Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino is the auxiliary bishop of Madrid. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 5, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Following the publication of his Spanish-language book on the 1934 revolution that took place in Asturias province in northwestern Spain, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martínez Camino of Madrid noted that “if we know the history of the martyrs, we will recover evangelical strength.”

In “The 39 Martyrs of 1934 in Spain,” Martínez recounts the stories of those who were murdered out of hatred for the faith within a very specific context in the country’s history.

In October 1934, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE by its Spanish acronym) along with anarchist and communist groups launched an uprising against the legality of the Second Spanish Republic, hoping to emulate the revolution that triumphed in Russia in 1917.

Among those martyred in the conflict — 37 religious and two laypeople — were nine De La Salle Brothers, seven diocesan seminarians and three of their formators, three Vincentian missionaries, two Jesuits, one Carmelite, and one Passionist.

Most were killed in Asturias, but not all. A Marist brother and a diocesan priest were killed in Palencia; another priest in Barcelona; and a lay member of the National Catholic Association of Propagandists (Advocates) in Gipuzkoa.

The martyrs: A ‘living Gospel’

Just days before the liturgical memorial of the 20th-century martyrs in Spain on Nov. 6, the prelate told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the book’s main motivation is to make the lives and final sacrifices of these martyrs known to new generations. He said he hopes that “a call to awaken our faith, perhaps dormant,” goes forth, as Archbishop Sanz Montes of Oviedo points out in the book’s prologue.

There is a second motivation for the book, he said, which is to denounce “a neo-pagan culture that frustrates the desires of human beings and of new generations; a culture that has been developing in Europe for two or three centuries and is now at its peak.”

This culture is characterized by being “closed to true life from God and is centered on the myth of self-salvation, on the myth of progress,” he explained.

Martínez emphasized that telling the stories of the martyrs is not “primarily to illustrate an already well-established Christian doctrine but rather to highlight the essence of Christianity, which is the history of Christ and his witnesses.”

The author said “the martyrs and saints are the living presence of Christ in the history of each era. They are, therefore, the first evangelizers.” 

“To read the lives of the saints and martyrs is to read the living Gospel,” he noted.

‘Martyrs of the revolution, not of the war’

The prelate explained that throughout all of Spain within a 15-year period (which extended beyond the time of the 1936–1939 Spanish Civil War), 4,235 clerics were martyred, including 12 bishops. 

In addition, 3,500 male religious and friars and almost 300 nuns were killed. Added to these, some estimate that up to 10,000 laypeople may have been killed for their faith.

Of all the martyrs, some 3,000 are at different stages of the beatification process.

Martínez, who owes part of his vocation to the memory of his uncle, Lázaro San Martín Camino, who was martyred in 1936, states in the book that “they are martyrs of the revolution, not of the war.”

“Neither the republic nor the war, as such, were directly the cause of their martyrdom,” but rather “the cause of martyrdom in Spain is the anarcho-Marxist revolution,” which, like other totalitarian ideologies in the 20th century, “included in its program the annihilation of faith, religion, and the Christian Church.”

In the Jubilee Year 2000, St. John Paul II convened an ecumenical event held in the Colosseum of Rome in memory of the 20th century martyrs, which covered everything from the martyrdom of the Armenians in Turkey in 1915 to the waning years of communism at the century’s end.

Although crimes against religious freedom in Spain, and especially against Catholics, are increasing year after year and have even resulted in bloodshed, as in the case of sacristan Diego Valencia, according to reports prepared by specialists, Martínez warned against hasty interpretations.

“We must understand this lesson well to understand the present,” he said, alluding to the martyrdoms of the 20th century. “If we mix everything up, we understand nothing. We must proceed step by step. And we cannot conflate the martyrdom of the 20th century with the martyrdom of the 21st century.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Dominik Duka. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Prague, Czech Republic, Nov 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Dominik Duka, one of the last cardinals from former Czechoslovakia, passed away at the age of 82 on Nov. 4. He was known for his orthodoxy in the Catholic faith and his resistance against the communist regime that jailed him for religious activity.

With the death of Duka, the only living cardinal from Czechoslovakia is Michael Czerny, who emigrated to Canada.

Duka, born in 1943, was baptized Jaroslav but took the religious name Dominik when he secretly entered the Order of Preachers and was ordained a priest in 1970.

He taught other Dominicans, spread samizdat (the secret copying and distributing of literature banned by the state), and cooperated with people abroad, which was illegal during communist rule in Czechoslovakia. The regime jailed him for more than a year. 

