Archbishop Georg Gänswein speaks at a conference on the Šiluva Declaration in Šiluva, Lithuania, on Sept. 4, 2024. / Credit: Juozas Kamenskas

Šiluva, Lithuania, Oct 29, 2025 / 15:59 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Georg Gänswein has reminded Christians of the dangers of relativism, echoing Pope Benedict XVI’s famous warning two decades earlier.

null / Credit: vmargineanu/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 29, 2025 / 15:29 pm (CNA).

A man accused of fatally stabbing a Nebraska Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to the murder of Father Stephen Gutgsell and other charges. 

Gutgsell, 65, died after deputies found him stabbed in December 2023. Gutgsell had been serving as the parish priest at St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. Deputies charged Kierre L. Williams in the attack that took place in the rectory next to the church. 

Williams filed a notice in December 2024 that he would argue he is not responsible for the murder by reason of insanity and filed a “not guilty” plea in February 2024. Williams changed his plea to “guilty” of murder, burglary, and weapons charges on Oct. 21.

“We are glad that Mr. Williams chose to hold himself accountable and not put Father Gutgsell’s family, relatives, friends, or this community through a trial,” Scott Vander Schaaf, a county prosecutor, said in a statement. 

Prosecutors decided early in the case that they would not pursue the death penalty. Williams faces life in prison without parole. Sentencing is set for Nov. 12.

On the day of the attack, Gutgsell called 911 early in the morning to report that a man had broken into the house and was in his kitchen with a knife. A deputy arrived and entered the parish rectory at around 5 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2023, according to an affidavit. 

The priest had “a severe laceration to his face and was bleeding profusely,” and Williams, then 43, was lying perpendicularly across Gutgsell’s chest, according to authorities. Officers identified more lacerations on his face, hands, and back. Gutgsell was then rushed to a hospital in Omaha, where he died.

Investigators have not found any connection between Williams and the priest in the small town of just 1,100 residents.

A new stamp issued by the Irish postal service honors Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, who saved 6,500 news in Rome during World War II. / Credit: An Post

Dublin, Ireland, Oct 29, 2025 / 13:51 pm (CNA).

Ireland’s postal service released a stamp marking the 100th anniversary of the ordination of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty — the Irish priest who saved 6,500 Jews.

About 25 years ago, during the weekly Friday evening Mass in the living room of the Bishop Dingman House of the Des Moines Catholic Worker, a man entered from the street and joined us. Visitors were not uncommon and were always welcome among our hodgepodge of worshippers that included poor folks, children, grandparents, widows, people […]

The post In ‘Dilexi Te,’ Pope Leo connects liturgy with the work of justice appeared first on U.S. Catholic.

Pope Leo XIV arrives in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience on Oct. 29, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Oct 29, 2025 / 08:55 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday strongly condemned antisemitism during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square marking the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council document on the Church’s relations with other religions.

The pope underlined that since the publication of Nostra Aetate, “all of my predecessors have condemned antisemitism with clear words.”

“And so I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself,” Leo said on Oct. 29.

The pope expressed thanks for what has been achieved in the past 60 years of Jewish-Catholic dialogue while acknowledging the challenges that have arisen along the way. “We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties, and conflicts in this period, but these have never prevented the dialogue from continuing,” he said.

“Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far.”

Pope Leo was joined by Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams, Buddhist monks, and other religious leaders for the general audience. He called on them to act together to alleviate human suffering, care for the planet, and restore hope.

“More than ever, our world needs our unity, our friendship, and our collaboration,” he said. “Each one of our religions can contribute to alleviating human suffering and taking care of our common home, our planet Earth.”

Those present included representatives of Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and Taoism, along with Christian leaders. Many had participated the previous evening in a peace ceremony at the Colosseum organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, which brought together about 300 representatives of world religions and cultures.

Pope Leo also prayed for those affected by Hurricane Melissa, which hit Jamaica on Tuesday as the strongest Category 5 storms on record to hit the Caribbean island before sweeping across Cuba.

