U.S.
Indianapolis chosen to host 2029 National Eucharistic Congress
INDIANAPOLIS — The 11th National Eucharistic Congress will be held in Indianapolis in 2029. Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, announced the news at a dinner Oct. 20, and the crowd in attendance erupted into cheers and applause. The dinner followed a Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church. Concelebrating were Bishop Cozzens, chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., and Bishop Timothy L. Doherty of Lafayette, Indiana, with Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson as principal celebrant. Before his announcement, Bishop Cozzens spoke of the impact of the 10th congress, held in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024. “Everywhere I go now, people tell me stories about how the congress impacted them,” he said. Among the impacts of the 2024 congress have been “renewed participation” in eucharistic adoration and confession as well as “greater reverence at Mass, increased confidence among clergy in preaching about the Real Presence, and growth in parish evangelization and service,” a news release on the 2029 congress said.
Court allows challenge of policy that permits ICE arrests at churches
WASHINGTON — A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Oct. 20 reversed a lower court ruling and allowed a multifaith coalition to continue its challenge to a Trump administration policy that reduced restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals. In 2025, a coalition of more than two dozen religious organizations filed a lawsuit to challenge a Trump administration policy that rescinded long-standing restrictions on arrests at sensitive locations, with exceptions for public safety or national security threats. The Trump administration rescinded the long-standing ICE policy — which prohibits immigration enforcement arrests at sensitive locations or events like weddings and funerals without approval from supervisors. The previous policy had exceptions for public safety or national security threats. (OSV News)
Archdiocese of New York reaches $800 million abuse settlement
NEW YORK — The Archdiocese of New York has reached an $800 million settlement to resolve some 1,300 abuse claims brought under lookback laws in that state and involving clergy and staff. The deal, slated to be inked within the coming days, was confirmed by plaintiffs’ attorneys in an email sent on the evening of Oct. 23 to clients, according to The New York Times. The funds will conclude “all outstanding claims brought against the Archdiocese of New York, our parishes, and affiliated agencies,” said Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks in an Oct. 24 email to archdiocesan priests. “We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” while allowing the archdiocese “to turn its full attention once again to its mission” of evangelization and works of mercy, said the archbishop in the email. Signing of the as-yet unfinalized deal is scheduled for the week of Nov. 6, he said. The settlement caps a five-year legal battle. (OSV News)
WORLD
Pope recognizes heroic virtues of 6 Catholics
ROME — Pope Leo XIV has recognized the heroic virtues of six Catholics whose lives of service, missionary zeal and perseverance in suffering have advanced their sainthood causes. During an Oct. 24 audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the pope declared venerable two missionary bishops, Friedrich Kaiser Depel and Oreste Marengo; Focolare member Margarita Bavosi; Italian priests Fathers Domenico Pogliani and Alessandro Vitetti; and Capuchin Brother Daniele of San Giovanni Rotondo, a spiritual son of Padre Pio. German-born Bishop Kaiser Depel spent most of his priestly and episcopal ministry in Peru, where he helped rebuild communities after a devastating earthquake and became known as a pioneer of the biblical apostolate. Italian Salesian Bishop Marengo served for decades in northeastern India, establishing missions, promoting priestly vocations and assisting refugees during regional conflict. Among the other newly declared venerables were Bavosi, an Argentine laywoman known in the Focolare Movement as “Luminosa”; Father Pogliani, a Milanese priest who founded schools and care homes for the poor; Father Vitetti, remembered for bearing blindness and illness with the words, “I cannot see, I cannot hear, but I believe”; and Brother Daniele, who supported Padre Pio’s spiritual legacy despite years of ill health. (OSV News)
Pope Leo’s doctors confirm his visit to Latin America two weeks after lung surgery
ROME — Two weeks after surgery for lung cancer, Pope Leo XIV has been cleared by doctors to proceed with his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to South America, the longest and most demanding journey of his pontificate so far. In a statement released Oct. 26, papal physician Dr. Luigi Carbone said there are no medical concerns that would prevent the pope from traveling to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru as scheduled. The Vatican said the pope’s recovery is progressing well and that he has gradually resumed his responsibilities while balancing work with appropriate periods of rest. “The Holy Father looks forward with great joy and enthusiasm to this journey,” the statement said. The Holy See Press Office announced on Oct. 21 that the pope’s doctors believe the pope needs no further treatment following his surgery. Pope Leo added: “I am looking forward to returning to the continent where I’ve experienced so many moments of my life.” Preparations in Peru are continuing without interruption. The trip will cover more than 19,000 miles on 14 flights, with Pope Leo celebrating nine public Masses and ending the journey in Chiclayo, Peru, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023. (OSV News)
Vatican diplomat warns UN of arms race in space, calls for ban on all space weapons
NEW YORK — As space-based technologies and exploration expand, the Vatican’s top diplomat to the United Nations is warning against the militarization of outer space — and the lack of a sufficiently strong legal framework to counter such a threat. “At a time when conflicts and mistrust are already putting severe strain on the international order, humanity cannot afford to extend an arms race beyond the Earth,” said Archbishop Christophe Z. el-Kassis, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the U.N. in New York. The archbishop shared his thoughts in an Oct. 21 statement delivered at a scheduled discussion on outer space held by the U.N.’s First Committee during the 81st session of the multilateral body’s General Assembly. Noting rapid developments in, and dependence upon, space-based technologies, the archbishop pointed to the dire consequences of weapons in space. While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear and mass destruction weapons, the legal framework still has critical gaps, he said, calling for a comprehensive ban on weapons in space. “Outer space must remain a domain of peaceful cooperation and shared responsibility, preserved for the benefit of all humanity and for present and future generations,” he said. (OSV News)
