A pro-life sign is seen on a roadside in Agnew, Nebraska, on May 14, 2024. / Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In an election year in which a record number of states with pro-abortion measures are on the ballot, Nebraska is the only state to have a pro-abortion ballot measure competing with a pro-life measure. 

Chelsey Youman, with Human Coalition Action, a national pro-life group based in Texas, on “EWTN News In Depth” recently said that amid a “disinformation” campaign, Nebraska is “fighting back.”

“Nebraska is taking a unique approach to this issue and fighting back, saying that we’re not going to accept the pro-abortion industry’s rampant push of extreme constitutional measures to allow abortion on demand without limits throughout the entire pregnancy, all three trimesters,” Youman told “EWTN News In Depth” host Catherine Hadro on Oct. 18.

Nebraska’s ballot measure 439 would create a constitutional right to abortion, while measure 434 would establish constitutional protections for unborn children in later stages of pregnancy. 

Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, called the pro-abortion measure “worse than Roe v. Wade.”

“Initiative 439 is a very extreme proposal that allows abortions throughout the entire pregnancy,” Venzor continued. “Alternatively, you have Initiative 434, which provides some protection in the second and third trimester for the unborn child but then allows us to continue regulating against unsafe and coercive abortion practices.”

Dr. Catherine Brooks, a neonatologist and pediatrician in Lincoln, Nebraska, noted that fetal viability does not have a set definition in the medical community.

“When they talk about it on the political front, it’s often assumed that there’s a definition of viability, and there just isn’t,” Brooks told “EWTN News In Depth” reporter Mark Irons.

Measure 439 creates a right to abortion up until fetal viability, which it defines as whenever the patient’s health practitioner determines that “there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’ sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.”

Tremendous progress has been made in recent years, increasing the likelihood of survival for the tiniest premature babies. For instance, Curtis Zy-Keith Means was born at 21 weeks’ gestation and weighed less than a pound. He holds the Guinness World Record for the youngest premature baby to survive and turned 4 this summer. 

But viability is often defined to be between 24 and 26 weeks. 

Brooks works in the neonatal intensive care unit, caring for premature babies who need additional support before they leave the hospital. She said she noticed “their personalities are all so unique.”

Venzor’s daughter Therese was born three months premature. She lived for only two weeks. 

“My personal experience is those two weeks were beautiful,” Venzor said. “They were wonderful.”

“We never knew if we were going to get one second with her,” he recalled. “We didn’t know if when she was delivered, she was going to make it. To have any amount of time with her was precious, not only in the womb but outside of the womb, and to look at her, to see her face. It taught us how to love more deeply. She taught us how to love.”

Nebraska’s pro-abortion measure also creates a right to abortion after the baby is viable outside the womb “when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient, without interference from the state or its political subdivisions,” according to the text of the ballot measure.

“I think 439 is vague intentionally, and that’s so that people don’t understand what it’s saying,” Brooks said. “But from a medical perspective and a legal perspective, it’s allowing abortion at any gestation for any reason.”

Youman noted that Nebrasa’s pro-life measure is a unique opportunity for voters in the U.S. this year. 

“They’re giving voters another option, an option to say: We’re going to vote to protect children past the 12-week mark but also, importantly, allow the legislator there in Nebraska to continue to protect children in the womb before 12 weeks,” Youman said of the measure.

“The pro-life vote is alive and well,” Youman said, even though there is “a massive campaign of misleading disinformation” and “fear-mongering” around abortion ballot measures. 

“It took the pro-abortionists seven months to get the requisite amount of 200,000 signatures. It took the pro-lifers only three months to get the same amount of signatures,” Youman said. “So don’t always believe the polling. Don’t always believe what mass media is telling you. The pro-life vote is alive and well and active like it never had been. Now is that time for us to lean in more than ever.”

Youman noted that there is misinformation about medical emergencies and abortion. 

For instance, in September, Vice President Kamala Harris amplified claims by several news outlets that a woman died as the result of pro-life laws, while a group of doctors responded that the Georgia woman, Amber Thurman, died because of the abortion pill and medical malpractice. 

“The truth is, in pro-life states, all 50 states protect women from medical emergencies,” Youman said. “That’s not only a Supreme Court requirement but at the state level of statutory requirements.” 

Youman said that having conversations about these issues is essential and that voting “on these issues in these states will be the loudest thing we can do to send that message to protect the unborn.”

“The longer that we have these conversations at the grassroots, at the church level, at the local level, with our families and communities, the more people realize the value of innocent human life, and the more people realize how extreme these measures are,” Youman said.

“This election, more than ever, as pro-life voters, we need to show up and tell them we will not stand for a country that aborts innocent children in the womb,” Youman said. “We will vote for pro-life measures, and we want to hold our candidates accountable to protecting innocent life in the womb.”

Pope Francis meets with other delegates of the Synod on Synodality at a roundtable discussion in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Oct. 17, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Oct 22, 2024 / 05:30 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church’s final session of the multiyear Synod on Synodality is in its final week. Here’s what’s happening during the last week of the Synod on Synodality.

What you should know 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide

• Here’s what is new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

The story so far 

Oct. 21: Special Coverage LIVE from the Vatican

Watch the EWTN News special from the Vatican covering the last week of the Synod on Synodality. Hosts Catherine Hadro, Fr. Thomas Petri and Matthew Bunson analyze the latest developments from the Synod with special guests.

Oct. 21: Fernández: Diaconate ‘is not today’ the answer for promoting women in Church leadership

Cardinal Víctor Fernández reaffirms Pope Francis’ position against women’s access to the diaconate, an issue that will continue to be evaluated by a specialized commission while the Synod on Synodality continues to reflect on the role of women in the Church outside of ordained ministry. Almudena Martínez-Bordiú has more.

Oct. 20: Pope Francis presides at canonization Mass for 14 new saints

Pope Francis canonizes 14 new saints, including a father of eight and Franciscan friars killed in Syria for refusing to renounce their faith and convert to Islam.

Presiding over a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the pope declares three 19th-century founders of religious orders and the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus” as saints to be venerated by the global Catholic Church, commending their lives of sacrifice, missionary zeal, and service to the Church. Courtney Mares reports.

Oct. 20: Cardinal Fernández promises follow-up meeting after controversial absence

Sources confirm to CNA over the weekend that there is significant frustration among synod delegates over Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández’s absence from the Friday meeting about the study group on women’s roles in the Church. This includes questions surrounding the possibility of female deacons, notes AC Wimmer.

How the meeting was conducted caused outrage, too, as paper slips with an email address were reportedly distributed.

Oct. 19: Synod, Zen, and Sinicization: Vatican’s China deal sparks tensions 

Two prominent Catholics — Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong and American author George Weigel — level sharp criticisms at the Synod on Synodality, focusing particularly on the Vatican’s approach to China.

