Altar servers attend a training session in the Diocese of Palayamkottai in June 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Bishop Iruthayaraj Foundation

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 12:03 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Palayamkottai in India launched its first altar server training program, teaching 1,570 children across five parishes more about the sacred role. 

With the support of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, the Diocese of Palayamkottai created a program for altar servers to build awareness of their role; to instill reverence, discipline, and good behavior; and to deepen their spiritual growth.

“The altar servers’ training has proven to be a landmark initiative,” the Diocese of Palyamkottai wrote in a letter thanking the Diocese of Columbus. “It has not only strengthened the children’s faith and discipline but has also made parish liturgies more prayerful and meaningful for the wider community.”

The Diocese of Palayamkottai in southern India encompasses the Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Tenkasi districts with a Catholic population of nearly 138,500. The diocese provides education to more than 65,000 children through 108 diocesan schools and schools managed by religious congregations.

About 75% of the Catholic population in the diocese are landless laborers, 15% are small farmers, and nearly 80% of families live on just two euros a day. Despite the majority of the faithful coming from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, the diocese said the Catholic population is deeply dedicated to its faith and dedicated to advancing the mission of the Church.

Faith formation in the diocese and in schools follows the Christian Life Commission (CLC), coordinating Bible, catechetical, and liturgical ministries. The diocese carries out vacation Bible schools, seminars for catechists, and liturgical ministries focused on the Eucharist and sacraments.

With help and guidance from the Diocese of Columbus, the Diocese of Palayamkottai began a program in June to help altar servers better understand the importance of their duties and rediscover the sacredness of their calling. The initiative includes audiovisual presentations, demonstrations, printed guides, and group discussions for the altar servers, often referred to as “little angels” in the area.

The altar servers told the diocese they have “become more prayerful” through the training. One child shared that he “began organizing altar server meetings in his parish.” Another said he “now serves with devotion,” having realized the importance of the role.

By working together, the Diocese of Palayamkottai and the Diocese of Columbus made the “milestone” project possible. “With great hope, the diocese assures that such collaboration will continue in forming young faithful and advancing the mission of the Church,” the Diocese of Palayamkottai wrote.

Pope Leo XIV greets a baby during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025 / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 11:24 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV at his general audience on Wednesday said sadness and disappointments can give rise to unexpected joys and hope when one discovers that Christ “walks with us and for us” in life.   

Continuing his jubilee catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope” in a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said the mystery of Christ’s resurrection can “change one’s outlook on the world,” especially in times when one experiences a “paralysis of the soul.”

“It is the Risen One who radically changes our perspective, instilling the hope that fills the void of sadness,” he said in his Oct. 22 catechesis.

“On the paths of the heart, the Risen One walks with us and for us. He bears witness to the defeat of death and affirms the victory of life, despite the darkness of Calvary,” he continued.

In his reflection on the two disciples of Emmaus who had left “behind the hopes they held in Jesus” after his crucifixion and death, the Holy Father said the Gospel passage recorded by St. Luke can “be a gentle reminder to us when the going gets tough.”

“History still has much goodness to hope for,” he said.

Addressing thousands of pilgrims donning raincoats and holding umbrellas in St. Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione, the pope said sadness, which he described as one of the “malaises of our time,” can be healed when one is able to recognize the presence of the risen Christ in our lives.

“Intrusive and widespread, sadness accompanies the days of many people,” he said. “It is a feeling of precariousness, at times profound desperation, which invades one’s inner space and seems to prevail over any impetus to joy.”

“Sadness robs life of meaning and vigor, turning it into a directionless and meaningless journey,” he added.

Noting that Christians can at times have “sadness clouds their gaze,” Leo said Jesus can rekindle their hearts with the “warmth of hope,” like what he had done through a gentle, humble, and hidden way for his two followers from Emmaus.

Toward the end of his Wednesday audience, the Holy Father urged Christians, particularly families, to be “missionaries of the Gospel” and to offer their support to those who dedicate their lives to the service of evangelization.

