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CNA Staff, Oct 2, 2025 / 16:13 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved a new abortion pill made by a company that explicitly says it seeks to "normalize" abortion.

A Sept. 30 letter obtained from the office of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, said the FDA approved the abbreviated new drug application for "mifepristone tablets" from Evita Solutions, a Virginia-based pharmaceutical company.

The FDA said in the letter that it had "concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval" under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

On its website as of Oct. 2, Evita Solutions was advertising a "new generic mifepristone product" coming to the U.S. Mifepristone constitutes one of the major components of abortion pill prescriptions.

The company says it "assist[s] the medical community in recognizing the utility and freedom that medical abortion provides patients."

"[W]e seek to normalize abortion care, and we commit to making care accessible to all," it says. 

Evita Solutions did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Oct. 2. The drug's approval, meanwhile, was met with criticism and pushback from pro-life advocates. 

In an X post, Hawley called the approval "shocking." 

He wrote that the approval came "when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child." 

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a media statement that the "reckless" approval by the FDA was "unconscionable." 

"These dangerous drugs take the lives of unborn children, place women and underage girls at serious risk, empower abusers, and trample the pro-life laws enacted by states across the nation," she said. 

Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life of America, said in a statement that the Trump administration's approval of the drug "represents a true failure." 

"More babies will die; more women will be harmed; and more Americans [will be] exposed to abortion water pollution as a direct result of this unfathomable decision," she said. "This is a stain on the Trump presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go."

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Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oct 2, 2025 / 17:02 pm (CNA).

The faithful are gathering in Michigan, where the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux are on display at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, near Detroit. A Mass of installation was celebrated on Oct. 1 by Archbishop Edward Weisenburger and rector Father John Bettin as the beautiful, glass-encased reliquary was present near the altar. 

In an interview with CNA, Bettin said the saint's bones and reliquary first visited the United States and the basilica named for her over a quarter of a century ago, in 1999. The 2025 tour is the first stop of 40 in 11 states. According to the StThereseusa2025.com website, her relics will go to California; Washington, D.C.; Texas; Wisconsin; and various Carmelite convents through December.

Bettin pointed out that the "simplicity and depth" of the saint's spirituality has a growing appeal that transcends national boundaries. "She is a doctor of the Church and one of the most beloved saints of all time. The last time she was here, approximately 70,000 pilgrims visited the shrine in one day. We are planning for even bigger crowds," he said.

Over 400 volunteers are supporting the shrine's staff to accommodate the many pilgrims who will visit from Oct. 1–8. During a recent visit, volunteers could be seen signing up duty rosters while others were busy festooning the beautiful sanctuary with roses. 

Born in Alençon, France, on Jan. 2, 1873, Thérèse Martin was the daughter of Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin. When Zélie died, young Thérèse and her family moved to Lisieux in northern France. When her sisters entered the Carmel of Lisieux, she wished to follow them but was turned down because of her youth. But during an audience with Pope Leo XIII, she was granted permission. She entered the Carmel in 1888 and made her religious profession in 1890.

During her nine years in the Carmel, she was ultimately wracked with doubt. Even so, she wrote fervently about her love of God, much like the Carmelite saints Teresa de Avila and John of the Cross. Following her death from tuberculosis at the age of 24 in 1897, her Carmelite sisters gathered her writings, which have since formed the basis of "The Story of a Soul," a book that has been translated into numerous languages and millions of copies.

Bettin spoke warmly of the special devotion that Chaldean Catholics, for example, have for the saint, and said he expects many to visit the relics. Father Patrick Setto, a priest of Iraqi origin of the Chaldean Catholic Church in the Detroit area, told CNA that he and his community are grateful for being able to celebrate their liturgy at the basilica. He noted that he recently held a silent retreat for adults, centering on the life of St. Thérèse and her Little Way. 

In an interview, Setto said his relationship with St. Thérèse goes back to his childhood. When he was in the sixth grade in 1999, he and his mother waited for hours to venerate the relics. He recalled that when the reliquary came around in a procession, he wanted to reach out and touch it.

"But I was so short, I couldn't get to it. So, a man — out of nowhere — lifted me out of the pew and I got to touch it," Setto said. "Soon, 26 years later, I will celebrate a Mass in the shrine with her reliquary there."

"It's a very powerful, special blessing that God has bestowed on me," he added. He never saw the man again, he said.

