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ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Jonatan Medina Espinal is a young Catholic influencer who, as the son of evangelical pastors, was considered unlikely to embrace the Catholic faith, but he did so five years ago after a long and intense spiritual journey.

Now, with clearer ideas about the faith, the young Peruvian has become a defender of Catholic doctrine, promoting it on his social media as well as in his Spanish-language book "Toward the Barque of Peter: My Journey from Protestantism to the Catholic Church."

For Dante Urbina, a Catholic author, teacher, and lecturer who also influenced Medina's conversion, the book is "a testimony of profound conversion and intellectual depth that invites us to enter and persevere in the Catholic Church."

Medina is a professional audiovisual communicator and describes himself as "a truth seeker." In an interview with "EWTN Noticias," the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, he shared that he had already felt Catholic "at heart" since 2017, when he "began this journey that took [him] about two or three years."

On Dec. 8, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Medina received the sacrament of baptism, officially becoming part of the Catholic Church.

Medina pointed out that it was necessary for him to receive the sacrament in the Church, considering that the one he had received in his Christian group might not have been entirely valid.

The entire process that led to his conversion, continued Medina — who is part of the Catholic Advancement Movement — began "paradoxically, with a period of agnosticism ... I was agnostic for a good few years of my life, then tried to embrace a more reasonable faith, one based on evidence."

Guided by various Christian figures such as Protestant C.S. Lewis and Catholic G.K. Chesterton, Medina questioned his affiliation with an evangelical church. "I began to embrace a more historical faith, with greater cogency."

After "discovering all the fragmentations … of Protestantism, I said: How can the Gospel be so divided? And I saw that the Church appears with its unity, although obviously that doesn't imply that there aren't tensions or certain divisions, but there is a teaching that helps us to be bound together and gives us that guarantee of unity."

Professor Scott Hahn's influence

"I earned a master's degree in theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. I was with Professor Scott Hahn. I remember hearing his conversion testimony… He was converted by starting to pray the rosary, because he was practically convinced by all the arguments, but he didn't know what he was missing until someone gave him a rosary," Medina recounted in the interview with "EWTN Noticias."

"He prayed it, an impossible situation was resolved for him, and then he forgot about the issue. Then he realized he had been ungrateful and began praying it regularly, and that cemented his conversion," he explained.

"Without a doubt, the subject of Mary is always important, because as a Protestant by birth, I've never had any affection for her," Medina emphasized.

Hahn grew up in the Presbyterian Church, eventually becoming a theologian and minister in that Christian denomination. His journey of conversion began after he and his wife, Kimberly, became convinced that contraception is contrary to God's law, a concept abandoned by many Protestants during the 20th century but always upheld by the Catholic Church.

Hahn converted to Catholicism at Easter 1986. His wife followed him four years later, in 1990. They have six children, one of whom, Jeremiah, has been a Catholic priest since 2021.

Medina also explained that another milestone in his conversion was overcoming the Protestant concept of "sola Scriptura" ("Scripture alone"), which postulates that the Bible is the sole source of Christian faith and practice, ignoring tradition, a source of revelation that is accepted by the Catholic Church.

"I had discovered the error of sola Scriptura: I remember when I discovered it and realized that obviousness, that lack of logic, was so clear," he recounted, and he understood "that Scripture itself was already tradition, only written down. That's when I said, 'Hey, this makes sense to me.' Sola Scriptura began to fall apart for me."

Medina, also the author of the short Spanish-language film "Neighbors" about guardian angels, is grateful for having come to love the Virgin Mary through the example of another convert, Urbina, a Catholic professor and lecturer and author of several Spanish-language books such as "Does God Exist?" and "What Is the True Religion?"

"He also worked at the university where I work, and it was providential that we met one day, and I started asking him questions about Mary specifically, and he helped me a lot. I definitely believe that Mary has been key in my conversion," Medina emphasized.

