Leo says St. Francis repaired the Church

 

Written by Morning Keys

Here are the key Catholic stories from the weekend, led by Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday Angelus on the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, whom he said repaired the Church by faith and fraternal love. Also inside: the Amoris Laetitia meeting opening Wednesday, Cardinal Parolin on what it takes to end wars, Brazil’s presidential runoff, Cardinal Gambetti’s move to Chieti-Vasto, a new Pedro Gabriel video, and two new posts at Where Peter Is.

Today’s Mass readings (USCCB) · Saint of the day (Vatican News): St. Faustina Kowalska

The Death Penalty and Doctrinal Development

  

This essay appears as Chapter 26 of Faith in Crisis, edited by Andrew Likoudis (En Route Books and Media, 2025), published with the imprimatur of Archbishop William E. Lori. If this chapter sharpened your thinking, the rest of the book will too. Order your copy here.

 

Why is a business model important for a ministry?

Beyond the offering plate: How to measure generosity in ways other than money By Robert Rueda

Three churches share their experiences practicing intentional stewardship year-round By Leslie Quander Wooldridge

Why is a business model important for a ministry? By David L. Odom

Church income isn’t keeping pace with inflation — but here’s how faith leaders can encourage giving and growth By Leslie Quander Wooldridge

A ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America

A ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America
CNN: Experts project an estimated 100,000 churches in the US will close or be repurposed over the next decade.

 

As ICE readies Louisiana facility for children and families, faith leaders hold vigil
Religion News Service: Part of the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations, the facility — which will hold unaccompanied minors and families — is situated beside an airport that has become known as the country’s busiest hub for deportation flights.

 

This pastor is barred from returning to the U.S. He still leads a church in Wisconsin
NPR: Since August 2025, when the Rev. Esdras Paredes was blocked from returning to the U.S., he has been preaching and teaching remotely up to three times a week.

 

How great is our Claude*
Christianity Today: Worship leaders have built new AI tools to help create setlists and score songs on qualities like scriptural grounding and clarity.

 

It’s time for the Catholic Church to distribute the loaves
The Texas Observer: The Vatican holds an estimated $73 billion in assets. That is an institution with the resources to move policy, fund organizing, and match the moral urgency of its own documents.

‘The charism of St. Francis continues to bear fruit even today’

‘Those who seek Christ will find him’: Another philosopher at Princeton converts to Catholicism

Noah McKay said the Catholic Church’s evidence in favor of vindicatory miracles helped lead him to the Church.

Pope Leo XIV: ‘The charism of St. Francis continues to bear fruit even today’

The pontiff marks the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death and asks prayers that peoples may be freed from “the scourge of war.”

Italian Catholic community establishes new presence in Muslim-majority area of Ethiopia

The Villaregia Missionary Community seeks to reach communities where the Catholic Church has a limited presence.

University of Notre Dame’s ethics center gives 2027 pro-life award to Dominican sisters

The religious sisters “serve as a countercultural sign and help to build an authentic civilization of truth and love,” the ethics center said.

How does God guide history by helping us when we fall?

 

Pope Leo XIV writes to the White Sox

Pakistan: New Report Highlights Discrimination Against Religious Minorities

ZENIT Staff

Christians and other minorities continue to face persecution in the country, including false accusations of blasphemy and violence against women.

Vatican Announces Special Exposition of the Holy Crib of Jesus at St. Mary Major in Rome

ZENIT Staff

Starting October 15, the relics of the Holy Crib, for centuries the center of Christmas devotion at the Liberian Basilica of St. Mary Major, will temporarily leave their usual location in the monumental Confessio facing the Papal Altar to be displayed in a spot much closer for the faithful and pilgrims.

