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St. Louis, Mo., Feb 26, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

A parish church in St. Louis that primarily serves the African American community was announced Feb. 24 as a recipient of a preservation grant to support the restoration of the historic building's stained-glass windows. 

St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, known in the community as the "The Rock" because of the church building's rock-hewn appearance, was one of 30 Black churches throughout the country chosen to receive a grant this year from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an independent nonprofit organization.

The parish, which is under the care of the Redemptorists and located in the Grand Center district of St. Louis, will receive $500,000 to help restore its stained-glass windows, which were created in Munich by the German firm Meyer & Company and installed at the church in time for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. 

Shannon Horstmann, a longtime parishioner and volunteer grant writer at The Rock, told CNA that she had been pursuing this particular "highly competitive" grant for several years. The church's 54 stained-glass windows all need to be cleaned, repaired, re-leaded, re-supported, and resealed, ensuring they are water and airtight. 

The windows "are irreplaceable works of art and are estimated at $15 million in total value," the grant application, which Horstmann shared with CNA, reads. 

"[These] 120-year-old iconic works of art have succumbed to the environment and need to be cleaned, repaired, and restored to continue to shed light on this active, Black congregation."

The parish itself dates to 1867, and the church building, built of quarry stone, was dedicated in 1872. 

Father Augustus Tolton, who was born into slavery in Missouri and later became the first African American Catholic priest, visited the parish and celebrated Mass there in 1887, having been ordained only the previous year. Tolton's sainthood cause is open and currently he has the title of "venerable."

According to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the parish had undergone many years of declining membership until Father Maurice Nutt, an African American Redemptorist priest ordained in 1989, was made pastor in 1993. His preaching and an African American style of worship and music helped to swell the parish membership to over 1,500 households in just a few years. Nutt left the parish in 2002 and is now the diocesan promoter of Sister Thea Bowman's cause for canonization in New Orleans. 

The parish's membership declined after Nutt's departure. In addition, a 2007 fire in the church's roof — which did not damage the stained glass — necessitated two years of celebration of Sunday Mass in the church gymnasium. Though still the largest primarily African American parish in the archdiocese, parish membership has declined to about 600 households, the archdiocese says. 

The parish attracts worshippers from throughout the city and county. The area immediately surrounding the parish is low income, approximately 82% African American, and only 2% Catholic, one of the lowest percentages in the archdiocese. 

The parish still has additional fundraising to do before the project can start, as the complete restoration of the interior and exterior of all sanctuary windows will cost an estimated $1.5 million, the grant application says.

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Vatican City, Feb 26, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on Wednesday announced that Pope Francis has created a fundraising commission to solicit donations from Catholics and bishops' conferences as the Vatican City State and the Roman Curia continue to face budgetary and funding challenges.

The "Commissio de Donationibus pro Sancta Sede," Latin for "Commission on Donations for the Holy See," has six members, "whose specific task will be to encourage donations" and find benefactors for special projects within the Vatican, according to a papal decree signed Feb. 11.

Pope Francis has been making cost-cutting decisions at the Vatican in recent years as he continues attempts to reverse the institution's struggling financial situation, including a pension fund facing a "serious prospective imbalance."

The donation commission's statutes, signed by Pope Francis, say the team will report directly to the pope with twice-yearly updates on their work, to be carried out with the help of an initial endowment of 300,000 euros (about $315,000).

In its fundraising campaigns, the commission should, according to the norms, emphasize the importance of donations for "the Holy Father's mission and charitable works" and ensure the will of the donor is respected when it comes to the destination of money for specific projects.

The first president of the commission is Father Roberto Campisi, assessor in the general affairs section of the Secretariat of State.

Members include Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Sister Silvana Piro, FMGB, undersecretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which oversees the Vatican's real estate holdings and other sovereign assets.

The last appointee is Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, an Italian lawyer who on Tuesday was promoted from vice secretary to secretary of the Vatican City State Governorate.

The president and members of the commission are appointed for five-year terms.

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Vatican City, Feb 26, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday asked Catholics to have the wisdom to look for the presence of God in our midst like the elderly Simeon and Anna in the New Testament.

In his second catechesis since being admitted into Rome's Gemelli Hospital nearly two weeks ago, the Holy Father reflected on the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Lord's encounter with two elderly "pilgrims of hope."