The priest said that Dominican and Redemptorist missionaries to Iraq spread devotion to St. Thérèse in the early 20th century. The Catholics in Iraq feel a connection to her amid their suffering during war and Muslim domination, and during their flight as refugees. In a 2014 video message, Pope Francis referred to Iraqi refugees as "the reeds of God," in parallel to the saint's spirituality of perseverance and faith despite adversity.

Bettin also has a special relationship with St. Thérèse. As the youngest of 11 children in his family, he was often chided as "spoiled," much like the saint, who was also the youngest in her family. In her memoir, St. Thérèse recalled that when she was 14, she was tearful upon overhearing her father say that it would be the last Christmas she would receive gifts typical for children. 

"St. Thérèse's spirituality began as a little girl when she was not sure that there was a world outside of herself. But she had an epiphany, if you will, on Christmas in 1886 when she experienced a profound conversion," Bettin said. "She realized there was a world outside, and she gained a great devotion for God. It was not so much for herself, but for others."

Both priests called on Catholics to come to the shrine to venerate the relics. When Bettin was asked what Christians can expect from venerating the relics, he said: "It's interior for each pilgrim who comes, whether they are parishioners, from Detroit, or other countries."

Some may even see miracles, said Setto, who cited the Old Testament, where in 2 Kings 13:21, a dead man was brought back to life after his body touched the bones of the prophet Elisha. "Come and see her," he said. 

Dominican Sister Mercedes Torres, who serves as vocations director of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in nearby Ann Arbor, invited the world, especially young people, to visit with the saint while her relics are in the U.S.

In a video, Sister Mercedes said: "Faith is essential to who we are. But it's really that call of love that we have all been called to live. St. Thérèse is making herself known to young people in the country right now. Go and see her as she is making herself known, and you can make yourself known to her. Make your intentions known to St. Thérèse. It is such a gift, and I want everyone to participate in that gift."

Setto said that those who are discouraged in their search for closeness to God can go to the writings of the saint and experience renewal. When people experience shame and discouragement, he said St. Thérèse can help them "refocus on God's mercy rather than their weakness, just as St. Paul says that in my weakness, God is able to be strong in me. She was able to flesh that out in a very human and practical way that is easy to understand."

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CNA Staff, Oct 2, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

During the month of October, the Catholic Church celebrates guardian angels.

Guardian angels are instruments of providence who help protect their charges from suffering serious harm and assist them on the path of salvation.

It is a teaching of the Church that every one of the faithful has his or her own guardian angel, and it is the general teaching of theologians that everyone has a guardian angel from birth.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their [angels'] watchful care and intercession. 'Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.' Already here on earth, the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God" (No. 336).

Several of our greatest saints have also shared their thoughts on guardian angels. Here's what they had to say:

St. John Vianney

"Our guardian angels are our most faithful friends, because they are with us day and night, always and everywhere. We ought often to invoke them."

St. John Bosco

"When tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped. Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him; he trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel."

St. Jerome

"How great is the dignity of souls, that each person has from birth received an angel to protect it."

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

"My holy Guardian Angel, cover me with your wing. With your fire light the road that I'm taking. Come, direct my steps… help me, I call upon you. Just for today."

St. Basil the Great

"Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd, leading him to life."

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

"We should show our affection for the angels, for one day they will be our co-heirs just as here below they are our guardians and trustees appointed and set over us by the Father."

St. Francis de Sales

"Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit. Without being seen, they are present with you."

St. Josemaría Escrivá

"If you remembered the presence of your angel and the angels of your neighbors, you would avoid many of the foolish things which slip into your conversations."

St. John Cassian

"Cherubim means knowledge in abundance. They provide an everlasting protection for that which appeases God, namely, the calm of your heart, and they will cast a shadow of protection against all the attacks of malign spirits."

This story was first published on Oct. 2, 2022, and has been updated.

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London, England, Oct 1, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

One of the United Kingdom's leading experts in bioethics has warned that hospices may be forced to offer assisted death out of fear of losing their funding.

Pia Matthews, senior lecturer in health care ethics at St. Mary's University, London, told CNA on Oct. 1 that if assisted dying is legalized in the U.K. this November, "there is real risk that funding to a hospice will depend on whether the hospice engages in the practice of facilitating assisted deaths, and this will put further pressure not only on staff but also on the survival of some hospices, which are already underfunded… Given that the very nature of assisted dying means that it is the cheaper option, this will inevitably have serious consequences for the funding of hospice care."