According to a memorial letter by the master of the Order of Preachers, Father Gerard Francisco Timoner III, Duka “spent 15 months in the Plzeň-Bory prison, where he prayed with fellow inmates and strengthened them in their faith.”

In prison, Duka also became friends with Václav Havel, the future president of free Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic after 1989.

After the fall of communism, Duka helped negotiate an agreement on Church property restitutions. The communist regime had seized many Church holdings, and the settlement provided financial compensation from the state to Catholic institutions.

The Dominican was a bishop since 1998, served as a chairman of the Czech Bishops‘ Conference, and was archbishop of Prague from 2010 to 2022. Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2012. Duka was also the author of various books.

The prelate was a well-known public figure who often went against the mainstream as he promoted Church teaching in a predominantly atheist and agnostic Czech Republic. Thus, he was necessarily considered both inspiring and provocative.

For example, the family was for him more important than elections or geopolitics. He warned that the breakdown of the family would lead to a mass of individuals who are easier to control by the state.

In one of many interviews for the media, he said that women were not aware they were manipulated by TV, radio, and in advertisements: “When was the last time I saw a movie in which there is a truly normal, harmonious family?” he said. Duka admitted there are problems in families, but “we all remember our family and childhood not because our parents sometimes argued, but because it was our environment. And a woman really plays a fundamental role.“

The Czech prelate opposed gender ideology and political efforts to replace the terms mother and father with designations such as “Parent A” and “Parent B.” 

“No one from Ukraine welcomes Parent B; people welcome mothers with children. Thus, the words ‘mom,’ ‘dad’ are completely natural for those children fleeing from Ukraine,“ he said in an interview in 2022.

Duka appreciated Pope Francis’ call for disarmament but added that “if we accept the vision that humans are intelligent apes,” any respect or tolerance may cease to exist, as “there are slightly different laws in the animal world.”

Some criticized the cardinal for being too close and benevolent to a few politicians — mainly to the ex-president of Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, who had been a communist. Others said Duka may have been too critical of mass immigration from countries other than Ukraine.

The last time he created a stir was in September, when he celebrated a Mass in Prague for the family of murdered U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk.

Duka once spoke about a controversy he was causing. He faced a dilemma about whether to partake in a March for Life, “because I am attracting the counter-demonstrators who use a vocabulary that children [present at the march] should not hear,” the cardinal said.

After his death, a few commentators said they appreciated Duka’s fighting spirit, his courage against communism, and his frankness. One Jewish community acknowledged Duka’s openness to interreligious dialogue and his fight against antisemitism.

His funeral Mass will be celebrated Nov. 15.

Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė attends the March for Life in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 4, 2025. / Credit: Erlendas Bartulis

Vilnius, Lithuania, Nov 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The appointment of Kristina Zamarytė-Sakavičienė, a mother of six and longtime advocate for life, family, and human dignity, as Lithuania’s new vice minister of justice has drawn warm attention from the country’s Catholic community. For many, her rise from civic activism to national leadership embodies what it means to live one’s faith in public life.

Zamarytė-Sakavičienė joins fellow vice minister Barbara Aliaševičienė under Minister of Justice Rūta Tamašunienė, who assumed office in August following a coalition reshuffle that brought the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families Union into the ruling government.

Recalling the moment she received the offer to serve, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė said she accepted it with “calm joy,” recognizing it as at once “a professional milestone, a personal calling, and a significant responsibility.” While she never sought high office, she said her guiding motivation has always been “to contribute effectively to the common good and the protection of fundamental human rights.”

As vice minister, she will oversee civil, procedural, and administrative law as well as mediation, forensic policy, and the development of Lithuania’s national legal system.

Faith in public life

For Zamarytė-Sakavičienė, public service and faith are not competing loyalties but parallel vocations. A lawyer and ethicist by training, she began her career in 2006 as adviser to the Health Affairs Committee of the Seimas (Parliament), later serving as an inspector of good clinical practice at the State Medicines Control Service. She went on to head the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and Law and for five years was director of the Free Society Institute, an advocacy organization that seeks to foster values in line with Catholic social teaching.

Her approach to law, she said, is rooted in human nature rather than ideology. “Justice is not tied to any one faith; its content and the obligations arising from it do not depend on religious belief,” she explained. “Human rights in their essence are nothing other than demands of justice, that a person be given what is owed to them according to their human nature.”

This conviction, that justice flows from truth and the dignity of the human person, has defined her career. It also places her among a small but visible group of lay Lithuanian Catholics active in influencing national policy after decades of Soviet-era secularism.