The synod takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing debate over the diplomatic relationship between the Holy See and Beijing, particularly the Sino-Vatican deal on bishop appointments, AC Wimmer writes.

Oct. 19: Here’s what’s happening during the last week of the Synod on Synodality

After two and a half weeks, the last of two assemblies for the Synod on Synodality is now in its final stretch before officially concluding on Oct. 27.

As conversations on the agenda set by the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document, wrapped up last week, the focus going forward is on the writing and editing of the Synod on Synodality’s final document. Hannah Brockhaus has more.

Oct. 18: Synod delegates urge young Catholics to learn how to listen to others in a polarized world

More than 30 students — most of whom were from the U.S. — from over 10 universities attend “The University Students in Dialogue with Synod Leaders,” an event organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. 

The event was moderated by four young staff members of the Synod on Synodality’s communications team who presented questions to four guest panelists participating in the second global synodal session at the Vatican. Kristina Millare reports.

Oct. 17: Cardinal Bo calls for diocesan synods around the world

The head of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC), Cardinal Charles Bo of the Archdiocese of Yangon, Myanmar, said diocesan synods are an effective means to “build a vision and mission” for local Churches.

The high-ranking prelate from the country also known as Burma tells journalists that synodality on a diocesan level is not a new concept for the Catholic Church, reports Kristina Millare.

Meet the 14 people who will be canonized saints this weekend

The Catholic Church’s newest saints will include a priest whose intercession led to the miraculous healing of a man mauled by a jaguar, a woman who convinced a pope to call for a worldwide novena to the Holy Spirit, and 11 men killed in Syria for refusing to renounce their faith and convert to Islam. Courtney Mares reports.

Oct. 16: Synod proposal to ‘decentralize’ doctrinal authority met with major pushback

Decentralizing doctrinal authority, or deciding certain doctrinal questions at local levels rather than universally, has been seen as a pivotal step for those aiming to make dramatic changes to Catholic teaching, writes Jonathan Liedl for the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 16: Dutch cardinal advocates Christ-centered reform over controversial issues

A Dutch cardinal cautions against misguided reform efforts within the Catholic Church, warning that regional solutions to contentious issues could undermine the Church’s credibility.

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht, emphasizes the importance of maintaining unity with the universal Church: “We must walk a common path and not deviate from the world Church,” he said, reflecting Pope Francis’ 2019 letter to German Catholics. “If unity in proclamation is lost, the Church loses its credibility,” Eijk says.

Oct. 16: Australian archbishop: Synod on Synodality cannot ‘reinvent the Catholic faith’

We cannot “reinvent the Catholic faith” or “teach a different Catholicism in different countries,” Australian Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney and a delegate at the Synod on Synodality tells EWTN News.

Should bishops’ conferences “have the authority to teach a different Catholicism in different countries or to decide a different liturgy in different countries or different Mass for different countries? Do they bring their own local culture to questions in the area of morals, for instance?” Fisher says in his interview with “EWTN News Nightly” Associate Producer Bénédicte Cedergren.

Oct. 15: Cardinal from Amazon: ‘Many of our women are true deaconesses’

Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, the archbishop of Manaus in Brazil who is participating in the Synod on Synodality, said during a daily press briefing at the synod on Tuesday that “many of our women are true ‘deaconesses’” and pointed out that Pope Francis “has not closed the question” of the ordination of married men. Almudena Martínez-Bordiú has more.

The cardinal is known for being a defender of the poor, Indigenous people and is also considered “pro-LGBTQ.” In the past he has stated that “there will be a way” to end mandatory priestly celibacy.

Oct. 15: Warning against fatigue from Church leader at Synod on Synodality

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich asks participants to maintain energy levels at the gathering, reports EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser for “EWTN News Nightly,” as participants delve into the theme of “places,” exploring relationships between cultures and diverse Church needs worldwide.

Meanwhile, Bishop Robert Barron, in an exclusive interview with EWTN’s Colm Flynn, defined synodality as encompassing wider consultation, greater accountability, and transparency.

The synod’s universal nature is highlighted by the presence of Eastern Catholic Churches, with Archbishop Fülöp Kocsis sharing insights on the richness of diverse experiences. Jonathan Liedl, senior editor for the National Catholic Register, points to a significant discussion on decentralization: The proposal under consideration could potentially grant national bishops’ conferences more authority in doctrinal decision-making, marking a potential shift in the Church’s governance structure.

Oct. 15: How ‘special interest advocacy’ works at the Synod on Synodality

Don’t be surprised to see a fresh round of news stories about support for ordaining women at the Synod on Synodality. It’s a reasonable expectation — writes Jonathan Liedl in his analysis for the National Catholic Register — given an advocacy group blasted out an email, obtained by the Register, inviting synod delegates to join them at an event promoting the cause.

In so doing, they are following a familiar script that’s being used to influence the Synod on Synodality — or at least perceptions of it, he explains.

Oct. 15: ‘Synodality Tent’: A place to reflect on the presence of Latin America in the Church

“The Synodality Tent” is the title of an initiative promoted by the Amerindia Network and the Latin American Observatory on Synodality whose objective is to reflect on the presence of Latin America in the Catholic Church as well as to continue promoting the synodal process.

This place for encounter and dialogue, which also aims to offer an experience of faith, opened in Rome in the context of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, writes Almudena Martínez-Bordiú.

Oct. 12: Catholics invited to ‘adopt’ Synod on Synodality members

Prayer groups are sponsoring an online platform through which you can “adopt” a Synod on Synodality member to pray for during the month of October.

After submitting an email address on the webpage oremusprosynodo.org, the name of one of the 368 voting members of the 2024 meeting of the Synod on Synodality appears with the exhortation to pray for them. Hannah Brockhaus has more.

Should the Church be governed by gender-balanced synods?

At a theological forum held at the Jesuits’ world headquarters in Rome this week, an influential canon lawyer argues that the Catholic Church should be governed by synods balanced according to gender, among other factors, and empowered to make decisions, not merely recommendations. Jonathan Liedl reports for the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 11: Pope Francis, synod pray where first Christian martyrs of Rome were killed

Pope Francis and Synod on Synodality participants pray together at the site of the first Christian martyrdoms in Rome on Friday evening.

As attendees hold candles with drip protectors imprinted with an image of the 15th-century painting “Mater Ecclesiae” (“Mother of the Church”), Pope Francis leads those present in praying the Our Father but does not give the meditation prepared for the event, Hannah Brockhaus reports.

Oct. 11: What happens when a Chinese bishop takes the floor for the first time at the synod?

