St. Clement Catholic Parish

Torture intersects with religious freedom violations worldwide, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says in an October 2025 report. / Credit: Sahana M S/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 15:37 pm (CNA).

Governments around the world continue to violate religious freedom and breach international law by engaging in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, according to a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). 

In an October USCIRF fact sheet, “Religious Freedom and the Prohibition of Torture and Ill Treatment,” the commission highlighted incidents of torture in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam, and recommended the United States designate each of them as countries of particular concern (CPCs) as they “engage in or tolerate ‘particularly severe violations’ of religious freedom.”

These designations are based on information from the USCIRF’s Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List, which is a database that tracks select victims targeted due to their religion. While the list does not necessarily reflect the exact accounts of torture abroad, at least 206 of the over 2,330 victims on the list have suffered torture or other ill treatment. 

The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment’s (CAT) definition of torture outlines three elements that, when combined, “reach the threshold of torture.” 

The definition states that torture is the “intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, for a specific purpose, such as to obtain information, as punishment, or to intimidate, or for any reason based on discrimination, and by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of state authorities.”

While 175 countries have enacted the CAT, the prohibition on torture is “a compulsory norm of international law,” the commission wrote. Torture methods vary and can be physical, sexual, or psychological including sleep deprivation or solitary confinement.

The CAT does not define ill treatment, but it requires states to prevent it. Acts that cause suffering or harm may be considered ill treatment and are still prohibited even if they do not meet the strict definition of torture. Examples of ill treatment might include “holding a prisoner in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions, public humiliation, verbal abuse, or denial of medical care.”

The U.S. government “should strengthen its advocacy on behalf of individuals persecuted in foreign countries on account of their religion or belief, including those who have suffered torture or other ill treatment,” USCIRF recommended.

Global case studies

The report highlighted previous findings to emphasize the instances of torture abroad and the need for designations of CPCs. In May, USCIRF reported “persistent reports of widespread torture and ill treatment in Turkmenistan, including severe beating and other serious abuse often used to extract confessions.” 

The committee further noted its concern regarding a pattern of “institutional impunity,” given the lack of investigations and prosecutions in Turkmenistan and across the Central Asia region. 

In Kyrgyzstan, USCIRF also documented alleged torture. Despite these allegations, the country recently abolished its independent torture prevention body.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban systematically imposes its interpretation of religion to restrict religious freedom. Authorities use corporal and capital punishment to penalize violations of their interpretation of Shari’a law. 

For example, in April, the United Nations reported four public executions in a single day for violations of religious edicts. It also found there were at least 213 corporal punishments carried out in the first half of 2025, including lashings, floggings, beatings, and acts of public humiliation. 

Taliban authorities also use torture as a tool for ideological punishment, often against detained religious minorities. USCIRF noted the “widespread methods include beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, simulated drowning, solitary confinement, sexual violence, and threats of execution,” often while authorities simultaneously use “religious insults.”

Cruel and degrading conditions have been reported including overcrowding, unsanitary environments, and insufficient access to food and medical care. 

Iran and Saudi Arabia were also found to impose the death penalty and corporal punishment based on religious interpretation. Religiously based capital crimes include “waging war against God” and “corruption on Earth.” 

In China, under the Chinese Communist Party, basic religious practices are considered “extremist” and can be grounds for imprisonment. USCIRF wrote: “It is not surprising that detainees in the internment camps are not able to freely practice their religion in any way. Through political indoctrination, China intends to erase ethnic and religious identities.” 

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 24, 2025 / 14:22 pm (CNA).

Life-affirming organizations are calling on the Trump administration and Congress to permanently block funding to Planned Parenthood.

In an Oct. 22 letter, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins and more than 50 signers asked President Donald Trump to debar Planned Parenthood from federal funding because of reports of the trafficking of baby body parts as well as possible fraud and failure to report sex crimes, among other complaints.

In another letter sent the same day, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and more than 100 signers asked Congress to remove the loophole created by the Affordable Care Act that enables government money to go to Planned Parenthood.

While the Trump administration cut funding to the abortion giant for one year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, pro-life advocates say Planned Parenthood should go through debarment, a significant legal process to block businesses from receiving government funding due to misconduct, fraud, or other concerns.

