JD Vance on 2028 presidential run: I’ll listen to what God tells me to do
U.S. Vice President JD Vance this month said he had not yet made a determination on whether he would run for president in 2028, telling EWTN News host Raymond Arroyo that he would listen to God when ultimately deciding what to do.
Vance, who is widely considered to be a frontrunner for the 2028 Republican nomination, told Arroyo on the latter’s “Arroyo Grande” podcast on Oct. 21 that he was not thinking intensively about the prospect of a presidential race amid the contentious 2026 midterms.
“As soon as the midterms are over … Iʼm going to have to think seriously about it,” Vance said. He noted that he and his wife have four small children “and that’s a consideration.”
Asked by Arroyo if he felt God calling him to mount a presidential run, he responded: “I feel God calling me to do as good of a job as I can.”
“I feel God calling me to try to promote the common good and the job that Iʼm doing right now,” he said. “And I think that when I actually sit down with my wife and with my pastor and with just my own internal deliberation — I think at that point Iʼll either hear God telling me to do something or to not do something.”
“I havenʼt felt God telling me Iʼve got to do one thing or another,” he said, though he admitted: “Maybe that’ll change.”
The vice president and Arroyo spoke in a wide-ranging interview that focused on politics, family, faith, and other issues. Vance said during the exchange that his faith “influences how [he thinks] about public policy.”
“I think that what my faith calls me to do is to be more charitable towards people,” he said. “It forces me to ask questions: ‘How can we raise up the least among us? How do we ensure that people have good access to jobs, even if it isnʼt always the perfect thing for a corporate bottom line?’
“It also tells me to protect the weak and the vulnerable — of course, I think starting with the unborn, but a lot of other people on top of that,” he continued.
“So I do think that while Iʼm an imperfect practitioner of my faith, I think the very best version of myself is that which listens to that voice in my head that I think ultimately comes from God.”
Asked by Arroyo about his “greatest regret,” Vance said: “Not having kids sooner.”
Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance were married in 2014 and welcomed their first child in 2017. “I had been dating Usha for three weeks, I knew I wanted to marry her, I knew I wanted to have kids with her, and we should have just started sooner,” he said.
“I always tell young couples, you always think youʼre going to check all these boxes and finances are going to be perfect, and then youʼre going to have kids,” he said. “Nobody looks back on their life and says, ‘I had two kids too early.’”
Pope Leo XIV to meet with abuse victims during his trip to Latin America
The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV will hold “several meetings” with victims of clerical sexual abuse during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from Nov. 6–17.
“During the days of the Holy Father’s upcoming apostolic journey to Latin America, several meetings are planned with people who are victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.
The Vatican also explained that these meetings “reflect the Pope’s desire to express his closeness to those who have suffered, and continue to suffer, because of this violence.”
However, the Vatican did not specify the number of meetings or how they were to be conducted. Its statement, however, emphasized that the popeʼs objective is “to work with [abuse victims] in building paths of healing accessible to anyone in need, and to ensure that the Church is a safe and spiritually healthy place that lives and proclaims the Gospel.”
The announcement of these meetings is not unprecedented. During his September visit to France, the Holy See Press Office also confirmed in advance the pope’s intention to meet with abuse victims at the Lourdes shrine. However, during his June visit to Spain, the Vatican did not announce in advance the meeting the pope held with victims at the apostolic nunciature in Madrid. The meeting was held privately and made public afterward.
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.
Catholic campus ministries eligible for Lilly grant of up to $7.5 million
Catholic campus ministries such as Newman Ministry and FOCUS are eligible to participate in the Lilly Endowment’s "National Initiative to Strengthen Christian Campus Ministries at Colleges and Universities,” the charitable organization confirmed.
The Lilly Endowment told EWTN News that archdioceses and church-related networks that minister to students on multiple college and university campuses are eligible to apply for grants through the initiative.
According to the grant page, the Lilly Endowment “intends to award grants of up to $7.5 million each to approximately 20 national and regional charitable organizations.”
Matt Zerrusen, Newman Ministry co-founder and chief innovative discipleship officer, told EWTN News that Newman Ministry is in the process of applying for the grant now.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity,” Zerrusen said. “There’s not many times where something like this opens up in campus ministry just because it’s been an overlooked part of ministry in the Church.”
