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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 29, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

A study published last week found that the active ingredient used in a common morning-after "emergency contraceptive" can be used to induce a chemical abortion at least up to the ninth week of pregnancy.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Jan. 23, found that ulipristal acetate is an "effective" drug for causing an abortion. This drug is the active ingredient in the morning-after pill commonly marketed as "ella" or "ellaOne," which is advertised as a non-abortive contraception used only to prevent pregnancy.

Researchers gave 133 pregnant women from Mexico City each a dosage of 60 milligrams of ulipristal acetate to induce an abortion. The women were then given misoprostol, which expels an unborn child from the mother by inducing contractions.

The study was conducted by Gynuity Health Projects and the National Autonomous University of Mexico and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Mexico City Health Secretariat. 

Gynuity Health Projects — an organization that seeks to increase access to chemical abortions — has in the past been criticized by pro-life groups for conducting clinical trials on pregnant women around the world to test the effectiveness of second-trimester chemical abortions. 

The organization has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and many other wealthy donors.

According to the recent study, the drug combination of ulipristal acetate and misoprostol completed an abortion in 129 cases — a success rate of 97%. This is about equal to the success rate of the abortion pill mifepristone — which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to abort an unborn child up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy in conjunction with misoprostol to expel the child.

The 60-milligram dose of ulipristal acetate used in the study is double the dose recommended for using the same drug as an "emergency contraceptive." The study did not test whether lower doses could induce abortions.

Gynuity Health Projects President Beverly Winikoff, the lead researcher, told CNA she believes "this is the first study that shows the possibility of using [ulipristal acetate] for abortion" but that "just looking at the chemical structure, it has a structure very similar to mifepristone," which is already used for abortion.

Aaron Kheriaty, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA that a similar chemical structure does not necessarily mean both drugs will have the same effect but added that "it should have been investigated" in the FDA approval process.

Ulipristal acetate, he said, "makes the environment in the womb inhospitable to continue life." He said whether someone takes it shortly after sexual intercourse or several weeks later, "it is doing the same thing" and in the cases documented in the study, "causing an abortion rather than preventing the conception of a human being in the first place."

Kheriaty noted that even if taken soon after sexual intercourse, the drug can prevent a fertilized egg, which is already "a new human being," from attaching to the uterus, ensuring the "early embryo can't survive."

"It's long been known that the mechanism of action of the morning-after pill … is to produce an early abortion," Kheriaty said.

Joseph Meaney, a senior fellow at the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), told CNA that the study indicates that ella "can be abortifacient in its mode of action."

"Ulipristal acetate clearly works as an abortion pill," Meaney said. "The question is how often does it abort very early pregnancies when used as so-called 'emergency contraception?'"

The Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have warned for years that emergency contraceptives could induce abortions in early pregnancies, which pharmaceutical companies have consistently denied.

Ella still marketed as a non-abortive drug

Pharmaceutical companies market ella or ellaOne as a non-abortive drug that only prevents a pregnancy and will not end an existing pregnancy or harm a child in the mother's womb. It is prescribed for women up to five days after sexual intercourse.

Ellarx.com, operated by HRA Pharma America — a subsidiary of the Perrigo Company plc — claims ella is not an "abortion pill," adding: "It won't end an existing pregnancy."

"Emergency contraceptives like ella [work] by delaying or preventing ovulation, which stops pregnancy from occurring in the first place," the website states in its section for frequently asked questions.

Similarly, ellaOne.co.uk lists among its morning-after pill "myths" that "the morning-after pill is a form of abortion" and adds "if the morning-after pill is taken by someone who is already pregnant, emergency contraception will not interrupt this pregnancy." This website is also operated by Perrigo. 

Perrigo issued a statement to the New York Times standing by that position, saying the study gave women a higher dose of ulipristal acetate than what is in one pill of ella, asserting "there continues to be no evidence to show that, on its own, ella causes an abortion." One ella pill has 30 milligrams of ulipristal acetate, which is half of what the study used.

"Ella is an FDA-approved emergency contraception pill that acts before pregnancy can occur," the statement added.

Winikoff, however, told CNA: "The study we published could make it possible for people to use [ulipristal acetate] for abortions," adding that "the drug is FDA approved, and this is just another use for it."

