'The fight for life is far from over:' Principled pro-life advocates, lawmakers uphold cause

Former abortionist turned pro-life advocate Dr. John Bruchalski speaks at a Live Action press conference in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2024. / Credit: EWTN News Nightly/ScreenshotCNA Staff, Jun 14, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).The same week the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a setback to the effort to rein in the growing distribution and use of chemical abortion pills, several leading pro-life advocates and lawmakers gathered in Washington, D.C., for a Live Action press conference to underscore the "violence" of chemical abortions and the importance of taking a principled stand on the issue.At the event, former abortionist Dr. John Bruchalski, who founded Tepeyac OB/GYN and now heads Divine Mercy Care, discussed the growing popularity of chemical abortions and underscored that abortion "is a bloody, violent, brutal, unmerciful surgery or process that is emotionally filled with trauma, regret, hatred, shame, guilt, and malice."Bruchalski said the increasing number of chemical abortions "a...

10 years after Mosul's destruction, will Christians come back?

An unknown security guard stands at the entrance of a church destroyed during the fighting with ISIS in Mosul, Iraq. / Credit: CHRIS POOK/ShutterstockACI MENA, Jun 14, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).The fall of Mosul, Iraq, to ISIS in 2014 wasn't the beginning of the struggle for the city's Christians. Killings, abductions, and threats from armed groups had plagued the community since the 2003 invasion by U.S. military. Clergy and laypeople alike bore the brunt of the violence, with bombings targeting churches as well.The situation reached a peak when security forces crumbled, failing to protect Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the heart of Nineveh province. ISIS seized control on June 10, 2014, plunging Mosul's Christians into the darkest period of their recent history. Today, they grapple with rebuilding their lives while demanding accountability and a future built on equity and justice.In the wake of clashes and bombings between security forces and ISIS, Mosul's residents were l...

U.S. bishops' pro-life chair on opposition to abortion pill: It's 'because we love women' 

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities. / Credit: Zelda Caldwell/CNALouisville, Ky., Jun 14, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).The head of the U.S. Catholic bishops' pro-life committee on Thursday expressed disappointment in the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the abortion pill to continue to be available, citing the health risks involved for women as well as concern for the life of the unborn. The high court's unanimous decision on Thursday found that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to sue the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which had issued the regulations that made the abortion pill widely available."We know it was a procedural ruling, and we did not speak to the ultimate legality of the abortion pill, but it's still very disappointing because now the abortion pill remains very available," Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virgini...

Top European human rights court rules countries can't be forced to introduce assisted suicide

null / Credit: HQuality/ShutterstockAnn Arbor, Michigan, Jun 14, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The European Court of Human Rights on June 13 ruled in favor of Hungary's right to uphold its laws prohibiting assisted suicide, thus affirming the laws of 46 countries of the Council of Europe that protect human life.The Council of Europe is the broadest coalition in Europe and is larger than the 26-member European Union. The United Kingdom is a member of the European Council, for example, but is not a member of the European Union.ADF International, a global alliance of law firms defending human life, intervened in the case Karsai v. Hungary, arguing that Hungary's prohibition of assisted suicide should be upheld because Hungary is a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, which upholds the right to life. ADF argued that while states have an obligation to protect the right to life, there is no right to die.Jean-Paul Van De Walle, an attorney for ADF, said: "Instead of abandonin...

Vatican appoints new administrator of Steubenville Diocese amid possible merger

Bishop Edward M. Lohse. / Credit: Diocese of KalamazooCNA Staff, Jun 14, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).The Vatican has removed Bishop Paul Bradley as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, the bishop revealed on Friday, with Pope Francis appointing a new administrator to take his place. Bradley said in a letter to the diocese on Friday that the Holy Father had "informed me that my service as apostolic administrator of the diocese has been completed," with Francis having "thanked me for my leadership over these last nine months." The Vatican has appointed Kalamazoo Bishop Edward Lohse as the new apostolic administrator of the Ohio diocese, Bradley said. The appointment was effective immediately. Bradley had retired from the bishopric in Kalamazoo last July before being appointed by the pope as apostolic administrator of Steubenville on Sept. 28. The prelate was appointed to that role after the departure of prior Bishop Jeffrey Monforton, whom P...

