St. Columba Catholic Church

Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino is the auxiliary bishop of Madrid. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Following the publication of his Spanish-language book on the 1934 revolution that took place in Asturias province in northwestern Spain, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino of Madrid noted that “if we know the history of the martyrs, we will recover evangelical strength.”

In “The 39 Martyrs of 1934 in Spain,” Martínez recounts the stories of those who were murdered out of hatred for the faith within a very specific context in the country’s history.

In October 1934, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE by its Spanish acronym) along with anarchist and communist groups launched an uprising against the legality of the Second Spanish Republic, hoping to emulate the revolution that triumphed in Russia in 1917.

Among those martyred in the conflict — 37 religious and two laypeople — were nine De La Salle Brothers, seven diocesan seminarians and three of their formators, three Vincentian missionaries, two Jesuits, one Carmelite, and one Passionist.

Most were killed in Asturias, but not all. A Marist brother and a diocesan priest were killed in Palencia; another priest in Barcelona; and a lay member of the National Catholic Association of Propagandists (Advocates) in Gipuzkoa.

The martyrs: A ‘living Gospel’

Just days before the liturgical memorial of the 20th-century martyrs in Spain on Nov. 6, the prelate told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the book’s main motivation is to make the lives and final sacrifices of these martyrs known to new generations. He said he hopes that “a call to awaken our faith, perhaps dormant,” goes forth, as Archbishop Sanz Montes of Oviedo points out in the book’s prologue.

There is a second motivation for the book, he said, which is to denounce “a neo-pagan culture that frustrates the desires of human beings and of new generations; a culture that has been developing in Europe for two or three centuries and is now at its peak.”

This culture is characterized by being “closed to true life from God and is centered on the myth of self-salvation, on the myth of progress,” he explained.

Martínez emphasized that telling the stories of the martyrs is not “primarily to illustrate an already well-established Christian doctrine but rather to highlight the essence of Christianity, which is the history of Christ and his witnesses.”

The author said “the martyrs and saints are the living presence of Christ in the history of each era. They are, therefore, the first evangelizers.” 

“To read the lives of the saints and martyrs is to read the living Gospel,” he noted.

‘Martyrs of the revolution, not of the war’

The prelate explained that throughout all of Spain within a 15-year period (which extended beyond the time of the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War), 4,235 clerics were martyred, including 12 bishops. 

In addition, 3,500 male religious and friars and almost 300 nuns were killed. Added to these, some estimate that up to 10,000 laypeople may have been killed for their faith.

Of all the martyrs, some 3,000 are at different stages of the beatification process.

Martínez, who owes part of his vocation to the memory of his uncle, Lázaro San Martín Camino, who was martyred in 1936, states in the book that “they are martyrs of the revolution, not of the war.”

“Neither the republic nor the war, as such, were directly the cause of their martyrdom,” but rather “the cause of martyrdom in Spain is the anarcho-Marxist revolution,” which, like other totalitarian ideologies in the 20th century, “included in its program the annihilation of faith, religion, and the Christian Church.”

In the Jubilee Year 2000, St. John Paul II convened an ecumenical event held in the Colosseum of Rome in memory of the 20th century martyrs, which covered everything from the martyrdom of the Armenians in Turkey in 1915 to the waning years of communism at the century’s end.

Although crimes against religious freedom in Spain, and especially against Catholics, are increasing year after year and have even resulted in bloodshed, as in the case of sacristan Diego Valencia, according to reports prepared by specialists, Martínez warned against hasty interpretations.

“We must understand this lesson well to understand the present,” he said, alluding to the martyrdoms of the 20th century. “If we mix everything up, we understand nothing. We must proceed step by step. And we cannot conflate the martyrdom of the 20th century with the martyrdom of the 21st century.”

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 greets pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience on Nov. 5, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 5, 2025 / 08:20 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV appealed on Wednesday for the international community not to abandon the people of Myanmar as the country remains gripped by civil war and severe humanitarian need. He made the appeal during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, which also included a catechesis on how the resurrection of Christ sheds light on suffering and death.

