We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

Much of northern Nigeria has been battered by conflict in a longstanding security crisis, and U.S. President Donald Trump has singled the country out for what he calls “the killing of Christians” by “radical Islamists.”

During his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that God calls on us, as people of faith, to offer our voices to help those in need and to protect the environment.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 18:26 pm (CNA).

In an audience with members of the diplomatic service at the papal missions, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that they have been chosen to “become a presence everywhere of the whole Church and, in particular, of the pastoral solicitude of the pope, who presides over it in charity.”

Within the context of the Jubilee of Hope, the Holy Father recalled that the holy year is “a providential opportunity to rediscover and deepen the beauty of our vocation, that is, our common call to holiness, which commits us each day to be witnesses of Christ, the living hope for the world.”

Reflecting on the missionaries’ service of “carrying the redeeming word of the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” the pope pointed out that the great missionaries remind us that inculturation is not a superficial matter, “because it springs from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve.”

“Your unique service is arduous and therefore requires a heart burning for God and open to all people; it demands study and skill, self-denial and courage; it grows in trust in Jesus and in docility to the Church, which is expressed through obedience to superiors,” he said. 

Given the diversity of cultures and places where the papal representatives work, the pope invited them to bear witness “as priests in love with Christ and dedicated to building up his body.” He also encouraged them to be “a reflection of the affection and closeness that the pope has” for every ecclesial community.

In particular, he focused his attention on those living in contexts of hardship, conflict, and poverty, where moments of discouragement are common: “Precisely in these efforts, remember that the Church sustains you in prayer: Therefore, strengthen your priestly identity by drawing strength from the sacraments, from fraternal communion, and from constant docility to the Holy Spirit,” he counseled them.

He encouraged them to be mindful of their daily actions and to avoid isolation. 

“The great missionaries remind us, in fact, that inculturation is not a folkloric [superficial] attitude, because it is born from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve,” he explained.

He also urged them to “confirm” their motivation by listening to the Holy Spirit and to nurture prayer: “May the light of the tabernacle dispel shadows and anxieties, illuminating the path you are traveling.”

“Holding fast to this miracle of grace, be pilgrims of hope precisely where people lack justice and peace,” he added.

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

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 16:26 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said ”stronger climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems” in a video message to the local Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazonian Museum in Belém, Brazil, for the United Nations climate conference (COP30).

The Holy Father greeted the representatives of bishops’ conferences from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia on Nov. 17, joining “the prophetic voice of my brother cardinals who have taken part in COP30, telling the world with words and gestures that the Amazon region remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care.”

COP30, which Belém is hosting, brings together a diverse group of leaders and scientists from around the world in an event that, according to the United Nations, aims to “discuss the priority measures needed to address climate change.”

Church hierarchy in attendance include cardinals Felipe Neri Ferrão, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; and Jaime Spengler, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council.

Leo XIV told the Catholic leaders that “you have chosen hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together.”

“This has delivered progress, but not enough. Hope and determination must be renewed, not only in words and aspirations but also in concrete actions,” he said.

The pope warned that “the creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms, and relentless heat. One in three people lives in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity.”

“There is still time to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5°C (2.7° F), but the window is closing. As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift he entrusted to us,” he said.

The Holy Father then referred to the Paris Agreement, among whose 195 signatories is the Holy See, noting that “it has driven real progress and remains our strongest tool for protecting people and the planet.”

“But we must be honest: It is not the agreement that is failing,” the pope continued. “We are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service and support at a scale that will truly make a difference.”

Leo XIV affirmed that “strong climate actions and policies both are an investment in a more just and stable world.”

The pontiff noted that “we walk alongside scientists, leaders, and pastors of every nation and creed. We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its spoils. Let us send a clear global signal together: nations standing in unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation.”

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

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said immigrants must be treated with dignity, and he encouraged all people in the United States to heed the bishops’ message on immigration.

“No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” Pope Leo XIV said Nov. 18 outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo before returning to Rome after a daylong stay there.

“But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least — and there’s been some violence, unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said. I think that I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.” 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Nov. 12 overwhelmingly opposed the indiscriminate mass deportation of immigrants who lack legal status and urged the government to uphold the dignity of migrants.

Speaking in English, the first U.S.-born pope responded to a journalist’s question asking whether the pope could take credit for the bishops’ statement on immigration because U.S. bishops believe the pope has “got their back” on immigration. The pope replied that immigrants must be treated with dignity even if they lack legal status.

“I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have. If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice. I think there are a lot of problems in the system,” the pope said.

In October, the pope used the word “inhuman” to refer to the immigration crackdown in the United States.

