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CNA Staff, Sep 17, 2025 / 13:19 pm (CNA).

A deacon in San Diego told parishioners last week that he will voluntarily deport himself after his residency status was revoked by the U.S. government.

The deacon reportedly made the announcement at St. Jude Shrine of the West during Masses on Sept. 14. Local media reported that the clergyman came to the U.S. when he was 13 and "served the St. Jude community for roughly four decades." He will reportedly be returning to Tijuana, Mexico.

Local reports did not identify the deacon. A diocesan representative indicated to CNA that the news reports were accurate, but the diocese said it could not identify the deacon himself and that he was handling the matter privately.

Representatives at St. Jude Parish did not respond to queries regarding the announcement.

The deacon's self-deportation comes amid a wave of heightened immigration enforcement around the country as the Trump administration works to ramp up deportations of immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Catholic and Christian advocates have criticized the elevated enforcement. Prior to his death, Pope Francis in February told the U.S. bishops that amid the deportations, the faithful "are called upon to consider the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person and his or her fundamental rights, not vice versa."

In the spring, meanwhile, religious leaders including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals lamented the potential impacts of mass deportations on Christian families in the U.S.

A "significant share of the immigrants who are a part of our body are vulnerable to deportation, whether because they have no legal status or their legal protections could be withdrawn," the leaders said. 

In some cases priests have faced deportation or loss of legal status amid changing immigration rules. In Texas, a Mexican-born Catholic priest who served in the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, for nine years left the United States last month because his application for residency was denied and his religious worker visa was expiring.

Catholic advocates have repeatedly warned that changes to U.S. visa rules have brought about a looming crisis in which many U.S.-based priests will be forced to leave their ministries, return to their home countries, and remain there for lengthy wait times.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told EWTN News in August that the Trump administration is "committed" to addressing that issue. 

"We'll have a plan to fix it," Rubio said. Details of that plan have yet to be released.

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ACI Africa, Sep 17, 2025 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Nigeria is "sinking in many fronts," the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) said at a recent meeting, lamenting that in addition to economic hardships Nigerians are grappling with, many communities have been thrown into perpetual mourning due to unending insecurity.

In his address at the ongoing interactive session between CBCN and the "prominent lay faithful" of Calabar ecclesiastical province, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji said many Nigerians have been killed, and those who fled are languishing in camps where they are exposed to extreme weather conditions, often without food and water.

Acknowledging "notable progress here and there" in the country where persecution against Christians is said to be the highest globally, the archbishop of Nigeria's Archdiocese of Owerri said: "We also lament that our beloved country Nigeria is sinking in many fronts."

"Insecurity continues to haunt us," he said at the nine-day event that started on Sept. 11. "Many towns and villages across the nation have become communities of fear, flight, and funerals."

"Our fellow citizens are being daily kidnapped, extorted, dehumanized, killed, or forced to flee their ancestral homes, abandoning their sources of livelihood to seek refuge in makeshift camps, exposed to extreme weather conditions, often without food and water," the CBCN president said.

The CBCN interaction with the faithful of Calabar ecclesiastical province is being held at the Diocesan Retreat and Youth Centre in Akwa Ibom state.

Over the years, it has been CBCN's custom to have an interactive session with the faithful of the ecclesiastical province wherever the bishops gather for their plenary assembly.

The goal, Ugorji said in a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, is for the bishops in Nigeria to know the people they serve "closely, to share their concerns and to acquaint them with our own concerns as shepherds of God's flock in Nigeria."

In his address, the archbishop expressed concern about the growing poverty in the West African nation, where he said unemployment continues to increase.

"We are deeply troubled that our fellow Nigerians have continued to groan under economic hardship and seem doomed to a life of destitution and frustration," he said.

"We are also worried about the high rate of youth unemployment, which is driving some of our young men and women to crimes and others to migrate in search of greener pastures abroad, leading to brain drain and continuous loss of some of our best and brightest minds."

