Vatican cardinal visits UK to promote interfaith dialogue and peace
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Vaticanʼs Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is undertaking his first official visit to the United Kingdom.
Running Oct. 16–22, the high-profile visit centers on the theme "Together in Prayer and Dialogue for Peace.”
Koovakad’s itinerary includes visits to London and Birmingham, featuring meetings with representatives from various faith traditions, including members of the Dharmic and Sikh communities.
The weeklong journey includes marking the 10th anniversary of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain and addressing seminarians to emphasize grassroots bridge-building.
The last official visit to the U.K. by the head of the Vaticanʼs Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue took place in 2013, when Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran undertook a similar high-profile journey to engage with faith communities in Britain.
As Pope Leo XIV recovers at Romeʼs Gemelli Hospital following a successful surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, high-profile diplomatic initiatives like Koovakad’s U.K. visit are vital for maintaining the Vaticanʼs active global engagement and reinforcing the Holy See’s continuous commitment to interfaith bridge-building and peace.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the cardinal stressed that interreligious dialogue remains a fundamental opportunity for Catholics to witness to their faith. He noted that fostering mutual understanding, respect, and enduring peace is a shared responsibility for all believers.
Catholic leaders call on Congress to protect disability rights after DOJ legal shift
Catholic leaders are urging the U.S. Congress to defend disability rights, warning that a new Justice Department (DOJ) legal interpretation could threaten community-based care and increase the risk of unnecessary institutionalization.
In a Oct. 14 letter, six Catholic leaders expressed concern over a June 18 legal opinion in which the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) reversed its long-standing interpretation of Olmstead v. L.C.
Olmstead v L.C. is a 1999 Supreme Court decision that ruled that unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In its June opinion, the OLC said that neither Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) nor Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act imposes a general legal obligation on states to provide services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.
The OLC also said that the Supreme Court’s decision did not establish the broad integration mandate that the DOJ and most federal courts had understood it to require, and that the ADA does not require community placement whenever a treating professional considers it appropriate, an individual wants it, and community services can reasonably be provided.
The OLC opinion also argued that these factors are relevant but do not necessarily exhaust the justifications states may offer for institutional care. It stressed that the Supreme Court had not conclusively resolved which justifications are legally permissible.
The practical implication of the OLC’s interpretation is that it would give states greater latitude to maintain institutional care and narrow the legal basis for requiring states to expand or provide community-based alternatives.
The Catholic signatories to the letter described the OLC opinion as “deeply troubling” and urged Congress to “do everything in its power to affirm the rights of persons living with disabilities to flourish in their families and communities.”
“Congress must act to protect the programs, policies, and resources that persons with disabilities and their families rely on to thrive,” the letter stated.
The letter’s signatories include Archbishop Shelton Fabre, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop Edward Burns, chair of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States; Leo Zanchettin, board chair of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability; Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA; and Father Chris Kellerman, SJ, secretary of justice and ecology for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
The leaders grounded their appeal in Catholic teaching on the dignity and rights of people with disabilities. The 1978 “Pastoral Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities” states that the Church’s defense of the right to life “implies the defense of other rights that enable the disabled individual to achieve the fullest measure of personal development of which he or she is capable.” These include equal opportunities in education, employment, and housing as well as access to public accommodations, facilities, and services.
With this in mind, “institutionalization should be a last resort because it deprives persons of these rights and opportunities while also stripping communities of the presence and participation of such persons,” the letter declared.
The letter emphasized that parishes, schools, and social and health ministries across the country “are enriched and blessed by the opportunity to worship with, serve alongside, and learn from persons with disabilities.”
The signatories of the letter said that the path forward begins with the family, “which Church teaching regards as essential for persons to flourish.”
“In this vein, when the Supreme Court decided Olmstead in 1999, it recognized that most persons with disabilities can thrive with their families or in community-based settings, and that the government has an obligation to support them to the extent possible,” the letter stated. “As a result, Catholic hospitals, charities, schools, ministries, and parishes across the country work with public services to ensure persons with disabilities and their families have the resources they need to live healthy, vibrant, and productive lives.”
