Holy Trinity Catholic Church

A view of the French Senate in Paris on Feb. 1, 2023. / Credit: Victor Velter/Shutterstock

Paris, France, Oct 20, 2025 / 11:51 am (CNA).

In an unprecedented initiative, 86 French senators have signed a public appeal denouncing the alarming rise of anti-Christian acts in France and urging the government to take concrete measures to protect believers and places of worship.

The statement, led by Sen. Sylviane Noël of Haute-Savoie (southeastern France) and published on the conservative website “Boulevard Voltaire,” paints a grave picture of growing violence against churches and Christians across the country — and of what the signatories describe as a culpable indifference from public authorities.

“Not a week goes by without the regional daily press or social media informing us of these attacks, ranging from desecration and arson to physical assault,” the appeal warns.

According to data cited in the text, 322 anti-Christian acts were recorded in the first five months of 2025 alone — a 13% increase from the same period in 2024. The theft of liturgical objects has also surged by more than 20% in two years, with 820 cases reported in 2024 compared with 633 in 2022.

The appeal briefly cites a few emblematic incidents to illustrate this alarming trend. In the Landes region, at least 27 churches have been vandalized or desecrated in a matter of weeks, while in Nice, the defilement of a cross on Boulevard de la Madeleine has shocked the local population. 

The most emblematic case in recent months was the murder of Ashur Sarnaya, a 45-year-old Assyro-Chaldean Christian refugee from Iraq with a disability, while livestreaming on social media Sept. 10. His story became a symbol of both Christian endurance and the tragic vulnerability of believers in today’s France.

“He had fled Iraq and persecution to find refuge in our country,” the senators note, underlining the human cost and moral urgency of these acts of violence. 

They also recall the tragic 2016 killing of Father Jacques Hamel, who was murdered at the altar by a radicalized Muslim while celebrating Mass.

The senators denounce political and media circles for their indifference toward Christians. They observe that incidents involving other faiths often trigger immediate official reactions and extensive media coverage, while attacks on Christian sites frequently pass unnoticed.

To illustrate this imbalance, they compare the public outrage provoked by pig heads left outside several Paris mosques last month with the near silence following the burning of a Virgin Mary statue in Guingamp during a Mass for the feast of the Nativity of Mary on Sept. 8. 

While France has established reporting platforms and support systems for victims of antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts, no equivalent mechanism exists for anti-Christian incidents. 

“Today, we solemnly call on the government to act without delay,” the senators declare in the statement. “It is urgent to establish a national reporting and support system for victims of anti-Christian acts, accessible to the general public, clear, and effective.” 

“This disparity fosters among many believers the impression that some victims of religious violence are treated as less worthy of attention,” the appeal continues. “Amid this undeniable surge of hostility, many Christians in France feel increasingly abandoned.” 

The appeal insists that France’s motto — liberty, equality, and fraternity — must be applied equally to all believers.

“Liberty requires that every citizen be able to practice his or her faith without fear of threats or desecrations,” it says. “Equality demands that the state, at its highest level, deploy the same means of protection for all. Fraternity, finally, obliges us to consider that when a believer is wounded, it is the entire national community that is affected.” 

Without seeking to pit communities against one another, the senators conclude that protecting Christians is part of a broader effort to defend France’s unity.

“When a synagogue is desecrated, when a mosque is targeted, when a church is vandalized, it is always the same essential freedom that is threatened,” they write. “No hatred will ever be tolerated, no violence against a believer will ever be relativized.” 

This broader debate on the respect due to Christians in France has also been reignited by the controversy surrounding the film “Sacré Cœur,” which tells the story of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that began 350 years ago in Paray-le-Monial. Before its release, the film’s promotional posters were refused by national railway companies, citing “laïcité” (state secularism) and opposition to “proselytism.”

The decision sparked widespread backlash and underscored what many observers describe as a deeper hostility toward Christianity — an attitude that seeks to marginalize Christian presence and expression in the public sphere, even as faith continues to shape France’s moral and cultural identity. 

Bishop Mark O’Connell. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Boston

Vatican City, Oct 20, 2025 / 09:44 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Monday named Bishop Mark O’Connell, an auxiliary bishop of Boston, the next bishop of the Diocese of Albany, New York.

O’Connell, a canon lawyer, succeeds the 77-year-old Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who has been bishop of Albany since 2014 and whose resignation was accepted by Pope Leo on Oct. 20.

