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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 30, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).

Recent polling data has found that Americans' religious affiliations have not greatly changed since 2020, appearing to stabilize following decades of substantial shifts.

Data collected by the polling firm Gallup surveyed 12,000 adults in the U.S. and found that from 2000 to 2020, the percentage of people with no religious affiliation spiked, while Protestant and Catholic populations declined.

In 2000, 57% of Americans identified as Protestant or nondenominational Christians. Over the following 20 years this group dropped more than 10 points to 46%. The Catholic population experienced a smaller yet still notable decline over the same time period, decreasing from 25% to 22%.

The largest change over the two decades was the increase in American adults who said they had no religious affiliation. In 2000, only 8% of those surveyed said they did not practice a religion, but in 2020 the number had jumped to 20%. 

Yet recent research from 2020 to 2024 revealed that American adults' religious affiliations have become more stable, experiencing little to no change in numbers from year to year. 

In 2020, 22% of Americans identified as Catholic and in 2024 the population remained similar at 21%. The Protestant population also only slightly declined from 46% to 45%.

The study looked at people who practice "other religions" including those who consider themselves Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, or another religion and found that this group has only increased by 1 percentage point since 2020.

Following the large 12-point increase in nonreligious adults from 2000 to 2020, the group only increased by 2 points from 2020 to 2024. As of 2024, 22% of Americans, or 1 in 5, said they have no religious preference. 

Millennials are primarily responsible for the increase in adults with no religion, with 31% of them reporting they have no affiliation. This amount has almost doubled from 16% in the 2000 to 2004 survey.

The Silent Generation, baby boomers, and Generation X all had smaller 4- and 5-point increases during the same time period.

The most recent surveys further examined the smaller religious populations that make up the "other religions" group, which has remained consistent from 2000 to 2024 with only very slight fluctuation.

In the U.S., 2.2% of adults identify as Jewish, 1.5% as Latter-Day Saints or Mormon, and less than 1% each as Muslim, Buddhist, Orthodox Christian, or Hindu. 

Combined data from 2020 to 2024 revealed that 69% of American adults are Christian, 4.1% are a non-Christian denomination, and 21.4% said they have no affiliation. The other individuals did not answer or provided a response outside the options the survey listed.

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Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 09:43 am (CNA).

The archdioceses of Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares and Kenyan Cardinal John Njue on Wednesday both confirmed the two prelates will not participate in the upcoming papal conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis. 

The Archdiocese of Valencia told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that Cañizares "will not travel to Rome for health reasons."

Sources in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, meanwhile, on Wednesday confirmed with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, that due to health reasons the African prelate will not travel to Rome to elect the Church's next supreme pontiff.

Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, had stated at an April 29 press briefing that two cardinal electors would not participate in the conclave due to health reasons, but the Vatican did not reveal their names at the time.

Born in 1945, Cañizares was ordained a priest in 1970 in the Archdiocese of Valencia. The Spanish prelate has been archbishop emeritus for the Archdiocese of Valencia since 2022, after serving as archbishop there from 2014 to 2022. 

Pope John Paul II appointed Cañizares the bishop of Ávila in 1992, where he remained until his appointment to the Archdiocese of Granada in 1996. In 2002, he was transferred to Spain's primate Archdiocese of Toledo.

Cañizares was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in the March 2006 consistory. From 2008 to 2014, he served as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2008 to 2014 before returning to Spain.

Njue, 79, is the second Kenyan prelate to be elevated to cardinal. Ordained a priest in 1973 by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter's Basilica for the Kenyan Diocese of Meru, Njue received his episcopal ordination in 1986 — at the age of 40 — after Pope John Paul II appointed him first bishop of the Diocese of Embu, where he remained until 2002.

Before being created a cardinal in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI, Njue served the Church in Kenya as coadjutor archbishop of Nyeri and apostolic administrator of Isiolo. 

The African prelate also served two terms as president of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1997 to 2003 and from 2006 to 2015. 

The Vatican recently updated Njue's birth date record in the latest Pontifical Yearbook to Jan. 1, 1946, meaning the archbishop emeritus holds the right to vote in a papal conclave until Jan. 1, 2026. He is currently a member of the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization.

