Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

Statues of St. Florian (at left) and St. Michael the Archangel (at right) are currently barred from appearing on the planned public safety building of Quincy, Massachusetts. / Credit: Courtesy of Office of Mayor Thomas Koch

Boston, Massachusetts, Oct 16, 2025 / 12:18 pm (CNA).

A Massachusetts trial court judge has issued an order blocking the installation of statues of two Catholic saints on a new public safety building in the city of Quincy, setting up a likely appeal that may determine how the state treats separation of church and state disputes going forward.

The 10-foot-high bronze statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian, which were scheduled to be installed on the building’s façade this month, will instead await a higher court’s decision.

The statues cost an estimated $850,000, part of the new, $175 million public safety building that will serve as police headquarters and administration offices for the Boston suburb’s fire department.

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, a practicing Catholic, has said he chose St. Michael the Archangel because he is the patron of police officers and St. Florian because he is the patron of firefighters, not to send a message about religion.

But the judge said the statues can’t be separated from the saints’ Catholic connections.

“The complaint here plausibly alleges that the statues at issue convey a message endorsing one religion over others,” Norfolk County Superior Court Judge William Sullivan wrote in a 26-page ruling Oct. 14.

The judge noted that the statues “represent two Catholic saints.”

“The statues, particularly when considered together, patently endorse Catholic beliefs,” the judge wrote.

The plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit challenging the statues — 15 city residents represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts — have amassed facts that “plausibly suggest that an objective observer would view these statues on the façade of the public safety building as primarily endorsing Catholicism/Christianity and conveying a distinctly religious message,” the judge wrote.

Rachel Davidson, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts, who argued the case during a lengthy court hearing on Sept. 19, praised the judge’s decision.

“This ruling affirms the bedrock principle that our government cannot favor one religion above others, or religious beliefs over nonreligious beliefs,” Davidson said in a written statement. “We are grateful to the court for acknowledging the immediate harm that the installation of these statues would cause and for ensuring that Quincy residents can continue to make their case for the proper separation of church and state, as the Massachusetts Constitution requires.”

The mayor said the city will appeal.

“We chose the statues of Michael and Florian to honor Quincy’s first responders, not to promote any religion,” Koch said in a written statement provided to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, by a spokesman. “These figures are recognized symbols of courage and sacrifice in police and fire communities across the world. We will appeal this ruling so our city can continue to celebrate and inspire the men and women who protect us.” The lawsuit, which was filed May 27 in Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, relies on the Massachusetts Constitution, not the U.S. Constitution, but there is a tie-in.

In 1979, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court adopted the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1971 three-pronged “Lemon test” when considering church and state cases — whether a law concerning religion has “a secular legislative purpose,” whether “its principal or primary effect … neither advances [n]or inhibits religion,” and whether it fosters “excessive entanglement between government and religion.” 

The state’s highest court also added a fourth standard — whether a “challenged practice” has “divisive political potential.”

But in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ditched the Lemon test in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, a case involving prayers offered by a high school football coach in Washington state.

If the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which is the ultimate interpreter of state law, takes the Quincy statues dispute, it would be the first time the court has considered a case on point since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kennedy decision.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. / Credit: legacy1995/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 11:48 am (CNA).

A Missouri appeals court has ordered that an alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse can sue the Archdiocese of St. Louis, ruling that an arcane aspect of bankruptcy law does not negate the archdiocese’s potential liability for abuse that the plaintiff allegedly repressed for decades.

The case touches on both the complex character of U.S. bankruptcy statutes as well as the often-protracted nature of abuse allegations, which frequently only come to light years or decades after the abuse is alleged to have occurred. 

In its Oct. 14 ruling, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, said the alleged victim, John Doe, claims to have been abused at the St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in the late 1980s. 

Doe alleges that Father Alexander Anderson, who was assigned as a counselor to the home, sexually abused him; the plaintiff said he “reported the abuse [but] no action was taken,” according to the court. 