She continued: "The argument in favor of assisted dying is that assisted dying offers choice to patients. Purely on a cost basis, choice will be taken away if hospices are not adequately funded and more people will be implicitly coerced into assisted suicide because they will feel they have no choice."

The law on assisted suicide is expected to change in England and Wales after Member of Parliament Kim Leadbeater successfully introduced a private member's bill in November 2024 called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The bill would legalize "assisted dying" for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live. Under current law in England and Wales, assisted suicide is illegal with the potential for imprisonment for up to 14 years.

Although Leadbeater's bill passed successfully through the House of Commons, its passage has now slowed due to growing concerns about its safety and application. In a vote in the House of Lords on Sept. 19, peers voted in support of establishing a select committee to further scrutinize the highly controversial law.

Against this political climate, a report by BBC News on Sept. 29 revealed that hospices are being forced to cut services, despite growing demand.

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, told the BBC: "Over the last three years, hospice charities have seen accumulated cost pressures, but the money that they've received from the government has stayed flat, and that's seen services cut back."

"What would it say about us as a country if someone decided to opt for an assisted death because they were worried that they wouldn't be able to get the care they needed to control their pain or manage their symptoms, or that their family wouldn't be properly supported?"

Matthews told CNA that the very ethos of "assisted dying" was a threat to hospice care. 

"Hospice care does offer real choice at the end of life: choice about where to die, who will accompany the person, treatment and care options. This model of care is under threat from inadequate funding and it is under threat from the contrary ethos of assisted suicide because assisted suicide tells people that their fears are correct — they may die in pain and no one can help them, they can only rely on themselves, and their only recourse is to go for assisted suicide," she said.

"Where hospice care is about solidarity and hope, assisted suicide entrenches fear of loss of control and therefore despair. If assisted dying is legalized, the line between recognizing when treatment is burdensome or futile for this patient and so should be withdrawn and deciding that this patient's life is no longer of any worth so the patient can choose to have death hastened, will be blurred. Recognizing when treatment is appropriate is good medical practice; helping patients to take their own lives is not."

Meanwhile, pro-life campaigners in the U.K. have also echoed concerns about the future of hospices under an "assisted dying" regime. 

Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, told CNA that "the apparent commitment in the form of a 'blank check' to fund a state-assisted suicide service, and the lack of any corresponding commitment to ensure full state funding for palliative or hospice care, risks creating a perverse push towards assisted suicide since one service could be readily available while the other is not."

She added: "For vulnerable people near the end of their lives, it is especially concerning that assisted suicide could end up becoming the default, simply because it is available and better funded than palliative or hospice care."

Robinson further said that "hospices urgently need more funding to perform their current duties of care." She explained that introducing assisted suicide "would stretch an already over-encumbered sector dangerously thin."

"It is also worrying that hospices would not be able to opt out of assisted suicide being provided on their premises," she said. "This would likely mean that many hospices opposed to facilitating the deliberate ending of patients' lives could be forced to close, further reducing the availability of end-of-life care."

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Vatican City, Oct 1, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

The Holy See's secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, decried that attacks on Christians have intensified in recent years and accused the international community of "turning a blind eye."

"The data show that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide, and yet the international community seems to be turning a blind eye to their plight," the English archbishop declared during his Sept. 29 address to the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly.

"Christians across the world are subjected to severe persecution, including physical violence, imprisonment, forced displacement, and martyrdom," he added.

The Vatican diplomat noted that more than 360 million Christians live in areas where they experience high levels of persecution or discrimination, "with attacks on churches, homes, and communities intensifying in recent years."

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the archbishop emphasized defending life from practices such as abortion and euthanasia.

In his speech, he insisted that the right to life, from conception to its natural end, is a "fundamental prerequisite for the exercise of all other rights" and condemned "the illegitimacy of every form of procured abortion and of euthanasia."

'Culture of death'

The Vatican diplomat criticized what he called a "culture of death" and called for international resources to be allocated to protecting life and supporting those in difficult situations so they can make life-affirming choices.

In particular, he emphasized the need to "enable those mothers to give birth to the child in their womb" and to "ease the burden of human suffering during illness through adequate health and palliative care."