Therefore, the Catholic leaders called Olmstead v L.C. a “linchpin” of this system and warned that “without its civil rights framework, persons with disabilities, their families, and the community organizations that support them simply will not have access to the resources they need and deserve.”
The signatories expressed support for members of Congress who have already called on the administration to rescind the OLC opinion and encouraged other lawmakers to join the effort.
“Congress should do everything in its power to protect persons living with disabilities — including reaffirming that the ADA requires states and local governments to provide services to persons with disabilities in their communities when appropriate,” the letter stated.
Pope Leo XIV calls world hunger a ‘terrible offense’ against human dignity
Pope Leo XIV on Friday called world hunger a “terrible offense” against human dignity and emphasized that adequate food is a basic human right.
“It is a terrible offense against human dignity to prevent bread from reaching any person or to destroy the means by which it is produced,” the pontiff wrote in a message published for World Food Day.
Still recovering from surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Leo addressed his message to Qu Dongyu, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). World Food Day, celebrated every year on Oct. 16 to highlight world hunger, also marks the organization’s founding in 1945.
‘World hunger remains due to lack of charity’
In his message, Leo lamented the challenge of world hunger and questioned how some can speak of technological innovation while food shortages persist.
“Hunger cannot be considered a statistical anomaly, for it is caused mainly by a lack of political will and collective charity,” Leo said.
“Today, people speak of innovation with great confidence,” Leo said. “However, this term is often used only in reference to the development of devices and algorithms, or the optimization of performance merely for the sake of financial gain.”
A new global food order
According to FAO’s annual report for 2025, an estimated 645 million people worldwide experienced hunger, mainly distributed across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. According to the same report, 35.5 million children were severely malnourished, and war remained the “primary driver of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.”
Leo also said that food shortages should never be “used as a weapon of war” and encouraged the United Nations to work toward a “new global food order” in which technology ensures food for all.
“Regular access to safe, adequate and sufficient food, in keeping with the dignity of every person, is a basic human right,” the pope wrote.
“A new global food order is essential — one in which technological innovation is unconditionally subordinated to respect for God-given human dignity and the universal common good.”
The pope’s remarks on world hunger follow his June visit to the headquarters of the World Food Programme in Rome, where he emphasized the need to focus on humanity to combat hunger worldwide.
Vatican releases first photos of Pope Leo XIV following surgery
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at Gemelli Hospital on Friday after undergoing surgery Oct. 13 for a cancerous tumor in his right lung.
In two photographs released by the Vatican, the first since his hospitalization, the Holy Father can be seen standing and wearing the green liturgical vestments used during this period of the liturgical year.
In one image, he appears with his hands joined in prayer; the other was taken during the consecration and shows the popeʼs secretary at his right side.
Vatican sources said that the pope distributed Communion during the Eucharistic celebration. In previous days, the Vatican had specified that the pontiff had only concelebrated Mass with his collaborators.
Members of the hospital’s medical and nursing staff, and gendarmes responsible for the pope’s security, were also present at the pope’s Mass on Friday.
“In his homily, the pope thanked all healthcare personnel — doctors, nurses and nursing assistants — for the work they carry out every day caring for the sick and for those in fragile conditions, and in particular for everything they have done and continue to do for him,” the statement released by the Holy See Press Office said.
In the medical bulletin released Friday, Oct. 16, the Vatican also confirmed that the pontiffʼs clinical condition continues to improve.
The statement published by the Holy See and prepared by the popeʼs personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and the surgeon who performed the operation, Stefano Margaritora, notes that the Holy Father “underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray, the results of which confirmed the steady improvement in his overall condition.”
Respiratory physiotherapy sessions also continued. The doctors further specified that his “favorable postoperative recovery allows him to carry out his normal daily activities with complete autonomy.”
Vatican sources also indicated that the pope will publicly lead the Angelus on Sunday, although it has not yet been determined whether it will be from the hospital or the Vatican.