“Planned Parenthood’s track record shows that they should not be allowed to receive a single penny of taxpayer support,” Hawkins said in the letter. “They are unqualified to work for the American taxpayer.”

More than 50 organizations and legislators signed the Students for Life letter, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, Americans United for Life, Family Research Council, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Live Action, and Center for Medical Progress. 

“To debar Planned Parenthood — block them from all federal support — we simply need an honest look at their behavior and the kind of ‘service’ they are selling,” Hawkins said in a statement shared with CNA. 

“Think of this like a long overdue job review after many complaints all leading to one conclusion — Planned Parenthood should be fired,” she said.  

There are more than 5,300 federally qualified health centers that specifically provide women’s health services, while Planned Parenthood has less than 600 facilities in the U.S., according to Students for Life Action. 

“Women and girls won’t miss Planned Parenthood,” Hawkins said. “Federally qualified health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood and can easily absorb their current traffic while providing women and families with the wide range of real health care they need.”  

In the Susan B. Anthony group’s letter to Congress, signers urged Congress “to unequivocally oppose any consideration of extending the COVID-era subsidies without Hyde [Amendment] protections.”

The Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from directly funding abortion, but a plan by Democrats could expand Obamacare-funded abortions, permanently extending what was initially a temporary welfare program. 

“Obamacare forces taxpayers to subsidize insurance plans that pay for abortion on demand,” SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said. “And under the guise of COVID relief, President Biden took it even further, massively expanding those subsidies and the flow of taxpayer dollars to abortion.”

“Extending these subsidies without the Hyde Amendment is a vote to expand abortion on demand,” Dannenfelser said.

Rebecca Weaver, the policy director for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, noted that abortion harms both the child and the mother. 

“Induced abortion is not health care,” Weaver told CNA. “It ends the life of our fetal patient and often causes significant harm to our maternal patient.”  

“As life-affirming medical professionals, we are joining the call against the renewal of the Obamacare subsidy for abortion (through the abortion surcharge) that forces American citizens to fund the harmful and deadly practice of induced abortion,” Weaver continued.

“We support, instead, life-affirming policies that improve the health care that all of our patients receive and their access to that health care,” Weaver said. 

“The more Washington funds abortion, the more unborn children lose their lives, and the more moms are hurt,” Dannenfelser added. “This pro-life Congress must not extend the Obama-Biden legacy of taxpayer-funded abortion that ends the lives of countless innocent babies.”

Annunciation School shooting survivor Sophia Forchas in a photo before the incident and then posing with neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich at Gillette Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis on a very happy day as she goes home to be with her family on Oct. 23, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Forchas family

National Catholic Register, Oct 24, 2025 / 12:02 pm (CNA).

Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas is finally home after spending 57 days in the hospital with severe injuries sustained from the deadly shooting on Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis during the first school Mass of the year that claimed the lives of two students. 

Sophia received a fond farewell outside the hospital on Oct. 23. 

In a statement posted to the family’s GoFundMe page, Sophia’s parents, Tom and Amy Forchas, wrote: “Today marks one of the most extraordinary days of our lives! Our beloved daughter, Sophia, is coming home!!”

Speaking with gratitude for the team of doctors that worked diligently to save their daughter, the couple wrote: “We thank you from the depths of our hearts. We will never forget your world-class care that sustained her. Your commitment carried us through.”

Sophia still has a long road ahead with outpatient therapy, but her parents said “our hearts are filled with indescribable joy as we witness her speech improving daily, her personality shining through once more, and her ability to walk, swim, and even dribble a basketball. Each step she takes is a living testament to the boundless grace of God and the miraculous power of prayer.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner: “I celebrate with the Annunciation community the return to home of Sophia Forchas. It was very moving that she was able to join us last evening for the daily 9:00 rosary outside of the Church. She and her father thanked the community for the many prayers that they have received throughout the time that Sophia had been in the hospital and at the rehabilitation center. Please join me in continuing to pray for the ongoing recovery of all of those affected by the tragedy at Annunciation, and especially for the families and loved ones of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.”

In a news conference Sept. 5, neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich of Hennepin County Medical Center told reporters that in treating Sophia’s injuries he would attempt to “go through the normal brain to get there” and potentially cause more damage. Given the pressure in her brain, Sophia’s survival was extremely low.

