SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Friday, October 30th, 2026. Let's catch you up on the Catholic news of the day. Here we go. Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail ballot for the upcoming Illinois midterm elections. That's according to the Holy See Press Office. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on October 29th that the Pope had placed his ballot request back on October 3rd, and they confirmed that with a county official. Pope Leo is a U.S. citizen as well as a citizen of Peru, and he's now the first Pope to vote in a U.S. election. The Sun-Times said the Pope is registered at an address in New Lennox, Illinois. That's the same suburban Chicago town where his elder brother John lives. The Sun-Times said that according to voting records, the future Pope had cast his ballot in several previous elections. Those were the Republican primaries of 2012, 2014, and 2016, the Democratic primaries of 2008 and 2010, and the general elections of 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024. However, he did not vote in the state's March primary this year. In its October 30th statement, the Vatican said, The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes. A spokesperson for the U.S. Catholic Bishops said the Pope sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility. Civil rights leader Dolores died on October 28th at the age of 96, and Catholics are remembering her as a woman whose faith inspired her lifelong mission of service. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles described her in an October 29th statement as a courageous and heroic defender of human dignity, and a woman of faith who inspired generations of young Hispanic leaders, especially women. Cardinal Roger Mahoney, Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles, remembered working with her while he was a bishop in the diocese of Fresno and Stockton, and during his time leading the Los Angeles Archdiocese. He called her a woman of extraordinary courage, determination, and faith in the dignity of every human person. She was the founder of what became the United Farm Workers of America, and she also focused on the rights of women and migrants, garnering multiple honors and awards for her tireless efforts. Father Manuel Dorantes, Executive Director of the Laudato Sea Center for Higher Education at the Vatican, recalled a September visit there by Huerta, saying her life reminds us that caring for our common home means standing alongside one another, defending the vulnerable, and recognizing the dignity of every person. Well, on October 31st, the Georgia Martyrs, five 16th century Spanish Franciscan missionaries who served the indigenous Guale people of what is now the state of Georgia, will be beatified. And ahead of the event, several bishops, Franciscans, and other pilgrims traveled to St. Catherine's Island in Georgia on October 29th, as the place where two of the martyrs gave their lives for the faith in 1597. The island was the northernmost outpost of Spanish Florida from 1587 to 1680, and the mission there was one of the most important in what's now the southeastern United States. But after the Spanish left, the mission was lost for centuries. That's until it was rediscovered in the 1980s by archaeologist David Hurst Thomas, who's the senior curator in residence at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The site of the former church is where more than 430 guale became Catholic and where they're buried. It's now marked by palm trees planted at every major support of the original structure, and that's turned it into what Thomas called a living church, where four bishops have now said mass over the years. Bishop Stephen Parks of Savannah, Georgia, led seven visiting bishops, ten Franciscans, and other pilgrims in a mass on the island ahead of the martyrs' beatification, in the place where friars Antonio de Badajoz and Miguel de Anon lost their lives. The friars were joined in that sacrifice by fellow friars Pedro de Corpa, Blas Rodriguez, and Francisco de Varascola, who were all martyred at other area missions. Eighty years after the priestly ordination of Saint John Paul II, those who knew him and scholars who study his legacy say the future pope's example still offers a model for priests today, one marked by deep prayer combined with close accompaniment of others. Karo Voitva, the future pope, was ordained on November 1st, 1946, in a private chapel at the Archbishop's Palace in Krakov. The 26-year-old seminarian, who'd entered a clandestine seminary during Nazi German occupation, was ordained ahead of his classmates before departing for theological studies in Rome. St. John Paul II's longtime secretary, Cardinal Stanislav Chievich, told OSV News that he was, above all, a man of prayer. His path to priesthood was not straightforward. Originally he was a literature student and a theater enthusiast, and he discerned his vocation during the Second World War while working in a factory. According to the cardinal, his spiritual life was evident even before entering a seminary. Father Lukas Pyrkovsky is the director of the family home of John Paul II Museum in Varovice, and he said the future Pope's approach to ministry was rooted in personal accompaniment. The priest said, Votiva accompanied people. He did not impose. He inspired, encouraged, and showed different ways of acting and thinking together. And finally, a new documentary series about six black Catholics on the path to sainthood debuts November 2nd on the Archdiocese of Boston's Catholic TV Network. November is Black Catholic History Month, and throughout the coming weeks, the show's half-hour segments will highlight the lives of the six saints in the making. The series is called Black Catholics Footsteps to Sainthood, and it was previewed to media in Chicago. The host is Ansel Augustine, who's the Assistant Director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. He's also the staff contact for the Bishop's Subcommittee on African American Affairs. The four venerables and two servants of God featured in the series are Father Augustus Tolton, Mother Henriette de Lille, Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, and Pierre Toussaint, they've all been declared venerable in recognition of their heroic virtues, and the two servants of God are Sister Thea Bowman and Julia Greeley. All of their sainthood causes originated in the U.S., and there's a seventh black Catholic up for sainthood, Father Martin de Poras Maria Ward, a Boston native and the first black conventional Franciscan in North America. His cause originated out of Brazil, where he served as a missionary for almost half of the 20th century. As a group, they've been dubbed the Saintly Seven. And that's your OSV Newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for a link to our website. That's where you can find the stories in this episode. As always, please do make sure to subscribe to this podcast, follow us on social media, and bookmark osvnews.com. Hello, and a shout out to all of our listeners around the world. Please keep checking in. We continue to pray for you, Pope Leo, as you get ready for your South American trip. Have a blessed All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day. We'll be back on Monday. Thanks so much for listening, and God bless.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.