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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Vatican City, Oct 26, 2025 / 08:10 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said at a Mass on Sunday that no one in the Church "should impose his or her own ideas" and asked that tensions between tradition and novelty not become "ideological contrapositions and harmful polarizations."

"The supreme rule in the Church is love. No one is called to dominate; all are called to serve," Leo said in St. Peter's Basilica on Oct. 26.

"No one should impose his or her own ideas; we must all listen to one another," he continued. "No one is excluded; we are all called to participate. No one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together."

The pontiff celebrated Mass on the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time for the closing of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, part of the Church's wider Jubilee of Hope in 2025. 

In a call for communion, Pope Leo addressed all the participants in the synodality meeting and asked for their help to expand "the ecclesial space" and make it "collegial and welcoming."

Leo also spoke about synodality with the jubilee pilgrims during an Oct. 24 event at the Vatican.

The Holy Spirit transforms 'harmful polarizations'

"Being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with Love," he emphasized.

The pontiff called on Christians to live "with confidence and a new spirit amid the tensions that run through the life of the Church: between unity and diversity, tradition and novelty, authority and participation. We must allow the Spirit to transform them, so that they do not become ideological contrapositions and harmful polarizations." 

It is not a question of resolving these tensions "by reducing one to the other, but of allowing them to be purified by the Spirit, so that they may be harmonized and oriented toward a common discernment," he said.

He also made it clear that, "prior to any difference, we are called in the Church to walk together in the pursuit of God, clothing ourselves with the sentiments of Christ."

Resolving tensions in the Church

In his homily on the day's Gospel passage, the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, the pope warned of the danger of spiritual pride displayed by the pharisee: "The pharisee is obsessed with his own ego, and in this way, ends up focused on himself without having a relationship with either God or others."

Leo pointed out that this can also occur in the Christian community.

For example, "when the ego prevails over the collective, causing an individualism that prevents authentic and fraternal relationships," he said.

He also criticized "the claim to be better than others, as the pharisee does with the tax collector, [because it] creates division and turns the community into a judgmental and exclusionary place; and when one leverages one's role to exert power rather than to serve."

The pope highlighted the tax collector's humility as an example for the entire Christian community: "We too must recognize within the Church that we are all in need of God and of one another, which leads us to practice reciprocal love, listen to each other, and enjoy walking together."

Leo urged Catholics to dream of and build a more humble Church, capable of reflecting the Gospel in its way of living and relating.

"A Church that does not stand upright like the pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge like the pharisee does the tax collector but becomes a welcoming place for all," he said.

He also invited the entire ecclesial community to commit itself to building a Church that is "entirely synodal, ministerial, and attracted to Christ," dedicated to serving the world and open to listening to God and to all the men and women of our time.

Angelus

After the Mass on Oct. 26, Pope Leo led the Angelus prayer in Latin from a window of the Apostolic Palace, which overlooks St. Peter's Square.

In his message following the Marian prayer, he expressed his closeness to the people of eastern Mexico, who were hit earlier this month by devastating floods and landslides, leaving 72 dead and dozens still missing.

"I pray for the families and for all those who are suffering as a result of this calamity, and I entrust the souls of the deceased to the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin," the pope said.

Leo also renewed his call to "unceasingly" pray for peace, especially through the communal recitation of the rosary. 

"Contemplating the mysteries of Christ together with the Virgin Mary, we make our own the suffering and hope of children, mothers, fathers, and elderly people who are victims of war," he said. 

"And from this intercession of the heart arise many gestures of evangelical charity, of concrete closeness, of solidarity. To all those who, every day, with confident perseverance carry on this commitment, I repeat: 'Blessed are the peacemakers!'"

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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Vatican City, Oct 25, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

There is no single model for what synodality should look like in all countries and cultures, Pope Leo XIV said in a discussion with synod leaders from around the globe, held at the Vatican on Friday.