"The song of redemption of two elders thus emits the proclamation of the jubilee for all the people and for the world," the pope shared in his written commentary on St. Luke's Gospel. 

"Hope is rekindled in hearts in the Temple of Jerusalem because Christ our hope has entered it," he continued.

The 88-year-old pontiff emphasized that both Simeon and Anna were people of prayer and worship, with "clear eyes" capable of recognizing God in the child Jesus and welcoming him into their lives. 

"Simeon embraces that child who, small and helpless, rests in his arms; but it is he, in fact, who finds consolation and the fullness of his existence by holding him to himself," the pope said. 

"Filled with this spiritual consolation, the elderly Simeon sees death not as the end but as fulfillment, fullness; he awaits it like a 'sister' that does not annihilate but introduces to the true life that he has already foretasted and in which he believes," he added.

Anna, a widow of more than 80 years of age who was devoted to prayer and service, could not contain her joy when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the Temple.

"Anna celebrates the God of Israel, who has redeemed his people in that very child and tells others about him, generously spreading the prophetic word," the Holy Father said.

Besides helping Jesus make his "first act of worship" in the Temple, the pope noted how Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, express the tenderness of a family and "do not simply embed Jesus in a history of the family, the people, of the covenant with the Lord God."

"They take care of his growth, and introduce him into the atmosphere of faith and worship. And they too gradually grow in their comprehension of a vocation that far surpasses them," he said.

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CNA Staff, Feb 26, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

A 20-year-long decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christian may be "leveling off," according to data released on Wednesday by Pew Research Center. 

Pew said its most recent Religious Landscape Study showed 62% of U.S. adults identifying as Christian, a number that has been "relatively stable" since 2019. 

The number of U.S. adults claiming to be Christian is still significantly lower than when the survey first began, falling 16 points over the course of the poll, from 78% in 2007 to the 62% most recently reported.

Yet the last several years of data show the decline has "slowed or perhaps even plateaued," Pew said.

The research group noted that the "Catholic share" of Christian respondents has been stable since 2014, considerably earlier than the broader group stability seen since 2019. Catholics constitute 19% of Christians in the U.S., Pew said. 

Overall, "in 11 Pew Research Center surveys conducted since 2014, all but one have found between 19% and 21% of respondents identifying as Catholic," the group said. 

Still, Catholics were particularly vulnerable to departures from the faith, Pew noted. For every convert to Catholicism, there were more than eight who left through "religious switching." 

The study further shows the "unaffiliated" category, also known as "nones," is seeing nearly six new adherents for every one that leaves. The growth of that group has, however, leveled off in recent years after rising from 16% in 2007 to its present level of 29%.

Relatively low levels of Catholics, meanwhile, reported that religion was "very" important to them. While 55% of Christians overall said religion was very important, just 44% of self-identified Catholics did. Among Christian groups, only Orthodox Christians (43%) and mainline Protestants (37%) reported lower numbers in that category.

And just 29% of Catholics said they attended Mass "weekly or more often," though Catholics are obligated to attend Mass at least weekly. That's down from 39% in 2014.

Twenty-seven percent of Catholics, meanwhile, said they attend Mass "a few times a year," while nearly a third reported "seldom/never" attending Mass. 

In its study, Pew noted that "generational replacement" is helping to drive the overall downward trend of Christian identity in the U.S. 

"Older, highly religious, heavily Christian generations are passing away," the survey noted. "The younger generations succeeding them are much less religious, with smaller percentages of Christians and more 'nones.'"

That trend has held even within generations, Pew noted: Over the course of the survey, "each birth cohort has become less religious, by several measures, as it has aged."

Overall, "people within the oldest and youngest cohorts, as well as those in between, have become less likely to say they pray daily, less likely to identify with a religion … and less likely to believe in God or a universal spirit with absolute certainty."

Last year Pew reported that religiously unaffiliated people, often referred to as "nones," now make up the largest religious category in the U.S.

Nones were also reported as being less likely to vote, do volunteer work, or have strong friend groups or community, according to Pew.

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CNA Staff, Feb 26, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

A federal judge in Seattle blocked the Trump administration's suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program on Tuesday.

In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ordered the Trump administration to restore the program and funding to refugee aid programs amid a lawsuit alleging that the freeze was unlawful.