The neurosurgeon led a team in performing a decompressive craniectomy, which removed the left half of her skull to allow the pressure in her brain to be relieved.

“If you had told me at this juncture that, 10 days later, we’d be standing here with any ray of hope, I would have said, ‘It would take a miracle,’” Galicich said tearfully to reporters back in September.

Sophia’s mother, who works as a pediatric nurse in the critical care unit at the hospital where the victims were taken, had no idea that it was her children’s school that had been attacked that fateful day. She initially had no idea that one of the three patients was her own daughter.

Sophia’s younger brother also witnessed the school shooting that day; by the grace of God, he was left unscathed, though he is still suffering from the trauma, given the horrific event and his sister’s dire injuries.

After Sophia’s 57-day stint in the hospital, Galicich gave his young patient a big hug as she walked out of the Hennepin County Medical Center to cheers and applause from her family and classmates. Even the city’s police chief was present, taking her on a ride through the city in a stretch limo to mark the occasion. 

Speaking to The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Police Chief Brian O’Hara called Sophia’s homecoming “nothing short of a miracle.”

Ecstatic parents Tom and Amy also noted how crucial prayer was in their daughter’s healing, writing in their statement: “Those prayers came from family, friends, and countless souls around the world; many of whom have never met Sophia, yet lifted her spirit with unconditional love. Your prayers have been a wellspring of comfort, hope, and healing for our entire family. We are certain that God heard every single one.”

The Forchases expressed condolences to the families who lost their children during the shooting, saying: “We continue to pray for those whose lives were tragically lost on that heartbreaking day. May their memory be eternal.”

“We also hold close those who were injured and bear lasting scars, and the families and loved ones forever changed,” the Forchases continued. “May God grant healing, consolation, and his peace to all who grieve. To those whose hearts are hardened in despair, may the grace of the all-Holy Spirit soften them. We pray that the Trinity fill the world with compassion and love.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

The state of Alabama on Oct. 23, 2025, executed convicted murderer Anthony Boyd by nitrogen gas just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider requiring the state to execute him by firing squad instead. / Credit: Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File

CNA Staff, Oct 24, 2025 / 11:32 am (CNA).

The state of Alabama on Thursday executed convicted murderer Anthony Boyd by nitrogen gas just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider requiring the state to execute him by firing squad instead.

Boyd reportedly took around 20 minutes to die from the execution method, according to the Associated Press. The news wire said he “clenched his fist, raised his head off the gurney slightly, and began shaking,” after which he became still but continued with a series of “heaving breaths” for “at least 15 minutes.”

The Alabama man was convicted of capital murder in the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County. Huguley was taped up, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. 

Boyd proclaimed his innocence until the last minutes of his life. “I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t participate in killing anybody,” he said on Oct. 23 prior to being executed. 

The protracted execution came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider whether the execution by nitrogen gas violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. 

Nitrogen gas is a relatively new execution method in the U.S. In January 2024 Alabama executed Kenneth Smith with gas, the first time in U.S. history that such a method was used. 

Witnesses said Smith writhed for several minutes while being administered the gas and was observed breathing for a considerable amount of time during the execution itself. Advocates have warned that the process is drawn-out and painful for victims of execution. 

Boyd had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider requiring Alabama to execute him by firing squad. The Supreme Court declined to consider the case.

In a scathing dissent ahead of the execution, Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused the high court of “turn[ing] its back” on Boyd and on the Constitution. 

Sotomayor, who was joined by Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, pointed to several other executions by nitrogen gas, including Kenneth Smith’s, noting reports that inmates have been seen “violent[ly] convulsing, eyes bulging, [and] thrashing against the restraints” while they are killed. 

All condemned prisoners suffer “distress” ahead of their executions, Sotomayor said. But drawn-out methods of execution like that of nitrogen gas create suffering “after the execution begins and while it is being carried out to completion.”

Prisoners are not guaranteed a painless death under the Eighth Amendment, Sotomayor acknowledged.

“But when a state introduces an experimental method of execution that superadds psychological terror as a necessary feature of its successful completion, courts should enforce the Eighth Amendment’s mandate against cruel and unusual punishment,” she said.

Ahead of Boyd’s execution, the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network said capital punishment “remind[s] us how critically important it is that we include the abolition of the death penalty in our respect life advocacy.”