The 61-year-old O’Connell has served the Archdiocese of Boston as an auxiliary bishop since 2016. He has also been vicar general and moderator of the curia since December 2022. 

The Diocese of Albany serves approximately 300,000 Catholics in the capital city of New York state and the surrounding area.

Scharfenberger announced earlier this year that the diocese will undergo a planning initiative in response to a “financial and maintenance crisis” that could result in the closure of up to one-third of its 126 parishes.

O’Connell was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on June 25, 1964, to American parents. His family moved back to the United States when he was 12. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Boston College before studying for the priesthood.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1990. In 2002, he was awarded a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Upon returning to Boston, he became part of the canonical affairs staff of the archdiocese. From 2007 to 2018 he was judicial vicar.

He also served as a senior consulter to the Canon Law Society of America from 2009 to 2012 and was part of the faculty of St. John’s Seminary and the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. 

O’Connell also has experience in radio. As a priest, he was the co-host of a daily radio program, “The Good Catholic Life,” broadcast in Boston from 2011 to 2014.

In 2021, O’Connell voted against a motion of the U.S. bishops’ conference to begin drafting a teaching document on the Eucharist.

He revealed in a July 25, 2025, statement that he believed the Eucharistic document would lead to greater polarization. O’Connell published his statement in the bulletin of St. Theresa Parish in North Reading, Massachusetts, as a response to a parishioner’s question about denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians. 

In written responses to CNA’s questions after the publication of his letter, O’Connell said he saw the discussion of denial of Communion to certain public figures as focusing too heavily on abortion, to the detriment of other issues.

Rachael Isaac speaks to student athletes at Franciscan University of Steubenville, hosted by Franciscan University Athletic’s Athlete Center for Excellence (ACE), in October 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Counselors

CNA Staff, Oct 20, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As a competitive figure skater growing up, Rachael Popcak Isaac experienced firsthand the pressure that comes with competitive sports. Now as a devout Catholic and a professional counselor she has launched a new program for athletes inspired by St. John Paul II’s theology of the body.

The Faith-Based Success and Performance Coaching Program is offered by CatholicCounselors.com, where Isaac is chief operating officer.

In an interview with CNA, Isaac shared about her Catholic approach to the sports counseling program, which will offer resources such as tele-counseling, group workshops, and performance coaching.

CNA: What does sports therapy from a Catholic perspective look like? How does your approach differ from a traditional secular sports psychologist?

Rachael Popcak Isaac: From a Catholic perspective, sports therapy isn’t just about performance — it’s about the whole person: mind, body, and soul. Traditional sports psychology often focuses only on mental skills to improve performance. Those tools are valuable, but they can feel incomplete.

My approach integrates the science of performance with the truth of our identity being rooted in God and who God created us to be. That means I don’t just help athletes manage nerves or sharpen focus — I help them see their sport as part of their vocation, a way to glorify God and grow in virtue.

We work on confidence, resilience, and discipline, yes — but we root it in the deeper purpose of becoming the person God is calling them to be, on and off the field.

What inspired you to go into counseling and develop a Catholic-based coaching program? Will you tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to this work?

My background is twofold. I grew up as a dancer and competitive figure skater. So I saw the pressures, perfectionism, and anxiety that comes with sports, performance, competing, etc. I lived it. But I did the work to grow my skills and tools to manage stress and build my confidence in healthy ways and even learned to love performing rather than being afraid of it.

Likewise, I’ve always been fascinated by what helps people flourish. I studied psychology, became a licensed clinical social worker, and worked with individuals and families in traditional counseling. But I also saw the hunger people had for guidance that went deeper than just coping skills.

My own Catholic faith has always shaped how I see the human person — that we are created in the image of God, with dignity and purpose. CatholicCounselors.com integrates the best of psychology and performance science with the richness of our Catholic faith. 

I want people — athletes, professionals, parents — to know that they can build confidence and resilience not by becoming “perfect” but by living fully as the person God created them to be.

How do you integrate St. John Paul II’s theology of the body into your sessions? Why are these teachings so important in your work?

The theology of the body reminds us that our bodies matter — they are not separate from who we are but integral to our identity. In performance work, this truth is huge. So often people live in their heads, battling anxiety, doubt, or perfectionism. 

I help clients reconnect with their bodies, not as machines to be pushed harder but as gifts to be honored and trained in a way that reflects their dignity. Whether it’s an athlete learning to regulate their nervous system before competition or a professional learning to manage stress in their body during a high-stakes presentation, we use the body as a pathway to healing and growth. 

