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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 25, 2025 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

Vice President JD Vance will speak at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) held on Friday, Feb. 28, in Washington, D.C., the organization has announced.

"I am honored to be able to address the 20th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and represent the Trump administration's support for people of faith across the United States," Vance said in a statement.

Vance spoke about returning to the NCPB as vice president. "Last year, I was moved to witness the joyful devotion of over a thousand Catholics praying for the future and success of our country," he said.

"Thanks to their faithful prayers, President Trump's leadership has restored the hopes and dreams of the American people and our great nation is on the path to peace and prosperity once more," Vance said.

NCPB Chairman Mark Randall stated: "We are thrilled to welcome fellow Catholic JD Vance back, now as vice president, for our 20th annual gathering of fellowship and prayer. His presence is a sign of hope and openness to Catholic values and all the good that they bring to our entire nation."  

This year's keynote speaker is Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Among the other political figures who will attend the event is New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, who will be honored with the NCPB's Christifideles Laici Award. 

The award is given out yearly by the NCPB to a layperson who demonstrates service and "good works" to the Church, according to the organization. It was created to acknowledge those following St. John Paul II's call to "spread the Gospel in ways that are new in ardor, methods, and expression." 

Smith, who is a devout Catholic dedicating his time on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to advocate for those suffering religious persecution and human trafficking, will be the sixth recipient of the award.

The NCPB events will begin Thursday evening and guest speakers will give remarks on Friday, Feb. 28, starting at 7 a.m. ET. EWTN will cover the event live and report on its presenters. 

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CNA Staff, Feb 25, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that condemned Oklahoma death row prisoner Richard Glossip be given a new trial amid concerns that he may have been wrongfully convicted of arranging an assassination nearly three decades ago.

In a 5-3 decision, the nation's highest court said prosecutors had "violated [their] constitutional obligation to correct false testimony" in the trial that led to Glossip's murder conviction in 1998. 

Glossip was convicted that year for allegedly ordering Justin Sneed to murder the owner of a hotel Glossip himself managed. The owner was found bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. Sneed, who worked as a handyman at the hotel, confessed to killing the man and alleged that Glossip had ordered the hit; Sneed himself is currently serving a life sentence. 

Sneed's testimony was the decisive factor in convicting Glossip. But prosecutors failed to disclose at trial that Sneed suffered from a psychiatric disorder and was prescribed lithium; they also allowed Sneed to falsely testify at trial that he had never seen a psychiatrist. 

"Because Sneed's testimony was the only direct evidence of Glossip's guilt, the jury's assessment of Sneed's credibility was material and necessarily determinative," the Supreme Court said this week. 

"Correcting Sneed's lie would have undermined his credibility and revealed his willingness to lie under oath," the court noted.

A "new trial is the appropriate remedy" for the violation, the ruling directed. 

The state of Oklahoma had backed Glossip in his efforts to secure a new trial. Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond has admitted that the state had erred in sentencing Glossip to death. 

The state asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn Glossip's conviction and grant him a new trial. That court in April 2023 refused to do so, however, and ordered Glossip's execution to proceed. Drummond at the time called that decision "remarkable and remarkably flawed."

On Tuesday, Drummond's office said in a statement that "a great injustice has been swept away."

"Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial," Drummond said.

"I am pleased the high court has validated my grave concerns with how this prosecution was handled, and I am thankful we now have a fresh opportunity to see that justice is done."

Glossip has also received support from prominent Catholics. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City last year told CNA that the Supreme Court's agreement to review Glossip's case "offers hope in furthering the cause toward one day abolishing the death penalty."

On Tuesday Coakley said via a media release that "prayers for an end to capital punishment received a boost" with the court's ruling.

The ruling "[cast] new light on [Glossip's] case from 2004 and hopefully on this inhumane method of punishment," the archbishop said. 

There is "reason for optimism that this case could shift momentum toward abolishing capital punishment in our state, which holds the highest execution rate per capita in the U.S.," the prelate added.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, similarly said in 2023 that Glossip "should not be put to death … not ever."

"No state should have the power to take the lives of its citizens," she said at the time. "As we see in Mr. Glossip's case, the system is too broken, too cruel, too disrespecting of human dignity."

In a statement on Tuesday, Murphy said the decision was "a welcome and celebratory moment in Mr. Glossip's case."

