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Pope urges the church to see the face of Christ in migrants

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church can draw closer to Jesus by accompanying migrants in their pursuit of a better life, Pope Francis said.

In the faces of migrants, the church "discovers the face of Christ," he wrote, and like St. Veronica who offered a cloth to wipe Jesus' face during his passion, the church "brings relief and hope on the 'Way of the Cross' of migration."

The pope wrote his comments in a letter March 21 to participants at a meeting between bishops, church officials and migrants in Lajas Blancas, Panama, near the Darién Gap jungle crossed by thousands of migrants each day. The meeting took place during a three-day conference organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development for bishops from Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama to discuss accompanying migrants.

Migrant brothers and sisters "represent the suffering flesh of Christ" since they are "forced to leave their land, to face the risks and tribulations of a hard road without finding another way out," Pope Francis wrote in his message to the group.

Bishops and other members of the church who support migrants "are the face of a mother church that walks with her sons and daughters," he wrote.

Pope Francis at his weekly general audience
Pope Francis makes brief remarks at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 20, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis urged the migrants to "never forget about your human dignity," and encouraged them to "not be afraid to look others in the eye, because you are not discarded, but you form part of the human family and the family of God's children."

"I also am the son of migrants who left in search of a better future," the pope told them, referencing his upbringing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the child of Italian immigrants. "There were times when they were left with nothing, even starving, with their hands empty but their hearts full of hope."

The meeting of church officials and migrants took place outside of the Darién Gap jungle that straddles the Panama-Colombia border. Record numbers of migrants have risked their lives to cross the Darién Gap in recent months, subjected to rampant extortion, physical abuse and sexual violence by criminal gangs. More than 500,000 people crossed the gap in 2023, according to data published by the Panamanian government.

In a message to the bishops a day earlier, Pope Francis had written that the church's pastors must break free from indifference in addressing the crisis of forced migration across the Americas and that every migrant challenges Christians to embrace a spirit of hospitality.

 

Jonathan Roumie of ‘The Chosen’ to be Catholic University’s 2024 commencement speaker

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie during a visit to Unbound's headquarters in Nov. 2023. / Danika Wolf/Unbound

CNA Staff, Mar 20, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in the popular television series “The Chosen,” will speak at the spring 2024 commencement at the Catholic University of America (CUA), the school announced Wednesday. 

“Countless numbers of people have had their lives changed for the better by Jonathan Roumie through his portrayal of Jesus Christ,” CUA president Peter Kilpatrick said in a March 20 press release

“Jonathan’s work is a testament to how Catholics can use their God-given talents to deliver messages of hope and to bring people closer to God,” Kilpatrick continued. “I look forward to welcoming him to The Catholic University of America.”

Besides playing Jesus Christ in “The Chosen,” which is now in its fourth season, Roumie has been featured on the Hallow prayer and meditation app, and has served as a ministry leader. He was also a keynote speaker at the annual March for Life in 2023 in Washington, D.C., and has more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram. 

“Speaking at The Catholic University of America’s commencement is such an honor because I will be among those who not only value a quality education but a college experience formed by the Catholic faith,” Roumie said in the press release. 

“I so look forward to celebrating with these graduates and sharing some insights into how one can live an inspired, fulfilling, and faithful life using the skills, talents, and intellect given to them by God,” he continued. 

Roumie will speak at commencement on May 11 and receive an honorary doctoral degree, along with four others.

Rabbi Jack Bemporad, an interfaith leader, will also receive an honorary doctorate. Having fled the fascist takeover of Italy when he was 5 years old, Bemporad has since dedicated himself to improving relations among Christians, Muslims, and Jews across the world. He has authored several books about Christian and Jewish relations and is the founding director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding. 

John Finnis, professor emeritus of University of Oxford and University of Notre Dame Law School and a Catholic legal and political thinker and renowned philosopher, will be receiving an honorary doctorate, along with speaker and writer Teresa Pitt Green, advocate, speaker, and co-founder of The Healing Voices magazine. 

