Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City was elected to serve as the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a secret ballot on Nov. 11. Bishops chose Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, to serve as vice president. Flores, who serves in the southernmost diocese in Texas, finished second in balloting for president. Coakley subsequently won a runoff.

Coakley, who was previously secretary of the USCCB, will serve a three-year term as president, succeeding the former president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio. The bishops held the election at the Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore.

He has a history of promoting a culture of life, opposing gender ideology, and supporting migrants. The archbishop, who turned 70 years old in May, became a bishop in 2004. He has served in the Oklahoma City Archdiocese since 2011. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology.

Coakley’s defense of a culture of life is a continuation of Broglio’s leadership on the subject. Under Broglio, the bishops maintained that abortion is the “preeminent priority” in elections. In 2022, Coakley praised Oklahoma lawmakers “for supporting pro-life measures” following a law that banned nearly all abortions. He said, to build a culture of life, one must recognize “the inherent dignity of every person [and it] requires the protections afforded by pro-life legislation and a profound change of heart.” Coakley has criticized the Oklahoma government for its support of the death penalty. In 2022, he said: “The use of the death penalty only contributes to the continued coarsening of society and to the spiral of violence.”

The Pontifical Swiss Guard this week opened an internal investigation to clarify an alleged act of antisemitism committed by one of its guards against two Jewish women in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican confirmed. 

“The Pontifical Swiss Guard received a complaint regarding an incident that occurred at one of the entrances to Vatican City State in which elements interpreted as antisemitic were allegedly detected,” Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni stated on Monday.

The reported incident took place during Pope Leo XIV’s Oct. 29 general audience commemorating the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions.

According to a Nov. 7 report published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Israeli writer and theater director Michal Govrin said a Swiss Guard “hissed at” her and a female colleague, saying “les juifs, the Jews,” before “making a gesture of spitting in our direction with obvious contempt.”

The two women were part of an international Jewish delegation in Rome to participate in Nostra Aetate anniversary celebrations, which included the Oct. 29 audience with Pope Leo in St. Peter’s Square.

During that audience dedicated to interreligious dialogue, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that “the Church does not tolerate acts of antisemitism in any form” and reiterated “the Holy See’s commitment to friendship and respect towards our elder brothers in faith.”

According to the Vatican’s preliminary investigation, the complaint stems from “a dispute that arose regarding a request for a photograph while on duty.” Members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard are strictly prohibited from taking photographs with tourists or pilgrims while on duty.

Bruni on Monday explained that “the case is currently the subject of an internal verification procedure” and that this process “is being carried out in accordance with the principles of discretion and impartiality, in compliance with current regulations.”

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Augustinian Father Edward Daniang Daleng, O.S.A., as the new vice regent of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household. He has previously served as General Counsellor and Procurator General of the Order of Saint Augustine.

Born on April 4, 1977, in Yitla’ar, Kwalla, Plateau State (Nigeria), he made his first profession in the Order of Saint Augustine on November 9, 2001, and his solemn vows on November 13, 2004. He was ordained a priest on September 10, 2005, and obtained a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Alphonsian Academy in 2012.

In an interview with Vatican media shortly after the election of Pope Leo XIV, Father Daleng spoke of the special bond that the new pope has with Africa. “He has Africa in his heart,” Daleng said. “He has visited all our African missions several times and has come to my country, Nigeria, on at least ten occasions, including in 2016, when we celebrated for the first time the intermediate General Chapter.”

The free action of the Spirit—at times, as Saint Augustine said, “against nature,” blowing where He wills—is manifested in a mysticism open to all. Such experiences allow us to “taste” deeply the relationship with God, and can today serve as a “therapeutic path” in a world increasingly losing its “sensitivity toward God.” These were among the themes addressed on November 11, during the second day of the conference “Mysticism, Mystical Phenomena, and Holiness,” organized by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Pontifical Urban University.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, spoke at the conference on 11 November, explaining the norms adopted by the Dicastery regarding the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena. These norms rest on key principles, he said: “The Holy Spirit works in the Church with full freedom.”

