Teen anticipates speaking to Pope Leo XIV at upcoming National Catholic Youth Conference
Mia Smothers is among the teens chosen to ask Pope Leo XIV questions at the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Mia Smothers said she is looking forward to the “opportunity of a lifetime” as she prepares to speak with Pope Leo XIV during a digital encounter at the upcoming National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
The Holy Father will hold a 45-minute digital encounter with young people from across the United States during the Nov. 20–22 conference hosted by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) in Indianapolis.
More than 40 teens have participated in the dialogue planning process, and five of them will get the chance to speak directly with the Holy Father. Smothers, a high school freshman from Joppa, Maryland, is the youngest teen selected to speak with the pontiff.
“I’m feeling excited,” Smothers said in a Nov. 18 interview with “EWTN News Nightly.” She added: “This is a very good opportunity for me to learn more about my faith and others around me.”
This year marks the first time Smothers will attend NCYC. She said she is looking forward to the opportunity for adoration at the conference, because she heard it “is a very powerful experience.”
Smothers said she thinks the young attendees of NCYC want to get a better understanding of how the Church wants them to act in the faith, how they can be more helpful, and how they can be more hands-on in the Church.
The NCYC team and the students who will speak with the Holy Father have been preparing and practicing in anticipation for the encounter to get a better idea of how they can establish themselves in the Church.
“We have been meeting up on Zoom and doing follow-up questions — practicing what the pope might tell us and to figure out how we could answer and how we could switch the conversation to something that we want to ask,” Smothers said.
As a teenager in the Church, Smothers is concerned about how people are supposed to find their vocations in life. She said: “I really want to ask him how he found out he wanted to become a priest and then how he felt about becoming pope.”
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime and something that you’ve never heard of and never … seen before,” Smothers said. “I plan to tell all of my siblings, all of my friends, and everyone at my school … to be involved and see what the pope wants for us.”
The Vatican choosing to set up this dialogue with the youth at the conference is “making a difference,” Smothers said. She said the Vatican and the pope are starting something that will be passed on to the following generations.
It is impactful that the pope himself is going to be “talking with young kids and trying to make a difference in their lives,” Smothers said.
Burials for little ones: How a New Orleans ministry helps families grieve
A family grieves their lost baby at a funeral at the crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans. Many friends, relatives, and families attended the funeral that day. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies
CNA Staff, Nov 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Sandy Schaetz still mourns the baby she never met.
“It was terrifying and traumatic,” she said of her miscarriage. “I was consoled after by the prayers of a deacon, but never named the baby or knew if it was a boy or girl.”
“It was not something I understood at the time and I only wish I had known more of what was happening,” she told CNA.
Now, Schaetz volunteers with Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies (CBIB), an organization that buries babies who died, whether stillborn, miscarried, or aborted.
The group organizes everything for the funerals, which are held at a crypt at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in New Orleans.
A shoebox-sized casket lined with donated white fabric, usually from wedding dresses, is processed through the cemetery, with Knights of Columbus present as the honor guard. A volunteer musician plays at every funeral; a Catholic deacon presides at almost every burial.
When Schaetz attended her first burial service as a volunteer, it hit her to the core.
“I find it difficult to put into words how it affected me,” Schaetz said. “All God needed me to do that day was to be present, to pray, to honor the life he had created.”
“It opened my eyes to how each life is such a gift, and when that life ends how important it is to show respect and pray for the soul and bury the dead with love,” Schaetz said.
Death and resurrection
Women who lose children through miscarriage often suffer silently, according to Lise Naccari, the founder of CBIB.
“Losing a child is hard. Often women suffer in silence the pain of infant loss and ride that sad emotional roller coaster ride alone,” Naccari told CNA.
One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage — a devastating statistic for many couples.
Naccari herself experienced a miscarriage as well as several challenging pregnancies.
“I feel a special connection with poor mothers who have lost a child. My heart goes out to them,” Naccari said.
Naccari buries the babies who were wanted and loved, but also the babies who were thrown out or mistreated.