Father Piotr Nawrot, a Roman Catholic priest of the Divine World Ministries known for rediscovering and reconstructing 13,000 pages of music held by members of the Moxo and Chiquito tribes, among others, will also receive an honorary doctorate. 

The commencement ceremony will take place on the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with about 1,300 graduating students.  

CUA, established in 1887, just announced the launch of its “Lead with Light” brand platform, which Kilpatrick said “encapsulates who we are as an institution.” 

The platform, he said, highlights “our dedication to academic excellence” as well as the “warm and welcoming community” at CUA, “where Christ is at the center of everything we do.”

Five U.S. Catholic priests chosen to attend Synod on Synodality meeting at the Vatican

Father Joseph Friend, Father Artur Bubnevych, and Father Donald Planty are among five U.S. parish priests who have been selected to attend a global gathering of 300 priests at the Vatican from April 28 to May 2, 2024, as part of the ongoing Synod on Synodality. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Joseph Friend; courtesy of Father Artur Bubnevych; EWTN News in Depth/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Mar 20, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced Wednesday the names of five parish priests who have been selected to attend a global gathering of 300 priests at the Vatican this spring as part of the ongoing Synod on Synodality.

In a March 20 announcement, the USCCB said the five priests consist of four Latin-rite priests and one Eastern Catholic priest, at the request of the Vatican. 

The five priests include Father Artur Bubnevych, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Father Joseph Friend, parochial administrator of three parishes in the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas; Father Luis Navarro, a canon lawyer and pastor of St. George Church in Stockton, California; Father William Swichtenberg, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Appleton, Wisconsin; and Father Donald Planty, a canon lawyer and pastor of St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia. (Planty’s work with young adults at his Arlington parish was recently highlighted on “EWTN News in Depth.”)

The gathering, “Parish Priests for the Synod: An International Meeting,” will be held April 28 to May 2. Announcing the event last month, the Vatican said bishops were asked to give preference to parish priests with “significant experience in the perspective of a synodal Church” while also selecting priests from “a variety of pastoral contexts.” 

During the five-day meeting, the priests will participate in roundtable discussions, liturgical celebrations, workshops on pastoral proposals, and “dialogue with experts,” according to the press release by the synod organizers, at the Fraterna Domus retreat center in Sacrofano, near Rome. 

The goal of the meeting, the Vatican says, is “listening to and valuing the experience of parish priests” and providing them with “an opportunity to experience the dynamism of synodal work at a universal level.”

The meeting is part of the ongoing Synod on Synodality initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021. A multiyear process, the synod aims to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. The first monthlong session of the Synod on Synodality concluded on Oct. 28, 2023, with the finalization of a 42-page synthesis report. The October 2024 session is expected to produce a final report, which will be presented to Pope Francis for his consideration in issuing any related teaching.

The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, which governs the synod, said that the meeting was organized in response to the first synod assembly’s Synthesis Report, which identified a need to “develop ways for a more active involvement of deacons, priests, and bishops in the synodal process during the coming year.” 

The priests will also have the chance to speak with Pope Francis in an audience on May 2, the Vatican said in February. The Vatican also said the results of the priests’ meeting will contribute to the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the second session of the Synodal Assembly, in October 2024.

House members highlight ‘horrific’ organ harvesting of aborted babies

David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, and Terrisa Bukovinac, founder of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, share testimony in a Capitol Hill panel March 19, 2024, accusing the abortion industry of harvesting aborted baby organs. / Credit: Courtesy of Office of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

Several Republican House members hosted a panel on Tuesday highlighting what they called the “horrific” organ harvesting and trafficking of aborted babies.

Hosted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, on Capitol Hill, the presentation included testimony by David Daleiden, founder of the investigative group Center for Medical Progress, and Terrisa Bukovinac, founder of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAUU).

They testified that Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics throughout the country are selling the organs and body parts of aborted babies in a lucrative biomaterial black market.