He further lamented that Nigeria's health sector is on its knees, noting that the death of the immediate former President Muhammadu Buhari in London exposed the gaps in the country's health care.

Buhari's death on July 13 away from home, Ugorji said, "raised fresh questions about our crumbling health institutions, the mass exodus of our medical professionals, the billions of naira [Nigeria's monetary unit] spent abroad by our leaders on medical tourism, while millions of Nigerians languish at home from treatable ailments due to the miserable state of our hospitals."

Also worrying is Nigeria's educational institutions that the CBCN president said are facing significant challenges, including inadequate funding, "decaying infrastructure" and diminishing number of qualified teachers.

The result, he said, is a steady decline in the quality of education.

Underpinning the challenges, the archbishop said, is corruption, which he described as moral rottenness that is "spreading unchecked like a deadly cancer to all sectors of our national life, silently eating up the soul of the nation."

The official of CBCN expressed concern that while Nigerians face serious existential threats, many politicians at the national and sub-national levels seem more preoccupied with the country's 2027 general elections and less concerned with fulfilling their campaign promises to the electorate.

The opposition on the other hand, he said, "is busy building coalitions to clench power in 2027."

"If this state of affairs continues, the nation will totally collapse," Ugorji warned, calling for "a drastic change" to allow the common good to drive Nigeria's economic, social, and cultural life.

"Who is to effect the transformation of our nation?" he posed. "We strongly believe that the lay faithful have a major and decisive role to play in this matter."

Acknowledging that change is not easy to come about in Nigeria's political system, the archbishop said: "If we expect much from the laity in the area of national transformation, much has to be given to them in terms of political education."

He underlined the need for political education that encourages honest and God-fearing lay faithful to join political parties and persuade those with the talent for leadership to seek political office as a way of advancing the common good in accordance with the social teaching of the Church.

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

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 17, 2025 / 15:44 pm (CNA).

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has decided to forgive the school debts of all families in the diocese for the school years prior to the Jubilee of Hope as a gesture "to promote and demand justice, equity, and, above all, solidarity."

The patriarchate is the Latin-rite Catholic diocese based in Jerusalem, reestablished in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Its ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompasses Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus, serving the Latin Catholic communities present in the Holy Land and these regions of the Middle East.

In a statement, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said the jubilee year "has taken place in a context of violence and war," which "seems to be increasing evermore."

The cardinal explained that under the motto "Hope Does Not Disappoint," Catholics are called "to a special conversion of heart. We are called to return to God, to rediscover our Christian roots and the beauty of our faith." They are also called to "heal the relationships we have wounded" and to "rediscover the joy of encountering Christ."

Despite the perilous situation in the region, one that has had "serious consequences for the lives of all our families and institutions," Pizzaballa said he sees it as an opportunity not to get lost "in petty and short-sighted considerations but to focus on the essentials of life in our relationship with God and in the life of the world."

Thus in order to give expression to "this desire for change, for renewal, for a return to God and to our brothers and sisters," the patriarchate has decided to forgive "all debts of all the families to the schools of the Latin Patriarchate for the years prior to the jubilee, that is, up to and excluding the 2024-2025 school year."

"This was not an easy decision to make because of the costs involved. As you can imagine, the various administrative offices did not fail to raise their legitimate concerns. Nevertheless, we feel it is necessary to make this gesture and to once again trust and rely on God and his providence," the patriarch wrote.

"We hope that this gesture will make life easier for many of our families in need and help them to regain confidence and hope," the statement added.

Pizzaballa pointed out that the jubilee is also "a time of responsibility" and that debt forgiveness "means that everyone commits to changing their lives and taking responsibility for their obligations."

"The forgiveness of these debts therefore does not release anyone from their responsibilities, not even families, in their obligations to schools. It is a special time that, precisely because it is so, remains a unique moment that involves us as a Church and requires everyone to take their responsibilities seriously," the patriarch explained.