St. John Paul II’s teaching gives language to the deeper meaning of this work: that our body reveals our call to relationship, to love, and to living fully alive.

What are the most common struggles that your clients face, and how does a Catholic approach help with these struggles? What would you tell Catholics facing similar struggles?

Most of my clients struggle with confidence, anxiety, and perfectionism. They’re often high-achievers who feel the weight of expectations — from themselves, others, or culture.

The Catholic approach helps because it grounds their worth in something unshakable: They are loved by God, regardless of wins, losses, or mistakes. That shift changes everything. Instead of seeing failure as proof they’re not enough, they can see it as part of the growth process — even as a way God is forming them.

I tell Catholics facing these struggles: Your confidence doesn’t come from never falling but from knowing who you are and who walks with you. Every challenge can be a chance to grow in resilience and trust.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins hosts a USDA all-staff meeting on May 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Rollins announced the termination of household food insecurity reports in September 2025. / Credit: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 20, 2025 / 05:20 am (CNA).

The Trump administration’s recent decision to cease publishing an annual U.S. Department of Agriculture report on household food insecurity is being met with strong criticism by the Catholic Health Association of the United States, anti-hunger activists, and academics.

The last USDA food insecurity report, covering 2024 data, is set for release Oct. 22. On Sept. 20, the USDA, led by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, announced the termination of future “Household Food Security Reports,” which were first published in 1995 during the administration of then-President Bill Clinton.

“These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fearmonger,” the USDA said in a published statement.

The USDA questioned the legitimacy of the annual reports, saying food insecurity trends have remained virtually unchanged since 1995, “regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019–2023.”

SNAP is an acronym for “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” which according to the USDA “provides food benefits to low-income families to enhance their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.” SNAP was formerly known as the “Food Stamp Program.”

The Trump administration explained its decision for discontinuing the reports, saying: “For 30 years, this study — initially created by the Clinton administration as a means to support the increase of SNAP eligibility and benefit allotments — failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder.”

Responses to terminating the report

“I don’t think collecting data about food insecurity across the country is ‘liberal fodder,’” said Lisa Smith, vice president of advocacy and public policy for the Catholic Health Association of the United States, which generally aligns with Church teaching but has clashed with the U.S. bishops in the past on health care issues, such as the Affordable Care Act. “When you don’t have the data, it makes it more difficult to know where the keys areas of need are.”

The end of the annual food security report “is going to impact the health of low-income communities,” Smith said. Smith’s concerns were echoed by Colleen Heflin, a professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University and co-author of “Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity,” a book published last month along with Madonna Harrington Meyer, a sociology professor at Syracuse.

“Without national data from the Current Population Survey on food insecurity, it will no longer be possible to track year-to-year variation in food insecurity due to changing economic and policy conditions,” Heflin said. “This lack of data will make it harder for Catholic charities and other community-based organizations to effectively address food insecurity without a consistent and comprehensive understanding of how food insecurity is changing for different demographic and geographic communities.”

Like Smith, Heflin dismissed the Trump administration’s claim that the reports were little more than liberal, redundant fearmongering.

“Food insecurity data collection has been a bipartisan issue since the Reagan administration,” since the 1980s, Heflin said. Referring to the Trump administration’s plan to end the annual report, Heflin said she found “both the decision and the justification provided quite shocking and without merit.”

James Ziliak, a professor of microeconomics and founding director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky, told CNA that eliminating the USDA household food security reports could reduce public and policy awareness of hunger needs and hinder private-sector responses, such as those by Catholic health and social service organizations.

“This report was one of the most widely watched barometers of economic well-being among low- and moderate-income households in the U.S. and provided key information for policymakers, charitable organizations, and researchers,” Ziliak said in an email.

Like Smith and Heflin, Ziliak said he did not accept the Trump administration’s explanation for ending publication of the annual report.

“This is absolutely not justified, and the timing is especially harmful to public policy as the economy slows down and major cuts are being implemented in the largest federal food assistance program,” he said, referring to SNAP.

A Venezuelan priest who concelebrated the canonization Mass with Pope Leo XIV celebrates his country’s first saints in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 19, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN

Vatican City, Oct 19, 2025 / 08:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed seven new saints on Sunday before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, including the first saints from Venezuela and Papua New Guinea and a former Satanist who underwent a dramatic conversion to become an “apostle of the rosary.”

“Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new saints, who with God’s grace kept the lamp of faith burning,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily on Oct. 19. “Indeed, they themselves became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ.”

“May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness,” he said.

The canonization Mass unfolded under a bright Roman sun, with Venezuelan flags waving across the square as the pope declared two of the country’s beloved figures saints: St. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, known as “the doctor of the poor,” and St. María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez, a religious sister born without her left arm who went on to found the Servants of Jesus in Caracas in 1965.

Among the new saints were also two martyrs. St. Peter To Rot, a lay catechist martyred in Papua New Guinea during the Japanese occupation in World War II, became the country’s first saint. To Rot defied Japanese authorities who permitted polygamy, defending Christian marriage until his death.

St. Ignatius Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic archbishop, was executed during the Armenian genocide after refusing to convert to Islam. “I consider the shedding of my blood for my faith to be the sweetest desire of my heart,” Maloyan said before his death. “If I am tortured for the love of him who died for me, I will be among those who will have joy and bliss, and I will have obtained to see my Lord and my God.”

After the crowd prayed the Litany of the Saints, Pope Leo XIV pronounced the canonization formula in Latin, greeted by enthusiastic cheers.

Among the most well known of the new saints is St. Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century Italian lawyer who abandoned his Catholic faith for Satanism before returning to the Church with zeal. After his conversion, Longo dedicated his life to promoting the rosary and built the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, now one of Italy’s most beloved Marian pilgrimage sites.

In his homily, Pope Leo XIV said that “what is most precious in the Lord’s eyes” is “faith, namely, the bond of love between God and man.”

“Our relationship with God is of the utmost importance because at the beginning of time he created all things out of nothing and, at the end of time, he will save mortal beings from nothingness,” the pope said. “A world without faith, then, would be populated by children living without a Father, that is, by creatures without salvation.”

Three women were also declared saints. In addition to Venezuela’s St. María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez, the Italian foundress St. Vincenza Maria Poloni was also canonized. Poloni founded the Sisters of Mercy of Verona and is remembered for her tireless service to the poor, including at the risk of her life during the cholera epidemic of 1836.

Pope Leo also canonized St. Maria Troncatti, an Italian Salesian sister who spent 44 years as a missionary among the Indigenous Shuar people in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest. Known affectionately as “Madrecita,” or “little mother,” she served as a nurse, surgeon, and catechist with missionary zeal.

The canonization coincided with World Mission Sunday. Before praying the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV, who was once an Augustinian missionary himself in Peru, urged the faithful to pray for today’s missionaries.

“The Church is entirely missionary, but today we pray especially for those men and women who left everything to bring the Gospel to those who do not know it. They are missionaries of hope among the people. May the Lord bless them,” he said.

The pope also made a heartfelt plea for peace, expressing sorrow over renewed violence in Myanmar.

“The news coming from Myanmar is sadly distressing,” he said. “I renew my heartfelt appeal for an immediate and effective ceasefire. May the instruments of war give way to those of peace through inclusive and constructive dialogue.”

Pope Leo XIV entrusted his prayer for peace to the intercession of the new saints, praying in particular for the Holy Land, Ukraine, and other places of conflict.

“May God grant all leaders wisdom and perseverance to advance in the search for a just and lasting peace,” he said.

Children from the Diocese of Jalingo in Nigeria gathered on the feast of the Holy Rosary on Oct. 7, 2025, to join in the prayer campaign “One Million Children Praying the Rosary,” which was celebrated in parishes, chaplaincies, and pastoral areas across the diocese. / Credit: Aid to the Church in Need

ACI Africa, Oct 19, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Children from across Africa, including those in countries experiencing persecution and instability, joined their peers in the “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” campaign held on Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The campaign by Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International is a global prayer initiative inspired by St. Pio of Pietrelcina’s vision of children changing the world through prayer.



In Mozambique, a southern African country weighed down by insurgency against Christians, some children prayed the rosary for the first time in their lives.

One of the testimonies shared with ACN from a parish in Mozambique’s Diocese of Lichinga recounted how the community brought together 100 young people to pray for peace in their country and beyond.

The testimony stated: “The children were very interested … We had met with them twice before, to prepare them. Many of the children didn’t know about the rosary or had never prayed it, so the initiative was the first of many opportunities to pray the rosary with them in the future.”