The archbishop also warned of the risks of a conception of freedom disconnected from objective and universal truth: "When freedom shuts out even the most obvious evidence of an objective and universal truth, which is the foundation of personal and social life, then the person ends up by his subjective and changeable opinion or interest."

Gallagher stated that this vision of freedom leads to a "serious distortion" of life in society. "At that point, everything becomes negotiable and open to bargaining, even the first of the fundamental rights, the right to life," he stated.

'Deplorable practice' of surrogacy

The representative of the Holy See also addressed the practice of surrogacy, highlighting it as another threat to human dignity: "Another issue that endangers the inviolable dignity of human beings by reducing them to mere products is the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child. The Holy See renews its call for an international ban of this deplorable practice."

Gallagher also denounced the fact that in a world marked by "unprecedented wealth and technological advancement," millions of people "still lack access to basic necessities."

"The persistence of extreme poverty, particularly in regions afflicted by conflict, climate change, and systemic inequality, demands immediate and collective action," he stated.

Foreign debt cancellation

Similarly, Gallagher called for the cancellation of the foreign debt of the poorest countries, emphasizing that these financial burdens "trap nations in poverty and must be canceled as a matter of justice."

In this context, he said the Holy See urges the international community to "prioritize integral human development in a spirit of solidarity, ensuring that economic policies and development programs place the human person at their core and foster not only material well-being but also spiritual and social growth."

In the words of the Vatican diplomat, the poor must be seen "not as a problem but as people who can become the principal builders of a new and more human future for everyone."

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, Oct 1, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

Various U.S. bishops expressed relief and happiness after U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, announced his decision to decline an award from the Chicago Archdiocese following backlash over his pro-abortion views.

Late Tuesday, Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blase Cupich said Durbin had decided to back away from receiving the award after numerous U.S. bishops criticized the archdiocese for selecting Durbin to receive the honor.

The Illinois senator was scheduled to receive a "Lifetime Achievement Award for support to immigrants" at an archdiocesan event in November. Cupich described the senator as embodying "unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day."

Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who presides over Durbin's home diocese, had in September said Durbin was "unfit to receive any Catholic honor." In an Oct. 1 statement on X, the bishop said he was "grateful" that the senator ultimately declined the award. 

Noting that October is Respect Life Month, Paprocki urged Catholics to "continue to pray for our Church, our country, and for the human dignity of all people to be respected in all stages of life including the unborn and immigrants."

Arlington, Virginia, Bishop Michael Burbidge, meanwhile — who previously served as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' pro-life committee — said on Oct. 1 that he was "relieved" at Durbin's decision. 

"The Church must continue to boldly proclaim the gospel of life in its entirety," he said. "Our public witness to the Gospel, to convincingly move hearts and minds to conversion, will always require that the Church show the hierarchy and unity of all truths."

In his Sept. 30 statement announcing Durbin's withdrawal from the award, Cupich said he was proposing "synodal gatherings" for Catholics "to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues." 

Burbidge in turn noted that productive conversations "occur only when participants share a basic commitment to certain objective moral realities about what is good and evil."

Among those, he said, is "the human right to life."

"True dialogue cannot take place when a purportedly Catholic lawmaker turns a blind eye to the killing of innocent persons," he said. 

Durbin's withdrawal from the award came just hours after Pope Leo XIV addressed the controversy, with the Holy Father — himself a Chicago native — arguing that such political disputes are "complex." 

"I understand the difficulty and the tensions. But I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it's important to look at many issues that are related to the teachings of the Church," the pope said. 

Numerous other U.S. bishops had previously expressed disapproval over the proposed award, including Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska; Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico; and San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

In a statement on X on Oct. 1, Cordileone extended Durbin "complements" for withdrawing from the award, which the prelate described as a "great display of magnanimity." 

"In such a contentious issue that threatens even greater division, Sen. Durbin chose to take the higher moral ground," the prelate said. "Such an act required tremendous humility on his part. We need more humility in our country."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 1, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Late Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV answered several questions from journalists at Villa Barberini, the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, where he addressed various issues.

Asked about the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve the crisis in Gaza, the pontiff stated: "We hope they accept it. So far, it seems to be a realistic proposal."