"We have to be very clear, we're not looking for a uniform model. And synodality will not come with a template where everybody and every country will say this is how you do it," the pope said in the Paul VI Hall Oct. 24.

"It is, rather, a conversion to a spirit of being Church, and being missionary, and building up, in that sense, the family of God."

Leo spoke about synodality in unscripted remarks in English, Spanish, and Italian during the opening session of a meeting for the jubilee of synodal teams and participatory bodies, taking place in Rome Oct. 24-26, part of the Church's wider 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

Around 2,000 people are attending the synod-focused jubilee, which includes a two-day meeting "aimed at translating the orientations of the [Synod on Synodality's] Final Document into pastoral and structural choices consistent with the synodal nature of the Church," according to the Vatican's synod office.

The pope joined part of the program on Friday evening to listen to representatives from different regions give reports on the implementation of synodality in their parts of the world, and to answer their questions about the synodal process. 

Synodality, Leo said, "is to help the Church fulfill its primary role in the world, which is to be missionary, to announce the Gospel."

He added that synodality "is not a campaign. It's a way of being and a way of being Church. It's a way of promoting an attitude, which begins with learning to listen to one another."

The pope recalled the value of listening, "beginning with listening to the Word of God, listening to one another, listening to the wisdom we find in men and in women, in members of the Church, and those who are searching who might not yet be members of the Church."

He also addressed resistance to the synodal process, such as worry by some that it is an attempt to weaken the authority of the bishop.

"I would like to invite all of you … to reflect upon what synodality is about and to invite the priests particularly, even more than the bishops, to somehow open their hearts and take part in these processes," Leo said. "Often the resistance comes out of fear and lack of knowledge."

He emphasized the need to prioritize formation and preparation at every educational level.

"Sometimes ready answers are given without the proper, necessary preparation to arrive at the conclusion that maybe some of us have already drawn, but others are not ready for or capable to understand," he said.

"We have to understand that we do not all run at the same speed. And sometimes we have to be patient with one another," Leo said. "And rather than a few people running ahead and leaving a lot behind, which could cause even a break in an ecclesial experience, we need to look for ways, very concrete ways at times, of understanding what's happening in each place, where the resistances are or where they come from, and what we can do to encourage more and more the experience of communion in this Church which is synodal."

Asked if groupings of churches, such as regional bishops' conferences, will continue to grow in the life of the Church, Leo said, "the brief answer is yes, I do expect that, and I hope that the different groupings of churches can continue to grow as expressions of communion in the Church using the gifts we are all receiving through this exercise if you will, this life, this expression of synodality."

The pontiff also weighed in on the topic of women and their participation in the Church, though he set aside the most controversial questions, which he said are being examined in a separate study group.

"So leaving aside the most difficult themes," he said, "there are cultural obstacles, there are opportunities, but there are cultural obstacles. And this has to be recognized, because women could play a key role in the Church, but in some cultures women are considered second-class citizens and in some realities they do not enjoy the same rights as men."

"In these cases, there is a challenge for the Church, for all of us, because we need to understand how we can promote the respect for the rights of everyone, men and women," he encouraged.

The Church can promote a culture in which there is co-participation of every member of society, each according to their vocation, Leo continued. "We have to understand how the Church can be a strength to transform cultures according to the values of the Gospel."

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CNA Staff, Oct 25, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

New York and California are pouring taxpayer dollars into Planned Parenthood, joining several other states in counteracting the federal defunding of the abortion giant. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged $140 million to Planned Parenthood locations in California on Oct. 24. On the same day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul committed $35 million in funding to Planned Parenthood locations in New York.

Both states are known for their abortion shield laws, which protect abortionists who mail abortion pills into states where they are illegal. Several women are suing California and New York abortionists after being poisoned by or coerced into taking the abortion pill by the fathers of their children.

New York and California join several other states that have made similar moves in light of the yearlong federal defunding of Planned Parenthood. Colorado, Massachusetts, and Washington have all taken similar steps to replace lost federal funding for Planned Parenthood over the past few months.