“Brothers and sisters, I invite you to join me in prayer for those who suffer as a result of armed conflicts in different parts of the world. I am thinking in particular of Myanmar and I urge the international community not to forget the Burmese people and to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance,” the pope said before thousands of pilgrims.

Leo expressed his concern for the long-running violence in the Asian nation, where civilians continue to suffer from armed clashes, forced displacement, and the lack of basic resources. United Nations estimates show that the crisis has reached catastrophic levels, with nearly 20 million people expected to need assistance in 2025 and some 3.5 million displaced internally, many living in precarious conditions. The situation has been worsened by natural disasters such as an earthquake in March and by limited international funding.

The Holy See has repeatedly voiced its closeness to the people of Myanmar. Since the outbreak of violence, the pope has sent appeals for dialogue and reconciliation, calling on all sides to reject revenge and seek peace through mutual understanding.

Catechesis: Easter as a compass in daily life

Earlier in the audience, Pope Leo continued his Jubilee 2025 catechesis on the theme “Jesus Christ Our Hope,” reflecting on how the Resurrection gives meaning to everyday challenges.

“The paschal mystery is the cornerstone of Christian life, around which all other events revolve. We can say, then, without any irenicism or sentimentality, that every day is Easter,” he said.

“The pasch of Jesus is an event that does not belong to a distant past, now settled into tradition like so many other episodes in human history. Hour by hour, we have so many different experiences: pain, suffering, sadness, intertwined with joy, wonder, serenity. But through every situation, the human heart longs for fullness, a profound happiness,” he explained.

Quoting St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, whose secular name was Edith Stein, Leo said: “We are immersed in limitation, but we also strive to surpass it.” Stein, a Jewish-born German philosopher who became a Carmelite nun and was martyred at Auschwitz, was canonized in 1998 and named co-patron of Europe.

The pope described the Easter proclamation as “the most beautiful, joyful, and overwhelming news that has ever resounded in all of history,” because it proclaims “the victory of love over sin and of life over death.”

Recalling the women who found the empty tomb, Leo said that moment “changes everything — the course of human history and the destiny of each person.” From that day, he said, “Jesus will also have this title: the Living One.”

“In him, we have the assurance of always being able to find the lodestar towards which we can direct our seemingly chaotic lives, marked by events that often appear confusing, unacceptable, incomprehensible: evil in its many forms, suffering, death,” he continued. “Meditating on the mystery of the Resurrection, we find an answer to our thirst for meaning.”

The pope said that seen in the light of Easter, “the way of the cross is transfigured into the way of light. We need to savor and meditate on the joy after the pain, to retrace in the new light all the stages that preceded the Resurrection.”

“Easter does not eliminate the cross but defeats it in the miraculous duel that changed our human history,” he said. “Even our time, marked by so many crosses, invokes the dawn of paschal hope. Christ’s resurrection is not an idea, a theory, but the event that is the foundation of faith. He, the Risen One, through the Holy Spirit, continues to remind us of this, so that we can be his witnesses even where human history does not see light on the horizon. Paschal hope does not disappoint.”

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

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly (right) speaks at the Symposium on Young American Men, a national conversation on restoring purpose, flourishing, and belonging, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, 2025. Looking on is Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. / Credit: Matthew H. Barrick

CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

At the Symposium on Young American Men in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus said that young men are “lost” and need “purpose and mission.” 

The symposium highlighted the mental health crisis, social isolation, digital addiction, and other struggles young men face today.

Panelists — including Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona; Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; and other experts — discussed ways to address these challenges by helping young men build community. 

“Many young men are lost and disconnected,” Kelly said in an opening statement at the beginning of the symposium. “Many come from broken families with fathers who are not a real part of their life. Many are drowning in the depths of the internet and social media.”

Kelly, who heads the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus, pointed to loneliness and isolation as a challenge for young men. 