San Diego Diocese files for bankruptcy to address sexual abuse claims

Cardinal Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, celebrates Mass at St. Patrick's Church in Rome Aug. 28, 2022. / Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNACNA Staff, Jun 14, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).The Diocese of San Diego filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, the latest U.S. diocese to do so in response to hundreds of sexual abuse allegations leveled against it. San Diego bishop Cardinal Robert McElroy said in February 2023 that the diocese was considering declaring bankruptcy due to the "staggering" legal costs of responding to 400 new lawsuits brought during a three-year statewide expansion of the statute of limitations for child abuse cases.In a letter to the diocese on Thursday, McElroy said that diocesan leaders have spent the past 16 months reviewing the abuse cases and that the diocese has "come to the conclusion that this is the moment to enter formally into bankruptcy and continue negotiations as part of the bankruptcy process."The bankruptcy filing, the cardinal said, was motiva...

Update: U.S. bishops apologize to Indigenous Catholics, vow to address 'unique cultural needs'

Interior view of a stained-glass window of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. / Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 14, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).The U.S. Catholic bishops approved on Friday a document at their spring meeting that apologizes to Catholic Indigenous communities for a "history of trauma" caused in part by their "abandonment" by the Church and proposes a way forward that takes into account the "unique cultural needs" of these communities. The document, "Keeping Christ's Sacred Promise: A Pastoral Framework for Indigenous Ministry," provides an updated pastoral plan to address the concerns of Catholic Indigenous communities. The preface notes the last time the bishops formally addressed these communities was 1977.The USCCB vote approving the text took place at the conference's annual spring meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 14. In the document, the bishops note the contributions o...

Pope Francis' ambassador conveys Holy Father's enthusiasm for Eucharistic revival

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's nuncio to the United States, speaks to the U.S. bishops at their annual fall assembly in Baltimore on Nov. 14, 2023. / Credit: Screenshot of USCCB livestreamLouisville, Ky., Jun 14, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).Pope Francis' ambassador to the United States conveyed the Holy Father's support for the National Eucharistic Revival in a speech Thursday at the spring gathering of the U.S. bishops held in Louisville, Kentucky.Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who has served as the apostolic nuncio to the United States since 2016 in addition to being the Vatican's top diplomat in Washington, D.C., is tasked with representing the pope in his dealings with the U.S. bishops. "Pope Francis is united with us in his desire that people rediscover the power of the Eucharist," Pierre said.The National Eucharistic Revival, which launched on the feast of Corpus Christi in 2022, has a mission to "renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with ...

Notre Dame religious liberty clinic backs lawsuit against church grant discrimination

The University of Notre Dame School of Law. / Credit: Wikimedia CommonsCNA Staff, Jun 14, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).The University of Notre Dame School of Law's religious liberty initiative announced its support of a federal lawsuit challenging the exclusion of houses of worship from a state historic grant program. The amicus brief, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in the case Mendham Methodist Church v. Morris County, argues that "excluding religious organizations from generally available grant programs" both "violates the law and harms congregations and their surrounding communities," according to a press release from the school's Religious Liberty Clinic. The lawsuit, originally filed last year, concerns a "Historic Preservation Trust Fund" run by Morris County, New Jersey. The county through that fund "distributes money to eligible organizations for the repair, restoration, and preservation of historic local buildings and resources," the law...

Saints and bishops 'come to life' as tour guides at historic Catholic churches

In five Catholic churches in the heart of Panama City, visitors can find kiosks that not only provide information about each church but also offer the benefit of a virtual tour guide. / Credit: Churches of Old Panama CityACI Prensa Staff, Jun 13, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).In the oldest section of Panama City, saints and bishops of the Catholic Church have come to life to offer engaging brief talks to visitors. Using kiosks with screens, the innovative experience allows visitors to come face to face with historical and religious figures that can enhance their appreciation for the sacred sites.Since April of this year, in five Catholic churches in the heart of Panama City visitors can find kiosks that not only provide information about each church but also offer the benefit of a virtual tour guide, embodied in saints and bishops linked to the history and mission of the particular parish.At the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, for example, visitors are greeted by St. Pedro Nolasco, founde...