With the absence of Cañizares and Njue in the upcoming conclave, a total of 133 cardinal electors are eligible to cast their vote in the conclave. 

At least 89 votes, a two-thirds majority, are required by the Church to elect the new pontiff and successor of Pope Francis to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

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Vatican City, Apr 30, 2025 / 06:34 am (CNA).

The College of Cardinals announced Monday, April 28, that the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

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Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 16:49 pm (CNA).

Thousands of people from more than 90 countries gathered in Rome this week to celebrate the Catholic Church's Jubilee of People with Disabilities. 

Wheelchairs rolled across cobblestones and walking aids clicked on the marble floors of St. Peter's Basilica as people with disabilities passed through the Holy Door for the Jubilee of Hope, entrusting their prayers to the Lord. 

"I pray for a better world, I pray for a world where inclusion becomes a normality," 18-year-old Anna Maria Gargiulo from Perugia, Italy, told CNA. 

"I am blind from birth, but for me this is not a problem," she added. "I experience it rather as a possibility, because I look at the world with different eyes." 

More than 10,000 participants registered to take part in the April 28–29 event at the Vatican, which included an opportunity to have confessions heard by priests specifically trained to work with people with disabilities and time to adore the Lord in Eucharistic adoration. 

Among those who traveled to the jubilee was Davide Andreoli, 32, from Ferrara, Italy. Living with cerebral palsy, he made his pilgrimage with his family and spoke with joy about the experience: "It's beautiful! You can see the jubilee, Piazza del Popolo, Rome, the Colosseum."?

Andreoli shared how he made a confession before passing through the Holy Door offering a prayer for the late Pope Francis. 

"I pray to God. For our pope, Pope Francis," he said. 

In St. Peter's Square, families shared how faith helps them face life's trials.?Wanda Martena's oldest son has special needs. She said: "Our family is a very close family, and we love each other very much and are happy. I have two children who are our jewels." 

"We face everything with a smile," her son, Alessandro, added. 

Michael Busuioc, a Romanian man with Parkinson's disease, lives in the Vatican's homeless shelter founded by Pope Francis. He recalled a powerful encounter with the pope last year during the World Day of the Poor.

"Pope Francis prayed for me. … I tell him, 'Pray for me because I have a disease, Parkinson.' He put the hand on my head and he prayed," Busuioc recalled, showing a photo of him with the pope.  

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who is spearheading the Church's jubilee year, offered Mass in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for the jubilee participants. He prayed that the late Pope Francis' legacy would inspire mercy and inclusion to continue to flourish in the Church. 

Corina Ciunae, also from Romania, came to Rome with her scouting group. Passionate about communication, she emphasized the importance of visibility and dignity for people with disabilities. 

"The most important thing is that we are people like everyone and we do the same things — but yes, we need the a little bit of help. We need to be helped," she said. 

"But together we can do all of the things we want to do and nothing is impossible. If you want to be somewhere to do something you can do, and the disability can't stop you," she said. 

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Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 18:06 pm (CNA).

The way to evangelization is "unreserved openness" to others, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, said on the fourth day of the Novendiales, the Church's nine days of mourning for Pope Francis.

Gambetti, who is archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, celebrated the Mass for the repose of Pope Francis' soul in the presence of the cardinals and the chapters of the four papal basilicas, which are groups of clergy entrusted with ensuring the liturgical and sacramental care of the basilicas.

The first reading at the Mass, held in St. Peter's Basilica, was from the Acts of the Apostles and quotes Peter, who says: "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him."

In a globalized, secular age that is thirsty for truth and love, Gambetti said, "Peter's attitude points the way to evangelization: the unreserved openness to the human, gratuitous interest in others, the sharing of experience and deepening to help every man and every woman give respect to life, to creaturely grace, and, when they see that it pleases God — St. Francis of Assisi would say (RegNB XVI, 43) — the proclamation of the Gospel."

The Gospel at the Mass was a passage in which Jesus tells his disciples that in his heavenly kingdom, the Son of Man will one day separate people, "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

The cardinal noted that sheep "do not rebel, [are] faithful, meek, take care of the lambs and the weakest of the flock," while goats "want independence, defy the shepherd and other animals with their horns, jump over the other goats as a sign of dominance, think of themselves and not the rest of the flock in the face of danger."

