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Maryland State House. / Credit: Jon Bilous/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 28, 2025 / 14:25 pm (CNA).The Catholic Church in Maryland is urging the state Legislature to treat cases of child sexual abuse in state-run facilities equal to those in private institutions following a proposed bill that would "decrease the number of civil causes of action for child sexual abuse filed against the state."The Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) said in a statement on Thursday that the bill "greatly exacerbates an existing difference in treatment for victims abused in state institutions and those abused in private institutions."If passed, the bill would reduce the state damage cap for abuse victims to $400,000 while keeping the cap for private organizations at $1.5 million.The "overtly unequal treatment in HB 1378 is not only poor policy for victim-survivors but also unfairly targets nonprofit and religious organizations that have long served children in this state and have implem...
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin (right) meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda on March 28, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Newsroom, Mar 28, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).Pope Francis continues to show gradual improvement as he recovers from bilateral pneumonia at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, according to an update provided Friday by Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni.The pontiff's health remains stable, and his respiratory function, mobility, and speech have improved.While still requiring supplemental oxygen, he has been able to reduce the high-flow oxygen therapy during daytime hours with a slight reduction also occurring overnight.Blood tests conducted Wednesday indicate all hematological parameters are within normal range."The pope's daily schedule includes physiotherapy sessions, which are helping improve his voice usage, along with periods of prayer, rest, and limited work," Bruni said.All dicasteries of the Roman Curia conti...
The flag of the European Union flying in Rome. / Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNAACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).The bishops of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) held their spring assembly this week in Italy, a meeting in which they considered the European Union's vocation in the face of current challenges.From Nemi, a town outside Rome where the meeting took place behind closed doors March 26-27, COMECE secretary-general Father Manuel Barrios spoke with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, and explained the foundations of the mission.The European Union, a project for peace with Christian roots"The innate vocation of the European Union is to guarantee peace on the continent and in the world," the Spanish priest said, noting that the EU was born as a project of reconciliation after the Second World War, so its mission is also to "defend and promote human rights, freedom, democracy, and the dignity of the person," esse...
null / Credit: sebra/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 28, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).A Texas Catholic charity group that sued the federal government this month over budget cuts says it will drop its lawsuit as payments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) resume. Catholic Charities Fort Worth sued the agency at the beginning of March after the Trump administration froze tens of millions of dollars in grants for refugee services in Texas. Earlier this month the government said it was conducting a "program integrity review" of the Catholic charity. Last week the government said it had paid out more than $47 million to the charity after completing the review. In a "joint status report" filed earlier this week, the charity and the government said HHS has made continuous payments to the Catholic group since March 17 following the conclusion of the review. "As a result of [the government's] representations and action, [the Catholic charity] will move t...
A relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a fragment of his pericardium, visits the U.S. at Holy Family Parish in Queens, New York, on April 6, 2022. / Credit: Photo courtesy DeSales MediaVatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 16:25 pm (CNA).Italian prosecutors are investigating the illegal online sale of alleged relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who will be declared the first millennial saint next month. The investigation by the Perugia Public Prosecutor's Office was prompted by a complaint by the bishop of Assisi, the city where Acutis' tomb is located for public veneration."On the internet, there is a marketplace for relics concerning various saints, such as our St. Francis, complete with a price list. Something impossible to accept," Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino said in a statement on March 26.Sorrentino filed a formal complaint with Italian authorities after learning of an internet auction of an alleged first-class relic of Acutis' hair, which sold onlin...
Pope Francis presides at Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican on March 24, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).The Vatican has published the official calendar of liturgical celebrations planned for Holy Week, but it has not clarified whether Pope Francis will preside.The pontiff was discharged on Sunday after spending 38 days in the hospital with double pneumonia, but doctors have prescribed complete rest for at least two months. It is expected that he will be able to resume his full schedule by the end of May.The Holy See Press Office indicated that it will be necessary to monitor "the improvement of the pope's health in the coming weeks to assess his possible presence, and under what conditions, at the Holy Week rites."Archbishop Diego Ravelli, papal master of ceremonies, announced the planned Holy Week schedule, which will begin on Palm Sunday, April 13, with Mass in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m. local time, commemorating Jesus' triumphant ent...
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser speaks in front of the Capitol on March 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. "This movement is completely unified in its first priority, and that is to defund big abortion in this reconciliation bill," she said. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAWashington D.C., Mar 27, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).More than 300 pro-life activists from 39 different states gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 27 to advocate for the defunding of "Big Abortion" and Planned Parenthood. Earlier this week, a letter from more than 150 pro-life groups from all 50 states was sent to members of Congress urging them to "stop the flow of American tax dollars toward the abortion industry" through a reconciliation bill.The action comes after the announcement that the Trump administration plans to freeze millions of federal taxpayer dollars funding abortion and transgender services. Half of the activists on the Hill were students from across ...
Pope Francis gives an extraordianry urbi et orbi blessing in St. Peter's Square, March 27, 2020. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 19:00 pm (CNA).Pope Francis' historic "Statio Orbis" blessing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic remains relevant for the Church as it did five years ago. Before an empty and rain-covered St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis held Eucharistic adoration and gave an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.The Holy Hour on March 27, 2020, included a reading from the Gospel and a meditation by Pope Francis, who spoke about faith and trust in God during a time when people fear for their lives, as did the disciples when their boat was caught in a violent storm.Pope Francis gives an extraordinary urbi et orbi blessing from the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica on March 27, 2020. Credit: Vatican MediaDuring the special moment of prayer on March 27, 2020, the Holy Father spoke about ...
null / Credit: Evgeny Atamanenko/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 27, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).A recent analysis of U.S. survey data found that children tend to bring "high levels of happiness" to activities such as mealtimes, socializing, and household activities. Ken Burchfiel, a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, said in an analysis published on Thursday that American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data shows "everyday activities are actually more enjoyable when children are present."Burchfiel said a 2013 Time magazine article that glamorized the "child-free life" is counteracted by ATUS data showing that levels of "happiness and meaningfulness" tend to be highest when children are involved in an activity. Overall, 44% of respondents to the survey rated their happiness levels at their highest when their children were involved in an activity, compared with 37% when a spouse was involved and just 19% when respondents were alone. Meanwhile, 56% of respondents sa...
"24 Hours for the Lord" at the Church of St. Lawrence in Piscibus on March 13, 2016. / Credit: Centro San LorenzoVatican City, Mar 27, 2025 / 12:45 pm (CNA).Now in its 12th year, the Church's "24 Hours for the Lord" Lenten initiative is believed to have been inspired by the Eucharistic devotion of a group of young Catholics in Rome.On the night of March 12-13, 2013, just hours before Cardinal Jorge Bergolio would be elected pope, young adults were gathered in prayer before the Eucharist in a small church dedicated to youth just outside the Vatican."Night of Light and Saints" Eucharistic adoration in the Church of St. Lawrence in Piscibus on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2013. Credit: PapaboysIt was not the first time. A few weeks prior, the group had also spent all night in adoration at a different church as Pope Benedict XVI was ending his papacy and preparing to leave the Vatican to fly by helicopter to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.One day the following year, Pope Francis ...
