By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2025 / 06:00 am The newly announced leader of the Catholic Church in New York expressed “heartfelt gratitude” on Dec. 18 for having been appointed to the post by Pope Leo XIV. Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks, who will head the Archdiocese of New York after …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Dec 15, 2025 / 07:00 am Jimmy Lai, the Catholic human rights advocate whose long-running national security trial in China has drawn criticism and charges of persecution, was found guilty on Dec. 15 of multiple violations of China’s national security laws, bringing an end to several …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2025 / 11:45 am The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent who oversaw the Virginia office responsible for a highly controversial investigation into local Catholics will lead the state’s safety office under its new Democratic governor. Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger nominated Stanley Meador as …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Nov 17, 2025 / 06:00 am Slightly over 10 years after it redefined marriage to include same-sex couples, the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 10 declined to revisit that controversial decision, upholding at least for now its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that made “gay marriage” the …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 11:00 am President Donald Trump on Oct. 24 indicated that he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping about the possible release of long-imprisoned Catholic activist Jimmy Lai, suggesting he may bring pressure on the communist country’s leadership to allow Lai to walk …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 06:00 am Bishops in multiple U.S. states are leading efforts to spare the lives of condemned prisoners facing execution — urging clemency in line with the Catholic Church’s relatively recent but unambiguous declaration that the death penalty is not permissible and should …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Oct 11, 2025 / 16:28 pm A man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday before being taken away by security officers in the famous basilica, according to news reports. The man climbed the altar and “urinated under the stunned gaze …

By Hannah Brockhaus , Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Oct 9, 2025 / 12:25 pm Pope Leo XIV addressed immigration policies and respect for vulnerable migrants in a meeting with Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and labor leaders at the Vatican on Thursday. “Please know of my appreciation for your welcome of immigrants and …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Sep 29, 2025 / 04:00 am Many Catholics can, at the drop of a hat, recite the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel — the famous petition to that venerable saint to “defend us in battle” and “cast into hell Satan.” In the culture of the …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Sep 25, 2025 / 13:33 pm A project to develop dozens of affordable housing units in the backyard of a Richmond, Virginia, parish is underscoring the ongoing need for more housing in the United States. St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, located in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood, …