“CBIB has buried babies as big as a blueberry and up to 2 years old,” Naccari said. “We buried babies stillborn, miscarried, abandoned, unclaimed, aborted, murdered, and thrown away in the trash — and every situation possible.”
“Many babies were mistreated, abused, and tossed out … these are heartbreaking funerals to go to,” Naccari said.
“Babies are left sometimes because some families can not afford funerals for them but would like one,” Naccari said. “Also, many parents are young, and the grief can be overwhelming and they cannot navigate through funeral arrangements.”
Her life’s work is to bury the dead — and she looks to the Resurrection.
“I consider what I do holy,” Naccari said. “I feel like this is my vocation and I know God orchestrated all of this. I give all honor and glory to him, our loving Father.”
“What I do is not about sorrow and death,” Naccari continued. “What I do is really about joy and life — eternal life.”
It’s not an easy job, and Naccari looks to God for strength.
“Lord, I don’t want to do this anymore. It hurts my heart too much,” Naccari remembered praying as she prepared one baby for burial — a baby girl who had been abandoned and tossed out after she was born.
“I felt a still small voice within me say, ‘Lise, don’t think about their bodies, focus on the Resurrection,’” Naccari recalled.
“The sunlight from the stained-glass windows was shining down a warm yellow color on my face, as I looked up in it and I thought, yes, this is what I needed to hear to keep going — focus on the Resurrection,” she continued.
A resource for women in need
Sheena Lewis was in jail when her son, still a baby, passed away. She couldn’t attend the funeral, but Naccari organized the burial for her.
Lewis, now sober and out of jail, visits her son’s crypt often.
“I have solace in the fact he was laid to rest in a beautiful manner when I couldn’t be there for him or myself at the time,” Lewis told CNA.
Many young mothers CBIB helps are often “steeped in poverty” and have no support system. They are often “low income, uneducated, coming from sometimes addiction or problem homes,” Naccari said.
“Often I find at these funerals that the young mothers are alone or they may come with children or other women — but there are no men to help support them,” Naccari said.
“My heart is broken for them, for they are not only battling their poverty, they also have to deal with losing a child,” she said.
A moment to mourn
Funerals help families process their grief — a grief that’s often hidden away due to the nature of miscarriages.
Deacon Ricky Suprean preaches at almost every graveside burial — but after a couple years of volunteering, he realized God had called him to this so he could find healing.
Suprean and his wife, Lynn, experienced two miscarriages.
Suprean struggled to process it at the time, but through his volunteering, he’s found some healing. He still remembers the first CBIB funeral he presided at.
“I felt the power of life that day,” he told CNA. “It was cold. I had no idea I would kneel in front of each little coffin and pray for each child and each family with my hand touching each coffin.”
Volunteers hugged each family member, he recalled.
“God has allowed me to give a proper burial to my own two lost children through CBIB time and time again,” Suprean said.
“God created these children in my wife’s womb, and they will be waiting for us in heaven,” Suprean continued.
Struggling to process grief is common with loss of children, according to Naccari.
“Too often people are hurting so much and don’t want to face a funeral,” Naccari said. “They feel vulnerable and so it is easier to turn away and do nothing.”
“But on the contrary, I have observed that these funerals provide consolation, comfort, solace, and even a healthy way of healing after the loss of a baby,” Naccari said.
“It’s a good grief,” Naccari continued. “Funerals are about love and holding onto friends and family at a time of need. It can be life-changing.”
Some funerals have had as many as 100 people in attendance.
Many volunteers are “faithfully committed” to being present at every funeral.
“It could be freezing cold or blistering hot in the summer, but they just show up and either help set up, greet the parents, or stand tall next to a casket to show the love of Jesus to our families,” Naccari said.
These funerals “allow parents that special moment to mourn their loss and to remember their little one and ponder the person that little one could have been,” Naccari said.
“CBIB celebrates each life, and we believe that God somehow rights all the wrongs and makes all things new,” Naccari said. “And then we move to the next funeral.”
DHS official justifies immigration enforcement with St. Augustine’s ‘City of God’
A man seeking asylum from Colombia is detained by federal agents as he attends his court hearing in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on Oct. 27, 2025, in New York City. / Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 19, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).