Zerrusen expressed hope that other Catholic campus ministries like FOCUS, Saint Paul’s Outreach, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association would apply for the program as well, calling for ministry organizations to unify their efforts.
“There’s so much competition in the Catholic world that itʼs like, ‘Well, hang on here. What are we doing?’” he said. “Weʼre both trying to solve the same problem.”
Pope Leo XIV appoints Catholic University of America professor to pontifical academy
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Gregory Doolan, the Monsignor John F. Wippel chair in Thomistic metaphysics at The Catholic University of America (CUA), to serve on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas.
“It is a great honor to have been named to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Doolan said in a CUA press release on Oct. 16. “The Academy brings together philosophers and theologians from around the world in conversation about Aquinas, and I am grateful for the opportunity both to learn from its members and to contribute my own work in Thomistic metaphysics, showing its enduring relevance in the 21st century.”
“My appointment by Pope Leo XIV has a fitting connection to The Catholic University of America, since another Leo, Leo XIII, founded the Academy in 1879 and also granted Catholic University its pontifical charter just a decade later,” he said.
St. Carlos Acutis’ mother gifts Franciscan University with first-class relic of her son
The mother of St. Carlo Acutis, Antonia Salzano, has given the president of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a first-class relic of her son.
“Weʼre deeply grateful to Antonia for this extraordinary gift and for sharing her sonʼs witness with the Franciscan University community,” the university said in an Oct. 15 social media post announcing the gift to Father Dave Pivonka, TOR. The university said Salzano shared a message with the university: “Holiness is for everyone.”
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“Carlo became a saint not because he lived an extraordinary life by the worldʼs standards, but because he made Jesus the center of his ordinary life,” the university said. “His secret? The Eucharist. His motherʼs advice? Start small. Make time for prayer. Receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Love the people around you. And remember that you, too, are called to become a saint.”
Archbishop Sample urges ‘significant renewal of Catholic education’ in Portland, Oregon
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, is calling for the revitalization of “mission passionate Catholic education” in his archdiocese.
“Would we call a Spanish-language immersion school successful if its graduates could barely understand Spanish?” Sample wrote in an Oct. 15 social media post. “We should take the mission of our Catholic schools just as seriously. Academic excellence matters. So does forming students who know Jesus Christ and can understand, articulate and live the faith.”
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“Therefore, I am calling for a significant and genuine renewal of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Portland, beginning in our Catholic elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools and eventually extending to the religious education and faith formation programs in our parishes,” he said.
Sample’s message comes as part of a wider mission renewal initiative in the archdiocese announced on Oct. 1.
Ethiopian Orthodox Church condemns killings in Oromia as Catholic bishops call for reconciliation
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has condemned the Oct. 24 killing of more than 60 people in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia regional state, calling on the government to protect Orthodox Christians and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The attacks come weeks after members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) urged parties involved in armed conflicts across the country to end hostilities and pursue dialogue, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
In a statement of condolence issued on Monday, Oct. 26, the General Assembly of the Holy Synod said it received “with profound sorrow” a report from the Arsi Eparchy about the deaths of faithful following “brutal and merciless attacks” in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia regional state.
“The horrific and appalling massacres, forced displacements, and physical and property damage inflicted upon our innocent Orthodox Christian faithful in the Arsi Eparchy and in various other parts of our country have continued unabated and have been worsening over time,” the synod said.
The Church leaders recounted that on Oct. 20 and Oct. 24, 14 of their faithful were killed at a place locally known as Gora Silingo, in Angada Kebele, Merti Woreda, and 46 others were killed at Tereta Chole Birbo in Sherka Woreda.
They added that the homes of 20 faithful were completely burned down and that more than 20 people sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment in hospitals. The synod recalled that numerous faithful have previously been killed in districts within the same zone.
The synod strongly condemned the attacks, saying they are “entirely unacceptable under the teachings of any religion and are incompatible with the human rights of all people.”
The killings, the Church leaders said, “violate the constitutional rights to religious freedom and to life, contradict both religious principles and the natural law of humanity, undermine our national values of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect, and constitute inhumane acts that deserve unequivocal condemnation.”
The synod strongly urged the relevant government authorities to publicly condemn the attacks and uphold the constitutionally guaranteed rights to life and freedom of worship.