“Thousands of people have been displaced, while homes, infrastructure, and several hospitals have been damaged,” he said. “I assure everyone of my closeness, praying for those who have lost their lives, for those who are fleeing, and for those populations who, awaiting the storm’s developments, are experiencing hours of anxiety and concern.”

The pope’s catechesis centered on Nostra Aetate, issued Oct. 28, 1965, during the Second Vatican Council, which opened what Leo called “a new horizon of encounter, respect, and spiritual hospitality.”

“This luminous document teaches us to meet the followers of other religions not as outsiders but as traveling companions on the path of truth; to honor differences affirming our common humanity,” he said.

Recalling the document’s historical importance, Leo noted that Nostra Aetate offered for the first time “a doctrinal treatise on the Jewish roots of Christianity … which on a biblical and theological level would represent a point of no return.”

Quoting the council text, he added: “The Church, ‘mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of antisemitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.’”

The pope warned against religious extremism and fundamentalism. He told the leaders of different religions present: “Our respective traditions teach truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice, and peace.”

“Together, we must be vigilant against the abuse of the name of God, of religion, and of dialogue itself, as well as against the dangers posed by religious fundamentalism and extremism.”

He also called on religious leaders to work together on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. “We must also face the responsible development of artificial intelligence because, if conceived as an alternative to humans, it can gravely violate their infinite dignity and neutralize their fundamental responsibilities,” he said.

Leo underlined that religion can play a fundamental role in promoting peace and restoring hope to the world. “This hope is based on our religious convictions, on the conviction that a new world is possible,” he said.

“Sixty years ago, Nostra Aetate brought hope to the world after the Second World War. Today we are called upon to rekindle that hope in our world, devastated by war and our degraded natural environment.”

At the end of the audience, Leo led those gathered in a moment of silent prayer. “Prayer has the power to transform our attitudes, our thoughts, our words, and our actions,” he said.

Approximately 300 representatives of world religions and cultures joined the Holy Father for an evening ecumenical prayer service for peace, organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, on Oct. 28, 2025, at the Colosseum in Rome. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 29, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV joined faith leaders on Tuesday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Church’s declaration on building relationships with non-Christian religions. 

Approximately 300 representatives of world religions and cultures joined the Holy Father for an evening ecumenical prayer service for peace organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio and held at the Colosseum in Rome.

“Peace is a constant journey of reconciliation,” the Holy Father said at the Oct. 28 event. 

Thanking religious leaders for coming together in Rome, he said their interfaith meeting expressed their shared “conviction that prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation.”

“This is our witness: offering the immense treasures of ancient spiritualities to contemporary humanity,” he said.

“We need a true and sound era of reconciliation that puts an end to the abuse of power, displays of force, and indifference to the rule of law,” he added. “Enough of war, with all the pain it causes through death, destruction, and exile!”  

In his remarks, the pope urged people not to be indifferent to the “cry of the poor and the cry of the earth” in their pursuits for peace in countries scarred by ongoing conflict and injustice.

“In the power of prayer, with hands raised to heaven and open to others, we must ensure that this period of history, marked by war and the arrogance of power, soon comes to an end, giving rise to a new era,” he said.

“We cannot allow this period to continue. It shapes the minds of people who grow accustomed to war as a normal part of human history,” he continued.

Several people waved small blue banners with the word “peace” in different languages while Pope Leo and the other religious leaders lit candles to symbolize their shared prayer and renewed commitment to engage in interfaith dialogue.

After the prayer gathering at Rome’s iconic landmark, the Holy Father returned to the Vatican to join colorful celebrations jointly organized by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. 

To mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, several multicultural music and dance performances were held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall as well as a presentation highlighting papal initiatives to promote the Church’s dialogue with other religions since the pontificate of Pope Paul VI.     

Pope Leo’s appearance and special address toward the end of the two-hour gathering highlighted the Church’s reverence for all people and its desire to collaborate with others for the common good. 

“We belong to one human family, one in origin, and one also in our final goal,” he said. “Religions everywhere try to respond to the restlessness of the human heart.” 