The U.S. government used Christian philosophy for its justification of immigration enforcement efforts, relying on St. Augustine’s “City of God” as validation.
The “blameless poor” are different from lawbreakers when considering how to interpret Scripture to show charity toward immigrants, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in response to concerns raised by U.S. Catholic bishops about immigration policy.
U.S. bishops said in the Nov. 12 special message: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and cited Matthew 25, where Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Nate Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, said when considering that verse, one should recognize “a key distinction” in how to demonstrate charity “when you’re talking about people who have knowingly broken laws to get somewhere” as opposed to “a much different situation than dealing with the blameless poor who are citizens of the same country.”
He referenced writings by St. Augustine in “City of God” on the compatibility of both justice and mercy, saying the two are not contradictory. Madden, who wears a Benedictine ring, said, in some cases, DHS has to deal with “severe criminals,” and in all cases, “illegal immigration is itself illegal.”
“We have to take into account that laws were broken,” Madden said. He said authorities do ensure the “human dignity” of migrants is protected.
“We are upholding federal law that’s been in place for 60 years,” he said. “We are upholding federal laws that were justly and duly passed by the United States Congress, by the American people … and none of those laws are unjust.”
The message by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voiced concerns with deportations, the revocation of some migrants’ temporary protected legal status, and conditions they believe threaten the “God-given human dignity” of migrants.
“Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants,” it reads. “We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict.”
The unified message passed during the USCCB’s Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, with 216 bishops voting in favor of the language, five voting against it, and three abstaining. The last time bishops approved a special message was in 2013 in opposition to a federal contraception mandate.
DHS: ‘Your dignity is going to be respected’
Madden said detainees “are going to be treated like a person, and your dignity is going to be respected,” and through the entirety of the proceedings, officials “will respect your human dignity the entire time.”
When asked whether DHS agrees with the bishops that “human dignity and national security are not in conflict,” Madden responded: “Oh, 100% — they’re absolutely compatible.”
“They’re completely in line with what we believe about the human person, what we believe about human liberty, what we believe about human freedom and dignity and rights,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing. And it’s what we’ve been doing this entire time.”
A specific concern the bishops expressed was “the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.” Over the past month, a point of contention was the conditions of the facility in Broadview, Illinois, and the inability for clergy to provide Communion to the Catholic detainees.
“People shouldn’t be sleeping next to overflowing toilets,” U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said and noted he had not yet taken up the issue of the lights being kept on all the time in the facility.
An ongoing lawsuit alleges unsanitary conditions, inadequate food and water, a lack of personal hygiene products, and no access to pastoral services in violation of the Constitution. While DHS says detainees are only meant to be there for up to 12 hours for processing, detainees testified about remaining there for several days.
Madden said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not accommodate the clergy’s requests for services at Broadview because of safety concerns but that pastoral resources are available at all detention facilities where migrants are held over 72 hours. He rejected the claims of poor conditions, calling them false.
When detainees are transferred to more long-term detention centers, Madden said they have access to pastoral care, doctors, lawyers, medical treatments, and nutritionists.
“The entire time that everyone is in ICE custody, they are having their immediate needs [met], whether that’s health, lawyers, medical, food,” he said. “Everything is being met.”
‘We are upholding federal law’
U.S. bishops objected to the large-scale deportation efforts, which Madden said is simply an enforcement of federal laws.
Madden noted that President Donald Trump has offered an opportunity to self-deport, which will allow a person to leave the country without going through the deportation proceedings, provide them with a stipend, and allow them to seek a legal pathway back into the United States if they wish.
He said that policy is “incredibly humane” and grants mercy to people who are in the country illegally.
“This administration cares deeply about the intrinsic human dignity of everybody it comes in contact with,” Madden said. “Whether you are a citizen, whether you are somebody in our custody who is being removed from the country, you have that dignity … [and] that worth just simply by being made in the image of God and this administration respects and upholds that.”
Pope Leo XIV has also spoken about deportations and immigration enforcement in the United States.