In addition to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring the rule of law, the authorities were called upon to provide the necessary legal protections to prevent a recurrence.
“We call upon the government to provide the necessary protection to our faithful wherever they may be, so that they are not subjected to similar attacks,” the synod said.
It also urged the relevant security authorities to give the matter special attention, provide the necessary protection until the problem is resolved, and take effective measures to prevent further threats and attacks.
The Orthodox Church leaders extended their condolences to the families of the deceased and to all Ethiopians.
“We pray that God Almighty will grant rest to the souls of our brothers and sisters who lost their lives unjustly and bestow upon them the honor of martyrdom. The Holy Church continues to pray for them and wishes comfort and consolation to all those who mourn,” they said.
The General Assembly resolved that on Oct. 27 following the Divine Liturgy, memorial prayer services are to be conducted in all monasteries and churches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church throughout the world.
The synod also resolved that an appointment be arranged for the General Assembly to meet and hold discussions with the relevant senior government official, after which “appropriate efforts shall be undertaken to achieve a lasting solution to this problem.”
Catholic bishops respond
In their statement dated Oct. 1, the CBCE members expressed sorrow over violence in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, and other regions, saying that war destroys lives, communities, and property and leaves hatred, resentment, and vengeance that can endure for generations.
“Rather than resolving differences, war serves only to deepen divisions and multiplies suffering,” the Catholic leaders said.
They highlighted the suffering of vulnerable people, particularly children, women, the elderly, and the sick, and appealed to Ethiopians to regard the lives and suffering of others as their own, saying that peace is a shared responsibility.
“It is our heartfelt prayer that all disputes may be settled through genuine dialogue and that all forms of conflict may cease,” the Catholic bishops said.
The CBCE members called for peace rooted in truth, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
“Such a peace reflects the values of the Gospel, advances the common good, upholds the sacred dignity of the human person, and corresponds to the will of God for His people,” they said.
The CBCE members’ statement followed Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 30 appeal for dialogue amid renewed hostilities in Tigray and the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions.
Ethiopia is facing renewed fighting nearly four years after the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement. Tensions between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) remain unresolved, including disputes over political power, regional autonomy, disarmament, and territory.
In September, the TPLF joined six other armed groups in an alliance reportedly seeking to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s government.
A Sept. 29 Al Jazeera report described intensified fighting between federal forces and the TPLF and its allies. Government forces and their allies claimed to have captured Alamata, a strategic town about 75 miles south of Mekelle, following days of fighting.
The report said fighting was continuing across Tigray, Amhara, and Afar, with TPLF forces also taking Erebti in Afar.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
‘There is no such thing as a holy war’: Pope Leo marks 40 years of Assisi peace meeting
Pope Leo XIV denounced all religious wars in a video message on Tuesday, marking the 40th anniversary of the International Meeting for Peace in Assisi, Italy.
“There is no such thing as a holy war: Only peace is holy,” Leo said in his message. “War can never be waged in the name of God.”
The pontiff, originally scheduled to travel to Assisi for the gathering, canceled his trip on his doctors’ advice, as he continues to recover from thoracic surgery performed on Oct. 13. The Vatican announced the cancellation on Oct. 23, adding that he would send a message for the event.
St. John Paul II established the International Meeting for Peace in Assisi in 1986 as an interreligious prayer service for peace during the Cold War.
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Another call to end ‘holy wars’
In his message, Leo highlighted a growing trend among nations to resort to armed conflict. He described the trend as a betrayal of the memory of those who lost their lives in wars during the last century.
“As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states,” Leo said, “‘the accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring potential adversaries from war. They see it as the most effective means of ensuring peace among nations,’ thus betraying the memory of the 20th century and the senseless slaughter of millions of human lives.”
“Precisely in these times marked by a ‘culture of power,’ there is a need to cultivate the spirit of Assisi, which entails a rejection of the religious justification of war,” the pope added.
Since his election in 2025, the pope has often rejected all forms of religiously inspired violence. During his homily for Mass on Palm Sunday that year, Leo said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”
Assisi 40 years after John Paul II
Leo also paid tribute to St. John Paul II in his message and urged those gathered at Assisi to remember his call for peace.