Synod sources tell EWTN News that Bishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of the Diocese of Hangzhou spoke to synod participants about the history of Chinese Catholicism, China’s agreement with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops, and cultural exchange. Andrea Gagliarducci has more.

Oct. 10: Pope Francis’ Brazilian pick for cardinal calls for ordaining married priests

Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, at a briefing for the Synod on Synodality confirms plans for a trial run of an Amazonian rite of the Mass and urges “openness” to the idea of married priests to serve certain communities.

The 64-year-old prelate, a descendant of German immigrants, is a prominent figure in the Church in his home country and throughout South America, heading both the Catholic bishops’ conference of Brazil and the Latin American bishops’ conference (CELAM), writes Hannah Brockhaus.

Oct. 10: Why is ‘women’s ordination’ still dominating media coverage of the synod?

News media has a built-in tendency to downplay nuance and highlight novelty, and this is arguably accentuated at the Synod on Synodality, writes Jonathan Liedl for the National Catholic Register. Two synod members say synod communications head Paolo Ruffini overstated the strength of calls for “women’s ordination.” Read the full analysis here.

Oct. 10: Non-Catholic delegates put Christian unity in focus at Synod on Synodality

Three fraternal delegates — non-Catholic representatives of Christian churches participating in this year’s session of the Synod on Synodality — take center stage at Thursday’s Synod on Synodality press briefing held at the Vatican’s Holy See Press Office.

Speaking about “the great importance of relationality” among Christian churches, Anglican Bishop Martin Warner of Chichester — co-chair of the English-Welsh Anglican-Roman Catholic Committee — speaks about the “sense of family” that has developed between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, particularly during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Kristina Millare reports.

Oct. 9: Synod debates on bishops, laypeople opened to public at theology forums

Synod on Synodality events open to the public give a glimpse Wednesday evening into the private debates happening among delegates and theological experts on the issues of a bishop’s authority and his relationship to the laity in light of synodality.

Thomas Söding, vice president of the lay organization promoting the German Synodal Way, argued that bishops shouldn’t control or dictate discipleship but should encourage diverse expressions of faith.

Italian canonist Donata Horak criticized the Roman Catholic Church’s current structure as “monarchical” and out of step with democratic sensibilities. She suggested that the Latin Church adopt deliberative synods, as seen in Eastern Catholic churches, although she did not note that these do not allow lay voting, notes Hannah Brockhaus.

Oct. 9: Synod delegates look to St. John Henry Newman as theological guide

Australian Bishop Anthony Randazzo, a synod delegate and president of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania, says St. John Henry Newman famously showed “that the Church would look foolish without the laity” and should help ease fears that collaboration with the laity is heterodoxical.

“I think that this way of thinking should liberate us in the Church from believing that any one group or vocation alone drives the bus,” the bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay, Australia, emphasizes. Randazzo made a powerful statement against pushes for so-called “women’s ordination,” explains Jonathan Liedl for the National Catholic Register.

Oct.

Oct. 8: Catholic bishops from mainland China and Taiwan in dialogue at Synod on Synodality

In an interview with CNA, the first Indigenous bishop of Taiwan says he met with the two bishops from mainland China taking part in the synod and plans to meet with them again. “It’s very important to dialogue with them, to respect each other. I think it’s good … not only for the Chinese, for the whole Church,” Bishop Norbert Pu of Taiwan tells Courtney Mares.

Oct. 8: Who is in charge of drafting the final document of the Synod of Synodality?

Paolo Ruffini, the synod’s communications head, announces the 14 members of the Final Document Commission. The seven continental delegates are:

• Catherine Clifford, a theologian from St. Paul University in Ottawa, for North America

• Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, for Africa

• Father Clarence Davedassan of Malaysia is the pick from Asia

• Bishop Shane Mackinlay of Sandhurst, Australia, for Oceania

• Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogotá, Colombia, for Central and South America

• Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, for Europe

• Bishop Mounir Khairallah, a Maronite prelate, for the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Middle East

The other members include three direct picks from Pope Francis and four automatic appointments, writes Jonathan Liedl.

Oct. 8: Synod participants donate for Gaza parish

In a video played for journalists at the Holy See Press Office on Oct. 8, Gaza parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli thanks synod participants for both prayers and financial help, because in Gaza, “everyone is in need of everything.”

The pope’s charity office announces that synod participants donated 32,000 euros (about $35,000) for the Catholic parish in Gaza from synod participants on Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

The synod donations were combined with another 30,000 euros (about $33,000) from Pope Francis’ charity coffers and sent to Holy Family Parish, the only Roman Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip, which is sheltering hundreds of Palestinian Catholics.

Oct. 7: Pope invites prayer for the Middle East as participants from that region begin week 2 of the synod

Since the beginning of the Synod on Synodality, synod delegates and participants have echoed Pope Francis’ pleas for prayers and solidarity with communities across the war-ravaged region. As the second week of the synod gets underway, on the World Day of Prayer and Fasting held on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Pope Francis addressed Catholics in the Middle East on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. Kristina Millare has more.

Oct. 7: Women deacons off the table? Synod delegate claims ‘some women sense a call to priesthood’

While the topic of “women deacons” is not formally up for discussion at the Synod on Synodality assembly this month, the official Vatican press conference for the synod showcases a female delegate who spoke about women experiencing “a call to priesthood,” Courtney Mares reports.

Oct. 6: Pope Francis and synod participants pray rosary for peace

Invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Pope Francis presides over a rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, Courtney Mares reports.

Oct. 5: A call for peace and an announcement of dialogue

A Lebanese bishop makes an impassioned plea for peace and forgiveness at the Synod on Synodality’s daily press briefing on Saturday as the assembly’s first week draws to a close.

Bishop Mounir Khairallah of Batroun shares his personal experience of violence and forgiveness, recounting how his parents were murdered when he was just 5 years old.

Meanwhile, a dialogue with study groups is announced for Oct. 18 after synod delegates vote for more interaction with the groups established by Pope Francis.

Oct. 4: What’s behind the viral photo of Pope Francis venerating a chair?

Pope Francis sits before the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. What is behind this viral image? Madalaine Elhabbal explains.

Oct. 4: Participants put spotlight on world’s poor

Closing the first week of meetings, participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Kristina Millare reports. 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: “It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women.” 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that “every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution” via the synod’s 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the “cohesive voice” that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 3: Cardinal Fernández rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Oct. 3 shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month’s discussions held in the Vatican should serve as “laboratories of synodal life,” Kristina Millare reports.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with ‘contextual fidelity’?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church’s most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes “contextual fidelity” and a “new paradigm” that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal ‘agendas’

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope says at the synod’s opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: “Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German ‘synodality’ 

“More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024,” comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter’s Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

Nine years ago, this papal speech set the ‘synodality’ machine in motion

Since Pope Francis’ 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II met in Rome with 300,000 young people from all over the world in a meeting that laid the foundations for today’s World Youth Day. / Credit: Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

You probably know that St. John Paul II was the second-longest-serving pope in modern history with 27 years of pontificate, and he was the first non-Italian pontiff since the Dutch Pope Adrian VI in 1523.