The judge said it was likely that the Trump administration had exceeded its authority in halting the long-standing program, which was established by Congress in 1980.

"The president has substantial discretion ... to suspend refugee admissions," Whitehead said, according to the Associated Press. "But that authority is not limitless."

A recent executive order by President Donald Trump suspended the refugee program for at least 90 days, citing the burden of high levels of migration on cities and towns that do not have the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants.

Several faith-based refugee services brought forward the lawsuit against the Trump administration, citing damages such as having to lay off staff amid the funding freeze for processing refugee applications overseas. Individual refugees who were trying to resettle in the U.S. and their families also brought forward the lawsuit. 

The plaintiffs included the International Refugee Assistance Project on behalf of Church World Service, the Jewish refugee aid group HIAS, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest as well as individual refugees and family members. 

The plaintiffs maintained that the refugee freeze was unlawful and had caused irreparable harm to refugees and aid organizations. 

Justice Department lawyer August Flentje asserted that by law, the president may deny entry to foreigners if their admission to the U.S. would be detrimental to the nation's interests. 

Whitehead is set to write a full opinion within the next few days. 

The U.S. bishops recently brought forward a similar lawsuit over the refugee funding freeze. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., refused to immediately block the order, though another hearing is set for Friday. 

Jesuit Refugee Services USA, an advocacy and aid group for refugees operating in 58 countries, was negatively impacted by the funding freeze and the pause of the refugee program. 

Bridget Cusick, a spokesperson for the group, noted that "for generations, the U.S. has been a leader in refugee resettlement."

"We invite refugees to our shores because it is the right thing to do — and, as the Gospel of Luke says, in sowing bountifully we have reaped bountifully: The contributions of refugees to our nation have redounded to us in the form of leaders in government, business, and industry, not to mention culture, cuisine, and friendship," Cusick told CNA. 

"Refugees are the most thoroughly vetted new arrivals to our country and are models of resilience," Cusick said. "We truly believe that the administration will ultimately decide it advances our nation's interests and standing as a world leader to continue our tradition of inviting refugees to become Americans." 

After filing the lawsuit last week, the U.S. bishops emphasized the plight of refugees, urging the U.S. government to restore funding.  

"We are urging the government to uphold its legal and moral obligations to refugees and to restore the necessary funding to ensure that faith-based and community organizations can continue this vital work that reflects our nation's values of compassion, justice, and hospitality," said U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Chieko Noguchi.

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Madrid, Spain, Feb 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC, by its Spanish acronym) is calling on Spain's Ministry of the Interior to strengthen security at the country's cathedrals after a threat against the sacred structures was issued by the Islamic terrorist group Daesh (ISIS).

According to a recent report by Memri, a publication specializing in Islamist terrorism, a poster with the label "Let's slaughter" is being disseminated online in which a terrorist armed with a knife and an image of a Spanish cathedral can be seen.

According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, the poster is accompanied by the incitement to "make the next news yourself and show your anger at what is happening to Muslims. Follow in the footsteps of your brothers who preceded you and sowed fear in the hearts of unbelievers."

These threats come as major events are being held in some Spanish cathedrals, for example in Madrid and Seville, to pray for the health of Pope Francis, where a large number of faithful are expected to attend.

In response to the threats, the OLRC has launched a petition to ask the minister of the interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to increase security in the nation's cathedrals.

The petition states that "jihadism is asking its 'lone wolves' to attack our churches. The security of Catholics is in danger. Have we forgotten that two years ago a jihadist murdered sacristan Diego Valencia in Algeciras and injured a priest?"

The organization, which advises the Spanish government's Monitoring Commission for the Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes, recalled that last New Year's Eve "two jihadist minors planned to attack the basilica in Elche" and that in January threats were made against the Palencia cathedral via Telegram.

The president of the OLRC, María García, pointed out in a statement that "the safety of believers is in danger. We cannot ignore the threats of Daesh. We know what they are capable of, and we are seeing it these days in Europe."

García also recalled that last year "a record number of arrests for jihadism in Spain were made."

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, Feb 25, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a Tennessee law restricting drag performances when children are present.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied the petition to hear an appeal on the ruling, which was filed by an LGBTQ+ theater company in December 2024 after a circuit court ruled against the group. 