“It’s increasingly clear that millions of men no longer have friends who they can count on and who can spur them on to excellence,” Kelly continued. “More than a quarter of millennials say they have no close friends, and the rise of artificial intelligence has millions of young men looking for friendship in chatbots.”

Ellen Carmichael, founder of The Lafayette Company, the communications group hosting the symposium, said there is an “urgent need” for action.

“Recent incidents of political violence and growing national concern about young men’s social isolation have underscored what we already knew: This conversation cannot wait,” Carmichael stated. 

“We are hardwired as men for purpose and mission,” Kelly said, noting that the Knights of Columbus is centered on Christ and service to local communities.  

“We are trying to tackle what the surgeon general recently called the epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” Kelly noted. “We’re giving men the kind of community they truly need, and we will continue to help America’s young men find meaning and mission in life.” 

“We’ve always known that men need meaning in life and that a man’s ultimate meaning comes from his personal relationship with others and with God,” Kelly said. 

“Friendship is the key,” he said. “Christ did his ministry through friendships … he assembled 12 friends, imperfect people.” 

In a panel on the role of faith in rebuilding community for men, Kelly said young men “have had enough” of what the culture offers them and “are really yearning for more of an institution and yearning for moorings.” 

He noted that the Knights of Columbus have been bringing in a growing number of men over the past few years and that after an era of relativism, there has been a “swing back” among young men toward tradition. 

In a change from previous generations, he said, young men are drawn to ritual. 

“The areas they’re searching leave them empty,” Kelly said, so “they turn to God.”

Cardinal Dominik Duka. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Prague, Czech Republic, Nov 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Dominik Duka, one of the last cardinals from former Czechoslovakia, passed away at the age of 82 on Nov. 4. He was known for his orthodoxy in the Catholic faith and his resistance against the communist regime that jailed him for religious activity.

With the death of Duka, the only living cardinal from Czechoslovakia is Michael Czerny, who emigrated to Canada.

Duka, born in 1943, was baptized Jaroslav but took the religious name Dominik when he secretly entered the Order of Preachers and was ordained a priest in 1970.

He taught other Dominicans, spread samizdat (the secret copying and distributing of literature banned by the state), and cooperated with people abroad, which was illegal during communist rule in Czechoslovakia. The regime jailed him for more than a year. 

According to a memorial letter by the master of the Order of Preachers, Father Gerard Francisco Timoner III, Duka “spent 15 months in the Plzeň-Bory prison, where he prayed with fellow inmates and strengthened them in their faith.”

In prison, Duka also became friends with Václav Havel, the future president of free Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic after 1989.

After the fall of communism, Duka helped negotiate an agreement on Church property restitutions. The communist regime had seized many Church holdings, and the settlement provided financial compensation from the state to Catholic institutions.

The Dominican was a bishop since 1998, served as a chairman of the Czech Bishops‘ Conference, and was archbishop of Prague from 2010 to 2022. Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2012. Duka was also the author of various books.

The prelate was a well-known public figure who often went against the mainstream as he promoted Church teaching in a predominantly atheist and agnostic Czech Republic. Thus, he was necessarily considered both inspiring and provocative.

For example, the family was for him more important than elections or geopolitics. He warned that the breakdown of the family would lead to a mass of individuals who are easier to control by the state.

In one of many interviews for the media, he said that women were not aware they were manipulated by TV, radio, and in advertisements: “When was the last time I saw a movie in which there is a truly normal, harmonious family?” he said. Duka admitted there are problems in families, but “we all remember our family and childhood not because our parents sometimes argued, but because it was our environment. And a woman really plays a fundamental role.“

The Czech prelate opposed gender ideology and political efforts to replace the terms mother and father with designations such as “Parent A” and “Parent B.” 

“No one from Ukraine welcomes Parent B; people welcome mothers with children. Thus, the words ‘mom,’ ‘dad’ are completely natural for those children fleeing from Ukraine,“ he said in an interview in 2022.

Duka appreciated Pope Francis’ call for disarmament but added that “if we accept the vision that humans are intelligent apes,” any respect or tolerance may cease to exist, as “there are slightly different laws in the animal world.”