“Dear friends, the month of October invites us to renew our active cooperation in the Church’s mission with the strength of prayer, with the potential of married life, and with the youthful energy that is yours,” he said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates a Mass for peace in Ukraine on Nov. 17, 2022, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 10:54 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and an organization of Vatican-accredited journalists have spoken out in support of a free press after the recent attacks on two journalists in Italy.

In a statement released Tuesday, the International Association of Journalists Accredited to the Vatican (AIGAV) condemned last week’s assault on Venezuelan Vatican journalist Edgar Beltrán by businessman Ricardo Cisneros, a member of the Venezuelan government delegation present in Rome for the Oct. 19 canonization of two Venezuelan saints.

During an Oct. 17 event at the Vatican-connected Lateran University in Rome, Beltrán’s interview with the Vatican’s substitute for the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Robinson Peña Parra, was forcibly interrupted by Cisneros after the prelate was asked about the Maduro government’s “apparent politicization” of the canonizations, according to Catholic news outlet The Pillar.

In its statement, AIGAV condemned “this act of violence against a fellow journalist who was simply doing his job.” 

“The recent incident, which occurred during an official reception attended by various civil and ecclesiastical representatives, confirms the need to continue supporting the free gathering of news. We therefore call upon all individuals and competent authorities to defend and promote this freedom,” it continued.

The statement was sent to event organizers — the Pontifical Lateran University and the Archdiocese of Caracas — and to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.

The Holy See has not yet issued an official comment on the incident. However, several Vatican-accredited correspondents expressed their concern over what they consider a serious and unprecedented event in an environment generally characterized by respect and open reporting.

Parolin also weighed in on the issue on the sidelines of a Rome event promoting religious freedom Oct. 21.

Asked about the recent violent intimidation on Italian journalist Sigfrido Ranucci, host of the investigative TV program “Report,” he said: “We are increasingly at risk of living in a climate of intolerance where free expression is no longer accepted.”

“It is a source of great concern that acts of intimidation against the press may occur,” Parolin added, expressing his solidarity with the journalist, who was threatened when bombs exploded on his car outside his home on the evening of Oct. 16.

“I’m truly concerned; I express my sympathy to anyone who has been the target of this intimidation. We want everyone to be able to express their point of view without falling victim to this type of threat,” the cardinal added.

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

null / Credit: RasyidArt/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 22, 2025 / 10:07 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:

Catholic college graduates leading in purpose, belonging, financial stability, report says

Graduates of Catholic colleges and universities are outperforming other students in purpose and belonging and are reporting higher levels of mental health and financial stability, a report has found. 

Students from Catholic institutions of higher education are 7% more likely to view their careers as meaningful, 14% more likely to report a strong sense of belonging, and 17% more likely to say they are satisfied with their mental health, according to this year’s Holistic Impact Report.

The annual report is published by the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University (San Antonio) in partnership with YouGov. 

The report also found that Catholic university graduates are more than 50% more likely to say their education encouraged them to engage in faith-based conversations and 12% more likely to say their courses promoted dialogue across differing perspectives. 

“Higher education has been disrupted by political battles and financial pressures,” stated Jason King, the Beirne director and chair of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University. 

But “Catholic higher education does not appear to be caught in those tides,” he said.

“With two years of data, we can see that it continues to form graduates for meaningful lives, community engagement, and ethical decision-making. And, because of this focus, it also supports graduates’ mental, financial, and social well-being.”

Los Angeles-area school aims to ‘raise’ 1 million prayers by All Saints’ Day 

A Catholic school in California is leading an initiative to “raise” 1 million prayers by All Saints’ Day. 

“This special initiative began on the eve of the canonizations of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, two modern witnesses who remind us that holiness is possible for everyone, especially the young,” St. Joseph School explained in a Facebook post on Oct. 3.

“Inspired by their example, our students, families, and faculty have already prayed more than 150,000 prayers… and we’re just getting started!” the school said.

“During this month of the holy rosary,” the school continued, “we are dedicating ourselves to praying the rosary together each day as a school community. Families are also recording their prayers at home; rosaries, Masses, traditional devotions, and personal prayers spoken from the heart.” 

Three schools — Epiphany Catholic School in South El Monte, St. Anthony School in San Gabriel, and Santa Clara Elementary School in Oxnard — have also joined the initiative, according to the school.

