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CNA Staff, Jan 16, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent abortion- and pro-life-related news.

Virginia pro-abortion ballot proposal advances 

Virginia Democrats advanced a proposal to enshrine abortion as a right in the state constitution earlier this week. The amendment would ensure a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” protecting abortion in the first two trimesters as well as in the third trimester with some restrictions. 

Abortions are currently legal in Virginia through the second trimester. Abortions in the second trimester are allowed when the mother’s life is at risk, with the certification of three doctors. The proposed amendment would bring this number down to one doctor. 

The measure passed narrowly in the House of Delegates 51-48. Virginia Republicans criticized the measure, calling it “extreme” and expressing concern that the amendment could supersede a current Virginia law requiring parental consent for abortions for minors. Democrats argued that the government shouldn’t be making decisions about women’s health care. 

If approved again by the state House and Senate next year, the amendment would be on the ballot. The state follows the trend of many states voting on abortion laws following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Idaho could raise voting threshold for ballot initiatives

Idaho Republicans introduced a bill Wednesday to raise Idaho’s voting threshold for statewide ballot initiatives. The bill would change current Idaho law, which requires 50% of the vote plus one to pass an initiative or referendum. The bill would increase the threshold to 60%, which state Rep. Bruce Skaug, who introduced the bill, argued would fix Idaho’s “broken” system and prevent out-of-state money from having as much sway in the state. In Idaho, residents can place and vote on laws on the ballot without the Idaho Legislature’s involvement.

The measure could affect future abortion amendments, which continued to crop up throughout the United States in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s overturn. In Florida, a pro-abortion constitutional measure failed to pass in the 2024 election, largely due to the high threshold of 60% for passing a constitutional amendment.

OneLife LA event moved to cathedral 

Amid the ongoing wildfire emergency, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ annual Catholic pro-life event OneLife LA is set to be held indoors at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels due to poor air quality and the need for law enforcement elsewhere in the city. The walking portion of the event has been canceled.

Instead, the event, beginning at 1 p.m. local time on Jan. 18, will be held in the cathedral’s plaza, with a speaker and performance program followed by the annual Requiem Mass for the Unborn in the cathedral. The event will also address the impacts of the recent L.A. fires and reflections on the impact of the emergency. The theme for the annual event is “Let Us Stand Up Together in Hope.”  

OneLife LA typically draws thousands to downtown Los Angeles, where it begins with a prayer service followed by a walk to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, where attendees listen to speakers and musical performances. It is held near the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as a West Coast parallel to the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., which is set to be held Jan. 24.

null / Credit: Ulf Wittrock/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 16, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The American Humanist Association (AHA) filed a lawsuit to block West Virginia from awarding a $5 million grant to the College of St. Joseph the Worker — a Catholic trade college based in Steubenville, Ohio, that hopes to expand into the state.

St. Joseph the Worker, which offers a bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies and teaches trades related to construction, intends to use the grant to develop a construction company that would employ students in the northern part of West Virginia and expand its job training and education opportunities into the state.

The AHA, which is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of West Virginia, contends in its lawsuit that the grant violates the state constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion because it requires that taxpayers fund a Catholic college.

AHA executive director Fish Stark said in a statement that “no one should have to pay taxes to fund someone else’s religion.”

“Humanists believe deeply in the freedom of conscience, and this attempt to force West Virginia taxpayers to fund religious activity is an offense against the Constitution and common sense,” Stark added. 

“As a former West Virginia resident, I believe ‘Mountaineers Are Always Free’ means your faith is your business — no one else, and certainly not the government, has the right to push it on you,” he said.

Secular humanism is a nontheistic philosophy that suggests humans can develop ethical codes absent of God or religion. 

The lawsuit was filed against the West Virginia Water Development Authority, which is the agency that approved the grant to support economic development. In a statement provided to CNA, agency officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, adding: “Any comments … will be made in public court filings or other public disclosures.”

St. Joseph the Worker is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the college could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

The lawsuit cites Article III of the West Virginia Constitution, which is the state’s Bill of Rights, to justify its lawsuit. 

Section 15 of the article, which guarantees religious freedom, states that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry.” It further prohibits “any tax for the erection or repair of any house for public worship or for the support of any church or ministry.”