Daleiden, who has released several undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of body parts, called on the House to open a formal investigation into the abortion industry’s participation in organ harvesting. 

“At a time when powerful government and media forces are trying to silence this message, it is imperative for the people’s House to reopen formal investigations of the black market and aborted baby organ harvesting so that taxpayer-funded entities can never put a price tag on human beings,” he said.

The event can be viewed here

Selling baby body parts on the black market

Greene pointed out during the panel discussion that the abortion industry operates with virtually no federal or independent oversight, allowing it to conduct illegal activities.

Daleiden claimed that his undercover research has found a network of biomaterial companies partnering with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to obtain baby body parts for experimentation and other purposes.

“I’ve met with dozens of Planned Parenthood’s top abortion providers at their lavish commercial abortion trade shows sponsored by companies buying baby parts,” he said.

One undercover video shown by Daleiden during the event showed a Planned Parenthood executive in Washington state projecting her organization would make $250,000 on baby part sales to a single biotech company called StemExpress (now called CGT Global).

He also described Planned Parenthood’s partnership with the University of California and the University of Pittsburgh in which the abortion provider receives money in exchange for providing baby body parts. 

One of the experiments uncovered by Daleiden in 2020 revealed that the University of Pittsburgh was grafting aborted baby’s scalps to lab rats, enabling the rodents to grow human hair. This experiment, Daleiden claimed, was funded by federal grants from the National Institutes for Health (NIH), which is taxpayer-funded.

The NIH reports spending an average of $108 million per year on fetal experimentation, according to data gathered by the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Mentioning the ongoing budget negotiations in Congress, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, commented at the press event that House members should investigate this further and that the fetal experimentation money should be cut from the NIH’s budget.

Allegations about Kamala Harris’ involvement  

Daleiden also alleged that Vice President Kamala Harris was involved in a “cover-up” of the abortion industry’s organ harvesting scheme, pointing to her actions as attorney general of California.  

Following the release of the Center for Medical Progress’ viral videos exposing Planned Parenthood executives, Harris ordered a raid on Daleiden’s apartment to seize “hundreds of hours of unreleased undercover footage,” he said. 

Under Harris, Daleiden said that the California justice system prosecuted him, issued an injunction to keep him from releasing the rest of the footage, and ultimately fined his group $25 million. A federal court in California found Daleiden’s undercover work violated state and federal laws.

“The abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood, is a powerful special interest [group] in our country; they fight to silence reporting on their black market of aborted baby harvesting and the ongoing cover-up goes to the highest levels of our government,” Daleiden said.

The ‘D.C. Five’ and the FACE Act

During the panel pro-life activist Bukovinac showed members of her group finding a fully intact, third-trimester dead baby boy stored in a plastic shipping container in March 2022. Bukovinac said that based on the baby’s level of development he was 33 weeks old. She said that the fact that the baby’s body was largely intact indicates he was likely killed after being delivered alive.

The boy was found in a crate outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Washington, D.C. Bukovinac said he was meant, along with the remains of 114 other babies, to be shipped to Baltimore by a company called Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services to be burned “to provide renewable energy for the city.”

The 33-week-old baby was one of five late-term babies discovered outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic, which is operated by Dr. Cesare Santangelo. 

Despite outrage over these children, who have come to be called the “D.C. Five,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) has not announced any plans to take action. The office of the D.C. medical examiner, meanwhile, has refused to allow an independent examination of the bodies. 

Bukovinac said that one of the members of her group, Lauren Handy, was arrested in 2023 for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in another protest. Bukovinac decried the DOJ for prosecuting Handy while ignoring the “very likely federal crimes” at the D.C. abortion clinic.

“The DOJ is spending their time instead prosecuting and jailing my friends for totally peaceful, nonviolent direct action when instead they should be going after killers who are committing federal crimes,” she said.

She called on Congress to subpoena Santangelo and order an independent examination of the babies’ bodies.

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, decried the DOJ for ignoring the D.C. Five, saying during the event: “We must call on the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to enforce federal law and stop Planned Parenthood from their illegal activities, and we must stop funding these centers of death.”