All appointments on Leo XIV’s schedule through Oct. 20 have been canceled, though the Vatican has not ruled out the possibility that he could be discharged before then. For now, doctors have not changed the timeline for his release from the hospital, which is expected to be next Tuesday.
Letters from children hospitalized at Gemelli
On Friday, the pope also received several letters in his hospital room from young patients receiving treatment in the pediatric oncology department of the same hospital. In them, the children share their personal experiences and assure him of their prayers.
Among the letter writers was Angelo, a 7-year-old boy who has been hospitalized for 36 days and who found in writing a way to reach out to the pontiff.
The child, from Taurisano in the Italian province of Lecce, explained in his letter that he is also hospitalized on the 10th floor and has undergone head surgery. “My mom and I pray for you every night,” he wrote, before wishing him “a speedy recovery.” He included a drawing featuring a large yellow sun and several birds flying over a meadow.
‘Faith moves mountains’
Maria Graziela, the mother of Eleonora, also wanted to send a message of hope. Her daughter, who was treated in the hospitalʼs neurosurgery and oncology units, has now recovered.
“Faith moves mountains,” her mother wrote, expressing her conviction that “God has heard our prayers.” In her letter she added: “Pope Leo, our prayers are for you. May God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the guardian angels always protect you.”
‘It is difficult to depend on others’
The letter from Giorgia, an 18-year-old young woman, explained how illness transformed her way of understanding life. Passionate about travel and accustomed to relying on herself, she acknowledged that “it has been difficult to go from depending solely on my own strength to having to depend on others.”
However, the experience had also allowed her to discover the value of the care she has received, the love of her family and friends, and a new vocation. “If there is one thing I want to do in life, it is save other peopleʼs lives. I want to be like the doctors who are saving mine,” she said.
She concluded her letter by promising that “I pray to God that we may both be healed, and I ask you to pray with me,” and expressing her confidence that “better days will come.” The young woman ended by assuring Pope Leo that “we are united in prayer, for ourselves and for all those who are going through the same situation.”
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.
Cardinal Parolin: Pope Leo’s demanding Latin America trip now depends on doctors
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on Thursday that Pope Leo XIV, still hospitalized after surgery, may have to “adjust his pontificate” to his doctors’ advice, including his November trip to Latin America, if necessary.
Parolin, as reported by Ansa.it, spoke on the sidelines of the launch of the Iraqi Embassy to the Holy See in Rome, marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two sovereign states.
The pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a lung nodule. Since his surgery, his doctors and the Vatican have confirmed that his postoperative recovery “is progressing normally.”
Parolin, who praised the pope for his “great serenity” on Monday, told reporters on Thursday that he imagined Leo’s Latin America trip would proceed but that it now depends on his doctors.
“[The trip] will depend on how things go,” Parolin said. “Let us wait until he leaves the hospital and, based on what the doctors tell us, see whether he will be able to travel. We must wait.”
Parolin also said that while predictions for the future of Leo’s pontificate were premature, his condition upon returning may require him to adjust his papacy.
“Based on all these elements, the pope will also adjust his pontificate if it becomes necessary to do so,” Parolin said.
“We need to see when he returns, in what condition he returns, and what the doctors will say.”
The pope’s postoperative recovery is expected to last one week, allowing him to resume audiences on Oct. 20.
Catholic missionaries in Nigeria urged to persevere amid insecurity, restrictions on worship
ABUJA, Nigeria — Catholic missionaries in Nigeria have been encouraged to persevere in proclaiming the Gospel despite the threat of attacks and restrictions that prevent some Christian communities from acquiring land and building churches.
In an Oct. 13 interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, described the challenges facing evangelization in the West African nation and urged missionaries to draw strength from their faith in Christ.
“Even though we are facing challenges, those who want to go on a mission or those who want to preach the good news should not give up or be discouraged, but they should go,” he said.
