Holy Name of Jesus

CNA Staff, Oct 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A New Jersey teacher’s dismissal from her Catholic school classroom over her role as a surrogate mother has raised the question of just when Catholic employers can dismiss workers for not adhering to the faith. 

The teacher, Jadira Bonilla, was put on paid administrative leave after school officials discovered that she had agreed to serve as a surrogate for another couple. She told a Philadelphia news station that she had previously served as a surrogate for the same couple without incident while working at another Catholic school.

Administrators at St. Mary Catholic School in Vineland “said I was possibly in violation of my contract and that I would be suspended or placed on administrative leave,” the teacher told the news outlet. 

Bonilla “is a valued teacher and one we hope will one day again teach in our school with the full knowledge of our faith, which guides our educational principles,” the school told the media in a statement. 

Court rulings protect Catholic employers

L. Martin Nussbaum, an attorney who specializes in First Amendment and religious freedom protections and who serves as counsel for the Catholic Benefits Association, said there are “many protections for Catholic employers” in the United States. 

The Catholic Benefits Association says on its website that it “advocates for and litigates in defense of our members’ First Amendment rights to provide employee benefits and a work environment that is consistent with the Catholic faith.” 

The organization notes that “new regulations, laws, legal outcomes, and legislation” can affect how Catholic employers can do business, though Nussbaum said there are “a number of very powerful protections” for Catholic businesses in the U.S. 

It is unclear if Bonilla, the New Jersey teacher, has filed a lawsuit against the school over its policies, but Nussbaum said if she did, “she would probably file it under a discrimination lawsuit, under the basis of pregnancy, which is a protected class under some laws.”

Yet the school and other Catholic employers can cite multiple Supreme Court rulings in their defense, Nussbaum said. Among them is the landmark 2012 Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In that decision the high court ruled unanimously that the First Amendment allows religious organizations to hire and fire ministers without regard to federal discrimination laws. A ruling in 2020’s Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru further strengthened that principle. 

The rule applies to teachers as well, “especially if they’re involved in helping inculcate the faith,” Nussbaum said.

“[That’s] the only reason Catholic schools exist,” he noted. “You can hire a secular atheist to teach a child to read. But parents make tremendous sacrifices to put their children in Catholic schools, not only to read and write, but to transmit the faith.”

More broadly, for decades U.S. case law has recognized the right to “freedom of association.” 

In the Supreme Court’s landmark 2000 ruling in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the court held that the government is not allowed to “compel [an] organization to accept members where such acceptance would derogate from the organization’s expressive message.” In that ruling, the court denied efforts by a gay man to force the Boy Scouts of America to allow him to be a scoutmaster. 

Nussbaum said that state laws can offer protection in addition to federal shields. In 2023, for instance, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a “religious tenets” exception to a state nondiscrimination law allowed a Catholic school to fire a teacher who became pregnant out of wedlock.

Nussbaum said there is “some variation around the edges” regarding state laws but that the federal rulings make religious protections “really quite strong across all the states.”

He said Catholic employers can take care to ensure they are within the law in hiring and firing decisions in part by outlining the religious dimensions and roles of jobs. “That should be articulated,” he said.

The attorney said disputes over transgender identity and ideology have opened up new avenues for plaintiffs to potentially sue Catholic employers over religious employment decisions.

But “the law is quite strong for vindicating the freedom of religious institutions to insist that those who are advancing the religious mission are in line with that mission,” he said.

Reading 1 Jonah 4:1-11

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10

Alleluia Romans 8:15bc

Gospel Luke 11:1-4

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Oct 7, 2025 / 11:58 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV called Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, an act of terrorism that cannot be tolerated and lamented the large number of Palestinian lives lost during “a painful two years.”

Addressing a group of journalists just outside his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, on Oct. 7, the pope said: “Two years ago it was a terroristic attack. ... more than 1,200 people killed.”

“We really need to think hard about how much hatred there is in the world and start with ourselves, asking why it exists and what we can do about it,” he added. “Then, in two years, 60,000–67,000 Palestinians have been killed. It really makes you think about how much violence there is and how good it is to promote peace.”

