- Worldwide baptisms fall over 15% in 6 years (CWN)
The number of baptisms administered in the Church worldwide plunged from over 16 million in 2016 to 13,327,037 in 2022—a decline of 17% over six years, according to the appendix to statistics published by the Fides news agency (CWN coverage). - Papal encyclical on Sacred Heart to be released this week (Vatican News)
Pope Francis has written an encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the document will be released on October 24, the Vatican has announced. Entitled Dilexit Nos, this will be the 4th encyclical by Pope Francis. Its release comes during the 350th anniversary of the appearance of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who made popular the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The encyclical is the Pontiff’s response to a world “which seems to have lost its heart.” The three previous encyclicals of Pope Francis are Lumen Fidei (2013), which Pope Benedict XVI had begun to draft before his resignation; Laudato Si’ (2015), on the care of the environment; and Fratelli Tutti (2020), on universal brotherhood. - Pope Francis canonizes 14 saints (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis canonized 14 saints on October 20, World Mission Sunday, during an outdoor Mass in St. Peter’s Square.The new saints areSaints Manuel Ruiz López and seven companions, and Francis, Abdel Mohti and Raphael Massabki, martyred in Damascus in 1860 St. Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries St. Marie-Léonie Paradis, the Canadian foundress of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family St. Elena Guerra, the Italian foundress of the Oblates of the Holy Spirit“When we learn to serve, our every gesture of attention and care, every expression of tenderness, every work of mercy becomes a reflection of God’s love,” Pope Francis preached. “So in this way, let all of us—each one of us—continue Jesus’ work in the world. In light of this, we can remember the disciples of the Gospel who are being canonized today.” - Synod, October 18: some delegates angered by Cardinal Fernández's absence from dialogue (CWN)
On the afternoon of October 18, participants in the second and final session of the synod on synodality had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with members of study groups that are examining some of the controversial issues raised during the synod’s October 2023 session. - Father Radcliffe: discuss Synod document without fear (Vatican News)
As participants at the Synod on Synodality awaited delivery of a confidential first draft of the Synod’s final statement, Father Timothy Radcliffe encouraged frank and free discussion of the issues. Although the draft will not be made public—in keeping with the orders of Pope Francis—Father Radcliffe said that Synod participants should respond “without fear of what others say, in mutual respect.” In a reflection on the role of the draft document, he said that participants “need not be afraid of disagreement.” Reflecting on the influence of theologians who have “endured persecution prior to the [Second Vatican] Council,” Father Radcliffe said: “Freedom is the double helix of the Christian DNA.” - Following synod's conclusion, synod leaders will 'reread' Church's last 60 years (Pontifical Gregorian University)
In the three days that follow the conclusion of the synod on synodality, key synod leaders will take part in a three-day conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University devoted to interpreting the Church’s last six decades.The conference, entitled “From the Council to the Synod. Rereading a Church’s journey 60 years after Lumen Gentium (1964-2024),” will feature speeches by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod; Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the synod session’s relator general; and Fathers Riccardo Battocchio and Giacomo Costa, special secretaries at the synod session.According to the university, the conference’s title tells the story of the Church’s journey, which the congress intends to reread, taking the circularity between the Synod and the Council as the criterion for interpretation: rereading the Synod in the light of the Council and the Council in the light of the Synod. The 60 years of the Church’s journey are a challenge to understand the complexity of the reception process and the question of whether what the Church is experiencing with the Synod process is really the mature fruit of the Council and its ecclesiological proposal.Lumen Gentium, mentioned in the conference’s title, is the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. - Peruvian cardinal-designate condemns lay group as fascist revival (Crux)
Archbishop Carlos Castillo of Lima, Peru—who has been named by Pope Francis to become a cardinal at the December consistory—has said that the Sodality of Christian Life (SCV) should be suppressed. The SCV, a lay movement founded in 1971 by Peruvian Luis Fernando Figari, has been the target of repeated Vatican investigations. In 2017 Figari was banned from the movement, and this August the Vatican ordered the expulsion of several other leading members. Cardinal-designate Castillo, in an essay that appeared October 19 in El Pais, condemned the movement as “the revival of fascism in Latin America, using the Church cunningly” to advance a political agenda. - 11-year decline in worldwide priestly vocations continues (CWN)
The number of major seminarians worldwide fell from 109,895 at the end of 2021 to 108,481 at the end of 2022, according to statistics published by the Fides news agency (CWN coverage). - Priest killed in Mexico's Chiapas state (AP)
A Catholic priest was shot and killed in Chiapas, Mexico on October 20. Father Marcelo Perez was attacked by two gunmen as he left a church in San Cristobal after celebrating Sunday Mass. The young priest was an advocate for farm workers in Chiapas a state long troubled by violence. - Another pro-life activist begins lengthy prison sentence (CNA)