But did you know that he also changed the Catholic Church forever during those 27 years? Here are five ways he did that:

1. He helped bring about the 1989 fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

The pope’s official biographer, George Weigel, who for decades chronicled the pope’s engagement with civic leaders, noted that the way Pope John Paul II influenced the political landscape was enormous. His political influence is seen best in the way his engagement with world leaders assisted the downfall of the U.S.S.R.

Just days before President Ronald Reagan called on Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, he met with the pope. According to historian and author Paul Kengor, Reagan went so far as to call Pope John Paul II his “best friend,” opining that no one knew his soul better than the Polish pontiff who had also suffered an assassination attempt and carried the burden of world leadership.

In the course of 38 official visits and 738 audiences and meetings held with heads of state, John Paul II influenced civic leaders around the world in this epic battle with a regime that would ultimately be responsible for the deaths of more than 30 million people. 

“He thought of himself as the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, dealing with sovereign political actors who were as subject to the universal moral law as anybody else,” Weigel said. 

“He was willing to be a risk-taker, but he also appreciated that prudence is the greatest of political virtues. And I think he was quite respected by world political leaders because of his transparent integrity. His essential attitude toward these men and women was: How can I help you? What can I do to help?”

More than anything, John Paul II understood his role primarily as a spiritual leader.

According to Weigel, the pope’s primary impact on the world of affairs was his central role in creating the revolution of conscience that began in Poland and swept across Eastern Europe. This revolution of conscience inspired the nonviolent revolution of 1989 and the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, an astounding political achievement. 

2. He beatified and canonized more saints than any predecessor, making holiness more accessible to ordinary people.

One of John Paul II’s most enduring legacies is the huge number of saints he recognized. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds, and celebrated 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. That is more than the combined tally of his predecessors over the five centuries before.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta is perhaps the best-known contemporary of John Paul II who is now officially a saint, but the first saint of the new millennium and one especially dear to John Paul II was St. Faustina Kowalska, the fellow Polish native who received the message of divine mercy. 

“Sister Faustina’s canonization has a particular eloquence: By this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium,” he said in the homily of her canonization. “I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their brethren.”

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, whom Pope John Paul II beatified in 1990 and nicknamed the “man of the beatitudes,” is another popular saint elevated by the Polish pope who loved to recognize the holiness of simple persons living the call to holiness with extraordinary fidelity. At the time of his death, the 24-year-old Italian was simply a student with no extraordinary accomplishments. But his love for Christ in the Eucharist and in the poor was elevated by John Paul II as heroic and worthy of imitation.

It bears noting that Pope Francis would later surpass John Paul II when he proclaimed 800 Italian martyrs saints in a single day.

3. He transformed the papal travel schedule.

John Paul II visited some 129 countries during his pontificate — more countries than any other pope had visited up to that point.

He also created World Youth Days in 1985 and presided over 19 of them as pope.

Weigel said John Paul II understood that the pope must be present to the people of the Church, wherever they are.

“He chose to do it by these extensive travels, which he insisted were not travels, they were pilgrimages,” Weigel said.

“This was the successor of Peter, on pilgrimage to various parts of the world, of the Church. And that’s why these pilgrimages were always built around liturgical events, prayer, adoration of the holy Eucharist, ecumenical and interreligious gatherings — all of this was part of a pilgrimage experience.”

In the latter half of the 20th century — a time of enormous social change and upheaval— John Paul II’s extensive travels and proclamation of the Gospel to the ends of the earth were just what the world needed, Weigel said.

4. He made extraordinary contributions to Church teaching.

John Paul II was a scholar who promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992, reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law during his pontificate, and authored 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, and 45 apostolic letters.

This is why Weigel said the Church has only begun to unpack what he calls the “magisterium” of John Paul II, in the form of his writings and his intellectual influence.

For example, John Paul’s theology of the body remains enormously influential in the United States and throughout the world, though Weigel said even this has yet to be unpacked.

5. He gave new life to the Catholic Church in Africa.

John Paul II’s legendary evangelical fervor took fire in Africa. 

He had a particular friendship with Beninese Cardinal Bernadin Gantin and visited Africa many times. His visits would inspire a generation of JPII Catholics in Africa as well as other parts of the globe.

“John Paul II was fascinated by Africa; he saw African Christianity as living, a kind of New Testament experience of the freshness of the Gospel, and he was very eager to support that, and lift it up,” Gantin said.

“It was very interesting that during the two synods on marriage and the family in 2014 and 2015, some of the strongest defenses of the Church’s classic understanding of marriage and family came from African bishops. Some of whom are first-, second-generation Christians, deeply formed in the image of John Paul II, whom they regard as a model bishop,” Gantin said.

“I think wherever you look around the world Church, the living parts of the Church are those that have accepted the magisterium ... as the authentic interpretation of Vatican II. And the dying parts of the Church, the moribund parts of the Church are those parts that have ignored that magisterium.”

John Paul II’s influence in Africa and around the globe transformed the world. It also forever transformed the Church.

This story was first published on Oct. 22, 2021, and has been updated.

null / Credit: Marvel

CNA Staff, Oct 22, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

St. John Paul II, who led the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005, is one of the most compelling figures of the 20th century.

Born more than 100 years ago on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla — the future pope — endured the loss of most of his family, clandestinely studied for the priesthood while his country was under Nazi rule, and rose through the Church hierarchy never ceasing to encourage his Polish countrymen to keep the faith while resisting communist pressure.

He participated in the Second Vatican Council and, upon his election as pope, became the most widely traveled pontiff and likely the most-seen person in the history of the world. He was an academic and widely regarded as a genius but also as a man of simplicity and humility.

He survived a brutal assassination attempt in 1981, crediting Mary’s intercession for his survival and extending forgiveness to his attacker.

“He’s the exemplar of the fact that a life wholly dedicated to Jesus Christ and the Gospel is the most exciting human life possible,” George Weigel, John Paul II’s biographer, told CNA.

“This man lived a life of such extraordinary drama that no Hollywood scriptwriter would dare come up with such a storyline. It would just be regarded as absurd.”

His compelling life story has been told and retold many times, including on the big screen. But did you know that John Paul II’s life story was once the subject of a Marvel comic book?

Printed in full color and featuring dramatic, stylish visuals, the 1982 comic chronicles the pope’s life, from his childhood in Poland all the way up to the attempt on his life by a would-be assassin.