"On a personal and institutional level, which of the two styles do we embody?" Gambetti said, posing the question for reflection.

"Clearly, then, whether or not we belong to the kingdom of God does not depend on explicit knowledge of Christ: Lord, when did we see you hungry ... thirsty ... a stranger ... naked ... sick or in prison...? In the Greek text, the verb 'to see' is expressed by Matthew as òráo, which means to see deeply, to perceive, to understand. Paraphrasing: Lord, when did we 'understand,' 'detect,' 'distinguish' you?" the cardinal said.

"Jesus' answer suggests that it is not the profession of faith, theological knowledge, or sacramental practice that guarantees participation in God's joy but qualitative and quantitative involvement in the human story of the least of our brothers and sisters," he added.

According to Gambetti, the parable of the Last Judgment "reveals the supreme dignity of human acts, defined in relation to compassion, solidarity, tenderness, and closeness in humanity."

He said Pope Francis expressed such humanity and quoted from some poetic verses of the Hungarian-born Italian writer and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck.

Bruck, who met and spoke with Pope Francis on several occasions, wrote a farewell to him in the April 23 edition of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

Quoting Bruck, Gambetti said:

"We have lost a man who lives in me.

"A man who loved, was moved, wept, invoked peace, laughed, kissed, hugged, was moved and moved others, spread warmth.

"The love of people of all colors and everywhere rejuvenated him.

"Irony and wit made him wise.

"His humanity was contagious, softening even stones.

"To heal him from illnesses was his healthy faith rooted in heaven."

The nine days of Masses for Pope Francis will continue with the fifth day on April 30. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice dean of the College of Cardinals, will celebrate the Mass, which will include the Papal Chapel.

The College of Cardinals, in the midst of pre-conclave meetings called general congregations, will begin the conclave to choose Francis' successor on May 7.

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Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 18:14 pm (CNA).

The College of Cardinals announced Monday, April 28, that the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor will begin on May 7, as the Church enters the final preparatory phase for choosing its 267th pope.

Follow here for live updates of the latest news and information on the papal transition:

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Vatican City, Apr 29, 2025 / 18:36 pm (CNA).

Editor's Note: On April 29, 2025, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, delivered the following homily during the fourth day of Novendiales Masses for Pope Francis. The text below is a CNA working translation of the Italian original published by the Vatican.

The Gospel passage is well known. A grand scene with a universalistic character: All peoples, living together in the one field that is the world, are gathered before the Son of Man, seated on the throne of his glory to judge.

The message is clear: In the lives of all, believers and nonbelievers alike, there is a moment of discrimination; at a certain point some begin to share in the same joy of God, others begin to suffer the tremendous suffering of true loneliness, because, ousted from the kingdom, they remain desperately alone in their souls.

The Italian translation (CEI) speaks of sheep and goats to distinguish the two groups. The Greek, however, alongside the feminine próbata — flock, sheep — uses èrífia, which indicates primarily goats, the males of the species. Sheep, who do not rebel, are faithful, meek, take care of the lambs and the weakest of the flock, enter the realm prepared for them since the creation of the world; goats, who want independence, defy the shepherd and other animals with their horns, jump over the other goats as a sign of dominance, think of themselves and not the rest of the flock in the face of danger, are destined for eternal fire. It is natural to ask: On a personal and institutional level, which of the two styles do we embody?

Clearly, then, whether or not we belong to the kingdom of God does not depend on explicit knowledge of Christ: Lord, when did we see you hungry... thirsty... a stranger... naked... sick or in prison? In the Greek text, the verb "to see" is expressed by Matthew as òráo, which means to see deeply, to perceive, to understand. Paraphrasing: Lord, when did we "understand," "detect," "distinguish" you? Jesus' answer suggests that it is not the profession of faith, theological knowledge or sacramental practice that guarantees participation in God's joy, but qualitative and quantitative involvement in the human story of the least of our brothers and sisters. And the price of the human is the kingship of Jesus of Nazareth, who in his earthly life shared in all the weakness of our nature, even to the point of being rejected, persecuted, and crucified.