On Nov. 18, the pontiff urged Americans to listen to the message from the bishops, and said many migrants who lack legal status “are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years” and the government should not “treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful.”
In his October papal exhortation Dilexi Te, the pope reminded that the Church Fathers recalled “that the Gospel is proclaimed correctly only when it impels us to touch the flesh of the least among us, and warning that doctrinal rigor without mercy is empty talk.”
Pope Leo XIV says missionaries ‘become a presence everywhere of the whole Church’
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd at the Vatican general audience on Oct. 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 18:26 pm (CNA).
In an audience with members of the diplomatic service at the papal missions, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that they have been chosen to “become a presence everywhere of the whole Church and, in particular, of the pastoral solicitude of the pope, who presides over it in charity.”
Within the context of the Jubilee of Hope, the Holy Father recalled that the holy year is “a providential opportunity to rediscover and deepen the beauty of our vocation, that is, our common call to holiness, which commits us each day to be witnesses of Christ, the living hope for the world.”
Reflecting on the missionaries’ service of “carrying the redeeming word of the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” the pope pointed out that the great missionaries remind us that inculturation is not a superficial matter, “because it springs from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve.”
“Your unique service is arduous and therefore requires a heart burning for God and open to all people; it demands study and skill, self-denial and courage; it grows in trust in Jesus and in docility to the Church, which is expressed through obedience to superiors,” he said.
Given the diversity of cultures and places where the papal representatives work, the pope invited them to bear witness “as priests in love with Christ and dedicated to building up his body.” He also encouraged them to be “a reflection of the affection and closeness that the pope has” for every ecclesial community.
In particular, he focused his attention on those living in contexts of hardship, conflict, and poverty, where moments of discouragement are common: “Precisely in these efforts, remember that the Church sustains you in prayer: Therefore, strengthen your priestly identity by drawing strength from the sacraments, from fraternal communion, and from constant docility to the Holy Spirit,” he counseled them.
He encouraged them to be mindful of their daily actions and to avoid isolation.
“The great missionaries remind us, in fact, that inculturation is not a folkloric [superficial] attitude, because it is born from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve,” he explained.
He also urged them to “confirm” their motivation by listening to the Holy Spirit and to nurture prayer: “May the light of the tabernacle dispel shadows and anxieties, illuminating the path you are traveling.”
“Holding fast to this miracle of grace, be pilgrims of hope precisely where people lack justice and peace,” he added.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Leo XIV encourages stronger climate actions
The United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Belém, Brazil, Nov. 6-21, 2025. / Credit: Raimundo Pacco/COP30
ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 16:26 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV said ”stronger climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems” in a video message to the local Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazonian Museum in Belém, Brazil, for the United Nations climate conference (COP30).
The Holy Father greeted the representatives of bishops’ conferences from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia on Nov. 17, joining “the prophetic voice of my brother cardinals who have taken part in COP30, telling the world with words and gestures that the Amazon region remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.”
COP30, which Belém is hosting, brings together a diverse group of leaders and scientists from around the world in an event that, according to the United Nations, aims to “discuss the priority measures needed to address climate change.”
Church hierarchy in attendance include cardinals Felipe Neri Ferrão, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; and Jaime Spengler, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council.
Leo XIV told the Catholic leaders that “you have chosen hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together.”
“This has delivered progress, but not enough. Hope and determination must be renewed, not only in words and aspirations but also in concrete actions,” he said.
The pope warned that “the creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms, and relentless heat. One in three people lives in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity.”
“There is still time to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5°C (2.7° F), but the window is closing. As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift he entrusted to us,” he said.
The Holy Father then referred to the Paris Agreement, among whose 195 signatories is the Holy See, noting that “it has driven real progress and remains our strongest tool for protecting people and the planet.”
“But we must be honest: It is not the agreement that is failing,” the pope continued. “We are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service and support at a scale that will truly make a difference.”
Leo XIV affirmed that “strong climate actions and policies both are an investment in a more just and stable world.”