Some criticized the cardinal for being too close and benevolent to a few politicians — mainly to the ex-president of Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, who had been a communist. Others said Duka may have been too critical of mass immigration from countries other than Ukraine.

The last time he created a stir was in September, when he celebrated a Mass in Prague for the family of murdered U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk.

Duka once spoke about a controversy he was causing. He faced a dilemma about whether to partake in a March for Life, “because I am attracting the counter-demonstrators who use a vocabulary that children [present at the march] should not hear,” the cardinal said.

After his death, a few commentators said they appreciated Duka’s fighting spirit, his courage against communism, and his frankness. One Jewish community acknowledged Duka’s openness to interreligious dialogue and his fight against antisemitism.

His funeral Mass will be celebrated Nov. 15.

Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė attends the March for Life in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 4, 2025. / Credit: Erlendas Bartulis

Vilnius, Lithuania, Nov 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The appointment of Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė, a mother of six and longtime advocate for life, family, and human dignity, as Lithuania’s new vice minister of justice has drawn warm attention from the country’s Catholic community. For many, her rise from civic activism to national leadership embodies what it means to live one’s faith in public life.

Zamarytė-Sakavičienė joins fellow vice minister Barbara Aliaševičienė under Minister of Justice Rūta Tamašunienė, who assumed office in August following a coalition reshuffle that brought the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families Union into the ruling government.

Recalling the moment she received the offer to serve, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė said she accepted it with “calm joy,” recognizing it as at once “a professional milestone, a personal calling, and a significant responsibility.” While she never sought high office, she said her guiding motivation has always been “to contribute effectively to the common good and the protection of fundamental human rights.”

As vice minister, she will oversee civil, procedural, and administrative law as well as mediation, forensic policy, and the development of Lithuania’s national legal system.

Faith in public life

For Zamarytė-Sakavičienė, public service and faith are not competing loyalties but parallel vocations. A lawyer and ethicist by training, she began her career in 2006 as adviser to the Health Affairs Committee of the Seimas (Parliament), later serving as an inspector of good clinical practice at the State Medicines Control Service. She went on to head the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and Law and for five years was director of the Free Society Institute, an advocacy organization that seeks to foster values in line with Catholic social teaching.

Her approach to law, she said, is rooted in human nature rather than ideology. “Justice is not tied to any one faith; its content and the obligations arising from it do not depend on religious belief,” she explained. “Human rights in their essence are nothing other than demands of justice, that a person be given what is owed to them according to their human nature.”

This conviction, that justice flows from truth and the dignity of the human person, has defined her career. It also places her among a small but visible group of lay Lithuanian Catholics active in influencing national policy after decades of Soviet-era secularism.

Praise from Church and civic leaders

Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, a former political prisoner under Soviet rule, welcomed her appointment, praising her “clear Christian stance on life, family, and sexuality.” He called her “an inspiring example for secular Catholics and all people of goodwill that we need not be passive observers of what is happening in today’s Lithuania but clearly defend eternal values.”

Archbishop Kęstutis Kėvalas of Kaunas also defended her nomination against critics who claim her moral convictions could bias her work. “In a democratic state, no one should be humiliated or declared unfit for public service simply because of their moral or religious position,” he said.

Respect for freedom of conscience, he added, “is the foundation of democracy,” and discrimination against believers “not only violates their rights but also weakens the entire state.”

Audrius Globys, chairman of the Lithuanian Christian Workers’ Trade Union, echoed this sentiment, saying: “Christians must uphold their beliefs not only in private life but also in their professional and social activities.” He warned that retreating from public life weakens believers, citing John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

A ‘child-centric’ vision of society

A consistent voice in Lithuania’s pro-life movement, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė described her ethical outlook as “child-centric.”

“I evaluate decisions made by the state according to the principle that the child’s interest comes first,” she said, particularly in debates surrounding family policy, assisted reproduction, and abortion.