The case "has captured the nation's attention because it shines a spotlight on so much of the brokenness in our death penalty system," she argued.

"It is my prayer that Mr. Glossip's opportunity for a new trial will enable the state of Oklahoma to prioritize a vision of justice that is rooted in healing, wholeness, and repair — rather than vengeance and retribution," she said.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 10:55 am (CNA).

In his message for Lent 2025, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of living one's life as a constant journey of conversion, choosing to walk in peace and hope aside one's fellow humans.

"May the hope that does not disappoint, the central message of the jubilee, be the focus of our Lenten journey toward the victory of Easter," the pope said in the message, released Tuesday. 

He also quoted St. Paul's exclamation in the first letter to the Corinthians: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 

Though Francis is in Gemelli Hospital to receive treatment for multiple respiratory infections, his Lenten message is dated Feb. 6, well ahead of his hospitalization on Feb. 14. 

The season of Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5. The Vatican said the pope continues to carry out some work duties with the help of his secretaries while in the hospital.

In his message, the pontiff wrote that this Lent is an opportunity to consider three areas where one may be in greater need of conversion: journeying with others, being synodal, and having hope.

"A first call to conversion," he said, "comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact. Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity?"

On the virtue of hope, Pope Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which calls hope the "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." 

"Thanks to God's love in Jesus Christ, we are sustained in the hope that does not disappoint," the pope said, adding that hope "moves the Church to pray for 'everyone to be saved' (1 Tm 2:4) and to look forward to her being united with Christ, her bridegroom, in the glory of heaven."

He recalled a prayer of St. Teresa of Ávila, to "hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one."

Francis said a good Lenten exercise and examination of conscience would be to compare one's life to a migrant or foreigner, "to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father."

He also encouraged Catholics to be more synodal by journeying with others while avoiding self-absorption, exclusion, oppressing and excluding others, or being envious and hypocritical.

"Let us all walk in the same direction, tending toward the same goal, attentive to one another in love and patience," he urged.

Pope Francis said the call to hope and trust in God and in eternal life is also an important aspect of Lenten conversion. Some questions to ponder include: "Am I convinced that the Lord forgives my sins? Or do I act as if I can save myself? Do I long for salvation and call upon God's help to attain it? Do I concretely experience the hope that enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded?"

"This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs," he said.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 07:34 am (CNA).

Pope Francis' condition remains serious but has shown "slight improvement" as he continues treatment on his 11th day in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Feb. 24. The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Monday, Feb. 24, marked three years of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion. According to U.N. data, more than 12,600 civilians have died in the conflict, including more than 2,400 children. In addition, more than 10% of the country's housing stock has been damaged or destroyed, causing more than 2 million families to be displaced.

In this context, the apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, emphasized that, despite the pain and devastation, hope remains the only refuge for those suffering from the war.

"Pope Francis has proclaimed the Jubilee Year of Hope, and in such a horrible war, there is nothing left but hope. Military chaplains tell us that soldiers are grateful for any message of hope, because it is the only thing they have left," Kulbokas said in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

Speaking at the apostolic nunciature in Kyiv, the representative of the Holy See in Ukraine described a country marked by suffering. "This weekend, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the war, we have many visits and events. For us, however, it's not a special date, because every day is a day of war," he said.

The normalization of the conflict has led Ukrainians to adapt psychologically to the violence. "I remember the first weeks of 2022, when the bishops spoke dramatically, not knowing whether they would live to see the next day. Now we have more psychological peace to live with, although the war is more intense and dramatic than at the beginning," he explained.

However, everyday life remains shocking. "I no longer remember the last night without a drone attack. Missile strikes are more sporadic, but drone attacks occur daily," he lamented.

One of the aspects that most worries the apostolic nuncio is the situation of the prisoners of war and civilian detainees held by Russia. "Thousands of prisoners are suffering under inhumane conditions," he decried.

The nuncio recalled, for example, the testimony of Ludmila, a 60-year-old woman who spent almost three years in a Russian prison. "For weeks she was tortured without being allowed to sleep, to the point of not being able to distinguish truth from lies. She ended up signing documents without knowing what she was doing," he related.