Newsom said on Thursday that California is "protecting access to essential health care" by providing funding for more than 100 locations across the state. 

"Trump's efforts to defund Planned Parenthood put all our communities at risk as people seek basic health care from these community providers," Newsom said in a statement.

Hochul in a similar vein said she is putting funding toward the 47 Planned Parenthood clinics in New York, alleging that pro-life politicians will "stop at nothing to undermine women's health care."

"In the face of congressional Republicans voting to defund Planned Parenthood, I've directed the state to fund these vital services, protecting access to health care that thousands of New Yorkers rely on," Hochul said in a Friday statement.

Hundreds of alternative clinics exist in both states 

A spokeswoman for Heartbeat International, a network that supports life-affirming pregnancy centers, told CNA there are many low-cost and even free alternatives to Planned Parenthood across the country — including hundreds of clinics and pregnancy centers in both New York and California. 

Andrea Trudden said that "women in California and New York already have access to a vast network of life-affirming care." 

"California has more than 300 pregnancy help organizations and New York nearly 200," Trudden said, citing Heartbeat International's Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help.

"These centers offer practical support, compassionate care, and resources to women facing unplanned pregnancies, empowering them to choose life for their children and themselves," she continued. 

For women who need health care not related to pregnancy, Trudden noted that both states are "well served" by Federally Qualified Health Centers, which are centers that provide "comprehensive, low-cost medical care for women and families." 

As of 2024, California had more than 170 of these clinics, while New York had more than 60, Trudden said, citing a report by KFF, a health policy institute. 

"If leaders truly cared about women's health, they would invest in these community-based organizations that meet the needs of women before, during, and after pregnancy — not in the nation's largest abortion provider," Trudden added. 

Kelsey Pritchard, a spokeswoman at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CNA that in California, Planned Parenthood "is choosing to shutter primary care rather than give up profiting from abortions."

In Orange and San Bernardino counties, Planned Parenthood will continue to offer abortions while closing primary care facilities. 

"In California, New York, and across the country, Planned Parenthoods are outnumbered by far better options and the pro-life movement is happy to help women locate the care they need," Pritchard said, citing reports by the Charlotte Lozier Institute on community care centers and pregnancy centers for women. 

Jennie Bradley Lichter, the president of the March for Life, criticized politicians for prioritizing abortion funding instead of care for women and children. 

"Political leaders who prioritize funding for Planned Parenthood leave no doubt where their priorities lie: and it is not with women and children," Bradley Lichter told CNA.

"It's a shame that the leaders of states like California and New York aren't choosing to pour their resources into institutions that truly support moms, like the huge number of pregnancy resource centers located in each of those states," she said.

Women deserve better than the "tragedy" of abortion, Bradley Lichter said.

"We at March for Life want women to know that when their state leaders fall short and leave them in the hands of Big Abortion, pro-life Americans will stand in the gap and help them find the love and care they need," she continued.

Defunding Planned Parenthood: a 'life-saving' act 

A spokesman for Live Action called the defunding of Planned Parenthood "one of the most lifesaving acts Congress has taken in decades," noting that the federal government stopped funding the organization that "kills over 400,000 children every year."

"That victory must be made permanent when the one-year cutoff expires next July," Noah Brandt told CNA. "Yet pro-abortion states like California and New York are working to undo that progress, using taxpayer money to expand abortion through all nine months and to ship abortion pills nationwide."

"Federal funding for Planned Parenthood must never return, and states that promote abortion should be held accountable for enabling the mass killing and sterilization of American children," Brandt said.

Pritchard added that although Planned Parenthood is "constantly scheming to grow their grip on taxpayer money," the pro-life movement has seen wins around the nation — most especially, the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood.