She stressed that life begins at conception and that “children should never be treated as objects of adult desire or convenience.” Reflecting on contemporary bioethical issues, she warned that “people now imagine that the essence of family is not the nurturing of new life but the feelings of adults, their pleasant emotions, their interests.”

Regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF), she expressed concern that “children are expected to adapt to the decisions of adults,” stressing that “manipulation of the human embryo is driven by cultural changes that elevate the convenience, desires, and interests of adults above a conceived child’s right to be born and to live.”

For her, the defense of life and family is not primarily a matter of religious dogma but of justice: “Human embryos should not be treated as an object,” she stated, while urging that governments cherish the natural family, not out of religious mandates but rather out of respect for natural law.

Serving truth in a secular age

Zamarytė-Sakavičienė acknowledged that expressing Christian convictions in politics can be challenging. Yet she said she believes moral truth need not be imposed to be effective. “The truth will defend itself,” she said. “You only need to be its bearers.”

Addressing young Catholics who aspire to serve in public life, she urged them to embrace courage and authenticity. “Do not be afraid to hold to your moral convictions even at the cost of your career,” she said. “Even if it does, new and unexpected paths will open.” Life, she added, “becomes simpler when one does not hide one’s beliefs.”

Asked what European societies most need from their leaders today, she replied that it is not merely competence but approachability and the ability to communicate timeless moral truths in a way that resonates with modern generations. “We must find new language and fresh approaches,” she said, “to speak about fundamental things in ways that people can truly hear.”

Toward a culture of dignity

As she begins her tenure, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė insisted that Lithuania’s moral and legal renewal depends on recognizing that human dignity is not merely granted by the state but discovered through truth. “Building a just society requires constant effort,” she said, “from both the state and its citizens, to ensure everyone receives what is due.”

In a political climate where religious conviction is often seen as a liability, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė offers a quiet reminder that faith, reason, and service to the common good need not be at odds.

“The truth sets us free,” she said simply, referencing John 8:31. “Our task is only to recognize it and to serve it faithfully.”

Democratic Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media during a press conference after voting on Nov. 4, 2025. / Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:25 pm (CNA).

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who promotes gender ideology and abortion access, won his bid for mayor of New York City on Nov. 4, decisively defeating his two main opponents: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and talk show host Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the New York State Assembly and the Democratic Party’s nominee for mayor, took 50.4% of the vote on Tuesday. As of 9:42 p.m. ET, 75% of the vote had been tallied.

Cuomo, who served as governor as a Democrat and ran as an independent for mayor, received 41.3% of the vote. Sliwa, the Republican nominee, finished third with 7.5% of the vote.

Mamdani, set to be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2026, will be the city’s first Muslim mayor. He will succeed Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who suspended his reelection bid in late September.

New York City’s mayoral race gained significant national attention after Mamdani secured an upset victory in the Democratic primary against Cuomo. Mamdani ran an anti-establishment campaign and called himself “the sole candidate running with a vision for the future of this city” during the final debate.

Mamdani embraced gender ideology during his campaign, vowing to provide $65 million in tax funding for hormone therapy drugs and surgeries as a response to President Donald Trump’s executive order to strip federal funding from health care providers that provide such drugs and surgeries to children.

He also intends to create “an office of LGBTQIA+ affairs” and declare New York City a sanctuary for “LGBTQIA+” people. As a member of the Legislature, he also supported a bill to prohibit law enforcement from aiding out-of-state investigations into health care professionals who provide hormone therapy drugs and surgeries to minors.

The mayor-elect’s campaign supported abortion access as well. He has promised to double city tax funding for the New York Abortion Access Fund and the city’s Abortion Access Hub. He has also vowed to “protect New Yorkers from” pro-life pregnancy centers, which he accused of spreading “false or deceptive information.”

Pro-life pregnancy centers have fought numerous lawsuits against states they accuse of censoring their speech in recent years.

Mamdani has also pledged to create a “baby basket” for parents with newborns, which will provide resources, such as diapers, baby wipes, nursing pads, postpartum pads, swaddles, and books. He expects this to cost less than $20 million annually.