What does it mean for art to be a “search engine” like Google? Leo XIV explains it to artists

ZENIT Staff

The Pope’s Address to the Artists and Curators at the Event “The Art of Possibility: Weaving Together,” Organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education

New “Donum Missionis” Foundation brings the missionary colleges in Rome under one institution

ZENIT Staff

The measure involves an administrative and financial merger: a single instrumental entity of the Dicastery, with its own governing bodies and subject to the Holy See’s economic oversight mechanisms, in line with the reform of the Roman Curia

Vatican Cardinal who heads the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue to visit the UK

ZENIT Staff

On Wednesday 21 October, the Cardinal’s visit moves to Birmingham, where he will meet with the Sikh community. The focus of this day will be, Sikhs and Christians together to promote solidarity and service for peace in the world.

The Release of Prisoners of War and the Return of Children to Their Families: The Mission of the Cardinal Sent by Leo XIV to Russia

Valentina di Giorgio

The trip followed Zuppi’s July visit to Ukraine, where he also visited detention facilities holding Russian soldiers in the Lviv region

This is what the latest criticisms of synodality from prominent episcopal voices are saying: fatigue, ambiguity, and the risk of losing sight of the Church’s mission

ZENIT Staff

The point of synodality, if it is to endure, cannot be synodality itself. It must be the mission of the Church.

The Pentagon Grants Chaplains Greater Authority: U.S. Armed Forces to Strengthen Religious Support for Soldiers

ZENIT Staff

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of a new Office of Religious Affairs on September 30 during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The event was attended by about 600 military officers and service members

Bogota Court Rejects Religious-Neutrality Challenge to Colombia’s Presidential Inauguration

ZENIT Staff

The dispute arose from an unusual but deliberately broad religious moment incorporated into the inauguration. A statue of Our Lady of Fatima was displayed briefly, while a rabbi, an evangelical pastor and a Catholic priest took part in a period of interfaith prayer and praise

Pope Leo XIV writes to the White Sox, the baseball team from his hometown of Chicago: here is what the letter says

aolvera

From Chicago Fan to Pope: Leo XIV Sends the White Sox a Message Before Their Playoff Turnaround

Questions about liturgy: Omission of the Consecration at Mass

Fr. Edward McNamara

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

Gender ideology is excluded from the UN

Stefano Gennarini

Seven world leaders spoke of the importance of “gender equality,” in addition to the EU official statement and the statement of outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The only representatives of nations who promoted LGBTQI+ issues were the Taoiseach of Ireland, Micheál Martin, and the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Maxime Prévot.

Iceland Becomes the Most Aggressive Advocate for Abortion and Gender Ideology

ZENIT Staff

The country that received the most pressure on sexual orientation and gender identity was Namibia, criticized by Malta, Belgium, Finland, Mexico, Iceland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and the Netherlands to adopt explicit legal categories of non-discrimination based on these characteristics

Christianity at a Crossroads (2026) - Episode 2

 

Premiered Sep 21, 2026

CHRISTIANITY at a CROSSROADS is a 4-part (4-hour) television series designed for broadcast on Public Television and wide use in congregations, schools and seminaries. Through stories filmed on location across the country and insightful commentary from a range of accomplished speakers, it will explore as never before the changing face of Christianity in American life today. 

New episodes will drop every Monday. 

 Episode 1: September 21

Episode 2: September 28 

Episode 3: October 5 

Episode 4: October 12

Everything You Need To Know About The Dutch Reformed Church

 

About Dr. Daniel R. Hyde

a.k.a. “Pastor Danny” of

Oceanside United Reformed Church

The Rev. Dr. Daniel R. Hyde (“Pastor Danny”) is a 3rd generation SoCal native whose eclectic past has prepared him to minister in the diverse culture that is Southern California. 

The United Methodist Church is STILL SPLITTING?

For 5 years, the United Methodist Church was racked with a tumultuous split, but the door for churches to leave closed at the end of 2023. And then in 2024, the UMC officially adopted a pro-LGBT position. A majority of the churches that left have joined the new global Methodist church, and it's now just finished up its second general conference. The split's not over.....