Trump’s peace deal takes hold, last living hostages released; Only Catholic Church in Gaza celebrates ceasefire; FLOTUS helps reunify children displaced by Ukraine war with family members; Tens of thousands joined Pope Leo in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to pray for peace; Italian Monastery where St. Carlo Acutis received his First Holy Communion destroyed by fire; Today Catholics celebrate Our Lady’s last apparition in Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun; and more —
Last living hostages all released after 738 days in Hamas hell — as peace deal takes hold
All living hostages in Gaza were released by Hamas Monday — with all 20 reportedly walking to Red Cross trucks under their own power following a historic cease-fire deal forced by President Trump.
The first seven hostages returned to Israel around 2:30 a.m. ET Monday after being transported out of the Palestinian territory by Red Cross trucks. The remaining 13 hostages were released by Hamas hours later.
Emotional scenes emerged as the hostages spoke to family members for the first time after 738 days in Hamas hell.
Read more at the New York Post; live updates at The Jerusalem Post
POTUS addresses Israeli government
Watch @EricLDaugh
Israelis show Trump appreciation in a YUGE way
Watch @BennyJohnson
Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza
Watch @CatholicArena
Knesset staff distribute ‘MAGA-style’ baseball caps ahead of Trump speech
Knesset staff reportedly distributed “MAGA-style” baseball caps to those in attendance on Monday ahead of a speech by President Donald Trump. It was part of the festivities at the building honoring the release of the 20 hostages that were being held captive by Hamas.
Trump is in Israel for the release of the 20 living hostages who have been held in captivity by Hamas since the terrorist group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump is being honored by the Knesset for his efforts in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and ensuring the return of the hostages. The president is set to receive Israel’s medal of honor, which is the country’s highest civilian award, according to reports.
Read more at the Washington Examiner
Why Aren’t ‘Ceasefire Now!’ Activists Celebrating Trump’s Gaza Peace Deal?
Everyone understands that slogans such as “Free Palestine!” and “Ceasefire Now!” are just euphemisms for a Hamas victory. Never has that been more evident than today.
Take New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the new darling of the American left. He has publicly demanded a “ceasefire” in Gaza scores of times since the Oct. 7 massacre—a slaughter he recently referred to as a “war crime” rather than what it was, a terrorist attack. He even traveled to Washington in November of 2023 to start a hunger strike meant to pressure the White House into forcing a “permanent ceasefire” on Israel.
After 24 hours, Mamdani finally released a mealymouthed statement both-siding the war. Most of his allies haven’t even bothered to do that much.
Read more at The Daily Signal
Venezuelan Freedom Fighter María Corina Machado Dedicates Nobel Prize to Donald Trump
María Corina Machado, the 2025 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, dedicated her recognition on Friday to her Venezuelan people and to President Donald Trump, stating that Venezuelans need his support “more than ever.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its prize recipient on Friday morning Oslo time, awarding Machado for decades of advocacy against socialism in her native Venezuela. While the left-leaning Committee did not mention socialism at all in its announcement of the award, failing to recognize who is repressing the former Venezuelan National Assembly member, it did congratulate Machado for “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Read more at Breitbart
Nobel Peace Prize winner honors the Rosary
See @Sachinenettiyl
Melania Trump helps reunite 8 Ukrainian kids with families after quiet talks with Putin
First lady Melania Trump announced Friday she helped reunify in the past 24 hours eight Ukrainian children with their famly members who had been cruelly abducted during Russia’s war with Kyiv — and expects to bring back more thourgh an “open channel” with Moscow and President Vladimir Putin.
“A child’s soul knows no borders,” the first lady said in poignant remarks during her closely held announcement in the White House grand foyer, sharing heart-wrenching stories of kidnappings that had divided Ukrainian families for the better part of the more than three-year war.
The eight children were among thousands who were separated from their families during what the Kremlin called “evacuation” procedures in Ukraine — but were actually forced deportations.