Ultimately, the parable of the Last Judgment manifests the secret on which the world stands: The Word became flesh, that is, "God wanted to make himself in solidarity with humanity to such an extent that whoever touches man touches God, whoever honors man honors God, whoever despises man despises God" (Elias Citterio).

Indeed, the parable reveals the supreme dignity of human acts, defined in relation to compassion, solidarity, tenderness, and closeness in humanity. I find in the verses with which Edith Bruck wished to bid farewell to Pope Francis (L'Osservatore Romano, April 23, 2025), the poetic expression of such humanity:

"We have lost a man who lives in me.

"A man who loved, was moved, wept, invoked peace, laughed, kissed, hugged, was moved and moved others, spread warmth.

"The love of people of all colors and everywhere rejuvenated him.

"Irony and wit made him wise.

"His humanity was contagious, softening even stones.

"To heal him from illnesses was his healthy faith rooted in heaven."

"Christian humanity" makes the Church everyone's home. How timely are Francis' words spoken in conversation with the Jesuits in Lisbon in 2023: Everyone, everyone, everyone is called to live in the Church — never forget that!

As the Acts of the Apostles reports, Peter had clearly asserted this: Truly I am realizing that God shows no preference to any person but welcomes those who fear him and practice righteousness, whatever nation they belong to.

The passage in the first reading is the conclusion of Peter's encounter with pagans, Cornelius and his family (Acts 10); an episode that — in a globalized, secularized age as thirsty for truth and love as ours — through Peter's attitude points the way to evangelization: the unreserved openness to the human,  gratuitous interest in others, the sharing of experience and deepening to help every man and every woman give respect to life, to creaturely grace, and, when they see that it pleases God — St. Francis of Assisi would say (RegNB XVI, 43) — the proclamation of the Gospel, that is, the revelation of the divine humanity of Jesus in history, to call people to faith in Christ, "mad with love" for mankind, as teaches St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day falls today in Italy. Then the full value of the profession of faith, sound theology, and the sacraments that enrich life in the spirit with every grace can unfold for all.

May Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord who gave the world the Savior, point us to the way of authentic discipleship and proclamation.

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CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

In an exhortation to young people published after his death, Pope Francis urged couples to prepare properly for marriage and commit themselves to "love that lasts a lifetime." 

The missive, a foreword to the book "Love Forever" by the YOUCAT Foundation, urges young people considering marriage to "believe in love, believe in God, and believe that you are capable of taking on the adventure" of lifelong matrimony. 

The Holy Father in the text described the traditional wedding vows of "until death do us part" as "an extraordinary promise." 

"Of course, I am not blind, and neither are you. How many marriages today fail after three, five, seven years?" the pope wrote in the foreword, published by the New York Times on Monday.

Asking rhetorically if it would be better "to avoid the pain, to touch each other only as though in a passing dance, to enjoy each other, play together, and then leave," the pope countered that love "until further notice" is not love. 

"We humans have the desire to be accepted without reservations, and those who do not have this experience often — unknowingly — carry a wound for the rest of their lives," Francis argued. "Instead, those who enter into a union lose nothing but gain everything: life at its fullest."

The Holy Father noted that he had urged the Church to "help you build a foundation for your relationship based on God's faithful love." He wrote that he "dreamed" of a catechumenate-style marriage formation program for the Church, one that might last years and would "save you from disappointment, from invalid or unstable marriages."

Pointing to YOUCAT's marriage formation material as a guide, the pope said couples should "absolutely participate in marriage preparation courses."

"Before receiving the sacrament of marriage, a proper preparation is necessary," the pope wrote.

"We cannot continue on as before: Many only see the beautiful ritual," he said. "And then, after some years, they separate. Faith is destroyed. Wounds are opened. There are often children who are missing a father or a mother."

Comparing marriage to the dance of tango in his native Argentina, Pope Francis said treating a marriage this way is "like dancing tango poorly." 

"Tango is a dance that must be learned. This is all the more true when it comes to marriage and family," the late pontiff said.

Quoting his earlier apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the pope finished the foreword: "In young love, the dancing — step by step, a dance toward hope with eyes full of wonder — must not stop."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2025 / 15:49 pm (CNA).

