U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas advocated for a pragmatic and orderly approach to immigration policy in a Sept. 30 conference on migration co-hosted by Catholic organizations.

“Rushing” to open the diaconate to women in the Catholic Church would short-circuit a necessary reflection on the relationship between ordained ministry and charismatic leadership, particularly as it impacts the participation of women in the church, said the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office.

Thousands of pilgrims from across the country gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Sept. 28 to honor Mary, the Mother of God, and her gift of the rosary.

A beloved NBA superstar who got his start on the Georgetown University courts died Sept. 30. Dikembe Mutombo, class of 1991, passed away at age 58 from brain cancer.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, returned to themes relating to peace that he had presented during 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly at an evening Mass celebrated Sept. 30 at Holy Family Church in Manhattan, near U.N. headquarters.

Pope Francis opened the second session of the Synod of Bishops defending his decision to give women and laymen votes at the assembly, saying it reflects the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that a bishop exercises his ministry with and within the people of God.

The penitential liturgy with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica Oct. 1 opened with testimonies of those who have faced great suffering, among those a survivor of clergy sexual abuse. Laurence Gien, who was 11 when he was sexually abused by a priest in his native South Africa, told OSV News that standing in front of bishops, cardinals and Pope Francis himself, giving testimony about his lifetime trauma, was his way of “just trying to appeal to their better selves.”

Members of the Synod of Bishops must engage in genuine dialogue with those holding differing views, avoid pushing personal agendas and remain open to changing their minds about what is best for the church, Pope Francis said.

At the first and only debate Oct. 1 between Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the vice presidential nominees of their respective parties, the candidates sparred with each other on topics including abortion, immigration, gun policy relating to preventing school shootings, and democracy, with each one all the while seeking to defend his own running mate while critiquing his opponent’s.

In a summer of firsts, mountain-climbing Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey took to the heights — their locally brewed beer tucked in backpacks — ascending renowned peaks in the Pacific Northwest during the season’s brief window of opportunity.