Nigeria’s Diocese of Jalingo also wrote to ACN explaining that the children of their diocese also joined in the prayer campaign, which was held in parishes, chaplaincies, and pastoral areas across the diocese.

“We also added Holy Hour adoration to the Blessed Sacrament as pilgrims of hope among the peoples. May God hear our prayers and grant us unity and peace in our troubled world,” the message from Jalingo said.

According to statistics gathered by ACN, almost 500,000 children from 111 countries were officially registered online by Oct. 8.

ACN estimated that many more participated in the campaign, saying: “Previous experience shows that many groups, families, and individuals around the world take part in the campaign without registering online, so the full number is likely to far exceed that.”

This initiative began in 2005 in Caracas, Venezuela, when a group of children praying the rosary sparked inspiration for a worldwide movement. Today, it connects millions of young believers across continents.

“Inspired by the words of St. Padre Pio, who believed that “when 1 million children pray the rosary, the world will change,” the campaign has grown into a significant spiritual movement, drawing participation from schools, parishes, and families across continents,” ACN said.

In this year’s campaign, Poland was the country with the most participants, totaling over 86,000, followed by Brazil with almost 50,000.  

The United States is said to have doubled its official participation this year, reaching 22,000.

ACN said that despite more modest numbers, the participation of countries such as Liberia or Algeria, with 100 participants each, “show the global reach of this campaign.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

The All Ireland Rosary Rally has attracted increasingly larger crowds. This year’s rally included a youth conference and a prayer vigil in the basilica to welcome the feast of Pentecost on June 8, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the All Ireland Rosary Rally

Dublin, Ireland, Oct 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new poll commissioned by the Iona Institute has found a marked revival of interest in religion among young people in Northern Ireland. 

The results are a clear reversal of the previous continuous decline by age. The youngest age group polled, 18- to 24-year-olds, now say they are more likely to have a “very positive” attitude of Christianity (30% vs. only 4% with a “very negative” view) than any other age group, even those over 65.

David Quinn of the Iona Institute told CNA: “What we are seeing in both parts of the island is some kind of revival of interest in religion among a segment of the youngest adults, the 18- to 24-year-olds.” He said a significant number of these young people are men.

The new poll, commissioned by the institute, was conducted by Amárach Research, a market research agency in Dublin, and based on a representative sample of 1,200 adults in Northern Ireland. It revealed that 40% of Catholics in Northern Ireland are regular Massgoers — which is double the percentage of Mass attendees in the Republic of Ireland, which was similarly surveyed earlier in the year by the same research agency.

The Iona Institute was keen to compare the findings in both the north and south of Ireland especially given the higher percentage of Protestant churches in the north.

One big finding of the poll is that Northern Ireland can no longer be viewed as being simply divided between Catholics and Protestants. The “Nones” — that is, those who say they don’t belong to any religion — have become a major force as well. This finding challenges the traditional sectarian stereotypes in Northern Ireland.

Quinn said he believes that indications of some kind of revival of interest in religion among the youngest age group surveyed should encourage all the churches. The finding is not an outlier. The revival of interest among young adults is consistent with poll findings in the Republic of Ireland, Britain, and the United States. In Britain, the phenomenon has been termed the “Quiet Revival.”

Will this growth in interest in the Catholic faith translate into active participation? 

Quinn is wary of making premature or rash claims about the poll results. He sees them as a challenge for the Catholic Church in Ireland. 

“I think the churches will need to get a lot better at finding ways to respond to this kind of revived interest… people like the Dominicans are able to do it, and some of the evangelicals are good at it as well,” he said. “But I think it’s something that the churches are going to have to have a real hard think about, because we’re very much stuck in the ‘decline stage’ mentality that says we’re all getting older and so what’s the point?”

Quinn said he believes that in the future there will probably be fewer “cultural Christians” — those who “say they are Christian but don’t practice.” He said that instead, society could be divided between those who hold religious belief and those who don’t, with few people in between.

“The overall conclusion, however, is that religion is not disappearing, contrary to past predictions,” he said.

Quinn said that throughout Ireland there’s “a lot of outright disengagement from religion,” adding: “You’ve got a growing number of people who say ‘I don’t have any religion.’ Cultural Christianity is beginning to fade — you know, the sort of person who said ‘I used to go to Mass the odd time’ isn’t going at all. There’s a growing number of people who don’t even bother with the sacraments at all. So … this kind of nonpracticing … type of Christianity is failing, and the ‘no religion’ group is increasing.”