Kheriaty told CNA he believes the findings "place the medication in the same category as other drugs used for chemical abortions like mifepristone." He said advertising it as a non-abortive drug is "clearly misleading, and it's something the FDA should investigate."

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, an NCBC senior ethicist, told CNA the study "reveals that [ulipristal acetate] can also be used in higher doses for the first step of a chemical abortion, again reminding us how closely connected contraception and abortion really are — 'two fruits of the same tree,'" quoting St. John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae. 

"In broad terms, we can see how contraceptive acts enable a couple to 'quench the possibility' of a family by doing away with the prospect of a child even before that life is conceived," Pacholczyk added.

"The logic behind 'quenching our offspring' can now be extended further, as the active ingredient in ella will now likely become part of the regimen for initiating many early chemical abortions around the globe and directly ending countless unborn lives," he said.

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Washington D.C., Jan 29, 2025 / 17:05 pm (CNA).

During his first confirmation hearing, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated at several points that he would implement President Donald Trump's pro-life policies. 

Republican and Democrat senators on the Senate Finance Committee pressed Kennedy on his views on abortion and "reproductive health," asking him how he would approach the issue of life while carrying out his duties as head of HHS.

In the three-hour hearing, Kennedy fielded questions on his interpretation of Title X, late-term abortions, mifepristone, stem cell research, and medical conscience rights. 

"I'm going to support President Trump's policies on Title X," Kennedy said in his first exchange regarding abortion with Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma.

"I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy," Kennedy stated. "I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions per year, I agree with him that the states should control abortion."

"I'm going to serve at the pleasure of the president," he continued. "I'm going to implement his policies," he said, revealing that Trump had expressed his desire for Kennedy to end late-term abortions, enact protections for conscious exemptions, and end federal funding for abortions in the U.S. and abroad. 

On medical conscience exemptions, Kennedy said: "What patient would want somebody doing a surgery on them that, you know, believes that that surgery is against their conscience and is being forced to perform that? I don't know anybody who would want to have a doctor perform a surgery that the doctor is morally opposed to."

"Forcing somebody to participate in a medical procedure as a provider that they believe is murder does not make any sense to me," he continued, adding: "We need to welcome diversity in this country, we need to respect diversity, and we need to respect each other when we have different opinions and not, you know, not force our opinions on other people." 

Kennedy also answered questions on his views regarding chemical abortions, stating that his approach to the drug would mirror that of Trump, who, he noted, has yet to adopt an official position on whether he supports the use of chemical abortion drugs such as mifepristone. The HHS nominee did, however, criticize the Biden administration for deregulating the abortion drug and for ending reporting requirements. 

Mifepristone is a drug used to induce a chemical abortion by blocking the hormone progesterone, which cuts off the child's supply of oxygen and nutrients. The Food and Drug Administration's label estimates that about 1 in 25 women who take mifepristone "will visit the emergency room." 

"It should be reported; I mean, it's against everything we believe in in this country, that patients or doctors should not be reporting adverse events," Kennedy said, adding: "I think it's immoral to have a policy where patients are not allowed to report adverse events or doctors are discouraged from doing that." 

Several members of the committee questioned Kennedy on his past pro-abortion views, including Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, who quoted Kennedy as saying: "I don't think the government has any business telling people what they can or cannot do with their body" during a campaign visit to New Hampshire in 2023. 

Kennedy responded simply: "I agree with President Trump — every abortion is a tragedy." 

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, questioned Kennedy about his support for stem cell research at the University of Washington, which the senator said had conducted "groundbreaking" research using fetal heart tissue. 

Kennedy responded by saying: "I will protect stem cell research, and today stem cell research can be done on umbilical cords." 

"You don't need fetal tissue," he said. 

In November, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated Kennedy to serve as the United States secretary of the HHS, a position that requires Senate confirmation. HHS oversees 10 agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Kennedy is a former Democrat. He ran for president as an independent in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing Trump. Kennedy is set to have another hearing tomorrow before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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CNA Staff, Jan 29, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

It's something most Catholics have probably heard at Mass at some point: An announcement that "gluten-free" or "low-gluten" hosts are available either during Communion or directly afterward so that Catholics with gluten sensitivities can participate in the Blessed Sacrament with minimal discomfort. 