He therefore asked all school principals to "to implement and communicate this decision immediately to those concerned" and the patriarchate's administrators to "update our books in accordance with the decision 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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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 17, 2025 / 16:19 pm (CNA).

Italian permanent deacon Alessandro Frateschi, who was convicted of sexual offenses against minors, has been expelled from the clerical state directly by Pope Leo XIV.

The Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno announced the news Sept. 16, stating that Frateschi was notified of the decree in prison, where he is currently serving a 12-year sentence. This is the first known case of canonical sanction for abuse during the new pope's pontificate.

Frateschi, 46, was sentenced in the Italian civil court in 2024 after being found guilty of sexually abusing five minors between 2018 and January 2023. Three of the victims were his students at a secondary school in Latina where he taught Catholic religion; another was a minor in foster care; and the fifth was the son of family friends.

"On the morning of Sept. 16, in the Latina prison, permanent deacon Alessandro Frateschi was notified of the decree of dismissal from the clerical state by direct decision of Pope Leo XIV. This decree of conviction is not appealable," the official statement from the diocese notes.

The canonical investigation was conducted by the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is competent in "delicta graviora" ("more serious offenses"), including crimes against the Sixth Commandment committed by clerics with minors under 18 years of age. Due to the gravity of Frateschi's crimes, the dicastery referred the case directly to the Holy Father, who decided to impose the severest penalty provided by canon law.

Frateschi was informed that he will no longer be able to speak in the name of the Church, preach homilies, hold any kind of position in seminaries or parishes, or teach Catholic theology or religion in academic institutions, regardless of whether they are under the Church's authority.

The bishop of Latina, Mariano Crociata, had provisionally suspended Frateschi in January 2023, the same day he learned of the allegations. After listening to Frateschi, he accepted his resignation as religion teacher, revoked his teaching qualifications, and opened a preliminary investigation, the results of which were forwarded to Rome.

The conclusion of the process "leaves a wound in the entire diocesan community," the statement acknowledges. "We renew our solidarity and closeness to the victims and their families."

The diocese also reiterated its commitment to the protection of minors and vulnerable people and encouraged everyone to report any instances of abuse, even from the past, to the Interdiocesan Service for the Protection of Minors, emphasizing that this step does not replace but rather encourages recourse to the civil justice system.

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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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 17, 2025 / 16:49 pm (CNA).

The legalization of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada has led to disproportionately high rates of premature deaths among vulnerable groups, according to a recent Cardus Health report.

Cardus Health, an organization that aims to foster a social system that supports natural death and helps institutions care for patients approaching the end of life, conducted a report to evaluate assisted suicide in Canada.

The report, "In Contrast to Carter: Assisted Dying's Impact on Canadians with Disabilities," examines if the expectations of MAID laid out in the British Columbia Supreme Court case, Carter v. Canada, are being met.

In 2012, the court concluded in Carter v. Canada that an appropriately safeguarded physician-assisted dying program could be adopted in Canada that would not create a "heightened risk" or an "inordinate" impact on vulnerable groups, and there would not be a disproportionate impact on their right to life.

The safeguards stated that physician-assisted suicide would primarily be for those terminally ill, physicians would carefully examine MAID requests for people with disabilities or depression, and those who felt like a burden, were socially isolated, or suffered from neurological illnesses would be protected through a scrupulous review process.

The Cardus report concluded that Canada has not upheld these expectations and the "safeguards have failed to materialize," based on data from Health Canada; the independent monitoring authority of Quebec for end-of-life; the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario; and peer-reviewed medical studies and public reports.

In 2021, Canada expanded MAID requests to non-terminally-ill and disabled patients, which led to 223 assisted suicide deaths for non-terminally-ill persons in 2021, 463 in 2022, and 622 in 2023.

The report highlighted that from 2019 to 2023, at least 42% of all MAID deaths were people who required disability services. This included more than 1,017 people who required disability services but did not receive them.