Citing his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and paying tribute to St. John Paul II, Leo urged those gathered to continue promoting peace in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, whose 800th anniversary of death is this year.
“The path of Assisi calls religious leaders to foster a climate of dialogue amongst the faithful and within society, so that the language of arrogance may give way to the language of peace, negotiation, and understanding,” Leo said.
“May [God] make us unarmed instruments of his peace. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.’”
Diocese in Guatemala investigates alleged Eucharistic miracle involving host with reddish stains
A multidisciplinary team is investigating an alleged Eucharistic miracle that took place in Cuilapa, Guatemala, after a consecrated host remained undissolved in a glass of water and developed reddish stains.
Father José Alejandro García, parish priest at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus in the Diocese of St. Rose of Lima, within whose jurisdiction the events took place, explained in an interview with EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that his bishop, José Cayetano Parra, has assembled a team of specialists to investigate the case.
The group consists of a biologist, a physician with experience in similar cases, a psychologist, a nurse, a layperson chosen from among the faithful who participate in the community, and a priest who is not part of the local parish clergy.
As the priest explained, one of the team’s objectives is to determine “whether the reddish stain is blood” and to understand how it is that “a piece of bread may be found to have certain human properties or characteristics.”
What happened to the consecrated host?
During a Mass celebrated on July 30 at a school in the city of Cuilapa, the celebrant noticed that one of the young people had removed the Eucharist from his mouth; the priest approached him to prevent him from tossing it on the floor. After retrieving the host, the priest took it and later placed it in a glass vessel containing water, located in the chapel in the cathedral’s rectory.
The intention was for the host to dissolve naturally. However, on Aug. 6, it was observed that this had not occurred; instead, red stains had appeared on it.
Since then, the case has sparked interest among the faithful.
Prudence, prayer, and reflection
García emphasized that this is a matter that “will require time for study and reflection,” clarifying that neither the multidisciplinary team nor the bishop can confirm whether this is a Eucharistic miracle. Any eventual authorization for public veneration rests with the Holy See.
For now, he asked the faithful to use this time for “exercising prudence, for prayer, and reflection,” and to avoid drawing hasty conclusions that could “hinder the investigation.”
On behalf of Parra, the priest invited the community to maintain “great faith, much prayer, and patience.”
Increased participation by the faithful
García said that since the news became known, there has been “greater participation by thousands of people” who have come to the church to attend Mass, go to confession, and take part in Eucharistic adoration.
The priest noted that the chapel set aside for adoration has begun to fill with more people than usual, so it is now open from 5 a.m. until midnight.
He also noted that there is “an increase in people looking to go to confession.”
“We offer confession, especially on Sundays, and we have ministered to a large number of people, including some who had not been to confession for years,” he added.
“For my community, it has been a rebirth,” the priest stated, pointing out that this awakening has been reflected in a strengthening of “faith in Jesus in the Eucharist, which is evident in the increased attendance of the faithful at Mass and at Eucharistic adoration.”
For the priest, what occurred is a call for Catholics to “strengthen our faith,” and for those who are not yet Catholic, “it is a cry from Jesus telling us: I am alive; I am the bread that has come down from heaven.”
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.
Seminarian training kicks off in Nigeria to combat sexual and gender-based violence
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Catholic Church in Nigeria is equipping future priests with the knowledge and skills to identify, prevent, and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
The initiative, which has already reached more than 260 seminarians at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Makurdi, Benue state, seeks to prepare future priests to recognize different forms of abuse, support survivors, and promote safer communities through their pastoral ministry.
Speaking in an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, during the three-day “Training and Capacity Building on the Prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence” for seminarians, the secretary-general of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) said the disturbing prevalence of sexual and other forms of violence in Nigeria calls for deliberate efforts to ensure respect for every human person, particularly for those who are most vulnerable.
According to Father Michael Banjo: “Seminarians must receive formation that prepares them for the responsibility of protecting people from abuse, educating the faithful, and promoting a culture in which violence is neither tolerated nor concealed.”
“The disturbing prevalence of sexual and other forms of violence in Nigeria calls us to make the Christian message of love concrete through the protection of human dignity. Every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and every act of abuse violates that dignity,” he said during the Oct. 21 interview.