But how are low-gluten hosts manufactured? 

The Church's canon law is strict: The "most holy Eucharistic sacrifice" can be offered only with unleavened bread made "only [from] wheat," meaning gluten-free flours are not permitted. 

Canon law dictates that Communion can be distributed "under the form of wine alone in a case of necessity," but many parishes have opted for the low-gluten option for Catholics who need it. 

Though the practice may seem recent, it has actually been an active question for Church leaders for more than three decades. 

In August 1994, the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith's prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — the future Pope Benedict XVI — issued the directive "Norms for Use of Low-Gluten Bread" in which the prelate noted that while altar bread "quibus glutinum ablatum est," or "with the gluten removed," was invalid for the sacrament, "low-gluten hosts" would be considered "valid matter."

The bread in question must contain "the amount of gluten sufficient to obtain the confection of bread" and must not contain any "foreign materials" other than wheat and water.

Further, the process for making the hosts must not "alter the nature of the substance of the bread," Ratzinger directed. The cardinal issued these directives to bishops worldwide in a 1995 letter.

So how are low-gluten hosts made?

The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, are among the numerous abbeys and monastic communities in the U.S. that produce altar bread. They are also known for developing and marketing a low-gluten host.

Sister Ruth Starman, the head of altar bread production at the abbey, told CNA via email that their abbey produces low-gluten hosts "by combining two different wheat starches that have had most of the gluten removed." The starches are removed via a special milling process.

"We use the same type of baker as regular Communion hosts," she said. "The mixing process is a little harder because the wheat starch makes a more gelatinous batter or 'sticky' batter than regular flour does."

The Clyde abbey was the first U.S. producer of altar breads approved by the Vatican to make low-gluten hosts. The sisters previously told CNA that it took over 10 years of experimentation for the sisters to develop the right recipe.

"We were done with an experiment for the day and kind of had a little batter left on the spoon, so we flicked it onto the waffle iron and forgot about it and went and washed dishes," Sister Jane Heschmeyer, who works in the altar bread department, said in an interview.

"We opened [the waffle iron] up and there was a lacy-looking edible thing. So we ate it right away and forgot how we got there, but the Holy Spirit helped us get back to that."

Starman told CNA that the nuns have been making the hosts since 2004. "We still get new patrons every month," she said.

Asked about the history of the practice, the nun told CNA that low-gluten hosts "were not produced before [modern times] as far as I know."

"I don't know if gluten sensitivity would have even been 'known' in past days," she noted. "It could have existed but I don't know if it would have been specifically diagnosed."

After developing their recipe for low-gluten hosts, the sisters had them tested in a lab for their gluten content and also asked several volunteers with celiac disease to eat the hosts and report any adverse effects.

The scientists found that the hosts contained just .001% gluten, low enough to be safe for most people with celiac disease while still satisfying the norms for Communion.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 29, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Vatican has issued a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Luigia Sinapi, declaring her "venerable." The Italian woman was a lay mystic who had a vision of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and maintained a friendship with St. Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy, better known as Padre Pio.

Driven by her deep love for Jesus from an early age and claiming to have had visions of Mary, Jesus, and angels, her mother took her, in the mid-1920s, to San Giovanni Rotondo to meet Padre Pio, the saint recognized for bearing the stigmata on his hands, feet, and side. From that time, she maintained a close relationship with him, receiving his guidance and spiritual support throughout her life.

Sinapi was born Sept. 8, 1916, in Itri, Italy, and was baptized eight days later. According to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, at age 15 she felt the call to religious life and entered the Institute of the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul in Rome. However, she had to leave the institute due to serious health problems.

The dicastery states that in November 1931, after the death of her parents, she was taken in by an aunt in Rome. To cover the costs of her stay, she began working as a domestic servant and later found employment at a post office and then at the Central Statistical Office.

Years later, Sinapi fell ill with cancer and was on the verge of death. However, on Aug. 15, 1935, the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, she received the anointing of the sick and had a vision of Jesus and Mary, who miraculously healed her. From then on, she decided to live offering her sufferings for the evils of the world and for the salvation of priests and all souls.