Marvel, which Disney purchased in a multi-billion-dollar acquisition in 2009, is one of the largest entertainment companies in the world and the purveyor of such iconic characters as Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Captain America.

So what persuaded the Marvel executives to green-light a comic book about the then-newly-elected pope?

‘Marvel’s Man in Japan’

It all started with Gene Pelc — a New Yorker and Marvel representative living in Japan.

Pelc — whose wife is Japanese — had moved to Japan in the 1970s to report back to Marvel on how the comic book company could adapt its products for a Japanese audience.

Pelc was tasked with licensing Spider-Man to play on Japanese television and was largely successful at what he did, earning the moniker “Marvel’s Man in Japan.”

Pelc told CNA that he and his family went — and still go — to Mass at the Franciscan Chapel Center, a community of English-speaking priests in Tokyo.

Japan was then — and remains today — a very non-Christian country, with Catholics comprising less than half of 1% of the population.

One day, a priest named Father Campion Lally approached Pelc at the Franciscan Chapel Center with an unusual proposition. The 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ birth was coming up in 1982, Lally said — what if, to commemorate it, Marvel produced a comic book about the life of St. Francis?

Pelc liked the idea and wondered whether it would prove popular among Catholics in the United States. Lally was adamant, however, that the comic be marketed to non-Catholics as well.

“The real reason I want this done is to reach an audience the Church doesn’t normally reach,” Pelc remembered Lally saying. “’I want to take St. Francis out of the birdbath’ was his exact comment.”

Pelc called up Stan Lee — a legendary Marvel comic book publisher — who apparently liked the idea. But when Pelc pitched the idea to the higher-ups at Marvel, they weren’t quite so supportive at first.

“They all said: Gene, you’ve been in Japan too long. No one wants to hear about that. They want to hear about superheroes,” Pelc remembers the executives telling him.

Pelc was able to appeal to the financial sensibilities of the executives to help his case, however — Paulist Press, a U.S.-based Catholic publisher, had expressed interest in purchasing some 250,000 copies of the comic upon its release.

Needless to say, the prospect of a minimum of 250,000 copies sold — when a popular comic at the time could be expected to sell around 150,000 copies — was enough to sway the executives to approve the project.

Father Roy Gasnick, a Franciscan priest and director of communications based in New York, helped Marvel writer Mary Jo Duffy write the story of St. Francis’ life for the comic. Gasnik was, by all accounts, a massive comic book fan himself.

Then the artists at Marvel did their magic and produced the comic titled “Francis: Brother of the Universe,” which hit stores in 1980.

Helped by the Paulist Press’ large order, it proved to be a hit, both critically and commercially.

A new project

“The next step was pretty obvious to me, being Catholic and being Polish,” Pelc said.

“Pope John Paul II was extremely popular in the world at the time; he was traveling much more than the old popes did previously. And he was actually coming to Japan.”

John Paul II was the first pontiff to visit the country. The pope arrived in Japan in February 1981 to a small but enthusiastic welcome.

The pope’s visit galvanized Pelc, who was still riding high on the success of the St. Francis comic. He began looking into the possibility of producing another religious-themed comic for Marvel.

A friend of Pelc’s introduced him to Father Mieczyslaw Malinski, who was a friend of the pope’s back in Poland during the war. Malinski apparently consulted with the pope himself about what he thought about the idea of turning his story into a comic.

According to Pelc, John Paul II was supportive of the idea, as long as Malinski himself worked with the comic book team on the project.

So, the Marvel team was off to the races yet again. The first step? Research. And a lot of it.

Most of the information came from Malinski, but the story still had to be adapted to fit into the panels and speech bubbles.

That task fell to Steven Grant, a young freelance comic book artist who at the time was living in New York and working for Marvel. He had heard that Marvel was producing a second religious-themed comic, but he didn’t think much of it — he assumed that Mary Jo Duffy would be tasked with writing this one, too.

Instead, Marvel’s editor-in-chief called Grant into his office and asked him to take on the task of writing the John Paul II comic book.

“I got involved because I was expendable at the time,” Grant told CNA.

“I wasn’t one of the artists they particularly wanted writing the Fantastic Four that month,” he said with a laugh. “And they knew I was Catholic — that was my big credential.”

For Grant, working on a comic book about John Paul II — which the team always referred to as “the pope book” — was both ordinary, in the sense that the writing process was not markedly different than other comic books, and extraordinary, given that the subject matter was not only a living person but also the leader of a 1-billion-strong worldwide religion.

“No one was worried about offending him, but there was a lot of room to offend a lot of people if we did a bad job with it,” he said.

Bumps in the road

The project experienced two major roadblocks the year before it was released, the first of which was the attempt on John Paul’s life in May 1981 in the midst of the comic’s production.

Instead of dropping the project, the Marvel team wrote the events of the assassination into the book itself.

In addition, communicating with Malinski would prove more difficult than the team at Marvel had expected.

On Dec. 13, 1981, a general named Wojciech Jaruzelski appeared on television sets throughout Poland. In a video message repeated over and over again, the general declared martial law and ordered troops to suppress the Solidarity movement, a trade union rooted in Catholic principles that opposed communism.

Many striking Solidarity workers would die in the next few days as Polish troops fired into groups of them.

After John Paul’s visit to his native Poland in 1979, it would be another decade before the Solidarity Party in Poland, with the pope’s encouragement, would finally gain a majority in Parliament and, largely peacefully, the country would shrug off the shackles of communism.

To make matters worse, the turmoil in Poland was taking place in the middle of the comic book’s production schedule, and the Marvel team needed Malinski’s insights to get the comic book written.

The communists restricted much of the communications in and out of Poland during that time. Pelc said he remembers receiving smuggled communications from Malinski, which he brought to his father in New York to have translated from Polish to English.

Apart from Malinski’s contributions, Grant said he simply put his nose to the grindstone and read up on as much as he could about the pope’s life.

“It was a little pre-internet,” Grant said, chuckling.

“I figured anything I found three or four references to was probably accurate.”

His total research spanned about two months, he said, but the actual writing process was only a couple of weeks long, spurred on by Marvel’s tight production schedules.

Legacy

Finally, in 1982, the comic book hit the shelves. Thanks in large part to Catholic agencies buying up the edition, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 million copies made their way into the world.

For a young comic book artist, it was quite the windfall. Grant said he was able to pay off his student loans when he received the royalties for the comic the following year.

So, did the pope himself ever get a chance to see himself as a Marvel hero?

According to Pelc, he did. A Marvel executive flew to Rome and presented the pope with a leatherbound edition.

The success of the first two religious-themed comic books led to a third, this time about another future saint — and friend of John Paul’s — Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Although Pelc was not able to assist with that project, that comic also proved successful, though it was the last of the major religious-themed comics that Marvel produced. That comic even won a Catholic Press Association award in 1984.

