Welcoming a group of Holy Year pilgrims from Russia, Pope Leo XIV did not mention their country’s war on Ukraine, but he prayed that the pilgrims would let “the fire of Christian love” be kindled in their lives so it would warm “even the coldest and hardest of hearts.”

In anticipation of the celebration Oct. 19 of World Mission Sunday, the Vatican’s missionary news agency shared statistics about the Catholic population, church personnel and the works they are engaged in.

The official state visit of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican will focus on ecumenism and ecology, Vatican officials said Oct. 17.

Entrepreneur and former U.S. Marine Colby Barrett is part of the team behind “A Faith Under Siege,” a film that examines attacks by Russian forces and officials on hundreds of Ukrainian faith communities, including Catholic and Protestant believers.

Standing on a streetcorner greeting passersby is not something Will Threlkeld has ever done before. But every Monday morning in downtown Little Falls, that’s exactly where you can find him, greeting people and showing them the face of Jesus.

President Donald Trump announced Oct. 16 a policy proposal to increase access to in vitro fertilization, including issuing guidance urging employers to offer fertility benefits directly to their employees.

As Venezuelans await the upcoming canonization of the South American country’s first saints — Blessed José Gregório Hernández and Blessed María Carmen Elena Rendiles Martínez — both the church and the government prepare for the unprecedented event, promoting restoration works and planning the logistics of the several activities that will happen in Caracas and elsewhere.

Patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem said in a joint Oct. 14 statement they “rejoice at the recent enactment of the ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of those held captive,” which they hailed as “auspicious moment,” noting “the work of peacebuilding has only just begun.”

When pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 19 to witness the canonization of Blessed Bartolo Longo, along with six other blesseds, they will see not just the elevation of a new saint, but a story of a radical conversion.

Georgetown University’s board of directors unanimously voted to name Eduardo M. Peñalver, president of Seattle University, as the 49th president of Georgetown University in Washington, the Jesuit school announced Oct. 15.