The lawsuit asserts the grant program from which St. Joseph the Worker would receive the funding — the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund — “is funded, in part, by appropriations levied against the taxpayers of West Virginia.” The grant was created with funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

“[The AHA] has been negatively impacted as a result of this violation, as their members have been required to fund and support a religious practice contrary to their shared beliefs and their constitutional right to freedom of, and from, religion,” the lawsuit asserts.

St. Joseph the Worker offers instruction in several trades: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); carpentry; masonry; electrical; and plumbing. The proposed nonprofit construction company would employ students learning those trades to revitalize the region.

Some of the funding would also support St. Joseph the Worker purchasing training facilities in Weirton, West Virginia, which borders Steubenville, Ohio. It would also support partnerships with tradesmen and contractors in West Virginia to place apprentices there after graduation.

The college would also use the funds to expand recruitment and scholarship opportunities for prospective students in West Virginia.

Esther Miller holds a picture and the released documents on Father Michael Nocita as victims and their supporters hold quilts bearing portraits of abused children while gathered outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2013. / Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jan 16, 2025 / 12:10 pm (CNA).

Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) revealed in landmark survey results released this week that “dioceses, eparchies, and religious communities of men” have reported $5,025,346,893 in payouts related to minor abuse allegations since 2004.

Those payments include “settlements paid to victims, other payments to victims, support for offenders, [and] attorneys’ fees” as well as other costs, CARA said.

Though that massive sum has been paid out over the last two decades, the vast majority of the alleged abuse occurred much earlier, with 80% of the alleged crimes taking place in the 1980s or decades prior.

The findings come from two decades’ worth of annual surveys by CARA. The yearly survey collects “information about the allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests and deacons that had been reported to the dioceses and eparchies each year.”

The original survey was first commissioned in 2004 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The survey has polled about 200 dioceses and eparchies and approximately 220 religious communities of men over the course of the 20 years. Respondents in the survey were asked to categorize abuse allegations as “credible” or “unsubstantiated/obviously false” as well as “unable to be proven.”

Since 2004 respondents have labeled 16,276 allegations as “credible.” The majority of credible allegations were reported by dioceses and eparchies.

The survey noted that the number of credible allegations jumped by 46% in its second decade, which CARA said was attributable in part to “the greater number of large lawsuits and state investigations as well as the enactment by some state governments of temporary relaxations of statutes of limitations on crimes and lawsuits.”

The findings indicate that alleged abuse dropped sharply in the U.S. Church over the course of the 20th century into the 21st. “More than 9 in 10 of all credible allegations” were said to have occurred or began in 1989 or earlier, CARA said. Just 3% of the allegations were said to have taken place since 2000.

Eighty percent of alleged abuse victims were male, more than half were ages 10 to 14, and 20% were aged 9 or younger.

All told, the allegations involve a total of 4,490 alleged perpetrators, 95% of whom are priests and 4% of whom are religious brothers. An additional 1% of alleged abusers are deacons. 

A full 86% of all alleged perpetrators were identified as “deceased, already removed from ministry, already laicized, or missing” in the survey.

Dioceses spend hundreds of millions on abuse prevention efforts

While dioceses paid out billions of dollars in responding to alleged abuse victims, Church officials have also outlayed huge sums to prevent further abuse over the past 20 years.

Respondents to CARA’s survey have reported a total of $727,994,390 in expenditures for child abuse prevention and safety, an average of about $36,000,000 annually.

Those expenditures include “safe environment coordinator and victim assistance coordinator salaries, tracking and other administrative expenses, training programs for adults and children, and background checks.”

The amount of money spent on abuse prevention has increased in recent years. In the first decade of the survey, dioceses reported $259,771,061 in safe environment expenditures; that figure jumped 80% in the second decade that the survey was taken, to $468,223,329. 

In announcing the findings, CARA said the U.S. Church’s “effort to address the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and religious brothers and to implement safeguards to prevent future abuse is unprecedented by any nongovernmental organization and is the largest effort of its kind.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops first promulgated norms for addressing the sexual abuse of minors in the Church in 2002.

In its “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” the bishops’ body acknowledged that clergy sex abuse, as well as “the ways in which these crimes and sins were addressed,” have caused “enormous pain, anger, and confusion for victims, their families, and the entire Church.”

“As bishops, we have acknowledged our mistakes and our roles in that suffering, and we apologize and take responsibility again for too often failing victims and the Catholic people in the past,” the bishops wrote.