“Each in its own way offers teachings, ways of life, and sacred rites that help guide their followers to peace and meaning,” he said. 

Emphasizing the common mission shared among people of different religions to “reawaken” the sense of the sacred in the world today, the Holy Father encouraged people to “keep love alive.”

“We have come together in this place bearing the great responsibility as religious leaders to bring hope to a humanity that is often tempted by despair,” Leo said.

“Let us remember that prayer has the power to transform our hearts, our words, our actions, and our world,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV signs his apostolic letter on Catholic education, “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” at the end of a Mass for Rome university students in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 27, 2025. The document was published on Oct. 28, 2025, to mark the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 28, 2025 / 10:21 am (CNA).

Amid contemporary challenges to schools and universities — hyper-digitalization, social insecurity, and the crisis of relationships —  a Catholic education should courageously teach the whole human person, Pope Leo XIV writes in a new apostolic letter.

In “Drawing New Maps of Hope,” Leo reflects on the role of a Catholic education 60 years after the Oct. 28, 1965, proclamation of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education.

“The Church celebrates a fruitful educational history but also faces the imperative to update its proposals in light of the signs of the times,” the pope writes in the letter, published in Italian on Oct. 28.

“We are aware of the difficulties: hyper-digitalization can fragment attention; the crisis of relationships can wound the psyche; social insecurity and inequalities can extinguish desire,” he says. “Yet, it is precisely here that Catholic education can be a beacon: not a nostalgic refuge but a laboratory of discernment, pedagogical innovation, and prophetic witness.”

In the eight-page document, the pontiff identifies three priorities for the educational community: cultivation of an interior life through space for silence, discernment, and dialogue with one’s conscience and with God; formation in a wise use of technology and artificial intelligence that puts the human person first; and education in language that is peace-building, nonviolent, and open to others.

He also notes the importance of making Catholic education financially accessible.

“Where access to education remains a privilege, the Church must push open doors and invent new paths, because ‘losing the poor’ is equivalent to losing the school itself,” he writes.

Digital challenges

Pope Leo in his letter draws attention to the digital environment and its impact on education, underlining that “technologies must serve the person, not replace them. They must enrich the learning process, not impoverish relationships and communities.”

“A Catholic university and school without vision risks soulless efficiency, the standardization of knowledge, which then becomes spiritual impoverishment,” he says.

He urges schools to avoid “technophobia” while strengthening teachers’ training in the digital sphere and promoting service-learning and responsible citizenship.

“No algorithm can replace what makes education human: poetry, irony, love, art, imagination, the joy of discovery, and even education in error as an opportunity for growth. The decisive point is not technology but the use we make of it,” the pope writes.

What is Christian education?

The pontiff’s document also provides a vision of Christian education that “embraces the whole person: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical. … [Education] measures [its value] on the basis of dignity, justice, and the ability to serve the common good.”

He opposes this Catholic vision to a “purely mercantilistic approach” that measures education in terms of functionality and practical utility, he writes.

Leo said forming the whole person means avoiding compartmentalization, because “when faith is true, it is not an added ‘subject’ but a breath that oxygenates every other subject. Thus, Catholic education becomes leaven in the human community.”

Influence of St. John Henry Newman

The pope cites St. John Henry Newman, whom he will declare a new co-patron saint of the Church’s educational mission, throughout his letter. 

Quoting the saint and soon-to-be doctor of the Church, the pontiff writes that “religious truth is not only a part but a condition of general knowledge.”

These words, he explains, “are an invitation to renew our commitment to knowledge that is as intellectually responsible and rigorous as it is deeply human. We must also be careful not to fall into the enlightenment of a ‘fides’ [faith] that is exclusively paired with ‘ratio’ [reason].”

He says this means Catholic universities and schools should be places where questions and doubt are accompanied, not silenced.

“There, the heart dialogues with the heart, and the method is that of listening, which recognizes the other as a good, not as a threat,” he says, pointing out that “cor ad cor loquitur” (“heart speaks to heart”) was St. John Henry Newman’s motto as a cardinal, taken from a letter of St. Francis de Sales: “Sincerity of heart, not abundance of words, touches the hearts of men.”

