November 8, 2025 // National

News Briefs: November 9, 2025

Todays Catholic

A woman walks over debris outside a store where food was being distributed in Black River, Jamaica, Oct. 30, 2025, after Hurricane Melissa swept through the Caribbean nation. Melissa made landfall Oct. 28 in Jamaica around 1 p.m. ET as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with top winds of 185 mph. One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, Melissa has left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti. (OSV News photo/Octavio Jones, Reuters)

USCCB President Raises Alarm about Disruption of Federal Food Assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Officials with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged lawmakers to fund federal food assistance before the deadline passed to disrupt benefits for more than 40 million people. The Trump administration said benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would not be issued beginning on November 1. Approximately 42 million Americans rely on SNAP. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that in fiscal year 2023, 79 percent of SNAP recipient households included either a child, an elderly individual, or a nonelderly individual with a disability. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB, said in an October 28 statement the group is “deeply alarmed that essential programs that support the common good, such as SNAP, may be interrupted.” “This would be catastrophic for families and individuals who rely on SNAP to put food on the table and places the burdens of this shutdown most heavily on the poor and vulnerable of our nation, who are the least able to move forward,” he said. “This consequence is unjust and unacceptable.”

Teaching Is ‘Great Act of Love,’ Pope Tells Educators

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A human connection of love and care between a teacher and student is a key part of the educational process, Pope Leo XIV said, and one that is even more important at a time when so many students experience fragility. Education is “a path that teachers and pupils walk together,” the pope said on Friday, October 31, as he met thousands of teachers, professors, and other educators in St. Peter’s Square as part of the Jubilee of the World of Education. A banner featuring a portrait of St. John Henry Newman, whom the pope recently proclaimed co-patron of education, hung from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Educators, “who are often tired and overburdened with bureaucratic tasks, run the real risk of forgetting what St. John Henry Newman summed up in the expression ‘Cor ad cor loquitur’ (‘heart speaks to heart’) and what St. Augustine said, ‘Do not look without, return to yourself, for truth dwells within you,’” the pope told them.

Illinois Catholics Appeal to Governor after State Passes Assisted Suicide Bill

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (OSV News) – Illinois Catholics and pro-life advocates have turned their sights on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office after the state Senate in the early hours of Friday, October 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 officials with the Catholic Conference of Illinois in a statement. The conference officials said they 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.” Robert Gilligan, the conference’s executive director, said his office is planning next steps with Pritzker “to make sure that we still have one, final, chance at stopping this from becoming law.”

At Education Jubilee, Pope Names St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The lives of St. John Henry Newman and of all the saints teach Christians that “it is possible to live passionately amidst the complexity of the present without neglecting the apostolic mandate to ‘shine like stars in the world,’” Pope Leo XIV said. Celebrating Mass on Saturday, November 1, the feast of All Saints, Pope Leo concluded the Jubilee of the World of Education and proclaimed St. Newman the 38th Doctor of the Church for his decisive contributions to theology and spirituality. Earlier in the week, Pope Leo had officially recognized St. Newman as co-patron of education along with St. Thomas Aquinas. While St. Newman’s theology, philosophy, and thoughts about university education were cited in the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ presentation at the Mass, Pope Leo chose to quote in his homily from the British saint’s poem, “Lead, Kindly Light,” now a popular hymn. “In that beautiful prayer” of St. Newman’s, the pope said, “we come to realize that we are far from home, our feet are unsteady, we cannot interpret clearly the way ahead. Yet none of this impedes us, since we have found our guide” in Jesus.

Pope Urges Catholic Leaders
in Asia to Adopt ‘Zero Tolerance’ on Abuse

CLARK, Philippines (OSV News) – Catholic leaders throughout Asia are being urged to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to abuse following a strong message from Pope Leo XIV at the first National Safeguarding Conference in the Philippines. The pope said there can be “no tolerance for any form of abuse in the Church,” calling on bishops and religious leaders to build transparency, accountability, and protection for minors and vulnerable adults. More than 300 delegates – including bishops, religious superiors, and lay experts – attended the October 20–24 gathering. Colombian Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, challenged Church leaders to create independent reporting systems, trauma-informed formation, and clear governance structures. He called safeguarding “a sacred responsibility,” not just an institutional duty. Organizers said the conference marked a new step toward a Church that protects, heals, and restores trust. The pope also urged participants to implement “essential policies and practices that ensure transparency in dealing with cases, foster a culture of prevention, and safeguard ‘these little ones’ of the Lord.” By doing so, he said, “the Church in the Philippines and beyond will be a more authentic witness of Christ,” who always “loves and cares for His flock.”

Pope Calls for End to Violence in Sudan, Tanzania

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With reports of a massacre in Sudan and election-related violence in Tanzania, Pope Leo XIV pleaded for peace and dialogue. After reciting the Angelus prayer on Sunday, November 2, the feast of All Souls, the pope offered special prayers for the victims in el-Fasher, capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state. The pope said he was following “the tragic news” with “great sorrow.” The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claimed control of el-Fasher from government forces on Sunday, October 26, after more than a year of the city being under siege with little to no food or other aid allowed in. “Indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on unarmed civilians, and serious obstacles to humanitarian aid are causing unbearable suffering for a population already exhausted by long months of conflict,” the pope said.