Father Frank Mann is seen with President Donald Trump in an undated photograph. / Credit: The Tablet

CNA Staff, Jan 16, 2025 / 11:40 am (CNA).

A priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn who has been asked to pray at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is describing the experience — which includes a personal friendship with the president — as “mind-boggling.” 

Father Francis Mann is scheduled to deliver the closing benediction at Trump’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20.

The Brooklyn Diocese told CNA that Mann was unavailable for an interview. But in a Wednesday profile at the diocesan newspaper the Tablet, the priest described the distinction as an “indescribable honor.” 

The retired diocesan priest, who was ordained in 1979, originally struck up what the Tablet called an “unlikely friendship” with Trump after he came across the gravesites of Trump’s parents in a Queens cemetery. 

“It was slightly overgrown,” Mann told the Tablet. “I thought this shouldn’t be. This is a historic site. So, I went and bought a weed whacker and some decorations and fixed up the plot.” The priest then sent a photo of the graves to the president.

Several weeks later Trump personally called Mann to inquire about the photograph. Learning that the priest had done the work on his own volition, Trump said the two should “get together the next time he was in New York,” according to the Tablet. 

After his loss in the 2020 election, Trump called Mann up and invited him to a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan. The priest described the once and future president as “the nicest, most down-to-earth guy.” 

“There are no airs about him. He has a great sense of humor. He’s a regular guy,” Mann told the Tablet. 

The president and the priest have continued to stay in touch and to meet up, including at Trump’s summer residence in New Jersey as well as a dinner at the president’s country club. Trump subsequently endorsed “The Wounded Butterfly,” a children’s book written by Mann. 

Trump also sought Mann’s advice on winning the Catholic vote in the 2024 election. The president-elect handily won over Catholic voters in his successful November bid for the presidency.

The Tablet reported that Mann intends to make the Jan. 20 benediction “personal” and that he “will be asking for a blessing for his friend, the president of the United States, the new vice president, and the country they will lead.”

“It’s taken me longer than I thought to process having been chosen to be such a significant part of the inauguration’s moment in history,” Mann reflected.

Joan Andrews Bell, Jean Marshall, Heather Idoni, and Paulette Harlow are four pro-life women serving time after being convicted on federal charges for for blockading the inside of an abortion clinic in 2020. / Credit: Chris Bell/Laura Gise/Heather Idoni/Paulette Harlow

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 16, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A Catholic law firm is formally petitioning the incoming presidential administration to pardon 21 pro-life activists who are imprisoned for protests at abortion clinics under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

In its petition to President-elect Donald Trump, the Thomas More Society argues “these pro-life Americans are deserving of full and unconditional pardons.” 

At least two times during his 2024 campaign for the presidency, Trump said he intended to release pro-life activists who are currently imprisoned.

“These peaceful pro-life Americans mistreated by [President Joe] Biden include grandparents, pastors, a Holocaust survivor, and a Catholic priest — all are selfless, sincere patriots,” the petition from the Chicago-based law firm reads.

During Biden’s four years in office, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) brought charges against more than 30 people who took part in pro-life demonstrations under the FACE Act, which was legislation in the 1990s to increase penalties for people who obstruct access to abortion clinics or pregnancy resource centers.

Although the FACE Act’s higher sentences also apply to people who obstruct or damage pro-life pregnancy centers, Biden’s DOJ only brought charges in two cases regarding attacks on those facilities despite more than 100 incidents occurring under his tenure.

“While Biden’s prosecutors almost entirely ignored the firebombing and vandalism of hundreds of pro-life churches and pregnancy centers, they viciously pursued pro-life Americans,” the petition adds.

The longest sentence was given last year to Lauren Handy, who received four years and nine months in prison for her role in a protest at an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. The second longest was also given last year to Bevelyn Beatty Williams, who received three years and five months in prison for a protest inside an abortion clinic in New York City. 

Several pro-life activists in their mid-to-late 70s also received multiyear sentences for their protests.

“These 21 peaceful pro-lifers, many of whom are currently imprisoned for bravely standing up for unborn life, are upstanding citizens and pillars of their communities,” Steve Crampton, who works as senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, said in a statement.

“Through full and unconditional pardons for these pro-life advocates, President Trump has the chance to remedy the harm done to them and their families, deliver on his campaign promises, and repair trust in our constitutional order,” Crampton added.