In Catholic teaching, there is a firm conviction in the “freedom of the Spirit,” who may manifest in history in diverse ways, even through supernatural events such as apparitions or visions. In ordinary practice, the study of such cases often ends with a nihil obstat, which authorizes public devotion without pronouncing on the supernatural origin of the phenomenon.

Over the past fifty years, noted Cardinal Fernández, there have been about 3,500 cases of beatifications and canonizations. In the same period, however, only three or four declarations of supernatural origin have been issued—demonstrating the difficulty of reaching an official recognition of this kind.

A principal concern, added the Cardinal Prefect, is the risk that once a phenomenon is declared of divine origin, its messages may be taken as “revealed Word.” Such a declaration does not guarantee absolute certainty of authenticity. Even in cases recognized by the Church, they remain “private revelations,” which the faithful are free to believe or not.

The Church’s declaration therefore has a “prudential” nature, and in many cases is not even necessary: numerous manifestations have produced shrines and spiritual fruits without any official recognition.

Discernment, he said, helps distinguish genuine phenomena from those exploited for profit or control over others—situations that are “very, very concerning” and can lead to serious “abuses.”

The Dicastery’s norms propose possible “prudential conclusions” to be adopted before a phenomenon reaches proportions that make intervention more complex.

Some cases can be resolved locally, while others require direct involvement from the Dicastery when elements of confusion or potential risks emerge that demand careful discernment, concluded Cardinal Fernández.

The Pontifical Academy for Life has organized an international congress dedicated to “AI and Medicine: The Challenge of Human Dignity,” which took place on November 10-12.

As the meeting began on 10 November, Pope Leo XIV sent a message to participants, offering his “prayerful good wishes” for their deliberations about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The Pope noted the pervasive influence of AI and other technological advances on humanity, which he said “heavily influences the way we think” and alters how we perceive ourselves and others. “We currently interact with machines as if they were interlocutors, and thus become almost an extension of them,” he said. “In this sense, we not only run the risk of losing sight of the faces of the people around us, but of forgetting how to recognize and cherish all that is truly human.”

Pope Leo highlighted the benefits technological developments have brought to the fields of medicine and health. However, he added, true progress requires that individuals and public entities uphold human dignity and the common good. Though AI and other technologies can be used to devastating effect on humanity when used maliciously, those same technologies have the potential to be “transformative and beneficial” if placed at the true service of the human person, said the Pope.

Pope Leo XIV invited healthcare professionals to employ AI responsibly in their field, so that they may fulfill their vocation to be guardians and servants of human life.” “The fragility of the human condition,” he said, “is often manifest within the field of medicine, but we must never forget the ‘ontological dignity that belongs to the person as such simply because he or she exists and is willed, created, and loved by God’.”

The Pope then focused on the “irreplaceable nature” of human relationships in providing care for individuals. Medical professionals, he said, must have both the expertise to offer care and the ability to communicate effectively while expressing closeness to their patients. Healthcare cannot be reduced to solving a problem, he said, adding that technological devices must never take away from the patient-carer relationship.

“If AI is to serve human dignity and the effective provision of healthcare,” said the Pope, “we must ensure that it truly enhances both interpersonal relationships and the care provided.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV recalled the “vast economic interests often at stake in the fields of medicine and technology, and the subsequent fight for control.” Given the interests involved, the Pope urged participants in the conference to promote a broad collaboration between healthcare professionals and politics in the field of artificial intelligence that extends beyond national borders.

The World Jewish Congress has welcomed the remarks of Pope Leo XIV, who on 29 October unequivocally condemned antisemitism during his General Audience at the Vatican. Addressing thousands of faithful, the Pope said: “All my predecessors have condemned anti-Semitism with clear words,” adding, “I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself.”

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder praised the Pope’s message, calling it “an extraordinarily positive and deeply meaningful gesture.” “At a time when Jews are facing the greatest persecution since the Second World War, the Pope’s message carries profound fraternal meaning,” Lauder said. “Gestures like this inspire us to strengthen the bonds between Jews and Catholics, and to work together for a world of greater coexistence among religions, in the pursuit of peace.”

The Pope’s statement comes as the Catholic Church marks the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the landmark declaration of the Second Vatican Council that transformed Jewish-Catholic relations and established a foundation of mutual respect and dialogue.

