Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday. While faith and society continue to interact, this week finds a focus on church news, or perhaps “churchy” news. The Lateran Basilica is celebrated on Sunday. Is Mary our co-redemptrix? Or does that title just take too much explaining? The Vatican answers. Other questions and other answers are also challenging: Is the US still a democracy? Is the current administration opposed to birth control? Which of the U.S. states is the least religious? What is vertical morality? All answers are the property – and responsibility – of the respondents. Enjoy!
The Catholic Church
Dedication of Lateran Basilica. On Sunday (November 9), celebrating the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Barbara Molinari Quinby observes, “Even if all the physical churches in the world would disappear, God would still be dwelling within each of us. For me, this is why the social teaching on the dignity of the human person is so important.”
Newman a church doctor. Pope declares Cardinal Newman a church doctor and signals Catholic education is a priority. The title recognizes that Newman, beloved in both the Anglican and Catholic churches, has universal appeal and made a timeless, eminent contribution to understanding the Christian faith. From the Associated Press and Religion News Service.
Pope’s message to teachers. Pope Leo urges Catholic teachers to focus less on professional outcomes, more on spiritual lives. From National Catholic Reporter.
Marian titles. Vatican Nixes Use of ‘Co-Redemptrix,’ ‘Mediatrix’ As Titles for Mary. In a preface to the note, Cardinal Fernández wrote that the document responds to questions the dicastery received in recent decades about Marian devotion and certain Marian titles, and clarifies which are acceptable. From National Catholic Register.
All Saints, All Souls, Halloween
COMMENTARY A Beacon of Hope: Finding Mercy in the Traditional Funeral Mass. Finding Light in the Traditional Requiem Mass. From National Catholic Register.
It ain’t what it used to be: All Saints’ Day in Spain. The sobriety of the Catholic tradition, by which on All Saints’ Day graves are cleaned and flowers are brought to cemeteries to spend time with deceased loved ones, has given way in recent years to sweets, fake blood, and spider webs from one of the most iconic holidays in the United States. From Religion News Service and the Associated Press.
Trends
Religious decline, from Mississippi to Vermont. Christianity is declining in the United States, but how are things in your state? Pew Research offers an overall look, and a state-by-state examination.
Losing my religion. ‘Exvangelical’ women are leaving their churches. But is it decline or renewal? Religion News Service finds dissenting former evangelical Christian women are forging a different path.
Russell Vought’s war on birth control. The health policy nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation has released the results of its most recent Women’s Health Survey and the data show a 4% decrease in the use of oral contraceptives, down from 33% in 2022 to 29% in 2024. From Baptist News Global.
How is it possible? Preaching love, punishing immigrants. For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus ― who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed ― while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people and glorify cruelty? The key to understanding this apparent contradiction might lie in something called “vertical morality.” From Huffington Post.
Interaction with ICE
Blocking the Eucharist. ICE again prevents Chicago Catholics from bringing Eucharist to immigrant detainees. From National Catholic Reporter.
A refugee reflects. “I think back about my own history and background, being a refugee from Vietnam, and growing up in an authoritarian regime and being afraid of the secret police. And I never thought I would see anything like that in the United States of America in 2025.” ICE rampage reminds state rep of his communist past. From Baptist News Global.
Episcopal priest detained. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas announced on Saturday (Nov. 1) that one of its priests, a Kenyan national, has been detained by immigration officials despite working in the state legally. From Religion News Service.
Prayer for laundry. Chicago priest helps Venezuelan migrants navigate risk, fear. From National Catholic Reporter.
‘Facing fascism.’ The editors of the Christian Century pull no punches. “As lawless gangs of ICE agents terrorize city neighborhoods, it’s getting harder to maintain that the United States is a democracy.” From the Christian Century.
Interfaith Relations
‘The power of presence.’ In his visit to Hindu temple, King Charles demonstrated the power of presence in a divided world. Religion News Service reports the king demonstrated that the simple act of showing up for another faith is a civic act worth preserving.
From Anglican to Catholic. A former Anglican bishop predicts a new wave of conversions to the Catholic Church. Msgr. Michael Nazir-Ali, who was one of several Anglican bishops received into the Catholic Church in 2021, is urging church leaders to prepare for a surge of Catholic conversions. His comments came as a historic Vatican visit by King Charles III coincided with a deepening division in the worldwide Anglican Communion. From National Catholic Reporter.
Vance, about his wife, Usha: ‘I hope she converts.’ “Americans who are Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist and Muslim will hear [Vice-President JD] Vance’s hope [for his wife] as a public reminder that only one faith is really American.” From Baptist News Global.
Visas for religious workers. Attorneys for the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, have moved to voluntarily dismiss a lawsuit they had filed against the federal government regarding visas for religious workers — a case that highlights the perfect storm created by the nation’s shifting immigration policies and the increased reliance on international clergy by the Catholic Church in the United States amid a downturn in domestic vocations to the priesthood.
Deported. Israel deports two US Jews who volunteered to help Palestinians pick olives. Israel has ramped up deportations of foreigners involved in advocacy for Palestinians or demonstrations against the occupation, but the deportation of US Jews sets a precedent. From Religion News Service.
Observances
The month of November. In 1990 Congress passed and President George H. W. Bush signed into law a joint resolution designating the month of November as the first National American Indian Heritage Month (also known as Native American Indian Month). “American Indians were the original inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States of America,” noted H.J. Res. 577.
Month by month. In the United States, Heritage Months are periods within the year that are designated to celebrate and acknowledge various ethnic and marginalized groups. These are times to celebrate and educate others on various groups’ histories and contributions to American History.
Black Catholic events. Founded in 1990 by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, Black Catholic History Month runs throughout November each year as an opportunity to highlight the heritage, patrimony, and witness of African-American Catholics. Below is a list of events around the country carrying on the tradition and celebrating Black Catholic faith. The list will be continually updated throughout the month, from Black Catholic Messenger.
St. Martin de Porres. 7 fascinating facts about St. Martin de Porres, the first Black saint of the Americas, from Catholic News Agency.
For Further Consideration
‘No Kings’ and the Torah. In his commentary “Martini Judaism,” Jeffrey Salkin says “The ‘No Kings’ moment is a moral rebellion against idolatry.” Writing for Religion News Service, he says “There’s a reason the Torah treats monarchy with suspicion.”
Martin Luther anniversary. Church History: October 31 marked the 508th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, marking the day in 1517 when Catholic priest and professor Martin Luther’s 95 Theses appeared on the Medieval scene in Wittenburg, Germany. From Baptist News Global.
‘Apostle of nonviolence.’ By Robert Mickens. Pope Leo is the “Apostle of nonviolence.” Pope Leo isn’t just condemning wars, but also insisting that we “must reject the paradigm of war” itself and “prepare institutions of peace”. Republished from UCANews, 24 October 2025.
‘The Tears of Things.’ Book Review: Franciscan friar Richard Rohr, who is now in his 80s, understands the “inherent sadness and tragedy in almost all situations. In The Tears of Things, Rohr bravely reveals his vulnerability and sadness over a world that constantly wounds. He begs readers to journey from anger to sadness to compassionate love. From the Christian Century.
Opposing free meals. Explanation: Why Focus on the Family opposes free meals in schools. From Baptist News Global.
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