U.S. briefs
FDA expects to draft mifepristone safety review next year; pro-life groups call it ‘insufficient’
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration’s safety review of mifepristone is expected to stretch into next year, according to an Oct. 7 court filing, prompting disappointment from pro-life groups. In a court-ordered status update on the review, the FDA said in a filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana that it is “on track to obtain study results by mid-December 2026,” which it then plans to review and draft a report of its findings. “FDA expects to complete that process not later than March 2027,” the document said. The filing comes as part of a lawsuit from Louisiana that seeks to end the FDA policy implemented during the Biden administration permitting mifepristone to be distributed by mail. But the Trump administration asked multiple judges to pause such lawsuits and has thus far left that regulation in effect while seeking to block challenges to it, citing the ongoing FDA safety review. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has criticized the FDA for the eased restrictions on mifepristone, while also launching a prayer and advocacy campaign to address the rising abortion rate and mifepristone’s availability through October’s Respect Life Month. (OSV News)
Novena, resources respond to ‘urgent pastoral challenge’ of mental health
WASHINGTON — As the global community marked World Mental Health Day Oct. 10, the U.S. Catholic bishops renewed their ongoing commitment to address an issue the Vatican has named an “urgent pastoral challenge.” That challenge affects more than 1 billion globally, and at least 1 in 5 in the U.S. In an Oct. 10 press release, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the 2026 start of its annual Novena for Mental Health, which takes place Oct. 10-18, and which is part of the bishops’ ongoing National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. In its statement, the USCCB shared an Oct. 10 message for World Mental Health Day from Sister Alessandra Smerilli, a member of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco and prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Sister Alessandra stressed in her message that “no psychological wound can ever erase the dignity of a human person.” “The Church cannot limit herself to occasional or reactive responses” to the issue of mental health, Sister Alessandra said. “This requires trained pastoral workers, collaboration with health professionals, clear referral pathways, attention to suicide prevention, support for families and care for young people.” (OSV News)
Cornell Catholic ministry calls on students to witness to faith amid sexual assault case
ITHACA, N.Y. — As Cornell University grapples with a high-profile sexual assault case, Catholic leaders on campus said they are responding with “prayer, pastoral care and renewed commitment to the formation of Catholic students,” along with an 11-page pastoral letter to guide the faithful on campus. That response comes as the university has come under scrutiny following a Sept. 16 civil lawsuit filed by a former undergraduate student alleging she was raped at a campus fraternity house in 2024. Concerns over previous handling of the case by university and local officials have led to campus protests, along with the appointment of New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the matter as a special prosecutor. “We do not want our Catholic students to retreat from difficult conversations,” said Deacon Matthew J. Hall, associate director of the Cornell Catholic Community. “We want our students to have the intellectual and spiritual resources to enter those conversations charitably and courageously. We need to be able to affirm what is true, recognize human dignity and help one another pursue what is genuinely good.” The Cornell Catholic Community explored these topics in “Salt, Leaven, and Light: Our Christian Responsibility in the Public Square,” a pastoral letter offering several reflections on the Catholic understanding of marriage, human sexuality, freedom and moral choices. The letter included “nine concrete suggestions,” including prayer and outreach, to bring the light of Jesus Christ to the campus. (OSV News)
Texas priest named Maronite bishop of eparchy in Mexico
WASHINGTON — A parish priest in Texas has been tapped by Pope Leo XIV to lead Mexico’s Maronite Catholics. The pope appointed Maronite Father Milad T. Yaghi as bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico (“Nuestra Señora de los Mártires del Líbano en México”). The eparchy, established in 1995 by St. John Paul II and covering the whole of Mexico, counts some 200,000 lay faithful and 10 parishes. Bishop-elect Yaghi succeeds the eparchy’s apostolic administrator, Maronite Father Elie Mikhael, who was appointed in 2024 by Pope Francis. News of the bishop-elect’s appointment was publicized Oct. 12 in Washington by Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., who made the announcement since Bishop-elect Yaghi currently serves within his jurisdiction. (OSV News)
WORLD briefs
Cardinal Antonio Tagle elected dean of the College of Cardinals
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican announced Oct. 9 that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has been elected dean of the College of Cardinals following the retirement of 92-year-old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. The Filipino cardinal, 69, was chosen by the Church’s cardinal bishops and confirmed by Pope Leo XIV, who also assigned him the traditional title of the suburbicarian Church of Ostia while he retains his see of Albano. As dean, Cardinal Tagle will hold a key role during any future papal transition. If the pope dies or resigns, the dean summons cardinals to Rome, leads the pre-conclave meetings and formally asks the pope-elect whether he accepts his election and what name he will take. Cardinal Tagle will continue serving as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal bishop by Pope Francis in 2020. (OSV News)
Pope Leo names new archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola as the new archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and the pope’s vicar for Vatican City. The 61-year-old Italian archbishop succeeds Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who was recently appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto. Archbishop Viola currently serves as secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a position he has held since joining the Roman Curia in 2021. A native of Biella in Italy’s Piedmont region, Viola entered the Franciscan order after high school and was ordained a priest in 1993. He later served in Assisi, Italy, and led the Diocese of Tortona from 2014 to 2021. He holds a doctorate in sacred liturgy from Rome’s Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Sant’Anselmo. As archpriest, Archbishop Viola will oversee the day-to-day administration of St. Peter’s Basilica and preside at major liturgies when the pope is not present. Pope Leo also named him president of the Fabric of St. Peter, the Vatican body responsible for the basilica’s upkeep, operations and care of pilgrims and visitors. (OSV News)