"It's important, nonetheless, that there be a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. But there are elements there that I think are very interesting, and I hope Hamas will accept it within the established time frame," he added.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sept. 29 that they have agreed on a plan to end the war, although it is unknown whether Hamas will accept the terms. The 20-point plan seeks to halt the war between Israel and Hamas through a temporary governing body in Gaza, headed by Trump and also including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The plan does not require population displacement and calls for an immediate end to hostilities if both sides agree. It also demands that the remaining hostages be released within 72 hours of Israel's acceptance of the agreement. Trump assured that Israel would have the "full support" of the United States to defeat Hamas if the armed group rejects the proposal.

The Holy Father also referred to the arrival on the coast of Gaza of vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, sent with humanitarian aid and with the purpose of breaking the naval blockade imposed by Israel, despite warnings from the Israeli government, which has demanded the suspension of the mission.

"It's very difficult. There's a desire to respond to a true humanitarian emergency, but there are many elements [involved] there, and all sides are saying that we hope there will be no violence and that people will be respected. That's very important," he noted.

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, Oct 1, 2025 / 16:35 pm (CNA).

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the papal encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued a clear exhortation to the faithful, saying: "I beg you to see Christ in every person, even those whose politics you oppose."

Pope Francis' 2020 encyclical letter on fraternity and social friendship was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi's call for "love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance." On the anniversary of the letter, as terrifying acts of violence continue to occur in the U.S., Broglio encouraged Americans to reflect on the value of every human life.

Broglio's pastoral invitation comes in the wake of "shocking acts of political violence" across the nation, stemming from "hostility and division," Broglio wrote in a USCCB statement. "Places once regarded as safe harbors to grow and learn — our schools, universities, and churches — have become sites of heartbreaking tragedy and bloodshed."

"Pope Francis outlined steps our world must take to rebuild a sense of communion in the wake of what he described as 'shattered dreams,'" Broglio said. "As the encyclical prophetically points out, people are being manipulated 'to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action.'"

"We have seen the manifestation of this notion in the perverse idea that one can serve the common good by becoming an instrument of violence," Broglio said. "This happens when we refuse to see the face of Christ in the other person and only see an enemy that must be dominated or destroyed." 

Pope Franics wrote: "The path to social unity always entails acknowledging the possibility that others have, at least in part, a legitimate point of view, something worthwhile to contribute, even if they were in error or acted badly." 

Therefore, building peace in our nation "requires us to place at the center of all political, social, and economic activity the human person from conception to natural death, who enjoys the highest dignity, and respect for the common good."

To follow Pope Francis' call, Broglio calls on each of us to "examine our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions and ask ourselves how we contribute to the polarization and animosity plaguing our nation."

To "begin to heal the rifts between us," Broglio called on people to perform corporal works of mercy including feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. He also encouraged people to fast from social media and take time to pray for their enemies.

In his encyclical, Pope Francis said "authentic reconciliation does not flee from conflict but is achieved in conflict, resolving it through dialogue and open, honest, and patient negotiation." 

Broglio said: "Listen and talk with those you with whom you disagree — especially within your own family. Disagree, debate civilly, stand for your rights, but always remember in your heart that we are all children of God and deserve dignity and life."

"On this fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti, let us pray 'so that we may discover anew that all are important and all are necessary, different faces of the one humanity that God so loves. Amen.'"

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 1, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

After the U.S. government shut down on Oct. 1 because Congress failed to reach an agreement on the federal spending budget, Catholic organizations called for a swift resolution to mitigate the potential harm to government-funded programs serving the poor and vulnerable, such as food assistance, housing support, and refugee services.

The government shutdown and the "crippling partisanship will be felt far beyond the halls of Washington," Kerry Alys Robinson, president of Catholic Charities USA, said in a statement.

Catholic Charities USA, which supports a network of agencies across the country, reported the shutdown will "take a particular toll on the most vulnerable among us, from hungry children and parents living paycheck to paycheck to seniors struggling to afford medications and groceries."

If leaders from both parties do not end the shutdown soon, "even more Americans will fall into poverty, and the recovery from this setback could take months or even years," Robinson said. "In the meantime, Catholic Charities agencies around the country, inspired by the Gospel, will continue to do their best to fill in the gaps and provide life-giving, compassionate aid to those suffering most in their communities." 

Sister Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), said in a statement the shutdown "jeopardizes the health and stability of millions of families."

She added: "The ripple effects of inaction extend across the economy, deepening hardship for those already most vulnerable."

Haddad said CHA is urging "Congress to come together to fund the government for fiscal year 2026 and extend vital health and safety net programs that millions rely on" and is encouraging "lawmakers to swiftly work together to end the shutdown and preserve critical health programs." 