Zaku spoke on the sidelines of a media chat organized by the Pontifical Mission Societies national office ahead of the centenary celebration of World Mission Sunday.
“In Nigeria today, we have the security challenge. Insecurity is almost in every part of this country,” he said.
“When people are going for mission animation, trying to go to places to preach the good news, they are afraid of what will happen in the next place because either on the road they can be attacked or in their places of worship they can experience attacks,” he added.
The national director also lamented restrictions that prevent Christians from acquiring land or building churches in certain locations, leaving some communities traveling long distances to worship.
“Church is supposed to be where people are living, but in many places, people don’t have a comfortable place to worship, and they have to go to a very far place,” he said.
Drawing on St. Paul’s teaching that nothing can separate believers from the love of Christ, Zaku encouraged prospective missionaries who fear for their safety because of reports of kidnappings and killings.
“Know that Jesus is with you,” he told missionaries serving in Nigeria. He assured them that anyone who dies bearing witness to Christ, even while preaching the good news, will “definitely receive his reward.”
Reflecting on the centenary of World Mission Sunday, the priest described the occasion as an opportunity to thank God for a century of prayer, financial contributions, and practical assistance to missionary territories. He credited Pontifical Missions Societies support with helping sustain the Church and education in Nigeria.
Zaku said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) had directed that World Mission Sunday collections be sent to the Pontifical Missions Societies fund to support missionary territories beyond Nigeria.
“The Church in Nigeria, too, is not only a receiving Church but also a giving Church,” he said.
“My message to all Catholics and Nigerians in particular as we celebrate World Mission Sunday is for them to know that you are not alone, but we are together on this mission. We are praying for you,” he added.
In a separate interview at the same event, the national coordinator of Nigeria’s Young Missionary Movement, Peter Oluwasanmi Adubi, said the movement was strengthening missionary formation and catechesis to help young people understand that their Christian calling extends beyond attending church services.
“We try to intensify what we call the missionary communion, missionary catechesis, and all that, to make sure that they are not just young people like others; they are special people called to be missionaries through their life, through their actions, and through their prayer,” he said.
Adubi also emphasized that those who cannot travel to evangelize can support others who do.
“There is a saying that some give to the mission by going, while others go to the mission by giving. And without both, there is no mission,” he said.
Addressing concerns about social media and other distractions affecting young people’s commitment to their faith, he called on the Church to listen to them and provide opportunities for them to contribute their talents.
“Firstly, we encourage the Church to be a place where they listen to young people. Young people have enormous needs, and there are a lot of things that threaten them, especially when it comes to media,” he said.
Adubi called for a media team in each parish where young people can volunteer and participate in the Church’s mission. He said such opportunities could help them use their interest in digital technology to spread the Christian message.
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
Guadalupan Institute established in San Antonio, looks to be replicated throughout U.S.
A new Guadalupan Institute has taken its first steps in San Antonio with the aim of researching, providing education on, and disseminating the Guadalupe event, as well as becoming a model for replication throughout the United States.
Father Rafael Becerra, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, Texas, explained to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News: “We want to research, provide formation on, and raise awareness about the entire Guadalupan event.”
A retreat and a Guadalupan certificate program have been the first steps, Becerra said, confident that the project can grow and become “a Guadalupan center for the United States.”
Becerra, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, noted that the “Truth about Guadalupe” certificate program began on Oct. 5 as an effort to “prepare ourselves for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” which will be celebrated in 2031.
Assisting him in this project is Monsignor Eduardo Chávez, director of the Higher Institute of Guadalupan Studies in Mexico City and who is considered the leading expert on Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Chávez “is the one who teaches and gives this course via video,” he said, noting that the diploma program will conclude in April 2027.
The course is taught in English to around 60 students and in Spanish to nearly 90.
Alongside Chávez, Alberto Mata and Javier Fernández, both experienced in the study and dissemination of the Guadalupe event, are also participating as facilitators for the program.
The initial sessions “have been extraordinary,” noted Becerra, as the participants “are excited, want to keep learning, and above all are impressed by the greatness of the Virgin of Guadalupe and all the graces she has brought not only to Mexico but to humanity.”