“May we see the dignity of [Boyd] and of every individual sentenced to death, remembering always that no person is defined by the worst thing they’ve ever done,” the group said.

Marta Petrosillo, editor-in-chief of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Religious Freedom Report. / Credit: Gael Kerbaol/Secours Catholique

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 09:14 am (CNA).

The author of Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report, Marta Petrosillo, is coming to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s defense after remarks he made regarding persecution of Nigerian Christians prompted pushback.

Parolin sparked pushback after stating at a press conference on Tuesday that ongoing violence and unrest in Nigeria is a “social conflict” rather than a religious one. He told Vatican reporters during the presser for Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report release event: “I think they’ve already said, and some Nigerians have already said, that it’s not a religious conflict but rather a social conflict, for example, between herders and farmers.”

“Let’s keep in mind that many Muslims who come to Nigeria are victims of this intolerance,” he continued.” So, these extremist groups, these groups that make no distinctions to advance their goals, their objectives, use violence against anyone they perceive as an opponent.” 

The remarks prompted immediate pushback, including from Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International, who called them “particularly shocking.” Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute further characterized them as “repeating the Nigerian government’s talking points that obfuscate and downplay the persecution of the Catholic faithful and other Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” in comments to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner. 

As author of the report, Petrosillo weighed in on the controversy in an Oct. 23 interview on EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” telling Arroyo: “Cardinal Parolin didn’t say [the conflict was solely between farmers and herders] in his speech in our conference. His speech was really strong, underlining the importance of religious freedom.” 

“I know that Cardinal Parolin is one of the most important people on religious freedom,” she continued. “He has a huge knowledge on this.” 

Regarding the controversy that has ensued over Parolin’s comments, Petrosillo said: “I can only suppose that … it was referring to the complex situation there.”

She added: “I think that this topic [is] too complex and too elaborate, just for one journalist to take one sentence outside a conference in a very rushed way. So I would not consider that as a statement from his eminence.”

Petrosillo further pushed back against claims that the focus of the ACN report was to highlight Christian persecution alone, stating: “No, the focus of our report is not that Christians are the only group affected.” 

“In our report, we [documented] a violation of religious freedom against all the religious groups,” she told Arroyo. “Of course, in the case of Nigeria, there are specific anti-Christian incidents, but we are not saying that only Christians are targeted in Nigeria, because as I also said before, in some cases, we have also many Muslims that refuse extremist ideology ... being killed.”

null / Credit: AS photo studio/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:

Bill proposed in Hungary could require priests to violate seal of confession

The Permanent Council of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has expressed shock over the proposition of a bill that would require Catholic priests to violate the seal of confession. 

“This is in serious conflict with the agreement between the Republic of Hungary and the Holy See of Feb. 9, 1990, which states that the Catholic Church in our county operates on the basis of [canon law],” the council stated in an Oct. 17 press release. 

The council expressed regret over “extremely crude” and “baseless sentiment-mongering and slander” that has occurred during the ongoing election cycle. “We emphasize to our priests, all believers, and society that we are not a political organization, we do not wish to participate in the campaign,” it stated. “Our mission is to serve the salvation of souls.” 

Church in South Korea pledges help for Timorese migrants 

The Catholic Church in South Korea has pledged to help improve the situation for migrants from the small Catholic-majority island country of Timor-Leste.

During an Oct. 11–15 visit to the island, a 12-member delegation of South Korean Catholics from the Committee for Pastoral Care for Migrants of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea visited with groups that send migrant workers to South Korea, Cardinal Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, as well as President José Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, according to UCA News. 

The delegation pledged to help bring about “better protection and welfare of migrant communities” and to “improve better pastoral care program[s] for Timor-Leste migrants,” of which there are approximately 7,000 living in South Korea.

Australian archbishop renews commitment to safeguarding children

Archbishop Tony Ireland of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia, has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring all Catholic communities and workplaces throughout his diocese uphold safe environment standards. 

“The safety and well-being of all who engage with the Church is foremost in my mind and heart,” the archbishop said in an Oct. 17 statement. “Ensuring that every person — regardless of age or circumstance — feels safe, valued, and respected is an essential part of our mission and witness.” 