The episcopal secretary of the Family and Human Life unit of CSN, Sister Cor Jesu Maria Ijeoma Eke, whose office has the mandate of training the seminarians, explained to ACI Africa at the training that the formation of seminarians was essential to extending awareness of sexual and gender-based violence beyond existing Church groups to families and communities across the country.
“These are the future priests, future bishops, the future shepherds that we will have in the Church. We decided to take this training down to them so that if we can get them to understand what sexual and gender-based violence is all about, its manifestations, its forms and everything surrounding it, it will be a better way of spreading this knowledge and seeing how we can work towards the prevention of this ill,” she said.
Eke disclosed that the training of 1,000 seminarians formed part of a capacity-building project designed to raise awareness and strengthen the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence among Catholic Church stakeholders in Nigeria.
She explained that the program aimed to ensure seminarians acquired the necessary knowledge before assuming pastoral responsibilities, particularly when individuals and families turn to the Church for guidance and assistance.
The Nigerian sister noted that priests regularly interact with people from different backgrounds through homilies, pastoral visits, apostolic work, and meetings with Church organizations, placing them in a strategic position to promote awareness and help prevent abuse.
“They are going to use the pulpit, they go for apostolic work, and they meet with other leaders and Church organizations. They can use this opportunity as future priests and all those who are really in this field to make sure that this project, this awareness creation, as well as the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, is brought under control,” she said.
Eke expressed the hope that sustained awareness and preventive action would help the Church and society move toward a future in which sexual and gender-based violence would be significantly reduced.
Eke disclosed that the project initially aimed to reach at least 1,000 seminarians across the selected major seminaries, but the number could increase as the training progresses.
In a separate interview with ACI Africa, the executive director of the Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Father George Omaku Ehusani, said the initiative was introduced to the Church in Nigeria by his foundation, identifying harmful cultural practices, domestic violence, and unequal treatment of women as some of the issues the initiative seeks to address.
“In this country, there are places where a man dies, and the wife is chased away from home, and the brothers can just come and pack all his things. Till today, the wife with children can be left empty, and the brothers will come and carry everything [away],” he said.
The initiative also addresses the treatment of domestic workers, particularly young girls brought from rural communities to work as house helps or nannies in wealthier households.
“You bring a girl from the village who is the same age as your own daughter, and put that girl through the most harrowing experiences as a house girl, as a nanny. If she breaks a plate, they beat the nonsense out of this girl. The kind of work you canʼt give your child at 12 years old, you give this girl,” he said.
According to him, the initiative uses the Gospel, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and other Church teachings to encourage Christians to reject abuse and treat vulnerable people with compassion.
“You cannot be a Christian and be violating people. You canʼt be a Christian and be brutalizing people,” he said and added: “The Ford Foundation is supporting, but it has nothing to say as to the agenda. Lux Terra developed it,” he said.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Bishop Joensen says Trump meeting ‘exploited’ for politics, while others clarify backstory
A second bishop is expressing regret over a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last week and complained that it has been “exploited” for political gain, while others who attended are clarifying the reasons they went.
On Oct. 22, the White House posted a video that showed Denver Archbishop James Golka leading a prayer with Trump, surrounded by about a dozen other bishops, who stood beside the president’s spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain and White House Faith Office Director Jennifer Korn.
The video was shared by Margo Martin, a White House communications adviser, with no news release to accompany it, nor any description of what was discussed. Golka shared the video on archdiocesan social media and clarified it was not a political endorsement.
Bishops who attended the meeting and the prayer have stated they were invited by the White House Faith Office to discuss issues of importance to Catholics: the right to life, the dignity of migrants, religious liberty, and school choice. Several have echoed Golka, emphasizing the meeting and prayer was not a political endorsement, while two have expressed regret for going.
On Oct. 25, Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob issued a “public apology” for any confusion the video caused, saying he did not know it would be shared publicly and it was not meant to be an endorsement of the president.
A second bishop — Des Moines, Iowa, Bishop William Joensen — also emphasized that it was not an endorsement and conveyed regret over the video being used for political purposes.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had no role in the meeting.
‘Exploited’ for politics
On Oct. 24, two days after the meeting, Joensen issued a statement saying: “I would have done well to be more mindful of Jesus’ admonition [in the Gospel of Matthew]: ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.’”
“I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes,” Joensen said. “I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward, even as I remain resolute in my openness to engaging and praying for political leaders at all levels.”