Praise from Church and civic leaders

Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius, a former political prisoner under Soviet rule, welcomed her appointment, praising her “clear Christian stance on life, family, and sexuality.” He called her “an inspiring example for secular Catholics and all people of goodwill that we need not be passive observers of what is happening in today’s Lithuania but clearly defend eternal values.”

Archbishop Kęstutis Kėvalas of Kaunas also defended her nomination against critics who claim her moral convictions could bias her work. “In a democratic state, no one should be humiliated or declared unfit for public service simply because of their moral or religious position,” he said.

Respect for freedom of conscience, he added, “is the foundation of democracy,” and discrimination against believers “not only violates their rights but also weakens the entire state.”

Audrius Globys, chairman of the Lithuanian Christian Workers’ Trade Union, echoed this sentiment, saying: “Christians must uphold their beliefs not only in private life but also in their professional and social activities.” He warned that retreating from public life weakens believers, citing John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

A ‘child-centric’ vision of society

A consistent voice in Lithuania’s pro-life movement, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė described her ethical outlook as “child-centric.”

“I evaluate decisions made by the state according to the principle that the child’s interest comes first,” she said, particularly in debates surrounding family policy, assisted reproduction, and abortion.

She stressed that life begins at conception and that “children should never be treated as objects of adult desire or convenience.” Reflecting on contemporary bioethical issues, she warned that “people now imagine that the essence of family is not the nurturing of new life but the feelings of adults, their pleasant emotions, their interests.”

Regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF), she expressed concern that “children are expected to adapt to the decisions of adults,” stressing that “manipulation of the human embryo is driven by cultural changes that elevate the convenience, desires, and interests of adults above a conceived child’s right to be born and to live.”

For her, the defense of life and family is not primarily a matter of religious dogma but of justice: “Human embryos should not be treated as an object,” she stated, while urging that governments cherish the natural family, not out of religious mandates but rather out of respect for natural law.

Serving truth in a secular age

Zamarytė-Sakavičienė acknowledged that expressing Christian convictions in politics can be challenging. Yet she said she believes moral truth need not be imposed to be effective. “The truth will defend itself,” she said. “You only need to be its bearers.”

Addressing young Catholics who aspire to serve in public life, she urged them to embrace courage and authenticity. “Do not be afraid to hold to your moral convictions even at the cost of your career,” she said. “Even if it does, new and unexpected paths will open.” Life, she added, “becomes simpler when one does not hide one’s beliefs.”

Asked what European societies most need from their leaders today, she replied that it is not merely competence but approachability and the ability to communicate timeless moral truths in a way that resonates with modern generations. “We must find new language and fresh approaches,” she said, “to speak about fundamental things in ways that people can truly hear.”

Toward a culture of dignity

As she begins her tenure, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė insisted that Lithuania’s moral and legal renewal depends on recognizing that human dignity is not merely granted by the state but discovered through truth. “Building a just society requires constant effort,” she said, “from both the state and its citizens, to ensure everyone receives what is due.”

In a political climate where religious conviction is often seen as a liability, Zamarytė-Sakavičienė offers a quiet reminder that faith, reason, and service to the common good need not be at odds.

“The truth sets us free,” she said simply, referencing John 8:31. “Our task is only to recognize it and to serve it faithfully.”

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. / Credit: Thomas Bresson from Belfort, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 21, Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former French president to walk through a prison gate to begin serving a sentence behind bars.

The former president arrived at La Santé prison in Paris to serve a five-year sentence for illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign through the regime of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy notably took with him two books: “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Jesus of History.”

The choice of these two titles has not gone unnoticed. In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the author of the second book, historian and theologian Jean-Christian Petitfils, explained that Sarkozy confessed to him that he had been “deeply affected by reading” the book about Jesus, which was published in 2011.

Petitfils said when he met Sarkozy in person about four years ago, the former president revealed he was particularly interested in the section detailing the miracles of Jesus.

“Sarkozy only had some vague notions from catechism, but he didn’t truly know the story of Jesus,” the author recounted.

A clear symbolic and political dimension

“He received me at his home, and we talked about the content of my book. He told me he was very interested in miracles, exorcisms, and, of course, the resurrection of Jesus. And I think he believes in the resurrection of Jesus,” he commented.

Petitfils met with Sarkozy again after publishing his French-language book in 2022 on the Shroud of Turin titled “The Holy Shroud of Turin: Witness to the Passion of Jesus Christ,” in which he defends the relic’s authenticity and presents the new research that he says refutes the carbon-14 dating that indicated the cloth is of medieval origin.

