma in Peruʼs central Andes. The Archdiocese of Lima noted that he had marked 50 years as a priest and more than 26 years as a bishop.
Pope John Paul II named him a bishop in May 2000, and he went on to lead the Diocese of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, for more than 24 years. Before that, he served as assistant secretary of the Peruvian bishops' conference.
Funeral arrangements
A wake was held Nov. 1 at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Santiago de Surco, Lima. The vigil continues Nov. 2 in Puno, where his funeral Mass will be celebrated Nov. 3.
He will be buried Nov. 4 in the cemetery in his hometown of Tarma.
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.