The petition also asserts that Biden’s DOJ “flagrantly violated Congress’ intent in its pursuit of the prosecutions,” noting that members of Congress were “fearful that the FACE Act might be used against protesters who had been employing tactics that were used and celebrated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

“Dr. King and many with him engaged in peaceful sit-ins at lunch counters — an act of simple trespass — and these pro-life Americans engage in similar sit-ins at abortion facilities,” the petition adds. “FACE expressly contemplated that group-oriented peaceable civil disobedience, as advocated and practiced by Dr. King and his followers, would be punishable as mere misdemeanors.”

Trump is scheduled to assume office on Monday, Jan. 20.

WASHINGTON – Catholics across the country are invited to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, January 23 to Friday, January 24, 2025, to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life.

The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted each January by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry. The vigil has always taken place on the eve of the March for Life, which marks the date of the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Opening Mass will take place in the Great Upper Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. from 5:00-7:00 PM on Thursday, January 23. The principal celebrant and homilist for the Opening Mass will be Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities. 

Immediately following the Opening Mass, a National Holy Hour for Life will take place with a Eucharistic Procession, Eucharistic Adoration, Recitation of the Rosary, and Benediction. The Opening Mass and Holy Hour of the National Prayer Vigil for Life will be broadcast on various Catholic networks and will be livestreamed on the Basilica’s website at www.nationalshrine.org/mass.

The vigil concludes at 8:00 AM on Friday, January 24 with the Closing Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn.

The full schedule of the 2025 National Prayer Vigil for Life is listed below. (All times are in Eastern Time.)

Thursday, January 23:
4:45 PM          Chaplet of Divine Mercy
5:00 PM          Opening Mass with Bishop Thomas
7:00 PM          Holy Hour for Life

Friday, January 24:
8:00 AM          Closing Mass with Bishop Brennan

The live television broadcasts on January 23 from 5:00-8:00 PM and on January 24 from 8:00-9:00 AM will be provided by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and will be available via live-stream on the Basilica’s website. For more information about on-site attendance at the Basilica for the National Prayer Vigil for Life, please visit the information page on the Basilica’s website.

A plenary indulgence is available this year for those participating in the Opening or Closing Mass and/or the Prayer Vigil (the other usual conditions for a plenary indulgence apply).

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WASHINGTON - As the United States commemorates Religious Freedom Day on January 16, the Committee for Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued its annual report on the state of religious freedom in the United States. The report identifies and offers ways that Catholics can respond to five areas of critical concern—both threats and opportunities: the targeting of faith-based immigration services, antisemitism, IVF mandates, the scaling back of gender ideology in law, and parental choice in education. 

“This Jubilee Year offers us a chance to reflect on the necessity of patience and long-suffering in our work to bear witness to the truth,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty. 

“Pope Francis refers to the biblical image of the anchor as a symbol of hope: ‘The image of the anchor is eloquent; it helps us to recognize the stability and security that is ours amid the troubled waters of this life, provided we entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus.’ . . . In the years since the U.S. bishops established a committee to promote religious liberty, we have indeed seen troubled waters. Trends have come and gone, and political winds have shifted back and forth. The ministry of the bishops to promote our first, most precious liberty has sought to remain anchored to the truth of the gospel, and we ask for the grace of this Jubilee to continue to remain steadfast in our principles.

“As we look to 2025, we anticipate that long-standing concerns will continue to require our vigilance, while new concerns, and perhaps opportunities, will also present themselves. Political leaders of countries may change, and public policy priorities may shift amidst various contemporary circumstances, but our patient and steadfast commitment to Jesus Christ and the gospel must not change. I pray that this report will serve as a resource to Christians, and all people of goodwill, who seek to promote and defend religious freedom.”

Read the full report: https://www.usccb.org/religious-liberty/2025-annual-report.

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ATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis was wearing his arm in a sling during his meetings and audiences Jan. 16 after hurting his right arm in a fall.

"This morning, due to a fall at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis suffered a contusion to his right forearm, without a fracture. The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure," the Vatican press office said. 

The note was published after Vatican Media had distributed photographs of the 88-year-old pontiff's morning meetings in which he was wearing a sling that appeared to be made from an elastic bandage tied at his neck. While the photos showed shaking hands with his left hand, other photos showed him using his right hand to sign a document. 

He also had fallen in early December, hitting his chin on his bedside table and sporting a significant bruise on the right side of his face when he created 21 new cardinals Dec. 7.