The lack of mechanisms for releasing civilians held in prison further aggravates the crisis. "For the military there is a system of exchange, but for civilians there is not. Their situation is much more desperate," he noted.

Vatican diplomacy has played a fundamental role in the humanitarian field. For example, in tandem with the international initiative "Bring Kids Back UA," the Holy See has managed, in a discreet way, to bring back several dozen children deported by the Russian occupation forces.

In these three years of war, Kulbokas said, Pope Francis has managed to establish a kind of mechanism to negotiate the return to Ukraine of many children deported to Russia by the occupation forces.

The president of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' envoy working for peace in Ukraine, has played a fundamental role in this mission, the nuncio told ACI Prensa.

Zuppi "maintains contact with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities to address the issue of deported children and prisoners. The process is slow, since it sometimes takes months to obtain information about the minors," Kulbokas explained.

However, with the detained civilians, efforts come up against a fundamental obstacle: "Russia considers many of them Russian citizens, which makes it difficult to apply international structures for their release. The only way is persuasion, dialogue with the Russian authorities to demonstrate that these people are civilians and must be released."

The role of the international community and the future of the war

Kulbokas unequivocally criticized the ineffectiveness of the international community in finding a solution to the conflict. "There are no international structures capable of resolving the war. At the beginning, Europe may have thought that this conflict was not its problem, but when wars are not taken seriously, the conflict grows. If wars are not stopped at the outset, it's too late later on."

Despite the bitterness of the conflict, the apostolic nuncio maintains hope for a diplomatic solution. "In order for the conditions to be met that would put serious negotiations on the table, it's necessary that there not be not just one or two global actors to decide. Peace in Ukraine must be a matter for the entire international community," he indicated.

Meanwhile, Ukraine faces growing uncertainty about the support of the United States, the country that has supported it the most in recent years. The Trump administration recently ramped up its rhetoric against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

However, the Vatican diplomat avoided entering into polemics over statements by Trump. "The Catholic faithful in Ukraine feel that they cannot trust politicians, because they say one thing one day and another the next. What they expect from the Church is a clear moral position: That aggression is not justified and that life is defended," he affirmed.

Kulbokas emphasized that the mission of the Church is another: "The important thing is to proclaim the Gospel, which is life, peace, respect, and justice."

Despite the uncertainty and pain, the Vatican diplomat reiterated that international mediation is the only solution. "If we leave it to the great powers alone to decide, the solution will not be just. The only hope is for the international community to unite to put an end to this and other wars," he concluded.

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 24, 2025 / 16:35 pm (CNA).

A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. government will not be permitted to conduct unrestricted arrests of suspected unauthorized immigrants at some religious sites while a lawsuit over the policy plays out in federal court. 

In an injunction on Monday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from carrying out "potential or actual immigration actions" at houses of worship belonging to several groups, including the Quakers and a Sikh temple in Sacramento. 

DHS under President Donald Trump last month rescinded Biden-era guidelines that previously required ICE agents to seek their superior's approval before arresting people at or near "sensitive locations" such as churches, hospitals, or schools.

The religious groups filed suit against the federal government shortly after, arguing in part that the policy's enforcement would infringe on constitutional religious rights.

The policy creates "the threat of federal officers surveilling and arresting meeting attendees, rendering [the religious groups] unable to encourage anyone who feels called to join to do so," the suit said. 

In his order on Monday, Chuang directed the federal government to re-implement the Biden administration's guidelines regarding arrests at "sensitive locations."

Chuang's ruling only bars the government from carrying out broad "immigration enforcement." The judge in his directive said the government can still perform arrests at places of worship "when authorized by an administrative or judicial warrant."

The government will be blocked from immigration enforcement at the plaintiff institutions while the lawsuit plays out in federal courts. 

In an opinion filed with the order, Chuang said he "does not question that law enforcement, when necessary, must have the ability to conduct operations in or near places of worship."

But the broad nature of the government's policy, he said, warrants the injunction "until the exact contours of what is necessary to avoid unlawful infringement on religious exercise are determined later in this case."

The ruling comes nearly two weeks after the filing of a similar lawsuit in federal court by a coalition of more than two dozen religious groups.

Those groups, which included the Mennonite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Friends General Conference, and several Jewish groups including the New York-based Rabbinical Assembly, argued that the enforcement of immigration arrests in churches was "substantially burdening the religious exercise" of the plaintiffs' congregations and members.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 07:34 am (CNA).