The Friends of George's theater company had challenged Tennessee's Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) in 2023 soon after the law limiting "adult-oriented" performances in public was passed. 

The AEA prevented "adult cabaret" performances on public property and anywhere that children might see them. The law defines adult cabaret as "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" and that include "topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers."

The theater group had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the law from taking effect in their county, maintaining that the law was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker temporarily blocked the law in March 2023, but a federal appeals court later reversed the decision and dismissed the lawsuit. 

The Friends of George's theater company had argued that Tennessee's law would go against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech by restricting its drag performances. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the company did not have legal standing to sue because its performances did not break Tennessee law.

Dissenting judge Andre Mathis argued in a 25-page dissent to the July 18, 2024, decision that the law was an "unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech." 

But proponents of legislation argue that freedom of speech does not apply to sexually explicit performances in front of children.

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti lauded the decision in a post on X, calling it a "big win for Tennessee."

"Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children," Skrmetti said. 

Tennessee Sen. Jack Johnson welcomed the Supreme Court decision in a post on Facebook.  

"I'm proud that the United States Supreme Court has upheld yet another Tennessee law protecting our children," Johnson said. "SB 3 ensures that Tennessee children are not exposed to sexually explicit entertainment."

While the First Amendment protects the right to free speech, long-standing legal precedent affirms that it does not protect obscenity.

Several states have taken steps to limit adult performances in front of minors in recent years. For instance, Montana established restrictions on drag performances and drag reading events in public schools and libraries in May 2023, though enforcement of the law was blocked by a federal judge.

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Vancouver, Canada, Feb 25, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Richard W. Smith of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the next archbishop of Vancouver, succeeding Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, whose retirement has been accepted by the Holy Father.

Smith, 65, has led the Archdiocese of Edmonton since 2007 and has served in dioceses across Canada.

Miller reached the age of 75 in 2021 and submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. However, he was asked to remain in office until a successor was named. The Vatican announced this morning that Smith will be the next shepherd of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, with Miller continuing as apostolic administrator until the new archbishop is installed as the 12th archbishop of Vancouver, likely in May.

In a statement, Smith said: "I am grateful to His Holiness for the confidence placed in me to assume this new mission and ask for the assistance of your prayers."

Miller welcomed the appointment with "gratitude to the Holy Father and great satisfaction," assuring Smith of his prayers and fraternal support.

"Vancouver has been given a shepherd of extraordinary gifts and vast experience. We warmly welcome Archbishop Smith, who is already familiar with the challenges facing us here — evangelization, passing on the faith to young people, Indigenous reconciliation, vocations to the priesthood, to name just a few."

Despite the archdiocese waiting nearly four years for the announcement, Miller said, "it has proved well worth the wait." He expressed appreciation for the pope's discernment in making the appointment over an extended period and for allowing it to be announced even as he deals with serious illness.

As Pope Francis continues to receive treatment at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Miller called for continued prayers.

"We have been very close to the Holy Father in recent days, praying fervently for him throughout the archdiocese. The appointment of a new archbishop brings the pope and his ministry as successor of Peter even nearer to our hearts and minds," he said.

Miller noted that after moving to Vancouver, Smith will have served "A Mari Usque Ad Mare" ("From Sea to Sea"), Canada's official motto.

Smith has served as archbishop of Edmonton for 17 years and has been a priest for nearly 38 years.

Born in Halifax, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987, for the Archdiocese of Halifax. He later pursued further studies in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a licentiate in 1993 and a doctorate in 1998. In Halifax, he served as chaplain to the deaf community from 1986 to 1991, held the office of vicar general, and was responsible for pastoral ministry to French-speaking Catholics.

He was a professor of theology at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario, before being appointed bishop of Pembroke, Ontario, in 2002.

In 2007, he was named archbishop of Edmonton. During his time there, Smith took on several national leadership roles, including president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, spiritual adviser to the Catholic Women's League of Canada, and board member of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute. He is currently a member of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA).

In 2022, he was the general coordinator for Pope Francis' pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples.

Miller became archbishop of Vancouver in January 2009, succeeding the late Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, after serving as coadjutor archbishop since 2007. Before his appointment to Vancouver, he was secretary at the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome.

