U.S.
After judge’s order, Trump administration to issue partial SNAP payments with contingency funds
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has indicated that it will not appeal court orders directing it to pay SNAP benefits, but that it will only issue partial payments in November. The Trump administration previously said funding for SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major part of the nation’s social safety net — was scheduled to lapse Nov. 1 due to the federal government shutdown. But Judge Jack McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island said Oct. 31 the Agriculture Department must distribute the contingency funds “timely, or as soon as possible, for the November 1 payments to be made.” In a Nov. 3 brief, USDA’s lawyers wrote it “will fulfill its obligation to expend the full amount of SNAP contingency funds today.”“This means that no funds will remain for new SNAP applicants certified in November, disaster assistance, or as a cushion against the potential catastrophic consequences of shutting down SNAP entirely,” the brief said. About 42 million — or 1-in-8 — Americans rely on SNAP. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that in fiscal year 2023, 79% of SNAP recipient households included either a child, an elderly individual or a nonelderly individual with a disability. (OSV News)
Illinois Catholics appeal to Pritzker after legislature passes assisted suicide bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Catholics and pro-life advocates have turned their sights on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office after the state Senate in the early hours of Oct. 31 narrowly voted to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The measure had already passed the state House in May, but by the time the spring session ended, both houses did not have consensus. The bill’s passage puts Illinois on track to being the 12th state, plus the District of Columbia, to have such a law. “With all the assaults on human dignity and the growing number of vulnerable people we see every day, sadly the leaders and members of the General Assembly who voted for this, offer us suicide as its response,” said the Catholic Conference of Illinois in a statement. The conference said it asked the governor “not only to veto this bill in totality, but also to address humanely the reasons why some view assisted suicide as their only option and to heed the impact of similar legislation on other states and nations.” (OSV News)
Diocese of Alexandria, La., files for bankruptcy to address abuse claims
ALEXANDRIA, La. — The Diocese of Alexandria filed for bankruptcy Oct. 31 to address dozens of abuse claims, the total number of which may rise under that state’s extended “lookback law.” The diocese said on its website that so far 85 claims have emerged in the wake of Louisiana’s legislative window to file abuse lawsuits, regardless of when the abuse occurred. Bishop Robert W. Marshall Jr. said that filing for bankruptcy was “not an easy decision” but will allow the diocese to “as fairly as we can … compensate those who have been harmed” while carrying on “the essential ministries of the diocese” to serve parishes, parishioners and “others who rely upon the Church for assistance.” He noted that “this bankruptcy applies only to the diocese itself,” since the diocese’s “parishes and other Catholic entities are separately incorporated under state law and are not affected by this filing.” He apologized for the actions of abusive priests and urged faithful to “lean on each other and together rely on Jesus Christ,” so that “as a Church, we will be renewed, and together bear much fruit for the kingdom of God.” (OSV News)
WORLD
With thousands in Sudan trapped in besieged city, Catholic leaders amplify calls to end war
EL-FASHER, Sudan — Catholic Church leaders are raising alarms after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claimed to have captured Sudanese El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur. The city fell on Oct. 26 after an 18-month siege marked by heavy bombardment, starvation and blocked aid. Catholic Church and U.N. officials say more than 260,000 civilians — including 130,000 children — remain trapped in desperate conditions. UNICEF warns that malnourished children are dying as lifesaving food and medicine are deliberately withheld. Catholic missionaries and regional bishops are urging the world not to look away, calling for immediate humanitarian access and renewed peace efforts. Since fighting erupted in April 2023, more than 9 million Sudanese have been displaced, and Church leaders are appealing for what they call “a peace written with a pen, not a pencil.” The search for peace in the country continues, with the U.S leading the peace efforts and the Sudanese foreign minister visiting Washington for high-profile talks. After reciting the Angelus prayer Nov. 2, the feast of All Souls, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for the victims in el-Fasher. The pope said he was following “the tragic news” with “great sorrow.”(OSV News)
Catholic Church ‘seeks closer ecumenical ties’ in response to world needs
WADI EL NATRUN, Egypt — Catholic leaders are deepening cooperation with other Christian churches as global challenges push believers toward greater unity. That was the message from delegates at a major ecumenical gathering in Egypt marking 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea — the event that shaped the Nicene Creed shared by most Christians today. Catholic theologian Myriam Wijlens, who helped organize the conference, said the Church’s recent synod emphasized that ecumenical dialogue is essential to understanding synodality itself. The World Conference on Faith and Order, hosted by the Coptic Orthodox Church and organized by the World Council of Churches, drew about 400 participants from more than 350 denominations. Cardinal Kurt Koch led the Vatican delegation, calling Nicaea a symbol of unity “when Christianity had not yet been wounded by numerous divisions that followed.” Conference statements urged Christians to live that unity through shared prayer, repentance, and action for justice — signs of what Wijlens called the Catholic Church’s growing “synodal spirit.” (OSV News)
Vatican: Mary, mother of Jesus and all believers, is not co-redeemer
VATICAN CITY — While praising devotion to Mary, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith firmly rejected moves to formally proclaim Mary as “co-redemptrix” or “co-mediatrix.” In a lengthy doctrinal note titled “Mater Populi Fidelis” (“Mother of the Faithful People of God”), the dicastery said the title co-redemptrix or co-redeemer “carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ” in salvation. And, regarding the title co-mediatrix or co-mediator, it said that Mary, “the first redeemed, could not have been the mediatrix of the grace that she herself received.” However, it said, the title may be used when it does not cast doubt on “the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.” Pope Leo XIV approved the text Oct. 7 and ordered its publication, said the note, which was released Nov. 4. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the doctrinal dicastery, presented the document and said its teaching becomes part of the Church’s “ordinary magisterium” and must be considered authoritative. (CNS)