"Make no mistake, they are losing big in Congress, in courts, and increasingly in the hearts and minds of Americans," Pritchard said.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Father Burke Masters' first dream was to be a major league baseball player, but after feeling a call from God to the priesthood he now uses the sport "to speak about Jesus and the Church."

"I played college baseball at Mississippi State University, and then played briefly in the minor leagues," Masters said. "That was my dream to be a major league baseball player, but that didn't work out."

"God eventually called me to be a priest," Masters said in an Oct. 24 interview with "EWTN News Nightly." He added: "It really wasn't what I wanted, but it was this persistent and gentle call from the Lord."

"I went to seminary fully thinking I would go … not like it, and then go back to my plans," Masters said. "Yet when I got to seminary I just felt this overwhelming peace, and that's one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit."

Masters was ordained in 2002, serving as priest in Illinois. Eventually though, baseball did become a part of his career when he was named the chaplain of the Chicago Cubs in 2013.

"God brought baseball back into my life in a way that I never expected," Masters said. "Since then, people have called me the 'baseball priest,' because I love to connect faith with sports."

While Masters' "full-time job" was as a pastor in the Diocese of Joliet, he attended all the Cubs' home games. As the "baseball priest," Masters was chaplain when they won the World Series in 2016.

"One of my big messages to the players then and to the players now would be: 'Just remember your identity, you're beloved sons of God. Your identity is not in the sport of baseball.' And what I find that helps players … relax to say: 'Yes, this is a big game. Millions of people are watching, but in the end, it's still just a game. And life goes on,'" he said.

Connecting faith and sports

In 2023, Masters published a book, "A Grand Slam for God: A Journey from Baseball Star to Catholic Priest." He wrote about his childhood outside of Chicago, his success in baseball, his conversion to Catholicism, and his acceptance of his vocation.

His story discusses his doubts and personal loss, and how he learned to embrace his identity not as an athlete but as a son of God and spiritual leader. 

"Baseball taught me a lot of things, among them, discipline, hard work, and how to work with people of a lot of different backgrounds," Masters said. "I find that to be so helpful in my life as a priest, as a vocation director, as a pastor, that I try to invest a lot of time in my spiritual life."

"Also, baseball has given me a way to … reach people who are not close to God at the moment by bringing stories about baseball and my sports background," Masters said. "It gives me an opening to speak about Jesus and the Church. It's just been a great gift."

In homilies, Masters said he will "bring up the sport of baseball." He added: "I can see some of the people who love the sport perk up and then can bring the Gospel message to them more easily."

Ahead of the 2025 World Series on Oct. 24, Masters shared with EWTN his predictions for the outcome. He said: "If I go off my head, the Dodgers will win, but I love pulling for the underdog. So my heart is going with the Toronto Blue Jays."

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ACI Africa, Oct 24, 2025 / 12:32 pm (CNA).

A Catholic priest in Burkina Faso has appealed for prayers for the safe release of an evangelical Christian missionary abducted in Niger on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary, was abducted from his home in the country's capital, Niamey, by three unidentified armed men suspected to be jihadists, said a note shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa.

The note further said the American missionary is "dedicated to training missionary aviation pilots serving evangelical, medical, and church-planting ministries as well as providing emergency humanitarian air transport."

"Preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that the kidnappers headed toward the Tillabéri region," the note said.

In an interview with ACI Africa on Oct. 23, Father Etienne Tandamba, a member of the clergy of Burkina Faso's Fada N'Gourma Diocese, appealed for prayers for the release of Rideout.

"We pray for his safe release. Burkina Faso just like Niger faces insecurity challenges due to jihadists' presence," Tandamba, the director of communications for the Diocese of Fada N'Gourma, told ACI Africa.

Rideout's abduction in Niger comes amid worsening insecurity in the Sahel region, where Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have all fallen under military rule following coups in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

Rideout since 2010 has lived in Niamey, where he worked as a pilot for the U.S.-based Serving in Mission organization.