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

Renowned Korean War military chaplain and Kansas native Emil Joseph Kapaun was declared "venerable" by Pope Francis on Tuesday.

The Holy Father on Monday met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, at Gemelli Hospital where the pope is currently undergoing medical treatment to approve decrees from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints for six men and one woman currently on the path to sainthood.

Kapaun is one of five servants of God who will be proclaimed venerable by the Catholic Church. The others are Italian layman Salvo D'Acquisto; Miquel Maura i Montaner, a 19th-century Spanish priest; Italian priest Didaco Bessi; and Kunegunda Siwiec, a Polish laywoman who died in 1955.

The Holy Father approved Kapaun and D'Acquisto based on their "offering of life." In 2017, the pope introduced the "offering of life" category to the causes of the saints, which recognizes those who have persevered to closely follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and serve others "voluntarily and freely" until death.

Kapaun was born in Pilson, Kansas, on April 20, 1916, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita on June 9, 1940, after completing theological studies at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.

After serving as a pastor for his home parish and as an auxiliary chaplain at the Army airbase in Herington, Kansas, Kapaun discerned a call to minister to military personnel. In 1944, he was granted permission by Bishop Christian Winkelmann to become a U.S. Army chaplain.

Outside of the U.S., Kapaun was assigned to posts in Burma and India in the final years of World War II and in Korea following the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. There he brought the sacraments to troops, tended to the injured, and prayed with soldiers in the foxholes. At times he celebrated Mass on the battlefield using the hood of a jeep as a makeshift altar.

During the Battle of Unsan, Kapaun was captured along with other soldiers and taken to a Chinese-run prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea. While there, he regularly stole food for his fellow prisoners and tended to their spiritual needs despite a prohibition on prayer.

After being taken to what prisoners called the "death house," Kapaun died on May 23, 1951, after months of malnutrition and pneumonia. Before his death, Kapaun was recognized for both his holiness and bravery while in active service.

In March 2021, after 70 years, the skeletal remains of Kapaun were identified among 866 other unknown Korean soldiers buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. These remains were handed to American forces in 1954 by North Korea. Kapaun's funeral Mass was held on Sept. 29, 2021, at Wichita's Hartman Arena, where more than 5,000 people came together to remember him.

Pope Francis on Tuesday also approved the canonizations of two laymen: Venezuela's Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and Italy's Blessed Bartolo Longo. The Holy Father has called for a consistory to prepare for the upcoming canonizations.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has named two secretaries-general to serve under Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, in the Governorate of the Vatican City State, giving the Vatican's first woman president "the power to dispose and confer... specific competencies or particular tasks" on the appointees.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Francis had appointed Archbishop Emilio Nappa and layman Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi to serve as joint secretaries-general of the governing body of the Vatican City State.

The nomination follows the pope's appointment of Franciscan Sister Petrini as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State on Feb. 15, after she served as secretary-general of the governorate for just over three years.

Petrini, who will assume her new roles on March 1, is the first woman and non-cardinal to hold the positions — making her one of the highest-ranking women ever in the Vatican.

In Tuesday's announcement, the Vatican said Pope Francis had also granted Petrini "the power to dispose and confer, appropriately, on the aforementioned secretaries-general, specific competencies or particular tasks," appearing to give her a carte blanche to choose the responsibilities of her now two righthand men.

According to Vatican law, the secretary-general assists the president in her functions and acts as her substitute in the case of absence or impediment. It is a five-year term. During a sede vacante, the period following the death or resignation of a pope until the election of a successor, the secretary-general "shall take care of the ordinary government of the office, and, following the provisions in force for the sede vacante, shall take care of its current affairs."

The Vatican has said Pope Francis continues to carry out some light work duties while under hospital treatment for multiple respiratory infections, including double pneumonia. Though visits are extremely limited, the Vatican said on Tuesday that the pontiff had received Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his No. 2, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, in his hospital room on Feb. 24, his 11th day of hospitalization.

The first of the two new secretaries-general, Nappa has been president of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 2022 as well as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

The 52-year-old from Naples, Italy, has a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and worked for a time in the general affairs section of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The second appointment, Puglisi-Alibrandi, has over a decade of experience in the governorate, most recently serving as vice secretary-general since 2021. The 58-year-old lawyer was previously head of the juridical office of the governorate.

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