On behalf of his archdiocese, Ireland endorsed the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, stating: “Our commitment to these standards is unwavering, reflecting zero tolerance of any form of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.” The archdiocese has remained engaged in its safeguarding measures since 2017. 

Madagascar cardinal urges international community to refrain from sanctioning country 

Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana of Toamasina, Madagascar, is appealing to the international community not to sanction Madagascar in wake of a coup staged by military-backed youth protesters. 

The cardinal told Vatican media that imposing sanctions “would be illogical and immoral.”​​

“Supporting young people who demand a better life and then killing them with sanctions would make no sense,” Vatican News Italy reported. 

Religious conversion case against Christian university officials in India dropped

The Supreme Court of India has dropped a criminal case against three Christian university officials in Uttar Pradesh who were accused of violating the state’s stringent anti-conversion laws. 

The court dropped the case on Oct. 17, citing “legal defect” in the allegations filed by Himanshu Dixit, vice president of the World Hindu Council, according to UCA News. The Hindu leader had accused officials from the Presbyterian Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences of “unlawful conversion activities” in addition to “cheating, criminal intimidation, and forgery,” according to the report.

The judges noted that under Uttar Pradesh law, only an “aggrieved” person — that is, a victim or close relative — of the violation is permitted to lodge a complaint. The court declined to dismiss charges related to cheating and forgery but ordered protection of the accused from arrest.

Church in Mozambique proposes political guide for dialogue

The Episcopol Justice and Peace Commission in Mozambique has proposed a document outlining “concrete proposals for reforms of the state, the electoral system, natural resource policies, economic inclusion, and national reconciliation.”

The document, “A Political Guide for National Dialogue,” proposes limited power for the president in appointing heads of state, that judges be elected among their peers, and that the position of secretary of state be eliminated in provinces for the sake of the country’s budget, according to an Oct. 20 report from Vatican News. 

The guide also recommends the elimination of electronic voting to combat fraud as well as economic and natural resource reforms. 

To address the county’s unrest, the document proposes “building a collective memory based on truth, exercising forgiveness and mutual listening, promoting a culture of dialogue and trust, and changing mentalities to value differences while combatting prejudices.”

Latin American bishops host ‘virtual jubilee’ for Indigenous people 

The Episcopal Conference of Latin America hosted a virtual jubilee event for Indigenous people of Latin America and the Caribbean on Oct. 14–16. 

Organized by the Advisory Team on Indian Theology, together with the Pastoral Care of Indigenous People of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council and the Latin American Ecumenical Articulation of Indigenous Pastoral Care, the event centered on sharing experiences “as pilgrims of hope together with our Indigenous people, authentic custodians of culture, and our common home,” according to a message from Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect of the dicastery for promoting integral human development.

“Your love for the earth, your respect for the elderly, your sense of community, and your ability to live in harmony with creation are a gift to the whole Church. You teach that life is best understood when lived simply, in relationship with God, with nature, and with others,” he said. 

A color guard stands at attention as Eliza Monroe Hay’s remains are carried for reinterment at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Payne/CNA

Richmond, Virginia, Oct 23, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

Nearly two centuries after her death, the daughter of American Founding Father James Monroe has been laid to rest in Richmond, Virginia, joining her family’s historic burial plot in the city’s famed Hollywood Cemetery. 

The Diocese of Richmond held Eliza Monroe Hay’s reinterment at the top of Hollywood Cemetery overlooking the James River on Oct. 23. Hay, who died in 1840, converted to Catholicism several years before her death. 

State Sen. Bryce Reeves, who worked with the Eliza Project to repatriate Hay’s remains, said she was “far more than the daughter of a president.”

He described Hay as strong-willed and intelligent. “She served this nation quietly but powerfully in its formative years,” he said. 

The historic reinterment came about from a yearslong effort by the Eliza Project to bring Hay’s mortal remains home from the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, a cemetery on the outskirts of Paris.

 Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1786, Hay grew up in both the U.S. and Paris, where her father was the American ambassador amid the ongoing French Revolution. 

She would later be known for serving as an unofficial First Lady of the White House during James Monroe’s presidency, as her mother Elizabeth’s health regularly kept her away from state functions. 

Hay’s husband, Virginia attorney George Hay, died in 1830, as did her mother. James Monroe died in 1831 and was by then one of a dwindling number of prominent U.S. citizens who had led the country through its founding and earliest years.

