Iraqi Christians gathered on Oct. 25 at the Church of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ainkawa, Turkey, to offer prayers of support for Iraqi forces pressing an offensive against the Islamic State around Mosul. • President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela met privately with Pope Francis an Oct. 24 as the Vatican began a mediation effort to end the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. • Rapid growth in the number of men entering St. John’s Seminary prompted the Archdiocese of Boston to buy back space from Boston College on Oct. 20.