The mayor-elect has further vowed to end all city cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will not use any city resources to help enforce immigration laws. His platform calls for $165 million in funding to support legal defenses for people who are at risk of being deported.

Mamdani has promised to freeze rent for New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized apartments and eliminate fares for city buses. He plans to establish city-owned grocery stores that he says will provide lower prices and intends to provide no-cost child care for families. He supports raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030.

To pay for the costs, in part, the mayor-elect has said he will raise the top state corporate tax from 7.5% to 11.5% and add an additional 2% income tax on anyone making more than $1 million annually. He estimates this will generate $9 billion in additional revenue, though critics have questioned those estimations.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger delivers remarks during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Virginia. / Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:17 pm (CNA).

Off-year elections for state leadership roles in Virginia and New Jersey saw Democrats win key races in what pundits had predicted would be a referendum against Republican President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.

Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, won the gubernatorial race in that state against current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the commonwealth’s first woman governor, according to the Associated Press, while state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the race for lieutenant governor there. Democrat Jay Jones also won the state’s attorney general race, beating incumbent Jason Miyares.

In New Jersey, meanwhile, Democrat Mikie Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli, with Sherrill keeping the governor’s chair in Democratic control and becoming the second woman to lead the state government.

The results will likely be hailed as a rebuke against Trump’s second term in office, which over the course of 2025 has been marked by aggressive policy on immigration, LGBT issues, and other hot-button political topics.

Virginia race marked by abortion, conscience rights, violent rhetoric 

In Virginia, the race between Spanberger and Earle-Sears was overshadowed in its last month by resurfaced text messages from Jones, dating from 2022, in which he suggested that then-state Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert, a Republican, should be shot in the head. Jones at the time also indicated a wish for Gilbert’s children to die. 

The explosive texts, which were published at National Review in October, led Spanberger and Hashmi to condemn Jones, though neither they nor any major Democrats called for Jones to drop out of the race. Jones himself apologized for the remarks. 

Earle-Sears repeatedly called for Jones to back out of the contest. At the election’s only gubernatorial debate on Oct. 9, she pressed Spanberger on Jones’ texts, demanding that the Democrat call for Jones’ withdrawal from the race.

Spanberger, meanwhile, made abortion access a central part of her campaign, calling on voters to elect her in order to protect Virginia’s permissive abortion laws. The Democrat has voiced support for a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion, something to which Earle-Sears has publicly voiced her opposition.

The state’s Catholic bishops had warned in October that the results of the state’s elections could lead to that amendment’s being advanced and codified into law, with this year’s winners poised to “decide whether the proposed amendments are advanced or stopped.”

In August, meanwhile, a resurfaced video from 2018 showed Spanberger apparently endorsing the policy of forcing religious hospitals to opt out of performing procedures such as abortion and euthanasia. 

“I oppose the ability of religious institutions to put their religious-based ideas on individuals and their health care choices and options,” she said at the time. 

Earle-Sears has expressed support for conscience rights, meanwhile, and during the October debate she indicated support for allowing employers to fire employees over their sexuality. “That’s not discrimination,” she said. 

Abortion safe in New Jersey; candidates differ on LGBT issues

In New Jersey, the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor offered a notable agreement on abortion, with both Sherrill and Ciattarelli stating their desire to keep the procedure legal.

The two differed on specific policy: Ciattarelli had advocated restricting abortion after 20 weeks, while Sherrill said she favored the state’s current laws, which allow for abortion up until birth. 

But their broader agreement on the legality of abortion underscored the state’s high levels of pro-abortion support among voters and indicated that the issue remains a lightning rod for Republicans even more than three years after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade. 

Elsewhere, the candidates differed on LGBT issues. Ciattarelli had called for men who believe they are women to be barred from women’s sports, while Sherrill voted against federal legislation that would have barred men from competing in girls’ sporting leagues. 

The Republican had also advocated rolling back pro-LGBT curriculums in public schools. Sherrill, in contrast, had voted against a federal bill that would have required schools to inform parents if their children began identifying as the opposite sex at school. 