Hay herself subsequently returned to Paris, where she converted to Catholicism before she died.

A happy ending

Delivering Hay’s eulogy at the event, Virginia resident Barbara VornDick described Hay as “my friend from the past.”

VornDick said in an Oct. 21 press release that the effort “has been a fascinating, enriching journey in many ways,” though she said the “most amazing aspect was how it enriched my faith.”

She told the Arlington Catholic Herald in August that she spent years researching Hay’s life. She discovered that a popular family legend that Hay became a nun was untrue, but her conversion to Catholicism was confirmed by records at St.-Philippe-du-Roule Church in Paris, where her funeral Mass was held in 1840. 

Hay also reportedly received a piece of jewelry from the Vatican — a cameo of the head of Christ — along with a note from Pope Gregory XVI’s secretary of state. 

During her years at the White House, Hay gained a reputation as an unpleasant, demanding hostess. Reeves said at the Oct. 23 ceremony that Hay was at one time described by John Quincy Adams as an “obstinate little firebrand.”

The Eliza Project, however, says she had a record of “good deeds and generosity” that history has largely forgotten. 

“She gained increasing admiration for her nursing of the sick: for family, for friends, and, during two epidemics, for the people of Washington,” the project said. 

She also exhibited “a sense of duty and loyalty, strength of character and fortitude, and compassion for the sick and suffering.”

The Diocese of Richmond had earlier held a memorial Mass for Hay at the nearby Cathedral of the Sacred Heart before the interment at Hollywood Cemetery. Father Tony Marques, the rector of the cathedral, presided over the Rite of Committal on Oct. 23. The cathedral’s choir performed at the ceremony.

Describing the yearslong project to repatriate Hay’s remains as a “grassroots effort,” Reeves told the assembled crowd on Tuesday: “The Virginian thing to do was bring Eliza home.”

VornDick told the Herald that the yearslong effort to “bring Eliza home” was motivated by the likelihood that she “never intended to die” in Paris.

“I just wanted to make it right for her,” she said.

At the reinterment, meanwhile, VornDick described Hay as a “daughter, sister, wife, and grandmother,” one who stands out in history for her devotion, service, and forceful personality. 

“Today marks the end of the Bring Eliza Home Project,” she said. “But it is a happy ending.”

Father Adam Muda, a chaplain for the U.S. Army, celebrates Mass on the field with soldiers while in Germany. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Adam Muda

CNA Staff, Oct 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

During Pastoral Care Week, celebrated Oct. 19–25, a Catholic psychotherapist encouraged a group of Catholic chaplains and ministers to pursue prayer, rest, and self-care in light of burnout — a challenge that often accompanies their unique work.

At an Oct. 22 webinar, “Carrying the Cross Without Burnout: Self-Care for Catholic Chaplains,” Adrienne Koller, a Catholic psychotherapist and founder of Strong Self Psychotherapy, encouraged chaplains to make time for spiritual and emotional renewal. 

The webinar, organized by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), a group that educates and supports Catholic chaplains across the country, highlighted the importance of finding rest amid the emotional toll of ministry.

“God doesn’t call us to self-erasure,” Koller told the nearly 100 chaplains who attended the webinar. “He calls us to stewardship of our bodies, our minds, and spirits.”

Koller described self-care as “stewardship” and “caring for the vessel God entrusted to you.”

“One of the most powerful mindset shifts I’ve seen in ministry is this: Self-care is not selfishness; it’s stewardship,” Koller said. “You are the vessel God entrusted with the work he gave you, and taking care of that vessel honors him.”

“You’re not taking away from your calling. You’re strengthening it,” she said. “Renewal isn’t an indulgence — it’s obedience.” 

Erica Cohen Moore, executive director of NACC, highlighted the importance of caring for chaplains, both during Pastoral Care Week and throughout the year. 

“Our chaplains are often called into spaces where few others are willing or able to go,” Cohen Moore told CNA. “They serve people in some of the most marginalized and challenging situations, where grief and suffering can be profound.” 

Pastoral Care Week “gives opportunities for organizations and institutions of all types to recognize the spiritual caregivers in their midst and the ministry that the caregivers provide,” according to the NACC’s website.