Doe “alleged he repressed his memory of the abuse until 2016,” the court said. He ultimately filed suit against the archdiocese in August 2022. 

The archdiocese argued in response that Doe’s abuse claim was effectively negated by two bankruptcy claims he had filed in 2008 and 2009. U.S. law dictates that when debtors file for bankruptcy, they create “an estate that includes nearly all of the debtor’s legal or equitable interests in property,” including legal causes of action. 

The archdiocese claimed that since Doe did not list his abuse claims as “exempted assets” in his bankruptcy proceedings, they became part of that “estate” and can only be administered by the trustee that handled those proceedings. 

The appeals court rejected the archdiocese’s argument, reversing a lower court decision and holding that Doe’s “cause of action” only arose when he said he remembered the alleged abuse in 2016, “well after” his bankruptcy filings. 

Doe’s standing to sue “did not accrue [when] the sexual abuse was allegedly committed” but rather when it was “capable of ascertainment,” the court held. 

The court’s ruling cited Missouri Supreme Court precedent, which holds that, in some cases of abuse, “the victim may be so young, mentally incompetent, or otherwise innocent and lacking in understanding that the person could not reasonably have understood that substantial harm could have resulted from the wrong.”

The St. Louis Archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling on Oct. 16. 

This is not the first instance in which the archdiocese has been held accountable for abuse allegations that an alleged victim claimed to have repressed for decades.

In 2023 the archdiocese agreed to pay a $1 million settlement to a man who said he was abused by Father Gary Wolken in the mid-1990s but repressed the memories until he was an adult. 

Wolken was in prison from 2003 to 2015 for sexually abusing another boy in the St. Louis area from 1997 to 2000. 

Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera, the secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, addresses media during a press conference releasing the commission’s second annual report on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 16, 2025 / 11:18 am (CNA).

The Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Thursday released its second annual report on the Church’s safeguarding policies and procedures, urging heightened awareness of abuse and the need to offer reparations to victims.

The second annual report launched by the commission, instituted by Pope Francis in 2014 for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, promotes “conversional justice” — founded on the pillars of truth, justice, reparations, and institutional reforms — to be adopted by the Church across the globe and at all levels of governance.

Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV in July to head the commission, spoke of the report’s efforts to emphasize the significance of “walking alongside victims and survivors” and including their voices in promoting positive change and institutional reform within the Church. 

“We have acquired the profound conviction that the road leading to a culture of protection is not simply for victims and survivors but with them,” Chambéry said at an Oct. 16 press conference. 

“This path of conversion requires that we be reached by what we hear,” he said.

The 200-page report provides a snapshot of safeguarding challenges and recommendations in 18 episcopal conferences, mainly in Africa and Europe, and the positive trends and challenges on a regional level in Africa, the Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe.

It also offers a review of the safeguarding policies, challenges, and recommendations of two religious institutions, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and the Brothers of Christian Instruction of St. Gabriel.

Data for the report was collected from focus group consultations with 40 abuse survivors from Africa, the Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe, the commission’s Memorare Initiative centers in Global South countries, and questionnaires distributed to episcopal conferences and religious congregations.

Information was also gathered from consultations with apostolic nuncios and bishops during ad limina visits and data published by external organizations, including U.N. agencies.

In order to make reparations to abuse victims and their families, the report outlines six key recommendations for Church institutions to form the basis of their “operational vademecum,” including welcoming, listening, and caring for survivors; public and private communications and apologies; and spiritual and psychotherapeutic support.

The report also urges financial support, institutional and disciplinary reforms, and safeguarding initiatives across the ecclesial community.

The second annual report released by the pontifical commission also includes a brief section outlining the role and activities of the Roman Curia in supporting local Churches’ safeguarding activities, in line with Pope Francis’ “all-of-government” approach to promote an “ongoing conversion toward a culture of safeguarding.”   

