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We need to shake once and for all this fantasy that the world will show us some sympathy if only we can show them how hated we are. They won't.

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Pope Leo XIV leads a Mass at the Volkswagen Arena as part of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon, in Istanbul on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 / Credit: ANDREAS SOLARO / Getty

CNA Staff, Nov 29, 2025 / 19:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV finished the third day of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon with a Mass at Volkswagen Arena, a venue in Istanbul's Maslak neighborhood.

The Holy Father marked the day in part by joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for a declaration pledging continued dialogue aimed at restoring full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The two leaders also participated in a Doxology together.

Watch LIVE the major events of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 at youtube.com/@ewtnnews and follow our live updates of his historic visit:



This week on The State of Belief, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by the Very Rev. Winnie Varghese, the first female dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. As a queer Episcopal priest born to Indian immigrants, she brings a unique perspective to the challenges and opportunities facing faith communities today.

In this episode, we dive deep into her journey, the significance of her role, and the current state of faith in America. Here are three key takeaways that resonated with me:

• The Power of Belonging: Rev. Winnie emphasizes the importance of creating spaces where everyone feels they belong. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is not just a historic building; it serves as a beacon of hope and inclusivity for people from all walks of life.
• Integrating Identity and Faith: One of the most profound moments in the conversation is when Rev. Winnie shares her experience of realizing her call to the priesthood and embracing her identity as a queer woman. She highlights that these aspects of her life are not separate but are deeply intertwined. This integration of identity and faith is crucial for authentic ministry and serves as an inspiration for others navigating similar journeys.
• Responding to Current Challenges: In light of the rising tide of White Christian nationalism, Rev. Winnie calls for a proactive approach to ministry that emphasizes advocacy and community-building. She discusses the importance of addressing social justice issues through action and engagement, reminding us that faith must be lived out in tangible ways.

Don’t miss this enlightening conversation that challenges us to rethink our roles in our communities and the broader society.

More About the Very Rev. Winnie Varghese:

Rev. Winnie is the first female dean of the largest cathedral in the United States, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary, Rev. Varghese has held pastoral positions in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and at several other New York congregations.

Tiger widow Zebunnesa Khatun, wife of late Mohor Ali, receives help from Caritas Khulna Region on Nov. 15, 2025. / Credit: Caritas Bangladesh

EWTN News, Nov 29, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Rashida Begum still remembers the day her life changed forever: Feb. 2, 2000, when her husband, Mojid Kaguchi, went to catch crabs in the Sundarbans, a vast mangrove forest in southern Bangladesh. Hours later, she heard the news — a tiger had taken him.

"My husband and five others went deep into the forest," Begum told Catholic News Agency. "A roaring tiger attacked one of them. Mojid tried to save his friend, hitting the tiger with a knife. The tiger let go of his friend and grabbed Mojid instead."

The tiger dragged Mojid into the forest. His friends never found him alive.

"After searching, we found only his head and two legs," Begum said. "The tiger ate the rest."

Begum was just 25 then, a mother of two. Married at 20, she had shared only five years with her husband.

Her father-in-law blamed her for his death and refused to give her land. Humiliated, she left her in-laws' home and returned to her father's village.

Life was hard. She worked in fields and homes to feed her children. Today, her sons work in a brick kiln.

"I lost my husband in the Sundarbans," she said. "I will starve if needed, but my sons will never go there."

Begum learned to sew. Recently, Caritas Bangladesh, a social aid agency of the Catholic Church, gave her 10,000 taka (about $81). She bought a sewing machine and fabric.

"I will make clothes and sell them," she said. "I can earn 3,000 taka (about $21) a month."

Amerun Nesa Begum, 48, shares a similar story.

On March 26, 2012, her husband was fishing in the Sundarbans when a tiger attacked.

"There was bleeding from my husband's neck," she recalled. "The tiger was eating him. His friends made noise to scare it away, but my husband died there."

Amerun Nesa, a mother of four, faced extreme poverty. She worked in fields and homes of others. Her sons later went to the Sundarbans to fish, risking their lives.