Pope Francis' condition remains serious but has shown "slight improvement" as he continues treatment on his 11th day in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Feb. 24. The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

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St. Louis, Mo., Feb 24, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging what are known as abortion "buffer zone" or "bubble zone" laws, which numerous municipalities have enacted to restrict pro-life ministries outside abortion clinics. 

Coalition Life, a St. Louis pro-life group, had last summer petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the buffer law enacted by Carbondale, Illinois. A federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit had earlier ruled against Coalition Life in the case. 

Coalition Life had been engaging in peaceful sidewalk counseling of women outside Carbondale's abortion clinics, offering information about free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, STD testing, and recommending "options coaching" at a pro-life pregnancy center. 

Citing what people associated with the abortion clinic described as "aggressive and misleading tactics," Carbondale had amended its "disorderly conduct" ordinance to criminalize approaching within eight feet of another person without his or her consent for purposes of protest, education, or counseling within 100 feet of a health care facility.

Coalition Life argued in its petition to the Supreme Court that its case presented an opportunity to correct a flawed precedent that undermines First Amendment rights, adding that Carbondale's attempt to moot the case by quietly repealing the ordinance highlighted the urgent need for the Supreme Court to act.

Carbondale's ordinance was modeled after a Colorado law upheld in the Supreme Court's 2000 Hill v. Colorado decision, a precedent that has faced numerous legal challenges from pro-life advocates over the years over claims that the rule chills the First Amendment right to free speech.

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the Feb. 24 decision, contending that the 25-year-old Hill ruling is "defunct" and an "aberration" in First Amendment jurisprudence that has been effectively dismantled by subsequent Supreme Court rulings.

Thomas in his dissent quoted from a previous dissent from the late Justice Antonin Scalia in arguing that buffer zone laws are "obviously and undeniably content-based" and thus should be subjected to "strict scrutiny" to ensure they do not violate the Constitution.

Hill v. Colorado altered the Supreme Court's First Amendment jurisprudence "precisely to disfavor 'opponents of abortion' and their 'right to persuade women contemplating abortion that what they are doing is wrong," Thomas argued. He noted that since 2000, lower courts have felt compelled to uphold Hill-like buffer zones around abortion clinics across the country.

The Supreme Court is responsible for resolving that confusion, "and we should have done so here," he wrote.

"This court has received a number of invitations to make clear that Hill lacks continuing force … I would have taken this opportunity to explicitly overrule Hill. For now, we leave lower courts to sort out what, if anything, is left of Hill's reasoning, all while constitutional rights hang in the balance," Thomas wrote. 

Brian Westbrook, founder and executive director of Coalition Life, said in a statement Monday that the court's decision not to hear the case will make it harder for pro-life people across the country to communicate to women that they have options other than abortion. 

"As we expand our operations to serve more women across the United States, we will continue to go wherever we are called. Our appeal may have been denied but across this nation, at hundreds of abortion facilities, a different sort of tragic 'denial' continues," Westbrook said. 

"Cities and states across America are denying sidewalk counselors and law-abiding citizens their rights to inform women about their options ... Women are being denied true choice as they are bullied into the only option that is offered by the abortion advocates."

In 2023, the Supreme Court declined to hear a similar case, which challenged a "bubble zone" ordinance in Westchester County, New York. The Supreme Court has ruled in the past, however, against very large buffer zones, striking down a 35-foot buffer zone ordinance in Massachusetts in McCullen v. Coakley in 2014. 

In 2020, however, the high court turned away challenges to eight-foot and 20-foot buffer zones in Chicago and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, citing the Hill precedent.

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CNA Staff, Feb 24, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Catholics around the world continue to pray fervently for Pope Francis as the Holy Father battles a series of medical emergencies at Rome's Gemelli Hospital.

The pope was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after struggling for several days with bronchitis. Over the weekend the Vatican said the Holy Father had suffered a respiratory crisis and required a blood transfusion, with the Holy See on Sunday evening stating that Francis' condition was "critical."

The Holy See Press Office on Monday indicated that the pope's condition is stable. "The night went well, the pope has slept and is resting," the Vatican said Monday morning.

Francis is expected to stay in the hospital at least through Friday of this week. 

