October 14, 2025 // National

News Briefs: October 19, 2025

OSV NEWS

Real Faith Changes the Way Christians live, Treat One Another, Pope Says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians must avoid using their faith to label those who are different – often the poor – as enemies to be avoided and rejected, Pope Leo XIV said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 12, for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. “Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts,” he said. “Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded, and sinners,” Pope Leo said. “Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness, His way of ‘being a mother,’ to light in the Church.” When some forms of worship fail to foster communion with others, he said, “we fail to encounter the people God has placed in our lives. We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat. … Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labelling those who are different – often the poor – as enemies, ‘lepers’ to be avoided and rejected,” he said. “Our affection for Mary of Nazareth leads us to join her in becoming disciples of Jesus,” he said, and “it teaches us to return to Him and to meditate and ponder the events of our lives in which the Risen One still comes to us and calls us.”

Sister Jean, Beloved Figure at Loyola in Chicago, Dies at 106

CHICAGO (OSV News) – She prayed with college basketball players before games, counseled them after losses, and reminded them that faith, not fame, was the real victory. Now, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the spirited chaplain who became a national symbol of joy, devotion, and perseverance, has completed her earthly journey. Sister Jean, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and longtime chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team, died on Thursday, October 9. She was 106. For many Americans, Sister Jean became a household name during Loyola’s stunning run to the 2018 NCAA Final Four, when she was 98 years old. Sitting courtside in her maroon-and-gold scarf, she offered pregame prayers, postgame analysis, and the occasional strategic suggestion – earning the affection of fans, players, and coaches nationwide. Beyond basketball, Sister Jean led weekly student prayer groups and founded SMILE (Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly). Her influence reached far beyond campus, touching thousands who encountered her through interviews, speaking events, and her bestselling memoir, “Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.” “Don’t let anybody stop you,” she told students on her last birthday in August. “You are the future leaders of our churches, our schools, our country, and our world.”

Communications Must Defend, Share the Truth, Pope Says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Journalists can help stop those who seek to create divisions through “the ancient art of lying” and ruling by dividing, Pope Leo told journalists and staff of major news agencies during an audience at the Vatican on Thursday, October 9. Communications “cannot and must not separate its work from the sharing of truth. Transparency of sources and ownership, accountability, quality, and objectivity are the keys to restoring the role of citizens as protagonists in the system, convincing them to demand information worthy of the name,” he said, urging the journalists to “never sell out your authority!” The pope was speaking to people attending an international conference in Rome from October 9-10 sponsored by MINDS International, a global news agency network and think tank. “Information is a public good that we should all protect,” he said, encouraging “a partnership between citizens and journalists in the service of ethical and civic responsibility. … With your patient and rigorous work, you can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing,” he said. “Communication must be freed from the misguided thinking that corrupts it, from unfair competition, and from the degrading practice of so-called clickbait,” he said.

Bishops, Washington State Agree to Protect Confession

TACOMA, Washington (OSV News) – Washington’s state government and its Catholic bishops reached an agreement on Friday, October 10, in a federal lawsuit regarding the state’s mandatory reporter law the bishops said could force priests to violate the seal of confession. As part of the agreement, filed with the U.S. district court in Tacoma, the state was blocked from enforcing the law “as to the Sacrament of Confession” against priests “who fall directly under the administration” of the bishops leading the state’s three Catholic dioceses, who were also plaintiffs in the suit. The state’s Catholic bishops previously filed their lawsuit in response to Governor Bob Ferguson’s approval of Senate Bill 5375, which designated members of the clergy as mandatory reporters –people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect. The version of that legislation the state enacted did not include an exception for sacramental confessions, an exception that most other states with similar requirements for clergy have, which prompted concern from the state’s Catholic bishops and religious liberty advocates that the law could place Catholic priests at odds with civil law in order to uphold church law regarding the seal of the confessional. Jean Hill, executive director of the WSCC, praised the new agreement in a statement. “Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive,” she said. “We can and must do both.”

Pope Leo Praises Catholic Charities USA

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV sent a letter commending the work of Catholic Charities USA, the domestic charitable arm of the Catholic Church in the United States, to mark its 115th annual gathering, which was held from October 6-9. He expressed his “heartfelt gratitude for all that you and those who work with your networks do each day to put into practice the Lord’s admonition to see and serve him in the poor, hungry, homeless, and people in any kind of need.” The organization said its annual gathering was held for the first time in a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico, in concert with Cáritas de Puerto Rico, a member agency serving the island. Pope Leo encouraged CCUSA in its work “providing food, shelter, medical care, legal assistance, and many other gestures of kindness,” and highlighted in particular its work “assisting displaced persons.” He encouraged the network of charity agencies to continue helping communities that receive these “newly arrived brothers and sisters” and recognize they “have an intrinsic human dignity.”

Young Catholics Invited to Join 2026 National Pilgrimage

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Young Catholic adults are invited to apply for a “once-in-a-lifetime” journey with Jesus across the nation. Eight perpetual pilgrims are being sought for the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will take place May 21-July 8, 2026. Those selected will accompany the Blessed Sacrament for the full length of the pilgrimage, forming a core group that will participate in Eucharistic processions through towns and cities while attending daily Mass and Holy Hours, and providing both service and evangelization in local communities along the entire route. And that effort is not for the faint of heart, according to the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s website. “Serving as a Perpetual Pilgrim is an extraordinary call – and a serious commitment,” said its perpetual pilgrim application page. “This journey is demanding spiritually, mentally, socially, and physically – yet it is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the apostles.” Applications, which are due by Wednesday, October 22, can be submitted online at eucharisticpilgrimage.org/perpetual-pilgrim-application. Questions can be directed to pilgrimage director Maria Benes at [email protected].

A freed Palestinian prisoner is greeted by his family member in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Oct. 13, 2025, after being released from an Israeli jail as part of a hostages-prisoners swap and a ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel. (OSV News photo/Ammar Awad, Reuters)