St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has nominated Reverend Milad Yaghi, MLM, as the Bishop of the Nuestra Señora de los Mártires del Líbano en México Eparchy of the Maronites (Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico). Father Yaghi currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of the Cedars Maronite Catholic Church in Houston, Texas.

The announcement was publicized in Washington, D.C. on October 12, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect Yaghi’s biography may be found here.

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WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV announced to those gathered for the Sunday Angelus this morning that he would soon undergo surgery to remove a localized nodule in his lung. Upon hearing the news, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered his prayers for the Holy Father and to those caring for him:

“This morning, the Holy Father announced he will undergo surgery for a lung nodule in the coming days. The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health. May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ. Please find a moment today, as I will, to offer a prayer for Pope Leo and his care team.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV announced that doctors recently found "a small, localized nodule" in his lung and that he will have it treated surgically sometime this week.

He made the announcement in Italian after praying the Sunday Angelus with visitors and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, Oct. 11:

"Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung. It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized.  The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it. The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers. Thank you, and happy Sunday!"

Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that the procedure will take place in the coming days at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, and it is expected to require approximately one week of recovery. 

A lung nodule is a small mass of dense tissue on the lung, according to the American Lung Association.  Lung nodule surgery can be part of diagnosing and treating atypical lung growth.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, invited the faithful to pray for the pope's good health:

"The bishops of the United States join with the faithful and all people of good will in praying for his good health. May the hand of Pope Leo’s surgeons be guided by the divine physician Jesus Christ. Please find a moment today, as I will, to offer a prayer for Pope Leo and his care team."

Pope Leo was scheduled to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov. 6 to 17, with stops in: Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján; Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa.

There were no announcements Oct. 11 as to any changes to his trans-Atlantic travel plans, and in his remarks to pilgrims in the crowd for the Angelus, he thanked members of the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros in Rome and others "for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru."

WASHINGTON – World Mental Health Day is observed each year on October 10. This year, the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development issued a message recognizing mental health as an “urgent pastoral challenge,” and invited the Church to engage with people struggling with their mental health. In his monthly prayer intention, Pope Leo XIV prayed for mental health ministry to be established throughout the Church and encouraged overcoming the stigma and discrimination often shown towards people with mental illnesses. 

Each October, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) renews its commitment to a pastoral response to the mental health crisis in the United States through its National Catholic Mental Health Campaign. Resources to promote education and awareness are accompanied by a call to prayer and action through a Novena for Mental Health that runs from October 10-18. The novena is an invitation for parishes to participate in Mental Health Sunday on October 11 and encourages local groups interested in forming a mental health ministry to go to usccb.org/mentalhealth, as well as the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and Catholic Charities USA.

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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of War announced that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would be publicly livestreamed. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement sharply condemning the decision of the U.S. government:

“It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War’s decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. Our God is the God of life. In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil' (Romans 12:17). The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.

“I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pursuing a higher education that values human intelligence can help counter the many "false teachers" exploiting people's deep yearning for truth, faith and meaning, Pope Leo XIV said.

Reason, memory and critical thinking are "fundamental for both faith and mission," the pope told students from the pontifical universities of Rome during an evening Mass in St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 8.

"Reason, posing questions in light of God's word and the Church's Tradition, is an essential part of the journey of faith in following Jesus Christ," he said. 

The pontifical universities and institutes in Rome enroll more than 15,000 students from some 125 nations; they study theology and philosophy, but also liturgy, sacred music, communications, canon law, archaeology and other subjects.

Reason, faith and the warning about false teachers

In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the day's first reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians (3:1-5), which assures the Gentiles that faith in Christ is what matters and opposes claims that circumcision and observance of the law are needed to bring the promised gift of God's Spirit and righteousness.

That portion of St. Paul's letter is "an appeal to reason, memory and critical thinking," Pope Leo said, because "in every age, there is no shortage of false teachers who exploit the religious sentiments of many believers for their own interests, often pushing them to radicalize certain aspects of the teaching they have received at the expense of the whole, which is Christ and his Gospel."

The pope told the students to "consider study as a service to faith and truth: for your own good and for the good of so many brothers and sisters for whom the Lord gave his life."

Encountering Christ "brings joy and enthusiasm," the pope said. "It is never a matter of being 'bewitched' or 'enchanted.'" 

Because human intelligence and reason play such a fundamental role in faith, the Catholic Church "has both the desire and the responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the treasure of revelation and to develop, within diverse contexts, a prayerful understanding of it, scholarly reflection, cultural mediation and practical application," he said.

"The mind must not simply compile data -- as an algorithm now does more quickly than we can -- but recall lived experiences, which contain depths of meaning that only the human soul can recognize, and connect more deeply with the goodness of these experiences," Pope Leo said.

"Routine, ambitions, rivalries and other negative factors can, over time, divert our attention and energy, leaving us exhausted and listless, quarrelsome and sad," the pope said. "We must therefore return to the heart" so that "every stage of life and every responsibility may be lived 'with the Spirit.'"

Connecting university studies with life and service

He urged students to use their time at university to forge new friendships, especially with people from other countries. 

"Listen to the longing of God," he said, and "bring it into scientific research. Let us share what nourishes us. There are many who do not have the same educational opportunities that we have received."