Asked about the significance of Sarkozy’s decision to take his book about Jesus Christ to prison, Petitfils acknowledged that the gesture has a clear symbolic and political dimension. 

“There is a political message involved,” he said, which shows that Sarkozy wanted to draw a parallel with the idea of ​​being an unjustly condemned victim. The hero of “The Count of Monte Cristo” is unjustly condemned, and so is Jesus, Petitfils pointed out.

The author also noted that the Christian experience is very meaningful for a prisoner: “The experience of God invites us to understand that we are not alone and that we are always with Christ, even in solitude. All of this naturally pushes us to go beyond our circumstances and to understand transcendence.”

Petitfils, a historian and theologian renowned for his studies on the Ancien Régime (the political, economic and social system in France before the 1789 revolution) and the history of Christianity, reconstructs the true figure of Jesus using historical, archaeological, and theological sources.

The book, published in Spanish by Gaia, is based on the latest archaeological discoveries and contemporary biblical exegesis, combining scholarly research with an openness to the dimension of faith that Petitfils considers inseparable from the Christian mystery.

History from a faith perspective

“My book is first and foremost the work of a historian. I tried to outline the personality of Jesus and show that he was not just a prophet or a Jewish reformer. This work delves into the mystery of Jesus’ very person. And, as a historian, I am obliged to stop and consider that mystery. The historian cannot ‘prove’ miracles, much less the Resurrection. But it is clear that faith and history are not incompatible,” Petitfils explained.

The book begins in Galilee, in the political and religious context of a Palestine oppressed by Rome and divided by internal tensions. From there, Petitfils traces the biography of a man who preaches love for God and mercy, who tells parables and performs signs that tradition has called miracles, who welcomes the marginalized and proclaims that the kingdom of God is near.

‘The Gospels are not myths, but a real history’

Petitfils states that these texts are “not symbolic or mythical narratives, but a real history, albeit with some contradictions between them.” 

“They are biographies in the ancient style, as they were written then, and they profoundly testify to the faith of the first Christian communities,” he explained.

Since its publication, “The Jesus of History” has enjoyed considerable success in France and numerous other countries, with translations into Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

“I’ve received countless testimonials from people who read it and felt transformed by it. Some told me, ‘This book restored my faith’ or ‘It allowed me to better understand the personality of Jesus.’ And that is, in a way, what I wanted to do, respecting the rules of historical research, which is a scientific endeavor,” the French writer explained.

The author said he hopes Sarkozy, who began serving his sentence in mid-October, will be among that group. 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The outside of the reconstructed Basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia, Italy, is lit up with lights in celebration of its reopening on Oct. 30, 2025. / Credit: Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia

Rome Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia, Italy, reopened for worship this weekend after a four-year project to rebuild the 13th-century edifice leveled by an earthquake in 2016.

Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia dedicated the newly rebuilt church on Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day. The basilica marks the birthplace of St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine order and the father of Western monasticism. He is also a co-patron saint of Europe.

Nine years ago on Oct. 30, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake — the last in a series of deadly earthquakes to hit central Italy between August and October 2016 — almost completely destroyed the basilica, leaving only the facade standing.

An adjoining monastery of Benedictine monks, who were the caretakers of the basilica at the time, was also destroyed in the October 2016 earthquake.

The reconstruction of the basilica and crypt began in December 2021 and used as many of the original materials as possible while incorporating earthquake-resistant design and handicap accessibility. The project cost 15 million euros (about $17 million).

“The restoration of this important monument, of great historical and artistic value as well as a vibrant center of Benedictine spirituality, represents the visible sign of the demanding journey of religious rebirth undertaken in recent years by the entire diocesan community,” Pope Leo XIV said in a message sent for the basilica’s dedication.

In his homily at the Oct. 31 dedication Mass, Boccardo said: “The doors of the basilica open today to welcome all who come here to draw light and strength for the journey of Christian life.”

“As believers, we are well aware that a splendid building is not enough to make it God’s house among the homes of men,” he said. “Only a community that, as each day passes, passionately lives a sincere search for what is true, good, and just in his eyes will be able to have the Lord close to it.”

“Woe to us,” he continued, “if we limit ourselves to offering him the beauty of this church if it does not correspond to the beauty of a people who are built around the Word and the Eucharist, who build fraternal relationships, who are committed to a more welcoming and merciful society toward all, who tirelessly seek the wisdom that distinguishes good from evil, who separates what builds from what destroys, what remains from what passes away, and who engage in a daily exercise of Christian love.”