During the Second World War she took refuge in her hometown and, upon returning to Rome, she lived in precarious conditions due to the hardships of the postwar period. From 1956 to 1970 she worked at the National Institute of Geophysics as secretary to the Venerable Servant of God Enrico Medi.

"She combined her work with an intense life of prayer, animated by a profound interior spirituality and characterized by various sufferings, accompanied by numerous mystical gifts," the website of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints states.

By then, Sinapi was a Third Order Franciscan and, in 1954, she obtained dispensation to also enter the Third Order of the Children of Mary, to which her spiritual director belonged.

The Vatican website explains that at that time, Sinapi maintained a deep spiritual bond with St. Pio of Pietrelcina and enjoyed the trust of Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII. In 1937, after a revelation from the Virgin at Tre Fontane in Rome, she predicted his election to the pontificate.

"She spent the last period of her life at home offering hospitality, listening, offering advice and spiritual consolation to all who came to her. She died of gastric cancer on April 17, 1978, with a well-attested reputation for holiness and [supernatural] signs," the publication adds.

Supernatural gifts and acts of charity

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints explains that Sinapi's existential journey "was accompanied by numerous supernatural gifts such as precognition of events and situations, bilocation, discernment of spirits and, above all, mystical union with the Lord Jesus, lived in an atmosphere of modesty, humility, and service."

In this context, many people, including priests, bishops, politicians, and parishioners, approached her seeking spiritual consolation. She helped many priests not only with prayer but also with material aid.

In addition to these supernatural manifestations, "she knew how to carry with extreme naturalness this burden of involuntary exceptionality, of love for God and for others, demonstrating, in the practice of virtues and in the capacity for sacrifice, total obedience to the Church and its representatives," the Vatican website notes.

Devotions and spirituality

She had a deep devotion to saints such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Gemma Galgani, and St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Her spirituality, centered on the Eucharist and Mary, led her to help those in need, even in the midst of her own poverty.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Jan 28, 2025 / 19:52 pm (CNA).

The president of Catholic Charities USA has urged the Trump administration to "rethink" its pause on federal funding for executive departments, noting the "millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support."

In a two-page memo on Monday the Office of Management and Budget directed all federal agencies "to the extent permissible under applicable law … temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal financial assistance" that could conflict with President Donald Trump's policies as outlined in his recent executive orders.

The memo specified that funding for programs "including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal" would be paused.

Though the memo put the pause into effect on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m., a federal judge in the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the order on Tuesday. 

In response to news of the freeze on federal grants, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson released a statement calling attention to the work the organization does for the needy. 

"For more than a century, the Catholic Charities network has worked with the government to care for poor and vulnerable people in every community in the U.S., and we continue to be eager to work with government to care for our neighbors in need," Robinson said. "We strongly urge the administration to rethink this decision."

Robinson pointed to the effect that a federal freeze could have on those who rely on Catholic Charities. 

"The millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs," Robinson said. "The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members. They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions, and political affiliations." 

Catholic Charities has operated in the U.S. for more than a century. It is currently made up of 168 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies serving millions of people each year. It works to provide affordable housing, food and nutrition, and disaster relief as well as supporting health, workforce development, and immigration services. More than half of the funding for Catholic Charities comes from government contracts. 

"Last year, 92% of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs — access to food, housing, health care, and other necessities — for families and individuals struggling to get by," Robinson said.  

"These vital services include food pantries for those who can't afford groceries, child care programs for low-income families, meal deliveries for homebound seniors, job training resources for veterans, temporary and permanent housing, mental health services, and much more." 

Trump administration officials said that programs providing individual assistance to Americans — such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans, and food stamps — would not be affected. 

What the exact effect will be on Catholic Charities and other charitable organizations is still unclear. 

At a White House press conference on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was  asked if the president intended "to permanently cut off funding to NGOs that are bringing illegal foreign nationals to the country, such as Catholic Charities."

Leavitt responded: "I am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that, and I can point you to that."

Last year, the country's bishops rejected claims that Catholic nonprofit organizations such as Catholic Charities are complicit in harboring migrants who illegally cross the Texas border.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 28, 2025 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

A Pakistani court has sentenced four young men to death for allegedly posting blasphemous content against Islam on social media, a prosecuting attorney said Jan. 27. The condemned men, who are Muslim, are between 20 and 32 years old and are from Punjab province.