According to Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a jurist and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2022, the annual report is a handbook that can be used within the Church to address the “global data gap” on sexual violence and abuse against children.

Noting the “alarming” gap in numerical abuse report data worldwide and further improvements for the commission’s future work, Boer-Buquicchio said the report emphasizes the significance of “listening” in the Church’s safeguarding ministries.

“I want to highlight one of the most consistent points that emerged: Victims/survivors want to feel heard and validated in their experiences,” she said at the Thursday press conference.

“Amidst these positive developments in our methodology, we recommit ourselves to continuous improvement, knowing that we still fall short of a fully mature reporting instrument,” she added.

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 10:48 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV invited Indigenous groups to forgive as he recognized both “the light and the wounds” in the history of the evangelization of their peoples.

“The long history of evangelization that our Indigenous peoples have known, as the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean have so often taught, is laden with light and shadows,” the pontiff said in an Oct. 16 message sent to the Networks of Indigenous Peoples and the Network of Indian Theology Theologians.

Leo invited members of the network to “forgive our brothers and sisters from the heart, to reconcile ourselves with our own history, and to thank God for his mercy toward us.”

He also encouraged them to recognize “both the light and the wounds of our past,” to understand “that we can only be a people if we truly abandon ourselves to the power of God, to his action in us.”

“It is from this truth,” he added, “that we must reread our history and our reality, to face the future with the hope to which the holy year calls us, despite the hardships and tribulations.”

Leo XIV explained that, through dialogue and encounter, “we learn from different ways of seeing the world, we value what is unique and original to each culture, and together we discover the abundant life that Christ offers to all peoples.” 

“This new life is given to us precisely because we share the fragility of the human condition marked by original sin, and because we have been reached by the grace of Christ,” he affirmed. 

He recalled that the Lord is the origin and goal of the universe as well as “the primary source of all that is good, including our peoples.” This, he emphasized, “is the goal of our hope; it is not only for some but for all, even those once considered enemies, the great occupying powers.”

Jubilee of Hope 

In his message, the pontiff also emphasized the universality of the Church, “which welcomes, engages in dialogue with, and is enriched by the diversity of peoples,” particularly Indigenous peoples, “whose history, spirituality, and hope constitute an irreplaceable voice within ecclesial communion.” 

The pope invited the network to experience the Jubilee of Hope as “a moment of living and personal encounter with the Lord” as well as an occasion for “reconciliation, grateful memory, and shared hope, more than a mere external celebration.”

Passing through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, he explained, means entering, through faith, “into the very source of divine love, the open side of the Crucified One,” which makes us a “people of brothers.”

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

In interviews with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Nigerian Catholic Church leaders shared their views on Christian persecution in the West African nation, expressing varied opinions on U.S. proposed legislation to change Nigeria's designation to a country of particular concern (CPC). / Credit: ACI Africa

ACI Africa, Oct 16, 2025 / 10:18 am (CNA).

Catholic leaders in Nigeria have weighed in on a recent call by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for the Trump administration to redesignate Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) over alleged Christian persecution.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation in September that would require the Trump administration to adopt the CPC designation in addition to imposing targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials who facilitate or permit jihadist attacks against Christians and other religious minorities.

In interviews with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on Oct. 14, Nigerian Catholic Church leaders shared their views on the Christian persecution in the west African nation, expressing varied opinions on the U.S. proposed legislation.

The curate of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Abuja, Father Maximilian Okpong Peter, supported Cruz’s concern, describing it as “a reflection of Nigeria’s reality.”

“Persecution in Nigeria cannot be viewed in isolation. It is tied to deep sociopolitical divisions and bad governance. If people were well-educated and engaged, they would seek unity instead of division,” Okpong said. 

He added: “Those who are persecuted must have faith and hope. It is not about who is right or wrong but about what the Lord Jesus has instructed us — to be one, to be unified, and to express our unity through love for one another.” 