Utah's Catholic Community Services will continue to operate its refugee support programs despite federal funding cuts after receiving well over $1 million in donations.

In early April, the group, which is based in Salt Lake City, announced that its refugee resettlement program was "winding down" and would eventually close amid major federal funding cuts. The program normally provides "hundreds of refugees the assistance they need to recover from lives dismantled by persecution, war, or violence."

The organization reported that it lost more than $2.5 million of annual aid and "could not sustain the program" without it.

In a statement on Monday, however, the group said that, following the announcement, "something remarkable happened. Our community rallied."

The organization said it will no longer be forced to close the refugee program or end its support for Utah-based immigrant families.

"Thanks to a generous lead gift and an outpouring of support from individuals, foundations, and partners, CCS will continue offering resettlement services through a new, privately funded model," the group said.

Catholic Community Services said it has raised $1.5 million to use over the next four years and said it will continue its work "on a smaller scale." The majority of the funds came from one donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Catholic organization is now asking for another $1 million from "the broader community." It stated that without this additional money, the organization "will be forced to scale back services and make further cuts to the program."

The funds will help "refugee clients" by focusing on "six key pillars": extended case management, housing assistance, employment readiness, youth education support, mental health services, and volunteer coordination and community engagement.

"These services aim to address the most urgent needs of refugee families and foster long-term self-sufficiency," the organization said.

"While the program will operate at a reduced capacity, its core services — and the impact on the lives of those we serve — remain as vital as ever. This transformation ensures we can uphold our mission while adapting to a changing national landscape."

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CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump's approval ratings are significantly higher among Christians than among the religiously unaffiliated, according to a poll by Pew Research released to coincide with Trump's first 100 days in office. 

Trump's approval rating continues to be highest among white evangelical Protestants, while Catholics are almost split at 42%, according to the poll.

Across the board, Christians gave Trump a higher approval rating than nonaffiliated Americans by more than 20 percentage points (48% versus 26%, respectively). 

The approval rating for President Donald Trump among Christians is also 8 points higher than among U.S. adults overall.

Among Christians, white evangelical Protestants had the highest approval rating of Trump at 72%. Black Protestants had the lowest approval rating of the current president at 10%.  

Trump's overall approval rating with white Catholics was significantly higher than with Hispanic Catholics, standing at 52% and 26%, respectively. 

Pew surveyed more than 3,500 U.S. adults from April 7–13 for the poll. 

Policies and ethics  

Forty-three percent of Christians found the Trump administration's ethical standards were "excellent" or "good."

When asked about the ethical standards of top Trump administration officials, about 7 in 10 white evangelicals rated them as "excellent" or "good." Nearly half of white Catholics and a quarter of Hispanic Catholics agreed. 

About half of Christians approved of the Trump administration's action to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and its budget cuts to federal departments, while 46% approved of the substantially increased tariffs on imports.

For these various Trump administration policies, approval rating points among Catholics sit in the 40s. 

Overall, 43% of Catholics approved of the Trump administration's anti-DEI action; 47% approved of federal department funding cuts; and 41% approved of increased tariffs.

More than half of white Catholics surveyed (54%) said they approved of the anti-DEI initiative, while a large majority of Hispanic Catholics (69%) disapproved. 

In addition, 55% of white Catholics approved of cuts to federal departments and agencies while 65% of Hispanic Catholics disapproved. 

Another 70% of Hispanic Catholics disapproved of the increased tariffs, while 49% of white Catholics approved.

Across the various categories, Catholics do not vary from U.S. adults by more than 3 percentage points.

Trend now downward

This month Trump's approval ratings dropped by 7% among U.S. adults overall, according to Pew. 

The drop comes in the wake of the Trump administration implementing a surge of tariffs on various foreign imports.  

Trump's approval ratings dropped by 1 percentage point more among white Catholics than it did among the religiously nonaffiliated. 

The president's approval rating declined within several categories among Christians. Among white Catholics and Black Protestants, his approval ratings had an 8-point drop. Among white evangelicals and the religiously nonaffiliated, it dropped by 6 and 7 points, respectively.

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