Vice President Vance, House Speaker Johnson to speak at 2026 March for Life
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance. | Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJan 16, 2026 / 16:40 pm (CNA).Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak at the 2026 March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23.Vance, who is the nation's second Catholic vice president, will join Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, among other speakers at the 53rd annual pro-life event, organizers said."Vice President Vance is grateful to the tens of thousands of Americans who travel to the National Mall each year to speak out in support of life and looks forward to joining them for the second consecutive year," a spokesperson for the vice president told EWTN News.Vance will be attending and speaking at the event for the second time as vice president. He spoke at the March for Life in 2025 where he delivered his first public remarks in the leadership position.Addressing the crowd at the 2025 march, Vance said becoming a father hel...
U.S. Vice President JD Vance. | Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jan 16, 2026 / 16:40 pm (CNA).
Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak at the 2026 March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23.
Vance, who is the nation's second Catholic vice president, will join Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, among other speakers at the 53rd annual pro-life event, organizers said.
"Vice President Vance is grateful to the tens of thousands of Americans who travel to the National Mall each year to speak out in support of life and looks forward to joining them for the second consecutive year," a spokesperson for the vice president told EWTN News.
Vance will be attending and speaking at the event for the second time as vice president. He spoke at the March for Life in 2025 where he delivered his first public remarks in the leadership position.
Addressing the crowd at the 2025 march, Vance said becoming a father helped to solidify his convictions that "an unborn life is worthy of protection."
"You remind us that the March for Life is not a single event that takes place on a frigid January day," he said to the crowd. "The March for Life is the work of the pro-life movement every day from this point forward," he said.
"We will be back next year," he said.
While President Donald Trump will not be attending the 2026 March for Life in person, he told EWTN News' White House correspondent Owen Jensen on Jan. 16 he will address the crowd through a "beautiful" prerecorded message.
"And they're going to play it," he said. "And those are great people. I want to tell you they're great people," Trump said about attendees.
While the president will deliver the virtual message, the Trump administration is receiving backlash from pro-life activists following his claim that Republicans need to be " flexible" with the Hyde Amendment and the reinstatement of funds to Planned Parenthood.
When asked about the Hyde Amendment, Trump said "you're going to hear about it" in the message.
Vance is set to deliver his remarks at the pre-march rally at 11 a.m. on Jan. 23. The March for Life is scheduled to begin after the rally.
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Staten Island, New York | Credit: John McAdorey/ShutterstockJan 16, 2026 / 17:40 pm (CNA).The New York Police Department (NYPD) says it will increase officer presence at local churches after several crimes committed at Catholic parishes on Staten Island.Several Catholic churches on Staten Island have been vandalized or attacked in recent weeks, including a robbery and a violent incident during a morning Mass in which two police officers were injured. State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton called for increased police presence at churches in the area after the incidents. At a Jan. 15 press conference, local leaders including NYPD Staten Island Borough Commander Melissa Eger said police presence would be heightened at churches across the borough. Eger said at the press conference that none of the incidents indicated that the Catholic churches had been targeted due to religion, describing the crimes as "acts ... of opportunism and theft" as well as one incident involving a m...
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Aug. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Credit: Win McNamee/Getty ImagesJan 16, 2026 / 18:29 pm (CNA).U.S. bishops and Catholic pro-life organizations will be watching to see if President Donald Trump's health care plan includes pro-life language.Trump has faced criticism over the past week from pro-life activists after he urged Republican lawmakers to be "flexible" on the Hyde Amendment when negotiating extensions for health care subsidies related to the Affordable Care Act.Trump's health plan, outlined in a four-point memo, will be negotiated with Congress over whether to include the strongest possible pro-life protections and prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. The Hyde Amendment, long included in federal spending bills, prevents tax dollars from being used on elective abortions.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (U...
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A case that seeks to remove Christian symbols, including icons and religious artwork, from public buildings in Greece began when two atheists asked for the removal of Christian icons displayed in Greek courtrooms. | Credit: Courtesy of ADF InternationalJan 16, 2026 / 14:05 pm (CNA).The European Court of Human Rights is examining a case that seeks to remove Christian symbols, including icons and religious artwork, from public buildings in Greece.The case began when two atheists asked for the removal of Christian icons displayed in Greek courtrooms during hearings involving religious matters, claiming the icons were discriminatory, compromised judicial objectivity, and violated their rights to a fair trial and to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.Greek courts rejected the requests. ADF International has intervened in the case, known as Union of Atheists v. Greece, arguing that removing religious symbols in public spaces is a misinterpretation of religious freedom.Th...