Ciattarelli had also called for a state school voucher program modeled after Florida’s successful voucher initiative. Such a measure would “allow parents real choices in the schools their children attend,” he said ahead of the election. 

In October, the state’s bishops affirmed the Church’s teaching on the electoral process by telling the faithful that it is “not the Church’s place to tell them how to vote.” 

“Each of us has the right — and the responsibility — to follow our conscience, shaped by Scripture and the Church’s wisdom,” the bishops said.

null / Credit: Zolnierek/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 22:10 pm (CNA).

Pennsylvania voters elected to retain three Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court following a campaign with outside groups casting the vote as a referendum on abortion access, election integrity, and the future balance of the court.

The outcome means Democrats will maintain their 5-2 majority on the court.

With more than 54% of the vote tallied, 62.3% voted to retain Christine Donohue, 62.5% voted to retain Kevin Dougherty, and 62.4% voted to retain David Wecht. None of the other justices were on the ballot for 2025.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee celebrated the victory on X. 

“Thanks to tonight’s victories, the court’s Democratic majority will continue to protect fair maps, voting rights, and reproductive freedom for Pennsylvanians for years to come,” the post read.

In Pennsylvania, state Supreme Court justices are chosen through partisan elections to 10-year terms. When a judge’s term expires, voters choose whether to retain them for another 10 years with a “yes” or “no” vote. Only one justice has ever lost a retention vote: Russell Nigro in 2005.

While the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race had over $100 million in total donations and spending, setting a new national record for a state judicial election, the Pennsylvania race totaled a fraction of that, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. An estimated $15 million poured into the race. Donors included Planned Parenthood and labor unions, among others, plus Jeff Yass, a businessman who is a billionaire and the commonwealth’s richest man.

The 2025 campaign for Democratic justices focused heavily on abortion access. 

One campaign advertisement in favor of retaining the three justices detailed the pro-life laws in several other states after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It called the Democratic justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court “our last line of defense” against restrictions on abortion.

Last year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court revived a 2019 lawsuit filed against the state’s Abortion Control Act. The existing law, which the state Supreme Court upheld in 1985, prohibits the use of state funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk.

In the decision, the majority ruled that banning public funds for most abortions “discriminates against those women who choose to exercise their fundamental right to terminate a pregnancy” and asserted the state constitution’s guarantee of equal protection “includes a right to decide whether to have an abortion or to carry a pregnancy to term.”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sent the case back down to the appellate court, which could set the stage for a major abortion ruling in the state that could open the door to taxpayer-funded elective abortions.

In Pennsylvania, elective abortion is legal through the 23rd week of pregnancy. 

Reproductive Freedom For All also celebrated the wins on X. The organization wrote Donohue’s win would protect abortion access “and will help to fight anti-abortion restrictions.” It called Wecht’s win “a key success for abortion rights in the state.” The account wrote Dougherty would “continue to protect abortion access in the Keystone State.”

All three justices were endorsed by Planned Parenthood PA PAC and Reproductive Freedom for All.

Other issues that came up during the campaign included redistricting fights and mail-in voting.

Donohue reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2027. Both Dougherty and Wecht are 63 years old, which means they will not face another retention vote until 2035.

Javier del Río Alba, archbishop of Arequipa, with the youth at the 13th Youth Festival of Faith. / Credit: Archdiocese of Arequipa

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Javier Del Río Alba of Arequipa in southern Peru shared the keys to holiness with more than 8,500 young people at the Shrine of Our Lady of Chapi during the 13th Youth Festival of Faith, held over the weekend of the solemnity of All Saints.

The gathering, which took place Oct. 31–Nov. 1, was led by the archbishop, accompanied by the auxiliary bishop of Arequipa, Raúl Chau Quispe, along with priests, nuns, seminarians, and catechists.

The celebration began around 10:30 p.m. with the procession of the image of Our Lady of Chapi, which was received with applause from the young people, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Arequipa sent to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Del Río delivered a homily on the Gospel passage of the wedding feast at Cana, reflecting on the importance of Catholic marriage and reminding the young people that stimulants or other drugs are not needed to be truly joyful.