Through the course, he said, they aim to “collaborate in this great process of preparation for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe” and to foster the development of “equipped persons who can then return to their parishes and replicate this diploma course in various parishes across San Antonio.”
Interested persons from Houston and Austin, Texas, have already contacted Becerra about the program, he said, so he hopes this will also serve as a “spearhead” that can be “replicated in the future in different places across the United States.”
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.
Bishops urge prayer as they continue abortion referendum fights in 4 states
Catholic bishops across four states are asking for prayers as they continue to rally the faithful ahead of ballot initiative votes that would reshape abortion policies in their states.
“Tell your readership how important it is to be praying for the dioceses that are facing this, what I would describe as a very diabolical initiative,” Las Vegas Archbishop George Leo Thomas told EWTN News.
On Nov. 3, the public in three states will vote on referendums to establish a “right” to abortion: Nevada, Virginia, and Idaho. In Missouri, people will vote on a pro-life referendum that would repeal the state’s constitutional right to abortion.
Bishops in each state have advocated against abortion for months. In many cases, this includes statements on the referendums, flyers, and prayer cards at parishes, and asking priests to teach congregations about the sanctity of life. In some cases, it extends to calls for fasting and efforts to register voters and get them to the polls.
American bishops do not endorse political candidates. Yet, bishops have advocated for or against specific ballot initiatives when Church teachings, such as the sanctity of life, are implicated.
Nevada bishops wage ‘uphill battle’
The bishops in Nevada are waging what Thomas called “an uphill battle” to defeat a referendum to establish “a fundamental right to abortion” in the state constitution.
In Nevada, amendments need a majority vote via referendum in two consecutive elections. In the last statewide election in 2024, the referendum won support from 64% of voters. Another majority this year would complete the process.
Thomas said he and Diocese of Reno Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg have worked closely to align their messaging and strategy to defeat the amendment. This includes printed material offered to parishes, created by the Nevada Catholic Conference, and a planned full-page advertisement for newspapers in Las Vegas and Reno.
Both bishops wrote pastoral letters labeling the referendum dangerous. Thomas instructed priests in his archdiocese to read it aloud at Mass for Respect Life Sunday on Oct. 4.
“Unborn children have no voice and cannot defend themselves,” he wrote in the letter, available in both English and Spanish. “As Catholics, our faith requires us to protect the inherent dignity of every human life and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
Thomas said every priest is obligated to “very clearly and lucidly teach Catholic social and moral teaching in his community,” noting each life is created in the image of God “from conception until natural death.”
Although the referendum allows the state to restrict abortion access after fetal viability, which is the point at which a child can survive outside the womb, the proposal’s definition says this is determined by the “treating health care practitioner," who is often the abortion doctor. It states abortion access extends through the ninth month of pregnancy if needed to “protect the life or health” of the mother, but the measure does not separately define “health.”
Current Nevada law prohibits abortion 26 weeks after the woman’s last menstrual period. The archbishop said the referendum extends abortion rights through “potentially the ninth month of pregnancy,” though courts have not ruled on that interpretation.
The referendum would extend abortion access to “all individuals,” which Thomas argued would eliminate parental notification laws for minors who seek abortion. The referendum permits abortion by “a qualified health care practitioner” and does not specify a “physician.”
“It’s another very serious and damaging expansion of an already liberal law,” the archbishop said.
Virginia bishops push voter registration
The two dioceses in Virginia — Arlington and Richmond — are battling a similar referendum to enshrine “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” which includes “abortion care,” in their state constitution, which would be adopted with a majority vote.
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond penned a letter instructing Catholics of their “sacred duty to form our consciences prayerfully and correctly, and to vote NO” on the abortion referendum and a separate referendum that would enshrine same-sex marriage in the constitution, which was read aloud at parishes throughout the commonwealth.