If the heads of the DOJ and HHS refuse to investigate these killings, Miller said Congress has the power to remove them from office. 

Biden pushes for taxpayer-funded abortion nationwide in 2025 budget plan

When Biden was a senator (pictured with former Rep. Henry Hyde), he consistently supported and voted for the Hyde Amendment, which banned federal spending on abortion. / Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 20, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

President Joe Biden is calling for taxpayer-funded abortion nationwide and more funding for a program that funnels money to Planned Parenthood facilities in his 2025 budget plan unveiled last week.

The $7.3 trillion budget would eliminate two safeguards that prevent taxpayer-funded abortion: the Hyde Amendment and the Dornan Amendment. Both amendments have been included in federal budget bills for decades, but the president’s proposal leaves them out completely. His plan would also increase funding for the Title X family planning program, which funnels millions of dollars to the abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

“Since flip-flopping on taxpayer-funded abortion to run for president, Biden has lost any resistance to his party’s pro-abortion activist wing,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement.

“Democrats’ ongoing assault on Hyde proves their commitment to abortion above all, as they continue pushing unlimited abortion nationwide, throwing out long-standing, bipartisan consensus for the sake of their abortion lobby allies,” she added.

The president’s message accompanying his budget lists “defending and protecting reproductive rights and health care” in his section about investing in the American people. It criticizes pro-life laws passed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and urges congressional action on legislation “restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law,” which would mandate legal abortion nationwide.

In a shift from long-standing precedent, the budget proposal would erase the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited direct taxpayer funding for most abortions for nearly half of a century. If this plan were enacted, federal agencies could legally fund elective abortions with tax dollars. This could include expanding Medicaid to cover abortions, which funded hundreds of thousands of abortions every year before the amendment was adopted in 1980.

Biden’s budget proposal would also eliminate the Dornan Amendment, which prevents local tax revenue received in Washington, D.C., from directly funding most abortions. This protection has been in place for more than 30 years.

Jenny Popik, the legislative director for National Right to Life, told CNA that the elimination of these amendments is the “most sweeping [and] dramatic departure from current law” contained in the budget proposal.

“This would be an enormous funding stream that would be used to [perform] and fund abortion,” Popik warned.

When Biden was a senator, he consistently supported and voted for the Hyde Amendment. He first shifted his position and called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment during his 2020 presidential campaign.

Many pro-abortion advocates and Democratic lawmakers have voiced opposition to the Hyde Amendment in recent years even though it received bipartisan support when it was introduced. In 2021, House Democrats passed a Biden spending package that excluded the amendment, but the safeguard was re-added amid pushback in the Senate. Republican lawmakers are expected to fight for its inclusion in the 2025 budget.

Although some spending provisions for the 2024 budget are still being debated in Congress, efforts to remove the Hyde Amendment for the 2024 fiscal year were defeated.

The budget would also increase funding for the Title X family planning program by more than 36% from $286 million to $390 million. The program does not directly fund abortions but feeds millions of dollars to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood to provide contraception, sexually transmitted disease screenings, and other services. It would also include $101 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, which provides grants to Planned Parenthood and other organizations to provide their versions of sex education to teenagers.

Popik expressed concerns about federal funding being directed to organizations that provide abortion even if the money cannot be directly used to provide abortion.

“Once you start mixing those funds, it’s very difficult to stop … the bad actors,” Popik said.

The budget would further include more than $3 billion to promote gender equity and equality internationally. The appendix included by the Biden administration would allow the Department of State to “promote gender equality” in other countries. It’s unclear whether this could be used to promote abortion, but the language does not specifically reference abortion and federal law prohibits funding to perform or promote abortion internationally.

Biden has made his support for abortion a key element of his 2024 reelection campaign. He said during the 2024 State of the Union address that he intends to establish nationwide abortion rules that would overturn pro-life laws in Republican states if he has congressional support.

“If you, the American people, send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again,” Biden said at the time.

