October 4, 2025 // National

News Briefs: October 5, 2025

OSV NEWS

God’s Love Can Reach Anyone, even at ‘Rock Bottom,’ Pope Says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When people hit “rock bottom,” they can be confident that God is there ready to rescue and redeem them, Pope Leo XIV said. “No place is too far away, no heart is too closed, (and) no tomb too tightly sealed for His love,” the pope said on Wednesday, September 24, during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. In his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, “Jesus Christ Our Hope,” Pope Leo continued to talk about Holy Saturday and the hope-filled meaning of Christ’s descent into the realm of the dead. “When He makes this descent – which is by no means a defeat – He reveals His radical love for humanity and that death is not the final word,” the pope said in his English-language address. Christ descended to save those who died without knowing Him, Pope Leo said, but He continues to descend into the darkness to bring salvation to all who welcome His help.

Bishop Zaidan Highlights ‘Solidarity’ with African Faithful Amid Conflict, Crises

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – As conflicts rage in several African nations, a U.S. Catholic bishop has underscored his support for African bishops and faithful. “We reiterate our solidarity with the bishops and faithful of Africa, as they offer the world a profound witness of respect for human life and dignity amidst ongoing conflicts,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, in a September 24 statement. Bishop Zaidan, who leads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, noted that as of this year, “millions of our brothers and sisters on the African continent live displaced from their homes and communities, forced to flee due to conflict, religious and ethnic persecution, economic hardship, and environmental crises.” More than 35 armed conflicts are currently raging across the African continent, according to the Swiss-based Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Genocide Watch has also pointed to religious-based genocide against Christians and moderate Muslims in Nigeria. “We pray that government officials and people of all faiths may work together to bring lasting peace, justice, and security to the continent,” said Bishop Zaidan in his statement, also stressing “the Catholic Church and the U.S. government have a shared responsibility to promote the international common good and respect for human life by contributing to international humanitarian and development assistance.”

Pope Appoints New Jersey Bishop as Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey, as the coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans. The appointment was publicized on Wednesday, September 24, in Washington, D.C., by Cardinal Christophe Piere, apostolic nuncio to the United States. As coadjutor, Archbishop Checchio will assist Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond and automatically succeed him upon retirement. Archbishop Checchio called the New Orleans archdiocese a “faith-filled” community and thanked both Pope Leo and local Church leaders for their warm welcome. As coadjutor, he is coming into an archdiocese faced with having to resolve hundreds of sexual abuse claims. A Camden, New Jersey, native, Archbishop Checchio brings to his new assignment decades of pastoral and administrative experience – including 10 years as rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Ordained in 1992, he has led the Diocese of Metuchen since 2016, prioritizing parish visits, child protection, and accountability.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: Situation in Gaza a ‘Disaster’

JERUSALEM (OSV News) – As the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war approaches, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, is calling the situation in Gaza a “disaster” and a “brutalization of mutual relations.” In an interview with Germany’s Catholic news agency KNA, the cardinal said trust between Israelis and Palestinians has all but vanished, and the region is gripped by “inhumanity.” With only approximately 450 Christians left in Gaza, Cardinal Pizzaballa said the Church is providing humanitarian and medical aid – not just to Christians but to all in need. The patriarchate recently announced it will forgive all pre-2024 school debts across its institutions, totaling nearly $3 million. With the costs involved, “it was not an easy decision,” he said, but “it was necessary to make this gesture and to once again trust and rely on God and His providence.” Cardinal Pizzaballa emphasized the Church’s role is not direct mediation but to support peace efforts, offer aid, and speak out clearly. He praised international solidarity and reaffirmed the two-state solution as one that is ideal – though increasingly distant. For now, he said, “Only the extremists are talking.”

Cardinal Says Pope Prioritizes Listening Over Haste with Vatican Appointments

KRAKÓW, Poland (OSV News) – As fall begins, Catholics are watching closely for Pope Leo XIV’s first major Vatican appointments. One of the most urgent vacancies is his own former role – prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Cardinal Grzegorz Rys of Lódz, Poland, who worked alongside then-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, described the future pope as a thoughtful and efficient leader. “He did it well” and “did it with class,” Cardinal Rys told OSV News, noting the future pope’s preference for listening first and speaking last in meetings. Cardinal Rys said Pope Leo is taking his time before announcing curial changes, calling it “very sensible to look at how they operate.” He added that while no major appointments have been made, the pope “has been making episcopal appointments” and still holds the final say. Referring to an organizational style of the pope, “it’s clear that he’s the kind of person who feels comfortable in the structure of such an organized work. I don’t get the impression that he’s someone who feels very comfortable when he needs to be spontaneous – he can certainly react immediately, but he prefers to have time, to give himself that time, not to act hastily, to seek opinions as widely as possible,” Cardinal Rys said. On broader priorities, Cardinal Rys said the pope is deeply committed to world peace and called for a “truly Christian narrative,” adding that “we, the churches, must start speaking the Gospel.”

Poverty, Violence Plagues Women, Girls, Vatican Diplomat Says

NEW YORK (OSV News) – Thirty years after a landmark international document safeguarding women’s dignity, much remains to be done to ensure the well-being of women and girls worldwide, said a top Vatican diplomat. On Monday, September 22, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher delivered an address at the United Nations’ high-level meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. While the 1995 global conference on women produced a framework – unanimously adopted by 189 countries – for lifting women out of poverty and violence, much more needs to be done, said Archbishop Gallagher, who serves as the Vatican’s secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. “Indeed, protecting the right to life is essential, as it underpins all other fundamental rights,” he said, referencing the words of Pope St. John Paul II in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Archbishop Gallagher also quoted Pope Leo XIV’s May 16 address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, saying, “Equality for women cannot be achieved unless ‘the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly,’ is respected.”

A nun holds a candle during a “Peace for Gaza” prayer vigil at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Sept. 22, 2025. The Community of Sant’Egidio, together with numerous Catholic associations and movements, is promoting the prayer vigil organized in response to Pope Leo XIV’s appeal and to “the extreme gravity of the war and humanitarian situation in Gaza.” (OSV News photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)