Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 22, 2025 /
15:00 pm
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.
Majority of Australian and French priests are thriving, reports say
A report has found that the majority of Australian priests and deacons are thriving in their ministry roles.
In the first-ever survey of well-being among Australia’s clergy, the National Centre for Pastoral Research and the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office found 75% of clergy reported having “good” or “very good” self-confidence, 66% reported they maintain a healthy diet, 61% said they get sufficient rest, and 55% reported high energy levels.
In addition, the vast majority of clergy, at 90%, described their connections with their parishes as positive. Overall, 71% reported feeling hopeful, and 61% said they felt joyful frequently.
This comes on the heels of an October survey in France that found most Catholic priests — 80% of those who responded — said they “are happy in their mission” and feel “faithful to their calling,” useful, and “at peace,” according to the Catholic Weekly. The survey by the Observatory of Catholicism was conducted with the French Institute of Public Opinion.
Dutch bishop says Cardinal Fernandez ‘Co-Redemptrix’ title decision is ‘mistaken’
Bishop Rob Mutsaerts, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, has called Cardinal Manuel Fernandez’s decision to advise against using the Co-Redemptrix Marian title “mistaken.”
“There is no truth that cannot be misunderstood,” he wrote in a blog post, according to the Catholic Herald. The prelate argued that the cardinal’s new guidance, issued via the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, is “mistaken to claim that it is no longer advisable to use the title ‘Co-Redemptrix’ for Mary.”
“If he is concerned that people will equate Mary with Christ, the problem lies with him, not Mary,” the bishop said. “Christ’s position is so absolute that it is nonsensical to imagine anyone overshadowing him. Cooperation does not imply rivalry.”
South African Sister at G20 summit calls Africa’s debt crisis ‘ethical, spiritual tragedy’
The Associate Secretary General of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has described Africa’s debt crisis as “an ethical and spiritual tragedy” that needs to be addressed.
Presenting during the G20 Social Summit side event that was held in Johannesburg on the theme, “A Jubilee for Solidarity: Towards a People and Planet Driven Financial Architecture for Africa,” Sister Dominica Mkhize said Africa’s debt crisis wounds human dignity, ACI Africa reported Nov. 20.
“Across Africa, the debt crisis has become one of these wounds,” she said. “As a Catholic family, guided by the gospel and by our social teaching, we cannot remain silent in the face of this ethical and spiritual tragedy.”
House of Nazareth Listening Center opens in Homs to support families
In the heart of Homs, the new “House of Nazareth Listening Center” has opened its doors with a mission to provide safe, compassionate support for families, young people, and individuals facing emotional, spiritual, or psychological challenges.
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The initiative, launched with a special liturgy, aims to strengthen family life and promote healing in a city still recovering from years of conflict, according to a Nov. 17 report from CNA’s Arabic language news partner, ACI Mena.
Staffed by religious sisters and trained counselors, the center offers marriage preparation, youth guidance, individual accompaniment, and programs designed especially for women navigating hardship, including widows and women supporting their households alone. Counselors say the demand for such services has grown significantly, particularly among young people.
Pope Leo’s visit to revise symbolism of Istanbul’s Patriarchal church
As Turkey prepares to welcome Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 27, attention is turning toward the historic St. George’s Patriarchal Church in the Phanar district of Istanbul.
The church, regarded as the spiritual heart of global Orthodoxy, will once again host a pivotal moment of Christian unity, as the pope joins Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for the Great Doxology and the signing of a joint declaration, ACI Mena reported.
Patriarch Bartholomew, who has worked closely with four popes over the past several decades, continues to play a central role in nurturing dialogue between Rome and Constantinople.
Cash reward offered in Indian state for reporting violations of anti-conversion laws
A cash reward is being offered in the northern Indian state of Punjab for anyone who provides evidence-backed tips of violations of the state’s anti-conversion laws.
The Save Punjab Movement is offering 200,000 rupees ($2,250) for any “information with proof” of conversions to Christianity, according to a UCA News report. The group’s president, Tejasvi Minhas, said identities of informants would be kept confidential, as it seeks to counter “large scale illegal religious conversions across Punjab.”
Minhas claimed that the Christian population has “grown to nearly 15 percent,” and that “around 65,000 pastors” are engaged in conversion schemes involving manipulation and pressure tactics such as promises of miraculous cures. “The Catholic Church has never indulged in religious conversion activities,” Father Daniel Gill, Vicar General of the Jalandhar diocese said in response to the allegations.
Hope persists in Haiti amid ongoing violence, kidnapping, natural disasters
A Catholic missionary in Haiti expressed hope amid ongoing violence and natural disasters in the beleaguered country.
Father Massimo Miraglio, a Camillian missionary in Haiti, told Agenzia Fides he has “finally managed” to return to his parish in Pourcine-Pic Malaya after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
While the natural disaster has destroyed bean crops, orchards, and livestock, he said, in the banana groves, “after being cleared, are beginning to raise the flag of hope: the first large leaf, a sign of rebirth.”
The devastation of Hurricane Melissa comes amid clashes between gangs and the U.S. military, and continued violent crime.
Madalaine Elhabbal is a staff reporter for Catholic News Agency, based at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of EWTN News.
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