The Vatican has announced that Englishman Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman will join the great medieval theologian St Thomas Aquinas as an official co-patron of the Church’s educational mission.

The move coincides with the forthcoming proclamation that Newman will become the 38th Doctor of the Church, to be formally declared at the closing Mass of the Jubilee of the World of Education on 1 November.

The cardinal prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education revealed at a press conference that “the Pope will name St John Henry Newman ‘co-patron of the Church’s educational mission, alongside St Thomas Aquinas’.”

A papal document published on 28 October to mark the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Gravissimum Educationis on Christian education.

The text honours a “spiritual and pedagogical heritage” that remains relevant in today’s world and warns that “history challenges us with a new urgency … rapid and profound changes expose children, adolescents, and young people to unprecedented vulnerabilities.” The Pope adds that “it is not enough to preserve: we must relaunch” and calls on educators to “recompose knowledge and meaning, competence and responsibility, faith and life.”

The Jubilee itself runs from 27 October to 1 November and will gather around 20,000 pilgrims, culminating on the solemnity of All Saints when Newman is to be declared Doctor of the Church.

The Vatican estimates that Catholic schools and universities across 171 countries serve almost 72 million students. According to figures shared at the press conference, there are 230,000 Catholic universities and schools worldwide. The choice of Newman highlights his enduring influence on the philosophy of education, curricular development, and the integration of faith and reason.

Since St Thomas Aquinas was declared patron of all Catholic educational establishments by Pope Leo XIII in 1880, Newman’s appointment marks the first time in almost a century and a half that a new patron has been named.

Roughly 5.4 billion people around the world could face persecution and discrimination for their beliefs, according to a new report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The report, “Religious Freedom in the World,” which was presented on 21 October in the UK Houses of Parliament, also draws attention to how anti-Christian incidents are on the rise not just in the Global South but also across Europe and North America. 

As a result of the scale of the problem, the charity has called for fresh action by the UK Government and by the United Nations to uphold Article 18 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which asserts the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.  The report highlights grave violations of religious freedom in 62 countries: with 24 classified as “persecution” (the worst category) and 36 as “discrimination” (the second most serious category).

Chairing the meeting for the launch, Brendan O’Hara MP said: “We cannot allow the issue of freedom of religion or belief to be ghettoised, or hived off, or [to become] something which is deemed too complicated or uniquely challenging. “Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental, inalienable human right, and it has to be treated and seen as such.”

The report focuses on how religious persecution increasingly fuels forced migration and displacement. “In Nigeria, attacks by radicalised Fulani militants have ravaged churches, villages and clergy, triggering mass displacement,” O’Hara said. “Religious persecution is a major and often overlooked driver of today’s global displacement crisis.”

Speaking at the event, Bishop John Bakeni of the Diocese of Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, gave a powerful testimony of his personal experience of religious violence in Nigeria: “Since 2009, the Boko Haram Islamist militant group in allegiance with Daesh extremists in Iraq and Syria – now [called] ISWAP – has inflicted mass terror on civilians, killing over 40,000 Nigerians, kidnapping thousands and displacing over 2 million people from their ancestral homes,” the bishop said. “Whilst the conflict is not solely about religion, it is equally simplistic not to see the religious dimension as a significantly exacerbating factor, especially as churches, priests and other potent symbols of Christianity are attacked, seemingly with impunity.”

John Pontifex, head of press and public affairs at ACN, spoke of his own experience: “I was in the North Central middle belt of Nigeria only in the spring and I was privileged enough to see and meet so many individuals and families and communities and Church leaders who are wrestling, grappling with this terrible situation of persecution. “I saw the impact of the threat [that] religious extremism has had on individuals and families, who have been driven from their homes, from their farmlands and from their home communities.”

The report also states that there’s been a significant rise in attacks against Christian sites and believers in the West, with France having recorded approximately 1,000 anti-Christian incidents in 2023, while Greece reported over 600 cases of church vandalism.  The report argues that authoritarianism is the greatest threat to religious freedom, with regimes systematically enforcing “legal and bureaucratic mechanisms to suppress religious life”.

Speaking to the Catholic Herald, Sir Edward Leigh MP, the so-called Father of the House in the Commons, as its most senior member, praised ACN’s work and called for parliamentary action. 