Read more at the New York Post
First Lady Melania Trump’s full address on her ongoing diplomacy to reunite children displaced by the war in Ukraine
Watch @FirstLadyOffice
Trump directs Hegseth to pay troops during government shutdown
President Donald Trump ordered Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to pay the military on Oct. 15 as the government shutdown continues. …
“Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown. I DISAGREE! If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon, referring to a statement Schumer made earlier this week.
“That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” he added.
Read more at the Washington Examiner
Trump Admin Fires Over 4,000 Federal Workers Amid Government Shutdown, Court Filing Reveals
The Trump administration fired more than 4,000 federal workers Friday as the partial government shutdown stretched into its tenth day.
A Justice Department court filing disclosed the layoffs. The cuts hit at least seven Cabinet agencies. Federal employee unions discovered the numbers through their lawsuit against the administration. The unions filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to halt the workforce cuts.
Treasury Department workers bore the heaviest losses with 1,446 positions eliminated. The Department of Health and Human Services cut up to 1,200 jobs. The Department of Education terminated 466 employees, while Housing and Urban Development released 442 workers. Commerce fired 315 employees, Energy cut 187, and Homeland Security laid off 176, the New York Post reported.
Read more at the Daily Caller
Christopher Columbus is celebrated once again
Watch @GrageDustin
Was Christopher Columbus a Great Man? With Michael Knowles
Watch at Morning Wire and Michael Knowles
Catholic doctor in UK saves another unborn baby
See @actionforlifeFL
Canterbury Cathedral Woke Graffiti Art Installation Blasted as ‘Sacrilegious’ and ‘Ugly’
The increasingly woke Church of England has drawn international backlash over an “ugly” graffiti art installation at Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest Christian structures in England.
Days after announcing that Right Rev Dame Sarah Mullally would become the next Archbishop of Canterbury and the first female to hold the most senior position in the global Anglican Communion, the Church of England has sparked another controversy by covering the walls of medieval Canterbury Cathedral with graffiti-style “art”.
Read more at Breitbart
JD Vance weighs in on grafifti in Canterbury Cathedral
See @JDVance
Man desecrates altar of St. Peter’s Basilica
A man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday before being taken away by security officers in the famous basilica, according to news reports.
The man climbed the altar and “urinated under the stunned gaze of hundreds of tourists,” according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera’s Rome edition. Video of the desecration was widely shared on social media.
Il Tempo reported that the man “was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica” and was escorted out of the church.
Read more at The Catholic World Report
Italian Monastery where St. Carlo Acutis received his First Holy Communion destroyed by fire
Watch @CatholicVote
Thousands of Pilgrims Join Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square to Pray the Rosary for Peace
Tens of thousands of people joined Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday to pray for peace in the world.
Before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was brought to Rome from Portugal for the Oct. 11-12 Jubilee of Marian Spiritualities, the Pope entrusted believers to the Mother of God to guide the Church in its “pilgrimage of hope.”
During the special prayer vigil, which included a contemplative recitation of the Rosary and time for Eucharistic adoration, the Holy Father delivered a short address and encouraged those present to ask the Mother of God for the gift of a “listening heart.”
Read more at the National Catholic Register
Statue of Our Lady of Fatima marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday
Watch @MLJHaynes
October 13: Our Lady of Fatima’s final apparition and the Miracle of the Sun
See @CatholicSat
How the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ in Fátima helped to end an atheist regime
Oct. 13, 1917, marked the last Marian apparition in Fátima and the day on which thousands of people bore witness to the miracle of the dancing sun — a miracle that shattered the prevalent belief at the time that God was no longer relevant.
Marco Daniel Duarte, a theologian and director of the Fátima Shrine museums, shared with CNA the impact that the miracle of the sun made during those days in Portugal.
If one were to open philosophy books during that period, he or she would likely read something akin to the concept conceived by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who boldly asserted in the late 1800s that “God is dead.”
Read more at the Catholic News Agency
