U.S. briefs
Tennessee halts executions after death row inmate survives lethal injection attempt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Tennessee officials failed in their Sept. 30 attempt to execute death row inmate Christa Gail Pike for a 1995 murder, the state’s Gov. Bill Lee halted the one remaining execution for the rest of the year pending an investigation. But some Catholic opponents of the death penalty said that the incident demonstrates the flaws with capital punishment. Officials administered two doses of a lethal drug to Pike, but her attorneys told media outlets that she remained “alive and loudly snoring” after the attempted lethal injection and was later taken by ambulance from the prison to a hospital. “Carrying out a lawfully imposed sentence is among the State’s most serious responsibilities, and the people of Tennessee expect it to be done in a manner that is not only legal and constitutional, but is effective,” Lee said in a statement. (OSV News)
Hegseth announces ‘Office of Religious Affairs’ in speech
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of a new “Office of Religious Affairs” during a speech Sept. 30 on Pentagon policy. Hegseth announced the new office during a speech at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. “The experts, our chaplains, will finally have an advocate at the highest levels,” Hegseth said. “Policy and resources will serve the mission, not smother the mission.” Elsewhere in the speech, Hegseth confirmed plans to cut the number of spots reserved for admirals and generals by 20%, doubling the 10% reduction he ordered last year. In a statement, the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said it “appreciates” and “welcomes” the implementation of the new office, saying,“Placing spiritual readiness alongside other departmental priorities, and shortening the timeline between identified field needs and senior decisions can have the practical effect of resolving legacy constraints that historically limited chaplaincy support.” (OSV News)
Relevant Radio’s ‘Father Rocky’ named new director of Our Lady of Champion shrine
GREEN BAY, Wis. — A priest known for his nationwide radio ministry has been tapped to lead the first and only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S. Opus Dei priest Father Francis J. Hoffman — better known as “Father Rocky,” chairman and CEO of Relevant Radio, a U.S.-based Catholic radio and streaming network — has been named president and rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, located in the Wisconsin town of the same name. The shrine commemorates the place where Servant of God Adele Brice (Brise) said the Virgin Mary appeared three times in 1859. Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, announced Father Hoffman’s appointment in a Sept. 22 letter to the faithful made public Oct. 2. Father Hoffman will succeed current shrine director Father Tony Stephens, a member of the Fathers of Mercy, who will continue serving at the shrine as director of sacramental life and pastoral care of souls, Bishop Ricken said. At the same time, Father Hoffman will maintain his leadership roles at Relevant Radio. (OSV News)
WORLD briefs
Church leaders call for dialogue over confrontation amid protests in France
PARIS — Just days after Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, scenes of unrest have replaced the atmosphere of unity and peace that marked the papal trip. Riots that began in the Paris region on a small scale Sept. 17 spread nationwide after Sept. 28, forcing closures or disruptions at nearly 900 of France’s 3,700 public high schools by Oct. 6. Authorities say more than 5,000 people have been taken into custody and several hundred police officers injured. The protests, rooted largely in economic concerns, have drawn students, farmers and political activists amid difficult budget negotiations, inflation and rising energy costs. Bishop Hervé Gosselin of Angoulême acknowledged that some student concerns are serious and deserve attention, but he stressed, “Violence is a failure” and can never “be justified.” Church leaders have repeatedly called for dialogue over confrontation. (OSV News)
Vatican meeting on ‘Amoris Laetitia’ to focus on listening, officials say
VATICAN CITY — Vatican officials said an Oct. 7-14 meeting marking 10 years since Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” will focus on listening to pastoral experiences rather than reopening debates over the document. Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa, a consultant to the Synod Secretariat, told reporters Oct. 2 that participants will share what churches have learned by living the text in diverse circumstances. He said reception of the document should reflect local realities, not uniform directives from Rome. (OSV News)
Church leaders in Ethiopia amplify papal call for peace, as new war breaks out in Tigray
MEKELLE, Ethiopia — Catholic bishops in Ethiopia are joining Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for peace as renewed fighting in Tigray and neighboring regions raises fears of another humanitarian catastrophe. In an Oct. 1 statement, the bishops lamented the war’s human toll, saying it is deepening divisions, destroying communities and leaving lasting wounds. “The greatest suffering has fallen on the most vulnerable,” the bishops said, pointing to children, women, the elderly and the sick, adding: “It is our heartfelt prayer that all disputes may be settled through genuine dialogue and that all forms of conflict may cease.” The appeal followed Pope Leo’s Sept. 30 plea for negotiations. “I extend my heartfelt plea to all parties to choose the path of dialogue,” the pope said. “Armed conflict never solves problems but only worsens them.” The conflict intensified after Ethiopia’s army and Tigray forces entered full-scale war Sept. 22. Church leaders and analysts warn the fighting could spill across the Horn of Africa. (OSV News)
