Catholic News Digest – October 23, 2026

Vice President JD Vance told EWTN News host Raymond Arroyo on Oct. 22 that Christians are called to be “humble in the face [of] uncertainty.” In the wide-ranging interview, Vance discussed politics, immigration, economics and his faith. He said that Christians walking in faith may “take two steps toward Jesus and one step back” before arriving at Christ. The interview came as Vance has spoken publicly about his Catholic faith while serving in national office, a setting where religious conviction and policy questions often meet.

More than half a dozen U.S. Catholic bishops, including Denver Archbishop James Golka, met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Oct. 22 and prayed with him. White House Faith Director Jenny Korn told EWTN News that the Faith Office organized the gathering as part of its engagement with religious leaders. Topics included religious freedom, school choice, religious visas and life policy. The White House later shared video of the prayer meeting on social media, less than two weeks before the midterm elections. The gathering drew attention to the relationship between Catholic leaders and the administration during a politically charged period.

The U.S. bishops have urged continued immigration protections for Ukrainians and Salvadorans whose temporary protected status could lapse. EWTN News reported that uncertainty over the protections could lead to deportations and family disruption. On Oct. 19, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Ukrainian beneficiaries would retain protections, including work authorization, while the agency prepared a further announcement. The agency issued a similar notice concerning Salvadoran beneficiaries after a Sept. 9 expiration deadline passed. The bishops’ concern centers on the consequences for people and families who have been living and working in the United States under the temporary program.

Archbishop Paul Coakley received the Archbishop Fiorenza Dignity and Life Award from the Catholic Mobilizing Network at an Oct. 21 event in Washington. The award recognizes his public opposition to the death penalty. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said his experience in the United States had deepened his commitment to advocating for people on death row and urging the Church and the country to face the human cost of executions carried out in their name. The award is named for Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, a civil rights advocate and opponent of capital punishment.

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholic school and university pastoral ministers to help young people encounter Christ amid a culture that, he said, constantly compares and ranks them. Speaking Thursday, the pope pointed to Jesus’ choice of the Twelve Apostles: They were not already courageous, he said; Christ called them and, through his trust, made them capable. Leo encouraged educators to offer young people that same confidence in Christ. His remarks frame pastoral ministry as a work of accompaniment, in which the Church presents the Gospel in ways that can speak to young people facing pressure and judgment.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published “Venite ad Me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change” on Thursday. The document, approved by Pope Leo on Aug. 21, has eight chapters and 144 paragraphs, and is signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the dicastery’s prefect. EWTN News reported that it is expected to be the last in a group of documents commissioned from the dicastery by Pope Francis, who died before its publication. The text addresses difficulties in handing on the faith today. Its title takes up Christ’s invitation to come to him as the starting point for evangelization.

Jerusalem’s patriarchs and church leaders condemned an attack by masked settlers on Palestinian olive farmers and visiting European diplomats and officials in Taybeh, east of Ramallah. The violence took place during an olive-harvest event coordinated with the town’s Latin Patriarchate parish. Church leaders called the attack “not an isolated incident” and urged authorities to protect residents and hold those responsible to account. The statement follows another violent incident in the area. The harvest, a season of work and livelihood for local families, was the setting for an event intended to bring farmers and visitors together.

A Chicago iconographer had one week to create an image of Our Lady of Good Counsel for Pope Leo XIV. Joseph Malham’s icon was commissioned by Chicago attorney Michael Airdo and presented to the pope during a private audience at the Vatican. Leo plans to keep the image in his bedroom and use it in his personal prayer, EWTN News reported. The gift joins a familiar Catholic devotion to Mary with the work of a local artist, carried from Chicago to the pope’s private quarters. The report did not give a date for the audience.

May those who pray for the Church’s leaders, serve young people, accompany families facing uncertainty and work for peace find strength in the daily life of faith. The Church’s public witness is carried through prayer, patient service and care for each person entrusted to us.