A member of the Voice of the Victims of Blasphemy Business Group, a support group formed by families affected by the alleged blasphemy charges, requesting anonymity told UCA News that "three of them are from Lahore, while one is from Bahawalpur. They were trapped in the same pattern of being lured into social media groups where controversial content was shared. They were also tricked into saving the blasphemous content on their phones and sharing it with others."

"Their parents are worried and are at a loss about what to do. Their lawyer was hopeful of the acquittal, but the judges were not ready to listen to our pleas. Everything looks preplanned," he added.

A lawyer, Nasir William, a member of the advocacy group Center for Social Justice (CSJ), expressed concern about the growing persecution of Christians and alleged cases of blasphemy in Pakistan, which have risen sharply in recent times.

"Activists are slowly holding press conferences urging government authorities to intervene and provide long-overdue redress to these victims. The National Assembly Standing Committee will discuss this issue in a session on Jan. 27 evening. At least these victims have a right to appeal in a higher court," William said.

Figures from CSJ show that last year 343 people were charged with blasphemy, including 19 Christians, five of whom were women.

In Pakistan, blasphemy against Islam and its founder is considered a serious crime punishable by life imprisonment or death. Some critics point out that, in many cases, Pakistan's blasphemy laws are manipulated for private monetary or personal gain.

In addition, groups dedicated to reporting young people who share "blasphemous material" on social media have proliferated. At the end of 2024, Shagufta Kiran, a Christian and mother of four children, was sentenced to death for allegedly spreading blasphemous messages through the WhatsApp messaging service.

In the midst of the hostile environment for Christians in Pakistan, the figure of Akash Bashir stands out, a young Salesian who sacrificed his life in 2015 to prevent a terrorist attack at his church and who is today considered — by Muslims and Christians — as a symbol of unity in the country.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 28, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

Republican members of Congress have introduced a bill to protect parental rights "to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children." 

Introduced by U.S. Sens. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; and Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, the Families' Rights and Responsibilities Act seeks to prevent government intervention in parental decisions.

"Parents have a fundamental right to control the upbringing of their child, whether it's in the classroom or at home," Scott stated in a press release after the bill was introduced last Thursday. 

"Yet, far too often," he continued, "parents are being pushed out of their child's lives, and kids are paying the price. I will always fight to put parents back in the driver's seat and ensure they remain the lead decision-maker in their child's life."

If enacted, the bill would "affirm that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children," block the federal government from interfering substantially with this "right," and allow parents to seek legal action for violations of the bill in legal or administrative proceedings at both state and federal levels. 

The bill makes an exception for instances where a parental action or decision "would result in physical injury to the child or that would end life."

"Parents deserve to raise their children without the looming threat of government infringement," Foxx said in the release. "The Families Rights and Responsibilities Act will shield parental rights while instituting a necessary, fundamental check against the government whenever it decides to enforce policies that fail to extend due deference to parental decision-making."

The release also notes that the bill would allow parents to seek legal recourse if schools fail to inform them of their child's "social transition" to another gender, as the Biden administration's proposed Title IX regulations would have allowed.

Biden's Title IX reinterpretation was blocked by a federal court in Kentucky earlier this month.

Had the rule been upheld, it would have expanded Title IX "sex" discrimination protections to include a ban on "gender identity" discrimination, even though the phrase "gender identity" does not appear anywhere in the 1972 law.

The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyoming; Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota; as well as Reps. Randy Weber, R-Texas; John Rose, R-Tennessee; Mary Miller, R-Illinois; Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida; Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana; Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky; Brad Finstad, R-Minnesota; Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia; Rich McCormick, R-Georgia; and Mike Haridopolos, R-Florida.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 28, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The chairman of the bishops' pro-life committee commended President Donald Trump for his executive order to end Biden administration policies that used taxpayer dollars to fund abortions worldwide.

Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, also applauded a memorandum issued by the White House on Friday to reinstate the Mexico City policy to prevent the U.S. from funding foreign organizations that support or perform abortions.

"I am grateful for the strengthening of policies that protect us from being compelled to participate in a culture of death and that help us to restore a culture of life at home and abroad," Thomas said in a press release issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Sunday. 

