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In an Oct. 20 statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said the attack reflected broader settler violence affecting Palestinian villages and peaking during harvest season, when families gather olives that support their livelihoods and ties to the land.

Days before Pope Leo XIV announced that he would undergo surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Mexican bishops' conference presented him with a book documenting the cases of people who have gone missing in the country.

The Trump administration on Oct. 18 extended protections from deportation to people from Ukraine and Sudan, allowing them to continue living legally in the U.S. for now.

Archbishop James Golka of Denver has asked Fr. Chad Ripperger "to consider a one-year fast from public speaking and interviews," according to an Oct. 19 statement from the Archdiocese of Denver. 

"The clock is ticking" for more than 100,000 Ukrainians whose temporary protections allowing them to live and work in the United States are set to expire Oct. 19, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia said.

French Church leaders have strongly condemned a wave of violence that swept across France over the Oct. 17-18 weekend during demonstrations that began as protests against the rising cost of living. 

A priest in Ecuador was struck and killed by a falling crucifix while celebrating Mass, a tragedy captured during a livestream of the service on Oct. 17.

Fr. Wojciech Ziólek's parish covers Tomsk Oblast, a region of more than 122,000 square miles with just two Catholic churches.

"I always ask people, 'Keep praying for my brother, that he makes a full recovery,' " Louis Prevost said, "because I think he's the pope the church needs at this time."

"We may disagree and poke fun and do all that, but it's in a common spirit for the common good," Hicks said of the annual event that raises money for Catholic charities in the Archdiocese of New York.

The Russian leader, who wished the pope a speedy recovery, "thanked the pope for his willingness" to assist in "resolving the conflict" and "for his humanitarian efforts," said the Kremlin.

Oregon's Catholic bishops expressed sympathy and encouraged the community to support those affected by a shooting at a Bend, Oregon, elementary school that left five dead and two wounded.

Catholic and evangelical leaders issued an ecumenical statement Oct. 13 as part of a joint effort to call for compassionate immigration reform.

The Vatican meeting of the world's bishops' conference presidents and the heads of Eastern Catholic churches marking the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia concluded on the evening of Oct. 14 with prayers for Pope Leo XIV's recovery from lung cancer surgery.

President Donald Trump on Oct. 15 called off Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad in December.

President Donald Trump revived baseless claims surrounding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, during an Oct. 12 campaign rally in the state. In remarks at his Youngstown rally, Trump appeared to allude to unfounded allegations he made in 2024 that Haitian migrants, who had legal authorization to be living and working there, were eating pets in Springfield. 

Church and world leaders offered prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to Pope Leo XIV following the Vatican's announcement that he was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery to remove part of his right lung.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the newly elected dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the closing Mass Oct. 14 for the Vatican's meeting on marriage and family, delivering a homily Pope Leo XIV had prepared before undergoing surgery for newly diagnosed lung cancer.

"I don't come here to build something from scratch, I come to receive what has been entrusted to me," Shawna Cooper Whitehead said.

Known as "Iron Mike" and "Da Coach," his public reflections on faith revealed a man unembarrassed to credit his mother, his Catholic schooling and the sacraments for shaping his life.