"The Sundarbans is our main source of income," she said. "We know the risks, but we cannot leave it."

She also received 10,000 taka from Caritas. She bought a sewing machine and fabric. She and her daughter-in-law now make clothes to sell in local markets.

On Nov. 15, Caritas Bangladesh helped 106 poor families, including 12 tiger widows like Rashida and Amerun Nesa. The aid came through the Community Managed Sustainable Livelihood and Resilience Project (CMLRP-II), supported by Caritas Australia.

"Tiger widows" are women whose husbands were killed by Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans mangrove forest while collecting honey, fishing, or cutting wood. These women face severe social stigma, branded as cursed and excluded from community life, alongside economic hardship and psychological trauma.

Santanu Roy, program officer for Caritas Khulna Region, said the widows' lives are heartbreaking.

"They face humiliation and neglect," Roy told Catholic News Agency. "Families slander them. We are happy to help them. This small support can improve their lives."

The Sundarbans spans three districts: Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat. At least 3,000 tiger widows live in villages near the forest.

Roy hopes Caritas can assist more widows.

Apart from tigers, crocodiles also attack men who enter the forest for honey, fish, and crabs.

Tiger widows suffer more than grief. They face stigma. Many are called "husband eaters" or cursed. They are excluded from society.

They also lose their main income source. Most receive no government compensation.

Caritas offers hope. With sewing machines and training, these women can earn a living.

The Catholic Church has long worked in remote areas of Bangladesh. Caritas, its social arm, runs programs for disaster relief, education, and poverty reduction. Helping tiger widows is part of its mission to serve the most vulnerable.

For Rashida Begum and Amerun Nesa, this help means dignity and survival.

"I will never forget my husband," Rashida said. "But now I can dream again."

Amerun Nesa agrees. "I want my children to live without fear," she said. "I pray they never face what I faced."

The Sundarbans is beautiful but dangerous. It is home to the Bengal tiger, a national symbol of Bangladesh. But for poor families, it is also a place of death.

Every year, men enter the forest to collect honey, fish, and crabs. Many go without permits. They risk tiger attacks because they feel they have no other choice.

When tragedy strikes, their families fall into despair. Widows lose income and face social rejection.

Caritas steps in where others do not. Its small grants give women a chance to start again.

The Church's message is clear: every life matters. Every widow deserves hope.

null / Lisa Missenda / Shutterstock

Denver, Colorado, Nov 29, 2025 / 12:36 pm (CNA).

The First Sunday of Advent 2025 is tomorrow, Nov. 30, less than four weeks before Christmas this year, and while the Church provides this time to allow you to be caught by the joy of the Incarnation, you can be easily caught by surprise that it is Christmas. To help remedy this surprise, the Church provides songs, signs, and symbols to enter into the season of Advent more fruitfully.

Here are three ways the Church teaches us about the meaning of the season:

Advent hymns

Many of the customary hymns for Advent highlight the movement of the soul toward what Pope Francis termed in a homily on Advent as a “horizon of hope.” No hymn epitomizes this better than “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” with its overtones of expectation and its mournful remorse over the state of man, captive to sin. The cultivation of hope and expectation is also seen in Advent hymns such as “O Come Divine Messiah” and “People Look East.” 

The commingled darkness and hope that God will fulfill his promises, a theme characteristic of Advent, deepens with songs like the Spanish carol “Alepun.” The lyrics of “Alepun” move the faithful into an experience of waiting with a pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary while the rhythm and percussion evoke donkey hooves clattering across the plains of Israel to Bethlehem.

Church decor

Advent is a season of penance marked by joy and, in many ways, a little Lent. This is why the colors of purple and pink — with their ties to penance and the Lord’s Passion, and the joy of Laetare Sunday when Lent is almost over — are the colors of Advent. But did you know that the deep purple of Advent has a blue hue to it to teach the faithful in symbol about the Marian heart of the season?

The lack of church decor also teaches about the penitential nature of the season. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the lack of flowers on the altar, the restrained use of instruments, and the absence of the resounding and angelic Gloria all lead to a deliberate emptiness.

