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Cubans in Havana protest and cry for freedom on July 11, 2021. / Credit: Domitille P/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 14, 2025 / 16:40 pm (CNA).Earlier this week, Cuba completed the release of 553 prisoners despite the collapse of a deal with the United States, Vatican News reported. In January, under the Catholic Church's mediation, former U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to remove Cuba from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for the early release of hundreds of prisoners. The deal was made following years of pressure from the U.S., the European Union, the Catholic Church, and human rights organizations urging Cuba to free anti-government protesters jailed after a 2021 demonstration. The Biden administration had initially called Cuba to release "political prisoners," but Cuba less specifically agreed to gradually release "553 people sanctioned for diverse crimes." Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said: "As part of the close and...
Entrance to the Izaguirre ranch. / Credit: Courtesy of the Office of the Prosecutor of the State of JaliscoPuebla, Mexico, Mar 14, 2025 / 17:10 pm (CNA).The Catholic Church in Mexico expressed its "profound indignation and grief" following the discovery of an organized crime training and extermination camp on a ranch in Jalisco state where clandestine crematoriums were found.The site was located on the Izaguirre ranch in the Teuchitlán administrative district, about 40 miles from Guadalajara, the state capital, by the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco group (Searching Warriors of Jalisco), an organization of families of disappeared persons searching for clandestine graves in the hope of finding the remains of their loved ones.In Latin America, "disappeared" is often used as an adjective and a verb. "He was disappeared" means the person was abducted and is most likely dead. According to the Jalisco state attorney general's office, so far "six lots of bones have been discovere...
null / Credit: Freedom Studio/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 14, 2025 / 17:40 pm (CNA).Here are some of the major stories about the Church around the world that you may have missed this week:3 Christian converts sentenced to over 40 years in prison by Islamic Republic of IranThree Christian converts in Iran have been sentenced to over 40 years in prison collectively, Article18, a London-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and promoting religious freedom in the Islamic country, has reported. The Iranian Revolutionary Court collectively sentenced Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui, and Narges Nasri, a 37-year-old woman who is pregnant with her first child, to more than 40 years in prison for charges described as "propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law." Catholic nonprofits speak out against climate credit scheme targeting Indigenous Tanzanian community The International Cooperation for Development Solidarity (CIDSE) is speaking out on behalf of the Tan...
null / Credit: Elena Ray/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 14, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The contribution of nearly 700 Catholic religious sisters to a "groundbreaking" decades-long study on Alzheimer's and dementia continues to offer important information for maintaining "cognitive health" across the lifespan, researchers say.Launched in 1986 by neurologist David Snowdon, the "Nun Study" produced "seminal findings" on "cognitive impairment and related neuropathologies," researchers said in a historical review published at Alzheimer's & Dementia journal last month.Kyra Clarke, a doctorate student at UT Health San Antonio and one of the authors of the February review, said Snowdon opted to use Catholic sisters for the monumental study after he "realized that studying nuns came with many advantages for dementia research." "Normally, it's hard to pinpoint what causes some people to develop dementia while others remain healthy because people can have very different lifestyles, enviro...
Bishop Isaac Martínez Chuquizana leads the diocese of Cajamarca, Peru. / Credit: Peruvian Bishops Conference.Lima Newsroom, Mar 14, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The bishop of Cajamarca, Peru, has denounced a "direct attack" on the Catholic Church's freedom of speech by the LGBTQ+ community, which accuses the Church of the "alleged crime of discrimination" for a talk warning of the consequences of "Comprehensive Sexual Education" (CSE) in Peru.In a statement signed by Bishop Isaac Martínez Chuquizana of Cajamarca, the diocese referred to the complaint filed in December 2024 by Reyna Consuelo Solís Rivera, "who claims to be part of the LGBTQ+ community," with the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Human Rights and Interculturality of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Cajamarca.Solís' complaint targets "representatives of the Diocese of Cajamarca and Human Life International," who gave the talk titled "Comprehensive Sexual Education and Its Consequences" on Aug. 26, 2024, at the Cajamar...
Religious sisters and faithful gather at Gemelli hospital to pray the rosary for Pope Francis on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Mar 14, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:
Highlands El Encinar School in Madrid. / Credit: Courtesy of Highlands SchoolMadrid, Spain, Mar 13, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).Regnum Christi has announced that it will review the safe environments protocols it has in place in Spain following five allegations of sexual abuse against the former secretary of Marcial Maciel, Legionary priest Marcelino de Andrés Núñez, who worked at the Highlands El Encinar school in that country.Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, was found to have sexually abused at least 60 minors, most between the ages of 11 and 16, according to a report issued by the Legionaries of Christ in December 2019. The measure was announced in a letter to the students' parents dated March 11 listing a series of "public commitments" that were reportedly conveyed to the students' parents in an in-person meeting held Monday.The section on reviewing processes and protocols begins with the decision to "select and hire an external auditing fi...
Rosary beads and tributes are placed on the sculpture of St. John Paul II on March 13, 2025, at the main entrance of Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where Pope Francis is being cared for. Today marks the 28th day since Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome on Feb. 14 and also 12 years since Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis. / Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesVatican City, Mar 13, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).Pope Francis marked the 12th anniversary of his pontificate on Thursday from Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for pneumonia for nearly a month.Hospital staff commemorated the occasion by presenting the 88-year-old pope with a cake decorated with candles. Additionally, he received hundreds of drawings, messages, and letters from children and well-wishers worldwide.The Holy See Press Office told journalists that Pope Francis continued his medication regimen, motor physiotherapy, and high-flow oxygen therapy on Thursday morning. He participated...
null / Credit: ivanko80/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 16:55 pm (CNA).Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.FDA chief counsel resigns after outcry over defense of abortion pillThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) chief counsel resigned Thursday following criticism from pro-life advocates for having defended abortion pills for the Biden administration. As a trial lawyer with the Biden administration's Department of Justice, Hilary Perkins defended access to the abortion pill mifepristone during a lawsuit against the FDA.Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri had criticized Perkins' appointment in a post on X on Wednesday, saying "I can't imagine anyone who would be more at odds with President Trump's agenda." His post followed an Axios story that drew attention to Perkins' appointment.Hawley noted that Perkins also opposed conscience rights for vaccines during COVID-19 and argued in f...
null / Credit: txking/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 13, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).Diocese of Boise Bishop Peter F. Christensen raised concerns about a "culture of death" and threats to human dignity after Idaho made death by firing squad its primary method of execution for death row inmates."Whether we live in Idaho or anywhere else in the world, Catholics need to stand firm on the Gospel we preach," Christensen said. "Therefore, we oppose this means of execution and every other form of capital punishment. We are people who strive to promote redemption and peace."The bishop said in a statement provided to CNA Thursday afternoon that "Christians are called to oppose the culture of death" and "a person's dignity is not lost even after committing grave crimes." He noted that the government can protect the community by incarcerating the person "while avoiding definitively depriving the guilty of the possibility of redemption.""In light of the Gospel of mercy and hope, our ...
