U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois. / Credit: Public domain CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 20:02 pm (CNA). U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, will decline an award from the Archdiocese of Chicago after global backlash over his strong pro-abortion views that included comments from Pope Leo XIV and criticism from U.S. bishops. Chicago archbishop Cardinal…

Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for his general audience on Sept.24, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media Rome Newsroom, Sep 30, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA). Pope Leo XIV responded to controversy over the Chicago cardinal’s plans to honor a Catholic U.S. senator who supports legalized abortion,…

null / Credit: crystal51/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 30, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA). China tries to exert total control over religion, and the U.S. Department of State should redesignate China as a “country of particular concern” regarding religious freedom, according to reports by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). USCIRF, a…

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan carries the thurible around the altar inside Louis Armstrong Stadium on April 20, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 30, 2025 / 17:32 pm (CNA). Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan is calling on the faithful to contact New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to oppose the assisted suicide legislation that…

Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa presents a Bible to a catechism teacher on Sept. 27, 2025, in Galilee. / Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 18:02 pm (CNA). Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, at a recent Mass he celebrated told the catechism teachers at the patriarchate’s schools…