From RNS: Several senior cardinals in Rome are apparently furious about plans to open a new McDonald’s restaurant in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica and have reportedly asked Pope Francis to stop the expansion from going ahead. But that’s not the only charge of cultural heresy invading the Vatican’s sacred precincts this week: Questions are also being raised after the Holy See gave approval for the Hard Rock Cafe chain to open a store on Via della Conciliazione, the... Read more

From the Archbishop of Louisville and the President of the USCCB. Check it out, below. Read more

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, writes in his archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven: In the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate, Senator Kaine acknowledged he was blessed with great Irish Catholic parents and grew up in a wonderful faith-filled family. He also mentioned proudly that he is a graduate of Rockhurst High School, crediting the Jesuits with instilling within him a desire for public service and a commitment to advocate for the poor. I wish that was the end of... Read more

You probably remember this shocking story from last month. Now an update, from Crux: Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in the abduction and murder of two Catholic priests in Veracruz state last month. Mexico City prosecutors say in a Monday statement that the unidentified suspect was detained Oct. 13 along with another person after they allegedly carjacked a couple in the capital. Investigators later determined the suspect had an arrest warrant for the kidnapping of the priests. Alejo Nabor... Read more

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A reader in Ireland wrote to ask about a homily he thought he’d seen on my blog some years back: the late Cardinal John O’Connor’s message to priests at their ordination in the Archdiocese of New York. The reader couldn’t find it and wondered if I could dig it up. This is why God made Google. I did a search and found this excerpt, from a column by Cardinal Edwin O’Brien in 2011. It comes from an ordination homily delivered by... Read more

An interesting shift, via The Guardian:  For almost 75 years it has been a reassuring weekly fixture following an unchanged format, part of the fabric of the nation. But the pace and reach of social change appear to have left Desert Island Discs behind. A new poll suggests that only 31% of people in the UK would like a copy of the Bible to take to a desert island. The Radio 4 programme’s imaginary castaways are given a Bible and... Read more

From CNN:  Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine made campaign history Sunday morning as the first presidential ticket candidate to deliver a speech entirely in Spanish during a Spanish-language church service. “Yo soy catolico,” Clinton’s running mate said to the congregation at Pneuma Church in Miami, Florida. He introduced himself, discussing his time in Honduras as a missionary, and noting Clinton’s faith as a Methodist. The Virginia senator encouraged parishioners to vote, emphasizing the responsibility to participate politically in accordance... Read more

A sign of the times, via The Tennessean: Every Sunday, the Catholic prayers and songs of the Sagrado Corazon congregation fill the 3,300-seat auditorium of a former Southern Baptist megachurch with the Spanish language. From young to old, members filled the pews on the lower level of the vast space and even spilled into the upper deck during a 10 a.m. service on a Sunday in October. The priest celebrated the Mass in Spanish from a platform at the front of the auditorium as the congregation stood,... Read more

From CNN: With the operation to liberate Mosul from ISIS under way, the fate of more than a million civilians in the city hangs in the balance. The fight is expected to last weeks, if not months, and if the battles to wrest Falluja and Ramadi from the militant group’s grip are indicators, Mosul will be a messy melee. In northern Iraq, the main road to Mosul is dotted with villages deserted in expectation of the battle. But for residents... Read more