Leo answered questions from journalists as he left Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. He has spent every Tuesday at the papal retreat, located 18 miles south of Rome, since Sept. 9.

“It is certain that we cannot accept groups that cause terrorism; we must always reject this style of hatred in the world,” the pope said, noting as well that antisemitism is also on the rise.

He pointed out that he has asked the Church to pray in a special way for peace during the month of October.

“We must respect the dignity of everyone. This is the message of the Church,” he said.

The pope declined to answer a question about ICE raids in Chicago. “I prefer not to comment at this time about choices made, about political choices, in the United States,” he said.

In the three-and-a-half minute exchange with journalists, Leo also commented briefly on his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon Nov. 27–Dec. 2, announced by the Vatican on Tuesday.

The visit to the historic site of Nicaea in Turkey for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will be a “historic moment,” he said, “but it is not to look back, it is to move forward.”

He called it a moment “of unity in the faith for all Christians” and pointed out that his predecessor, Francis, was hoping to make the trip to Turkey himself. 

In Lebanon, there will be “the opportunity to proclaim once again the message of peace in the Middle East, in a country that has suffered so much,” Leo said.

“Pope Francis wanted to go there too,” the pontiff added, “he wanted to reach out to the people who are living after the explosion, after all they have suffered. We will try to bring this message of peace and hope.”

Looking ahead to the Oct. 9 release of his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te, which will be on the topic of poverty, Leo said, “that is the message of the Gospel.”

“Ultimately, whatever the pope says or announces must always be rooted in the Gospel. That is what we want to try to do,” he said.

This story was updated on Oct. 7, 2025, at 12:35 p.m. ET.

Rome, Italy, Oct 7, 2025 / 09:47 am (CNA).

Czech Catholic bishops welcomed the results of the parliamentary elections on Oct. 3–4, which saw a populist party win the most votes but fall short of a majority, while a far-left coalition that bishops had warned had an explicitly anti-church platform failed to enter Parliament.

The ANO 2011 party, led by billionaire former pime minister Andrej Babiš, won 35% of the vote, while the Stačilo! coalition, led by communists and proposing restrictions on religious freedom, received only 4.3%, below the 5% threshold needed to enter the Chamber of Deputies.

Archbishop Josef Nuzík of Olomouc, chairman of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, issued a statement congratulating Babiš and pledging to “pray for the newly elected legislators” so that “we can live in peace, mutual respect, and together strive for the well-being of our home.”

“I wish that our new parliamentary representatives would be able to build bridges, be sensitive to the weak and needy, honestly seek the truth, strive for understanding in society, and be ready to defend the rule of law and a just peace,” Nuzík stated.

The archbishop thanked citizens who participated in the elections and “showed interest in our common future.”

Bishops assess outcome

Bishop Pavel Konzbul of the Diocese of Brno told CNA that “the Czechs have rejected extremist parties, although both the far left and the far right had a strong campaign.”

“This is good news,” Konzbul said.

The bishop noted that a “slightly different course in foreign policy is to be expected, namely toward Ukraine and the EU.”

He said he is “curious to see how many of the numerous promises” the new government likely to be formed by ANO 2011 “will be able to fulfill, as promises were made to all groups of the population during the campaign.”

Election results impact relationship with EU

The outgoing government coalition SPOLU, formed by the parties ODS, TOP09, and the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL), received 23% of the vote, finishing second. The STAN party (Mayors and Independents) received 11%.

Other parties entering Parliament include the Czech Pirate Party, the SPD (Freedom and Direct Democracy), and the newcomer Motoristé sobě (Motorists for Themselves).

Turnout was almost 70% of eligible voters in a country of nearly 11 million people.

Stanislav Balík, dean of the faculty of social studies at Masaryk University in Brno and an independent senator, told CNA the results suggest the new government will likely “not be inclined to wider cooperation with Western states” and be “more friendly with Russia and less so toward Ukraine.”

However, the Czech political system “has checks and balances to prevent change from being rapid and absolute like the Senate, president, etc.,” Balík said.