Ballot initiative in Nebraska would prohibit abortion after 12 weeks

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed into law a 12-week abortion ban and a ban on transgender surgery on minors on May 22, 2023. / Credit: Courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Nebraska

CNA Staff, Mar 20, 2024 / 13:50 pm (CNA).

A recently proposed pro-life ballot measure would make Nebraska the first state in the nation to offer unborn children protection in its constitution. 

State residents, meanwhile, may also be voting on a measure to enshrine broad abortion rights into the state’s constitution, with both proposals potentially appearing on the ballot in November.

The Protect Women and Children constitutional amendment, preliminary language of which was filed with the Nebraska secretary of state’s office March 1, would “amend the Nebraska Constitution” to ensure that “unborn children shall be protected from abortion in the second and third trimesters.”

The amendment would outlaw abortion after 12 weeks except in medical emergencies or when an unborn child is the result of sexual assault or incest, the proposal says.  

Sponsors for the measure did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal on Wednesday. The pro-life Nebraska Family Alliance, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that if passed the measure would make Nebraska “the first state in the nation to provide constitutional protection to preborn children in a state constitution.”

The group said the proposal “would ensure that our existing pro-life laws remain in place while we continue working to create a culture of life that provides love and support to every mother and child.” The state last year banned abortion at 12 weeks into pregnancy.

Jackie Ourada, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska secretary of state’s office, confirmed to CNA on Wednesday that the measure had been received by the office but that “final language for the petition has not been submitted” yet. 

The group has until July 3 to collect signatures from 10% of the number of registered voters in the state before submitting. The state requires signatures to come from 5% of registered voters in at least 38 counties.

The pro-life proposal comes as pro-abortion advocates attempt to pass their own constitutional amendment in the state, one that would offer broad protections for abortion throughout most of pregnancy. 

The pro-abortion group Protect Our Rights filed language with the secretary of state last year that could see abortion on the ballot in November if petitioners can collect enough signatures. 

The measure, if approved, would “amend the Nebraska Constitution to provide all persons the fundamental right to abortion without interference from the state or its political subdivisions until fetal viability.”

Protect Our Rights is not publicly sharing the number of signatures it has obtained, but one abortion advocate told Nebraska Public Media this month that the campaign is “on track” to have enough signatures to qualify before the deadline. 

Voters in seven other states around the country, meanwhile — California, Vermont, Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, and Ohio — have voted in favor of abortion since the Supreme Court’s 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade, with residents either voting to expand abortion access or else voting down pro-life measures at the ballot box. 

There is still time to receive a plenary indulgence during Lent

Monstrance for adoration, stock photo. / Zolnierek/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Mar 20, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Did you know that there are several ways you can gain a plenary indulgence during Lent? There are actually four ways you can receive one. Even though Lent is nearly over, there is still plenty of time for you to complete any, or all, of these. 

First of all, what is a plenary indulgence?

A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence cleanses a person of all temporal punishment due to sin. However, it must always be accompanied by a full detachment from sin. 

How do we receive one during Lent?

The first way is to spend at least 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration. Visiting the Blessed Sacrament is important all year round. So why not take part in this beautiful practice during Lent and receive some additional graces too? 

If you’ve never been to adoration, or struggle to stay awake, try reading a couple of chapters from the Gospels, pray a rosary, or really focus on being in Christ’s presence. 

The next way is to take part in the Stations of the Cross, which is when we meditate on the Lord’s passion and death. Every Catholic church should have some kind of Stations of the Cross, whether they are simple or elaborate. Any will do! 

However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The Holy See’s Manual of Indulgences, Fourth Edition, does state that there has to be 14 stations “representing the 14 stations of Jerusalem.” 

The manual also reminds us that “progression from one station to the next is required.” Although, if there are too many people and moving would cause an inconvenience, it is sufficient that at least the one conducting the Way of the Cross move from station to station. In other words, if you attend the Stations of the Cross with many participants and everyone remains in the pews while the priest moves to each station, that is still valid. 