Okpong warned that religion is often exploited as a tool of division because it touches people’s deepest emotions. 

“People use religion as a basis for violence because it is the easiest way to divide people. But for us Christians, even as we struggle, we must believe that God is one. The only thing that binds us together is love,” Okpong said. 

The priest called on authorities in Nigeria to prioritize human life and dignity over politics and culture, urging the government to demonstrate “a sincere commitment to justice and equal protection.”

ACI Africa also spoke on Oct. 14 to the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies Nigeria, Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, who said Cruz’s statement reflects a complex reality that requires honest national introspection.

“The insecurity in Nigeria affects all Christians, Muslims, and traditional believers. But it is true that Christians have suffered in unique ways,” Zaku said. He explained that the nature of persecution varies from one region to another.

“In some places in Nigeria, Christians find it difficult to get land to build churches, even with their own money. In other places, they struggle to gain employment because they are Christians,” he said. “There are also places where Christians cannot freely practice their religion due to fear of persecution.”

When asked about the accuracy of Cruz’s claim that over 52,000 Christians have been killed, Zaku noted that while the figures might not be up to date, they reflect years of widespread violence. 

“I’m not sure from which time to which time he started his research, but we know that since the Boko Haram insurgency began about 15 or 16 years ago, many people — both Christians and Muslims — have been killed. At the beginning, most of the affected communities were Christian-populated areas,” he said.

The priest acknowledged that the situation has somewhat improved in recent years, saying: “Today, we can say there is improvement. People are still being killed, but not like before. His statement would have made more sense if it had come earlier, when persecution was really taking place. Though there are still cases of insecurity in different parts of the country, we can say the situation has improved to some extent.”

Nigerian civil engineer and filmmaker Leo Okwesi agreed that the U.S. senator’s call is a wake-up call for Nigeria’s leaders.

“Ordinarily, as a Nigerian, one would say, what’s the meaning of that? But the reality is that we can’t handle our security risks in this country,” Okwesi said. “Government is supposed to protect lives and citizens. That’s part of their duty.”

He added: “I think we should be listed even more than once. Maybe when that listing begins to affect government officials’ ability to travel abroad, they will start to rethink. Right now, everyone in power does what is good in his own sight. They need a check, and I think this is a check.”

Okwesi called for decisive international pressure, saying: “Heads must roll for things to get better. If my generation has lost it, then my children should have a better country.”

He continued: “The government should sit up, or the international community should impose sanctions, so that we will look inwards. Maybe when there’s a restriction to this mass exodus abroad, we’ll be forced to fix things here,” he told ACI Africa.

In a divergent opinion, the national director of mission and dialogue at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Father Lawrence Emehel, questioned the timing of Cruz’s latest proposal, saying “the situation today is not as widespread or as dangerous as it used to be.”

Emehel observed that the earlier removal of Nigeria from the CPC was wrong, especially when the killings were at their peak.

“Christians were actually persecuted and suffered grave injustices in some parts of the country. Removing Nigeria from the list at that time was wrong because that was when the killing of Christians was at its peak,” Emehel said.

“If this question had come eight or 10 years ago, I would have agreed. But now, things have changed. There are still pockets of violence, but not widespread persecution as it is being portrayed,” he noted.

Emehel, a priest in Nigeria’s Sokoto Diocese, cautioned against interpreting all violent attacks as religiously motivated, citing the recent killings in Yelewata, Benue state, and other parts of the Middle Belt as examples of “pure criminality” rather than faith-based aggression.

“Many of those involved are hired criminals with no religious agenda. We must be careful not to give these incidents a religious coloration because it makes resolution more difficult,” Emehel said.

He also faulted government efforts to address insecurity, saying authorities “speak like politicians” and fail to admit their shortcomings.

“The killings show that their efforts have failed. Nigerian lives no longer matter. People are now just statistics,” Emehel said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV speaks at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Oct. 16, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 09:26 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV called for shared responsibility in the face of world hunger during a visit to the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Thursday.