The Czech Parliament consists of two chambers, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Citizens voted for the Chamber of Deputies, which determines the composition of the government. The prime minister is the head of government, who is formed by a majority of political parties that enter the Chamber of Deputies after elections every four years. The president has a more representative function.

Preelection concerns about religious freedom

In the weeks leading up to the election, the Czech Bishops’ Conference issued a prayer novena and specifically warned about the threats to religious freedom posed by the Stačilo! coalition.

Archbishop Jan Graubner of Prague stated before the vote that he would not support populists, financially irresponsible politicians, or those who do not support Ukraine.

“Responsible people do not go into debt, and if they do, not for unnecessary things,” Graubner said.

He said he could not vote for politicians who want to leave the European Union and NATO, which the Czech Republic is part of, or for those who “spread hatred toward any group of people, (Ukrainians, Jews, people with a different orientation...).”

Graubner said he could not vote for the Stačilo! movement.

Konzbul told CNA that the far-left coalition “had an explicitly anti-church program.” The bishops issued a formal statement warning that the Stačilo! coalition had proposals to limit financing of Christian and private schools and to invalidate marriages celebrated in churches.

“It was for the first time the ČBK clearly named the choice of a specific party, and those who would like to cooperate with it, as evil,” Balík said.

Analysts: No culture wars expected

Roman Joch, a political scientist who served as adviser to former prime minister Petr Nečas, told CNA that regarding religious freedom, “nothing bad happened, nothing got worse, it is very good as far as possible.”

“Andrej Babiš is a pragmatist who does not want to wage cultural wars against Christian civilization,” Joch said. He will not be pro-Russian as he is also a businessman with economic interests in the European Union, and not in Russia, Joch explained. 

“The progressive Czech Pirate Party will be in opposition and have no chance to damage anything,” he added.

Alexander Tomský, a Jewish commentator and promoter of Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, told CNA that the communists are “primarily concerned with benefits” and “would have little potential” to be invited into government.

The communists “cannot influence religious freedom or harm the Catholic Church either,” Tomský said.

He considers communism “a dead ideology” and thinks its representatives “will not enter the Chamber of Deputies again.”

For many years, the Communist Party of the Czech Lands and Moravia (KSČM) was present in Parliament but ran this election within the Stačilo coalition headed by Kateřina Konečná, a member of the European Parliament for KSČM.

Vatican City, Oct 7, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A new institute at Pope Leo XIV’s undergraduate alma mater wants to change the “mental pattern” that associates immigrants with crime.

In the 19th century, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini embraced the travails of millions of recently arrived Italian immigrants to the United States. Inspired by this legacy of the first American saint, Villanova University — the flagship institution of the Order of St. Augustine — has just launched the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration.

It was from this institution of higher learning in Philadelphia that Robert Francis Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1977.

The initiative is based on the Augustinian values ​​of “veritas, unitas, and caritas” (truth, unity, and charity) and seeks to bring together the academic community and other external stakeholders to promote concrete actions to address the contemporary challenges of migration.

“Currently, there is a mentality that associates immigrants with crime, drug trafficking, or human trafficking. However, immigrants are the ones who care for our children and our elders; we open the doors of our homes to them so they can clean our homes. We invite them into the most intimate parts of our lives, yet the media generates contrary images that make it difficult to recognize their humanity,” explained Professor Michele Pistone, director of the center, which was inaugurated at the Vatican on Sept. 30.

The institute seeks to reverse negative perceptions through an interdisciplinary approach based on four pillars: teaching, research, advocacy, and service.

“We want to transform hearts and minds, work with all Villanova colleges, and connect with centers, alumni, and community partners to create systemic change,” the professor said.

For Pistone, the university is an ideal setting for this type of work. “What better place to do it than at a university, where we can study it, be active on the ground, learn from the experience, and teach students — the future leaders of our country and businesses — to understand the migrant experience?”

The scholar also participated in the event “Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home,” which took place in Rome from Oct. 1–3 ahead of the Jubilee of Migrants (Oct. 4–5). The more than 200 participants in the global gathering from over 40 countries were welcomed to the Vatican last week by Pope Leo XIV.

