Today is the feast of All Saints, which commemorates all those who have “run the good race” and now see God face-to-face in heaven. This solemnity (and a holy day of obligation to attend Mass, in case you forgot!) is a great time to recall our heavenly brothers and sisters and ask them to pray for us. With U.S. elections next week and other concerns around the globe, a few prayers from them would not be amiss for these, too.
Below are highlights of our coverage from the past week, with several grouped in themes. You can find even more on our website osvnews.com and on our social media @OSVNews.
Megan Marley
Digital Editor
P.S.: Enjoy reading this roundup? Sign up to receive our emails here.
Harris, Trump make closing arguments: Here’s what to expect in the election’s final days
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump made their closing arguments of the 2024 campaign in separate events in the final stretch of the 2024 campaign cycle. Polls of the contest showed a tight race as the contentious and historic election season drew to a close, with an Oct. 25 New York Times/Siena College poll finding the pair tied 48% to 48%.
IMMIGRATION: “Immigration, mass deportation plan loom large for Catholics in 2024 election“
ECONOMY: “Catholics face competing economic visions with wide-ranging impact on Election Day“
CATHOLIC VOTERS: “Much-courted Catholic vote expected to be narrowly divided on Election Day“
What’s the future of synodality after the synod?
SNYOD: Julia McStravog compares these days immediately following the end of the Synod on Synodality’s second assembly to a “bye week” in football — a period of rest and recollection before the work continues. She is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ senior adviser for the synod, and has worked closely with the U.S. delegates as they’ve participated in two monthlong assemblies for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops — the first in October 2023, and the second completed Oct. 27. She also works with diocesan leaders endeavoring to implement synodal principals in their local churches.
Pope warns against becoming a ‘sedentary’ church after synod’s close
CNS ROME: Three years after he asked the world’s Catholics to walk together in faith on a synodal journey, Pope Francis said that the church cannot risk becoming “static” but must continue as a “missionary church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world.”
WEDNESDAY AUDIENCE: “Pope: Make sure confirmation is not last time parish sees young people“
FINANCE: “Vatican court publishes reasons for verdicts in London property case“
COMMUNICATIONS: “Pope asks Vatican media to reduce spending as they share the Gospel“
ABUSE: “Papal commission releases report highlighting progress in safeguarding“
JUBILEE: “Pope to open Holy Door at Rome prison at beginning of Jubilee 2025“
Canada is euthanizing persons with dementia
INTERVIEW: A conversation with euthanasia prevention advocate Amanda Achtman regarding some alarming developments in Canada aimed at people with dementia.
Pope, king, bishops decry ‘devastation,’ send condolences after dozens die in Spain’s floods
SPAIN: Pope Francis, the king of Spain, bishops and politicians decried the devastation and loss of life in southeast Spain amid horrendous floods that left thousands of people homeless and city streets unrecognizable.
BANGLADESH: “Christians seek a public holiday on Easter Sunday in Bangladesh“
PHILIPPINES: “Red hat is ‘call to martyrdom’ for Philippine bishop outspoken on country’s war on drugs“
POLAND: “Polish priest accused of financial misappropriation released on bail“
MOZAMBIQUE: “Amidst rising election violence, Mozambique bishops reject poll results as lie“
Do most people make it to heaven?
QUESTION CORNER: While the church has the canonization process for formally recognizing that some especially holy people are already in heaven, the reverse does not hold true. That is, although the church does teach that going to hell is a real possibility, the church has never and will never declare definitively that any individual is known to be in hell.
Ohio archdiocese ends partnership with Girl Scouts over its view of human sexuality
OHIO: The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has announced it will discontinue its partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA due to the organization’s “impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality,” which conflicts with Catholic teaching.
CALIFORNIA: “West Coast NCYC gives teens 3 days to ‘live their faith out loud’“
GEORGIA: “In response to ‘black mass,’ thousands join Atlanta procession to show devotion to Eucharist“
KANSAS: “Joy, poverty endear a beloved ‘little’ community in Kansas to others“
MARYLAND: “Maryland’s first cemetery dedicated to only natural burials is in Baltimore Archdiocese“
MISSOURI: “Missouri bishop prohibits hymns with doctrinal errors or credibly accused composers“
TEXAS: “Nuns in Arlington, Texas, dismissed from Carmelite order, religious life“
Host of new ‘The Rosary in a Year’ podcast hopes people ‘fall in love’ with the prayer
A new podcast about the rosary promises to deepen listeners’ love of the Marian devotion and draw them closer to Jesus and his mother, Mary, in the new year.
LA’s rookie auxiliaries share formative, memorable moments from Vatican’s ‘bishops school’
For a Catholic priest to be named a bishop, no prior training, achievements, or degrees are necessarily required. The closest thing the Church has to a learning certificate for new bishops is a weeklong formation program in Rome — sometimes referred to as the “baby bishops course” — where they spend time with one another, Vatican officials, and the pope himself.
“Venom: The Last Dance” (Columbia)
MOVIE REVIEW: Tom Hardy reprises his role as the accidental and reluctant human host of the titular super-strong alien who alternately inhabits his body and takes it over altogether and with whom he incessantly bickers. This time out, they’re battling a race of fierce predators from the E.T.’s home world while also trying to evade capture by the authorities on Earth (led by Chiwetel Ejiofor). With the wit mostly gone from the fused duo’s quarreling, writer-director Kelly Marcel’s action-reliant production has little to offer. OSV News classification is A-III — adults.