A Benedictine monastery was built in Norcia in the 10th century but was shuttered by the Napoleonic Army in the 1800s. A group of American monks refounded the community in Norcia in 1999.

Following the 2016 earthquake, the monastic community moved to a former Capuchin monastery approximately 1.5 miles east of the town. They completed the rebuilding of the earthquake-damaged property outside of Norcia in mid-2024, and the community was elevated to the status of an abbey.

The Abbey of San Benedetto in Monte is known for its beer brewing and for being a vibrant center of Benedictine spirituality in the central Italian region of Umbria.

An Irish soldier holds the a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office, the scene of the 1916 Easter Rising, in Dublin on March 27, 2016 as part of a program of commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. / Credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Dublin, Ireland, Nov 1, 2025 / 06:08 am (CNA).

The election of left-wing Catherine Connolly last week as Ireland’s 10th president was marked by low voter turnout, a narrow field of candidates, and an unprecedented number of 213,738 spoiled ballots, representing 12.9% of votes cast.

Many of the spoiled ballots, which are ballots that cannot be counted due to errors in marking or deliberate defacement, were from Catholic voters protesting the government parties’ interference in candidate selection, which resulted in the prominent Catholic figure, Maria Steen, not appearing on the ballot.

The election outcome reflects the current secular makeup of the Republic of Ireland, a sharp contrast to the devout sacramental Catholicism practiced by the founding fathers of modern Ireland, which include the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising who faced execution by British forces.

Capuchin accompaniment

The Capuchin friars played a central role in the 1916 Easter Rising, first in helping communicate a ceasefire to the British forces and among groups of Irish rebels; and subsequently, in ministering to the rebels facing execution.

Capuchin friars’ eyewitness accounts of the condemned men’s final hours and the immediate aftermath of that rising detail the devout Catholic faith of its leaders.

The friars recollected the men praying the rosary, confessing their sins, receiving holy Communion, and attending Mass in the hours and days before their deaths.

Moving descriptions include those of leader Pádraig Pearse praying in his cell before a crucifix; of Thomas MacDonagh shot at dawn wearing a rosary given to him by his sister, who was a nun; and an already fatally wounded James Connolly making a final act of contrition before being executed tied to a chair.

Of Connolly’s death, Capuchin friar Father Aloysius recalled that he strongly insisted that the soldiers leave him alone with Connolly so that he could hear his confession. 

He recounted at the time: “He was brought down and laid on a stretcher in an ambulance. Father Sebastian and myself drove with him to Kilmainham. Stood behind the firing party during the execution. Father Eugene McCarthy, who had attended Seán Mac Dermott before we arrived, remained and anointed Connolly immediately after the shooting.” 

Though sacramental devotion in the face of certain death may seem remarkable to the contemporary reader, Jesuit historian Father Fergus O'Donoghue told CNA it was simply characteristic of the time.

Leader Joseph Mary Plunkett’s mother recalls her son’s last few minutes with a Capuchin named Father Albert: “Father, I want you to know that I am dying for the glory of God and the honor of Ireland,” Plunkett told the priest.

“That’s all right, my son,” Father Albert answered. In a few minutes, the firing squad carried out its orders. 

The ‘skirl of the pipes’ heard in the Vatican

Among the leaders executed was Éamonn Ceannt from County Galway.

Ceannt was an Irish-language activist, athlete, keen musician — and a devout Catholic.

One of the highlights of his life that he contemplated in his final hours was a visit to Rome in 1908 as official piper for a visiting group of Irish athletes, where he performed for Pope Pius X.

In a book titled “The Glorious Seven,” Seamus G. O’Kelly wrote: “His Holiness the Pope heard of the sensation which the Irishman had created at the Roman Stadium, and summoned the young piper to appear before him, and to play for him.”

“Two days later as His Holiness waited at the Vatican … the skirl of the pipes was heard again, this time in the Vatican chambers, and very soon Éamonn Ceannt marched up to the feet of the Holy Father playing ‘The Wearing of the Green,’ knelt, and kissed the pope’s ring.”

After the performance, the pope bestowed his apostolic blessing on the piper and the Irish athletic team.

O’Donoghue reminded CNA that seeing a pope, let alone meeting him, would have been remarkable during the “Prisoner in the Vatican” era, when pontiffs did not even venture out onto the balcony.

Ceannt was not the only person associated with the Easter Rising to meet a pope. Count Plunkett was the father of Joseph Mary Plunkett, another of the executed leaders.