In the four decades since the John Paul II comic book’s release, several members of the team that worked on it, including the artist who created the drawings, have died.

Pelc and Grant have gone their separate ways. When CNA reached him in 2020, Grant was still doing freelance comic writing and said he was still writing for Marvel “once in a blue moon.”

Though the “pope book” remains just one of the hundreds of projects that Grant has worked on over the years, he said he remembers walking into his local laundromat in New York a few months after the comic’s release and being surprised to see the comic’s cover framed and hung proudly on the wall.

Though Grant never told the owners of the laundromat — clearly devout Catholics — that he was the author of the comic, he said it brought him pride that they valued it so highly.

Pelc, as of 2020, still lives in Japan and owns a company that sells merchandise for musical artists. He said he still gets asked to this day — mostly by parishioners at the Franciscan Chapel Center — about Marvel’s religious comics.

Pelc said he believed it unlikely that a company like Marvel would produce something like this again, but he’s glad that by means of the “pope book,” he and Grant and the entire team were able to tell a good story in a world inundated by bad stories.

“That man deserved to be known by more than just people who go to church. He was an everyman pope, and I, being Polish, loved him,” he reflected.

Note: This story, which was first published on May 5, 2020, was adapted from a podcast episode of CNA Newsroom and has since been updated.

When asked what Christians can do outside the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa responded: “Pray and support. Support the Christian community as much as they can.” / Credit: EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 21, 2024 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has indicated that for now a two-state solution to end the war between Israel and Hamas in the Holy Land is “not realistic.”

“My impression is that no one wants a wider conflict, but no one is able to stop it,” Pizzaballa told EWTN’s Colm Flynn in an exclusive interview. “Now you need something new, creative, I don’t know what, but all the previous agreements, ideas, the prospective two-state solution, everything is not realistic now,” the cardinal explained.

Pizzaballa said the war between Israel and Hamas that has been underway since Oct. 7, 2023, is the worst period the people of the Holy Land have experienced in the last 35 years. 

“Not only for the violence … but the proportion, the impact, also the emotional impact on the population, Israelis and Palestinians, and now in Lebanon, which is enormous,” he added.

Following the Hamas incursion into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel responded with a major military operation in Gaza, which has also involved Iran and Lebanon.

Over the past year, Pope Francis has frequently called for a cease-fire and an end to the war in the Holy Land, especially after praying the Angelus on Sundays. On Oct. 17, he received a former prime minister from Israel and three top former Palestinian ministers at the Vatican, to discuss the situation.

In his interview with Flynn, Pizzaballa expressed his concern about “the language of hatred” found everywhere. “This is terrible. And my concern is not so much about the war. Wars are not eternal; they finish, like all wars, but what will be after, the consequences will be terrible.”

The Church is the voice of the poor

Regarding the negotiations that must take place to achieve peace, the cardinal commented: “I don’t think the Church should enter these things. The Church is better to remain outside … because if you enter, you are not free. The strength of the Church is to be a voice, the voice of the poor.”

After indicating that “everyone has to do his job. I mean, politicians have to find a political perspective and religious leaders have to help people to find hope.” The patriarch of Jerusalem also made clear that “peace is an attitude. It’s not just an agreement.”

However, Pizzaballa continued, given the current situation “it’s not realistic to talk about peace. Now, what we have to first of all talk about is a cease-fire, to stop any kind of violence … to find also new leadership with vision, political vision, also religious leaders. And then you can think about a new perspective for the Middle East, not before.”

On the subject of hunger as a weapon of war, the cardinal regretted what is happening in Gaza and highlighted that the aid sent by international organizations is not enough to care for 2 million people.

When asked what Christians can do outside the Holy Land, Pizzaballa responded: “Pray and support. Support the Christian community as much as they can.” 

Message to Israelis and Palestinians

After emphasizing that violence is not a solution, the patriarch of Jerusalem insisted that “Palestinians and Israelis are called by God to live one close to another, not against the other. And they have to rediscover their call.” 

He further underscored that “the answer to the violence and to the evil is the cross.” He said “it is not impossible” to see God in the midst of all this because “the Gospel is not an idea or a narrative, it is life” and pointed to the need for everyone to “trust more in the power of grace of God.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance listens as Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. / Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 21, 2024 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, at an Oct. 20 faith rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, accused the Biden-Harris administration of persecuting Christians and Catholics in particular.

In his speech, Vance also spoke about religious liberty and the impact of inflation, illegal immigration, and drug addiction.

“There are a lot of Catholics … [who] I think rightfully feel abandoned by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ leadership, and they’re just looking for somebody to protect their rights and make this country an affordable and decent place to raise a family,” Vance said at the Sunday afternoon rally in the battleground state. 

“I think that’s true of a lot of Catholics,” Vance said. “It’s true of non-Catholics, too. But we cannot have an American government that is persecuting Christians for living their faith. We should be rewarding people and encouraging people to live their faith.”

Vance took Harris to task for her support for “suing Catholic nuns to force them to perform procedures that violate their conscience.” 

The allegation appears to be in reference to Harris’ 2019 support for the Do No Harm Act, which would have ended religious liberty exemptions for certain government mandates, including for health insurance coverage. It would have scaled back the protections in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act so the government could force religious employers to include coverage for abortion and transgender surgeries in their health insurance plans.

Democratic lawmakers introduced the legislation to push back against the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic community of religious sisters who were suing the federal government over a mandate that their health insurance plan cover abortion. The sisters won at the Supreme Court.

“I think that’s ridiculous,” Vance continued. “I think we’re a big enough country where we can actually respect the right of people of faith to live according to their conscience and not try to force Kamala Harris’ progressive values down their throat.”

The Trump campaign has also been critical of Harris for scrutinizing judicial nominees for being members of the Knights of Columbus and for a leaked internal Richmond FBI memo that called for an investigation into a supposed link between so-called “radical traditionalist Catholics” and “the far-right white nationalist movement.” Trump also criticized Harris for skipping the Al Smith dinner, which raises money for Catholic charities and is traditionally attended by both major-party candidates.

“Kamala Harris is the candidate of anti-Christian and anti-Catholic bigotry,” Vance said. “She brags about it. That’s her policy record. Donald Trump is the candidate of defending your First Amendment right to practice your faith however you want to, because this is the United States of America, and we believe in religious liberty in this country.”

Vance also blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for the rising cost of living, resulting from high levels of inflation. He blamed government spending for the inflation, which he said harmed families and “made groceries unaffordable for American citizens.”

Additionally, Vance blamed Biden and Harris for the flood of migrants illegally entering the United States. He said their border policies have made Americans less safe and sparked a rise in fentanyl-laced drugs in the country.

