Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 7, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

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

Apostolic nuncio to Germany: ‘Lion of Munster’ Cardinal von Galen should be canonized

The apostolic nuncio in Germany is calling for the swift canonization of Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, widely known as the “Lion of Münster,” renowned for his courageous opposition to Nazi persecution. 

Archbishop Nikola Eterović made the appeal during a memorial Mass marking 20 years since the cardinal’s beatification by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Around 400 faithful gathered for the commemoration, which celebrated the life and witness of one of Germany’s most outspoken Catholic voices during the Third Reich. 

“May this grateful remembrance also become a prayer for a swift canonization of the revered cardinal,” Eterović said, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. 

Von Galen served as bishop of Münster from 1933 to 1946, earning his nickname after delivering three powerful sermons in summer 1941 that condemned Nazi euthanasia programs and attacks on the Church. His fearless defense of human dignity and religious freedom made him a target of the regime, yet he continued advocating for the vulnerable until his death in March 1946, just weeks after being elevated to cardinal.

New Vatican envoy for South Korea is hoping for peace with North Korea

South Korea’s new ambassador to the Holy See has expressed hope to serve the Vatican’s efforts to achieve peace between North and South Korea. 

“I will do my best for peace on the Korean peninsula,” said Ambassador Stefano Shin Hyung-sik in an interview with UCA News. Shin, who was appointed on Oct. 29, also said he hopes a visit from Pope Leo XIV to South Korea during World Youth Day 2027 will be “a decisive diplomatic opportunity to revive the momentum for dialogue for peace on the Korean peninsula.” The event, he said, will not only serve as a gathering for the Church but also will be one “that can send a message of peace and solidarity to the world.”

Pope Leo receives credentials of Lebanon’s new ambassador to the Holy See

In a ceremony held at the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV accepted the credentials of Lebanon’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Fadi Assaf, reported ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner. The meeting follows the pope’s recent audience with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and comes just weeks before the pontiff’s apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon, his first official visit to the region.

During his stay in Lebanon, the pope will deliver an address at the presidential palace in Baabda, visit the tomb of St. Charbel in Annaya, and meet clergy and consecrated persons at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.

The trip will also feature an interfaith gathering in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square and a youth encounter in front of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke.

Catholic Church in Pakistan celebrates 55th anniversary, opens theological college

The Catholic Church in Pakistan marked its 55th anniversary this week amid widespread Christian persecution in the Muslim-majority country. 

A thanksgiving and holy Communion service was celebrated by the moderator Bishop Azad Marshall alongside Multan Bishop Leo Paul to honor the occasion on Nov. 1, according to a Nov. 5 press release. The event also inaugurated the new St. Thomas Theological College in Khanewal.

Aleppo honors St. Ignatius Maloyan, saint of faith and loyalty

The Armenian Catholic community in Aleppo celebrated a thanksgiving Mass to honor the canonization of St. Ignatius Maloyan, bishop of Mardin, who was martyred during the Ottoman persecutions of 1915.

Presided over by Archbishop Boutros Marayati at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the service included the consecration of a new altar bearing the saint’s icon. Among the attendees were descendants of survivors of the Mardin massacres, whose ancestors perished alongside Maloyan, ACI MENA reported. 

Marayati described Maloyan as a “universal saint and a witness to faith,” recalling his refusal to renounce Christianity under threat of death. The bishop’s letter before martyrdom, read aloud during the Mass, emphasized loyalty to both faith and civic duty, urging his flock to remain steadfast and faithful. 

Many testimonies of miracles and healings attributed to Maloyan’s intercession continue to reach Church authorities in Lebanon and Armenia. 

Kenyan bishop offers spiritual comfort to landslide victims

Bishop Henry Juma Odonya of Kitale, Kenya, has offered his spiritual solidarity with victims of a landslide that has left more than 26 people dead in the neighboring Eldoret Diocese, ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, reported on Wednesday. 

“We pray for the Christians of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret and those from the Chesongoch Parish and other parts of Kenya who have lost their lives or property,” the bishop said during a Nov. 5 homily during the annual Peace Mass bringing together the dioceses of Eldoret, Lodwar, and Kitale. May the God of peace bless them and give them comfort during this time of trial. We offer prayers for our departed loved ones, particularly in November, a month dedicated to honoring the deceased.”

Indian Supreme Court orders state government response to anti-conversion law challenge

The Supreme Court in India has directed the Rajasthan state government to file a response to challenges raised against its stringent anti-conversion laws, according to a Nov. 4 report from UCA News. 

The move comes after a division bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta accepted the petitions of Christian journalist and activist John Dayal and M. Huzaifa, a researcher and rights defender, who both called the courts to suspend the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2025, which criminalizes religious conversion. “This law is a chilling example of how the state seeks to bypass the judiciary entirely,” Dayal said, according to the report.

The star of hundreds of films spent forty-eight hours in Rome, where he received the Lupa Capitolina honor from the Mayor of Rome. This morning, he visited the Vatican and met Pope Leo XIV for a brief exchange, where the pontiff gifted him a Rosary.