The elder Plunkett was dispatched to Rome to notify the pope of the forthcoming insurrection. Pope Benedict XV listened and gave his blessing to the participants.

O’Donoghue told CNA that he was the first pope to support Irish nationalism: “He wasn’t open to pleasing English aristocrats the way the previous popes had been.”

The Irish Republic envisaged in 1916 would guarantee religious and civil liberty, equal rights, and equal opportunities to all its citizens, cherishing all the children of the nation equally. For the executed leaders and their Capuchin confessors, Irish Republicanism and Catholicism were interwoven. 

The question remains: How would they view the recent election and a secularized Ireland?

Tourists take photos as they visit the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona on Aug. 2, 2025. / Credit: Manaure QUINTERO/AFP

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).

The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) minor basilica in Barcelona is now the tallest church in the world, standing at 535 feet, surpassing Ulm, Germany’s main church, whose construction began in the 14th century.

According to the Sagrada Familia Expiatory Church Construction Board Foundation, as reported Oct. 30 by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, ​​“the first element that forms part of the cross on the tower of Jesus Christ” was installed, marking the beginning of the final phase of construction of the church’s central tower.

This latest addition consists of the lower portion of the cross, measuring over 20 feet high and weighing 24 tons. “With a double-twist geometry, the lower portion has a square shape at the base that transforms into an octagonal shape at the top,” whose exterior is “clad with white-glazed ceramic and glass, materials that stand out for their reflective properties and resistance to atmospheric conditions,” the news brief explains.

The tower of Jesus Christ is the tallest of the central towers of the church designed by Antoni Gaudí, who died a century ago. The completion of this structure “will be a historic milestone for Sagrada Familia and a tribute to its architect.”

More than 140 years of history

The first stone of Sagrada Familia Basilica was laid on March 19, 1882, according to the design of the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. The following year, Gaudí took over the project, modifying it according to his architectural genius and renowned Modernist style. From 1914, Gaudí dedicated himself exclusively to this church until his death on June 10, 1926.

On April 14 of this year, Pope Francis declared the architect venerable, in accordance with the criteria set by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: Shower of Roses

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 31, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The celebration of “Holywins” (“Holiness wins“), is an initiative that originated in Paris in 2002 with the aim of celebrating the eve of All Saints on Oct. 31 in a Christian way. Over time, this Catholic celebration has been spreading to other places in the world.

On that day, parishes and Catholic communities gather to celebrate Mass, participate in Eucharistic adoration and prayer meetings, and take part in recreational activities to encourage the participation of children, young people, and their families.

It’s customary for children to dress up as their favorite saints, to discuss the exemplary lives of the saints, and to remind children of the call to sainthood. In addition, games are usually played, lively songs are sung, and food and sweets are shared.

The Diocese of Alcalá de Henares in Spain has been putting on a Holywins program for children and youths since 2009 that includes games, workshops, a procession to the cathedral, activities for the evening, and Eucharistic adoration.

Here are some ideas to celebrate Holywins with your family.

1. Dress up as your favorite saints.

A large investment isn’t needed to make a costume, and with the help of some fabrics or household items, you can create good characterizations of your favorite saints.

For example, to dress as St. Catherine of Siena, try a long white or cream-colored dress that represents the habit of the Dominican order, and a black cloth in the form of a veil used by nuns to cover their heads. In addition, a crown of dry branches can be made for the head and a cross and a small bouquet of lilies can be carried in the hand.

To dress up as St. Rose of Lima, consider using the same habit suggested for St. Catherine of Siena, but change the crown of dry branches for one of red roses.

To dress up as St. Juan Diego, all that is needed is a large white or cream-colored blanket or sheet to wrap around the body and on the front can be placed an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe with some red roses at her feet.

To represent St. Dominic Savio, the patron saint of children’s choirs, you only need brown pants, a green jacket, a white shirt, and a bow tie.

For St. Ignatius of Loyola, a black robe is all that is needed; and for St. Francis of Assisi, a brown robe.

You can find more ideas for costumes here.

2. Share themed foods and treats.

A Holywins celebration is usually accompanied by food, so take advantage of this day to cook with your family and prepare desserts related to favorite saints. As you enjoy the meal, share with your family stories of or quotes by these saints.

For example, for St. Juan Gualberto, the patron saint of parks and forest workers, you could make chocolate cupcakes decorated with white frosting and small trees made with chocolate or stretchy dough. In the case of St. Rose of Lima, you could make cupcakes with frosting in the shape of red roses.

For St. Anthony the Abbot, the patron saint of domestic animals, or St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and environmentalists, you could make or buy cookies in the shape of animals or leaves or trees.