Burbidge called Catholics to pray and fast ahead of the vote, and his diocese is operating the Catholics Vote No campaign and encouraging the diocesan faithful to sign on to a pledge to vote no on both referendums.
Amy McInerny, director of Respect Life at the Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Marriage, Family, and Respect Life, told EWTN News: “Some demons are only driven out by prayer and fasting,” citing Christ’s words in Matthew 17.
The dioceses, working through the Virginia Catholic Conference, published prayer cards for “protection from the extreme abortion amendment” and “an end to the grave evil of abortion” for parishes. They provided parishes with flyers about the referendum and abortion laws in the state, along with a flyer containing voter registration information.
“These two ballot questions are moral issues,” McInerny said.
Some parishes are actively registering Catholics to vote and holding voter registration drives. McInerny said there’s a strong effort to “turn out the vote,” and the Arlington Diocese encourages parishes to “check in with their homebound and those who are in nursing homes” and college students “who might need help to get absentee ballots.”
The referendum would allow some abortion restrictions in the third trimester, but not if abortion is necessary to protect “the life or physical or mental health.” It does not define this standard, leaving it to the discretion of the physician, who is often the abortion doctor. The legal right to abortion is extended to “every individual” and not just adults.
McInerny said the language essentially allows abortion “even for healthy babies, up until birth,” though courts have not ruled on that interpretation, and “will include minor girls,” which jeopardizes parental consent laws. She said it would create “a safe space for groomers and predators and traffickers who want to prey on our girls.”
Virginia law allows abortion access through the 26th week of pregnancy.
Idaho’s ‘most important issue’ until November
Diocese of Boise Bishop Peter Christensen is actively engaging with parish priests to ensure pro-life messaging is heard regularly at Mass throughout his diocese, which covers the entire state, ahead of its vote on an abortion referendum.
Unlike Virginia and Nevada, the referendum in Idaho would change state law rather than amend the constitution. It would supersede the current state law, which prohibits most abortion access, and create a right to “reproductive freedom,” which includes “abortion.”
“This is the most important issue for all of us until November,” Christian Welp, director of diocesan projects, told EWTN News.
Welp said the diocese provided a package to every priest offering guidelines on pro-life messaging in homilies and prayer intentions ahead of the vote. It includes prayer cards, which priests are asked to read at every daily and Sunday Mass. The bishop also wrote a letter, which was read aloud at Mass throughout the diocese.
“By coming together as a family in prayer, raising awareness, and taking meaningful action, we can make a powerful difference in responding to this anti-life, anti-family initiative by advocating for the protection of the most vulnerable members of our society,” Christensen wrote.
The referendum would allow lawmakers to restrict abortion at the point of fetal viability, which is determined by the physician, who is often the abortion doctor, but cannot restrict late-term abortion if there is a medical emergency. It would also extend abortion rights to “every person,” not just adults.
Welp said the referendum “allows for abortion up to viability, but then redefines viability,” saying the language could allow abortions “well into the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy.” He said the extension of this right to every person would include minors and effectively “does away with parental consent.”
“Even if youʼre pro-choice, this goes too far,” Welp said. “This is too extreme.”
Missouri seeks to reverse trend
Missouri is the only state in which voters will be presented with a pro-life referendum, which would repeal the state’s constitutional right to abortion that was adopted via referendum in 2024 with support from 51.6% of voters.
“It has been a major focus of all four dioceses and of all four bishops,” Kathleen Lavery, communications director of the Missouri Catholic Conference — which represents the state’s dioceses — told EWTN News.
Lavery said the dioceses are working toward “trying to pass [the] amendment.” The referendum itself would not ban abortions or set a week-based limit but rather allow lawmakers to pass laws to restrict it in most cases. It would only prevent laws that ban abortion in cases of incest or rape within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or in medical emergencies at any point in pregnancy.
The conference provided printed material, signs, and palm cards for parishes, and a webpage to “help people educate themselves about the amendment,” she said. Speakers from diocesan Respect Life offices are speaking at the end of Mass and visiting Catholic events, such as Knights of Columbus gatherings.