In response to the abduction, the U.S. Embassy in Niger issued a security alert on Oct. 22, saying: "American citizens remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city."

"Due to heightened concern about the threat of kidnapping, the embassy has modified its security posture to require armored vehicles for all travel of embassy personnel and family members, restricted movements of embassy personnel and family members, and instituted a mandatory curfew and routine accountability," the embassy said. 

It added that "all restaurants and open-air markets are off limits to U.S. embassy personnel and family members."

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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Vatican City, Oct 24, 2025 / 13:44 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV during a Friday audience at the Vatican reminded teachers and students from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family of their mission to both speak and live the "common witness to the truth."

"Your specific mission concerns the search for and common witness to the truth: in carrying out this task, theology is called to engage with the various disciplines that study marriage and the family, without being content merely to speak the truth about them but living it in the grace of the Holy Spirit and following the example of Christ, who revealed the Father to us through his actions and words," he said in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 24.

In Leo's audience with the institute — controversially re-founded by Pope Francis in 2017 to include the study of social sciences in addition to moral theology — he said the faithful "cannot ignore the tendency in many parts of the world to disregard or even reject marriage."

"Even when young people make choices that do not correspond to the ways proposed by the Church according to the teaching of Jesus, the Lord continues to knock at the door of their hearts, preparing them to receive a new interior call," the pontiff said. "If your theological and pastoral research is rooted in prayerful dialogue with the Lord, you will find the courage to invent new words that can deeply touch the consciences of young people."

He added that our time is marked not just by tension and confusing ideologies but also by "a growing search for spirituality, truth, and justice, especially among young people."

"Welcoming and caring for this desire is one of the most beautiful and urgent tasks for all of us," Leo said.

In May, Pope Leo made one of his first personnel appointments as pope when he named Cardinal Baldassare Reina grand chancellor of the John Paul II Institute, replacing Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who turned 80 on April 20.

Reina, 54, has been vicar general of the Diocese of Rome since 2024. As part of that role, he is also grand chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University, the home of the John Paul II Institute.

Pope Leo's appointment of Reina as grand chancellor appeared to be a return to the former practice of linking the leadership of the institute to the vicar general of Rome. This practice had been changed under Pope Francis, who named Paglia to the role in 2016.

In his address to students and teachers on Friday, Leo pointed out the institute's commitment to deepening the link between the family and the social doctrine of the Church and urged them to let their studies of family experiences and dynamics enrich their understanding of the Church's social teaching.

"This focus would allow us to develop the insight, recalled by the Second Vatican Council and repeatedly reaffirmed by my predecessors, of seeing the family as the first cell of society, as the original and fundamental school of humanity," he said.

He also recalled Pope Francis' encouragement to women expecting a child in his 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. 

"[Francis'] words contain a simple and profound truth: Human life is a gift and must always be welcomed with respect, care, and gratitude," Leo said.

Recalling that many women face pregnancy in situations of loneliness or marginalization, the pontiff called on the civil and Church communities to "constantly strive to restore full dignity to motherhood" through concrete actions, including "policies that guarantee adequate living and working conditions; educational and cultural initiatives that recognize the beauty of creating life together; a pastoral approach that accompanies women and men with closeness and listening."

"Motherhood and fatherhood, thus safeguarded, are not burdens on society but rather a hope that strengthens and renews it," he said.

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CNA Staff, Oct 24, 2025 / 14:22 pm (CNA).

Life-affirming organizations are calling on the Trump administration and Congress to permanently block funding to Planned Parenthood.

In an Oct. 22 letter, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins and more than 50 signers asked President Donald Trump to debar Planned Parenthood from federal funding because of reports of the trafficking of baby body parts as well as possible fraud and failure to report sex crimes, among other complaints.

In another letter sent the same day, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and more than 100 signers asked Congress to remove the loophole created by the Affordable Care Act that enables government money to go to Planned Parenthood.