The pontiff noted that “we walk alongside scientists, leaders, and pastors of every nation and creed. We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its spoils. Let us send a clear global signal together: nations standing in unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Leo XIV urges humane treatment of immigrants, calls for heeding U.S. bishops’ message
The plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gets underway on Nov. 11, 2025, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. First row, left to right: Father Michael J.K. Fuller, general secretary; Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president, and Archbishop William E. Lori, vice president. / Credit: Jack Haskins/EWTN News
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV said immigrants must be treated with dignity, and he encouraged all people in the United States to heed the bishops’ message on immigration.
“No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” Pope Leo XIV said Nov. 18 outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo before returning to Rome after a daylong stay there.
“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least — and there’s been some violence, unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said. I think that I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Nov. 12 overwhelmingly opposed the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants who lack legal status and urged the government to uphold the dignity of migrants.
Speaking in English, the first U.S.-born pope responded to a journalist’s question asking whether the pope could take credit for the bishops’ statement on immigration because U.S. bishops believe the pope has “got their back” on immigration. The pope replied that immigrants must be treated with dignity even if they lack legal status.
“I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice. I think there are a lot of problems in the system,” the pope said.
In October, the pope used the word “inhuman” to refer to the immigration crackdown in the United States.
When journalists asked about a Chicago-area immigration facility where detainees have been barred from receiving Communion, Pope Leo said: “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people.”
U.S. bishops met in Baltimore on Nov. 12 to approve a special message on immigration.
“I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it’s a very important statement. I would invite, especially all Catholics, but people of will to listen carefully to what they said,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV on Nigeria: ‘Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered’
Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025. / Credit: Red Confidential/Shutterstock
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA).
Both Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered in Nigeria, where there is terrorist activity over economic questions, Pope Leo XIV told journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence on Tuesday evening.
“I think in Nigeria, in certain areas, there is certainly a danger for Christians, but for all people. Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered,” he said, addressing a question from EWTN News about the safety of Nigerian Christians on Nov. 18.
“There’s a question of terrorism. There’s a question that has to do a lot with economics, if you will, and control of the lands that they have,” the pope continued. “Unfortunately, many Christians have died, and I think it’s very, it’s important to seek a way for the government, with all peoples, to promote authentic religious freedom.”
Leo answered questions from journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, to return to the Vatican after spending the day at the papal retreat, located 18 miles south of Rome.
As he left his residence, Leo was greeted to enthusiastic cheers from a small group of people, including several engaged couples participating in a marriage preparation course at the local parish. The young people, together with their pastor, Father Tadeusz Rozmus, gave the pope a framed photo of their group.
U.S. President Donald Trump made Nigeria a country of particular concern on Nov. 3. The U.S. government gives the designation to countries identified as having or tolerating particularly severe religious freedom violations.
In the wake of the designation, Nigeria’s government denied that ongoing violence in the country is based on religious affiliation or that Christians are being targeted in particular.
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality,” authorities said in a statement posted on X on Sept. 28.
“Terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology — Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike,” the statement continued. “Christianity is neither endangered nor marginalized in Nigeria.”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, drew criticism last month after telling journalists that violence in Nigeria was “not a religious conflict, but rather a social conflict, for example, between herders and farmers.”
Parolin’s remarks were made on the sidelines of a conference for the release of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report.
“Let’s keep in mind that many Muslims who come to Nigeria are victims of this intolerance,” he continued.” So, these extremist groups, these groups that make no distinctions to advance their goals, their objectives, use violence against anyone they perceive as an opponent.”
Parolin’s comments repeat “the Nigerian government’s talking points that obfuscate and downplay the persecution of the Catholic faithful and other Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” Nina Shea, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.
The religious freedom report from Aid to the Church in Need found “a severe and escalating wave of violence, largely driven by extremist Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)” during the two-year reporting period.
The report affirms that religious affiliation plays an important role in the ongoing violence in Nigeria, alongside other social causes, including poverty, preexisting ethnic and intercommunal violence, and conflict over land and water disputes between Fulani herders and non-Fulani farmers.
“Although exact figures are difficult to assess, Christians have been the target of extrajudicial killings and abductions by insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” the report states.