3. Come up with playful activities about the saints.

In addition to the prepared desserts, you might fill large containers or cups with candy with each one wrapped in a piece of paper that has a quote from a saint written on it. You can also fill cups with candy and place a lollipop stick or a short stick inside with the image of a saint glued to it.

If you have pumpkins, draw a star or a cross on them and fill them with candy that has quotes from your favorite saints wrapped around them. In this way, the scary faces that are typically carved on pumpkins will be avoided and a more Christian meaning will be given to this activity.

Later, you could tell the story of some saints or watch movies of saints as a family — perhaps animated ones for children — and then ask questions to see how much family members understood. With those who already know various stories of the saints, you could play charades. Those who answer correctly can be rewarded with a small prize.

You could also have the smallest children in your family make a dramatization or performance of the story, episode, or anecdote of one of their favorite saints. This activity could be more fun if they have a costume or something associated with the saint.

In addition, each member of the family could be encouraged to draw his or her favorite saint or make origami or crafts representing his or her patron saint or some characteristic element of the saint. Afterward, each member could explain why he or she chose that saint and share a favorite quote of the saint with the others.

4. Decorate your home altar and pray as a family.

Set up a family altar in your home if you don’t already have one. This is an excellent place to pray the rosary as a family, and this devotional practice is better done with others than individually.

Images of saints are often placed on altars for veneration and can also be very educational.

Remembering that this space in the home should be special and encourage recollection for prayer, take advantage of this special day and decorate it as a family with images of your favorite saints and flowers for the Virgin Mary, whether natural or made with paper using the origami technique. 

Then, pray the rosary with your family, asking God for holiness for every member, and dedicate a prayer to the saint or saints of your devotion. Each family member could read a mystery of the rosary, and at the end everyone could sing a Marian hymn.

The concept of Holywins

For last year’s celebration of Holywins, the Diocese of Alcalá de Henares explained that “the phonetic similarity with the word ‘Halloween’ is not accidental, since Holywins seeks to help reinforce the Christian festival of All Saints in the face of [an] increasing” pagan influence on Halloween.

The diocese pointed out that although “Halloween means ‘All Hallows Eve’ in English, currently this celebration has no relation to the Christian faith. On the contrary, its way of approaching life and death, good and evil, is completely different from that of the Gospel of Christ and the tradition of his Church.”

Holywins is an initiative that seeks to encourage breaking with “the cult of death and the exaltation of the monstrous or ugly that it brings with it, since what is proper to Christians is to celebrate the triumph of life and promote beauty and [goodness],” the diocese said.

Holywins seeks to “convey the same message: Life is beautiful and its goal is heaven; there are many who have already arrived and we are all called to share their happiness, since we can all be saints,” the diocese pointed out.

The diocese also noted that “with the costumes of the living dead that fill the streets of the cities on Oct. 31” for the celebration of Halloween, “more and more dioceses are joining the celebration of Holywins.”

“We Catholics want to return to this day its true meaning and celebrate all those who heroically followed Jesus Christ, with a luminous feast of All Saints that overflows with joy and hope,” it concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, on Oct. 25, 2022, and has been translated, adapted, and updated by CNA.

Shrine of the Queen Mother in Atibaia, Brazil. / Credit: Schoenstatt Apostolic Movement

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

On the occasion of the centenary of the Secular Institute of the Sisters of Mary of Schoenstatt, Germany, Pope Leo XIV has granted a plenary indulgence to anyone who visits the original Schoenstatt shrine or any shrine, church, or chapel under the care of this community.

The indulgence can be obtained throughout the community’s jubilee, which began on Oct. 1 and will conclude on Nov. 4, 2026.

“For our community, this gift of indulgence in our jubilee year is an invitation from God, through the Church, for a deeper purification of our hearts,” the Schoenstatt Movement said on its website, adding: “We trust that God’s grace will sustain us in a more perceptible way at the beginning of a new era for our family.”

The decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See states that the indulgence is granted “to members of the institute and to all the faithful who, moved by repentance and love, unite themselves to the spiritual goals of the Jubilee Year 2025.”

The faithful are invited to make a pilgrimage to one of the aforementioned places and spend time there in contemplation.

To obtain the indulgence, which can also be obtained on behalf of a deceased person, the following conditions must be met: sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, prayer for the pope’s intentions — according to the decree, the Our Father, the Creed, the invocation of Mary, Mother of God, as Queen of Peace and Mother of Mercy — and performing an act of penance and a work of charity.