The Iona Institute research shows that while the 18- to 24-year-old group had the highest number of respondents with a “very positive” attitude toward the Catholic Church (17%), half said they are neither religious nor spiritual. Those in this age group, however, said they are more likely to pray and read or watch religious content than people in the 25- to 34-year-old age group.

Of those surveyed in the poll, 28% said they are Catholic, 14% said they are Presbyterian, 11% said they are Church of Ireland, and 36% said they don’t belong to any religion. The rest belong to other Christian churches or religions.

Nearly 50% of respondents said they view Christianity favorably, though percentages were lower when specifically asked about the Catholic Church (23%) and Protestant churches (30%). The most unfavorable attitudes toward religion in general are among the nonreligious.

Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they are religious and/or spiritual — a slightly lower percentage than in the Republic of Ireland. Of those surveyed, 51% said they pray, 44% said they attend religious services (which does not mean regularly), 33% meditate, and 38% read religious or spiritual books such as the Bible.

The poll also revealed that Catholics have more favorable views of Protestant churches than the other way around.

Not unexpectedly, the sex abuse scandals are a big driver of unfavorable attitudes toward the Catholic Church throughout Ireland.

The Engage Virtual Summit, presented by eCatholic, is a two-day virtual conference bringing together lay Catholics, clergy, and religious from parishes, schools, dioceses, and ministries to explore innovative tools and strategies and share insights into evangelization in the digital world. / Credit: eCatholic

CNA Staff, Oct 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A two-day virtual conference will bring together lay Catholics, clergy, and religious to explore innovative tools and strategies and share insights into evangelization in the digital world. 

The Engage Virtual Summit, presented by eCatholic, will take place online Oct. 21–22 and will feature many notable Catholic figures including Monsignor James Shea, Monsignor Roger Landry, co-founder of Hallow Alex Jones, radio host Katie McGrady, and evangelist Chris Stefanick, among others.

eCatholic is an organization that supports parishes, schools, and dioceses to evangelize effectively and efficiently through the use of eCatholic’s digital engagement platform. 

Jason Jaynes, president and CEO of eCatholic; Michael Josephs, director of marketing at eCatholic; and Brandon Duncan, eCatholic’s marketing evangelist, spoke to CNA about the conference and what they hope attendees will take away from it.

Duncan explained that they’ve had the idea for the conference for several years but it wasn’t until last September that he put a plan together for it and had it approved by the leadership team at eCatholic.

“It’s amazing what we’ve been able to do and being able to turn this around so quickly and by the grace of God, everything’s been going so smoothly in the planning process,” Duncan said. “We’re so excited about this this opportunity and just what this summit means for the Church as a whole and for the leaders and to be able to provide them with the tools and inspiration to continue to carry out the mission of the Church.”

The theme of the conference is “Made for Mission,” which, Jaynes explained, aims “to engage both religious and lay alike, who are out there, who are in this digital continent and trying to reach people — whether you’re a priest, you’re a ministry leader, you’re a communicator, an educator, a media professional — with practical strategies and things that they can do to really help to inspire them to be part of that digital evangelization.”

Josephs added: “We are as humans made for mission. The Church is made for mission. And so we just felt like the theme resonated on all these different levels.”

During a year in which the Vatican hosted the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and the Church’s first digital missionary was canonized a saint (Carlo Acutis), the importance of digital missionaries in today’s world seemed obvious. While the “online world is not perfect … the Church needs to not ignore it but engage with it and be a light in that space,” Josephs said. 

Jaynes pointed out the many Catholic ministries and organizations doing important work for the Church in the digital space and said he believes there is a “shift happening in the mainstream culture right now where people are looking through the emptiness of some of the secular narratives that we’ve all been sold for the past couple of decades and saying, ‘There has to be more, there has to be more meaning to the human condition and to this need for joy that’s in a part of all of us.’”

As for what they hope attendees will take away from the summit, they said practical tips, inspiration, and “feeling challenged to do more.” 

“I hope that attendees come away with practical tips to make them better communicators … inspiration, new strategies, new ideas, even a renewed zeal,” Josephs said. 

Jaynes added: “We see it as a chance for folks to, if you will, in a retreat-style way, go to the mountain to pause, pray, seek wisdom, receive some form of renewal before they then go back out into the mission field.”

null / Credit: vmargineanu/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 18, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Officials in New Jersey have charged a former parish financial director with the theft of more than half a million dollars in church funds.