A 33-year-old mother of a small child reported to a federal prison in Alabama on October 18 to begin a 3.5-year prison sentence for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act. Beverlyn Beatty Williams was convicted of participating in a blockade at a New York Planned Parenthood facility in June 2020. - Renewed papal gratitude for children's Rosary for peace (@Pontifex)
Echoing comments he had made during the previous Sunday’s Angelus address, Pope Francis expressed gratitude to the children taking part in Aid to the Church in Need’s annual Rosary campaign for peace.“The initiative ‘One million children praying the Rosary for peace in the world’ takes place today,” Pope Francis tweeted on October 18. “Thank you to all the boys and girls who are participating! Let us join with them and entrust all people who suffer because of war to the intercession of Our Lady.” - Passionists elect new superior general (Union of Superiors General)
The 48th general chapter of the Congregation of the Passion has elected Father Giuseppe Adobati Carrara to a six-year term as superior general (video).Father Adobati was born in 1969, entered the Passionists in 1991, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1996. He was superior of a province that comprises Italy, France, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Angola.Father Adobati succeeds Father Joachim Rego, who hailed from Myanmar and had served a maximum of two terms.St. Paul of the Cross (Paolo Francesco Danei) founded the Passionists in 1720. Its membership fell from 2,326 to 1,890 between 2000 and 2020. - Eswatini's king meets with Pontiff (Eswatini Observer)
Pope Francis received King Mswati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) on October 18.The Holy See Press Office included the meeting on the day’s list of papal audiences but, in a break from established practice for audiences with heads of state, did not issue a statement on the topics discussed.Following the 30-minute meeting, the Eswatini Observer reported that the king “wished the Holy See and the Catholic community under his guidance good health and success, encouraging them to continue to develop and touch the lives of millions of people.”The Southern African nation of 1.1 million (map) is 87% Christian (5% Catholic), with 10% adhering to ethnic religions. - Background: World Mission Sunday (CWN)
On October 20, the Church around the world commemorates World Mission Sunday. The theme of the Pope’s message for the day is “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Matthew 22:9). - Synod, October 17: Chinese bishop professes adherence to 'sinicization of Catholicism' (CWN)
On October 17, 346 of the 365 participants in the second and final session of the synod on synodality gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall for the third day devoted to the session’s fourth module, “Places” (synod agenda). - Trump raps Harris' absence at Al Smith dinner (Crux)
Former President Donald Trump drew laughs and some frowns from the audience as he spoke at the Al Smith dinner on October 17. Trump entertained the crowd with pointed jabs at his political opponents, and scolded his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, for failing to attend the event, saying that her absence was “deeply disrespectful” to “the great Catholic community.” Harris, the first major-party presidential candidate in decades who had turned down an invitation to the event—a fundraiser for Catholic Charities—sent a video message, which produced some laughs and scattered boos. - Former Israeli prime minister, Palestinian foreign minister present peace proposal to Pope Francis (Voice of America News)
On October 17, Pope Francis received former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa, Palestinian peace activist Samer Sinijlawi, and Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin.“We could feel that he is focused on the message that we wanted to bring forth, which is that the war in Gaza has to be stopped, that the hostages have to be returned to their families, that Israel has to pull out completely from Gaza, and that Israel and the Palestinians must embark immediately on negotiations for comprehensive peace on the two-state solution,” said Olmert.Al-Kidwa added: We presented the Holy Father with our peace proposal for Gaza, which includes an immediate ceasefire, the release of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, along with the simultaneous release of an agreed number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and the resumption of negotiations for the creation of two separate states at peace with each other. - Former Archbishop of Canterbury backs assisted-suicide measure (The Guardian)
The retired Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, gave his backing to legislation that would allow physician-assisted suicide in the United Kingdom. The former leader of the Church of England, who sits in the House of Lords, said that the Anglican prelates in that body should support the legislation, to help those who “want a dignified, compassionate end to their lives.” He complained that “church leaders have often shamefully resisted change.” - New Peruvian cardinal, Italian bishop, Vatican official call for 'post-clerical Church' (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper has published a laudatory review, written by an Italian bishop, of Una Chiesa postclericale: Autorità e Vangelo [A Post-clerical Church: Authority and Gospel], a new book written by a Peruvian cardinal-designate and two other authors, with a foreword by a Vatican official. - Bishop Daly says Catholic hospitals 'violating their mission' (National Catholic Register)
Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, has suggested that the US bishops should respond to a crisis in Catholic health-care, saying that Catholic hospitals are “violating their mission,” after the release of a report showing that 150 Catholic hospitals in the US are providing gender-altering treatment. “I’m appalled, but sadly I’m not surprised,” by the report, BIshop Daly told the National Catholic Register. He explained that his personal experience with Catholic health-care institutions had convinced him that many had lost their Catholic identity.