“I support Aid to the Church in Need and everything they do and their marvellous work on behalf of persecuted Christians worldwide – this is something that we should promote in Parliament to ensure that government fully enforces Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights,” Leigh said.  “[This] will be a powerful weapon to protect persecuted minorities around the world.”

The Holy See Press Office released on Monday, October 27, the logos and mottos for Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journeys to Türkiye and Lebanon, from November 27 to December 2. The Holy See Press Office has released the logos and mottos for Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journeys to Türkiye and Lebanon, which will take place from November 27-30; and November 30 to December 2, respectively.

The Pope will first travel to Türkiye for the 1700thanniversary of the Council of Nicaea. He will visit the capital, Ankara; Istanbul; and the city of İznik (on the site of ancient Nicaea).

The logo of the Apostolic Journey to Türkiye in fact reflects this important commemoration as it consists of a circle enclosing the Dardanelles Bridge that represents the meeting of Asia and Europe, and symbolizes Christ as the bridge between God and humanity.

Under the bridge, waves are featured to evoke baptismal waters as well as Lake İznik, the Holy See Press Office explained. To the right of the logo there is the Cross of the 2025 Jubilee, while at the top left three intertwined rings represent the Holy Trinity.

This logo reflects the motto of the Journey which is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”, taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (verse 4:5).

“The circle symbolises the oneness of God; the bridge, the one faith that unites peoples; and the waves, the baptism that gives new life to the children of God,” the Holy See Press Office said. “This invites us to build fraternity and dialogue between East and West.”

After Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV will go to Lebanon, where he will visit the capital Beirut, as well as the cities of Annaya, Harissa, Bkerké, and Jal Ed Dib.

The logo for this trip features the Pope with his right hand raised in blessing, flanked by a dove, symbolizing peace, and a cedar tree, which represents Lebanon’s rich history of faith and interreligious harmony. On the right of the image there is a Cross in the form of an anchor, from the 2025 Jubilee logo, signifying firm hope founded on faith in Christ.  

“The colours of deep blue, soft pink, green and light blue express serenity, unified by white to reflect Lebanon’s yearning for peace,” the Holy See Press Office statement says.

The motto “Blessed are the Peacemakers”, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, “contains the Visit’s core message, namely to comfort the Lebanese people and encourage dialogue, reconciliation and harmony among all communities.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich has described the Traditional Latin Mass as “more of a spectacle rather than the active participation of all the baptised,” arguing that post-Vatican II liturgical reforms stripped away courtly accretions to restore the Eucharist’s focus on solidarity with the poor.

In a reflection on —the Second Vatican Council’s 1963 Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy—Cupich cited scholarly findings that imperial and royal influences had gradually transformed worship into a display of worldly power. The reforms, he wrote, purified these elements “to enable the liturgy to sustain the Church’s renewed sense of herself.”

The cardinal framed authenticity in Eucharistic celebration not by ritual form but by concern for the marginalized. “The criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged,” he stated, is service to those in need; the Mass must be “the locus of solidarity with the poor in a fractured world.”

Cupich linked the reforms to Vatican II’s vision of the Church as “the Church of all and in particular the Church of the poor,” a phrase Pope John XXIII elevated from the Council’s margins. He quoted Bologna Archbishop Giacomo Lercaro’s 1962 declaration: “This is the hour of the poor, of the millions of the poor throughout the world.” The renewal,  argued, restored “simplicity and sobriety” to worship, freeing it from aesthetics that had “transformed the liturgy’s meaning” into spectacle.

His comments enter a decades-long debate over the 1969 Novus Ordo Missae, which replaced the Tridentine rite codified by Pope Pius V in 1570. Sacrosanctum Concilium had mandated “full, conscious and active participation” by the faithful; Pope Paul VI implemented the revised Missal to achieve that end.Use of the older form expanded under Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 Summorum Pontificum but was curtailed by Pope Francis’s 2021 Traditionis Custodes. Cupich’s statement coincided with American Cardinal Burke’s traditional Latin Mass celebration on 25 October in St. Peter’s Basilica, drawing clergy and laity from multiple continents.