The young people were able to go to confession with dozens of priests and then participate in Mass and receive a plenary indulgence.

We can all be saints

Del Río celebrated Mass on Nov. 1 and emphasized that it is not impossible to be saints and reach heaven like Carlo Acutis or Pier Giorgio Frassati — both canonized in September — St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Calcutta, or St. Catherine of Siena, who “had the same human nature as us; they were not Superman or Superwoman: They were men and women like us, they were young like you with the same wounded human nature.”

The prelate emphasized that, as children of God, we all have “in our DNA” the potential to reach heaven, to be saints and be completely happy, despite our problems and individual circumstances.

The archbishop encouraged the young people to trust in God always, especially “when you feel overwhelmed, when you find yourself committing the same sins, when you think you can’t move forward, that you’ll always be a slave to the same thing: a vain person, a lustful person, a selfish person, a jealous person, an insecure person, a timid person… when you think you’ll always be stuck going around in circles.”

Del Río told those present to remember that God is with them when others make fun of them or when they are not invited to parties and others say: “‘There’s that prude’; ‘Look at that prude with her rosary.’”

The prelate exhorted them to remember in those moments that they are blessed, because when “the world persecutes you, when the world insults you, when the world says all kinds of things against you,” Jesus Christ is there.

Del Río also encouraged them to go to confession frequently in order to be able to face the world, where the devil can appear in different places such as “the internet, technology, social media, or artificial intelligence.”

The archbishop also warned that the devil “wants you to believe that to be happy you have to indulge yourself in everything, you have to get ahead, even if it means trampling on others.” 

“God, on the other hand, teaches us something wonderful,” he said. “God tells us the truth, and the truth is one: Jesus Christ, who, nailed to that cross, shed his blood for you” to free you “from death and sin.”

Finally, the prelate encouraged his listeners to ask “the Lord to accomplish this work in us, to grant us his Holy Spirit so that we may persevere in the Church and thus be witnesses of his power, his love, and his mercy to those who need us.”

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

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 4, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders are offering “prayers of support and solidarity” for world leaders who will discuss climate change and other environmental matters at an upcoming conference.

The 30th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled for Nov. 10–21 in Belém, Brazil. World leaders, scientists, and representatives from civil society will discuss ways to implement solutions to combat climate change and form new national action plans. 

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace; and Sean Callahan, CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), are calling for “urgent, courageous action to protect God’s creation and people.” 

“This year’s COP30 convenes while the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope,” the leaders said in a Nov. 4 statement. It is “a sacred opportunity to restore relationships and renew creation at a time when the gift of life is under grave threat.”

“Pope Leo XIV called for the participants of COP30 to ‘listen to the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, families, Indigenous peoples, involuntary migrants and believers throughout the world,’” the leaders said.

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are devastating communities already burdened by poverty and exclusion. Farming and fishing families confront threats to their livelihoods; Indigenous peoples face destruction of their ancestral lands; children’s health, safety, and futures are at risk,” the statement said.

“A decade ago, in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminded us that the climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all, and that intergenerational solidarity is not optional,” the statement said. “Failing to steward God’s creation ignores our responsibility as one human family.”

The leaders are calling on world leaders to act “urgently” to implement the Paris Agreement, a 2015 international treaty to limit global warming that “protects God’s creation and people.”

The leaders asked that countries and civil society organizations recommit to implementation that fosters economic opportunities, commits to efforts that reduce climate warming emissions, and pledges loss and damage financing that guarantees priority and direct access to vulnerable communities. 

They also asked that they ensure a just transition to a sustainable economy centered on workers, communities, and creation and make financing for climate solutions timely and transparent while also upholding human dignity.

“As all of us are impacted, so must we all be responsible for addressing this global challenge,” the leaders said. “Together, these actions can work towards integral ecology and ‘give priority to the poor and marginalized in the process.’”