Leo points out that schools are communities of families, teachers, students, administrative and service staff, pastors, and civil society, founded on God.

The family remains the primary place of education, and “Catholic schools collaborate with parents, they do not replace them,” he affirms.

Ecological responsibility

The pontiff also touches briefly on Catholic schools’ responsibility in the social and ecological spheres.

“Forgetting our common humanity has led to divisions and violence; and when the earth suffers, the poor suffer most,” he writes. “Catholic education cannot remain silent: It must combine social justice and environmental justice, promote sobriety and sustainable lifestyles, and form consciences capable of choosing not only what is convenient but what is right.”

Once an “ordained” Satanic priest, Bartolo Longo underwent one of the most dramatic conversions in recent Church history. He was canonized a saint on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Oct 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Newly canonized St. Bartolo Longo was a former Satanist “priest” whose remarkable conversion led him to create a Shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary.

A candle of St. Jude. / Credit: Francesca Pollio/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Jude, also known as Thaddeus, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles.

He is believed to have written the Letter of Jude, one of the shortest books of the Bible, and is thought to have been martyred in Beirut around 65 A.D. He is typically depicted with a club or axe, symbolizing the way he died, as well as with a flame above his head, which refers to Pentecost.

Although Jude is not mentioned much in the Bible and only had one quote attributed to him in the Gospel of John (14:22), this quiet apostle is extremely popular among Catholics today. His popularity probably stems from his patronage of lost causes. An experience Jude had while in the city of Edessa is said to be the reason why he is associated with “impossible” situations.

According to the ancient Church historian Eusebius, while Jesus was still alive, the ruler Abgar V of Edessa was afflicted with an incurable and painful disease. He had heard of the miracles of Jesus and wrote him a letter requesting a visit. Jesus responded that he would send one of his disciples.

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Jude went to evangelize near the city of Edessa and went to visit Abgar. Jude laid his hands on the sick ruler, and he was reportedly instantly healed.

Many people choose to carry the image of St. Jude on a medal or as a pendant on a necklace for comfort and call on him in their time of need and healing.

His feast is shared with St. Simon, who was also said to be a cousin of Jesus and is believed to have traveled to Persia with Jude, where they were both martyred.

Prayer to St. Jude

The following prayer can be prayed on the feast of St. Jude or at any time when his intercession is needed:

Most holy Apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me; I am so helpless and alone.

Intercede to God for me that he brings visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly [make your request here], and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever.

I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

This story was first published on Oct. 27, 2021, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Oct. 27, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2025 / 17:49 pm (CNA).

In separate audiences on Monday, Pope Leo XIV received two political leaders with very different views on the migration issue. In the morning, he met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and in the afternoon he met with Magnus Brunner, European Union Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration.

Orbán maintains a restrictionist stance on migration and has repeatedly criticized the migrant redistribution policies promoted by the European Union. For his part, Brunner defends a common migration policy and supports the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, an agreement the Hungarian leader firmly rejects.

Orbán arrived promptly at 9 a.m. at the Courtyard of San Damaso in the Apostolic Palace for his first official meeting with the Holy Father. He later met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations.

The Vatican did not provide details on the content of the private audience with the pope nor did it specify whether the migration issue was among the topics discussed. For his part, the Hungarian prime minister stated on his X account that he requested the pope’s support in his country’s efforts for peace.

During the meeting at the Secretariat of State, the strong bilateral relations and appreciation for the Catholic Church’s commitment to promoting social development and the well-being of the Hungarian community were highlighted.

According to the Vatican, special attention was paid to the role of the family and the formation and future of young people as well as the importance of protecting the most vulnerable Christian communities.

The discussions also addressed European issues, especially the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

Last Thursday, during his meeting with delegates from popular movements, Pope Leo XIV defended each state’s right and duty to protect its borders, which he said must be balanced with “the moral obligation to provide refuge” and warned against “inhumane” measures that treat migrants as if they were “garbage.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed authorship to another correspondent.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.