All four bishops unified on the message early, putting out a joint statement that the dignity of the human person is “threatened by the pro-abortion amendment passed in 2024.” They called for Catholics “and all people of good will” to join in prayer and fasting for the referendum’s success.
“We have put together information for our priests as well to help them educate the faithful,” Lavery said.
She noted there are “get out the vote” efforts at the parish level and said: “This amendment’s really going to come down to which side can activate its base and get people to the polls.”
“I’m very cautiously optimistic,” Lavery said. “I think we have a very good chance of winning this.”
U.S. midterm elections spark multiple Catholic voting exhortations
As U.S. midterm elections get into full swing, both the country’s Catholic bishops and outside advocacy organizations are urging voters to participate and “put their faith before politics” in exercising their civic duty.
In an Oct. 14 message, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, said that while Americans might be feeling discouraged from voting because we live in “a time of deep political division,” such discouragement “is not a Christian virtue.”
Coakley emphasized that for citizens in a representative democracy, “participation in public life — including voting — is both a right and a responsibility.”
“I would ask all Catholics to put their faith before politics,” Coakley exhorted, as he called on the faithful to “judge candidates and elected officials by their actions, not merely their promises, and how those actions promote the common good.”
Meanwhile, the advocacy group CatholicVote on Oct. 15 issued voter guides for key races in seven states. The guides evaluate where the candidates in these races stand on abortion, religious freedom, school choice, gender ideology, judicial appointments, and immigration law enforcement.
“We have chosen seven states — a total of 24 races or ballot initiatives — where we know the Catholic turnout can be the make-or-break difference,” said CatholicVote Director of Political Operations Logan Church. The organization’s guides are targeted to specific races in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
In addition to state-specific information on candidates and issues, the CatholicVote effort includes links to help Catholics register to vote, request an absentee ballot, or find a polling place to vote. As CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt sees it, “if Christians do not take up their duty in political life, we will be governed by those whose values are antithetical to our own.”
At present, the group is urging Catholics to vote early, which “ensures your vote is counted because nothing keeps you away from the ballot box on Election Day.”
The latest USCCB midterms message, meanwhile, features a more general, blanket exhortation to Catholics to form their consciences and listen “to the Gospel call to love God and all our neighbors.”
“May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, bless our nation as we turn once more to elections, that we might respect the dignity of each person and promote the common good of all,” Coakley concluded.
Pope Leo XIV sends message after surgery to Vatican conference, asks for prayers
Pope Leo XIV, recovering from lung cancer surgery in Rome, sent a request for prayers to participants in a Vatican conference.
“As you know, I have been unable to be among you during these days,” Pope Leo wrote in the Oct. 14 message to clergy members and Catholics. “I thank you warmly for your prayers and for the work you have done together. Your sharing of experiences and attentive listening are indeed a gift to the whole Church.”
The pope’s message was read at the conclusion of the conference “10 Years After Amoris Laetitia: Proclaiming the Gospel with Families Today,” a meeting examining the legacy of the apostolic exhortation and how to strengthen family participation in the Churchʼs mission.
“Entrusting each of you to the protection of the Holy Family of Nazareth, I ask you please to pray for me, as I pray for you,” he wrote.
The pope encouraged participants to bring the meetingʼs insights back to their bishops' conferences and dioceses, continue proclaiming the Gospel with families, and ensure families remain active participants in the life and mission of local Churches.
Leo’s homily delivered
At the closing Mass for the conference, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered a homily prepared by Pope Leo XIV saying: “The world has no future without strong families open to the gift of children and attentive to their education and growth.”
Families and faith communities should accompany people facing hardship with compassion rather than condemnation, the pope’s homily said.
“Those who are more vulnerable, or who are experiencing difficult circumstances and moments of crisis, will also find support and encouragement, surrounded by affection and shielded from judgment and prejudice. Let us remember that ‘as wounded as the family may be, it can always grow beginning with love,’” Tagle said, delivering the homily prepared by Pope Leo.