Trump signed an executive order rescinding two of former president Biden's executive orders that, the White House said, violated the Hyde Amendment's ban on the use of taxpayer funds for abortion.

The new order limits the enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. On Thursday, Trump issued pardons for 23 pro-life activists imprisoned under the FACE Act, including several elderly people and a young mother.

"Pro-life Americans have a right to pray in public, to counsel women who are considering abortion, and to peacefully protest. We welcome support for men and women who are exercising these rights to witness to a culture of life and, at the same time, we absolutely reject resorting to force or?violence," Thomas said.

The executive order also cancels a Biden order that "recategorized abortion as 'health care' in order to provide taxpayer funding for elective abortions," the White House said.

Thomas reflected on the new orders and the United States' announcement that it will join the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a document focused on promoting women's health, protecting life, and strengthening the family.

"It is important and encouraging to see the United States again taking the leadership in affirming the right to life and fundamental place of the family on the global stage where many pressures can be arrayed against these values," Thomas said.

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Krakow, Poland, Jan 27, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

Jan. 27 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Each year, the camp survivors are fewer in number, and as their testimony and witness remain, the importance of Auschwitz endures. In 2024, more than 1.8 million visitors passed through its gates.

What is it that brings people here? An obscene charnel of mass murder with all its evil, its inhumanity, its brutality: On the surface, it is a site devoid of hope. But among the ruins and the selection lines, beneath the Arbeit Macht Frei sign, in the preserved block houses, and amid the devastating exhibits of personal belongings lie pockets of resilience, humanity, and decency.

The testimonies of survivors and the accounts of the bravery of individuals bring a vestige of hope and lessons to inform generations to come. 

One such account among many is a supreme example of self-sacrifice. A prisoner was missing, and SS Officer Karl Fritsch had decided that 10 men were to be placed in a punishment cell to starve to death. One of the men selected, Franciszek Gajowniczek, a family man, pleaded for mercy in desperation.

Another prisoner stepped out of line, offering to take his place. He was a priest, he said; he had no family. Unexpectedly, this insubordinate intervention by inmate 16670 drew unexpected respect from Fritsch, the officer in charge. His response was not a blow to the head or a drawn pistol but, according to accounts, a change in tone of voice and manner. He agreed to prisoner 16670's illogical proposal. Yes, the priest would face starvation. His name was Father Maximilian Kolbe.

The consequences of Kolbe's actions are barely chronicled, the identity of his nine comrades is unknown, and eyewitness accounts are sparse. Reflecting on their slow physical deterioration raises the question of their experiences during those harrowing days of starvation. What thoughts filled their minds as they faced the grim reality of their fate? Most fascinating may be the consideration of the calm and consolation St. Maximilian Kolbe brought to the cell.

For visitors, the experience of descending into Block 11, the punishment block, can be overwhelming. The chilling reality of Cell 22, where prisoners stood in solitary confinement, evokes a visceral response. The scratched crosses on the wall, presumed to be the marks of fellow inmates, serve as haunting reminders of the lives lost and the suffering endured.

One survivor, block janitor Bruno Borgowiec, recounts how the prayers and hymns from within Kolbe's cell resonated through the confines of the camp, providing solace to fellow prisoners in adjoining cells. Their voices would also have been heard by victims in the execution yard above. In those moments, Kolbe's words and deeds were a testament to the power of community, even in the face of despair.

Father Piotr Wisniowski, EWTN Poland chaplain, told CNA that his grandfather Sebastian was one of the prisoners of the Auschwitz and Neuengamme concentration camps and perished under bombs dropped by RAF planes on May 3, 1945. His grandfather's testimony, Wisniowski said, offers a "ray of light."

"Sebastian Wisniowski, with camp No. 10823, whose greatest guilt was love for his Polish homeland and defending the values in which he raised his three children, sent his last letter nine months before his tragic death on Aug. 20, 1944, from Neuengamme concentration camp. Apart from a few sentences of greetings and assurances that he was healthy and feeling well (which was in accordance with the camp's strict Nazi censorship) he wrote one sentence that escaped the attention of the censors and can become a motto for all of us living after those tragic times: "I ASK YOU ONLY TO REMEMBER."