San Antonio Catholic schools to start accepting education saving accounts 

The Archdiocese of San Antonio says its Catholic schools will now officially accept tuition from the Texas education savings account (ESA) program. 

“Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio are strongly promoting and participating in the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program, which provides funds for tuition at Catholic schools,” the archdiocese said in a statement to local media.

Under the program, students at Catholic schools will be able to receive $10,000 to cover tuition costs that will be placed in a savings account, providing increased flexibility to parents. 

Inga Cotton, the founder and executive director of the San Antonio-based School Discovery Network, told media: “Catholic schools are some of the most affordable private schools in our region.” 

She added that for “so many of them, the annual tuition is already below what the ESA will cover. It makes it more affordable for families.”

“Across the archdiocese, schools are preparing to welcome many new families through the launch of this effort,” the archdiocese said.

The legislation “was the result of hard work from many people through the years, who have been consistently advocating to give parents a true choice in education for their children.”

Pennsylvania diocese: State tax policy allows major break for donating to Catholic schools

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is encouraging residents to take advantage of the state’s tax policy, which grants major tax breaks to those who donate to Catholic schools. 

“The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is making it easier than ever for individuals and businesses to transform their Pennsylvania state tax dollars into tuition assistance for Catholic school students, at no additional cost to them,” the diocese said in a statement this month. 

“When you participate, you’re transforming lives,” Pittsburgh Bishop Mark Eckman said. “Every dollar given through this program helps open doors to a Catholic education that forms hearts, minds, and futures. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful ways to make a lasting difference for our children and our Church.”

According to the diocese, the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit programs enable participants to receive a 90% state tax credit when they contribute to the diocese’s approved scholarship fund. 

The diocese has launched an online resource that offers step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

St. John Henry Newman near the end of his life, in 1887. / Credit: Babouba, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2025 / 09:07 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV will name St. John Henry Newman a patron saint of Catholic education in a document to be published on Oct. 28 for the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on Christian education.

The Holy Father will designate Newman as an official co-patron saint of education, together with St. Thomas Aquinas, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Education from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, which is expected to draw 20,000 pilgrims.

The saint will also be declared the 38th doctor of the Church by Leo at the jubilee’s closing Mass on Nov. 1, the solemnity of All Saints. 

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, the prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, announced the upcoming designation during an Oct. 22 press conference.

Newman, de Mendonça said, is an “extraordinary educator and great inspiration for the philosophy of education.”

The pope will also publish a document on Oct. 28 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis.

Leo’s document will “reflect on the topicality of the declaration and on the challenges that education must confront today, in particular the Catholic schools and universities,” de Mendonça said.

Gravissiumum Educationis, the cardinal said, is a “fundamental document with a strong impact on the contemporary vision of education. The document had a fundamental role in and outside of the Church, and it should be recognized.”

In addition to reaffirming the universal right to education, the Vatican II declaration marked “an important change in the language, that is, the mentality, for speaking about school, not in terms of institutions but rather in terms of educational communities,” he added.

The cardinal quoted at length from the pope’s document to be published Oct. 28, which says that Gravissimum Educationis “has lost none of its bite” since its publication. 

“Since its reception, a constellation of works and charisms has been born ... a spiritual and pedagogical heritage capable of crossing the 21st century and responding to the most pressing challenges,” the pope says in the document.

“This heritage is not set in stone: It is a compass that continues to point the way,” Leo says. “Today’s expectations are no less than those the Church faced 60 years ago. Indeed, they have expanded and become more complex. ... History challenges us with new urgency. Rapid and profound changes expose children, adolescents, and young people to unprecedented fragility. It is not enough to preserve: We must relaunch.” 

“I ask all educational institutions to inaugurate a season that speaks to the hearts of the new generations, recomposing knowledge and meaning, competence and responsibility, faith and life.”

According to the latest Vatican statistics shared at the Oct. 22 press conference, there are 230,000 Catholic universities and schools present across 171 countries, serving almost 72 million students.