The research found that assisted suicide deaths of those who "required disability services and received them" increased each year. In 2019, 2,223 people in this category died by assisted suicide. The number rose to 3,219 in 2020, 4,278 in 2021, 4,819 in 2022, and 5,181 in 2023.

The deaths of those who "required disability services and did not receive them" also experienced substantial increases. In 2019, 87 people in this group died by assisted suicide in Canada. By 2023, the number had risen to 432.

The report noted: "Those who died from MAID were more likely to have been living with a disability than those who did not die from MAID, even though both groups had similar medical conditions and experienced diminished capability."

According to the report, people suffering from mental illness are also dying by assisted suicide at disproportionate rates. 

A study of assisted suicide deaths between 2016 and 2019 at a care center in Toronto found individuals requesting MAID had high rates of "psychiatric comorbidity," meaning they had been  been diagnosed with two or more mental health disorders. Of 155 patients that requested MAID, 60 (39%) had a documented psychiatric comorbidity, most commonly depression.

According to MAID providers in 2023, almost half of the patients (45.3%) who died by assisted suicide reported they felt like a burden to family, friends, or caregivers, which was 10% higher than in 2022. In 2023, isolation and loneliness were reported as a source of suffering by 22% of MAID recipients, which was 5% higher than 2022.

The research found disproportionately high numbers of people with neurological disorders, including dementia, had died by assisted suicide between 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, almost 15% of people who died by MAID had a neurological condition as a qualifying illness. The study found that in 2019, 589 people suffering from a neurological condition died by assisted suicide, which increased to 775 in 2020, 1,249 in 2021, 1,666 in 2022, and 2,279 in 2023. 

In 2023, 241 people with dementia died by assisted suicide, and in 106 of the cases, dementia was the sole underlying condition.

According to the report, Canada will expand MAID to people with mental illness alone in 2027, which is expected to even further increase the numbers of non-terminally-ill people seeking medically-assisted death.

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Vatican City, Sep 17, 2025 / 17:19 pm (CNA).

Norma Pérez, a widow for five years, and Olga Pallares, a widow for two, have experienced the piercing visceral pain of losing a loved one.

Friends for over 30 years, they have managed to cast a light on something as dark as the death of their husbands. "I know he is with God, without suffering, in a joy that is not of this world," said Pérez, whose grief did not completely break her; on the contrary, she said it strengthened her faith.

'A part of him has remained with us'

Together, the two friends participated in this week's Jubilee of Consolation in Rome to bear witness that death does not have the last word. "A part of him has remained with us. We are not completely empty. We widows are filled with the other half of the other person who has passed away," Pérez told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, just before participating in a vigil with Pope Leo XIV.

Pérez and Pallares met at Maranatha ("the Lord is coming" in Aramaic), a group that accompanies young couples in marriage preparation courses. "We gave retreats to strengthen marriages," Pérez explained.

Through these activities, they taught others how to live the word of God as a couple, how to pray the rosary, and how to prepare to build a solid marriage based on faith.

But eventually, they became widows. Now, they dedicate themselves to "helping others until God calls me, too," Pérez said.

These two friends have had very different experiences in their lives of faith, as different as their marriage experiences.

Pallares met her husband as a teenager, but they came from different worlds. "They were well off, I wasn't," she recalled. Her husband's family always looked down on her, she said, but the couple managed to build a strong love despite the difficulties: "We fought every day for our love."

Rejected by her in-laws 

One of the most painful experiences they experienced was his parents' rejection of their daughters: "They never loved my daughters and even ended up disinheriting my husband. That was terrible."

Despite family difficulties, Pallares and her husband shared a journey of faith and service. He even served as an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist at the Avellaneda Cathedral in Argentina: "Rubén taught me that painful experiences are best navigated hand in hand with Jesus."