'Let us gather so that our prayer may accompany him'

Around the world, Catholics over the weekend and into Monday offered prayers for Pope Francis amid his stay in the hospital.

On Saturday, dozens of Catholics gathered in front of Gemelli Hospital in Rome to pray the rosary for the health of the Holy Father. 

Local Catholics and jubilee pilgrims in Rome had earlier prayed for Pope Francis' recovery, with visitors from France and Poland offering prayers while visiting the Eternal City. 

The Vatican announced on Monday that cardinals would lead a nightly rosary in St. Peter's Square for Pope Francis. Cardinal Pietro Parolin was set to preside over the first prayer service on Monday.

Dioceses and bishops worldwide, meanwhile, have responded with prayers and Masses for the pope. In Kenya, Catholics gathered for Mass at Nairobi's Holy Family Basilica on Sunday to pray for the Holy Father.

On Monday the Irish bishops said they had been praying for the pope's recovery since his initial hospitalization earlier this month.

The prelates invited the faithful to join in the Vatican-led rosary on Monday evening.

In Buenos Aires on Monday, an evening Mass "for the health of Pope Francis" was scheduled to take place at the Plaza de la Constitución.

Francis served as archbishop of the Buenos Aires Archdiocese from 1998 to 2013. Current archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva said in a statement that the pope had "prayed so many times for his people" at the public plaza.

"Let us gather so that our prayer may accompany and encourage him in this moment of weakness," the archbishop said. 

In the U.S., New York archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan said on X on Saturday that "our prayers are with the Holy Father." 

"We entrust him to the hands of the Lord. We love him, and we're with him all the way!" the prelate wrote.

Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez called on Catholics "to join in prayer for Pope Francis as he continues to battle serious illness."

On Saturday evening, St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda noted that Saturday marked the feast of the Chair of Peter.

"[W]e join Catholics and those of goodwill around the globe in praying for Pope Francis: May he be restored to good health and be comforted at this critical time by our prayers and the maternal intercession of Mary, Help of the Sick," the archbishop said. 

On Monday, Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond, Virginia, said the faithful "continue to offer their love and support for Pope Francis."

Knestout "asks all to join him in praying for an outpouring of grace upon the pontiff," the diocese said in a statement. 

On Sunday the Archdiocese of Miami shared on Facebook the Hail Mary in both English and Spanish in response to the pope's health crisis. "We ask Our Lady of Good Health to intercede for Pope Francis in his hour of need," the archdiocese said. 

On its website on Monday the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the faithful to join in "praying the rosary for Pope Francis." The bishops included instructions on how to pray the rosary, including a list of the various mysteries associated with it. 

At the Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons on Sunday, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who celebrated the Mass, said the faithful could feel the Holy Father "close to us, present among us" at the Eucharistic celebration. 

"This compels us to make our prayer even stronger and more fervent, so that the Lord may assist him in this time of trial and illness," he said.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis' condition remains serious but has shown "slight improvement" as he continues treatment on his 11th day in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Monday evening.

The 88-year-old pontiff is still receiving oxygen therapy through his nose, though at a slightly reduced flow and concentration, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Doctors reported no further episodes of respiratory distress following a "respiratory crisis" on Saturday. Some of the pope's laboratory tests have improved, and his "mild kidney insufficiency" remains under observation but is not a cause for concern, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis received the Eucharist on Monday morning and resumed some work in the afternoon. Later in the day, he called the parish priest in Gaza to express his solidarity.

Prayers for the pope's recovery have continued worldwide since he was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 with bronchitis. Concerns over his health escalated over the weekend when the Vatican reported that he had suffered "an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity" while suffering from pneumonia in both of his lungs. The episode required high-flow oxygen therapy, and the pope received a blood transfusion for platelet deficiency.

At Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where Francis is being treated, the chaplain led prayers and Eucharistic adoration at the St. John Paul II Chapel on Monday, followed by a Mass.

On Monday evening, Catholics will gather in St. Peter's Square to pray the rosary for the pope, led by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. It marks the first of a series of nightly rosary prayers for the pope at 9 p.m. this week led by members of the College of Cardinals living in Rome.

"Pope Francis thanks all the faithful who have gathered to pray for his health in recent days," the Vatican said in its statement.

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