Joseph Manzi has been charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking after he allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft.

Manzi was the subject of an August lawsuit by the parish in which he was alleged to have “systematically, secretly, and dishonestly utilized parish funds for his own personal benefit.” The civil suit claimed he had stolen upwards of $1.5 million.

In an Oct. 17 press release, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office said Manzi had been officially criminally charged with the theft. Platkin in the release said Manzi used the funds “not to feed his family or for some kind of emergency, but to live a more lavish lifestyle.”

Manzi stopped working at the Lincroft parish in June, the office said. Afterward, church staff reviewed credit card statements and found “numerous unauthorized charges that were determined to allegedly be for Manzi’s personal benefit.”

The state alleged that Manzi used stolen funds for “event vendors, vehicle repairs, financing, and purchases, including a Cadillac SUV,” as well as purchases such as luxury clothing, sports event tickets, and “chartered fishing trips.”

Manzi is facing up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $150,000.

It was not immediately clear why the prosecutor’s office charged Manzi with about $1 million less in theft than the August civil suit alleged. The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Oct. 18 seeking clarification on the figures.

On its website, St. Leo Parish said the controversy “will not prevent St. Leo the Great Parish from working every day to live our mission — to serve parishioners and the community in God’s name with the greatest of love and compassion.”

“We ask you all to stand together in our shared faith and to pray for a swift and just conclusion to this troubling chapter,” the parish said.

Pope Leo XIV hugs a man during the Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Travelers on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

At the Vatican’s Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Travelers, Pope Leo XIV praised pilgrims for their deep trust in God despite centuries of exclusion, telling thousands of participants that their witness renews the Church’s own faith.

“Today we all feel renewed by the gift you bring to the pope: your strong faith, your unshakeable hope in God alone, your solid trust that does not yield to the hardships of a life often lived on the margins of society,” Pope Leo said during the jubilee audience in the Paul VI Hall on Saturday.

About 4,000 pilgrims from more than 70 countries in Europe and beyond took part in the event, according to the Vatican. Musicians and dancers from Italy, Romania, France, Spain, and Slovenia filled the Vatican hall with lively music during the vibrant jubilee celebration.

Pope Leo urged participants to continue placing their faith and hope entirely in God, saying they “can be living witnesses to the centrality of these three things: trusting only in God, not attaching yourself to any worldly possessions, and demonstrating exemplary faith in words and deeds.”

He added that the “heart of the Church, by its very nature, is in solidarity with the poor, the excluded, and the marginalized, with those considered society’s ‘discard.’”

“For nearly a thousand years, you have been pilgrims and nomads in a context that has progressively constructed development models that have proven to be unjust and unsustainable in many respects,” Leo said.

He added that so-called “progressive” societies have often relegated them “to the margins of cities, the margins of rights, the margins of education and culture,” even while those same societies have created “enormous economic inequalities… financial crises, environmental disasters, and wars.”

During the audience, the pope also spoke to pastoral workers who serve Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti communities, urging them “to carry forward with renewed energy the objectives formulated by the Fifth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Gypsies,” particularly in education, family ministry, and intercultural dialogue.

He said he hopes “every diocese will develop adequate pastoral attention dedicated to the Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti communities for true integral human growth.”

At the end of his speech, Pope Leo took the time to answer a few questions from children taking part in the jubilee. When asked how young people can be better friends with Jesus, he said that “seeking the help of the Church is a very important path to always being a friend of Jesus.”

“Jesus, through the Church, presents himself to us, and therefore loving Jesus, being a friend of Jesus, means being a friend in the Church: and so life in the Church, the sacraments, the holy Mass,” he said.

To another child who asked how it could be possible for children to grow up in a world without war, Pope Leo said peace begins with us.

“If we want to change the world, we must start with ourselves, with our friends, our classmates, in our families,” he said. “It’s very important that we always seek this capacity for dialogue, for mutual respect, and to promote the values that help us build a world of peace.”

The Jubilee of Roma, Sinti, and Traveling Peoples was organized in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Migrantes Foundation, the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Vicariate of Rome, and representatives of the Pastoral Care of Roma and Sinti.

Celebrations will continue Sunday with a Mass at Rome’s Sanctuary of Divine Love, presided over by Cardinal Fabio Baggio and accompanied by Roma and Sinti musicians. A prayer service will follow in honor of Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla, the first Roma martyr of the faith.