In the final years of their marriage, illness entered their lives. Her husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which took him in just a few years: "Those were very hard times. I had to do everything: lift him, wash him, insert the IV, remove the IV… But God gave me incredible strength. I managed to lift him as if he weighed little, and he was twice my size."

Despite the pain, faith sustained them until the end. Pallares recalled how her husband maintained a constant closeness to the Eucharist: "He was in front of Jesus 24/7 praying. He always told me: 'We are you, Jesus, and me.'"

Pérez, on the other hand, wasn't baptized when she met Juan. She grew up in a nonbelieving family. In fact, they were first married in a civil ceremony in 1999. But in 2008, everything changed.

Her husband, Juan, was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a biopsy and, fearful of undergoing surgery, opted for alternative and natural treatments.

"We were a couple who had been trying to have children for eight years, and the treatments weren't successful. Then the disease hit," she recalled.

Discovering God's caress

Then, through suffering, she discovered God's caress. "My faith truly began from zero. It was a total conversion, brought on by my husband's illness," she said in a calm voice.

It was then that they both began to draw closer to God and the Catholic community founded by Father Elías Cavero Domínguez in Argentina. "That's when I began to understand what faith was and I was baptized. Everything changed for us: We were married in the Church in 2010. It was a profound transformation in our lives," she said.

For the next 10 years, Juan experienced moments of relative stability. However, in 2018, the cancer had spread throughout his body, and the pain became unbearable. Despite this, they experienced what she describes as "a year of grace."

From mid-2019 to 2020, Juan was pain free and able to spend time peacefully with his wife.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the situation. In June 2020, they were both hospitalized, and despite health restrictions, she was able to be with him until the end. Juan passed away on Aug. 22, 2020.

"I went through everything with him and through prayer. I was even able to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the exact moment of his departure. It was an immense consolation; I felt the Virgin Mary was coming to get him," she recounted with emotion.

Their participation in the Jubilee of Consolation was another step in the spiritual healing process for these two Argentinians. In Rome, surrounded by people who had also experienced loss, they were able to experience Christian consolation.

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, Sep 17, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Every gift from the Holy Spirit is meant for the edification of the community of believers, Pope Benedict XVI said in a general audience back in 2010 when he focused his catechesis on the life of St. Hildegard of Bingen, whose feast is celebrated Sept. 17 in the universal Church.

Benedict praised her as a model for modern women religious and noted that she benefited the faithful by her willingness to submit her supernatural visions to the interpretation of the Church.

Referring first to St. John Paul II's apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem on the role of women in the life of the Church, Benedict XVI noted that the letter "gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine 'genius' which have appeared in the course of history." He then highlighted the figure of St. Hildegard of Bingen as one of the saintly women who stood out nearly a millennium ago.

Born into a noble German family in the year 1098, Hildegard began her studies in human and Christian formation at a Benedictine convent in the town of Bingen, took her vows to cloistered life and, 30 years after she began her formation, became a mother superior.

Carrying out this role competently, she was able to found an additional convent nearby where she spent a great part of her life. The way she exercised authority there continues to be an example for religious communities today, Benedict said, explaining that she was able to create an atmosphere of "holy emulation in the practice of the good, so much so that ... the mother and daughters competed in respecting and serving each other."

Benedict XVI also recalled her mystical visions, which she first shared with people in confidence, including her spiritual director, a fellow sister, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. "As always happens in the lives of the true mystics," the pope said, "Hildegard also wished to submit herself to the authority of wise people to discern the origin of her visions."

St. Bernard, whom Benedict said held "maximum esteem" in the Church at the time, "calmed and encouraged" the sister about the visions, and eventually Pope Eugene III gave her the authorization to write and speak about the visions publicly.

"This," the former pope taught, "is the seal of an authentic experience of the Holy Spirit, source of every charism: the person (who is the) repository of supernatural gifts never boasts, does not flaunt them and, especially, shows total obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities."

He added: "Every gift distributed by the Holy Spirit, in fact, is destined for the edification of the Church, and the Church, through its pastors, recognizes their authenticity."