This specific indulgence can even be gained once a day for those who can attend church daily and wish to perform the Stations of the Cross on their own. 

The next way is by praying the rosary “in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, or an association of the faithful.” 

The last way is by reading or listening to sacred Scripture. Just make sure you spend at least half an hour with the word of God and it counts. 

All right, so you took part in one, or all four, of these ways. But, did you actually receive a plenary indulgence?

How do you know if you received one?

There are some conditions, like the fine print, that assure you receive your indulgence. 

First, you must have complete detachment from all sin, even venial.

Then you have to go to confession, receive holy Communion, and pray for the intentions of the pope. Sacramental confession and receiving the Eucharist can happen up to about 20 days before or after the act performed to receive a plenary indulgence. 

It is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed. One sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences. However, for each plenary indulgence one wishes to receive, a separate reception of the Eucharist and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required.

Once you have followed these steps, rest assured that you have received a plenary indulgence.

This story was first published on CNA on March 31, 2022, and was updated March 18, 2024.

Supreme Court declines to hear Catholic couple’s lawsuit over transgender child custody

null / Addie Mena/CNA

CNA Staff, Mar 19, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The Supreme Court rejected without comment this week an Indiana Catholic husband and wife’s petition over a dispute involving custody of their transgender-identifying son. 

Mary and Jeremy Cox refused to accept their son’s self-declared female identity in 2019 and instead sought therapy to address what they saw as underlying mental health concerns. The government subsequently removed their son from their home, placing him in another home that “affirmed” his transgender beliefs. 

The state government eventually dropped its abuse allegations against the couple, though it ultimately refused to return him to their custody, claiming that the child had developed an eating disorder due to the dispute. Multiple court decisions upheld the state’s order. 

The couple, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court last month. On Monday the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, turning down the Coxes’ petition without comment.

The Coxes’ child has turned 18 since the dispute began, though the Coxes argued in their appeal that the state’s decision should still be challenged in part because they have other children at home and were “gravely concerned that Indiana will make similar claims and allegations” regarding those children.

In a statement provided to CNA on Tuesday via Becket, the Coxes said that “no other loving parents should have to endure what we did.” 

“The pain of having our son taken from our home and kept from our care because of our beliefs will stay with us forever,” the parents said. 

“We can’t change the past, but we will continue to fight for a future where parents of faith can raise their children without fear of state officials knocking on their doors.” 

Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement that Indiana’s handling of the case “was a shocking attack on parental rights.” 

“Loving parents should not lose custody of their children because they disagree with the state about gender,” she said. 

Though the justices declined to hear the case, Windham said Becket was “confident that the Supreme Court will ultimately protect this basic right and ensure that parents can raise their children consistent with their religious beliefs.” 

Windham had in February described Indiana’s conduct as “an outrage to the law, parental rights, and basic human decency.”

“If the Supreme Court doesn’t take this case,” she said last month, “how many times will this happen to other families?”

Grammy-winning Florida priest cleared of sexual misconduct charges

Father Jerome "Jerry" Kaywell, a Grammy award-winning musician, had been placed on leave amid claims of sexual misconduct before his accuser apologized and said the accusations were based on a "false memory." / Credit: Jerry Kaywell YouTube page

CNA Staff, Mar 19, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

A Grammy award-winning Florida priest has been cleared of allegations of sexual misconduct after his accuser recanted his claims and said the accusations had been the product of a “false memory.”

In a letter obtained by CNA, Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, last week told parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Punta Gorda there was “no evidence to support” the allegations that Father Jerome Kaywell had committed sexual misconduct in 2013 and 2014. 

Dewane had informed parishioners in January that the diocese had “received notification from a law firm of an allegation of sexual misconduct” regarding Kaywell. The incident “allegedly occurred in the winter of 2013/2014,” the bishop said at the time. The priest was placed on administrative leave after the allegations were leveled against him.