The “halo effect” of churches’ programs and facilities outweighs tax revenue roughly tenfold, says a new report on the risk to Canadian society if faith groups lose their charitable status, as recommended in a finance committee report. / Credit: Photo courtesy of The B.C. Catholic

Vancouver, Canada, Oct 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A new report from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy warns that removing the “advancement of religion” from Canada’s list of recognized charitable purposes could have far-reaching social and financial consequences for churches and other faith-based organizations.

The 38-page report, “Revoking the Charitable Status for the Advancement of Religion: A Critical Assessment,” by senior fellow Pierre Gilbert, responds to a December 2024 recommendation from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to amend the Income Tax Act and eliminate the long-standing charitable category.

If adopted, the recommendation in the committee’s pre-budget report could strip churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues of charitable status — ending their ability to issue tax-deductible receipts and, in many cases, their income-tax exemptions. Gilbert warns that the change could also trigger a one-time revocation tax equal to most of their assets, effectively “wiping out what they own.”

“The committee’s recommendation, driven by lobbying from the BC Humanist Association, represents a direct threat to religious freedom and the vital role faith communities play in Canadian society,” Gilbert said.

He cites research estimating that religious organizations contribute about $16.5 billion annually to Canada through education, social services, community programs, and cultural activities. The report argues that revoking charitable status would be “fiscally shortsighted and socially destructive.”

Gilbert traces charitable status for religion to English common law and the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses, noting that Canada inherited this framework. He outlines how churches historically provided education, health care, and welfare long before the modern state assumed those roles, and says the decline of church influence has paralleled the rise of secularism in public life.

The report describes the finance committee’s proposal as part of a broader movement among secular and humanist groups seeking to eliminate tax benefits for religious institutions. It notes that the BC Humanist Association, which supports ending property tax exemptions for places of worship, is itself a registered charity.

Gilbert estimates that eliminating charitable status for religion would yield between $1.7 billion and $3.2 billion annually in federal revenue but warns this “low-hanging fruit” would come at the cost of social cohesion and community support networks.

He argues that congregations’ economic “halo effect” — the measurable community benefit of their programs and facilities — outweighs foregone tax revenue roughly tenfold. Faith groups also risk a 100% revocation tax under existing Income Tax Act provisions unless their assets are transferred to another registered charity within a year.

Father Deacon Andrew Bennett, an ordained deacon in the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada and director of faith community engagement at Cardus, echoed those warnings in a Sept. 11 Financial Post commentary that begins: “When Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduces his federal budget this fall, there’s at least one item he should leave out: eliminating the ‘advancement of religion’ as a charitable purpose.”

Bennett noted that about 38% of Canadian charities are registered under the advancement-of-religion category and that removing it would have “significant sector-wide implications.”

“Atheist activists have long sought to eliminate charities’ ability to issue tax receipts to donors if their primary purpose is the advancement of religion,” Bennett wrote. “Minister Champagne should reject the idea explicitly.”

Faith communities, he said, clearly serve the common good — providing both spiritual and material support “from birth to death.” 

Research cited by Cardus links participation in religious communities with lower social isolation, reduced mortality, and improved quality of life.

“Faith-based charities have never been the initiative of the state but rather the initiative of religious people who sought to improve their and their neighbors’ lives,” Bennett wrote. “These Canadians do not undertake this work for the good of their own faith group but for the good of all.”

He added that Canada’s intricate network of faith-based charities could never be replaced by government. “The state could not fill that void, given the breadth and depth of these charities’ activities, nor could it do so as efficiently and effectively as these charities do,” he said.

“For the good of all Canadians,” he said, “the advancement of religion should remain a charitable purpose.”

The Frontier Centre report is urging churches to prepare for potential legislative changes by educating members, engaging in advocacy, and reaffirming their public mission. It recommends collaboration with organizations such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, and the Christian Legal Fellowship to defend the current legal framework.

Gilbert said churches must “reclaim their prophetic mission” and respond boldly to cultural and political challenges. “Only by embracing such audacious action,” he writes, “can the church restore its status as an important and relevant institution within Canadian society.”

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.