In 2012, Hildegard was canonized and named a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI. 

This story was first published on Sept. 1, 2010, and has been updated.

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ACI Africa, Sep 17, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Four members of the Missionary Sisters of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (MCST) in Tanzania are among five people who lost their lives in a tragic road accident in the country's Archdiocese of Mwanza on Monday. 

The Sept. 15 accident in which the MCST superior general and secretary died alongside two other sisters and a driver happened in the Kaluluma-Bukumbi area. 

One sister survived the tragic accident and was admitted to Bugando Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

In a statement obtained on Tuesday by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, Archbishop Renatus Leonard Nkwande of the Mwanza Archdiocese announced the passing of the four Carmelites, "who were serving at Bukumbi Girls' Secondary School, together with their driver."

"Further arrangements will be communicated later," Nkwande said.

The four MCST members who died were Sister Lilian Kapongo, the superior general; Sister Nerinathe, secretary; and Sisters Damaris Matheka and Stellamaris. All of them had traveled to Ngaya in Tanzania's Diocese of Kahama for the perpetual profession of three of their sisters over the weekend.

Their driver, Boniphase Msonola, who was reportedly taking them to the airport to return to Dar es Salaam, also died in the accident.

In the statement, Nkwande, on behalf the entire Kahama Diocese, expressed "deep sorrow" following the tragic accident.

"At this hour of 11 p.m., we have received news of the deaths of our beloved four sisters and their driver. They were involved in a car accident, colliding with a lorry [truck] in Mwanza while on their way to the airport for a journey to Dar es Salaam tonight," the archbishop said.

The statement traced the final journey of the four sisters and their driver.

"They began their journey from here in Kahama heading to Mwanza, passing by the bishop's residence to bid us farewell. Tonight, while traveling from their community in Bukumbi-Mwanza to the airport, they were involved in an accident and lost their lives," Nkwande explained.

The statement also called for prayers — for the lone sister who survived the crash as well as the entire community and loved ones of those who died. 

"In this time of mourning and grief, let us pray for and console the community of the sisters of this congregation in Ngaya. This is truly a heavy loss for them and for all of us."

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

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CNA Staff, Sep 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new Lifeway Research study reveals that a slim majority of Americans, 51%, believe terminally ill individuals should have the right to request physician-assisted suicide.

The study, titled "American Views on Assisted Suicide," found that 51% of respondents consider it morally acceptable for someone with a painful terminal disease to seek a physician's assistance in ending his or her life. 

However, the support is not robust, according to the study: Only 1 in 5 Americans said they "strongly agree" with this stance, while 30% said they "somewhat agree." The study also found 34% opposed to physician-assisted suicide, with the remainder undecided.

Regionally, support varies, with urban and coastal areas showing higher approval (up to 60% in some places) compared with rural or Southern states, where opposition often aligns with faith-based values, according to Lifeway. The Lifeway study, conducted via online panels, sampled 1,200 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, an evangelical Protestant research firm, noted: "Half of Americans seek their own comfort and their own way even in their death, but that doesn't mean they don't think twice about the morality of physician-assisted suicide."

CNA also spoke about the survey's results with Jessica Rodgers, coalitions director at the Patients' Rights Action Fund, a nonsectarian, nonpartisan group whose purpose is "to abolish assisted suicide laws." The organization calls such laws "inherently discriminatory, impossible to safely regulate, and put the most vulnerable members of society at risk of deadly harm."

Waning support, growing opposition

Rodgers told CNA these poll numbers actually show a decrease in public support.

"I certainly don't see momentum on their side," she said.

Indeed, a Lifeway Research study in 2016 found that 67% of those surveyed said the practice was morally acceptable, while 33% disagreed.

Rodgers said that as people learn more about how dangerous the policies surrounding legalizing assisted suicide are, they tend to oppose the practice, and "opposition cuts across the political spectrum."