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ROME (CNS) -– Pope Leo XIV said artificial intelligence should support the church's mission of evangelization, urging Catholic technologists and venture capitalists gathered in Rome to build systems that help spread the Gospel.

"Whether designing algorithms for Catholic education, tools for compassionate health care, or creative platforms that tell the Christian story with truth and beauty, each participant contributes to a shared mission: to place technology at the service of evangelization and the integral development of every person," the pope wrote.

Pope Leo's message was read aloud Nov. 7 by Jesuit Father David Nazar during the 2025 Builders AI Forum, a two-day summit for idea-sharing and collaboration hosted at the Pontifical Gregorian University. 

Since the beginning of his pontificate, the pope has emphasized the need for ethically grounded AI, but his message to the conference marked the first time he directly linked the technology's promise to the church's missionary work.

Forum organizers said the stakes are high, as AI tools increasingly shape how people seek meaning online.

"There are billions of people who do not yet know Christ and the truth that Christianity fully possesses," said Matthew Sanders, a Catholic AI developer and one of the event's organizers. "If the church's guiding hand is not there, this technology has the power to do unimaginable harm, amplifying confusion and despair."

Registration materials listed roughly 200 participants, including software engineers, venture capital partners, Catholic media producers, bishops and Vatican communications officials. The forum was structured as a working summit rather than a public conference, with most discussions held in small-group workshops.

The registration list included representatives from Microsoft, Palantir Technologies and Goldman Sachs, alongside Catholic filmmakers and ministry leaders. Actor and producer Lorenzo Henrie -- who is currently co-financing and starring as an apostle in Mel Gibson's "The Resurrection of the Christ," now filming in Italy -- was also listed among those participating.

After opening remarks, participants broke into six working groups, each tasked with addressing a specific challenge. Topics ranged from AI in Catholic education to whether the church should attempt to devise a "Catholic Turing Test" for identifying signs of consciousness in advanced systems.

Interest appeared particularly strong in the "Building and Scaling Catholic AI" workshop, which drew about half of the forum's participants, and was focused on using AI for evangelization.

"We're starting to leverage AI to impart the truth of the Catholic faith," Sanders told Catholic News Service Nov. 6. "But there's more to the faith than just imparting truth. There's the pastoral, human dimension," he said.

A recurring concern was how to help people move from digital encounters with Catholic content into lived parish life. 

Sanders noted that many users first encounter Catholic teaching through apps such as Hallow or Magisterium AI. Without support, he said, new believers may struggle to find a worshiping community.

"The question is how do we 'off-ramp' people from products like Magisterium AI and help ensure that they can find either a community or show them how the faith is lived," Sanders said.

The goal, he added, is to connect people to a tradition or practice that resonates -- whether Eucharistic adoration, charismatic Mass or the Latin Mass -- so they are accompanied rather than left isolated.

In another workshop, "AI for Faithful Christian Storytelling in Media," filmmakers, writers and digital creators discussed how AI might help broaden the reach of Catholic narratives.

For Eike Petersen of Aid to the Church in Need, the problem is not a lack of meaningful stories but a lack of visibility.

"From a communications perspective, there's so much good work the church is doing for persecuted Christians around the world," Petersen told participants. "But this is really something I think we can scale with AI."

Petersen said he hoped the workshop would clarify "what the technology is that's needed for that and how to approach it," particularly in regions where digital outreach could expand awareness and solidarity.
 

The work by German artist Michael Triegel, on display in the church near St Peter’s, depicts among its figures a homeless man who once posed for the artist and is now buried in the adjacent cemetery. The altarpiece, which will be on display for two years, is a sign of ecumenical dialogue.

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The 81st General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference will take place in the city of St Francis from 17 to 20 November, focusing on pastoral priorities, safeguarding, and Catholic education.

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From 28 to 30 November, Castel Gandolfo will be host to 'Restarting the Economy', a global meeting promoted by The Economy of Francesco. The international event will be aimed at rethinking the economy in light of the Jubilee, focusing on social justice, care for the Earth, and freedom from debt.

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In a message delivered by Cardinal Parolin at the UN Climate Conference in Belém, the Pope calls for urgent action and an “ecological conversion” rooted in responsibility, justice, and solidarity.

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In his message to the 17th National Missionary Congress, currently taking place in Mexico, Pope Leo XIV urges missionaries to proclaim hope in Christ in our times marked by social divisions, poverty, and the challenges posed by new technologies.

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In an interview on the sidelines of the Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, ahead of COP30, Cardinal Parolin speaks to Vatican News of the Church’s commitment to offer an ethical response to Climate Change, warning that environmental crises now displace more people than wars.

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In Sweden, where Catholics make up less than two percent of the population and contemplative orders are underrepresented, Sister Elisabeth from the Carmelite monastery of Glumslöv offers an extraordinary look at a way of life that is almost completely unknown in Scandinavia.

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