“The pope’s heart, which belongs not to himself but to the Church and, in a certain sense, to all humanity, maintains the confidence that, if hunger is defeated, peace will be the fertile ground from which the common good of all nations will be born,” Leo said Oct. 16.

After listening to remarks from the FAO’s director general, Qu Dongyu, the Holy Father spoke in both Spanish and English to participants in the World Food Day event, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Queen Letizia of Spain, King Letsie III of Lesotho, Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan, and former U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

‘My brothers and sisters’

On the 80th anniversary of the founding of the FAO, the pope emphasized that our consciences must challenge us to resolve the tragedy of hunger, and he appealed to the responsibility of everyone.

“Those who suffer from hunger are not strangers; they are my brothers and sisters, and I must help them without delay,” he said.

Leo also warned that the world needs a real commitment on this issue, not just “solemn declarations,” so that no one lacks the necessary food.

He also claimed that allowing millions of human beings to die from hunger is a “collective failure, an ethical aberration, a historical sin.”

Condemning world conflicts as “macabre spectacles,” the Holy Father condemned the use of food as a weapon of war, calling it a “cruel strategy” that denies the right to life.

“The silence of those dying of hunger cries out in everyone’s conscience, even though it is often ignored, silenced, or distorted. We cannot continue like this, since hunger is not man’s destiny but his downfall,” he asserted.

“It seems that we have become apathetic witnesses to heartbreaking violence,” the pontiff continued.

The pope said: “Do future generations deserve a world that is incapable of eradicating hunger and poverty once and for all? Is it possible that we cannot put an end to so many lacerating arbitrary acts that negatively impact the human family? Can political and social leaders continue to be polarized, wasting time and resources on useless and virulent arguments, while those they should serve continue to be forgotten and exploited for partisan interests?”

“We cannot limit ourselves to proclaiming values” but rather “we must embody them,” since “slogans do not lift people out of poverty,” he said.

He condemned a political paradigm and ethical vision that “replaces the person with profit.”

Real solutions, not ‘eye-catching posters’

We must not “be content with filling walls with large, eye-catching posters” but embrace a unified commitment, Leo said.

He also stressed the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation, so that the shortcomings of poor countries can be truly understood in order to solve their problems, “without imposing solutions concocted in distant offices, in meetings dominated by ideologies that frequently ignore ancestral cultures, religious traditions, or customs deeply rooted in the wisdom of the elders.”

Pope Leo XIV insisted that the plight of those who suffer from hunger invites us to reconsider our lifestyles, and that it is necessary to share their pain, since, by failing to live up to our commitments, we become complicit in the promotion of injustice. In the face of war, he emphasized that the international community “cannot look the other way.”

“We cannot aspire to a more just social life if we are not willing to rid ourselves of the apathy that justifies hunger as if it were background music we have grown accustomed to, an unsolvable problem, or simply someone else’s responsibility,” he stated.

The Holy Father concluded his message by recalling that there is also “a hunger for faith, hope, and love,” and he encouraged his listeners not to tire of asking God for the strength to serve those most in need.

“As you continue your efforts, you will always be able to count on the solidarity and engagement, the commitment of the Holy See and the institutions of the Catholic Church that stand ready to go out and serve the poorest and the most disadvantaged throughout the world,” he said.

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

Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks at an Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) press conference in Rome, Italy, on Sept 28, 2017. / Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.

Vatican City, Oct 16, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

International Catholic nonprofit Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will release its global religious freedom report in Rome next week with an Oct. 21 conference featuring the Vatican’s secretary of state and victims of religious persecution.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will introduce the “Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025” with a speech at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum conference center near the Vatican. 

The report, released every two years since 1999, is a global study of religious freedom and persecution across all countries and faith groups.

“Since the first edition of the RFR, the situation has steadily worsened, and unfortunately, this negative trend is expected to continue,” Marta Petrosillo, the report’s editor-in-chief, said in a press release published ahead of the report’s launch.