“It is also important to note that, although Christians suffer the brunt of extremist violence, the fact that the terrorist groups operate in states with a predominantly Muslim population means that the violence has not only affected Christians but also Muslims,” it continues.
New York sees rising Catholic conversions amid broader national trends
A Eucharistic procession sponsored by the Napa Institute passes by Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Oct. 15, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).
A rising number of New Yorkers are reportedly converting to the Catholic Church, with the spike in converts coming as the U.S. bishops say increasing numbers of men and women are coming into the faith in this country.
The New York Post found that multiple New York City Catholic churches have year-over-year double or even triple the number of adults signing up to become Catholic through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).
At one parish, St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, interest in OCIA tripled since last year, with about 130 people signing up, according to the paper. At St. Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side, numbers have doubled to nearly 90 participants.
Sign-ups at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral also doubled to about 100, according to the report.
Many converts reportedly cited the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk as a motivator for their conversions. In addition to his political activism, Kirk, an evangelical Protestant, often spoke about the importance of faith in God.
This report follows a trend of rising OCIA numbers throughout the U.S.
The National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, reported in April on rising conversions across dioceses. Many new Catholics cited immigration, evangelization, and the National Eucharistic Revival as reasons they found their way into the Catholic Church last Easter.
The U.S. bishops last week during their annual fall assembly in Baltimore also noted these rising numbers in a discussion about the National Eucharistic Revival as they approved the next National Eucharistic Congress for 2029.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who spearheaded the most recent congress, said during a session on Nov. 12 that the revival was “a time of great grace for the Church in the United States.”
His diocese, he said, had its largest OCIA class in 20 years.
During the session, the bishops offered a show of hands of those who had large numbers of OCIA participants in their dioceses, with many bishops indicating rising numbers of converts.
“Praise God. Let’s hope that this trend continues,” Cozzens said at the time.
Federal officials encourage clergy to ‘reach out’ on pastoral care for detainees
Auxiliary Bishop Jose María García-Maldonado and spiritual leaders attempt to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, facility and were not admitted Nov. 1, 2025. / Credit: Bryan Sebastian, courtesy of Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).
Officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encouraged clergy and religious volunteers to coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure detainees have access to holy Communion and religious services.
In an exclusive statement to EWTN, federal authorities affirmed that ICE facilitates religious services at all locations designed to hold detainees for more than 72 hours. Processing facilities that hold detainees for shorter periods may not qualify, according to DHS, although the constitutional right of access to pastoral care is at issue in a lawsuit involving people detained at an Illinois facility.
Although federal authorities said the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago was designed to hold people for 12 hours, detainees have testified in court that this is not always the reality in practice. A detainee said he was there for six days.
DHS alleged that “widespread misinformation and the news media” stoked confusion about the pastoral care policy and “turned religious services at ICE facilities into a political prop, threatening the safety of volunteers and detainees alike.”
Earlier this month, CNA and other outlets reported that Catholic clergy were denied access to the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago despite repeated attempts to get approval through the agency’s processes to provide detainees with Communion.
DHS said Broadview is not a detention facility but rather a field office and ICE cannot accommodate those requests. It said: “Illegal aliens are only briefly held there for processing before being transferred to a detention facility.”
Pastoral care at detention facilities
The DHS statement said religious volunteers are “highly encouraged” to contact any detention facilities meant to hold migrants for more than 72 hours “to provide services to detainees.”
“[ICE] welcomes religious and pastoral visits at its regular detention facilities and encourages religious volunteers to reach out to those facilities,” the statement said.
DHS provided a link to about 120 detention facilities for religious leaders to contact. Volunteers must meet the standard visitation requirements for approval, which includes advanced notice, identification, and a background check.
Every over-72-hour detention facility has chaplains and religious service coordinators, according to the statement, and detainees of all faiths “should be provided reasonable and equitable opportunities to practice their religious faith.” Access may be limited if there is a documented threat to safety, security, or orderly control of facility operations.