On a personal note, Vance referred to his mother’s past struggle with opioid addiction, saying she “has been clean and sober for 10 years, and we’re proud of her.”

“That, to me, is the grace of God,” he said. “I know in this room, [many people] believe that God sometimes works in mysterious ways, but he does work every single day in the lives of citizens of this state and of this country. I’m living proof of it, my friends.”

“But while we pray to God for recovery and we fight every single day for those of our loved ones who are getting caught up in this stuff, wouldn’t it be nice to have a president of the United States who stopped this poison from coming into our country in the first place?” Vance added.

Hundreds of people turned out for Vance’s rally, which took place outside of Milwaukee, the state’s largest city. Several people held campaign signs that read “Catholics for Trump.” Vance is a convert to Catholicism and noted during the speech that he was “baptized for the first time in 2019” and “returned to my faith as a young man.”

“I know all of you are praying for me, and I know we got a lot of Catholics for Trump,” Vance said. “I see the signs here. Thank you, Catholics for Trump.”

While he was speaking, one attendee loudly yelled “Jesus is king,” to which Vance responded: “That’s right — Jesus is king” and received loud cheers and applause from the crowd. This appeared to be in reference to an incident that took place at a Harris rally two days earlier. Two college students say they were asked to leave a Harris rally after reportedly shouting, “Jesus is Lord.” A video circulating on social media, however, shows that someone in the audience also shouted “Liar! Liar!” before Harris told them they were “at the wrong rally.” 

“Whether you’re a person of [the] Christian faith or not, Donald Trump and I are going to fight for your right to live your values because that’s what the First Amendment protects,” Vance said.

According to a polling average from RealClearPolling, Trump and Harris are virtually tied in Wisconsin, a state with 10 Electoral College votes. In all seven battleground states with the tightest races, polls show Trump with very narrow leads, with Harris less than two percentage points behind in each — well within the margin of error.

Some recent polls show that Catholic voters are nearly evenly divided on the 2024 presidential election. According to a September Pew Research Center survey, about 52% of Catholics support Trump and 47% support Harris. A poll conducted by the National Catholic Reporter found that Catholics in the seven most tightly contested swing states preferred Trump 50% to Harris’ 45%.

Pro-life protestors hold signs outside the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 10, 2024, advocating against Amendment 3, which would dramatically expand abortion access in Missouri if passed in November. / Credit: Courtesy of Thomas More Society

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 21, 2024 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

Three states have picked up a lawsuit previously dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its removal of safety restrictions on abortion drugs. 

In June 2023, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision saying the group of pro-life doctors and organizations who filed the original case lacked standing as they could not show they had been harmed by the abortion drug mifepristone’s widespread availability. 

The states of Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho argue in the new lawsuit, filed in the same Texas federal court as the original case, that “women should have the in-person care of a doctor when taking high-risk drugs.”

Since the FDA rolled back its regulations, the states wrote in the filing, abortion drugs have been “flooding states like Missouri and Idaho [where abortion is otherwise regulated] and sending women in these states to the emergency room.”

The plaintiffs describe the FDA’s move to deregulate the drug as “reckless,” noting that the FDA’s own label estimates that about 1 in 25 women who take mifepristone “will visit the emergency room.” Though side effects of the drug include severe bleeding, life-threatening infections, and ruptured ectopic pregnancies, abortion providers are no longer required to report nonfatal complications.

“This elimination was based on past data collected under the originally approved safety standards, not the new deregulated regime,” the states pointed out, calling the deregulation “unreasonable.”

The original FDA requirements for the drug upon its approval in 2000 limited use to 49 days of pregnancy, required three in-person visits, and could only be administered by certified health care providers at a clinic or health care center. In 2016, the gestational limit was extended to 70 days and the number of in-person consultations reduced to a singular visit.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the FDA dropped its consultation requirement altogether and further authorized all certified health care professionals to be able to distribute the drug. Telehealth providers were initially given the temporary ability to distribute the drug via mail that same year. The Biden administration eventually solidified the practice as a norm in 2023. 

Although most of the country requires parental consent for the drug to be prescribed, 18 states — including California, Colorado, Maryland, and Illinois — do not require parental consent for minors to access mifepristone. 

The states also claim in the filing that the FDA “ignored the potential impacts that the removal of commonsense safeguards would have on adolescent girls” and that the administration purposefully categorized pregnancy as a “disease” to avoid having to complete otherwise necessary safety assessments among pediatric patients to approve the deregulations. 

The new filing calls for the drug to be prohibited among patients under the age of 18. 

“The FDA has acted unlawfully,” the states concluded in the amended complaint. “Now, the state plaintiffs ask the court to protect women by holding unlawful, staying the effective date of, setting aside, and vacating the FDA’s actions to eviscerate crucial safeguards for those who undergo this dangerous drug regimen.”

“Don’t mess with my children,” reads a sign carried by a participant in one of some 30 marches on Oct. 19, 2024, in Colombia to protest the country’s health department memorandom that sanctions sex changes for minors. / Credit: Eduardo Berdejo/ACI Prensa

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 21, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

Thousands of Colombians took to the streets in some 30 of the country’s cities over the weekend to demand the repeal of External Memorandum 115 of the national government’s Superintendency of Health (Supersalud) that sanctions sex changes for minors.

Sponsored by several organizations that defend life and the family, including Unidos por la Vida (United for Life) and Unión Familia (Family Union), the marches saw wide participation by the country’s citizens, including families, religious leaders, and health professionals.

In addition to Bogotá, there were demonstrations in Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Santa Marta, among other cities. 

The demonstration in Bogotá, the country’s capital, started from National Park and headed to Bolívar Plaza.

Family Union stated on Instagram that “more than 30 cities have raised their voices to say ‘not with children’” in reference to the memorandum Supersalud published on Sept. 21 that provides “general instructions for inspection, oversight, and control to guarantee the right to health of trans people in Colombia.”

Section H is dedicated to “trans children and adolescents who are in the process of development” and states that the objective is for minors to have “healthy development and support in the affirmation of identity and/or gender expression in these stages of the life cycle.”

In support of its action, the Supersalud document cited in footnote 26 rulings by the Constitutional Court backing sex changes for minors.

Although at the beginning a small group of trans activists in Bogotá tried to stop the demonstration in the country’s capital city, marchers continued their course toward the city’s historic downtown with signs demanding respect for the integral well-being of minors, including the march’s slogan, “Don’t mess with children.”

The slogan was directed especially at Superintendent of Health Luis Carlos Leal, who was appointed to that position by President Gustavo Petro.

In declarations made prior to the demonstration, the president of United for Life, Jesús Magaña, charged that Leal “has issued this memorandum to promote hormone therapy and sex changes, according to his ideology.”