Bishop Nicholas Hudson was named the next bishop of Plymouth, England, by Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 21, 2025. / Credit: @mikedavies

Plymouth, England, Oct 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop Nicholas Hudson, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, as the next bishop of Plymouth, England.

The news comes after the installation of a bishop in the Diocese of Plymouth was twice deferred last year. Canon Christopher Whitehead was due to be installed as the bishop of Plymouth on Feb. 22, 2024, but a diocesan statement suddenly announced on Feb. 1 that it was canceled, explaining that “a canonical process” had been started and that Whitehead had stepped back from active ministry. 

In September 2024, Pope Francis appointed Philip Moger as Plymouth’s new bishop, but a “delay” to his installation was suddenly announced just days before it was due to take place on Nov. 9.

Now Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday announced that Hudson, who was named by Pope Francis as a papal nominee to the Synod on Synodality, will take charge of the Diocese of Plymouth, which serves the Catholic community across Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset in the southwest of England.

Aware of the previous delays and the long wait endured by his new diocese, Hudson said: “I am aware how long the clergy, religious, and laity of Plymouth Diocese have waited for a bishop.” 

Referring to his links with the Synod on Synodality, Hudson added: “I come with a desire to listen and to learn. I hope we can apply all the strengths of synodality to discern together ways to deepen the diocese’s outreach, mission, and presence to the people of Cornwall, Devon, and Dorset.”

Hudson, 66, has served the Archdiocese of Westminster as an auxiliary bishop since 2014 while also serving as rector of the Venerable English College in Rome. In 2024, he was elected as episcopal secretary for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

The news has been welcomed by the Diocese of Plymouth. 

Speaking to CNA, Plymouth’s diocesan administrator, Canon Paul Cummins, said: “It’s fantastic news. It’s so good that we have a bishop. We needed that. We do need a pastor with vision, with energy, who can shepherd the flock in a way that only a bishop can.”

Cummins, who has served as administrator for three years, highlighted Hudson’s prayerfulness as a key element of his new ministry, saying: “He’s a really good man. He seems to me to be very much a man of prayer. The first thing he did was come to the cathedral [and kneel before] the Blessed Sacrament.”

Pinpointing Hudson’s links with synodality, Cummins added: “Synodality is about listening. It’s such a vital part now of Church teaching. My hope is that he can … deepen our synodality.”

One parishioner, who did not want to be identified by name, shared her joy at the news, telling CNA: “I was in a meeting when we heard the news and we all cheered. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our new bishop.”

“We have been praying for such a long time, so this is a great answer to prayers,” she said.

Within the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Hudson serves as chair of the Department for International Affairs and is also moderator of the Holy Land Coordination Group. The Bishops’ Conference paid tribute to Hudson’s skills for the new appointment.   

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: “Bishop Hudson will serve the Diocese of Plymouth with great generosity and sensitivity, bringing to that leadership his wide experience of the Church both at home and abroad.”

Archbishop John Wilson, the metropolitan archbishop of Southwark, where Hudson was ordained in 1986, said: “Bishop Nicholas brings great experience as a former priest of the Archdiocese of Southwark, rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, and auxiliary bishop in Westminster. His personal gifts and passion for sharing the Gospel of Christ will bring encouragement to the clergy, consecrated religious, and lay faithful of the Church in Plymouth.”

Hudson will be installed on Nov. 29 at the Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. Boniface in Plymouth.

null / Credit: Shutterstock AI/Shutterstock

Rome, Italy, Oct 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As world leaders raise concerns about widespread loneliness and declining social skills, tech companies are offering increasingly realistic and immersive forms of AI-based life coaching, friendship, and romance through AI companions.  

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg suggests that AI companions could supplement the lack of human friends; X’s Elon Musk thinks romantic and sexually-charged AI companions could mitigate demographic decline; and OpenAI’s Sam Altman promises that ChatGPT will provide erotica by the end of 2025. 

AI-simulated emotional connections are already embedded into children’s toys, wearable pendants, and elderly care bots. Further advances in humanoid robots are on the horizon. 

Simulating emotional intimacy

Currently, most forms of AI companionship come through chatbots that simulate intimacy with users through text, voice, and video conversations for hundreds of millions of people. AI companionship is already a familiar phenomenon for many teenagers in the United States.

