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Saturday, October 17, 2026
‘Indiscriminate’ ICE raids incite anxiety, fear in California’s Central Valley
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said an agreement is in effect for three years, restoring funding and requiring the charity to “maintain enhanced compliance and oversight measures.” |
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The tragedy that claimed the lives of three students has prompted an outpouring of pastoral care and community support across the state. |
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The Department of Homeland Security insisted ICE officers are “heroes,” enforcing the law. |
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The new trailer already has over 1 million views on YouTube in the 24 hours since its release. |
Leo will pray the Angelus from his window Sunday
Top stories
Leo leaves Gemelli and returns to the Vatican; will pray the Angelus from his window Sunday
Pope Leo XIV walked out of Gemelli Hospital shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Rome time, and returned to the papal apartment in the Vatican, four days after his lung cancer surgery. Smiling, he waved to the crowd at the main entrance and stopped to greet well-wishers, some of whom gave him gifts, before getting into the car. Before leaving, the Holy See Press Office said, he “thanked Professor Stefano Margaritora, who performed the surgery, together with the medical and nursing team,” and greeted the hospital staff and leadership. Earlier, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Margaritora said blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning showed the pope “has been deemed fit for discharge,” and he celebrated Mass in the hall on the hospital’s 10th floor. He will lead the Angelus at noon Sunday from the window of the papal apartment. At a Mass on Friday for off-duty hospital staff and Vatican gendarmes, he thanked the doctors, nurses, and ward assistants for what they “have done and continue to do for him.” The statement did not mention the final histology results. America’s Gerard O’Connell reports they are expected in the coming days and will shape follow-up treatment and the decision on the Nov. 6 Latin America trip. — Vatican News · ANSA [IT] · EWTN News · Vatican News · Holy See Press Office · America (Gerard O’Connell) · AP · Also: Holy See Press Office on Friday’s Mass
From the hospital, Leo calls Putin to seek a ceasefire for Oleshky
Leo spoke by phone Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation” in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, and calling for a ceasefire to allow food and medical aid in and the voluntary and safe evacuation of civilians. Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the pope “took the initiative to plead the case of this besieged city,” where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes out, and voiced hope that Putin will do what the pope asked. America, citing Reuters, reports the Kremlin said it supported the Vatican initiative and agreed to cooperate. It was the two leaders’ second call, after June 4, 2025. — Holy See Press Office · Vatican News · America (Gerard O’Connell) · National Catholic Reporter
Catholics number 1.422 billion as priests increase for the first time in five years
The Vatican’s Fides agency reports that the number of Catholics worldwide rose by 16.69 million to 1.422 billion, and that the number of priests rose for the first time in five years, to 407,421. The 2026 dossier, released ahead of Sunday’s 100th World Mission Sunday and based on 2024 figures, shows growth on every continent, led by Africa. Africa now has slightly more Catholics (288.31 million) than Europe (287.24 million). Women religious fell by 9,292, and major seminarians fell by 2,891. — Vatican News
Also today
- Leo names two auxiliary bishops for Madrid — Holy See Press Office. Fernando Murga Gómez and Andrés Martínez Esteban · Also: Melkite synod transfers Archbishop Edouard Daher to Petra and Philadelphia, Jordan
- Cardinal Parolin: Inauguration of Iraqi embassy building “a sign of hope” — Christopher Wells, Vatican News.
- Pope Francis on Punishment Without Vengeance — Where Peter Is. Fridays With Francis: Fratelli Tutti on the death penalty, with the Fort Hood shooter’s scheduled execution in view.
- Inside the Vatican: Pope Leo’s cancer diagnosis: What we know — Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, America. Also recaps the Amoris Laetitia meeting · Also: America
- An American pope brings American-style governance to the Vatican, even in a health crisis — Nicole Winfield, Crux (AP).
Compiled from publicly available reporting as of about 9 a.m., Oct. 17, 2026 (ET). Updated at about 11:30 a.m. ET with the Pope’s return to the Vatican. Quotations are as published by the linked outlets. Headlines from non-English sources are our translations.
This weekend edition was compiled with the help of AI tools and published automatically without editor review. Summaries reflect the reporting of the outlets linked, not the views of Where Peter Is. Please report any errors to the editors.
Photo: Livioandronico2013 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Friday, October 16, 2026
Why the Presbyterian Church Lost 1 Million Members in 10 Years
One million Presbyterians gone in ten years. A historic denomination imploding as theology, politics, and institutional pride collide. What this video covers —
- How theological drift and biblical debate reshaped modern Presbyterianism and drove mass departures from the PC-USA.
- The role of sexual ethics and same-sex ordination in triggering congregational exits and property battles.
- How politicized activism and faith-and-culture conflicts hollowed out evangelism, baptism, and church planting.
- The human cost: closed congregations, lost heritage, and displaced communities in American church history.
- Institutional failures in governance, litigation over property, and generational decline that threaten the denomination’s future.
Getting Ready for Advent
We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo
New wesite: https://www.stpatrickschurchsd.org/
We, the church of Saint Patrick, in the community of North Park,
of the Roman Catholic Diocese and City of San Diego,
declare this to be our primary mission:
to come together to celebrate the Eucharist,
hear God’s word proclaimed,
give praise and thanksgiving to God,
and develop a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
We believe that by freely sharing our faith,
talents, and treasures,
we discover Christ’s presence among us and bring Him
to others.
We have a strong desire to give and receive love,
service, peace, support,
and fellowship, within our families, our parish, our
community, and the world.