While the Trump administration cut funding to the abortion giant for one year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, pro-life advocates say Planned Parenthood should go through debarment, a significant legal process to block businesses from receiving government funding due to misconduct, fraud, or other concerns.

"Planned Parenthood's track record shows that they should not be allowed to receive a single penny of taxpayer support," Hawkins said in the letter. "They are unqualified to work for the American taxpayer."

More than 50 organizations and legislators signed the Students for Life letter, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, National Right to Life, Americans United for Life, Family Research Council, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Live Action, and Center for Medical Progress. 

"To debar Planned Parenthood — block them from all federal support — we simply need an honest look at their behavior and the kind of 'service' they are selling," Hawkins said in a statement shared with CNA. 

"Think of this like a long overdue job review after many complaints all leading to one conclusion — Planned Parenthood should be fired," she said.  

There are more than 5,300 federally qualified health centers that specifically provide women's health services, while Planned Parenthood has less than 600 facilities in the U.S., according to Students for Life Action. 

"Women?and girls won't miss Planned Parenthood," Hawkins said. "Federally qualified health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood?and can easily absorb their current traffic while providing women and families with the wide range of real health care they need."  

In the Susan B. Anthony group's letter to Congress, signers urged Congress "to unequivocally oppose any consideration of extending the COVID-era subsidies without Hyde [Amendment] protections."

The Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from directly funding abortion, but a plan by Democrats could expand Obamacare-funded abortions, permanently extending what was initially a temporary welfare program. 

"Obamacare forces taxpayers to subsidize insurance plans that pay for abortion on demand," SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said. "And under the guise of COVID relief, President Biden took it even further, massively expanding those subsidies and the flow of taxpayer dollars to abortion."

"Extending these subsidies without the Hyde Amendment is a vote to expand abortion on demand," Dannenfelser said.

Rebecca Weaver, the policy director for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, noted that abortion harms both the child and the mother. 

"Induced abortion is not health care," Weaver told CNA. "It ends the life of our fetal patient and often causes significant harm to our maternal patient."  

"As life-affirming medical professionals, we are joining the call against the renewal of the Obamacare subsidy for abortion (through the abortion surcharge) that forces American citizens to fund the harmful and deadly practice of induced abortion," Weaver continued.

"We support, instead, life-affirming policies that improve the health care that all of our patients receive and their access to that health care," Weaver said. 

"The more Washington funds abortion, the more unborn children lose their lives, and the more moms are hurt," Dannenfelser added. "This pro-life Congress must not extend the Obama-Biden legacy of taxpayer-funded abortion that ends the lives of countless innocent babies."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 15:37 pm (CNA).

Governments around the world continue to violate religious freedom and breach international law by engaging in torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, according to a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). 

In an October USCIRF fact sheet, "Religious Freedom and the Prohibition of Torture and Ill Treatment," the commission highlighted incidents of torture in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam, and recommended the United States designate each of them as countries of particular concern (CPCs) as they "engage in or tolerate 'particularly severe violations' of religious freedom."

These designations are based on information from the USCIRF's Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List, which is a database that tracks select victims targeted due to their religion. While the list does not necessarily reflect the exact accounts of torture abroad, at least 206 of the over 2,330 victims on the list have suffered torture or other ill treatment. 

The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment's (CAT) definition of torture outlines three elements that, when combined, "reach the threshold of torture." 

The definition states that torture is the "intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, for a specific purpose, such as to obtain information, as punishment, or to intimidate, or for any reason based on discrimination, and by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of state authorities."

While 175 countries have enacted the CAT, the prohibition on torture is "a compulsory norm of international law," the commission wrote. Torture methods vary and can be physical, sexual, or psychological including sleep deprivation or solitary confinement.

The CAT does not define ill treatment, but it requires states to prevent it. Acts that cause suffering or harm may be considered ill treatment and are still prohibited even if they do not meet the strict definition of torture. Examples of ill treatment might include "holding a prisoner in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions, public humiliation, verbal abuse, or denial of medical care."