Chaplains are often priests, but seminarians, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and laymen and laywomen can all serve as chaplains, providing professional spiritual and emotional support in a range of areas — often in prisons, hospitals, fire departments, and campuses.  

To help prepare and support chaplains, the NACC offers a variety of resources, training, community, and support for chaplains, both Catholic and non-Catholic. 

What does burnout look like? 

“Over the years, I’ve walked with countless individuals who appear incredibly strong on the outside yet wrestle with exhaustion, doubt, or the feeling that their work has taken more from them than they have time to replenish,” Koller told attendees. 

Koller noted that the “emotional weight” of service can lead to burnout.

“That emotional weight, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong; it means you’re human,” she said. “But we do take on that emotional weight, and that can lead, if unchecked, to burnout.”  

“Burnout doesn’t happen because we’re weak or we’re incapable,” Koller continued. “It happens because we care deeply, we give fully, and sometimes we forget to refill our own cup.”

To combat the weight of service, Koller encouraged ministers to pray before and after each difficult meeting or encounter, and to offer the weight of those challenges to the Lord. She also led the group in grounding prayer exercises that incorporate breathing into prayer. 

Cohen Moore noted that burnout is a “very real concern” that chaplains face — one that her organization works to combat through the resources they provide.  

The association educates chaplains with a program called Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), which is “a process that equips them to manage burnout and care for themselves and one another,” according to Cohen Moore.

The group also offers webinars on topics such as self-care, mental illness and trauma, and mental health, as well as networking groups and in-person gatherings, and publishes a magazine called Works of Hope.

The association plans to launch a learning institute early next year to include a course on “sustaining pastoral ministers and helping them avoid burnout,” Cohen Moore said. 

“Burnout is a very real concern in our field, and we take it seriously as we continue exploring new ways to provide care and connection,” Cohen Moore said. 

‘I will give you rest’ 

When Koller speaks with “those in service, especially chaplains and first responders,” she said that one verse “always comes to mind.” 

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Koller noted that Christ “doesn’t say: ‘Keep pushing, work harder, work harder, deplete yourself, run yourself into the ground.” 

“No — he says, ‘Come to me,’” she said.

“That invitation isn’t to perform,” Koller continued. “It’s to rest, in a way, to surrender the illusion that we have to carry everything alone. That’s where our renewal begins.”

Archbishop Timothy Broglio speaks at Mass on Dec. 3, 2023. / Credit: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, expressed concern that the U.S. Army is not adequately addressing its discontent with canceled religious contracts, which the archdiocese said is straining its ability to minister to Catholics in the armed forces.

This month, the Army canceled all contracts for three roles: coordinators of religious education (CRE), Catholic pastoral life coordinators (CPLC), and musicians. The contract terminations affected Catholics and those of other faiths.

CREs served as catechists trained by the archdiocese to assist the priests in religious education in the military chapels. The archdiocese also trained CPLCs who offered administrative support such as liturgy coordination, assistance with sacramental record documentation, and weekly bulletin preparation. Contracts also included musicians, usually pianists who played music during Mass.

Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 17 saying Army officials assured him that religious affairs specialists (RAS) and directors of religious education (DREs) — federal employees — would accommodate the needs of the archdiocese amid the canceled contracts but that he believes this is not possible.

Neither an RAS nor a DRE is a trained catechist, he explained, and neither are properly trained or qualified to perform the roles of people who served in the canceled contracts. There is no requirement for a DRE to be Catholic or for an RAS to have any faith.

In response to the archdiocesan complaint, an Army spokesperson told CNA it would reexamine its contract support for RASs and DREs “to mitigate any potential impact during this period.“

Archdiocese: Response is ‘wholly inadequate’

Elizabeth A. Tomlin, a lawyer for the archdiocese, told CNA that the Army’s response is “wholly inadequate” and “demonstrates the spokesperson’s total lack of understanding of the issue.”

“Merely eight DREs across the entire Army are Catholics, so most DREs are not qualified to direct Catholic religious education,” Tomlin said.

“[RASs] are soldiers, [usually] anywhere from private first class to staff sergeant in rank,” she explained. “There is no requirement whatsoever for RASs to be Catholic or have any training in catechesis or catechetical methodology that could possibly equip them to coordinate religious education.”