Open to the power of the Holy Spirit, we pursue this
mission faithfully and lovingly.
Firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will not be livestreamed
Opinion: A “No” vote on Virginia’s Amendment 2 is more than symbolic
By John M. Grondelski, Ph.D. on Oct 16, 2026 04:00 amThis fall, in addition to electing a U.S. Senator and members of the House, Virginians are also voting on three amendments to the state constitution. Amendment 1 makes abortion-on-demand throughout pregnancy a “fundamental right” that [...]
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Firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will not be livestreamed, Trump says
By Amira Abuzeid on Oct 15, 2026 11:32 amThe execution of the convicted mass shooter by firing squad is set for Dec. 3. [...]
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Wisdom from Four Saint Teresas
By Peter M.J. Stravinskas on Oct 15, 2026 10:10 amEditor’s note: This homily was on the liturgical memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, October 15, 2026, at the Church of the Holy Innocents, New York City. Today, the Church keeps the liturgical memorial of [...]
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Eight Rules of Life from Saint Teresa of Ávila
By Dawn Beutner on Oct 14, 2026 08:00 pmShe would have laughed if she had been told that she would someday be named a Doctor of the Church. Teresa de Ahumada y Cepeda (1515-1582), better known as Saint Teresa of Ávila, received the [...]
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Pope Leo XIV sends message after surgery to Vatican conference, asks for prayers
By EWTN News Staff on Oct 14, 2026 04:33 pm“I ask you please to pray for me, as I pray for you,” Pope Leo XIV wrote. [...]
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Unequal Monsters
By Matthew Becklo on Oct 14, 2026 10:04 amIn Book 12 of Homer’s Odyssey, the goddess Circe prepares Odysseus for his trip between Scylla and Charybdis, two monsters dwelling on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina, dividing Sicily and Italy. The former, [...]
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Candace Owens and the sin of antisemitism
By George Weigel on Oct 14, 2026 04:00 amAccording to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) was “an Italian-born businessman who was noted for his philanthropy and support of Jewish rights.” In the England to which he was brought as a [...]
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Michael O’Brien discusses Adeodatus, apocalypse, and the spiritual battle
By Paul Senz on Oct 12, 2026 09:03 pmMichael D. O’Brien is a remarkably prolific author, iconographer, and painter, endlessly creating staggering works of art that break the reader’s heart (in the best way). O’Brien is the author of many tremendous novels, including [...]
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Brace yourself, because woke trigger season is here
By John M. Grondelski, Ph.D. on Oct 12, 2026 08:11 pmIf you have any woke friends, they’re going to need help soon! It’s the worst time of year for certain woke seasonal allergies. I don’t mean pollen or ragweed. The period from October to December [...]
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Speaking to Greeks in Athens, and to a few others
By Paul Seaton on Oct 12, 2026 03:17 pmThis past Wednesday, Secretary Rubio gave a widely viewed speech atop the Acropolis in Athens, largely focusing on the ancient Greeks’ contributions to Western civilization, then applying their lessons to the current geopolitical scene. Pundits, [...]
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Caryll Houselander, patron of artists, mystics, neurotics, and…
By Dawn Beutner on Oct 12, 2026 04:00 amOn October 12, 1954, Caryll Houselander died, a British laywoman with an unusual name and an unusual story. When writer and publisher Maisie Ward wrote Caryll’s biography, Ward subtitled the book “Divine Eccentric,” an apt [...]
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Ethiopian Bishop Semahun says that seeking peace isn’t “remaining silent before evil”
By Ngala Killian Chimtom on Oct 11, 2026 05:24 pmBishop Lisane-Christos Matheos Semahun of Ethiopia’s Eparchy of Bahir Dar-Dessie has called for a return to peace in the troubled eparchy, emphasizing that “to seek peace does not mean ignoring injustice or remaining silent before [...]
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Why Creation Matters: The Trinitarian Case for Environmental Stewardship
By Matthew J. Ramage, Ph.D. on Oct 10, 2026 08:00 pmI was delighted to recently learn that Pope Leo had just authorized the publication of a substantial new study by the International Theological Commission (ITC) on a subject close to my own heart: Caring for [...]
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Opinion: Tuition assistance and Rube Goldberg economics
By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky on Oct 10, 2026 06:21 pmCommentator M. Stanton Evans once quipped that Democrats want to drive off the cliff at 100 miles per hour, while Republicans want to stay within the speed limit. The ghastly $40 trillion national debt illustrates [...]
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The Wedding Feast, the Lamb, and the Kingdom
By Carl E. Olson on Oct 10, 2026 11:00 amOn the Readings for Sunday, October 15, 2017 [...]
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Eden Without the Serpent
By Anne Hendershott on Oct 09, 2026 09:45 pmIt is clear that John Steinbeck wrote East of Eden to make readers confront biblical evil. Not the softened, therapeutic version that our culture craves and is being portrayed in the new Netflix miniseries, but [...]
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“Celebrating the sacraments brings me the greatest joy…”
By Jim Graves on Oct 09, 2026 04:22 pmBishop Michael J. Sis has served as Bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, since 2014. He grew up in Bryan, Texas. He was the fourth of five children; his father, Raymond Sis, was [...]
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Cardinal Tagle elected new dean of the College of Cardinals
By Ishmael Adibuah on Oct 09, 2026 02:30 pmCardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who leads the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, succeeded Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re on Oct. 9. [...]
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