According to ACN, this year’s report highlights the continent of Africa, particularly the spread of jihadist violence into the countries of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The daylong conference will feature the voices of religious freedom experts and persecuted Christians from Nigeria, Syria, India, Sudan, and Pakistan.

The second half of the day will also include a panel of speakers on the increasing restrictions to religious freedom in democratic societies in the West, including legal and cultural pressure, secularist intolerance, and challenges to public witness.

In 2024, ACN spent more than $150 million on thousands of projects in 137 countries.

In an audience with members of the nonprofit at the Vatican on Oct. 10, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of their work, especially in a world that continues to “witness growing hostility and violence against those who hold different beliefs, including many Christians.”

Pope Leo XIV is shown here at the Holy Mass for the opening of the general chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine on Sept. 1, 2025 . / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 06:03 am (CNA).

The Order of St. Augustine and the Vatican Publishing House announced the publication of a new book by Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost O.S.A., titled “Free Under Grace: Writings and Meditations 2001-2013.” The book will be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, which opened Wednesday.

The tome will include, for the first time, the writings of the current pontiff during his term as prior general of the Augustinian Order, offering readers a "closer look at his spirituality," according to a statement from the Vatican Publishing House. It will include reflections, meditations, homilies, and addresses, all imbued with the characteristic Augustinian spirituality of the reigning pontiff.

The book will be published in Italian in the Spring of 2026. Spanish and English versions will also be available, the Vatican Publishing House confirmed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Fr. Joseph Lawrence Farrell, O.S.A., current prior general of the Augustinian Order, commented: “This book, which compiles many of the communications of the then prior general, Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A., offers an overview of some of the important themes developed during his years at the head of the Order of Saint Augustine.”

Lorenzo Fazzini, editorial director of the Vatican Publishing House, said that “We are truly delighted to participate in the Frankfurt Book Fair by presenting this previously unpublished book by Robert Francis Prevost O.S.A. — Leo XIV — to publishers around the world.” Fazzini noted that “This text will allow readers to delve into the pope's writings during his time as an Augustinian religious and superior of his order. It is a highly anticipated volume for readers around the world.”

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

Abigail, Joshua, Jesus, Sheep, and Pigeon in "The Chosen Adventures," which comes out on Prime Video on Oct. 17. / Credit: David Griffin

CNA Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 05:11 am (CNA).

5&2 Studios, the production company behind the hit series “The Chosen,” is releasing its new animated series called “The Chosen Adventures” on Prime Video on Oct. 17. 

The new series follows 9-year-old Abby and her best friend Joshua as they navigate life in the city of Capernaum. When the two children meet a wise carpenter — Jesus of Nazareth — he changes the way they see the world. 

“The Chosen Adventures” consists of 14 11-minute episodes and features several of the original cast members, including Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, Elizabeth Tabish as Mary Magdalene, Paras Patel as Matthew, and George Xanthis as John, among others. 

Joining the cast is Paul Walter Hauser as Sheep, Yvonne Orji as Pigeon, Romy Fay as Abby, Jude Zarzaur as Joshua, Danny Nucci as Abba, and Zehra Fazal as Eema.

Dallas Jenkins, writer, director, and creator of “The Chosen,” serves as an executive producer for the new animated series. He told CNA in an interview that the inspiration for the new show came from episode three of Season 1 of “The Chosen,” in which Jesus is seen interacting with children throughout the episode. 

“Not only did kids love it, but adults loved it because seeing Jesus with the eyes of a child is actually how Jesus often wants you to see him,” he told CNA. “And that episode resonated so strongly that we thought, ‘Okay, well, this is an opportunity. What if we did an animated series where Abigail and Joshua, the two main characters from that episode, were featured and it really allows us to explore a whimsy and a playfulness that you can really dig into with animation in a fresh way.”