Pope Francis' voice also has sounded hoarse for weeks. When he met Jan. 9 with ambassadors serving at the Vatican, Pope Francis read only the first paragraph of his prepared text. Explaining that he was "still suffering from a bit of a cold," he asked an aide, Msgr. Filippo Ciampanelli, to read the rest of his text.

While his voice continued to sound rough, he had read his prepared texts himself since that audience.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used in an ethical, transparent and responsible manner in Vatican City State, the city-state governor's office has released a set of guidelines on AI, which will be followed by new laws and regulations.

"The guidelines highlight the importance of a balanced and mindful approach in regulating artificial intelligence and will act as a 'compass'" and a framework for "future regulatory actions" regarding AI technology, the city-state said in a Dec. 23 press release on vaticanstate.va. The guidelines went into effect Jan. 1.

The president of the governor's office will also set up a five-person AI commission, presided over by the secretary-general of the governing office, to oversee the implementation and regulation of AI within Vatican City State.

Specifically, the commission will: prepare the proposed laws and regulations; provide input and opinions about the use of AI systems and models; and monitor the activities of AI systems and models and their impact on individuals, employment and the environment. 

"The key principle is that technological innovation cannot and should never overtake or replace human beings," the press release said. "On the contrary, it should serve humanity, and support and respect human dignity," individual rights and freedom.

"The aim is to make artificial intelligence a resource that, if properly regulated, will be able to foster well-being and progress, without compromising ethical and social principles," it added.

The 13-page policy, released as a decree by the pontifical commission governing Vatican City State, covers a series of general ethical principles, specific guidelines for certain offices and prohibitions.

The bans include prohibitions against AI technology and practices that: cause discrimination; harm individuals physically or psychologically through subliminal manipulation; exclude people with disabilities; create social inequalities; demean human dignity; violate fundamental human rights; compromise Vatican City State security and public order; encourage criminal conduct; and conflict with "the mission of the pope, the integrity of the Catholic Church and the proper operation" of the Vatican entities overseen by the governor's office.

The office oversees those who work in administration and human resources, the Vatican Museums, the gardeners, trash collectors, firefighters, police, post office employees as well as those who work for the Vatican health service, pharmacy and Vatican court system. The guidelines and future regulations also cover third-party suppliers, operators and professionals who are hired temporarily.

Some offices were given specific guidelines pertaining to their field, such as offices dealing with: personal data and data processing; scientific research and healthcare; copyright protection; cultural heritage; maintenance and services; administrative procedures; human resources and labor practices; judicial activities; and security. 

Some examples included: mandating that all texts, music, photos, audiovisual and radio content that have used AI systems and models in their creation or reproduction be labeled with the acronym AI; and insisting that patients being treated by the Vatican's health care service must be informed about the use and application of AI in their care.

While most offices have been given the green light to adopt AI in ways that streamline and facilitate human labor, the guidelines specified that the Vatican's judicial offices may only use AI "for the organization and simplification" of its research and work. Interpretation of the law, analysis of the facts and evidence of a case, and deciding on sentencing or other measures must never be handled by AI as these tasks are "reserved exclusively for the magistrate."

Laws and regulations applying the guideline's principles were to be adopted within the current calendar year, the press release said.
 

WASHINGTON – The negotiations of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the ongoing release of hostages were commended as an “encouraging sign of peace” by Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

“At the beginning of this Jubilee Year, it is with great hope that I receive the news of a negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the ongoing release of hostages and prisoners. This is an encouraging sign of peace for a region that has seen far too much bloodshed and destruction. I pray that this peace can take firm and lasting root in the Middle East, and I renew my gratitude for the crucial, peacebuilding role that the United States has played in this ceasefire and hostage release.”

“May we continue forward with what Pope Francis calls a ‘diplomacy of hope’ based on truth, forgiveness, freedom, and justice, ‘so that the dense clouds of war may be swept away by renewed winds of peace.’ This signal of peace can be a beacon of real hope for the Middle East and all regions of the world suffering from war.”

“Since the start of the crisis, the Church, through Catholic Relief Services and its local partners, has played a key role in providing food, cash assistance, shelter, sanitation, and emotional and social support to displaced communities. We pray that the ceasefire will allow the Church to reach even more vulnerable people. Let us continue to pray for a sustainable and lasting peace in the region and the world.”

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