Tomlin rejected the Army’s assertion that people in these positions could fulfill the work of the CREs, CPLCs, or musicians.

“Without meeting the basic requirement of a catechist, namely, to be a confirmed Catholic, these people are not qualified to be involved in Catholic religious education programs whatsoever,” she said.

Tomlin said the only way to have music during Mass is if someone volunteers.

“It is factually inaccurate that DREs or RASs are fulfilling the duties of CREs, CPLCs, or liturgical musicians,” Tomlin said.

‘No knowledge of our faith’

Jena Swanson — who worked as a Catholic CRE at Fort Drum from August 2024 until her contract was canceled on March 31, 2025 — told CNA she agrees with the archdiocese’s assessment that those employees cannot fulfill the roles of those whose contracts were canceled.

She said she helped facilitate religious education classes, Bible studies, sacrament preparation classes, and retreats, and collected sacramental records, among a variety of other tasks. She said she mostly worked independently of the DRE because that employee did not have much knowledge about the Catholic faith.

“The DRE is not guaranteed to be Catholic depending on the installation military families are stationed at,” Swanson said. “In our 13 years of military family life (my husband is active duty Army), we’ve experienced one Catholic DRE and only for two years.”

She said in her experience, RASs “are as helpful as they can be” but often “have no knowledge of our faith.”

Swanson said the Catholic community at Fort Drum “was thrown into a bit of chaos” once her contract ended. Some weeks there were no teachers for religious education, families did not know whom to direct questions to, and weekly Mass attendance dropped about 50%.

“Our families want answers and want to continue coming to our parish, but if these options are not open it will drastically affect attendance and faith formation,” Swanson said.

Bishop Edward Malesic addresses the First Friday Club of Cleveland on Feb. 10, 2022. / Credit: Diocese of Cleveland

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2025 / 17:04 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Cleveland has confirmed that the Vatican granted permission for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at two diocesan churches for an additional two years. 

The extension applies to St. Mary’s Church in Akron and St. Stephen’s in Cleveland, both of which, according to the Catholic Herald, had previously been granted limited approval to continue celebrating the extraordinary form of the Roman rite. 

At both parishes, diocesan priests say the Masses, rather than priests from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter or the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, as sometimes occurs in other dioceses.

In an email to CNA, Nancy Fishburn, executive director of communications for the Diocese of Cleveland, said: “The Holy See granted a two-year extension of permission for the two remaining diocesan celebrations of the Latin Mass within the Diocese of Cleveland.” 

Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes has restricted the use of the pre-Vatican II Mass by requiring Vatican approval for its celebration in parish churches, placing oversight directly under the Holy See. Bishops must now obtain authorization from the Vatican to permit the older form of the Roman rite in their dioceses.

It is unclear when Cleveland Bishop Edward C. Malesic requested the extension. Fishburn told CNA she had no further information.  

The extension of the TLM in Cleveland comes even as other dioceses are seeing its cancellation. 

In the Diocese of Knoxville last week, Bishop Mark Beckman informed the TLM community in an Oct. 14 letter that “by Jan. 1, 2026, every Latin Mass in the diocese will be celebrated using the 2002 Roman Missal ensuring consistency with the Church’s approved liturgical books while preserving the beauty and reverence you cherish.”

Beckman wrote that he had consulted with the three pastors in the diocese who currently celebrate the TLM, assuring parishioners that the transition away from the extraordinary form was “being handled with utmost pastoral sensitivity and care, honoring both your devotion to the sacred liturgy and the Church’s living tradition.” 

In the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, meanwhile, Bishop Michael Martin said in September that the TLM would cease at four parishes and would only be permitted at one chapel beginning Oct. 2.

Brian Williams, a leader of the TLM community in Charlotte, spoke with CNA in September.

“Why is going to the Latin Mass a bad thing? It’s no different from the Ordinariate, or Byzantine, or any other rite. It’s all still Catholic,” he said. 

Williams said he and other members of the TLM community are still hopeful that Pope Leo’s pontificate will be more welcoming of the TLM and that things can change, citing a post on X on Sept. 29 showing a priest at the St. Michael’s chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica saying the Mass in the extraordinary form, as well as the recent granting of an exemption to the restrictions imposed by Traditionis Custodes in the San Angelo Diocese in Texas, the first exemption granted under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.