Joensen did not say who he was accusing of exploiting the meeting, and a spokesperson for the diocese did not respond to a request for clarification from EWTN News.
In his statement, Joensen said he was invited by officials associated with the Faith Office to talk about a variety of issues: immigration, the exploitation of the poor, visas for international clergy, advancement of a culture of life as an alternative to abortion, and support for private education.
“There was also a concluding opportunity to pray for and with our president, that God would guide his heart and impel him to lead in a way consistent with the dignity of his office,” he said.
Joensen said “there are many things” linked to the administration “at odds with our Catholic faith.” Yet, he said he attended to “have a conversation” and was informed officials “would be interested in hearing our perspective.”
When reached by EWTN News for comment, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement: “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it.”
“He stopped the weaponization of the federal government against Christians, proudly defended and expanded our religious rights, pardoned pro-life activists, stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation’s children, and protected parents’ rights,” Rogers said but did not respond to a follow-up request for a response to the comments made by Joensen and Grob.
Explanations by other bishops
In addition to Golka, Grob, and Joensen, a few other bishops have issued statements about the reasons they met and prayed with Trump in the Oval Office and what they talked about with administration officials.
The Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, provided a statement to EWTN News on behalf of Bishop Scott Bullock, which said the delegation discussed Catholic priorities: abortion, school choice, and the ethical implications of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
According to the diocesan statement, the bishops’ prayer over Trump is not an “endorsement” but is rather based in Scripture and following the instruction of St. Paul, who said “supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.”
“We went there and we prayed, and we asked the Lord to instill our leaders with wisdom and also to help them remain humble,” Bullock said.
A spokesperson for Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico’s Bishop James Wall told EWTN News that “Bishop Wall does want to express that he would accept a meeting with any politician, if invited, to discuss important church matters, regardless of the time of year and the political party, and that he offers prayers for all who hold political office, that they lead with integrity and not division.”
The office of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann, who led the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, before retirement, also released a statement indicating that during the meeting the prelate voiced concerns about chemical abortion and IVF while advocating for pro-life reproductive healthcare. He also discussed religious liberty, immigration, school choice, and protecting children from pornography.
According to the statement, Trump expressed gratitude to the bishops “for prayers asking God to bless and guide the president, his staff and the nation.” The archbishop’s office emphasized this was not an endorsement and that the bishops “were assured that no photographs would be made public.”
“They came to have a discussion on important policy matters,” the statement indicated. “As Catholic bishops, they pray with everyone, but do not endorse candidates or political parties.”
The following bishops also attended the meeting, according to the White House: Bishop Edward Burns of the Diocese of Dallas; Bishop Steven Raica of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama; Bishop Thomas Hennen of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon; Bishop Michael Barber of the Diocese of Oakland, California; Bishop Francis Kalabat of the Chaldean Catholic Church; and Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Catholic Church.
Bishop Jesús Rodríguez of Palm Beach, Florida — who did not attend the meeting — opined on the matter on X, saying any action perceived as a political endorsement by a member of the Church hierarchy “must not be construed as representing the official position of the Catholic Church.”
The meeting was also attended by Mario Enzler of the Heritage Foundation, though the Heritage Foundation has stated it did not organize it.
Venezuelan opposition leader returns from exile and attends Mass at popular shrine
María Corina Machado, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, returned to Venezuela on Oct. 25 after nearly a year in exile. In her first public appearance on Venezuelan soil, the political leader arrived at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Shepherdess in the city of Barquisimeto.
Why Machado returned
After the July 28, 2024, presidential election, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, controlled by the ruling socialist regime, declared incumbent President Nicolás Maduro to be the winner. However, opposition candidate Edmundo González claimed victory, and his organization said it had to vote tallies to prove it.
In a sense, Machado, very popular among voters, was the power behind González because although she had been banned from running for office by the Maduro regime, she campaigned openly in support of González.
To quell protests after the election, the repressive apparatus of the Maduro regime unleashed an unprecedented campaign of persecution against opposition politicians, activists, and protesters, and Machado went into hiding.
She left the country in December 2025 in a complex extraction operation coordinated from the United States that took her to Oslo, Norway.