“We are diligent in making sure that those who we have in detention have access to that pastoral care [and] those religious services that they need, within reason, under the First Amendment,” Nate Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told CNA.
“We welcome religious sisters, religious brothers, and friars and priests and everybody who can to go through those proper channels, fill out the appropriate paperwork, provide the proper notice, and work with us to make sure that these detainees have their religious needs met,” he said.
Ongoing concerns with Broadview
The DHS statement said it was “not within standard operating procedure” for religious services to be held at Broadview because it is not designed to hold detainees for long periods. Threats to safety have also made accommodation difficult, it said.
“ICE staff has repeatedly informed religious organizations that due to these ongoing threats and Broadview’s status as a field office, they are unable to accommodate requests for religious services,” the statement read.
According to DHS, rioters have assaulted and opened fire at law enforcement, destroyed vehicles, and thrown tear gas cans in Chicago. Protests at the ICE facility have become commonplace, and an alliance of more than 100 faith leaders of various denominations have come to the Broadview facility to push back on “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal effort in Illinois to round up hundreds of immigrants lacking legal status since September. Among them was unarmed pastor David Black of the First Presbyterian Church in the Woodlawn neighborhood who was hit in the head with ICE pepper balls.
DHS’ Madden said: “Our ICE officers are facing a thousand-percent increase in assaults on the job and an 8,000% increase in death threats. And law enforcement is a dangerous business.”
Even if pastoral workers were given access to Broadview in the past, Madden said law enforcement is “dealing with danger on the inside” and “dealing with danger on the outside. He said: “As part of our Catholic faith, we understand that we have to make prudential decisions when it comes to protecting safety and human life and dignity and everything else.”
Madden, who wears a Benedictine ring, urged people to “fulfill your Christian duty to come visit those in prison, visit those who are in detention.”
“Take Communion, take what you need,” he said. “Just go through the process, work with us, not against us. And we’ll figure out a way to do this so that everybody’s dignity is respected and that everybody gets what they need.”
In court filings, detainees have not only alleged that they are being kept at Broadview much longer than 12 hours but have also alleged unsanitary conditions, inadequate food and water, and a lack of personal hygiene products. They also alleged overcrowding, although the number of detainees at the facility has drastically declined in recent weeks, according to WTTW.
A judge issued a temporary restraining order to require the government to address the concerns, and a status hearing in the case is set for Nov. 19. Madden said the allegations about overcrowding and poor conditions are false.
“ICE runs these facilities to the highest standards possible and they respect the dignity of the human person for every single detainee that comes into their area of responsibility,” he said. “And they maintain that throughout the entire time that they are in ICE custody, all the way through from entrance to exit.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a special pastoral message on immigration Nov. 12 expressing concerns about mass deportations and the government’s treatment of migrants.
“We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,” the statement said, in part.
How an American missionary empowered Bangladesh’s Christian community
Leaders of the Christian community lay wreaths at the grave of Father Charles Joseph Young at the Holy Rosary Church cemetery in Dhaka on Nov. 14, 2025. / Credit: Stephan Uttom Rozario
Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov 18, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).
On the 37th anniversary of his death, Bangladesh’s Christian community honored an American Holy Cross priest and microcredit pioneer who transformed their economic future — Father Charles Joseph Young, whose cooperative credit union has grown from 50 members and barely any money in 1955 to 46,000 members with $122.6 million in capital today.
On Nov. 14, the country’s most respected cooperative, the Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd., Dhaka — known as Dhaka Credit — and other cooperatives marked Young’s death anniversary with events including tributes at his grave, a Mass, and public discussions on his life and impact.
“If Dhaka Credit had not stood by me today, I would not have been a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur,” said 45-year-old Shukli Kubi, a Garo tribal mother of two.
Kubi, originally from a rural area in Mymensingh Diocese in central Bangladesh, came to Dhaka in search of a livelihood and started working in a beauty parlor for just 500 taka (the equivalent of $4 today) about 15 years ago. After gaining experience, she has now opened a parlor of her own and is considering a loan from Dhaka Credit to expand.