A spokesperson for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) told CNA the organization hopes "lawmakers will work earnestly to come to a bipartisan agreement that ends the government shutdown as quickly as possible," as it "harms families and individuals who rely on federal services."

Apart from charities and agencies working with Americans in need, the shutdown may impact the nation's cyber and security measures. In the midst of a potential shutdown in 2023, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported it would be "forced to suspend both physical and cybersecurity assessments for government and industry partners."

The CISA, which works to "maintain safe and secure houses of worship," reported a new plan for the 2025 shutdown in the wake of recent Michigan and Minnesota attacks at religious institutions. The federal agency said in an Oct. 1 statement it "remains fully committed to safeguarding the nation's critical infrastructure."

"While a government shutdown can disrupt federal operations, CISA will sustain essential functions and provide timely guidance to minimize disruptions," a spokesperson for CISA said.  "Yet Democrats' refusal to act is forcing many of our frontline cybersecurity experts to work without pay even as nation-states intensify efforts to exploit Americans and critical systems — an unacceptable and unnecessary strain on our national defenses."

It is not clear how long the shutdown will last, but until a decision regarding the budget is reached the funding for numerous U.S. government services will remain cut off.

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Denver, Colorado, Oct 1, 2025 / 18:07 pm (CNA).

After years of court battles over the Colorado government's exclusion of two Catholic preschools from its Universal Preschool Program, a U.S. appeals court ruled against the parishes on Tuesday. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals of the 10th Circuit, in a 54-page decision, ruled that Colorado may continue to exclude the Catholic preschools because of their religious beliefs.  

The decision comes after a series of court cases involving the state of Colorado's attempts to exclude the schools from the inception of the program. 

Becket, a law firm that defends religious freedom, first filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Catholic parish preschools of the Archdiocese of Denver in August 2023. A federal court in June 2024 ruled that Colorado state discriminated against the Catholic preschools, but ultimately the courts upheld the state's exclusion of them. The preschools then appealed to the United States Court of Appeals of the 10th Circuit.  

Calling the state's actions "anti-religious" after the court's ruling, Nick Reaves, senior counsel at Becket, said that Becket will keep fighting the decision.

"Colorado is punishing religious schools and the families they serve for following their faith," Reaves said in a statement shared with CNA.

"The 10th Circuit's decision allows the state's anti-religious gamesmanship to continue," Reaves continued. "We will keep fighting to ensure that every preschooler in Colorado can access quality, affordable education."

The Denver Catholic, Denver's archdiocesan news outlet, called the decision "a blow to Colorado Catholic families with preschool-aged children."

"The court's decision thereby perpetuates the faith-based discrimination that faces these Catholic schools and families, who already sacrifice tremendously to provide an excellent, faith-based education for their children," read the Sept. 30 article by the Denver Catholic.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis celebrated the decision, saying it protects students from "discrimination."

"We are building a Colorado for all, where every student is free from discrimination," Polis said in a Sept. 30 statement.

In their admissions process, Catholic preschools in Denver seek to ensure that teachers and families uphold their religious mission, including teachings on sexuality and gender identity — a practice that comes into conflict with the universal pre-K program's nondiscrimination clause on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Specifically, the Denver Archdiocese requires that staff and parents sign a "Statement of Community Beliefs," pledging to live according to Catholic Church teaching, which does not recognize gender "transitions" or same-sex marriages.  

The court ruled that the program's restrictive admissions requirements, which prevent the Catholic schools from participating, were "in harmony with the First Amendment."  

The court briefing also said that the Colorado program "went to great effort to be welcoming and inclusive of faith-based preschools' participation." 

Polis claimed that "many faith based and secular providers are operating terrific preschools that serve parents and children well" and said that the universal pre-K program enrolls "approximately 70% of all eligible 4-year-olds." 

The program also excludes the Denver Jewish Day School's preschool, according to the school's website.  

The Universal Preschool Program gives taxpayer funding to preschool families for up to 15 hours of preschool to attend qualifying preschools. 

"Colorado's highly popular, free Universal Preschool saves families more than $6,000 per year, gives students a strong start, and has skyrocketed Colorado from 27th in preschool enrollment to third," Polis said.

Due to the court's ruling this week, families who wish for their preschool-age children to attend Catholic archdiocesan preschools will be unable to participate in the program.

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