This story was first published by ACI Digital, CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by ACI Prensa/CNA.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin meets with the head of government of Andorra, Xavier Espot, on Oct. 22, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of government of Andorra

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 30, 2025 / 10:09 am (CNA).

A delegation from the Andorran government met on Oct. 22 with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to continue discussions on the decriminalization of abortion in Andorra, a country whose co-heads of state are the bishop of the Diocese of Urgell in Spain, Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The boundaries of the diocese also encompass Andorra, which is a small principality situated in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, roughly halfway between Toulouse and Barcelona.

The prime minister of Andorra who heads the executive branch, Xavier Espot, and the minister of institutional relations, Ladislau Baró, traveled to the Vatican, accompanied by the country’s ambassador to the Holy See, Carlos Álvarez.

The meeting, according to the Andorran government, took place “within the framework of the institutional dialogue between the two parties to address the process of decriminalizing abortion in Andorra.”

According to the executive branch of the small country, “both delegations reaffirmed their shared commitment to continue working constructively with the aim of having a draft legislative text in the coming months.”

At the same time, it was acknowledged that “this is a matter of great legal, institutional, and social complexity, requiring careful technical development,” and therefore both parties “maintain their desire to find a solution.”

This complexity relates to the Andorran Constitution, under which the bishop of Urgell and the president of France serve as co‑princes who sanction and enact the laws approved by the General Council (Parliament) with the required countersignature and within eight to 15 days of approval. The Constitution also allows the co‑princes to request a prior ruling on constitutionality before sanctioning a law.

“Decrimnalization” typically means that abortion remains a crime but only after a specific number of weeks of pregnancy. Prior to that time frame it is unpunishable. 

Abortion in the Andorran penal code

Title II of the Andorran penal code deals with “crimes against prenatal human life,” distinguishing between “nonconsensual,” “consensual,” and “negligent” abortion.

Article 107 on nonconsensual abortion establishes “a prison sentence of four to 10 years and disqualification from practicing any health care profession for up to 10 years.”

The same penalties apply if consent has been obtained “through violence, intimidation, or abuse of the victim’s vulnerability” due to age, disability, or similar circumstances. Furthermore, the article establishes that even attempted (unsuccessful) abortion is punishable.

Article 108, referring to consensual abortion, provides for whoever perpetrates the crime “a prison sentence of three months to three years and disqualification to exercise any health profession for a period of up to five years.” 

In addition, the code states that “the woman who causes her abortion or allows another person to cause it will be punished with a light sentence,” typically less than three months. 

With regard to abortion caused by negligence, Article 109 establishes a brief sentence or a fine of up to 30,000 euros ($34,760) and disqualification for a period of three years if the abortion is the result of “professional negligence.”

In this section it is also specified that “the pregnant woman will not be punished for this offense.”

Parolin’s visit to Andorra

In September 2023, Parolin visited Andorra, where he went before the media along with Espot and stated that this legal amendment “is a very delicate and complex matter that we must address with great discretion and wisdom.”

“For the Holy See, the principle of defending life at all its stages is fundamental. And this principle is accompanied by the desire to be close to, and to help, all those who are in difficulty,” the cardinal explained.

Parolin added that this affirmation of principles “also entails concrete actions; in this case, for example, toward pregnant women who encounter difficulties in having a child, in giving life to their child.”

The Vatican secretary of state pointed out that amending the penal status of abortion in Andorra also involves “the problem of the constitutional system” under which the bishop of Urgell is the co-prince.

“It’s not easy to reconcile these two aspects,” the cardinal acknowledged, adding: “We are working, we are reflecting; we are further studying [the matter]. These are things that cannot be resolved overnight; they require a great deal of participation, a great deal of commitment, and a great deal of effort.”

“We hope to find a solution that is satisfactory for everyone,” the Vatican secretary of state concluded.

The role of the bishop of Urgell in sanctioning Andorran laws

The constitution of Andorra establishes in Article 45 subsection 1g  that the co-princes of Andorra “with the countersignature of the head of government (prime minister) or, where appropriate, the president of the General Council, who assume political responsibility,” are the ones who “sanction and promulgate the laws” within a period of between eight and 15 days after their approval by the General Council of Andorra.

The reform also establishes the possibility that the co-princes, as an “act freely at their disposal,” may require a “prior ruling on the constitutionality of laws” (Article 46, subsection 1e). 

ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, contacted the government of Andorra for more information on the reform and its potential implications for the bishop of Urgell but received no response. The Diocese of Urgell declined to comment.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.