“I easily took a loan from Dhaka Credit to buy at least 150 decimals of land in the village and opened a beauty parlor in Dhaka, where 10 employees are now working,” she said.
Many workers in Kubi’s parlor have gone on to open their own, albeit on a smaller scale, and she is planning to expand further. “I tell people, save some money in Dhaka Credit and take a loan to buy land for yourself or start a business like me,” Kubi said.
Dhaka Credit is a cooperative run by lay Christians in Bangladesh, founded in 1955 under Young’s leadership. The organization, which started with only 50 members and a capital of 25 taka (the equivalent of about $0.20 today), now has 46,000 members and a capital of about $122.6 million. It operates the Divine Mercy Hospital Ltd., a 300-bed facility — the first hospital established by lay Christians in the country — with more than a thousand employees.
At the time of its founding, Catholics in Bangladesh were financially vulnerable and often forced to take loans from landlords at high interest rates. Young established the credit union movement to lift the Christian community out of poverty, explained Michael John Gomes, president of Dhaka Credit. Gomes noted that, due to Young’s influence, more than 250 cooperatives now exist in parishes across the country.
To keep Young’s legacy alive, Dhaka Credit established the Father Charles J. Young Foundation, which benefits people of all religions in Bangladesh. The foundation seeks to create employment for poor and educated unemployed youth via skills training, educational support, and research.
American-born Young established a housing project for Christians in Bangladesh. He was born May 3, 1904, in Auburn, New York, the fourth and youngest child of Daniel F. Young and Mary Anne (Jennings) Young. He grew up in St. Mary’s Orphanage in Rochester, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph, received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1929, and was ordained a priest on June 24, 1933.
Upon his arrival in Bangladesh, Young served in various parishes, spending much of his life among the Garo tribal people. In 1953, the then-archbishop of Dhaka, Lawrence Leo Graner, CSC, sent him to study cooperatives at the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University in Canada. Upon his return, he established Dhaka Credit.
According to the book “Father Charles J. Young, CSC, Father of Credit Union in Bangladesh,” by Father Richard William Timm, CSC, Young dedicated himself to forming credit unions for the poorest, recognizing their dependence on moneylenders and understanding their needs from firsthand experience.
The American priest believed the purpose of credit unions was to help people learn to be frugal — not for charity or profit but for service.
Swadhin Mandal, who started with several loans from Dhaka Credit to build a rent-a-car business, is now a successful entrepreneur employing 10 drivers with eight cars. “If Father Young had not started this cooperative movement, I would not have been able to start this business today,” Mandal said.
After the 1947 partition, Young played a critical role in alleviating a housing crisis and resolving the Garo land problem. During the devastating cyclone of 1970, Young hurried back from leave in the U.S. to participate in relief and later co-founded the Christian Relief and Rehabilitation Organization — the precursor to Caritas Bangladesh.
Young and the Catholic Church made a significant contribution during and after the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, including arranging management training for funds received by Caritas and establishing a residential hostel for students in Dhaka.
Poverty alleviation and community self-development were significant challenges during Young’s era, recalled Babu Markus Gomes, vice chairman of the Father Charles J. Young Foundation. “Father Young is the father of Dhaka Credit and the credit union movement, but he did not seek to be its president. He spread this movement throughout the country, leading those for whose quality of life this union was created,” Gomes said.
“He spread the word of Christ to everyone, regardless of race, religion, or caste. Whenever someone wants to build a credit union, they recall this great priest — people of all faiths remember him, and the word of Christ spreads throughout the country as a result,” Gomes added.
Young died on Nov. 14, 1988, in a road accident while riding his motorcycle to his residence. He was buried at the Holy Rosary Church’s cemetery in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
“We can work to canonize Father Young based on his life’s immortal contribution to humanity,” Gomes said during a recent homage at Young’s grave.
Holy Cross Father Hubert Liton Gomes, a cooperative expert, said if the Church is willing, the cause for canonizing Young could move forward.
“Canonizing is not a one-day task; it requires research, prayer, and effort. The Church has to consider many things, but we can take the initiative,” said Gomes, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bangladesh Catholic Bishops’ Conference.