The emptiness will first be filled on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and, later, flowers will be allowed on Gaudete Sunday as the first expression of the festivity of the coming Christmas.

Saints and solemnities 

Following the solemnity of Christ the King, Advent begins with echoes of the power of Christ coming in glory before it stretches forward to the humble beginnings of the mystery of the Incarnation.

This means there is a certain focus the Church helps people enter into even in the way the liturgical calendar is marked by very few memorials of saints: just five in the course of the four weeks, most of whom are deeply embedded in the celebration of and preparation for Christmas in various countries.

St. Nicholas is the best known of the five: the generous bishop whose gifts inspired generations of lore and giving. St. Lucy, whose desire to give charity to prisoners in the catacombs meant she wore candles in her hair to free her hands, is another well-known saint with connections to Christmas whom we celebrate in Advent.

The Church also shows forth the importance of Mary during this season, which places her Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, a solemnity and holy day of obligation, at the very beginning of the liturgical year. Combined with the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, the Church shows forth what God has wrought in a soul full of grace — a foreshadowing of the entire mystery of salvation in one soul.

Though there are many more signs and symbols that communicate the meaning of Advent, these can assist you as you enter the season of expectation, building anticipation for the celebration of Christmas so it doesn’t catch you by surprise.

This article was first published on Nov. 28, 2022, and has been updated.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 29, 2025. / Screenshot: Vatican Media

Istanbul, Turkey, Nov 29, 2025 / 11:20 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV marked the start of Advent on Saturday with an appeal for unity and peace, telling thousands gathered for Mass in Istanbul that Christians “journey as if on a bridge that connects earth to Heaven,” keeping their eyes “fixed on both shores” until they are united “in the house of the Father.”

The pope celebrated Mass on Nov. 29 at the Volkswagen Arena, a large multipurpose venue within Istanbul’s Uniq cultural complex. The liturgy, held on the eve of the Feast of St. Andrew, patron of Turkey, took place during the third day of his first international apostolic trip, which has brought him to Turkey and will soon continue on to Lebanon.

In his homily, the pope reflected on the beginning of Advent, saying it prepares believers “to experience anew at Christmas the mystery of Jesus, the Son of God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” Drawing on the first reading from Isaiah (Is 2:1–5), he invited the faithful “to ascend the mountain of the Lord,” which he described as an image of divine light and peace.

Leo pointed to two key images in the reading. The first was the mountain “established as the highest of the mountains,” which he said reminds Christians that God’s gifts “are a gift not only for us, but for everyone.” He cited examples of evangelizing witness: St. Peter meeting Christ through St. Andrew’s enthusiasm, and St. Augustine coming to the faith through St. Ambrose. Recalling a line from St. John Chrysostom—“The miracle happens and passes, but the Christian life remains and continually edifies”—he urged the faithful to “keep watch” with prayer, charity, and spiritual vigilance.

The second image was the prophet’s vision of peace: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares… neither shall they learn war any more.” The pope said the message is especially urgent today, calling the Church to be a sign of reconciliation in a world marked by conflict.

Turning to the theme of bridges, Leo noted that the logo for his visit to Turkey features the Bosporus Bridge, which joins Asia and Europe. He said the image points to three essential “bridges of unity”: within the Catholic community, in relations with other Christians, and in dialogue with other religions.

The pope highlighted the four Catholic traditions present in Turkey—Latin, Armenian, Chaldean, and Syriac—calling them “a catholicity that unites.” Unity, he said, “needs care, attention, and maintenance.” Quoting Christ’s prayer “that they may all be one,” he appealed again for Christian unity and encouraged believers to be peacemakers.

The diversity of Turkey’s Catholic community was visible in the liturgy. A choir of about 200 members represented the country’s four rites. Scripture readings and prayer intentions were offered in Turkish, Aramaic, Syriac, English, Armenian, and Arabic, reflecting the multilingual and multicultural character of local Catholics.

On Sunday afternoon, the pope will depart Turkey for the second leg of his apostolic journey in Lebanon. Before leaving Istanbul, he is scheduled to participate in several ecumenical events in the morning.