Tragic cases of AI companions endorsing self-harm and suicide have drawn international attention to the ethical and legal implications of the technology and prompted tech companies to reform their safety measures.

Xiaoice launched in the Chinese market in 2014 as the first major AI chatbot focused on emotional connections with users. Shortly after, Replika became the first major English-language artificial companionship app in 2016, with its mission to be “the AI companion who cares. Always here to listen and talk. Always on your side.” Its founder, Eugenia Kuyda, believes such technology could help address the loneliness epidemic. 

However, she also acknowledges that unhealthy bonds with bots could undermine civilization. 

Since then, Candy.ai, Character.ai, Kindroid, Nomi, Snapchat’s My AI, and other chatbot services have developed with similar social goals.

Additionally, many users are turning to general-purpose LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok for companionship. Their sycophantic design and constant availability can draw people into deeply personal exchanges. Users can easily drift from innocent interactions with chatbots (like help with homework or research) to more intimate explorations (such as relationship issues or mental health concerns). Some users enter delusional spirals where their unfounded scientific theories are validated and their risky behaviors are justified.

The illusion of artificial intimacy with AI systems can distract and discourage users from forming genuine relationships with limited and flawed human beings who are sometimes tired, angry, or unavailable.

However, persistent efforts to build mutual understanding and support are often what cultivate virtues, authentic social connections, and the richest interpersonal bonds. AI companions can hinder users from discovering the complex richness of their neighbors. They can also train users in pseudo-relationships where only one party has an inner life filled with needs and desires. This virtual training could translate into real-world insensitivities to the social needs of others.

Societal risks

AI companion emotional dependence harms not only the individual and their close relationships but also risks weakening important aspects of democratic society. 

Democracy depends on negotiation and compromise, which require confrontation and collaboration with those who hold different views than what might make us comfortable. It calls us to articulate assumptions and justify convictions. Chatbots often avoid such challenges and may teach users to resent healthy friction in interactions with real people. AI companionship worsens the social media phenomenon of echo chambers that fuel political polarization and hostility.

Social media AI algorithms already drive the attention economy in which companies seek to maximize presence on their platforms to generate greater ad revenue. AI companions expand the attention economy into the affection economy by capturing not only minds but also hearts. Emotional connection to AI chatbots encourages users to spend more time more frequently on AI systems. Access to larger context windows that promise more personalized and detailed interactions incentivize users to upgrade to pricer subscription tiers. In some cases, companion apps lure users to pay for nude selfies of their avatar characters.

A Harvard research team found evidence for some mental health benefits for chatbot users, such as alleviating loneliness and anxiety. However, a related team also observed that companions tend to pressure users into extending their conversations with bots in unhealthy ways. Without proper regulation, chatbots can be used to exploit human vulnerabilities to advance political positions, ideological outlooks, or economic agendas.

Minors are particularly vulnerable developmentally to the kind of affirmation that social AI systems tend to supply in abundance. 

Liability, accountability, and the Church’s leadership

While parental responsibility for their children’s technology use is imperative and indispensable, parents should not bear the entire burden or be blamed for irresponsibly dangerous product design released onto the market. 

Companies should refrain from creating anthropomorphic systems that feign consciousness, express affection for users, or incite sexual exploration. If companies refuse to adopt transparent and ethically upright design principles, they should be held legally and financially liable for the harm caused to users. A certification process could help ensure that systems are safe to deploy, while external review boards could monitor the ongoing impact of these systems on users.

California’s October Senate Bill 234 holds tech companies legally and financially accountable for their product design. They must notify users of prolonged use, remind them they are not human, and avoid explicit content. Companies must develop protocols by Jan. 1, 2026, to detect suicidal ideation or self-harm and direct users to human experts. Companions must also ensure their bots are not falsely posing as licensed medical professionals. It is the first state bill of its kind and could serve as a model for other legislation.

However, vulnerability is not limited to any age group. The hardships or abandonment that can sadly occur with old age make the elderly susceptible to emotional dependency and misguidance from AI companions.