"Remembrance," Wisniowski said, is a task that we, as generations without the trauma of the Nazi death camps, must fulfill so that no one has to suffer all those inhuman horrors anymore.

"'I ask you only to remember' is a cry from the deep darkness of the cruel World War II, so that we do not forget what can happen when humanity and respect for the values that constitute it are missing."

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Vatican City, Jan 27, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

The director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed on Sunday the disciplinary measures that were taken in 2019 against Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, archbishop emeritus of Lima, Peru, as a result of "the accusations [of sexual abuse] formulated against him."

"I can confirm to you that as a result of the accusations made against him, and following the acceptance of his resignation as archbishop of Lima, a penal precept was imposed on the cardinal with certain disciplinary measures relating to his public activity, place of residence, and use of insignia, signed and accepted by His Eminence," Bruni confirmed on Jan. 26 to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

Bruni also said that "on specific occasions" he was granted "certain permissions to attend to requests due to the age and family situation of the cardinal." In any case, the Holy See Press Office director made it clear that "this precept is still in force today."

However, Cipriani stated that after an audience with Pope Francis in February 2020, he was allowed to resume his pastoral activities.

"This is demonstrated by my extensive pastoral activity carried out during these years, preaching spiritual retreats, administering sacraments, etc.," the prelate explained on Saturday, Jan. 25, in a letter published on the Medium platform.

However, the Holy See Press Office did not confirm that he had this permission regarding pastoral activities but limited it to exceptions having to do with "the age and family situation of the cardinal."

Cipriani broke his silence on Friday, Jan. 24, denying the accusations of sexual abuse against him published by the Spanish newspaper El País and revealing that the Vatican imposed sanctions on him in 2019, the same ones that the Vatican confirmed to ACI Prensa.

The accusations published by El País are based on the testimony of a 58-year-old man who said that Cipriani — who was an Opus Dei priest from 1977 to 1988, when he was named bishop by Pope John Paul II — abused him in 1983 when he was between 16 and 17 years old at an Opus Dei center.

Accusations denied

"In light of the accusations that the newspaper El País published today, Jan. 25, 2025, about me, I would like to clarify that the incidents they describe are completely false. I have not committed any crime nor have I sexually abused anyone, not in 1983, nor before or after," Cipriani stated in his letter.

The Peruvian cardinal revealed that in August 2018, the Holy See informally informed him of the existence of a complaint against him, without providing details.

Later, in December 2019, he was verbally informed of a series of sanctions, including the limitation of his priestly ministry, the requirement of stable residence outside of Peru, and a request to remain silent on the matter.

"Then, without having been heard, without having known more and without a [canonical] process being opened, on Dec. 18, 2019, the apostolic nuncio verbally informed me that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had imposed a series of penalties on me limiting my priestly ministry and asking me to have a stable residence outside Peru," Cipriani further explained.

Audience with Pope Francis and resumption of pastoral activity 

"On Feb. 4, 2020, I had an audience with Pope Francis," the cardinal continued, "and the Holy Father allowed me to continue my pastoral work."

"During these years outside Lima, I lived in Rome dedicated to my work as a cardinal member of the Dicastery for the Cause of Saints until I turned 80 and retired from all work in the Roman Curia and moved to Madrid," he said.

In the letter, Cipriani reiterated his "total rejection and repudiation of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people" and his commitment "to the Church's struggle to eradicate this scourge, following the guidelines set by John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and the special leadership of Pope Francis, putting the victims at the center."

The reaction of Opus Dei in Peru

In response to the situation, the vicar of Opus Dei in Peru, Ángel Gómez-Hortigüela, issued a statement asking for forgiveness for not having adequately attended to a person in 2018 who accused Cipriani of sexual abuse. In any case, he did not clarify whether this was the same individual referred to by El País.

"I ask for forgiveness from the bottom of my heart for not having had the sense to warmly receive and attend to a person who wanted to be heard," Gómez-Hortigüela said. 

The vicar explained that in 2018 he could not interfere in a formal accusation already initiated with the Holy See against a cardinal but acknowledged that he could "have offered [the alleged victim] a personal, human, and spiritual welcome."

He also clarified that there is no record of any formal proceedings against Cipriani during his years as an Opus Dei priest, although he admitted that the protocols on abuse were updated in 2020.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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