On Jan. 3, 2026, U.S special forces captured Maduro and his wife Cilia and extradited them to the United States to face federal drug trafficking charges. Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, was named acting president but the future of the socialist regime and democracy remained very unclear.
Machado arrives in Venezuela
“I am here. With you,” Machado, who is the coordinator of the Vente Venezuela party, wrote on X around midday on Sunday, Oct. 25. Shortly thereafter, she arrived at the Shrine of the Divine Shepherdess located in Barquisimeto.
The Divine Shepherdess, taken metaphorically, is a Marian devotion that every Jan. 14 draws millions of people to the streets for one of the largest religious processions in the region and the world.
Machado attended Sunday Mass while crowds gathered inside and outside the shrine calling out, “Freedom!” Following the Eucharist, Machado boarded a vehicle to join a caravan heading toward the capital, Caracas, where she arrived the afternoon of Oct. 25.
Reactions from the United States
In Washington, D.C., President Trump stated that he was unaware of the Venezuelan leader’s return. “I don’t know anything about it,” he replied when asked by the press. “But I think she’s a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe,” he remarked.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Machado’s return is a direct result of “reconciliation talks” between the socialist government and a segment of the Venezuelan opposition, talks supported by the U.S. administration. These dialogue sessions, Rubio noted on X, have already led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the safe return of many exiles.
“The United States expects the freedoms of all sectors of Venezuelan politics to continue to be respected,” Rubio wrote. “Likewise, we expect all political actors to support these talks which represent the best chance Venezuela has had in thirty years to peacefully achieve not just a free and fair election but an enduring democracy,” he added.
This week, interim president Delcy Rodríguez, a devoted and avowed follower of Sai Baba, an Indian spiritual guru now deceased, revealed that she had sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV, prior to his lung surgery, in which she wished him good health and also requested the swift canonization of Blessed María de San José, as well as the beatification of Bishop Salvador Montes de Oca.
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.
For first time in 500 years, pope and king of England bestow religious titles on each other
Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III of England have bestowed honorary religious titles upon each other, the first time this has happened in 500 years according to the official website of the British Royal Family.
“With the gracious approval of His Majesty the King, the Dean and Canons of Windsor are delighted to announce that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St. George at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor,” states the text published on Oct.23.
The announcement highlights that both leaders sought to underscore the ties between Christian traditions, within a global context marked by polarization and conflict.
“Mindful of the value of Christian unity, in an increasingly polarised and turbulent world, The King and The Pope have joined together in Christian brotherhood and, for the first time in half a millennium, are receiving religious titles which underscore what unites rather than what separates the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England,” the text notes.
The statement adds that this gesture represents “a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity.”
It also acknowledges the historical ties between the college and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, and the Holy See, as well as the progress made in relations between the Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the Anglican Communion.
The text notes that October marks one year since the “historic state visit to the Holy See” made by King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla. On that occasion, the British monarch was received as a “royal confrater” of the papal basilica and abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. At that time, the Holy Father had already been invited to become a “papal confrater” of St. George’s at Windsor.
Just as there is already a chair for the King of England at the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, a similar chair for the pope will soon be unveiled in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. It will be consecrated in the European autumn, alongside a “mosaic icon of Christ of Cefalù, gifted to His Majesty by His Holiness during the State Visit,” the statement concluded.
The historic 2025 meeting
On Oct. 23, 2025, Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III prayed together in the Sistine Chapel, marking the first time a pope and a British monarch have prayed together during a state visit to the Vatican.
During the visit, King Charles conferred upon the pope the title of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, while the pontiff bestowed upon the monarch the honor of Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Vatican’s Order of Pius IX, and upon Queen Camilla the distinction of Dame Grand Cross of the same order.
The connection of the King of England to the papal basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
Following the arrival in England of Roman missionary monks such as St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Paulinus of York during the sixth and seventh centuries, Saxon kings including Offa and Æthelwulf contributed to the upkeep of the apostles' tombs in Rome.
Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the kings of England were recognized as “protectors” of the basilica and abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls; its coat of arms came to include the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most prestigious order in the United Kingdom. This tradition was interrupted by the Reformation and the centuries of estrangement that followed.
A new chair, bearing the royal coat of arms and the Latin inscription Ut unum sint (That they may be one), has been placed in the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for King Charles and his successors to use during future visits.
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.