News Briefs: October 5, 2025

October 4, 2025 // National God’s Love Can Reach Anyone, even at ‘Rock Bottom,’ Pope Says VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When people hit “rock bottom,” they can be confident that God is there ready to rescue and redeem them, Pope Leo XIV said. “No place is...

‘Take Courage and Rebuild’: Holy Spirit breathes new life into Vancouver’s Charismatic Renewal

For a movement that’s all about rebirth, there was plenty of it for nearly 200 people attending the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference in Vancouver. Not only was Melvin De Paz present to share his story of transformation from addiction and...

Fragile Gaza ceasefire tested as humanitarian crisis deepens

Israeli occupation forces have committed multiple violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, as concerns mount over famine risks and the continued closure of the Rafah crossing amid...

Christine Flowers | I’m a Fan of the Pope, but He Got This Wrong

The two great debates of my lifetime have been the following: “Is it gravy or sauce” and “Can a pro-lifer support the death penalty.” The first conundrum is more controversial in my family. The second doesn’t have the philosophical gravitas of the...

Calling all art lovers: 25 breaks that are hot right now

When I grow up I want to be a painter. So it may not surprise you that, for me, the best travel experience comes on the first morning of a city break. You’re on the streets early, a cup of good coffee has worked its magic and there, glittering in...

Florida man, the news, and missionary tours

Hey everybody, I’m headed to Orlando, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post. That’s right, I’m headed right now to the annual convention of American canon lawyers, held this year in the place we know as Orlando — a nebulous constellation of...

In the Footsteps of Galileo

On September 7th, 25 intrepid astronomy enthusiasts gathered in Rome for Sky & Telescope’s “Galileo’s Italy” tour. Organized in partnership with Royal Adventures, we set out to visit where the father of modern science once lived and worked. The...

Little left after Gaza’s ‘tsunami’ of destruction

Historic momentum is felt across the Middle East as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to make their way back to their homes in northern Gaza Strip. But those Palestinians have returned to see only mostly rubble left, with Fr. Gabriel...

Pope asks Catholics to support missions with prayer, donations on World Mission Sunday

Pope Leo XIV is seen in a screen grab from his video appeal Oct. 13, 2025, asking Catholic parishes around the world to observe World Mission Sunday Oct. 19 and to support the missions with their prayers and financial contributions. (CNS...

Catholics and the Rise and Fall of a Consistent Life Ethic

In October 1979, the Catholic bishops of the United States released a guide to political issues in the 1980 election titled “Political Responsibility: Choices for the 1980s.” Four years earlier, the bishops had released a guide to the presidential...

Is ‘Secular’ a Bad Word for Christians?

Pope Leo XIV recently reaffirmed a conviction Christians have held for centuries: “institutions need people who know how to live a healthy secularism, that is, a style of thinking and acting that affirms the value of religion while preserving the...

We’re finally reading the secrets of Herculaneum’s lost library

Deep within a particle accelerator, theoretical physicist Giorgio Angelotti is hard at work. He sets a black cylinder on a mount, bolts it down, then runs through some safety checks before retreating from the chamber, known as “the hatch”. “You...

Pope tells Swiss Guards they need each other to be all they can be

14 VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Living in harmony with others requires benevolence, honesty, solidarity and mutual respect, Pope Leo XIV said. Welcoming new recruits from different regions of Switzerland to the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the pope said they...

Pope Leo XIV’s warm words to his army and a challenge: may they be a message of unity for the entire Roman Curia

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 10.03.2025).- On the eve of the swearing-in ceremony for new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, Pope Leo XIV received the new soldiers and their families in a special audience in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic...

Pope to Italian President: Peace requires dignified, prosperous coexistence

Pope Leo XIV makes an official visit to the Quirinal Palace in Rome to meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and encourages efforts to support the family amid declining birth rates in Europe and to advance the cause of peace in war-torn...

The life of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, 130 years after his birth

(OSV News) – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is remembered as one of the most influential and innovative evangelists in American history. Once dubbed "God's microphone," Sheen announced God's truth in a nonconfrontational, yet no less life-giving,...

Sacrificial love draws woman to Catholic faith

Mike Martinez stands by Sophie Martinez as she is baptized by Bishop Peter Christensen. (Courtesy photo) The seventh annual Sun Valley Tour de Force drew to a close July 20, 2024 under clear skies and ideal racing conditions. The charity event’s...

The Embodying Politic

The work of depoliticization and disempowerment via pathologization in this case is troubled by the similarities between the anorexic and other political self-starvers like the hunger striker. For one, both are figures ever haunted by what Debra...

Patriarch Pizzaballa: A new language and new witnesses for a narrative of peace

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem reflects on the historical moment in the Holy Land following the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, and affirms: “We have a duty toward our communities — to help them look ahead, positively and serenely,...

Pope Leo’s mailbox: Words of hope for a future doctor

Veronica, who dreams of becoming a doctor, wrote about wars, injustice, and whether peace is even possible. Leo’s answer was candid and fatherly. The exchange that is moving so many this week — Pope Leo XIV answering a 21-year-old Roman medical...