As Pistone explained in conversation with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, the seed of the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration was planted in 2022 when Pope Francis called on universities to research and teach more about migrants and refugees.

“I was in the front row and felt like he was speaking directly to me. I felt a personal calling to be part of the solution,” said the law professor at Villanova’s Charles Widger School of Law.

Personal inspiration and lifelong commitment

Pistone’s passion for migration is deeply rooted in her family history. During her studies in Italy, she visited Sicily in search of the origins of her grandparents, who immigrated to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.

“Seeing my relatives, who didn’t know my father, and seeing how they rejoiced in his accomplishments in New York, changed my life. I began to understand the history of migrants from a lived perspective, and that led me to work with asylum seekers since 1999,” Pistone said.

For Pistone, migration is part of the identity and mission of the United States. “My state, Pennsylvania, was founded as a refuge for those fleeing religious persecution. That’s what asylum is all about: offering refuge to those who cannot live according to their beliefs or express themselves freely,” she explained.

Inspired by the life and work of Mother Cabrini, canonized by Pius XII in 1946, Pistone emphasized the value of the newly inaugurated center as an intellectual and social hub: “Mother Cabrini was a visionary and social entrepreneur. Her charisma guides us today in asking ourselves: What is Mother Cabrini’s work in the contemporary world? We want to carry out that mission through education, research, public advocacy, and service.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Vatican City, Oct 7, 2025 / 07:08 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will visit Turkey and Lebanon in the first apostolic journey of his pontificate, to take place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, the Vatican announced Tuesday.

Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said the pope accepted the invitations of the “Head of State and Ecclesiastical Authorities” of both countries in an Oct. 7 statement released by the Vatican.

During the six-day papal trip, the Holy Father will visit the Turkish city of Iznek to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, an ecumenical milestone in Church history that led to the formulation of the Nicene Creed.

According to a media release published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Tuesday, Pope Leo will undertake a joint pilgrimage with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople to Nicaea on Nov. 28 before spending two days in the Phanar, the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, where he and Bartholomew will celebrate the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle on Nov. 30.

Leo will be the fifth pope to visit Turkey. Early in his pontificate, Pope Francis visited the Middle Eastern nation in 2014 to strengthen the Church’s interreligious dialogue with Orthodox and Muslim leaders.

The last papal visit to Lebanon was made by Pope Benedict XVI from Sept. 14–16, 2012, more than one year after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

The Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon issued a statement on Tuesday expressing their gratitude to Pope Leo for his “fatherly love and special concern” for the Lebanese people.

“We receive this historic event with great joy and renewed hope, praying this apostolic visit may bring Lebanon peace and stability, and that it may be a sign of unity for all Lebanese Christians and Muslims alike, in this delicate phase of our nation’s history,” the statement read.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the pope’s visit will deepen the “unwavering trust” between Lebanon and the Vatican and a sign of peace in a country of diverse religions and cultures.

“All Lebanese — Christians and Muslims alike, from every sect and community — are preparing to receive him with sincere joy and rare national unity that reflects the true image of Lebanon,” Aoun said on Tuesday.

“Lebanon — its leadership and its people — looks to this visit with great hope at a time when challenges are growing on every level,” he added.

According to a 2024 UNHCR (U.N. refugee agency) report, Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world, including approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

This story was updated on Oct. 7, 2025, at 9:19 a.m. ET.

• Readings for the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Reading 1 Jonah 3:1-10

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8

Alleluia Luke 11:28

Gospel Luke 10:38-42

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Jonah 1:1–2:1-2, 11

Responsorial Psalm Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8

Alleluia John 13:34

Gospel Luke 10:25-37

• Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Bruno, Priest
• Readings for the Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States]

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Reading 1 Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Reading 2 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Alleluia 1 Peter 1:25

Gospel Luke 17:5-10

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

• Readings for the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, Religious

Reading 1 Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 69:33-35, 36-37

Alleluia See Matthew 11:25

Gospel Luke 10:17-24

- - -

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.