In his letter this month, Dewane told Sacred Heart Parish that shortly thereafter the alleged victim “withdrew his allegation,” with the accuser writing an apology and declaring the alleged sexual misconduct was “a false memory.”

The diocese continued to investigate the matter in accordance with diocesan policy, the bishop said. The diocesan review board subsequently met in March, “examined the investigatory report and all aspects of the matter,” and “unanimously” concluded “that there was no evidence to support the allegation.”

“The Diocesan Review Board recommended that Father Kaywell be returned to ministry,” Dewane wrote. “I have accepted their recommendation and inform you that Father Kaywell has been returned to ministry, effective immediately.” 

“Therefore, I consider the matter closed and the good name of Father Jerome Kaywell restored,” the bishop said. 

Throughout the investigation, the bishop noted, Kaywell “maintained his innocence, stating that the allegation could not have happened.”

As of Tuesday, the priest was once again listed on Sacred Heart’s website as its pastor after having been removed during the investigation. 

Kaywell has been pastor of the Punta Gorda church since 2004. He attended both St. Francis University and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

He is known for having established a musical and advertising career before becoming a priest. In 1985 he recorded a Grammy-winning album, “Let My People Go,” with the gospel group the Winans. He was ordained in 1991 and has released two more albums since then. 

Pope Francis appoints new bishop to lead Wisconsin diocese

Pope Francis on March 19, 2024, appointed Bishop Gerard Battersby to lead the Diocese of La Crosse in western Wisconsin. / Credit: Marek Dziekonski/courtesy of the Archdiocese of Detroit

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 19, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby to lead the Diocese of La Crosse in western Wisconsin after accepting the resignation of Bishop William Callahan.

The pope’s appointment was communicated to the U.S. bishops by the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

Erik Archer, a representative for the Diocese of La Crosse, told CNA that Battersby will be officially installed as bishop of the diocese on May 20 at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral. 

At 63 years old, Battersby will become the 11th bishop to lead the Diocese of La Crosse. He was born in Detroit and has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2017. He issued a statement on Tuesday upon learning of his appointment.

“It is with joy that I received the news that the Holy Father had named me the 11th bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse,” Battersby wrote. “When I was baptized, ordained a priest, and consecrated a bishop, I received a call within a call, an invitation to follow. The Risen One has bid me to follow him to western Wisconsin, to the banks of the Mighty Mississippi. I leave with hope and anticipatory joy.”

Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit congratulated Battersby, saying: “The gift of bishop Battersby’s ministry now goes to the people of La Crosse. The priests, religious, and faithful of Detroit send him there with our heartfelt prayers of gratitude.”

Battersby’s predecessor, Callahan, is retiring at age 73 after serving the Diocese of La Crosse since 2010. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Callahan is retiring for health reasons.

Callahan was the first conventional Franciscan to be named a bishop in the United States. He led the diocese through some turbulent periods. In 2021 he decided to remove Father James Altman from ministry for disobedience and for proclaiming that “Catholics can’t be Democrats.” Altman later went on to release more controversial videos, one notably making statements understood by some as calling for the death of Pope Francis.

The retiring bishop released a statement obtained by CNA on Tuesday in which he expressed his gratitude for his time as bishop of La Crosse.

“In 2010, I was called by His Holiness, Pope Benedict, to become the 10th bishop of La Crosse and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the best priests and deacons in the Church in this capacity,” Callahan said in a statement. “Looking back, it is a great blessing and I simply say ‘thank you’ to all the wonderful people who have been part of my journey, especially the priests, deacons, religious, and holy women who have been so kind to me over these 14 years.”

According to Callahan’s statement, he will remain in La Crosse, continuing to serve the Church as a retired bishop.

“I look forward to continuing my service to Bishop Battersby and spiritual service to brother priests and deacons in La Crosse,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to remain in this wonderful community for as long as God allows, and I will cherish the memories and experiences I have had here.”

The Diocese of La Crosse spans 19 counties in Wisconsin and consists of 156 parishes and 65 schools serving a population of 135,000 Catholic faithful.