In New York, where the state Legislature recently passed a bill legalizing the practice, Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to sign the legislation into law. 

"She hears daily from diverse advocates from across the political spectrum asking her to veto," Rodgers said. "In fact, some of the most passionate opposition to the bill has been Democratic leadership."

"I see people all over the spectrum who agree on nothing else," she said.

Disability advocates, health care personnel, and members of multiple religious groups have united in their opposition to the laws, saying legalizing assisted suicide is bad for their communities and bad for patients. 

'Dying in pain or in peace' is a false choice

"Proponents often frame it falsely as "Do you want to die in pain or do you want a peaceful death?'" according to Rodgers, who said the practice actually targets people with disabilities. 

"It puts our vulnerable neighbors at risk, and as people learn more about it, they tend to oppose it," she said, citing that physician-assisted suicide is now the fifth-leading cause of death in Canada.

Since Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide through the Death with Dignity Act in 1997, by 2025, 11 states and Washington, D.C., now permit the practice. Most legislation requires terminal diagnoses with six months or less to live, mental competency, and multiple doctor approvals. 

Physician-assisted suicide is different from euthanasia, which is the direct killing of a patient by a medical professional.

Voluntary euthanasia is legal in a limited number of countries including Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal. In Belgium and the Netherlands, minors can be euthanized if they request it.

Where does the Church stand on assisted suicide?

The Catholic Church condemns both assisted suicide and euthanasia, instead encouraging palliative care, which means supporting patients with pain management and care as the end of their lives approaches. Additionally, the Church advocates for a "special respect" for anyone with a disability or serious health condition (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2276). 

According to the catechism, "intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder" and "gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the respect due to the living God, his Creator" (CCC, 2324).

Any action or lack of action that intentionally "causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator" (CCC, 2277).

Catholic teaching also states that patients and doctors are not required to do everything possible to avoid death, but if a life has reached its natural conclusion and medical intervention would not be beneficial, the decision to "forego extraordinary or disproportionate means" to keep a dying person alive is not euthanasia, as St. John Paul II explained in Evangelium Vitae.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 16, 2025 / 14:07 pm (CNA).

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced an addition to its ongoing National Catholic Mental Health Campaign to amplify local engagement on mental health. 

The title for the initiative, "Healing and Hope," was taken from the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign's introductory statement, written by Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron.

"As pastors, we want to emphasize this point to anyone who is suffering from mental illness or facing mental health challenges: Nobody and nothing can alter or diminish your God-given dignity. You are a beloved child of God, a God of healing and hope," the U.S. bishops said this week. 

The initiative "builds upon the goal of promoting healing and hope for all who struggle with mental illness and is inclusive of the people who accompany them," the USCCB said in a Sept. 15 statement. 

"Healing and Hope" is intended to combat the present mental health crisis affecting people across the nation, especially younger generations. Pew Research found that as of April, 55% of parents report being extremely or very concerned about the mental health of teens. 

The U.S. bishops have added three new elements to the mental health campaign to strengthen Catholic engagement ahead of World Mental Health Day, including a revitalized digital campaign with reflections by bishops meant to "invite all people into deeper conversation on the realities and stigmas of mental health."

The initiative will also launch state conferences on mental health beginning in early 2026 with a meeting in New Jersey. 

At the conferences, "bishops, clergy, religious, and laypeople in dioceses/eparchies and local groups will have an opportunity to gather for dialogue on local mental health realities." 

Healing and Hope will also prompt parishes to host "Mental Health Sunday" on the weekend of Oct. 11–12. Parishes are encouraged to share at Mass about the national campaign and its mission, integrate petitions around mental health issues, offer a special blessing for caretakers, and consider launching a Catholic mental health initiative in the parish community.

All the faithful in the U.S. are encouraged to participate by praying the Novena for Mental Health from Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, to Oct. 18, the feast of St. Luke, the patron saint of health care.

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