"Remain rooted in the people of God, value its 'sensus fidei,' and be open to its questions," he told them, and "do not forget the poor."

"Bring life into your studies and your studies into life, following the logic of the Incarnation, apart from which revelation falls silent," he said. "Indeed, the further we stray from the complete reality that the Son of God took on and lived with infinite love, the less we will have to say and the fewer opportunities we will have to understand."

WASHINGTON – When the U.S. bishops gather in November for their Fall Plenary Assembly (November 16-19), they will vote for a Conference secretary, as well as chairmen for six standing committees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 

The position of USCCB secretary is up for a vote due to the fact that Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend was elected during the bishops’ 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly to complete the term left vacant when Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, who was serving as USCCB secretary, was elected as Conference president. 

Each bishop elected will serve for one year as the chairman-elect of the respective committee before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops’ 2027 Fall Plenary Assembly. 

The following bishops were nominated (listed under committee in alphabetical order):

USCCB SECRETARY-ELECT / CHAIRMAN-ELECT, COMMITTEE ON PRIORITIES AND PLANS

• Bishop Earl K. Fernandes, Diocese of Columbus
• Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

COMMITTEE ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION

• Bishop James D. Conley, Diocese of Lincoln
• Bishop Edmund J. Whalen, auxiliary bishop, Archdiocese of New York

COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS

• Bishop Daniel J. Felton, Diocese of Duluth
• Bishop Louis Tylka, Diocese of Peoria

COMMITTEE ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH

• Bishop Steven J. Maekawa, O.P., Diocese of Fairbanks
• Bishop Michael M. Pham, Diocese of San Diego

COMMITTEE ON DOCTRINE

• Bishop William M. Joensen, Diocese of Des Moines
• Bishop Steven J. Lopes, Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL COLLECTIONS

• Bishop Mark A. Eckman, Diocese of Pittsburgh
• Bishop Gerald L. Vincke, Diocese of Salina

COMMITTEE ON PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES

• Bishop John T. Folda, Diocese of Fargo
• Bishop Donald J. Hying, Diocese of Madison

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians "cannot accept the oppression of the weak and the poor, nor the unjust structures that perpetuate conditions of dependence and injustice," Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience.

By worshipping Christ, "the Righteous One who died for the unrighteous," the faithful are called to work for justice, peace and fraternity, the pope said Oct. 7 in St. Peter's Square.

"The Church, therefore, 'has no fiercer desire than that in pursuit of the welfare of all she may be able to develop herself freely under any kind of government which grants recognition to the basic rights of person and family, to the demands of the common good,'" he said, quoting from the conciliar constitution, "Gaudium et Spes," as he continued his series of talks on documents from the Second Vatican Council.

Just as Christ was incarnated to reconcile the world with God, the Church exists within the world as a "sign of the incarnation of God, in order to manifest His plan to make us all His children in one great human family," Pope Leo said.

Journeying through history alongside different peoples and cultures helps the Church understand more clearly the scope of its mission, he said. That mission begins with helping people "be attentive to the profound questions of life: those concerning our origin and our destiny, as well as those concerning the meaning of love and suffering."

"The logic of profit at all costs and the manipulation of information risk exerting undue pressure on people to conform to a lifestyle centered on the consumption of material goods, but our hearts are made to look upwards," Pope Leo said.

The Church's mission also includes contributing to building the "earthly city," he said, although its methods and aims are not primarily political. Rather, the Church bears witness to "faith and charity, together with commitment for justice, peace, and fraternity."

To live the Gospel fully, Catholics must cooperate with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that their professed faith is reflected in their daily lives, the pope said, continuing his reflections on the constitution "Gaudium et Spes."

The discrepancy between professed faith and daily life, the council wrote, "deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age."

Living the faith in contemporary society also requires pastors, theologians and the faithful to discern what in modern cultures is worthy of consideration without "watering down" Christianity to make it more attractive, Pope Leo said.

"This requires a balanced mind, free from cultural trends, capable of viewing the world in a positive light whilst remaining steadfast in preserving and presenting the Gospel message in its entirety," he said.

The Church is not "above" or "beside" the world, but rather "grafted into it," Pope Leo said, and its ultimate purpose is that God's kingdom may come and "the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass."

"She strives towards this end above all through personal holiness and fraternal love," he said.

WASHINGTON - Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Peter J. Byrne, 75, from the Office of Auxiliary Bishop of New York.

The resignation was publicized in Washington, D.C. on October 5, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States. 

The Archdiocese of New York is comprised of 4,683 square miles in the State of New York.

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WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released proposed regulations to implement the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), which provides a nonrefundable Federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship granting organizations. States must formally elect to opt-in to the program in order for the children in that state to be eligible for scholarships funded by the program. 

In a brief message, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, called the scholarship program a transformative opportunity for children across the country:

“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first and primary educators of our children, and that parents have the obligation of educating their children in the manner best suited for their development and needs. The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit will create opportunities for families to access much-needed resources to expand their options for choosing the best tools and learning environment for their children. I applaud all the hard work of the advocates for this law, the legislators themselves, and officials of the Department of Treasury who worked diligently on the proposed regulations for implementing the FSTC so it can be a transformative opportunity for children across the country in both public and non-public school settings.”

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