He also said that it’s “a very clear project of President Petro, through his superintendent of health.”

“They don’t care about destroying the family, destroying children; they don’t care about respecting the rights of parents because they want to do it to minors,” the pro-family leader told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Interior of the parish church in the Cuxtitali sector of the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Mexican state of Chiapas. / Credit: Leogeograph, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 21, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Father Marcelo Pérez of the Mexican Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas was murdered on Saturday, Oct. 19, by unknown assailants. The priest was shot dead after he had finished celebrating Mass and was on his way in his car to continue his pastoral duties.

According to the news site El Heraldo de Chiapas, the crime occurred after the priest had finished celebrating the Eucharist at the church located in the Cuxtitali neighborhood and was heading to the church in the Guadalupe neighborhood when some men riding a motorcycle reportedly shot him.

The murder was condemned by the Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM by its Spanish acronym) in an Oct. 20 statement, which said the act “not only deprives the community of a dedicated pastor but also silences a prophetic voice that tirelessly fought for peace with truth and justice in the region of Chiapas.”

“Father Marcelo Pérez was a living example of priestly commitment to the most needy and vulnerable in society. His pastoral work, characterized by his closeness to the people and his constant support for those who needed it most, leaves a legacy of love and service that will endure in the hearts of all those he touched with his ministry,” the CEM wrote.

In its statement, the CEM also expressed its “solidarity and spiritual closeness” to the bishop of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez, and to the local Catholic community.

The statement also demands that authorities carry out “an exhaustive and transparent investigation that leads to solving this crime and justice for Father Marcelo Pérez,” the implementation of “effective measures to guarantee the safety of priests and pastoral workers,” and the redoubling of “efforts to combat the violence and impunity that afflict the region of Chiapas” and the country in general.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Joseph Zen arrives at a court for his trial in Hong Kong on Sept. 26, 2022. / Credit: PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Oct 21, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

A new report sheds light on the repression faced by 10 Catholic bishops in China who have resisted the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to exert control over religious matters since the 2018 China-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops. 

The report, authored by Nina Shea for the Hudson Institute, documents the harrowing experiences of Vatican-approved bishops who have suffered detention without due process, surveillance, police investigations, and banishments from their dioceses for refusal to submit to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), a state-managed group controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department. 

“This report shows that religious repression of the Catholic Church in China has intensified since the 2018 China-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops,” Shea said.

“Beijing targeted these 10 bishops after they opposed the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which requires its members to pledge independence from the Holy See,” she added.

The Hudson Institute published the report days before the expected Vatican announcement of whether the Holy See will renew its provisional agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops. 

The provisional agreement was first signed in 2018 and then renewed in 2020 and 2022. The most recent two-year renewal signed in 2022 expires this week on Oct. 22. 

News that a new coadjutor bishop of Beijing is expected to be installed on Oct. 25 in agreement with the Holy See suggests that the Sino-Vatican agreement is likely to be renewed.

The report also outlines steps that U.S. policymakers can take to advocate for the release of detained Catholic bishops in China.

Here is a look at the 10 Chinese Catholic bishops featured in the report: 

Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin

Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin, 66, of the Mindong Diocese in Fujian province has faced multiple detentions over 30 years, including one in 2019, during which he was placed under surveillance of two guards and subjected to coercive “tactics of persuasion.” After the signing of the Sino-Vatican agreement in 2018, he was asked to step down as the principal bishop of Mindong to allow the government-appointed Bishop Zhan Silu to take his place. Although Guo agreed to serve as an auxiliary bishop, he continued to face relentless pressure to register with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, including by cutting off electricity and water to his residence and then evicting him in January 2020. He resigned in October 2020 at the age of 62.

Bishop Augustine Cui Tai

Bishop Augustine Cui Tai, 74, of the Xuanhua Diocese in the province of Hebei has been subjected to repeated detention, house arrest, and forced labor over the past 31 years. He has been detained four times since the 2018 China-Vatican agreement and has not been seen since he was taken into police custody in April 2021. His diocese has repeatedly called for his release from detention but to no avail.

Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo

Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, 90, of the Zhengding Diocese in Hebei has a long history of persecution, having been detained multiple times since 1963. His most recent detention began in August 2020 as the China-Vatican agreement was on the verge of renewal for the first time. His “crime” was having allowed in his church the singing of hymns without government permission, according to the report. Jia remains in detention since his 2020 arrest and the Chinese government has acknowledged that he suffers from illness largely developed from his times in detention. Police also dismantled the bishop’s orphanage for disabled children that he operated with the help of Catholic nuns for over 30 years.

Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin

After publicly declaring his refusal to cooperate with the CPCA at his episcopal ordination in 2012, Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, 56, of the Diocese of Shanghai was detained and isolated at a seminary and has remained under house arrest ever since under constant surveillance, restrictions, and detention. The China-Vatican agreement did not improve his situation.

Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin

Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, 61, of the Wenzhou Diocese in Zhejiang has been arrested at least six times since the 2018 agreement. His most recent detention occurred in January without due process, and he remains imprisoned today. Authorities have repeatedly pressured him to join the CPCA, but he has consistently refused.

Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen

At 95 years old, Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, 95, of the Tianjin Diocese has been under house arrest for over 15 years. He is confined to his parish church compound and occasionally allowed out to perform religious duties. In 2024, the Vatican reported that China officially recognized him as a bishop, though his age and ongoing restrictions now make it difficult for him to fulfill his ministry.

Bishop James Su Zhimin

Bishop James Su Zhimin, 92, of the Diocese of Baoding in Hebei has been in continuous secret detention for over 27 years, having been arrested in 1997 while leading a religious procession to a Marian shrine. His location remains undisclosed, and he is one of the longest-detained Catholic leaders in China. The bishop’s nephew told UCA News in 2020 “it is feared that Bishop Su is no longer alive.”

Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi

Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi, 61, of the Shanghai Diocese disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 2011. The CCP claimed he had resigned from his post, but no further information has been provided. The Vatican has expressed hope for a resolution to his case, but his fate remains unclear.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun

A vocal critic of the CCP, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 92, of Hong Kong has faced ongoing pressure since China’s imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong. He was arrested in 2022 on charges of “colluding with foreign forces” and was released on bail hours later. Zen was convicted for failing to register a fund that helped pay for the legal fees and medical treatments of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters and forced to pay a fine.

Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu

Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu, 66, of the Xinxiang Diocese in Henan was long prevented from entering his diocese and then was arrested in May 2021, while recovering from a cancer surgery, and continues to be held without trial. Authorities also raided and shut down his seminary, labeling it illegal. In March 2023, Asia News confirmed that the bishop remained detained by the local police.