The U.S. government "should strengthen its advocacy on behalf of individuals persecuted in foreign countries on account of their religion or belief, including those who have suffered torture or other ill treatment," USCIRF recommended.

Global case studies

The report highlighted previous findings to emphasize the instances of torture abroad and the need for designations of CPCs. In May, USCIRF reported "persistent reports of widespread torture and ill treatment in Turkmenistan, including severe beating and other serious abuse often used to extract confessions." 

The committee further noted its concern regarding a pattern of "institutional impunity," given the lack of investigations and prosecutions in Turkmenistan and across the Central Asia region. 

In Kyrgyzstan, USCIRF also documented alleged torture. Despite these allegations, the country recently abolished its independent torture prevention body.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban systematically imposes its interpretation of religion to restrict religious freedom. Authorities use corporal and capital punishment to penalize violations of their interpretation of Shari'a law. 

For example, in April, the United Nations reported four public executions in a single day for violations of religious edicts. It also found there were at least 213 corporal punishments carried out in the first half of 2025, including lashings, floggings, beatings, and acts of public humiliation. 

Taliban authorities also use torture as a tool for ideological punishment, often against detained religious minorities. USCIRF noted the "widespread methods include beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, simulated drowning, solitary confinement, sexual violence, and threats of execution," often while authorities simultaneously use "religious insults."

Cruel and degrading conditions have been reported including overcrowding, unsanitary environments, and insufficient access to food and medical care. 

Iran and Saudi Arabia were also found to impose the death penalty and corporal punishment based on religious interpretation. Religiously based capital crimes include "waging war against God" and "corruption on Earth." 

In China, under the Chinese Communist Party, basic religious practices are considered "extremist" and can be grounds for imprisonment. USCIRF wrote: "It is not surprising that detainees in the internment camps are not able to freely practice their religion in any way. Through political indoctrination, China intends to erase ethnic and religious identities." 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 24, 2025 / 17:31 pm (CNA).

A federal judge struck down a regulation imposed by President Joe Biden's administration, saying the administration was "redefining sex discrimination." 

The Biden administration adopted the rule through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The ACA authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement rules that prohibit "sex" discrimination as understood through the 1972 Title IX Education Amendments.

Biden's administration interpreted the ban on "sex" discrimination to also imply a prohibition on discriminating against a person on the basis of sex characteristics, including "sexual orientation; gender identity; and sex stereotypes." Neither Title IX nor the ACA define "sex" in this way.

U.S. District Court Judge Louis Guirola Jr. of the Southern District of Mississippi ruled HHS "exceeded its authority" because when Title IX was adopted in the 1970s, "Congress only contemplated biological sex."

The judge said the Biden administration was not implementing the prohibition as intended by the authors of the law.

The ruling states that Congress "was particularly concerned with inequality that female students experienced" but that "it did not at that time contemplate gender identity, transgender status, or 'gender-affirming care.'"

"Neither [the HHS] nor this court have authority to reinterpret or expand the meaning of 'sex' under Title IX," Guirola wrote.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who helped lead the multistate effort to sue the Biden administration over the regulation, praised the ruling in a statement.

"When Biden-era bureaucrats tried to illegally rewrite our laws to force radical gender ideology into every corner of American health care, Tennessee stood strong and stopped them," Skrmetti said.

"Our 15-state coalition worked together to protect the right of health care providers across America to make decisions based on evidence, reason, and conscience," he added. "This decision restores not just common sense but also constitutional limits on federal overreach, and I am proud of the team of excellent attorneys who fought this through to the finish."

At the time the "gender identity" rule was adopted, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed concern that it advanced an "ideological view of sex."

USCCB Religious Liberty Commission Chair Bishop Kevin Rhoades said at the time that "health care that truly heals must be grounded in truth," but this rule "denies the most beautiful and most powerful difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference."

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