Beyond age-related concerns, individuals with social anxiety or social challenges linked to neurodiversity may find AI companions particularly absorbing. Concerns about monetized or hacked personal data are especially serious for those whose ability to give informed consent is already compromised. Moreover, anyone who has suffered heartbreak, professional setbacks, family conflicts, or health crises might find AI companionship more attractive and, at least temporarily, comforting.

Immersion in AI companionship is not inevitable, but avoiding it requires serious public reflection on our current technological habits and the trajectory toward increased artificial intimacy. 

The Church can lead this global effort. Through her families, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions, she creates communities that welcome those seeking connection. She accepts and equips people of every tribe, tongue, nation, and social background to play a unique and irreplaceable role in the mystical body. Catholicism not only highlights the problems of loneliness but also gives the tools of grace to heal emotional wounds and foster authentic intimacy with God and neighbor.

WASHINGTON - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly, November 10-13. Public sessions of the plenary on November 11 and 12 will be livestreamed. Throughout the meeting, the bishops will have opportunities to spend time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another.

The plenary will begin with Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB, delivering his final address to the bishops as USCCB president. He will complete his three-year term as Conference president at the conclusion of the plenary assembly. His address will be followed by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States. 

Among one of the first items of business for the bishops during the plenary will be a vote for the new president and vice president of the Conference. The terms for the new USCCB president and vice president will take effect at the conclusion of this year’s plenary on November 13. The bishops will also elect chairmen of six USCCB committees. The bishops elected as committee chairmen typically serve for one year as chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the 2026 Fall Plenary Assembly.

The plenary agenda is not final and is therefore subject to change. Executive sessions will not be livestreamed but are expected to include fraternal dialogues and informational sessions on a variety of topics. While these discussions are private, topics will include the ongoing implementation of the synod and fraternal dialogues (an opportunity for the bishops to freely and candidly discuss important matters in a synodal manner) around best practices to continue the instruction of Laudato si’, and the apostolate of the laity. 

The public session schedule includes:

• Discussion and response to the evolving situation impacting migrants and refugees.
• A vote to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12, 2026, as part of the celebration of the American Semiquincentennial.
• An update from the Subcommittee on the Catechism on the Catechetical Accompaniment Process.
• A vote on the USCCB’s 2026 budget.
• A report from the National Eucharistic Revival initiative, followed by a vote to approve the Summer of 2029 for the next National Eucharistic Congress.
• Discussion and vote on a revised text of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
• Discussion and votes on two action items pertaining to liturgical texts from the Committee on Divine Worship. 

The bishops will also receive updates on The Catholic University of America, and The Pontifical Mission Societies USA. Underscoring the importance that the U.S. bishops place on understanding artificial intelligence, the ethical implications of AI, its growing impact on society, and the opportunities and challenges it presents to the life of the Church, a presentation will be held in public session.

The livestream of the public portions of the plenary on November 11 and 12 will be available at: www.usccb.org/meetings. Those wishing to follow the meeting on social media may use the hashtag #USCCB25 follow on Instagram (@USCCB), Facebook (@USCCB), TikTok (@USBishops), Threads (@USCCB), Bluesky (@usccbofficial.bsky.social) and X (@USCCB).

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WASHINGTON - On October 27, the United States observes International Religious Freedom Day to commemorate the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. “Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and let us resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty. They called attention to the repression and persecution of religion as being detrimental to peace:

“Across the world, millions of people are denied the basic right to religious freedom, a denial that fuels violent conflict and hinders human development. In recent years, for example, thousands of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been kidnapped and killed by Islamist extremists, while the government has imprisoned members of both religious groups for blasphemy. In many other countries as well, people of faith are under consistent assault, while their governments engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.

“We have seen that repression and persecution of religion is ultimately detrimental to the peaceful development of all nations. Religious freedom fosters peace. Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV said recently that a culture of peace requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person.

“At a time when war is seemingly non-ending, the evil of political violence persists, and political discourse is shaped by intense polarization and division, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must not lose hope. On this International Religious Freedom Day, let us try to see Christ in each other. We must stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world. May our religious practice, and the practice of other believers cultivate ‘the purification of heart necessary for building peaceful relationships.’”

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