Here’s a first look at the Vatican’s newly released documentary Leo from Chicago, which explores the roots of Pope Leo XIV and offers never-before-seen footage of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States. The film features in-depth interviews with his brothers, Louis and John Prevost, and reveals new personal details — including what he looks forward to most on Thanksgiving, and how even as a boy he was able to turn 'an unruly little mob into friends.'

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Pope Leo XIV urges Argentina’s industrial leaders to place human dignity and the common good at the heart of economic life, recalling the enduring relevance of Rerum Novarum.

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In a “Special Message” on immigration, the Bishops of the United States assure immigrants of their solidarity and call for “meaningful reform” of the nation’s immigration laws.

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Pope Leo meets with the participants in the conference “Mysticism, Mystical Phenomena, and Holiness,” organized by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and emphasizes the importance of evaluating carefully candidates for sainthood, especially those who have experienced mystical phenomena.

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Pope Leo XIV meets with cloistered Augustinian religious and encourages them to live in joy and communion with Christ, while embracing humble charity toward one another.

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Madeleine Wörner from Germany emphasises the importance of transitioning to green, ecological systems but highlights that this must be done in a just way, putting the people first and ensuring that nobody is left behind.

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On the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, hospital boats are docked on the riverside, offering medical assistance to those most in need. The boats, inspired by Pope Francis, travel all along the Amazon River to tend to the needs to Indigenous communities and those who live along the river, far from cities. This is the testimony of Felipe, a volunteer doctor.

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Pope Leo XIV warns that young people and children could easily be manipulated by artificial intelligence and insists that 'safeguarding minors' dignity cannot be reduced to policies' and requires 'digital education' when addressing participants in the “The Dignity of Children and Adolescents in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Conference on Thursday in the Vatican.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov 12, 2025 / 18:31 pm (CNA).

Several Catholic schools in Dhaka will close on Thursday amid fears of political violence as Bangladesh’s International Crime Tribunal prepares to announce a verdict date for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Nov. 13, the International Crime Tribunal will announce the date of the first verdict in the ongoing case of crimes against humanity against Hasina, who was ousted in August 2024.

The political climate has become unstable, as the ousted Awami League called for a Dhaka blockade on social media Thursday.

In July 2024, a student-led uprising toppled Hasina’s government, and on Aug. 5, 2024, she fled to India. An interim government was subsequently formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. According to a United Nations report, around 1,400 people died during the July protests in 2024.

In the 11 days since the tribunal set a date for the announcement of the first verdict, at least 17 homemade bomb explosions have taken place in 15 locations, and nine vehicles have been set on fire, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Sajjat Ali.

“A group whose activities are banned and their associates are trying to carry out political activities from hiding, creating panic in the public,” Ali said.

Although the Bangladesh Catholic Education Board has not decided to close formal educational institutions or transition to online classes, some educational institution authorities have decided to close their institutions or switch to online classes.

Notre Dame University, the only Catholic Church-run university in Bangladesh, has announced that all examinations will be canceled on Thursday and that classes will be held online.

Notre Dame College, Bangladesh’s most prestigious college, has not closed its classes but has suspended all examinations.

St. Joseph’s International School will be closed on Thursday. A crude bomb explosion took place in front of the school on Nov. 8.

Some other educational institutions have also announced that classes will be closed or transitioned to online.

“We have not given any instructions on behalf of the Bangladesh Catholic Education Board Trust (BCEBT), but the authorities of the institutions have decided to close the educational institutions or take classes online, taking into account the safety of the students,” said Jyoti F. Gomes, secretary of BCEBT.

“No one knows what will happen in the political situation of the country tomorrow, so the safety of the students comes first,” Gomes told CNA.

According to the BCEBT, Christians operate one university, 18 colleges, 80 secondary schools, and nearly 1,000 primary and pre-primary schools, annually serving approximately 300,000 students, mostly Muslims, in the South Asian Muslim-majority nation.

Baltimore, Maryland, Nov 12, 2025 / 18:01 pm (CNA).

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, was elected to serve as secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the Fall Plenary Assembly on Nov. 12.

The bishops held elections for the secretary position and the leadership of six committees on Wednesday. On Tuesday, they elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City as president and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, as vice president of the conference. 

Rhoades, who previously chaired the Committee on Religious Liberty, has criticized government policies that impose mandates for abortion and contraception. This year’s committee report laid out concerns with policies related to gender ideology and immigration enforcement as threats to the freedom of religious organizations.

The new chair of the Religious Liberty Commission will be Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon.

That election was tied between Sample and San Angelo, Texas, Bishop Michael Sis. Although Sis was granted the spot because the tiebreaking procedure defers to the older bishop, Sis withdrew his nomination to allow Sample to assume the role.

For the rest of the elections, the winner will serve as chair-elect for one year while the current chairs finish their terms. They will assume the positions in 2026.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia was elected chair-elect of the Committee on International Justice and Peace. The archeparchy serves many Ukrainian immigrants, whose home country continues to suffer amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee was elected chair-elect of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance. Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, was elected chair-elect of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The bishops also elected Bishop William Wack of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, as chair-elect of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. They elected Bishop-elect Mark O’Connell of Albany, New York, as chair-elect of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.