When journalists asked about a Chicago-area immigration facility where detainees have been barred from receiving Communion, Pope Leo said: “I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people.” 

U.S. bishops met in Baltimore on Nov. 12 to approve a special message on immigration.

“I appreciate very much what the bishops have said. I think it’s a very important statement. I would invite, especially all Catholics, but people of goodwill to listen carefully to what they said,” the pope said.

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:36 pm (CNA).

Both Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered in Nigeria, where there is terrorist activity over economic questions, Pope Leo XIV told journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence on Tuesday evening.

“I think in Nigeria, in certain areas, there is certainly a danger for Christians, but for all people. Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered,” he said, addressing a question from EWTN News about the safety of Nigerian Christians on Nov. 18.

“There’s a question of terrorism. There’s a question that has to do a lot with economics, if you will, and control of the lands that they have,” the pope continued. “Unfortunately, many Christians have died, and I think it’s very, it’s important to seek a way for the government, with all peoples, to promote authentic religious freedom.”

Leo answered questions from journalists as he left his Castel Gandolfo residence, Villa Barberini, to return to the Vatican after spending the day at the papal retreat, located 18 miles south of Rome.

As he left his residence, Leo was greeted to enthusiastic cheers from a small group of people, including several engaged couples participating in a marriage preparation course at the local parish. The young people, together with their pastor, Father Tadeusz Rozmus, gave the pope a framed photo of their group.

U.S. President Donald Trump made Nigeria a country of particular concern on Nov. 3. The U.S. government gives the designation to countries identified as having or tolerating particularly severe religious freedom violations.

In the wake of the designation, Nigeria’s government denied that ongoing violence in the country is based on religious affiliation or that Christians are being targeted in particular.

“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is a gross misrepresentation of reality,” authorities said in a statement posted on X on Sept. 28.

“Terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology — Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike,” the statement continued. “Christianity is neither endangered nor marginalized in Nigeria.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, drew criticism last month after telling journalists that violence in Nigeria was “not a religious conflict, but rather a social conflict, for example, between herders and farmers.”

Parolin’s remarks were made on the sidelines of a conference for the release of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report.

“Let’s keep in mind that many Muslims who come to Nigeria are victims of this intolerance,” he continued.” So, these extremist groups, these groups that make no distinctions to advance their goals, their objectives, use violence against anyone they perceive as an opponent.”

Parolin’s comments repeat “the Nigerian government’s talking points that obfuscate and downplay the persecution of the Catholic faithful and other Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” Nina Shea, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.

The religious freedom report from Aid to the Church in Need found “a severe and escalating wave of violence, largely driven by extremist Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)” during the two-year reporting period.

The report affirms that religious affiliation plays an important role in the ongoing violence in Nigeria, alongside other social causes, including poverty, preexisting ethnic and intercommunal violence, and conflict over land and water disputes between Fulani herders and non-Fulani farmers.

“Although exact figures are difficult to assess, Christians have been the target of extrajudicial killings and abductions by insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” the report states.

“It is also important to note that, although Christians suffer the brunt of extremist violence, the fact that the terrorist groups operate in states with a predominantly Muslim population means that the violence has not only affected Christians but also Muslims,” it continues.

CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

A rising number of New Yorkers are reportedly converting to the Catholic Church, with the spike in converts coming as the U.S. bishops say increasing numbers of men and women are coming into the faith in this country. 

The New York Post found that multiple New York City Catholic churches have year-over-year double or even triple the number of adults signing up to become Catholic through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). 

At one parish, St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, interest in OCIA tripled since last year, with about 130 people signing up, according to the paper. At St. Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side, numbers have doubled to nearly 90 participants.

Sign-ups at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral also doubled to about 100, according to the report.

Many converts reportedly cited the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk as a motivator for their conversions. In addition to his political activism, Kirk, an evangelical Protestant, often spoke about the importance of faith in God.

This report follows a trend of rising OCIA numbers throughout the U.S.

The National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, reported in April on rising conversions across dioceses. Many new Catholics cited immigration, evangelization, and the National Eucharistic Revival as reasons they found their way into the Catholic Church last Easter.   

The U.S. bishops last week during their annual fall assembly in Baltimore also noted these rising numbers in a discussion about the National Eucharistic Revival as they approved the next National Eucharistic Congress for 2029.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who spearheaded the most recent congress, said during a session on Nov. 12 that the revival was “a time of great grace for the Church in the United States.”

His diocese, he said, had its largest OCIA class in 20 years.

During the session, the bishops offered a show of hands of those who had large numbers of OCIA participants in their dioceses, with many bishops indicating rising numbers of converts. 

“Praise God. Let’s hope that this trend continues,” Cozzens said at the time.