Jenkins emphasized that while children will enjoy the show, it is also something adults can enjoy. 

“It's still grounded in truth,” he said. “And I still think that you'll watch this show and it will still feel real even though yes, there's a pigeon and a sheep that talk to each other, we always want to ground it in ‘The Chosen’ way.”

He added, “Yes, younger kids are going to appreciate it. But I think it's going to still feel like ‘The Chosen.’ It's not going to feel like it's a departure from who we are.”

As a huge fan of “The Chosen,” Hauser, who will voice the character of Sheep, told CNA that “the idea of doing a faith-based program that I was really proud of” was a major factor in what drew him to the role. He hopes the series will leave both children and adults feeling “encouraged or inspired to deepen their relationship with God.”

“You don't have to come to God with fancy big words and sound like someone you're not,” he added. “God is not impressed with us trying to dress up our faith in some way. I think it has more to do with authenticity and with the readiness to want to approach God and ask questions and engage with that.”

Jenkins added that he hopes viewers will be left inspired to be “curious.”

“Abigail sets an example for all of us with curiosity. She's asking questions. She never wants to stop learning. And I think God loves that,” he said. “I turned 50 this year. I never want to stop being curious. I never want to stop learning more, seeing things from a different perspective. I think we need that more than ever in society.”

He added: “Yes, we are grounded on foundational, Biblical truths that won't change but our perspective, the way we interact with others, the way we see the world, the way we see politics, the way we see other people, the empathy that we can find for other people that I think children are capable of, that we adults sometimes don't do, is something that is really important.”

Apparition of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. / Credit: Alacoque, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Oct 16, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque — whose feast day is celebrated in the Catholic Church on Oct. 16 — was a French nun responsible for spreading the devotion of the Sacred Heart throughout the Western Church.

Born in July 1647, Margaret had a great love for God from a young age. Her father, Claude, passed away when she was 8 years old. From ages 9 to 13 she suffered a paralyzing illness. This, in addition to a struggle over her family’s property, made life difficult for Margaret and her mother. However, it was during her time suffering with the illness that she made the promise to enter religious life.

For some time during her adolescence, however, Margaret forgot about her vow and lived an ordinary life. It wasn’t until she had a vision one evening at age 22 that her life changed.

In the vision, Margaret saw Christ being scourged. She believed this meant that she had betrayed Jesus by living a worldly life instead of a religious one. It was then that she entered the convent.

In 1673, Margaret experienced Christ’s presence in a way she never had while praying. She heard Jesus tell her that he wanted to show his love for people by encouraging a special devotion to his Sacred Heart.

Christ revealed ways to venerate his Sacred Heart and explained the immense love he has for humanity, appearing with his heart visible outside his chest, on fire, and surrounded by a crown of thorns.

Christ told Sister Margaret Mary: “My Sacred Heart is so intense in its love for men, and for you in particular, that not being able to contain within it the flames of its ardent charity, they must be transmitted through all means.”

These visions continued for 18 months. When Margaret told her superior, she did not believe her.

On June 16, 1675, Jesus told Sister Margaret Mary to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart. He also gave Sister Margaret Mary 12 promises made to all who venerated and promoted the devotion of the Sacred Heart.

Soon after, Father Claude La Colombiere, a Jesuit, became Margaret’s spiritual director. He believed what she had to say and began to write down her revelations. Colombiere has since been canonized, and many have read his writings on the Sacred Heart.

Thanks to Colombiere, Margaret had found inner peace about her revelations being doubted by others. However, her writings and the accounts of others faced a thorough examination by Church officials.

Margaret died in 1690 and was canonized by Benedict XV on May 13, 1920.

The Vatican was at first hesitant to declare a feast to the Sacred Heart. But as the devotion spread throughout France, the Vatican granted the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to France in 1765.

In 1856, Blessed Pius IX designated the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi as the feast of the Sacred Heart for the universal Church.

This article was first published on Oct. 16, 2022, and has been updated.